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ARM Prison Outreach
International
Branch Ministry
Reports
June 2009 Update
Note: This report is sent late --
explanation below
ARM's Mexican Chaplain, Alfredo
José Aparicio, baptizes a believer in the river
NOTE: These summaries from the leaders of ARM's foreign
branch ministries are intended to encourage the reader and stimulate
prayer. Note the "Quick Link" menu to the left; it will aid in navigating
DIRECTLY to the article(s) you choose. Feel free to be a selective reader;
should you have interest in only one or two of these reports, you can
easily select those reports from the "Quick Link" menu. If you want a
printable "plain text" version, just reply and tell us! Also, you can find
archives of ARM's worldwide branch ministries at
ARM's Branch Ministry in Thailand
Daughters of Ruth Home
The reason this issue is quite late is
two-fold. First, I was at the North American Christian Convention when the
report would have normally been sent. Second, I was waiting
for this official word from Joe Garman and our board of directors
concerning the Daughters of Ruth. Thanks for your
understanding!
---------
I
am writing to you having just returned from the Daughters of Ruth facility
in Thailand. As you know, American Rehabilitation Ministries has for years
ministered to children in Thailand through this program for the daughters
of prisoners and parolees from the juvenile detention center.
In order for
us to legally establish this ministry in Thailand, we needed to select a
Thai staff and a Thai committee to lead the ministry in Thailand. We
prayerfully appointed a group of Thai Christian brothers and sisters to be
in leadership in Thailand, with the final authority and accountability
resting with the ARM board of directors here in the US.
For the past
several months, however, the leadership in Thailand has had an increasing
desire to function independently of the ARM leadership in the United
States. The Thai leadership of Daughters of Ruth feel that they are
now able to function as an independent, indigenous Thai children’s
home. Since the Thai leaders no longer desire to be accountable to
the ARM board of directors, ARM agrees that they should be
independent.
Please
understand that the Thai staff and committee are completely within their
legal rights in Thailand. They are not legally required to be
accountable to ARM leadership in America.
However,
because ARM desires to be good stewards of the funds entrusted to us, we
cannot continue to fund a ministry if they choose not to be accountable to
us for that support. The Thai leadership fully understands that
their decision to function independently means that ARM will no longer be
funding the Daughters of Ruth.
ARM, through
your partnership, has now birthed an indigenous ministry in Thailand to
prisoners’ daughters who otherwise would have very little hope in
life. We wish the Daughters of Ruth ministry great success in
ministering to these children. Our greatest desire is for these
girls to be well taken care of, and to have the opportunity to know Christ
as Lord and Savior.
This
separation was not our intention, but it certainly appears to be the will
of the Lord at this point. We truly appreciate your financial and
prayer support over the years for the Daughters of Ruth, and all of the
ministries of ARM.
Unless we
receive notification from you that you would like your gifts to be used
otherwise, gifts received for DOR in the future will be applied to the
Rapha House girls’ home, starting with gifts in
July. (Editor's note: Of course, donors may also
designate gifts for our prison ministries in the USA and around the
world.)
If you still
wish to be a part of a global outreach to minister to exploited children,
please consider permanently supporting our Rapha House ministry. Rapha
House has always held to the high standards of ARM accountability in child
protection, policy and procedure and financial policies. For more
information about this wonderfully successful ministry, please visit
http://freedomforgirls.org or call
(417) 621-0373.
Saved to
serve the Savior,
Joe R.
Garman
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ARM's Rapha
House
(Home
for Girls) in Cambodia
IMPORTANT NOTE: With the
wonderful growth of the work at Rapha, we will once again be including updates in this foreign
report!
Gifts for Rapha may be sent
to:
ARM-Rapha, 3127 Hwy
K
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ARM's Branch Ministry in Mexico
Report from
Alfredo José Aparicio
Dear brethren in Christ
Jesus,
God bless you in a very
powerful way, especially during the summer, which is a time for
Christian
camps, VBS, and other Church activities.
Yesterday, around
10:00
AM, I
began to feel kind of weak, body pain, and very cold. I went to the doctor in Mexico
City, and he prescribed some medicine to fight infection, but it didn’t
help at all. I decided to go home.
At
arriving in Cuernavaca, I felt worse. So, I went to a clinic.
The doctor
said I was stressed due to the heavy workload. He prescribed serum, five
shots, and that I should stay home for five days.
I started thinking what caused
this state I am experiencing right now. I remember having some hints
of this problem. Some weeks before I started feeling kind of
different, but I did not pay any attention to this.
I do not like to
complain. I try to live happy with God’s provision. However, I am now requesting
your special prayers on my behalf and the ministry’s. I am grateful
for your prayers, but we need more. I have been very busy all seven
days of the week, getting up at 5:30 am and going to bed at
1:30
am.
Many
people are requesting counseling. I have been visiting many people
in hospitals. Many ministers have come to me for advice due to many
different problems in the Churches they minister.
We
have had many new Bible Correspondence Students, but our copiers broke
down, and repair is so expensive. We do not have the printed
lessons we need. We need stationery and different office equipment
and things. Our office building does not have any running water, as the
water pump broke. Our office needs lots of
maintenance done. Even, my house in Cuernavaca needs repairs and
maintenance. Our Mexican currency has less
acquisition
value. This month we only got $4269 but we need
$10,000 to keep the ministry running. Please pray a lot for all
these needs. I know God will provide, but we need to plea Him for
His intervention.
The facilities of the
Christian
Church in Satélite, Cuernavaca needed much repair and painting. So, with the
slogan “the Church building also preaches,” I encouraged the brethren to
repair and paint it. So, we did it last Saturday, from 8:00 am to 9:30
pm. We repaired and painted all its inside and on the
front
outside. I am still feeling not so good, sored and weak, but I am
satisfied and happy this much needed work was done.
During June we have had days when
we have received up to 210 requests for our Bible
Correspondence Courses. It is a joy to see how our
lessons are being sent to these new students. So, in June, we had
2,653 new students registered.
We had 72 baptisms.
Besides,
58 of our students graduated and we issued them their diplomas.
Among
them, we have Agustín Tena (Tola, Napo, ECUADOR, who was baptized in the Napo
River).
I am so grateful to the Lord
that three former Army top officials are following Jesus’
teachings. I cannot give you their names, but they are now
learning about God inside the jail where they are being
kept since they were involved in drugs. They will obey the Lord from
inside the jail, where they are being taught by other Christian inmates.
One of the recent new born
wrote: “Dear brother and
director, I am so happy as the Lord used you to teach me His ways and
Salvation. I used to get drunk and was an evil man. I live in
Tola, but one day I came down from the mountain to sale the fruit the land
produced. Also, I came down to buy food for my family.
However, on many
occasions, instead of
buying food for my family I got drunk and spent all the Money on
alcohol. One day I ended up
in a dumpster. I woke up there,
and saw a Bible tract laying on the ground in the garbage.
I picked it up, read it and felt as if God was speaking directly to
me. The title of such pamphlet was “Zapatitos”, new little
shoes. It deals with a drunk father who could not buy new shoes for
his little boy. So, finding your address in the tract, I got in
touch with you. Let me share the
good news with you. I looked for a Church in Tola.
And, I found one, and I got baptized on June 6th.
However, their doctrine is different from yours. So, I
decided to become an evangelist myself. So, I will travel
to the Amazon and preach there to people who do not even speak
Spanish. I am so grateful that God used you to transform my
life. I am preaching the
Word now. I wish to become
like the Apostle Paul, in Ecuador,
in the Amazon River. Please pray for me. I do not know when I
will be able to write you again. I love you in the Lord.
Yours, Agustín
Tena”
(Tola, Napo, Ecuador).
Please help us pray
for:
- Lourdes Rodríguez,
who is
mourning the death of her mother Francisca
Saldaña.
- The
Albarrán family, whose mother is sick and is getting worse every
day.
- Our ministry and
its economic shortages.
- My
health.
I am so happy and grateful to
you for your great help, special love for me and my family, and the
ministry. Let continue winning souls for our Lord together!
Your fellow
servant,
Alfredo José
Aparicio
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ARM's Branch Ministry in Philippines
Report from Ernesto
Alocelja
I.
Baptisms:
1. 2
immersed at Cabadiangan, Lupon
2. 7 inmates
baptized at Malita District Jail
3. 3
baptized at Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur
II.
Certificates of recognition given to those who
support and assist the medical mission:
1. Vice Governor’s
office, Sarangani Province
2. Mr. and Mrs.
Aquino and Family
3. Metro Dadiangas
Church of Christ
4. Mrs. Dolores
Rivera
III.
The team had given the opportunity to give message in
songs, sermon, and special prayer in Christian Real Life Radio at General
Santos City.
IV.
Ernesto Alocelja was the speaker at Dalamuan Church
of Christ worship fellowship and at the same time speaker for Mr. and Mrs.
Roger Amolo 45th wedding anniversary. The brethren were very excited of
his visit for he is one pf the God’s instrument in establishing the
Church.
V.
The team attended the wedding ceremony of Bro.
Salina’s younger sister and at the same time delivered the donations to
Bacungan Church of Christ. Bro Salina is the minister of the said
church.
VI.
Donations Given
1. 1 brand new
acoustic guitar and used amplifier for Bacungan Church of Christ and 5
kgs. Of common nails.
2. 5 bags of
cement given to Dalamuan Church of Christ.
3. 10 pcs. Used
clothes given to indigent members of Dalamuan Church of Christ.
4. 1 book outline
sermon for Pastor Jun Bringas.
VII.
Snacks for the Inmates
1. 3 packs native
delicacies for Malita District jail.
2. 200 pcs. Banana
cake and 2 jelly roll for BJMP Digos City.
VIII. Donations
received
1. 30 pcs. Fresh
eggs, 60 pcs. Embryo eggs from Dante Gonzales and Family.
2. 26 capsules for
hypertension from Balazo Clinic thru Hermie
Cobrado.
IX.
Bibles and Religious Materials Distributed
1. 2 boxes large
print bibles given to Malita District jail
2. 8 packs
religious materials given to Baluan Church of Christ
3. 2 boxes for
Cabadiangan Church of Christ
4. 6 english
bibles given to Estremos family
5. 2 boxes large
print given to the neighbors of this Church
One family (Estremos by name) transferred to the Church of
Christ @ Lion City of Digos. For 11 years they were active members of
Victory Chapel (a sect group) and now they are very active in the Church
in evangelism, music, and the improvement of Church
building.
Back to top
News You Can
Use
David O'Grady is now representing ARM in the
great Northwest! Churches and individuals in that area of the USA
may contact David through the ARM office in Joplin -- 1-800- CALL
ARM.
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ARM's Branch Ministry in Russia
Report From Dr. Nicholas E. Alyoshin
Glory to Christ, my beloved brother!
This is my brief report for June
2009.
1. IMMERSIONS. We immersed one of the researchers,
connected with some independent scientific foundation. The newly immersed
man is looking for the ancient Christian inscriptions (of the apostolic
times) on the archaeological objects in Krasnodar Territory, publishing
and translating those inscriptions. He is being persecuted by the orthodox
icon-worshippers, because his works undermine and destroy the false
idolatric conception of the Christian church history.
2. PRISONS. The DOM ARM ministers had 21 visits to
different correctional institutions; meetings with people, convicted on
the parole; with the parents and relatives of the prisoners. We spread
among the prisoners more, than 100 items of clothes, donated by our
brethren.
3. MOSLEMS. We have been motivated by the
desire for Christian dialogue with the Moslems. Recently,
circumstances have confirmed that the course of DOM ARM for such a
dialogue with the Adygs, Turks-Meskhetians (Ahiska), Kurds (Kurmanches),
anf Qirimtatars was right. We use the Spiritual approach for
such a dialogue (first of all – the dialogue about Jesus in the Quran). In
this our work we have a wonderful support (the Apostolic one, indeed) from
our dearly beloved brethren Joe Garman (the ARM President), Max Goins (the
“We-Go” missions coalition President), Dr. Gerhard Leiser (the pastor from
Karlsruhe, Germany) and others!
4. MISSION TRIPS. Our bro Andrew Novosyolov
was immersed by me; now he tries to receive the status of the refugee on
the Religious basis in the Western Europe. He went to Geneva
(Switzerland). There he visited the office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees and the editorial office of the ENI (information agency
“Ecumenical News International”, which gives the information to the World
Council of Church, to the World Lutheran Federation, to the World Alliance
of the Reformed Churches, to the European Churches Council, etc., etc.).
Andrew informed OHCR UN and ENI about the situation with Religious
Freedoms in Russia and about the DOM ARM activity.
5. MEDITATIONS. After my return from Crimea
(Ukraine), where in May 2009 I had taken part in the nomination of Mustafa
Jemilev for the Nobel Award for Peace, I spread the information about that
event and asked some Religious, public, political and human rights
activists to support the named nomination. This my action became the test
“to try the spirits” (1 Jn., 4:1). Indeed, the political council of the
Krasnodar Territory branch of the “Solidarity” movement (the Federal
leaders – Nemtsov and Kasparov, the Krasnodar Territory leaders –
Martynyuk, Karastelyov, etc.) with 10 votes of 17 rejected to support the
nomination (reason: “it would be the interference into the internal
affairs of Ukraine); T.A. Rudakova (the Krasnodar Territory branch of the
all-Russia “For Human Rights” movement leader) rejected the support of
nomination (“I do not know, who is Jemilev - ?!); S.A. Kropachev (the
Krasnodar Territory branch of the “Memorial” society leader) did not
support the nomination (“it is necessary to think it over very
carefully…”); A. Reznichenko (the chief of the discussion club “the
Southern Wave”, which belongs to Ye. Grekov, who works now in Moscow for
the “Moscow School of Political Studies”, connected with the British
Embassy) rejected to support the nomination (and even to organize the
public discussion of this point) because “we have a very complicated
financial and political situation”; the nomination was supported by two
Spiritual congregations (in village Pshekhskaya of the Belorechensk
district of our Territory and in village Kabardinskaya of the Apsheronsk
district) of sheikh Hassan-haji Gurji-Ogly; it was supported also by the
independent foundation of Dr. Theol. h. c. S.V. Ryabchikov and by Andrew
Novosyolov from Strasbourg (he informed me, that he also had sent the
information about it from 9 e-mail post boxes into 14 000 e-mail addresses
all over the world). The preparation for the Doomsday is going on just
now. And “when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy
angels with him …, he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats
on the left” (Mt., 25:31, 33).
6. DIVINE ACTION. The former Russian
prime-minister Chernomyrdin has some last years been the Russia Ambassador
to Ukraine. He considered the World Congress of the Qirimtatars (May 2009)
to be the “anti-Russian event” and recommended to the Russian Government
to boycott it. Therefore, no official Russian delegation was present there
(only some Qirimtatars, elected by their communities, came from Moscow and
from Rostov-on-Don). I think, the Chernomyrdin’s recommendation was
adopted, and the authorities pressed on the Russian political, public,
human rights and Religious figures not to visit the Congress. Such a
pressure was also aimed at me. In the result I was at the Congress the
only Russian (non-ethnic-qirimtatar) guest to represent the Religious and
human rights movement, the only Christian minister among the 700 delegates
and guests, and the only one to present the American (non-tatarian)
organization! But the boycott was not a success: the diplomats of 13
states were present at the Congress, as well as the representatives of all
the branches of the Ukraine state power and of all the ones of the Crimea
republic; dozens of Journalists were there and 700 participants. The
Congress nominated Mustafa Jemilev for the Nobel Peace Award, which was
the historical act, indeed. I am sure, the Russian leaders considered the
Chernomyrdin’s boycott recommendation to be a political and diplomatic
error. And this Ambassador was dismissed! He, indeed, was the blind to
lead the blind and to fall both into the ditch (Lk., 6:39). And in the
most complicated conditions we trust to the God and believe into his
Divine leadership, and cry with the Psalmsinger: “Lead me, o Lord, in thy
righteousness!” (Ps., 5:8).
7. YOUTH MINISTRY. On 13. 06.2009 our daughter
Nike married a young man – the member of her Youth Christian Ministry,
whose name is Yuri Voroshilov (thus now she is Nike Voroshilova). After
the state registration of this union according to the Russian law the
Christian church ceremony had place. The sacrament was ministered by the
Master of Divinity (USA) Yuri Skopylatov (for many years he has been
connected with Max Goins and his missionary union). This minister shares
the theology of the Christian Restoration Movement. The sacrament took
place in the so called “Cross – house” (the praying house of the
Evangelical Christian Missionary Union of Russia, which was totally given
at our disposal for that day). The delegations of Christian youth
ministries of the biggest Evangelical congregations of Krasnodar were
present at the wedding, as well as the American students – missionaries
from Campus Crusade for Christ. One of these students – the US missionary
Tolu Ladeinde was the official Nike’s witness both at the state
registration and Christian sacrament ceremonies.
On 26.06.2009 our son Vladimir defended his Ph. D.
dissertation in Technology at the Kuban state Technological University.
His dissertation depicts the new facts of the interaction between the
information molecules (plant proteins – lectins) and the Silicon compounds
(the main component of the earth clay). Thus, we have the new scientific
confirmation of Gen. 1, 11 – 12: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth
grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his
kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the
earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the
tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw
that it was good”.
8. PUBLIC RELATIONS. Eugene Novozhilov – a
contact of our chaplaincy, persecuted on religious basis in Russia (the
victim of the punitive psychiatry) – emigrated with our help to Poland.
There he tries to receive the status of the refugee on Religious and
political basis. The members of the Polish center to support the Chechnya
(it is situated in Krakow) in June gathered 1 000 signatures under the
petition to the Polish authorities with the appeal to give Novozhilov the
status of a refugee in Poland. The same appeal was signed in Finland by
the members of the same Finnish committee, which included some members of
the Finnish Parliament and of the Europarliament.
9. REPRESSIONS. On 26.06.2009 about a dozen of
stones were thrown by the unknown persons into our house and yard. The
stone attack was repeated during the night from 28 to
29.06.2009.
Nine American students–missionaries – the members of
the so called “summer project” of the Campus Crusade for Christ – have a
base for their 1.5 month expedition to Russia in Krasnodar. They planned
also to visit Nalchik (the capital of Kabarda-Balkaria Republic), Sochi
(the Black Sea resort) and Elista (the capital of the Kalmyk Republic –
450 km to NE from Krasnodar, not far from the Caspian Sea). The visit to
Naltchik was totally impossible. And in Elista the Americans were arrested
in the street by local police (for “illegal Religious propaganda”), kept
for some hours in the cage and ordered to return to Krasnodar. Their being
in Krasnodar and Sochi was without big problems.
On 30.06.2009 one of our chaplaincy contacts
informed me, that the fanatical icon-worshippers had an attempt to murder
him: he was pushed under the moving car in the street. Thanks to God, he
was only injured, but not killed.
10. SUPPORT. We received the ARM May support through
“We-Go” system of Max Goins OK.
The blessings for Nike’s marriage were received from
the USA (from young Christians of different ministries and from N.
Plutenko) and from Germany (pastor Dr. G. Leiser; prof. E.P. Alyoshin).
We received two big boxes with clothes, donated to
the convicts by the women of the Western Embassies in Moscow and sent to
us by my sister Nathaly Koff.
We received also the e-mails and telephone calls of
support from Rod Farthing (USA), E. Novozhilov (Poland) and A. Novosyolov
(Geneva, Switzerland).
In Jesus our hope!
Back to top
Contact Info
Rod Farthing, ARM National
Development Director rodfar@arm.org
3127 Hwy K, Salem, MO 65560
573-729-6355
Check out our web sites:
www.arm.org
www.abarc.org
www.raphahouse.org
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