In an article by Marvin Olasky in the World Magazine dated August 26, 2006 I found the following quote which I thought was worth your reading and considering:
"In a book coming out in December, Syracuse University professor Arthur Brooks shows that religious people (mostly Christians) 'of all political persuasions are 40 percent more likely to donate to charities each year than secular people, and more than twice as likely to volunteer. They are almost more than three times more likely than secular people to give each month, and three and one-half times as likely to volunteer that often.'"
I just think you should know that God has touched hearts and our people are more concerned with "good works" and a desire to do something for others. I am almost certain that you have no idea how good the people in our churches are at giving to faith promise missions. Though we might like them to give more than they do they are already giving and we should be grateful.
As missionaries and pastors we should be careful to make their investment be used to His honor and glory and also so that they could feel good about the investment. Let's not let them outwork us in the desire to do something to get the gospel to the world. They sacrifice to give so that you and I can do the ministry. Let's never take them for granted and let's give them their money's worth.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Missionary Wife’s Role in the Ministry
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5
I. Remember that the people where you will be serving will see you as their pastor’s wife!
a. Great Responsibility as the pastor’s wife.
1. You are responsible for the growth of the ladies in your church and ministry
1. Teach them the spiritual lessons that they should learn
2. Teach them how to live at home
3. Teach them how to treat their husband and children
4. Teach them how to serve others
2. You need to help the ladies so as to protect your husband and his testimony. Genesis 20:16. “And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.”
1. You are his veil or covering; his separation from other women.
2. Keep an open relationship with your husband. No secrets, no locked doors
3. Protect your family life and testimony
b. Everyone will be watching you and looking up to you.
1. They will learn how to treat their husband from the way you treat your husband
2. They will learn how to treat their children and how to raise their children from the way you do.
3. They will learn how to dress from the way you dress
4. They will learn how to dress their children from the way you do things
c. Be transparent
1. Do not make them think that you are something that you are not
2. Be open about how you deal with your problems
3. Learn how much to say and when to say it
4. Even though you are transparent you do not want to lower yourself to their level to gain their friendship, let them come up to your level
d. Your transparency will cause them to speak more openly with you of their problems
II. Teaching the ladies and children in the church
a. In the beginning there will probably only be 2 teachers in the entire church, your husband and you
b. Do not do things that those who follow you will be unable to do
1. You can teach all the Bible because they will be able to
2. Do not spend money to the point that the lady who takes your class will never be able to live up to what you do
3. Do not use decorations etc that cost more than the church and ministry will be able to provide
4. Do not give prizes and/or, even coffee and tea if it is above what they will be able to do when you aren’t there or you will set them up to fail.
c. How to have a ladies meeting
1. Monthly
2. Devotional or Bible study
3. Prayer requests and prayer time
4. Talk about how to get the ladies involved in the ministry
5. Refreshments
d. Children’s ministry
1. First children’s ministry and class
2. Children’s church
3. Teach others how to help in the classes
4. Nursery
III. Training other ladies to take your place
a. Begin by giving them small responsibilities and see how they do
b. Let them do the memory verse, or song etc and then gradually add to it
c. You and your husband will probably want to have a weekly workers meeting where you meet with them to teach them how to do the ministry
d. Always use as many people as you can in the ministry so that all go along learning
e. Your goal is for them to take the entire ministry
f. Be careful not to dump it all on them until they are ready
g. It is like raising children
1. Do not just expect them to know
2. Teach them
3. Walk through it with them
4. Gradually let them take over
h. Never do things in the ministry that the people can not handle when you are gone.
1. Spending too much
2. Having too much
3. Remember if you do you will just be setting them up to fail
IV. Dress standards
a. It has to be their conviction and desire. You can not force it on the ladies of your church
b. Teach them by your example
c. Be careful about splits, low tops, tight fitting clothes, etc. Have your husband check your dress if you have any doubts.
d. Be careful how your children dress. You have now become the leaders of the ministry. Everything you say and do and what your children say and do will become teaching about how to live, do and be.
V. Godly example
a. It is the key to it all
b. First for your children and husband
c. In how you pray and read your Bible
d. In how you go soul winning
e. In how you attend church
f. In how you give
g. In how you treat your husband and children
h. In your attitude in the services
i. In how you serve others
I. Remember that the people where you will be serving will see you as their pastor’s wife!
a. Great Responsibility as the pastor’s wife.
1. You are responsible for the growth of the ladies in your church and ministry
1. Teach them the spiritual lessons that they should learn
2. Teach them how to live at home
3. Teach them how to treat their husband and children
4. Teach them how to serve others
2. You need to help the ladies so as to protect your husband and his testimony. Genesis 20:16. “And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.”
1. You are his veil or covering; his separation from other women.
2. Keep an open relationship with your husband. No secrets, no locked doors
3. Protect your family life and testimony
b. Everyone will be watching you and looking up to you.
1. They will learn how to treat their husband from the way you treat your husband
2. They will learn how to treat their children and how to raise their children from the way you do.
3. They will learn how to dress from the way you dress
4. They will learn how to dress their children from the way you do things
c. Be transparent
1. Do not make them think that you are something that you are not
2. Be open about how you deal with your problems
3. Learn how much to say and when to say it
4. Even though you are transparent you do not want to lower yourself to their level to gain their friendship, let them come up to your level
d. Your transparency will cause them to speak more openly with you of their problems
II. Teaching the ladies and children in the church
a. In the beginning there will probably only be 2 teachers in the entire church, your husband and you
b. Do not do things that those who follow you will be unable to do
1. You can teach all the Bible because they will be able to
2. Do not spend money to the point that the lady who takes your class will never be able to live up to what you do
3. Do not use decorations etc that cost more than the church and ministry will be able to provide
4. Do not give prizes and/or, even coffee and tea if it is above what they will be able to do when you aren’t there or you will set them up to fail.
c. How to have a ladies meeting
1. Monthly
2. Devotional or Bible study
3. Prayer requests and prayer time
4. Talk about how to get the ladies involved in the ministry
5. Refreshments
d. Children’s ministry
1. First children’s ministry and class
2. Children’s church
3. Teach others how to help in the classes
4. Nursery
III. Training other ladies to take your place
a. Begin by giving them small responsibilities and see how they do
b. Let them do the memory verse, or song etc and then gradually add to it
c. You and your husband will probably want to have a weekly workers meeting where you meet with them to teach them how to do the ministry
d. Always use as many people as you can in the ministry so that all go along learning
e. Your goal is for them to take the entire ministry
f. Be careful not to dump it all on them until they are ready
g. It is like raising children
1. Do not just expect them to know
2. Teach them
3. Walk through it with them
4. Gradually let them take over
h. Never do things in the ministry that the people can not handle when you are gone.
1. Spending too much
2. Having too much
3. Remember if you do you will just be setting them up to fail
IV. Dress standards
a. It has to be their conviction and desire. You can not force it on the ladies of your church
b. Teach them by your example
c. Be careful about splits, low tops, tight fitting clothes, etc. Have your husband check your dress if you have any doubts.
d. Be careful how your children dress. You have now become the leaders of the ministry. Everything you say and do and what your children say and do will become teaching about how to live, do and be.
V. Godly example
a. It is the key to it all
b. First for your children and husband
c. In how you pray and read your Bible
d. In how you go soul winning
e. In how you attend church
f. In how you give
g. In how you treat your husband and children
h. In your attitude in the services
i. In how you serve others
Monday, August 21, 2006
Mission’s Conference Ideas
The following are just ideas that I have gleaned along the way as I visit churches, talk with pastors and missionaries. I by no means want to imply that all of these should be put into place in every church. I am also sure that many of you may have other ideas that I have not added to this list. If you will send them to me I will be glad to add them to this list.
- Provide name tags for the missionaries with the name of their country, mission board etc.. but also provide the same type of tag for the deacons, pastor, staff members etc. so that the missionary will also be able to know who people are. Use a different format for church people—Example: use flag for missionary and church logo for church people.
- Involve the people of the church by having them take different missionary families out to eat or have them eat in their homes, sleep in their homes, etc.. Get as many people involved spending time with the missionary that you can.
- Each evening have a joint meal with different people from the church, one night with the deacons, pastor and staff. Another night with the entire church. Be sure to instruct the missionaries and the church people that they are not to be with the other missionaries or their friends but with the people so that the church people will really get to know them.
- Pass out a photograph and biographical sketch about each missionary a few weeks before the conference, especially to the Sunday School classes where you will have the missionary teaching.
- Have a video or slide update each year about all that your church and their mission dollar is doing around the world.
- Have a missionary teacher in every Sunday School class.
- Plan activity time with the missionaries and be sure to include different church people in everything. The more people that are involved the more they will know the missionaries and be concerned about them. Golf, bowling, shopping, etc. Be sure to give the missionary the option. Your concern is to meet the needs of the missionary family. Some may need time away from the children (after all they may have spent hours or days traveling in the car all cooped up). Others may need to rest or catch up on correspondence. Be sure not to make them feel any pressure.
- Prepare a special missionary passport for the children that they can take with them to the display that each missionary has set up during the conference. They will then get the passport stamped like one does going to another country. This will give the child a chance to meet the missionary and also have a special keepsake from the conference. Not a bad idea to have them find out some special information about the missionary that will cause them to have to converse with the missionary.
- Be sure to correspond well with the missionary before the conference. Let them know when to arrive, directions to the church, what you expect from them, where they will be staying, etc.
- Have a host family for each missionary who will be responsible for them and be in contact with them to meet their needs or answer questions.
- A suggestion from an ex-missionary, have fewer missionaries so that you can support for a larger amount. $100 should probably be considered minimum support today. This would help the missionary get to the field much more quickly without running themselves ragged on the deputation trail.
- Put up an eternity light that blinks a couple of times a second to remind them that each time the light flashes someone else dies and goes to hell. Be sure to put up a sign reminding people of how many people are dying with out the Lord Jesus Christ. Right now you can safely say that over 106 people go into eternity every minute and at least 75 of them will have died without Christ and gone to an eternal hell. The world statistics show that about 35% of the world calls itself "Christian". Of those how many truly know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Have the light turn on an off on minute intervals with a similar note there or even every 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Just adjust the death rate by the minute. Right now 1.7 people die somewhere in the world every second.
- Put up famous missionary sayings and challenges on the wall.
- One church gives 1% of their offerings to each of the missionaries who are members of their church on a quarterly basis. Home churches should consider giving at least 10% of the needed monthly support to missionaries out of their own church.
- Be sure to put up lots of maps, flags, globes, and statistics to let people get a world vision.
- Be sure to have your most lively missionaries spend special time with the teenagers and young adults that God might work with them and call them to be missionaries. Use the missionaries that God is already using on the field so that they will be challenged and motivated to do something with their lives.
- Develop a personal type of questionnaire (interview sheet should be prepared before hand) sort of like “This is your life” and then reward the people for getting the information from the different missionaries. Anything you can do to encourage interaction with the missionaries will be a blessing to your people. Questions such as –favorite verse, signature, birthday, wedding anniversary, home church, favorite food and other interesting questions.
- Have missionary speakers in your mission’s conference. Let the people meet real missionaries and spend time with them. Have a couple of missionary testimonies 10-20 minutes and then a missionary message to end each evening.
- Make preparations for the conference at least a month prior to the meeting. Have special prayer meetings. Plan special music. Treat your conference more like you would a revival than a money-raising week.
- Make sure pastor and key leaders are excited about world evangelism and have a good attitude. The success or failure of your mission’s conference, as in all other activities, will rise or fall according to the leadership. If the pastor and leaders are not excited and wanting to see what God is going to do then the people will not be excited either.
- Choose your missionaries carefully. The quality of missionary you have will determine how excited your people will be about missions.
- Have a missionary birthday party. A number of people are assigned to spend up to $25 on requests that the missionary has sent in. The people buy these gifts and when the missionary arrives they have a specific night to have the missionary party and give the gifts.
- Set aside a portion of your faith promise budget to take care of the expenses of your mission’s conference so that it is not a heavy burden on the church during the week of the conference. Be sure to plan and prepare ahead of time so that you will be able to give a good love offering to each missionary that will cover their expenses and be an offering.
- When figuring how much to give as a love offering please remember the miles traveled (car and gas expense), hours on the road, amount of time that they will be in your church (especially if they will miss opportunities to be in other churches) and meals that had to be eaten on the road.
- Have a parade of the flags that represent the different countries where you have missionaries. This can be done at the start of the conference and let your folks feel the weight and influence that your church is having around the world.
- Use your flags to decorate your church. Place them on beautiful flag poles and stand them along the wall behind the choir so that all year round your people are reminded of your faith promise commitment to get the gospel around the world.
- Prepare a Prayer Guide booklet for your people. This is a booklet that will have a listing of all your missionaries, their contact information, their prayer requests, interesting facts about their ministry and the country, and any other pertinent information you might find interesting. I first saw this at Fairwinds Baptist Church in Bear, Delaware. They have a picture of each family, their sending church, their mission board, birth dates, anniversary, email, web page, mailing address, prayer requests, the country flag, present activities, interesting facts, etc. The booklet also contains a letter from the pastor. This is an exciting way the folks can see how their Faith Promise Mission's money is being spent.
The following is what Pastor Carlo DeStefano put in his prayer booklet there in Fairwinds Baptist Church:
"Charles Malik, Lebanese ambassador to the United Nations, asked in a speech: "What has been the greatest American contribution to the rest of the world?" Has it been money? Has it been food?" Has it been medical skill? Has it been military might? Has it been industrial know how?" Then he answered, "The greatest thing to come out of America has been the American missionary effort: The quiet , selfless men and women who have left the comfort and security of their homeland to bring the Gospel of Christianity to less favored nations."We hear about churches that are "mission-minded." Fairwinds Baptist Church does not have a mission's program, WE ARE A MISSIONS PROGRAM! Spreading the Good News of the Gospel throughout the world is the mission of Fairwinds Baptist Church. It is our total thrust from the cradle through the senior saint; the pew to the pulpit.During the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 Winston Churchill said of the brave men of the Royal Air Force, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." A similar statement could be made concerning our missionaries. Compared to the larger body of Christians who are content to remain at home, our missionary force represents but a small, almost insignificant percentage of the whole. Yet, millions around the world have a hope of Heaven because of the sacrificial ministry of these frequently forgotten heroes of the faith. They leave the comfort for their friends, and the often-superior conditions of this country to preach the gospel to those who might not ever otherwise hear.IN the pages to follow you will find the "Heroes of Faith" that we here at Fairwinds Baptist Church support through Faith Promise Missions. Let's use this book to remind us of them and their need of our prayer and financial support. When they get to Heaven the Lord will greet them with these words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant." - In a missions conference in Newport, North Carolina with Pastor Clyde Eborn we had the privilege of visiting the local public school to share cross cultural ideas with the students. For many years their church has been going to the public school system. Sure they have to be careful not to try to mix religion in with the public school but they tell what it is like living in a different country, speak a little of language, teach the children to be thankful for their country and their family. We had a delightful time and I believe that it is something that could be done in more schools if we would just step up and try. We also participated in a similar experiment in Elkton, South Dakota.
- Call a missionary each week or even monthly on a speaker phone and have him lead in the opening prayer in the service and also give a brief update of his work from the field. This will help your people to better think about and pray for your missionaries. It will be very special to the missionary also.
- If at all possible put your missionaries in a nice motel rather than homes. Many missionaries have found themselves in compromising situations or uncomfortable accomodations.
A Quote
"Let us dare to test God's resources...Let us ask Him to kindle in us and keep aflame that passion for the impossible that shall make us delight in it with Him, till the day when we shall see it transformed into a fact." -Lilias Trotteruote
From Witchcraft to the Savior
The Ocampo Family Story
The baby was lying on the bed. The lady was going over her body with an egg and as she did so she repeated the Lord's prayer and the twenty third psalm. Ausberta then took her scissors and opened them in the form of a cross. She had finished rolling the egg over every inch of the babies body and now she began with the scissors. As she did all of this she prayed and repeated different Scripture verses. She asked the Virgin to heal the baby because someone had put the evil eye on this child. When she finished using both the egg and the scissors then her small daughter Roxana began to step over the body of the baby in the form of a cross. Hopefully when Ausberta finishes every step of this process the child will be alright.
If your child has had the "evil eye" put on him you can always take him to Ausberta de Ocampo. She will "pass an egg over him". This means that she would take an ordinary chicken egg and pass it or roll it over every inch of your infant child's body. The only ones usually susceptible to the "evil eye" are children under the age of two. As Ausberta "passes the egg" over the child's body she will repeat the Lord' prayer out loud, praying to God that He remove the curse from your child. She also would take her scissors, open them in the form of a cross, and pass them over your child's body also in the form of a large cross going from the head to the feet and then from one arm to the other. All that Ausberta did, she did in the name of God. This was never meant to be something pagan. She "loved" God the best way she knew how and was just trying to help others. When she finishes the ceremony she breaks the egg in a glass to see what has happened. The "evil" will have passed from the body of the person to the egg and Ausberta will be able to see just what happened and how bad it was. The white of the egg will bear special marks that she can read to see what other treatment might be needed. Her son, Victor, says that he has seen a fresh egg become hard boiled once it has been passed over the body of someone.
Others that have "the power" also "pass a guinea pig over you". Often times the guinea pig will die from the disease that the person has. "Passing the guinea pig" over people is quite common. Folks go to the "curandero" (medicine man or woman) whenever they have any type of problem. Age is not important. After the guinea pig dies, they open him up and take out his heart to see what you have and whatever other treatment may be needed. Ausberta can make you a small bracelet or necklace with red and black balls to prevent someone from putting the "evil eye" on your child. You just put it on your child and he or she will be protected from the "evil eye". She knows how to help you! She will also have her youngest daughter (Roxana) step over your child's body in the form of a cross. The "evil eye" is a very serious problem. If a person "evil eyes" another it can cause them to vomit, get sick, have a fever, and even die. The Ocampo family, Miguel, Ausberta, and their children, Victor, Liz, and Roxana, had followed in the tradition of good witchcraft of their country. Really the Catholic church lends itself to whatever the folks believe in the country they are in.
Ausberta learned all this as a little girl in Piura (a city in northern Peru with a population of more than 1,000,000 people that has no real gospel preaching ministry). Piura is known as the center of demon activity or spiritism in Peru. Each year bus loads of business executives from Lima travel to Piura to consult with the "brujos" or witches. The black magic of Piura descended from the black slaves that were brought over from Africa. Pray that God will send a preacher to this region.
When Miguel had built their house in Hunter, Arequipa, he had invited the "curandero" (medicine man) to come and bless his house. The man had buried some pieces of specially blessed materials in the stairs that go to the second floor. He buries the fetus from the first pregnancy of any animal except a pig. The preferred animal is a llama. They sell the fetuses in certain Indian markets. He also buries different crackers, cookies, candies, and other offerings. This usually includes three coca leaves for every member of the family. All of the family will get together with the medicine man to have a service at midnight. They want to make sure that the spirits hear and see all that they are doing. All of the lights are turned off in the house. The medicine man then leads them from room to room in the dark carrying incense and holy water. He prays sometimes in Quechua and many times in tongues. They drink wine and pour some on the ground. They chew coca leaves and have the "curandero" bless the house with "holy water. He then speaks in Quechua and tongues to the "four winds". Their house has been blessed now and will be safe.
Peru is steeped in witchcraft and demonism. The people still sacrifice baby llamas and bury them to "pay the earth". Misti, a great perfectly cone shaped volcano that rises to 20,000 feet above sea level just outside Arequipa is also worshiped. People believe in trolls and something like a leprechaun. People everywhere know how to put a hex on someone else. On TV you can see adds that will tell you of a "curandero" that can help you have children, get well, do harm to your enemies, take an evil spell off of you, help you be successful in business etc. On the streets there are "brujos" (witches) that set up shop on "market days" and will do magic tricks, play with poisonous snakes, tell fortunes, etc. On market days as we pass out tracts we have even seen them blindfold the witch and then still be able to tell the crowd who the people were and what they were doing even though their eyes were covered. Sometimes the people they told about were from our church and they were not part of the "show". It is a sad situation. It is very hard to believe all of this, but they have no other answer. It is either the catholic church or their spiritism or maybe a little bit of both.
Folks actually believe that a "human skull" placed in your home can protect your house and your goods. Especially the old folks still believe this. They will get a skull by robbing a grave, or buying it from someone who has. They then put it in the house. They light candles before it and pray to it. Supposedly, it will take care of the house when they are away. It turns lights on and off, makes noise, plays music etc. to make people think that they are home.
God is great and powerful. There is no other God. He has the real power. In 1988 a missionary arrived in Hunter where the Ocampo family lives. He preached the Word of God. He told them that Jesus Christ was the only answer. Victor, the only son, was invited to the church on a Friday night. Victor was very well built, bearded young man. He looked ten years older than he was. The Friday night service was a very informal question and answer time. The missionary gave everyone a Coke and then said they could ask any question that they wanted as long as they allowed him to answer from the Word of God. Questions flew left and right each Friday night. "If you are a "Baptist priest" why are you married?" "Do you believe that Mary is our mediator to get a message through to God?" Victor went to church to see what was happening and to get himself a free coke. With each question the pastor would take the opportunity to show them just how the Word of God had the answer. They would read the Bible. They were often surprised that the "Catholic church didn't seem to know that". At least all of their lives they had never heard things like that. He really enjoyed the questions and answers.
Soon Victor accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. His family began to notice the difference. He was always asking the missionary to teach him more about the Bible. He began to go to the missionary's house to study the Bible. One day the missionary explained salvation, heaven, and hell. He showed the young men how every person that would get to heaven would have to know Jesus Christ personally to be saved. If they did not accept Jesus they could not be saved and go to heaven. It was Victor who asked: "How long have you known this? Are you saying that if my grandmother died without a chance to hear the gospel that she is in Hell suffering for ever?" The missionary hung his head and said, "Victor, that is what the Bible teaches." Tears began to fill Victor's eyes. He said, "How can you folks know this and not do something so that the entire world can know?" "It isn't fair that you and your country have had the gospel all these years and just recently are coming to tell us."
His parents came to the regular church services and enjoyed them. They came because Victor, Liz, and Roxana were going to be given a gift from the missionary that they could give to their mother and dad on Mother's and Father's day.
Miguel was a hard case. He listened to sermon after sermon. He evaluated every word. He would often times shake his head "no" during the message. He would always talk to Victor and the girls at home asking them, "Why?" It didn't make sense and he was not simply going to believe and go along with this. By now Victor was thinking of giving his life to God as a preacher of the gospel. On the night that Miguel finally raised his hand saying that he wanted to be saved, it was Victor, his son, who had the privilege of leading him to Christ.
As time went on the Ocampo family became more and more faithful. One night returning from a church meeting in Majes with all the young people in the car. (Majes is a town some two hours from Arequipa where the missionary had helped to start another church.) Liz had a question. She told the following story in order to ask her question.
Her cousin had died at the age of 9 or so. When the cousin died Liz had spoken to her in the casket and had promised to never forget her and to always visit her. Liz asked her to remember her and to visit her also. Liz did not know that she had just made a pact with the devil. She often came to Liz's house in the night and spoke to her. If she forgot to go to the cemetery and visit her grave her cousin would get mad. They were also seeing the "mano negra" in their room. The "mano negra" is the black hand or the hand of evil or Satan that can even cause death. Often times in the night they would hear "people" in the house. They would go up and down the stairs and would work on the roof where Miguel had his welding shop. The family was scared. They didn't know what to do. They no longer wanted the cousin to come for a visit. What were they to do?
The "mano negra" had been in other houses in Hunter. It had actually left marks on the body of others. Many of the folks in Hunter were scared. Now the "mano negra" was coming to the Ocampo house. It was always Liz who had the worst problem with these things. But then it was Liz who had made a promise to her cousin, after her death, that she would visit her every year on her birthday and also on the day of the dead. The deal was, that Liz would go to the graveyard and visit her cousin and her cousin would also not forget her. Liz innocently wanted her cousin to visit her. She did not understand what she was doing. They had been very, very close since birth. She couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her special cousin again.
November 2 is the day of the dead. In Catholic countries especially, the folks celebrate this day. They will go to the cemetery and visit the grave of their loved one. Sometimes they will actually take a plate of food and his favorite drink to him. They will talk to him and pray for him.
When Liz's uncle died one morning, that evening he came to say "good bye" to Liz. This happened before they had heard that he had died earlier that morning. She was always having experiences like that. But she wasn't the only one. Her half sister, Carmen, would oftentimes see the "little people" in the house. Carmen is Miguel's daughter from his first marriage. His first wife died while Carmen was just a baby. Ausberta lived in fear when she was alone in the house. She didn't know who might be in the house with her.
Ausberta being a Catholic had a house full of idols. It is custom to put idols in every part of the house. The people do not put them up to decorate the house but to actually worship them. They pray to them. They depend on them to protect the house etc. They are a very important part of Peruvian life.
The question from Liz was "What can we do to stop these noises and appearances?" The missionary at first thought that maybe they were playing witall he was the "dumb gringo", the American who didn't understand these things. This was his first time to deal with Satanic things at this level. After taking the time to convince him that they were telling the truth and that they really did have this problem, they insisted that he answer by asking, "What should we do?"
The missionary said: "You need to go home and clean up your house. You need to get rid of all your idols, images, and sin objects (things like pornography, and aything was used in witchcraft). You need to burn all of these things. You then need to have a service in your house and say to God, "This is your house, Lord Jesus. We are now saved. We have put our faith in you and our lives are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan, we rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us. Get out of our house. You are not welcome here. We and all of our things belong to Jesus. God take our prayer of dedication and bless our home. Bind Satan from here." They were to then read some Scripture (verses that explain the power of God and how Satan is a defeated foe), sing songs about the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and pray as a family. The missionary told them that the father, Miguel, should be the person who decided to do this since he was the spiritual authority of the home. The missionary told them that he would be glad to go and help them have this special dedication service if they would like to have him.
When the girls told their dad, Miguel, what the missionary had said and also that the missionary would be willing to come and help, Miguel said: "This is my house. I know how to pray and read the scriptures. I will do it myself." After having the service Liz went to the grave yard and walked up to the grave of her cousin and said, "Cousin, I now belong to Jesus. I never want to see you again. I am never coming to visit you again. I rebuke you, Satan, in the name of Jesus. Do not bother me again." Since that day they have heard no more noises, nor seen the "mano negra", nor the cousin. Satan is real, but God is greater. They now have the victory in Jesus Christ!
God has blessed their dedication. Miguel and Ausberta have three children. Victor is the pastor of the Quillabamba Baptist Church. Liz married Miguel Murillo and Miguel is the pastor of Mount Hebron Baptist Church. Miguel and Liz now have a little daughter named Liz Andrea. Roxana married Octavio Paredes who is pastor of the Alto Alianza Baptist Church. Roxana teaches second and third grade in the Christian school at the Hunter Baptist Church. They are planning to go to Africa as missionaries. The Ocampo family is one of the finest families in the Hunter Baptist Church where they serve faithfully. Miguel has really developed one of the best testimonies in the church. Since he has to see it in the Bible to believe it, he has really had to study. He takes notes on every message and discusses them in his house with his son and sons-in-laws who are pastors. He understands what he believes and why. The folks respect him and look to him to see what he thinks. God has really made a difference in this family.
Many are lost in darkness and bound in the chains of Satanism. They just need a preacher. If you talk to Miguel, he will tell you what a difference Christ has made in his life. The Ocampo family are leaders in the work of God in Arequipa. They now sleep tranquilly through the night. Satan long ago recognized that they had the victory in Jesus Christ. OH God, what a Savior!
Can you hear the heart cry of Victor? Can you feel his pain when he hears that his loved ones are in Hell because we did not go, did not pray, did not send missionaries? What will you do to get the gospel around the world? Is it fair or just that we have the gospel and do not share it? Should our folks get the chance to hear many times how to be saved before they even have one chance?
Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and vercame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. Acts 19:13-20
The baby was lying on the bed. The lady was going over her body with an egg and as she did so she repeated the Lord's prayer and the twenty third psalm. Ausberta then took her scissors and opened them in the form of a cross. She had finished rolling the egg over every inch of the babies body and now she began with the scissors. As she did all of this she prayed and repeated different Scripture verses. She asked the Virgin to heal the baby because someone had put the evil eye on this child. When she finished using both the egg and the scissors then her small daughter Roxana began to step over the body of the baby in the form of a cross. Hopefully when Ausberta finishes every step of this process the child will be alright.
If your child has had the "evil eye" put on him you can always take him to Ausberta de Ocampo. She will "pass an egg over him". This means that she would take an ordinary chicken egg and pass it or roll it over every inch of your infant child's body. The only ones usually susceptible to the "evil eye" are children under the age of two. As Ausberta "passes the egg" over the child's body she will repeat the Lord' prayer out loud, praying to God that He remove the curse from your child. She also would take her scissors, open them in the form of a cross, and pass them over your child's body also in the form of a large cross going from the head to the feet and then from one arm to the other. All that Ausberta did, she did in the name of God. This was never meant to be something pagan. She "loved" God the best way she knew how and was just trying to help others. When she finishes the ceremony she breaks the egg in a glass to see what has happened. The "evil" will have passed from the body of the person to the egg and Ausberta will be able to see just what happened and how bad it was. The white of the egg will bear special marks that she can read to see what other treatment might be needed. Her son, Victor, says that he has seen a fresh egg become hard boiled once it has been passed over the body of someone.
Others that have "the power" also "pass a guinea pig over you". Often times the guinea pig will die from the disease that the person has. "Passing the guinea pig" over people is quite common. Folks go to the "curandero" (medicine man or woman) whenever they have any type of problem. Age is not important. After the guinea pig dies, they open him up and take out his heart to see what you have and whatever other treatment may be needed. Ausberta can make you a small bracelet or necklace with red and black balls to prevent someone from putting the "evil eye" on your child. You just put it on your child and he or she will be protected from the "evil eye". She knows how to help you! She will also have her youngest daughter (Roxana) step over your child's body in the form of a cross. The "evil eye" is a very serious problem. If a person "evil eyes" another it can cause them to vomit, get sick, have a fever, and even die. The Ocampo family, Miguel, Ausberta, and their children, Victor, Liz, and Roxana, had followed in the tradition of good witchcraft of their country. Really the Catholic church lends itself to whatever the folks believe in the country they are in.
Ausberta learned all this as a little girl in Piura (a city in northern Peru with a population of more than 1,000,000 people that has no real gospel preaching ministry). Piura is known as the center of demon activity or spiritism in Peru. Each year bus loads of business executives from Lima travel to Piura to consult with the "brujos" or witches. The black magic of Piura descended from the black slaves that were brought over from Africa. Pray that God will send a preacher to this region.
When Miguel had built their house in Hunter, Arequipa, he had invited the "curandero" (medicine man) to come and bless his house. The man had buried some pieces of specially blessed materials in the stairs that go to the second floor. He buries the fetus from the first pregnancy of any animal except a pig. The preferred animal is a llama. They sell the fetuses in certain Indian markets. He also buries different crackers, cookies, candies, and other offerings. This usually includes three coca leaves for every member of the family. All of the family will get together with the medicine man to have a service at midnight. They want to make sure that the spirits hear and see all that they are doing. All of the lights are turned off in the house. The medicine man then leads them from room to room in the dark carrying incense and holy water. He prays sometimes in Quechua and many times in tongues. They drink wine and pour some on the ground. They chew coca leaves and have the "curandero" bless the house with "holy water. He then speaks in Quechua and tongues to the "four winds". Their house has been blessed now and will be safe.
Peru is steeped in witchcraft and demonism. The people still sacrifice baby llamas and bury them to "pay the earth". Misti, a great perfectly cone shaped volcano that rises to 20,000 feet above sea level just outside Arequipa is also worshiped. People believe in trolls and something like a leprechaun. People everywhere know how to put a hex on someone else. On TV you can see adds that will tell you of a "curandero" that can help you have children, get well, do harm to your enemies, take an evil spell off of you, help you be successful in business etc. On the streets there are "brujos" (witches) that set up shop on "market days" and will do magic tricks, play with poisonous snakes, tell fortunes, etc. On market days as we pass out tracts we have even seen them blindfold the witch and then still be able to tell the crowd who the people were and what they were doing even though their eyes were covered. Sometimes the people they told about were from our church and they were not part of the "show". It is a sad situation. It is very hard to believe all of this, but they have no other answer. It is either the catholic church or their spiritism or maybe a little bit of both.
Folks actually believe that a "human skull" placed in your home can protect your house and your goods. Especially the old folks still believe this. They will get a skull by robbing a grave, or buying it from someone who has. They then put it in the house. They light candles before it and pray to it. Supposedly, it will take care of the house when they are away. It turns lights on and off, makes noise, plays music etc. to make people think that they are home.
God is great and powerful. There is no other God. He has the real power. In 1988 a missionary arrived in Hunter where the Ocampo family lives. He preached the Word of God. He told them that Jesus Christ was the only answer. Victor, the only son, was invited to the church on a Friday night. Victor was very well built, bearded young man. He looked ten years older than he was. The Friday night service was a very informal question and answer time. The missionary gave everyone a Coke and then said they could ask any question that they wanted as long as they allowed him to answer from the Word of God. Questions flew left and right each Friday night. "If you are a "Baptist priest" why are you married?" "Do you believe that Mary is our mediator to get a message through to God?" Victor went to church to see what was happening and to get himself a free coke. With each question the pastor would take the opportunity to show them just how the Word of God had the answer. They would read the Bible. They were often surprised that the "Catholic church didn't seem to know that". At least all of their lives they had never heard things like that. He really enjoyed the questions and answers.
Soon Victor accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. His family began to notice the difference. He was always asking the missionary to teach him more about the Bible. He began to go to the missionary's house to study the Bible. One day the missionary explained salvation, heaven, and hell. He showed the young men how every person that would get to heaven would have to know Jesus Christ personally to be saved. If they did not accept Jesus they could not be saved and go to heaven. It was Victor who asked: "How long have you known this? Are you saying that if my grandmother died without a chance to hear the gospel that she is in Hell suffering for ever?" The missionary hung his head and said, "Victor, that is what the Bible teaches." Tears began to fill Victor's eyes. He said, "How can you folks know this and not do something so that the entire world can know?" "It isn't fair that you and your country have had the gospel all these years and just recently are coming to tell us."
His parents came to the regular church services and enjoyed them. They came because Victor, Liz, and Roxana were going to be given a gift from the missionary that they could give to their mother and dad on Mother's and Father's day.
Miguel was a hard case. He listened to sermon after sermon. He evaluated every word. He would often times shake his head "no" during the message. He would always talk to Victor and the girls at home asking them, "Why?" It didn't make sense and he was not simply going to believe and go along with this. By now Victor was thinking of giving his life to God as a preacher of the gospel. On the night that Miguel finally raised his hand saying that he wanted to be saved, it was Victor, his son, who had the privilege of leading him to Christ.
As time went on the Ocampo family became more and more faithful. One night returning from a church meeting in Majes with all the young people in the car. (Majes is a town some two hours from Arequipa where the missionary had helped to start another church.) Liz had a question. She told the following story in order to ask her question.
Her cousin had died at the age of 9 or so. When the cousin died Liz had spoken to her in the casket and had promised to never forget her and to always visit her. Liz asked her to remember her and to visit her also. Liz did not know that she had just made a pact with the devil. She often came to Liz's house in the night and spoke to her. If she forgot to go to the cemetery and visit her grave her cousin would get mad. They were also seeing the "mano negra" in their room. The "mano negra" is the black hand or the hand of evil or Satan that can even cause death. Often times in the night they would hear "people" in the house. They would go up and down the stairs and would work on the roof where Miguel had his welding shop. The family was scared. They didn't know what to do. They no longer wanted the cousin to come for a visit. What were they to do?
The "mano negra" had been in other houses in Hunter. It had actually left marks on the body of others. Many of the folks in Hunter were scared. Now the "mano negra" was coming to the Ocampo house. It was always Liz who had the worst problem with these things. But then it was Liz who had made a promise to her cousin, after her death, that she would visit her every year on her birthday and also on the day of the dead. The deal was, that Liz would go to the graveyard and visit her cousin and her cousin would also not forget her. Liz innocently wanted her cousin to visit her. She did not understand what she was doing. They had been very, very close since birth. She couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her special cousin again.
November 2 is the day of the dead. In Catholic countries especially, the folks celebrate this day. They will go to the cemetery and visit the grave of their loved one. Sometimes they will actually take a plate of food and his favorite drink to him. They will talk to him and pray for him.
When Liz's uncle died one morning, that evening he came to say "good bye" to Liz. This happened before they had heard that he had died earlier that morning. She was always having experiences like that. But she wasn't the only one. Her half sister, Carmen, would oftentimes see the "little people" in the house. Carmen is Miguel's daughter from his first marriage. His first wife died while Carmen was just a baby. Ausberta lived in fear when she was alone in the house. She didn't know who might be in the house with her.
Ausberta being a Catholic had a house full of idols. It is custom to put idols in every part of the house. The people do not put them up to decorate the house but to actually worship them. They pray to them. They depend on them to protect the house etc. They are a very important part of Peruvian life.
The question from Liz was "What can we do to stop these noises and appearances?" The missionary at first thought that maybe they were playing witall he was the "dumb gringo", the American who didn't understand these things. This was his first time to deal with Satanic things at this level. After taking the time to convince him that they were telling the truth and that they really did have this problem, they insisted that he answer by asking, "What should we do?"
The missionary said: "You need to go home and clean up your house. You need to get rid of all your idols, images, and sin objects (things like pornography, and aything was used in witchcraft). You need to burn all of these things. You then need to have a service in your house and say to God, "This is your house, Lord Jesus. We are now saved. We have put our faith in you and our lives are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan, we rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us. Get out of our house. You are not welcome here. We and all of our things belong to Jesus. God take our prayer of dedication and bless our home. Bind Satan from here." They were to then read some Scripture (verses that explain the power of God and how Satan is a defeated foe), sing songs about the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and pray as a family. The missionary told them that the father, Miguel, should be the person who decided to do this since he was the spiritual authority of the home. The missionary told them that he would be glad to go and help them have this special dedication service if they would like to have him.
When the girls told their dad, Miguel, what the missionary had said and also that the missionary would be willing to come and help, Miguel said: "This is my house. I know how to pray and read the scriptures. I will do it myself." After having the service Liz went to the grave yard and walked up to the grave of her cousin and said, "Cousin, I now belong to Jesus. I never want to see you again. I am never coming to visit you again. I rebuke you, Satan, in the name of Jesus. Do not bother me again." Since that day they have heard no more noises, nor seen the "mano negra", nor the cousin. Satan is real, but God is greater. They now have the victory in Jesus Christ!
God has blessed their dedication. Miguel and Ausberta have three children. Victor is the pastor of the Quillabamba Baptist Church. Liz married Miguel Murillo and Miguel is the pastor of Mount Hebron Baptist Church. Miguel and Liz now have a little daughter named Liz Andrea. Roxana married Octavio Paredes who is pastor of the Alto Alianza Baptist Church. Roxana teaches second and third grade in the Christian school at the Hunter Baptist Church. They are planning to go to Africa as missionaries. The Ocampo family is one of the finest families in the Hunter Baptist Church where they serve faithfully. Miguel has really developed one of the best testimonies in the church. Since he has to see it in the Bible to believe it, he has really had to study. He takes notes on every message and discusses them in his house with his son and sons-in-laws who are pastors. He understands what he believes and why. The folks respect him and look to him to see what he thinks. God has really made a difference in this family.
Many are lost in darkness and bound in the chains of Satanism. They just need a preacher. If you talk to Miguel, he will tell you what a difference Christ has made in his life. The Ocampo family are leaders in the work of God in Arequipa. They now sleep tranquilly through the night. Satan long ago recognized that they had the victory in Jesus Christ. OH God, what a Savior!
Can you hear the heart cry of Victor? Can you feel his pain when he hears that his loved ones are in Hell because we did not go, did not pray, did not send missionaries? What will you do to get the gospel around the world? Is it fair or just that we have the gospel and do not share it? Should our folks get the chance to hear many times how to be saved before they even have one chance?
Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and vercame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. Acts 19:13-20
My Personal Promise and Covenant for the Peru Missions Trip
The following is a covenant we asked our visitors to Peru to read, talk about, and sign before visiting. It helped us to prepare them to know how to have a great mission's trip.
I recognize and accept the following conditions which will further the usefulness and safety of our short-term mission trip. I understand that Peru is commonly referred to as a third world country and does not have the same conveniences that I am used to at home. I realize how important it is to be flexible and willing to adjust to the expectations of my host. If accepted as a member of this Mission Group I agree to:
I recognize and accept the following conditions which will further the usefulness and safety of our short-term mission trip. I understand that Peru is commonly referred to as a third world country and does not have the same conveniences that I am used to at home. I realize how important it is to be flexible and willing to adjust to the expectations of my host. If accepted as a member of this Mission Group I agree to:
- I will go as a servant-disciple of Jesus Christ and will adopt that attitude when dealing with my fellow team members and the people I meet during this trip.
- I realize and agree that this is a missions trip and not a vacation. I want to go on this trip to learn more about missions, learn how I can serve God better, and be a blessing to other Christians and the missionaries on the field.
- I will accept and submit to the leadership role and authority of the team leader and promise to abide by his or her decisions as they concern this mission trip.
- I agree that in the event my conduct is considered so unsatisfactory that it jeopardizes the success of the trip, and that mediation during the trip has failed to correct my behavior, that my services in connection with this mission shall end and I shall return home immediately at my own expense.
- If a loved one or dear friend is traveling with me, we agree to interact with all members of the team, not just one another. I promise not to initiate or seek new romantic relationships with team members during the trip.
- I agree to avoid any actions which might be perceived as amorous attentions toward indigenous people I meet.
- I will always pay my own way! Be careful not to allow the missionaries or national pastors pay your expenses or team expenses.
- I will be a blessing to the missionaries we are visiting. If a missionary accompanies you on an outing or excursion, team members should pay for the missionary's entry fees and meals. The missionary is only going as a guide and has probably been there several times already.
- I will not expect the missionaries to be my maids. They aren't offering room service.
I will help out! Don't sit there and let the missionaries serve you. Go to the kitchen, see what you can do to help. Pick up after yourself. Take your dishes to the kitchen, help wash dishes. Make up your bed. Ask what you can do to help. Be a blessing that the missionaries will remember and be glad and thankful that you were on the trip. - I will not complain about the food, lodging accommodations, etc.
- I will be a gracious guest. If your lodging is in a missionary (or national) home, remember you are a houseguest. This home has been opened to you. It is not a motel to be treated carelessly because you paid for the room.
- I will be respectful of the missionary's home. In whatever home you stay, treat the possessions of the owner with care. Always leave a home and the furnishings in as good a condition as you found them. Do not drape wet towels over the back of varnished dining room chairs, leave your beverage glass sitting in a puddle of water on the coffee table or end tables, etc. Do not go into the closet or kitchen cabinets to get out clothing or food without permission. Many times the missionary has candy or special foods that he has brought from the states that will be rationed to his children over a long period of time.
- Respect the missionaries right to privacy.
- I will conscientiously set aside the time to have my personal devotions, take care of the daily responsibilities both spiritually and physically. Each group member will be asked to help with different house duties.
- I will attend all services, activities, outings, etc. and carry my share of the load in the work we are trying to accomplish.
- I will maintain and exhibit a good attitude that will honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Remember we are the new Christians from another part of the world and will be watched very closely. I will not take lightly this important responsibility of setting an example.
I will submit to the instructions concerning attire, eating, drinking and other such traditions which will help me to assimilate into the local community. - I promise not to be overly demanding, to do my best not to offend or cause embarrassment for our missionary hosts, and to do my best to help them attain their long term goals.
- As a Christian I realize that it is my responsibility to die to myself and seek to serve others. I will not seek my own but that of others. This means not putting myself first and leaving the others out. Be a blessing to all on your team and especially those that you have come to minister to.
- I realize that others on my team, during the journey, and while onsite will look at me for an example of how a Christian acts, and will not treat that responsibility lightly. I understand that travel, especially to remote locations, can be difficult , and I promise to adopt a flexible attitude and be supportive as plans may need to be changed. I understand that I must travel with the rest of the team.
- Before I give a gift to someone I will consult with the team leader and missionary and allow him to make the final decision on this matter.
- I release and discharge the organizations and individuals which helped me make these arrangements, including the sponsoring mission agencey, sending church, their agents, employees, officers and volunteers, from all claims, demands, actions, judgments, or executions that I have ever had, or now have, or may have, or which my heirs, executors, administrators or assigns may have or claim to have against these organizations, their agents, employees, officers, and volunteers, and their successors or assigns for all personal injuries, known or unknown and injuries to property, real or personal, caused by, or arising out of this journey. I intend to be legally bound by this statement.
- In signing below, I represent that I am 18 years of age or older, or my parent/guardian will sign also, accepting the above conditions on my behalf.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
