Sunday, March 5, 2023
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
What do you actually do in Asia?
From Lorena's Newsletter December 10th...
One of the biggest questions we get is, "What do you actually do in Asia, Mozambique, and Ukraine?" Here's a story that illustrates what we do.
“Can you please pray for me?” Pueng asked almost 2 weeks ago. “I have a headache that won’t go away. I’ve had it for a month and the doctors and medications can’t get rid of it. I even got an MRI, but they said it doesn’t show anything wrong.” “Yes, of course” I responded. Pueng continued, “My stomach has been hurting for 3 years. I have a cyst on my right side, but the real problem is my left side. I have been to so many doctors, and they all give different diagnoses! Some of them say I have an infection in my bone. But no one is sure what’s really wrong with me. I have so much pain! I feel hopeless.” Grace, my translator, and I prayed for Pueng. Instantly, her headache went away! She felt God’s peace and hope began to rise up in her. Pueng was a new believer having just accepted Jesus into her heart three days prior.
Grace is on your right and Peung is on your left
I left town that afternoon and just saw her again 3 days ago. Again she asked me, “Can you pray for my stomach? It is still very painful.” We prayed again. This time all her pain went away! “Now I need prayer so I can sleep at night.” We prayed. Today, 3 days later, I saw Pueng again. “How has your sleep been since Friday?” I asked. “Good! I don’t have any more trouble sleeping!” “Wonderful! Thank you Jesus!” I replied. I decided to record Pueng’s testimony and found out that on her right side, she had a cyst. I asked if she could try to find it. She pressed in as deep as she could, but could no longer feel the cyst or any pain! Her right side was also still pain free. Attending the daily morning devotions and afternoon Bible classes, Peung is learning and growing in the Lord with great interest. (Please don't post this story or picture on social media. Thanks)
The three most common questions people ask about our discipleship ministry are 1) What material do you use? 2) How do I get your materials? 3) Are you going back to Mozambique or are you staying in Asia now?
1) What materials do you use? We primarily use the 7 simple discipleship booklets Brian wrote for Africa, teaching the foundations of our faith, marriage, and how to teach/preach Old and New Testament stories. We also use a series of 27 Bible stories produced by Kingdom Wings, which are recorded in many languages and simply illustrated - ideal for illiterates. 2) How do I get your materials? Since many have been asking for these materials written on a simple enough level for new believers to use, we're making them available on our website. We're currently updating some of the booklets, but they will all be on the website soon. 3) Are you going back to Mozambique or are you staying in Asia now? We don't plan to go back to Mozambique, but we are in daily communication with our lead pastors and seminar teachers there. We are living in Asia now because this is where God has clearly directed us to be. We currently have open doors in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, but are still waiting for the Indonesian government to change the laws for the unvaccinated and length of tourist visas.
Here is what we are now doing to disciple and encourage the Body of Christ. We are editing, translating, and recording Brian's booklets into Thai for the thousands that are now coming to Christ in Thailand. Lorena is leading devotions with Brian's material for the rescued girls at Whispering Willow in Thailand each morning, and teaching them the Bible stories with the Kingdom Wings curriculum 2 afternoons a week. As the Lord opens doors, we accept invitations to speak in churches, Bible schools, evangelism schools, outreaches, children's programs, homegroups, refugees, etc. This is what we're doing now in the Philippines for the month of December, since Whispering Willow is taking a month break and we needed to leave the country for visa purposes. Our old friends and founders of Pastoral Training of Asia have asked us to stay at their base and minister in Dumaguete during this time. Besides teaching and preaching, we like to partner with the Holy Spirit in seeing people healed and delivered, and encouraging/teaching the church members to do the same. We value discipleship with both the Word and power/presence of the Holy Spirit.
To hear more about what is happening in our lives and ministry or how to donate, go to our blog spot at brianandlorena.blogspot.com
If you would like to get more frequent news spurts, short videos, and/or pictures, the easiest way for us to send those is through WhatsApp. It's a free app you can download. I would just need the phone number you attach to it. (If you change phone numbers, they give you the option of keeping your old number.)
Many Blessings,
Lorena (and Brian)
Thursday, December 29, 2022
OUR YEAR END STATEMENT
Vision: Taking seriously Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations
Merry Christmas! God is good and we want to brag about his goodness in our lives this past year with you! Please let us know about the goodness of God in your lives this past year too! We’d love to keep in touch and keep abreast how we can best pray for you. Thank you for being a part of our lives - in friendship, your prayers, and financial support!
As this is our year end statement, we’ll give you a brief overview of what we’ve been up to in 2022 and give our vision for 2023.
In 2022
IN MOZAMBIQUE
- Organized and sponsored 43 discipleship seminars (3 days each)
- Printed and distributed nearly 10,000 copies of our latest discipleship book
- Organized and sponsored 1 distribution of relief goods to refugees in Nampula
- Facilitated a new plan in 2 provinces where about 300 pastors received training and enough books to carry on direct discipleship with their churches without seminar teachers
Eastern Europe
- Helped facilitate 2 pastors conferences in Ukraine
- Preached at and ministered in over a dozen churches (prayer, healing, encouragement, distributions among refugees)
Thailand
- Lorena - Discipled girls rescued from the sex-industry at Whispering Willow (This will continue after their December break.)
- Preaching regularly at Whispering Willow’s small church
- Facilitating the production of a discipleship app in Thai
Philippines (month of December)
*Preaching at churches (still on-going)
*Observing and helping children’s ministries in Dumaguete
VISION and PROJECTED BUDGET FOR 2023
*Complete discipleship app in Thailand $5,000.00
*Translate, print, and record our discipleship materials into more languages $5000.00
*Continue facilitating discipleship seminars in Mozambique
(seminars and books sponsored by Iris Global)
*Continue encouraging and discipling churches in Asia as God
leads - through preaching, children’s ministry development,
power evangelism, and healing. $12,000. Travel and hotels
*If funds become available in the future, Brian and Lorena’s
housing allowance is capped by our board at $25,000 and salary at $35,000 a year.*
*Gifts and monthly support to other ministries $4,800.00
2022 FINANCES
All donations given were applied to ministry needs, including travel. *Brian and Lorena did not receive any salary or housing allowance from Transforming Lives Ministry so far this year.
BOARD MEMBERS AND ADVISORS
Board Members
Dr. Brian Wood (President)
Pastor Jim Davis (Secretary)
Pastor Steve DeNicola (Treasurer)
Lorena Wood
Jeff Shaffer
Rebecca Shaffer
Advisors
Skip Krantz
Lisa Krantz
All gifts are tax deductible and are handled with integrity and accountability. Our organization is a nonprofit 501C3 and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. We are also affiliates of Iris Global.
SUPPORT ADDRESS
Transforming Lives Ministry
1908 S El Camino Real
San Clemente, CA 92672
Ways to give online can be found at
https://transforminglivesministry.org/?page_id=48
If you would like a PDF of this year end statement with photos please email me at pastorbrianwood@gmail.com
Monday, December 26, 2022
December in Negros Oriental, Philippines
We had lots of fun adventures in the month of December. Since we needed to renew our Thailand visas, we decided to accept an invitation to visit the Philippines. On the 31st of December we will fly back to Thailand. I have included photos of our time traveling around the island of Negros Oriental.
Calvary Chapel Scandinavian Village
Preaching in Bais
Christmas BBQ
Brian Cooling Off
Christmas Party
Traveling through the Island
Typical Village Picture
Lady with Asthma breaths freely
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Blog from Lorena
Dear Family and Friends,
Again we are excited to tell you some great stories about what God is doing - this time in Thailand! Yep, we left Eastern Europe and are now in Asia. It took us 4 days to get from Moldova to Thailand, but it was easy and peaceful. It began with an overnight train from Moldova to Romania. Since Moldova has a tiny airport, nothing is cheap flying out of there. So we took an inexpensive train to Romania where we could fly internationally more economically. What was interesting was that on the border of those two countries, they had to switch the wheels on the entire train to go on a different kind of track! A few more airports and hotels later, we arrived in Bangkok, and then caught our final flight to our destination, Chiang Mai.
In Chiang Mai, we reconnected with our Malaysian friends, Helen and Vincent, from the last time we were here in 2019/20. Helen has a wonderful ministry, called Whispering Willow. She, along with a growing group of staff and volunteers, help and empower abused women in the sex industry. When we arrived, Helen said we came just at the right time, as she needed help with discipling these girls. So I’ve taken this on, leading them in devotions every morning and teaching them a series of 27 Bible stories two afternoons a week. The girls enjoy coloring a cartoon style version of the stories, collecting them in a notebook and retelling them to each other as we go. They have a simple church service on Friday mornings as well, which Brian has been helping with.
Helen and Vincent began this ministry during the Pandemic, when all the prostitutes were starving because they had no business. Helen began praying in front of one of the bars in the red light district every day. Eventually, the owner got to know her and finally asked, “What do you want?” “I want to rent a building on this street” she replied. “Well, I own half of this city!” Turns out that the bar owner rented the building across the street to them for half the normal price because it was during the Pandemic! Helen started taking in girls desperate for a different life and God started bringing her all types of help - teachers, nurses, counselors. Now the girls are learning how to sew, cook, and make crafts to sell, while receiving medical care, trauma counseling, and Bible teaching.
The building was extreme run down when they got it, so the girls scrubbed it down and painted it white. When I arrived, Helen and I brain stormed on how to bring in some cheerful color with the theme God gave her for this ministry - Is. 44:4, “They will spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses.” So I’ve also had fun painting this past month with some of these girls!
I feel so privileged to be here “for such a time as this.” Today one of the girls asked me with confusion on her face, “Why do you love us so much? Most people don’t care about us.”
Please pray for these girls. Satan wants them back and the spiritual warfare is often intense. Whispering Willow is a safe haven though. I’m so blessed to be a small part.
Lorena
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Friday, November 25, 2022
Giving Tuesday PROJECT IN THAILAND
Our Thai discipleship APP Transforming Lives Ministry Taking seriously Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations
We are excited to announce our most current project -- getting our fifty lesson simple discipleship program translated into Thai and onto an APP for the many new believers in Thailand! This is the material we wrote and are still using successfully throughout Mozambique. As thousands of people are coming to the Lord in Thailand, we have been asked to help develop a discipleship program for new believers.
God is moving! Our friends Ryan and Audrey Aitken's Outreach in Lampang, Thailand 12-3-2022
To do this, we are developing an APP to disciple anyone new to the faith or who needs a firm foundation in the Lord. A good missionary friend, who supports himself by programming APPS, has already begun with his staff. Our project will include having our material translated, recorded, and finally installed on the APP. The material will be in both written and audio form. New believers will be able to track their progress as they move towards completing all fifty lessons. The estimated expense to produce this project in the Thai language is $5,000. If you want to donate to this project please go to
https://transforminglivesministry.org/?page_id=48
Thank you for your donation!
1908 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672-3246 | TAX-EXEMPT SINCE JULY 2014 EIN: 46-2340134
Saturday, November 12, 2022
God's "reliable people" are encouraged (2 Tim 2:2)
We’re thrilled to continue supporting, organizing, and sending out our national discipleship teams to the hundreds of Iris Global Partners in Harvest churches throughout the provinces of Mozambique. Two weeks ago Pastor Mateus gathered and taught all the district and local pastors in 3 different regions, covering all of the Zambezia Province. Over 1,000 booklets were distributed, as each pastor was given a set of our latest discipleship book, Verdade (Truth), to use with their churches. Pictured here is Pastor Mateus in the district of Mocuba with pastors from the 12 northern districts. Just a few days ago one of the district pastors, Caesar from Gurue, called us and excitedly told us how he already gathered his 10 local pastors, gave and taught them their books, and instructed them to now teach them to their churches. We’re so thrilled to see such enthusiasm and fruit so quickly! Due to Covid restrictions and other issues, the pastors haven’t been able to gather for any discipleship seminars for a long time. Though we are no longer physically in Mozambique with them, we communicate daily with our pastors from our home in Asia, using the internet with phone calls, pictures, videos, etc. So many are expressing their sincere gratitude! Our hearts are full of joy and we wanted to share this joy with you!
2 Tim. 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
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