February 1st, 2024, 9:45 am
I recently visited one of my projects in S.E. Asia to see firsthand how my workers are involved in ministry. While visiting the Tirado family, Eric told me how he was engaging in Discover Bible Studies (DBS). The idea is to lead people in a Bible study but not tell them the answers. The person studying the Bible needs to discover what it says by the instruction of the Holy Spirit through prayer and study.
There is a local SDA missionary who lives about an hour and a half from the team. He does not work for AFM or the General Conference. He is an independent worker who has felt the Lord calling him to minister to his people. Eric started teaching him how to use the DBS method to instruct others on how to study the Bible. This local missionary has felt the Lord calling him to prison ministry and has been sharing at a local prison for quite some time now.
I say local because he rides his motorbike there every day to teach the prisoners about Jesus, but most people would not identify the distance he travels as local. He gets up early in the morning and travels 60 kilometers (37 miles) each way on his motorbike. Most people ride at about 20-30 kilometers per hour (13-19 mph), so you can imagine his riding for about two hours each way to do Bible studies with the prisoners. He holds a church service for the prisoners on Sabbath, so unless he has an appointment somewhere else, he is at the prison seven days a week.
This young man began telling me how he takes what he learns in his studies with Eric and shares it with the prisoners. It has made a tremendous difference in their understanding and participation. He has started several study groups in the prison, teaching and mentoring the inmates to lead the studies. Now, he only leads one group.
In January, 32 prisoners were baptized as a result of these Bible studies. Another prisoner, released in January, is deciding whether to be baptized before his release or to have the missionary baptize him in his village as a testimony of how God changes lives.
Please continue to pray for our workers on the front lines, that God leads them in their connections and studies with others and that more will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Pray also for this young man and his prison ministry. May many be set free in Jesus while living behind bars.
Thank you for your prayers and continued financial support as I supervise, mentor, and instruct workers under my care around the world. God is moving in mighty ways. One day soon, we will have the privilege of meeting each person in God’s kingdom because of your dedication to prayer and support. May that day come soon.