http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/01/easter-2008/

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=90

Page or scroll down to the fancy font if you like to cry. But read here if you want to know about my friend.

Ken has spent more hours helping me than anyone else in this country, not counting my childhood with my parents. He searches the Internet for anything I need for info or purchase, makes the order when I approve it & calls me at any hour to clarify. Most weeks I have him looking for 3-5 new items. All I do is provide a $44/mo cell phone & I think I gave him an old printer.

He looks a bit rough, often sounds gruff, doesn’t go to church normally, but has helped me more than the finest Christians I know, except for great teachers & authors, who don’t even know who I am. He also picked up my luggage from the totaled rental car that was cut open to get me out & went with my Dad to fetch my van that was parked 90 minutes away. He happily took Bienvenu to the Bus station when I was in Denver as Bienv was returning from my house to Burundi. I think he even broke in my house at my request, when the keys were lost & I was probably in Africa.

This email he forwarded is a picture of his heart. He looks & sounds gruff, but he has a soft compassionate heart.

I have seen him angry at me a few times. But only angry when I didn’t prosecute some employee that stole from me. That will raise his temper a bit.

Pray for my friend Ken. Pray for his two children, who somewhat like my 5 daughters were influenced by a really messed up mother. But they live in a rough trailer park with gangs that have surrounded & threatened Ken. He is often tough with his kids, but it’s cause he loves them so much.

I want him to have a permanent spot in my heavenly mansion, to enjoy the testimonies of the thousands of disciples he helped me help.

& my other US friends can sit at the table with us & enjoy the many disciples they also helped by helping, praying for, or encouraging me. Friends like Marc Metz, Tony Dale, Brad, Larry & Lisa, Chris, David Servant, Wendell, Paul, Wes & Kendra, Loretta, Mason, Ed C. & many more.

Read this email & don’t hold back the tears. Then pray for Ken, his kids, & my other friends to really know the heart of God & to walk with Him like a women in love with her perfect bridegroom.

Subject: Two Choices

What would you do?….you make the choice. Don’t look for a punch line, there isn’t one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:







‘When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do..





He cannot understand things as other children do.





Where is the natural order of things in my son?’

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. ‘I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.’



Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.

Shay asked, ‘Do you think they’ll let me play?’







I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play.







The boy looked around for guidance and said, ‘We’re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning.





I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..’

Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart.





The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.





In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.





In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.





In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again.





Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?





Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the

plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.





The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.





As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.





The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman’s head, out of reach of all team mates.





Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, ‘Shay, run to first! Run to first!’





Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, ‘Run to second, run to second!’





Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball … the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.





He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head.





Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.All were screaming, ‘Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay’

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, ‘Run to third! Shay, run to third!’

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, ‘Shay, run home! Run home!’





Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

‘That day’, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, ‘the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world’.

Shay didn’t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:

We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.





The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.



If you’re thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you’re probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren’t the ‘appropriate’ ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.





We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the ‘natural order of things.’





So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:





]Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it’s least fortunate amongst them..

You now have two choices:

1. Delete

2. Forward



May your day, be a Shay Day….Thx

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy, for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

(Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN 46517, USA

 

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

Three New Waves:

Ø Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility

I am just sort of sitting here anxious about this house church thing but not doing much, it seems. We too are living a simpler life, less money, more time at home and a whole lot less "running." It's like cabin fever when there is a hint of spring but there is snow on the ground and the wind is bitter cold as the bright sun eeks out a few rays of encouragement.

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/06/prayer-clinic-stephenville/

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/06/a-must-see-video/

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/08/the-shackread-it/

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/08/lets-see-whos-reading-the-bi

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/10/finger-of-god-or-fake/

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/10/heres-why-im-recommending-pa

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=91

Also David told me we just started our 14th church in Tanzania with a new convert, I believe.

The devil has a new strategy to hinder the gospel, which as usual, mostly comes through other religious people. But from Bienvenu’s letter you can see we are still making headway & learning how to overcome Satan’s strategy.

The second piece of Feb. news (5 Mar, 08)

after joining together the 2 teams, they worked together a whole week and had 23 people saved (+15 of the 1st week). It’s strange to see that most of those people gave wrong addresses. When our evangelists went to see them for follow-ups they couldn’t find them. Only 3 were faithful and are ready to continue. Those 3 faithful disciples told us why they gave us wrong addresses.

- 1st raison: They believe the gospel preached to them but didn’t accept the concept of meeting in homes. They went on saying that in the last days there will be false prophets, thus they have to be cautious before embracing the concept of meeting in homes (without attending a church building).

- 2nd raison: They want to see if this wave will only last a moment. They are used to religious people who come to mobilize them taking their pictures promising that they are going to build churches, hospitals, schools and give them jobs, but never see them again. So if this ministry is proved faithful and fruitful they will partake it.

I’ve never heard nor seen this before.

Based on that fact, we have decided to have a strategic evangelism plan. The $300 for (Yes we got it covered) March are being reinvested in this very commune (which is doesn’t make sense, but important for we are lead that way by the Holy Spirit). By, next week a team of 10 will join those 3 faithful disciples to do door to door evangelism and will only target those who have physical addresses such as business places, phone addresses. Follow-ups will be possible because they can’t easily change addresses.

$300/mo of our donations are being used this way for now, & Hallelujah, I have ordered 6 Jesus video DVDs with 8 languages on each & a total of 24 languages on the DVDs. My business paid secretary, Grace, will make copies at about $3.30 each here that we plan to send to 7 leaders in Africa & her Kenyan pastor who is visiting in Ohio. Please pray because JesusFilm.org hasn’t replied to my order for a week. This is what we will get when they produce them:

1. A Jesus DVD in 8 Congo languages, 4 common national languages, 4 in areas where we are or will work.

2. One with 8 Burundi, Rwanda, & Uganda languages one or two understood by nearly every resident of these countries in which we are working or beginning (Uganda)

3. One with 8 languages of which at least one is well understood by nearly every resident of Tanzania, Uganda, & Kenya (where we plan to work in the future). This & DVD has the 3 common forms of Swahili. Only 1 other language is needed for Tanzania. English, & in Uganda, Luganda & English. 6 languages are fairly common in Kenya where every person passing elementary school speaks English.

4. One with 8 Nigerian languages including the ones most common in the areas where I have friends (one who has a video projector for the church he leads). There are some tribes in Nigeria that have not learned English, though English is common.

5. A Children’s version that most children will understand 2 languages in these countries, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, DRCongo, Uganda, Kenya & Nigeria. In the last two many children will only understand 1 language, but most will understand it well.

6. An Audio drama for those who can’t play the video with 2 or 3 languages understood by most residents of all 7 countries.

We have 3 pressing financial/prayer needs:

1. Funds to buy portable DVD players for 17 provinces in Burundi. About $80 each. We have one now.

2. Funds for travel for us as a team after I arrive March 24rth. I usually spend about $40/day including food, travel, & visas & plan to stay 77 days or about $3,100. The largest expenses are transportation for 2-3 people & visas. Even eating out is less than $10/day/person.

3. From Bienvenu’s letter below you can see he needs his computer replaced.

I lost my balance on a muddy road and fell down while going to catch my return bus from upcountry and broke the screen of my computer (front and back side) and it lost everything i had inside. I was asked 250 to 300 $ to replace the computer front & back side (the screen and its frame) and have programs reinstalled. I decided to sell it at $150 which i have now.

Unless you direct otherwise, i aim to give a half to a family who welcomed 3 of our new disciples who were chased away from their families because they converted from Islam. (their family religion). The 2nd half will be used to add 2 missionaries on the 10 who are ready to stay far from their homes for 2 weeks evangelism.

I had a ticket reserved to leave the 22^nd for Rwanda, but am now looking for a different ticket, since the supporter who planned to pay for my travel to London canceled. I plan to leave by next weekend & am very busy with two significant jobs which will help me have some money for travel, but the stock market slide has interrupted our biggest monthly donation of $500, so pray or give so I can keep the commitment of $300/mo to missionaries in Burundi & buy more DVD players. We do have everything we need even low cost Albums for the House2House 07 National Conf. we have already copied to send to Africa.

I’m rewiring my parent’s house (about 40 hrs work so far) which gave me enough for RT air-fare & had a divine connection with a friend & his friend in a home-improvement store (like Home Depot) who has since given me a job installing a furnace to start later today if they are ready. It was the same business where I met my Ugandan friend Martin Ntende who is going to help me with my work today & helped me get the correct names of the Ugandan languages my wife gave me under Congolese description for the Jesus DVDs.

Pray for Paul Bursch who will handle my business when I’m gone & all the details we need to take care of in the short time before I leave.

Thank you so much for your encouragement, interest, & support!

Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…

or

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy, for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

(Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN 46517, USA

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

Three New Waves:

Ø Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/12/opportunities-are-everywhere

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/15/john-eldridge-is/

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/17/keep-holy-the-sabbath-day-wh

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=92

 

Typing in an internet café, getting my emails done, so I can enjoy some time with my wife & also will visit some with relatives & ministry friends. I was told that I would be greeted by some relatives with Providence, probably my mother-in-law who has never met me.

18 March 2008

I wrote this part waiting in London for my next flight to Nairobi, then to Kigali, Rwanda. My wife is very, very happy, knowing I will arrive soon. I am tired having only slept 1 & 2 hrs Monday, but I have a great rest in my heart. I’ve always been excited to go build up the bride of Christ in Africa, but, I confess, now I am thinking about my own bride. We have good plans for serving Jesus, but for now our thoughts are on one another. But this devotion of our hearts & thoughts is a wonderful thing, because the passion of men & women in love is actually only a shadow of the love relationship God desires to have with us. & when we love one-another whole-heartedly we also love Jesus, for it is His beauty that we are seeing & enjoying in one another.

Though my vision for a loving wife & partner in ministry was buried in the ground for many years I believe I will experience a greater resurrection for God allowed a greater death. My wife sometimes says, “No!” when I say, “Hello beautiful,” because something made her angry for a short time. She has said, “I am a devil!” in her limited English. But she is just human with weaknesses, like all of us. But God has made me a little like Him, because she is always beautiful to me. Even her anger has a beauty about it, because it comes somewhere from the desire to have a good relationship with me. & I learned from the Song of Solomon, “Your cheeks (emotions) are lovely with ornaments, your neck (decisions) with strings of beads. So I see her, as I know He sees all of us. He only counts the good of our emotions & our good decisions to try to please Him.

While I waited in Chicago Monday, I talked to my mother-in-law, who was very happy & proud to say, “I love you.” in English. As some of you know, my wife was amazed, because her parents never liked any of her friends before & they have never met me. But her father will only meet me if he is in heaven, because he died about 10 days ago. U know I said her mother sold a $579 computer for $2,500 & I finally got the $1,000, after she gave $1,000 to my wife which was used to get us a substantially furnished house, with plumbing that actually works! But it still was a good price at only $130/mo. Which is about the same as we pay in Burundi for a less furnished house & I think perhaps smaller.

I believe I’m experiencing the resurrection of my vision to transfer the wealth of this world into the kingdom of God. This is the first trip I’ve been able to travel with over $2,000, which isn’t much when you work with people whose travel expense must be paid for or they just can’t go. I plan my longest trip of almost 13 weeks. I usually spend nearly $300/wk, so we’ll have to scrimp or get more provision, but it’s a big improvement, & I’ve had enough to invest in several items that should resell in DRCongo or Rwanda.

Other ministry expenses are mostly supported by Burundi & Tanzanian business & donations. But my own earnings pay all my travel expenses, including those who travel with me.

But for a change, we have enough for pressing expenses in both Africa & the USA, thanks to two good jobs right before I left, during a time (warm weather) when my business is usually very slow.

While flying I had some time to pray & feel a sense of good direction for the first 3 wks in Rwanda & Cong. Please pray as I sense we should have at least a 5 day seminar in Congo & visit may house churches in Rwanda to get them built back up after the disappearance of Emanuel.

Also pray for wisdom in dealing with him. He just sent me an email & invited me to his wedding, so I told him I want to talk to him & see if he will be humble about disappearing with my property.

I’ll write soon about the wonderful time I’m having with my wife, relatives, & friends.

I came a little earlier than planned, because I got a good ticket price & I managed to get all my important business taken care of.

HALLELUJAH!!

Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…

or

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy, for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

(Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN 46517, USA

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

Three New Waves:

Ø Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility

Pagan Christianity is not a nice book! It rips your gut out and causes me to "feel" this book. Having been raised in highly structured Mormonism, then to meeting in the city park as a new Christian Believer, joining a fast growing local church, going to their Bible College (of which I detested ), raising my two chidren in a glory barn (yes it was a barn) church and, finally back to institutional churches as I was moved about the country with my employer (now retired), I now am on track with this whole organic thing. What a mouth full, sorry.

This is an important book that all should read, but brace yourselves for your inner reactions. Frank wrote the book that most of us here at Shapevine have thought! I told my wife that not too long ago, the writer would have been shot. It is very close to the hidden emotions of racism and violence. In part, the book is violent but needed! Please read it and comment somewhere. Start the discussion.

http://newwaveministry.com/?p=93

20 Mar 08

 

Yes, we are having a wonderful time.  It is a holiday for my wife & I. Time to be close & time to rest.  She was tired from her last week in Goma.  She had the many demands of participating in change for her mother from her stepfather’s death.  Plus she has the normal demands of leading a growing ministry, so that someone is always asking a question, morning, noon, & night.  When I had a growing business of about 10 employees, I remember hiding under my desk, so no one knew where I was, just so I could have some peace.

 

Attached are some photos & 1 short Video, mostly photos of our house, which is really most of one section of 4 attached dwellings.

 

But I have more endurance than my younger partners, because of my many years of much stress & the discipline of physical exercise.  Right now I’m riding the bus with Berchy, who I met on the 14 hr boat ride in DRCongo.  He is the best English speaker among us & surprisingly sometimes interprets for my wife to me.  He is my guide to find an internet café & we just finished getting a mobile unlimited use internet connection that works in Rwanda & nearby areas like Goma, DRCongo where we are currently rapidly adding disciples & house churches.  It also should work in Bukavu where we have begun to expand.  We’re riding the bus after our successful errands back to our house & my gorgeous wife. The connection I had on the boat with Berchy reminds me of the connection I had with my Ugandan friend, Martin at a lumberyard in Indiana near my work-site.  There was a time of several months when I didn’t know if I would ever see Berchy again.  But we are both happy to be together.

 

I also took care of some business emails, & sent my 1st newsletter while you were sleeping, sent some money by bus to Bienvenu so he can buy for me some malaria medicine that is good & cheap in Burundi & pay to print some training material to bring when he comes to spend a couple days praying with my wife & I.

 

Tomorrow I hope to set up a bank account that will allow me to make transfers to my US account for .4% & $32 or less minimum. My wife has already given me several hundred $ from the sale of a $100 printer & an $80 camera.  I’ll be happy if we generate enough income to go teach in South Africa or even stay here all summer, but I expect to return by July for my busy & profitable Air-Conditioning season in Indiana.

 

I had a 2-hr nap this morning with Du (My wife) & will sleep well tonight after I only slept about 5 hrs in my two nights of travel.

 

Gabriel & Berchy told me last night that the most pressing needs to help us fulfill the great commission were to get good bibles & to have internet connection in DRCongo.  So I’m really glad to know that the service I just got works in both the cities we are working in & it costs just under $40/mo, though I spent about $230 for the portable USB modem that is needed.  When we get back I’ll find out more about the need for Bibles & what we can do about it.  I should get through to the man who saved two service calls for me tomorrow to schedule that work.

 

21 March 2008

 

With Berchy’s interpretation when Gabriel doesn’t understand, I have had good fellowship with them.  I am happy to know all of them better.  The banks were closed, so we met the East African Regional leader of YWAM in Rwanda to ask if they can start a mission school in Bujumbura.  I enjoyed meeting with them, but alas they charge $300 for 6 mos of school. We went to the airport since they didn’t call me about my carry-on bag that I had to check for way too much $, because Kenyan Airways doesn’t allow the size that is commonly allowed by US carriers.  Thankfully we got it with 25 good books, my extra socks & shirts, & some conference CDs, etc.  But at least I wrapped my Air-Conditioning tools in some shirts, underwear, & pants, so I got by for two days.  My shaving kit with my beard trimmer was here too, so today I trimmed off my winter beard which my wife wanted to see, but she likes it short, as do I.  Fortunately I found my voltage converter, too, so I have charged my cordless trimmer, but all my other electronics work on 100-240 Volts.

 

My wife stayed because she served one of only 2 East African foods I really dislike, so she is going shopping for something good for the late African supper.

 

I’m back home now waiting for supper at 8pm & really tired because I started running today with Berchy for exercise.  I like to sprint up hill, but the hills are steep in Rwanda.

 

My wife writes, “cheri (dear) I love you and I missed you, You are king of my life. I kiss you.

 

Naye Lia kwa Mapenzi na Furaha,…

                        or

He Who Weeps with Love & Joy,  for the Beautiful African Bride of Christ

    (Known in the past as) Greg Cunningham

 

Mail & donations to:

New Wave Ministry

29731 C. Rd. 28

Elkhart, IN  46517,  USA

 

www.newwaveministry.com

(+) 1 574 217 0552 All the time.

(+) 1 574 679-0011 or 295 9696 Cunningham Air & Heat (working in IN, MI, & NC, USA)

(+) 1 877 237 9487 Free from US phones for African visitors or if your cell won’t work

 

Three New Waves:

Ø     Passionate Love————–From & for Jesus

Ø     Never-Ending Humility—To follow the King

Ø     Total Sacrifice ————–Living out His Love & Humility

 

Freaked out with a $4,500 income tax bill!

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/27/calling-all-christians/

http://yourtown4jesus.com/2008/03/27/they-want-jesus-instead-why-