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ARM Prison Outreach -- Foreign
Reports
November
2005
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.
In
His Service,
Rod
Farthing, National Development
Director
ARM's Rapha House (Home
for Girls) in Cambodia
Construction continues at the Rapha
House site. Here's a photo that
shows the work progressing on our home that will
house 48 girls. At last report, about
$12,000 was still needed to
complete construction and furnish the
building. Currently, 21 girls are being
cared for physically, emotionally, and spiritually
in our rented facility. Thanks for your prayers
and support.
ARM is
ministering to needy girls -- some as young as 8
years of age -- who have been victimized in the
human slave trade in Cambodia
thru the Rapha House. Gifts of any size for
Rapha House may be sent to ARM, Rt. 5 Box 159,
Salem, MO 65560.
Gifts dated before Nov. 30 that help
us reach a $5,000 matching challenge from an
Indiana church might
be doubled! www.raphahouse.org
Back to
top
Reports
From ARM
Branch Ministry in Ghana, Africa
We have witnessed lives that
have been transformed by the gospel, and have
baptized a few inmates. Bibles have been given to
the Nsawam females. Our energies are now
geared toward the Christmas expenses.
Efforts are made to get used baby clothes for the
babies as well as their mums and other
inmates. May your prayers continue to be
with us. Together in His wonderful service,
Vanessa
Back
to top
Reports From Ernesto Alocelja
-- ARM Branch Ministry
in the
Philippines
Bro. Ernesto O. Alocelja, ARM
Philippine Team Chairman and Mrs. Elizabeth M.
Alocelja attended the "Barongis Church of
Christ Thanksgiving Celebration and 57th
Foundation Anniversary" on November 13,
2005. Bro.
Ernesto was the main speaker, dealing
the topic entitled "Give your best to the Master."
He extended the invitation and 9 young people
came forward and accepted Christ as their personal
Savior and Lord, ready for Christian
Baptism.
November 19,
2005 / 9:00 - 10:30 A.M. at Panabo City District
Jail 3 inmates accepted
Christ.
November 20, 2005 / 1:00 -
3:00 P.M. at Davao Provincial Rehabilitation
Center / 7 inmates accepted Christ and ready for
Baptism.
November 21, 2005 / 10:00 -
11:30 A.M. We baptized 13 inmates at Tagum City
Jail. To God be the Glory for the Souls added to
the Church of Our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
At last!
After the 3rd time of follow up, the ARM request
for a jail ministry was approved yesterday by:
Superintendent Catalino A. Malinaw at DAPECOL
(DAVAO PENAL COLONY). DAPECOL
is now called Davao Prison and Penal Farms.
It is the 2nd largest penetentiary in the country.
It is surrounded by a very large Banana Plantation
Producing a sweet cavendish banana for
export. The plantation owned by: TADECO
(TAGUM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION) where the
convicted prisoners works daily.
Davao Prison and Penal Farms has
3,864 convicted inmates and 34 of them were
already baptized believers reached out by the ARM
Philippines Team at BJMP - Digos City, Maa City
Jail, and Davao del Sur Provincial Rehabilitation
Center.
The well known Pugoy Jail
Break happened here in the 80’s; an
Australian Missionary and some others
were killed and raped. Before this is a
very risky place but now a very challenging place
for jail ministries. Please pray for
us.
Report From Dr.
Nicholas E. Alyoshin-- ARM Branch Ministry
in Russia
Glory to Christ, my beloved
brother!
This is my brief report for October
2005.
1.
IMMERSIONS. On 20.10.2005 in Moscow I immersed two
men (one - Crimean Tatar, second - Chechenian),
who specially invited me there for this sacrament.
We receive now a possibility to spread the ARM
activity to Crimea
(Ukrain). 2. PRISONS.
On 2, 3, 23.10.05 I had the services and praying
meetings in Krasnodar prison, and on 25, 30,
31.10.05 - in the prison camp for the persons to
be deported from Russia. On 11.10.05 one of the
activists of our chaplaincy was allowd to visit
brother Krasnobryzhev in Oryol city (1200 km to
North from Krasnodar) prison psychiatric asylum,
where Krasnobryzhev is going on to be kept and
tormented, in spite of the decision of Russia
Supreme court to annul the decision to put him
there (the prosecutor protested against this
Supreme court ruling to the Supreme Court
Presidium). In general, the situation in Russia
(and all former USSR) prisons became in October
terribly sharp, showing, that penitentiary system
became the weak point of the social system. E.g.,
0n 11.10.05 the colonel-lieutenant of prison guard
was cut dead in the center of Krasnodar city by
the former convict (who was arrested); on 10.10.05
the mothers of the convicts had a protest meeting
against the torments in prisons in Barnaul city
(Altay Territory, 3500 km East from Krasnodar); on
13.10.05 during the wahabi mutiny in Nalchik
(Kabarda-Balkaria, 400 km East from Krasnodar) the
attempt to storm the prisons directorate took
place; 0n 19 - 20.10.05 the mutiny took place in
two prison camps in Kirghizia (now independent,
former Soviet republic in Central Asia), during
which the deputy of the Kirghis Parlament was
killed, who was the chief of a commission to check
the situation in
prisons. 3. TURKS. On
13.10.05 the "Independent" (Moscow) newspaper
informed the public, that the chairman of the
all-Russia Turk-Meskhetian Union - Suleyman
Barbakadze - was against the evacuation of
Turks-Meskhetians from Krasnodar Territory to USA.
He also was against the Evangelization of Turks -
he wanted them to continue to be moslems"
and to return to Georgia. It is clear, that this
Suleiman is under the influence of the dark
forces. In spite of Barbakadze's position, more,
than 20000 Turks of Krasnodar Territory are
enlisted to be evacuated from Krasnodar Territory
(the total number of Ahiska Turks in Russia is now
more, than half million). On 18.10.05 the same
newspaper wrote that the Don cossacks (the area to
the North from Krasnodar Territory) decided to
press on Ahiska Turks, living in their area, using
the good example" of kuban cossaks, pressing
the Turks from villages. On 17.10.05 the
Australian TV team visited the villages of Ahiska
Turks in Krasnodar Territory; one of our
chaplaincy brethren gave the telephone interview
to those Australians. Jason Shaver sent to me a
letter from Joplin, wanting to come to
Krasnodar in March 2006 with a team of 6 persons
to explore the situation of a possible mission
among our Ahiska Turks. I replied him that he
was welcome; all the infrastructure questions had
to be solved through Max Goins of "We - Go"
mission coalition. 4.
MISSION TRIPS. On 29.10.05 I was invited to
speak to the big public meeting in the center of
Tuapse city (a port on the Black Sea Coast, 160 km
to South-South-East from Krasnodar). It was
organized by the green conservationists,
trying to protect the Pontical bio-geographical
province from technogenical demolition. I spoke
about the ancient Pontical church in the region
and about Christ. I was met very warmly; two
people decided to visit our chaplaincy to be told
about baptism; the organizers of the meeting
supplied us with the comfortable mini-bus and paid
all the expenses. Three members of our chaplaincy
followed me in this
trip. 5. MEDITATION.
In connection with the sharpening of the prison
situation our chaplaincy and church asked me to
preach on the question of the relations of the
Christians and the state. On 16.10.05 I preached
and taught about this, using Rom. 13; 1 Tim.
2:1-2; 1 Tim. 6:9; Ps. 2:2-4; 2 Peter
1:20. 6. DIVINE
ACTION. The chief federal inspector for Krasnodar
Territory and Adygeya of the Presidential
Representative in South Federal District of Russia
- A. Odeichuk - was dismissed from his position.
(He was the prosecutor to arrest me in 1999.) They
say Odeichuk became the cause of many tensions and
mutinies of the local Caucasian peoples and ethnic
groups. One of the reasons of his dismissal was
the printing of the second edition of our
book "The Land of
Adygs." 7.
STUDENT WING. The student Spiritual events
are taking place nearly daily, the most
interesting of them was the
"telephone bridge" between Krasnodar and USA
(during the night of 25-26.10.05), in which the
American students of Campus Crusade for
Christ, studying in Krasnodar, were informing the
American believers about the situation; our
Student Wing leader -my daughter Nike- was
representing during the bridge the Russian student
believers of
Krasnodar. 8.
INFORMATION ACTIVITY. On 06.10.05 I took
part in the meeting with the delegation of
Karlsruhe (German sister-city of Krasnodar), led
by Dr. Jus. Jan-Dirk Rausch. On 21.10.05 in Moscow
I had a brief meeting with the US Embassy attache
Alexei Sobchenko. On 19.10.05 I spoke in Moscow at
the seminar of the humanitarian organizations,
working with the Caucasus. On 10-11.10.05 I worked
in the commission of Russia Education Ministry to
license the Kuban Evangelical Christian University
(I signed the positive conclusion, but the fate of
KECU is yet obscure). On 28.10.05 I took part in
the meeting with the chairman of Krasnodar city
Election Comission (to inform him, that it was
illegal and anti-Constitutional to register the
candidates to run for city council deputyship, who
had in their programmes the ideas to establish the
icon-worshipping orthodoxy as the official state
religion of Russia). During every named meeting I
informed the people about ARM
activity. 9.
REPRESSIONS. On 11.10.05 the icon-worshipping
metropolitan Isidor of Krasnodar had a big speech
during his diocesal congress, where the
vice-governor and many chiefs of the Krasnodar
Territory Administration were present. Isidor
declared, that the tolerancy, political
correctness, pluralism, democracy and even ... the
preaching of the only-entitious God were poisonous
for a Russian man and were to be prohibited. He
also attacked the mayor of Anapa (Black Sea
Resort) Tsukanov for his letting of the
non-orthodox believers congress in his resort.
Tsukanov was dismissed by Governor after Isidor's
hysterics. On 11.10.05 I had a meeting with Karp
Oganesyan - a former priest of Isidor's diocese
(having four children), who was expelled from his
ordination by Isidor for being too tolerant
to the sectarians". On 26-27.10.05 an attempt to
murder (to poison) one of our most important
chaplaincy activists took place. The God Almighty
helped our activist: and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them" (Mark,
16:18). 10. SUPPORT. The
system of September support through Max Goins'
"We-Go" mission coalition worked OK in October.
The Gideons International" refused to give
us the Bibles to be spread in prisons: they want
to work only through their own representatives. On
06.10.05 I met in Krasnodar the Norway citizen
Arild Bjornerud to discuss the possibility to
receive the free Bibles and the x-ray apparatus
(to work in tubesculosis prison hospitals -
through Radiation Control" rescue team) from
Norway Nansen foundation. The official Governor
newspaper "Kuban News" published on 19.10.05
the information about the fact, that all the
humanitarian aid to Krasnodar Territory would be
permitted or not be permitted by the special
commission including the high-rank officers of the
force
structures.
In Jesus our hope!
Sincerely, prof., DOM ARM chaplain
Nicholas E. Alyoshin Back to top
Dear brethren in Christ, and
friends,
The ones of us involved in preaching the
message of salvation are united all of the time in
heart, mind, and soul. We seek the lost all
of the time. Also, we seek to help the saved
to stand firm up to the end. But, we
recognize that this is only possible if we remain
in constant prayer, as without God nothing could
be accomplished in His blessed
work.
Many hurricanes have passed through
different parts of the world! Mitch was the
strongest in the previous century in Central
America, in 1998. It was so devastating, but
the recent ones caused more damage than Mitch, no
doubt. Katrina left us with many diseased
and damages; but Stan cam with much force
too. Complete town, cities, and villages
were wiped out by Stan. He showed no mercy
to El Salvador, Guatemala, and the South parts of
Mexico. Complete cities were wiped out in
Chiapas and other States. Mud and sand
covered houses up to 9.85 feet high. If this
seemed not to be enough, we had Wilma to complete
what Stan left undone, more destruction and
pain. I think God is talking to our hearts
and conscience with these natural
phenomena.
Churches and brethren lost everything
concerning physical material (houses, crops,
animals, clothes, and so on). They had to
run with what they had on only. For this
reason, we are encouraging our brethren to help
the ones living in great need right now. We
are so grateful to the Lord as many have responded
with groceries, clothes, shoes, blankets, tools,
money, medicine, and other needed things. We
are so happy and admire their generosity. We
gathered five tons of these things. But, the
need is so great that these five tons seem like a
glass of water poured on a vast desert. So,
we continue gathering more groceries and needed
items among our neighbors and friends.
Please help us pray for our Bible students and
brethren who are crying out for help. Even,
some of them lack communications. They do
not have roads, transportation, bridges, and so
on. Some rivers changed their current and
are now running where houses used to stand.
Many of our students lost their Bibles, Bible
Literature, and most important possessions.
Over 9,000 Bible Students lost their Bibles.
We face desolation and death in our part of the
world! It is, now, the time of
salvation! Let’s take God’s Word to these
people in great need, pain, and
suffering!
We rejoice that 60 of our Bible Students
got together and are now meeting and having church
services in Coyotepec, State of Mexico. They
decided to come together and found a church thanks
to one of our Bible lessons entitled “The Church
in the Bible.”
Also, two new missions fields were
opened. These are Reclusorio Penitenciario
Norte and the other one in Santuario Acueducto de
Guadalupe suburb. I asked one of our recent
graduates, Jesús Mendoza, to be in charge of these
two new mission fields. People in this big
city, Mexico City, are reluctant to any religious
group, but they are accepting our Bible
Correspondence Courses, and other Christian
Literature we have to offer them. Couples
and individuals are responding well to our printed
lessons. Out of 100 people, 30 respond in
favor of taking our courses. These 30 remain
eager to study our complete
lessons.
Some time ago, we used to have a web page
where we offered our Basic Bible Correspondence
Courses, free of charge. However, our web
courses did not allow us to modify or update
them. The other problem we faced was that
people deleted them from our web site. For
such reason, we deleted all of them. This
way of teaching the Bible was good, as we ended up
having 45,000 students maintained through the
web. But, someone deleted our complete web
site. Now, with the help we have from a
Christian engineer, we were able to rescue our web
site, last week. We are working long hours
now to have our courses available on the web once
more. As a test, we have two of our basic
lessons available. 12 people have signed for
our courses already. The web address we now
have is: www.curso-biblico.org
, www.curso-biblico.com
and www.curso-biblico.net
All are in Spanish.
During October, we had 32 of our
students get baptized. Due to the study
of God’s Word through our lessons, they decided
that Christ is the Savior and accepted Him as
their Lord and Savior. Now, they need lots
of prayer as they are facing rejection from their
friends, family, and others. Our new
converts have to be strong to remain in the
faith. Catholicism is so strong and
demanding in our part of the world. There
are hundreds of pagan festivities and traditions
we have to fight. Our new brethren need our
encouragement and prayers to remain steadfast to
the Word of God. They must not participate
in pilgrimage and idol worship any longer, but we
must educate them in the Christian faith.
The Catholic Church is trying hard to force people
to remain in Catholicism (worshipping idols,
celebrating pagan feasts and festivals, celebrate
the Day of the Dead, and so on). Catholic
idolatry is a whole world of non-sense and
traditions. They celebrate with rites, open
idolatry, people walking barefoot for weeks,
etc.
On October 5th, I started the day,
midnight, praying and thanking God for this
wonderful ministry He has put in the hands of Lupe
and I. We were celebrating our 32nd wedding
anniversary that day. Our ministry began by
asking the Death worshippers to come to the
Lord. Up to this date, 70 million people
have heard of the Word through our ministry.
We have approached these people in many
forms: pamphlets, tracts, Printed Bible
Courses, AM and FM radio programs, cassettes,
preaching, teaching, lecturing, films, evangelism
campaign, magazines, internet, newspapers,
rallies, and so on. I am so grateful to the
Lord as He has made good use of us in spreading
the Gospel. We have worked together with
missionaries, churches, and other
Christians. Well, we have made great efforts
to be of some kind of help and encouragement to
others. However, on this very day, we lacked
the New Testaments needed to continue sharing
God’s Word. This is how wonderful our Lord
is! He provides in marvelous ways. On
October 10th, a lady showed up to our office,
bringing with her a big bag she had found in the
garbage dumpster. This lady is not a
Christian, but she knew about us. To our
surprise, she brought us 80 New Testaments some
one had tossed there, the ones the Gideons give
away. Non-Christians know we can use New
Testaments. Praised be the Lord! I am
so grateful to the Mighty Lord. Some of
these New Testaments were already sent to our
Bible Correspondence Students living in Venezuela,
Colombia, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Argentina,
Peru, Spain, and Uruguay. From what we can
forecast, we will have a great need of Bibles and
all related to our Bible Correspondence
Courses.
Please help us pray
for:
A huge provision of Bibles and New
Testaments
Resources to have our lessons
printed
A suitable place where we can work and
help our many visitors
Have the required
strength to continue ministering for the Lord
Print, in Spanish, the book entitled “La
Iglesia del Nuevo Testamento,” --it is a must to
have in our mission fields,
churches,
and Christian organizations
A suitable 4x4
truck needed to visit our students living in rural
areas in the South part of Mexico
Second
printing of such books as “Nuestro Ayo”, “La
Biblia para Todos,” and “La Familia de Dios”.
My heart rejoices with gratitude to
experience how God is using us in His Field of
ministry. He is using us in marvelous
ways. You and I are part of God’s Team to
spread His Word. Isn’t this awesome?
In no other way can this be. I marvel at the
way God is using our ministry to take His Word to
the Hispanic world. We have reached such
countries as South Korea, Italy, Holland, Sweden,
and other. I did not even dream of reaching
such places some day! God is
Great!
Your servant and friend in Christ Jesus,
our Lord and Savior, Alfredo José
Aparicio
Monthly report for October
2005
Mission work: On 2, 7, 16,
23 October 2005, we had our usual religious
ceremony. On 16 October 2005, there were 5 young
people who came to join us worship God. They are
first year students at a university in Chiang
Mai.
Prison work: On 3
October 2005, we went to the prison for women in
Chiang Mai Province. I preached 2 Samuel 11-12:24
from the Bible. Every time that I preach at this
prison, I feel as if I were preaching in a big
church, the First Church, because there are many
prisons who believe in God. On that day, there
were more than 400 people who came to listen to
me. In the evening, we went to the Juvenile
Detention Center, girl department. We practiced
new songs, memorized the bible, and listened to
the life-witness of how one of our volunteers, who
is young, came to know Jesus the Lord. It was a
good saying.
On 4 October 2005, we woke up
early at 5 a.m. to travel to the prison in Phayao
Province. In the morning, we went to the men
department I taught the bible: John 10:22-41.
There was one person who started to believe in
God. In the afternoon, we went to women
department. I taught the bible: Galatians 6:1-10;
and our team presented a short play to explain my
teaching too. We spent the night in Chiang Rai.
On 5 October 2005, we went to the
Central Prison of Chiang Rai Province. In the
morning, we went to the women department. There
were 4 women who came to ask for my assistance in
taking care of their children who are now staying
with their relatives. There were 8 children whose
ages are ranging from 3 to 13 years old. They and
their husbands are all in prison so there are no
one to look after their children. In the
afternoon, we went to the men department. There
were about 200 prisons that came to join us to
worship God. There was one person who started to
believe in God.
On 6 October 2005, we went to the
prison in Teung. I taught the bible: Colissians
3:1-17. Our team presented a short play too. We
listened to the life-witness of how several people
came to know Jesus the Lord. I met a female
prisoner who told me that in two months she would
be released from the prison and she asked if we
could pray for her new life.
On 10 October 2005, my team and I
went to the Juvenile Detention Center. We brought
with us some CD to show them films. They had a
good time that day.
On 17 October 2005, we went to
the Juvenile Detention Center. We had lunch with
the children there. I knew one person who was so
worried about his case that he could not sleep at
nights. We prayed for him and I told him that
Jesus Christ loves him very much, so he should
hand all his worried to Jesus.
On 24 October 2005 We went to the
JuvenileDetention center again.
October was the month that we
received much blessing because we had the
opportunity to go visit many prisons. There is one
thing that the prisoners want to have and that is
the "Bible". I think that the Bible is a necessity
for the prisoners. May God’s richest and finest of
blessing be with you all who read this report and
pray for us always.
With Love in Jesus Christ,
Boonlerd
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