September 2020 Global Report
A child healed – A family transformed – A new fellowship planted –
Anika was gravely ill with horrendous stomach pain.
The neighborhood was on lockdown — 11-year-old Anika’s family was poor and might not have been able to afford to take her to a doctor anyway.
They were Muslims in a nation with one of the world’s largest Muslim populations … but their neighbors were Christians. Their church is a OneHope partner church, and the pastor was relying on digital programming to minister to his congregation.
Our Family Altar program is part of a comprehensive house-church planting program that’s perfect for limited access areas where Christians may be persecuted and consists of digital Bible studies and video links for children and adults. The pastor has been emailing these to parishioners during the lockdown.
One day the Christians next door shared the links to these resources with Anika’s family. They watched together … and invited their Christian friends to pray with them, especially to pray for Anika’s healing.
Anika’s parents were amazed when their daughter was healed from her stomach pain!
Today, Anika and her family are following Jesus and worshiping in a new house church that has formed in their neighbors’ home!
What will you do with 940 weeks?
by President Rob Hoskins
From the day a child is born until they turn 18, there are about 940 weeks. When they’re little, the days seem long, but as they grow, time seems to speed up. Our influence as parents changes with the passing of each week.
In Matthew 6:21 (NIV), we are told that “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We are ultimately responsible for our children and as their transportation directors, where they spend their time.
We recently partnered with Barna to conduct a study called Guiding Children: To Discover the Bible, Navigate Technology, and Follow Jesus. This study researched the major factors influencing the spiritual growth of a child during the formative ages of 6 to 12 years old. We found that where a child and family spend their time plays a major role in determining the child’s future.
The importance of spending time in Church, God’s Word, worship, and service together became crystal clear as we began to sift through the results of our study.
Every morning, I wake up and ask God what He would have me do today. Many mornings, I’m moved to pray for the spiritual mothers and fathers attempting to raise up sons and daughters who have a deep faith.
We are facing the most incredibly complex shift in our culture the world has ever experienced, but our God is not the God of the impossible; He’s the God of the inevitable. With His help, we have a guidebook to raise up the next generation strong in the Word, strong in their faith, and able to withstand anything the world throws at them.
He received the Book of Hope a lifetime ago … and nothing has ever been the same!
He was a fifth grader. In his home nation of Taiwan, school was important — all of the students tried hard to be the best in the class. Anything that could give them an edge was something that interested everyone!
Jianmin didn’t know if the Book of Hope could help him in school, but he loved the stories in the book you sent for him. It was the first time in his life he ever read the Creation story from the Bible. Before, he had no idea about God who created the heavens and the earth.
It was amazing to learn that he wasn’t here by chance — but that God had created this world, and created him, too. The Book of Hope opened Jianmin’s eyes to the Gospel story. He had so many questions … about a year later, he decided to go to church and find out more about Jesus.
Jianmin chose to follow Christ as Savior!
Now, he’s a college freshman. Last year at Easter, he was volunteering at a children’s ministry and met up with OneHope partners distributing the Book of Hope. He was so excited to see it and happily told the team, “I had this book in 5th grade!”
Today, Jianmin helps distribute the Book of Hope to others, and his testimony of how it changed his life makes a big impression. Thanks for sending God’s Word to show him the way to new life in Christ … now he’s showing the way to others!
OneHope digital programs blanketing the earth
The lockdown has opened the floodgates for digital ministry as millions of young people turn to apps and online content they can access from home. Our digital programs are showing an increased number of users — between the first and second quarter of this year …
What If It’s True? — +58.3%
Across every nation where What If It’s True? is available — from the Middle East to Southern Asia — the program’s outreach more than doubled between the first and second quarters of 2020!
Gen Z – today’s connected teens
Gen Z includes young people born from 1996 to 2015 or so — and our research on today’s teenagers yields a lot of important information for connecting them with God’s Word…
Gen Z is a generation of digital natives who have grown up utilizing computers, tablets, and smartphones. This group thrives online … and by God’s grace and through the support of friends like you, we’re extending the words of life to them through digital Scripture engagement programs.
The Kids Bible Experience Update: New digital program for pre-teens is making an impact!
Already we’re seeing a great response to the brand-new Kids Bible Experience digital program released in partnership with YouVersion.
You may already be using the YouVersion App yourself — and now you can find the Kids Bible Experience inside your app.
- Available now in English, it provides engaging, practical tips into how pre-teens can apply God’s Word in their lives.
- As they’re enjoying fresh, relevant content each day, this new experience will help them discover their own daily rhythm of seeking God.
- It is friendly and inviting and offers relevant insights from voices they relate to today.
- Each day’s presentation includes a simple question to help kids reflect on what they’ve learned.
- There are daily Bible verses to help them frame their worldview in the light of God’s Word.
We pushed to get this program out earlier than expected to help pre-teens discover the power of God’s Word at a critical time, and we’re receiving a wonderful response. Be sure to download the update on your YouVersion app and enable the Kids Bible Experience today.
NATION BY NATION
MADAGASCAR — The Family Pack deployed during the pandemic
Our Madagascar leadership team knew they had to think outside the box to continue reaching the next generation with God’s word during the lockdown. They knew whole families were isolated at home, and brainstormed a way to give them something constructive to do together: the Family Pack.
This set of OneHope Scripture programs could encourage parents and grandparents to engage with Scripture alongside children and youth. Each pack includes The GodMan DVD, the illustrated cards (and leader’s DVD) for God’s Big Story, the special-edition Book of Hope called Hope for Kids (along with a leader’s DVD), a DVD with children’s Christian songs, and more.
Churches began requesting the Family Pack for the families in their congregations, and now they’re being offered on the radio for families to request themselves! We’re excited to see how this new innovation transforms young lives.
Mexico
Cape Verde
Philippines
Malawi
God’s Word. Every Child.
Jesus came to his rescue and stopped the nightmares!
Danny’s life had been hard. His dad left when he was only a baby. His mom struggled to provide for him and his sisters, and the economy in Venezuela, even before this year, was dreadful.
As soon as Danny and his sisters were old enough, they went to work cleaning houses to help put food on the table.
Then the nightmares began. Night after night, Danny felt fearful, alone. The worst and most frequent nightmare: he felt he was being hanged and would wake up struggling for life and breath. He was only 11 years old.
Our local OneHope partner, Pastor Jeremy, invited Danny and his sisters to a Bible Club in his home. They received the Book of Hope and began watching The GodMan film … and things began to change for Danny.
He saw a Savior who loved him, and who had powers over forces of darkness. Danny decided to give his life to Christ — and he was determined, if he began having another nightmare, simply to call out to his new friend, Jesus.
But amazingly, once he knew Christ as Savior, he didn’t have another nightmare!
Two weeks after Danny and his sisters began attending the Bible Club, Pastor Jeremy visited their home and invited their mother to come to church, too. Today, the whole family is attending church together and following Jesus.
