Two days before we were supposed to leave, I only had $1,000 on hand. I showed up at a youth meeting at my church, and people began giving me envelopes; some were filled with cash and others with checks. Amazed, I totaled the amount that night. It was $4,000 exactly. I was in awe at how quickly and specifically God had answered my prayer and my faith was soaring.

Paul was pretty direct in his letter asking people to fund his missionary journeys (1 Cor 16:6; Rom 15:24). He asked rich Christians to give to the poor Christians in Jerusalem ( Rm 15:26). Since that day in 1989 when I was a young teen, I have asked many people and groups for their prayers and financial support. It started with requesting people to help me get to India during every summer holiday while studying at Baylor University. After I graduated, I began asking people to help fund a other projects. Well, now it is 2010 and I am still needing support but in a different way. The funds I am requesting (and other members of ServLife’s team around the world) is for a vision embodied in ServLife International, encompassing 120 indigenous ServLife missionaries, 300 children in six different orphanages,and many more people and projects to extend the love of Jesus Christ in word and deed..

In my own Baptist heritage, it is amazing to read of those, who, in the words of the great Baptist missionary Wiliam Carey, “Attempted Great things for God and Expected Great things from God!” On October 2, 1792, almost two hundred years after the reformation and a period of little to no protestant missionary outreach, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed. The model was based upon a trading company of the day, with private subscribers contributing large or small amounts of money to a common enterprise: World Evangelization.  Other early groups modeled after these Baptist pioneers about a decade later: the Missionary Society (also, London Missionary Society), Church Missionary Society, established by Evangelical Anglicans. In 1793, Carey was the second missionary sent by this organization and did incredible work. Carey’s efforts fueled interest in the USA, sparking a group of Baptist and congregational women to form the Boston Female Society for Missionary Purposes in 1800. America’s first missionary, Judson, studied at a Baptist school, Brown. He was sent by a congregationalist who set up the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. While completing the journey to India by sea, Judson felt he could not baptize infants without having been baptized himself, and was baptized immediately upon his arrival to Calcutta at what is now the Carey Baptist Church – a church I preached at in the early 90s. Luther Rice was another congregationalist turned Baptist over the issue of baptism by immersion and helped organize the General Missionary or Triennial Convention in 1814. In 1845, Southern Baptists began their global efforts and the stories could go on and on. Today, the most exciting movements are not the ones happening in the west but the ones taking place in the non-western and southern regions of our globe.

In recent years, the North American church has deliberated over, and often debated, how westerners fit into the changing face of God’s work in the greater world. Quite simply, the world is changing, and doing so exponentially with the perpetuation of globalization. Not surprisingly, the church is shifting, too, and with equal impact. This is especially true as the gospel continues to sweep the southern hemisphere, influencing ancient religions, tribal practices, and customs, causing these communities to challenge how Christ changes the lives of individuals and entire communities.

People often ask me, “Don’t you get tired of asking people for money?” and my response is always the same. “Never!” God’s global mission in the world is central to His heart and purposes throughout history. Since God seeks to restore and redeem all humanity and creation to Himself, the work He authors is always angled toward this highest goal of restoration and transformation. Each time a human life is changed through an encounter with Jesus Christ, God has a new witness, one who may also enter into the mission of His work in the world. Being a God-witness is more a promise to be trusted than merely a command to be obeyed. This promise is what Peter realized in his encounter with Cornelius in Acts, “Then Peter began to speak: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism…” Providing funds for His work all over the world is a chance to share in the transformations that take place, making disciples of all the nations.

One summer while I was in college, I worked on staff in an inner-city church in Houston, TX. One Sunday as I was locking up, a Hispanic woman said she had to go get her tithe for that day and asked if I could wait while she went to get it. Little did I know that I would wait for 45 minutes while she walked home. I got impatient and was very hungry. Finally, she arrived and handed me the small envelope and she went on her way. I saw that it was open and looked inside and found 1 dime. That is right, a 45 minute walk for ten cents. I could not believe it, but I should. That was not just a 45 minute walk for ten cents, it was a 45 minute walk to be part of spreading the Kingdom of God. It was a walk that was obeying God’s command to go and make disciples, and a walk of trust that God’s promises are true. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

Give generously. Love generously. live generously. 

August 2010

ServLife currently has 75 Indian missionary workers who are working in six Indian states to start a church in their community and share the love of Christ. They all undergo a year of training in northern India before returning back to their home village. One of these workers, Zachariah, is from Chhattisgarh state, and finished his training at the Servlife Leadership Institute in 2008.

In an effort to stop the work of the gospel, Zachariah was kidnapped on August 20, 2010 by an extremist group who proceeded to bury his entire body, leaving only his head exposed above ground. For three days he suffered beatings to the head, and received no food or water. The fact that he lived is a miracle.

“We will kill you and your family unless you tell us why you are Christian and how you support yourself in the work you do,” demanded the rebels.

Zachariah prayed during these three days and did not give the rebels the information they wanted. This anti-government group, known as Naxal rebels, are extremely anti-Christian and do not want any indigenous people to be Christian or form community churches. His small church of twenty people came together for these three days and fasted. They gathered every morning and evening and pleaded with God on behalf of their pastor’s life.

After three days, Zachariah was released to be reunited with his wife and three children. ServLife still supports Zachariah and his work is foundational to our vision. Please pray for Zachariah and their entire church, Calvary Pourisia Ayapally Church.

Joel Vestal reflects, “After just coming back from India and hearing this story, I was really deeply moved. The courage of Zachariah and the faithful prayers of God’s people in India are an inspiration to me and should be to all of us who desire to live a life of faith. Religious freedom is something we take for granted in the west.”

Click  here to give a donation towards the 75 workers working throughout 6 states in India.

SOURCE:  ServLife News, August 2010

In a small, remote Indian village named Bijapur (in the Chattisjargh state), three men were recently abducted and beaten. Every Sunday after worship Indian Christians normally fellowship and share a meal together consisting of the simple Indian staples rice and daal (lentils). On August 22, a meal was shared and no one knew that what was about to happen would change this little church forever.

After eating together these three men left with their families and started to walk home where they were abducted in the road by extreme rebels. Their wives and children were not harmed and ran for safety. It was known in the community that these men had become Christians. They were held in a single room for three days, beaten, denied water, and asked to give information about other believers in the community.

Albert Das, Director of Servlife Empowering Society, had baptized these three men in 2007 who had come to faith in Jesus Christ. The church gathered to pray for these 3 men and for their release. They could not report this to local police who denied Christians help, only serving the Hindus. The only justice they could hope for would be through their prayers and the divine hand of God.

The men were set free after three days, starving and beaten by wooden clubs. They had cuts and bruises all over their bodies. The small group of believers celebrated together that they were living, that God had delivered them and that all the children were able to see their fathers again.

Albert Das shares about this event, “Please pray for the Christian work in India as there is persecution from every corner. Pray God will protect our workers and bring justice to those who did wrong and against the Christian church.”

Please pray for the church in India and click here to make a donation to the work of the gospel.

In Orissa alone, ServLife currently has 36 indigenous staff, working in their villages to start churches and share the love of Jesus Christ. Three years ago on August 23, 2007, over 100 people were killed, including women, disabled persons, children, adivasis and dalits. At least three incidents of gang-rape were recorded and at least 295 churches, big and small, were destroyed. Three of these churches were started by ServLife mission workers. Also, 13 schools, colleges, and the offices of five NGOs were damaged. About 30,000 people had to live in relief camps for months.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India says the the violence resulted from the killing of a local Hindu right wing leader, Swami Laxmananda Saraswati. The local media and police accused Christians for the death and the masses responded in violence towards the minority Christians in the region. This is believed to be India’s worst case of violence against the Christian community.

Speaking on the occasion, Rev. Dr. Richard Howell, EFI General Secretary said, “Over a hundred people were brutally killed for their faith in Kandhamal. Even today their families wait for justice and for peace to return to the area.”

At the recently concluded National People’s Tribunal in Delhi, former chief justice of Delhi High Court, A.P. Shah who headed the 12-member public jury on Kandhamal stated that justice had eluded the victims. “They continue to be intimidated, denied protection and access to justice,” the jury noted, “recommending stronger state protection to survivors and witnesses” Justice Shah said.

Yet, Kandhamal is not the only place where the minority community is under fire. Each day, across India, violent attacks are witnessed against the church (see below for most recent attack against pastors in Delhi and Karnataka). Last year alone, EFI recorded over 200 violent attacks against churches and Christians across the country.

Tehmina Arora, EFI Advocacy Director, stated, “India cannot afford to forget those who are persecuted and killed for their faith. It is matter of great concern for our secular nation, if those who perpetrate violence against religious communities, are allowed to go scot free. Persecution of religious minorities undermines the very spirit of the Indian constitution.”

Please pray for churches in India to pray for:

1. Peace in Kandhamal and for those who were affected by the violence across the country

2. Those in authority that they would take necessary action to prevent such communal violence from being perpetrated and hatred being spread and

3. The 36 ServLife indigenous mission staff who are working there. 3 of them have moved to Kandhamal since the brutal attacks.

Please give to our fund for the 75 workers throughout India

SOURCE:   Evangelical Fellowship of India & ServLife News

ServLife believes in helping empower the dreams of others.  A unique way this has happened is allowing Americans to donate to the project dreamed through Emmanueal Shaw from Sierra Leone and American Rachel Wilson through ServLife International.

Emmanuel Sajor Shaw started Mercy Children’s Orphanage (MCO) in the Fall of 2005 in Waterloo, Sierra Leone, housing only five orphans in a small rent house without furniture or electricity. In a pool of 143 million, five children doesn’t seem like very many, but the only way to start decreasing that number is to start small. Rachel Wilson, (Indiana native currently working as an engineer), had met Emmanuel while volunteering on the Anastasia Mercy Ship the year before. When she learned that he had acquired an orphanage, she set about fundraising to provide beds, school tuition, and Christmas gifts. By 2006, Emmanuel was caring for ten children, had a larger home, and was recognized by the government as a legitimate children’s home.

Since then, the Lord has miraculously provided funds to buy a property for MCO, build an office, a two-story dorm, a well, a poultry barn for 1000 birds, and a garden that sustains them during the rainy season. The children receive education, food, a place to sleep, healthcare, and an environment where they are being shown Christ’s love.

MCO still provides for ten children, and has now been given the opportunity to add five more from the social welfare system of Sierra Leone, provided that they have the funds to care for them. Five more children out of 143 million. It seems so small and trivial, but to each one of those children it’s a new life meeting their physical needs, and the chance to hear the Gospel and be saved spiritually.

In the face of a problem so huge, we tend to dismiss the issue as too big to address, thinking, I could never help that many children! MCO is not equipped to help that many children either, but they are equipped to help ten, and hopefully soon fifteen. One by one they are using their resources, volunteers, and funds from all over the world to bring new life to these children. One by one, Mercy Children’s Orphanage is making a difference. One by one, we could too.

Click here to see and listen to section 1

Click here to see and listen to section 2

“After Joel Vestal spoke in our Church our people were convinced that Servlife would be one of our best opportunities to impact indigenous peoples with the grace and love of Jesus Christ. Servlife meets people where they are but doesn’t leave them there. We are grateful to support this ministry.”

Dr. Phil Lineberger

Pastor

Sugar Creek Baptist Church

Sugarland, TX

Paul and Sanum Chaudre with their own two daughters

We are excited to announce the opening of Daya Girls Home in western Nepal.  The first two girls have arrived

In Partnership with AS Nepal (ServLife’s registered NGO in Nepal working with children) Daya Girls Home is being started in western Nepal. The vision for the home is out of the heart of Udaya and his wife, Bhakti who have a deep compassion for the children of Nepal.  The conversation to begin this home has been going on for over five years.

Paul  and Sanum Chaudre will run the home with their two own children. 

The vision of the home is to grow to 10 girls.   The children are all from some of the poorest districts (Jumla, Humla, Mugu, Dailekh, Accham) in the poorest section of Nepal, the hills and mountains of Nepal’s northwest. This area has annual food shortages (USAID and UN food drops are regular) and commonly experience outbreaks of preventable but rapid moving illnesses such as diarrhea. The girls are currently cared for by neighbors or distant relatives.

Udaya says, “Our vision to start a home for girls in the western part of Nepal that is often neglected is finally becoming a reality thanks to the support of ServLife International and friends.  I wanted to name the home Daya that means “compassion” in the Nepali language.  Please pray for us.”

Paul and Sannum will be instrumental in creating a loving environment and sharing God’s love and mercy with each precious daughter of God.

Make a donation towards Daya Girls Home

The local church expressed in all her beauty and diversity is a key agent for God’s Kingdom in the world. Central to the mission of ServLife is to empower, educate, and equip indigenous leaders to share the love of Christ in both word and deed with their own people. One of the regions of the world where ServLife does this is in India, where we have been working since 1992, when ServLife first began more than 75 churches have been planted throughout 5 states in India. (Donate To this Project).

To help train and equip indigenous church planters and local mission workers to minister to their own people, a one-year leadership training institute was started in Bihar, India in 2001.   The workers that come to the training institute are recommended by their local church, and they come for a year of communal living, hands-on-service, spiritual formation, and teaching. The Indian church planters learn that it is first about trust and dependence upon God and then are equipped in practical ways for their ministry ahead. Our goal is that each local church will be a light in their village and share the message of Jesus Christ.

For those that graduate and go on to start a church in their village, ServLife supports them by providing financial, emotional, and spiritual support, along with continued training through the annual leadership conference that takes place in Bihar each year. The goal is that each local church will be self-supportive and send other leaders to be trained to start other churches.

Local churches that are started through the graduates of ServLife’s Training Institute share the same name of their church, Calvary Parousia Church. Parousia comes from the Greek and means “coming and presence”. Parousia is used to describe the presence of Christ with His disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16). We desire for Christ to come and be present in the villages where these workers go and serve their communities.

A.L.D. also travels throughout India regularly to meet with and encourage the church planters after they return to their home villages and start churches, and he recently returned from one of these trips in July, after traveling through five states in India: Chattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

Das reflects, “I am so humbled by these men who are sacrificing and laying their lives down in the midst of hardship and persecution. Please pray for them and their families and ministries.”

Give to this project here

Our first meeting occurred when Joel was only a college freshman. But he was already a man with a purpose that encompassed the nations. While a lot of other students were innocently immersed in conversations about their social lives (or lack thereof) or some other hot cultural topic, Joel was talking about unreached people groups and ways to connect them to God’s redemption story. And he wasn’t just reciting statistics and spouting off information; his heart was pulsing with compassion and an urgency to act now. Before long, Joel had forged an alliance with a pastor in a remote region of India where few others dared to go and the gospel was seldom, if ever, heard.

To be completely honest, at first glance I thought Joel was a little over-zealous and had a lot to learn. But over time my reservation morphed into admiration and respect as the little seed he had planted in Bihar, India sprouted to become ServLife International, the fruit of one solitary student emboldened by the Spirit of God and determined to leverage his life so that people all over the world could hear the name of Jesus Christ.

It’s staggering to think just how many people on the planet have never heard of Jesus much less any of his life-giving words. Like us, they wonder about the meaning of life and are longing for their Maker. Yet they have never heard of Jesus Christ ”the unique Son of God come to earth, the Divine in human flesh, the Fathers gracious sacrifice for all our sins. And we are not just talking about a handful of people in some remote village deep in the Amazon jungle. But countless millions, hundreds of millions, without Christ, dotting every continent on earth. Most are clustered in central Asia where China and India alone are home to over half of the worlds population. That’s why its no surprise that right smack in the middle of that region, in a town in northern India near the Nepalese border, Joel first raised the ServLife banner, announcing the Kingdom of God.

As you go, Joel and his wife Elise and team will be right there with you, blazing a trail with their words and actions, compelling countless others to follow; me included. At the end of the day, this God-mission to preach good news and bring restoration to every man, woman and child alive will succeed, ushering in the end of life as we know it and the coming of Christ. I want to be standing (kneeling) in that moment knowing that my life’s influence extended past the edge of the subdivision and beyond the halls of the office. I want to be able to eternally rejoice, knowing that God allowed me to play a role in gathering every tribe and tongue to proclaim His praise. I think in that moment, everything else in life will pale in comparison to that reward.
(From Louie Giglios Foreword in Joels book, Dangerous Faith. Louie is founder and director of Passion Conferences.

Listen to Podcast of Louie here

The Vision of ServLife Himalaya Development in Nepal: By Lazarus Thulung: Kathmandu, Nepal- June 2010

Our Vision

To transform the society with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Church Planting movement among unreached 3000 VDC of the remotest parts of Nepal, empower the poor, and children.

Our Goal

Our goal is to work in partnership with the whole body of Christ to train and send faithful Church-planting laborers to saturate by the Gospel, planting Churches and building Church-planting movement everywhere to reach every unreached people group of Nepal by 2017.

Our strategies

1. Train and Send to win people to Christ. Therefore, we started the ServLife training center in Kathmandu, where 42 Church planters have completed their training and working in the field now to plan new Churches.

2. Our vision is to send those trained Church planters in the new area where there is no Church yet (Romans 15:20).

3. To make it as a movement who can do the same to others (Multiplication according to 2 Timothy 2:2).

4. After planting a new Church, they will move to another area after developing local leaders. To fulfill this vision, we also conduct the Church planting seminar time to time in the different areas.

5. We also planned to train local leaders whom Church planters led to Christ. We have one month training called “How to help the pastor?” We bring them in Kathmandu ServLife training center for a month where they can learn, how to lead a Church?.

6. We also, help society to develop their economic status through the Hope Fund We started this project since 2009 in the area where Church planters are working. We are also concern about education in the village. We encourage our Church planters to conduct adult literacy classes in their villages if necessary. To transform the society, we are working water project for who do not have privilege to drink water.

7. Our ultimate goal is to preach Christ and transform society. We do believe that only true Gospel can truly change lives. But, we are also thinking holistic mission without compromising our faith in Christ.

8. To produce Gospel tracks and materials.

History of Nepal and Church Growth

Nepal is a Hindu Dominant nation in the world located between two big countries China in north and India in south, where 86 percent populations are Hindu. Many people know Nepal by the Mt. Everest, top of the world.

Catholics missionaries came to Nepal in 17th century to develop medical mission. They lived in Kathmandu valley during the Malla kings. History shows that more then 80 Newari people came to Christ after many years of missionary efforts. But, in 1979, Shaha King Prithvi Narayan Shah took over the power and unified Nepal as a one nation from different small nations. After the unification of Nepal, King Prithvi Narayan Shah made a law which caused missionaries to flee away from the country. All the missionaries and those 80 Newari Christian fled away from the land and went to Bihar, North India. From that moment Nepal became a close country for any other religion. Almost 300 years, Nepal was remained silence for Christian mission activities. We called it Dark Age in the Church history of Nepal.

In 1951, slowly door was opened for many Nepali missionaries who went to India and other nations to work. They came to Christ while they were in foreign land. Majority mission were waiting for the opportunity to enter into Nepal and preach the Gospel. Our Church History says that there were no protestant missionary who came to Nepal early 1951.

According to Norman Keharberg, in his book “Cross in the land of Khukuri”, there were 100 Christian in 1966 in Nepal. In 1980, there were 7 thousand Christian in Nepal. In 1990, there were 50 thousand Christian in Nepal. In 1999 there were around 400 thousand Christian in Nepal. Now, it is growing rapidly. Most Nepali Christian leaders believe that there are more a million born again protestant Christian in Nepal now. It’s almost 3 to 4 percent of total population of Nepal.

Social Structure

There are more then 92 major languages speaking people group lives in Nepal. According to Hindu scripture, they are divided into four groups: Brahmin (Higher Caste), Chhetri (Little lower class), Baisya (Most Mongolian faces), and Chhudra (Lower caste). Because of this caste system, there are vast differences within Nepali people. Higher caste people do not touch and eat with lower caste people. Millions are untouchable. People are under the bondage of Satan.

Belief

Most people in Nepal are Hindu though Buddha was born in Nepal. Hinduism has attached with the culture and ritual. Majority people are animist who worship different kinds of dead spirits of their forefathers. There are more then 330 millions gods and goddess were worshipping in Nepal. Every home has a worship alter for different gods and spirits. People are very religious and strong in their faith.

Most of them are suffering from evil spirits. More then 75% Nepali Christian came to Christ through healing. Most of them were posses by the demon spirits.

Christian Research

According to Nepal Government, there are more then 3912 villages called VDC (VDC: means Village Development Committee. One VDC contains six thousand to nine thousand populations). According to research, there are now around nine hundred villages are reached by the Gospel (There are at Church and at least on going fellowship). But, there are still more then three thousand villages are unreached, where there is no any Church and on going fellowship yet. Probably, some may have chance to hear the Gospel but still never had chance to go to Christian fellowship near by. There are at least some kind of small fellowships are started in the city and town where there are good roads, transportation and communication. But, remotest parts of Nepal are still left out. Nepal is still agriculture nation and majority lives are lived in the rural. We have great challenges in front of us. We can’t live without preaching Christ in those villages that are very receptive towards the Gospel. Paul says “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believe in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (Roman 10:14-15).

We realized that the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mathew 28:19) is urgency. We are called to obey before it will be too late. This is the time of harvest (Psalms 126:5-6). Due to the 12 years of Maoist insurgency, people are hopeless and frustrated with political leaders. God has opened the door for us to show His love and mercy to the lost. There is only hope in Christ. People need to hear the message of Hope. We never had this kind of opportunity in the history of Nepal and it may not be in the future. This is the time of harvest.

Hindu extremists allegedly from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh damaged a church building and installed an idol of the Hindu god Hanuman inside it on May 23, 2010 in Tadipatri, Anatapur, Andhra Pradesh.

Extremists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) attacked India Pentecostal Church’s Holy Spirit Prayer House, which was under construction.  Pastor Venugopal  approached Tadipatri police, but officers refused to help him. After local Christian leaders’ intervention, police questioned the attackers.  Area Christian leaders maintained that Pastor Reddy had acquired government permission to build the church building.

ServLife has trained and supports 100 indigenous church planters to share the love of Christ.   Please help us support these workers. click there to support

Also, you can sign a petition that we have organized to send to political leaders in India asking for religious freedom.  Click here to make your Voice heard! 

Souce: Evangelical Fellowship of India, New Delhi:  May 2010

D. Michael Lindsay is Founding Director, Program for the Study of Leadership, Rice University

More abour Dr. Lindsay

D. Michael Lindsay is assistant professor of sociology at Rice University where he is also the faculty associate of Leadership Rice and associate director of the Center on Race,Race, Religion and Urban Life at Rice University. He is also a Rice Scholar at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Lindsay has been honored by two international scholarly societies—the International Sociological Association and the International Leadership Association—as well as the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and the Association for the Sociology of Religion. A sociologist by training, Lindsay’s research is published in the leading scholarly journals of sociology, religion, and American studies.

Dr. Lindsay earned his Ph.D. in sociology at Princeton University, where he was named a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow in 2002 and the Harold W. Dodds Fellow in 2004. He also received the 2003 Outstanding Teaching Award—the university’s highest award for graduate student teaching—from Princeton’s Graduate School and the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni

A sought-after public speaker and advisor, Lindsay served for several years as the consultant for religion and culture to the George H. Gallup International Institute. There he directed several national surveys on a range of topics. Lindsay and George Gallup, Jr., co-authored two books and appeared frequently in the national media and on the lecture circuit discussing matters surrounding faith and society. He serves on the advisory board of several organizations and is regular columnist for Rev., a widely-read magazine for religious leaders. Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude graduate of Baylor University, Lindsay earned a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was a presidential scholar. He then earned an additional degree at Oxford as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar before returning to Princeton for doctoral work.

.

Film produced by Work of the People. Music from the album Songs From the Voice: Volume 2 (Thomas Nelson)

Pamela’s favorite subject in school is science, and when she is at home she helps out by doing some of the cooking. Pamela dreams of becoming a pilot when she grows up. Every Sunday, she goes to church with the mothers and the rest of the children from the home.

Pamela is still in need of sponsorship. For $30/month, your sponsorship will help supply food, clothes, schooling, and ensure that Pamela is well cared for in a loving environment. This is a direct way you can get involved in helping bring hope. Please pray and consider getting involved today. For questions about sponsorship, read our sponsorship FAQs.

SPONSOR A CHILD TODAY

I have been asking myself in recent days from following so many complicated global issues, is it possible for the church of Jesus (that is you and me) to rise above partisan politics, theological differences, relational divisions,  and economic/ethnic divide and be an instrument of peace in an ever increasing hostile world? I believe it is. America is divided politically as well as most regions of the world. We as the church should involve ourselves in the public square; however, we as image bearers of the most high God have more power within us than any military or commander in chief in the world to rattle the halls of hell and move the heart of God to awaken his people to action (Rom 8:11). Indeed, there is great power waiting to be unleashed among us to see peace in the world come through the church of Jesus Christ, that is you and me.

As Israel’s offensive continues and the Hezbollah fights back, we are all approached with the ambiguity of Middle East policies, promises, and protocol. It is not an easy issue as some want to make it out to be. It is very multifaceted in the Middle East and globally there are ethnic, economic, cultural, religious complexities as well that leads easily to scratching one’s head in bewilderment. I know I have been scratching in recent days. There is not one simple definition to understand any one conflict in the world, as some want to prescribe. Indeed, terrorism elements do exist and those who want to kill and destroy any western interest or ideology are real in our world today. I do believe strongly that any war should be the last result. I should say again, any act of war should be last result and not the first response. The inevitable loss of innocent life saddens me profoundly. I wish to give four basic reminders on how we as the body of Christ, no matter where you are located or the kind of expression you embrace, can respond in the light of current political turmoil the world is currently in and see Shalom (peace) realized and expressed.

Reminder #1: Gathers others to pray. We must pray because we are not equipped to see peace on merely our own strength and ability. We need divine power and divine intervention. We need God. We need Him to reveal his love to the hearts of all people on the earth. We need God to touch his people and through His leadership to move out into relationships and regions to be the presence of Jesus. Need some help on what to pray for? Here are some requests for prayer from Christian friend in Lebanon

• Please pray for God’s intervention in our country and the Middle east to stop any further bloodshed and destruction
• Pray for the local churches to come alongside the needy in practical support
• Pray for our leaders, for wisdom
• Pray for us as Lebanese Christians- that we may be salt and light

Here are some requests from a Palestinian Christian who I just talked with one week ago while I was in a Palestinian region

• Pray for our Christian Palestinian brothers and sisters to give our food and clothes to our Muslim neighbors who are suffering
• Pray for patience and endurance to follow Christ and love all people
• Pray for people to come to know Jesus Christ, the prince of peace

Reminder #2 – Give resources to peace makers I am not suggesting this to merely raise money for our own mission. There are thousands of organizations that are filled with peace makers with the gospel. They are acting justly and loving mercy and walking humbly before our God (Micah 6:8). The fact is that many work with little support and ability to give aid and assistance. Every one of us can do more, sacrifice more, and give more. A Lebanese friend in Beirut with little resources wrote me one day after Israel began bombing Lebanon and said

Air-raids started again as early as 3:00 am targeting the Beirut International Airport and the southern suburb of Beirut. This went on and off all day today. The artillery and bombs being used are horrendous. May God have mercy! Families are being displaced from the heavily targeted areas seeking shelter in school buildings. Effective early this afternoon, our Beirut Baptist School opened its doors offering temporary shelter to 200 Muslim people (around 30 families) from southern Lebanon. Upon arrival we offered them food and drink; yet we have no notion of how temporary will this situation be. We live each day at a time and trust God for his intervention.

Reminder # 3 – Be an instrument of peace: Go to an oppressed and controversial region and offer assistance, love, and relationship – Whatever it takes and whatever you have to do, there are multiple ways to enter into hostile areas and bring aid, love, and assistance. I was just in a Hertz rental car ten days ago and drove from Jerusalem to the west Bank (Palestinian area) and was stopped at a few check points and showed my passport and was allowed to drive on. We were met by some Christians who showed us the birth place of Jesus in Bethlehem and took us back to their store they owned. They shared without bitterness or anger of the 26 foot concrete wall the Israelis had built to keep them from leaving Bethlehem. Oder was a young, articulate Palestinian Christian tour guide who could not even get to Jerusalem to do tours because he could not get a permit. He shared that the Christian population in the Bethlehem had decreased from 80,000 to 20,000 in just about 7 years but he had no plans to leave.

There is no denying that the Israeli and Palestianian conflict is at the heart of much hostility, anger, and bitterness from the Muslim world towards the western government policies. There are other regions filled with conflict that I will advocate you to creatively engage and enter into like Iran, North Korea, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc. What if you and your circle of influence could organize a way to raise $10,000 and go give aid, love, and encouragement to the Palestians who are suffering? Figure out how to distribute food in North Korea? Is it possible? Sure it is.

Just one month ago, the United Nations released this statement, Though gravely under-funded, UN agency is set to feed 120,000 more Palestinians Facing an escalating humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory due to the non- payment of 150,000 government employees and more frequent Israeli crossing closures, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it will increase the number of non-refugees it feeds by 25 percent, from 480,000 to 600,000. We are seeing increasing numbers of impoverished people whose means of survival are being pushed to the limit. Many families are being forced to reduce their number of meals to just one a day, WFP Country Director Arnold Vercken warned. We are in a race against time to reach the most vulnerable with food aid and avoid an escalation of this crisis. No matter what your political opinion is on the issue, the fact is that Israel has stopped the transfer of Palestinian value added taxes (VAT) and customs taxes and innocent people are suffering. This comprises around 50 per cent of the Palestinian Authority budget. Other countries have also suspended contributions to the PA. The 150,000 employees on its payroll support 1 million people, or more than 25 per cent of the population. “Many people are now living on only bread and the cheapest vegetables, usually those left unsold at the end of the day. We are also very concerned about the growing numbers of people, often children, rummaging through garbage cans,” Mr. Vercken said. I recognize the reality and need for Israel to protect herself and that will be debated on to what degree they should. However, the reality and opportunity before us as the church to respond and act is present.

In southern Thailand, where I currently reside with my family and other people in the ServLife community, we have launched a loan program. We have given loans to the Muslim community.to start fish farms who are poor and marginalized. Relatiionships have been created between Thai Christians and Thai Muslims as a result. Trust has been established and dialogue has been birthed and peace is a result. The opportunities are endless to care, love, and bring peace to millions in the world.

Reminder #4: Peace will come when we preach the Gospel– The gospel of Jesus Christ is what people need to experience and embrace. The love of God will flow into the heart of anyone who responds to the gospel of Christ (Rom 8:39). The love of God will transform the heart of man and give them the power to love and forgive their enemies (Matt 5:43). How will people know and believe unless they are told? How will they be told unless we are sent? (Rom 10:15). As we live the gospel, we must also preach the gospel in love, humility, brokenness, and clarity. Preach the gospel where Christ is not known (Rom 15:20). Be eager to preach the gospel (Rom 1:15); Do not be ashamed of the gospel because it the power of God for the salvation of everyone (Rom 1:16) The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel (Rom 1:17) Offer the gospel free of charge (1 Cor 1:19) Pray that those who are blinded to the gospel will have their veils lifted from their eyes (2 Cor 4:3). Do not preach about yourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Cor 4:4) Be prepared in season and out of season to preach the gospel (2 Tim 4:2).

A movement is needed. It can start with you!

Stay Led!

Joel Vestal

All proceeds will benefit the work of ServLife around the world and our ServLife 1,000 goals.  All bids will be made online and once a bid is submitted it is binding and you are responsible for payment if the auction closes and your bid is the current winning bid. If you don’t have access to the Internet, you may call our office (317-544-0484) and one of our staff members will complete a form for you over the phone.  Postage and Handling Fees will be added.

Here’s how the auction works:

1. Find the desired item you would like to bid on. The current winning bid will be displayed for each item and will be updated as bids are received.
2. Once you have decided your bid, click the associated Make a Bid button. The bid form for the associated item is displayed.
3. Enter the required personal information, enter your bid, and click the Finish button.
4. Once your bid is received and confirmed that it is higher than the current winning bid, the amount on the website will be updated and only your first name will appear next to the price that you bid on.

5. The auction will end at 10 pm (Eastern time) on May 30. Any bids received after this point will not be valid.

6. Once the auction has closed, if you have a winning bid, you will be contacted by our staff to confirm your bid and collect payment information via credit card or check.   All payments will need to be collected with 5 days of the end of the auction or the item will be given to the one who is #2 in the bidding.

* If you have questions or need assistance, you may call the ServLife office at: 317-544-0484 or contact us online.

Please pray about how ServLife can continue to create opportunities to restore hope to the poor and offer the gift love in Jesus Christ.  Contact us for more information or join a movement of people seeking to bring hope and love to very dark regions of the world.

ServLife 1,000 is our five year vision to:

• Train 1,000 indigenous leaders to minister to their own people through ServLife 2 training centers for 1 year
• Sponsor 1,000 children in education and care
• Start 1,000 new businesses through the ServLife Hope Fund to empower people out of poverty

As of April 2010

Give Online Today

The Church of the Good Shepherd in Lyndhurst, Ohio recently held a ServLife Dinner benefit to raise money to start a ServLife Hope Fund in Thingan, Nepal. 60 people from 7 different churches attended the dinner and nearly $5,400 was raised. The funds will go directly to helping start a Hope Fund in Thingan. Read more about the ServLife Hope Fund.

Mary Davis, member of Church of Good Shepherd who was one of the organizers of the dinner, was very encouraged by the response.

“In 2009 our women’s book group read Dangerous Faith, and we were so moved by the book and inspired by the idea of the Hope Fund that we wanted to fund a business start-up for a single woman,” says Davis. “We contacted ServLife and when, much to our surprise, Joel responded saying he would like to come to Cleveland to meet with us, we decided to make a larger gathering for the community and to raise our fundraising goal to create a Hope Fund for a village. Now, Good Shepherd is in relationship with Thingan, Nepal. We could never have imagined this outcome when we started reading the book.”

Joel Vestal had the opportunity to travel to Lyndhurst and speak at their church and share at the dinner about the ServLife Hope Fund.

“It’s so encouraging to see a new church take initiative and be a global witness,” said Vestal. “The people at the Church of the Good Shepherd gave me a wonderful welcome for my first visit to Cleveland.”

Currently, the Hope Fund in Thingan is 82% funded.  Will you consider giving towards this initiative and helping us reach our goal? Give Now

*ServLife has held dinners around the United States as an informal way to both introduce and inform people on the work of ServLife around the world. Please contact us to help either organize or host a dinner with a multi-media presentation, images, and many stories of what God is doing through the work of ServLife around the world.

(Posted: 2010-03-24)

These gods are false, of course, but the people cling to them in darkness as if they were real. This deception and misunderstanding highlights the Nepalese’ false hope even more, as they not only have cities built around temples and altars to multiple, lifeless deities, but they also have these demons being brought to their front door. They have a desperate need for Truth and the Most High God to come and break through their false reality of idol-worship.

Are we so different? Our idols are not necessarily in the shape of deities, carved out of wood or stone, but they are present in our culture nonetheless, and don’t require door-to-door salesmen to usher them into our lives. We worship our money, our homes, our children, our jobs, our time, our comfort, and our achievements. The list could go on. Joel Vestal, the founder and president of ServLife, recently spent time in Nepal, capturing this image of an idol salesman. He said, “We have things we put up in our lives that keep us from being the people that God wants us to be – to love God with our whole being.” Our darkness is just as great as the darkness in Nepal, and maybe even greater, because our idols are sold under different names. The Nepalese know that they are purchasing their gods while we are deceived by gods that have no faces.

Nepal houses eight of the ten highest mountains in the world, including Sagarmatha, or what we know as Mount Everest. These mountains stand in stark contrast to the spiritual atmosphere of this country. How glorious they are in comparison to the paltry idols being sold at every door! How majestic they are looming above even the grandest temples! Psalm 95:3-4 says, “For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.”

Idols are found door-to-door around the world, invading every person’s heart in an attempt to shut out Jesus, the only one who can save. It’s easier to see in Nepal because they’re tangible, but the unseen idols of our hearts are just as sinful, and easier to be ensnared by.

“I hope that you will examine your own life and see where those idols exist in your journey, and the you would lay them at the feet of Jesus, that you would love Jesus with your whole heart, and that he would be the center of your worship and your devotion in your life.” (Joel Vestal)

Watch a video of Joel Vestal sharing about false idols from the Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal and how idolatry is a reality for westerners as well:

(Source: ServLife News by Sarah Buckner)

(Posted: 2010-03-15)

Mina and Ghanashyam are originally from the Sunsari district and as a family moved to the Sonapur VDC, Morong district in East Nepal to plant a church there, following Ghanashyam’s graduation from ServLife’s leadership training school in Kathmandu.

After the church was planted and Ghanashyam began his ministry in Sonapur, it has been challanging for them and an act of faith to leave their family and come to a completely new place and start a new ministry. Since they planted the church two years ago, 25 people have come to know the Lord and are now a part of the church.

Mina leaves behind her husband Ghanashyam and their son and daughter.

Please pray:

• For Ghanashyam and his family as they are in mourning
• For the Lord to comfort them in this situation
• That Ghanashyam may continue his ministry
• For the church in Sonapur to come around and support Ghanashyam and his family

Current Projects we are Seeking Funding For:

•  ServLife 1,000:  Our Vision in 2010 and Beyond (Our 2010 annual budget for all of ServLife Projects, staff, and work around the world)  

The work of ServLife in a few of our registered organizations around the world

• Servlife Empowering Society India
• ServLife Himalaya Development – Nepal
• Awana Sewa Nepal (Work among Children)

ServLife Hope Fund – Our goal to start the Hope Fund in 40 villages in Nepal

Thank you! Projects Funded:

• Send an Indian Mission Worker to be trained for $180
  (100% funded, Nov. 2009)
• New Testament Audio Players for Local Workers – Campaign 1
  (100% funded, Dec. 2009)
• ServLife 2009 Year-End Goal: Restoring Hope to Children and the Global Poor
  (100% funded, Jan. 2010)

*If you would like to go a step further and help raise money for the work of ServLife around the world, you can use a new tool we now have available online, to create and manage a team and pick a campaign to raise funds for.

(Contact Us if you need assistance or would like additional information.)

Over the past three years, ServLife has been building a relationship with a church in the Marondera area as they care for these children. Up until this point, they have been caring for the children almost single-handedly despite a devastating lack of resources and failed economy.

*There are sponsorship opportunities available to support these children in the Musha Wevana children’s home. There are currently 86 children in the home and 23 children are still in need of sponsorship.

For $30/month, your sponsorship will help supply food, clothes, schooling, and ensure that they are well cared for in a loving environment. This is a direct way you can get involved in bringing hope and empowering a new generation in Zimbabwe.

Sponsor a Child Today!