http://jlwilliams.org/journal/JL en lmfraser173@yahoo.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-14T16:56:09+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/medical_ministry http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/medical_ministry#When:16:56:09Z   VIEW ALL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM DR. KEITH'S RECENT MEDICAL MINISTRY IN INDIA Dear Friends & Partners, It is a joy for me to share this latest report with you because it features the medical ministry of my brother-in-law, Dr. Keith Thompson. He and my sister, Hannah, have been an integral part of our lives and ministry since the very beginning days of NDI. In fact, even before there was a "New Directions," Hannah worked with us at the YMCA Day Camp and helped us pioneer "Camp Frontier" under the leadership of our older brother, Eddy. (Our younger sister, Judy, was also a part of our Camp staff in the earliest days of ministry.) Hannah traveled with the very first musical ministry team to Mexico known as the "Y-Teen Caravan." It became the precursor of the musical ministry that sovereignly evolved into the "New Directions." And for many years, Keith served as a member of the Board of Directors of NDI. After their marriage, Keith and Hannah spent a summer of medical ministry in Africa – an experience which forever confirmed their passion for medical missions. As a result, they continued to have an extensive medical mission ministry abroad while running a very large and successful practice in America. Since Hannah is a gifted Bible teacher, she would accompany Keith on most of his medical missions to teach the Bible – especially to women. Across the years they traveled and ministered in Haiti, Africa, Russia, China, India, Nepal, South America – virtually every country I minister in – and more!   Recently Keith retired from a wonderful medical practice in Thomasville, NC. After turning 70, he now gives even more time to minister medically and spiritually in America and around the world as the Lord leads him and Hannah. I know you will be blessed by this brief report on his recent medical ministry journey to India. Without his annual medical trips to India, we could not have seen the advancements spiritually and medically at the Holy Palace Hospital. He has become a great friend, partner and mentor to Dr. Rai – just as Hannah has to his wife, Mary (pictured together, above right). Their faithful involvement there is another great example of the power of long-term partnerships! In addition to going over themselves annually, they have also recruited other doctors and medical people to go along to work at Holy Palace Hospital and help enhance and advance the medical facility. So we are so thankful to all those who have invested their time, love, compassion and medical expertise in Holy Palace and their rural medical ministry to the poorest of the poor. Please take a moment to click on these latest reports by Dr. Rai. I know you will be blessed and challenged as you see something of the extensive ministry they are having medically and spiritually! - Medical Ministry - Nurses' Training Program - Mobile Clinics - Children's Ministry - Church Ministry In the love and compassion of Jesus, J.L. PS: Since one of our dear friends and partner from Manipur, India, visited with Dr. Keith at Holy Palace, we will be featuring our partnership ministry with him in our next report. I know you will be blessed and encouraged since this partnership also goes back over two decades to the "Manipur Tribal Singers." Be watching for the report next week on Pastor Soia from Manipur in Northeast India. The Field Report, 2013-05-14T16:56:09+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/the_joy_of_long_term_partnership http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/the_joy_of_long_term_partnership#When:16:48:12Z     VIEW ALL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE CAMP AND WORK TEAM   "I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel…" (Phil. 1:4-5) Dear Friends & Partners,    The Bible says that we are not to "…despise the day of small beginnings" (Zech. 4:10). Through His partnership with us, God never starts BIG. He always starts small to test us. And then as we grow in our relationship and responsibility, He "…enlarges our borders"  in His time and way (Note these verses for a study on "enlargement": Ex. 23:29-30; 34:24; Deut. 7:22; 8:1; 11:24; I Chron. 4:10; Isa. 26:15; 49:20; Job 12:23). However, most young Christian leaders want a "BIG WORK" and a "quick work." But God is far more concerned with depth than He is with breadth (I Kings 19:30). So God brings growth "…line upon line...a little here, a little there" (Isa. 28:10-13). Just like none of us are born "fully grown" adults – but rather as infants that must go through years of growth – God's work is the same way.    That has certainly been the case in all of our partnerships and projects in other countries where God has led us. None of them started BIG. They all started small – literally with nothing but vision and faith. And we have learned this essential principle: “Partnerships must precede projects." In other words, no project is any stronger than the partnership it is built upon."  The Bible also reminds us that projects are temporal but partnerships are eternal. That's because God is a relational God. So from His perspective, partnerships are far more important than projects. None of us will take any of our projects to heaven – only our partnerships based in Christ!    So it has been a great joy to spend my life building partnerships. First of all in marriage and family. Then in the family of God. I certainly have not built perfect relationships or partnerships – in either marriage or in ministry. Since there are no perfect people, there are no perfect relationships or partnerships. But we should strive for relationships that are constantly maturing through the Spirit and the Word.    Certainly, one of the joys of my life has been the relationship and partnership God has given me with Stakwell Yurenimo in Kenya. It was another of the "sovereign serendipities" God surprised me with as he connected me as a white American with a young Samburu adolescent – whose father was a polygamist with several wives. His first wife was the mother of Stakwell. So, with Mother's Day coming this weekend, I honor two Samburu women and mothers in this introduction to the last report on our recent time of ministry in South Horr, Northern Kenya. The first is Stakwell's mother (pictured left).    The second woman and mother is Chairlady (pictured right). As I shared in an earlier report, she was the very first convert among the Samburu. It was my joy to help baptize her nearly two decades ago. Her son, Isaiah, is now one of the elders of the local church we helped them build, as well as an evangelist who is bivocational – as you will see in this report.      In the final slideshow, we will be focusing on the Camp and work team that went with us. Like other building teams in the past, they helped us make some important additions to the Camp – little by little...line upon line…stone upon stone…board upon board…row upon row…flower upon flower...building upon building. As a result, in less than a decade, we have seen the facility develop from the raw "African Bush", as pictured below, to a thriving Sports Camp and Guest Lodges alive with activity that you will see in the slideshow.      But most of all, each one of them left a finger print and foot print – not just on the Camp, but on the hearts of our beloved Samburu people – child after child…teenager after teenager…worker after worker…Moran after Moran…mother after mother. And just as certainly, each of them came back with the Samburu people stamped indelibly upon their hearts, minds and memories! So we thank God for this latest team of partners who went with us and made such a positive impact in both partnerships and projects: Craig Burr, Wally Fonville, Jack Franck, John Fraser and Rob Rose!    So come walk with Patt and me (and Meribell Yurenimo and me as pictured below) on this third and final report on our recent time of ministry in Kenya with Stakwell. In His Love for the Samburu People, J.L. & Patt  &  RAGING RIVER WATCH THE SHORT VIDEO OF THIS RAGING RIVER   VIEW PREVIOUS REPORTS                        PART ONE:                                      PART 2: SAMBURU WOMEN'S CONFERENCE       MINISTRY TO SAMBURU WARRIORS The Field Report, 2013-05-06T16:48:12+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/boston_bombing http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/boston_bombing#When:15:55:49Z Dear Friends and Partners,    Like all other patriotic Americans, I was shocked, horrified and angered by the senseless bombing at the Boston Marathon! However, I was not really surprised. I have been writing, speaking and warning people ever since 9/11 that more jihaddist attacks were coming in America. It has never been a question of "if" – only "when" and "where?" And, this new form of ISLAMIC TERRORISM – not just FANATICISM or RADICALISM as our President, the leftist media and the politically correct pundits are renaming it – will continue to happen in the months and years ahead! This "War on Islamic Terrorism" will continue to be the new face of war for our life-times – and that of our children and grandchildren.    This horrific bombing at the finish line of the famous Boston Marathon is a good example of the many "soft-targets" that will become the scene of more and more Islamic jihaddist terrorism.  It is virtually impossible to stop fanatics and suicide bombers from inflicting carnage and mayhem at social events and sports events where thousands of Americans are gathered – with their defenses down. It is not that I am a prophet in predicting this. It does not take the gift of prophecy to see the obvious! All we have to do is to get our "heads out of the sand" as a nation and quit ignoring the reality of this worldwide Islamic Jihad against America, Christianity, Judaism and all we stand for. With their pan-Islamic mentality, they are still out to dominate the world through the imposition of sharia law under a global Caliphate, or Islamic Ruler – like the fanatical Ayatollahs who rule in countries like Iran today.     All over America today there are thousands of "sleeper cells" just waiting for the right opportunity to activate. Many more are in the making as more and more young Muslims are being "radicalized" by the vitriolic rhetoric of mullas in Mosques and Islamic Training Centers all over America and the world! Just like the Tsarnaeu brothers were "radicalized" – the same is happening to untold thousands of others on a daily and weekly basis. And just like these two brothers, many of them have come to America as immigrants, been granted Green Cards, attained citizenship, enjoyed good educations, have benefited from our social welfare programs and seem to have been completely "civilized" and "socialized" into our American way of life! For years they seem to live normal lives as students, workers, athletes, friends – neighbors down the street where we live. All the while many of them are being "radicalized" by Islamic Fundamentalism. And then the right moment comes – the bombs explode…people are killed…others are maimed…others are traumatized…all are "terrorized!"    Add to this scenario the reality of highly toxic chemical weapons, dirty bombs and nuclear explosives that can be smuggled in a suitcase or brief case – and you have an apocalyptic reality of epic proportion! Again, I am not trying to be an alarmist – just a realist. We are in a life-and-death-winner-take-all "War on Islamic Terrorism." And while we must become even more diligent and resolved as a nation, as Christians we must "wake up," as Paul exhorted the Church at Ephesus (Eph. 5:14)! We too must become "radicalized" in our faith! Nominalism will never win against fanaticism! We must quit buying into the spiritual and theological non-sense of universalism and multiculturalism with their gods and goddesses of plurality and tolerance. The only thing that can compete against "Radical Islam" is not nominalism – but "Radical Christianity!" And by "radical," I do not mean fanatical. I mean that we must be captivated and motivated by radical love…radical compassion…radical forgiveness…radical mercy...radical good works! We must break out of our bondage to materialism…prosperity…upward mobility…comfort…safety…security – or "middle class mediocrity!" We must wake-up…stand-up…study-up...speak-up…act up for the Lord Jesus and the principles of His Kingdom – which are truly radical!    To help in that spiritual and cultural radicalism, I want to again direct many of you to my book and DVD study series entitled: "A Christian Perspective of Islam." In light of the Boston Bombings, I have also reposted several Power Points on some of the true differences between Christianity and Islam. I hope you will click on them and study them for your own edification. Hopefully in the process you will become a more "Radical Christian!" In His Radical Love & Truth, J.L. A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON ISLAM Book - Download Free PDF Version - Buy in the JLPF store for $15 Free PowerPoint Presentations - Part 1: The History of Islam - Part 2: Jesus vs. Isa - Part 3: Twin Towers The Field Report, 2013-05-01T15:55:49+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/ministry_to_samburu_warriors http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/ministry_to_samburu_warriors#When:17:43:18Z     “…all of them were brave warriors” (I Chron. 12:21) Dear Friends & Partners, Once again, it was a great joy to minister to the morans (mo RAHNS), or “warriors”, of the Samburu Tribe in and around the Kurungu/South Horr valley. They are like King David’s “Mighty Men” who fought along side him and did “…great exploits” in battle after battle. Without them, David would never have been able to defeat his enemies, win the city of Jerusalem, unify the people and consolidate his kingdom.  Almost every nation in history has had its elite soldiers, its “warrior class”, that fought for them and defended them. In the Samburu culture, the Morans are that class of warriors.  It is their responsibility to protect the tribe and guard the cattle. For young boys, becoming a Moran is their “rite of passage” from boyhood to manhood.  It takes place after they are circumcised between the ages of 13 and 15. Then, for the next decade or so, they are full-time Morans – and, as you can see, very colorful with their beads, feathers, braided hair, knives and spears and the red ocher smeared on their bodies!   During their 12-14 years as a Moran, they do not go to school, get married or socialize with the rest of the tribe. They live “on the land” and “on the move.”  They are dedicated to being “brave warriors” – just like David’s Mighty Men – or like the Green Berets, Delta Force or Navy Seals. Because they live apart from the rest of the tribe, they are basically an “unreached people group” spiritually. But we started ministering to them almost two decades ago. To gain rapport with them, we invited them to do their famous singing, dancing and jumping for us. Afterwards, we sponsored a “goat roast” and our partner, Stakwell Yurenimo, and I preached the Gospel to them. Because Stakwell was also a Moran, he was our cultural bridge in reaching them. I could never have reached them without him.   WARRIORS FOR CHRIST Many in that first class of Morans became Christians – “warriors for Christ!” Now, after their years of being warriors, they have graduated to being “junior elders” in the tribe because a new class of boys was recently circumcised and has taken their place. Today, several of those Christian warriors are elders and leaders in the local church we helped establish among them. We continue to mentor them today through our on-going partnership with Stakwell. This spiritual break-through to the Morans has been one of the most exciting “Kingdom Adventures” of my life! But it doesn’t stop here because we are continuing our outreach to this new class of Morans with the Gospel.  On this most recent trip we sponsored another time for them to sing, dance and jump. Then we took them into the new Samburu Chapel and showed the Mel Gibson movie, “The Passion.”  Appropriately, we planned this event for Good Friday. They were joined by some of the older men and young boys. The Chapel was full and quiet as they watched the passion of the Greatest Warrior who ever lived – Jesus Christ! Many were visibly moved as they watched the graphic portrayal of Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. At the end, Stakwell and I gave a challenge for them to give their lives to Him and become a “warrior for Jesus.” As with the first class of Morans we ministered to, decisions for Christ were not made immediately. But the seeds of the Gospel were sown in their hearts and minds. We are confident that in time many from this class will also become believers and followers of Jesus. Pray with us that they will respond to the seeds of Truth that were sown this past Good Friday. A SAMBURU EASTER After our ministry to the Morans on Good Friday, we enjoyed a very special Easter Sunday worship with the Samburu Christians at the Kurungu Church we had built back in the early 1990s. The church was packed to overflowing with Samburu men, women, teenagers and children. There was wonderful congregational singing and special songs by the women’s church choir as well as by the girls’ choir and boys’ choir. Please click here to listen to some of their Easter songs I recorded for you. I know you will enjoy their exhuberant singing and dancing! After the music, it was a special privilege for me to preach the Easter Message alongside Stakwell – who is a great preacher himself!  Since we have preached together many times through the years, he is a wonderful translator who interprets my message and reflects my every gesture. He is such a joy to preach with! Stakwell and I preached about the people that Jesus appeared to on that first Easter Sunday Morning: the one who had been defiled (Mary Magdalene) … the one who had denied (Peter) … the one who had doubted (Thomas) … and the ones who had been disillusioned (on Emmaus Road). In other words, Jesus appeared to people just like them and us! Thank you for your prayers for us for this special “Samburu Easter Outreach.” Now, let me connect the dots between that Easter and to the Easter taking place this Sunday… EASTER IN AFRICA & ISRAEL It is very timely that I am sending you this report on our recent “African Easter” this particular week. That’s because the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Easter later than the Western Church. In fact, this Sunday, May 5th, is “Easter Sunday” for Orthodox Christians in the Holy Land and around the world. Let me explain… In the Western World, we celebrated Easter this year rather early, on March 31st. That’s because Western Christendom goes by the Gregorian Calendar while the Eastern Church goes by the Julian Calendar. The early church fathers wanted to celebrate Easter right after the Jewish Passover since that was the time Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. And since the Passover is based on the solar and lunar cycles, it can vary widely – as early as March 22nd or as late as April 25th. But our Christian Arab brothers and sisters use the Julian calendar. (If this sounds a bit confusing, just find an encyclopedia or Google it!) This is especially significant for us this year as a ministry because of our partnership with Pastor Hani Billan at the Cana Baptist Church in the Holy Land.  God connected us with them on our last trip to Israel this past November. As you know from the New Testament, this is the town where Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding feast (John 2). Pastor Hani is a Christian Arab ministering to Arabs. Sadly, Cana of Galilee has increasingly become a hotbed for Islamic radicalism. In addition, both the Orthodox Church and Catholic Church have been hostile to their evangelical presence. But they are still growing spiritually and numerically among their Arab neighbors. As a result, when we were there, they were in the midst of expanding their church to the third floor for their new and larger Worship Center. But they had run out of money. So, by faith, we committed to help them financially. God led us to buy new chairs for their new Worship Center ($8,000) and many of you helped make that a reality. Their goal was to use them for the first time this Easter Sunday, May 5th!  So please be praying this Sunday – Easter Sunday – for Pastor Hani and the dear Arab saints at the Cana Baptist Church! We pray that they will have a blessed Easter Sunday Celebration in their new Worship Center – with their new chairs provided by JLPF’s partners like you! Now, please take a few more moments to enjoy the slide show of our Good Friday and Easter Sunday ministry with our beloved Samburu friends and partners – all made possible through your prayers and partnership. In His Great Love for the Samburu of Kenya & Arabs of Cana, JL & Patt &  P.S.: Please be watching next week for our final report in this series on our ministry with Stakwell among the Samburu. As always, we pray that you will be blessed and encouraged!   PART ONE "SAMBURU WOMEN'S CONFERENCE"   The Field Report, 2013-04-30T17:43:18+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/mali_ministry http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/mali_ministry#When:14:24:56Z "Whatever you did for one of the least of these...you did for Me." (Matthew 25:40)    Dear Friends & Partners,    I have just returned this past week from nearly a month of travel and ministry in West and East Africa. My first stop was in Mali, West Africa, where Al-Qaeda invaded the North in March, 2012. Because of their superior arms and training, they quickly took over all of northern Mali, especially the major cities of Timbuktu and Gao. In just 72 hours, they controlled a piece of Mali the size of the state of Texas!  This was due to their strong weaponry stolen from Muammar Gaddafi's arsenal after his fall. As many of you know, I have ministered in Timbuktu a number of times over the past two decades. Just prior to the invasion of the Muslim radicals and their imposition of Sharia Law, most of the Christians were able to flee South to the capital city of Bamako. They have basically been "Christian Refugees" in their own country from then until now. This was my second visit there since this Islamic invasion over a year ago.    Since the Malian government was unstable and her military weak, there was little hope of ever driving out the Muslim radicals. While this Islamic fundamentalism was a threat to the surrounding countries, their governments were also too weak militarily to come to the aid of Mali and route the radicals. Finally, since Mali had been a French Colony, the military of France invaded with United Nations Security Council approval and support. In only a few weeks, they killed untold numbers of the Muslim invaders and drove the rest back into the endless sand dunes of the Sahara Desert.    There is new hope now that the refugees will be able to return to their home cities in the North. But there is also great fear that this victory is only temporary. Since these Muslim radicals and their Tuareg supporters are the "lords of the Sahara" who have ruled and reigned the vast desert for millennia, most people fear that they will re-invade soon after the French have left. Only time will tell. But history has shown that the Muslims have a long-term view of their objective of a worldwide Caliphate – whether it takes another decade … another century … or another thousand years! So they continue their hit-and-run-guerrilla-style of warfare that most Western nations are ill prepared for. There have already been deadly suicide bomber attacks in Timbuktu by the jihadists after the French invasion. No doubt they will continue there – just as they have in Afghanistan. It is one of the reasons that this new warfare is properly called "terrorism."    Regardless, it was a timely opportunity for me to return to Bamako with spiritual and physical supplies and resources for our beloved Malian friends and partners. Everyone is aware of the fact of many "sleeper cells" of Al-Qaeda radicals are imbedded in Bamako. But we were compelled by the Spirit to go regardless of this potential danger. As I wrote in my recent Palm Sunday and Easter letter, it was once again a privilege to be a "Donkey for Jesus" and go in with as many monetary and material resources as possible – all made possible by the prayers and gifts of our friends and supporters like you.      So I hope you will be blessed and encouraged by the above pictures and captions summarizing my time of ministry in Bamako. I was joined on the first part of my trip by Pastor Howard Thompson (pictured left) from the Burlington Assembly of God. He has been a dear friend and partner for over 3 decades. The other member of our team was Dr. Jim Seymour (pictured right), pastor of the North Haven Church in Raleigh. Jim and I traveled and preached together many years ago in Zimbabwe, so it was a joy and blessing for us spiritual "3 Musketeers" to ride together again for the Kingdom! PLEASE CLICK TO VIEW A BRIEF SAMPLE VIDEO OF THE "TIMBUKTU CHURCH IN EXILE" CHOIR    Thanks again for your prayers and partnership. And as always, Patt and I would love to receive a few lines of response from you so we will know that you have received and read this report.    In His Love for Mali,    JL     The Field Report, 2013-04-09T14:24:56+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/around_the_world_in_25_days_part_8 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/around_the_world_in_25_days_part_8#When:13:24:38Z MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE "Reproducing Reproducers"      "The things you have heard from me... entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." (II Tim. 2:2)   Dear Kingdom Partner,    With this report we have finally finished our whirlwind trip “Around the World in 25 Days!”  Thanks so much for traveling with me via these emails and pictures.  After this last leg of our trip, we will make the very long 15-hour flight back home – where you will struggle with “jet lag” and “reverse cultural shock!”      Warning:  It will take you a week or so to get your body's “time clock” back on schedule.  While this is taking place, you will fall asleep in the middle of the day and wake up in the middle of the night!  That’s because you have just returned from the direct opposite side of the world.  But I assure you, you will survive!  I am living proof since I have been doing this regularly for nearly a half-century.    After I had my last meetings in Coimbatore with Murli & Usha Menon, I boarded my overnight flight to Singapore.  I went there for co-ministry with another friend and partner of some 3 decades – Pastor Joseph Jabemany.  He is a Tamil Indian whom I met through Bishop Ezra Sargunam of ECI.  Joseph was a recent graduate of the Madras Bible Seminary in Chennai.  He had returned to his home in Singapore to plant a church among the thousands of Tamil Indians living and working in Singapore.  Like most pioneer church planting ministries, he started in a rented home as a House-Church.  Because it was in an area of Singapore known as “Yishun,” he named his fellowship the “Yishun Evangelical Church.”    At Bishop Ezra’s bidding, I stopped off in Singapore on one of my trips to Asia to meet and fellowship with Pastor Joseph.  It was another sovereign “divine appointment.”  We began a friendship and partnership that has lasted until today.    By God’s grace and through the generosity of one of our business partners in North Carolina, we were able to help Pastor Joseph with the rent of his new House-Church for a period of time to help him get established.  Because of his passion and zeal for his fellow Tamil people in Singapore – most of whom were Hindus, his work began to grow in both depth and breadth.     Because of his passion for pioneer church planting he had learned from Bishop Ezra, Pastor Joseph soon branched out to ministry to the thousands of Tamils who were living and working next door in Malaysia – a Muslim country.  Soon he was able to establish house churches there in spite of strict Government regulations against any form of Christian evangelism.     While Malaysia remains firmly Muslim, they basically ignore evangelism and church-planting among the Tamils living and working among them.  So Pastor Joseph strategically seized this opportunity to advance the Gospel among the Tamils.    As his work in Malaysia grew, he invited Bishop Ezra and I to join him there for a Pastor’s Conference for the key leaders of his fledgling house churches.  So it was a joy on this recent trip to begin my time of ministry back in Malaysia – as you will see in the pictures.    But Pastor Joseph did not stop with evangelism and church planting in Singapore and Malaysia.  The Lord turned his heart back to his Tamils in India – primarily in Tamil Nadu.  So he began to visit there regularly for evangelism and church planting.  As a result of his partnerships back in India, he has funded the building of 80 village churches at an average cost of $2,500 - $4,000 – all from his Yishun Evangelical Church in Singapore!    By comparison, the vast majority of American churches have existed for decades – some for a century or more, and have never funded the building one a single church in some other part of the world!  What a challenge and inspiration people like Pastor Joseph are to us self-focused, self-serving, self-satisfied American Christians!    Because of the growth of his work, Pastor Joseph started an annual Conference he calls his “Levites' Camp.”  Through it he brings together strategic pastors and leaders from Singapore, Malaysia and India for several days of intense worship, fellowship and training.  It was my privilege to teach at that Levites' Camp again this year – just as I did last year.    So be blessed, encouraged and inspired through this last stop and visit with Pastor Joseph in Malaysia and Singapore.  He is another wonderful fulfillment of Christ’s promise to “…bring forth fruit that would last.”    Finally, I hope that some of you will click here to view the video summary of my teaching in Singapore in English and Tamil.  It will give you a feel for what ministry is like through translation.   In His Agape for Asia, JL PS:  If you have taken the time to open and read – or scan – our weekly emails, Patt and I would love to hear back from you.  Just a word or two or a line or two letting us know that you are indeed receiving and reading these reports.  The last thing we want to do is fill up your inbox with unwanted and unread emails!  But because we are passionate about our partners and projects, we work very hard to keep you fully informed.  That is because it is your prayers and financial support that make it all possible! 80TH CHURCH DEDICATION   Dear J.L, Our 80th Village Church was dedicated by Prema on 18th March. This church is situated in Tirunvelvi District. This church is pastored by Pastor Sambooranam John (lady pastor). On the dedication day, 5 people took their baptism. Your Levites' Camp offering was used to build this church. Thanks for your partnership in building our 80th Village Church! Tomorrow, Prema will be dedicating our 81st Village Church in a village near Madurai. Please do pray for us. Thanks. Love, Joseph. VIEW AROUND THE WORLD IN 25 DAYS!                The Field Report, 2013-03-18T13:24:38+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/donkey_for_jesus http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/donkey_for_jesus#When:15:58:37Z “Go into the village…find a donkey and a colt… bring them to Me…the Lord has need of them.” (Matt. 21:2-3) God said to Abraham: "I will bless you and make you a blessing" (Gen. 12:2) The Hebrew letter for "bless" is the picture of a camel kneeling down to be loaded up with cargo. So whether on a donkey, camel, jeep or airplane, it is our joy to take in God's resources to bless people in need! Dear Friends & Partners,    I often refer to myself as a “donkey for Jesus” – which most people do not initially understand. Let me explain why…    On March 24th, Christians around the world will celebrate Palm Sunday. It’s the beginning of Holy Week when we commemorate Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey amidst shouts of “Hosanna!” It was Jesus’ last day of public popularity.     In just a few days, the fickled crowds would become hostile and cry out for His blood! The donkey would be traded for a cross. By Friday, the burden-bearer would be Jesus. The donkey would not be carrying Christ – Christ would be carrying the cross. He would not be on a donkey’s back – but a cross would be on His back!     On this day there was much rejoicing because of Jesus’ humble Kingly presence. But, to the political and religious authorities, Jesus did not look very Kingly riding on a donkey’s back! Authentic kings or messiahs come riding in on a high-strung stallion – a war horse snorting for battle – not a donkey! But God’s ways are not man’s ways. He almost always does the unexpected. He did so on Palm Sunday. And at the end of the day, the donkey had done its job.    In the prelude to this story, we are told that Jesus sent two of His disciples to bring the donkey.  We don’t know which of the disciples were on “donkey duty” that day.  We are not told their names in any of the Gospels.  Perhaps some even grumbled: “Lord, I don’t do donkeys! Fishing is my background – not donkeys! I didn’t follow you to manage donkeys! Donkey discipleship is not my calling!”    In spite of their possible protest in word or thought, two disciples were ultimately dispatched for this unglamorous “donkey duty”!     Anticipating their concerns about absconding a donkey from a total stranger’s house, Jesus gave them very specific instructions: “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” (Matt.21:2-3)    So by faith, those two disciples did what Jesus told them to do. Theirs was not to understand…but to obey.     Once again we see the “principle of partnership” at work in this event. On Palm Sunday, Jesus commissioned two of His unnamed disciples and He involved an unknown donkey owner to accomplish His purposes. If there was any question on the part of the owner as to why his donkey and colt were being taken, the disciples were simply to say: “The Lord needs them.” That declaration rendered any further discussion or disagreement a moot issue.    Jesus assured them that if they made that declaration to the owner of the donkey “…he would send them right away.” There would be no further hesitation. The donkey and colt would be immediately released for Jesus’ use. And so it was.    Again, neither the two disciples nor the donkey owner had any idea as to why Jesus needed the donkey. They were totally clueless. Like them, we are often in the dark when Jesus asks us to do something by faith – especially when it does not seem to make sense! What could a donkey possibly have to do with the will of God?!     However, Jesus was crystal clear in why He needed that donkey and colt. He needed them to fulfill the ancient prophecy about that day which said:    “See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:5)    For Jesus to walk into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday like the disciples did would have been a violation of prophecy. It would have proven the Scriptures to be untrue and untrustworthy. A donkey was required that day – and a very specific one at that. It had to be “…a donkey and its colt.”    So, on that first Palm Sunday, two disciples, a donkey owner, a lowly donkey and her colt all converged to fulfill prophecy that had been written around 500 years earlier! How amazing are the mysteries of God’s Will and Word!    Do you see a parallel here to your situation? What is it in your sphere of ownership – or stewardship – that Jesus wants to use to fulfill His foreordained purposes? Are you holding tightly to your resources as your security? Just like the donkey was “tied up” in this story, are your assets so “tied up” by debt, fear, selfishness or greed – that you are unable or unwilling to release them to the Lord Jesus?    This donkey owner had a different spirit. He released his donkey and colt and sent them to Jesus “…right away.” He was immediate in his obedience. Dare we do any less?    As I said at the beginning of this letter, when new acquaintances ask me what I do, I often respond: “I’m a donkey for Jesus!”  Most look puzzled – waiting for the punch line! So I summarize the Palm Sunday story. I tell them that my calling is that of the donkey on Palm Sunday. I explain that in the Bible the donkey is a beast of burden and symbol of humility. As a result, my calling in life is to simply take Jesus and His resources wherever He wants to go. And in the process, I am to always remember that it is not about the donkey – it’s all about Jesus!    On that first Palm Sunday, all of the cloaks strewn on the road…the waving of palm branches…the shouts of “Hosanna” were not for the donkey! They were for Jesus! People were not admiring the donkey. How foolish it would have been for the donkey to think, “Wow, look how important I am! Listen to how these people are admiring and praising me!” No. He wasn’t the focal point of people’s attention and admiration. He was simply an instrument that Jesus needed to accomplish His goal. That’s to be our highest purpose in life also. Nothing more, nothing less.    Palm Sunday reminds us afresh that life is not about us – it’s about Him! Christian ministry is not about the minister – it’s about Jesus! Church is not about the members – it’s about the Master! It’s not about the saints – it’s about the Savior! Christian leadership is not about building our kingdom – but His Kingdom. It’s not about our glory – it’s about the good of others. The Christian life is never about the donkey – it’s always…always… all about Jesus!    No doubt there were hundreds of other donkeys in Jerusalem that Sunday. They were the trucks and taxis of the day carrying people and cargo all over the city. Obviously, then, the only thing that distinguished that particular donkey on Palm Sunday from the hundreds of others in the city was Who he was carrying. Without Jesus on His back, he was just another donkey. But with Jesus on his back, that donkey had direction and distinction.    So it has been my joy for over 4 decades to be a simple “donkey for Jesus.” To be sensitive to His voice. To be available to His bidding. To be obedient when He says to me: “J.L., I need you to take My love and compassion to some of My needy children.”    And like the two disciples in the story, I have to be willing to step out on faith. I have to sometimes do things I do not fully understand. I have to go on missions that have not been clearly defined yet. I have to boldly ask people to release their resources for the Master’s use. I have to lovingly challenge them to “untie” and release some of their assets because “…the Lord needs them.”    And then, as they give by faith, I have the joy of transporting those resources to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others. When Jesus and His resources come – whether on a donkey or airplane – there are always shouts of praise! There is always thanksgiving! That’s why Paul encouraged the saints who gave through him with these words of assurance: “The service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else” (II Cor. 9:12-13).    So, thanks for “loading our donkey” with needed supplies that we have been able to deploy since the beginning of 2013. Know that you have brought glory to God and praise and thanksgiving to His people!    It is my humble prayer that this Palm Sunday week you will recommit yourself to being a “donkey for Jesus.” It matters not what your talents, calling or titles are. Jesus wants you to be a doctor donkey… teacher donkey… banker donkey… musician donkey… preacher donkey… businessman donkey… builder donkey…. athlete donkey… IT donkey… husband donkey… wife donkey – which is what servant leadership is all about!    One final challenge: Right now, our “donkey depot” is almost totally empty! So, we pray that many of you reading this Lenten Letter will make a special “Easter Offering” to replenish our dwindling financial supplies. As long as we have strength and health, we want to deploy as much spiritual and physical resources as possible wherever He directs us.    When you receive and read this letter, I will be in Mali and Ghana, West Africa. After my ministry there, Patt will fly to meet me in Kenya where we will be conducting a “Tribal Women’s Conference” for Samburu, Rendille and Turkana women – most of whom are either non-Christians or baby Christians. We will also have a small work team doing some building at the Samburu Sports Camp. So as always, we will go to Africa with our donkey loaded – or overloaded (according to the airlines!) – with supplies to meet needs in His Name! A thankful donkey for Jesus… JL & Patt & PS:  Please give a special “Easter Offering” to help us with the expenses of this multiple-country and multi-focused mission trip.  And please make it as generous as the Lord leads you. Dear JLPF Friends and Family,    Thanks for reading this P.S. to J.L.'s Palm Sunday message!  I would like to add to J.L.'s request for your prayers during the women's conference in Kenya, March 26-29.  This is a first for that area and therefore a first for us.  Two other ladies will be teaching with me: Marilyn Franck and Janet Jenkins.  There are supposed to be about 100 tribal women who will walk in from their villages each of the four days.  They will largely be illiterate, non-Christian and in a polygamous marriage.  J.L. and I have been going to northern Kenya for a long time, as you can tell from this earlier picture of me with some of the women.  But we've never gotten all the women together at the same time.      The conference will include preaching and teaching, and lectures on health, HIV AIDS, and educating the women against female circumcision (which should really be called female mutilation).  On the last day, we will give widows a goat or two to help them in their time of distress.  Our thanks to those of you who have contributed to this fund over the last few months.  And one of the spiritual blessings will be to give each of them a solar digital player that contains the Bible in their Samburu language.  This is being funded from the money that many of you gave for my 70th birthday party!  What a blessing, that God is going to use your generosity to make it possible for illiterate women to hear His word!  We'll take lots of pictures and send a report soon after we get back.   Thank you in advance for your prayers for us and our translators as we speak God's truths. Grateful for your financial and prayerful support, Patt Deut. 31:8 The Field Report, 2013-03-15T15:58:37+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/around_the_world_in_25_days_part_7 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/around_the_world_in_25_days_part_7#When:12:50:06Z   PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL PHOTOS FROM THIS TRIP   “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” (John 15:16) Dear Kingdom Partners,    Thanks for continuing to fly with me on this recent “Around the World in 25 Days” mission to Asia.  So far on our journey we have made stops in Delhi, Kathmandu, West Bengal, Jaigaon and Chennai.  The destination of this flight is Coimbatore, South India.      Outside this bustling city of industry, universities and hospitals, you will come to the beautiful campus of Impact International.  This large and campus is nestled beside incredibly picturesque mountains that are part of a national game reserve with wild animals – especially elephants!  The view reminds me of the awesome Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.  Their campus is a former coconut plantation filled with hundreds of mature coconut, mango and teak trees.     The moment you step on the campus of SAILCS (South Asian Institute of Leadership & Cultural Studies), you are welcomed by the big smiles, warm hugs and gracious hospitality of Murli & Usha Menon.   They are my very first partners in India – dating back to 1987 when I first met them as I stepped off the plane in Mumbai/Bombay.  And believe you me, when you step off the plane in Bombay, India in the middle of the night for the first time into a teeming sea of pulsating humanity – all wanting to do something for you – you are glad to see a familiar face!    At the time of our first meeting, Murli and Usha were newlyweds.  He was a former successful businessman and a converted staunch Hindu.  She was the daughter of one of the pioneer Christian leaders in India, Thomas Samuel.  The moment we met, God began to knit our hearts together in love.  And that love has only deepened across the decades as God has linked us together in full and fruitful fellowship and partnership.    Unlike so many Christian workers in India, Murli did not come from the low caste.  He was an “up-and-outer” rather than a “down-and-outer.”  He was from a family of respected and successful accountants.  Through the conversion of his younger brother, Rajeev, his mother and father also came to Christ.  As a proud nationalist and staunch Hindu, Murli was the last hold-out.  But the Holy Spirit ultimately touched and transformed his life as he saw the radical change in his brother and parents.  He became a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ in 1981 – and Christ radically impacted his life!    When Murli accepted Christ, he moved from a life of success to a life of significance.  His personal priorities changed from one of economic impact benefiting himself to one of spiritual impact benefiting others.  That holistic impact has resulted in educational, social and economic transformation for thousands.  But Murli has not only impacted his fellow Indians, he has had wide international impact as he has traveled and taught in America, Europe, Asia and Africa.    In the early days of his life and ministry, Murli and Usha worked along side Thomas Samuel in his ministry, Quiet Corner.  During those early years, I enjoyed a number of visits and times of ministry with Thomas and Murli at Quiet Corner (pictured left).  During this same time, Murli was completing his Seminary Training.  During those years, he developed a passion for discipling and mentoring other young men for ministry.  So he began a small Bible College in Ooty.  Across the years, that work grew and developed until it required his full time.    During those same years, Usha was moved by the Lord to begin a rescue ministry to little girls who would have been killed through female infanticide – one of the tragic religious and cultural practices resulting from the dowry system for marriage.  Over time they rescued and adopted 23 precious baby or infant girls – who are now all their daughters.    Their love for needy and high risk children expanded from the little girls to children of the “rag pickers.”  After they out-grew their limited facility in Ooty, Murli and Usha moved to Coimbatore to this new spacious campus we were able to help them buy and develop.  So now on this one campus, they have the Bible College, two Children’s Home as well as their own personal home & Guest House.   On this most recent visit with them, we had the joy of dedicating the new “Worker’s Quarters” funded by one of our ministry partners.  In addition, we continued the development of the various gardening projects to help feed the children, students and staff.  We also took a big step of faith and bought a strategic piece of machinery for turning coconut husks into fiber for compost and landscaping.         So I know you will be blessed and encouraged by this next-to-the-last stop on our “Around the World in 25 Days” mission trip! Continuing the Asian Kingdom Adventure, JL The Field Report, 2013-03-15T12:50:06+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/pauls_tent_making_ministry http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/pauls_tent_making_ministry#When:18:16:59Z JL Williamsdownload .pptx file PowerPoints, 2013-03-13T18:16:59+00:00 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/around_the_world_in_25_days_part_6 http://www.jlwilliams.org/site/around_the_world_in_25_days_part_6#When:15:43:37Z "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." (Prov. 13:12) Dear Friends & Partners,    Thanks for continuing this spiritual journey with me “Around the world in 25 days.”  I know it has been an intense and diverse trip – but we are not home yet!  So thanks for staying with me on this “Asian Kingdom Adventure” through these last 3 visits with strategic partners in India, Singapore and Malaysia!    If there is one thing that our country and world seem to be lacking – it is hope!  In country after country I visit, there is an ominous cloud of hopelessness hanging over people.  They are locked into spiritual, cultural, political and economic conditions they have lost all hope of ever being able to change.  So they have quietly resolved to live out their lives in a perpetual state of hopelessness.    When you translate hopelessness into psychological terms, it is called depression.   And our world is filled with millions of depressed people!   The malaise can be labeled spiritual depression…mental depression…emotional depression…vocational depression…marital depression…parental depression.  Each person has his or her own unique blend of this “blue funk” that imprisons them in a deep, dark hole of hopelessness.    As the writer Thoreau observed: “Most people live lives of quiet desperation.”  Again, that “quiet desperation” is what psychiatrists call depression.  And since most medical professionals do not know the spiritual cure through Jesus Christ, they medicate the symptoms – which only creates a greater sense of hopelessness for the patient.    The BIG QUESTION is this:  “Is our world headed for a hopeless end – or is there an endless hope available to people?”  You know the answer.  The Bible is Good News because it is a revelation of the “God of hope.”  The Bible is a Book of Hope.  It is one of the great themes from Genesis to Revelation.  Hope is spoken about 95 times in the Old Testament and 85 times in the New Testament.  And at least 73 times God is revealed as the only source of lasting hope in this life.    So the Christian Church is the greatest dispenser of hope in the world today!  That’s why everything we do in ministry and missions is directly connected to the local church.  JLPF is not a secular NGO (Non-Government Organization).  Nor are we a secular humanitarian organization just doing good works.  We are specifically and overtly a Christ-centered ministry focused on building and empowering the local church everywhere we go in the world.  That’s because it is only the message of Christ through His Church that brings authentic hope to people.  Everything else is “counterfeit hope” that will ultimately make people “heart sick,” or depressed.    The Evangelical Church of India (ECI) is one of the greatest church movements in that country today.  They are bringing hope to the masses in India – primarily among the low caste, out caste and no caste.   They are transforming and touching the untouchables with hope through Jesus Christ – who is no respecter of persons.  To date they have birthed and built some 3,000 churches throughout the length and breadth of India.  On an average, ECI plants 3 new churches a week in some part of India.  Their goal is to plant one church a day!    This great church is led by my dear friend and partner, Bishop Ezra Sargunam.  We were first networked together by Franklin Graham who asked me to teach at a Pastor’s Conference in Bangladesh many years ago.  After that Conference, he asked me to go to India and dedicate some new “Jesus Wells” he had sponsored through Samaritan’s Purse.      Those new “Jesus Wells” were put in strategically outside local ECI churches – offering free pure water to the surrounding village people.  In the process, many discovered the Living Water through Jesus Christ – and all of the hope that only He brings.  The dedication of those practical “Jesus Wells” started a friendship and partnership with Bishop Ezra that has now spanned over 3 decades!      One of Bishop Ezra’s latest visions is the building of Hope City about an hour outside the city of Chennai, headquarters of ECI.  It is a large track of land that we have had the joy of helping Bishop Ezra develop.  On my last visit we helped plant around 300 coconut trees and start a large garden and tilapia fish project.    On this recent trip, we were privileged to be a part of the dedication of a beautiful outdoor chapel under a large banyan tree.   Bishop Ezra has named it the “Banyan Tree Meditation Temple.”  That’s because both Hinduism and Buddhism are religions focused on meditation.  So meditation is a concept that Eastern Religions practice more than we American Christians.  But this “Meditation Center” focuses on Jesus Christ – the only Source of lasting hope.    Interestingly, the verse from Proverbs I quoted above reminds us that “…hope fulfilled is a tree of life.”   So it is our hope that “Hope City” will be a place that thousands of Indians will find the true source of hope in Jesus Christ!  And it is also becoming a great place of spiritual and physical retreat for thousands of pastors and members of ECI who would otherwise never have the opportunity to be refreshed at a place like this.      Therefore, I hope you will be blessed and encouraged by this visit with me to “Hope City.”  Also my visit to the ECI Church and “Happy Home” for needy children – the very first Children’s Home we started anywhere in the world.  It is a part of the Tondiapet Church, which was the first church we built with ECI in honor of my parents who had visited India as missionaries before I was born.  The picture above to the left is me with the Bishop at the ground-breaking.  The one on the right is inside the church in 1991 at the dedication service with our immediate and extended family.  We also celebrated Patt's parents' 50th wedding anniversary!  This ECI “Happy Home” continues to give needy children temporal and eternal hope through the practical love and compassion of the Lord Jesus! In His Eternal Hope for the world, JL PS: Please click here to read the beautiful tribute that Bishop Ezra’s daughter, Sunlight, wrote and read for me at the dedication of the Meditation Center.  Though undeserved, it is the relational fruit of decades of love and partnership!       VIEW AROUND THE WORLD IN 25 DAYS! PART 1           VIEW AROUND THE WORLD IN 25 DAYS! PART 2            VIEW AROUND THE WORLD IN 25 DAYS! PART 3           VIEW AROUND THE WORLD IN 25 DAYS! PART 4           VIEW AROUND THE WORLD IN 25 DAYS! PART 5     The Field Report, 2013-03-13T15:43:37+00:00