Another Story of Persecution

As we continue sharing stories of persecution consider Matthew 5:10-12 as you read this real story from a TTI Student from Asia.

I was born and brought up in a tribal animist poor family. Since my childhood I used to worship various gods with my parents but we were not happy in my family due to sickness, poverty and there was no peace in our home. In these circumstances we came to know about the True God. We as family accepted Him as our savior in the year of 2003 since then we were following our savior and relay on Him for all our needs.
On 23rd August 2008, I overheard a loud speaker saying kill all the Christians and burn their houses and loot their belongings. They even killed one person nearby my village…After this, I came to my house and took my 8 month pregnant wife and two children with much difficultly into the thick forest to save our lives…we were without food for 4 days. We were watching from the forest as a large number of people burned down my house and the other believers’ houses. In this situation we heard a loudspeaker sound from police saying that if anyone in the forest wanted safety they should come out and would be transported to a Relief camp. After hearing this voice we came down and went to camp. We did not have any thing with us. We stayed in the camp for 8 months. My wife delivered a son in the month of October 2008.
While the Government decided to send us back to our native place by providing a Tent to put nearby our house and we started reconstruction of our home. I sent my children to my relative’s house and started the construction work, now we are staying in an uncompleted house with my family. We lost all our belongings, but we have not lost our Savior.
Now we have started to worship our Lord in my own village. I am thanking my Lord for the TTI program, which equipped me to serve the Lord effectively in my ministry. At present 27 new people are attending our fellowship. We have baptized 18 people and there are 8 more people ready for Baptism. Please pray for this small beginning as we are praying to reach all the villagers with the Gospel.

Story of Persecution and Faithfulness

I Suresh Nayak was born and brought up in a Hindu family. Since my childhood I was very much interested in visiting various temples in order offer pujas (worship) to gods and goddess. My ambition was to search for the living God but I was very much disappointed and disturbed because I could not find anything.
There was a lacking inside of me for something more. In December of 2004, I met a Christian pastor who gave me a Bible to read and know more about the living God. By reading I understood that Jesus Christ could be the savior of my life. I confessed all my sins and accepted Him as my savior, since that day with my family we are serving in our village.
During some religious riots a few years back we were severely affected by radical religious leaders in the area we live. They looked for Christians whom they may attack and they burned our houses, churches and looted all of our things. One day I was with a group of believers and we were running to save our lives. At that time a group of people came and attacked and beat me with an iron rod. I left unconscious and all my family escaped somewhere else. I was unconscious for some hours and the attackers thought that I was dead, so they left me there and went away.
I thank GOD that someone came and found me in a bleeding condition and immediately took me for medical treatment. I was in the hospital for 3 months. After I came out I went to a Relief camp and found my family, who had assumed that I was dead and had already informed the police to try and find my dead body. That time was really a time of joy. We came to our village 8 months later and found nothing at my home. By the grace of God we have moved back into our village.
I am thank God for TTI. The teaching program has given me much encouragement. I have decided to study the word of God and witness for my Savior. Now I am doing my studies in TTI and same time started new fellowship in another village where 22 people are regularly gathering for fellowship. I am planning to call our leaders to teach more to these people and prepared for Baptism during Christmas season. Please pray that work of the Lord would expand in other parts of my area!

2 Great Stories of Change

Great news from two TTI students in Benin, West Africa.  I know these will encourage you!

Testimony from TTI Student  DOGBLE Afi Martine

Despite that my husband is a pastor for many years, both of us were not trained but we love God and his work. When my husband heard about TTI, he informed me then we siezed this opportunity to be trained. The simplicity of the teachings was an encouragment for both of us. As I can understand the Gospel in it’s simple way, I told my husband that we should target many villages.

Then we started with one village and it worked. We moved to the second village and it worked too. I am sad that we waited so long before understanding the Gospel as such. Despite my age, I feel like a young girl and have more strength like before. Especially every time on my way back home after visiting new souls, I can experience what the Lord says about the feet of people sharing the Gospel. My life now has a sense and a purpose. Thanks God for TTI.

 

Testimony from TTI Student AGBO  Ayao.

I went to a certain Bible College in Togo and have my 3 and 4 years Diploma. In that school, we are so proud that we don’t need any more training again because we know everything. I even come to Agoe Fiovi area to start a church. I was waiting to have money and hire a land before I started and it was taking so long for me to get the funds that is why I have waited more than a year without starting anything. It is during that time I have met Pastor Kouglo who inform me about TTI Curriculum. When I started the course, it was the definition of the church, which delivers me from my long jail. After this deliverance, I started a church under a mango tree in front of my house. Wonderfull. We are 30 in number and in raining season we all go to a classroom in one school near to my house. Finally I even understand that the Church is me and all the people put together that is all.

I thank our heavenly Father who love us so much. Gob bless TTI vision in the world.

 

TTI Plane Crash Survivor…Amazing Story

The following is from an Email I just received from our TTI Leader Pastor Koudjo,  from Benin, West Africa who was in a plane crash last week.  It is a remarkable story!  Please read this!  Here is his picture at our recent Meeting in Dubai.

On Thursday July 7th at 11:30pm I flew from to Nairobi then from Nairobi to Kinshasa where I arrived the following day at 10h30. I ran to catch Hewa Bora Airlines Flight. We took off around Noon headed to Goma via Kisangani. After four hours the plane started to come down. I could see through the window that the weather was bad and it was raining. My intuition was telling me that the landing will not be easy. I was siting right behind the first class cabin at the seat no 4C.

 

The plane was still coming down but the cloud and the visibility was not good. Suddenly it was a big noise and the crash happen. Many people were on top of me and broken irons were blocking me, but thank God there was an open space through which I can breathe,  otherwise there was no way to get oxygen.

 

One lady’s leg was blocking my movement. When I tried to pull her leg she was shouting and I guess her leg was broken. At this stage I start to pray like I never pray before. After a while; I tried my best to remove the lady’s shoe, which is worrying me. By then my left hand was free. I continue to pray and I was tired for many charges were on me. I started to think of my wife, children and specially my daughter of 2 years. I also think about our church members in Cotonou and also the seminar I was coming to hold at Goma for TTI.

 

I was not having the force to pray anymore but I start to wave my left hand so that any helper should see. By then I start hearing blasts and explosions at back of the plane. I start to pray that we should be saved before the fire reached our end. Then I feel someone pulling out the irons and people on top of me and draw me out.

 

When I was out every place was smoking. After a few minutes there was a big blast near the plane. I was taken from and all the area was full with fire and black smoke. When I was lying on the ground, I start to pray for the rest of people who were still in the cargo struggling to be out. It was UN soldiers from Bangladesh who were guarding the airport of Kisangani who came to rescue us. There was still raining and they carried us to their barrack. I was the last one to be taken to government hospital and they put us on the ground. No electricity and people run to the hospital with their cell phone flash-light to search for their relatives. It is there God put two persons on my way. André and Eugenie were searching for their uncle. While shining lights on our faces, I told him that I am a pastor going to Goma to hold a seminar and beg him to call Athanase (the local TTI leader) for me.

 

He did it and I informed Athanase that I was alive. After a while my angels André and Eugenie came back and said, “pastor we are from Assembly of God and we are your brother in Christ so we are taking you to a private clinic.” They put me in their car and a few minutes later I was in Stanley clinic. André call some Togolese’s in Kisangani and they come to help also. The following day that was on Saturday André came to the clinic to inform me that they found his uncle dead. In the afternoon he was carrying me for radiography scan in another hospital when they call him that a jet rented by the children of his dead uncle landed at the airport to carry the body to Goma. That was a chance not to miss as that was the place I needed to Go! André with Eugenie negotiated hard with the pilot and he accepted to carry me at $300 which I accepted. We took off with this big man in the coffin. I see the grace of God upon my life. This rich and big man was in the same plane with me and he is now dead. On our arrival in Goma Athanase was there to pick me directly to HEAL AFRICA HOSPITAL one of the best here.

 

My blood pressure was very high and they quickly took care of that. On Monday I took the radiography test with echography and every things in my body were good. What a miracle! God you are so good. In the hospital, Athanase and I elaborate a strategy to start the seminar for TTI Training. On Wednesday July 13 at 3:35pm I was out of the hospital and before going to house we went to the place of the seminar and I greeted the 30 pastors and potential DLs. It was a big emotion. God is so good. Before I came in this cyber we are on break and the seminar is going well. They inform me that they have seen my suitcase but until now I can’t get it. I have lost every thing but not my faithful friend Jesus. I thank my Lord for his mercy on my life. Thank you all for your prayers.

 

O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. ( Psalm 30:2-3).

 

May His name be blessed forever.

 

For the article online: http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0708/drc.html

 

Church in Prison?

The following is a testimony directly from a TTI Student in the country of Benin.  I pray this encourages you as much as it did me.

I am SOSSA D. Gregoire 47, married to Chantal with 4 children. I am a TTI student in Benin, West Africa. I have started since first week of October 2010 and four months later I just did not know where and how to start a church and this worry me a lot as I know that planting a church is the engagement I have signed up for. I was in this situation when the TTI coordinator came to visit our center. While talking, he said that we can start a church everywhere such as in our office during break time, in our village, in our house and even in prison. When I hear prison, I just jumped there because I have access into prison but it didn’t come in my mind that a church can be planted there.

April 1st, I was in prison in front of 12 persons for the first time. It was also the first time I was standing in front of a public to preach. It was not easy for me but the reaction of the prisoners at the end encouraged me to go on. I was very happy because Jesus use me to put joy in the heart of those prisoners who are in very difficulties as prison in Africa is just a terrible place.  From then the number of my students in prison is 32. I just want to go beyond a church in prison but a TTI center there. I am planning to photocopy some TTI’s book for 27 of them and make them my Timothys. Also I am planning of how I will invest in their life after they come out of that jail. I thank God for I discover my gift of an evangelist through prison ministry.

Let us pray for him and our brothers in prison. He even told me that since the prison experience, fear to speak in public vanished in his heart and he is ready now to preach in public.  He even started a bus ministry every Saturday. He jumps in buses as a passenger, preaches the gospel and drops in the next bus stop with joy.

Central African Republic…

Central African Republic is a country the size of Texas.  There are slightly under 5 million people that live here.  Needless to say it is not a very crowded place.  As I write this from the city center I see a few cars in the street.  Not a whole lot of activity outside.  That being said, there is a lot going on through TTI leaders across the capital city of Bangui and the rest of the country.  We are currently training 100 church planters in C.A.R.  To date they have been able to start 80 house churches.

Though there is a large Christian percentage, the average person is not pursuing a relationship with Christ.  Rather they are christian by birth or by culture…as a result, this sort of nominal Christianity leads to apathy and immorality.  Please pray for the Leaders of TTI in CAR as well as the students as they go out to plant churches.  Below is a few pictures from my trip.

Group Photo of TTI Leadership in CAR.

Group Photo with TTI Students after class.

Newly Started House Church by TTI Student

This is what the Ancients were commended for…

According to Hebrews 11 the “Ancients” were commended for their faith of being sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”

I pray that this will be said of me and each of you.

There have been those before us who were tortured, some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

In light of this, examine your hearts this “good Friday” and remove everything that hinders and the sin that traps you. Run with perseverance! Fix your eyes on Jesus! For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider this day, Him who endured such opposition from sinners, So that you will not grow weary and lose heart!

He took our sins and our sorrow, and made them his very own, he bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered and died alone. Then sings my soul my savior God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art! How marvelous, how wonderful, is our Saviors love for us!

Perseverance defined…

One of TTI’s leaders who we will call “David” has been through much sorrow and struggle over the past years.  David lives in a very hostile place to the gospel.  A few years ago his house was attacked and burned down. His church was burned to the ground.  He spend over 1 year in a refugee camp with his wife and children.  He is now working with TTI.  He has translated TTI’s curriculum into his own local language and is now in the process of training 75 church planters!  Please pray for David, his family and the students who are literally risking everything to serve Christ.

Below is a picture of the new books fresh off the press!

 

Churches are being planted…everywhere…

We recently held our annual leaders meeting in Dubai.  This was a chance for the TTI leaders that represent over 20 countries to come together.  During the time in Dubai the leaders were challenged to continue to emphasize church planting to their students across Asia and Africa.

As of the middle of March 2011, TTI has seen over 12,500 new churches planted!

This number we pray will only continue to increase as we will be training over 6,000 new church planters in 2011.  Please pray for this vital work in spreading the gospel to some of the most unreached places on the earth.

Update on TTI Africa

This past week we were able to visit with some of the TTI students in their newly planted churches.  We visited a slum in Nairobi, Kenya where we were greeted by 3 TTI churches on Sunday morning.  We were also able to visit some of the One Child kids in school.  Very encouraging stories of how God is moving in the lives of those involved with TTI.

 

One Child Kids getting ready for some candy!!!

One Child Kids studying in class.

TTI Student in his newly planted church!