Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
May 2024
Dear AWR Friend,
Let me share a personal experience I had some years ago. When I was in my early 50s, I started coughing. At the time, I was working for the North Pacific Union in Portland, OR, as ministerial director and vice president for global mission and evangelism.
I went to several doctors, had lots of tests, and was told I had a microbacterial infection, probably picked up during my 10 years of mission field work in the Congo.
I continued to cough year in and year out at different times, sometimes taking antiviral medications or antibiotics that seemed to help when my coughing spells turned into bouts with pneumonia.
Over time, I began needing stronger medications. This had been going on for about 10 years, and a doctor friend of mine reassured me saying, “This can’t be cancer, or you’d be dead by now,” which I thought was excellent news.
Finally, a friend referred me to a renowned thoracic surgeon to undergo further testing. The results showed I had a mass in my lower right lung the size of a golf ball. They decided to surgically remove the whole lower lobe of my right lung, but again reassured me it wasn’t cancer.
By then, I was president of the Arizona Conference, and returned to Portland for the surgery. I knew I was in good hands, as this doctor was the best thoracic surgeon on the West Coast.
When I woke up after surgery, my doctor said, “The good news is we got it all out and your lower lobe is gone. The bad news is it was cancer.”
As it turned out, I had pulmonary mucinous adenocarcinoma. That didn’t sound too good, and after some research, my suspicions were confirmed. The survival rate was poor. My family was upset by the news—especially my 90-year-old mother, whom I hadn’t told about the surgery. Not wanting to upset her, I had planned to tell her once it was all behind me. “I could have been praying for you all this time!” she said, and being a prayer warrior, she immediately began to pray.
As I recovered from surgery, I realized my cough had disappeared, and soon I was feeling much better. I still remember one of the ladies in the conference office had turned 60 about that time, and she was so distraught by her new milestone that she “just wanted to die.” Well, a few weeks later, I turned 60, and I was so happy to be alive!
This all happened many years ago, and by God’s grace, I’m still here. I have a deep appreciation for what God did for me, and not just for me, but for my wife Kathy and for my whole family. God can do anything. He is the God of miracles, and I’d like to encourage you, if you’re facing a difficult situation or an incurable disease, to “come with confidence to the throne of grace where you will find mercy and grace to help you in your time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, paraphrased)
Jesus is the Great Healer, and one day soon we will be healed forever. When Jesus comes, He will touch our lives and we’ll get back everything we’ve lost. He will wipe all tears from our eyes. What a day that will be!
In the meantime, let me share a few amazing miracles taking place right now—because God is in the business of miracles, interceding in the lives of people all around the world!
UPDATE FROM PASTOR WISAM ALI
This past February, I shared a story from Pastor Wisam Ali. If you recall, he heads our AWR radio station and center of influence in Nazareth, Israel, and we often share how God continues to lead him in amazing ways as he reaches the Arab world for Jesus.
In the recent update, Wisam had traveled to Jordan on a very special mission. He had received a call from a group of nine highly-educated professionals who follow our programs on AWR’s Arabic station and wanted to know more about our beliefs. The caller had said, “It’s very challenging for us to understand everything, and we would like a face-to-face meeting so you can answer some questions.”
Wisam perceived a real interest from this group, so he agreed to travel to Jordan and meet with them over the weekend. It was a dangerous trip, as proselytism is prohibited in Jordan, so Wisam had called us and asked that AWR pray for him.
You know what happened next. Wisam had a wonderful time with this group of sincere seekers as they reviewed God’s fundamental beliefs found in the Bible, including the Sabbath and the state of the dead. The group especially wanted to know more about Jesus and what happened after His resurrection.
Of course, another huge interest was prophecy. For Arabs, prophetic signs and dreams are very significant. But all too soon, the weekend was over, and Wisam had to leave, so they agreed to continue studying via Zoom for an in-depth Bible study of prophecy. Wisam told the group, “I’ll give you two months, and if you make a decision, I will return for your baptism.”
On his trip back home to Israel, Wisam was detained at the border by Jordanian authorities, and though interrogated at length about his trip and whom he’d met with, he was suddenly and inexplicably released with the admonition to “not do any mission work next time.”
Later, when Wisam shared the experience, he said, “I was not afraid when they were interrogating me, because I knew you were all praying for me.”
That’s where we left the story last time. Now here is another update, but I won’t say it’s “the rest of the story,” because the story is still ongoing!
IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION
Two months passed, and though I often spoke with Wisam about our radio station and what is currently happening in that part of the world, we hadn’t spoken about the group from Jordan. Then, a couple of weeks ago, he gave me an amazing update that I’ll share with you.
After returning from Jordan, Wisam continued studying with this group of professionals through Zoom and online Bible studies. It was very interesting, but also very challenging. They readily accepted most Bible truths, including the Sabbath, the state of the dead, and many other doctrines. But the great challenge was accepting Jesus as the Son of God.
You see, Muslims believe in prophets, and to them, Jesus was a great prophet, just as they believe Mohammed was a great prophet. But while millions visit the place where Mohammed’s remains are buried, Jesus’ tomb is empty—because we serve a risen Savior!
That’s why the nature of Jesus was of great interest to them, as was His death on the cross and what happened after His resurrection. What they found difficult to grasp was the concept of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Wisam knew that he could never convince them with arguments. It would have to be God’s Spirit working in their hearts, because when we’re sharing Bible truths with others, we are never working alone. It is God who brings about conviction and change in the hearts of men and women. Wisam presented these truths and answered all their questions, but the rest was up to God.
“YOUR YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS”
Then Wisam got the news he had longed to hear: God had been at work, and five from the group felt convicted and professed their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. They wanted to follow His example and be baptized!
But what had caused the change? Three of the five shared they had felt a strong impression that Jesus was calling them to follow Him. But the other two had been having a real struggle. Although they were sincere, they just couldn’t accept what they had been studying about the nature of Jesus.
Then one night, one of them had a dream. He saw himself falling into the sea. He was drowning and there was no one to help him in the vastness of the ocean. He recounted to Wisam what happened next:
“I screamed to Allah and to the prophet of Islam, but there was no answer. I began to cry bitterly and felt lonely and filled with sorrow. Then suddenly I saw a bright light in the sky and heard what sounded like a trumpet. Then a loud voice like thunder could be heard giving the command to the angels to save me. They came to me and pulled me out of the sea, and I felt like I was floating in the air. Then the voice behind the light called out to me and said, ‘Follow me, I am your Lord and Savior.’ In a split second, the sorrow and sadness in my heart was changed to joy, and I started rejoicing and praising Him, because in my dream, I knew He was Jesus. He called me, and now I accept him as my Lord and as my Savior.”
Wisam said as he shared this story, “I was amazed to hear how God had intervened in his life, and more so when the other young professional shared how he, too, had dreamed a very personal dream. He said what happened in his dream was something private and just for him, and he requested that I not share it. He did say that he had also seen a light and heard Jesus calling him.”
What an amazing testimony of the power of God in a part of the world now torn apart by conflict! Despite the perils of travel, Wisam plans to return to Jordan to baptize them, but he is waiting for the rest of the group. They’re still studying and he prays that more of them will also make a decision for Jesus.
Please continue to pray for Wisam. He is working under extremely adverse conditions, but where the enemy’s work abounds, God’s grace abounds even more, because the darker the night, the brighter God’s truth will shine. This past year, 90 people were baptized as a result of Wisam’s work. This is unheard of in the Arab world. And of those, 70 were from a Muslim background, and 20 were Christians.
This week I shared with Wisam how we receive letters and phone calls here at our AWR headquarters from people who tell us they’re praying for him, and how everyone looks forward to receiving updates from the work in Israel. Many of you often call and ask, “Is there an update from Pastor Wisam?”
Upon hearing this, he exclaimed, “Who is ‘Pastor Wisam’ but a tiny tool in the hand of the Almighty God? Your words touched my soul and made me rejoice for Jesus. May I decrease so the name of Jesus among the nations will increase. Praise Him for He is the one who chose me as His humble servant.”
PNG FOR CHRIST 2024
I can’t end this letter without giving you an update on what is happening in Papua New Guinea. This week, we began with a massive mega clinic. A total of 400 medical personnel are there right now, and are expected to treat more than 10,000 patients who have registered and been prescreened by our team. The free services include medical, dental and vision services, with cataract surgeries and other medical procedures.
The logistics for this event have been incredibly complicated, but it’s coming together with many miracles along the way, from transporting the medical equipment to mobilizing the entire country!
There will be more than 3,000 preaching sites throughout PNG, and already, 50,000 people have been baptized from the small groups and the pre-meetings that have taken place these last few weeks! We just spoke with Pastor Miller Kuso from PNG, who is working with us on this project, and he said more than 600,000 baptisms are projected by 2025!
We have never before witnessed an event like this, and the enthusiasm and synergy in PNG are incredible. God’s Spirit is at work like never before!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this incredible opportunity to reach not only PNG for Jesus, but millions around the world—and those precious souls in Amman, Jordan. We never forget that this is only made possible through your support of Adventist World Radio. Thank you for your prayers that encourage and bless, and for helping us reach the world for Jesus! What a time to be alive!
P.S. What incredible reports! We can only stand in awe as we witness God’s amazing grace. His Spirit is being poured out all around the world, reaching the most remote, unreachable places. Like AWR’s radio waves, God’s Spirit know no borders, no walls and no limits! Thank you for being a part of these miracles. It is only working together that we can make a difference for the kingdom of heaven.
P.P.S. SAVE THE DATE: We’re hard at work on planning an exciting AWR360º camp meeting in Oregon during Labor Day Weekend 2024. Plan to join us if you’re in the area. More details in the coming months!