A particular story that appears in Scripture has always fascinated me. It’s the story of the paralytic who was taken to Jesus by his four friends only to discover that the crowds were so large there was no way to get him to Jesus except by climbing on the roof, cutting a hole in it, and letting him down to the lower lever directly in front of Jesus. Well, we all know what happens. Jesus heals the paralyzed man. In each of the gospel accounts the healing is preceded by the same five words: “When Jesus saw their faith.” The paralytic’s friends saw a need and boldly stepped forward in …

MORE

When a Cameroon native, D**, (a church-planter currently serving on the field whose name has been omitted for security purposes) was first sent to his target village, he was very afraid. He had heard stories of things that this particular people-group had done in the past to keep outsiders away and to keep Christianity from entering their tribe. Now he was there to present the Good News of Jesus, and he didn’t know what to expect. But, to his surprise, he found that he was welcomed warmly by the villagers, and he soon made many friends. Bold Conversation about Jesus “Before I came to the training, I didn’t really know …

MORE

I think a lot about transformation. This is a key element in our vision as an organization moving into the future. We believe that lives and communities are transformed by the power of God. In fact, we know that God can use one changed life to transform an entire community. Few passages of Scripture illustrate the transforming power of a changed life better than that of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42). I’m sure you know the story really “well,” but I’d love to highlight some thoughts that stand out to me personally. Most Jewish people of that day would have bypassed the entire region of …

MORE

One of the critical issues facing our world today is water. Without water, it’s impossible for life to exist. Within the Karamoja region of northern uganda, too many people still struggle to gain access to clean water. Many of the Karamojong people are without hope and most of the world is either unaware, or has written them off. —FACT—Access to clean drinking water is critical to fight poverty. Only three out of ten Karamojong have access to safe water and 82 percent live below the poverty line. Statistics show that water-borne diseases are one of the leading causes of infant mortality. It’s estimated that in Karamoja in northern Uganda, the …

MORE

Both 2010 and 2011 have been years of financial strength for us, and we’re grateful. These figures reflect our new fiscal year ending in June rather than December. The following comparisons provide a picture for which we continue to rejoice. We’re thankful for our many financial partners, like you, who make this possible.

For most of my life I have known that art has profound power to engage the heart, and that artists have unique abilities to tell the story of the voiceless and invisible. I have dreamed of a day when artists of all kinds would passionately share the story of the poor, the slave and the spiritually blind using their particular gifts, and that dream is becoming reality at International Teams. Songs for the Oppressed We just released an amazing CD called Songs for the Oppressed Vol. 1. Not only are the songs excellent, challenging, and inspiring, but each time a CD is purchased, the funds go to provide food, freedom and forgiveness …

MORE

We met David two years ago when he was 15. He had no home, no family, and no possessions except for what was on his back. He asked for prayer and a Bible. In actuality, he desperately desired the freedom in his heart and soul that only Jesus could provide. David’s freedom had been shattered in 2003, when he was only 9 years old. He and several other children from his village were abducted by rebel soldiers known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Life as he knew it was swept away in Africa’s longest-running conflict. After his parents were brutally killed in front of him, David was forced to …

MORE