... Women in Cults You see a woman clothed in black from head to foot, with only a slit revealing her sorrowful eyes. Seeing her, you think, “The religious culture this woman lives in obviously oppresses her.” But what about a woman who looks like the mother on The Brady Bunch? She could be your neighbor, a co-worker, your child’s teacher. And she belongs to one of the many cults that now populate our nation. She doesn’t look oppressed. But she is—because her religious culture demeans women and uses them. For example, her religion may teach her that her husband is a god… and she must obey his every whim. Or, she may be taught that it is God’s will that...

    She is… She is an outcast in her own country.  She faces death threats and persecution from the government.  She is a missionary whose sacrifice is great.  She has suffered much loss, pain, sadness and rejection, but yet she still serves the Lord.  Sister N. is a woman of determination.  She is not easily discouraged and will not give up.   After failing to become a “good Muslim” by becoming pregnant at the age of 15, Sister N. received 100 lashes and was thrown into prison.  During the 7th month of her pregnancy she began to have complications.  She begged the prison guards to take her to the hospital. ...

Greetings Ladies,I wanted to take this time to introduce you to a missionary that will be coming to share with us at Advancing Native Missions in March. There will be a Women's Brunch at ANM in the new addition on March 17th from 10:00am until noon. We will fellowship, have some snacks and hear Vanja Bule's story. Mark your calendars! This woman will be an encouragement to us all. Below is a short bio for your information. Meet Vanja BuleVanja was born and raised in Croatia on the border of Bosnia. Immediately following the Balkan War (1991 – 1995) at age 19 she began doing humanitarian work, and she moved to Bosnia permanently as a full-time missionary in 1997. Among other ministry...

        See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19   Dear Partners, Greetings from your family in Vellore. It is very hard to say or measure how much God blessed in 2011through this ministry. From my depth of my heart I would like to bring out my gratitude for the great contribution of your prayer, moral and financial support to reach for the unreached through this ministry. I am so encouraged and strengthen of your fellowship to work for the kingdom of God. We the children and family of REHOBOTH wish you all,                               Happy...

Beauty for Ashes: Two Weeks in India       It’s 5:30 in the morning and the first sounds we hear are birds chirping outside the window. And yet an even sweeter sound competes with the tranquility of the dawn of another day. It’s the sound of children’s voices lifted in songs praising the one true God, Jesus. What children rise at such an early time to praise, worship and pray? The 70 children of Rehoboth Home, an orphanage begun by Malliga Chandran and her husband.  On July 13th a team of 8 people from ANM came to minister and work with the children, teachers, staff and HIV widows there. I was part of that team.     Every day we are...

Dear friends, Greetings in Jesus name who said, “Let us go to the other side.” On October 1st, in the year, 1971, it pleased the Lord to save me while I was in the Indian Army, up in Kashmir. I was delivered from my sinful nature and I received heavenly peace that this world could not give. But soon my heart became restless at the thought that everyone around me was going to eternal hell. My heart cried for souls, and in the process, it became restless. My restless heart always reminded me of ‘others’, ‘others’, and 'others.’  So I witnessed to my fellow soldiers, officers who were coming to me every day to get their daily quota of ration...

She Makes a Difference...A Voice in South East AsiaMarlou Barredo and Susan*Note:  Susan's name has been changed to protect the ministry.Born of Muslim parents, Susan* was educated in a Muslim boarding school. One day her aunt, who was a Christian, asked her to come to church. When she went insidethe church, she had to remove her head covering. Through the move of the Holy Spirit,Susan eventually came to Christ. She left the boarding school and stayed with heraunt. Desiring to know more about God, she decided to go to Bible school and thereshe met her husband who was a member of the school's missionary staff. Her husbandwas from a Confucian background.Susan* and her husband started...

"By the grace of God, I will continue his work" God hears the prayers of a widow...    Manjula Mathew is truly a mighty woman of God.  Born into an Orthodox Hindu family, her family worshipped many idols.  In 1966, she married a Hindu man and two years later had a daughter.  There was always fighting in her home and she felt like she never had peace.  In 1970, her husband became very ill and required surgery.  His spleen was removed, but in the end he succomed to his illness, leaving his family in shock.  In June that year, Jesus appered to her in a dream and asked her to follow him.  However, she continued to worship idols.  A few years...

This is a brief note we received from P. G. Vargis, a very effective indigenous pastor and missionary leader in India.  This prayer request outlines the busy schedule of a native missionary, giving you a glimpse into his life.  Please pray for this busy brother...  (Editor) I need prayer... On [Jan.] 26th I am speaking to the para medical staff of Mumbai univeristy in the morning.  To the professors in the afternoon.  Subject:  family life.  Please pray. On the 27th - I am speaking to the 1000+ Senior High school students plus their parents in Ernakulam in the morning.  Subject: How to study.  In the evening and onwards I will be in different...

"Everything we do is started with prayer and we give God the glory for all He has done."  Malliga Chandran started the Rehoboth Home for Children as a refuge for orphans in India. Malliga and her husband work tirelessly to offer the children of Rehoboth Home safety, unconditional love, and a family.  Rehoboth Home for children is a place orphans can call home.  Each child is given an opportunity to learn about the love of Jesus Christ.  To hear the children sing of God's love in their broken English is truly remarkable in this community of Hindu worshipers.  Malliga's dream to spread the love of Jesus has grown into more than she could have imagined.  God...

International Women's Ministries will be exhibiting at a women's conference this weekend and would like your prayers.  Pray that we would touch hearts with the ministry and the message that the Lord has given us! ...

*Names have been changed to protect these native missionaries.   Juan and his wife, Vashti, are stationed in a remote jungle village of Peru. They have been there for three years now, laying groundwork for starting a church in the unreached tribe to which they are ministering. Through interaction with the people, they have learned more of the language and culture of this particular tribe.   Upon the request of the village chief, Juan has taken a job of school director while Vashti teaches kindergarten. Their efforts in education have won the respect of the village people. Hopefully, this will open their hearts to hear the Gospel message Juan and Vashti yearn to share.   When...

As missionaries flood in this fall, the opportunities for churches to host a missions conference continue to grow. Here's the list of upcoming conferences. If you're in the area, feel free to stop by and meet a missionary: October 1-3 - Higher Ground Fellowship, Bristol, VA October 22-24 - Covenant Presbyterian, Harrisonburg, VA November 10 - The Well, Johnson City, TN November 12-14 - Christian Fellowship, Holland, OH November 19-21 - Green Hill Church of the Brethren, Salisbury, MD Meet a missionary at any one of these churches or call the ANM offices to add your own church to that list. Dial 540-456-7111 and ask for Trisha or Debbie....

Noted Indian missionary leader P. R. Misra and his wife Anju are back in the States.  He travels extensively throughout the Indian subcontinent and in adjacent regions doing field work for ANM.  One focus of his ministry is overseeing the construction of church buildings.  This a joint effort between ANM and International Cooperating Ministries (ICM) of Virginia Beach, VA.  Rev. Misra has supervised the construction of hundreds of church facilities throughout India and Southeast Asia.  P. R. is ably assisted in his work by his constant companion, his wife Anju.  In addition to acting as a field representative for ANM, P. R. Misra also serves on the leadership...

Noted Indian missionary leader P. R. Misra and his wife Anju are back in the States.  He travels extensively throughout the Indian subcontinent and in adjacent regions doing field work for ANM.  One focus of his ministry is overseeing the construction of church buildings.  This a joint effort between ANM and International Cooperating Ministries (ICM) of Virginia Beach, VA.  Rev. Misra has supervised the construction of hundreds of church facilities throughout India and Southeast Asia.  P. R. is ably assisted in his work by his constant companion, his wife Anju.  In addition to acting as a field representative for ANM, P. R. Misra also serves on the leadership...

Put a face to the concept!  Native missions is not just an idea.  It is real men and women who are surrendering their lives for the sake of the Gospel.  It is these frontline warriors of the faith that ANM honors and advocates for.  They are our heroes. One of these heroes of the church is Niranjan Bardhan of India.  In this video you will meet Niranjan himself.  Then you will see more faces, the faces of the children of the world waiting to hear the Gospel and grow in Jesus.  As you watch, listen to the words to the song "When We Pray" written by one of ANM's staff members, Mindy Spurrier.  This song was written for the children's mission curriculum The...

Through Her Eyes...Hellen's Prayer Requests Meet Hellen Malande This letter recently came from a missionaries wife who is a leader in her own right.  Her desire is to equip women for success in ministry and the workforce, so women can be self sustaining.  IN HER OWN WORDS...Dear Autumn,   Kindly accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your mail.  I have been very busy a project for income generation for the family that I hardly remember to check mail or if I do most likely the network is unreliable and poor connection more so on the days when I travel with my husband which takes many hours on really bad roads.   Below is my response:   What...

Attention:  Because of the sensitive nature of this ministry names are not given.  If you want to know more about this ministry or want to contribute please contact Autumn Graves 540.456.7111 21st Aug 2010,Dear Prayer Partners.We left our house at 6 am on 16th August.  Two of our girls accompanied us to Jagdal where our church was celebrating 1st anniversary. We were late so my husband was driving the van fast and did not realize that the gas in the van was finished. Our van stopped in the middle of the road. We do not have AAA or any other way to get the gas. He hitchhiked and got half a gallon of gas to reach to the gas station. We reached Jagdal church before they started the...

Helping Wipe the Tears of a Sister in Bangladesh... Elizabeth carries on the work of her deceased husband.  The New Covenant Church is teaching adult literacy while sharing the gospel.  they are also teaching children to read and write.In Elizabeth's Words:    * As a Muslim country our women are always neglected in their family especially in village and rural areas in Bangladesh. They are always deceived from all kinds of advantage. That's why most of the women in village are illiterate and gets married before their maturity. For that reason, most of the time they die to born their first baby. So, it is our request, please pray so that they can get a minimum free education...

Do you know what you could do with $8? Listed below are things that we spend $8 on, sometimes on a regular or even daily basis: See a movie at the theater Get 2 specialty coffee drinks from your local coffee shop Buy 8 double cheeseburgers at most fast food restaurants Download an album Buy 2 pair of flip-flops Download applications on your phone Go miniature golfing Get a pizza Most of these items are luxuries that God has blessed us with. They are all great and can be useful to nourish us, fellowship with friends, protect our feet, etc. All can be used for our good, but oftentimes we take these luxuries for granted, or worse yet, treat them as necessities because they are at our...

The 10/40 Expedition is up and running! Churches all over the United States are making their plans. What I find most exciting about these expedition preparations is that these hardworking children's ministers are sharing their wonderful ideas with me. In the past few weeks, I have heard so many amazing suggestions that I feel should be shared with others who may be leading an expedition. I will try to keep these posts coming faithfully every Saturday, so be sure to check back in for the latest expedition news. Now for tip #1... As you may know, the most unique part of The 10/40 Expedition is the opportunity to have a native missionary come share with your kids. We've had several people...

The 10/40 Expedition: Quest for the Lost Window's first pilot church was a huge success. Kids enjoyed the Biblical dramas, the cultural crafts, and even the regional snacks, but it was rather obvious to see that the majority's favorite part of the experience was getting to meet a native missionary. Donald works with a ministry in Mexico that runs a large variety of outreaches - many having to do with drug prevention. They formed a soccer team with the intention of keeping kids away from drugs and off the streets. They hold yearly youth camps and run breakfast outreaches in a poor village among their many, many other outreaches. Donald came to the US to share...

Missionary Outpost is probably the key thing that makes The 10/40 Expedition: Quest for the Lost Window different from any other curriculum. While we take kids through the usual stations such as games, snacks, crafts, and a Bible story, Missionary Outpost is the heart of it all. If there wasn't Missionary Outpost, there would be no 10/40 Expedition. Missionary Outpost is the site where the kids get to explore the different regions of the 10/40 Window. It is here that they learn about the different countries and cultures and are told how native missionaries are reaching the lost people of the 10/40 Window. Your kids will learn fun facts about different areas...

This year some of our Native Missionaries have had the opportunity to visit a high school classroom. The following  thoughts are from the teacher on how it has impacted his class. Dear ANM, I wanted to write and let you know the impact you are having in my classroom.  I have the privilege of teaching an Intro to Missions and Evangelism course at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, VA. This is the second year the class has been taught and I couldn’t be happier with its outcome based on the partnership God has opened with your ministry. Debbie has done a wonderful job in scheduling your missionaries to come in and be guest speakers during my lectures. The experience for...

Those of you who have been hearing about “The 10/40 Expedition: Quest for the Lost Window” have probably posed the question: “Why missions?” Why is that the focus of this curriculum? Allow me to do what I do best and use a story to illustrate my answer… Once upon a time, there was a little girl. Let’s call her Alexa. Alexa was born into a family that supported native missions. She grew up hearing missionaries' stories that reminded her of the Bible stories about God’s miraculous provision. Alexa soaked in all that she heard about missions – especially when she was at missions conferences. The church she attended hosted these events once a year,...

A way for students to learn about native missions is to have a real live native missionary come to your church, youth group, club or school. This is a great way for students to learn about the country the missionary is from and the ministry they have in their own country. Students have the opportunity to ask questions about the things they have wondered about different parts of the world. It makes missions real to students. We have about 40 of our missionary leaders visit the US to share about their ministry....