Here is a recent email we received from one of the people from Kenya:
"Morning, my name is DANIEL M. from Kabazi village in NAKURU DISTRICT, KENYA, where you and your team from U.S.A came visiting us the internally displaced people, following last year general elections. We want to thank you and the team for the coming for our aid when we had given up,
Me and my dad are especially thank full for the Swahili bible you gave dad and wrote your name on it,we read it everyday and it encourages us,am 32years now,but when we lost all we had, life dint have meaning anymore. But the more we read it the more life makes sence. My parents don't understand English, but were amazed by your love, U.S.A. is far away, and you made sacrifices and came , even on those dangerous times.
We are thankfull as family, and we may send a photo and well come you as our guest, but after we get somewhere to live.
thanks again and we Hope to hear from you again. "
Daniel
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"When you break the big laws, you do not get freedom; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws." G. K. Chesterton.
When Jesus explained His yoke He said, "Take it!” In His denunciation of the other teachers of the day, He amplified the simplicity of His yoke of teaching. He said we are to love God and love your neighbor, and in this, the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled. The religious structure of the day held a stranglehold on devotion to God and repeatedly told the people how far they could walk, how many steps they could take, what to eat, how to eat, how to leave their spouse, how to shirk family responsibilities, how to give to God, what to give and how much to give. Love was absent from all these religious decrees and completion of the listed duties left one cold, but pompous and rigid to the point of ruthlessness.
When the big laws are removed, then by fallen nature, we must erect many small laws to take their place. When conscience is muted and jaded, and no longer serves as a restrainer, then the little laws of the land must impugn and punish. Much is said today about obedience to social conformity in religious duty from our pulpits, but the "really big laws” are conspicuously absent. Paul, the Apostle, taught over and over again that Love is a constrainer. It was echoed by the Puritans of a day gone by, "love binds without a cord and it rules without a sword!” Where love is absent, the rationale of man must kick in. Love is not rational; it gives when it is not given, it forgives when it is not forgiven, it demands nothing and has no scoreboard.
Jesus taught us that we are to take His Yoke upon us and we are to teach that we should know and understand the yoke of Jesus. But our pulpits teach this learning thru reason and not by experiencing the yoke. In the west, we formulate when we have been called to promulgate (broadcast, spread, circulate, publicize) the Good News. We transform inspiration by God into information about God and call that discipleship. Legalism breeds on the vacuous heart that has coal, but no warmth caused by a fire. It is a white washed tomb, but nevertheless, it’s just a container for a corpse.
The Clarion call of yesterday and today is not "if it makes you feel good do it", but rather "take it!” As Jesus’ yoke becomes the norm in our lives, the little laws are diminished and the coals of the heart are ignited again. The Love is then best compared to a flame. No Rabbi's list of do's and don'ts has ever caused a disciple to say, "Did not our hearts burn within us!” But while walking with the obscured Jesus, men who were downcast before the journey, were amazed after it.
As the Church goes, so does the nation. Our church committees obsess over small things and, in like manner our Legislature ponders more regulations and little laws to keep society in check. We must be a nation of law keepers to have society exist. However with God dead and knowledge of Him repressed, the large laws of Jesus’ yoke have no place and that which was great becomes little by its need for a more defined yoke.
So take it, take Christ’s yoke; let it rest fully upon you and in doing so you will find that liberty is not license, but that love is the most perfect law of all.
Kevin Turner
President
Strategic World Impact
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Serving with SWI has been such a blessing in my life. I thank my Heavenly Father for this amazing opportunity and simply marvel in the reality of His love and grace in choosing ME out of millions of people to intern for SWI.
I can not tell you how many TRUE friendships I have made here nor how many times the Lord has used one of my dear bothers or sisters to minister to my heart. SWI is one big family. I am never alone. If I need something someone is always there to help, talk, and pray for me. I am not afraid to be true and honest about myself, my struggles, my faults, and my praise for what God has done. I am cherished and respected as a child of God. Being trusted and appreciated constantly makes me want to work harder to earn my place here, and whatever I do, I do it for my Lord.
I have always had a heart for mission work and kept praying that God would make His will 150% clear to me. I honestly don't feel that I deserve this blessing in any way at all, but God brought me here for a reason. He opened all the doors for me to be able to come so I know for a fact that this is where I am supposed to be... and being in His will is the only place I want to be.
As I am waiting for God to show me His plan for my future with SWI, I soak up every moment I have here, basking in the blessings that living every day to the very fullest can bring.
Thank you SWI team. I look so forward to what opportunities the Lord will bring us in the future to work together to further His kingdom.
Love in Christ,
Joy D. Jansen
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Working in Sudan for the past ten years has been an incredible learning experience. Spending most of that time in the South and the North East of Sudan gives you first hand experience of the suffering that has been inflicted due to the Islamic dogma that has been hurled out against the population that is Christian or just not Muslim. What is shocking to most outside of Sudan is that many of the Muslim populace has also been marginalized by Bashir's government. They seem to be equal opportunity oppressors. Spending time with the Beja and the Rashiada tribes in the borders areas you can quickly see the exploitation. Medical care and schooling are basically non-existent.
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DART 2006 was an incredible conference and I just wanted to share how we, as a staff, are incredibly blessed in the process of serving the Lord by offering this type of training. As anyone who has attended one of these conferences can attest to, there's a lot of work that goes into them. And many times we have so many things on our "To Do" lists to prepare that one can easily loose sight of the big picture, which of course, is helping others to be ushered closer to God. Our prayer as a staff is that people will have personal, intimate times with the Lord during the week. And I wanted to share that I am always incredibly blessed by the people that He leads to our conferences; brothers and sisters of great faith, who are willing and ready to see what the Lord has ahead for them. There are many others who attend who are already working in the field, allowing wonderful networking. And what a blessing it is for us when other, non-committed people attend, in that we have the opportunity to show our passion for the Lord Jesus Christ. Many thanks to all who attended and may the Lord bless you as you continue down His path.
Treasuring the Precious Moments from the Conference,
Lisa Beaty <(((><-MORE-
Hey Kevin,
It's Tracy--one of "the sisters" from last year's DART conference and
the Katrina trip. We just wanted to touch base and let you know that we
will be praying for you all as another DART conference begins on Sunday!
We know how God used the conference as a life transforming tool in our
own lives, and it is our prayer that many others will experience the
excitement, thrill, and privilege of serving Christ on this huge
battleground.
I have used so many practical and spiritual "tactics" this past year as
a result of what I was taught and shown at SWI. SWI was the foundation
upon which we have been building our lives this past year in preparation
for present and future mission work.
Just a quick update on the three of us: Amanda has one more year to go
in Israel and Allison leaves in August to begin bootcamp with the Army
Reserves Officer Candidate School in Ft. Benning, GA. I am in my last
two years of nursing school and will be going to Israel in October. We
are working on finalizing some trips soon and will let you know as soon
as plans are complete because we want your prayers to be before us and
with us. We're always listening for your name to pop up in our area as a
guest speaker--as soon as we hear you are in the area, we'll be there.
The new website looks GREAT!!! My father adores his football and looks
forward to one day meeting the one who bestowed such a gift upon him. =
) Please say hey to Tammy and everyone else with SWI for us. And
please tell Emily and Hannah that we think about them especially while
we're on our way to karate and hope that they are doing well and moving
along in rank. God bless you and know that we are praying always for
you and lifting you up before the throne of God that He would always
encourage you and empower you in the battle and deliver you, literally,
when the situation arises as you involve yourself in the work of God.
Will try to stay in better communication with you all in the future.
God bless.
Tracy--for Amanda and Allison too.
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With over 4,600 dead and over 10,000 injured the death toll is expected to continue to rise. One or our SWI partners is on the ground assisting already but funds are needed to keep the work going.
Calamity clarifies and Indonesia has experienced much of it in the past year and a half. Once again lives have been shattered as a 6.3 magnitude quake has claimed thousands of lives and initial estimates report over 10,000 injured. Needs for food, water, shelter and medical assistance are massive and SWI desires to help.
We have a partner on the ground right now who has just sent us back a report on the situtation after visiting one of the outlying villages. People were happy to see him show up and even requested prayers. However we must do more than pray we must give to help meet their basic physical needs. If you would like to help our work and get aid to these people immediately then please click on our donate page and click the Indonesia circle. We will immediately wire this money to our partner and get help as well as the Gospel to these suffering people.
https://www.rapiddonor.com/swi/support.aspx to donate now.-MORE-
Psa 97:5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. It was very clear as you look around were once there stood town, village and house. Now all lay in ruin.
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I often struggle with fearfulness and worry and because of this struggle I had a hard time committing to go with the team to Pakistan. I finally surrendered and entrusted my life into God’s hands – which is where it should be all the time. I have complete relief in letting Him be in complete charge of my life.-MORE-
“I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24
Several members of my family told me they thought I was making a mistake in going to Pakistan. There are bombings and kidnappings – too big of a chance for harm to me. I responded by saying that if I got the opportunity to share the Gospel with even one person in the mountains where the Gospel has not been heard, it would be worth my life to do that. I don’t necessarily desire to die, but when I do I know that I will have accomplished the tasks He put me here to do and I am ready to go across that finish line to see my Savior there with open arms. -MORE-
Down in a valley, surrounded by the beautiful, snow topped Hindu Kush mountains, sits the town of Balakot, epicenter of the earthquake that has left 3.5 million people homeless and has killed 80,000 people.
While the mountains are certainly very beautiful, when one diverts their eyes down and sees what the people there are struggling through -- well, it's a horrifying sight; whole villages have been leveled, leaving families with many children who still have no shelter at night and we are now 4 months after the earthquake. -MORE-
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