“I do all things for the sake of the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:23 ASV)
“…to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:12 ESV)
These two verses express the twofold purpose of ROCK International: to make Christ known to those who do not know Him and to strengthen and equip those who do. Now in its 20th year, ROCK continues to be a channel of blessing through ROCKids’ projects that transform children’s lives for time and eternity, and ROCK Resources that equip God’s servants with multilingual, multimedia gospel and discipleship tools. While we hear monthly of God at work through such projects around the globe, we’ll limit this month’s review to a few samples from the African continent…
Tanzania: At Tumaini Jipya (New Hope) Girls’ Secondary School, students are taking their national exams, with the inaugural graduating class preparing for graduation on November 14. One 17-year-old student, from a difficult family background, writes: “Since I have come here, I have learned so much…I have learned how to pray and share the Word. The devotions have strengthened me spiritually.” She hopes to become a lawyer or tour guide and dreams of helping others as she has been helped. Please pray for the girls as they complete their exams and make decisions about their futures. Pray too for the provision needed to complete a protective fence around the school’s 14-acre property. Watch this video.
D.R. Congo: Faithful Congolese ministry partners visited a remote primary school with about 100 students, giving each school supplies and telling them God loves them and has a plan for them! The team plans to return soon with KING of GLORY picture books for every student and staff member. The book has just been reprinted for the third time in neighboring Burundi in Swahili and French (500, then 3,000, now 8,000 copies). The team leader wrote: “The children were very joyful. Local leaders told us that since the war, ours is the only ministry to visit them in their difficulties. Parents and teachers were also very grateful. The headmaster declared that God had remembered their school!”
Rwanda and beyond: In the 3-decade-old wake of the 1994 genocide, “a wide door for effective work has opened” (1 Cor. 16:9) in public schools. Rwandan Teens for Christ reports (I was so blessed to meet with their leader last month) that “35,500 high school students in 41 schools are currently being taught weekly through the KING of GLORY picture book…” ROCK’s resources continue to be translated into more languages amid intense challenges, with growing gospel partnerships through social media…
“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of…” (Hebrews 11:32). Speaking of Hebrews, not far from Africa, Hebrew KoG cards are now being distributed in nearby Israel… And to think that we only see “the mere edges of His ways!” (Job 26:14) Wow. Thank you for your part in it all!
