May 2002

Welcome to the IMB Collegiate eNewsletter for May 2002! This will be the final eNewsletter of 2001-2002 school year. We'll be back in September.
This eNewsletter follows up with several of the People Groups highlighted over the past school year.
What's Inside:
People Group follow-ups, Prayer Points, Day of Prayer info, Mission Projects, Urgent Project Request, God's Heart for the Nations Bible study

Unreached People Group (UPG) follow-up:

The Marense [Mah-rahn-say] of West Africa (from November 2001)

Project info at www.thetask.org/students/Projects/Default.htm

To apply for this project, go to www.thetask.org/students/Apply/default.htm

The Uzbek [Ooz-bek] of Uzbekistan & Central Asia (from early February 2002)

"One exciting praise is that families we have spent time with continue to seek Him through the Word, and are waiting for others to come and teach them," a worker from the field writes. "We have also been blessed while in the U.S. to have a growing interest among churches, and we have added three new units to our team that will reach out to the Southern Uzbeks. We are continuing to focus on mobilizing Central Asian believers to reach the peoples of that country. Believe it or not, God has really used the September 11th event to open the eyes of the Global Church to the needs of the peoples of this country. In the midst of all of the destruction and fighting, He is doing His work, and opportunities exist like never before to reach Uzbeks! Please keep praying for us as we bring God's word to these people."

The Yemenis [Yeh-men-eez] of Yemen (from late February 2002)

"We felt the power of the prayers being lifted up during the World Week of Prayer for Yemen in February," a worker from the field writes. "Workers from around Yemen reported results from your prayers: believers who had fallen away were reinitiating contact; a cell group that had fallen apart is beginning to come together again. We also wanted to share with you what we experienced."

"While hanging out the laundry one day, two women from my neighborhood whom I did not know came to invite me for a morning visit. During the visit, a neighborly bond was formed. This visit happened before the week of prayer, but during the week, one of the women invited me over again. While visiting, I saw a picture of the Kaba, the black stone in Mecca, Saudi Arabia which Muslims believe to be holy. She told me that if any Muslim touches the Kaba, they are insured entrance into paradise because they will then be without sin. This is not orthodox Islam and you won't find this belief in their holy book. Her statement led to a conversation about human sin and I shared how God looks at our hearts. Then I shared about God's way of forgiving sin from the Old Testament sacrifices to Christ. I was able to share that Christ was the final, perfect sacrifice, and He was the only way to forgiveness. She repeatedly said, "This is right!" as I was speaking. God had prepared her heart to hear things that she had never before heard, yet rang true in her ears. Only the Spirit can do this, and this is a result of prayer. So thank you! We feel very strongly that you are our team members, just doing the work from over there. Please keep on praying!"

The Banjar [Bahn-jar] of Southeast Asia (from March 2002)

Since March, the team working in Southeast Asia has been installing water purification systems in various villages. Volunteers can come out and stay in a village for 3 to 4 nights to help install the system and to "bond " with the families. "The water purification system is a great opportunity for someone with chemical engineering or environmental science background to come alongside and provide expertise," a Christian worker writes. "Also, we still need help with the radio work. We are now on the air twice a week in 10 different cities and need to expand to 18. We currently have 4 staff workers from Southeast Asia (2 field workers and 2 studio workers.) We are looking for someone with experience using Cool Edit Pro software and experience in program scripting. We have our new equipment and are now working toward field recording equipment using MP3 players and mini-cd players. So, thank you for your prayers! The need here is great and we still need more workers to share the load. These fields are not yet ready for harvest, but they need a lot of tilling and planting!"

For more information about these people groups, go to: www.ksafe.com/profiles/home.html and search by the people group name.

Prayer Points:

• Pray that God will give the Marense people who have accepted Christ boldness in sharing their faith with family and friends.
• Pray that God will give the Marense people who have accepted Christ strength in following the Christian walk.
• Pray for the team in Uzbekistan and Central Asia as they will be returning to the field by the end of the summer.
• Pray for safety and for God to bring key people into lives that HE will use to establish His church and true peace in Uzbekistan and Central Asia.
• Pray for the light to pierce the darkness in Yemen and that the multitudes will come to Him.
• Pray specifically that two ladies in the Yemeni story (above) would hear more stories about Christ and that the Spirit will reveal the Truth to them.
• Pray that the Banjar people would respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit during radio broadcasts of the prophet stories to write in a become fan club members.
• Pray for Guru Ijai [Ee-ja-ee] during the last days of his life. He is the spiritual and cultural leader of the 3 million Banjar people and he reportedly is close to death from a long illness.
• Pray that he will repent in time to be a testimony to the cleansing power of the Savior's blood.
• Pray for an updated translation of the Jesus Film to be completed in the Banjar language. The first attempt was not well received by the Banjar people, so a second attempt is currently under way that will use translators more familiar with the language.

Day of Prayer: Sunday, May 19th

Project List

Details on all the projects below are available at www.thetask.org/students on the "mission projects" link.

Check out other projects at www.thetask.org/students/projects

Students still needed in Mexico!!

• Project #48921: We need 10-15 students to spend fall semester in Guadalajara with Rick Jenkins. Must have good experience in a local university ministry to participate in evangelism and discipleship on campuses in Guadalajara and in local churches. The goal is to create a distinct movement of student evangelism in Guadalajara and surrounding campuses.
  Dates: 9/12/02 - 12/12/02; Cost: $2070.00
  

More info about these projects at www.thetask.org/students/projects
To apply for these or any other projects, go to www.thetask.org/students/apply

Bible study: Defeating the Giants in the Land (Numbers 13, Joshua 1)

By Felicity Burrow

The "Giants in the Land Syndrome" has plagued God's people at least since the time of Moses. "We can't do that! No way. They're bigger, stronger, and better looking than we are," the Israelites grumbled (well, kind of). God had already told Moses that He planned to give the Promised Land to the Israelites, but they weren't about to finalize the deal because of the "giants" already in residence. In essence, they believed their eyes more than they believed God.

What has God asked you to do this summer? Perhaps your summer plans are "bigger" than you. You probably won't have to conquer any people in order to take over their land, but what is your mission? Do you see "giants in the land who could keep you from completing your mission? How do your abilities look as you scope out the situation? Are you a grasshopper in your own eyes?

Remember, though, that God had already determined who would win the battle for the Promised Land - He and His people would win and, by default. Just before going into the Promised Land, God said to Joshua, the Israelites new leader, ". . . I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1)." Joshua and the Israelites believed God and obeyed Him. In turn, God encouraged them and gave them the victory. Wherever God leads you to tell of his glory this summer, know that He has sent you and He will go with you. Do not be terrified; do be courageous. The Lord your God has sent you and He will go with you wherever you go.