Ministry Multiplication

Metro Beat
Vol 2, Issue 2

Multiplication Theory
 A few weeks ago I received a goodbye call from one of my ESL students. She has been recalled to China to fulfill an obligation but is hoping to get permission to return here in a couple of years. She wanted to let me know, though, that I was the best English teacher she had ever had. Despite how good such a compliment felt, I was naturally sorry to see her leave my class. The next day I arrived at the BCM expecting to teach a smaller group only to have the pleasure of welcoming seven more of her fellow exchange students to my course. Please pray that God will open doors during our times together and as I get to know each one of these new arrivals.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

 Sometimes we describe a moment of revelation as a bell ringing or perhaps a light bulb suddenly going on over our head. A young man from Taiwan in our Chinese Fellowship had an experience like that recently. During a discussion on the enemy's influence in the world, he questioned the degree of this as he understood that Satan was lord of Hell and not of earth. When we explained that Hell was actually a place of punishment for Satan, that he wasn't there yet, and that he is still exerting control over the world today (1 John 5:19), our friend was flabbergasted. He, even as a Christian, had mistakenly believed in the dualistic idea promoted by much of the media that God reigns in Heaven while Satan reigns in Hell as his polar opposite. You should have seen the wonder and excitement on this man's face as suddenly everything fell into place in his thinking. He saw the influence of sin in our lives and our desperate need for Christ in a completely different light. As I was explaining all of this to him, part of my attention was on one of the non-Christians in the group. She was absorbing our words like a sponge. Please pray for God's truth to continue to shine forth and impact lives in our discussions.

Tennis, Anyone?

Last night during my Bible study I was suddenly bombarded on two fronts. Two non-Christians, one from Taiwan and one from China, were peppering me with questions. One wanted to know why God bothered to save Noah's family (since only Noah was called righteous) and didn't just start afresh with new people after the flood. The other wanted to understand why God didn't just wipe out Satan before he could tempt Eve in the garden. Not only are these questions difficult to respond to as they are "Mind-of-God" questions and have no clear-cut answers, both people were asking them at once. I found my head swinging back and forth from one side of the room to the other like a spectator at a tennis match. Praise God for the keen interest  and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide my responses.

Other Prayer Requests

My father is getting weaker all the time, yet his vital signs are usually pretty good. Still, we spent this last week making funeral arrangements. Please pray for all of us during this difficult period of our lives.

Many of my students will be traveling during the summer as will several members of the Chinese Fellowship. Two of the men will be returning with their wives in the fall and are eager for me to meet them. Please pray for traveling mercies and for the classes as we transition to a summer schedule.

Pray for Joyce and the kids as they also transition into a summer schedule in the next few weeks and have to adjust to the changes in responsibility and time management that will bring.

Praise the Lord for those who increased their support of this ministry. Continue praying, though, as we are still struggling financially.


Yours By His Grace,

John for the Rest of the Ropers

A New Opportunity

 

Photo credit: tj.cuthbert

MetroBeat
Vol 2, Issue 1

The Chinese Connection
 In the last update I mentioned that I was planning on starting to work with Chinese in partnership with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on the UCO campus. That new ministry has blossomed dramatically in the last two months, exceeding even my initial expectations for it.

Fridays in Edmond are now exciting but exhausting for all involved. One of my friends and co-workers in this outreach, Kimily, teaches an American culture class at 3:00 to many young Chinese, discussing not only national customs and norms but also weaving in Biblical truth. When the class ends at 4:00 I take over with my English as a Second Language (ESL) class. Although I have my own Chinese students, some of the members of Kimily's class are now joining mine. Once again, I try to incorporate Biblical truth in with the discussion of American idioms, slang, and proverbs. With their interest now whetted, most of the class now heads off campus with me to the apartment of a Chinese Christian and fellow classmate. There I teach an English Bible study to the students and also to some older Chinese adults from 6:00 to 7:00. Then from 7:00 to 9:00 it is time for the Chinese Fellowship to meet, a family worship time for all ages held in the same apartment. On the 45-minute commute home my brain usually feels like mush, but there is still plenty of residual praise for all God has done during the day.

The Korean Front

 The evangelical ESL classes targeting Koreans are also going well, although now that I have a Japanese student attending they are probably more pan-Asian in nature. One of the non-Christian students has started going to church with some school friends. I have volunteered to answer any of his questions on our faith that might arise. Please pray that we will see "Luke" come to Christ soon. Please pray also for "Samuel," the only Christian in the class, who has been running a fever for about a week now.

The Financial Report

As most of you know, our finances have taken a heavy hit during this transition. We are currently lacking approximately $3,000 a month in support. Please pray that God will touch the hearts of others to make an eternal investment in the lives of internationals through this ministry. If you are already partnering with us financially, please pray also about whether you or your church might be able to increase your support of this work. We also want to thank all of you who have continued to faithfully encourage and support us both in prayers and/or finances over the years.

Other Prayer Requests

Pray for "Marc," my Haitian friend here in Yukon, who lost some friends and family members in the recent earthquake. One positive thing that has resulted from the tragedy is that it has raised even more Christian topics in our discussions. In fact, every time we talk now the majority of our conversation revolves around issues of the faith. Continue to pray for his openness and possible willingness to begin studying the Bible with me.

At the same time as my ESL class is meeting on Fridays, a Bible study in Chinese is being held upstairs. Please pray for this class and the committed young woman leading the study for her fellow female students from mainland China.

Continue to pray for my progress in Chinese. My pronunciation is still terrible, but my understanding of the written and spoken language is growing quickly.

Pray for Joyce as she somehow manages to run both households while I'm in Edmond three days a week.

Dad has recently been placed on hospice, and we would covet your prayers for all us during this trying time.


Yours By His Grace,

John for the Rest of the Ropers

What Christmas Is All About

Photo credit: aconnel73170


MetroBeat
Vol. 1, Issue 3

Holiday Thoughts

The city is bedecked with Christmas lights. After spending so many years in Senegal where seasonal reminders are low-key and scattered haphazardly, the sheer volume of electricity coursing through countless colored bulbs, animated reindeer, super-sized snow globes, and musically-synchronized displays is still overwhelming to me.

A few blocks away from us here in the suburb of Yukon blinks the western metro's biggest Christmas attraction: the electrified city parks. In the evenings the cars line up outside the entrances for the chance to slowly snake through the incredible light show that the city puts on to celebrate the season. But as beautiful as the thousands upon thousands of lights are, Christmas is not about the lights. Christmas is about the Light.

Our tree this year seems to be supported by the mountain of packages under it. One of the perks of having a big family is that everyone gets plenty of presents. The downside, of course, is that buying presents for every member of the family can thin out the wallet pretty quickly. Still, we look forward to the annual madness of shredded wrapping paper and colorful clutter of opened boxes if only to see the expressions on a loved one's face when they open up one of our carefully selected gifts. But as exciting as it is to give and receive, Christmas is not about all the gifts. Christmas is about the Gift.

We are blessed this year to have all of our children with us for the holidays. Katie and Brad moved to Oklahoma City this summer and so are now local. After a trip back to Arizona last month to spend some time with family there, they ended up being with us for Thanksgiving and will also spend much of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day here in Yukon. We love our kids and love the fact that they can all be with us this year. But as wonderful as the love for family is, that's not truly what Christmas is about either. Christmas is about God's love for us.

For the Light of the world was given to us in the form of a baby, the gift of God's only son, Jesus Christ, as an expression of the Father's unparalleled love for all of mankind.

Merry Christmas

A Korean Christmas Present

I received an early Christmas present last week of a new ministry opportunity. Beginning January 4th, I will start teaching a group of Korean college students twice a week. I will be attempting to perfect their use of English while incorporating biblical truths in the lessons and in our follow-up communications outside of class. The students consist of a combination of Christians and non-Christians, which is the perfect blend for this type of ministry. When everything works, the Christians grow in the Lord and help lead the non-Christians to Christ through the invaluable partnership they bring as cultural insiders. We used this method successfully in Japan, and so we know firsthand that it works. Please pray this will be a fruitful ministry.

Other Prayer Requests

Continue to pray for the Friday night Bible study here in Yukon. Chandra is currently doing an excellent survey of the Bible that is bringing in several families, including a new one from the island of Tobago. I am hoping to do more one-on-one work with the international participants.

Please pray for one of my ministry partners, Kimily Waldron, and me as we work on forming some culture and ESL classes as an outreach to Chinese and other internationals at UCO.

Continue to pray for my progress in Chinese. I passed my first course with an A and begin level two next month. Xie xie nimen ("thank you" in the plural form).

Pray for Joyce as the new school term approaches and the extra work that will be coming her way as she manages the demands of two households while I'm in Edmond much of the week.

Finally, continue to pray for our finances and for the Lord to provide more support for our ministry.


Yours By His Grace,

John for the Rest of the Ropers

Immersion

MetroBeat
Vol 1, Issue 2

The Strategy

Greetings! The cooler weather has arrived and finds us immersed in this new ministry that God has opened us for us in the Oklahoma City metro area. A lot of things have come together since our last newsletter, including a specific action plan for ministry here. So if you have been wondering just what steps we are taking to reach and disciple internationals in this new field, the plan below should be helpful:

The Action Plan

1. Engage in redemptive relationships with internationals in the Oklahoma City metro area. The initial groups and areas targeted are as follows: Asians in the suburb of Edmond; Africans and East Indians in the suburb of Yukon.

2. From these relationships and other contacts with partnering organizations, begin to have Bible studies with interested individuals and couples.

3. Target key individuals in the Bible studies who seem to be interested in outreach. Disciple them towards that end and then work at providing opportunities for them to minister to others in local ethnic ministries or even in a foreign missions context such as with short term trips.

4. Augment or establish new international fellowships comprised of people from the Bible studies, developing a strong missions/outreach focus and discipleship training within them.

5. Help local churches develop vision and strategies for reaching out to internationals in their community.

The Plan in Action

It may be great to have a plan, but what does all that planning look like when put into practice? Here's what's happening so far as we begin this work:

Four days a week I travel to the northern suburb of Edmond to make contact with the plethora of internationals living and studying in this university town. The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) is the state's oldest institution of higher learning and also happens to be my alma mater. This year saw around 60 new Chinese students enroll to join the already large population of their countrymen and other Asians attending the school. In response, a new Chinese fellowship was established in late August pastored by a Chinese-American. In one service last month alone they had 45 people show up, and five Chinese came to Christ! I'm taking a Chinese class on campus, partnering with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, and am planning on starting an ESL/Bible study with hopefully some of the new converts and other interested internationals in the spring. I am currently developing redemptive relationships on campus and in Edmond with individuals from Japan, the Philippines, Myanmar, Taiwan, China, Mexico, Spain, and even Senegal!

In the western suburb of Yukon where we live I am partnering with Chandra Rudrapathi, an East Indian missions pastor, to reach internationals here. There are many people from India living in the area, and I am currently co-leading a Bible study for them and other international or internationally-focused individuals on Fridays. Chandra is leading a team to India in February to help people here to catch an even greater vision for ministry among Indians in the area, and together we are working toward starting an international fellowship in the spring on the campus of First Baptist Church of Yukon. I am also developing redemptive relationships locally with individuals from Haiti, Kenya, Vietnam, and Mexico.

More opportunities and partnerships are appearing on the horizon as I get further into the ministry here. Please pray that I will be sensitive to the Spirit over which ones He wants me to pursue.

And now a word for our sponsors...

You may have noticed that the support figure needed this time is much greater than that listed on the last prayer letter. This was because the updated commitments of the move from Senegal to the US had not yet been calculated at the time of printing. The loss of the stipend from Dakar Academy alone had a tremendous effect on our budget. Many of you know that I loathe talking about money, and rarely mention finances in prayer letters. However, we would ask you to pray greatly over this matter. We know God has called us to ministry here, and while the Kingdom potential is great, much additional support is needed for us to be able to do it effectively.

Other Prayer Requests

Please continue to pray for Joyce in her ministry of providing care for my parents and our children plus managing the nitty-gritty work of two households while I am at the university, leading a Bible study, etc. None of this would be possible without my life partner backing me up.

Thanks for praying for our son-in-law Brad's job situation. He is now working at UPS and enjoying the challenge of so much heavy lifting. Pray for his wife, our daughter, Katie, though, as she has been sick for quite awhile now.

Continue to pray for open doors in some of the many redemptive relationships I have formed. Space limits me to only listing their pseudonyms for this issue and no stories, but God will know who you are talking about as you pray for them. So please pray for "Al" and "Sarah" (Japan), "Debbie" (Myanmar), "Jerry" (Philippines), "Marc" (Haiti), "Joey" (Vietnam), "Linda" (China), "Timothy" (Kenya), "Amanda" (Mexico), "Penny" (Spain), "Gabriel" (Taiwan), and "Nancy" (Senegal).

Thanks for praying for my progress in learning the language and culture of China. I just received a 100% on my mid-term exam. Please continue to pray for me as I try to practice what I'm learning. My friend "Gabriel" believes in using the complete immersion method of Chinese when speaking with me, introducing me to friends, etc. (Boy, does my head hurt afterward!)

Your support and prayers are much of what keeps us going. Thanks again for your partnership in this work.

Yours By his Grace,

John for the rest of the Ropers