Fruit from Teaching
April 2021
Hello Friend,
Praise the Lord! My rapid Covid test is negative and the letter of proof is in hand for when I board a plane Saturday, April 3rd to travel to teach in Ecuador. Thank you to those of you who prayed.
Why do you travel to teach, especially when it costs so much? After a year of Zoom meetings, I had to ask the Lord about that. The answer is clear; because it multiplies ministries.
It was God who called me to teach, and to start YWAM’s Student Mobilization Centre for the University of the Nations, and to create training courses for university missionaries, and to lead teams of missional interns. You need to be present to build friendships and trust, to collaborate, and to establish and plant new ministries. Today, as a result, there are university missionaries in over 30 countries.
It was because both Mary and I traveled and built relationships with people that the international team for Student Mobilization was formed. Aldrin (India), John Hwang (USA), Elaine (Hong Kong), Paul (Kenya), Changsoo and Kim (Korea) and others, helped Mary and I start the 12-week School of University Ministries training course back in 2004 in India with 24 participants from 9 countries. That course has continued to multiply ministries by running again in India, then in Thailand, and S. Korea, Colombia, USA, Brazil, and in Ecuador. Because those courses were in-person classes where deep revelation was imparted, and relationships were forged, we have YWAM university ministries in some of the most unreached countries in the world, including Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Egypt, Madagascar, Malaysia, and more. This is how missions works. God empowers us and sends us out, often two-by-two, and then multiplication happens.
Ten years ago 12 YWAMers joined the university ministries course in Colombia, which was led by John Hwang. And, of course, it was my joy to respond to God's call to travel to teach in Colombia many times. As a result, today there are new YWAM university ministries in three cities in Colombia, in Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, and one of those YWAMers, Maria Isabel, leads the ministry in the university town of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Maria hosted the course and I taught the first and final weeks in 2018. Maria will greet me again when I arrive back Guayaquil on Saturday night, April 3rd. She's asked me to teach on Calling & Election in the Discipleship Training School from April 5 to 10.
Today, because of our training in Ecuador, there are new YWAM ministries in college towns in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Costa Rica, and more. And these amazing university missionaries regularly meet with me and John Hwang on Zoom for prayer, reporting, and strategy sessions.
The point is that teaching, especially internationally, is where God has made our ministry the most fruitful. It multiplies!
You may recall we ran the Discipleship Training School here in Ocean City, NJ. We would never have attempted it if it weren’t for God’s clear instructions, and He provided staff, housing, offices, classroom, and students! And yes, there's fruit!
On Tuesday night this week, we hosted Jennifersara and her husband Aaron and their new baby. Jennifersara was the first applicant for that DTS here in Ocean City in 2016. We went to India on outreach where I joined her cleaning the feet of lepers. She’s continued her training toward a Counseling degree with YWAM’s University of the Nations, which has taken her to Australia and Nepal and more.
Jennifersara and Aaron, after getting married here in South Jersey, have served with YWAM in San Diego/Baja. They had a challenging Covid year with travels and quarantining in England, and teaching their church youth group remotely. But they are passionate for Jesus, and we are so very proud of Jennifersara for saying “Yes” to Jesus’ call. Here's their video update to Praise Tabernacle Church, a supporting church fellowship in South Jersey. (Praise is the church Mary grew up in and the church where we were married too.)
Another DTS participant from 2016 is Glenis Acosta. Glenis has been my Spanish translator for several teaching sessions. She also formed a team to translate the entire Converge internship placement and training program to Spanish. She was our first Converge intern to Albania. And Glenis was in that School of University Ministries in Ecuador in 2018. Then she distributed Bibles in Mongolia in 2019. Meanwhile, Glenis worked hard to finish and she received high honors for the completion of her bachelor’s degree in linguistics. She is now moving to the University of the Nations campus on Jeju Island, South Korea. Here's a short video update from Glenis.
Why am I saying all this? Well, Mary and I are partners in this gospel ministry. And some of you are partners with us. We believe God is promising many more years of fruitful ministry. And it's when people like you sense God's prompting to support our ministry with YWAM, you become partners sponsoring the growth and multiplication of missionaries in university communities in many countries.
Why do we do this? Because we believe this is how God wants nations to be discipled, by making disciples who represent Christ and his kingdom in every sphere of influence and every nation on earth. God spoke through the prophet Habakkuk saying, “The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the seas.” (Hab. 2:14)
Remember the three things from last month's letter?
1. Giving away my new book, Making A Difference: How to Extend Your Influence and Transform Your World. I am not selling the book; I am only giving it away. I receive none of the proceeds from sales. I have given away the first 20 copies and donations to buy the next 20 have already been received. Ask me to send you one. If you insist on buying it, you may order the book at Amazon. (Kindle $5 and paperback $20USD).
2. YWAM’s 30 Days of Vision and Purpose Challenge, an online super conference. It’s an honor to be included as one of over 40 YWAM visionary leaders who will be speaking everyday in April. I’ll be speaking on Saturday, April 24, about Calling and Students. Mary & I are trusting God to touch many people to respond to his call.
3. You can listen to the five session course I taught last month on Missional Church Emerging. (On Youtube.)
Thank you for your prayers.
I am so excited to teach again in the Discipleship Training School at our YWAM university ministry in Ecuador from April 5 to 10. Most of the cost of travel is covered, but there are still expenses and the need to our ongoing ministry.
I’ll need another Covid test for return, with surprise added costs. My flight is paid for, but bag costs another $100. I’m told Covid test in Ecuador for my return to USA may be as much as $400!
If you will, please pray about giving something more to send me to Ecuador. Thank you! You could also be a regular monthly partner. Use the link above to join our team.
Thank you again for following our ministry. Mary and I are especially grateful for your prayers and your support. Please pray for us. We love you!
Very gratefully yours,
John Henry
Prayer Requests
Mary & I pray together nearly every morning. Join us.
For Becca as she completes her final year at Rowan University.
For God's relentless pursuit of Justin, Nathan, and Becca as they make life-shaping choices about their futures.
For John as he travels to Ecuador April 3-10 to teach in the DTS.
Pray for 25 new ministry partners. We so appreciate you!