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. 

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!

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!"

Lifting the Fog: A New Field in Southeast Asia

A new adventure and a new day are beginning for School to the Nations as we live out our mission statement to “Penetrate the final frontiers for the glory of Jesus by mobilizing the next generation to the Nations.” Recently, we sent a group of twelve people to Asia for two purposes, one to work with University Students and two to explore a new mission field in L country. Three of our leadership staff, partnering with the IMB traveled into this country in order to find possible inroads for future efforts to penetrate the unengaged, unreached people in this region. They were told that they were the first Caucasians that these people had ever seen! We believe that these are God-ordained relationships with the people here and our team was captivated by the surreal environment they experienced:

“Nestled on the side of a mountain in the extreme upper highlands, is a long house, living in this house are precious people created in the image of God. Shut off completely to any knowledge of God and the access to even hearing of the mercy of their Creator found in Jesus. These people live in fear and seek to appease the spirits and because of some communist ideology, extreme mountainous terrain, animistic worldview, and Buddhism permeating every aspect of their lives a fog covers their eyes that must be lifted, much like the fog rises each morning from the valleys.”

Our team was successful in creating lasting relationships with key figures in this region and potential creative access inroads with the government. The future is hopeful, as this new field has opened up! During their visit they came in contact with two specific unengaged people groups that we will identify as "the mountain people." Both of these people groups are in desperate need of the Gospel, and School to the Nations along with a local church are fully engaged into a strategic long-term church planting movement among these precious people.

In the midst of the first contact they were able to clearly see the governing hand of God by giving them favor with key contacts and government approval to be in this region, something that cannot be handled carelessly. We must be as strategic and as creative as we have ever been to continue a healthy relationship with those in L country. So where do we go from here?

As with any unengaged, unreached people group the mountain people will not be reached unless the church marshals a strong prayer strategy. We, the body of Christ, the church must pray that the fog that blurs their spiritual eyes be lifted, and only by the power of the Cross. Missions among the unengaged and unreached are more about prayer than they are about strategy; prayer produces strategy, but prayer must supersede all efforts.

Will you join School to the Nations in praying Ephesians 1:18, as we begin a prayer movement for the mountain people in L country?

 “I pray that the eyes of you heart will be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his  glorious inheritance in his holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

**For more on what an “unengaged & unreached” people group is, read this article from the latest issue of Mission Frontier: “The Most Abomidable “Word”.”

Sailing the High Seas: A letter from Randy & Maureen

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”

–William Shedd

For the past six weeks we have been in a season of new beginnings, docked in a safe harbor. After nine years of our focus primarily being on Mali, West Africa, specifically two un-reached tribal groups, we have seen much fruit including at least two solid church plants. However, in late March, Mali was thrown into turmoil as a result political upheaval and the violent nature of radical Islam. Sadly, this has sealed off most of the missionary work within the borders.

My heart was broken. We have a deep love for the Malians, and not only that we were in the process of training two teams to travel to Mali in the fall, one to work with the deaf and the other to work in the tribal regions. I was very frustrated to say the least! My calling is to work on the frontier mission fields, yet now I did not seem to have one! But God was at work, although at the time I simply could not see the hand of God moving.

The months of April and May were busy on our School to the Nations U.S. Base Campus with projects and the normal day-to-day issues of a mission organization, yet as the months passed I grew more anxious and frustrated. It seemed as though the frontiers came to a screeching halt! Daily I sought the Lord’s leading, but nothing seemed to develop. For example, I had been pursuing a new field in Southeast Asia and had been in correspondence with mission partners in that region since last July. Even though they wanted us to come, because of some leadership restructure on their end, nothing seemed to be happening. It was during this time in my daily devotions that a direct word from the Lord came in Paul’s similar story in Acts: “When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.” (Acts 27:7-8) Reminded again of the value of learning to “wait upon the Lord,” I identified with this story, relieved my anxiety and frustration and simply said to the Lord, “I surrender, you lead. I will wait upon you in my own ‘Fair Havens’.”

Astonished once again at the mighty hand of God, in late May the winds of the Spirit began to blow again and School to the Nations discovered two new opportunities, two new fields in need of the Gospel! In the words of my wife, “we have already adopted but now are finding out we're pregnant too!” Only through God’s divine workings, our deaf team is now traveling to Botswana, Africa to evangelize and church plant among the deaf in that part of the world. A few days after hearing this news, a phone call from Southeast Asia came and we now are very close to sending our first vision team into a remote area of jungle to explore at least three options of tribal unreached groups that we anticipate to adopt as a new work begins.

As we come to a time when we are pulling up the anchor and leaving the safety of the harbor to sail the high seas of God’s global purpose, we are amazed at the work of the Holy Spirit which has made it possible to “Penetrate the Final Frontiers for the Glory of Jesus by Mobilizing the Next Generation to the Nations!”

“My soul, wait silently for God alone…”

Psalm 62:5

For His Glory,

Randy & Maureen Copeland