Monday, July 28, 2014

A message from The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis

Clergy training in Gambella

ST FRUMENTIUS’ COLLEGE TO OPEN IN JANUARY 2015

The Anglican Church in Ethiopia is growing. It is a great example of what God is doing throughout Africa. In 2000, we had 8 churches, now we have over 80. This growth is great news! However, much of this growth is numerical with little depth in the knowledge of the Word of God, and with few trained clergy.
The greatest needs of the Church in Ethiopia, and indeed in all Africa, is theological education, spiritual formation and leadership. In 2012, God sent the Rev. Dr. Grant LeMarquand to become the new Area Bishop for the Horn of Africa with a vision to meet the need by starting a school of theology.
Building upon our experience with the Alexandria School of Theology in Egypt, we decided to start two new campuses in Africa: St. Cyprian’s College in Tunisia and St. Frumentius’ College in Ethiopia. The main goal of these campuses is to form local leaders for the church through providing theological training and spiritual formation.
There are currently 16 clergy serving in 80 churches in Ethiopia, only one of whom has formal theological education. St. Frumentius’ Anglican Theological College will train existing clergy, and new lay and ordained leaders, who will be able to transform the church and address the spiritual and cultural challenges in society.
I believe that St. Frumentius’ College will transform the Church in the Horn of Africa, as we seek to develop a mature and fully indigenous church. I request your prayers for Bishop Grant and for the fulfillment of this vision.
For more information, please download the full proposal below:
or visit the website of the St. Frumentius’ College: http://frumentiuscollege.dioceseofegypt.org/
May the Lord bless you!
+ Mouneer

The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Bishop of Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt
with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
President Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican
Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East

bishopmouneer@gmail.com
www.dioceseofegypt.org

Thursday, July 24, 2014

The final blur....

Day 11 and Day 12. A blur, to be sure...

Yesterday, we looked as realistic versus unrealistic expectations from various angles: our own, our families, friends and others, that of our mission agency, that of the people we work with and the people we serve. We spoke about setting realistic boundaries to make sure we avoid getting stretched too far in all directions...methinks easier said than done. We also spoke about security concerns.

We spent some precious time reviewing our personal plans, timelines, and spiritual nurturing plans. We met with Ken, one of the ministry leaders here, and he helped us work through these three vital areas. He is such a wise and humble man...

Finally, the whole group shared thoughts, ideas, and resources.

Then we took a photograph of most of the group - some, for security purposes, did not want to be in the photograph.


Today...well after some final sessions, goodbyes, and lunch...we leave. We have a long road ahead of us. From here we need to get across the border so that we can mail my degrees and our marriage certificate to the Ethiopian Embassy for authentication. Thankfully, Louise does not have to apply for a visa as she already has a valid tourist visa, but I have to apply for a business visa.

And...today is Louise's birthday. First time in our lives together that I have had nothing to give her...sigh. But, as she says, we are making a round trip of the USA!

So, tahtah Canada. We will miss you, eh? And we will surely miss everyone we have met here, but who knows? A reunion in Cairo, perhaps?

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Transitioning and moving on in...

Day 10. Yikes!!!! Time is flying by...it seems like only yesterday that we arrived here and were welcomed by the Team who have worked tirelessly at making this time as meaningful as possible for a very diverse group of people...not to mention the amazing amount of time put into making this a memorable experience for the precious children attending with their parents. I think the children will look back on this time spent here with great fondness.

Today we looked at transition...we explored the various stages and identified the skills and tools needed to cope. The kids did a wonderful little skit illustrating what transitioning might look like for a family. Using chairs, blocks, and exercise balls, they created a bridge to represent the different stages of transitioning from settled in the home culture to settled in the host culture with all the chaos in between. It was encouraging for many to know that the chaos is both normal and temporary!

We also looked at the art of listening and how that effected relationships.

Stress and balance was examined from various angles and we identified stressors and symptoms of stress...very important things to be able to recognise early before any damage is done to either the individual, the community, or the church and/or the sending agency. Tough and rough going for just one morning!

FIELD TRIP! After lunch we visited...


This truly was an amazing experience as we heard from two very different individuals on what incarnational ministry meant to them...living with the people God has called them to love, even if that means living in the midst of poverty or crime or promiscuity or whatever.

After dinner, we attended a panel and group discussion on Missionary Kids or, as they called them, Third Culture Kids. This was an emotional evening for some of the parents as they heard first hand accounts of the ups and the downs of growing up as Pastor's or Missionaries' Kids. It think this was such an important part of the training for those who have children. I wish I had learned some of these lessons before going into the ministry myself!

I think what has impressed me the most of Mission PREP: iMPact is the broad nature of the topics they have included. No one, regardless of where they are in their walk with Jesus, or what their particular situation might be, or their destination, can leave here without being touched and taught.


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

A solar-powered speaker that doubles as a carrying case and low powered device charger

One of our fellow missionaries told me about this device:
http://megavoice.com/solar_case_speaker.html

They have a great library with many languages...http://megavoice.com/about_library.html


The Solar Case Speaker

A solar-powered speaker that doubles as a carrying case and low powered device charger
Solar Case Speaker OpenSolar Case Speaker with built-in amplifier helps your ministry reach more listeners when using MegaVoice Envoy Dual, Envoy Micro, Story Teller, and Diplomat audio players. CE-certified 3W Solar Case Speaker has a stylish, hard exterior and padded protective internal shell. Unit is powered by 5.5V solar panel that can charge a MegaVoice audio player or any other device that charges with low power USB. Mini and micro USB cables and a 30 pin iPod connector are included.
To increase audio levels, just plug connector cable into a MegaVoice player earbud jack. Turn the Solar Case Speaker power on and use audio player to adjust the volume. For safe storage or transportation, slip player behind stretching bands and zip the case closed. Comes with shoulder strap and carabiner clip.
Solar Case Speaker
General Information
» solar powered case speaker amplifier
» CE certified
» dimensions: 7 1⁄4” x 3 3⁄4” x 1 3⁄4”, 18.5 x 9.5 x 4.5 cm
» hard exterior black case provides durability
» padded interior adds protection for audio player
» black interior bands hold multiple sized players
» shoulder strap & carabiner clip
» under 11 ounces, 312 grams
Technical Information
» solar panel: 5.5V / 70mA 0.38W
» li-battery: 2000mAh
» DC input: 5.0V / 500mA
» DC output: 5.5V / 300 ~ 500mA
» material: EVA
» fully charged battery play time: more than 10 hours
» battery life time: 500 times (charge recycle)
» volume level in DB: 3W, 86DB
Visit us on Facebook

Respecting the Mosquito...

Taken from the Africa Geographic Blog:  http://africageographic.com/blog/respecting-mosquito/

Respecting the mosquito

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Nature is an incredible thing; I’m a big fan. It’s wonderful bursting through the bush, beholding shafts of light that descend from the heavens onto some fluffy whoseywhatsit that no one else bar you and a few other intrepid world travellers have ever got to see. But nothing will ever give you more awe, more respect and more brevity for nature than an animal that no one actually pays good money to willingly encounter.
I’m talking about the Mosquito.
The mighty mosquito has the ability to decimate nations, to kill us with a single slurp and not even blink twice (because they cant blink, they have no eye lids). The awful disease that they carry, malaria, infects some 247 million people worldwide each year, killing around one million that are unlucky enough to not have access to treatment. Having inhabited the earth for more than 100 million years, they live on almost every continent and habitat. Of the 3 500 named species of mosquito, only a couple of hundred bite or bother humans but those couple spread yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, Chikungunya virus and West Nile virus.
Small, annoying, itchy and deadly, they are the one wildlife encounter that will stay with you forever. They force you to experience a world beyond air conditioning, palm fringed beaches and sunset cocktails. They will forever alter the way you travel.
Facts about Malaria
Malaria areas:
All areas: Zambia, Gabon, Uganda, Togo, Sudan, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, CAR, Liberia , Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe , Djibouti, DRC, Ivory Coast,Congo, Comoros isalnds , Ghana, Gambia, Guinea , Eritrea , Equatorial Guinea.
South Africa: Low altitude areas of the Mpumalanga Province, Northern Province, and northeastern KwaZulu-Natal as far south as the Tugela River, Kruger National Park.
Zimbabwe: All areas except Harare and Bulawayo
Tunisia: Only imported cases
Tanzania: All areas at altitudes lower than 1 800 meters
Swaziland: Risk in lowelands
Kenya: All areas at altitudes lower than 2 500 meters; no risk in Nairobi
Namibia: Only northern parts- provinces of Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Caprivi, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, and Otjozondjupa.
Morocco: Limited to rural areas of Khouribga Province
Mauritius: Rural areas only
Chad: Mainly southern parts and Sudan
Egypt: El Fayoum Oasis area
Ethipoia: Border areas with Somalia and Djibouti and the city of Addis Ababa
How malaria works:
You are out on your holiday, drinking a sundowner and suddenly get zapped by a mozzie that is carrying the particular strain of malarial parasite (some strains are stronger than others.) After about 7 days you wake up in the middle of the night with uncomfortable chills, even though it is very hot and humid outside. You might even start having sweats with a slight upset stomach. The next morning you actually feel surprisingly fine, all the chills and fevers you felt the night before have petty much gone, you still feel tired and ‘flat’ in a way, but it does not seem as bad. The next night, as your red blood cells burst and release more parasites that have been incubating into the blood stream, all the symptoms return ten fold, and voila – you potentially have malaria.
Symptoms:
Headaches (like being hit in the head with a cricket bat), inexplicable fevers that disappear after 8-12 hours and then re-appear again, chills, flu-like feelings, aches in your joints, drowsiness, in some instances vomiting and an upset stomach.
Two kinds of malaria, P. vivax and P. ovale, can occur again (relapsing malaria). In P. vivax and P. ovale infections, some parasites can remain dormant in the liver for several months up to about 4 years after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. When these parasites come out of hibernation and begin invading red blood cells (“relapse”), you become sick.
Malaria prevention:
Having travelled in a lot of areas where malaria is a risk we are often asked what can be done to prevent malaria. We are not medical professionals so please take this advice as a travellers’ precautions.
  • Use malaria chemoprophylaxis which you can easily pick up from your local travel clinic. Doxycycline and Mefloquine are the two most popular. Be warned that some anti malarials will make you incredibly sensitive to the sun and, in the case of Mefloquine, can produce vivid nightmares and psychotic interludes.
  • If you are on a diving holiday check you will be able to dive on your particular brand of anti malarial.
  • Get some malaria test kits. You can find these at local travel clinics or in certain pharmacies. In most countries on the African continent we have very easily been able to go to a local pharmacy and get hold of a few test kits. We also always travel with coartem, which we start taking the minute we hit a positive test. You can pick them up cheaply in most local pharmacies outside of South Africa, but make sure you do not get generic copies of this drug, or the ones that comes as a once off treatment as they can be ineffective.
  • Know the symptoms. Even on anti-malarials you still run the chance of getting malaria, they are not fool-proof. We have had friends who had been taking incredibly expensive malaria tablets and still came down with malaria on their return to their home country. If you feel, even in the slightest, one of the symptoms, take the finger prick test. Take it again in 12 hours even if it is negative. And if you still don’t feel right get your butt to a doctor (tell them you have been to malaria area) and do a blood test or a more effective prick test to completely make sure.
  • So many people end up with the deadly forms of malaria because they brush off the initial symptoms as being “flu-like”. Both my husband and I have had malaria many times now (due to the nature of our work) but that does not mean we get over paranoid and isolate ourselves at the first sign of a sniffle. Millions of people easily travel, work and play in high-risk areas every day, but it is important to know the symptoms and dismiss nothing.
  • Sleep under the mosquito net with a fan on.
  • Cover up. Cover up everything. Wear long dresses/skirts that touch the ground or long pants that are made of strong cotton so the mosquito can’t get that painful little bite through your clothing. If it is too humid and hot, make sure any exposed skin is lathered with anti mosquito lotion. You can never use enough.
  • When you get back from your holiday make sure you pay close attention to your body for 7-12 days which is the incubation period for the malaria virus. After 7-12 days if you have not shown any symptoms, you should be in the clear.
  • Start stocking up on products that contain DEET. I know I might get into trouble for saying this next bit, but this is from years of testing and trying. Those bracelets with funny little buttons on them, citronella lotion, catnip and lavender are all lovely non-chemical options but so far in all my travels I have only ever met one person who had hand crafted an effective natural anti-mosquito spray. And that’s all well and good, but she had an intimate knowledge of herbs, and everyone else who didn’t was left covered in itchy bites from day one. Everyone can have a different skin reaction to different oils and chemicals, but so far I have never left home without my trusty container of Tabard, and for the very heavy-duty areas, Bushmans.
- See more at: http://africageographic.com/blog/respecting-mosquito/#sthash.mF1xbfrK.dpuf

Monday, July 21, 2014

Worship, Sex and Community...

Day 8 and Day 9.

Day 8. We attended "Little Trinity" Anglican Church on Sunday. (See here: http://littletrinity.org/) It was a marvelous experience! Not only was the worship vibrant and alive...not only was the sermon top notch and oh so very relevant...not only was the congregation very mission minded and actually aware of what is going on in the world - enough to include specific requests in the prayers for the people...not only were missionaries actually part of the congregation...but many knew Grant and Wendy personally and knew of the work we are going to be involved in in Gambela! Wonderful experience.

After the service, Louise and I walked around a bit with a new found friend, Shay Isaac who is from the area and could tell us more about what we were observing and what we ought to see if possible. After taking leave of Shay, Louise and I walked down to the Bay area and had lunch. We walked back a different way for the sake of seeing more. We ended the day by attending the service at our host church, Jarvis Street Baptist.



Day 9. Today was a jam packed day as we covered so much ground. We starting by talking about setting healthy boundaries in our relationships with others. Then we spoke about grief and loss and how to cope with such situations. And finally we looked at the topics of moral purity and community life.

As I said, we covered a lot of ground and the mood was more serious than it has been before. I think everyone of us can tell at least one story of how a lack of healthy boundaries led to a disastrous conclusion of someone's ministry and, unfortunately, often their families as well. Sexual sin is as old as time itself and the principles we learned today will go a long way in helping us make good decisions right from the start.

I must say that Mission Prep: iMPact has been one of the most practical course we have done so far. It does not shy away from addressing the elephant in the room either.

South Sudan Crisis - An Interview

South Sudan Crisis - An Interview



Saturday, July 19, 2014

From the other side...

As Louise and I were walking down King Street in Toronto, Canada, we bumped into two locals in period dress. After exchanging pleasantries and receiving a short history lesson, we were asked where we were from and how long we would be staying in Toronto. Having heard that we were to return to the United States, the young man replied, "Oh, the other side..." So, here we are writing to you from this side of the other side...




We are, quite literally, homeless at present - which made for an interesting conversation at the point of entry into Canada. Having left the flat we were renting since the sale of our home, we now no longer have a fixed place of residence in the US. It has really brought home the sense of being sojourners on this earth...not owners, but passers-through.

We are presently at Mission Prep: iMPact...a missions preparatory course which covers all sorts of topics relevant to people going into the foreign mission field. For more details on this course, please check out our day to day reports on our blogsite: http://missionsbloging.blogspot.ca/

Today was a particularly interesting day as we spent the morning in China Town as part of our cross cultural observation exercises. We were encouraged to find an object strange to us and to delay an attempt at interpretation and evaluation until we were well able to describe it in detail having asked all sorts of questions other than "why?". This will apply to anything observed in a foreign setting: describe, then interpret, then evaluate. Delaying interpretation until one truly understands what it is that one has observed helps to prevent coming to the wrong conclusions. Pretty neat, I think, and something we ought to apply even in non-foreign settings.

We will be leaving Toronto on Louise's birthday, July 24, and hopefully we will meet up with Larry and Tess Worley, dear friends of ours from Greenville, in Hamilton, ON. We plan to make it across the border before sunset though, as we need to send our passports and documents to the Ethiopian Embassy as soon as we are able. Please pray that we will be able to get this done on July 25 and sent away for our visas and the authentication of our relevant documents.

From there we will be driving on to Moline, IL to speak at Christ Church on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Then we will drive to Mt. Rushmore, to Yellowstone, and on to Portland, OR to visit with our youngest son and his wife. We plan to attend St. Matthews and Iona Anglican churches in the morning and afternoon respectively.

From Portland we will be driving to Mobile, AL, hopefully stopping at various churches along the way (although we have no confirmed visits as yet). We will be stopping with our oldest son and his wife and our grandson in Mobile and attending Holy Spirit Anglican Church that Sunday.

We will celebrate our grandsons' third birthday prior to leaving for Ethiopia from Atlanta by the end of August.

PRAISE REPORTS: 
1. We are now at about 65% of our monthly support.

2. The Jesus Film folks have agreed to grant us a set of film equipment for use in Gambela and beyond! We are so excited about this as the film will help with both evangelistic and discipleship efforts in the general area. They are also providing us with the film in most of the languages used in the Horn.

3. For a very blessed time at Mission Prep: iMPact. The friends we have made here will be friends for life, we are sure.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. For the remainder of our monthly support need. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will raise up the senders of the sent.

2. For the proper authentication of our documents and the issuing of our visas in a timely manner.

3. For a safe and uneventful trip around the US.

4. For the many goodbyes yet to come. I don't think we need to state the obvious. It will be difficult.

Thank you once again for your prayers and your support. We cannot do this without you!

Many blessings to one and all.

Johann and Louise

Staying alive, honeymoons, conflict, and hope...

Day 6. Today we had a doctor's visit...one with very good bedside manners and a great sense of humor! Proverbially speaking, of course.

Tim came to speak to us on the subject of staying healthy while on the field. For Louise and myself, this was probably the most important and informative session so far...indeed, it may prove to be so for everyone of us as only two families are going to non majority world countries. We were quite surprised then that it was crammed into a morning only and that it was delivered with such speed that adequate note taking was difficult. There were so many things we would have loved to have talked about at length with this very knowledgable doctor...

The afternoon session dealt with Barriers and Bridges to the Gospel, incarnational ministry and Gospel and Culture. Much of this was done interactively...discussion around the table, role play, and...my all time favorite (not)...skits.

To be perfectly honest, the doctor could have stayed and chewed the fat with us a lot longer...

We ended the evening with an Ethiopian meal and...yes, skits. The meal was magnificent and the skits were really funny and enjoyable. Each one dealt with different stages of missionary adaptation to the host culture...honeymoon, conflict, etc...and finally hope.

Hope. A good word with which to end this day. Ultimately, our health, our ministry, and our "success" on the field is in the hands of a sovereign and almighty God whose thoughts toward us are for good always and never for evil. To trust in that hope is the key to staying alive spiritually, mentally, emotional, and physically.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Suffering and team building...not necessarily in that order...

Day 5. We had a visiting instructor from Mali...which was perfect for the morning topic: Suffering. After learning two hymns from his people group we examined the reality of suffering first from the divine perspective - that our God is a God well acquainted with suffering. When He looked down upon the children of men and observed their sinfulness, it grieved Him...a grief displayed most vividly on the cross. We then looked at suffering from man's perspective and saw that ultimately suffering had a redemptive aspect to it when in the hands of God. It produces repentance and ultimately obedience, both of which are pleasing to God. The question that immediately came to my mind was: is my reaction to my own suffering pleasing to God?

We examined the subject of coping in and with suffering through prayer, faithfulness, and perseverance. As God alone knows when our suffering will end, we must learn to trust Him to take us through it. The instructor reminded us that there are basically three ways of dealing with suffering, namely engage it, flee from it, or avoid it and gave us biblical examples of how one person can respond in all three ways depending on the circumstances and not necessarily on personality. Peter and Paul were two great examples.

But in the end, I think, we must always remember that God alone is sovereign and suffering is His servant not His master or even His nemesis.

After lunch we spent time in our accountability groups (called Ebenezer Groups) and then examined the choppy seas of team work on the field. This was a very practical session involving lots of discussion and brainstorming, which was good as we all had different takes on what it takes to make up a good team. We looked at different personality styles as well as at cultural differences in communication, leadership styles, concept of time and so on. This was a wonderful time of pooling our resources of wisdom and experience and thinking through what we thought would be most important in maintaining cohesion in our respective future teams.

For us the number one principle would be to maintain a team focus on God's glory...the rest of the principles were all important, but would be of no consequence if God's glory was not our collective priority.

But that is true for all of life, eh?

Language, Islam, and Potatoes...

The end of Day Four. It has been an interesting day in many ways. The group has certainly become more cohesive and I think we are in the process of making some really good friends. The teaching is excellent, the food is good, the fellowship is sweet, but I think in years to come, we will all look back to this time with great fondness as we bring to mind names and faces of those we came to know at IMPACT.

We learned the principles of learning language today. We considered the difficulties in adult language learning, examined the ideal components of a good language learning program, investigated the advantages of learning like a child, and got to practice learning vocabulary (in Hindi) using objects and Total Physical Response.

We then looked at the World View of Islam. The instructor spoke on various tenets of the Islamic religion, various traditions and taboos that would have a negative impact on any Christian ministry to Muslims, and identified aspects of folk Islam. This in-class teaching was followed by a visit to a local mosque during the noon day time of prayer.  For many this was the first time inside a mosque, so we prayed earnestly before leaving the church and before entering the mosque.

We were received warmly and Imam Aslam was very courteous and friendly. However, it soon became obvious that he was purposefully putting on the best face of Islam and avoiding anything that might be construed as offensive. When the call to prayer was sounded, we were left alone to observe. As they prayed, so did I and I was deeply moved as I considered the men assembled before me.  So sincere, but so sincerely misled. The sense of lostness was so profound at one point that I found myself moved to tears. Ah, how the heart of the one true God must be breaking for them, I thought...and for a brief moment, He allowed me to feel that pain.

We returned to debrief and to discuss bridges and barriers...but I could not get the image of the men praying out of my mind. This is all they have. There is no relationship with their god...only their faith and their duty. There is no assurance of salvation...only an empty hope that their god will choose to be merciful in the end...but if, not...well, insha'Allah. Sad...profoundly sad.

We ended the day with a bit of mirth...well, actually a lot of it. Another image I don't think I will forget easily is that of grown men and women (and children, of course) trying to pick up a potato from off a chair and then carry it between their legs to a plastic receptacle on the other end of a small parking lot and to deposit the offensive looking object in it. The rest of the games were a piece of cake and in the end the children had a blast.

But now...it is time for rest and quiet.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Excellent resource!

Here is an excellent resource from cru: http://www.cru.org/training-and-growth/evangelism/perspective-cards.htm

Perspective: Spiritual Conversation Cards

An evangelism tool that uses worldview perspectives to open the door to the gospel.

By Rich Atkinson
image-perspective-cards-465x280
What is it?
  • A 2-part ministry tool: first, discover why they believe what they believe. Second, go more in depth with Continue the Conversation cards and explain about the good news of God’s love and forgiveness.
  • Contains a deck of 54 colorful cards.
  • A pocket-sized tool to engage people in spiritual conversations, understanding a person’s worldview.
  • Watch a video that explains more on Perspective's Facebook fan page.
How to use it?
  • Read Barry’s story of how he used it on a plane with David.
  • Ask their permission to engage in a spiritual conversation.
  • In part 1 of Perspective, you walk through 5 categories of spiritual questions. They choose the card that most reflects their view about the Nature of GodHuman NatureMeaning of LifeIdentity of Jesus and Source of Spiritual Truth. This part takes about 20 minutes.
  • Before continuing the conversation, ask for their permission again to keep talking.
  • In part 2, you explain the gospel and the Christian worldview by showing them what you believe and why. Go through the 5 categories of cards and show what represents your Christian worldview.
  • Then you ask them about their response with The Next Step cards. “What is the next step you want to take in your spiritual journey?”
Why use it for evangelism?
  • Provides a disarming approach to evangelism by focusing on the other person’s worldview perspective.
  • Abstract concepts are explained in a concrete and visual way.
  • Contains “meaty questions” that allows you to explain the gospel in a conversational way.
Why use it for mentoring?
  • Also useful as a mentoring tool to help believers have a more solid understanding of what they believe.
Where to get it:
  • Order the cards
  • Serving overseas? If you’re willing to field test it, e-mail Barry. There are downloadable versions available in German, Russian, Greek, French and Spanish (by permission only).  
What people think: 
“One of the guys I talked to was an exchange student from Paris. He grew up with a nominal education of Christianity, but had decided that God does not exist.  I was able to share my faith story with him. After that, I asked him if God did exist and it was possible to know Him, would he want to?  He said absolutely and I was able to give him one of the skeptic's prayer cards and challenge him to ask God to reveal Himself.  He said he was willing to do it. I really left that conversation a lot more encouraged than most conversations I have had with people professing to be atheists.” -Kris Hodges, Kennesaw State

 “The two guys I shared it with were new believers. They said it helped them understand what they believe and how clearly the Bible addresses things.  It could be a good tool not only for evangelism, but also for discipleship of new believers.” -Shane, Texas A&M University
“Jess, a student leader, and I went to our student center to try out Perspective.  It became clear really quickly that the two girls we shared with were Christians and one had even attended our meeting the night before.  As we continued the conversation we had a chance to hear their beliefs and they had the chance to see that sharing the gospel could be interactive and fun.  The night before we went sharing we were challenged at our weekly meeting to share our testimonies with 5 people in the next 2 weeks. By using Perspective it led Jess into an opportunity to share her story with the girls. As we walked away Jess was really glad she got to help me try out Perspective and wants one of her own.  I'm grateful for any tool that helps my students feel equipped and excited to share their faith.” -Londa, UW Eau Claire
 “I was able to share with a Christian who was really unsure about which cards were correct and, because of his poor theology, was able to share with him more accurately what a Christian believes. He was really thankful and grasped more fully what it meant to be accepted and forgiven by Christ.” -Blake, Purdue