Articles, news and testimonies
Beginning today, 160 believers from villages around the African country of Malawi will be taught how to share the Good News using the recently completed translation of the book What are Christmas and Easter all About?
The translator who did the work to translate this resource from English into Chichewa, the national language of Malawi, sent this note just yesterday.
Continue reading ““A very good Christmas gift for Malawians””
Snowflakes in the air reminded me I needed winter tires for our car. After checking prices and availability I settled on a local vendor and arranged a time to have the new tires installed.
Arriving at the tire shop on the day of my appointment, I handed the keys to a service representative and then proceeded to the customer-waiting lounge. The room was surprisingly vacant; only one other customer was there, a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman who seemed deep in his own thoughts. He paid me no mind as I settled into a chair a few seats away. But as I reached into my business satchel for my reading glasses, he suddenly looked in my direction. Our eyes met.
We recently received a very encouraging note from a gentleman who read In-ká-hai: How Sweet It Is! to his children as part of their family devotions. He wrote:
Our family has really enjoyed reading In-ká-hai! I have read it to the family, one chapter at each sitting. We finished the epilogue tonight and we will go through the study questions the remainder of this week.
It is a wonderful book that has captured the minds of my children. You can ask them a Manjúi word like “noki-wota” and they will tell you that the word means “honey.” Or “in-ka-hai” means “how sweet it is.” Pretty cool, eh?
I am considering doing a book review at church to give others the idea of using it for family devotions. Thank you for the book! — Howard*
(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)
(Editor’s note: An understood gospel is a powerful gospel. It saves lives! We have heard many stories of children coming to put their trust in Jesus for salvation, but this was a special one.)
Jill* told us of her friend, Suzanne*, who had an autistic son. Suzanne despaired over how she could share the gospel with him. After thinking about it, Jill told her, “I think I have just the book for you.”
She passed Suzanne a copy of The Lamb. Excited, Suzanne read the story slowly to her son and she used the included audiobook CD to reinforce what was taught.
A few weeks later, Suzanne spoke to Jill. “Thank you, Jill! It worked. The Lamb book worked. My son understands the gospel and he believes in Jesus!” Suzanne knew that her son understood because he could answer the questions at the end of each chapter. She related that the careful pacing, the repetition of key concepts, the detailed illustrations and the audiobook CD helped her son to put his trust in Jesus as his substitute lamb—his Saviour.
[*Names changed as per GoodSeed policy.]
At a Christian school conference, Jim* excitedly approached our GoodSeed booth where our staff were introducing Worldview Rethink curriculum to schools. He had a story to share. Some years ago, he had seen a copy of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus on a co-worker’s desk and had borrowed it to read. A short time later, he was at a farmers’ market and spotted a stall where a stack of copies of The Stranger were being given away. He happily took a copy for himself. He said the book put the Bible together in way that made profound sense to him.
Jim wondered, how can I make good use of this resource? Then an idea struck him. First, he drove over to our office and picked up a case of The Stranger. Second, he pulled out his address book and thumbed through it, looking for old friends with whom he had lost touch. Next, he penned each of them a long, personal letter. He ended each one with these words of invitation:
Editor’s note: We often meet new people when we travel. Opportunities to share the good news abound when on a flight or on a bus. One of our staff members relates a recent incident on being ready to share at a moment’s notice.
As a frequent flyer in economy class, I’ve noticed how the close seating arrangement gives passengers freedom to converse about deeply personal subjects. It happened again recently.
I found myself jammed beside a man and woman each in their 30s. Karin,* a married mother of a six-year old daughter was on a business trip. Tyler* was a science major who worked in the medical field servicing imaging equipment.
Last week, TERM Seminar attendees in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, were trained on how to guide a friend to a clear understanding of the Bible’s message. They were also challenged to prepare a “Be Ready Box” so that they will have gospel tools available to give away at a moment’s notice. When believers are ready, God often begins to nudge people their way with whom they can share the gospel. For Ned and Marion,* a couple who were at the seminar, opportunity came sooner than they expected—like immediately after the seminar!
They emailed us after their six-hour drive home, to tell us what happened on Saturday evening after the last session. Ned wrote:
Continue reading “I asked him if he read the Bible much. He said it was difficult…”
Australia regularly receives boatloads of refugees seeking asylum. Many of these people from surrounding nations are genuine asylum seekers, while others are not. It’s a challenge for the government to discern the difference as it processes these people arriving on its shores.
The refugees are temporarily housed on Christmas Island while their cases are being investigated. There are ministries on the island that provide aid to these men and women from distant places. James and Shelly Campbell* are one such ministry couple. They interact with the refugees, providing help and handing out Bibles and Christian literature to those who ask for them. At their request, our Australia office shipped them a box of What are Christmas and Easter all About? along with other GoodSeed books. The parcel was apparently lost in the mail but, thank God, it showed up two months later.
We recently received a long email from Brazil. A ministry there wanted to encourage us by letting us know they had received quite a number of testimonies regarding our tools. Here are a series of translated notes from them.
My mother now believes!
A missionary wrote to say that for years she had been trying to share the gospel with her own mother. When she got a copy of Portuguese edition of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, she used it to teach her mother and by God’s grace, her mother understood and now believes.
(Editor’s note: In life, we are often faced with difficult circumstances: an illness or some tragedy. Even during these times, if we look beyond ourselves, we can find God bringing someone into our lives with whom we can share the gospel message. This is Phoebe’s* story.)
A day after we shared Brad Powell’s video testimony, we received an email from Phoebe. She wrote, “I have wanted to write to you for some time and thank you for the book, ‘By this Name.'”