Hope of the World Ministry
Going to the lost to bring them to Jesus
Dear Partners and Friends –
Merry Christmas from Jay and Mary and Hope of the World Ministry!
We are just back from our mission trip into the Himalayan Mountains. Now I traveled on this trip with my husband Jay and I wanted to write the newsletter this time because of the impact this trip had on my life.
Walking across a river to get to a remote village
And Wow!!! What a trip! Over 37 long hours of airplane rides and waiting in airports to get there. Long grueling drives through twisty, turnery mountain roads—as I got out of the car my shoulders and neck ached and I felt like I had whip lash, then hard walks through the mountains, over bridges and wading across rivers to get to the remote villages.
Getting to the villages was hard and dangerous
After a few days of this I started complaining to myself thinking boy is this really worth it? Then the Lord spoke loud and clear to me and asked me – “Is one soul not worth it?” Wow – talk about shutting me right up—I stopped complaining and answered –“Yes Lord if only one person gets saved then it is surely worth it.” One person living in eternity instead of damnation is surely worth a little pain and suffering. Now God did so many things on this trip that I wish I could tell you them all -- but time and space won’t allow---so here are 3 powerful short stories.
We walked into a Hindu village. The elder of the village met us as we entered and asked us what we wanted - we told him we came to speak to the people about Jesus and he said ok. Now these people were strong Hindus and this was a miracle in itself -- God opens doors we can’t.
Preaching in a strong Hindu village
Jay was preaching the Gospel and began to talk about how Jesus healed people when a man came and sat on the side and listened very intently. After he finished preaching the man left and we continued to minister to the village people. Then as we were leaving the village the man who had left was waiting for us down the street and he stopped us and started asking questions about Jesus. Next he brought his son to us for prayer. His son had many demons and could hardly walk – he painfully dragged his legs on the pavement with every step. Jay and I prayed for him and he fell backwards! Then Jay took his hand and started running with him and God healed him while they were running! When they got back the man could not believe how much better his son was. Then he told us the most amazing thing—he said that he had done an animal sacrifice to his gods for his son’s healing and there was no change at all. But when we prayed only once to our God Jesus his son was remarkably better! Hallelujah! Then the man said:
“I must go to a Christian Church now and follow Jesus!”
My second story: We entered a village and found out it was a Muslim village—they told us it had been that way forever—the people had always followed Mohammed. Now we had no idea there were any Muslim villages in the area. Again God did a miracle and we were well received and were able to preach the Gospel.
They listened very closely as we spoke and then we ministered to them answering many questions they had about Jesus. Now we are not use to ministering to Muslims but God gave us supernatural wisdom. After we finished the main Elder told us: “No one had ever bothered to come to their village and tell them the truth about this God Jesus”. What an incredible statement!
No one has ever bothered to come and tell us the truth before
He said the words we spoke made him feel very good. He said they were so very happy we came and invited us to come back and share more. The ministry we work with will do just that and a new church will be planted! Only God can open doors and change hearts like this.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life
My third story I want to share is about a Brahman village (the upper cast) that we went to. The people told us that they were Hindus and didn’t want to hear about Jesus. Right before we were leaving an old lady came up to us and allowed us to pray for her --- she was partially blind. God restored her sight and 2 young men were watching. Jay asked them if they had ever seen anything like that before and they said no. We were then able to preach the Gospel to them and more people came and listened. One of the young men asked so many questions and wanted to know more. We left him a Proclaimer- an audio Bible in their language. He promised to play it in the village to the people --- the people who had refused to listen to us were now going to hear the Word of God through one of their own!
Now that’s pretty much how this trip went --- we went from village to village preaching the gospel, ministering and praying for people. We saw people saved, 2 partially blind eyes opened, demons cast out, stomach pains healed and many others healed. And I have to tell you what one other man told us as we preached – because it is so powerful. He said: “ I feel the words you are speaking.” – not I hear them – but I feel them! The Word of God is so powerful!
Heb 4:12 (KJV) 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
I feel the Words!
Now it took us 54 hours to get home from this trip – delays in airports all along the way. The jet lag has been terrible – and I came home sick with a stomach problem. But I’m not complaining – because I remember what He asked me – “What is one soul worth?” And I know it was all worth it. What a privilege and honor --- God used us to bring people to Him and to bring light into a dark place!
And to Jesus goes all the Glory!!!
Getting to places and people like these is not easy-- but God has called us to go!
Growing the Kingdom
And He said, The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade. And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. (Mark 4:26-29, 32, 33 NKJV)
This is how our ministry works - going place to place sowing seed where it has never been before- planting the word and punching holes into darkness. Once the Word goes out the Kingdom grows - it cannot be stopped. Like the leaven mixed with the dough - it can never be separated and it will never stop growing.
Hope of the World Ministry's mission in this world is to reach the lost with the Gospel. We do it one country at a time, one village at a time, one mountain at a time. We go where others will not - to the remote and hard to reach places and people groups.
As you read in Mary’s story above -- after I preached the Gospel in a totally Muslim village deep in the Himalayans-- the elder of the village said this to me- “no one has ever bothered tell us the truth before" ! An amazing and profound statement coming from someone who had been a follower of Mohammed all his life!
This is one of the gods the Hindu people we went to worship-- a demonic snake.
These people and people like them all over the world need somebody to tell them the truth about Jesus!
Now how many do you think are out there in these remote countries that no one has ever bothered to go to and tell the truth to? MILLIONS! Here in America we are sheltered from this fact – but the truth is this --- there are still millions who have never even heard of the name of Jesus. How can these people get saved that just want to know truth if we don't go to them? - they know in their hearts that there is more than they have been taught because their gods have never done anything for them. They are searching for truth - they know there is a God but just don't know where to find Him or what His name is.
But friends -- how can we go without the means to go and how can we help the ministries we partner with in these areas who are wiling to give up everything to reach their own culture unless we have the finances to do so?
The more I do this ministry the more I realize that it truly is a sad thing that there are actually those who are willing to give up their very lives - to bother and go tell truth to those who are searching for it -- but they don't have the means to do it.
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:14, 15 NKJV)
Friends - we desperately need your help to reach the lost.
My greatest frustration is that we could reach so many more for Jesus if we just had the financial resources to do so. We are presently squeezing every dollar we get right now to do as much as we can - both by going ourselves as well as helping the ministries we work with to go- but my heart hurts for the lost that we just cannot get to .
The Lord has put it upon my heart to raise up 300 men and women who are serious about reaching the lost in these end times we are living in. The right 300 - like Gideon's 300 - that believe in what we do --faithful to the cause --and will fight alongside us.
We are praying for an immediate out pouring of God's favor on us to raise up these additional 300 partners that will give on an ongoing monthly basis. I am asking you to prayerfully consider being one of the faithful that we are praying for.
And remember : Our Crowns are your Crowns
