The Blessing of Grandkids

We've just spent a delightful week with our grandchildren - Kezia, age 4 1/2 and Luke, age 3. To have 2 darling kids running towards you with arms open wide yelling "Grandma! I missed you." - how can you not love that? They are both so cute and winsome, bright, eager to learn, funny, and huggable. We are getting ready to say goodbye, and I'm sure there will be some tears all around.......South Africa is a long ways away!!

I can't help but think what a gift and miracle these 2 little ones are. The doctors said Misha could never have children after her long illness - and then Kezia came along. We rejoiced in her life. Then, when Luke was born and we almost lost him and Misha, we and the doctors knew it was a miracle that they survived and that they didn't have any permanent brain damage. The doctors have said that their story will go in medical books because it's never happened before. Many of you prayed, for which we are eternally grateful.

I have only to look at these 2 beautiful faces to have worship and gratitude well up in my heart. God has been so good to us! I've thanked the Lord repeatedly these last days for the miracle of these lives.

Vision Casting

Guidelines for sharing your vision with others.

1. Make sure it is clear in your own mind:

Why, how, who will do this, results expected.

2. Share it with change agents first.

Win over the key decision makers before you go public.

3. Tell your vision passionately

If you are not excited and convinced and committed, will others be?

4. Paint a compelling picture with words.

Stir the hearts and minds of people to mobilize them to work together.  Vision precedes reality. God uses visionaries to stir people to action by creating a picture in their minds of what can happen.

5. Share your vision consistently.

Changing from one vision to another creates confusion and lack of credibility. Trust is lost.

6. Proclaim your vision as widely as possible.

The vision should be given visibility.  Cast it on TV, radio, from the pulpit, in newsletters, via video, on audio tape. CD, etc. Use slogans, banners and brochures. Drive it home to your staff, board, friends, family, leaders, and supporters.

7. Share your vision painstakingly.

Sharing vision takes time, effort, sacrifice. It requires planning and effort, with continuity and repetition. It must gain trust through consistency and perseverance. It must be perceived as more than a pipe dream.  It takes ruthless determination, unswerving dedication, relentless tenacity, and honest evaluation.

Trusting Jesus in Nepal

Below is a very encouraging story from one of our team leaders in Nepal. It is a fascinating insight into how God has led him to tell the story of God and his love through an art medium called "Thankas."

Pasang is an older woman who comes from the same village as Dolma. For years she has had questions that the Buddhist lamas have not been able to answer concerning life and religion. These unanswered questions caused her to want to search in other places to find the truth. At one point in her life she heard about followers of Jezus but she didn't know anything about it. Although she had wanted to find out more, her husband and her family were very much opposed to that, even threatening her if she would pursue it further. So she continued to live a life of unfulfillment. Wondering if she would ever find answers.

Six months ago Pasang's husband died. Because she never had children and no longer had a husband, she was told by friends and relatives that she should go live in a Buddhist monastery. But not wanting to do that, she said, "Why should I go there? I still have my hands. I can work." She then decided to start a small restaurant and began looking for a place to begin again. On one visit to Boudha someone told her about a place where there was an empty room that she could use to start her business. So three weeks ago she moved into our neighborhood and opened her restaurant.

Right away, Dolma recognized her and began to talk to her about all the amazing things that God has been doing in her own life. Dolma shared about the peace and love that she now experiences in God, and the joy that has transformed her life. When Pasang shared her own story and told Dolma of the restlessness that she has had, Dolma said, "God brought you here so that you could find Him." Pasang responded immediately with the desire to learn about Jezus. She is so hungry to know more that she comes to our house every day and also spends much time listening to Dolma share her own testimony of the transforming power of the God of love.

"Thankas" are the name of the Buddhist art form that is used to tell the story of Buddha. We have commissioned about 30 Thankas to be done to tell the story of the Bible. The Thankas have had a very deep and profound impact on Pasang and all those who see them. As she has seen and heard the stories of God's creation, the fall of man, the tower of Babel and others she has finally gotten answers to questions that have been haunting her for years. She says that the stories on the Thankas are so clear that she knows that she is hearing the truth for the first time in her life. She said, "Why has no one shown our people these Thankas before? They are so true and right. All our Sherpa people need to see these. They need to know the truth." Right now, as I am writing this, Pasang is in our kitchen using one of the Thankas to tell another young Sherpa girl, Chimi, one of the B'ble stories that she just heard yesterday.

God at work in Maximum Security Prison

I ministered to two guys in the maxium sercurity prison in South Africa. I have been asked by the guys if I would baptize them shortly after Sally and I arrive in South Africa!!

Another one of the men we met in the prison, Sebastian, has had severe health problems. This note from Maritsa (a social worker who ministers in the prison) explans more:

"The guys are doing really well on the spiritual side, but both Sebastian and Earl are not so well physically. Sebastian's a-plastic anemia has flared up again with his platelet levels being dangerously low. This means he’s back onto all the medication again to try and prevent him needing to be hospitalized and given a blood transfusion. It sounds like stress could also trigger the levels dropping so that's probably what happened since his parents and sister all started up their drinking and shouting habits again the last few weeks. It was really disturbing him (and he had to take care of some responsibilities re his sister's baby that they were neglecting) greatly and he actually went to stay at an aunt's house for a couple of nights to get away. Last weekend his condition got worse to the point that he lost consciousness for a while and had to be taken to hospital overnight to be stabilized, so now it seems everyone got such a fright they're sober again since then.”

Lebanon, Mozambique & South Africa

There are two things burdening my heart. The first is the war raging between Israel and the Hezbollah. I am grieved and angry at the fighting, but not enough to be silent or do nothing. Martin Luther King Jr., said

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."

We are making plans to send All Nations teams to Beirut the day the bombing ceases. Please pray for mature, experienced people to join the team. We have tried to get a team in earlier, but so far it hasn't worked.

The second thing on my heart is the work All Nations is doing in Mozambique with HIV babies. There are two new editions to the family, Anina & Ricardo. Anina is 3 years old and was abandoned by her mother and found wandering around her village crying and looking for food. Ricardo is 6 months old but extremely small, his mother died of AIDS and he is also infected. Both have made great progress since coming to the baby house and are getting the love and nutrition they need. Please pray for Pieter and Rika and their two helpers as they hold these babies, love them, feed them, and as they strive to plant a church in the neighborhood around the baby house.

On a personal note, Sally and I leave Kansas City in two days time to drive across the States to visit family and friends, and to speak in churches. Please pray for our visa application to the South Africa government to be approved, and for permanent housing once we arrive in Africa. We leave the States Oct. 24th for South Africa.

Adopt A People Group

What is a people group?

A people group is a significantly large ethnic or sociological grouping of individuals who perceive themselves to have a common affinity for one another. For evangelistic purposes, it is the largest group within which the gospel can spread as a church-planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance. Although there are other types of people groupings, in the context of this program, the word people refers to ethnolinguistic people groups.

What makes a people group unreached?

Also known as hidden or neglected peoples, these groups have no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize their people without requiring outside (cross cultural) assistance.

When is a people reached?

A group is considered reached if it has a viable, indigenous, self-reproducing church movement in its midst. This includes strong churches, led in their own language, actively evangelizing their own people and planting daughter churches.

Why Are Church Planting Movements Key For Reaching Unreached People Groups?

One of the primary strategies in reaching unreached people groups is to launch church planting movements. A church planting movement is movement of rapidly multiplying small, indigenous house churches. Church planting movements are dependent on a model of church planting that encourages small, simple, easily reproducible churches that are not dependent on buildings, paid leaders or formal educational requirements for leaders to serve.

What does it mean to adopt an unreached people group?

To "adopt" means to focus on one particular people which has had little or no access to the gospel. This approach to mission involves five activities which may be included in an adoption, but your church* may emphasize or eliminate certain ones based on your desire, gifting and ability. These five are: deciding to adopt, prayer to find the right people group, research, partnering with the right network/agency, and church planting.

Why is adopting a people group an effective, Biblical way to reach the world?

Adopting a people group is biblical because it is patterned after God, who is calling and adopting sons and daughters from every tribe, tongue and nation, "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will" (Eph 1:5). When we adopt a people, we are His agents or ambassadors. Adoption is effective because it makes sure that every group has a group of Christians praying for and reaching out to them. Adopting a people is a "doable" piece of the Great Commission, where each church, large and small, can play a part.

- Adapted and Edited by Floyd McClung

21st Century Christian Trends

• Persecution and martyrdom of Christians will sharply increase as non-christian religious forces are threatened by the mass conversion of unreached peoples to Christ. Nationalistic Islamic and Hindu political parties such as the Taliban and BJP/RSS will continue to experience popularity as their leaders react to American foreign policy and the success of church planting movements and Christian aid workers.

• The local church is reclaiming the initiative as the main sending force in global missions. Movements of local churches networks will arise across denominational lines. They will play a major role in mobilizing, training, placing and caring for workers on the field.

• The 21st Century will see an increase in clashes between major civilizations. Samuel Huntington identifies those civilizations as Western, Orthodox, Chinese, Latin American, Islamic, Hindu, Japanese, and African. This factor makes it vitally important to train and send out missionaries who have both an adequate understanding of the civilization they work in, but also the character necessary to withstand opposition as they plant churches and give aid to the poor.

• Global sending will replace the 20th century paradigm of First to Third World mobilization. Globalization will be facilitated by the ascendancy of the local church as a missions force in Africa, South America and Asia. This will be aided by communication technology, and easy access to international travel. English will continue to be the international language of communication.

• The role of the Holy Spirit will continue to be a major theological perspective in the 21st century church, along with the growing awareness of God

Prayer Request and a Testimony

I am writing to ask you to pray for the international leadership team of All Nations. We are meeting for six days, starting tomorrow morning, June 17th. We need God's wisdom, his grace and sensitivity to hear his voice. Thank you!

I received this very amazing news this morning about a radical Muslim man name Earl who came to Christ when I preached in a high security prison in South Africa in February:

"Earl would very much like to write to you. He's got your name, as well as Sally and your children, in his journal with the list of people that he prays for every day... I continue to stand amazed at the absolute change in him and his complete dedication/devotion to Jesus no matter what! One of his biggest frustrations at the moment is the fact that he doesn't see the people around him in the body of Christ living towards/with one another like the Word teaches, and he cannot comprehend why this is while the Word is so clear and we obviously just need to do exactly what the Word teaches!! And only almost four months old in the Lord..."

Please pray for Earl. He was the leader of a large, violent gang in the prison. He is having a major impact for Jesus!

Yours for his glory in all nations,

Floyd McClung