President's Update

My Trip to Kuwait

After returning from Kuwait, I knew the questions would begin. How was the trip? What was it like? What did you learn?

This time…it was hard to answer. The experiences were very deepand personal. Where do I even start? Let me begin with some facts:

• Kuwait has 2.2 million people in the country; 1.6 million are expatriate workers who are there on work visas.
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• The average age is 25.3 years...a very young country.
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• Kuwaiti men can have up to four wives.
• Adultery doesn’t legally exist in Kuwait, at least as we know it in America. People can just say let’s get married and then sleep together that night and then decide to divorce. No adultery happened, as marriage and divorce are just verbal agreements.
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• This last month Kuwait had a 10 billion dollar oil surplus that theyweren’t sure what to do with.
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• Last year for the first time, their overseas investments of trillions ofdollars, generated more income than their oil sales. They see this as their future security.
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• Kuwaitis are very thankful for Americans and how we saved their country from Iraq. As an American I was allowed free access into their country…while everyone else had to buy a Visa.
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• The Evangelical Alliance Church has grown to 20,000 believers meeting in 56 different congregations, representing over 60 different nationalities. Every week they are baptizing 10-20 new believers. They are reporting many majormiracles…including dreams and visions among the Muslim people. They attribute it to the prayers of believers forthe 10/40 window.
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• The Philippino embassy houses over 400 women who were recruited to Kuwait as maids, and after their passport wastaken by the men…they were abused, molested, and never paid…being thrown out on the street and waiting for the 5year deportation that allows them to leave without any questions asked.
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• According to the paper, immorality and crime is at an all time high in Kuwait. With the influx of billions of dollars of revenue… materialism is taking over and “stuff” is becoming their god.
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• There is a mosque every few blocks and if you build one you are guaranteed access to heaven.
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• Five times every day, the sirens chant the call to prayer.
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• Hopelessness is rampant among the young people, according to the Kuwaiti paper.

#1 America is deeply appreciated…but Kuwaiti’s struggle to understand our actions and values?

#2 God is doing the miraculous…drawing Muslims toHimself. When Muslims come to Christ it is at great riskand expense. I heard several miraculous stories of Muslims seeing visions or having Jesus appear to them in dreams…causing them to seek truth.

#3 The Evangelical churchof Kuwait was different than any church I have everexperienced…with peoplefrom over 60 nationaliti-es…they truly reflected aforetaste of heaven.

#4. My heart was deeplyburdened for the Middle East…and especially for thenew generation of youngpeople who were searching for meaning. I am still processing what our next steps in GYI are to be!

Thanks for praying for me this on this trip. We made contact with leaders from Oman and other leaders in the Emirate, and are asking the Lord to provide us a beachhead of training for the Middle East. It was enjoyable being with StephenShane and Todd Clark, twoSonlife trained youth pastors from Canada and Michigan respective-ly…serving in the MiddleEast. I am praying that theLord will raise up a giftedmultiplier to take a strategic multiplication role forthe Middle East. The church in Kuwait is eagerto find that person.

From another part of the world

Dave Patty, President of Josiah Venture, sent me this encouraging note he received concerning the impact of some of the training I’ve written. It came from some correspondence with a young friend in Africa.

Dave,

Thank you for your word of encouragement, we are having a great experience in Cameroon with Sonlife. We've been able to have four training seminars, and to reach into four major towns in Cameroon. The impact is awesome in termsof discipleship and lives transformed! We will be working with Sonlife the next four to five years, after which we believe God will equip us to be trainers. I thank you so much for your care and belief in us, and I pray God will use you more to impact youth in the world. .

Until my generation serves HIM!Florence.

Global Youth Initiative

Our web site is almost finished!

I’m encouraged to say that our web site is now almost 90% done. You can go to it at www.globalyouthinitiative.com. I’d highly encourage you to look under the articlessection and read the article by Philip King of Nigeria. He is actively engaged with theMuslim culture and has an excellent article on “Reaching Youth in a Muslim world”. It really is helpful in understanding Muslim beliefs. http://www.globalyouthinitiative.com/article.asp?article_id=4

Year end report

I just finished preparing a year-end Executive Summary of the first year of GYI. It is a four page statistical report ofwhat has been accomplished this year. If you’d like to get a copy of this report, just let me know and I’d love to send you one.

On a lighter side

Three wise women would have: Asked directions, Arrived on time Helped deliver the baby Cleaned the stable Made a casserole Brought practical gifts and There would be Peace on Earth

And then finally…did you know that some scientists think they discovered the cause of the Tsunami. See the photo below.

Support for Dann and Char or the ministries of Global Youth Initiative can be sent to: Global Youth Initiative c/o JosiahVenture, P.O. Box 4317, Wheaton Illinois 60189-4317

Global Youth Initiative

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