My blog last week described a divine encounter in the ER while I was searching for my faith. Now that I know Jesus, when I see suffering, whether on the mission field with Teach To Transform or in the ER, I try to look through the eyes of Jesus.

I have been blessed to work with hundreds of nurses who face the most demanding and stressful environment you could imagine. They are first to admit they are not perfect, but their compassion and love for their patients continue to inspire me.

They are a picture of Christ to me.

I am going to share the story of an ER shift where I saw three critical patients within one hour, and you will see why I felt the presence of Christ.

Who is Jesus …Do You Know Him?

The scripture in Daniel 3:12-30 helps when I must give devastating news to patients and their families. The Bible story tells of three young men whose faith would not be compromised, even with the threat of being thrown into a fire. After they were in the fiery furnace, they were seen with a fourth man looking like a “Son of God.” They survived the fire and had a great testimony of faith.

When I pray with patients, this scripture shows three possible outcomes. The first is that we pray for a miracle. God saves us from the flames, and the cancer is miraculously gone. The second option is to be thrown into a fire. Your cancer requires chemotherapy, your recovery program for addiction, you lose your job, but Christ walks in the heat with us.  We come through with a great testimony of faith. The third is that the Lord brings you home to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Do you Know Him?

The first patient developed a headache and collapsed at home. The family called for help and she was airlifted to our hospital. Once I saw her lifeless body on the gurney with a dilated pupil, I knew it was going to be devastating news. My fear was confirmed when I saw the CT scan consistent with a ruptured brain aneurysm.

We notified the Neurosurgeon, and he spoke to the family. He was direct and truthful with the expectation that she would not survive. I felt the Lord leading me to pray for the family, but when I walked into the room, I saw a humbling sight. The family was holding hands around the bed with two of them actually on their knees praying. Jesus was already at the bedside. As I became overwhelmed with His presence, I knew Jesus was going to take her home to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Before I had a chance to compose myself, I was immediately called to the next patient. I found his wife sitting at the bedside with her 47-year-old husband who was extremely short of breath. He was growing more lethargic by the minute, and I had to put a tube in his throat to help him breathe. She quietly watched as we became more and more invasive with each procedure trying to stabilize him, but he continued to deteriorate. I took her by the hand and ask if I could pray with her as tears began streaming down her face.

The intensive care specialist arrived in the room and assessed the situation. He then turned and gave her the news that he would probably not survive and requested that she make her husband a “Do Not Resuscitate.”  She was not going to compromise her faith and trust in Christ as she refused the recommendation.

I saw the face of Jesus… in the love of her husband.

He was transferred to the ICU, and he did indeed go through the fiery furnace with a painful hospital course. Christ was with the family in the blaze, and one week later he was discharged with a great testimony of faith.

My next patient was a man who was unresponsive in the front seat of his car. We pulled him from the car and began treating him. He slowly responded, and I quietly thanked the Lord for the blessing of a patient cured for his glory. The amazing healing power of Jesus in the ER.

A group of nurses requested that I come to the desk. I thought to myself, Lord help me. I need your strength and composure before I treat the next patient. To my relief, they did not call me to treat another critical patient, but they asked me to pray for the ER staff as they were overwhelmed by what had happened over the last hour. Humbled by their request, I saw Jesus in their eyes as we surrendered the ER to Christ.

Jesus Christ changes everything!

Do you know Him?

Every time two people meet it may be a Divine appointment that Christ is watching to see if you see what he sees. It may be as simple as a subtle greeting with a glance or a condemning stare, a handshake or a look of indifference. We have the choice to be Jesus to someone. He is watching.

For His Glory,
Tom

Happy New Year, everyone! I know many of you will make resolutions that eventually fade over time. I would like to challenge you to seek the Lord in 2018 with daily devotion. If we open our eyes to see what the Lord is showing us and hear Him, then He will reveal His plan for you in 2018. Please enjoy this encouraging story of one doctor finding faith in the emergency room.
Many times, I felt God asking me, “Let me be the author of your life story,” but I refused to let go of control. For more than half of my career in Emergency Medicine, I was arrogant and prideful in searching for reasons to explain what I saw every day. As you can imagine, emergency medicine puts you in the front row of some terrible and devastating scenarios. We see women and children abused, parents and children dying in car wrecks hit by drunk drivers or substance abuse taking the lives of our children and the list go on.

I asked God, “Where are you in all of this? If there is a God, why do you let these things happen to good people?”

He answered in Revelations 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock…

The words of William Barclay spoke to me as Christ introduced me to a family who lived these words.

YOUR LIFE is Jesus to someone…
YOUR TONGUE is Jesus to someone…
YOUR FAITHFULNESS… is an example of Jesus to someone…
YOUR LOVE and COMPASSION is Jesus to someone…

It was a busy day in the ER and a young boy of about eight arrived with no heartbeat and unresponsive. We immediately jumped into action and tried to resuscitate this little boy, but all attempts failed despite our efforts and modern medical technology. I was struggling with the decision to stop, and the nurses compassionately touched my shoulder, and with tears in our eyes, we knew there was no “Hope,” and I ended the resuscitation.
Then came what all ER staff dreads and that is to walk into the quiet room and give the terrible news. I composed myself as best I could, but when I opened the door, I was stunned and stood speechless after I realized he was one of identical triplets, and his two brothers were sitting on the couch next to their parents. As I tried to speak, my voice cracked and tears began to well in my eyes. It was then that his father stood up and put his arms around me and said, “We know he is gone, but it will be alright. We will see him again in the Kingdom of Heaven.” In all his pain, he began to comfort and console me… Can you imagine?
I was looking at Christ in this father and he knew Jesus and Jesus Christ changes everything. I can still see this scene in my mind and thank God for this father who was compassionate and loving to me even in his time of unimaginable pain.

John 11:35 Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the Bible says Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus. Jesus knows their pain.

God was breaking down my pride and arrogance, one divine appointment at a time.
Finally, when I asked God, “Where are you?” God answered in what I call my humbling              Job 38 moment. Christ responded to the question I had been asking Him with the same question, “Where were you, Tom when I gave you the gift of medicine to show love and compassion to your patients who were suffering.
Not once did you pray and comfort them in my name.
I have taught you through the actions of this father who lost his son what real faith looks like.

Teach To Transform is committed to train compassionate and loving believers with faith like this father who will pierce the hardened hearts of the lost. Let them witness one divine appointment at a time.

Their Life will be Jesus to someone.      
Their Words will be Jesus to someone.
Their Faith will be an example of Jesus to someone.
Their Love and Compassion will be Jesus to someone.

Teach To Transform is empowering believers around the world who will be a picture of Christ to someone. We are going to places where they have never heard the name Jesus Christ and these believers will be the tip of the spear for Christianity.
Join us with prayer and support.
In the name of the one who asks that we Go and declare His name.

Tom

2017 Report
*  8 medical trainings in Ghana, Liberia, India, Uganda (South Sudanese Refugees), Egypt, Haiti, and Ecuador
*  300 people trained, 100 health care teams created
*  2720 monthly visits to people and prayer for people in the community
*  In a year’s time, 32,640 visits.
*  48 Indigenous medical students trained, seeking the Lord on where to serve
*  1 training in Kenya organized and coordinated by a Kenyan doctor
*  12 Farmers trained with Farming God’s Way, increasing the harvest for many
Read our 2017 TTT Newsletter.
God is writing our story for 2018. Will you consider being a part of our mission to equip believers in hard places with skills that will open doors to share the Gospel? Our goal is to raise $100,000 for our work in 2018. Would you consider partnering with us on this mission by donating before the end of 2017?

Thanks to you, our faithful supporters, we have raised $21,970!

The Lord spoke to me about faith through a Divine appointment with a pastor in South Sudan. We must first ask the question, “What is real faith?” The definition of faith is having “complete” trust in someone or something.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

South Sudan has gained independence from the north, but tragically they are in the middle of a civil war. In 2015, TTT went to the southeast area of the country. The training went well throughout the week as we felt the presence and peace of Christ. Participants in our training were an example of humility, displaying love and compassion for their community, as the body of Christ.
 

People desperately needed medical care. Our team taught newborn care, wound care, water-borne illness, and health and hygiene. As we trained, fighting slowly moved into the area.
Once finished, we made our way to the dirt runway where our United Nations plane would land. We were greeted by a not-so-friendly official who informed us that we didn’t have the necessary documents, we had too much luggage and that boarding the plane would be impossible. The situation began to look bleak. When we saw trucks with machine guns start to line the runway, the pastor explained it was for our protection because many try and shoot the plane when it lands. I thanked him for that reassurance.

We faced the reality that we may end up hiding in the bush or possibly have a perilous car ride back to the main airport in Juba. I asked our indigenous pastor for “Plan B,” which I thought was reasonable, considering the situation. He gave me a confused look, as if this was a ridiculous question.

He then asked, “Dr. Tom, do you have 100% faith?” I said, “Yes I believe I do have faith, but our team just wanted to know what our plan would be if we were not able to get on the plane.”
He once again questioned my faith and said, “Don’t you have 100% faith that Jesus Christ will land this plane and He will take us home? I say this because the ‘but’ in your answer shows your lack of faith.”

I then turned from him, somewhat embarrassed and walked to our team who were anxiously waiting. When the team asked about Plan B, I told them this was an absurd question and it lacked 100% faith!

This was a profound question that I began to contemplate: Did I have 100% faith?
Soon after, the UN plane circled and landed; the official amazingly informed us that our documents arrived from the capital city and we were permitted to board. As we flew away, the pastor turned to me and said,” Dr. Tom you must have 100% faith, all the time. You need to work on that.”

In the following weeks to come, the war did come to this village and the pastors fled with their families to hide in the bush. Their love and compassion are undaunted as they continue to care for their people because they have 100% faith that Christ is the author of their story.
Remember, we are being watched by those who have gone before us, the heroes of the faith, described in Hebrews 11:32-40. The “world was not worthy of them” and they are watching from heaven, cheering us on to be courageous even now as we go where persecution is high. We are being watched by those we serve.

Please pray for Teach To Transform and support our work in the hardest places knowing that we have 100% faith that the Lord is already there and has written our story. We need your help, to train these courageous pastors and assist us with resources that will allow them to share the love of Christ long after we leave.

For His Glory,
Tom

Are you the one to hear the cry of those who have no voice?
The unborn, the sick, the orphans, the widows, the naked, the hungry or thirsty with no hope?

Are you the one who will confront the evil of hate with the message of hope and love through Jesus Christ?

Are you the one who will declare the name of Christ without fear into the unreached hard places?

Pray for Teach To Transform as we will “Go” to these hard places to equip the indigenous believers and pastors with medical skills, newborn care, farming and vocational skills in the frontier of Christianity sharing the love and compassion of Christ. Help us open doors for those serving in persecuted Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu cultures, allowing them to declare the message of Hope and Love to those who have never heard the name Jesus Christ.
The indigenous believers inspire us by their compassion to serve the “least of these,” who are suffering physically and spiritually, in the hardest places in the world. Join us as we add to the many we have trained in the 10/40 window across Northern Africa, Asia, and the Middle East to reach the unreached with the Good News.

With your help, Teach To Transform will impact these countries.

First, because doors into Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu countries are closing quickly for westerners. Join us to empower and equip indigenous believers, who have a courageous passion for sharing the love of Christ when the door closes for the West.
Second, to empower the next generation of medical students in Africa by assisting them to join Teach To Transform when we train. They will be our spiritual legacy to break the cycle of dependency on the West, encouraging Africa to care for Africa.

Third, by humbly partnering with you, as well as organizations and churches serving in the unreached areas sharing resources together as long as Christ gets the glory.

An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” Please prayerfully consider joining us in prayer and financial support as we follow Christ into the darkest places.

Are you the one who will help us bring pastors from the jungle, mountains, and the desert, and to provide resources so they can go back into their villages and use their skills to share the Gospel?

Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.

Please go to our website at teachtotransform.org and connect with us.
Are you the one who will help us go?

For His Glory,
Tom

This is the story of the day the Lord spoke to me with the outstretched hand of a little angel.
This time of year, the true meaning of Christmas sometimes gets lost in the enthusiasm and excitement of the children. This energy is contagious, but no matter what your worldview is we must acknowledge that when Jesus Christ came to the world, He changed everything.
As we celebrate the birth of Christ this month I began to wonder, has Christ been speaking to me? The answer is yes. I believe Christ speaks to us with “Divine appointments” He has prepared for us when we humble ourselves and show compassion to serve.

The day I met an angel:
It was a long day in the clinic serving in a hard place where there were few Christians. The patients, somewhat suspicious of what we were doing, answered questions without expression and received care without reaction or apparent gratitude. I began to pray and wonder if we were having an impact on the Kingdom of Heaven with our work.

After finishing the clinic, we were walking through the community, and it was evident the war had been especially hard in this area. The roads had been cleared of bombs and marked by white stones on either side.

It was then that a precious little girl ran toward me outside the safety of the stones. As I walked nervously toward her and looked into her beautiful eyes I recognized her as the daughter of one of my patients that I had seen earlier that day in the clinic. She did not understand the stories of hate about the West, the crusades or the word infidel. All she saw was someone who earlier that day showed compassion to her parents and she wanted to shake my hand.

Matthew 18:3-5 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

My prayer of doubt about our work was answered through this Divine appointment, and Christ clearly showed me that working with love and compassion in His name will bring light into the darkness.

Who is this Christ, who calls to me and I can’t get him out of my mind?

John 14:6 Who is this Jesus who says, I am the way and the truth and the life? No one comes to the Father except through me.

Who is this Jesus who knows my every thought and how broken I am, but still loves me?

Who is this Christ, my Savior the merciful one who gives me strength and is transforming my life over the noise of the world?

James Allen Francis describes him:
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a poor peasant couple, he worked in a carpentry shop until he was thirty, for three years he was an itinerant preacher, he never traveled more than 200 miles from the place where he was born, he never visited a big city, he never wrote a book, he never held an office, he had no family, never owned a home. He never did any of the things that we associate with greatness but 19 centuries have come and gone, and he is the central figure of the human race and all the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, and all the Parliaments that ever sat and all the Kings that ever reigned, all the Presidents that ever were elected put together have not affected life on this earth as much as that one man. Jesus changed everything.

So why does Teach To Transform have a passion to go to hard places where there is persecution? As Nik Ripken explains, we many times, live in the Old Testament wanting judgment on those who harm us, but then here comes Jesus and tells us to “love your enemy.”

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

Join Teach To Transform and help us reach into the darkness and bring the light of Jesus Christ with the power of Love.

Help us train these indigenous followers of Jesus Christ with these medical, farming and vocational skills allowing them to show compassion in their communities in the name of Christ. Assist us with resources that will allow them to share the love of Christ and open hearts to know Him.

For His Glory,
Tom

The Teach To Transform team has a passion to “Go” to the hard places because every life is valuable and loved in the Kingdom of Heaven. The reason we have a desire to serve in the darkest areas of the world is that God is the author of our story. The Lord allows us to see through His eyes by blessing us with divine appointments, and shows us suffering and persecution that sparks a fire in us to Go.

This weekend, I received a call from a pastor in Africa concerning a two-month-old baby, who had been bleeding from his gums for 24 hours. Thousands of miles away, I felt helpless. I can’t begin to imagine how overwhelmed his family was, watching their baby boy lose strength minute by minute. We were told he had been suffering from a traditional cutting of gums. The exact cultural basis of this tradition is unclear.

Due to limited resources, we instructed his father through the pastor to apply a tea bag (which helps blood clot) and local pressure to his gums, which eventually controlled the bleeding. The baby then began to vomit, presumably from swallowing blood, which can be irritating to the stomach. There was no immediate access to medical care, so we instructed the father on how to prepare Oral Rehydration Solution with the plan to move immediately to a clinic when possible.

I received heartbreaking news that 24 hours later, the baby died. Although we have been in this country training, we have not yet trained anyone in the north near this village to recognize babies in distress and how to control bleeding.


This scenario is repeated over and over in places we go – infanticide in India, mothers and babies dying during childbirth, starving in refugee camps in Africa, and the list goes on. When the Lord gives us a glimpse of the least of these –  the thirsty, hungry, sick and naked people in the world –  we must act. When Christ gives us these divine appointments, He expects two responses: to hear Him and then to Go. It is not enough to feel empathy, we must show love and compassion by going. (Matthew 25:42-46)

What do we do with this tragedy?

In trying to make sense of this, we must see what the Lord is teaching us. First, we must pray that his family knows Christ and He is with them in their pain. Second, we know from our faith that Christ opened his arms to hold this baby in heaven today.

Knowing this story, would you help Teach To Transform go and reach the least of these by teaching medical skills, Farming Gods Way and vocational skills to indigenous believers so they can care for the suffering, the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or the homeless? Most importantly, would you help us empower indigenous believers with skills so they can make their way to these villages where there is no hope and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

We invite you to join us with the goal to empower. Over time they will not remember Teach To Transform, but they will know their “neighbor” who cared for them and shared the love of Christ. Who better than a neighbor, who knows the language and the culture, to continue to show the love of Christ long after we leave? Help us break the cycle of dependency on the West and empower through teaching to glorify Christ. Join our Kingdom work in hard places.

For His Glory,
Tom and Karen

Teach To Transform recently partnered with Kenyan medical students, South Sudanese pastors with E3 Partners, and Life in Abundance to bring its training to South Sudanese refugees in the Adjumani refugee camp.

It’s not a quick or easy trip, and many hours were spent traveling dirt roads. However, the rewards were many as the team was blessed to see its new friends trained this summer in the BidiBidi refugee camp. Seven South Sudanese trainers joined the TTT team to train new students with health care skills.

As it turns out, their participation was the highlight of the trip, as trainers and students from the Dinka and Nuer tribes came together in fellowship and worship for one common purpose. Ephesians 4:2-4 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all in all.” (NIV)
We are so thankful for the fellowship we have in Christ with our brothers and sisters around the world. Please pray for those trained to use what they have learned to share Jesus with compassion to people in their communities.
Pastor Brown Francis shared 2 stories with us:
The Impact of Helping Babies Breathe
The Impact of Wound Care

Our US team just returned from Nairobi where Teach to Transform, in partnership with Life In Abundance, trained 35 medical students (Burundi & Kenyan). Actually, our last year’s students trained this year’s students–we just supervised! Next year we hope the Burundi students will do the training.  Our team stayed for the Global Missions Health Conference, and our trainers presented a workshop to show our strategy of multiplication of trainers.

Why Teach To Transform Uses Farming God’s Way:
The majority of the developing world is under-producing, largely due to “a lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Teach To Transform trains students on a demonstrable plot how you can teach simple lessons such as planting on time, proper spacing and the use of mulch, among other things, to increase production 3 to 7 times what people are currently producing. TTT also teaches others how to serve God and God alone with Farming God’s Way, which uses the Bible as a textbook for becoming a better farmer & follower of Christ.

Greetings family and friends in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ,
Thank you so much for your prayers as we traveled to Northern Ghana in an area where there were very few Christians. The Lord gave us a glimpse of Heaven when He arranged for our Teach To Transform team of five from the US to teach with five TTT Kenyan brothers, which included four young medical students. An unexpected blessing was a group of five Latin American missionaries who also helped us teach; truly a picture of a body of Christ.
We trained our largest class to date with over 131 students. Our training consisted of Vital Signs, Health and Hygiene, Water-borne illness, Wound and Burn Care, and Obstetrics with Helping Babies Breathe curriculum.

The teaching aids were distributed to the local churches with the responsibility to share the love of Christ with compassion as well as teach others. All throughout the week we continually prayed to glorify Christ by sharing the Gospel with love and patience (Ephesians 4:2). When we said that we were “Christians” this was not declared with pride or arrogance, but with humility, admitting that we are sinners who received Christ’s grace and salvation. We were not claiming to be strong but confessing our weakness and need Christ to be our compass. As Christ assures us, “Do not be afraid for I am with you always.”

Please pray for these courageous pastors and churches in Ghana who have a difficult mission field. We would like for you to pray for us as we enter many difficult areas in 2016. Please consider coming with us or supporting our work in the 10-40 window. You can follow our progress at teachtotransform.org.

For His Glory,
Tom and Karen

A report from Paul, a Teach To Transform partner in East Africa:
Dear All,
Greetings in the Mighty name of our Lord. I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that despite the ongoing insecurity in (our area), on Saturday 05/09/2015, we conducted two trainings in (local churches). I was amazed with the turn out of the participants at (one particular church). There were 153 participants (both women and men) who attended the second phase training. This is the first training of this kind since I started training of Wholistic Development Ministry in (our area). I think this was because we made an announcement over the radio to invite people to come for the training. We taught them about Home Hygiene (sanitation) and Antenatal Care. This was from 8:30am-11:30am. Of course, the challenge was that I could not even provide tea or lunch for them due to lack of resources.

The second training is nearby our area. This is the first training under the Wholistic Development Ministry to be conducted there. Twenty people attended the training. Topics covered were: Wound Care and Home Hygiene (How to prevent Diarrhea and Treatment). When I joined them later at midday and I taught them about good hand washing practices. Participants were very happy about the training and they requested me to organize Wholistic Development Ministry training for them; because they don’t know what Wholistic Development Ministry is all about, but they have heard about it. The area is very good for agriculture, you can even see it at the back ground of the second group photo. There is maize and cassava at the background. I believe once the Wholistic Development Ministry is extended there it will be a blessing to the community.

To crown it all, remember us in your daily prayer for this ministry to be extended despite the challenges and also for the general insecurity in our area.

Sincerely in Christ,
Paul

In partnership with Reaching and Teaching International, Teach To Transform went to Peru in October 2014 for the first time to train pastors and midwives who live in the remote jungle of the Amazon. Teach To Transform taught its basic medical modules, Health & Hygiene, Water-Bourne Illness, Vital Signs, Breathing Problems and Head and Neck Infections. In addition, the team taught the Helping Babies Breathe curriculum. (Pictured above)

Pastor Jairo, the contact on the ground, wrote to TTT soon after the team returned: "One of the pastors, Hermes Cenepo, of the Tupac Amaru community, had the first fruit of the training. On Saturday, 25 hours after your training completed, God allowed this pastor to help a lady who gave birth to her first child. For him, it was a memorable and safe beginning of this service in the Lord. God be glorified, and may we continue to serve our neighbor in humility and to share the message of salvation."
Teach To Transform is a ministry that provides theoretical and practical training.
For His glory!
Tom

Teach To Transform trains and mentors Christian medical students in Kenya with the desire that they will continue our teaching model in Africa and beyond for the glory of God.
The following is a report from Miriam Ndanu, a fifth year medical student in Kenya:
Kahawa West Medical Training, Kenya - Carol Rwamba, a sixth year medical student at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, invited Miriam and her classmates Daniel, Joseph, and Mike to join her church earlier this year in serving at a medical camp. All five of these students have been trained by Teach To Transform.
The team focused on teaching gathered villagers the following health & hygiene and medical skills:
1. Proper Handwashing
2. The Prevention of Cholera
3. Other diarrheal diseases
4. Signs and symptoms of dehydration
5. Making and using oral rehydration solution
6. Wound Care
Miriam shared, "We thank God we were able to teach what we could. For most of us, it was the first time to engage teaching versus doing at a medical camp. Our eyes were opened to see there is more value added when we teach compared to doing everything ourselves. We also learned that when we teach, we shift the spotlight from ourselves. The villagers realize that they can also be equipped with good knowledge that can be of help to them instead of always waiting for help that sometimes they do not even know when it will come.  Teach To Transform played a vital role in us realizing the importance of teaching vs. doing. It also brought to light how amazing the gift of medicine is and the impact it has when we use it to preach Christ and ultimately use it for the glory and honor of God."

This blog was previously published on March 20, 2018. 

We recently returned from a trip to South Asia where I met the most humble and courageous Christians, who face tremendous persecution.

Picture this: you wake up in the morning, have your devotion time and then tell your family goodbye. You leave the house with your Bible in hand, prepared for a divine appointment Christ has arranged for you. You begin walking toward a village to share the love of Christ, but this is no ordinary village. It is the village of militant Hindus whose goal is to eradicate Christianity in their country. You are walking into the “Lion’s Den.”    
 
I would like to share their story in the context of “Lion Chasers” a term described in one of my favorite books by Mark Batterson. In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day refers to a verse in 2 Samuel 23 describing David’s “Mighty Warriors.” In verse 20, Samuel introduces Benaiah who went into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

2 Samuel 23:20: Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

ARE YOU A LION CHASER?
These Christians have insane courage in their passion for sharing their faith and proclaiming the name Jesus Christ to the suffering. They are at the tip of the spear of Christianity who seize the opportunities Christ arranges and they jump into the pit of persecution and bravely share the love of Christ.

They taught me that the choices we make every day define who we are. How courageous are you in your home , work place, school  or community? Do you turn and walk away or do you boldly share your faith with love?

One of the women we had trained previously said she had the armor of God with the sword of the gospel in one hand and the blood pressure cuff in the other. She courageously entered a Hindu village and in a period of days took 200 blood pressures diagnosing many cases of hypertension that were ultimately treated with medicine. One example in particular was a mother who developed elevated blood pressure at the end of her pregnancy (pre-eclampsia) and would have died without immediate delivery. Our student convinced her to go to the hospital where she had an emergency C-section and saved the baby and the mother. The village was so grateful for her love and compassion that she was allowed to freely share the gospel with the village.

When you are confronted with the choice to face the lion in the pit of persecution, isolation or suffering for your faith, do you jump in?  Or do you make the safe decision and walk away or remain silent?

When I asked a young student at our Teach To Transform training how she would use the medical education, she said her goal was to seek out those who were thirsty, hungry, homeless and sick and to show compassion with the love of Christ without fear. They believe that there should be NO silent Christians, for those who do not boldly confess their faith are disrespecting the message Christ has given us.

WHY THESE STUDENTS?
Last year, our partner East West Ministries, which focuses on church planting and sharing the gospel to the unreached, piloted our training with seven of their leaders who in just six months with the skill of health screening preached the good news to almost four thousand people. They were amazed at the progress, and we are excited that we just trained 100 more of these fearless warriors of God with Vital Signs, Health and Hygiene, Burn and Wound Care and Care of the Newborn. They came from all over their country, some traveling days to get to our training that will equip them with essential medical skills to be used to open the door to evangelizing.

ARE YOU A LION CHASER?
Time and time again with tears in their eyes they shared stories of extortion, intimidation, harassment and beatings. They had been locked in rooms with no water or food for days, and militant Hindus proclaimed that Christianity would be eradicated, but still, they were relentless in their mandate to share Christ.

One of the leaders has led a discipleship movement resulting in over 2700 churches planted, and has also started a women’s ministry to empower women. Only two days after our training she has sent pictures of providing medical care and witnessing in villages. Assuring us that the gospel moves forward expanding the kingdom of heaven even after we leave.
Do we have courage when Christ gives us a divine appointment? Will we jump into the pit with the lion knowing that Christ will provide us with the words to speak armed with the armor of God?

Please help Teach To Transform support the training expenses of these courageous “Lion Chasers” in the most difficult places around the world so we can equip them with skills to show love and compassion opening doors in the face of persecution to share the love of Christ.

For His Glory,
Tom