This update just came from Project North Africa’s newest missionary to North Africa. It is from Vicente Garcia who just arrived in October to work with Keith Shumaker. Project North Africa is a fund (not a board) organized and managed by missionaries in North Africa of varying boards whose common goal it is to mobilize Latin Americans to this mission field.

From Vicente:

“I thank God for this privilage to be able to write you and send our greetings hoping that they find you in love and harmony.

Thanks to God He has blessed us in a great way. I must thank you for what you hav edone for us. This month of November in our church we had a campaign on missions. It was a great success. We had Pastor Ake from Ivory Coast preaching. Some made decisions were made in giving and going.

As the week on missions ended, Bro. Mamadou from the church of Missionary Keith Shumaker opened a church at the edge of the city in a district called Sonre. The church was kicked off with a three day evangelistic campaign which was a great success. Many people in this area speak the Moray language. We were able to show the Jesus Film in their language as well as pass out many tracts. Many who had made decisions for missions were able to start with this new church plant. 16 people were saved by the grace of our God.

Concerning us, thanks to God we are improving daily in the language. We have five hours of class per day from Monday to Friday. These last two weeks we have been learning how to witness. We thank you for your prayers in this. The first week of November we were able to move into our new house. God has been tremendesouly good to us. We are very happy and excited in the work in Burkina.

Prayer Requests:

• That God would continue using us
• That we might quickly learn French
• That God might use Bro. Mamadou in the new church
• That my wife’s family might be saved.
• For the Shumaker family, our missionary partners
• That those who accepted Christ this month begin to grow.

Today was the biggest holiday in the Muslim world: Aid el Adha. We were invited to the home of a new believer by her dad to spend the day with them. We arrived this morning as soon as they were sacrificing the one year old, male sheep. The oldest man of the house is responsible to say, “Bismi allah. Allahu akbar allahu akbar” (in the name of God. God is the greatest, God is the greatest).

The sacrifice is expected to forgive the sins of the whole house as they are all supposed to be present watching the blood letting. Each married male is supposed to sacrifice one. They wait traditionally until the king has sacrificed his lamb but it’s not the law.

I helped cut skin off but left the de-gutting to them. Probably the most disgusting thing I’ve seen in the while was when the father put his lips to the anus of the animal and blew the resevior of fecal matter from it’s intestines. Yeah, that was gross. The first meal was the kidney and dinner was the stomach and intestines. The head is eaten on the second day with the brains in a couscous plate. The meet is eaten afterward until it is gone. Depending on the size of the family it can take a couple weeks to finish off.

I have tried to witness to the dad of this particular girl before but he has always been so interested in what he had to say that I didn’t get a chance. Since we were at their house almost 12 hours today we had a lot of time to talk. He asked me at one point, “I just don’t understand why you don’t believe in Mohammed.” This oppened up the door for me to explain to him about Christ our sacrificial lamb as profesied by all the prophets. He listened as did the rest of his family. Pray for all of them.

Do you know a Muslim you could talk to about Christ our sacrifice today?

I love reading about how God-placed Americans keep their traditional American holidays like Thanksgiving alive for their families. You can read here about the Holt’s in Chile and here about the Snode’s in Northern Ireland and here about the Shumaker’s in Burkina Faso. I’ve had people ask, “Do they have turkey’s there? What about pumpkins? Do you get the Turkey Bowl on any of your channels? Do they aire the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?”

In our six years of marriage we’ve celebrated on three continents with Peruvians, Turks, Kurds, and North Africans. This year everyone is off work and travelling for the “Aid el Adha” (Muslim feast of sacrifice commemorating God’s provision to Abraham of a ram) which is to take place on Saturday. This is as big as Christmas here so there is already a festive spirit in the air.

We couldn’t find a whole turkey so we bought it in pieces. This year I decided to get  my hands dirty and help in the kitchen. I cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, and deviled eggs! (all with the close instruction of my wife) In the afternoon we had only two guys over since the rest of our church is traveling back to their homes. We had a great time explaining to them and our kids the reason Thanksgiving was begun in America and some of our families traditions. After gourging ourselves we took some of the leftovers to the home of a new believer and talked with her family for a while about the coming “Aide” (pronounced eye-d).

We missed our extended families, of course, but had a great day with so much to thank God for. What a great privilage to serve our Savior on the foreign mission field!

Two of the men we are training in ministry, Suffian and Morad, where on the way back from a follow-up trip last night. The bus ride is about 5 hours. After the first hour and a half two men boarded the bus, as it had stopped to pick up more passengers. These men where selling books about “Aid el Adha” (The Feast of the Sacrifice) and other Islamic books. Morad felt led by the Spirit to start a conversation with these men about the purpose of the sacrifice as a forgiveness for sin. Of course the men had no idea what he was talking about, they were just trying to make a buck (or dinar).

As the conversation continued the whole bus got involved and demanded to hear more. Together for the next 3 hours or so Suffian and Morad explained and defended their Christian faith to a busload of Muslims in a country where it’s illegal to be a Christian. Not a single person on the bus (over 40 people) had ever met a Christian from their country. The reactions were disbelief, accusations, and some listened. They were at one point ordered off the bus by some and defended by others. Their testimony was drowned out at times by the driver playing the Koran chant loudly. They had no rest until they got off the bus. The great thing is that as they got off the bus they were thanked by the passengers and wished well. The Bus driver even gave them a honk and a wave as he continued on without them.

One assumption a lot of missionaries to Muslims make is that they can somehow make Christ famous while remaining anonymous. What do I mean? They want to see Muslim’s converted and churches begun and pastors trained and at the same time maintain their non-religious persona as a businessman or teacher. Because a student becomes like his teacher, the few believers said missionary may train usually is an underground believer who sometimes even his family doesn’t know about his faith. Tentmakers around the world have anonimity as their method of ministry and anything bolder than that they condemn as “foolish”.

The only problem with this idea is that it is historically impossible. The success of a people’s cause is directly attached to their willingness to be known and die for that cause if neccesary. Take The Civil Rights Movement, The Gay Right’s Movement, the day of Pentacost, and Christianity in the Roman Empire as varied examples among many others.

We started a few days ago with the first Islam lesson a five year-old child in North Africa learns. Here is his second lesson:

Memory Verses: The Fatiha Verses 5-6 “Keep us on the right path. The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.” The Meaning: We seek direction from Allah for the straight path.

The Two Testimonies: I am a Muslim. I always say: I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Mohammed is the prophet of Allah.

Prophetical Facts: The Birth of the Prophet The prophet Mohammed (Pray to Allah for him and peace) was born in the honored Mecca in the second day of the fourth month.

If you were taught to quote this from five years-old up would you believe it?

My wife has been praying for these two ladies for months. She printed out their picture and put it on our fridge. We had our kids and church praying for them as well. We were all thrilled with this news we read yesterday:

ISTANBUL, November 18 – Two Christian Iranian women, Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, were released from prison this afternoon with no bail amid an international campaign calling for their freedom since their arrest on March 5.

They still could face charges of proselytizing and “apostasy,” or leaving Islam. The two women, whose health deteriorated while in detention at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, are at their homes recovering from their nine-month ordeal, an Iranian source told Compass.

The women’s lawyer had been working to secure their release, and although they were expected to be released yesterday, he was not able to do so because of the high bail the court was demanding.

The Compass source said that it was too soon to determine how the lawyer was able to secure their release without bail today, a rarity for Christians released from prison in Iran.

The source credited their release to international lobbying and pressure on the Iranian government. “It was from the international pressure, and also the government couldn’t handle it anymore,” said the source. ”

Already their detention was illegal. At the same time, the government wasn’t ready to prosecute them for apostasy. They already have many headaches. They cannot handle everything.”

Atarbia Alislamia (Islam Education) begins here in North Africa in the public schools at 3 years old. My son is now in preschool. He doesn’t take the classes but I bought the book anyway just to see what a five year old in North Africa is learning about God, Islam, and eternity. Over the next few days I am going to translate the first seven lessons (taken one per week) that a Muslim child learns from his teacher which is reinforced at home. The child has to memorize the lessons and the Quranic verses. As you read this, ask yourself, if I was taught this since I was old enough to understand and I had never read a Bible what, then, would I believe?

Lesson 1

Memory Verse: The Fatiha (Opening Chapter of the Koran) “In the name of God the most merciful. Praise to Allah lord of the worlds, the most merciful. King of the day of judgement. You will we serve and you will we beseach for help.”

The five Pillars of Islam: Shahada (testify), Salat (prayer), Zakat (Almsgiving), Saum (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage).

The Bismillah: I say “Bismillah” (in the name of God) before every deed and every meal.

This is what every five year old kid memorizes his first week in the public school here in North Africa.

Would you have believed it?

Did you believe in Santa?

This fact may be old to you as you have heard sermons and quotes centered on this tragic fact that the “untold millions remain ontold”. It doesn’t grow old to me, however, because every day I meet the untold.

Last week I shared the gospel with three taxi drivers each had never heard the name “Yasua” (Jesus) only his name in the Koran Aisa. They had never heard his real story and they had never held a Bible. I shared the gospel with Sufian’s brother in their village on Monday and asked when I finished, “Have you ever heard anything like that before?” “Never” was his quick response.

Today I and my three friends went out witnessing. I sat down on a bench in front of a mosque and a bus loading with pilgrims to Mecca. As I shared the Gospel with two brothers from the enterior I asked if either of them had ever read the Injeel. Of course not! They had never even seen one. I gave them mine before I left them. They were enamored with it looking at it saying, “All this is in the Koran!?” (This is what they have always heard but they quickly realized the Bible they were holding is five times larger than the Koran!)

How can we expect that there be many believers in a place where most have never met a Christian, never held a Bible, and never heard Jesus’ real name and story? How many of God’s servants will continue to refuse to follow his commission while they continue mumbling the Gospel to each other while millions have never heard once? I hope my heart never stop breaking as I continue to meet those who have never heard.

This fact may be old to you as you have heard sermons and quotes centered on this tragic fact that the “untold millions remain ontold”. It doesn’t grow old to me, however, because every day I meet the untold.

Last week I shared the gospel with three taxi drivers each had never heard the name “Yasua” (Jesus) only his name in the Koran Aisa. They had never heard his real story and they had never held a Bible. I shared the gospel with Sufian’s brother in their village on Monday and asked when I finished, “Have you ever heard anything like that before?” “Never” was his quick response.

Today I and my three friends went out witnessing. I sat down on a bench in front of a mosque and a bus loading with pilgrims to Mecca. As I shared the Gospel with two brothers from the enterior I asked if either of them had ever read the Injeel. Of course not! They had never even seen one. I gave them mine before I left them. They were enamored with it looking at it saying, “All this is in the Koran!?” (This is what they have always heard but they quickly realized the Bible they were holding is five times larger than the Koran!)

How can we expect that there be many believers in a place where most have never met a Christian, never held a Bible, and never heard Jesus’ real name and story? How many of God’s servants will continue to refuse to follow his commission while they continue mumbling the Gospel to each other while millions have never heard once? I hope my heart never stop breaking as I continue to meet those who have never heard.

What is it? Missionaries from around the world will be addressing the youth pastors of America concerning the cause of world missions.

When and where is it? It will be completely online. You will be able to watch the interviews here (www.ypmobilized.info) Some youth pastors may join other youth pastors and watch together via projectors. It will start at 12 pm EST on Nov. 16th, 2009.

Who will be speaking?

• Chris Gardner (Peru)
• Kevin Hall (South Africa)
• Austin Gardner (Church Planter / Pastor)
• Taube & Tolson (China)
• Masters (North Africa)
• Kevin White (Bolivia)
• Keith Shumaker (Burkina Faso)
• Jason Holt (Chile)
• Travis Snode (Ireland)
• Jeff Bush (Argentina)
• Matt Allen (P.N.G.)

Join us on November 16th from 12 pm to 1 pm and you will hear from missionaries around the world. Learn how to train, motivate, and MOBILIZE your young people to go and serve alongside these men.

Register in Advance and receive email updates.

Click Here to visit the website.