Friday, August 31, 2007
day 5 - in rio
We left the hotel early this AM to head toward Rio to be closer to the airport. On the way, we stopped in a small coastal town and took a schooner ride for the day (really suffering for Jesus, huh?). We sailed off the coast around several small islands, had lunch on one of them, and arrived back about 6 hours later. It was a much needed time of relaxation after a rigorous week. Then we continued on to Rio and arrived just before 10PM. From what I was able to see at nighttime, it´s a huge city. Kinda strange to see a city that is a lot like New York City but located on the beach. We´re staying at a youth hostel downtown. Tomorrow, we´ll get to go to some shops and then get to see Christ the Redeemer, the famous statue overlooking the city that has recently become one of the new 7 wonders of the world. I´m looking forward to that. Then we fly out tomorrow evening, and I should arrive back in Raleigh a little after noon on Sunday. Thanks so much for your prayers during this entire campaign. They really made the difference.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
day 4 - last day in barra mansa
Today was full of follow-up visits. Our team had some great times of fellowship and discipleship as we sat down with new believers and worked through their first Bible study together. I don´t think I´ll ever get tired of doing that. And the best part is that the nationals were doing all the work. The church we´ve been working with is full of soul-winners, which is a tribute to their pastor, Gerson, who is a tremendous man of God with a huge heart for missions.
Tonight was a great time of celebration. We had our last evening service in which we celebrated what God has done this week. It was a sweet time of worship with many Brazilians who have become very dear to us. We had a time of singing and then testimonies from Leo and Carlos, 2 nationals who went visiting with us this week. I spent the entire week with Carlos and grew very close to him. He has an amazing testimony of how Christ took him from a life of anger and abuse that led him to prison to a life full of love and dedication to making the name of Jesus famous. After the testimonies, I preached from Heb. 12:1-2, encouraging them to continue running the race for the glory of Christ after we´re gone. Then we presented the pastor with the stack of names and addresses of all those individuals who had received Christ during the week so that he and the church could disciple them after we leave. There were many tears shed as we probably saw many of these precious people for the last time (this side of heaven).
For the week, all 4 of our teams were witness to nearly 1,800 Brazilians making professions of faith. 1,800? Some of you may be wondering if that´s even possible. One reason for such a high number is that many of the local schools let us into their classrooms to share the Cube and present the gospel. So were 1,800 people really born again into the family of God this week? Maybe, but I doubt it. "Profession of faith" means exactly what it sounds like - each individual professed that they had recognized their sinfulness and the fact that they couldn´t save themselves by their good works; confessed their sins to God; repented (turned) from their sins; and placed their faith and trust in Jesus, and Jesus alone, for eternal life. Was each profession genuine? Really, only God knows. I guess the true believers will be borne out by the fruit they produce (or fail to produce). This is what Jesus was talking about in the parable of the soils in Mark 4. As the gospel is cast like seed, it will fall on hearts in different conditions - some will fall on the path, some will fall on rocky soil, some will fall among thorns, and some will fall on good soil. Only that that falls on good soil will produce fruit. So it´s not up to us to try and determine who the people are who had "good soil" hearts - our responsibility is to cast the seed (share the gospel) and leave the results to God. His Word tells us that ultimately the true believers will "bear fruit in keeping with repentance." All we can count are professions, not salvations.
Tomorrow, we will leave in the AM for Rio de Janeiro to do a little sight-seeing. It´s a welcome respite. This week has been very fatiguing - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thanks so much to you who´ve been praying. I can´t imagine how exhausted we´d be without your prayer support.
Tonight was a great time of celebration. We had our last evening service in which we celebrated what God has done this week. It was a sweet time of worship with many Brazilians who have become very dear to us. We had a time of singing and then testimonies from Leo and Carlos, 2 nationals who went visiting with us this week. I spent the entire week with Carlos and grew very close to him. He has an amazing testimony of how Christ took him from a life of anger and abuse that led him to prison to a life full of love and dedication to making the name of Jesus famous. After the testimonies, I preached from Heb. 12:1-2, encouraging them to continue running the race for the glory of Christ after we´re gone. Then we presented the pastor with the stack of names and addresses of all those individuals who had received Christ during the week so that he and the church could disciple them after we leave. There were many tears shed as we probably saw many of these precious people for the last time (this side of heaven).
For the week, all 4 of our teams were witness to nearly 1,800 Brazilians making professions of faith. 1,800? Some of you may be wondering if that´s even possible. One reason for such a high number is that many of the local schools let us into their classrooms to share the Cube and present the gospel. So were 1,800 people really born again into the family of God this week? Maybe, but I doubt it. "Profession of faith" means exactly what it sounds like - each individual professed that they had recognized their sinfulness and the fact that they couldn´t save themselves by their good works; confessed their sins to God; repented (turned) from their sins; and placed their faith and trust in Jesus, and Jesus alone, for eternal life. Was each profession genuine? Really, only God knows. I guess the true believers will be borne out by the fruit they produce (or fail to produce). This is what Jesus was talking about in the parable of the soils in Mark 4. As the gospel is cast like seed, it will fall on hearts in different conditions - some will fall on the path, some will fall on rocky soil, some will fall among thorns, and some will fall on good soil. Only that that falls on good soil will produce fruit. So it´s not up to us to try and determine who the people are who had "good soil" hearts - our responsibility is to cast the seed (share the gospel) and leave the results to God. His Word tells us that ultimately the true believers will "bear fruit in keeping with repentance." All we can count are professions, not salvations.
Tomorrow, we will leave in the AM for Rio de Janeiro to do a little sight-seeing. It´s a welcome respite. This week has been very fatiguing - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thanks so much to you who´ve been praying. I can´t imagine how exhausted we´d be without your prayer support.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
day 3 - follow up
Discipleship visits. These are what I think distinguish e3´s trips from other ministries, and they really get me fired up. There´s nothing quite like sitting down with new believers and watching them search the Word of God for answers to Bible study questions. It thrills my heart. I believe that a lot of them probably attended our evening meeting tonight (I haven´t heard from the team since they haven´t returned as of this post). I wasn´t there because I was with approximately 20-25 English students in their class. I was told ahead of time that I could not share the gospel with them - apparently some Americans had visited their class a while ago, tried to bash them over the head with the gospel, and soured many students and teachers to Christianity. They asked me many questions on a variety of topics - family, job, Brazil, weather, movies, global warming, George Bush, music, war in Iraq, etc. While I couldn´t share the gospel, by the end of the night they knew what I did with e3 and that I definitely live life from a biblical worldview. Also due to how I said what I said and in honoring their request, I believe I helped repave the road for Americans to share the gospel with them in the future.
I don´t think I´ve done so yet, but I want to brag on my team this week. When each team gets to its mission point, it divides up into smaller groups of one American, one translator, and at least one national church member. For the past couple of days, I´ve been going out with Jarbas, a translator, and two nationals, Carlos and Gutierrez. Carlos has such a heart for missions. He is a prosthodontist (makes dentures) but has closed his business this week so he can go out evangelizing. His desire is to become a missionary to India. He has become a dear, dear brother to me. Gutierrez is a sweet old lady who is a prayer warrior and an inspiration to me. As I mentioned before, the goal is to train the nationals how to evangelize and disciple on their own so they can continue the work when we leave to go home. Today was a thing of beauty - I would begin with my personal testimony, Carlos would lead the individual through the tract, Jarbas would "cube ´em" (do the Evangecube presentation), and Gutierrez would close in a prayer of thanksgiving, also lifting up any needs the individual might have. As Jarbas said today, we operated like the "Dream Team." Again, I didn´t need to be there because the nationals in my group are capable of doing it all on their own, but I was privileged to serve with them.
We have one more day of follow-up visits tomorrow and then our last evening meeting. It is going to be a great celebration where we honor the nationals who´ve participated, present the pastor with the names and addresses of all the new believers, and praise God for all He did this week. I will be preaching the message, so PLEASE pray for me. Fatigue is beginning to set in among all the campaign team members. It´s been an awesome, yet tiring, week. I have photos and short video clips that I plan on posting when I get back. Boa noite (good night).
I don´t think I´ve done so yet, but I want to brag on my team this week. When each team gets to its mission point, it divides up into smaller groups of one American, one translator, and at least one national church member. For the past couple of days, I´ve been going out with Jarbas, a translator, and two nationals, Carlos and Gutierrez. Carlos has such a heart for missions. He is a prosthodontist (makes dentures) but has closed his business this week so he can go out evangelizing. His desire is to become a missionary to India. He has become a dear, dear brother to me. Gutierrez is a sweet old lady who is a prayer warrior and an inspiration to me. As I mentioned before, the goal is to train the nationals how to evangelize and disciple on their own so they can continue the work when we leave to go home. Today was a thing of beauty - I would begin with my personal testimony, Carlos would lead the individual through the tract, Jarbas would "cube ´em" (do the Evangecube presentation), and Gutierrez would close in a prayer of thanksgiving, also lifting up any needs the individual might have. As Jarbas said today, we operated like the "Dream Team." Again, I didn´t need to be there because the nationals in my group are capable of doing it all on their own, but I was privileged to serve with them.
We have one more day of follow-up visits tomorrow and then our last evening meeting. It is going to be a great celebration where we honor the nationals who´ve participated, present the pastor with the names and addresses of all the new believers, and praise God for all He did this week. I will be preaching the message, so PLEASE pray for me. Fatigue is beginning to set in among all the campaign team members. It´s been an awesome, yet tiring, week. I have photos and short video clips that I plan on posting when I get back. Boa noite (good night).
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
day 2 - back to the battlefield
Different day, same routine. After breakfast and meetings, we drove out to our mission point. Each team picked up where it left off and continued going door-to-door, house-to-house and sharing the gospel. It is such a joy to see the national church members take ownership of the evangelism process. After watching us conduct a few visits - giving our testimony, going through the tract, and using the Evangecube - the nationals were immediately ready to do it themselves. For every visit we made today except one, the nationals in my group did the entire gospel presentation while I stood there and silently prayed. On the one hand, I was feeling kinda useless on each visit, but on the other hand, I knew that this was the whole reason we came to Barra Mansa - to train the nationals how to win their country to Christ. Americans can certainly help, but the only way the gospel is going to reach the nations is for nationals to take it to their own people.
The evening meeting went well tonight. We had 48 people there, up from 32 the night before. Two members of our team went to an English class and hopefully had an opportunity to share the gospel (we haven´t heard back from them as of this post). It´s been confirmed that I will get to share with 3 English classes tomorrow. Our translator said that historically, the young people have tuned out Americans when they begin to speak about religious matters. Please pray that God will open their eyes and ears, and that He will speak clearly and effectively through me. Also be in prayer for tomorrow and Thursday. Tomorrow begins our discipleship emphasis. For the past 2 days, we´ve met with people, shared the gospel with them, and many of them have placed their faith in Christ. For the next 2 days, we´ll go back to their houses, teach them how to look up Bible verses, lead them in an elementary Bible study, and simply encourage them in their new journey with Jesus. It´s really cool stuff. Wish you could see it. Hopefully some of you can in future trips. ;)
The evening meeting went well tonight. We had 48 people there, up from 32 the night before. Two members of our team went to an English class and hopefully had an opportunity to share the gospel (we haven´t heard back from them as of this post). It´s been confirmed that I will get to share with 3 English classes tomorrow. Our translator said that historically, the young people have tuned out Americans when they begin to speak about religious matters. Please pray that God will open their eyes and ears, and that He will speak clearly and effectively through me. Also be in prayer for tomorrow and Thursday. Tomorrow begins our discipleship emphasis. For the past 2 days, we´ve met with people, shared the gospel with them, and many of them have placed their faith in Christ. For the next 2 days, we´ll go back to their houses, teach them how to look up Bible verses, lead them in an elementary Bible study, and simply encourage them in their new journey with Jesus. It´s really cool stuff. Wish you could see it. Hopefully some of you can in future trips. ;)
Monday, August 27, 2007
day 1 - on the field in barra mansa
We began the day with an early meeting and devotion (7AM). I was asked to bring the devotion for the team and felt led to share from 2 Cor. 12:9-10 since we have so many team members who are on their first mission trip.
After breakfast, we went to our mission site. Let me just say that we have an INCREDIBLE group of nationals to work with. Their pastor, whom they greatly respect, is all about evangelism and missions, and he has trained them to be focused on winning the lost. The mission point we are operating from is a church that was planted by the mother church less than 2 weeks ago. The mother church has planted a total of 3 churches throughout the state of Rio de Janeiro while it continues to grow itself (It is possible to do both!).
Today, our team of 5 Americans, along with translators and nationals, divided up and began going door-to-door in the district of Vila Nova. At the end of the day, we shared the gospel with approximately 20 people. Out of that number, 16 of them placed their faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation, realizing that what they were trusting in to get to heaven couldn´t get them there. Overall, our entire campaign team was party to approximately 50-60 people who were "born again" into the Kingdom of God! Not a bad first day, huh? All glory to God! At the evening meeting, there were about 32 people at the new church, and we had a great time of music, teaching, and fellowship.
Tomorrow, we´ll go back to Vila Nova and pick up where we left off. It´s extremely hot, but not nearly as humid as it was back in NC. Seeing the resolve of the nationals in reaching their countrymen and women is really inspiring and keeps us from focusing on our circumstances. One specific prayer request - we have a unique opportunity to share the gospel on Tuesday and Wednesday. Two of our translators are teachers, and they teach English to kids, teens, and adults. The translators/teachers have asked us to come to their classes and field questions from the students. We´ll also have an opportunity to tell them about ourselves and what we do (wink, wink). On Tuesday evening, 2 folks from my team are going to go to one of these classes, and on Wednesday, I´m going to go to the other (which will actually be 3 classes coming together). I´m pretty sure that we will get to use the Evangecube to share the gospel with them. Pray that all will work out for us to do so. Thanks so much for your prayers. Please lift up a special prayer for my brother-in-law, Martin, whose mother just passed away and for his family. PTL that she had a saving relationship with Christ.
After breakfast, we went to our mission site. Let me just say that we have an INCREDIBLE group of nationals to work with. Their pastor, whom they greatly respect, is all about evangelism and missions, and he has trained them to be focused on winning the lost. The mission point we are operating from is a church that was planted by the mother church less than 2 weeks ago. The mother church has planted a total of 3 churches throughout the state of Rio de Janeiro while it continues to grow itself (It is possible to do both!).
Today, our team of 5 Americans, along with translators and nationals, divided up and began going door-to-door in the district of Vila Nova. At the end of the day, we shared the gospel with approximately 20 people. Out of that number, 16 of them placed their faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation, realizing that what they were trusting in to get to heaven couldn´t get them there. Overall, our entire campaign team was party to approximately 50-60 people who were "born again" into the Kingdom of God! Not a bad first day, huh? All glory to God! At the evening meeting, there were about 32 people at the new church, and we had a great time of music, teaching, and fellowship.
Tomorrow, we´ll go back to Vila Nova and pick up where we left off. It´s extremely hot, but not nearly as humid as it was back in NC. Seeing the resolve of the nationals in reaching their countrymen and women is really inspiring and keeps us from focusing on our circumstances. One specific prayer request - we have a unique opportunity to share the gospel on Tuesday and Wednesday. Two of our translators are teachers, and they teach English to kids, teens, and adults. The translators/teachers have asked us to come to their classes and field questions from the students. We´ll also have an opportunity to tell them about ourselves and what we do (wink, wink). On Tuesday evening, 2 folks from my team are going to go to one of these classes, and on Wednesday, I´m going to go to the other (which will actually be 3 classes coming together). I´m pretty sure that we will get to use the Evangecube to share the gospel with them. Pray that all will work out for us to do so. Thanks so much for your prayers. Please lift up a special prayer for my brother-in-law, Martin, whose mother just passed away and for his family. PTL that she had a saving relationship with Christ.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
sunday in barra mansa
As I mentioned in an email to my prayer team, we arrived safely in Rio de Janeiro at around 9AM on Saturday after traveling through the night. We spent the remainder of Saturday catching up on some rest and eating.
After getting some much-needed sleep last night, our team had an awesome time of worship with the congregation of Central Baptist Church in Barra Mansa. The music was great, but the preaching was not-so-great (I had the privilege of preaching this morning). I preached from Luke 15, and using Jesus´ parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, I focused the message on God´s love and pursuit of the lost. After the service, the church provided lunch for us. After a day and a half, I already know that I love Brazilian food. So far, it loves me, too.
After coming back to our hotel to rest a bit after lunch, we went out to the mission point, a church that was just planted last week by CBC. We spent an hour prayer-walking around this poor section of town, praying for a fruitful harvest this week. Then we came back to the hotel, ate at a restaurant across the street, and got back in the car to go back to CBC for a youth worship service. The music and the preaching were dynamic.
Tomorrow, all 4 of our teams (we divided our group into 4 teams that will minister at 4 different locations) will go to our particular mission points and begin going door-to-door with the gospel. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us to those homes and hearts that He has already prepared for visits. Also pray that Satan and his demons won´t win any victories this week. I can feel the prayer support.
After getting some much-needed sleep last night, our team had an awesome time of worship with the congregation of Central Baptist Church in Barra Mansa. The music was great, but the preaching was not-so-great (I had the privilege of preaching this morning). I preached from Luke 15, and using Jesus´ parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, I focused the message on God´s love and pursuit of the lost. After the service, the church provided lunch for us. After a day and a half, I already know that I love Brazilian food. So far, it loves me, too.
After coming back to our hotel to rest a bit after lunch, we went out to the mission point, a church that was just planted last week by CBC. We spent an hour prayer-walking around this poor section of town, praying for a fruitful harvest this week. Then we came back to the hotel, ate at a restaurant across the street, and got back in the car to go back to CBC for a youth worship service. The music and the preaching were dynamic.
Tomorrow, all 4 of our teams (we divided our group into 4 teams that will minister at 4 different locations) will go to our particular mission points and begin going door-to-door with the gospel. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us to those homes and hearts that He has already prepared for visits. Also pray that Satan and his demons won´t win any victories this week. I can feel the prayer support.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
wanted: prayer warriors
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working . - Ja. 5:16b (ESV) The Bible abounds with verses like this one that highlights the importance and effectiveness of prayer. While I don't claim to understand all of the dynamics of prayer (i.e., how its effectiveness squares with the sovereignty and will of God), I firmly believe that prayer is vitally necessary in the life of every believer. It is also indispensible as it relates to missions.
If you would like to join the prayer force that undergirds our e3 ministry, we would be honored for you to do so. Just simply send a blank email to join-jaskiprayerteam@lists.e3partners.org. I'll periodically send out prayer requests relating to the various campaigns I'm involved in and let you know specific prayer needs of the team, the nationals, our family, and more. I also invite you to email me with prayer requests that you may have. If we can pray with you on anything, please let me know at tom.jaski@e3partners.org.
first 2 trips on the calendar
As part of my training to be a CP (church planter), I'm required to take 2 training trips under an experienced CP. On these trips, I'm given more responsibilities than the rest of the campaigners - before, during, and after the campaign. After taking these 2 training trips, I'll then able to plan and lead trips of my own in 2008 and beyond.My first training trip is coming up at the end of August. Our team will be travelling to the town of Barra Mansa, Brazil which is a city of about 150,000 people and is located in southern Brazil, just west of Rio de Janeiro. It's a Portuguese-speaking country and has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world. Please pray for the team, the people of Barra Mansa, and for the Spirit of God to work in an awesome way through this campaign.
The day after Thanksgiving, I'll be leaving on my second training trip, this time to Kerala, India. Located in southern India, Kerala has had some exposure to the gospel in its southern region but the northern region is dominated by Hinduism and animism. FYI, there are still a few openings on this campaign, so if you are interested in joining us on the Kerala campaign, either let me know or fill out an online application at http://www.e3partners.org/. Without having been there, I feel confident in guaranteeing that it will be a life-changing experience.
Come join us, and see what God is doing around the world!
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