The Greatest Invention in the History of EVER!

See this tiny black box? Want to know what it is? It's a new "Proclaimer" and is supplied by our new friends at Faith Comes by Hearing. What does it do? Why, it plays dramatized (depending on the language and region) the Bible in audio-book format in hundreds of languages around the world. And it's completely self-contained! It has a combined solar-cell on the back plus a hand-crank on the side to supply solar/manual power for the unit almost indefinitely, and a series of very simple buttons (power, play/pause, book, chapter, volume) for operation.

Why am i so geeked about this? I mean... you can buy the Bible on MP3 for your iPod right? What's with all the "self contained solar" stuff? Well, many of us can purchase the Bible for our iPods, but most of the rest of the world still cannot. In fact, most of the rest of the world (particularly the places where GCC and the ONE Prayer network are focusing) not only do not have iPods, but even if they did, they couldn't power, charge or use them. In addition, even with print Bibles, the bulk of the populations couldn't read them because the literacy rate is so low. The only solution for places like those is a self-contained, self-powered audio version of the Scripture that can be played even when the local church planter and pastor are not there to read the text to/for them. And THIS is IT!!!

We'll be field-testing these little beauties over the next three months to see how they roll in some of the rural and remote communities where we are working, and i'll relay feedback as we see how they do!

Haiti: "Jesus is Here"

If you've been breathing and conscious at all in the last two weeks, you've probably been glued to the television and Internet News about the horror that is happening in Haiti and is the result of a 7.5 earthquake off its coast that has left the already beleaguered nation in even more of a state of crisis.

So have we.

As a result, more than $20,000 from GCC families has been collected over the last two weeks, and will be going to supply direct aid, rescue and relief to Haitian families through our dear friends and valued partners at World Relief. Why World Relief? Well, many know that our typical MO is to resource networks of indigenous churches whenever we do anything anywhere in the world, and that the center for our focus as a local church is in Southern India. However, we resource those networks often through coordination with well-defined partner agencies, often who have global networks of their own and are capable of specializing in particular areas or geographies. In relation to disaster relief, World Relief is among the world's top agencies, and they understand the call and design to resource indigenous local churches the same way that we do. In Haiti in particular, they have been working for the better part of 18 years to build relationships with hundreds of national churches, and so, now that there is a need for immediate action and infrastructure, are strategically positioned to deliver aid through grass-roots networks of Haitian pastors and partners on the ground.

You can hear what our Senior Pastor, Mark Beeson, has to say about this by clicking here, but i wanted to tell you a quick story from our field partners operating in the region. It's about the picture that you see here.

"On yesterday’s conference call, Stephan shared a story about a pregnant woman named Thamar whose legs were crushed when a building fell on her during the quake. She survived, found her way to a hospital where her leg was casted, and gave birth to a baby boy in the aftermath of the earthquake. She named him Jesula, 'Jesus is here'"

Indeed, Jesus is here. Even in Haiti. Even right now. In fact, from my perspective, "Jesus is here" most when the People of God show up and do what they are called to do in the places of greatest need and greatest darkness. "Jesus is here" when Thamar and Jesula receive food, water, shelter and medical attention because people like World Relief reach into the darkness of tragedy to be Light and Healing. In short, i guess, "Jesus is here" when we, as His people, "are here"... or "there", wherever "there" may be.

I'm pleased to join you in answering that call to "be" wherever "there" may be, wherever you may serve and in whatever capacity it may be in the Kingdom.

Pink Isn't Really My Color, But...

If you walked through our area here at the Life Mission Department at Granger Community Church, you'd see stacks upon stacks of backpacks (like the one featured here) sitting throughout it. Now, as much as i'd like to tell you that "there's something i've been meaning to tell you... i'm REALLY a closet Hello Kitty fan!", that's really just not the case.

Rather, for the last several months, the All Stars (children's) ministry and families from Granger Community Church have been bringing in a stockpile of backpacks and school supplies for our teams travelling to India in March of 2010 to take with them.

Each one of these backpacks contains the following:

* 4 sheets of construction paper

* 1 spiral notebook

* 1 folder

* 1 chalk

* 4 colored pencils

* 1 package of M&M's

* 1 package of crayons

* 1 glue

* 1 ruler

* 1 scissors

* 1 package of markers

* 40 pencils

* 2 large (hand held) erasers + pencil top erasers

* 2 pens

* 1 small chalk board

* 1 coloring book

* 1 Beanie Baby stuffed animal

* 1 pencil sharpener

* 3 glue sticks

These packs will be distributed to children in the Kalavai Irula Community in India who are now attending school for the first time EVER in the life of their village and community, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to provide a link for the children in our community to serve and partner with the children of our Indian brothers and sisters overseas! We'll also be taking more things along with us, and i'll post more about that in subsequent posts.

ONE Payer Field Report: Episode III

Tale of Two Kingdoms Part 2 from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

Here is the next episode from our Field Report to India and Cambodia for the ONE Prayer network. Stay tuned for the next episode, where we begin to unfold the tremendous work that is going on through ONE Prayer planters and church networks in this nation!

Me and My Friend, Rajasuri!

I had the privilege to meet my friend Rajasuri several months ago when visiting our partnerships in the Kalavai Irula Colony. She's my daughter's age, and i connected with her quickly because i saw Peri when i looked into Rajasuri's eyes! I'm so pleased to be able to tell her story here! Enjoy!

ONE Payer Field Report: Episode II

Tale of Two Kingdoms - Part 1 from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

Here's the second of our ONE Prayer Field Reports from India and Cambodia last month. Once again, Gene Ort has done a fantastic job blending fantastic footage that he took of Angkor Wat with great music to form the first of a two part story that we wanted to tell of "A Tale of Two Kingdoms".