Panta Ta Ethne: Making Disciples of All Nations Stories
GOD IS AT WORK!!! Thanks for your prayers. After two years of praying since the Harlem Congress on Discipleship in 2008, God led a team two men, two women and a couple to move to Maryland to receive leadership training from Marvin and Pam Campbell, and to learn how to bring the Good News to students at Bowie State University.
Each week this team studies Scripture works though personal growth issues and spends a few days a week sharing their faith at Bowie State. In September, after their first week of sharing their faith, a few people came to Christ and over 100 indicating that they want to learn more about Jesus. Most of the seekers are young African American men.
GOD IS DOING SOMETHING GREAT! The team is now leading 4-5 Investigative Bible Studies and New Believers Studies. Please keep praying for this young team.
Asian American: Opening Doors into the Hmong American Community
God opens the door for Ken Kong, Asian American Ministries NavStaff, this past summer at The Navigators Shoulder to Shoulder Ministry (STS) to at-risk youth. STS serves African American, Hispanic and Hmong (Southeast Asian) Communities in Sacramento California. A high percentage of the young men in that community are growing up without a father figure, both functionally and situationally.
Bobby is one of two Hmong boys in the STS program. The first day of the program, Bobby kept his distance from Ken and was frankly not too friendly. This was not a surprise, as Ken was a stranger to him. One morning the door opened when Bobby came in, shook Ken’s hand and called him by name. This was exciting! It was the first step towards trust and friendship. Even more exciting, Bobby now is taking greater interest in the Word of God as he continues in the STS program.
Please pray for Bobby and the Shoulder to Shoulder ministry. A step toward faith in Jesus as a Hmong American means crossing many huge cultural hurdles.
NavVida: Viva NavVida! Summer Training Program
Last summer eighteen young adults from six states and three countries quickly bonded through Viva NavVida!, an unusual and intense three-week summer training program (STP) in San Antonio and Mexico. Viva NavVida! is designed to train young adults interested in Hispanic-focused ministry, and all but one of this year’s participants is of Hispanic origin, with Cuban, Chilean, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Mexican roots. For the first two weeks, the STP-ers had action-packed days of training sessions, team devotional times, late-night sharing, and three hours a day talking with University of Texas San Antonio students about their faith.
The third week put everyone on a bus headed to Mexico, taking part in a Mexican Navigator collegiate conference and spending a few days in collegiate ministries in Monterrey and Guadalajara. God used the American students to infuse new life and vision into the Mexican collegiate ministry, and Eliza Canedo, one of our Viva NavVida! participants, was a driving force behind this renewed effort to host a national student conference in Mexico. 
NavVida staff Paul Reynoso and Jose Lamberty partnered with Collegiate staff Brian Waltmann to launch this pioneering program aimed at developing young Hispanic leaders, and they are working with Ismael Aguirre to host the program in San Antonio again this coming summer, June 14 - July 14. The program will again feature a mission trip to Mexico, giving students a cross-cultural experience in Mexican life and Navigator ministry. More information can be found at: www.vivanavvida.com
Native American: Affirming the Pursuit of His Kingdom
In August, our Native American Indian Discipleship Ministry (NAIDM) team partnered with our Collegiate Team at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The NAIDM team was greatly blessed by God’s movement of grace throughout the weekend.God provided NavStaff Alvin & Ruth Logan with an opportunity to invite students to the “Native Taco Dinner Outreach”. They were intentionally escorted to the lectern during the meeting and extended an announcement regarding the dinner. What a blessing to hear later that one of the Native students who attended the dinner will join the U of A Navigators Spring Break Mission Trip to the Navajo Nation.
At the U of A “Nav Night”, NavStaff Delphina Johnson shared with over 100 students a moving testimony of God’s pursuit of her while she was a student at the U of A. Immediately following the event, a Native student came forward and shared with the Collegiate Staff his desire to begin living for God. It was thrilling to find out a few weeks later that he had given his life to Christ.
Joining the team were four high school Native girls with desire and aptitude to attend college from the NAIDM Youth Ministry on the Navajo Reservation. During their stay, the high school students connected with Navigator collegiate students and leaders. After returning to Chinle and Many Farms, there was enthusiasm and excitement from the four high school girls regarding college and groups like The Navigators available on college campuses. One student specifically expressed her relief and no longer felt anxious about attending college.
Praise God for affirming our team as they join in His Mission of pursuing His Kingdom and His goals.
Note: More about Delphina’s ministry can be found in the October issue of The Navigators One-to-One Ministry newsletter: www.navigators.org/us/view/one-to-one_mr/2009/oct09
