In I Corinthians 16:9, the Apostle Paul writes these words, “…a wide door of effective work has opened to me…” Paul was speaking about opportunities God was providing to him in Ephesus. This terminology is used other times by Paul as well (Acts 14:27 and II Cor. 2:12). During Reach Out’s many decades of ministry, the concept of walking through the doors that God opens has led to over 30 countries across 5 continents. And God continues to open doors today!
OPEN DOORS TO TRAIN IN TEXAS…
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Pastor Jose Suantos (UBLA Director of Pastors), Randy Riggins (President, ROYS), Sergio Ramos (President, Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas) |
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Last month, the door was opened for Reach Out to connect with Latino Baptist churches across the state of Texas. While attending Convencion Bautista Hispana de Texas (Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas) in San Antonio, I was blessed with the opportunity to individually meet with several leaders of the convention. They are excited to begin promoting the Spanish version of JFYMO (as well as our other English and Spanish resources) to Latino churches throughout the state! In the coming months, we will be speaking to leaders through Facebook Live interviews and other social media channels to get the word out! We ask for your prayers as this partnership continues to grow into the future!
OPEN DOORS TO EVANGELIZE IN KENYA…
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Charles Sande Olewa (left), one of our Kenyan Eagle Leaders, recently conveyed a story told at one of the Implementation Workshops he held last quarter:
Leading a team of young people he has been discipling, Kenyan Eagle Leader, Jairus Omengo (right), went out into the community last month to share the Gospel. From that, forty-eight people made professions of faith!
OPEN DOORS TO THE NEXT GENERATION IN CUBA…
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Elio Martiz, Reach Out’s Country Leader in Cuba, reported last month that 9 students were recently saved and baptized in Almendares Church. A year and a half ago, Ana Laura was saved, but at that time she was ridiculed by her brother, Barbaro. On June 19, Barbaro was one of the 9 students publicly declaring his faith in Christ through baptism. In a similar testimony, Javier was also baptized, after having watched the change Jesus made in his brother, Javier, over the last year.
OPEN DOORS OF PROVISION IN UKRAINE…
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Doug Landro (Eagle Leader, and former Reach Out Ukraine Country Leader) recently recounted his experience on the border:
“On Tuesday Marina and I traveled to Kosice, Slovakia to pick up 2000 New Testaments that were sent as a gift. We did get the Bibles, but only because of your prayers. We had followed the instructions that our city mayor had given us for bringing in humanitarian aid. We have used this system for three months with no problems. But corruption in Ukraine forced the system to change which we were unaware of. So, we did not have the proper paperwork. And we got pulled over at the border for carrying ‘contraband’ into Ukraine. They were not letting us through with the Bibles unless we paid a custom fee based on what they decided the Bibles were worth - which would have been around $600 which I did not have. Marina told me that they were just saying that so we would pay a bribe. But I did not want to bring the Word of God into Ukraine with a bribe. So, we sat for five hours, and they were just ignoring us. Then I felt the Holy Spirit give me an idea. I began carrying the boxes of Bibles to the customs office at the border one box at a time. After around five boxes, they asked me what I was doing. I said, ‘Since you will not let me in with the Bibles, I am giving them to you to distribute as you feel led by Jesus.’ They just stared at me. Some began to laugh as my pile grew to ten boxes. The customs officer told me that I cannot leave them here, as they were not a warehouse. I just kept bringing more boxes. Then he threatened to call the police and have me arrested. I smiled and said, ‘That would be great! I would love to see the headline - Sixty-year-old American pastor who has invested a quarter of a million dollars in assisting Ukrainian refugees was arrested for trying to bring 2000 Bibles into Ukraine.’ His jaw just dropped, and I returned and brought in another box. The two initial border officers who wanted a bribe then went into a back room where the supervisor was obviously sleeping (it was now 04:00 in the morning). He came out and told the officer in English, ‘Let them go,’ and then went back to bed. Five minutes later we were back on the road and heading home with the Bibles.” [Emphasis added.]
OPEN DOORS INTO NEW COUNTRIES…
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Pray for our trainers worldwide, as we step into new countries across three continents in the months ahead…including India and Nigeria!
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Thank you, God, for inviting us to join you in walking through the open doors you continue to place along our path! |
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Would you prayerfully consider financially partnering with us as we step through these brand-new doors of opportunity? |
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Randy Riggins, President
Reach Out Youth Solutions
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