Bethany International

Last week in chapel, Bethany workers Lowell (Mexico) and Geoff (Asia) shared of how they have seen a new openness to the Gospel. Where just a couple of years ago it seemed people couldn’t or wouldn’t hear the Gospel, there is now increased interest, openness, and response to Jesus. The spiritual climate has changed. The light of the Gospel is penetrating the darkness. I have referred a number of times to the moment at the cross when revelation of who Jesus truly was (”a righteous man”) broke into the understanding of one of the centurions attending to the crucifixion. Light broke into the darkness.

Why is this? First of all Jesus disarmed and stripped bare the powers of darkness at the Cross. Today, we move in that same power in a few ways: 1) The physical presence of committed followers of Jesus in a region who proclaim and demonstrate the Gospel will chip away and break through to people’s hearts, and 2) When God’s people pray persistently together in agreement and authority the powers of darkness will give way. The Gospel and the cross of Christ have power, but, God is looking for us to join Him by praying and going. This is not a “solo” thing; it is a “body” thing. We together must join together (be the body in agreement) binding and loosing in the authority Christ has given us. Our worship recognizes and declares the supremacy of Christ and the powers of darkness are bound so the light of the gospel will be loosed in the hearts of men here on earth - in Asia and central Mexico and beyond.

Our mission commitment then has another dimension - to change the spiritual climate of regions all over the world. God has directed us to fill the GAP (Global Access Partnerships) and see the church go to where it does not now exist. It takes united prayer of binding and loosing; it takes committed people physically on the ground, and it takes the raising up of new workers into these fields of harvest. I believe God will give greater revelation and pour out new anointing as we do this together at Bethany in Bloomington and in partnership with our missionaries and partners around the world.

Dan Brokke

The 500^th team to be sent out by STEM left for Honduras on Saturday! A prayer-walking team will head to Asia on Sunday 11.

We really appreciate your prayers for the many teams which have already gone out this year. We’ve had wonderful reports of fruitful ministry, lives touched, and team members returning with a renewed desire to spend their lives working for the kingdom.

Our Haiti team leaders described how a community left in ruins by the earthquake had more or less decided to abandon the place and move elsewhere - until work began on rebuilding the church.  That gave them new hope for the future and they started building themselves little tarp houses and clearing rubble. What was a ghost town became once again a joyful community. Our teams feel privileged to work and worship alongside these courageous Haitian believers!

Bethany Center for Global Studies

New classes start August 9 and will run until October 3

• Biblical Foundations of Leadership - Tom Shetler
• Perspectives on Intercultural Leadership - Ed Dudek
• Collaborative Leadership   - Tom Shetler

For more information we invite you to visit www.bethanycgs.org

You can also contact Rick Boswell, Director of Online Marketing and Recruitment at 952-996-1450.

Summer Class

The college students are currently taking a 3-week eschatology course taught by Matt Hedrick.

Bethany International Ministries

BIM workers, Dan and Nancy G. in Kenya

Dan and Nancy hosted a team that served two weeks in Kenya. This team joined with Kenyan churches and the Bethany Kenya team to form a tgroup of 70 people! Together they provided medical services, ministered to area youth and worked on a construction project. Please pray for the Germos and other leadership as they collaborate to be hands and feet of Christ among least reached peoples!

BIM Worker, George F. in Brazil

George spent two weeks in Brazil and gave this report, “Had a great time in Brazil. Spoke to about 4000 in 9 services and felt there was great receptivity. In one service about 80 responded to the call for salvation. It’s good to be home again. My next trip is to Boston in early August for a conference in a Brazilian church.” George will minister to BIM missionaries during the Furlough Seminar in July.

BIM workers Kerry and Jan O. in Mexico “Our first Missions conference (at Amistad Cristiana in Mexico City) surpassed all of our expectations with over 1000 in attendance on Friday night and about 1600 all day Saturday. Many made commitments to pray, give and go! Praise God!” Amistad has the goal of sending out 100 missionaries.

STEM

We’ve requested prayer each week for Haiti teams and thought you’d like to read about some of the STEM team activity there, so here’s a brief, “Readers Digest” version of a week with the QFM team from northern Minnesota:

• On Monday we had a medical clinic where 120 people got help, medicine, food, and prayer; there were children’s games, songs, crafts and a Bible story. Also we cleaned and repaired computers that were damaged by the earthquake, did inverter and batteries maintenance, and performed a drama.
• Tuesday was a hard day for some because of the overwhelming needs in the community of Troussable. The small church in this community also collapsed, so part of the team was shoveling and taking ruble from one side of the hill to the other.
• The next two days we went to Victory Baptist Church and cleared rubble from the back rooms on the second floor and the church area; we built and painted benches and small chairs for church and school. We also had a medical clinic for 110 people
• The last day we worked in the Free Medical Clinic across the street, where shelves were being built so the medicine is organized.
• This team was able to bring a huge boost to Haitian ministries by bringing in computers and computer systems, electrical expertise and much more. The training they established in computer systems will continue over the next two months.

Please continue to pray that God will work in effective, anointed ministry through STEM teams this week!

• #683 in Jamaica, June 22-30
• #699 in Haiti, June 29 - July 6

Picnic

Bethany International is having its annual picnic on Saturday, July 24. Students, Alumni, Associates and Friends of Bethany are invited. We ask those who plan to attend to contact Sue Shetler (952-946-4194) by July 5 to RSVP.

A group of approximately 50 adults are at Bethany this week for overseas training through TeachBeyond. The majority of them will be serving at Black Forest Academy and a few will be serving in International and MK (missionary kids) schools throughout the world.

STEM Update

Three teams are currently serving with Short-Term Evangelical Missions (STEM).

• A mixed-age team from Maplewood, MN is in Haiti. This team includes a Haitian whose family had to flee the country a number of years ago due to political threats. This is what she said during our training session with her team:

“When I heard about this opportunity, I felt God calling me to go back to my homeland to help. I don’t have anything to offer.” (The rest of the team vehemently disagreed with that statement!) “I can help translate. I want to minister in the same way I received ministry as a young girl in Haiti.“

• A large group from Wheaton Bible Church is ministering in Urban Minneapolis where they will work alongside a number of local ministries.

• A youth team from Stillwater, MN is in Jamaica.

Please pray for God’s protection and anointing on each team this week.

One additional note: it’s not too late to join any of our July and August teams in Haiti. Grab a friend, a son, daughter, mom or dad and go. You can make a difference in a place of desperate need! Contact STEM at 952-996-1385.

Last week three interns who studied in Manila arrived back on campus and this week they graduated from BCOM. While in the Philippines, they were able to work with children and their families who where displaced by floods that hit Manila a few months ago. About 3 million people in the Manila area are living in slum-like conditions.

Answer to Prayer

On Tuesday, June 8, the Presbyterian Homes Board voted to purchase 10.85 acres of land located on the east side of our Bloomington campus for a senior housing complex. Hopes are to begin construction at least by next spring (’11).

Board Meeting on June 13-15

Our Bethany Board convened last night and will meet through Wednesday. This is one of three meetings held each year. Today they will be joined by some of our staff and Global Interns to work in committees. They appreciate your prayer covering as they meet.

Bethany Farmhouse

The Bethany farmhouse was demolished last Wednesday morning. You can view photos of the demolition here.

STEM

STEM has a large team in Haiti this week made up of listeners to QFM, a Christian radio station in northern MN. This team has gathered a lot of relief materials to carry with them into Haiti such as computers, monitors, bags of shoes, and much more. Please pray for their safety in travel and that the Lord will keep them in good health so they can be effective in ministry this week: Jun 12-19.

Report sent in by STEM Team Leaders, Katia & Miguel Ulloa:

We’re back in Haiti. We are thankful to God for how society here is going back to normal. There are many children attending school even though a lot of schools are tents.

Last week we had a team of 12 from St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Minnesota. It was a blessed week for all! The first day we went to a church service in Pettit Gouave. The next day we worked across the street from the guest house, preparing a house to be a Free Medical Clinic for the community. We painted, cleared gravel and weeds, helped with carpentry and mixed cement for the floor. It was good to be able to help in a project that will bring so much hope! The plan is to open the Clinic this weekend, providing medical service and free medicine. There’s also a place for medical teams to stay.

For two days we had a medical clinic where more than 160 people received medical help, medicine and prayer. As well, we were able to share the Gospel with the children of the community. The first day of the clinic we had a little patient who impacted us all. It was a tiny two year-old who came in carried by his mother. The mother said the child had been sleeping a lot and wasn’t able to eat or drink anything. Some tried to give him Pedialyte, but for a while it seemed impossible because he was unconscious and wouldn’t respond even when his mother was shaking him to wake. We were heartbroken and at a moment the doctor even thought he was already dead. We took a time to pray for him with his mother. Then we kept trying to wake him and have him drink. In less than ten minutes, there was a miracle before us. The little boy was running around and playing with everyone in the waiting area, running and jumping all over the place! We cannot stop thanking God for his kindness.

The next day we went with the team to another community, where we had a medical clinic for about 95 people. We shared with the children through games, songs and stories. A small group was able to prayer walk and were received in six homes. Another small group was working at the Community Center for Integrity Development checking the computer center and the needs after the earthquake damage. The next team will be able to work in that as well.

We spent a second day in the community helping with the construction of 52 wooden chairs for a kindergarten. This school is part of the church’s ministry and they plan to open next week, where 100 children will be able to receive free education and meals.The last night it was a very special time of fellowship with the guest house staff. We shared Communion together and thankfulness to the Lord for the way He’s been working among us.

We know that God is helping each one of us to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, allowing others to see it through our lives. We pray that God will continue to work in us as we continue to prepare for the next team, arriving this Saturday. We appreciate your prayer and support!

Last week Jolean (’04) shared in chapel about her intercessory prayer ministry in Romania. Next month she will be leaving to work with the English Language Institute in Asia. Jolean is very enthused about this new adventure.

Franz Clotaire (’85) , from Haiti, also spoke in chapel. Since the Haiti earthquake people who had been closed to God are now seeking Him. Shortly after the earthquake the president of Haiti declared 3 days of prayer. People are seeing God’s grace and mercy. The churches in Franz’s community have made 17 trips to the earthquake area with food, clothing, and to give help. He has two requests for prayer: 1. For the orphans of Haiti 2. For the Lord to fill the vacuum in people’s lives through the love of Christ and the power of the Gospel. You can check out the Clotaire’s work here.

STEM

Please pray for the team from St Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie (in Haiti, May 29 - June 06).

• Protection in travel, both air and ground
• Health of the team, leaders, and other Haitian and Dominican participants
• Effective ministry both in construction and in ministering to Haitians’ spiritual needs
• Divine appointments for the team as they would like to establish long-term relationships
• Katia and Miguel, STEM Team leaders as they juggle many responsibilities

We still would love to schedule more teams throughout the year; pray that God will connect us with those who want to do that. If you would like help organizing a team from your home church, or small group, or circle of friends, call us — together, we can do it!

Bethany College of Missions

Our freshmen have started a 3-week Christology course while the senior students are enrolled in one of three Ministry Focus Electives:

1)     Children at Risk

2)     Creative Access

3)     Media and Mission

Bethany Center for Global Studies

New individuals were recently accepted into the BCGS program and started class this week. One of them is a missions pastor who is thrilled to be in the program and sees it as a means to guide her regarding future ministries.

I (Dan Brokke) recently visited Seoul, Korea. Beginning the moment I landed until I left I had an amazing, favor-filled series of meetings with leaders. From meeting with Pastor Ha, founder of the 60,000 member eight-campus Onnuri Church, to the leaders of their mission training and sending program, to the Christian Global Network Satellite TV ministry (CGNTV), to the Academic Dean of Torch Trinity School of Theology (all ministries of Onnuri), there was a profound sense of favor. I became aware that a great measure of this favor came through the respect that is held for one of our graduates, a Bethany missionary and current student at Torch Trinity working on his MA in Theology. Once people heard that he had graduated from Bethany, they opened their time and hearts to us. There was also favor due to the mission heritage, heart and vision we share as organizations. Pastor Ha opened up a tremendous door of opportunity for follow-up and working together.

This is one of those cases when it became clear that God had gone before me and prepared the way. I look forward to working more closely with the church in Korea. Today there are 20,000 workers from Korea that have gone to many nations. They realize that there is more need to receive more effective intercultural preparation. One of their leaders noted their training tends to be more “academic” where what we are doing brings together the academic with practical experience - doing missions while training for missions. This was their observation. Bethany wants to serve for effective and sustainable mission impact through Korean missionaries. God is stirring them to go, we want to help.

Upcoming Board Meeting

One June 13-15, the Bethany Board is once again meeting. They will be doing something different this meeting through the formation of committees that will speak into various aspects of the College of Missions and our International Ministries. The BCOM accreditation process provides a unique focus on our mission, our priorities, and how we best fulfill that mission. Please pray as we plan and prepare for effective meetings. I am excited about all that lies in front of us.

BCOM

Our freshmen are wrapping up a three week Intro to Missions course while our recently returned seniors are finishing Reentry.

Forty-eight students are accepted as freshmen for the College this fall. In addition to this another 62 applications are in process.

Bethany Center for Global Studies

The next term of classes for the Bethany Center of Global Studies begins Tuesday, June 1. We are offering the following two online courses at both the certificate and masters levels:

Intercultural Leadership Development

Cultural Innovation and Change

For more information, including course descriptions and program guidelines, visit our website at: www.bethanycgs.org.

Rick Boswell, Director of Online Marketing and Recruitment

STEM

Short-term Evangelical Missions is busy getting ready for its summer teams. They want to help as many as possible get to the mission field and ask you to continue praying with them to that end and inviting friends and family to join teams!

I am writing while traveling on a train from the Tokyo 2010 Conference to the Narita Airport. The past two days have been very beneficial here in Tokyo with a number of great contacts and interest in BCOM training, Go100 mission training model, and looking at potential opportunities to pioneer ministry to unreached people groups. Our Paul S. and John K. led a mission training workshop. I met with other global mission leaders. Tokyo 2010 was modeled after a missions conference held in Edinburgh Scotland in 1910. This was in the heart of what became the Student Volunteer Movement when thousands of young college students went overseas from England and the US to unevangelized regions of the world. This was a catalyst for much of mission advance in the first half of the 20^th century. Today, we believe God for a new mobilizing of students to see the Gospel go to “the least, the lost, and the last” of the nations—people everywhere.

A key theme of Tokyo 2010 was discipling a new generation—not just seeing evangelism, but seeing leadership in the church and in mission raised up to finish the task. That is part of our mandate. It is why we train through BCOM, and it is why we send out workers - to make disciples.

So when I get off the train at the Narita Airport I will be going to Seoul, South Korea. There I meet our Tim F. and Makito F. We will meet with several seminary and church leaders, and a leader within Frontiers-Korea to discuss mission training and preparation. Korea now has 20,000 missionaries serving cross-culturally. There is still a great need for better intercultural preparation. As well, we meet with leaders of a large Montessori Christian school interested in having teachers trained to begin mission Montessori schools - they have a vision to see 100 schools each with 100 children in 100 cities around the world. These Montessori schools open up the door for evangelism into families—a tremendous mission vision. We are exploring how we might serve this effort.

Thanks for your prayers.

Dan Brokke

Enrollment

Currently 43 new students are accepted at Bethany College of Missions for the fall. In addition to this another 68 applications are in process. Our goal is to see 60 new freshmen attend Bethany in August.

Bethany Center for Global Studies has 22 students in the program. This past term 12 of them took classes. Recently two new students were provisionally accepted. The next term of classes begins Tuesday, June 1.

BCGS offers two online courses at both the certificate and masters levels:

Intercultural Leadership Development, by Ed D.

Cultural Innovation and Change, by Tom S.

For more information, including course descriptions and program guidelines, visit www.bethanycgs.org.

Your prayer support for new students at both the College and graduate programs is greatly appreciated.

Bethany International Ministries

Pat and Nedra D. (Brazil): The new school year started in March with 40 new freshmen and 60 upper classmen.

George F. has invitations to speak at five Brazilian churches and will be in Belo Horizonte from May 22 to June 7. Pray for safety in travels and for his ministry in the churches.

STEM

In just two weeks, our next team will be in Haiti; we are looking forward to re-engaging there after a breather of a couple months. We’re hearing that some Haitians are feeling discouraged because many of the groups who came in right after the earthquake are now beginning to pull out and there is still so much left to be done. We have nine more teams scheduled for this summer and would love to send more groups there throughout the rest of the year as well. Most of the teams scheduled still have openings if you’d like to join or know others who would like to spend a life-transforming week working in Haiti. Check out our web site: http://stemintl.org/trips/opportunities/teams/date; Call us at: 952-996-1385 or stop by and talk to us. We have a place for you!

STEM staff members John and Kathie P. are in Washington this week. Among other things they’re networking and recruiting for future STEM teams, BCOM, and Global Studies students.

Last names of individuals is withheld due to possible international travel to countries that are opposed to the Gospel message.

After 16 months of serving as BIM missionaries, 20 Global Interns arrived on campus for their final summer term. For the next two chapels (May 12^th and May 19^th) they will be sharing about their experiences. These next months will be a time of reflection, processing what they have learned and experienced, what God has done in their lives (individually and as teams), and next steps of God’s leading. They will graduate in August.

Bethany Center of Global Studies

The next term of classes for the Bethany Center of Global Studies begins Tuesday, June 1. Two online courses are being offered at both the certificate and masters levels:

Intercultural Leadership Development, by Ed Dudek

Cultural Innovation and Change, by Tom Shetler

For more information, including course descriptions and program guidelines, visit our website at: www.bethanycgs.org.

STEM

One of STEM’s goals is to serve more Bethany fields with Short-Term Mission Teams.

There is a team going to work in Thailand from June 10-24, 2010.

Yes, that’s coming up very soon, but there are still openings to join that team.

Here’s a rough idea of what the team might be doing:

• Spending time at an orphanage interacting with children who don’t get many visitors
• Hanging out with youth groups
• Teaching English as a second language
• Teaching Bible
• Visiting one or more villages
• Working in leprosy villages

Do you want to join them? Do you know anyone else interested in joining them? If so, please call 952-996-1385.