Emmanuel Manishimwe

While navigating in the dark the windy roads of rural Uganda you would want a reliable driver. That is exactly how I became acquainted with Emmanuel. He was our recommended drive on our Every Generation Ministries, EGM, mission trip in early 2013. Being in the hands of a man whose name means “God with us” sets your mind at ease when facing the unknown. During the twenty plus hours together, Emmanuel shared his love for God and his desire to see people drawn to a deeper faith. As we shared our mission of training local children’s church workers how to teach children about Christ, it was apparent that Emmanuel wanted the same thing or his people in Uganda.

As a retired teacher I love being able to use my God given gifts to work with EGM. Through this organization I have been able to meet so many wonderful people who have the desire to carry the message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the world, like Emmanuel. Seeing young people wanting to change the world around them is so inspiring to me. It is our desire to see lives transformed by the story of redemption through Jesus Christ.

Just as Emmanuel successfully guided us along the roads of western Uganda, I know he is a capable leader in EGM’s expansion efforts in East and Central Africa.

Linda Beaver
EGM Supporter 

Impacting Lives in Peru

Every Generation Ministries is consistently invited in to churches around the world  to lead “Model Children’s Worker” trainings to both leaders and laypersons. The basic tenants of the material are practical and effective in teaching children about Jesus.     

Corina Mezarino, a member of Christian Alliance Church of San Miguel in Peru, shared her testimony of the impact “Model Children’s Worker”  training has made on the lives of the children in her church. 

“Model Children’s Worker”  information changed the perspective of how to teach children biblical principles. I have been using typical school methods to teach the lessons, but the only outcome was that children learned Bible stories. What I really wanted was for the children to apply the biblical principles of God's Word to their lives. The “Model” allows me to touch fibers deeper in the children and help them understand the principles that God has left us in His Word.

The children of Peru already face an increasingly aggressive world that is perverse and alienated from God. I wish with all my heart that the children can burn God’s principles into their hearts that will help them make good decisions. Only then can they have abundant lives. I firmly believe that as I continue using this “Model”, the children’s development stages will increasingly become refined.

I pray that other churches could be blessed with this Model so that in unity we can see transformed lives of our children for future generations.

We are thankful for testimonies like Carina’s. We share her prayer request that more churches could have access to The Model Children’s Worker material.  To read exciting reports of how God is blessing in other countries through Every Generation Ministries, read our blog.

We are also gathering Teacher Tool Kits  to bless the teachers in Peru and other countries who have little to no supplies including pencils and paper. If you would like to provide a Teacher Tool Kit, make a donation or ask a question, please contact our office. 

Mexican EGM participants give towards EGM’s growing ministry in Africa…

A few weeks ago, I preached in a local church in Ensenada, Mexico where EGM has been serving for years. I shared about my recent trip to the D.R. Congo in Africa where God is using EGM in the work He is doing there. God is stirring in the hearts of church leaders showing them the importance of spiritually investing in children. They know by doing this, God can use the Congolese children to bring healing and peace to their own country. After I finished preaching, the senior pastor, Ramon Ruiz, reiterated the importance of discipling children and reminded the congregation how God is using EGM to impact the lives of the children in their church. Pastor Ramon also said that he felt God was calling their congregation to join in the work God is doing in Africa. Despite the fact they had already collected the offering, Pastor Ramon encouraged the church members to give again and to give generously towards this work. The church members gave joyfully and generously as they praised God. We thank God for the generosity of the Mexican people and rejoice in the $260 that was collected which

will result in more Congolese boys and girls having the opportunity to learn of God’s transformational love!

Krysten Norkaitis

North America Hispanic Ministries Director

To find out more about Krysten and the ministry in Mexico visit:

http://www.egmworld.org/where-we-work/expanding-our-reach-mexico

To support EGM-Mexico or Krysten Norkaitis visit: 

http://www.egmworld.org/donate

Teach people that are able to teach others as well

When writing to Timothy, his disciple, Paul encouraged him: “What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.”

(2 Timothy 2:2, ISV).

We believe that our calling is to make disciples, equipping them and sending them to equip others.  Almost every weekend, the experienced trainers from ReMa (The EGM ministry in Hungary) are meeting their students with Paul’s desire in mind. Every single participant is a proof of God’s love for the children. Every single graduation becomes a celebration and an opportunity to testify new beginnings in ministry.

This year ReMa has had 3 courses in the fall and 4 courses in the spring in 3 different cities in Hungary. 14 different churches are now equipped to have a transformational ministry to children. ReMa’s trainers are mostly volunteers, and dedicated relational teachers, called by God to this service.

The results are incredible! People are being equipped in a very professional way to become tools in God’s hands. If in the beginning they are shy and curious, they leave with boldness and courage, ready to serve God in their communities, to share the Gospel and make disciples among the children in a biblical way, adapted to culture, age and development level.

One of our current students shared with ReMa some of his thoughts during the training:

"The ReMa-course is a huge blessing to our church! It brings us, teachers, nearer to each other as well, and that increases our effectiveness in the ministry. I think the children enjoy coming to the Bible classes more; they became more open and so are we. Our message can have a bigger impact on their lives now."

Mike Zaharia

Central Europe Resource Team Director

Update on the Romania Website

As we look at the changes in the world these days, we have enough reasons to worry. We have many challenges to adapt to with technology, and especially to raise children in this digital world. The impact is even more severe in Romania as we feel churches and families were not prepared for this.

Our goal as a Ministry is to transform Children in Christ through His Church. Instead of focusing on the obstacles, we have to find a way to reach our goal. We prayed to be wise and see the open doors God has for us in this digital age. We remember that roman roads and the Latin language were the leverages used by the Church of the first century to share Christ’s message “to the ends of the world”.

Learning from this example, we started seeing that Internet, computers, Smartphones and IPad’s can be used as tools to help our Ministry expand. Technology can help us see transformation produced by Christ in children’s lives from Romania and from the Romanian communities spread throughout Western Europe. We started to connect the dots, we already had a Curriculum program based on biblical teaching, we had many people asking for materials, we had a poor distribution in Romania but we had a real explosion of the internet and unbelievable growth of the tablets and Smartphone market. We saw the DOOR – an Internet curriculum website, where every church and every Romanian can have access to all the quality curriculum materials produced by Romanian Teachers.

We stopped looking at the way technology was changing as a threat and considered it as an amazing opportunity. We can now see teachers on the street or in the buses traveling reading the bible lesson on their Smartphone, or we see them equipped as they watch the video training on the display of their laptop or their tab.

In the first two weeks of its launch, more than 250 teachers have subscribed to this platform. We expect next year, over 2,000 teachers to use this tremendous resource.

-Marian Zaharia

EGM US Representative - Hungary

Visiting the children with physical challenges

The orphanage for the children is located on Chicherina Street, which is in downtown Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. Our team of children’s workers were invited to this orphanage by Stephen Bokach, the regional superintendent of Baptist churches. When we went to the orphanage we brought presents and aid from their Switzerland friends. This time the principal of the orphanage allowed us to hold a special program for the children. We used a puppet show to tell the kids two stories - one from the Bible and another about real life. After this, our team distributed the presents. The children opened up for the conversations and fellowship so much that (by the permission of their pedagogues) we were allowed to spend an extra hour with them. Some children invited us to their rooms, where we learned that there are other children at the orphanage that cannot leave their beds and we gladly visited them on every story of the 3-story building, we gave them presents. Also, for the adults, we had a different type of gift - large format calendars with Bible verses printed on them. 

We spent several hours in the orphanage and the people who were impacted the most ended up being the older children from our Sunday school who were with us. After this trip they sincerely thanked God that they have a mother and a father, that they have a healthy body, and they know God who cares about them. 

Mikhail Lozovoi, 

Director for EGM-UA, 

Director of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine FBC Sunday school

What is the connection?

Last week Cami and I coordinated a camp for our church with 65 children and 15 leaders with the theme of “Rome”. Sixteen of the children (25%) came from Orthodox families, and for many of them, this was their first contact with an Evangelical Church. Cami and I were responsible for regiment I (6 to 8 years old). On Wednesday, the lesson came from Romans 5:1-11 “only Jesus and His Love can give meaning to my life”. The children each received coins they could use to bid on auction items. There were really popular items children could recognize the logo and there were “cheaper” candies wrapped in white paper. In the end the winning bidders received their prizes. Big disappointment – the popular items, were just empty containers and what was supposed to be in them, was actually wrapped in the white paper. We talked about our feelings and went to visit Paul. We found Paul in prison talking to Brutus about the love of Jesus and about salvation. In our small groups, Mihnea (8 years old) had a question that he could not wait to ask even before we started reading from the Bible. He asked me: “Alex, I really do not see the connection between the game we played today and what Paul told us. I know there is always a strong connection – please let me know what the connection is.” I realized then, how important it is for children to be taught consistently. Before you know it they demand to be taught the right way – the Biblical way. I asked Mihnea to have a bit more patience and to wait until we read from the Bible. We started reading Romans 5:1-11. “This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us”. All of the children realized that only Jesus and His love is our hope that never disappoints anyone.  The children then wrote a request for God to book a place for them in heaven. I was surprised how many children understood that only Jesus and his loving sacrifice is our reason to be with GOD eternally.

The undersigned Mihnea, “please book a place in heaven for me because I believe in Lord Jesus”
The undersigned Bianca from Bucharest, “please approve a place in heaven for me because I don’t want to be disappointed”
Request: “Lord please accept me in Heaven because you are full of Love and the best, plus I do good things.” Signed Loana

Children can understand the Bible, all of it, including Bible passages like Romans that are considered, by some, to be for adults only. We just have to find the way to connect the Truth with their life experience. Continue to pray for all children and their families and that the seed planted in their hearts will grow and bear fruits.

Alex Bruda

Romanian website launches this month

 

Every week there are children’s workers in local churches trying to come up with some way to impact the lives of boys and girls for Christ in their communities and their church. During the week they are carpenters, bank tellers and taxi drivers. On the weekend they are challenged with connecting the Word of God with the real lives of children that God has entrusted into their care. Every Generation Ministries is working to provide those children’s workers with great training and quality Bible teaching tools that they can use to to touch the lives of children.

If you are reading this blog you know the power of the internet as a content delivery tool. This phenomenon is not limited to the United States but a fact of life in many of the countries where EGM is serving. EGM is harnessing the power of the internet to expand the reach of our ministry. We are working with our national ministry teams to launch websites to provide streaming training videos and Bible teaching materials for children’s workers. Just a few weeks ago, our Romania ministry launched a new website where children’s workers can subscribe and receive Bible teaching materials and also streaming training videos. The teaching materials were developed by our Romanian staff and are biblically sound, developmentally appropriate, super creative and most importantly help children’s workers in local churches connect the Bible to the real life of children in their Romanian context. We already have over 300 subscribing churches and are excited to see what happens in the fall.  We have been very fascinated by Romanian churches in Austria, Italy, Spain, Greece, Moldova and …….the US who have subscribed to the website! Check out the website at http://resurseegm.ro/ . The website is in Romanian but you will find a translator button in the upper right for you to explore a bit in English. Every Generation Ministries has plans for launching Spanish and Arabic websites in the next few weeks. Find out more about our internet initiative and other EGM news at www.egmworld.org or like us on Facebook.