Dear friends,

This has been a very challenging year for us in Follow Him International. Yet also a very rewarding one! We have had the chance to reach into some areas, where the gospel has not yet been preached and people have not yet heard the Name of Jesus.

Please give me some minutes to share a little bit about our first “School of Ministry” in South East Asia!

A Vision is being fulfilled!

Facing personal financial challenges ourselves, we still felt that we should start reaching out in South East Asia and invest all we have into this region. Some of you have made it possible that we were able to do this short term Bible School here in Thailand and equip some wonderful leaders from Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Many years ago I was in a hotel room in China praying and seeking the Lord. Suddenly I had a very clear vision of a huge golden wheat field that was ripe for harvest. In this vision I saw a golden sickle going through the fields and bringing in the harvest! The Lord than said that he is bringing in the harvest in Asia and also wants to send in Apostles and Prophets to lay a solid foundation, so the church can rise up in these countries.

Little did I think at the time that we ourselves would be given a chance to minister in those regions one day… I just started to pray for these nations. We did not even have one contact in this region until about 1 ½ years ago, when we got connected with a man of God in the Himalayas that has also been opening the doors for us not only in the Himalaya, but also in the countries of South East Asia. What a miracle that we are now here and some very fine leaders have responded to our Ministry. Although it is just a little mosaic piece in the whole picture, God has opened a door for us and we can contribute to reach the unreached in the nations of Asia.

We need your help!

Did you know that Thailand has only about 0.7 % born again Believers? This is not a small nation. It has a population of about 61.5 Million! Or think about Pakistan… over a 180 Mio. People, the world’s 6th largest nation by population and it has less than 1 % Christians. Most of the countries that our students here come from have less than one percent Believers in their nations and many unreached people groups that have never heard the Name of Jesus!

Almost all of our 20 Students have committed themselves to go back into their nations, where they experience persecution and a lot of hardships, to reach into areas that have not been touched with the gospel before and start new churches!

Most of them are in their mid twenties or early thirties and have already been in Ministry. But all of them said that this school has equipped them and laid a new foundation for their future work. To say it with the words of the main leader of the churches in Laos: “I received great reports from my leaders and I thank you for equipping them and giving them a spiritual upgrade.” Most of them are willing to partner with us in planting new churches in unreached areas!

It is a miracle that our small Ministry was able to help start new works in Kenya, the US, in Switzerland, the Ivory Coast, in the Himalayas and now here in South East Asia. We have only few supporters and tried to earn our living with some extra work in companies that we have built.

But now the Ministry has been expanding and we ask you to help adopt some regions in prayer and also with financial support (you can do this via PayPal or via direct deposit on our Postfinance account: 60-223815-1, IBAN: CH85 0900 0000 6022 3815 1). On 6th November 2010 we will have an event, where we will share about the Ministry and all the different works. Please make a note in your diary and if you can come and meet us personally we are very happy to answer questions and share about the Work.

But for now let me introduce you to some people that have just been with us here in our “School of Ministry” and what they have experienced here (we cannot give you the real names and sometimes we are not allowed to show pictures because of persecution):

Pastor from Laos:
“I have been in Prison two times because of the persecution in my country. I actually wanted to go to the US, but did not get a Visa. This is why I could come to this school. Now I have a new passion to reach the unreached in my country and also received the healing anointing when Brother Philip prayed for me. One evening during class I had such intense pain in the neck that I thought I cannot attend class anymore. I laid hands on my pain and said to God that I will pray three times, if it is not healed I must go lay down and leave the lecture. After I prayed for the second time, the pain was gone and I got healed!”

David, Myanmar:
“I learnt that building a family is better than building an organization. I saw such a unity in the team here and all moved in the same Spirit. All the subjects taught will help me for my work at home to start new churches and to reach the unreached. I will preach and teach boldly and openly, so that Gods purposes for our Generation will be fulfilled.”

Edward from Pakistan:
“Already I had the chance to share about the Power of the Holy Spirit in our church and they have received the teachings and also the Grace of God with great joy. We want to reach out into the remote areas and reach the unreached with the Gospel. We are also helping people in these times of trouble where our country has been devastated with all these floods! Please help us in this time of need! “ 

Minister from Vietnam:
“Another thing that I thank God is that He has given me a new and fresh revelation about the inner healing and deliverance. There are many things that I used to think normally and harmless but now in the light of God’s words, I get to know that they are curses that the devil may put into my life and I need to let it go.

The last thing that I want to testify is the confirmation of the Lord for me about the urgent need of discipleship training in my country. I have a burden for carrying discipleship training to the young people in Vietnam.

I believe that only the Gospel can change the country of Vietnam, and the country will be changed if its leaders are changed. Thus, I want to reach more young intellectual people for the Lord, equip them and co-work with them.

Pastor Eden from India (close to border to Bhutan):
“For the first time I have experienced the Power of the Holy Spirit and tongues in my life. Not only that, but every time I came to the meetings my pain in the Body stopped and the Lord started healing my neck and my back (I had back pain for the last 16 years) and when I started praying in tongues he also started to heal my foot, that was hurting so bad! Now I am free and I am healed. Praise the Lord.

I am inspired to conduct the same blessed work now in my region and reach out to the unreached with the vision of Follow Him International from whom I came to know the truth and source of blessing.”

Wounded soldier from the Philippines:
“Before 2008 I am already wounded, I have gone through so many negative experiences.  I experienced rejection, persecution, disrespect from leaders, and all that.  My wife and I just decided to leave and start a pioneering work with a heavy heart, anger, hatred, and bitterness, not to mention all the negative feelings I got from my senior pastor and previous church leaders.  It’s not our first time to pioneer a church.  We’ve tried it before since 2001.  But it seems things are not going well, we are struggling and so much discouraged.  I am really down!  Don’t know what to do and what’s wrong.  I’m confused and the last thing I was tempted to do was to quit!

Through a miracle I came to this school and became one of the students of Follow Him.  Before, I easily get angry.  I easily get mad with my wife, with my children, and with almost everything.  And this was because of all my failures and dark experiences.  And it was only on this training God made me realized that I have many issues in my life I needed to deal before Him to become effective in the ministry.  God really opened my eyes to see what’s wrong and what to be done. Now and I am feeling the mighty moving of His hands in my life.  He is showing me things that He wanted me to do in my life, family, and ministry.  He showed me the truth here.  He taught me of the importance and role of the power of the Holy Spirit in the ministry.   Words are really not enough to tell all the great things He has done in my life here.”

We could go on sharing here, but it would be too much. One lady from Bhutan said that only here she was able to admit her weaknesses for the first time. She said:

“In my country if you show any weakness or confess your sin, people will always use it against you later. I am so pleased that in you I found people I can share my heart with and break free of the bondages, knowing that you are for me and not against me!”

A solid foundation is needed!

Almost all of them never heard any teachings about Inner Healing or Deliverance! They have invited us to come to their places and teach about this. Even foundational truths like forgiveness and not holding bitterness in their hearts seemed to be new for some! Remember, those people are all leaders and have up to 30 or more churches that they have started. There is such a need here for teachings about leadership, the Power of the Holy Spirit, Attributes of God (God is Love…), hearing the voice of God, Discipleship and so on! It was crazy how they responded to that!

It sounds like those are simple truths, but this is the foundation that is needed over here! Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and helping us to lay a good and solid foundation in the lives of these precious Ministers, so we can reach the unreached and bring glory to the Name of Jesus! 

In His Love,

Claude and Daniela Widmer
Follow Him International