Volunteer of the Month: November 2013

For two years Stu and Mary Lou Hulsebus have been serving with Campers on Mission and we are blessed to have them staying with us for now helping School to the Nations in so many ways. Stu keeps busy with all kinds of building and maintenance projects and Mary Lou helped with International Day along with helping keep our office festive and welcoming to guests.

Stu at the STN Chili Cook-Off in October

Not only does this couple help STN but they are preparing to leave soon for Louisiana and Texas to help other ministries in those areas during the winter months. When asked why they enjoy serving at School to the Nations they replied, "We believe in the ministry and in the vision for the lost." Shortly after becoming Christians, they desired to spend their retired years working for the Lord and feel blessed that God has allowed them to do it.

School to the Nations is incredibly blessed to have Stu and Mary Lou and helping us reach the world for Jesus. They are always a joy to work with and serve with laughter and joy, which is often contagious! They are the parents of three children and are blessed with seven grandchildren! They attend First Evangelical Free Church in Springfield, Mo.

Thank you Stu and Mary Lou Hulsebus for your dedication and countless hours! We honor you this month as our Volunteers of the Month and pray that the Lord richly bless you as you continue to serve Him.

Volunteer of the Month: October 2013

Jim & Shirley at the Jungle Village Celebration in October. 

Most people think of retirement as a chance to rest, relax, and check out from job and duty. School to the Nations is blessed beyond measure that Jim and Shirley Fox do not see it this way. Rather than spend their retirement traveling to exotic places, resting, and not doing much of anything they have chosen to spend their retirement continuing in the Lord's work.

For seven years they have served STN faithfully doing anything from carpentry to weed eating, without complaint and with smiles on their faces. More recently Jim has spent countless hours on helping complete our Jungle Training Village on campus. Jim and Shirley serve with a ministry called Campers on Mission which means they live in their camper and serve full-time as volunteers for our ministry.

"They love Christ and the Kingdom and truly have served the cause of the Gospel on a 

daily basis. What a joy and example of growing older in Grace." 

-Randy Copeland (STN Founder/Director) 

"Jim & Shirley are a godly example of what it means to serve Christ on a daily basis. 

Their consistency and faithfulness are an inspiration to all of us at School to the Nations."

 -Jackie Arnold (Office Administrator) 

Jim & Shirley are blessed with six children, 22 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren! They are avid St. Louis Cardinals fans as well. Jim loves photography and Shirley enjoys doing crafts. They are members of Starling Road Baptist Church.

Thank you Jim & Shirley for your passion to reach the unreached and for using your gifts to help School to the Nations. This month we honor your hard work and dedication!

Focus on the Unreached: Three Fields of Thailand

There is no doubt that the Lord has led School to the Nations into the Buddhist world, where, out of billions of people, less than 2% are evangelized even after 200 years of missionary work in these areas. The true essence of Buddhism is complex: it is a meld of humanism and animism, not based around a deity, yet full of idol worship.

The concept of a living God is very far removed the mindset of the Thai people. This human-centered worldview is coupled with a strong social solidarity, which makes missionary work a challenge.

In this difficult and exciting new work, we know that God’s timing and his providential work among the nations is to be highly considered. Many people have gone before us to sow the seed and we are confident in God’s timing – there will be a great harvest in the days ahead. School to the Nations is blessed to be a part of this, as God has opened door after door in the last 18 months to allow us to move into these new fields for the message of the cross of Christ. Once again, He has been faithful in this calling, which is spelled out for us in Matthew 28:19, that we should “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

 This winter, we are mobilizing 22 people to four separate Buddhist fields, 3 of which are in Thailand. They are currently being trained and equipped to communicate the message of the cross in the Buddhist culture specifically. One team will be in Bangkok working with university students, a work which began last winter on our first Thailand outreach. This particular campus has more than 100,000 students, most of which do not know the name of Jesus. Another team will work in Bangkok to pioneer the deaf ministry to the Thai culture. Unlike our work with the deaf of Botswana, that is concentrated on deaf schools, the Bangkok deaf outreach will focus on finding deaf in the human trafficking trade and other areas where the deaf tend to congregate in the Thai culture.

Because we have a large team for this outreach, we are opening a new field in Chiang Mai to accommodate the outflow of disciples. This team will focus on strategic evangelism to the Thai, working in a variety of locations.

 Pray For:

 -The 23 disciples working in Thailand to be spiritually prepared, well-equipped, healthy, and that they would trust in God for the finances for this trip.

-          - An influx of prayer partners for the Gospel to spread throughout Buddhism.

-         -Our new field among deaf field in Bangkok; This is heavy on our hearts as the deaf are the least reached among the unreached worldwide.

-         - The peoples’ eyes to be opened to the hope of the cross.

-         -That our partners, the full-time missionaries who follow up and disciple those we will work with long after we are back home, would be strengthened and encouraged.

-         -A great movement of the Holy Spirit to open the eyes and hearts of the Buddhist people all over Asia so that the glory of Jesus will shine upon these nations who wait to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

To read a true story of God’s hand on the Thai people during our trip last year, read this post.

God Has Gone Before Us: Botswana Fall 2013

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:8

     This scripture came alive as we entered Botswana. Every place we turned we could clearly see that the Lord had been working and we were honored to join His work there. Last year we met a young, small body of deaf believers in Southern Botswana; this year we met a thriving, large body of deaf believers who had changed spiritually to a degree that was visible physically. They anticipated time to learn God’s word, they go out and share God’s story and they come back to church with a few new friends in tow. We were able to spend several days encouraging the church and training on communicating the Gospel clearly and effectively.Our time at the church left us encouraged and excited for all that the Lord will do with these faithful believers in the coming year.

     After our time at the church, we traveled up North. We saw the Lord going before us in a different way. Up north we had formative contacts and no deaf church established. The Lord provided contacts for us and we were able to find two new schools for the deaf where we built relationships with the leaders of these schools. We also returned to the primary school in Maun that had become like home last year. We were burdened for the teachers as there were now only 2 teachers for all 7 grade levels. We continued to speak God’s promise over the place “do not be afraid or discouraged…He will neither fail nor abandon you.” By the end of our time there we saw the Lord developing understanding in the lives of the students, the teachers regaining a small glimmer of hope for their weary souls, and the team resting in the knowledge that we serve a God faithful to all his promises.

We pray that the church in Botswana would soon become a sending church. That they would go out to the far corners of their country, the countries around them and beyond. They have a commitment to God’s word, a insatiable hunger to know more and a humble posture as they share the good news. Please join us in praying for how we can be an encouragement and resource as this body begins to live out the great commission so that the Deaf worldwide may understand and receive God’s glorious grace.

(Post written by a School to the Nations Staff Member who led this outreach)

A Work in Progress: Asian Training Village Update

We are anticipating a finished project as the Asian Village is coming along. So many people have put in countless hours of work and skill into creating an incredible place where future teams traveling to this type of culture will have the cultural experience before going overseas. We foresee many wonderful nights of worship and learning in this training village. Please join us in praying for the future of this facet of School to the Nation's mission in training the next generation to reach the unreached for the Glory of Jesus! Pictures of the progress: 

Breaking ground and placing the poles. 

Working up high! 

Framing the Walls

Roof and walls nearing completion 

Walls nearly complete along with the roof

This guy has given countless hours to this project, thanks Jim! 

Most current picture, front entry way complete! 

Thank you to everyone who has a had a part in designing and constructing this project! It will be a great tool as we continue to reach the nations for Jesus. 

On the Field: Southern Africa Deaf Team

Please be in prayer for our team working with the deaf in Southern Africa for the next several days! We look forward to a great report of lives changed and God's Kingdom advanced among this unreached people group. 

Prayer Points: 
-Safety and Protection of our team 
-Clear vision and wisdom as they share The Story with many people 
-Open doors into schools and communities where they can share 
-Strong relationships between our team and the national brothers and sisters 
-Great rest each night as they are working long days of ministry 

Thank you for joining with us as we watch the Gospel spread among the unreached across the world! 

To join the email updates for this outreach please email: theabicopeland(at)gmail(dot)com 

Video: International Day 2011

International Day, one of our favorite annual events, is only four days away! Hundreds of international students will be gathered for food, fun, and getting plugged in to local organizations this Thursday, August 15th, Check out this video from International Day 2011 and get excited!

Recommended Read: God is Doing Something Historic by David Garrison

An excerpt from Garrison’s book, A Wind in the House of Islam, this article, entitled God is Doing Something Historic, explains the astounding movement of God’s hand upon the Muslim people throughout the world. Those interested in history will appreciate Garrison’s grasp on the movements of Christianity in Muslim areas since the Colonial era.  Anyone with their heart on the Great Commission will be challenged and excited by the staggering fact that “more than 86 percent of all the Muslim movements to Christ… have occurred in the last 12 years.”

Garrison presses in on the fact that now, more than ever, is the time to mobilize and spread the Gospel into the dark places where Islam has had its 1,000 year reign. As Garrison puts it, these movements are not and will not be isolated to “one or two corners of the world,” but that “In Africa, in the Persian World, in the Arab World, in Turkestan, in South Asia and in Southeast Asia, something is happening, something historic, something unprecedented.” 

Educate yourself more about God's sovereign plan for the lost and broken! Read “God is Doing Something Historic” at missionfrontiers.org. Garrison's book is slated to come out at the end of this year. To learn more about the book itself, visit WindintheHouse.org.

We at School to the Nations highly recommend Mission Frontiers’s articles on this and other issues. To read more articles about God’s hand on the people of Islam, visit Mission Frontiers’s July/August 2013 issue entitled “A Historic Wind is Blowing Through the House of Islam” 

*All quotations are taken directly from linked article*

Focus on the Unreached: International Day 2013

 Close to 600,000 international students come to study in the United States each year. This opens an opportunity for missions that we do not often have. We now have untold opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with foreign students who previously could only be reached by long-term missionaries. This year, School to the Nations gets another opportunity to reach over 400 students from all over the world, connecting them with local businesses, community, and campus ministries. 

 The idea of International Day came about when Randy and Maureen were working with inner-city missions, hosting teenagers at what is now the School to the Nations campus. Randy had a deep sense from the Lord that one day the influence of the campus would expand to host and reach the nations. In 2007, he attended classes with Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, where he met new friends who were already involved with international students and were in need of a place that could host those students. That autumn, the first event took place, and over 100 international students were ministered to and welcomed.

Globalization has caused an unprecedented intermingling of cultures in the last several decades.  Nations from all over the world are coming to the United States and Europe seeking education and a better life.  As such, the opportunities for cross-cultural ministry abound just by walking out the door.  God’s sovereign hand provides this opportunity to do his work. It's like the Lord told us to go to the world and gave us all these resources, but we instead chose to stay and enjoy the comforts of America. "Well," God says, "if you won't go to them, I'll just bring them to you. Is this close enough?" 

This authentic welcome requires a lot of help. Each year we are blessed with new volunteers, whose hearts are full of Christ and ready to share and have community with these students. We can impact the world right here in our backyard because the world sends their best and brightest right to our doorstep. Please join us in this! You have a unique opportunity to pray for them, love on them, share your life and faith with them. Let them see what your life, family, and faith is all about. See what God will do. Send them back with a vision to reach their own country for Christ. When these students come to know Christ, are discipled, and return home, they become missionaries in their own right. But instead of reaching a people foreign to them, they are reaching their friends and family.

Welcomers are people who are especially good at reaching out people of different cultures while remaining at home.  This should be part and parcel for believers in their own sphere of influence.  Reaching and discipling international students is possibly the most strategic mission in God's Kingdom today for fulfilling the Great Commission. Alongside campus ministries which work constantly to reach and disciple hundreds of students, International Day volunteers are a vital part of welcoming! Will you join us on August 15th from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in welcoming these students for God's glory? We are especially in need of volunteers to help prepare food for these students the day of the event, starting around 2 p.m. at a nearby church. If you are interested in helping with this or any other part of International Day 2013, please contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@stnations.com -- she would be so blessed to hear from you as this event draws near!

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’” Revelation 5:9

Even if you can't make it to the event, we would be so blessed by your prayers and/or financial help. To take part in prayer for this upcoming event or to provide financial support, please contact Randy at randy@stnations.com . 

Urgent Call to Prayer: National Elections in Mali

For the past year the country of Mali has experienced troubling events that have led to civil war and political unrest. On Sunday the polls will open allowing Malians to elect new government leaders and hopefully begin the process of bringing peace to this once peaceful nation. 

As you know STN has a deep connection to many people in Mali and our hearts ache for them as they face these struggles. Will you join us in praying for Mali as the election approaches this week? 

Here are a few resources that may help you be informed along with a few prayer points as you lift this country up to the Father: 

-For National reconciliation 

-Security and safety of voters

-For clear and legitimate results 

-Nearly 300,000 are living in refugee camps outside the county, ask for them to return to Mali safely 

Please pass this post along via email, Facebook, or Twitter so that others can join us! 

http://www.voanews.com/content/registration-chaos-security-concerns-could-impact-mali-elections/1708482.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324144304578619990676689924.html

July Volunteers of the Month: Larry and Josh Stevens

Larry and Josh working on the Asian Village

For the past few months a group of men have been working hard at designing and building our newest addition to our U.S. Base Campus, our Asian Village Training Center. Two of these men, Larry and Josh Stevens (father and son) are both custom home builders and have grabbed hold of the vision that the Lord has placed in their hearts to reach the nations using the gifts that God has given them. We are so thankful to have these men as critical members of this crew as they not only have the skills needed to construct such a project but also they both grasp why School to the Nations exists.

The Stevens Family

In their free time, Josh enjoys bow hunting and is a competitive bow shooter while Larry enjoys fishing and boating. When asked why enjoy serving for STN they said, "We have a heart to see people come to Jesus and we both want to make a greater impact with our gifts...to serve with our building skills to help reach the nations for Christ." Pictured on the left with Larry's wife Melody, and both sons (Josh and Jared) the Stevens are members of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield, MO and live in Republic, MO. 

Proverbs 22:29 says, "Have you seen a man who is expert in his business? He will take his place before kings; his place will not be among low persons." These two men are experts in their business and are using all that they have to help future mission teams prepare to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Thank you Larry and Josh for your commitment to Christ's calling and for using your gifts to reach to the ends of the earth!

Stories from the Field: Seed, Sower, & Harvest

This post comes from a personal interview with an STN Outreach Team Member. 

Chris* and Mr. A struck up a conversation during a going-away party for Chris's team, who had spent their time in Asia working with students of all ages who wanted to learn English as a second language. This program, put into place by long-term missionaries, provided Mr. A with his first chance to hear the name of Jesus and plant the seed of salvation in his heart.

Mr. A lost his wife in a car accident several years ago, and his children are grown and some live in the U.S.. Like so many others in this particular Asian country, Mr. A's heart was wrapped up in Buddhism, hopelessness, and loneliness. Because the seed had been planted by the career missionaries, Chris nurtured it as he went to a deeper level in his communication with Mr. A that evening and for months over email after Chris returned home. Through their time of continued communication, Mr. A found that he clearly understood the purpose of Christ's death: the grace, mercy, hope, and freedom that he had never known came into view.  The Gospel showed Mr. A that he could not only have peace in this life but that he also has an eternal purpose.

 Through this time of personal discipleship, Mr. A finally surrendered to the hope and encouragement he had experienced. He surrendered to Christ. Mr. A is so full of joy, and he shares his new faith with his family. We share this harvest with those career missionaries, who planted the seed, and the local churches that will continue to disciple people like Mr. A. We share it with those who write literature and create films like the Jesus Film. We also share it with you, our partners and donors, who continually support efforts to bring the children of Christ back into His Kingdom. We thank you, and we know that we will all rejoice together in Heaven!

 ^"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" 1st Corinthians 1:30 & 31







*Name changed to maintain security and protection of our School to the Nations team member

Focus on the Unreached: The Mountain People

Learn

Isaiah 45:8 

"You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the LORD, have created it.”

Several years ago, School to the Nations began prayer that the Lord would bring us an Unreached People Group in Asia.  Part of our campus prayer trail is dedicated to UPGs in Asia and the Lord brought this desire to fruition when we were able to make connections in Asia that would later help us reach these people far up in the mountains. Some of our staff took a vision tour to these beautiful Mountain People, who are shut off completely from the Gospel where they live in extremely remote jungles. Although we set off to find one group, we ended up spending only a short period there before moving on to another area and another people group also living in the extreme terrain of these mountains. God surely led us to each of these groups and the team was warmly accepted and brought into living daily life with these people, despite the language barrier.  Deeply invested in their religion of animism and folk Buddhism, these people are truly in need of the love of Christ. Several relationships were formed between the Mountain People and our team, but they were unable to share the Gospel in this area. Because of the political and religious barriers, we are in a long-term and very strategic partnership with another organization in Asia to bring the hope of Christ to these wonderful people. We call it The Bamboo Cross Project.

Pray.

 Isaiah 59:16 “And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.”

Although God has no limitations, our movement in this area will be especially slow and cautious, and we need a lot of prayer! As God calls us to an intercessory prayer movement, we hope that you will join us. The darkness over the lives of the Mountain People cannot and will not be brightened by the Gospel without a fervent and continual prayer movement, and there is much planning yet needed to get us there.

•          Pray that the Lord will bring intercessors – strong people of prayer to begin the spiritual battle of getting the Gospel to the Mountain People! If you would like to get more information about our passion and need for intercessors, please contact us at stn.intercession@gmail.com so that we can connect with you. It is so important to us to equip those who want to be a part of this movement. Please know that intercessory prayer is powerful Kingdom work!
•         Pray for Houses of Peace to be prepared by the Holy Spirit, hearts that are being opened to the Gospel before our team even arrives.
•         Pray for the team that will be returning to the Mountain People in the next year. Specifically pray for their finances, health, spiritual wellness, and that they will be encouraged and passionate with a peace that passes all understanding.
•          Pray for government favor and good connections in this area.

Focus on the Unreached: The K People of Sub-Saharan Africa

Learn.

In 2003, the call that had been put on the hearts of those who founded School to the Nations began to be fulfilled. A trip to the K People, a tribe in Sub-Saharan Africa, took place in January 2003 when they were officially adopted by what would become School to the Nations. There had been little to no preliminary mission work in this area, and there were no known believers among the 35,000 people of the K tribe.

School to the Nations first reached the K People by partnering with IMB in Africa. The first goals of this partnership was to facilitate indigenous church planting among believers and to bring compassionate touch to the K. We began with medical clinics, where over 400 patients were treated and individually prayed over. Eventually, the compassion projects expanded into BioSand filter wells to give the villages access to clean water and a healthier life.

The area is harsh. There is constant drought, occasional danger of famine, and malaria is prevalent among their villages. What’s more, they battle with spiritual warfare against the worshipping of nature and folk Islam.  Their country was, at the time of our first outreach, among the top 10 poorest in the world. All of this was a heavy weight on the first teams to reach the K People in 2003 and 2004. Leaders of School to the Nations experienced extreme spiritual warfare they had not anticipated – some very personal struggles as well as a deep discouragement among the teams.

Faced with returning for another trip again, School to the Nations’ leadership sought to obey Christ, remembering the words of Jesus in Matthew 9:37: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”. The Lord fulfilled His promises to the K People Outreach teams, when in 2005, the first Houses of Peace were established, meaning that they found people who had clearly been touched by Jesus before even hearing from this missionary team.  One Muslim man had had a dream about following and seeking Jesus, and approached the team to tell them he wanted to accept Christ.

After this encouraging trip, teams began returning to the K People two or three times each year, and in 2006 the first group of believers came about. This particular team witnessed a powerful work of the Lord, as K People literally began to burn up the idols they had relied on for so long. With new believers emerging each trip, the prayer for the K People shifted to finding them an indigenous leader. In 2007, Pastor A and his family moved to the tribal regions and planted the K People’s first indigenous church in 2008, where a team from School to the Nations experienced the first baptisms of these people. Truly, the Lord showed Himself faithful when these teams chose to draw near to Him and His people in obedience.

Pray.

This church is very young and in a very dark place – the political turmoil in this Sub-Saharan country is powerful, and teams have not been able to reach the K People recently. We pray, and hope you will pray with us, that Pastor A and his family as they seek to reach and disciple around 35,000 K individuals. The harvest truly is plenty, but these workers are few. Pray that they are supported by current believers and encouraged that the Lord is working among the K People. Pray that political trouble will be assuaged and that the elections this summer will bring up strong leaders who will create peace.  Pray that this political upheaval ends soon so that the doors will be open once again for missionaries to come and aid pastors like Pastor A in reaching these tribal, unreached peoples.

The amazing thing about our work among the K People is the reality of prophetic words coming true. Revelation 5:9 says “for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Jesus has bought the freedom of all unreached people with His blood, and we have had and will have the opportunity to see the first fruits of this promise from the Lord.

To read an amazing story of Jesus’ miracles amongh the K People, visit this post. To get involved with School to the Nations' intercessory prayer movement, which includes prayer for the K People, email us at stn.intercession@gmail.com.

Stories from the Field: Hunger for the Gospel

This post comes from a personal newsletter written by a STN Staff Member:
"As the team ventured to the outskirts of the African village, they stumbled upon the house of a passionate believer. His smile lit the courtyard as he poured out his joy to them. He told the story of how he rode his bicycle all through out the village, proclaiming his faith in Jesus Christ. 

Without a Bible, a pastor or a church building, the flame of Christ's love burned bright within him. He was no theologian, but he understood man's created purpose: to know Christ and to make Him known. The believer's sole source of strength and wisdom was the King; he poured his heart out and listened in the stillness of his garden.

The believer had a hunger for fellowship and the gospel. Some indigenous disciples spent the entire day with the believer teaching him the principles of church formation and spiritual growth. 
The next day, the team had the honor of giving the believer a solar radio that continuously plays the Gospel. He held that radio like his most treasured belonging and passion burned in his eyes as the radio began to speak the things he desired to know and share."

 "In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13 & 14

"... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8

Ministry Update: Sowers & Fields Festival

In April, School to the Nations gathered our board members, partners, and staff families to celebrate the adoption of three people groups - the Deaf of Botswana and two Mountain People groups in Asia. In a small room at Remington's, we took part in a time of worship,  talked about where we're headed, enjoyed a beautiful worship dance, and prayed together for our three new people groups. This celebration outlined the continued need to share the name of Jesus around the world and reignited the passions of the staff and our board and supporters alike! What follows in this post is a recap of the message that was shared; it is a challenge to us and we hope you will feel encouraged and passionate about spreading the name of Jesus throughout the nations after you read it!

Isaiah 12:2-5: “’Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.’ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted.’”



This scripture reveals a lot about His name (and thus His nature) and His desire for people. This winter on an outreach trip in a large city in Asia, our team met with college students for English as a second language training. While reading with one of our team members, a young student asked  "Is this a name?" pointing at the name of Jesus. How deeply this ought to effect us! In a culture full of constant fear, hopelessness, and meaningless religion, people do not know and have never even heard the name of Jesus.

What does His name mean in our lives?

•  His name is our salvation, which gives us peace with God.  The scripture from Isaiah also reminds us that our salvation is not only for ourselves, but to "make known among the nations what He has done". 
• His name is our strength and our song. Abiding in Christ means we are connected to God's peace and we are comforted by His people and His Living Word through all of the trials and pain we all experience throughout life. He changes the lives we had into a new song and strength to thrive through every storm!

What do we do with all of this? We share it! He calls us to share His name where it has never been heard, to plant churches so that believers can grow and support one another in the driest spiritual desert. There are more than 6,400 unreached people groups and 70 million deaf worldwide who have not heard the name of Jesus. Truly, His name - His love, grace, mercy, hope, and life - must be exalted among the nations! 

What does this mean for you? We invite each and every one of you to partner with us in this work of making the name of Jesus famous throughout the world. Know Jesus intimately. Get to know His name more deeply today. Surrender your talents, skills, gifts, prayers and ability to reach the nations so that His Name can be the salvation of 3 billion unreached people around the world! At the end of our celebration, we officially adopted 3 more people groups with signed certificates showing the commitment of our leaders and staff to this movement of God. It signifies our passion and commitment to serving the unreached and sharing Jesus with them. We'd love for each of you to join us in this calling by praying, supporting, and even going with us!

Psalms 8:1 "O Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth!"

May Volunteers of the Month: Bethany Webster & Hanelle Reeder

School to the Nations believes that every gift can be used to impact the world for the Glory of Jesus. We are blessed to have volunteers with a variety of God-given gifts and talents who are using them to be involved in missions and in carrying out the call that the Lord has placed on their lives. 

This month we want to honor two women who are using the gift of dance to proclaim the message of Jesus. Bethany Webster and Hanelle Reeder recently choreographed and performed a dance at our Sowers & Fields Festival at Remington's in April. It was a joy to see these women dance with such skill and passion! 

The Webster Family

Bethany Webster is a close family friend of the Copeland's and has been involved here and there with School to the Nations over the course of the ministry's development. She has traveled with STN to Africa and has a sincere servant's heart. She is the wife of Jacob Webster and they have two children, Landon (5) and Storri (3) and a third baby on the way! They attend Revolution Church in Nixa. She works at VIP Hair Studio in Nixa where she uses her gifts not only to cut and style hair but to impact her community by offering great service as a means to share the love of Jesus. She has been involved with dance for many years whether teaching, choreographing, or dancing herself. What an inspiration to see Bethany dance with such passion! 

Hanelle Reeder

Hanelle Reeder came to School to the Nations through our college house church that meets weekly during the school year. Originally from Nixa she is one of eight children in her family and other than dancing enjoys painting, violin, and piano. She is a member of the Petra Ballet Company and attends Parkcrest Baptist Church. Hanelle has always wanted to dance for the Lord and feels that it is a huge part of her ministry. She loves the work that STN is doing and appreciates that Randy and the staff are so real! Hanelle has a hunger for the Living Word of God and it was an honor to watch as she used her gifts for the Glory of Jesus.

We are grateful for Bethany and Hanelle's part in making our April event a success and most of all for welcoming us into the presence of the Lord through dance. We pray that they continue to use their gifts for His glory! If you know these ladies, take some time to bless them with your words and know that these two ladies are living testimonies of God's specific gifting all for His Glory. 

Sowers & Field Festival - April 2013

 Thank you Bethany and Hanelle for your work and service not only for School to the Nations but for the Lord! 

Focus on the Unreached: The Hidden People of West Africa

This month's Focus on the Unreached showcases one of the first people groups adopted by School to the Nations: the Hidden people of  West Africa.

Adoption of the Fulanke

Learn.

First off, let's review the definition of "people groups": it comes from the Biblical term "nations" and refers to a distinct people who are connected through a common tongue. The significance of reaching the nations is based in Revelation 5:9, which tells us that every tribe and every tongue will be represented in God's Kingdom.

The Hidden are spread throughout dozens of villages in a West African country but share a common tongue. These kind and gentle people face drought and famine daily, and are oppressed under the ideas of folk Islam and animism. The Hidden people are in great need of being loved in truth and in deed. We have begun compassion projects of medical aid and BioSand filters for well water in the past and hope to continue those works in the future.  Their part of West Africa is currently experiencing serious political turmoil and we haven’t been able to do an outreach since January  of 2012. We have not been able to take trips there and we anticipate moving back into these areas as we sense the Spirit and it is safe.

School to the Nations adopted the Hidden in 2006 and had many outreach trips to West Africa since then. When we first arrived, there were no known believers within the 50 or so Hidden people villages, but God drew several Hidden people to Himself on our first outreach. The first Hidden believers were baptized during the winter of 2010-2011.  Since then, the number of believers has grown and an indigenous pastor has been growing the church and making disciples. The church is small and based on land that was given to the pastor by his chief; he and his family serve and live there. School to the Nations is aiding this young pastor in finishing Bible school so that he is even better equipped to spread the Gospel among the villages. He is in need of a motorbike so that he can travel throughout the villages efficiently.

Pray.

-That the funds needed for a motorbike for the indigenous pastor will be provided. Contact Randy at schooltothenations@gmail.com if you’d like to learn more about this need.

- For the elections in July to produce new national leadership that will stabilize the nation.

- For the current believers to be strengthened and begin a church-planting movement among the villages.

- For a continued and strengthened Intercessory Prayer Movement. This movement is at the forefront of our efforts and the Hidden people are a key group in our prayers. If you’d like more information about this movement, please contact us at stn.intercession@gmail.com