Martin and Eli's Pier Review

• Persecution: We ended up postponing the SOAP due to the  persecution of the Church and YWAM in Indore.  Martin will head back for it in September.  The persecution is continuing to cripple our efforts in Indore.  Please pray.
• YWAM Lucknow, a ministry that Martin is heavily involved in pioneering, has now started ministries in vocational training, church planting, evangelism, and training.  Check it out here.
• Coaching:  Martin is now coaching three leaders of pioneering ministry locations in North India and 15 individuals that are in a year long addiction program in Las Vegas.  He is investigating options to become certified as a coach.
• SOAP South Africa:  Eli, Olivia and Martin are heading there once more in January.  Check out the videos and website here.
• Community Resource Center: Quick video of the ministries that Martin is managing in Las Vegas here.
• SOAP Locations: Many bases around the world are asking us to run the SOAP in their locations with the focus of starting new ministries.  We now have invitations from Bangladesh, Porto Velho Brazil (focus on reaching the 3% of the unreached peoples of the world in the Amazon basin), Nepal, Mazatlan Mexico, and Switzerland.  Please pray for guidance!
• Grades: Eliangela has a 3.8 grade point average in the College of Southern Nevada!
• Concussion: Martin was teaching on the SOAP in Idaho and got a mild concussion while snowboarding last Saturday.

For our five year wedding anniversary we went to San Diego!

Our SOAP pioneers are heading out to start a new decentralized community and training center in Lubanga, Angola, a family of University ministries in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and a movement of Christian schools for girls at risk beginning in Mossel Bay, South Africa to name a few.

Check it out:

This is the very first School of Apostolic Pioneering (SOAP) on the continent of Africa. It is underway with 19 students and 7 staff. The theme of this SOAP is “Lead, Pioneer, Multiply” which is exactly what we will all do upon completion of the school locally, regionally, and internationally. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Locally Ilze, pictured lower right, is pioneering a new education, discipleship, and community development ministry. Regionally, we have Paulo (pictured upper left) going out after the SOAP to starting a Children at Risk ministry in Angola. Internationally we have Adetayo who has the vision to pioneer a new YWAM base in Northern Europe with various types of ministries coming out of that. We are loving every minute of our time here!

The vast Ganges Plains of Northern India contain the greatest concentration of unevangelized people in the world. According to Patrick Johnstone North India will probably be the touchstone of our success or failure of completing world evangelization in our generation…

Through partnerships with various ministries we as the SOAP have helped 15 new ministries and bases who have the goal to effectively reach the lost in North and West India. Another 4 will be launched shortly. When a ministry or base launches out there is a period of vulnerability in which the ministry has a great potential for failing. We are trying out best as the SOAP school to maintain relationship with these ministries and bases and help them especially during their five years of vulnerability. Some of them are struggling. Here is the challenge: pray about getting involved.

Are you good in communications? Photography? English? Evangelism? Basic computer skills? Bible teaching? Children’s ministry? Teaching? Consulting? Music? If so you can help us out during the next SOAP school in Indore in central India and even visit one or more of the ministries that we work with. We can create space for you to use your strengths. Come for a week or two. Encourage the brethren. Let me know.

This is what Eliangela, Olivia, and I are doing for 4 months this summer.  Pray for us that the purposes of the school would be fulfilled.

I just got back to Las Vegas from the fourth running of the SOAP in India–this one in Indore in North Central India.  We have 18 students from eight different states of India coming from Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Catholic, and Muslim backgrounds.  Seven of them are being sent immediately out to their new pioneering locations on April 6th after graduation and the others are pioneering or helping others to pioneer new ministries in their current Y locations.

Do you know what I discovered?  They don’t need me in Indore for the whole 12 weeks of the school!  There are four very capable leaders in charge. My exit strategy was always to try to replace myself… and I’ve almost done it.  The only problem is that in a school of pioneering, the students and staff don’t stick around!  Pray for our students!  And for long term SOAP staff.

SOAP Indore 2012 Students and Staff

SOAP Staff Indore 2012