Pray for the team heading to Zambia on December 8th and returning on December 23rd. There are three from Uganda that will be helping Ernest from Malawi start this class. Those who take the class will become the teachers for the others in the community.
Praise the Lord for our new friend Victor, who has a desire to see oral training reach his home area of Bunia, DR Congo.
Praise the Lord for a new contact in Tanzania who is interested in having training in his area.
Pray for the coordination of the January 16-22 trip to the Dominican Republic and for their first graduation!
Praise the Lord for the training in Pakistan with 15 classes and 137 students. The training continues in spite of the persecution of Christians.
Praise the Lord for the Urdu and Hindi translations of the first book and for the Luganda translation of the book of Romans.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for those have lost family members in both Israel and in Gaza. There is a great need to know the hope and peace that Jesus offers.
Praise the Lord for the ability to reach into difficult places through online training.
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house. Romans 16:3-5
Meet Dr. Victor Lonu, the most recent friend of the Orality Institute. Victor is from Bunia in the Democratic Republic ofCongo (DR Congo). Victor received his master’s and PhD in Biblical Studies through the African Theological Seminary in Kenya. Since that time, he has been developing training manuals for pastors in rural Africa.
Victor is the most recent person to contact the Orality Institute asking for us for training in an oral strategy of education. He would like to bring biblical training to his home area near Bunia, but traditional written education is not going to be effective for them. He was introduced to oral instruction some years ago through one of Pastor Kevin’s early mentors, and he remembers those lessons today. He wants to share that living instruction with those in his home area.
Northeast DR Congo has been ravaged by violence for many years. The people in the villages have fled to the city of Bunia for safety, but that also means leaving their farms and homes. Victor has a network of pastors in that area and through that network the hope of the gospel has a chance to spread into an otherwise dangerous area. This year the Orality Institute has received inquiries and invitations to work in Pakistan, Nigeria, South Sudan, Northern India, and now DR Congo. These are dangerous locations for U.S. citizens to be working, yet by God’s grace, we have been able to encourage and motivate these leaders in their spheres of influence. We praise the Lord for our partnership with people who can share the Word of God in these places where there is such a great need.
Great Gift
Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of The Name. Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 1 John 1:5-8
The Word of God is the greatest gift that we can give to people. Mama Nissi, who is one of our missionaries, just returned to Uganda after spending five months visiting her children in England. This was intended to be a personal trip paid for by her children. She was insistent that it was an opportunity to start a new class in England. She found that everyone was overly busy, several working two jobs just to cover their life expenses. During her time, she was able to find five people from different parts of London who were willing to study and could do so over Zoom. So, now this 70+ year old woman will be teaching her new students, using a computer, … from Uganda.
Meanwhile our Zambia team will be leaving Uganda on December 8th and returning on the 24th. The team includes Bishop, Sharif and Tracy in the picture. Ernest will be meeting them in Malawi when they land on the 8th, then they will travel by bus across the border. Their purpose will be to help Ernest, from Northern Malawi, start a new class. Ernest has been a part of several orality training courses. Now he will become the overseer of the class of teachers in Zambia. Our team will help him be successful with this new class. Please pray for them as they bring the priceless gift of God’s Word to people who need to hear and understand how much God loves them. They need to experience the transformation that happens when they are immersed in His Word. These dear friends will go “out for the sake of The Name.”
Praise the Lord for the for the safe Grand Canyon Hike on October 21st and for the $14,277 that has come in for the ministry.
Praise the Lord for the training in Pakistan with 15 classes and 137 students. The training continues in spite of the persecution of Christians.
Praise the Lord for the Urdu and Hindi translations of the first book and for the Luganda translation of the book of Romans.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for those have lost family members in both Israel and in Gaza. There is a great need to know the hope and peace that Jesus offers.
Pray for the coordination of a training into Zambia. We have a plan but we need about $2500 to make it possible.
Pray for the coordination of the January trip to the Dominican Republic and for their first graduation!
Praise the Lord for the ability to reach into difficult places through online training.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing. Colossians 1:3-6
Everything in nature reproduces when it becomes mature. We see it in the animal and the plant kingdoms. We are also seeing spiritual reproduction within the Orality Institute.
Those that were trained in Malawi have started many more classes to the extent that we just printed 100 more teacher’s manuals which have been distributed to those who will be leading classes. Ernest is one of the teachers in Malawi and he has been pleading for support so that he can bring this training to his friends in neighboring Zambia.
In Pakistan, 15 master trainers each have their own class with a total of 137 students between them. The church that we trained in South Sudan received an introductory course and immediately started three classes in their church. The training zones in Uganda continue to expand. The above picture is a Teacher’s Workshop from one of the nine zones. In January, we will celebrate the first graduation in the Dominican Republic. They have studied for two years and now these students can start their own classes.
This oral strategy is expanding within the United States through the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations. The Free Lutheran Schools have held classes for the seminary, and it has been included within a Bible college class. It is being used as an evangelism and discipleship tool in four churches. A man in one congregation plans to reach out to Veterans, another is planning on using it in his Taekwondo gym.
All of this is evidence of the work of God and the fruit of the Spirit through the Word of God.
Giving Thanks
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. Psalm 79:13
Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can increase our happiness, improve our physical health, give us better mental well-being, higher self-esteem, and greater life satisfaction. Giving thanks is also a celebration of all that the Lord has given us and His promise to provide in the future as well.
We are grateful for the privilege of being ambassadors of Christ among so many people groups. It is an honor to be trusted by people from so many countries, languages, and strata of society. In these last few months, we have printed books in Malawi, and translated curriculum into Hindi, Luganda, and Urdu. This week we received a new invitation to bring training to another people group in another part of the world.
We praise the Lord for the enthusiastic response people have toward the study and memory of God’s Word. We see the transformation of individuals, marriages, families, and communities as they apply His Word to their lives. Pastor Paul Kigosi, from South Sudan, said the training helped his marriage.
We are grateful for your partnership in this ministry which makes it possible to share God’s Word around the world. This ministry began in January of 2018 and it has continued for seven years on the support of faithful friends who believe that it is possible reach people around the world with this unique style of education. We praise the Lord for your generosity toward the 2023 Hike and Bike. We raised $14,277 above our regular monthly pledges. That will sustain our monthly budget and allow us the ability to expand into new areas.
Praise the Lord for the 14 bikers we had on the Orality Institute Bike ride on September 30th. We have raised about 8,000 thus far. Pray for the Grand Canyon Hike on October 21st and for the $12,000 we are hoping for.
Praise the Lord for the $3436 that came in for the Pakistan persecution relief and for the personal delivery our team was able make to give that support to the victims of the violence.
Praise the Lord for the Urdu and Hindi translations of the first book and for the Luganda translation of the book of Romans.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for those that are grieving from the loss of family members and for those in Gaza who need to know the hope that Jesus offers.
Pray for the coordination of a training into Zambia. We have a plan but we need about $2500 to make it possible.
Pray for the coordination of the January trip to the Dominican Republic and for their first graduation!
Praise the Lord for the ability to reach into these difficult places through online training.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair. 2 Corinthians 4:7-8
You may remember the article that included images from the persecution in Pakistan. 28 churches had been burned, 280 homes burned, and those families were displaced. The Orality Institute collected and sent $3436 specifically for that relief ministry. In September, our team visited the area affected by the persecution two times and gave financial support to those in need so they could purchase food and supplies.
The team of Master Trainers did not allow the persecution to slow them down. They held their second training in October and covered four more lessons to prepare these 15 teachers to return to their separate classes. These Christians display the boldness and the surpassing power that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 4:7-8. On our first Zoom call with Pakistan, Rayan said, “We will preach the gospel… and do it until our last breath, so keep praying for us.” An oral strategy of education is practical in the midst of persecution because it is kept safe in your mind and it will stay with you regardless of what is happening around you. It is effective because sharing stories is nonconfrontational, it allows people the chance to hear the gospel, and the listeners are the ones that apply the scripture to their life. On September 6th, while the chaos of the persecution was still having an effect, Rayan and his wife welcomed a second boy, Oholiab, into their family. The hope for Oholiab, for Rayan, and for the many persecuted Christians is the surpassing power of Jesus. Even though we are fragile from a human perspective, we are invincible from a heavenly perspective.
Extending Grace
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,”… For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:13,15
We are grateful for the support we have received these past months. You have extended your grace to us and it “increases our thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” Thus far we have raised about $8000 with the bike ride, and we pray that the Grand Canyon hike, on October 21st will bring the increase to our goal of $20,000.
The support from these past months has allowed us to extend our reach into new areas. In July, the first book of the curriculum was translated into Urdu. That has been printed and they have held two training sessions for the Master Trainers who are bringing the training to their individual classes throughout the month.
On September 18th, Pastor Andrew Olson sent us the completed translation of the Romans curriculum into Luganda. There are several groups that have completed the Romans study in Uganda, but those classes have all been taught in English. This translation will allow the training in the book of Romans to reach those who do not speak English and it will deepen the doctrinal understanding of scripture for those who spend a year studying.
On October 3rd, the first printing of the curriculum into Hindi was completed. Hindi is the national language of India, so this will allow us to bring the oral training to multiple people groups in northern India. If the Lord is prompting you to financially support this ministry, you can give by check to the address below or online at the Orality Institute website, www.oralityinstitute.org.
Pray for the Orality Institute Bike ride on September 30th and the Grand Canyon Hike on October 21st.
Pray for the victims of the violence against Christians in Pakistan. 36 churches burnt, 180 homes, over 300 families displaced.
Praise the Lord for our six eager Ugandan missionaries who returned from S. Sudan, Malawi. Mama Nissi continues her visit to England and is trying to start a class there.
Pray for the provision for the opportunities that we have been working with in northern India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Zambia.
Praise the Lord for our initial online trainings that appear to be going well.
Praise the Lord for the six videos that have been created and sent to our country leaders.
Pray for Nigeria as it deals with an economic crash and extremely difficult situations.
Praise the Lord for our stable finances these past six months.
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