A Light That Will Not Be Put Out!

THE HORN OF AFRICA is a Muslim-dominated region of four nations, with 101 million people representing 160 ethnic groups. In a region rich with Biblical history, Christians today are often marginalized, persecuted, betrayed by family, and even martyred. In spite of an environment hostile to Christianity, the gospel still shines through faithful believers, who are standing strong and devoted to their precious Savior.

In a recent interview, Samuel B., WMP’s National Coordinator in Ethiopia, spoke of the challenge of sharing the gospel in one of the toughest areas of the world for evangelism. With him were leaders from Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti nodding in agreement that their nations need the gospel (and WMP Scripture booklets!) and that they are willing to take this gospel into dangerous territory. It is this courage that Samuel emphasized.

Church growth in Eritrea and Somalia is evident in spite of increasing opposition, and the Church in Ethiopia has experienced strong growth partly as a result of vigorous evangelism. Last year 194 Ethiopian churches came together for focused prayer and evangelism training, asking God to pour out His Spirit on their nation and praying for the lost to come to Jesus.

Improved literacy in Ethiopia has created an increasing demand for literature. As WMP Scripture booklets are used for outreach, more booklets are needed to carry out a bold venture to reach every home in the region. Samuel emphasized, “Your booklets enrich our ministry.”

A new shipment with 685,000 Scripture booklets in Amharic, Oromiffa, and Soomali will soon arrive in Addis Ababa to be disbursed by “light-bearers” throughout the region.

Outlining prayer needs for the region, Samuel noted that the gospel is holistic, touching more than just an individual’s spiritual life, and can change the very spirit and mind of a nation. “We believe that our gospel is strong,” he said. “It can change and transform the life of the community, and we need transformation for our area.”

Spiritual opposition in Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti dictates that great care must be taken in how the Word of God is shared. Churches have been driven underground and believers often worship alone, not sure who they can trust. Yet, the light shines.

Samuel requested prayer for open doors and for volunteers to be involved in outreach. Also needed is prayer for political stability in the region, so that the gospel can be more freely shared, for economic empowerment in each nation, and for leaders to be raised up who will lead their nations back to God.

When Samuel visited WMP in 2017 as speaker for WMP’s 56th Anniversary Dinner, he saw first-hand how the Scripture booklets are produced and the many, many languages being prepared for so many countries. With a new understanding of the ministry of WMP, he returned to his team in Ethiopia and together they began to pray earnestly for WMP, forging an even deeper bond in carrying the light of the gospel into the darkness.

Muslim resistance to the gospel comes in many forms, pushing back against the revealing light of God’s Word, but believers in the Horn of Africa who are standing firm bring to mind a beautiful verse from the Old Testament. “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and forever” (Daniel 12:3).

The request for WMP Scripture booklets from Ethiopia has been echoed by other major distributors and national coordinators in Africa. The last shipment to Nigeria lasted only a few months, absorbed by the many outstanding requests which had accumulated.

 “We greatly appreciate your effort and the good work of WMP for sending the precious Word of God to us in Nigeria for propagation of the gospel to the unreached. The distribution of the [booklets] has gone very far and wide of Nigeria and her coast. The demand is high and greatly appreciated. One 40-foot container is not enough for a year.”

A new shipment to Nigeria includes 30,000 copies of Help From Above in the Kanuri language—a new language for WMP and eagerly expected by those working in Northern Nigeria.

Shipments for Togo, Benin, Congo (Brazzaville), Cameroon, Tanzania, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo are also nearing completion. A total of 14 million booklets from a recent production schedule are heading to Africa, where eager and willing hands wait to introduce Africans to the Light of the World.

[YOU can help supply the light of God’s Word to nations in Africa and around the world. A gift of $50 will provide for the production of 1,300 Scripture booklets; $200 will help produce more than 5,000 booklets!]

To view Samuel B. sharing about using WMP literature to reach Ethiopia, visit:

www.wmpress.org/ethiopia-report

 

 

 

 

Grateful Quotes

“I doubt he’d even listen.” Wrong!

WMP Scripture booklets are included in free “gospel bags” given to tourists coming to Hong Kong and Macau from mainland China. In just the first three months of 2018, more than 361,000 bags were distributed; through one-on-one witness, 6,268 received Jesus Christ as Savior “on the spot.”

“We would be lying if we didn’t doubt sometimes, ‘Nah. I doubt he’d even listen.’ Especially not one as big and gruff as Mr. Z—until someone was brave enough to walk up to him with a gospel bag. It turned out that Mr. Z was a friendly person. Not only did he listen to the gospel, he said he wanted to become a believer too! Be strong and courageous, indeed.”

“Mr. J’s wife was overjoyed when she saw we were spreading the gospel, and urged her husband to listen. Although he was reluctant at first, his attitude turned completely when he heard how God had died for him. At the end, he finally understood why his wife chose Jesus and decided to follow his wife’s example.”

—Volunteers in Hong Kong tourist ministry

 

Meet the Team

Abbi R.

Bindery Operator/

Data Entry Assistant

I first heard of World Missionary Press, which now sometimes feels like a second home, when I was 5 or 6 and the uninterested participant on a tour with my parents, eager to get back to my books and bike and designing river tributary systems and cities in the mud of my parents’ driveway.

I believe that God’s plan for our lives, no matter where we work, is to realize how much we are loved by Him and to let that love spill out onto every person right in front of us. Doing that accomplishes His purpose of winning His creation back to Himself.

I don’t have a fancy story about how I came to work at World Missionary Press. I knew the former plant manager, Ron Link, through a job I’d had at a local printing company and he encouraged me to apply. I wasn’t sure about it, since my childhood memory of a noisy, boring place was still intact! But I applied and started work in January, 2013.

It hasn’t been boring! I’ve had a menagerie of jobs from mopping floors to helping in the bindery department. My favorite is entering orders for the Scripture-text Datebooks we send to correctional facilities all over the U.S. It makes my heart happy to be part of a team working to bring a bit of God’s light and hope into what is often a dark and soul-numbing place. I also enjoy the friendship of my band of adopted older brothers in the bindery department, my friends in the ‘Under 30’ group, and everyone else I’ve had the pleasure of working with, including the volunteers and people from different cultures and backgrounds I’ve met.

Outside WMP, I’m a part-time cook at a carry-out pizza restaurant and will be going back to school at a community college this summer. I like spending time with family (I’m the oldest of three siblings who live nearby) and with friends, solitude, walking trails, biking, playing board games, reading, learning about and working for social justice, learning about different countries, cultures and cuisines, and last—but certainly not least—having conversations about faith.

I encourage anyone reading this to remember that God is more loving than you can ever think. He is always pursuing your heart and ever longing for the day when His heart’s desire (you) will no longer be looking through a dim glass but seeing Him as He is: the humble God-man whose love you can never lose.

 

WMP Partners Around the World

Tonny and Susan M.,

Denmark

The first knowledge of Christianity came to Scandinavia through traders in 826 A.D. Almost 1,200 years later Tonny and Susan M. are faithfully proclaiming the message of salvation by grace through faith to the people of Denmark. They have used WMP Scripture booklets for 20 years and have helped make WMP booklets available in Danish. Immigrants and refugees in Denmark provide opportunities to share God’s Word in many languages with those whom the Lord has brought from near and far.

While living in the U.S.—14 years before he was saved—Tonny had his first “life-saving grace experience” when a giant metal piece flew through the air and hit his forehead with great speed. It could have meant his death, but instead of hitting him directly, it hit from an angle and bounced off, only tearing some skin. Now in Denmark, Tonny and Susan write, “We count it a joy that He has been pleased to add us to His work force in His vineyard in Denmark.”

The Great Need for Persian/Farsi in Denmark

In 2016, Tonny and Susan began to plead for more Scripture booklets, Gospels of John, and New Testaments in Persian/Farsi for Iranians.

“In Europe we rejoice to see a great move of God among Iranians. Iranians have a memory of freedom during the Shah’s reign . . . so when they get freedom to hear the Word of God in Europe, they respond. On an internet site, a Danish church had the evangelist’s message interpreted into Persian/Farsi, and at the end of four days of meetings, nine Iranians were baptized. A good number more were saved and touched.”

WMP sent all the Persian/Farsi materials available.

God Answers Prayer!

As WMP began to work on reprinting Persian/Farsi New Testaments, communications to obtain Bible Society permission and questions about the availability of other versions delayed its printing. For months we requested prayer for the impasse to be resolved.

At a recent conference in Thailand, a lady representing the Iranian Bible Society “happened” to sit next to WMP President Harold Mack and coworker Andrew Beverly at breakfast. Not knowing each other at first, they soon realized that the Bible Society and WMP were currently in discussions about the needed permissions! Seeing this meeting as of the Lord, they worked out the few details needed and discussed future opportunities to work together. WMP will soon be printing 15,000 copies of Persian/Farsi New Testaments for Iranian believers in many parts of the world. Praise God for His sovereignty!!

The Need for Multiple Languages in Denmark

Tonny M. also requested a shipment of Scripture booklets in 25 other languages.

“We are certainly looking forward [through late October] to display Scripture booklets in MULTI-LANGUAGE array for Danes, Germans, and all the other refugee, EU, and migrant languages! This BOOK TABLE will not just be an efficient way to attract seekers and believers, but we pray also that it will attract not-quite-so-bold believers to become ‘street librarians’ for Jesus Christ.

“Please pray for a team of about 7-12 faithful saints. We plan to cover an area of 50 by 80-100 miles, with 350,000 residents. So far, we are targeting the seven major cities of the ‘South Denmark’ region, and pray that this book table concept may spread to other regions, churches, and saints nationwide. Of course they all need Danish How to Know God, The Way to God, and Help From Above plus the other titles and about 100 languages. We’ve got a way to go yet!”

An exciting addition to this shipment is How to Know God in Danish. Translated several years ago, it had never been printed. While looking at what was available for Denmark, WMP staff found this booklet was ready to print! When Tonny received this news, he was “wonderfully shocked.” Everything, always, in God’s time!

 

 

May 2018 Newsletter PDF

Making Jesus Known in Every Home

 

RECENTLY A TEAM FROM CANADA and the U.S.A. took on the task of taking the gospel to every home in a small U.S. city of 31,000 people. As a result of their initial contact, 26 people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior! And the seed of God’s Word has now been planted.

 

Pastor Suliman M., whose passion is to share the good news in homes around the world, oversees house-to-house distribution in Nigeria and Malawi as well as his hometown in Canada and parts of the U.S. In December, 2017, a team of five went to Toronto to take WMP Scripture booklets and a DVD on the life of Jesus to individual homes. In one day they reached 525 households. After returning home, Suliman, burdened for those they had not been able to reach, went back alone the next day and covered another 575 homes; the third day he reached 250 more. When asked why he was so insistent on going back again and again, he referred to God’s word to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 33:1-11), which had brought him to tears. A faithful watchman was to be a “TRUMPET BLOWER” to warn the people of danger or be held accountable for all who would die. “Saints,” he wrote, “you and I are called to be Trumpet Blowers; that is, to warn the unsaved of the danger they face without Christ our Saviour.”

 

This sense of accountability and urgency can be seen as many local churches and ministries are taking on the challenge of reaching every home in their area.

One of the boldest and most strategically-planned ventures is the OIKOS Initiative of Every Home for Christ.

 

“In the end, the Oikos ‘goals and vision’ is pretty simple. We are taking our vision, which has remained constant over our 70+ year history, and trying to make it as real as possible. We want to reach every literal home (place where someone lives) on earth in the next 20 years. By the end of the 20-year period, this will represent about 2.5 billion homes. This year, we are hosting conferences with all of EHC’s national leaders (180+ ministry offices represented) to cast vision for the Oikos initiative and to equip them with new tools to help them prepare and plan their national coverage strategy. January 1, 2019, marks ‘Day zero’ of the initiative.”  

—Nathan M., Every Home for Christ International (ECHI)

 

EHC cites a particularly compelling reason for evangelizing the world: The world population is growing rapidly, making the task more difficult by the day. They acknowledge that this initiative means pushing into more difficult and dangerous areas. “But we cannot reach every home if we avoid these areas.”  God has called, and He will open doors.

 

Every Home for Christ operates under three unalterable convictions, and they form the foundation of this new initiative as well:

Three Unalterable Convictions

1. The Great Commission must be taken literally (Mark 16:15).
2. Without unity, finishing the task of global evangelization is impossible (John 17:21-23).

3. Prayer ALONE will remove every obstacle that stands in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission (Mark 11:22-23).

 

Recognizing the necessity for unity and intercessory prayer, EHC mobilizes local churches for concerted action in their communities, providing the basis for continued spiritual growth in their cities and towns.

A major part of this program involves literature. Each home is to receive a booklet/tract for adults and one for children. As a major supplier of Scripture booklets and Bible studies for many EHC National Directors around the world, WMP will be called upon to help meet the 20-year challenge to cover the globe with God’s Word. For this reason, EHC provided for two representatives from WMP to be present at leadership conferences in various parts of the world as national leaders planned for the resources that will be needed to reach their nations.

 

From our very beginning 57 years ago, the vision of World Missionary Press has been to give the Word of God to the world. “Give ye them to eat” (Mark 6:37, KJV). Networking across the globe with ministries such as EHC, World Missionary Press—supported by friends raised up by God to pray, give, and volunteer—has provided multiplied millions of Scripture portions to be given to people in 210 countries and islands of the world.

 

Oikos is an ancient Greek word meaning “family” and “house”—the basic unit of society. The Church began in an oikos setting (Acts 5:42; 8:3; 20:20). Since earliest times, the family home has been the center of life. Abraham took his family (his home) and followed God’s call. Cornelius gathered his household together in his home to hear the message God had given Peter. When God called Israel out of Egypt, He expressly instructed them to gather in their homes, placing the blood of a slain lamb upon the door posts.

Today, evangelists in India walk from village to village, taking God’s Word from house to house, offering to pray for needs, and sharing God’s love. In Pakistan, gospel teams gather in homes opened to them for tea and conversation. In the intimacy and privacy of one’s home, the simple, personal reality of the gospel can be shared and received. The message of the small topical Scripture booklet then remains long after the visitor has gone.

 

[YOU can help supply The Way to God, Help From Above, and other Scripture materials for outreach to homes around the world. A gift of $50 will provide for the production of 1,300 booklets; $200 will help produce more than 5,000 booklets!]

 

Grateful Quotes

Sharing The Way to God in memory of their daughter

 

“Last Fall I requested 200 booklets of The Way to God in the Sesotho language, 50 in Tagalog, and 25 in English. My daughter and her family went to the Philippines in December. Her in-laws live close to the rice fields, and my 6-year-old grandson would go out to the road as the men walked by, coming from the rice fields, and give them a piece of candy and The Way to God booklet. He and my daughter also went to the village and passed out the booklets.

 

“I sent the 200 booklets to Lesotho, Africa. My husband and I were planning to go to Lesotho in January. We got as far as the airport in Chicago, and they wouldn’t let us get on the plane because he didn’t have four empty pages in his passport—something South Africa requires that we didn’t know.

 

“Our oldest daughter worked in Lesotho with orphan children. She was killed in South Africa in 2015. We wanted to have services and go through The Way to God booklet in the three villages where she had children’s services and fed the children. I sent the 200 booklets to one of the pastors there.

 

“Thank you very much for the booklets you sent. I appreciate all you are doing to get the gospel to those who haven’t heard.”

—Mary C., Indiana

 

Meet the Team

Wes Culver

WMP Board Chairman

My wife, Val, and I own several small businesses based in Goshen, Indiana. I have also served as a State Legislator for the past ten years, but will not run for reelection this fall.

 

I first heard about World Missionary Press from Jay and Vicky Benson, as we attended the same church for a time. When Jay asked if I would consider serving as a member of the Board, I agreed. That was just over 22 years ago. I have served on the Board’s Finance and Audit Review Committee for the past 16 years and have served in my current role as Chairman of the Board since November of 2011. Additionally, I am a WMP prayer partner.

 

What I like best about World Missionary Press is that it has amazing ‘bang for the buck’ in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We can produce millions of Scripture booklets each month for less than 5 cents each, including shipping! It is also important to me and many others that the Scripture booklets are comprised of only Scripture verses. Scripture has the power to change lives!

I also think it is significant that World Missionary Press has never sold anything it prints. We give all of our products away freely. World Missionary Press is unique and plays such an important role in the world today.

 

Val and I have four children—two natural-born and two adopted. The oldest passed away; the next two are married and live in Goshen. Our youngest is a sixth-grader at Elkhart Christian Academy. We also have two grandchildren.

 

In my free time, I enjoy running, biking, reading, and travel.

 

WMP Partners Around the World

Juan Batista S.,

Dominican Republic

An active distributor for WMP in the Dominican Republic for many years, Juan Batista S. now serves as WMP’s National Coordinator, facilitating the availability and distribution of WMP literature for ministries and churches nationwide. Over the years WMP has provided more than 11 million Scripture booklets, Bible Studies, New Testaments, and salvation coloring books through this faithful partnership. 

 

WMP: Could you please describe your current ministry?

Juan: Since 1985 I have worked as the director of Vispera del Fin (End Times) Evangelical Ministry, an institution responsible for distributing tracts and Christian literature, organizing monthly evangelistic outreaches, and holding classes in churches on personal evangelism.

 

WMP: How long have you been involved in distributing WMP literature?

Juan: In 1968 I received the first copies of WMP literature through a ministry in Mexico. Later I wrote to WMP directly and we began to receive small quantities of boxes periodically which arrived in mailbags at the post office. In 1993-94, we received the first 20-foot container.  After Jay Benson visited us for the first time in 1997, we began to serve as WMP’s official coordinator for the Dominican Republic.

WMP: When you receive a shipment from WMP, how long does that supply last? What would you like to receive and how frequently?

Juan: The literature can last one to two years, depending on how we administer it. The first items to run out are the New Testaments in Spanish and in Kreyol. We would like to receive 3,000 boxes every 18 months as well as 400 boxes of Spanish New Testaments and 500 boxes of the Kreyol New Testaments.

 

WMP: What challenges do you have in your country to the free and open distribution of literature?

Juan: There were some threats last year by a congressman to put in place some obstacles to distribution, but—thank God—the proposal failed to pass. Consequently, we are extremely happy to have total freedom in distributing literature.

 

WMP: How effective are the topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies in your country? 

Juan: Tracts are the best way to initiate conversation with friends, and the Scripture booklets are very much appreciated in the rural areas and prisons. The Bible study booklets are excellent, as they have valuable content that enhances learning.

 

A container shipment for the Dominican Republic left our warehouse on February 28, 2018, with one million pieces of literature in Spanish and Kreyol. Thousands of Haitians, fleeing natural disasters and poverty, receive New Testaments and Scripture booklets through Brother Juan and his ministry, offering hope and peace in the midst of the storm. Operation World lists several challenges for the Church in the Dominican Republic, specifically for those ministering among the poorer rural areas and dealing with limited resources, etc. Work among the Haitian immigrants, and descendants of immigrants, is described as a “responsive mission field.” This new Spanish shipment includes 88,000 Kreyol Scripture booklets and 1,600 Kreyol New Testaments.

 

 

 

April 2018 Newsletter PDF

The Word is getting out and being used!

THE SOUTHERNMOST CITY IN COLOMBIA, South America—located where Colombia, Brazil, and Peru meet—is Leticia. Though it is a major port on the Amazon River, Leticia is “an island in a sea of jungle.” The only way to access this city of 33,000 is by plane or boat because the jungle is too dense to build a road through. Into this pivotal area God called a couple from Kansas to help distribute literature to villages up and down the Amazon.

 

Will and Lydia C. grew up in a strong Bible-based church with an active interest in missions. Will had felt the call to missions when he was nine years old. At a camp meeting the couple met missionaries who had previously been working in Mexico, distributing WMP literature. But after receiving a letter from believers in Colombia who wanted more WMP booklets, they eventually moved to Colombia to serve the Lord there. As newsletters arrived from these missionaries, Will began to feel that THIS was the place God meant for him to work. His suggestion of going down with his son to help with a two-week project was met with a counter-offer.  They needed an entire family to help for two years! God opened doors, and Will and Lydia’s family went. After finishing the two-year project, local contacts invited them to return. Their two-year stay has lasted for 18 years!

Will and Lydia’s ministry is to support pastors, finding out their literature needs, and helping to provide those needs. WMP literature is a huge part of that work! Over the years Will has traveled up and down the Amazon River, building relationships with pastors, encouraging, and teaching. The river trips can be up to a month long as they reach farther and farther into the smaller rivers, introducing the gospel to village after village.

 

The Lord has blessed the distribution of the Word as churches have sprung up in many of these villages, with pastors taking the Scripture booklets to more and more villages. Since 1998 WMP has provided 1.2 million Scripture booklets, salvation coloring books, Bible studies, and New Testaments for this faithful family ministry. Will explains:

“The free literature has been an enormous blessing, allowing even the small churches to go along the streets, reaching those who are not currently attending any church. Without the benefit of WMP literature, many would not have the confidence to go door to door, because of their limited training. But with WMP literature (the favorites being The Way to God, How to Know God, and Satan versus CHRIST), they know that the booklets will answer any questions that they can’t answer. They leave a booklet with those who express a sufficient interest, both as a physical reminder of the invitation to a church and as a guide in how to know God personally. Most of the churches experience regular, constant growth because people [respond to] the house call by visiting and joining a local congregation.”

 

“Our work is interdenominational. Because WMP literature is topical Scripture booklets, we are able to provide them to all of the churches regardlThe southernmost city in Colombiaess of their doctrinal stance. Even in villages controlled by a sect traditionally antagonistic towards anyone entering with the gospel, when they saw A Bible Study of Matthew, they said, ‘THIS is something we want!’ Thanks to WMP literature, we are able to work in villages that normally do not receive anyone preaching the gospel.”

 

This year the pastors along the river want to focus on Bible study, so Will’s family will be reviewing with them the most effective ways to use the booklets and will send four boxes of booklets to each town with an outreach program. WMP will be sending a shipment of booklets and Bible studies in Spanish and Portuguese to reach both sides of the river, enabling Brazilian and Colombian pastors to reach their “Judea and Samaria” with the gospel.

WMP has many faithful distributors in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. For many years Ademir C. has been sharing The Way to God booklets along the Amazon. He receives 2 million copies from WMP each 12-18 months. This year he has asked for 5 million to reach farther and farther into Amazonia. Brother Eduardo R. in Colombia is receiving a new shipment of 2 million booklets which may last 10-12 months. Evangelists are discovering the effectiveness of the Scripture booklets and requesting more and more each month!

 

“The other day as I was walking,” Will wrote, “I passed someone who was taking advantage of a WiFi hotspot. To pass the time as he waited for the internet to load, he was reading aloud The Way to God in Spanish. The Word is getting out and is being used. Praise the Lord!”

 

[You can help supply The Way to God and other Scripture materials for outreach up and down the Amazon River in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. A gift of $50 will provide for the production of 1,300 booklets; $200 will help produce more than 5,000 booklets!]

 

Grateful Quotes

“These little booklets of yours are so complete!”

WMP provides Scripture booklets to those who share the gospel along with meeting physical needs for food, fresh water, medical supplies, and shoes, etc. Jesus, our example, both taught the people and acknowledged their physical needs through healing and feeding thousands. Sharing a Scripture booklet with a meal or medical service demonstrates to recipients the truth that God loves them.

 

“I am making five trips this year with JONIandFRIENDS.org Wheels for the World outreaches. I have just returned from Guatemala, where I was able to give the booklets to vendors on the street, but more importantly, to those pastors ministering to each wheelchair recipient, who was also given a Scripture [booklet] in their own language.

“The pastors I gave the Help From Above booklets to last year in Romania and El Salvador were thrilled to receive them and use them as needed during our distribution of medical equipment, and afterwards in their own ministries. This year I’ll be in El Salvador in March, Romania in May, Poland in June, and Cuba in October. I’m also a member of Gideons International. I do give out their testaments, but these little booklets of yours are so complete and easy to carry!”        —Eileen N., Virginia

 

Meet the Team

Dana W.

Finance Office Assistant

 

I found out about WMP from my dear friend, Karen. When my work slowed to only Saturdays, she gave me a tour with a meet-and-greet of everyone we found!  I had driven past the building many times wondering what WMP was about. Once inside, I kept thinking this amazing place is like the bread and fish Jesus multiplied, because God has surely multiplied all that goes on here!

 

After that tour, I began volunteering during the week, having prayed for years, “Break my heart for what breaks Yours” and “Here I am, LORD, take me.” I felt at home here very quickly, knowing I was in His will. I prayed often for Him to open a door for me to work here in the position He wanted me to fill. I prayed and volunteered  for six weeks before the door to Finance Office Assistant was opened. On June 6, I will have had the privilege of serving here for two years!

 

I receive phone donations (it’s a joy getting to know our donors!), help process mail, code and enter donations and orders into the computer, update donor records, and pray over and forward prayer requests. What I like best about working at WMP is that I get to play a small part in helping to save souls, and the people here have become my family! We share our hurts, our spiritual battles, our need for miracles, and we lift each other up in love and prayer. I am touched by all the notes, letters, pictures, cards, and even poems our faithful and thoughtful donors send.

 

In my free time, I enjoy baking, listening to music, reading books, hiking and kayaking with my daughters, and walking and playing in the snow with our dog, Sky. I love flowers, being outdoors, listening to God’s creation, and sharing the beauty of the night sky with my daughters. I love spending free time with my family most! We play games, teach our dog tricks, talk in puns and jokes to make each other laugh, and enjoy each other’s hobbies and the gift of each day.

 

I am blessed with two daughters and an energetic dog at home, a son living on his own, a daughter-in-law-to-be, and two grand boys. 🙂

 

WMP Partners Around the World

Rino B., Argentina

Brother Genaro “Rino” B., national director for Every Home for Christ in Argentina, also serves as volunteer national coordinator for World Missionary Press. He has been a pastor in Buenos Aires for more than 40 years. By evangelizing home to home, his church has not only grown, but additional churches have been planted. His church also sends and supports missionaries in Africa and Paraguay.

 

WMP: Brother Rino, please describe your literature ministry.

 

Rino: I have served with Every Home for Christ for 37 years. Our emphasis is to train the Church for evangelism and to motivate believers to become volunteer evangelists. We plan evangelistic campaigns with the churches and after a time of prayer, we reach the established areas: homes, schools, hospitals, prisons—wherever there is a human being.

 

WMP: How long have you been distributing WMP literature?

 

Rino: More than 20 years ago we started distributing WMP materials with excellent results.

 

WMP: How has the availability of free literature impacted evangelism in Argentina?

 

Rino: We thank WMP for sending us free literature so that we can offer it free of charge to the churches that are associated with our task of evangelizing, discipling, and planting new churches. We have reached several million people, and many thousands have been converted and attend different churches throughout the country.

 

WMP: When you receive a shipment from WMP, how long does that supply last?

 

Rino: We receive one container every 12-14 months, which lasts 10 to 12 months. EHC Argentina works also in Bolivia and Paraguay. We send materials they need for their campaigns from here. We could use 30% more materials.

 

WMP: How effective are the topical Scripture booklets? Is there a testimony that stands out to you?

 

Rino: The results of the distribution are amazing! Our statistics surpass 600,000 people who have received Christ; more than 50-70% were the fruit of receiving WMP literature.

 

A Christian lady, Beatriz, faithfully visited two hospitals each week, using 80% WMP literature. Several thousand people received Christ. However, her husband Rafael was not a Christian. She gave him literature, asking him to read “the Word of God.” Rafael received it with pleasure and every time he left for work, he would put a booklet in his jacket and when he returned home, he put it back next to his bed. Finally one day Rafael wondered, “What is this booklet that my wife asks me every day to read?” He began to read, until one day he told his wife: “I want to go to church with you!” He went to the church and made a public decision to receive Christ in his heart! For more than ten years from that day, he accompanied his wife, taking the gospel to hospitals and homes.

Rafael remembered with joy the day he gave a WMP booklet to a woman about to die at home. When he returned the next day, the lady said: “Mr. Rafael, you arrived at the right time. I read the brochures that you left me, and I want to receive Christ as my Savior.” Rafael prayed with her, and a few minutes later she went to be with the Lord.

 

Rafael himself died two years ago as he was returning from a prayer meeting. His wife Beatriz followed him a few months later. Now both are with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU SAT in a doctor’s office or waited for your car to be repaired and looked around for something to read? You might see old magazines and perhaps flyers for a local restaurant, but nothing really draws your attention. Then you notice a small display with colorful booklets and a sign that says “Free.” You casually pick out a booklet and return to your seat, perhaps surprised to find that you are reading verses from the Bible. The words touch your heart with an unexplained certainty that they are true.

 

This scene is repeated time and time again all over the country because of the availability of WMP Booklet Displays. These attractive and easy-to-use stands displaying and offering WMP literature can be found in mechanic shops, food pantries, medical offices, business offices, hardware stores, and any place where the owner/operator is willing to make the Word of God available.

 

Displays can also often be found in Salvation Army food pantries and outlets. When William Booth determined to leave his pastorate in 1865 and take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the destitute, derelict, poor, and needy of London’s East End, his vision was to introduce them to Christ and His boundless love by helping to meet their physical needs while introducing them to the Savior through “soup, soap, and salvation.”

 

Today the Salvation Army continues to meet physical needs as well as spiritual needs. From California to Connecticut, many of their corps have found WMP Scripture booklets to be a vital tool to assist in their mission.

 

From California, M. H. wrote, “I love to provide my clients with something that goes beyond just meeting their physical need. The best gift—Jesus.”

“We have a pocket wall in the lobby of our social services office,” wrote C.R. from Connecticut. “We refill the wall every few months and the booklets fly out. They have ministered to hundreds of clients who come for services. As they wait, they are ministered to by your booklets.”

 

“We hand out these amazing booklets to the senior community as well as families within our agency’s programs—those who receive services from our food pantry, emergency homelessness services, after-school program, and Bible studies,” wrote J.S. from California, whose order included booklets in Armenian, Spanish, and Arabic.

 

“People we are serving know this as a place where they can find Jesus Christ,” wrote Major Jim, who currently serves in Michigan. “I look at [WMP] as another agent for what Christ is doing in the community.”

One Salvation Army facility in Indiana accepted a WMP Booklet Display after some initial hesitation. But the booklets have literally been flying out of the display, and Officer B. is ecstatic. They have reordered four times in the past six months just to keep the material available!

 

WMP volunteer Gary H. placed several Booklet Displays with Salvation Army centers while on a cross-country trip. He reported that he never had an officer refuse to have one placed in the facility after a face-to-face meeting. Gary reports a new enthusiasm and sense of urgency in encouraging individuals, ministries, business owners, and churches to take responsibility for a free display. Booklets to refill existing displays are readily available from WMP so that the Word keeps going out!

 

“I was at the gas station and the booklets were on the counter. The cashier said, ‘Go ahead and take some, they’re free.’ So I did, and I was just astounded and blessed about the writings. This little booklet is a synopsis of the whole Bible. I thought, Oh my! What an awesome witnessing tool. So please send my order as soon as possible. I would love to take some to my church, especially because the booklet is so plain and it also witnesses to children by the pictures…. Thank you and God bless y’all.

—G.P., South Carolina

 

“I have a college-bound football player. Some of his friends are ‘seeking.’ A few days ago my son gave a peer my only copy of How to Know God. The peer said that this tiny little booklet helped him SO MUCH! To GOD be the glory. I received the small booklet from the Salvation Army.”        

—A.P., Virginia

 

Brother Roy has been a faithful distributor of WMP literature for ten years. For the first time he was able to attend the WMP Open House and Anniversary Dinner in October 2017. He was in the last tour of the day, and the tour guide talked about the Booklet Displays and how they are being used. Brother Roy was interested! From years of ministry in Honduras he was well aware of the need for the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to use the Word to rescue a lost soul. He took three displays home with him and has ordered more since then. They have been placed in several Salvation Army facilities in his area and shared with pastors of three Hispanic churches. Each pastor wanted to introduce his congregation to the booklets for personal evangelism and their own spiritual growth.

 

Are you looking for a way to share the gospel in your community? Perhaps you could contact your local church or a local business about allowing a WMP Booklet Display to be placed in their facility. As it is important that the display be regularly maintained and refilled, this could become a regular ministry opportunity for a retiree or a family.

 

WMP Booklet Displays are available free of charge upon request, along with a supply of selected English, Spanish, or English/Spanish mix Scripture booklets and Bible studies to fill them. [Optional: Request the specific titles and languages of your choice.]

 

===

 

Meet the Team

Karen M.

Receptionist

I first heard about World Missionary Press from my pastor’s wife, who was a regular volunteer in the 80’s and 90’s and spoke very highly of WMP. I had been praying about serving in ministry, as well as a way to use my talents and abilities for the Lord. Gratefully, the Lord opened this door for me.

 

This is my fourth year to work at WMP. I first worked in the Finance Department for over three years, then took some time off and was recently re-hired to fill a Receptionist position. I truly count it a privilege to work here. As a Receptionist, I greet guests when they come in, answer incoming calls, make announcements over the intercom, help maintain records as well as verify addresses, help with upcoming events, help prepare mailings, and do whatever else is needed.

 

What do I like best about working at WMP? I love the anointing here—so many people working together as a body to impact the world for Christ. We have such a diverse group, with approximately 28 churches and multiple denominations represented among the staff, all functioning together for the same purpose—changing lives through the living written Word. We are blessed to hear amazing testimonies of how lives were changed through reading the Scripture booklets. It is both faith-building and encouraging. The Word really can go where people cannot.

 

My husband and I have been married for nearly 30 years. We have two daughters and a son who also works for WMP. All are married, so we have a daughter-in-love, two sons-in-love, and four precious grandchildren, two of which were born in 2017. We try to spend as much time with our family as possible and have a lot of fun together. My husband and I consider our marriage and family to be our first ministry, our legacy. So we try to keep that a priority.

My hobbies are many—just about anything creative: drawing, painting, decorating, as well as reading and writing, and my grandchildren, if you can count them as a hobby! They are so much fun. When I’m not working, I spend as much time as possible with my family or doing something creative.

 

=====

WMP Partners Around the World

 

Benowartd U. — Tanzania

Bishop Benowartd U. serves as WMP National Coordinator in Tanzania, providing strategic planning for the availability and distribution of WMP literature there. He has highlighted several languages of Tanzania needing Scripture booklets and has recommended translators. 

 

WMP: Brother Benowartd, please describe your background and ministry:

Benowartd:  I am a native of southern Tanzania. I was born again in 1992 when I was in secondary school and attending an Assemblies of God church in Lindi. God called me to be an evangelist, pastor, and teacher of the Word of God. After graduating from Bible College, I started to serve Him as a fulltime minister in 1994. In Virginia (USA) I acquired a Bachelor’s Degree of Ministry and Biblical Studies and later a Master’s Degree and doctorate of Christian (Biblical) Counseling. I am now senior pastor (bishop) at Glory Christian Centre (GCC) in Tanzania.

 

I have been preaching and teaching in different areas in Tanzania; conducting seminars, trainings, and leadership workshops; facilitating and counseling ministers of the gospel of the Kingdom; and reaching unreached people through distribution of gospel booklets.

 

WMP: How long have you been involved in distributing WMP literature?

Benowartd:  In 1992 I received one copy of the gospel booklet Help From Above. When I wrote to WMP requesting more booklets, they sent me five boxes through my postal address. I have worked with World Missionary Press for more than 25 years, first as a distributor until I became the WMP national coordinator in Tanzania in 2009.

 

WMP: How has the availability of free literature impacted evangelism and strengthened churches in your country?

Benowartd: First, I would like to praise and glorify the Lord God for His vision and work through World Missionary Press and their supporters, who have made it possible to print these gospel booklets, which have been helpful for churches and gospel distributors to fulfill the great commission of Jesus Christ to evangelize the world.

 

Getting free gospel booklets has been a blessing because local workers and churches could not afford it. We pray that WMP’s supporters will continue to assist WMP in preparing many boxes of booklets.

 

Getting free literature has helped churches to grow in number, as many people come to Jesus through the distribution, and the number of local workers and pioneer missionaries who reach out to their communities has also increased. According to feedback that we receive, new believers are brought together and taught, using WMP Bible studies and Scripture booklets. Many Christ groups are being established. Believers are strengthened in their faith and equipped to become distributors themselves, changing the lives of people in Tanzania.

 

WMP: Would you share a testimony that stands out to you?

Benowartd: Many testimonies stand out to describe the effectiveness of the topical Scripture booklets in my country. For example, Help From Above has been a blessing for many people to come to Jesus Christ. Its message is very powerful, and many distributors bring testimonies from the powerful message in that booklet. This is one of the booklets that we would like to translate in two mother languages of Tanzania.

 

WMP: What challenges do you have in your country to the open distribution of literature from WMP?

Benowartd: The only challenge we faced was in the process of clearing the containers in the right time to avoid extra charges such as storage, warehouse rent, and demurrage through the lack of commitment of some workers at the port or shipping lines. Now we know more of how to handle that problem for the next container.

 

WMP: How frequently do you need a shipment from WMP?

Benowartd: According to our distribution plan in different areas and based on the population of Tanzania, one of the biggest East African countries, our ministry prayer request is to receive three containers per year, but for starting, we thank God for WMP agreeing to a container two times per year, as the Lord enables.

Jesus Christ, the Only Sure Foundation

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  —1 Corinthians 3:11

In our world today, no matter where we live, we face dangers and fears every day. Governments fail us, friends forsake us, families leave us, religions deceive us.

 

Where can people find something solid on which to build their life? Who can they trust? The Word of God has the answer—the only answer. The only foundation for this life and for eternity is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And because He is the only answer, He must be made known to all nations and peoples.

 

God gave His Word to the world so that all could know Him. World Missionary Press is daily about the work of taking this Word to every corner of the world through the production and free distribution of topical Scripture booklets in 346 languages.

Pastor Paul tells of a woman in the Volta region of Ghana who refused to accept the WMP Scripture booklet, The Way to God, claiming hatred for everything about Christ. But her teenage daughter took it. He wrote, “The woman sent for us the next morning and claimed that she could not sleep because the booklet glowed through the night like fire.” He concluded, “The woman and her daughter and others prayed to receive Christ that morning.”

 

A lady wrote from Texas, “My husband is in prison and has been studying and reading your literature for nearly two years! He had sent home your little Scripture-text Datebook and stated that he would like our grandsons to share in our knowledge of Christ’s salvation and love for us.” She requested two copies of The Way to God for her two grandsons. “They both were baptized this year, and I feel these will help them gain spiritual growth and strength.”

 

Every day tens of thousands of people receive a WMP Scripture booklet somewhere in the world. For many it is their first contact with God’s Word. As they read through the topically-arranged verses, they learn how much God loves them and what He did to redeem them from the sin that holds them in bondage. They read words of hope and their spirits sense the voice of God.

 

John K. is using WMP booklets in many states of Mexico through rehab centers. He thanked WMP for allowing them to use the booklets in Spanish “to bring spiritual life to many hopeless addicted people! The Word of God works better than anything.” After a day of witnessing and sharing the booklets on the streets, many return with great joy after leading a soul to the Lord.

 

Through a God-given network of donors, volunteers, national coordinators, and individual distributors, WMP produced and shipped—in one year—more than 80 million pieces of Word-filled literature around the world—from 48-page topical Scripture booklets to larger Bible studies, salvation coloring books, and New Testaments.

 

Like addicts on the streets of Mexico, a man in a U.S. prison and his grandsons, and a woman and her daughter in Ghana, thousands find Christ as God’s Word is shared with them. Yet millions have yet to know that it is Jesus who will never fail them and that they can put their trust and their lives in His care.

 

The need to increase production is heavy on the hearts of the WMP staff because they hear the thanks from those who see first-hand how God works through His Word, and they also hear the pleas for more and more booklets to share with more and more people.

Two months after requesting their first supply of 500 Scripture booklets, a U.K. church requested 1,000 booklets! “We are using the booklets at the centre of Leicester, and somebody came to Christ this morning and was baptized this afternoon!” As God uses His Word to work in hearts, excitement to reach out farther grows, and requests for booklets grow.

 

Phil and Margaret share God’s Word on the streets in Britain (Cardiff, London, and Birmingham). “The faces of many Arabic and Soomali-speaking people light up when we give them the gospel message in their own language . . . . In their own languages, it seems to really touch them in a VERY special way.”

 

Testimonies like these spur World Missionary Press on to be part of bringing more and more endangered souls into the arms of the Savior, where they find rest and peace.

 

These are exciting times as new technology, social media opportunities, a growing volunteer ambassador team, and open doors for booklet distribution combine to accelerate production and propel us to a new level of participation in getting God’s Word to the world.

 

It is a simple formula: Give God’s Word to the world through God’s plan. God raised up World Missionary Press, and for 56 years He has led and provided. HE is a sure foundation for today and for the future.

 

[You can help provide a sure foundation in an unstable world. Every donated dollar provides for the production of 26 powerful Scripture booklets for people around the world in their own language. An investment of $100 will touch the lives of 2,600 people; $1,000 will impact 26,000 people who need to know God.]

 

The Great Opportunity for Increase

We praise God, who has positioned World Missionary Press for enlargement! In the past five years, He expanded our property and provided for newer and upgraded equipment, enabling us to stage more large shipments simultaneously while more effectively scheduling and tracking the preparation and production of hundreds of languages and titles.

 

Last year we began to think and pray about increasing our monthly production volume to the equivalent of 10 million Scripture booklets the size of the 48-page Help From Above.

 

With the increased efficiency of high-volume production, producing AND shipping each extra million above our base of 7 million per month would cost just $26,000!

 

In spite of the highs and lows of monthly income, the fiscal year ended with total income just $20,911 under budget and expenses $34,731 under budget. However, during a period of increased production before having to cut back, we discovered the need for a new cutter/trimmer on one of our binderies to keep up with the increased speed! We look to God to supply this need ($97,000) plus above-budget income to increase production to levels of His choosing.

 

We are humbled by the opportunity that—as a team of “workers together” (staff and volunteers, supported by prayer and shared resources, along with a worldwide network of like-minded workers eager to distribute Scripture booklets)—World Missionary Press has a significant role in fulfilling the promise of Habakkuk 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

 

As God’s Word spreads throughout the world, people come to know JESUS, who IS “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3).

 

The glory of the Lord is filling the earth. Our annual celebration Dinner in October highlighted the global impact of World Missionary Press. (A free DVD of this inspiring program is available.)

 

In Ethiopia 12,000 volunteers from many denominations reached 300,000 homes with Scripture booklets in five languages. God’s Word is penetrating restricted nations in the “Horn of Africa.” WMP will soon be printing more than 900,000 Scripture booklets for shipment to Ethiopia. Distribution network leaders and teams are already in place to share the booklets in Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia as well as Ethiopia.

 

Jad G., born in Damascus, Syria, ministers to the Arabic-speaking world. Meeting EHC’s director for Ethiopia resulted in his sending a supply of Amharic New Testaments for our next container to Ethiopia!

 

A former Muslim and his son shared from Canada how Hindus and Muslims are coming to Christ and believers are growing in the Lord through A Bible study on John from WMP.

 

Gloria Silva Lopez, director of Every Home for Christ Mexico, reported plans to complete their 10-year outreach to all of Mexico by the end of 2018! The first of three semi-trailers of Scripture booklets needed was funded in the Dinner offering! See updates at www.wmpformexico.org.

 

Though darkness covers the earth’s people, “Your light has come! The glory of the LORD is risen upon you!” (Isaiah 60:1). It is time to “arise and shine!”

 

God’s Word at Work in South America

 

COLOMBIA: “WMP—with the literature sent to us—is creating peace in our nation.”

 

For many years Raul has been sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ in a remote region of southern Colombia. Putumayo, Colombia, located on Colombia’s southern border with Ecuador, is a land of great beauty and natural resources, but for many years it was also a land of fear and violence as a result of the drug trade that flourished there.

 

Raul has been using WMP literature since 2003. His requests for another shipment included impassioned pleas for more booklets than the previous shipment. When he received 120 ten-pound boxes of Scripture booklets he wrote, “Only God knows the gratitude in my heart and the hearts of more than thirty pastors who were blessed by the material and resources you sent for Putumayo.”

 

For eight years Pastor Pablo worked hard in a local jail with more than 540 inmates, visiting three times a week. At one point 30 percent of the prisoners had come to Christ. He also visited the needy families, hoping to see all of the prisoners and their families come to know the Lord Jesus as Savior. He requested more Scripture booklets to help his dream become a reality.

 

Late last year Raul sent another plea for material:  “The ministry I represent has no resources to invest in Bible literature. We work in an area where there is much fighting. We work with people who have been displaced by the violence.” He requested 1,300 boxes of literature for the expanding work in this remote area.

 

Transportation to this area is difficult. Sending boxes to Raul from WMP’s national coordinator in Colombia (located in Barranquilla) takes almost four days and nights and is very expensive. However, WMP’s national coordinator in Ecuador can provide boxes to Putumayo in about 14 hours at a very reasonable cost. This option led Raul to ask for a larger shipment so that they could distribute material not only in prisons and to churches and ministries, but also to schools where teachers reported a desire to have booklets for their students. He wrote, “Unfortunately, we now have none to share.” 

 

These faithful servants of the Lord who have worked so long with so little are pleading for help. WMP is blessed to send a “double portion” of Scripture booklets to be used by the Holy Spirit to change the heart of a nation.

 

ARGENTINA: “We had literature in our warehouse . . . is it not wonderful?”

In June of last year, when Rino B. (above right), WMP’s national coordinator in Argentina, reported on the arrival of a new shipment of WMP literature to be shared throughout the country, he was giving glory to God. Their warehouse was full, and they could begin immediate distribution. Within days, four pallets (1,024 ten-pound boxes) were on their way to field workers for the churches that distribute WMP material.

 

When Rino visited one of the prisons where his ministry works, about 40 prisoners received literature, accepted the Lord as their Savior, and were baptized! They were given a Certificate of Baptism and WMP booklets to share with other prisoners (more than 400 men), seeking to draw them also into the loving arms of the Savior.

Rino reported that their supply of WMP literature would last only until August, 2017, and then he would need another 40-foot container. The material for this container is in production, and should ship by the end of this year Lord willing. We look forward to another joyful report when the new supply of Scripture booklets arrives in Argentina.

 

VENEZUELA: “We desperately need Bibles [New Testaments] in this country!”

The world watches with grave concern as Venezuela struggles with an economic crisis demonstrated by shortages of basic goods and soaring inflation. Social programs have been curtailed amid a wave of anti-government protests. Plummeting oil prices have brought rising inflation of more than 50 percent a year [BBC].

 

WMP’s national coordinator Hiske E. explained how the shortages and cutbacks have affected the availability of Bibles. “Because of the economic situation, it is very hard for us to print Bibles in other countries. Any company that wants to import something from the exterior can put in a request … and has to explain what he wants to import, and why. Only requests for essential materials will be considered. The importation of Bibles is not [considered] essential….”

 

WMP has shipped one container (76,800 Spanish New Testaments) to help meet this need. Brother Hiske states that they could use more containers, but they can handle only two at this time. A new shipment of Scripture booklets including another 31,500 Spanish New Testaments is in production to be sent to Venezuela as soon as possible. Brother Hiske voiced concern that we cannot know how long the door will be open to import New Testaments. While the world sees the physical needs of the people of Venezuela, we as believers see the urgent need for spiritual food and will work to help meet that need as God provides.

 

The need for God’s Word in Latin America is great. At this time, Spanish Scripture booklets, Bible studies, and New Testaments are being produced for shipments to Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, and Venezuela as well as Portuguese materials for Brazil (see interview with WMP’s coordinator in Brazil on page 4).

[You can help provide God’s life-transforming Word for Latin America and the world. Every dollar is prayerfully used in producing 27 powerful 48-page Scripture booklets.]

 

Meet the Team

Taylor P.

Graphic designer/photographer

Growing up, I often heard people talking about World Missionary Press at church. Our youth group would volunteer on occasion. When I was a junior in high school looking for a job nearby—something unique among the dozens of fast-food jobs my classmates had—I remembered the last time I had volunteered at WMP, thinking that I could see myself working there. On a whim, I checked WMP’s website for open positions. All were full-time, which wouldn’t have been possible for a high-school student. I applied anyway and got a call from Harold Mack saying that someone I knew had put in a good word for me, and they would create a part-time position so I could join the team.

 

I started working at WMP towards the end of my junior year of high school, through the summer and my senior year, and also the summer before my first year of college.  In May of this year, I began working full-time and plan to be here for a long time.      Most recently I’ve been in Prepress doing a bit of graphic design (brochures and what-not), photography, social media, data entry, and cleaning. With a small amount of skill in a variety of areas, I can be put pretty much anywhere.

 

What I like best about working at WMP is how supportive everyone here is of each other! We are like one big family, complete with a few goofballs who make every day quite entertaining.

 

One of my passions is photography; that is the hobby I care about most. I do a lot of baking (mostly cupcakes) that my coworkers have come to love. I collect things like pins, coffee mugs, and tea. I enjoy going out with friends on photo shoots, exploring places, and watching Netflix with my bearded dragon, Fluffy. She likes to take naps and cuddle, and I think it’s so adorable.

I am the oldest of four children. I have one sister, Abby (17.9), and two brothers, Ben (15) and Carter (11). I like to think that we are all hilarious and one-of-a-kind. My mom is a nurse, and my dad is a music teacher. We have two guinea pigs, one turtle, and the bearded dragon. We like food and laughter and sending each other funny videos and pictures we find online.

 

In August I was part of a mission team that went to Haiti. I fell in love with the children, many of whom received the coloring books I took with me from WMP.

 

Grateful Quotes

“The only thing my father is hanging on to.”

“My father found your booklet [The Way to God] and held on to it for years. He and his best friend are retired and used to be owners of their own business. They say they have no purpose now in life, so they have started a Starbucks evangelism and want to lead as many people to the Lord as they can before they die. They asked me to [acquire] these booklets so they can complete their mission. . . .  Please send as many as you can—please! My mother died seven months ago, and I think this is the only thing my father is hanging on to. He feels that he was left on earth to lead people, ordinary everyday people, to the Lord.”   —Vanessa D., California

 

WMP Partners Around the World

Erno E. — Brazil

It has been more than twenty years since WMP filled individual orders from Brazil—the world’s fifth largest country in area and population (206 million people)—by sending boxes via the postal service. Since 1996, Erno E., WMP’s national coordinator for Brazil, has received container shipments to disperse Scripture booklets to hundreds of distributors in Brazil at a tremendous savings in postage costs and making WMP material more readily available.

 

WMP: Please describe your background and current ministry.

 

Erno: I was trained by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of Brazil. For more than 17 years, I worked in a ministry which involved social work and evangelism. I also coordinated the distribution of 25 million New Testaments—a project called New Life 90—in partnership with The Chicago Bible Society. I am currently working with my son in business and also coordinating the distribution of booklets from World Missionary Press.

 

WMP: How long have you been distributing WMP literature?

 

Erno: When the New Life 90 project ended, we looked for alternatives to continue literature distribution work. We had contact with several organizations, including an organization in Ireland that sent several containers with leaflets. Then we made contact with World Missionary Press and were able to start this partnership of more than 20 years.

 

WMP: How effective are the topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies in your country?

 

Erno: The distribution of literature has been fundamental for the work of evangelism in Brazil because through a booklet it is possible to initiate a dialogue with a person and have an opportunity to begin to witness about Jesus. Without this material, it is difficult for people to accept listening to anything. But with something to offer, the person is more willing to listen. The fastest growing churches are those that use literature intensely.

 

I think the best way to describe what WMP has done is to see people in the Amazon region, where travel is only by boat, as there are no roads. People spend days and sometimes weeks traveling to reach their destinations. During the trip, with nothing to do, they can read the literature they have received. Today there are—in every village in the middle of the forest—small churches and congregations of people saved by the work of organizations such as WMP.

 

WMP: What challenges do you face?

 

Erno: Our great challenge is to reach the most distant places of our country, because our territory is very large, and we have distances of more than 4,500 miles. The large centers have easy access to this material, but today we are trying to reach the most distant places, which need more of this literature.

 

We receive a consignment of Scripture booklets every 18 months or so. The ideal would be to receive one container shipment every 12 to 14 months to make it possible to increase distribution and reach regions that have not yet been reached.

 

WMP: How would you describe the value of WMP literature in reaching the people of Brazil with the gospel?

 

Erno: World Missionary Press literature is of great value because it is the Word of God. Through these booklets, most people have a first contact with the Bible and from there a great opportunity to learn more about the Word of God.

 

When we think about what WMP has done in Brazil, it is impossible to imagine what this represents for us. There are no words to describe the wonderful blessing that is what WMP has done. Only eternity can reveal all the results achieved. But here we can just say, “Thank you very much; thank you, and thank you, World Missionary Press, for your vision and dedication in spreading the Word of God.”

 

In the same way, we thank every person who contributes, because without this participation, this project would have stopped. We want to challenge WMP and each collaborator not to be discouraged and stop the work that has blessed millions of people everywhere. May God bless and reward each one.

 

August 2017 Newsletter PDF

THE SEAS ARE TREACHEROUS, the destination uncertain. Upon arrival in a strange city, refugees wait in crowded camps with only what they could carry as earthly possessions—thousands have made this journey from their homelands, looking for a better life.

Driven by war, famine, persecution, and hopelessness, more than 1.6 million people have arrived by sea on Europe’s shores since 2014. Many come from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, along with those from Africa. While world leaders struggle to meet the needs of such a great migration of peoples, the urgency for many is just to stay alive.

As God looks down at the suffering, He sees individuals, not numbers. In His eye is a precious soul He created and for whom He gave His greatest gift.

As God’s instruments of love in this world, Christians must take up the challenge He has placed before them. Putting aside racial and cultural differences and seeing these displaced ones through the eyes of the Savior, we must offer them the Bread of Life and the Living Water—and we must do it with a loving acknowledgment of their physical needs. This is being done by believers in Europe—from the shores of the Aegean Sea in Greece to the northern cities of Scandinavia—with World Missionary Press as an active partner.

The IL SOGGIORNO Center for Refugees and Migrants is an evangelical center for holistic ministry to Afghans, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis in Rome, Italy. The center has received WMP Scripture booklets (primarily How to Know God) since 2000.

As the immigrant population grew, new doors opened to share the gospel. The Waldensian church in Rome asked for Scripture booklets to give out with clothes for the poor and helpless from Africa and Eastern Europe. They would like to give out Biblically-based booklets as well when people they talk to are willing to learn about the gospel.

Requests from this group in Italy began to reach WMP almost weekly. A local church south of Rome needed booklets to reach 10,000 Punjabi speakers in their town. Then, “The number of people coming to Rome is increasing,” wrote Andrew D. “We have Eritreans to reach. Please send Scripture booklets in Tigrinya.” Ten days later he requested booklets (Tigrinya, Amharic, Bengali, Urdu, Persian Farsi, Dari, Somali, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, French, and English) for outreach to refugees in Sicily who had arrived through North Africa.

And then a succinct, heart-felt email: “Without WMP we would not be reaching thousands of Central Asians, South Asians, and Africans in both Rome and Sicily.” And more recently, “Praise the Lord, we are encountering so many nations here in Rome now.”

In the past year WMP sent 110,526 Scripture booklets to Italy. A distributor in Naples who orders regularly has received 12,450 Scripture booklets in the past year. “We are involved in a church planting project in Naples, and where we work there are foreigners,” wrote Luca I. “We are reaching out to the community by doing a weekly book table and giving out free Christian literature, including your booklets, which are really appreciated when people see that it’s written in their own language.” Their most recent order included booklets in eleven languages.

Nadia A. in France touched the very heart of the matter when she asked for a small quantity of Scripture booklets in 14 languages. “These are all [for] the communities I have come to meet in my neighborhood asking for God. . . ,” she wrote. “I asked God to guide me to a way I could hand [out] His Word. Then you came. Thanks for giving the world a chance to know and reach God easily.”

A great majority of people coming into Europe from Syria and Afghanistan come through Greece.  A ministry in Athens wrote, “We have a day center for persecuted Christian refugees in Athens, Greece, which we are currently preparing to open. We have a quiet room/study for refugees to read and study both the Bible and Greek and English. These booklets will be used in this library, both to help recent converts and also to help with practicing reading Greek and English.”

Another group of believers in Athens is from Iran; they are working to reach Arabs in Greece, Germany, and Turkey with the Word of God. They requested boxes of booklets in Farsi, Arabic, and English.

From Charles K. in Switzerland: “We are embarking on a massive evangelization in the city of Geneva and beyond, and every place the soles of our feet shall tread upon. Geneva is teeming with people of different nationalities and religious beliefs. In view of this and the Lord’s imminent coming, the onus is upon us to gather together whoever believes, for the Kingdom of our God. To do this we need materials. We shall therefore be highly grateful if you will supply us with booklets in different languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, etc.”

And then there are reports to which we can only say, Praise God! It is His doing.

According to a report from Turkey, “Refugees are assigned by the government to cities across the nation, and believers among those placed in B___ have found each other and have formed a lively congregation. Pray that the joy and truth in the lives of these believers will overflow to the Turks around them. This province has very few known Turkish believers and has been hard soil for Christian workers.”

As immigrants move northward from Italy and Greece into Scandinavia, requests for Scripture booklets in multiple languages are coming from Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Ingrid B. wrote from a city in Sweden which has 600 refugees, “They stay for a while, and there are newcomers every week. We want to give booklets to everyone we meet in their own language.” A 20-foot container of booklets in 39 languages is ready to leave for Finland, where WMP’s national coordinator busily provides booklets in an increasing variety of languages.

When God raised up World Missionary Press to provide His Word in the languages of the world, He knew that someday people who spoke only their national language would have opportunity to share the gospel with someone who did not speak the same language. By granting WMP the privilege and means to print Scripture booklets in 346 languages, the opportunities can become encounters, and the precious seed of God’s Word can be planted.

[You can help provide God’s Word for refugees in Europe. Every donated dollar provides for the production of 27 powerful Scripture booklets in the many languages needed. An investment of $25 will reach 675 people; $100 will touch the lives of 2,700 people; $1,000 will impact 27,000 people with the transforming Word of God.]

 

 

 

 

Meet the Team

Curtis R.
Information Technology Associate

I’ve known about World Missionary Press ever since I was a child. My mother was friends with Ruth Goodman and her mother, Rose (co-founder of WMP), back in high school, and over the years I heard a lot from her about what WMP was doing. I grew up in a good Christian home, and every Sunday my parents would take my two older sisters and me to church.

While I was at Taylor University majoring in computer science, I was part of a volunteer team of two faculty and ten students from the Computer Science Department who traveled to Hong Kong, where Operation Mobilization’s ship, Logos Hope, was stationed. Our job was to develop a new internal website for the ship. That three-week trip helped me decide to be involved in missions.

I still needed to complete a summer internship as part of my graduation requirements when I heard that WMP could use an intern for their computer department, so I decided to apply. That summer I was blown away by what WMP was doing, and when the chance came to be hired after the internship, I joyfully accepted.

I’ve been at WMP for four years, mostly fixing computers, servers, and printers. I also do some audio/video recording, network administration, systems administration, and some software engineering. The best part of working at World Missionary Press is the people. Everyone is glad to see you. Even when things are going wrong, they still maintain a positive and prayerful attitude.

I have a lot of interests, but not anything that I feel would be classified as a hobby. I like to listen to music, read books, play board games, do research on philosophical and technological topics, and I appreciate many forms of art.

 

WMP Partners Around the World

Antonie B. — South Africa

 

Over the past 20 years World Missionary Press has provided 13 million Scripture booklets (including 1.5 million pieces of literature currently in transit) to a major partner, Every Home for Christ South Africa. For many of those years Cor and Aléta R. served as EHC’s national directors, working closely with WMP. Since taking on the responsibility of national director of EHCSA, Antonie B. continues the effective partnership with WMP.

 

WMP: Please describe your background and current ministry.

 

Antonie: I was born in 1975, the first of two brothers, with a father and mother who served the Lord through the way they lived their lives. My parents were called by God to be intercessors and prayer warriors. Even though we grew up poor, I had the opportunity to experience God’s provision on a daily basis.

 

My parents recalled that different pastors prophesied over my brother and me many times God’s call to the ministry to work for Him. After high school I worked seven years as supervisor for a metal manganese company before I finally answered God’s call in 2001 and enrolled in a Bible college. While a student, I was active in the local church and volunteered in the administration office of the college. I completed a course in Music Ministry and successfully completed my ministerial training. I also worked with youth in a faith mission for more than fourteen years.

 

When the opportunity came along to get involved in the ministry of EHCSA, I immediately knew this was what I wanted to do. After praying and seeking God’s will, I accepted the position of Project Manager. The fruit of God’s calling was evident, and today I serve as national director of EHCSA, working with churches all over South Africa.

 

WMP: How long have you been involved in distributing WMP literature?

 

Antonie: I was introduced to WMP when I started working for EHCSA in June of 2013 and began distributing WMP’s literature.

 

WMP: How does the availability of free literature affect evangelism in your country?

 

Antonie: Bibles are extremely expensive, and copyright laws on the Bible make it impossible to leave anything with individuals reached through the gospel. The 2-in-1 Way to God/Help From Above booklet has helped us in South Africa to bridge this problem. The different languages available help each person read the message of Jesus Christ in their own language, making this material a vital ingredient in our outreach operations. The fact that we can provide churches and individuals with these booklets for free has empowered and motivated churches to effectively participate in home-to-home campaigns with tenacity and motivation. People who receive the booklets are excited to have something in their hands to read.

 

WMP: How effective are the topical Scripture booklets in your country?

 

Antonie: The fact that the booklets are Word-based makes them very effective. Nothing is taken out of context. Many pastors have told me of waiting many years to have something to aid them. Many read a booklet until it literally falls apart. The booklets give believers confidence to share their faith more boldly. We connect and interact with other ministries in South Africa, providing these booklets to them as well.

 

Many of the Scripture verses quoted in The Way to God booklet are used in our evangelism and disciple and prayer training, reinforcing our teachings. Many do not have Bibles, and the booklets help them read the Scriptures and understand the Bible better. I believe in teaching and preaching the Word of God. It is the Word that changes people’s lives, and God graciously uses us despite our shortcomings. I have experienced first-hand how the Word has impacted people’s circumstances and changed their communities.

March 2017 Newsletter PDF

Tools for Discipleship in Africa’s Growing Church

 

THE CHURCH IN AFRICA has grown into a diverse, energetic, and influential force for the gospel, establishing a presence in education, social outreach, and global missions. But it has been said that in the midst of all the growth, “discipleship is rightly being addressed as Africa’s greatest challenge” (Operation World).

Centuries of a value system based on ancestor worship, tribal rivalry, and idolatry weigh heavily on the spirit of a new believer. It is vital that each believer be well-grounded in the Word of God, equipped to face conflicting concepts with the wisdom that is from above.
In recent months WMP has been able to provide shipping containers of Scripture booklets and Bible studies for believers in Tanzania, Liberia, Madagascar, Ghana, Burundi, Nigeria, Angola, and Zimbabwe. National coordinators eagerly await new supplies to fill unmet requests. Soon material will be produced for shipments to South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Two of these shipments provide insight into how the need for discipleship among African believers is being met.

 

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dr. Paul M. of Mission French Africa visited WMP to present what they are doing in Africa and to see how WMP could be of assistance. Mission French Africa operates in two ways:

Evangelism—by reaching out to all French-speaking populations (about 250 million people) living in 22 nations in Africa. Evangelism among both Muslims and non-Muslims is done through a daily radio broadcast and on-site evangelism rallies. About 30 million people listen to the radio programs daily throughout French-speaking Africa.

Brother Paul’s wife, Christine, prepares weekly radio broadcasts for Muslim women who are forbidden to attend church and also reaches out to Christian women in Central Africa who struggle with issues related to emotional and physical abuse,
poverty, and AIDS.

Discipleship—through Bible correspondence courses and by providing theological and pastoral training for local pastors
who have had no training. About 5,000 students are enrolled in the Bible correspondence courses. Offices are already operating in Congo, Central African Republic, and Benin.

WMP will be providing Scripture booklets, Bible studies, and New Testaments in French, Lingala, and Swahili for Mission French Africa in D.R.C. Future shipments are planned for Benin and Angola.

 

Benin

Pastor Pierre of Benin Bible Institute (BBI) in Cotonou, Benin, visited WMP to see how we could help supply their students with material for evangelism and for their own spiritual growth. Students come from all over the country to study for short terms and then return to their homes and churches. They can then return for another short-term training, returning home again to put into practice what they have learned.

Currently 225 students are engaged in study. BBI also seeks to share material with 200 various denominations in Benin. For 2017 they calculate that each student needs 20 copies of each of nine French booklet titles plus five French New Testaments. For each of the 200 denominations they requested 1,000 copies of each French title and 150 New Testaments in French. They also requested Scripture booklets in nine regional languages. Their anticipated total need is for 2,215,000 booklets, 409,000 Bible studies, and 31,125 French New Testaments.

From this training center students will spread throughout West Africa with their faith established and with tools to share that faith. Denominations and churches which may not know about the resources available from WMP will discover help to train believers to go and share the gospel with confidence.

 

South Africa

A recent shipment of two million Scripture booklets to a major distributor in South Africa is already producing exciting results. A six-month plan to touch six regions with the good news has been developed with leaders in eight towns already established, each receiving booklets to use for evangelism. On one day 70 volunteers reached 100,000 people with the Scripture booklets, encouraging those reached to also reach one person with the gospel. Every day they open a new area for outreach. The teams are excited as people receive God’s Word, and the Lord opens doors.

Three more shipments scheduled for South Africa will provide Scripture booklets as vital tools for evangelism and discipleship for three distinct ministries: WMP’s national coordinator, Every Home for Christ SA, and Frontline Fellowship (Peter Hammond).

 

 

 

Guinea

A new shipment for Guinea, West Africa will provide God’s Word in Arabic, English, and French for WMP’s national coordinator, Brother Adrien, as well as for the Every Home for Christ team in Guinea. Through Brother Adrien’s ministry, men and women are trained in evangelism and then given a supply of Scripture booklets and sent out to the villages, planting the Word of God in every corner of Guinea.

  Every Scripture booklet, Bible study, and New Testament sent out from WMP carries God’s instructions on how to know Him and how to share that knowledge with others. God has a plan…and it works!

   [You can help send discipleship tools to African nations! Every donated dollar provides for the production of 27 powerful Scripture booklets to ship to Christians eager to share God’s Word in the languages of their nation. An investment of $25 will reach 675 people; $100 will touch the lives of 2,700 people; $1,000 will impact 27,000 people with the transforming Word of God.]

 

Grateful Quotes

Students in the UK Hungry for the Word

“I work as an evangelist with a team of evangelists in the United Kingdom. We have Christian book tables in key cities such as Manchester and Liverpool. We also go to many universities.

“You sent me booklets last year, and we have used them to reach thousands of people, including many students and Muslims. Many have been saved from the booklets you sent us.

“We work with evangelical churches, and all the evangelists are Biblical and accountable to local churches. We need your help to stock the Christian book tables in these cities and to have material to reach students. We talk to thousands of Muslims, and we find Chinese students are hungry for the Word. We have seen hundreds of Chinese come to the Lord the past few years. Islam is growing fast in the UK, so we need material to reach them. Your last shipment many months ago has been used and blessed of the Lord. Thanks for any help you can send us. Love and prayers.”   —Jason B.

 

 

 

 

Meet the Team

Roger H.

Equipment/Building Maintenance

I remember considering employment at World Missionary Press after high school. My parents moved to the New Paris, Indiana area about the same time WMP moved here from Winona Lake.

My wife Lois, who is a nurse, and I celebrated our first seven wedding anniversaries in Bolivia, South America, where we ministered for 7½ years in community development—starting a health clinic, training the people in growing vegetables and other crops as well as basic hygiene and sanitation, including drilling wells to provide clean water.

After returning to the U.S., I began farming organically-grown corn, beans, and other crops. I became interested in applying for work at WMP, which is a great ministry I could be involved with close to home. My responsibilities in building, equipment, and electrical maintenance mesh nicely with my farm work. I have worked here as part of the maintenance team since May, 1993.

What I like best about working at WMP is that my job has a lot of variety. I enjoy helping people get their jobs done easily and more efficiently. I live close by and am always on call, even during times when I am working at home. I enjoy being able to do work that saves WMP from having to call in outside professionals, like repairing the circuit boards on a printing press or heading up a team to tear down and then install a bindery that WMP purchased at auction.

Lois and I have six children: a son in Dallas, Texas; a son in Bolivia, South America; a daughter north of Seattle, Washington; and three who are intermittently at home. For a number of years, they and Lois have been raising and selling vegetables and eggs at the South Bend Farmer’s Market. Between work at WMP, the farm, and the “honey-dos,” there is always something to be done.

 

WMP Partners Around the World

 

MANY WMP PARTNERS serve as national coordinators who receive large shipments of Scripture booklets, making them available to churches and believers for evangelism. Others are local ministries who have a vision to reach beyond their own city and use larger quantities of booklets.

   Several partners arrange for printing and distribution of WMP literature in countries where restrictions limit what can be imported from WMP directly. And thousands more are individuals who care enough to give a Scripture booklet to someone.

   Each partner is fulfilling the Lord’s commission to tell the world of His love and salvation. WMP is blessed to share with each and every one in this great team effort.

 

Printing and Distribution in Indonesia

For many years WMP has supported the printing of Scripture booklets in Javanese and Indonesian in Indonesia, a country which—for economic reasons—does not permit importing materials printed in the local languages. In this predominately Muslim nation, sharing the gospel is challenging and yet rewarding.

A long-time partner in Java recently reported on the distribution of 90,000 copies of How to Know God printed in two major languages—Javanese and Indonesian—during April to December, 2016, in eight areas of Sumatra, Mentawai, and Java by evangelists and pastors working with him. In addition, 10,000 copies were given to individuals coming to their office to ask personally for booklets.

“Many who received the booklets,” wrote Pastor Jan L., “need more explanation through counseling and through Bible study.  Our ministry aim is to tell them about the salvation our Lord Jesus offers to them, and about the true God. Our counselors send counseling letters to non-Christians who receive booklets, and most of them continue attending a Bible study which we arrange in those cities.”
From that distribution, 175 people are known to have received Christ as Savior, and three new churches were established through the follow-up Bible studies.

Syrians Coming to Christ in Finland

WMP’s national coordinator in Finland, Brother Ali, reports encouraging news from the distribution of WMP Scripture booklets in 2016, even though one of his co-workers in charge of transporting boxes of material in the Helsinki area became seriously ill for a time.

 “Onwards we go with Jesus! Our work has gone in the right direction and we have received a lot of material to share WMPress in every corner of Finland. Year after year the same people share the truth and do the job.

   “A lot of Arabic material has gone to those who have come to Finland from Syria. Yesterday I delivered booklets to three people when they went to meet with the Arabs in Helsinki. Really great job, and there are about 1,000 who have come to faith and been baptized in Finland.”
Brother Ali sees the need for the Church in Finland to encourage and train young people in how to share the gospel and “to keep Scripture booklets always in their pocket and tell about Jesus.”

Requesting prayer for additional colleagues to come alongside, he wrote, “But the work goes on. Thank you for the good cooperation, and greetings to all the staff.”

 

 

February 2017 Newsletter PDF

WALTER WAS VISITING A CITY in Honduras one December morning. He went to many different places and met some very nice people. That morning he took the opportunity to distribute copies of Help From Above Scripture booklets, which he still faithfully carries in his briefcase. That day hearts were introduced to the One who loves them and died for them.
Walter cannot know which seeds will bear eternal fruit for the Kingdom of God, but he does know that touching the lives of people, one by one, with the Word of God is his joyful vocation. Walter serves as WMP national coordinator in Honduras and oversees the distribution of WMP Scripture booklets throughout his country. He regularly holds training seminars to help pastors and church leaders learn how to effectively use these precious Scripture portions. One result of the one-to-one distribution and training in Honduras is that Walter needs another shipment!

Raul is a missionary in Colombia. The ministry he represents has few resources to meet the needs of people who have been displaced by much violence. He is pleading with WMP to send a new (and larger) shipment of Scripture booklets, Bible studies, and New Testaments.

  “At this time,” Raul writes, “the governor has made peace with the guerrillas and wants to initiate talks with them. We are going to need a lot of materials because our pastors will enter these areas, and a great work will be started. In all those places where death and displacement of peoples reign, Jesus will enter with His restorative power and salvation. The missionaries who carry forth this blessed gospel to all regions will be overjoyed when they see great revival throughout the countryside and mountains, and WMP will be the instrument that God will use [to supply] the material that we will be needing.”  What vision! What zeal! What faith!

While distributing Scripture booklets in a certain Colombian city one day, Eduardo met a pastor named Gilbert, who told him that several years before someone had given him a copy of Help From Above. He read it over and over fervently, eventually coming to salvation through Jesus Christ. Today he is the pastor of a small church, sharing with others what he has received. Eduardo is the WMP national coordinator for Colombia, and he too has asked for a new shipment of literature to meet the many needs and opportunities in all of Colombia. The demobilized guerillas will be moving into government-arranged neighborhoods, so churches in those areas are looking forward to witnessing to those who have been “outside” for so many years.

Peniel is a young evangelist with a vision to raise up evangelists throughout South America. “The aim is to give the Word of God to the people, to identify evangelists who are doing the work on a consistent basis, and to support them with printed materials for evangelism.” In order to support these active evangelists and teams in Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Chile, Peniel has asked for 1,000 boxes of Scripture booklets (500,000 booklets). Peniel also serves contacts in Europe (Portugal, Italy) who receive WMP material. [Visit www.wmpress-restofthestory.org or scan the QR code below to view a video from Peniel on the work in Paraguay (English subtitles).]
At a recent meeting of ministry leaders from all over Latin America, several attendees who are not currently receiving shipments from WMP asked to be included when future shipments are sent to their countries—expanding the opportunities and reaching more people in each nation. Currently WMP has requests from Venezuela, Panama, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. In each of these countries, the amount of material being requested is growing. There is a sense of urgency, but also an awareness of open doors and opportunity.

A pastor from Amazonas in Brazil wrote to WMP saying that he has a big job to do in a very big state and “the lack of Christian literature is very large.” He concludes, “This literature is very effective during my visits in the cities.”

World Missionary Press recently sent a new shipment to Uruguay, reestablishing our national coordinator there. They are extremely grateful for this shipment of Scripture booklets and shared how wonderful the booklets are, how all the churches are coming to get supplies, and how young people are preparing to do home-to-home outreaches.

   There is a lack of literature! The Scripture booklets are effective! The evangelists are being trained! Believers are on the streets, in the markets, on the buses, going door-to-door! They need the tools! Will you help WMP fill these passionate requests for means to touch lives with the Word of God?

  [You can help touch lives with the Word of God—in Latin America and throughout the world. Every donated dollar provides for the production of 27 powerful Scripture booklets to ship to Christians eager to share God’s Word in the languages of their nation. An investment of $100 will touch the lives of 2,700 people; $1,000 will impact 27,000 people who need to know God.]

 

 

 

 

 

Meet the Team

Marie M.
WMP Treasurer

When my husband, Harold Mack, responded to an ad from Intercristo (a Christian employment agency) for a computer systems manager in the summer of 1994, we were living in Pennsylvania. After receiving an information package from Jay Benson, who was president at the time, our hearts were drawn to be part of this great work of reaching the world with God’s life-changing Word.

We felt the Lord was leading us here, confirming His will through His Word and various circumstances, and had been preparing us to lean on Him and live by faith. During a worship service earlier that year, the Holy Spirit had impressed strongly on me that Harold would get a job serving the Lord and that I would get to help out too.

We came out for a visit and were about to return home. I inquired if there were any part-time openings. It so happened that Vicky Benson, who was treasurer at the time, was looking for an assistant. I completed an application and was hired that fall along with Harold. We have been working here for 22 years. The Lord has been faithful to provide for all of our needs.

In January, 2007, I started serving as treasurer, overseeing the Finance Department and managing the financial
responsibilities of WMP. I have seen God’s faithful provision every day in so many ways—putting it on the hearts of donors to fund production over the years and to purchase needed property and equipment; bringing the right staff members at just the right time; sending the volunteers needed to prepare mailings and bind and pack booklets for shipment; raising up a powerful prayer team to hold us up before the Lord daily; and giving us a godly Board to keep WMP moving in the right direction.

It is a great privilege to work together with members of the body of Christ, here and around the world, providing Scripture portions to those who need the Lord. When not working, I enjoy gardening as weather permits and staying in touch with family and friends. Our son Stephen has also been working here, first part-time and then full-time, since 2005.

 

WMP Partners Around the World

Syd and Liz D.

International

Syd and Liz D. have been international evangelists and church planters for more than 40 years, first pastoring in England. Now based in Michigan, they minister in 54 nations and have seen tens of thousands come to Christ. In both their world travels and local cross-cultural outreaches, they have used WMP Scripture booklets in Arabic, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Albanian, Korean, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.

 

WMP: How did you learn about WMP and start using WMP literature?

 

Liz: I started using Help From Above booklets in high school, then as missionaries in England, we used different titles. When we began to travel internationally, we contacted WMP and were excited to see the huge range of languages and literature available.

 

WMP: How have WMP Scriptures been used in your overseas ministry?

Syd and Liz: When we planned a trip to Jordan in 2015 to minister in the refugee camps, we ordered How to Know God and The Way to God in Arabic along with Arabic New Testaments, which our team wrapped as gifts. We visited several churches, including an Iraqi Syrian congregation, sharing food and blankets as well as the spoken and written Word. We heard stories of great need, oppression, and pain. We witnessed a remarkable thing: These people—nominal Christians, many professional people—stripped of everything, now realized that who they need is Jesus! More than 200 people accepted Jesus as their personal Savior.

 

WMP: That’s wonderful! What kind of response have you received in the U.S.? 

 

Syd and Liz: One of our ministries, “Who is My Neighbor,” encourages reaching out with the love of Jesus to new friends from around the world. We welcome neighbors from many ethnic backgrounds into our homes to share a meal or a cup of tea and experience the love of Christ. We began the Christmas season by singing Christmas carols and delivering gift bags (which included Scriptures from WMP) to 250 homes in the largest concentration of Arabs outside the Middle East—Dearborn, Michigan. Caroling began in the afternoon with 75 people from different churches and backgrounds forming 11 teams, and in the evening 125 more people joined us, forming another 11 groups. We gave out 585 candy canes (one for each person we prayed for). We found open homes and hearts! Five made decisions to follow Jesus, and the following evening about 150 Muslims attended the Nativity Musical in a Dearborn church, wanting to hear the Christmas story. It was the best response we have seen in ten years!

Ellie, a beautiful young Muslim woman from Ethiopia/Yemen, invited us into her home. When Robin shared the gospel using the Evangecube and asked if she wanted Jesus to come into her heart, she said, “Oh, yes! I’d love that!” We all prayed the prayer of salvation together, and Ellie joined in. A smile spread across her face. We told her to wait on the Lord; He would help her and guide her. One of the women in the team excitedly said, “What did you say? He would guide her? Today I bought this wrist band!” It said, Guided by God. “This is for Ellie!”

 

WMP: What is your challenge to Christians for the coming year?

 

Syd and Liz: God is moving among the Muslim people, and now is the time to reach them for Christ. Hala welcomed us into her home when she heard us singing Christmas carols outside. She had already been hearing about Jesus from her English teacher. She received Jesus into her heart. Don’t listen to the fear in the media. “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” Let’s make 2017 the year we reach out and embrace our new “neighbors!” They are here to meet Jesus!

January 2017 Newsletter-Special Edition PDF

   “Arise, shine; for your light has come! . . . Darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”  —Isaiah 60:1-2

TESTIMONIES COME TO World Missionary Press from all over the world of how God’s Word, contained in WMP Scripture booklets, is transforming lives. Souls are being saved and discipled, home groups started, and churches birthed.
Brother ————-(removed for security reasons) of ————–(removed for security reasons) shared during a chapel time: “The best tool we have is the [WMP] gospel booklet, door-delivered where we are—at no cost to us. This is of strategic importance in India—being able to provide God’s Word. More than digging wells, more than houses, more than food, more than clothes, more than anything else, the Word of God works today.” Distributors around the world echo this testimony. It is the living Word of God—whether shared along with humanitarian aid such as food and clothing, in home-to-home outreach, as part of prison or hospital ministries, or during street evangelism—that imparts LIFE and makes an eternal difference for millions!
Contemplating the record level of production this past fiscal year, WMP’s president Harold Mack reported, “I’m awed to realize that—on average—240,000 WMP Scripture booklets, Bible studies, salvation coloring books, and New Testaments are being produced, shipped, and distributed each day, 365 days a year. And to think that these portions of God’s Word—often the only “Bible” a person has—can be used over and over for weeks, months, and even years.” It is a fact that after World Missionary Press moved to New Paris, Indiana, in 1970, responses from booklets printed and shipped during our first nine years in Winona Lake were still arriving in our Winona Lake postbox 25 years later!

We praise God for His blessing; we rejoice as His face continues to shine upon us (Numbers 6:24-25). This past fiscal year, contributions of 4.9 million dollars from God’s people (see financial report below) enabled us to produce a total of 87,679,441 items (both in-plant and contract printing). A record-high 51 container-size shipments were sent—10 more than our previous high two years ago (see chart on right). Distribution networks in countries around the world are growing, so the continuing need is huge.

For more than a year WMP’s national coordinator in the Philippines worked to renew the import documents required to receive container shipments of Scripture booklets. Two 40-foot containers waited in our warehouse as staff and supporters prayed for a resolution. When the shipments were finally sent, pent-up requests from hundreds of distributors who had used WMP Scripture booklets successfully for many years immediately claimed the 2.1 million booklets received by our coordinator. Another shipment is in process to help meet the great demand.

The economy in Venezuela, along with the philosophical direction of the government, made it very difficult to obtain New Testaments there. When WMP’s national coordinator sent a passionate plea for Spanish New Testaments, we were able to send 76,800 copies, which were received with gladness and gratitude for sharing with new believers coming to Christ.

As yet another natural disaster struck the people of Haiti, new shipments of WMP Scripture booklets and New Testaments were already on the way! The Haitian Bible Society, which looks to WMP for their own supply of Kreyol New Testaments, provided insight into the timeliness of these shipments and the continuing need for God’s Word in Haiti. “We are currently in a difficult situation.  With the passage of Hurricane Matthew, the living conditions of our brothers and sisters have become more complicated.  Only trust in God and His Word can help them keep hope. . . . A donation in materials allows us to meet the demand of those people who have lost everything except their faith in God.”

 

During the past year, three new languages were added, bringing our total languages to 346: Herero and Fijian Hindi (The Way to God) and Ojibwe (Help From Above, electronic format only). Additionally, Satan Versus CHRIST was added in Tigrinya, and The Way to God was added in Korean and Ndau.

WMP’s new responsive website went live a year ago and has become the most-used method of submitting requests for free Scripture booklets. We now have 332 Scripture booklets available for online reading via the website or the World Missionary Press App for mobile devices. We are working to make all 770+ items available for online reading and optimized for direct computer-to-plate processing. In addition, 33 booklets in 12 languages are currently accessible in audio format on the app. App users can opt in to receive automated daily prayer and praise items and/or updates on the status of shipments.

In September, WMP’s president Harold Mack traveled to India with Plant Manager Jerry W. for an inspiring visit with our two newest ministry partners there, to interact with the managers of two print shops that have printed millions of WMP Scripture booklets, and to discuss future printings with WMP’s India-based production coordinator, Brother V. of ———–(removed for security reasons). We continue working to make the huge need for God’s Word in India known through Project India—our vision to provide 100,000,000 Scripture booklets for India in three years as God provides: www.myprojectindia.org.

WMP’s Ambassador program is developing a network of “ambassadors” in local churches who will be supplied with up-to-date highlights from World Missionary Press to share with their congregations. Introduction meetings are being planned for areas where WMP-affiliated churches and donors are concentrated, starting in the Indianapolis area. To learn more, visit www.wmpambassadors.org.

Every day God is at work through His Word. What a privilege it is to be involved in providing tools for God’s team around the world!

  [You can shine light in our dark world. Every donated dollar provides for the production of 27 powerful Scripture booklets to ship to Christians eager to share God’s Word in the languages of their nation. An investment of $100 will touch the lives of 2,700 people; $1,000 will impact 27,000 people who need to know God.]

 

—

 

The Great Opportunity for Increase

World Missionary Press continues to praise God for how He has enlarged and strengthened us for the future. He has expanded our property and provided for newer and upgraded equipment, enabling us to breeze through levels of production that we used to struggle with, to stage more large shipments simultaneously, and to be more flexible and effective in scheduling and tracking the preparation and production of hundreds of languages and titles.

The increased efficiency of high-volume production plus cost
savings in many areas has led to an 11.4% decrease in the cost per booklet—now only 3.73 cents to produce. Adding shipping cost, a 48-page Scripture booklet the size of Help From Above averages just 4.43 cents to produce and ship anywhere in the world!”

WMP’s plant manager Jerry W. recently noted that our in-plant production could be increased by up to another 2.5 million per month with existing facilities and equipment. We could increase our equivalency volume from 7.5 million per month to 10 million for just $65,000 ($26,000 per extra million for production AND shipping).

Sharing the Word of God with others is the vocation and joy of every believer. Scripture booklets are invaluable tools to help thousands of believers share God’s Word with everyone, no matter the location, culture, or language.

The challenge to the Church is to reach the 7.5 billion people on earth today. No one person or ministry can do that alone, but
WMP is committed to doing all that God will grant us the resources and strength to do. With a network of like-minded workers ready and willing to distribute Scripture booklets, the prayer of WMP is to increase production to supply the demand.

The light of God’s Word is penetrating the darkness. Rino B. reported that by the end of 2016, Every Home for Christ
in Argentina alone will have distributed almost 700,000 pieces of literature (70-80% from World Missionary Press), with 70,000 new believers.

In three states in northeast Brazil, where 34 million people live, the majority are “committed to idolatry and demon worship.” Major contacts in these states, with networks of distributors, are looking to WMP for Scripture booklets to reveal the Light of the World, who dispels the darkness.  A recent shipment of 500 boxes totaling 250,000 booklets is but a small start.

The time is short. The need is urgent. Today is the day of salvation. It is time to “arise and shine!”