CHANGE A LIFE, CHANGE A NATION

For many years the masthead on our newsletters was “Changing Lives that Change Nations.”

When the ministry in Manila reached a critical milestone, and I was praying earnestly to hear some clear direction, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Craig, you can build ministry (i.e. churches, bible schools, orphanages, etc.), but when you die you are done, but if you will build MINISTERS you will never be done.” So we gave that first Bible school away and began to focus on empowering lives instead of initiating ministry. When LIVES are truly changed, MINISTRY HAPPENS! You don't even have to train people to do ministry when their whole life has been redeemed, reborn, and revitalized. They just “go and tell,” and their families become believers and a new church is born where NONE existed before. We see that happen every two days in Asia, all through our Bible school graduates. And we DON'T—as in DO NOT—teach a church planting course. We teach New Creations in Christ, The Authority of the Believer, Victorious Life, Discipleship, The Power of Prayer, and so on.

I said all of that to introduce a powerful testimony of Cora Santiago, serving in Siem Reap Cambodia, where Anchor Watt is. Anchor Watt is an ancient temple that some believe to be a gateway to hell itself. I don't know if that is true, but spiritually this area is about as dark as it gets. BUT GOD has a plan! And we—you and me—are a part of it!

If we step back to the mid ‘90s, once we began to empower ministers, we were soon invited to help some of our initial graduates start their own Bible schools (with our help) to train more workers for new churches and growing outreach ministries. So Ariel, one of our first graduates, started one Bible school, then two, then three, and we helped him do that.

Cora was one of his first graduates, and she really got it. Soon, CORA was running one of those Bible schools. We went from 1st generation missionary ministry to 3rd generation reproduction in about a 2-year time frame! (Just a note here: The key to the future of the Kingdom of God having an impact on planet earth is NOT PRODUCTION! Not PRODUCING more or working harder! Jesus said if you “abide in me you WILL bear much fruit.” Meaning, the key is not PRODUCTION, it is RE-production. LIVING THE LIFE OF CHRIST—and then passing that spiritual DNA of Mission, Vision, and Values to others, who will pass it to others, who will pass it to others.)

Well, Ariel got it (he leads our largest single team now in northern Thailand), and then Cora got it. Cora began to travel with us to teach in our underground schools in Vietnam. The Lord called her as a FULL-TIME MISSIONARY on those trips. Now, she is sent out from the Philippines primarily by Philippine Pesos! So now Cora is based in Cambodia and raising up the NEXT generation of ministers. She has planted a church and has more than a dozen young lives she is personally discipling. And through a DREAM scholarship program, she is seeing these growing spiritual leaders also complete High School and now College, being established spiritually and practically to have a real impact in a significant way on countless lives and future generations. That is the “Gospel of the Kingdom” at work.

Cora is a friend. I have known her since her days as a student. I have worked with her personally for 20 years now. We communicate regularly. And the Thailand team watches over her. She is the REAL DEAL. An Affiliate Missionary we trained and sent right onto the field! Cora is part of a movement at Go To Nations from which US-sent missionaries equip, empower, mentor, and launch the next generation of ministers and missionaries right where we are. Reproducers of reproducers! So that our 170 US-sent missionaries then become more than 2,000 global ministers running nearly 30 Bible schools, planting a church among the UNREACHED every other day, and touching about a quarter of a million lives every single year!

I AM JUST CRAIG, and I am writing this update from the comfort of my living room. But this is the fruit of 30 years of our lives invested, and now constant fathering and leadership given to these incredible emerging leaders. What is happening now is GOD SIZED and you don't want to miss it! We stay under the radar most of the time and you won't find us headlining many big name meetings. But our graduates, our graduates’ graduates, and, yes, our graduates’ graduates’ graduates are changing lives that are now impacting NATIONS.