Amazing 5-Day Training

We had an incredible five days together during our training. A total of 47 people including children attended and received some excellent instruction on why we should witness, to whom and how to witness effectively. We shared the material from a book called “A Discipleship Re-Revolution” by Steve Smith and took each segment of the process slowly so that every person, whether they could read or not, was able to understand and use what was being taught. We also used some extra material to convey the Gospel message and then broke off into groups to practice what was learned so that as everyone went back to their villages they would be able to share confidently and boldly with those who don’t know Christ.

The whole point of the training was to equip every person, adult and child, on how to share their faith and lead someone to Christ. I am so happy to report that I believe they got it!  I could see in the people that they were grasping the concepts and realizing the vision of evangelism and discipleship according to Matthew 28:19 which says, “Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Amplified Bible).

Since this is a command for all of us and not just for pastors or church leaders every one of us must work towards fulfilling the Great Commission. The easiest and most effective way to do that is to be prepared and knowledgeable about what to share, how and to whom. When this is covered in prayer God begins to open doors and creates opportunities for those that are within our sphere of influence to hear and respond to the Gospel. We presented this to our attendees and told them to make a list of every person they know that does not know Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Then we prayed for the people on the lists at the beginning of each day. Afterwards, with those people on our minds and hearts we then began our daily lessons. For the people that live in the villages it is very unlikely that their unsaved loved ones will hear the Gospel by going to church because, at least for some of the villages, there are no churches. Therefore it is vital that the believers understand how to share with the unsaved about what the Lord has done in their lives and what He wants to do in the lives of their loved ones.

The more we practiced the more confident the people got so that even the most timid were sharing during the practice sessions. We even had three people strongly request to be water baptized as a public declaration that they are committed to live for Christ alone.

 

Orenson from Santa Rosa

   

Romer from Santa Clara

  

Shaquira from San Fransisco

This training was a huge success in my estimation and I am looking forward to hearing about many salvations as a result of it. We will continue to work with these villages that have attended by holding more trainings and visiting them when we can.

In the meantime we will be bringing this same training to other villages on another river quite a distance away next month in two different locations to train a village of Mestizos (Spanish speakers) as well as a village among the Kandozi tribe (a tribe we have not worked with before). Again the purpose is to equip those among their own people group in order to reach their villages for Christ. I will keep you posted on this and will send out a prayer request letter as we get the details more refined.

I want to thank all of you who stood with us in praying, encouraging, loving and financially supporting this work. The training was clearly a success because of what the Lord did through all of us as we each did our part. God bless you all in every way.

Working Together With You,
Sharon Malcolm

Prayer Request For 5-Day Training

I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to please stand with us in prayer for our next 5-day training. We will start this Saturday, March 5 and continue until Wednesday, March 9. We have several new people joining us this time which is perfect since we will be introducing some new material. The purpose of the training has been and will continue to be to train people to lead Bible studies and times of prayer so that they can minister to their people when they go back to their villages. We also train them in the foundations of Christianity so that they can grow in their walk with the Lord and know how to share their faith with those that don’t yet know the God of their salvation. This time however, we will be trying a new approach with more group participation which hopefully will move them faster in the learning process and in being advocates for the Gospel.

Please join with us for the following points during these next several days so that the Holy Spirit will do all that He has planned to do in the lives of these precious brothers and sisters of ours.

1. That everyone traveling from their villages will arrive safely and quickly.
2. Pray especially that all the people from the Shishinahua River that said they would come would actually come. These villages are most important because they do not have the advantage of having churches in their area like the other people that are attending do. Therefore it is very difficult for them to maintain their walk with the Lord since there are no pastors or church leaders to help guide them. The whole reason why the trainings started was to accommodate them specifically by giving them an intense but practical study that they could use when they go back to their villages.
3. Open minds and hearts of every attendee to understand clearly and quickly what is being taught by full participation in all of the exercises.
4. That everyone will leave changed in heart and mind, full and ready to apply what they’ve learned in their communities.

I want to thank you all so very much for praying for us during our river trip. Many lives were touched by the love of God and impacted enough to make a commitment to have Him be Lord of their lives. Thank you also for standing in faith with us for this 5-day training. Please believe for great and permanent things to happen to each person as they attend. God bless you mightily for all that you do for the Kingdom.

Serving Together With You,
Sharon Malcolm

March Newsletter

Shishinahua River where the villages of Santa Clara, Santa Rosa and Yarina meet

Our last trip to the Shishinahua River went very well. The purpose was to invite the villages to the 5-day training that we are having March 5th-9th and also to minister in the Word of God. In the first village of Santa Clara we had the privilege of leading 4 people to the Lord! Two of these people were the husbands of women we had led to the Lord earlier but the men never wanted to to do the same, until now. In the village of Santa Rosa 5 people prayed to make Jesus the Lord of their lives.

Although some of them had done this before this time something seemed to be different. So we explained the significance of water baptism and offered to baptize anyone who would like it. Only one person out of the group responded and it happened to be Sabina, the wife of the main village leader of the community. This is a big step for her because her husband usually does not come to our meetings and shows no interest in the things of the Lord although she has consistently shown interest. We gladly baptized her and invited her and the rest of the people at the meeting to the 5-day training. Please pray with me for our new sister in the Lord that she will be able to maintain her commitment to the Lord and be a strong witness to her husband and other family members in spite of resistance.

Baptizing Sabina from Santa Rosa

The last village of Yarina we were not able to visit because Florentina, who travels with us, stepped on a stingray while she and I were washing a large tarp in the river. The venom of these water creatures does not cause damage to any organs or other parts of the body but it does cause excruciating pain for several hours. In order to relieve Florentina’s agony we took her to a health post 1 ½ hours up river where she and Maria had to stay over night to receive treatment. When we got them the next day Florentina was much better, praise God!

Prayer update - sorry, lot's to tell

Dear Prayer Warriors,

I am so excited to share with you about this last river trip to the Shishinahua River.  We went with the purpose of inviting the three villages that we've been working with, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa and Yarina to the 5-day Bible training we will be having in March and also to minister to them in the Word of God. Several things happened while we were there that were a direct answer to all of our prayers:

First, I did not have any attacks of pre-trip stress or anxiety, which often occurs at some level before going and lasts at least through the beginning part of the trip. It is distinctly a spiritual assault on all the preparations that need to be made in order to minister well to the communities. Also, the trip to and from the villages went very smoothly and only took 9 hours each way.

Second, while we were in the first village of Santa Clara four people came to the Lord, two men and two women! The two men are husbands of women whom we have led to the Lord and baptized in the past but the men never wanted to do the same--until now that is, Glory to God! After we led all of them to the Lord I encouraged them to be water baptized right away to solidify their commitment to making Jesus Lord of their lives but they were not ready to take this step. The next day however, one of the men told me that all during the night he "was tormented" about not being willing to follow the Lord through baptism and that he was now he was ready to be water baptized and live for the Lord alone. He is choosing to do this during our 5-day training in March where we will have others baptized as well. Praise God for His mercy, love and incredible patience with all of us.

The other man did not come back to any more of our meetings but I trust that the Lord is dealing with him as well since he at least prayed to make Jesus Lord of his life. The two women are a mother and an adult daughter. The daughter is also making plans to be baptized with us during the 5-day training while the mother is not able to join us for that event and did not come back to our meetings. I believe the Lord is dealing with her as well as He is patiently dealing with all of us through our many struggles in bringing us to a saving knowledge of Him.

Third, in our next village of Santa Rosa, 4 women and a young man prayed to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Even though all of the women who prayed with us had prayed to accept the Lord before, this time there seemed to be much more clarity and understanding of what it meant (even though we've explained it several times in different ways in the past it seemed to click this time).

The oldest woman in the group, the mother of one of the younger women, was very sure of what she wanted and so after leading them all in prayer to make Jesus Lord of their lives we offered to baptize them. Unfortunately, all but the oldest woman, named Sabina, declined indicating that they were not ready to make that level of commitment yet. However, we did have the privilege of baptizing Sabina. This was a huge step for this family since Sabina's husband is the chief leader of the community and so far has not responded at all to any of our invitations to come to our meetings and receive prayer. He was not there when we were in his village this time and so did not have the opportunity to see his wife get baptized. I am praying that Sabina will be strong enough to openly bear her cross in front of her family by encouraging them to receive and walk closely with the Lord and that her husband will not hinder her from her commitment to Him. It is very difficult in these communities because there are no pastors or church leaders to help them live out their faith and so we have been trying over the years to raise up people within the villages that will facilitate in meeting this need. Please pray with us for Sabina and all the other people who have accepted Christ in their hearts that they will continue to follow Him in all their ways and that leaders will emerge from these villages.

We did not get to our last village of Yarina because one of the people that travel with us named Florentina stepped on a stingray while she and I were washing a large plastic tarp in the river. These bottom-dwellers burrow in the sand of the riverbed and cause excruciating pain for several hours if stepped on. Fortunately, the venom does not cause damage to any other part of the body just severe pain. In order to alleviate her discomfort we took Florentina to the nearest health post, which was an hour and half up river, where she and Maria, the YWAM Shawi missionary that's been traveling with me for 6 years, stayed overnight to receive treatment. When we got back to them the next day Florentina was much better and pain free!

We were able to pass by the village of Yarina however, and invite those we saw to the 5-day training and briefly visit and pray with a dear family that has become close friends of ours who will also be attending the training as well.

I want to thank you all so very much for your intercession and consciousness to pray for us while on the river. These souls that have come to the Lord are the direct fruit of our labor in prayer and persistence and I believe that we will see their growth in the Lord and be with them for all eternity in heaven. Never take your persistence in prayer for granted, these souls are proof that God is using all of us to reach the lost and complete the Great Commission. May God mightily bless you in all that you are doing to serve the Shawi people through your intercession.

Together With You in the Harvest,
Sharon Malcolm

Prayer Letter

Dear Faithful Prayer Warriors,

We will be traveling again on the river starting this Saturday, February 13 and returning the following Wednesday, February 17. The purpose of the trip is to coordinate with our three villages on the Shishinahua River, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa and Yarina, to come to Yurimaguas. This is where I live and is in order to attend the 5- day training we will be having the first week of March. I sponsor them by providing food and housing during their stay and gas to go back and forth so that they can get the most out of what the Lord wants to share with them during the classes.

We've been having an abundance of rain since I've been back to Peru, which has caused the rivers to rise quite a bit making river travel much easier. However, I would ask your prayers to cover us with the Lord's protection as we travel and minister to these villages so that there are no hindrances to the work of the Lord. Would you stand in agreement with me for the following points?

1. Complete protection over us as we travel on the river with wisdom and keen eyesight for the boat drivers to be able to see any obstacles in the water in order to quickly avoid them.
2. Anointing of the Holy Spirit as we share the Word of God and renew the passion in the people to follow Him with all their hearts.
3. That the Lord would give the villagers a strong desire to come to the Bible training and receive from Him all that He has for them.
4. Anything else that the Lord lays on your heart.

I want to thank you so much for your faithful and loving prayers for this work. As we stand together in agreement all of heaven is in agreement with us. Therefore let's take this land for the Kingdom! Be blessed!

Serving With You in the Harvest,
Sharon Malcolm

Newsletter Update

 

Sharon and mom Christmas, 2014

I want to share with you a very special event that occurred on Thursday, December 10th at 10:45 pm. My precious mom Maria Malcolm, who was a general in the Lord’s army and a pillar in the Body of Christ went home to be with her Lord and Savior. After a very long four years of suffering from a massive stroke that caused the left side of her body to be paralyzed she is finally in the presence of her Lord forever.

She served Him well throughout her life and demonstrated to us, as her children, a life spent devoted to the living God. She will be greatly missed but I am truly rejoicing over where she is now and how she is fulfilling all that the Lord has created her to be. I had a wonderful life with my mom and have a host of memories to treasure and praise God for. She will always be an example to me of a dedicated vessel of love and compassion for the things of God.

Water Filters in San Fernando

I want to thank all of you for praying for our last outreach to the village of San Fernando to do 17 water filters. This is a neighboring village of Varadero who contacted us while we were doing a water filter project there in October. Therefore we arranged to do their filters on December 5 but due to my mom’s homegoing I was not able to participate. However, Maria, who’s been working with me for 5½ years and her brothers completed the project. According to our plan, they distributed Bibles, discipleship booklets, crayons and coloring books to the families while holding services each night to present the Word of God. The result was that four people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!

Left to right: Maria, Florentina, Camilo (sitting), Roger

Maria and her team completed the filters in three days and I was told that the village authorities were very satisfied with all that was done for them. Our goal is to continue with them by inviting them to our 3, 5, or 7-day discipleship training we will have in the New Year. It is an intense time of studying and practicing the Word of God in order to grow in their faith but also to be able to share what they’ve learned with others.

I want to thank you all so very much for your intercession and encouragement for this work. It is because we all are doing our part that the Kingdom of God is advancing in these villages. May the Lord richly bless you for your commitment to this ministry through the many ways you support it. I pray you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

Yours In Christ,
Sharon Malcolm

November Newsletter

5-DAY TRAINING COMPLETED!

Pastor Rufino, a Shawi pastor teaching the attendees in the Shawi language

Our discipleship training went very well as a total of 21 villagers from two different rivers attended a five-day intensive study on the Word of God through Bible-storying, Scripture reading, discipleship, prayer and videos of people living out their faith, some to the point of death. The purpose of the training is to not only equip the attendees with the knowledge of the Word of God in order to apply it to their own lives but also to share what they’ve learned with others in their community.

We had practical classes on how to pray through the laying on of hands, brief opportunities on leading a meeting (we will do this more as they get used to it), small group discussions to answer questions on a video story and even nutritional classes on how to balance their diet. With each class there was more and more fruit and evidence that the Holy Spirit was opening them up to new things. I was also blessed to see that a firmer bonding was taking place between all of us and a level of trust on their part that was seen by a much more relaxed and open demeanor, even from the most tentative.

Maria and Sharon teaching the women as Maria translated into Shawi

Lidia and Lilí worked tirelessly by going to the market everyday to buy food for lunch to prepare and serve it and then clean up afterwards. Truly, servants of the Lord!

 

Janne teaching on nutrition

  

Pastor Rufino translating during a class

On the third day of the training we had a teaching on idols and the One true God. We explained how certain practices and beliefs are actually idol worship and are contrary to what the Bible says.  One very common practice, even among Christians, is going to the witchdoctors for healing! We explained that when they go to these men they are opening themselves up to whatever spirit is operating in order to bring the healing and that is totally against God. Since all of them were Christians they knew that this practice was wrong and so it was an easy thing to lead them in a prayer to renounce and repent of it. Gloriously, everyone was very willing to do so and as a result I sensed something broke over them.

The next day we prayed for an infilling of the Holy Spirit for boldness and power to be His witnesses and again the Lord moved mightily among them. There were no strong manifestations but a deep, penetrating presence that seemed to go right to the core of the people. When we were finished no one moved but stayed in their places for quite a while basking in the presence of the Lord. I truly believe something significant happened during these times of prayer and will be evident as time goes on.

I want to thank all of you who stood in the gap in prayer for us during these very important days of training. Without your intercession I’m not sure people would have been touched as they were and so your part in this work is so very vital to what the Lord is doing. Please continue to pray for those who have attended the trainings and all those who will attend in the future.

Prayer Request

We completed a water filter project in three areas of a village called Varadero in October and while we were there a neighboring village, named San Fernando, heard that we were doing this and asked us to do filters for their village as well. We gladly agreed and so we will be doing this starting on Saturday. This is a new village and they are not Christian so this will be a wonderful opportunity to present the Gospel and pray with them each night that we are there. Our dates of travel are Saturday, December 5 to Wednesday, December 9. Would you agree with me in prayer for the following points?

• Safety as we travel back and forth to the village of San Fernando.
• Strong discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as we share the Word of God and pray for the people in the nightly meetings.
• That the Lord will do everything that He desires to do in the people with no interruptions or hindrances in any way.
• That we complete the filters within the time allotted and that everyone use them correctly and for a long time.
• Anything else that the Lord lays on your heart to pray.

Thank you so much again for all that you’ve done and are continuing to do for this work. May the Lord richly bless you as you follow Him with all your heart.

Together in Bringing in the Harvest,
Sharon Malcolm