THE AGAPE PUPPETS

Ireland #1 August 13, 2011

2011-08-13T17:48:00.001-07:00

Dearest Friends,

ANNALONG

We spent today doing puppets in front of a Viking boat. I stared at the carved dragon's head as I told the children stories about Jesus.In between shows, I watched sword fights. Let me explain.

Today, Saturday, we arrived safely in Dublin, Ireland with all of our luggage. Praise God! We left the airport, drove north, and enjoyed lunch with dear friends at Murlough House near Newcastle, Northern Ireland. Then we quickly traveled to the village of Annalong, a small fishing village that traces its history back to the time of the Vikings.

Today was a big festival there and we were invited to work with a local church. We did 3 street shows over the afternoon, setting up in front of a Viking boat that was on display. Every show was a blessing! I was very surprised at the size of the crowds. The shows were very well attended, with families from many different backgrounds.

Once, it seemed that there was no way we would be able to share with the children. The rain poured, but Sam insisted that the sun would come out. He was right. I was more than surprised when the big conversationssky cleared and the sun began to shine. Our friends were surprised that so many attended. The big draw was a drinking contest at the pub. We were asked to come and offer the families a good option for their children. A man watched our program and asked Sam about coming to another town's festival. This was wonderful!

In between shows, we tied balloons for the children and talked with them about God's love for them. I told so many that they could put their trust in Jesus. I love how the Father uses simple things like balloons to open doors for important conversations. God is very kind to us!

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray for all who heard about Jesus Christ today. Ask God to give them deep faith. Please pray for the children that we will share with at a church in Bangor on Sunday morning. I am telling a new story and nervous.Please pray for the afternoon street shows and ask God to move in many people's hearts. We are in Ireland, so please pray continually for no rain.

In Jesus, Linda for Mykayla Kelley, Meg Abbott, Billy Salinas, Seth Barrett. and Sam and Silvana Shaw

2011 AMERICA and IRELAND

2011-08-13T17:44:00.001-07:00

Dearest Friends,

A PARK IN PHILADELPHIA

We saw so many wonders this summer! Presently, I am sitting in the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, waiting for a flight to Dublin, Ireland. However, my thoughts are far from this place. I am remembering a park in downtown Philadelphia. More than 200 children and teenagers were sitting on the ground on a very hot summer day. They listened better than the children at many church shows that I have done. They were hungry to hear about Jesus.

Where they live, there is gang activity, drugs, and prostitution. It is a dark place, but on that day, the Father flooded the park with His light. The children and teenagers prayed loudly, asking Jesus to rescue them. I left that dark place full of joy and confident that the Lord would take care of the children.

We worked with a precious pastor from 8th Street Community Church. The church was very small, but their hearts were big. Please pray for this place and for all of the children who came to faith that wonderful day! Please pray for our ministry in Ireland!

In Jesus, Linda for the Team

THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS AND BALTIMORE,

2009-09-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

WONDERFUL STORIES

I still have so many amazing stories to share with you about what we saw the Lord do in Baltimore, Maryland and in many cities in the Smoky mountains of Tennesee. You are going to love these stories and have more reasons to thank God for His love toward so many children and adults. Praise God!

HOMELESS GENTLEMEN

Yes, we did a show for 50 homeless men and 25 other men who were learning to live a different way. Okay, I can guess that you are thinking the same thing that the men who came were thinking. I heard them complaining that they were being forced to watch a puppet show just so they could eat and sleep for the night. As I was listening to the grumbling before the show, I began to pray, asking God to make me wise.
After talking with the Father, I decided that the best way to deal with this problem was not to ignore it, but admit to the men that I had heard their complaints. I said, “Gentlemen, I know that you are unhappy, but I beg you please to listen for just 5 minutes and see if God might use us to speak to you.” Then, I began to tell them stories about the children that we serve. It is an unbelievably tough man that can resist the suffering of children. Though these men had experienced very rough lives, some had even been in prison, I watched as their attitude changed. First, they smiled, then laughed, and finally some prayed in soft whispers, calling on Jesus to save them. Awesome!
All of the men were very encouraging to the young people as they shared their testimonies. More, they all clapped at the finish and gave us a standing ovation. What a change God had made in their attitudes. Who would believe that God could use such simple, foolish things for His purposes?
One man pressed a handmade cross into my hands as he thanked me. He said, “Your face is full of light. Thank you for coming.” We all felt that we left that place with the men giving more to us than we could give to them. The Father had blessed all of us!
Please pray for the men at the Helping Up Mission and their Director in Baltimore. This is a very hard place and God is faithfully calling many to faith. I have all hope for these men because I see in my own life how God does not give up on me and deals with my sin. Pray!

The Christian Community Center

This is another very special ministry in Baltimore. For so very many years, The Christian Community Center has loved the families in this very hard part of Baltimore. I always love doing a show for these children as they are always grateful. One little girl especially blessed my heart as she came and told me that she remembered the story that we had told last year. I had given her the pictures and she had them all on the walls of her room. More, she was excited to get a new story to add to her collection. Her enthusiasm for God’s stories made my heart sing.

TENNESSEE

Each year, 20 million people make this area of Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains their vacation destination. Why would we go there to do shows? Well, we were not there for a vacation, though our friends did treat us to a free game of PuttPtt golf and go cart rides. I really loved the go cart rides though I was going so slow that people were pointing at me and laughing. More, I was the only white haired old lady on the track. We were also treated to a special time enjoying God’s creation on the river as we tubed thanks to the kindness of a prayer partner.

Yes, this area is full of tourist attractions, but it also has so many children that are not a part of this world. Many are from broken homes and too many are being raised by their grandparents. We shared with hundreds and hundreds of children. Sometimes, when we were allowed to pray, we heard children softly praying. Others told us that they had prayed.

One little boy touched my heart. I was talking to the children about how God loves them and cares for them. He raised his hand and said, ”My Grammy loves me.” He could understand God’s love because his grandmother loved him.

So many children welcomed us and told us that they remembered us from last year. More, they remembered the stories that they had heard. Children said, “You told me about Jesus!” I can not think of a better way to be remembered! Gofd is so good to me!

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Please begin to pray for our time in Ireland as we leave on the 14th of August. September will find us in Uganda.
2. After receiving so many notices from friends and churches that are cancelling their support or greatly reducing it due to our current economy, you probably think that this request would be devoted to that problem, but no. I am completely sincere in asking you for a more important request that supersedes economic concerns. I have felt a real urging from the Father to ask that our prayer support be doubled. Presently, 1341 people receive our letters and it is because of their faithful prayers that so many children all over the world hear about Jesus. I beg you to contact your family and friends and ask them to pray for us. Prayer is the key to everything. I want to see this list doubled in the next 12 months. You can help! Please, with your friend’s permission, send me their email addresses. Talk with them about the children that we serve. Think about all that we have seen this past year. What will God do as we increase our prayers for the children?

In Jesus,

Linda for all of us who have the delight of sharing with the children, teenagers, and adults in the world

Baltimore, MD, USA, July 17th, 2009

2009-09-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

DEAREST FRIENDS,

PLEASE, CAN I LIVE WITH YOU?

We have been doing many shows in this area, mostly with children in difficult places. A little 10 year old girl sat on the front row at a program. She listened so sweetly and called on Jesus to be her King, asking God to forgive her. Then, she came and asked me, "Please, can I live with you?" My heart broke for her and all that she suffers. How desperarate she must be to ask a complete stranger to taker her home!

This little one lives in one of the worst places in Baltimore. When, I opened the door to get out for the show, there was an empty whiskey bottle on the ground. In this area, there are more liquor stores and drug dealers than anything else. Prostitution is also a big problem. It is not a safe place for children. However, God is kind to these children in that they are hungry for the Gospel. More, they get so excited when they hear a Bible story.

As I began to tell the story of Jesus calmimg the storm, they listened. When Jesus spoke and the storm calmed, they began to clap and cheer. Three times they loudly cheered as Jesus did miracles. I think that these children can teach us many lessons. Why don't we who claim to be God's people become excited as we listen to Bible stories? I want to have this kind of enthuiasm for God's word. I want these children to grow up with hope!

Please pray for all of these little ones to fall deeply in love with Jesus. Ask the Father to keep them safe and to protect their hearts from the evil one' attacks. They live in a place that you would not be comfortable driving through. They need your prayers. They need Jesus!

PROBLEMS

As always, we are having difficulties as equipment breaks that should work fine. More, we have had our car in the shop for 3 days as we lost the transmission the other day. This was a very expensive, unexpected expense for the puppet ministry. A supporting church helped us with part of the cost, but I would ask you to pray for the difference.

Worse, we had no way to do shows. God blessed us through the sacrificial kindness of friends who voulunteered their car. They loaned us the very same car that I normally pull the trailer with and it had the same light plug and trailer hitch. Praise God!Though they wish to remain nameless, I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice. Without their kindness, we could not have shared with so many children and would have missed 6 shows. Please ask the Father to bless them as they have blessed us!

In Jesus,Linda for Malachi, Naiomi, and Lindsey

PLEASE, CAN I LIVE WITH YOU?

We have been doing many shows in this area, mostly with children in difficult places. A little 10 year old girl sat on the front row at a program. She listened so sweetly and called on Jesus to be her King, asking God to forgive her. Then, she came and asked me, "Please, can I live with you?" My heart broke for her and all that she suffers. How desperarate she must be to ask a complete stranger to taker her home!

This little one lives in one of the worst places in Baltimore. When, I opened the door to get out for the show, there was an empty whiskey bottle on the ground. In this area, there are more liquor stores and drug dealers than anything else. Prostitution is also a big problem. It is not a safe place for children. However, God is kind to these children in that they are hungry for the Gospel. More, they get so excited when they hear a Bible story.

As I began to tell the story of Jesus calmimg the storm, they listened. When Jesus spoke and the storm calmed, they began to clap and cheer. Three times they loudly cheered as Jesus did miracles. I think that these children can teach us many lessons. Why don't we who claim to be God's people become excited as we listen to Bible stories? I want to have this kind of enthuiasm for God's word. I want these children to grow up with hope!

Please pray for all of these little ones to fall deeply in love with Jesus. Ask the Father to keep them safe and to protect their hearts from the evil one' attacks. They live in a place that you would not be comfortable driving through. They need your prayers. They need Jesus!

PROBLEMS

As always, we are having difficulties as equipment breaks that should work fine. More, we have had our car in the shop for 3 days as we lost the transmission the other day. This was a very expensive, unexpected expense for the puppet ministry. A supporting church helped us with part of the cost, but I would ask you to pray for the difference.

Worse, we had no way to do shows. God blessed us through the sacrificial kindness of friends who volunteered their car. They loaned us the very same car that I normally pull the trailer with and it had the same light plug and trailer hitch. Praise God!Though they wish to remain nameless, I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice. Without their kindness, we could not have shared with so many children and would have missed 6 shows. Please ask the Father to bless them as they have blessed us!

In Jesus,
Linda for
Malachi,
Naiomi,
and Lindsey

A Country with Bears, Wolves, and Caviar, May 21st, 2009

2009-09-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

I am so excited at all that we are seeing God do. Some doors close to us before we even have an opportunity to do a show, but others are opening. Tomorrow, we will be at a school and do 4 shows. The next week, we will return to this school and do 2 more programs. This is a miracle. We should not be allowed to go to this school and share about Jesus, but we are going.

Our friends have a heart to serve God. They are risking everything they own and even their freedom so that these children and young people can hear about Jesus Christ. You must stand with them and with us in prayer. We are in a very difficult place, but the children and young people of this nation are in a worse place. Can you imagine growing up with no knowledge of God? Most have never heard His name.

Our friend that we are working with never heard God's name until he went in the military and met a believer. He was the first to make fun of the Christian and now he is a pastor.

We desperately need you to pray and organize others to pray. We need doors to open, wisdom as we share, and protection for our friends. Please stay on your knees.

In Jesus,

Linda for the team

USA, May 17th, 2009

2009-09-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

EMAIL ADDRESS CHANGE:

Please note that all addresses on the website are unchanged. Please change the earthlink address if you are using it to msummer05@gmail.com The earthlink address will soon stop working. Thankyou!

ON MONDAY,WE FLY!

Sam, Silvana, and I will meet 2 team members from another country and prayerfully start a new puppet ministry in a country that I can not name. I have been advised that because of this particular country's growing hostility to Jesus Christ that I should not name it in the emails. Presently, it is open to Christians, but they are making access very difficult.

PLEASE PRAY:

1.It is our hope to share with thousands of children and encourage many new friends during this very difficult time. Ask the Father to open doors, especially to orphanages, and make us wise.

2.Customs presents a real problem. We need them not to open our suitcases or ask us any questions about our things or why we are there. God can do anything! Please pray!

I remember years ago standing in customs in Ukraine when it was difficult for Christians to visit. I was very tired and had so many big suitcases with me. Silently, I asked the Father to help me as I was alone, but in truth, never alone! Suddenly, a man came running across the airport and spoke to me in perfect English. He said, "Your face is full of light. You are a Christian! I will help you." To my amazement, he lifted every bag even though I had not spoken to him and asked him to help. When I turned to thank him, he was gone. He disappeared! I believe that he was an angel. Praise God!

This is the kind of miracle that we need.

Ask God to make them totally uninterested in our luggage. Please know that we never lie to these officials, as we trust not in our ability to be clever, but in God's great power. It is our heart's prayer that all of you who read these stories will give all praise and all glory to God alone!

TAIWAN

We returned home from Taiwan with a heart full of praise as we shared with over 10,000 children , teens, and adults the hope that we have in Christ. Many were Buddhist and many indicated that they had found the one true God! We resupplied our team in the north and were able to start a new ministry in the south. Through our friends there, we were able to place teaching tools in the hands of children's Bible teachers in Thailand, Burma, and China. I am so excited! Please pray over all of these ministries!

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Many of you who receive these emails represent churches that do not support us. Would you please speak to your churches on our behalf? Like all missionaries, we have been notified by too many churches that due to difficult financial times, they are significantly reducing all of their missionaries support. Other friends have lost their jobs and can not support us any longer. This is not a problem for me to solve, but an opportunity for us to see God move in a big way! However, I need you to ask the Father how you can help. I need you to speak for children who have no voice.

I am happy to come and present what the Father is doing in the lives of children all over the world. He is awesome! If you wish to adopt a set of equipment for a particular country, please respond to this email and let me know your heart's desire. We need your help, but I sincerely want you only to do what God tells you to do. I trust in His Providence and His faithfulness in all of our lives!

PLEASE STAY ON YOUR KNEES ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF THIS COMING WEEK!

With all joy,

In Jesus,

Linda for the team

Taiwan #10, April 3rd, 2009

2009-06-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

This is the most fantastic list of blessings. You are going to love this email. The last 3 days of ministry in Taiwan have been exhausting, but very sweet. Anna and I have been battling colds, but are feeling much better. Please forgive me for not writing sooner, but I really needed to rest between programs.

The mountains that are near the city, particularly Ali mountain, are very famous. However, only once after a rain, and then only for 15 minutes, have we seen any at all. The city is constantly covered with haze, but this week we are seeing God cover it with His Holy Spirit. We are all so blessed!

1. In the afternoon, after a group of students watched a program, they were excitedly talking about it on the bus. One young man heard them talking about what they had seen and heard. He was scheduled to take a test this morning and would have missed the program. He was so eager to hear what his friends had heard that he went and begged a teacher to help him postpone his test. She told me how happy he was to attend the puppet show.

2. At 7:40 AM this morning, hundreds of young people crowded into a hall. All of us felt the presence of God’s Holy Spirit on those young people. A teacher came to me and said, “I was so touched. The students were crying. I was crying.” We were allowed to pray with these young people and I ask you to continue in prayer for them. My heart broke for them as I looked deep into their eyes. They were so attentive. They listened eagerly as I described how the one true God offers forgiveness and love. Pray!

3. At a Catholic hospital, the priest and the director welcomed us and were very enthusiastic about what we share. A doctor later spoke to me about how amazed he was that a couple of hundred people had gathered on 2 floors to listen to the Gospel. He told me that even after we left, people were talking about what they had heard. So many people heard about Jesus Christ that morning. Most were from a Buddhist background and for too many, the Gospel was news.

4. At a kindergarten, Sam told the story of Jonah using balloons. The children loved the story.
Best of all, many of them prayed out loud asking Jesus to save them.

5. Imagine 150 fourth graders at a puppet show. They were students at a public school, but we were given an open invitation to share with them. They loved the program, but remember, the entire presentation told them about Jesus. They were having a wonderful time learning about how they could have a relationship with God.

6. We did 2 programs at a school where we were not allowed translation. It was a very difficult time as we were desperate to tell the children about Jesus, but questioned their ability to understand our English. We were reminded about the Holy Spirit enabling men to hear the Gospel in their own language in Acts, and continue to pray that He will do the same for these children. Please join with us in these prayers.

7. A public school gave us 450 sixth graders and everyone was amazed at how well they listened. I was equally amazed. After all of these years telling children Bible stories, I am still delighted and blessed by the power of the cross to touch children’s hearts. The teachers were equally engaged as they listened to a story about the miracles of Jesus. It was an awesome experience!

8. Our last evening was spent in an exceptionally sweet time of fellowship with our new team and their families. We prayed together, laughed, and cried when we realized we had to say goodbye. They were all so kind. Ask the Father to really bless this new team with all of the wisdom and skills they need.

Our final show was at a kindergarten and we heard so many call on Jesus, asking Him to be their King. What a fantastic finish to an unbelievable time of ministry in Taiwan!

HOME

Tomorrow, Saturday at 4 AM, we will begin our journey home. Because of the 12-hour time difference, we will arrive home the same day. Please pray us safely home.

As we were driving to Hsinchu, the pastor in Chiayi called to beg us to change our schedule and return next year. All of our Chinese friends were all so eager to learn and anxious to begin this new ministry. Please ask the Lord to give us wisdom to make the right decision one week from now.

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam,
Silvana,
Anna and
Jeremy

Taiwan #9, March 31st, 2009

2009-06-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Chaiyi Hospital

Our day began with prayer with the hospital chaplains. Prayer is always the best way to begin a day! We asked God that He would do more than we could ask or imagine. Let me tell you how faithfully the Father answered our prayers.

1 – Our first show was for mentally handicapped children. More than 100 children along with their caregivers and some parents watched for an hour. Everyone said that the children would never be able to sit for so long and listen. However, they did not understand how the impossible is always possible for God. They were all amazed that the children listened so well and enjoyed the program so much. Some prayed, trusting in Jesus.

2 – At the second show, we had mostly adult patients and hospital staff. I was amazed that they stopped for an hour to listen to puppets sing, a Bible story, and testimonies. Many of the adults and children were rolling IV poles. As I looked at them, my heart was broken. It is terrible to see children and adults suffering, but is far worse to realize that they do not know Jesus. He is real comfort! It was such a gift to all of us that God would allow us to be in the hospital sharing His hope, His love.

Since this is a Christian hospital, 15% of the staff are Christians. Now, you may think that is a very low number. However, remember that outside of this building, less than 1% of the population trust in Jesus. How wonderful that God has taken hold of this place and is using those who work here to reach out and share His love with those who need it! There is no place else in the city where this is true.

3 – Our third program was for little children, but again, so many adults also stopped to listen. When we prayed with them, I heard some children boldly calling on Him. Praise God!

4 – Finally, we traveled to the 11th floor of the hospital to the psychiatric ward. Can you think of a better place to tell people about Jesus who gives hope, peace, and can take away your fears? Can you imagine the wonder you would experience when you hear about the only Son of the one true God who removes guilt and shame? It was a precious show!

Please pray for the hundreds of people who listened to the Gospel today in the hospital lobby!

Blessings

We had the most amazing meal last night. It included so many wonderful dishes, but we seldom know exactly what we are eating. We ate pig tendons, sea cucumbers, shark fin soup, but the rest mostly remained a delicious mystery.

When we returned to church last night, a large Christmas tree was lit up on the side of the building. Everywhere we see Christmas decorations which often remain until Easter. I love Christmas decorations. How cool to get to enjoy them in March!

On the top of the church are giant Chinese words which proclaim “Jesus loves you.” Thousands can see them every day.

Everyone has a camera here. The other night, 8 cameras were taking our picture at once. Always, people are photographing us with their cell phones.

Most people that I talk with here think that I am at least 70 years old. I think this is a blessing.
There was some confusion when I arrived at the psychiatric floor for our last show. Since I had come by myself on the elevator, the nurses became confused. They kept telling me to sit down and rest. I almost got admitted.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we will be doing programs in another hospital, a kindergarten and an elementary school. Please remain on your knees!

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam,
Silvana,
Anna and
Jeremy

Taiwan #8, March 30th, 2009

2009-06-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

RAIN

I woke up Sunday morning to a storm. Immediately, I began to pray as our plan was to do a program in a park. The people we are working with here have wonderful vision. They are very willing to go outside the church and schedule opportunities for us to share. I wanted to share with the children in the park that day, and I also wanted encourage our friends’ efforts to reach people outside the church.

God was very kind to us. Our friends sent vehicles over to the park and brought all of the children back to the church to the first floor where we did the puppet show. Normally, they have 50 children in Sunday school, but yesterday they had 145 in attendance! God answered all our prayers. More, because we were at a church, we had complete freedom to pray with the children. We heard so many children praying out loud asking Jesus to be their King and their Savior. It was awesome!

SATURDAY’S PRAYER REQUEST

The other day we sent out a special prayer request and asked specifically that you pray for the team we are planting here in Chaiyi. They desire to hear God’s voice and vision clearly. Each day, they are moving closer to accepting the equipment and believing they can start a puppet ministry in this place. Even now, as we are typing this e-mail, some are meeting downstairs to learn how to setup the sound system, puppet stage, and the easel. Please keep praying. All of us truly believe that these are the right people for this ministry.

CONCORDIA SCHOOL

Concordia is a school that was established by Lutheran missionaries more than 50 years ago. Today, we had the sweet privilege of doing 3 programs for the children. Later in the week, we will have two more opportunities to share with the students. Most of the children who attend this school are not from Christian families. This is a very special opportunity to share with Buddhist children whose families are the doctors and lawyers and key businessmen in this community. Please pray for our remaining two times that we will get to be with these children.

I have a real heart’s desire for them to be able to hear the Gospel clearly and with understanding.
TODAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS

Tomorrow (Tuesday), we will be at Chaiyi Christian Hospital. We have four programs schedules with different groups at the hospital. Please pray that we will make the right decisions about what we will do in each place. Ask the Father to call many to faith as we are sharing tomorrow. Thank you for being so faithful to pray for us. We feel the strength of your prayers.

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Jeremy Snow
Anna McIlwaine
Joseph and Lori

Taiwan #7, March 28th, 2009

2009-06-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

We are in Chia-Yi, in the South of Taiwan. We are working with a wonderful group of people. Last night, they welcomed us so warmly, they had prepared fo us a wonderful dinner. Then, they stood and sang for us. The words to the song said, "I am glad, for I belong to Jesus. Praise the Lord." They have real joy for Jesus. They have also arranged a great schedule for us, with many kinds of opportunities. We will be doing programs at schools, at hospitals, and on the streets. Clearly, they have great vision.

However, they are concerned about the responsibility of accepting the puppet equipment that we want to give them. They are fearful that it is too great a responsibility for them to undertake. I admire their honesty and their desire not to see the equipment wasted by being put into storage. However, after the training time we had today with them, all of us believe that these are the right people to start a team in this part of Taiwan.

Please consider that there are precious few Christians in this part of the country. Today as we were doing a program at an apartment complex on the street, many people came who would never have visited a church. There is a desperate need here for Christians to go where the lost people are and share Christ with them. They are hungry to hear. Today they stood or sat in the sun for an hour to listen to stories about the one true God.

Please pray that these dear people will accept this equipment and trust God to raise up a team from among them. Please ask God to give them the courage to believe that with Him all things are possible.

New photographs have been uploaded at

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/7700201_EkSSc#P-1-21.
In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Jeremy Snow
Anna McIlwaine

Taiwan #6, March 27th, 2009

2009-06-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

GOOD-BYE TO HSINCHU

We finished our time in Hsinchu sharing with 1400 children in a single day. It was amazing! We were at a school where we had done many programs across the years of ministry in Taiwan, so the children recognized me when we arrived. They said, "Oh look, it is the old woman who tells us stories." Then they guessed my age to be 89. Maybe, I should dye my hair. HEEHEE

WE had complete freedom in this school, except that we could not pray with the children. Still, we were able to explain the hope of Jesus so clearly and model for them a prayer so that they could know how to ask Jesus to be their Savior. One of the teachers told me that she could see in the children's eyes how well they listened. Truly, they were hungry to hear about His hope.
Please continue to pray for the children of Hsinchu and Peter and Melody. It is such a dark
place, full of so many temples. Yesterday, we passed by the temple to the lord of hell and one to the mother of heaven. Please pray!

HELLO TO CHAI-YI

Now, we are in the south in Chai-yi and there are even less Christians here. There are even more temples. This is a town of 270,000 people.The air is very bad. You can see it blocking the view of the rest of the city. In minutes, we leave for a show. WE need you to pray for this area. We will train and equip a team here and there are many details to sort. Again, please pray.

In Jesus, Linda for the Team

Taiwan #5 March 26th, 2009

2009-04-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Wow!
Today, the children were very caught up in the story of Jesus and His miracles. When He calmed the storm, you heard them say “Wow!” I want to be continually that excited when I think about what Jesus did… what He does. How sweet to hear Buddhist children excited about a Bible story!

Public Schools
Today, we did 3 programs at public schools. All of the programs were well received, even by the teachers. We shared with over 1200 children who loved what they heard. What an amazing privilege to tell so many Buddhist children about Jesus!
Some of the Christian teachers at one school were fearful about how the Gospel would be received. God gave them courage and peace. In the end, they were very pleased.
One of the best stories today happened in the strangest place. Two teachers took me to the restroom so that I could wash my hands. They both spoke English well. I continued a conversation with them that we had begun at the end of the show. One teacher goes to Peter’s church and one teacher is from a different church tradition. The second teacher said that she had never heard such stories as she has heard today. We talked about Jesus Christ and His miracles. All of us shared testimonies about how He had changed us.
The dear young woman began to cry. She said that she felt something she had never known before and put her hand over her heart. I told her my testimony and my husband’s testimony. God used these stories to touch her heart. She told me that what I said was “compelling.” This was the actual word she used. I explained to her that there was nothing compelling about me, but told her that what she was experiencing was the touch of God’s Holy Spirit on her life.
She looked at the other teacher and switched places with her. She said, “You stand beside her. God’s Holy Spirit is too much for me. I cannot stop crying.” We spent another half hour together and she asked many more good questions. Please pray for these 2 teachers. Pray that the second teacher will talk more with her believing friend. Pray that she will trust in Jesus.

Grateful
We are so grateful for a Christian brother who owns a hotel here. He generously gives us a place to stay and we so appreciate his kindness. Each morning we enjoy a lovely breakfast and each evening, we rest well. Please ask the Father to bless him as he blesses others.

English
Everyone here has an English name. They all study English in schools. Most English names are pretty normal, but the other day, I met “Shopping.” Truthfully, many Americans could claim that name.
Many years ago, when I first began to work in Taiwan, I heard about a ladies’ clothing store here. They translated their name into English. Over the store front hung a sign that said “to cover your ugly.” This memory always makes me laugh.

Our Puppet Team
In Chinese, the words “puppet team” literally translates “cloth idol team.” Imagine going to a Buddhist school where people worship false gods. We introduce ourselves as Christians and then tell them that we are the Agape Cloth Idol Team. I confess that this is somewhat disturbing.
The worship of idols is very real here. The other day, we drove down the “god street” where you can go to buy your god. We have passed a couple of places that make gods. I always wonder if you can argue over the price and get a discount god, how much power does a person expect it to have? If you can make it with your own 2 hands, why would you worship it?
The people here are so precious, but they live in such darkness. My heart breaks for the children who grow up with these lies. Their homes all have a god shelf where they worship their dead ancestors. Please ask the one true God to break your heart so that you will remember to pray for the children of Taiwan. Please see their great need for the truth!

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Jeremy Snow
Anna McIlwaine
Peter and Melody

Taiwan #4 March 25th, 2009

2009-04-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

DEAREST FRIENDS,

MACKAY HOSPITAL
Can you imagine doing a puppet show in a hospital lobby? This is how we spent the morning. More, because the hospital was founded by a pioneer Presbyterian missionary to Taiwan, we had complete freedom in what we did and said. We could even pray with everyone, giving them an opportunity to ask Jesus Christ to be their Savior.
The head of the hospital, a doctor, came to welcome us. He stayed for most of the show and even wore a funny hat from Zimbabwe. All of the children loved him for making them laugh and clapped for him. I could not imagine a similar scene in an American hospital.
Doctors, nurses, patients, and those who brought them all listened. People stood on 2 floors in an open lobby, watching the program in a full circle. It was a very interesting way to tell a story. All the time you had to be looking up and down, and all around the room. Many set in chairs in front of us or stood around the room. Children came to see the puppets with their parents rolling their IV poles. Most stayed for the entire hour, instead of for parts of the program as we expected.
I watched as people listened eagerly to stories about Jesus and was amazed. More, even the adults stood in line for a free flying mouse balloon. Please pray for all of the seeds that the Father planted today. Please pray that those who heard will hunger to know more about Jesus. What a fantastic time we had at the hospital! That sounds strange, doesn't it?

CHILDREN PRAYING
We received an invitation from a teacher while doing a program at a rural school on Monday. She invited us to come today and do an after school program. Her church has a ministry to very poor children whose parents work very long hours and havelittle time for their children. The children were from Hakka homes and many were mountain children, from the Tayal tribe.
All through the story of Joseph, I could tell that they were really listening. Still, you never know how the Father will move in their hearts. It was the sweetest joy to hear dozens and dozens of children calling on God to be their Father, calling on Jesus to save them. We made all of these children balloons as well! We left the show full of joy. All of us kept talking about what a sweet day that we had been given.

THE RESTAURANT
None of us could have imagined that we had another wonderful surprise waiting for us. Peter had planned to go to one place to eat, but we were too late by the time that we finished the second program. We had one plan , but the Father had a better plan.At the restaurant where we went, because we were eating lunch after 3PM, there was no one else there. We had a private restaurant. The owner and I had 2 great conversations about Jesus and some stories about the children we serve. With real joy, he received a Chinese illustrated life of Jesus. He became very excited. It is wonderful to see someone so thrilled! Please pray for this young man to trust in Jesus.

PRAYER REQUESTS
This was an especially sweet day. There is more to this story, but I will need to wait until tomorrow to tell you about the backpacks that we assembled today for a closed country. The hour is late and I confess that I am tired. Please stand with us in prayer!

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam,
Sil,
Anna,
Jeremy,
Peter and Melody

Taiwan #3 March 24th, 2009

2009-04-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

GREAT DAYS
When the program goes well, I say “Awesome.” My Irish partner, Sam Shaw, says “Brilliant.” My Chinese pastor friend says, “Hung How” (spelling phonetically). Our French puppet director Anna says “Genial.” Silvana is from Brazil and she says “Maravilhoso.” In any language, today was wonderful. We were allowed to pray with the children at a Christian school, but most of the students were not from believing families. Today, we heard so many children praying loudly, asking God to be their Father and Jesus to be their King.
You may wonder if such an experience is really life changing. The Director told me that as a small child she had trusted in Jesus during a similar program for children many years ago. She grew up in a Buddhist family, but came to Jesus as a small child.
It is amazing to be traveling with friends from four continents and five countries. All of us are so blessed by all that we see God do. Each day is a great day as we share with hundreds of children, many of whom have no understanding of who Jesus is and how He can change them. I cannot imagine living a single day without Jesus. Here, people can live an entire lifetime and not hear His name. Please pray for Taiwan!

PUBLIC SCHOOLS
On Monday morning, we did two programs at a public school. As it is in most places in Taiwan, almost everyone was Buddhist. The children loved the program. As they were leaving the building, they were all shouting something. Peter told me that they were shouting, “We want you to come again. We want to see you again.”
Two years ago, we were at this same school. One of the teachers remembered our visit and more, she remembered the Bible story that she had heard. Please pray for all of these children to remember what they heard about “true love.” This was the subject that the school approved. What a great topic! There is no true love except through the cross of Jesus Christ and that is what we shared with them!
As usual, they would not allow us to pray with the children, but we could tell them how to pray. This always makes me laugh because God is the creator of the universe. They cannot stop what He chooses to do in the lives of the children.

BON APPETIT!
We all enjoyed the most wonderful meal with our friends Peter and Melody and their children. I always tell children that a missionary needs to be able to eat anything. We proved that statement as we all dined at a Hong Kong-style restaurant. We ate turtle blood jello and snake soup. After dinner, we went for a walk and shared a can of asparagus juice.
There is a delicious fruit here that is a cross between a pear and an apple. Our friend calls it a jingle bell, but we have decided it is a “prapple.” Anyway, it tastes great!

IN THE COUNTRY
Monday afternoon, we drove out of town to a school in the country. On the edge of the mountains, the school is beside an orange grove. The air was so nice and the view was great!
The best part of the trip was meeting a young boy named Joseph. He came up after the show and presented a small banner as a thank you from the school. Then he came to see me again. He wanted to shake my hand and tell me thank you.
I looked into his eyes and knew that Joseph was not just grateful for a good show. He had listened with his ears and his heart. Later, I spoke with him alone and encouraged him to remember the story. I asked him to please trust Jesus. He promised that he would. When a child reaches out to you as Joseph did and looks so deeply into your eyes, you see the need of his heart. Please pray for Joseph to pray and call on Jesus to save him.

TRAINING
On Saturday afternoon, we trained 35 Sunday school teachers. They got so excited about what they heard and were eager to learn. We did our best to encourage them. I shared with them how my Sunday school teacher touched my life when I was 5 years old. I still remember Mrs. Smith. Please pray for these teachers to be bright lights in the many churches that they represent.
Last night, we taught Seminary students at a Lutheran seminary. Some of those who came plan to work in a closed country, a place where you cannot openly go as a missionary. They will risk their lives to tell people about Jesus Christ. What a privilege to teach them!

PRAYER REQUESTS
Tomorrow and Thursday we have more shows in schools and at a hospital. Please pray! It is very dark here and all of us need you to pray.

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Jeremy Snow
Anna McIlwaine
Peter and Melody

Taiwan #2 March 22nd, 2009

2009-03-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dearest friends,

The Hakka people are an unreached people group in Taiwan. Less than half of 1 percent of them trust in Jesus Christ. The rest are Buddhists who are deeply committed to ancestor worship.
It is extremely difficult for a Hakka person to come to faith in Jesus Christ because it involves turning their back on their entire family. Our friend pastor Peter was so happy today because a Hakka man in his fifties was baptized today. For more than 30 years, his Christian wife has been praying for him to come to faith. His father had forbidden him to become a Christian. Recently, he went to his father and told him that he had decided he would not wait any longer. He told his father that he knew that even though they did not know the Lord, he believed that God had blessed them. He asked his father to respect his decision and he agreed. Please pray for the father also to trust in Jesus. He is 87 years old. Peter said that the man was so full of joy when he was baptized that he cried. Praise God for his new faith!

A SMALL HAKKA CHURCH
Today, Sunday, we all went to a small Hakka church. It is a very small light in a very dark place. The church is struggling. Their pastor suffered from depression and committed suicide a year ago. The members are fearful to share their faith and so it was a real step of faith for them to invite us to come. Sam preached, Silvana sang, Jeremy spoke, Anna played her flute, and I gave a mission report. We are all still so jet-lagged and we were blessed that the Father could use us today in spite of our exhaustion. There is a 12-hour time difference here.
More, this afternoon they scheduled an evangelistic outreach and invited the children from a nearby school. Forty children came and I heard 2 praying softly, asking Jesus to be their Savior. It was wonderful! They had planned games and refreshments and we made everyone balloons. It was a wonderful afternoon.

JEREMY WILL EAT IT
Pastor Peter says he loves Jeremy because he will eat anything. That does seem to be the truth because last night, Jeremy ate chicken feet, pig’s feet and pig intestines, and finished off with sweet potato ice cream.
I especially enjoyed crushed ice with passion fruit and bean noodles on top. When you eat the bean noodles, they squeak in your mouth. It is just like eating cheese curds in Wisconsin, except not as loud.
I loved shrimp and fish, but it always tickles me to see it looking back at me. Tonight, all of the shrimp were watching me.

URGENT PRAYER
Tomorrow, Monday, we begin our ministry in the public schools. They are all Buddhist schools and we must have your prayers. This is a very dark place with a very great need that only Jesus Christ can satisfy.

Please pray. Ask others to pray. It is so dark here!

In Jesus,

Linda Summer – Director

For Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Jeremy Snow
Anna McIlwaine
Peter and Melody

Taiwan #1 March 21st, 2009

2009-03-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

We are in Taiwan after 2 days of adventure. Nothing ever goes as we hope, but this trip is already full of stories that surprised even us. We arrived at the airport with our 12 very large suitcases and 8 carry on bags. so far, so good. Then we discovered that the visa sight that Sam and Silvana had checked was not recently updated. Silvana travels on a Brazillian passport and was told that she did not need a visa, but she did. We prayed, remained calm, and thanks to an amazing effort by my sister Cathy, Silvana got a visa in Atlanta. She will arrive later today. Praise God!

I was briefly detained in the Detroit airport because I set off an alarm that detected radioactivity. I registered a 6 on the alarm. The security people got very excited. I guess that I look like a mad bomber. In reality, I had some tests done on my heart on Tuesday and was injected with a radioactive isotope. After some special equipment was brought , they determined that I was just what I said, a children's Bible teacher. The guard was not allowed to leave me alone, so I took the opportunity to tell him about Jesus and His hope.

Anna struggled to leave France in the midst of a labor strike. Then she helped an older French couple on the plane to Hong Kong. To thank her, they gave her a boiled egg and some nuts. Who travels with a boiled egg? A smile and a good sense of humor always helps.

Mostly, we remember that we trust in a sovereign God who holds all our days and plans. Truly, we walk trusting in our Father's constant care. When things are funny or difficult, when unexpected expenses occur, when we arrive on time or are delayed, we smile and trust. This simple truth has required many lessons that we walked through on previous trips. I am so glad that God does not give up on us.

In minutes, we begin our ministry. We are on our way to teach a large group of believers at a local church. Please pray for this time.

In Jesus, Linda for Sam, Silvana, Jeremy and Anna

Taiwan, Romania, India and America - March 19, 2009

2009-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

TAIWAN

In just a few hours, we will leave for the airport and fly to Taiwan. I am so excited about the opportunity to tell Buddhist children about the one true God! I can't wait to see our friends Peter and Melody and here about all of their adventures in the past 2 years.Also, I am so happy about the team that the Lord has put together for this trip. Sam Shaw and his lovely wife Silvana are always a blessing. Anna McIllwaine is the French puppet director and a constant joy. She will meet us in Taiwan. Jeremy Snow was one of very first puppeteers 18 years ago and so much fun to work with! As you can see, I am very excited about all the aspects of this trip and expect that the Father will do wondrous things! Once again we will be a team from 4 nations and 3 continents. It is strange and wonderful trying to explain to people how we became friends and partners in ministry when we come form so many places. Please pray for us to keep our eyes on Jesus. Please pray for many children to discover the truth of the Gospel.

ROMANIA

Two months ago, we left Romania very pleased with the new team that God gave us! I remain excited about their present and future ministry and ask you all to hold them in your prayers! I have all confidence that they will do a great job of reaching their children for Christ.

INDIA

Always in February, we are in India. Last year, we had an opportunity to share with 18,500 children thanks to the hard work of a dear young man named Hansen. In late December, he married and we were all so anxious to greet them and pray with them for their marriage. For years, we have worked with Joy and his dear wife. They all have such courage and love for Jesus. I have been very sad to not be in India this year. The persecution of the Christians has become fierce. Our presence would of put those we love at risk. Our friends asked us not to come and wait until next year. They can not wait for your prayers! Please daily ask the Father to protect them and make them bright lights in a very dark place. It is an honor to work with them and call them friends. They need you to be on your knees.

AMERICA

I have been home in the US the last 2 months, but not home in Georgia. Doors opened for ministry in Wisconsin, both coasts of Florida, and in Alabama. We also did programs in local churches. God is so kind to us. I have heard many children here in America calling on Jesus to save them. More, I have spoken at many churches and seen people awake to the need of the children in the world to hear about Jesus! I am eternally grateful to all those who made these many opportunities possible! Pray for our nation to respond to Jesus.
Please pray for all of us as we travel over the next 2 days.

In Jesus,Linda for the Team

Romania, January 23rd, 2009

2009-01-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

In our last two days, we have had the most incredible time with so many children. We have seen God do more than we could ask or imagine. Rejoice with us as you read the following.

1. At an orphanage, a man who was on staff came and profusely thanked us for the show. He bowed to me and kissed my hand. By his own testimony, he was not a Christian, believing that his good works would save him. It was so sweet to see how he was drawn to the Gospel.
2. Out of all the shows we did, most of them in public schools, only yesterday did one group of teachers fail to thank us and ask us to come again. Many doors are open for our new team.
3. Last night, our last program was at an orphanage for special needs teenagers. They had very slight problems, but had not received an education that would challenge them to do more. They loved the program. From the way they thanked me after the show, along with their changed faces, I know some truly heard about Jesus and understood.
4. At a village school, the principal did not want us to come. We had 3 shows scheduled there, but expected her to cancel after the first one. She was not a believer and we knew that she would object to the truth that faith in Jesus alone was enough for salvation. Dan was very wise and asked her to let us do 1 big show instead of 3 small ones. She agreed. While the other objecting teachers left the room to talk with her, we finished the program. The children heard all about how they could trust in Jesus.
5. Teachers at another school had been openly opposed to Christians in the past. However, after we shared the program today, God touched their spirit. They said that their hearts were broken by what they had heard. How is it possible that the Father could use a children’s Bible story, simple testimonies, and puppets in such a way? Truly, such wonders are possible because so many of you faithfully pray.
6. At one orphanage, a principal and an Orthodox priest were very unhappy with our presence. Both people would be quick to tell you they are very religious. However, as soon as we mention the name of Jesus, they stop smiling. Their religion teaches them that they can be good enough to get themselves to God. I am so sad for them. How awful to live with such frustration! I beg you to pray for them to discover the truth of God’s word, that faith in Jesus alone is enough.

HOME, THANKS, AND PRAYER

Today was our last day of ministry in Romania. Through God’s strength, we were blessed as we did 34 puppet presentations and taught 16 hours of class! Praise God! More, the school was very supportive of the idea of starting a puppet ministry. Since they are a small school, they were able to transport all of the students to every show that we did for four days. This enabled them to practice the skills that they had learned. More, the school really made this project a priority and we spent many extra hours with them practicing skills. We firmly believe that the Romanian team here at the Word of Life Bible Institute will be very successful at reaching their children for Jesus. We are eternally grateful to our friends here for an amazing trip.

We are especially grateful for our translator, Dan, who did a fantastic job. More, he drove for us, did some puppets, and organized the schedule! He wants very much to do street ministry in Pitesti in the spring, but will need permission from the police. He expects that based on their past decisions, they will deny his request. This is his hearts desire. Will you please pray for this opportunity?

Also, will you please pray for us as we leave for the airport very late tonight, Friday? We will arrive home on Saturday. Thank you for your faithful prayers for the children of Romania! Thank you for your faithful prayers for all of us. At least 2 of us have bronchitis, and we are all exhausted, but through your prayers, God has given us amazing strength. Thank you!

In Jesus,
Linda for

Sam Shaw- Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 21st, 2009

2009-01-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

YOU CAN ALWAYS COME

It is wonderful to be in a village school and hear the teachers tell you that you can always come. So many children prayed out loud to ask Jesus to be their Savior. They were really loud! One of our friends said that she heard a little boy praying the line of the prayer where he calls on God to be his Father. She said that her heart ached for him. He sounded so desperate.

Please pray for our friends here at the Word of Life Bible Institute as they make plans to disciple these children. The door is open. Praise God!

A CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

I watched as the room filled with sick children and their parents. My recent stay in the hospital reminded me just how unpleasant it is to be sick. It is so much harder for children. They came in with frowns, but left with smiles on their faces. More, someone prayed in a soft whisper, calling on Jesus. The students that we are training here made balloon animals for the children and their parents. Even better, each parent and child heard the Gospel again as the students shared with them. A 14 year old girl prayed with one of them asking Jesus to be her Savior. Another lady had work to do and had to leave, but begged for the student to tell her quickly how to pray. She so much wanted to know Jesus. She did not want to leave without knowing how to pray.

BRAN CASTLE

On Sunday afternoon, we were given a lovely gift! We went to see Bran Castle, better known to you as Dracula’s castle. In reality, there was nothing inside about Dracula. Only in the market below the castle did you see all of the Dracula souvenirs that you would have expected to see.

It was very cold that day, with lots of snow and ice already on the ground. It snowed on us off and on all day. Still, with the temperature below freezing, the market was full of vendors. It was bitterly cold and no one had a heater in their stalls.

I began to think about how often I had heard people tell me that they decided not to go to church on a particular Sunday because the weather was so bad. It was raining. The sellers in the market were there for hours, 6 days a week. They were focused on what was important to them.

I believe that we as Christians can learn an important lesson for their example. Our circumstances should never determine our performance. This is a great truth for our team to remember as we are traveling. More, I want to stay focused on what God wants me to do. I want His plans to be so important to me that the circumstances will not affect my obedience. Please pray for all of us as we have only 2 days remaining in ministry before we come home. Ask the Father to keep us focused on what is important despite the circumstances. Pray for us to serve with joy!

In Jesus, Linda for

Sam Shaw- Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 20th, 2009

2009-01-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

THREE SHOWS

At a large school, we did 3 programs back to back. We shared with hundreds of children and this was such a blessing. At first, many teachers did not want to bring their children, but again, God changed their hearts. One teacher even came to us afterwards and asked us to forgive her for even considering such a thought.

Most amazing of all was the response of one teacher. She listened to the first program and was touched. She immediately got permission to leave school and went to get her daughter. She was desperate for her to hear what she had heard. It was like reading a story Bible when Jesus spoke to the woman at the well. She was desperate to tell people because she had found hope and forgiveness. I thought of that story today as the lady made plans to bring her other daughter to another show. I believe from her behavior and her conversation that she met Jesus Christ. Please pray for this dear lady and her daughters.

JOY

After one show, I met with a small group of teachers. One of them had returned several times after the show to talk to me. They were intrigued at the way the children behaved during our program. They could not believe how well they listened. I explained to them that I always pray before a show. I told them how I always ask Jesus to help the children to listen.

Then I realized that God was giving me a very special opportunity to talk to these ladies, so I told them more of my story. I told them about my husband Mike and how much I loved him. I asked them if they had seen me demonstrate joy when I had told the story to the children. They all said that I was full of joy. Then I explained to them how even in this very difficult time God had given me joy. I wanted them to understand how God could give them joy during the difficult times in their lives. I wanted to encourage them to put their trust in Jesus Christ. God is in control of all things and He can take anything that happens to us and redeem it for His kingdom.

YOU ARE ALL THE BEST

It is so funny what God does. We were all so concerned that the teachers might object to what we said. The villages that we are working in are all Orthodox communities that normally are very suspicious of evangelicals. They teach that good works are enough to get a person to heaven. We tell the children that only through the faith in Christ can they know God and experience His forgiveness. This is what God’s word teaches, but it is not what the Orthodox church teaches.

We all prayed about our concerns, but I confess that we still held onto our worry. God took care of the problem in an amazing way. The teacher that attended the program absolutely loved it. When we finished, she began to shout in English, “You are all the best. Never forget you. Never forget you.” She told our translator, Dan, that the program had touched her soul. She said that she felt it in her heart. Wow! This lady was Orthodox and thrilled to receive the Gospel.

There is even more to this story. No program is without its problems. In the middle of this one, a teenager passed out and hit the floor. We had 80 teenagers standing in a small place with too much heat in the room. Usually we have too much heat, or none. After we stopped for her, I was distracted and drew the same page of the story twice. Despite my mistake, God poured His Spirit on those young people as we prayed with them. I saw faces change as His joy filled their hearts. One young man was so anxious to pray that he started to pray out loud in English, before he even received the translation. Praise God!

I really laughed when after the program a student came and told me how she loved the way I drew a picture twice to emphasize that part of the story. God redeems all of our mistakes. He is so kind to us!

In Jesus, Linda for

Sam Shaw- Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 19th, 2009

2009-01-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

I NEED A FATHER!

It is the most wonderful sound when children and teenagers call on Jesus. At an orphanage for normal and minor special needs children and teens, I heard prayer spoken in soft whispers. One young person started to immediately pray loudly, but was too shy to finish out loud. We all knew that the Father was doing something incredible, because we all felt His spirit so strongly. Being allowed to pray with them was a joy!

At the other orphanage, they would not allow us to pray. Still, we were able to tell all of the children and teenagers how God could be their Father. I looked into their eyes. I know that they truly heard. When I asked on group if they needed a father, they looked at me and signaled “yes.” Others responded that they needed love or forgiveness. Please pray for all of these children and young people. Jesus is their only hope. He is our only hope.

TWO ORPHANAGES

Many of you may remember the terrible reports on Romanian orphanages 15 years ago. They have done much to correct the problems. The 2 that we visited today seemed to be good places for children. The buildings were clean and the staff seemed to care about the children.

Still, they are orphanages. The children are growing up alone, most feeling very hopeless. One of the staff told me that we had given the children a beautiful gift, hope. Though she was not a Christian, she still recognized that they needed Jesus. Most of the staff was very offended by the mention of His name. As soon as I said Jesus’ name, they went from smiling to anger. None of them spoke to me after the program. However, at the other orphanage, all of the staff responded with gratitude.

Please pray for God to place Christian staff in the orphanages. Please pray for the children who prayed today to grow in their faith.

MICESTI

Micesti is a village with 3 schools and only one principal. Today, the children were thrilled with the puppet show. Usually such events are expensive and many children cannot come. Because of your generosity, our programs are always free. The children were so happy and even the teachers came and thanked us. It is a gift to see children so happy when they hear about Jesus Christ. Pray for the children of this village to go home tonight and ask Jesus to be their Savior!

SUNDAY MORNING

We traveled for hours into the Carpathian Mountains to reach a church and share with a group of children and young teens. Apolo works with them every week and leads 4 children’s clubs every Saturday. He was very excited about our program. He said, “I cannot get into the schools, but with puppets, I bet I could.” I told him that he was absolutely right as we had been in so many public schools. Then, he was even more excited and wants our new Romanian team to come.

Romania is changing and not at all for the better. It is already difficult for Christians to get into the schools and we have been told that they expect the doors to close. Now is the time to reach the children for Christ. Pray for the God to hold open the doors. The students from the Bible Institute will be joining us at the shows until Thursday. Pray for our new team to learn their skills quickly.

RUTHIE

Ruthie is only 5 years old. She is very smart and speaks English and Romanian. Today, she and her parents went with us to help with the program. They will be part of the new team that we are planting here. I asked her if she could walk out at the end of the program and give a short testimony.

At first, she refused. I suggested that she talk to Jesus about her decision while we did the program. When we finished, she told me that she wanted to share. Ruthie held my hand and together we stood in front of the crowd. She said, “My name is Ruthie and I love Jesus Christ.” This little girl has great faith and I recommend her good example to each of you! Do not be afraid. Tell people about Jesus!

In Jesus, Linda for

Sam Shaw- Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 17th, 2009

2009-01-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN

In our last email, we asked you to pray for our visit to a place for special needs children. Yesterday, God answered your prayers. We did 2 programs, one for orphans and one for a group of children that lived at home, but came daily for special help. We were very cautious to say everything in a way that all the children would understand. Also, we had to be careful not to be too loud as loud sounds bother the children. We have a very large bear puppet that requires 2 puppeteers to operate. So that the children would not be frightened, we introduced him, paws first. Slowly, he raised his big head, peeping shyly from behind the curtains.

Children with a wide variety of problems came to the programs. You could tell that some were better fed and dressed. We were told that they were all severely handicapped, but that is not what we saw. Some were very responsive. We were given many smiles, from the children and adults. The staff was especially grateful for our presence, though they were not believers. The children and the adults all heard clearly how they could be forgiven and find hope in knowing Jesus Christ.

As Toby’s puppet played the guitar, one little boy stood and played along. Another little boy stood up and started to dance. One child was deaf, but he loved colors and movement, so he enjoyed the program. An older teenage girl who sat in a wheelchair had grown up in institutions. She was very conversational, and I wondered what her life had been like. Though this place was unusually clean and bright, it was still an institution that didn’t have much love.

The reality is that many of the children could understand what we were saying. When Jesus calmed that storm in the story, they responded with big smiles. I have been in an ocean of these places. No one really knows what these children can understand. I fully expect to see so many of them in heaven. Then, when the Father has healed their bodies, I expect them to tell us that they understood.

All of us considered today a special gift. We were very grateful for the time that we spent loving these children in Jesus’ name. Naomi and Toby had never visited one of these places, but were very blessed.

A FRENCH TEACHER

Each day, I am so grateful for the Father’s many promises and how He pours His love on my life. Yesterday, I talked with a French teacher who had lost her job and began working with the special needs children. She was very unhappy with her job and bitter about the death of her husband 10 years ago. As we talked, I saw such brokenness and ached for her. In her I saw the person I would have been after Mike’s death except for faith in Jesus Christ. He fills me with hope. I know that Mike and I will be together again. She has no hope. Please pray for her to come to faith!

SNOW

Yesterday afternoon, Silvana told us that she had seen a weather report that promised snow for the evening. When she told us, the sky was blue and the day was so warm that we had abandoned our coats. None of us believed her. We returned to the Bible Institute and began to teach. A couple of hours into the class, we opened the door and saw snow.

It was freezing outside, but no one cared. As soon as we finished class, we had multiple snowball fights. I was very happy to have successfully lured Sam outside so that the entire team could ambush him from behind the van.

SPECIAL PRAYER

Calah’s mother, Melissa, called early yesterday to tell us that Calah’s grandfather, Melissa’s father, had died. Please hold Calah and the entire Sager family in your prayers. Calah is staying in Romania with us.

GRANDCHILDREN

I am very excited to announce that my oldest son, Josh, and his dear wife Teresa are their second child. I am so happy!!!! Please begin to pray for this little one and ask the Father to call him or her to faith in Jesus as a small child. God is so good!

In Jesus, Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 15th, 2009

2009-01-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

Many amazing things are happening each day! We are all delighted with the time that we are spending with the children. However, we are seeing many things here that need your prayers.

1. Yesterday, God answered out heart’s prayer. A village school allowed us to pray with the children. As soon as the prayer started, children began to pray. We heard them calling on God. Then, they became very quiet, too shy to continue out loud. In my heart I know they finished those prayers silently. As the children left the room, so many stopped to thank me. They had the biggest smiles.

2. Everyday but one day here has been very cold. Most of the schools do not have the best heating systems. In one village, we saw the children dressed in their hats and coats for class. Pray for the Father to keep them warm as they listen.

3. In some of the schools, many of the children stood for the entire program. In one village, people crowded in the doorway to watch. Ask the Father to keep them hungry to hear about Jesus.

4. Today we shared with hundreds of children at 3 shows. None of the places would allow us to pray with the children. We were allowed to explain very carefully how to pray, asking Jesus to be their Savior. Ask the Father to call these children to faith tonight.

5. Two men who were working to repair a door stopped working for a while to listen.

6. Every school today invited us to come again. Keep praying for the doors to remain open in the public schools.

7. A teacher talked with me today, curious to know what religion we were. I explained to her that we simply loved Jesus and wanted to tell children about Him. She talked with me a long time, unwilling to believe that we did not have a hidden agenda. Pray for her to recognize the truth of the Gospel. She believed that she could be good enough to get herself to God.

8. Our last show was with young teenagers and they loved the program. Two of the teachers from the previous show loved what they heard so much that they came a second time. We told the story of Jesus and his miracles in the first show and the story of Joseph in the second. Please pray especially for those 2 teachers who do not know Jesus.

9. The young teenagers who heard the story of Joseph listened so well to the story. As I watched their eyes, I saw such hunger and need. Please pray for these young people to trust Jesus Christ as their King tonight.

10. After one program today, a young girl rushed up to me and said “I love you.”

11. Several teachers have expressed surprise at the behavior of their students. They say they can’t believe how well they listened. I understand why they are behaving so differently. We are all praying for them. Please continue to pray!

12. Tomorrow, Friday, we will go to a kindergarten and an orphanage, both for children with special needs. Please pray that we will do a great job for these dear children who are often ignored.

In Jesus, Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 14th, 2009

2009-01-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

Yesterday was the most wonderful day! We traveled to Scoraicesti, a small town, and 2 villages, Cornatal, and Poboru. We did 3 shows and each one was a delight. Your prayers opened unbelievable doors for us to share in 3 public schools. The children and the teachers were very responsive as they cheered, laughed, and listened. Praise God!

THE CIRCUS

At the first show, a little girl said something that no one had ever said to us before. She was seven years old with long brown hair and a big smile. She came up to me after the program and said, “Thank you for the circus.” We all laughed and spent the rest of the day trying to figure out which ones of us were the clowns.

The teachers and director were so happy with the program! They served us coffee, refreshments, and the children presented us with flowers. It is a lovely thing when people who do not know Jesus as their Savior are so happy hearing the Gospel.

The principal told me that I was made for this job. I appreciated her encouragement, but each day I understand how God has a special purpose for each one of us. His plan is the best! All of us are so humbled and blessed that God made all of us for this work with the children. We love our job! Pray that those who He has made for this job in Romania will hear His voice and respond.

MAYOR IULICA

They Mayor of the 2 villages went with us and personally introduced us to the schools. More, he helped carry our equipment. He loved the program, thanked us for our “extraordinary” gift, and kissed me on both cheeks. He invited us to come again, so the door is open for our new Romanian team to share. He is a very sweet man, but desperately needs Jesus. Please pray for him to seek out his pastor friend Joseph and ask more questions about the Gospel.

OPPOSITION

Yesterday, we were given a gift. Our pastor friend had been chased out of one village many times, but God turned their hearts. He persisted, he did not give up and God blessed his prayers. We were welcomed and invited to return.

Today, some of the teachers refused to bring their students to the program when they found out that we were Christians. Still, in both shows the room was full. The teachers who came were not all believers, but all expressed their gratitude for the program. God touched their hearts.

There are many teachers here who oppose any Christian teaching. Please pray for God to soften their hearts. One Director refused to even greet us because she did not like Christians. Please pray for this dear lady to come to faith. God knows her name.

TRAINING

Four days this week, for almost 4 hours a day, we are teaching the students here at the Bible Institute. They are very eager students who are enthusiastic about their lessons. Please ask the Father to bless their efforts and help them to remember all they are learning. Please ask the Lord to give us strength as we are doing 3 shows a day and then teaching for 4 hours. We are blessed, but tired.

DIFFERENT THINGS

1. Driving down the road to a show, we saw a giant stork’s nest perched on top of a telephone pole.
2. In the villages today, we passed 2 small restaurants with English names. One was called Donald, the other, Lewis.
3. A big snow fell shortly before we arrived, but there is still a lot on the ground in some places. For those of us from Georgia, Brazil, and Ireland, we count this a blessing.
4. There are a lot of street dogs here that travel in packs. They are not allowed to kill them because of their membership in the European Union.
5. Every morning as we leave the camp, we see deer and fox running in the fields. From our window, we see huge snow capped mountains. Wow!
6. Each day, we see people in the villages driving horse drawn carts instead of cars.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Pray that the children and teachers in Scoraicesti, Cornatal, and Poboru will spend today and all the days that follow thinking about Jesus Christ and their need to know Him.
2. Pray for Pastor Joseph. Ask the Father to make his church a bright light for the Gospel. He is working in all of the places that we have been yesterday and today.
3. Pray for the children of Bircii and the other places we visited today to remember the story they heard and trust in Jesus.
4. Pray for the children of Pitesti where we will be doing programs tomorrow, Thursday. Ask the Father to give them a hunger to know Him.

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong

Romania January 12th, 2009

2009-01-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

PRISONS

I struggle to find the right words to describe my feelings as I stood in Piesti in front of a monument to those who were imprisoned and tortured by the Communists. At that very spot, a prison had stood that was famous for inventing new methods of torture. Richard Wurmbrand, author of “Tortured for Christ”, suffered in this place. We stood on holy ground, drenched with the blood of many martyrs, made dear by the faithful witness of those who would not deny Jesus.

On the wall of the monument was a map of Romania and Moldova showing the sites of prisons, deportation centers, extermination centers, psychiatric hospitals for experiments, and concentration camps. There were so many sites that their locations crowded out everything else on the map. I was horrified, broken, and driven to prayer. I am so grateful for the example of these dear brothers and sisters.

LAUGHING AND DANCING

Today, we did 2 shows at a public school. The children loved the entire program. They listened well and on the last song when the big bear was singing, they started dancing. The Director of the school said, “Your program was like manna from heaven.” Though she was not a believer, she had been exposed to Bible teaching. More, she invited our new team that we are training to come and do more shows for them. Praise God!

We had some problems because we were not allowed to pray with the children. However, they did allow me to tell the children how I asked Jesus to be my Savior as a little girl. More, I was able to walk the children through a simple prayer so that they understood how to ask Jesus to be their King. Please keep praying! Your prayers are opening doors!

SAM AND SILVANA

On Sunday night, Silvana sang a Portuguese praise song for the students evening worship service. My favorite lines of the song were when she sang as a prayer, “I need you. I want you. Come into my life. Change me.”

Sam preached on the book of Ruth and talked about how God is our redeemer as Boaz redeemed Ruth. It was awesome to listen as he explained how the Father takes all of the ordinary things in our everyday lives and redeems them for His glory.

A PUPPET SHOW!!

Yesterday, we did a puppet show upstairs while a church met below. This presented a challenge because we were encouraged not to be so loud. It is difficult to have a roomful of children watching a puppet show and be quiet. More, this was a Romanian Brethren church and they required all girls and women to cover their heads. Of course, no jewelry was allowed.

I am telling you all of these things because I want you to understand how hard we try to respect others we are serving. The rules change from place to place. Please ask the Father to continue to make us sensitive and wise. We desire to be a blessing.

AN AMAZING PLACE

We are working in the best place! It is a Bible institute that is training young Romanians to be missionaries in their own country. They also already work in Turkey , Greece and Bulgaria, places that I would dearly love to see children targeted more for the Gospel. This is a perfect match for our ministry and we are thrilled to be here.

In Jesus, Linda for

Sam Shaw - Assistant Director

Silvana Shaw

Calah Sager

Toby Simmons

Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 10, 2009

2009-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

Land of Dracula

We are in Romania, the land best known to many as the home of Count Dracula. In reality, Dracula was a King and his real name was Vlad Tepes. His last name actually means "to put you on a stick." The real King often impaled people who committed crimes. The King told people that he loved justice, but his punishments were quite brutal. In Romanian, "drac" means demon and perhaps this is how his make believe name was created.

Please know that there is so much more to Romania that this legend. It is an amazing country with high mountains and large forests. The beautyof God's creation proclains His existence. Still, for 50 years the communists denied God's reality to these people. Many of your brtohers and sisters suffered terribly for their faith during the years of communism because they would not believe the lie. Please read "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand if you want to know more about these times.

Please pray for us as we seek to share Jesus with children who are much changed by 20 years of exposure to the west. Now, the young people want the materialism that they see displayed on the internet. Beg God to give them a hunger for Himself.

Our First Show

Today, Saturday, was our first show. A public school brought chidren to an afternoon children's Bible Club. It was the first time that this group of children had ever attended a club. Their teacher brought them, but he was not a believer. Still, he listened as well as the children. All of them were so thrilled to receive Christmas boxes supplied by Samaitan's Purse. One little girl was wearing a pink coat and a pink hat. She opened her box and squealed with delight. The first thing she saw was a pair of bright pink gloves. God is so good! Best of all, each child received a brochure in their own lanuage that told them about Jesus.

Most of the children prayed out loud with us, calling on Jesus to save them. This was a wonderful beginning to our time in Romania. We are so excited to be here working with our friend Juan Siles and Alin Muntean. Tomorrow, we will tell you about where we are working. Tonight our need to sleep is great!

Hold us in your prayers!

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Toby Simmons
Calah Sager
Naomi Armstrong

Romania, January 8, 2009

2009-01-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

We are on our way to the airport! Please hold us in your prayers as we travel over the next day.

Pray that many children would come to faith in Jesus during our time in Romania and that we would leave behind a good, well trained team.

Pray that the airline would show us mercy with our luggage.

In Jesus,

Linda for the team

2008 End of the Year Report!

2008-12-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

BLESSINGS in 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a wonderful Christmas! My children were all home along with 3 toddlers. I am very happy and so blessed! I am recovering well from my surgery and really taken the time in December to rest. I want to thank everyone of you who has prayed so faithfully for me. Truly, I have been overwhelmed by your concern and felt you prayers! My strength is returning! Now, I am anxious for the adventure that the Father has for this coming year! The doctor has released me and approved my travel to Romania on January 8th. Though it will probably be 6 months before I am fully recovered, I know that the Lord will give me all the strength that I need. He is faithful!

As you finish this year, rejoice with us in all that we have seen God do in the lives of children around the world! I say that “we” did it, because truly it was a partnership with each one of you who prayed and gave to the ministry. The children saw the few of us who traveled to their respective countries, but the Lord saw all of your sacrifices. Thank you!

In 2008, we traveled across 5 continents telling children about Jesus. We worked in many places where the situation is very difficult for your brothers and sisters. They daily face persecution. By God’s grace, we spoke to around 80,000 children, teenagers, and adults and saw thousands tell us that they had trusted in Jesus in 2008! God is so good! New minisries were planted, trained and equipped, in 4 countries where we had never worked before, Russia, Cameroon, Liberia, and Hungary. We supplied 35 individuals in India with equipment and training so that they could share with Hindu and Buddhist children. In Brazil, a new ministry was begun, old ones resupplied and thousands of very poor children found hope. Again, we saw the Father gather crowds of people on the streets of Ireland to hear the Gospel. The Father gave us a sweet spirit as we worked with children from very difficult places in Northern Ireland. We traveled across 13 states in the USA and were blessed as hundreds of children called on Jesus. I stand in awe of what the Lord has done!

LIBERIAN PUPPET REPORT

I thought that you might enjoy this report from our Liberian team. When we leave a place, the real work begins. Our partners are awesome. The following is a part of their Christmas report as sent to me by team leader Pastor Ben Munford. Rejoice!

“On Saturday morning, December 20, I traveled to Buchanan to spend the Christmas holiday there. In the afternoon, I put together a short Christmas drama to be performed by the puppets.

On Sunday, I met and practiced with three of my four faithful puppeteers: Pastor Malachi, Eugene, and Mongar. We also have our second practice on Monday. Our practice went very well. Kids and adults came around to watch our practice show. We also fixed few balloons to give to the kids on Christmas Day.

On Wednesday, December 24, the sun was bright and the weather was great and promising. This was the day we planned to do our Christmas Drama. We brought our equipment outside from the house and decided to carry the most needed ones.

We placed two boxes of puppets in a wheelbarrow. I asked some of my kids to go with us to carry some of the equipment on their heads. One took the puppet stage and the other took the speaker. I took one bag on my back and Pastor Malachi took one bag on his back.

After 20- 25 minutes of walking, we reached the site. It was on the street, near business centers. We set up the stage and everything. It was about 5:00PM. We were four persons on the team.

As we were setting up the stage, crowd of people started to come around. More started to come around as the puppet did their first Christmas song. Even two UN vehicles stopped to watch the show. Praise God those Muslin Peace Keepers and heard the gospel through our Christmas drama.

At the end of the drama, I gave a short message about the purpose of Christmas (Matt. 1:21-25). At the end of the message, altar call was made and lots of kids as well as adults prayed out loud asking Jesus to forgive them and be their Lord and Savior. About 200 persons attended this show. However, across the street, were lots of people at the business centers who also heard the gospel.

A little girl after the show shared with me how she was greatly blessed by the drama. It is my heart’s burden to see these kids and adults been follow-up and discipled."

PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR THIS TEAM AND ALL OF THE OTHERS THAT THE FATHER HAS TRUSTED WITH THE PRIVILEGE OF SHARING CHRIST WITH THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD!
PLEASE CONTACT ME ABOUT SHARING AT YOUR CHURCH!

In Jesus,Linda Summer

------------------------------

-----------------------------
"THE AGAPE PUPPETS"

Michael Summer, Founder - Linda Summer, Director
Sam Shaw, Assistant Director
6550 West Armuchee Road
Summerville, Georgia 30747

Phone: 706-397-2956 FAX: 413-425-5805
Email: Linda@TheAgapePuppets.org
WEB: www.TheAgapePuppets.org
-----------------------------------------------------------

Liberia, October 8th, 2008

2008-10-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

You must hear this story! It is a story of the one true God and how in His faithfulness He delivers those who trust in Him. I talked with David a long time and made careful notes. It is with his permission that I share with you this terrible story, this wonderful story, a story of God’s wonderful mercy!

David is our very good friend who partners with our friend Ben in ministry. He is also a pastor and love Jesus deeply. Hear his story of deep faith.

DAVID’S STORY

My name is David. I stayed in Liberia through 14 years of Civil War. God kept my family and I alive. During the war, there were 6 major factions, all warring with each other. All of the people were always caught between them. I was a nurse and worked at a hospital. We treated everyone who was hurt. It was the right thing to do.

For a time, the MPFL controlled the hospital. Then, the LPC captured our area. They were known for stealing children. In time, my family and I had to flee and found ourselves in an area controlled by the ULIMO. By then, we were a group of 21 people. God always provided for us.

As we were crossing the train track, we were captured by the LPC. They were always looking for men and were quick to kill them. In our group, there were 2 men, my friend and I. They tied our hands behind our backs and pushed us to the ground. They said that we were rebel leaders. We were nothing. We had no part in the war. We just wanted to survive.

They brought out an axe. I could hear my wife and children crying behind me, praying. They cut off my friend’s head. I felt his blood running under me. Then, it was my turn. I knew that I would die, but suddenly a woman who went to our church came and spoke for me, saying I was a good man. She was friends with some of the rebels. They seemed to listen to her, but still wanted to kill me.

The rebels asked my wife, “Can you take care of all these children without your husband?” She told them no. Then they untied me and let me go. God saved me. There was no reason that they should have released me.

After a while, the U.N. Peace Keeping Forces gained control of Buchanan. My wife was very ill and a rebel who knew my family agreed to take her and our youngest child to the doctors there. I stayed with the rest of the children, because he could not guarantee our safety. My children and I were caught in a crossfire by the LPC and the MPFL.

Earlier in the night, God warned me to hide my children in the jungle. That is how he spared their lives. I stayed in the house with another man. They always wanted to kill the men and I know that the children would be safer if I was not with them. God saved my children. The rebels raked the building with machine guns. My children would have died.

They called to us to come outside. I told my friend not to go, but he went anyway. They shot him in the back of the head. I waited. I heard God tell me to go now. I jumped into the bushes and ran. They fired machine guns at me, but again, God spared my life.

Then I went to get my children, but I found that the child stealing rebel group, the MPFL, had taken 2 of my children. I thought that I must reach my wife. It was horrible. I prayed for my children. The rebels had taken everything from the house. I had only the shorts I wore, and no money. I had no shirt, no shoes, nothing. I had 75 miles to travel, crossing through 32 checkpoints. At every checkpoint, they wanted money, but I had nothing. Still, God made a way for me time and again and I reached my wife safely.

When she heard that the rebels had taken 2 of our children, both daughters, she cried for a month. I believed always that God would bring them home. Two years and 5 months later the Lord restored them to us.

It was a miracle! I had such joy! God amazingly saved them. When I heard what had happened, I knew that only God could have saved them. The oldest one was 12 and carrying her baby sister who was only one and a half years old. Shortly after the rebels took them, they decided to kill them. My daughter began to call my name. One of the rebel leaders told them to stop. He knew my name and asked her mother’s name.

The rebel leader had been wounded and come to the hospital where I worked. He had no one to take care of him, and for 3 months, I took care of him. I paid for everything. He remembered and took my children to his own home and cared for them. He saved my children as I had saved his life. God is good! All of us survived!

When I think about those 14 years, I think about how God took care of us. I believe that he spared my life so that I could work for Him. That is what I am doing.

IMPORTANT!!!

Please know that David is part of our new puppet team. If his story has touched you, please help us help this team. They will need money for travel so that they can reach the parents and children who have suffered as David and his family suffered. This is a broken place and together we can pour Jesus healing love on the deep hurts that so many people carry here. Write me at msummer@earthlink.net

PRAYER

We begin our trip home on Wednesday, October 8th. We will arrive on Thursday, October 9th. Please pray us safe home.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Lauretta Munford

Liberia, October 6th, 2008

2008-10-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

SATURDAY

LIFE ON A RUBBER PLANTATION

Life on the rubber plantation that we visited Saturday more resembled slavery than employment. We were allowed to come and do 3 programs in 3 different camps. If I had been the owners, I would never have allowed us to see what we saw. Though this is a very profitable business, you could never discern that truth by the way the people lived.

The camps were squalid. Each one was worse than the one before it. The people live on the plantation and because of its distance from a town, they can never leave it easily. Their children grow up to work as they worked. The people are more owned than employed.

Extreme poverty greeted us at every place and this surprised me. I expected that the workers would benefit from their employment. The children wore rags or nothing. Many were hungry and I could count the ribs on many little ones. No one smiled. They simply existed, staring at us with hopeless eyes. Life is a complete misery to them. They start at 5 a.m. and work until 3 or later. Each person must tap 500 trees a day. That means that they must cut 500 trees to run the sap into cups, and the next day they must collect the cups of sap.

The older people have endured the Civil War and still suffer. We passed a place today where 75 people were killed in a single day. The younger people no longer dream. When you are too old to work anymore, you receive a small income, but you must leave the plantation. Everyone you know and love is there, but you are forbidden their comfort.

We worked with a local pastor who is committed to follow up on those who prayed. So many called on Jesus to save them. Their lives provide no comfort so they clearly see their need for Jesus. This is their one great blessing!

Often when I speak at churches, I must remind people that this life ends and heaven waits. I encourage them to think about the next life and how today will affect that future. These people needed no reminders that this life passes away. Some were hearing the Gospel for the first time. They embraced the promise of heaven with enthusiasm. Grown men and women could be heard praying aloud, almost drowning the voices of all the children who also prayed.

Slowly, during the program, they began to smile, clap, and even laugh with us. The children were very shy with us, but warmed up to us quickly at they realized that we cared about them. The children were sometimes terrified by the puppets because they were so strange to them.

However, we were quick to explain to them that nothing we had would hurt them. This statement they accepted. I don’t know why they believed us. We are white and it is white people who have always used them. Constantly, I prayed for them not to see our outsides, but to see God’s Holy Spirit on our insides. The Father was kind to us and gave them eyes to see our true hearts.

I will hold their smiles always in my heart. I beg you to pray for these dear people. Ask the Father to make them strong Christians who deeply trust Jesus. This is one of the saddest places that I have ever visited. He is their only hope. He is our only hope.

SUNDAY

PRINCE, OOSAN, CHARITY, AND FRIENDS

We arrived late to the church where Sam was to preach and I was to give a mission report. They took us to the front of the church and sat me down by a doorway. It is brutally hot here and the breeze was the sweetest blessing. Our friends are always quick to do all they can for us!
Immediately, 6 or 7 children appeared and sat on the steps. My heart was touched by their smiles. While the church was singing, I began to draw pictures for them and tell them about Jesus. I used my notebook and with the high wall we were sitting behind, their presence disturbed no one.

I was having a wonderful time sharing with these little ones. I drew pictures for them and they were so happy. I believe the Father called them to sit on the steps beside me. They were not children who normally came to church.

One of the men in the church came and started to chase them away. He told them to leave. I jumped up to run out the door and call the children back. I yelled "Let the children alone. Let them stay." I hit my head on the door jam and nearly knocked myself out. It would have been quite a disaster except for 2 members of the Liberian puppet team who came and gathered up all the children and brought them back to me.

They invited the children to come into the church. One little girl ran off and when she came back, she had changed her clothes. Before, she was wearing a rag of a dress. She had run home, excited to be invited inside, and put on her best dress. My heart broke for this little girl and all these little ones. They all stayed and listened to Sam and I.

Children have not been a priority in ministry in Liberia. More, many in the church have completely ignored their needs. Please pray for the new Liberian puppet team. They see the needs of the children. They have our same heart.

THE REST OF THE STORY

Later Sunday night, Ben, our Liberian pastor friend, told us an amazing story. I had given all the children who sat with me a business card with a picture of Mike and I on the back. One little girl took the card to her mother and the lady came immediately to church to see who her daughter had met.

She heard Sam preach and watched as I drew pictures to illustrate the story. That dear lady heard the Gospel from Sam today because we were kind to her child. At one point, she closed her eyes and said that she could see bright light surrounding us. She told our friend Thomas that she saw someone standing and stretching out His hand to the little children. She said that she could see our heart for children, but even better, she felt the Lord calling to the children. Please pray that she will be drawn to deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray that she will encourage her children to come and learn more about Jesus. Many people never think to take their children to church in Liberia.

Everyday my prayer in this place has been that the Lord would make us a bright light for Him. He sweetly answered that prayer today. We have only 3 days left. We fly home on Wednesday, October 8th. My prayer is that we would shine in these remaining days. Please hold us in your prayers.

PROBLEM

There is a problem with the email addresses that you can use to reply to this email. If you need to reach me please use msummer@earthlink.net

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Lauretta Munford

Liberia, October 4th, 2008

2008-10-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

DEEP IN THE BUSH

I always ask to go to villages where children do not have much to see. We all love the places that are difficult to reach and forgotten. These are my favorite places. After driving 2 ½ hours, we were deep in the bush. Our first show was at the rural school. You would be surprised to see how small a space 250 children can crowd into. Add another 50 or so adults and you can begin to imagine the crowd that waited for us. The Father poured out His spirit and called so many to faith. Praise God!

THE BRIDGE

As we crossed a bridge, we were told that this bridge separated 2 counties. During the war, the rebels held the bridge. Those who were trying to escape had to keep off the roads and go through the bush. The rebels were quick to kill people. Many died simply trying to escape. Hunger and disease claimed many. Others fashioned small boats and tried to escape by sailing along the coast. However, these were poorly made and capsized easily. Many were drowned.

At the 2 shows that we did in this area, I spoke both times to the children and 2 large groups of adults, mostly widows. I usually do not speak with children about how Mike, my husband, burned to death in a fiery truck accident. It would simply be too much for them to hear.

However, I talked about it today at the request of the Liberian pastors with us. These children had seen much worse and endured much more. They needed to hear how the Father could mend broken hearts. They desperately needed Jesus.

THE JUNGLE

Our third show in this area and our fourth show of the day, was in our friend Loretta’s village. Mostly, it is now a jungle since the people who lived here are gone. Most are dead. The jungle covers their homes, but their stories must not be forgotten. So many died here, but they also lived. The survivors are trying to rebuild Liberia, but it is so hard.

We passed so many rusty signs marking clinics that no longer exist. Most of the missionaries had to flee during the Civil War, but many missionaries, like Liberians, never returned. This place is in need of short term medical mission trips. Both doctors and dentists are needed. Our pastor friend Ben works with Samaritan’s Purse and is able to organize such a trip. If this is the Father’s will for you, please send me an email and we will connect you with Ben.

GIFTS

We received so many gifts today. One church gave us a large bowl of rice as a thank you gift. Children cheered and ran down the road ahead of us as we arrived. Some patiently waited 4 hours deciding it was better to arrive early than to miss something. We were showered with smiles and laughter. Best of all were the Father’s gifts. Hundreds of children trusted Jesus. At one place, we even heard lots of adults calling on Jesus. We are exhausted, hot, hungry, and happier than I have words to write.

PROBLEM

There is a problem with the email addresses that you can use to reply to this email. If you need to reach me please use msummer@earthlink.net

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Loretta Munford

Liberia, October 3rd, 2008

2008-10-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

NO FATHERS, NO MOTHERS

Many children in Liberia lost both parents to the war. Today we shared at an orphanage with over 200 children. Some had parents who simply lost all hope and abandoned them. Today, they heard about a Father who will never leave them. Many put their trust in Jesus. Your prayers are calling thousands of children to the Father.

STREET SHOW

We set up in a market in front of a UN Checkpoint staffed with soldiers from Ghana. Beside us was the "Mohammed Phone Charging Booth." We were in a Moslem area where Bassa was the common language. God sent a cloud and we were able to share more since people weren’t so hot. Everyone listened. Every big man came to watch the puppets and listen to the Bible story. God gave us a sweet privilege!

ANOTHER CHICKEN

Some of you will remember how the chiefs in Cameroon in April showered us with gifts. We received a live goat, 2 live chickens, a stalk of bananas, and 50 pounds of potatoes. Today, a local church voted to send us a live rooster as a thank you gift. The pastor personally delivered him to us at our home.

We are staying in a rural area near the city of Buchanan. The pastor and his wife lovingly gave Sam and Silvana their own bed. Calah and I, along with the pastor and his wife are sleeping on foam mattresses on the floor. These people are very kind. They sacrificially care for us.

Each night we come in very tired and hot. They have already hauled water from the well for us. We take a bath using a bucket and a scoop. Then we save the water so that we can hand wash our clothes. We must wait until morning to hang them outside because they would be stolen during the night.

It is the rainy season here. Constantly people during the day move our clothes on and off the line. Everyone is very thoughtful.

We are a curiosity. In a town on 30,000 people, we are the only white people. When Sam rides down the road in the back of the truck, people call out to him. They say, "Hello white man." Some say "Look! White man." Everyone here also finds me different. My long white hair is strange. People call me "Mother."

PROBLEM

There is a problem with the email addresses that you can use to reply to this email. If you need to reach me, please use msummer@earthlink.net

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Loretta Munford

Liberia, 0ctober 2nd, 2008

2008-10-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

WINDOWS

For the past 3 afternoons, we have been training our new team. Each afternoon, the neighborhood children fill the open windows of the church. Today, I realized as I was teaching our friends to tell stories, the children were really listening to what was being said. I began to demonstrate the story of Joseph to the team.

God gave me eyes to see what I would have missed. I stopped looking at the adults in the class and began to speak just to the windows. I gave the adults in the room an example of how to lead a child in praying to receive Christ and a little boy in the window asked Jesus to be his Savior. Silvana noticed a girl praying in another window.

How do I know this? I told the adults how we had seen hundreds and hundreds of children raising their hands, telling us that they had prayed with us, asking Jesus to be their Savior. As soon as the little boy heard the words in Bassa, he raised his hand. I wanted to shout! I was so excited.

The Liberians are doing amazing at the training. The heat is stifling and still they come. They never complain and they try so hard. Add to this blessing the wonder of this little boy trusting in Jesus. I love what God does!

RAIN

Working in Ireland for the past decade has taught me a lot about how to work in the rain. These lessons served us well today. We were able to do the opening of the program and one song before it hit. Hundreds of children ran for nearby shelter, but were still close enough to listen. Many, many children circled around me and stood in the rain. I continued to tell the story, acting it out since I could not draw in the rain. It became a downpour and still they stayed to listen. I finished the story and 2 children told me that they had asked Jesus to be their Savior. Praise God! We were all dripping wet and really happy!

THANK YOU

Hundreds of children stood in the blazing sun at one school watching the program. They clapped when they heard how Jesus walked on the water. They delighted in the puppets and were thrilled with Sam’s juggling. However, it is one little boy named Sam that I remember the most. I felt someone pull on my arm. Sam stood there smiling and said "Thank you." He was about 10 years old and had asked Jesus to be his Savior. He seemed very happy to meet big Sam!

WAR

We have never worked in a place like Liberia. Fourteen years of war has left the people of this country with horrific memories. It was a very brutal time where rape and murder were common. We were told that some children joined the fighting after watching their parents die at the hands of an opposing group of rebels. Others were kidnapped and forced to fight. Some of the children were taken at 13 or 14 years old, but some were kidnapped at 8.

Everyone that we meet has much to forgive. The brutality that has been described to us is hard to put into words. People were not killed; they were butchered. Our friend told us how his family and others hid in the bush to escape.

The war has left a terrible legacy. Everyday we see children in rags, some wearing only underwear, or nothing at all. The fortunate ones go to private schools and most of these are Christian, but they are not free. Few can afford this option.

There is so little here. We are in a town of 30,000 people on the coast. Buchanan does not have a single dentist. If you want a heart doctor, there is only 1 in the country. This help is four hours away. You must travel very bad roads and you cannot go at night. There are gangs of thieves that watch the highways for foolish people.

Near us, there is a water tower, but no one has running water anymore. All of the equipment is gone. The infrastructure of this country, roads, water, and electricity, was destroyed.

These are dear people and they are trying so hard. Please pray for us to have wisdom to make wise choices in the ways that we can help. Please pray for God to call Christians to serve in
Liberia.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Loretta Munford- Our Liberian Friends

Liberia, October 1st, 2008

2008-10-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

THREE SHOWS

FIRST SHOW- Crowd 350 children and young teens into a room that is too small to hold them. Then add a puppet stage and easel, along with whoever nearby saw us arrive. There is no breeze and the room is so hot, but no one cares. They are so excited and respond to the Gospel with enthusiasm. Our Liberian pastor friend asked how many of the children had prayed and we saw an ocean of hands raised, telling us that they had put their trust in Jesus.

SECOND SHOW- Our street show was rained out, but our friend Ben quickly found us a small Christian school with 200 children. Many neighbors stood in the windows watching. When the puppets came up for their song, children screamed and tried to leave the building. This had happened so many times, but everyone eventually calms down. Again, the children listened with their ears and their hearts. So many trusted in Jesus! Praise God!

THIRD SHOW- The Lord stopped the rain and several hundred people stood in the sun to listen to the program. We set up in a parking lot. You cannot imagine how hot it was, but the crowd stayed. More, a lot of them put their trust in Jesus!
I admit that every one of these shows is difficult because of the extreme heat and humidity, but we are so blessed. God is so faithful! The Liberian children are very sweet. Our friends here are eager to learn. We all feel privileged to serve here.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS- NO BOOKS

I want you to see that we see. We did a puppet show at a public school for 350 children. The school had only 7 teachers and no books, no supplies of any kind. They put all of the older children in one room together, 98 students.

The children were so hungry for affection. They crowded around us, reaching out to us, grateful for the smallest touch! Obviously, these precious children will not receive an education. They are loosing this generation.

I asked what had happened to the books. They told me that many were burned during the Civil War or destroyed by water damage when the roofs came off the buildings, some were taken to other countries.

There is a tremendous opportunity here for someone who wants to start a Christian school.

Many are needed.

NO HOPE

With the problems that exist in the school system, there is also very high unemployment. Very few people can find a job. A salary of $100 a month is considered very good pay. However, everything is very expensive and so many cannot afford the basic necessities.

You might thing that the situation is hopeless. The last couple of days I have been listening to a Liberian Christian singer. In one of her songs, she names all of these problems, but makes the sweetest conclusion. She sings “I just want to thank you Lord for all you have done for me. You take care of me.”

The Christians that we have met here have the sweetest spirit. They are grateful to God for each thing that they have and quick to praise Him for his provision. They have so very little. All food is cooked over a fire. The bathrooms exist, but none of the faucets work. All water must be hauled from a well or lake.

Their spirit is a delight to my soul. They do not complain. They consistently thank God. May the Father give me, give all of us, the same heart. Please hold all of us in our prayers. Please pray especially for the children of Liberia to hear Jesus.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager

Liberia, September 30th, 2008

2008-09-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

THE CHILDREN

Our hearts are so full from our time with the children. They are so happy to see us when we arrive for a show. Many follow us down the road, waving to us. This is not an easy place to serve, but as soon as we look into the children’s eyes, we forget all about the difficulties.

They have such big needs. Standing in front of hungry, sick children and seeing them smile is a gift from the Father. When we talk about heaven as a place where there is no hunger, no pain, they listen. Orphans and street children have come to our puppet programs. They listen so sweetly as they hear that God can be their Father.

Many lost one or both parents during the Civil War. Some saw their parents murdered. Again, when we speak of forgiveness, they listen. We tell them that when you trust in Jesus and are forgiven, you can forgive anyone, anything. Others have been sexually or physically abused. One little boy who came to a show had his tongue cut out.

Liberia has an ocean of children and they seem eager to come and see the puppets. Most adults and children have never seen a puppet or a storyteller or juggling. God is using these simple things to call many to faith in Jesus.

PUPPET SHOWS

We are doing shows in all kinds of places. We do programs at schools, orphanages, churches, and on the street. At our very first show, more than a hundred children could be heard praying out loud. Sometimes, the children pray silently and come to tell us after the show.

On the street, we saw a great outpouring of God’s spirit. Earlier in the day, children at a church school were shy and would not pray out loud. However, on the street, set up in front of an abandoned store front, we heard children loudly calling on Jesus to save them. Praise God!

LIFE IS DIFFERENT HERE

Life is very different here. We stopped to buy gas at a gas station, but the pumps had not worked in years. They had built a wooden shelf between the pumps and had gallon sized glass jars of gas for sale.

There are small booths everywhere where you can charge your phone. One business was named “God Forgets No One Charging Station.” Another was named “Love is Patient.” The businessman chose a good name as everything we try to do requires patience.

A Liberian does not feel he has eaten unless he has rice. We have enjoyed many different foods including potato greens, the tops of the potatoes. They love very hot peppers. Children in villages eat mice. There was a time when many people ate cattle food.

Please pray for these dear friends. Ask God to supply all their needs.

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager

Liberia, September 29th, 2008

2008-09-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

THE MOST AMAZING WELCOME!!!

We drove for 4 hours across some very interesting roads to reach the pastor’s house. All along the way, we were stopped by the police and questioned. This beautiful place was ripped apart by 14 years of civil war and now they carefully watch for rebels who might come to Liberia again. With all of these stops, it is not easy to predict when you will arrive at a place.

As we drove down the road to his house, many children lined both sides of the road waving pieces of tall grass. They cheered for us and shouted “Welcome.” Many held signs. One said “Welcome Sister Linda and The Agape Puppets.” As soon as we got out of the truck they crowded around us, smiling and singing.

We were overwhelmed by their love and joy. It was like being in a Bible story. All of us were humbled by their welcome. As we drove through the crowd of cheering, singing children, I prayed out loud. I asked God to help us. Pray for us to do a good job for these precious children. Ask God to call many to faith in Jesus!

WORSHIP- AFRICAN STYLE

The music is wonderful! There is lots of clapping and drums. People sing in English, Bassa, and other tribal languages. They pray about everything.

People walked for miles to come to church and worship God. One young man used his wheel chair to get to church. Then, because there was no ramp for him, he simply crawled inside with his legs dragging under him. He found a seat and began to smile and sing. He did not let anything keep him from worshipping God. His commitment challenges me to truly love and worship God. His name is Taipe Weah. Please hold him in your prayers.

We met a wonderful lady who loves Jesus very much. She has lost all of her fingers and thumbs to leprosy, but does not complain. Please hold Borkeo in your prayers as all work here is done by hand. More, she is widowed and very old. I am grateful that God allowed me to meet this sweet saint.

FORGIVENESS

Sam preached yesterday morning and I gave a missionary report. Both of us talked about the forgiveness that God has poured into our lives and how His forgiveness had changed us and others.

This is a place in a desperate need of forgiveness. The civil war raged here for 14 years and they have only known 5 years of peace. Everyone has a terrible story to tell. Everyone has lost someone to a terrible death, some have lost many. There is so much hurt here and so much that must be forgiven. Many of the men that committed the crimes are still in Liberia.

One brother in Christ told me that he has seen many change as they have trusted in Jesus. Still, so many remain angry and hungry for their old life. I beg you to pray!

A HARD LIFE

Much is the same here as it is in my home in the United States. People fall in love, have children, and dream of a better future. The hopes are the same, but the surroundings are so different.

The Civil War stripped the people of Liberia of everything. No one has electricity, unless he owns a generator and those are expensive. There is no running water for most people. They haul the water from a well. It is very hot here, but there is no relief. This was a very western country before the war destroyed everything.

People are hungry. Children in village areas wear whatever they have. A little girl had on a boy’s dress shirt and nothing else. We have seen some children wearing nothing. Others wear rags. If it is stained and has holes, it is still good.

Always, even in such a very desperate place, a child’s greatest need is Jesus. We are doing all we can, but my heart breaks for these children. Please pray for them.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager

Liberia, September 27th, 2008

2008-09-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,
We are so excited to see how God has answered all of our prayers. The airline received all of our luggage even though some of the tubs were over sized. Everything has arrived safely in Liberia. We had no trouble at customs and were not even asked a single question. Praise God!
This is the last of the rainy season. Please pray that this will not cause us difficulty in doing the shows as many of them will need to be outside. As you know, we just came home from Ireland and thought we had seen allot of rain. However last night, it seemed that we would wash away the rain was so hard.
Please pray for the children of Liberia to come to faith in Jesus. Ask God to make us wise, kind, and sensitive to the needs of this culture.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam
Silvana
Calah

Liberia September 25th, 2008

2008-09-25T04:53:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

LIBERIA

Please hold us in your prayers as we begin our trip to Monrovia, Liberia today. This country has had 10 years of civil war and all the horrors that normally accompany such a time have been experienced by the children there. Many have been terribly hurt and many adults are far from well. Please pray for the Father to heal the hearts of all those who hurt. Please ask Him to call many to faith in Jesus. Please pray for our equipment to arrive safely and for our personal safety. Liberia is known for having trouble with government corruption. Our passage through customs is a big concern!

Please pray for us today as we go to the airport and ask God to make us a bright light for Him. We are flying an airline that we have never flown and are very concerned about all of the bags. The need is so great in Liberia and we have 12 large bags plus all of the carry-ons. We are carrying Sunday School material for 39 teachers, books for a pastor, supplies for our friends there, and an enormous pile of puppet equipment. Please ask God to send us someone who will be kind to us and helpful. Whatever happens, we will thank Him and respond with His love.

This is not an easy place to live, as most people have no running water and no electricity. Imagine your life without running water and electricity! More, it is an extremely expensive place to travel to and work in because few people travel there.

We need your help. We would be very grateful if you could help with this trip by sending a check to The Agape Puppets at 6550 West Armuchee Road Summerville, GA 30347. Please pray about this need first and know that it is my heart's desire that you only respond if the Lord is speaking to you. Thank you for praying about this need and thank you for praying for us.

Please hold the children of Liberia daily in your prayers!

In Jesus, Linda Summer for Sam and Silvana Shaw and Calah Sager

Ireland, August 31st, 2008 #10

2008-09-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

DEAREST FRIENDS,

PAUL’S STORY

Last night, after we finished the program, a young man named Paul came to speak to me. He told me that he was an atheist and that he had learnt that from his father. He questioned everything about God, his word, even his very existence. He had a lot of questions, but most of them were aimed at distracting himself from the most important question. Desperately, Paul tried to avoid any discussion about his own sin and his need for Jesus.

Please pray for Paul. Last night, before he left, he promised to do two things and I believe he will keep his promises. First, he promised that he would read the Bible. We gave him an easy to read translation that he was very excited about. It was one that we had brought home from Cameroon, Africa and was cartoon illustrated. He loved it and was very surprised that we would give it to him. He had read that books of many other faiths, but he had dismissed God without even looking at His book.

His second promise is the one that excites me the most. He promised to go home last night and get down on his knees. He promised to tell God, “God I don’t believe you exist, but if you are real, show me.” I promised him that God would absolutely prove His existence to him. His name is Paul and I expect to receive an e-mail from him telling me of the amazing way God has revealed Himself.

AMAZING STORIES FROM THE STREETS

Today we will be sharing in two churches but I confess to you that my favorite place to be is the streets. I love being with all the people that will not come inside the church buildings, hearing their questions, and seeing God moving in their lives. The following lists of stories are all from yesterday and last night.

1) We arrived at the place yesterday where we planned to share and found a large crowd of Muslims. They had set up a table and were passing out literature, trying to persuade people that Islam was a good choice for their lives. All of the men in the group even had matching t-shirts proclaiming the goodness of Islam. Several of our friends had incredible conversations with different members of their group. More, all of these Muslims listened for two hours to the Gospel presented through song, testimonies, puppets, and Bible stories. They would have never chosen to come to church and hear this message, but God placed them on the street where they had to listen to the hope of Jesus.

2) Silvana had an opportunity to share with three different people from Brazil. One of them stayed for every show that we did, and all three talked with her about really serious problems they had that only Jesus could solve. Please pray for them as none of them are Christians.

3) One young man from the Sudan was very excited as he listened to Sabina as she presented the Gospel to a group of Muslims.

4) Two people who claimed the Baha'i faith also heard about how Jesus could meet all their needs.

5) A young man from China came to both sets of shows yesterday and was very happy to receive a CD from the band. He has been living in Ireland for three years studying to be a priest, but he does not believe in the existence of sin. Please ask God to show him the reality of his sin so that he can see his need for Jesus Christ.

6) A homeless man named John came to the programs. For sixteen years, he has been living on the streets. He was badly hurt as a child and his heart never mended because he never met Jesus. Please pray for John to trust in Jesus so that his broken heart can be filled with love and forgiveness

These are only a few of the stories that we heard yesterday. It seemed the whole world showed up on the streets of Ireland. Please hold all these people in your prayers.

In Jesus, Linda for

Sam & Silvana Shaw
Yeva Zarova
Sabina Kasperczyk
Sam Rodgers
Jade Rodgers
Toby Simmons
Malachi Armstrong

Ireland, August 30th, 2008 #9

2008-08-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

DEAREST FRIENDS,

DANCING LATVIANS, DRUNKS, AND LARGE CROWDS IN DUBLIN

How can I describe to you the absolutely incredible evening that we experienced last night? God made the rain stop, gave us just the right spot to set up our equipment and gave us large crowds. At one point, we counted over a hundred and twenty people standing on the street listening to a children’s Bible story and less than 10 of them were children. Even more listened at other times.

When the first puppet song began, everyone got so excited over the new Egyptian puppets that were singing Pharaoh, Pharaoh. I counted more than 25 people taking pictures or video during that song. They clapped and cheered after every song the band did. More, they clapped and cheered for the puppets and the Bible stories. Please remember that these were crowds who did not know Jesus, but they were excited to hear about Him. Your prayers are making a difference!

Many of us had very special conversations with people after we finished. Michelle talked with a man named Mick who is dying of AIDS and he does not know Jesus. Please pray for him to come to faith. Sam and I bought a homeless man dinner. William was begging on the street, but was very grateful to receive a meal. Please pray for him to trust in Jesus.

With Yeva’s help, I shared Christ with a group of 8 young people from Latvia who were Russian speakers. They did not know Jesus, but were eager to listen to the stories I told them about Jesus and how He changed my life. One of the young women was so touched that she began to cry. Please pray for these young people to meet Jesus as their Lord and Savior. When we finished talking, they began doing a Latvian dance on the street. Some of our band members started to dance with them. We are having a crazy, wonderful time.

As always, we had lots of drunks that loved to yell at us as we they walked past. We heard very interesting vocabulary tonight. One drunken man came up to speak to Sam and I and he kept stroking our faces. He wanted to thank us for what we had seen and heard. Another drunken man was very angry during the Bible story, but our friend John was able to calm him down and walk him to the side.

SPANISH FRIENDS

At the end of every program, the band sings an amazing song about how Jesus makes us alive. The puppets always finish by singing with them. I draw one last picture during this time of 2 cliffs with the cross as the bridge between them. It shows how faith in Jesus is our way to God. It shows how His blood covers our sin. As we finished, 3 young people from Spain came up to Silvana and began to talk in very careful English... They asked me to draw that drawing for them and explain it. With broken Spanish, much prayer, and very slow English, I explained to them the wonderful story of the Gospel. Please pray for them to put their trust in Jesus!

PRAYER

We return to the streets twice today, Saturday, and need you to pray for good weather. Please pray for the crowds to hear and receive the hope that only Jesus gives! Ask the Father to make us wise.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam Shaw-Asst. Director of The Agape Puppets
Silvana Shaw- Brazil
Yeva- Kurdistan
Sabina- Poland
Malachi Armstrong-USA
Toby Simmons-USA
Jade Rodgers-Northern Ireland
Sam Rodgers-Northern Ireland

Ireland, August 28th, 2008 #8

2008-08-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

DEAREST FRIENDS,

AWESOME EVENING

What an awesome evening! Nothing in this world gives me joy like hearing children call on the name of Jesus, asking Him to be their King and their Savior. If I could sing, I would have been singing as they asked God to forgive them and be their Father!
Even adults were heard praying.

With our dear friends, the Irish band Reality, we did a program in a church built in 1785. The cornerstone was laid by John Wesley, a famous Methodist evangelist. The church closed in the 70's and for many years was not a light for Jesus. Today, a sweet fellowship meets in this place and tells the people here that there is hope.

As I write you these words, the party is still going on outside this door. people stayed to enjoy cups of tea and biscuits (cookies). Wonderful conversations happened and are still happening as people are unwilling to leave. It has been a precious evening.

The crowd loved the band and enjoyed the puppets so much. The most popular puppet was a giant bear with a six foot arm reach. Malachi wore him and then climbed on top of Simon's shoulders. Simon is a dear friend of Reality who stands 6 foot 4 inches tall. For a while, I was not sure if Simon would fall or Malachi would pass out from the heat of wearing a furry suit. They were dancing and clapping to the song. The church loved it!

We are all so blessed!

TWO STREET SHOWS

We have had 2 great opportunities to share on the streets here, in 2 different cities. So many people stopped to listen and some talked with us. I even met a man from Georgia, where I live. How can I describe to you the wonder of standing on a street in Ireland and sharing with people the hope that only Jesus gives. More, though most would not believe as we do, they clap for every part of the program. Sometimes, they come up to us afterwards and thank us for what they have heard. Hundreds have accepted Gospel literature, some took Bibles, and all about the Father's plan for them. We even had people listening from across the street. Some stopped in their cars and others parked nearby to listen. Praise God!

PRAYER REQUESTS
Tomorrow, we head for Dublin. Please send your prayers ahead of us and ask God to hold the rain, get us a spot on the street and call people to listen!

In Jesus,Linda for an exhausted and happy crowd of souls

Ireland, August 26th, 2008 #7

2008-08-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

DEAREST FRIENDS,

NO SLEEP AND MANY BLESSINGS

Please forgive the mistake that was made in labeling yesterday's newsletter. It should have been labeled #6, but it turns out that I was not as clear as I had hoped at 2 AM. We are doing street shows every afternoon and a second set at night. Now, it is after 1 and everyone is just beginning to get quiet. Even though we go to bed very late , we are usually up early. We are an extremely sleep deprived bunch of people, but we are all so happy.

There is no way that I can describe to you but a tiny bit of all that we seeing the Father do. The crowds are amazing. They stand for hours in the rain and cold listening to Christian music, testimonies, Bible stories, and watching puppets. I have loved Jesus since I was 5 years old, but I must tell you the truth. I would not stand in such miserable weather, cold and soaked to the skin , to hear a Gospel presentation. Still, we see people stand for hours each night in the worst possibles weather.

I look into their eyes and see such pain. They are so desperate for the God that they deny. There are so few people in Ireland who can explain the difference between religion and knowing Jesus. People are taught to follow rules as the way to know God. They live very frustrated lives, bound by laws that they know they have broken. They live without hope. We want them to know about Jesus and how His spirirt will change them from the inside out.

Thank you for praying .Please pray for these dear people to understand true faith!

AN ITALIAN COUPLE

Tonight, after I finished telling the story, I walked out in the crowd. An Italian lady grabbed my arm and thanked me for the program. She told me that she did not understand how she could be so touched by the program. She told me that my words had made her cry. I smiled and explained to her that what she was experincing had nothing to do with me. I told her that she was feeling the love of God and the love of Jesus. Both of them stood listening to the program the entire evening despite the rain and cold. Please pray for them to put their trust in Jesus. God knows their names.

A WONDERFUL STORY

Perhaps you have been wondering what really happens at a street show. Last year, a Romanian lady trusted Jesus as her Savior at a Galway street show. We never knew, but she received literature on the local church at the show. Now, she is an active member of the church. We actually know very little of what the Father does , but we are confident that He is doing more than we can ask or imagine! Pray!

TOMMORROW IN CASTLEBAR

We are leaving here in the morning and will be doing strret shows in Castlebar and Westport. As always , we will need you to pray for the weather.

In Jesus, Linda for a very tired and happy team

Ireland August 26th, 2008 #6

2008-08-26T05:23:00.001-07:00

Dearest Friends,

STANDING IN THE DARK

Tonight, we began doing street shows in Galway. It is so different here from Tralee. Spiritually, this is a very dark place and all of us felt the spiritual attack tonight. We need you to pray! There are huge crowds of people in this place, but they are very resistant to the Gospel.

Hundreds of people came to the shows tonight, but we all felt as though they were not listening with their hearts. Still, we know that we do not trust in our feelings. We put our trust in God our Father, trusting that He is touching peoples lives even when we do not see it.

There were blessings tonight in the midst of all the attack as different friends had wonderful conversations with people on the street. People from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil and Poland all stood on the street with many Irish people listening to how they could have hope in Jesus Christ. Please pray for all of the people who came to the programs tonight. Ask God to give them a hunger to know more about Jesus. All of them received free CD's from the band, literature and books for the children. Ask the Father to give them a desire to listen to the CD and to read what they were given.

CHELSEY AND AMY

Chelsey and Amy are two little girls that I met on our last night in Tralee. They came up to me after the show and began to talk. I asked them if they had listened to the Bible story and they said yes. I told them how i came to put my trust in Jesus as a little girl. I explained that everyone has things that hurt them and make them cry. Chelsey quickly responded, "I cry all the time." I told her how Jesus could take away her tears.

She was very hard for a little girl who was just 8 years old. She told me that she would not ask Jesus to be the King of her heart. She would not ask God to forgive her. My heart broke for her because I know that she has no hope unless she puts her trust in Jesus. Her home is a very difficult place. I met her father last night and he was quite drunk. Please pray fro Chelsey and Amy, her cousin, to put their trust in Jesus. Only God can take away her tears and give her joy.

In Jesus, Linda for a very tired team

Ireland, August 25th, 2008 #5

2008-08-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Please know that the following email was written for Sunday morning, but we are having a hard time getting internet access. The Father answered all of our prayers! I will send the rest of the stories in the next email. Please read and rejoice! Begin to pray for the street shows that we will do in Galway as we are on our way there today, Monday. Pray for people to respond to the hope of the Gospel, pray for the rain to stop during our program, and pray for a good place to set up.

THE ROSE OF TRALEE FESTIVAL

Each year in Ireland, Tralee celebrates the Rose of Tralee festival. Tens of thousands of people attend and this gives all of us a great opportunity for doing street ministry. We are seeing crowds of hundreds of people gather to listen to Reality (a Christian band) and hear short messages about how Jesus Christ can change their lives. They stand in the rain and listen to puppets sing Christian songs. All of us are amazed that the crowds love the Bible stories. Even the adults are happy to listen and often come to us afterwards and thank us for what they heard!

We tell them how there is forgiveness for their sins and that there is the promise of a new changed life through faith in Jesus Christ. Most people live without hope and so they listen eagerly to the music and the stories. They seem so hungry to hear. Would you stand in the rain for hours to listen to the Gospel?

I have discovered that my very nice rain coat is only waterproof by USA standards. It rained so hard Saturday afternoon as we were sharing that the rain soaked through my coat, through my jacket, and through my shirt. Irish rain is cold and intense. Still, the people would not leave. The Father uses your prayers to hold them! Thank you!

Two Ladies

Yesterday, a lady begged me to come and speak to her as soon as I finished. She was troubled for her friend and knew that she needed Jesus. We quickly realized that they both needed the Father’s love and forgiveness. Her friend was in a very abusive marriage and suffered equally from the gossip that swirled around her life. I shared with her what Jesus shared with the woman at the well and she listened with her heart. She has young children and wants them to have peace. Even if I had not seen her bruises, her eyes told how she suffered.

The Father was kind to them. Praise God! Yesterday, they both prayed on the street with Michelle (a Reality member) and I. They called on God to forgive them, save them, and they put their trust in Jesus. We were able to give them Bibles and connect them with a local church. Please pray for them to grow strong in their faith. The mother must see Jesus change her life or her children will know no peace.

UPDATE- We were so happy to see these ladies return to every other program that we did. As we continued to talk with them, we were happy to see that they seem to truly met Jesus! Continue to pray!

THE MAIN STAGE

All of us were overwhelmed that we were asked to be on the main stage last year. This year, they booked us ahead of time and Saturday night, we had a very special opportunity to tell hundreds of people about Jesus Christ. We were given the best time to share, for an hour and a half. More, the rain came down in buckets and stopped just as we began. Constantly, we are praying!

PRAYER NEEDS

Please pray for this place. We have 2 sets of street shows today and the weather here is always a problem. There are drunks, hecklers, and an ocean of people who ache for life to be more than they know. The children stand spellbound and we need you to pray that they will be allowed to listen. Two mothers removed their children because the name of Jesus offended them. Please stay on your knees, so that we can stand in the rain.

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Jade Rodgers
Sam Rodgers
Toby Hornbuckle
Malachi Armstrong
Sabina
Yeva

Ireland, August 21st, 2008 #4

2008-08-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

ANSWERED PRAYER

Just a quick note so that you will how the Father answered your prayers for yesterday. The weather was great and we were able to do a show outside at the Caravan Park. They told us to expect 2 or 3 children again and God sent again 10 times that number. Awesome! A whole group of teenage girls came along with the children. I was telling the story of Jonah. I explained how Jonah decided to run away from God because he thought that he could hide from God. When I told the children that no one can really hide from God, suddenly the teenagers looked at me in shock. It was clear that this was also their plan. Your prayers held the children, teenagers, and adults attention as they listened to the Gospel. Thank you!

BELFAST AND NEW LIFE

Last night, one sweet little girl trusted Jesus as her Savior. I told the children after we prayed to be sure and tell the people at the church where we were working if they had trusted in Jesus. She immediately raised her hand and said, "I prayed!"

Personally, I saw the Father do something very sweet for me. The first night that we were in Belfast with the children, I was very distracted by a situation that I was dealing with in the ministry. I told the story well, but not as it should have been done. When I have my eyes on Jesus and tell a story, I feel the Father's pleasure. I know that I have been obedient and I have joy. I left Belfast on Tuesday evening knowing that I had not had the right focus.

Last night, we went to that same place for a second show after having prayed a lot because all of us were aware of the problem from the previous evening. God was kind to me. By His grace, I was able to leave the problem at the Father's feet in prayer and focus. My eyes were in the right place and God blessed us with a great outpouring of His spirit!

Even after the program finished, we were still being blessed. A lovely young girl named Lori came up to talk me. I shared with her my story of how the Lord wrote His love on my life. She began to cry. I asked her if she knew Jesus. She said , "No." Then, surrounded by her believing friends, she prayed with me, asking Jesus to save her. Joy!

On our way home, we stopped at Sam and Sil's house so that she could choose a Bible. Sam keeps a stack of them for just such opportunities. Please pray for Lori to grow deep in her new faith!

In Jesus, Linda for Sam, Sil, Yeva, Sabina, Jade, Toby, and Malachi
-----------------------------------------------------------
"THE AGAPE PUPPETS"

Michael Summer, Founder - Linda Summer, Director
Sam Shaw, Assistant Director
6550 West Armuchee Road
Summerville, Georgia 30747

Phone: 706-397-2956 FAX: 413-425-5805
Email: Linda@TheAgapePuppets.org
WEB: www.TheAgapePuppets.org

Ireland, August 20th, 2008 #3

2008-08-20T04:39:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS

Last year, we went to Belfast to an area where children had been taught to hate. It is an area with a high crime rate and many families struggle, spiritually and economically. Sam reminded me how I asked the children a question last year. I said," If someone hurt you, could you forgive them." Except for one small little girl, every child in the room said, "No."

This area is Protestant by culture, but not by faith. The area is full of churches, but they are mostly empty. Little effort is made to reach the children. We are working with a precious group of older ladies and gentlemen at a small church there. For years, they have devoted themselves to these children. We wonder what will happen to this precious light when they are gone.

The children really listened last year and many of them prayed, asking Jesus to be their Savior. Still, there are more who come who do not know Jesus. Tonight, we will return to this place and we beg you to pray for these children who live in the dark. All of them promised to return and bring more friends. Ask the Father to make us wise and loving as we share.

CARAVAN PARKS

Caravan parks are places where people come to vacation in Northern Ireland. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, we will be working in different ones. Please pray for the children in these places to trust Jesus. The place yesterday told us that we would only have 3 children, but the Father blessed us with 30 children and adults. Most were from a Catholic background, from many places around Northern Ireland. It always amazes me how God brings people together to hear about Jesus.

They really enjoyed the program. All of their parents thanked me for the show. It is very important to go where these children are and share with them. They need us to come to them. Please pray for these places!

THE IRISH SEA

Very late last night, we walked down to the sea. It is a short walk from the place where we are staying at Murlough House. It was amazing! The moon over the water made you stand in awe of the Father's creation. More, we stood there and prayed for the children that we would be sharing with today. Please join us in our prayers!

DAVID

Many of you will remember a wonderful young man from Southhampton, England who served with us for years. David surprised me on Monday night and came for a visit. I was so blessed! I feel like I have received the best present as I enjoy his company.

Please pray him safe home on Thursday as he must return to nursing school that starts on Friday.

In Jesus, Linda for Toby, Malachi, Yeva, Sabina, Jade, Sam and Silvana

Ireland, August 17th, 2008 #2

2008-08-18T04:40:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Soldiers

American airports are full of soldiers these days. As we waited for our flight to Germany, we sat with many soldiers, men and women all wearing desert camouflage. One young man noticed the tags on our bags and asked me “What is the Agape Puppets?” I told him what we do and shared with him and several others the hope of Jesus that we share with the children. He seemed surprised at some of the places where we worked. I told them stories about the children of the world, how they live and how they suffer, and how Jesus changes their lives. I also thanked them for their service and their sacrifice.

As the young man stood to leave, he came over and shook my hand. He said, “You are braver than I am.” What a strange thing for a young soldier headed to Afghanistan to say to a children’s Bible teacher. How odd to call a white haired old woman that walks with a cane brave!

And then I thought of the scripture in I Corinthians that says that God chooses to use the weak things of the world so that’s there is never any question about the source of His power. He chooses miserable, weak instruments like me so that He receives the glory. Praise God!

This young man was sincerely puzzled by what he saw and heard. He can only solve this puzzle when he puts his trust in Jesus and sees Him as the source of his strength. More, he was drawn to listen to the stories about Jesus. Please ask the Father to protect him and to deliver him home safe to those he loves. More, pray for him to seek and know Jesus Christ. Nothing happens by accident as all appointments are by God’s hand. We need to pray for this young man!

An Irish Church

This morning, we went to Sam’s home church. I was so blessed by all the love we felt from our brothers and sisters. Many had never seen a puppet show, so this was a special opportunity for them to really understand what Sam does. More, we were all blessed by the love that they showered on us.

Tonight, we will meet with our friends in the Irish band Reality and pray together for our ministry together across Ireland. That part of the adventure begins on Friday, but meanwhile, we have other places to share and a lot of practice. We are combining people from 5 countries and several puppet teams.

Please hold us in your prayers, but please pray especially for the people of Ireland to fall deeply in love with Jesus.

In Jesus,
Linda for,
Sam,
Silvana,
Toby,
Malachi,
Sabina,
Cody,
Jade and Yeva

USA and Ireland August 13th, 2008 #1

2008-08-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Two Little Boys

July was an amazing month! We traveled across thirteen states and shared Jesus with thousands and thousands of children, but it is the story of two little boys that I want to share with you tonight. More than one hundred children ages 6 to 14 gathered in a gym to watch the puppet show. I was telling them the story of Joseph and speaking with them about forgiveness. I said to the children, “Maybe someone has hurt you, and you think that you cannot forgive them.”

Suddenly, one little boy raised his hand. To be honest, I do not usually stop in the middle of a story, but that day God just told me that it was important to hear what he had to stay. He was seven or eight years old, blonde headed, small, and sitting beside his twin brother. He said, “My Daddy hits my Mommy.” How much he must have been hurting to tell this to a total stranger in front of one hundred other people!

I have been to this place many times over the last five years. However, I have never been allowed to pray with the children. They would never give me permission to pray. However, when that little boy spoke, the Holy Spirit fell on that place, and I knew in my heart that the rules had changed. So many of the children asked Jesus to be their Savior. They came up and told me after the program that they had prayed.

The director was very grateful and begged us to come back next year. He listened to the entire program. Please pray for these two little boys to discover the depth of their Heavenly Father’s love.

Blessings

The following list of things that we saw God do as we traveled in the USA this summer will delight your soul. I have never seen such a consistent outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit during a time of summer ministry.
1. At one program, eight children asked Jesus to be their Savior. Praise God! They were from very difficult places and were experiencing things that children should not see or know.
2. Many doors opened for us to tell the children about the hope of Jesus that had previously been closed to us. People allowed us to do programs that had refused to allow us to share in the past. All of us were amazed at how God changed the hearts of the people in authority over the children from last summer until this summer. They welcomed us and everyone begged us to come again.
3. At many shows, there was a visible difference in the children’s faces before and after the program. You could see God putting peace and light in their lives.
4. Many times we were very tired as we had quite a few long drives. However, God always gave us the strength that we needed.
5. At many of the programs we had an opportunity to talk with the children after the show. We felt like we made new friends as we played with them and listened to their stories. One little girl poured her heart out to Jade and told her about how her parents had lost custody of her. Then she went to live with her grandma who was a very kind woman, but then she died. The little girl felt all alone. We told her about Jesus who will never leave her. Her story is the story of too many of the children that we saw this summer.
6. Naomi is my youngest puppeteer. She turned twelve as were traveling this summer. She speaks very boldly about how she loves Jesus and how He changed her. One day, she told the children that they could ask God to change them. Immediately, one little girl bowed her head and began to pray. She was so hungry to have God change her.
7. At one place we heard children whispering their prayers to God.
8. At an inner city show, I asked the children if they had ever been hurt. One little girl looked me straight in the eyes and nodded her head. She had clearly known deep pain, but that day she asked Jesus to be her Savior and her countenance changed.
9. Mad Dog, Tomain, and Mercedes were some of the children who attended a show in an inner city community center. Truly they live in a horrible place. They are surrounded by drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and violence. Jesus is their only hope, but no matter where any of us live, He is our only hope as well. Please pray for these children to grow up and be bright lights for Jesus.

More Stories

As always, there are more stories than can be told. Never has this statement been more true than it was this summer. Our travels took us to Maryland, New Jersey and New Hampshire where we worked with precious churches. Our brothers and sisters encouraged us, blessed us, and gave us wonderful ministry opportunities. Still, despite their enthusiasm for Jesus, we could not help but notice how many people at the programs did not share their joy. The farther north we went, we found fewer and fewer Christians. In New Hampshire, I had children come up to me after I told the Bible story. They asked me if it was a true story. I found it hard to believe that I was in the United States and not somewhere overseas where I would expect children to not know about Jesus Christ.

We had many incredible conversations with parents and children after the programs. One little boy came and said, “I prayed that prayer with you today. I asked Jesus to be my Savior. Home is a bad place….Daddy drinks.” His mother very quickly added, “Oh, but he never hits us.” The little boy’s eyes said something different.

In New Hampshire, we did six shows outside on the streets. We had a wonderful opportunity to pray for the rain to stop so that we could share with the children. God answered every prayer and we did not miss a single show. The morning after we left New Hampshire, a tornado hit two of the towns where we had shared. New Hampshire never gets tornados, and all of us were very grateful that God had allowed us to share before the storm came.

Ireland and Northern Ireland

Friday, August 15, we leave for Ireland and Northern Ireland. Much of our time will be spent doing street shows while traveling across Ireland. We will be working with our Irish puppet director Sam Shaw, who is also the assistant director of The Agape Puppets. As always, we will be traveling with the Irish band Reality who are some of my dearest friends. They love Jesus with all of their heart, and along with Sam and Silvana, they are fantastic at street ministry. It is an honor and a joy to be working with these friends! Please hold us in your prayers.

In Jesus,

Linda for the team.

Home, July 10th, 2008

2008-07-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

We arrived safely home from Brazil, blessed by the Father with even more stories of how He moves in the lives of children. I will finish sharing these with you in the next letter, but today I write to ask for your prayers. Each summer, I spend my time traveling in the USA. A little after 6 this morning, we will leave for Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New Hampshire. Please pray for this time!

I am traveling with a brand new team. Toby Simmons , Malachi and Naomi Armstrong ... all go to church with me. I have watched them grow up. Hannah Sager is from Missourri, serves on a puppet team there, and often travels with me overseas. I have also watched Jade Rogers grow up, though from a distance. She serves with Sam Shaw, our Assistant Director, in Northern Ireland. Each of these young people is very dear to me and I am excited to have their company! Please hold us all in your prayers.

They have been practicing very hard! Yesterday, we did a show in an inner city area where children see and experience things that children should not see or know. It was a challenging show, but they did a super job! God called many of those children to himself as we heard them praying out loud. I have been doing shows in this place for years, but I have never seen such a public response. We did not ask for it, they just prayed out loud. One little child gave Malachi a hug and another thanked me for the story. We know that this is a very dark place, but today God shined the light of His love there! Praise God!

In Jesus,Linda

Brazil, June 29th, 2008

2008-07-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

OUR LAST SHOW
We have seen so much poverty, and so much brokenness. Yesterday we finished our schedule of puppet shows in Brazil. Our last program was in a favella, on top of a trash pile. The other end of the pile was burning.

We were on top of a high hill. If we looked to our right, we saw in the distance the beautiful homes of a very nice area of Sao Paulo. To our left were the most pitiful homes we had seen yet. They were constructed with scraps of wood, metal, and any kind of trash that you could use to make a kind of shelter. The homes were illegal, because they were built on land they did not own. A spider web of wires wrapped around the power poles. There is no electricity in the favella, so they steal it. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not justifying their behavior, but I want you to see what we see. I want you to understand how these people live.

The puppet show was well attended, many adults and children and 2 very enthusiastic drunks. Too many of the children stared at us with vacant eyes. They had seen too much, been hurt too many times. They were slow to smile, but they did smile. They prayed so loudly, calling on Jesus to save them. Please pray for the children of Ype to be safe tonight. Please ask the Father to grow their faith.

OUR GREAT ADVENTURES

Many times in Brazil we have been asked to give missionary reports at Babtist and Presbyterian churches. One pastor even held a special missionary service for us so that we could show his people how we shared with the children. He gave us over 1 and a half hours so that we could share missionary stories.

At another church, the elders of the church were having their weekly meeting and invited us to come and give them a report. I also thanked them for their faithfulness. My husband Mike was an elder, so I remembered how hard it was for him to serve. All of us were overwhelmed by the love we felt in that room and all of us were touched by the sweetness of their prayers.

At a large presbyterian church, over 600 people listened to a puppet show. More, they gave us extra time to bring a special mission report. Many children put their trust in Jesus. Many were touched by the stories and some gave us thier emails. so that they could pray for us. Praise God!

Each church was a blessing, but a new presbyterian church that is being planted in a an affluent area near Alphaville was a special blessing. There are only 30 people in the church, and half are doctors and dentists. One half of the church was absent the morning I gave a mission report. They were not gone on vacation. Most were on mission trips to the poorer parts of Brazil. Most of these absent were doctors and dentists. They were providing medical care to those who have no access. More important, they were using their skills to open the door for the Gospel. They always share Jesus with their patients.

ENCOURAGING WORDS

Many of you have been so sweet to respond to the emails. Please know that your encouraging words were a great blessing to the team. More, when the Brazilians heard that people all over the world were praying for their children, they were so blessed. Please remember that you can always respond to these emails! God bless you for your praying!

PEDRO'S STORY

Pedro, (Peter) came to a puppet show at a school. His mother works at the school and since he liked the program so much, she let him come to both shows. I told the story of Peter and he asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. After the show, he told me he had prayed. Please ask the Father to make Peter a great man of God!

SAM AND SILVANA
Sam and Silvana were not with me on this trip and I really missed them. Sam is the Assistant Director of the AGAPE PUPPETS and will someday take my place. He is an amazing man of God! He also leads a team in Northern Ireland and is busy doing ministry there. Please hold Sam and Silvana in your daily prayers.

In Jesus,

Linda, for
Gerson Simioni
Fabianna Simioni
Sara Wilson
Hannah Sager

Brazil, June 27th, 2008

2008-06-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

ONE LITTLE GIRL'S STORY

Thais is a beautiful little girl who came to a puppet show today. She was missing her left hand and seemed so self conscious around the other children. Gerson helped me talk to her.

I told her that I wanted to tell her a secret. This is what I said to her. "There is someone very, very dear to me who's arm is just like yours. She loves Jesus! She has the most beautiful smile. You can be like her. Sweetheart, when God sees you, He sees a treasure. You are beautiful!"

I have the most wonderful news to share with you. Today, Thais asked Jesus to be her Savior. Please pray for her to grow strong in her new faith and love God's word. She is such a beautiful little girl.

BRACELETS

We had a very difficult show today at a school where the children seemed not to be listening. One of the teachers became very angry because we talked about Jesus. She let everyone know just how unhappy she was. At most schools, hundreds of children pray out loud, praying to receive Christ. However, at this school, you could hear only a precious few calling on Jesus.

It seemed that no one was really listening, but you never know what God is doing. Giovana and Raissa came to talk to me after the program. Both of them wanted me to know that they asked Jesus to be their Savior. More, they each wanted to give me a bracelet to thank me for telling them about Jesus. Please pray for these two little girls to grow deep in their faith.

FOUR BOYS

We had two amazing shows today where they absolutely loved the program. The director and many of the teachers were Christians, but even those who did not believe were open to the Gospel. When we finished the program, the children lined up to hug us. The teachers hugged us, the janitors hugged us, even the director hugged us. One teacher had a lifestyle that was displeasing to God and he alone was very unhappy with the program.

However, the best part of the day was what happened after one program. Four little boys came to see me. Their names were Leonardo, Joao Victor, Guilherme, and Artur. One of them said in perfect English, "Teacher, I love you!" Another one said, "I love you forever!" All four had asked Jesus to be their Savior. We challenged them to live for God. We told them that Jesus had changed them and they needed to show everyone that Jesus had changed them by the way they lived their lives. Please hold these four boys in your prayers.

SOROCABA

We have a wonderful puppet team that we had never met until last night. Our national team leaders, Gerson and Fabianna, planted and trained this team. They are an amazing team! Yesterday we did shows in their area and saw hundreds of children trust in Jesus Christ. This team is very creative and very humble. They were so excited to meet us. They thought that we were very important, but we all understood that their willingness to reach the children of Brazil for Jesus was what was really important. They made many of their people puppets, but much of the rest of their equipment was provided by your gifts. We gave the equipment to Gerson and Fabianna and they found people who could use it. We now have six teams like this in Brazil. Praise God!

You have never seen people so excited to receive a gift! They began to scream and jump up and down. Then, the entire team joined in one large bear hug. Your sacrificial gifts made this gift possible. Please remember this story when you are thinking about supporting the puppet ministry. Your kindness is touching children all over the world.

IF YOU WERE BLESSED

If you were blessed as you read these stories, you have an opportunity to support missionaries in Brazil. Fabianna and Gerson are missionaries under the Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship Mission Board. If you want to support them, make your check out to PEF and send it to my house. I will forward them to PEF for you. My address is 6550 West Armuchee Road Summerville, GA 30747. Please pray for them. They do a tremendous job of reaching children for Jesus in Brazil.

In Jesus, Linda for
Gerson Simioni
Fabianna Simioni
Sara
Hannah

Brazil, June 26th, 2008

2008-06-26T04:04:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

ONE SCHOOL, TWO SHOWS

We are so blessed! Each day we see God do the most amazing things. Today was very special! We did two shows at one school. The children were so excited that we came. Of the 400 children that attended the programs, it sounded as though half of them were calling on God to forgive them and asking Jesus to be their King. They were so loud when they were praying!

The principal was very pleased with the program. She told the teachers that they should continue to talk about the story of Jesus that they had just heard. She said that it was very important for the kids to hear about Jesus. As Sara often says, “Awesome!”

After the first show, the children rushed toward us. They wanted to hug us and thank us. Please pray for the children of Padre Anchieta School to grow strong in their new faith.

PRAYER AND PRAISE

These are stories from our time in Brazil that we have not had an opportunity to share with you. God has given us so many stories!

1) Children in Caicarinha Da Penha prepared a special song for us and gave us roses as a thank you present. They changed the song and put my name into it, thanking God that I had come. I was overwhelmed by their joy and humbled by their kindness.

2) Praise God for a tiny little village named Sao Joaquim where I had an especially sweet opportunity to share with a large group of mothers. Life is extremely difficult in this place. There are no doctors. When their husband dies, they have no way to earn a living. Their heart’s pain is compounded by their concern for how their children will eat. I told them Mike’s story and shared with them how God takes care of me. I told them again about Jesus’ love for them and how He alone can heal broken hearts. Their smiles and tears, their hugs and their words told me they were listening.

3) On the street in one Northeastern town, they were having a big festival to celebrate the saints. The children dance, and there is lots of food. They bring their produce so that their farms can receive a blessing. Mostly there is just a lot of drinking and bad behavior. While all this was happening on the street, a small group of believers gathered to laugh and fellowship. On the street, people were trying to have fun, but the real party was happening in a small 4 room house. We had a wonderful time singing, praying, sharing and praising God.

4) One night, we had a training session. Everyone outside the church was lighting bonfires on the street as part of the celebration in Olinda. A haze of smoke hung over the city and the church quickly filled with smoke. I had a very bad asthma attack and was having a lot of trouble breathing. Sara, Hannah, Faby and Gerson began to pray for the Lord to remove the smoke. Suddenly, it began to rain. It rained so hard that it put out all the bonfires and cleared out all the smoke from the air. Praise God! It was still raining when we left the church.

5) God’s creation is amazing. We visited places where it had not rained in years. Then it rained and dry river beds flowed with water. Flowers burst into bloom. Our eyes have feasted on our Father’s creation.

6) At a farm school, we saw teachers cry as they heard the sweet story of Jesus.

7) I am so humbled by the kindness of our many friends. So many of them gave up their beds and slept on the floor. No amount of protesting would persuade them to let us have the floor. One pastor even cleaned our dirty shoes.

8) One lady heard that we were coming. She did not work in the fields that afternoon so that she could attend. She got on her bike and invited children to come. She rode 10km on some of the worst roads.

9) A group of 6 young men attended one show. They listened so attentively to the story about Jesus. None of them were Christians. Please pray for them to come to faith in Jesus Christ. They Father knows their names.

10) Please ask the Father to pour out his spirit on Sito Trapia, Quixabeirinha, Maracanau, and Nova Trapia. Ask Him to call people to a strong faith. Life is so terribly difficult in this place. From 9 to 4, it is so brutally hot that people do not want to go outside. Inside it is still hot. Days are long and many turn to alcohol abuse to remove their boredom. My heart broke for these children. Please hold them in your prayers.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sara
Hannah
Fabianna
Gerson

Brazil, June 23rd, 2008

2008-06-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

WORTH IT ALL

This trip to the Northeast of Brazil has been the most tremendous blessing. We had the most difficult time getting to this place because of the weather delays coming out of the United States. Having to rebuy the tickets was very expensive and remains a matter of prayer. However, what price do you place on the thousands of children who have heard about Jesus, his forgiveness, and his love? What is it worth to see a child smile and forget for even a little while that their whole world smells like a sewer?

I believe that these children have a great value to the Father. So often as I have stood in front of them, I have said "God sees you. He knows your names. He cares for you." They always look so suprised and delighted. Everywhere that we have gone we were told by the people there that they were forgotten. They feel that no one cares. Please pray for the Northeast of Brazil. Many national missionaries are working in this region. Please ask God to call more Brazilians to this area.

35,000 PEOPLE

Today, I visited the largest favella that I have been to in Brazil. I often go to these places to do puppet shows. In Geriquiti, 35,000 people crowd into an area that should house 1/3 that number. Long before you ever reach the street that takes you into the favella, you smell it. We walked down streets with open running sewers crossing them and flooding all the drainage ditches. It was terrifically hot, smelly, and filthy. Toilets did not flush and the drinking water was bad. A large extended family crowds into two or three small rooms. The area is known for violence, rape, murder, and drug and alcohol abuse. It is a very dangerous place to be a child.

The little church was packed with children. Some laughed and smiled, but too many stared at us with vacant eyes. Some were hungry, but most had just seen so many awful things, they were numb. There are no air conditioners here, but the pastor did have a fan. I have a rule that we can never cry in front to the children that makes us unable to serve them. I almost broke my own rule today. My heart broke...all of our hearts broke for the children of Geriquiti. Such a precious few trusted Jesus as Savior. A little twelve year old girl named Rosangela never took her eyes off of me. She did not smile much, but was very happy when I gave her my story pages. I was very happy because she was one of the precious few who trusted in Jesus today.

Geriquiti is a very dirty place. To be honest, it was hard to visit. I cannot imagine what those children endure. Please, pray for Father to be kind to the children of Geriquiti and call then to Himself.

In Jesus, Linda for the team.

Brazil, June 22, 2008

2008-06-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

Dearest friends,

SITIO TRAPIA, QUIXABEIRIANHA, MARACANAU, AND NOVA TRAPIA

These places will not appear on most maps. The people who live there are not forgotten; for most people athey do not even exist. Brazil has a law that requires all children to have an opportunity to go top school. However, most of the children in these villages have never gone to school.

They live in an area where it does not rain for years at a time. This year it rained and everything brown turned green. People have enough water and enough food. Normally, they just survive as best they can. With the rain came blessings, but also problems. It is so hot and dry that year after year diseases cannot survive. Now with the rain, people are struggling with colds, fevers, viruses, and more serious problems like the threat of denghney fever which is carried by mosquitoes. There was also flooding which destroyed roads.

Many people live in houses made of mud and thatch. There is a beetle that lives in the walls whose bite causes a rare tropical illness that usually kills you if you contract it. Their lives are very hard and improve very slowly. Two decades ago, only one in ten babies up to two years of age survived. Our friends told us that they watched an endless parade of small coffins being carried down the road. Today, a baby's death is rare.

We worked with English missionaries, Davine and Mike, who have loved these dear people for over 21 years. They serve with the mission board that pioneer missionary William Carey founded. They have raised two daughters and one son in a place that you would find difficult to visit. For eight years they faithfully shared the hope of they gospel before one person believed. Now, there is a church there and local believers who head the different ministry projects. Their priority is to share Jesus, but they also try to offer a simple education to the children who have no chance for school. Davine has taught many classes for pregnant and nursing mothers. Jobs are scarce, so they have started a beekeeping project to generate business opportunities. They have repaired homes for widows and helped develop water sources. More important, they made sure that these people knew about Jesus Christ.

If you are reading this e-mail, I have a question for you. What are you investing your life in? If you are older, and have 21 years behind you, what story do you have to tell? How have you made a difference for eternity? It was an honor to work with people who have good answers for all of these questions.

THE CHILDREN

A dear young woman recently asked me, what was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I recited to her a list of places that everyone always says they want to see around the world. I have been to all of these places. I told her that none of these places were as beautiful to me as the faces of they children when they hear about Jesus Christ. This is certainly true in these places.

These children and adults had never seen the things that we brought with us. They delighted in every thing we did. They gave us their smiles and their laughter. Best of all, we heard may to recieve Christ as their Savior. Please pray for these dear children. God sees them when no one else does.

In Jesus, Linda for the team.

Brazil, June 18th, 2008

2008-06-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

A FAVELLA

A favella is a group of homes made usually out of other people's trash. The homes are poorly built and it is an extremely hard and dangerous place for children. Rape is common, as is alcohol abuse. We went to one of these places to do a puppet show.

They were so excited that we had come to see them. I looked into their eyes and wondered what they dreamed about. Their whole world smelt like a sewer. They loved the puppets, testimonies, and the Bible story. Best of all, they fell in love with Jesus! They were so eager to pray that they started trying to pray in English, before they recieved the Portuguese translation. So many of the children that we meet are so hungry to hear the Gospel. Praise God!

RAIN

Sal de Terra (Salt of the Earth) is the name of a Christian band that we are working with this trip. They want to expand their ministry and begin working with children.

Today we shared at a school, literally in the middle of nowhere. Months ago, Sal de Terra came there and did a program. It had not rained there in years. Many children did not even know what rain looked like. The band prayed in the school and asked God to make it rain. It started to rain and a big celebration took place in the streets. Praise God!

Today, in that same place, many children prayed out loud, calling on Jesus to save them at the puppet show. So many in this little village have came to trust in God's providence. Please pray for theses new believers to grow deep in their faith.

I CAN BE GOOD

At street shows, and at schools we are sharing with thousands of children, but many adults also come. For most, the Gospel is news to their ears. The Catholic church is the only church in many of these places. Here in South America, they teach that people can go to heaven by being good. God's word is plain. It says that none are righteous, no not one. They seldom talk about Jesus Christ, and do not mention the Resurrection.

In one place, the people were told to climb a mountain on their knees, praying at each stop, and give money. Such things will not pay the price for our sins. When they hear that Jesus Christ has paid the total price for our sin at a puppet show, their faces fill with joy and wonder.

BLESSINGS

1) We met the first believer in Caicarinha da Penha. Six months ago, there was not a single believer in his town. Edizio gave me a beautiful quartz crystal that he had found so that I would not forget him. His face glowed with the love that God had put in his heart!
2) Pastor George and his wife Audenice have only been church planting for less than a year and already there are enough believers to have a church.
3) Two dear ladies in a tiny village washed all of our clothes by hand at a river while we were out doing puppet shows. We were so grateful!
4) Clea and Cleide are sisters who have an undiagnosed illness. They cannot walk and one sister can only lay curled up in bed. Their faces glow as they have both come to faith in the last few months. One sister said, "I know that I will never walk on earth, but someday I will walk in Heaven." Her trust in God under such difficult circumstances is precious.
5) One day while Hannah and I typed an email at an internet cafe, Sara shared with Ramaria, a little 13 year old girl. Please pray for her to come to the faith!
6) People give up their own beds so we can rest well. Their kindness challenges us to love Jesus more.

FUNNY AND INTERESTING THINGS

1) The stores in one town where we worked have the strangest names. They translated, "Great Jesus Gas Station" and "Great Jesus Pharmacy"
2) Did you know Brazil nuts are from a fruit? They use the fruit to make Brazil nut juice. It is very good!
3) House fronts are painted green in very dry areas. They say that they do this so they can remember what green looks like during the years it does not rain.
4) Frogs keep showing up ion the most unusual places. Today there was one swimming in our water bottle.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sara
Bio
Fabiana
Gerson
Hannah

Brazil, June 17th, 2008

2008-06-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

TRUE RICHES

In a village square everyone gathered, children, teenagers, and adults. Many of the children prayed out loud, calling on Jesus to save them like He saved Peter. We told them Peter was a very rich man, but he had no silver, no gold, no fine clothes and no jewels. He was rich because he knew Jesus as his King. These children were so very poor, but now they know how they can be truely rich. Silver and gold cannot buy love, hope, joy or peace. These gifts can grow in their hearts and change their lives forever.

Another very sweet thing happened in this place. after the show, Fabianna and I had a lovely conversation with a group of ladies who arrived as we were finishing the program. They were sad that they had missed so much. I told them that I would tell them a special story, a story that I had not told the children. I shared with them Mike´s testimony and how Jesus´ love filled us with lovefor another. As I talked one lady began to cry. Please pray for this group of ladies in Feidoria to put their trust in Jesus and find true love.

MARY NANGE´S STORY

In a very small village, we met a school teacher named Mary Nange. She led all of the children at the school to the shade of a big tree so that they could watch the program. Many of the children climbed up in the tree to watch as they listened to story of Zacheus. It was very funny!

Mary Nange listened to the entire program and when e prayed with the children, she also prayed. She came and told us, she was so excited! Her whole face was changed. She had tears in her eyes and was not even able to describe all that she was feeling. Both of her parents died when she was eight years old. She told us her story and she had had a very hard life. Her face showed the peace and love that had filled her heart. Please pray for her to grow strong in her new faith.

DIFFERENT AND FUNNY THINGS

1) Every night, we are in a different place. One night, I went into the bathroom and found a frog swimming in the toliet. I´m glad this only happened once.
2) Sara is very funny. One day, she said, ''I love guano.'' She meant to say guava.
3) One morning we had breakfast in a kitchen where a sheep was also a guest.
4) Cactus ice cream is delicious!
5) When you want people to smile for a photograph, you say, ''jeguel'' (jaggey). This is the word for donkey.
6) They sell a candy here that is especially sweet. It is called ''Bride´s Mattress''.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please ask the Father to call many children to Himself. Please pray for us as the days are very hot and the nights are very cold.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sara
Bio
Hannah
Gerson
Fabianna

Brazil, June 16th, 2088

2008-06-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,
WHAT CAN THE FATHER DO WITH A SINGLE PUPPET SHOW?

Two years ago, we were working with Fountain in the Desert, a ministry in the northeast of Brazil. They scheduled us in a school in a very rough area. Most of the women in the area made their living by prostitution. The children did not know who their fathers were. After we did the program at the school, the principal could see a change in the behavior of the children. He invited Pastor Neto to come teach the children about Jesus. From that puppet show, and the children who prayed to recieve Christ, a small church was born. The other night we went there and did a street show. About two hundred people sat in the street or stood and listened to the Gospel. Please continue to hold this place in your prayers. The children can live very different lives from the lives their mothers and fathers have lived. Jesus is their only hope!

SERRA DA RANCHARIA

We did a show on the top of a mountain. Many of the places we are visiting are described to us as forgotten places. This is one of those places, full of people that no one thinks about. The spiritualists are very strong there and it has not been possible to start a church. The adults simply will not come. However, the children are hungry to hear about Jesus. They have a weekly meeting and from that group, a church will grow. Many of the children prayed to receive Christ at the show. They were so eager to ask Jesus to be their Savior that they started praying before Fabiana could give them all the words in Portuguese. Many of the children arrived riding in the back of a large vegetable truck. Fabiana and Gerson rode home on top of our van so they could enjoy the spectacular view. Please pray for this place. It is very very dark and the people are desperately poor.

JOAO VICTOR, HUGO, NATAN, PAULO, GUILHERME, AND FRIENDS
This group of boys came to a puppet show we did in the street of a small town. Hundreds of people attended the show, many of them adults. They listened well, but none of them prayed to recieve Christ. After the show, a group of boys stood nearby, waiting, as though they wanted to talk to me. Gerson and I talked with them for a long time. Most of their fathers were alcoholics. One boy told us he was very sad because his uncle and cousin had died. We told them how Jesus could take away their sadness. We told them how God could be their Father. All of them stood in the street and prayed with us, asking Jesus to be their Savior. Praise God! We were told that they would not be allowed to come to the children´s Bible study that meets nearby because their fathers would not permit it. We introduced them to the lady that teaches the class and they all wanted to come. Please ask God to make a way for them to learn more about Him.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sara
Bio
Fabiana
Gerson
Hannah

Brazil, June 12th, 2008

2008-06-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

4 SHOWS

What an incredible day we have had sharing with children in rural areas across the northeast of Brazil. We did 4 shows, 2 at orphanages, one at a shelter, and the last was a combination of a public school with a street show. What did we see the Father do?
1) The director of one orphanage was so very grateful for our program. He repeatedly thanked us! Then, he said something that really touched my heart. He said, "We wait for more moments like these."
2) At all of the shows, so many children prayed out loud. calling on God to forgive them and Jesus to save them. We never suggested that they pray out loud, but hundreds chose to pray very loudly. They were so excited!
3) It is such a sweet privilege to tell orphans that there is a Father who wants to always be there for them. Today, some children seemed to lean forward in their seats, so hungry to hear about love.
4) All of us have enjoyed so many hugs and kisses and big smiles.
5) One man stopped his truck on the street and listened to the program.
6) Teachers thanked us for telling them and the children about Jesus.
7) Brazilians are very friendly. The Christians here share all that they have. Different pastors and missionaries prepare lunches and dinners for us as we travel. One man today sacrificed a large chicken so that we could enjoy a very special meal. Many of these brothers and sisters catch their water in a cistern, grow their own vegetables and live in very simple homes. Still, they give generously. Their example challenges me to live differently, to give sacrificially. I love these dear friends.

PRAYER REQUESTS
1) Please pray for 3 brothers whose mother died a month ago. We met them at a shelter tonight with their father. He was very drunk and caused problems during the puppet show. We all gathered around the family tonight and prayed.
The Bible says that we comfort with the comfort that we have been given, so I told the boys that I understood how it hurt to say goodbye to someone you love. They listened so intently and my heart ached for them. Please hold them before the throne.
2) We drive 4 hours, leaving at 5am tomorrow morning to reach our first show. Please pray for God to give our friend and driver Bio extra strength.
3) Praise God for Hannah and Sara. Through all of our delays ,missed meals and lost sleep, they have never complained. They are a real joy. Sara's testimony especially touched the orphans today as she buried both of her parents as a teenager. When she smiled and told the children that Jesus took away her loneliness, they listened. Thank God for Sara and Hannah's very sweet spirits.
4) Please pray for Fabianna and Gerson Simioni, our Brazilian directors, who are working extra hard. They are a sweet blessing.

In Jesus, Linda for Hannah, Sara, Bio, Fabianna, and Gerson.

Brazil, June 12th, 2008

2008-06-12T05:03:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Finally, we are in Brazil ! Thank you for praying us safely here! We landed in Sao Paulo and drove 2 hours to Campinas. Traffic was terrible! Fabianna and Gerson´s family greeted us with a wonderful meal and so much love. Truly, we have family in this place! We quickly unpacked 9 suitcases and repacked for our flight to the Northeast. Within hours, we had driven back to the airport and were on another plane here. Because of the weather delay that caused us to miss our flight to Brazil, we missed 3 scheduled puppet shows and a training session here in Receife. People cried when they heard that we were not coming. They were so hungry to receive training so that they could better teach their children about Jesus.

At the airport tonight, 3 friends waited for us at 1:15 in the morning! They hugged us and made us feel more wecome than I have words to describe.

The Father used our delay and gave us many opportunities to speak to people in Chicago about Jesus Christ. Please forgive me, but I will tell you these stories tomorrow. We have been traveling for 3 days and must get up in 3 hours to go and do a show. Please hold us in your prayers!

In Jesus,Linda for the team

Brazil, June 10th, 2008

2008-06-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The team were unable to get the earlier flight to Brazil.

They now arrive in Brazil Wednesday morning at 10.05 AM.

The airline is putting the team up in a nice hotel in Chicago tonight, has given them meal vouchers and is sending them to the hotel in a taxi. The airline is required to do none of this, when people miss their flights due to the weather. This will be such a blessing to them after a busy day, with all these problems to deal with.

Pray for the lady they were able to share with at the airline desk, who was amazed at how patient they were as she arranged their, flights, hotel, taxi and food for them.

Pray for the Brazilian puppet directors as they change their flights to the North East on Tuesday, that it would not be to expensive.

In Jesus,

Sam Shaw in Ireland, for the team stuck in Chicago, USA.

Brazil June 9th, 2008 Urgent Prayer Request!!!!

2008-06-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The Team Is Stranded!!!

The team is stranded in Chicago, their flight from Atlanta was delayed a number of hours, and this led to them missing their connection to Sao Paulo.

Please pray that they would be able to get on a flight to Sao Paulo as soon as possible.

It is possible that the airline could get them on a flight where they would arrive at 5PM on Tuesday. They would have to re pack at the airport in Sao Paulo for a flight to Recife and the North East. The other option will have them arriving at 10. 05 AM on Wednesday, they will then have to change their flights to the North East.

This is Sam Shaw in Ireland writing for the team, again please pray that they would get the earliest possible flight to Brazil. With little or no cost would be better to the team.

In Jesus,

Sam for Linda and the team

Brazil Saturday, May 7, 2008

2008-06-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Brazil

On Monday, we are leaving for Brazil. Please hold us in your prayers. We are working with Gerson and Fabianna Simoni, two of the most committed puppet directors that we have. They have endless enthusiasm for reaching the children with the Gospel. They are like family to me, and I am very excited about going to Brazil and working with them.

Last year they sent me a note at Christmas and I loved what they wrote. “We are very happy sharing Christ’s love through our ministry Agape Brazil with thousands of people.” Their joy is contagious.

I will also be traveling with two Americans, Sara Wilson and Hannah Sager. These two young women have been a great blessing in my life and I know that they will bless thousands and thousands of children in Brazil.

We will return home June 30, so please be faithful in your prayers. We are targeting children in some very poor places where there is little knowledge of how Jesus Christ can give people hope and peace.

Russian Puppet Shows

We finished our time in Russia doing puppet shows in some incredible places. The Monday before we came home, we found ourselves in a Tatar village doing a program in a public school. We were so blessed that God would give us this sweet privilege. The principal was so excited and smiled throughout the entire program. The children loved everything they saw and heard. Remember, we were in a Muslim village and our entire program talks about Jesus Christ. Only God could do something this amazing!

The next day, we visited an orphanage for mentally and physically handicapped children. It was much like many of the orphanages that we have visited in Eastern Europe. The children were not wearing very good clothes, the place smelled terrible, and they seemed very sad. No one was really smiling when they came in to the program, but they were all smiling when they left. Many of the children had very severe birth defects. One little girl’s eyes were almost on the side of her face. Many of the children struggled to walk and some of them came in wheelchairs. When these children were born, it was the attitude of the government to encourage parents to give up their children to the orphanage. Most had never known a mother’s love or a father’s hugs. It is heart breaking to stand in such a place. If not for the reality of the Father’s love and the sacrifice of the Son, we would have nothing to comfort these children with.

Our next show was with children who were very healthy and financially comfortable compared to most children that we met in Tatarstan. They thought that they were very cool and did not want to listen to the puppet show. However, God can call these children to faith and touch their hearts just like the children in the orphanage. Many of them even came up after the show and thanked us. They seemed surprised that they had had such a good time.

Russian Puppet Teams

While in Tatarstan, we trained and equipped two puppet teams, one in Chelney and one in Kazan. We only had one set of puppet equipment with us, but we found a team who already had a stage, curtains and a sound system. They also had some puppets but desperately needed more puppet equipment and story telling supplies. Through the kindness of a northern businessman and a missionary to South America, God provided all of the funds to buy everything they needed. We are very grateful to Lake Pointe Church in Texas for carrying all of this equipment to our friends in Russia. They gave up some of their own space so that we could get this equipment to them in time for their summer ministry.

Please pray for these two new teams as they were very excited when we left and were making many plans. Ask God to give them wisdom and enthusiasm.

What do I do when I am home?
Between Russia and Brazil, we have been blessed.
1.The USA team practiced for a recording session for the Great Storyteller website that we are working on. Then, we had a great filming session for several hours one Sunday afternoon. However, we will not be able to use the material, because a thief stole our friend’s camera. Please pray for the thief to come to faith in Christ! He stole many things from our friend, but the camera was loaded with Gospel presentations. We would love to see him come to Jesus!
2.We did 2 puppet shows at churches and saw some children put their trust in Jesus. Praise God!
3.I was given the opportunity to share about what we do with an Optimist club. You can call and schedule a similar opportunity.
4.We spent one whole day packing for Brazil and more days than I can count gathering supplies.
5.We made some new puppets and worked on the summer schedule, along with several other projects. We also developed a puppet brochure that you can request and use to share with people about the work with the children. Yes, we are tired, but happy!

Again, please pray for our trip to Brazil and remember to pray for all of our friends in Tatarstan.

Love in Jesus,

Linda

Tartarstan May 13th, 2008

2008-06-03T15:19:00.001-07:00

Dearest Friends,

We are on our way home. We have had a fantastic time and seen God do many amazing things. Praise God!

Please hold us in your prayers as we travel home.

In Jesus,

Linda for the team

Tartarstan May 12th, 2008

2008-06-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Madina’s Story

Madina is Uzbek. She sits on the bridge every morning waiting for someone to see her. God drew my eyes to her as we walked to a breakfast meeting with out friend Misha, a Pastor. I looked at her, prayed for her, and continued to stare back at her as we walked away. Her small child was stretched across her lap. She stared into my eyes and I felt her pain. Honestly, we see many beggars as we travel, but I knew the Father was speaking to us about this lady.

After breakfast, we went to the grocery store and bought bread, cheese, fruit, sliced meat… other simple foods. Then, we sent our Ukrainian friends and Tatar friend to give her the food and tell her about Jesus. She was overwhelmed. She said, “No one every stops. No one ever took care of me like this.” She promised to pray to Allah for us.

Our friend Oleg told us that “you could feel her gratitude pouring out of her.” Sam, Silvana and I watched from a distance because we thought that since she spoke Russian, it would be easier for her to talk with them.

Before they took the gift, Oksana and I talked, planning how to share with her. Oksana was very wise and loving as she told her that God sees her. He knows her needs! She explained that we were Christians and that God wanted to give her more than bread. God wanted her to know that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be her Savior.

Please pray for Madina to come to faith. We are arranging for different Christian friends to visit her. I expect to see her in heaven someday! Please… let each of us remember Madina’s story and ask the Father to give us His eyes. I wonder who I am walking past each day.

Blessings, Legends, and Facts

1. At another church show, we were allowed to pray and heard the children calling on Jesus to save them.

2. There are phone numbers written as graffiti on the walls of the apartment buildings around us. The word “sex” is beside the number. This is a common way for prostitutes to advertise. Prostitution is a big problem here, resulting in so many broken lives. Abortion is used in many parts of Russia as birth control. Only Jesus can heal all of these broken hearts. Pray for Kazan! Pray for Russia!

3. We visited and orphanage outside the city and shared with their children. To everyone’s surprise, most of the workers came and listened to the Gospel. This orphanage was like so many others that we have been in through the years. It smelled, the children were not cared for well, and many of the workers never smiled. These children’s lives will change if Jesus changes the workers hearts. Please pray for this place!

4. The Tatar homes are beautifully crafted of logs, but receive no paint. Only the windows are painted, either blue or green, and beautifully decorated.

5. Tatar Christian’s are sometimes arrested as they go door to door sharing Christ. Legally, it is permitted, but the law is not always respected. They are released after a few hours or days.

6. Sunday morning, we did a street show in the worst area for gangs in the city. A huge crowd filled the playground and more people listened from their windows or from a safe distance. After the show, many adults thanked me for what had been done for their children. How sweet to be thanked by Muslims when you tell them about Jesus Christ and their need for Him!

7. We played tourist one afternoon after we finished our shows. We saw the Kremlin, the seat of power for Tatarstan. In side its walls is the only Mosque in a Kremlin in Russia.

8. In Russian, a babushka is a grandmother. After our visit to the Kremlin, we went to an amusement park. For only a few Rubles (Russian money), we rode a giant Ferris wheel that gave us and amazing view of Kazan and the Volga river. We also enjoyed a roller coaster, a giant swing ride that made me feel very green, and ice cream and popcorn. I was 30 years older than anyone else I saw at the park. Oleg laughed because people saw me and were pointing at me in shock. I had a wonderful time! It was Mother’s day and I was sad to be without Josh, Teressa, Jill, Matt and all the grandchildren. However, it was very sweet to be with friends that love me and treat me like family! Oleg and Oksana even brought me a beautiful yellow and pink rose. The Father is so kind to me!

9. There is a legend told here about a tower inside the Kremlin walls. So many, many years ago, Ivan the Terrible besieged this fortress and conquered it. He demanded that a certain Tatar Princess marry him. She agreed conditional that in 7 days, he build a 7 story tower for her, to prove his sincerity. The tower was finished and she climbed to the top. Determined not to marry Ivan, she jumped to her death. This is a very famous Tatar legend.

Prayer Requests

Only 1 day remains here for us to share with the children and finish training the Kazan team. Please ask the Father to bless these last hours with a great outpouring of His Spirit.

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Simioni Shaw
Oksana
Masha
Oleg

Tartarstan, May 10th, 2008

2008-06-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Two Puppet Teams

None of us can believe the Father’s blessing to us! We brought 1 set of equipment to equip a team here in Kazan. God opened a door for us to meet with friends in Chelny who already had a stage, sound system and a few puppets. They were already focused on sharing with children.

We met with them 2 nights to give them training and they were so excited at what they were learning that they begged us for a third night of training. Several of the ladies have committed to me that they are going to tell Bible stories they way we do to the children.

They desperately need story telling supplies, balloons, and some more puppets. These friends are willing to stand in the darkest places to reach Muslim children with the hope that only Jesus brings. Some American friends are coming to visit them in June and can deliver this equipment.

If you are interested in equipping this second team with the few things that they need so that we will have a second puppet team in a Muslim nation, please respond to this email.

Dima and Albinia’s Story

Dima is a very sweet young man whose Tatar family served us dinner one night. More, even though he is not a believer, he used his own vehicle to take us to shows. All of us were so excited when Dima actually came inside the orphanage to watch the program.

More, Dima’s fiancée Albina came with him. She has the most beautiful baby girl and he wants to marry her and be a father to her daughter. She has known so much hurt in her life. Her eyes tell you more than she speaks. A man broke a bottle, attacked her and her friend, and left her with terrible scars across her chest and arm. Still, she has a quick smile.

Dima searches for his answers to life’s questions in the study of numbers, numerology. He is hungry to find the truth that he does not realize is Jesus offers. I had some incredible conversations with him thanks to Oksana’s translation. He paid us the greatest compliment that someone who is not a Christian can offer. After spending a lot of time with us he said, “If church were full of people like these people, I would want to go to church.” Praise God!

Lydia’s Thank You and Victory Day

A beautiful dark haired little girl came to a puppet show. She wanted to thank me after the program. She took of her necklace; two hearts cared as one on a string of hematite beads and gave it to me. A child’s thank you is so precious I was brought to tears by her generosity.

In truth, we all received so many thank you’s from the children. They lined up to hug me, she my hand, or just say thank you. Monday was Victory Day in Russia, a day set aside to celebrate the end of World War 2. Many children, their parents, and visitors came to the show that day. There were Muslims and Russian Orthodox friends present. We kept adding more chairs. This show was at a church, so we had complete freedom to share and could pray with the children. I heard some praying in soft whispers. Praise God!

Just For Fun

1. One of my favorite flowers is snapdragon. Here, they are called lions maws.
2. The Tatar hat is round with beautiful stitching and bead work. We saw a 10 plus story building here topped with one.
3. I was asked by several young people from the church that we worked with why I copied Mary Pippins dress style. I smiled and said that she was copying me! They all suggested that I buy an umbrella and a hat.
4. Shopping in a grocery store when you cant read a single word of Russian is a great adventure.
5. Riding on buses gives you a chance to see a lot of people. Almost everyone sits, stares and looks so terribly unhappy. I have been praying for a lot of people who appear so broken, so without any hope or joy.
6. When you know a little bit of Russian, you can really get yourself in trouble. Our driver tapped himself on the chest and said, “Remeshok.” I thought that he was telling me his name, but it was not. I replied, “Priviet Remeshok.” I actually said, “Hello seatbelt.” He just wanted me to buckle up. My friends are still laughing at my mistake!

Hospitality

When I travel, I usually stay with families. We all enjoy getting to know people better over meals that we share. In Kazan, we are sharing a students apartment. He is a Tatar, loves Jesus, and has been so kind to us. Please ask the Father to bless him in return for his kindness.

In Chelny, three of us stayed with one of the sweetest ladies that I have ever met. She was a great grandmother, 67 years old, and slept on the floor so that I could have a bed. Though I begged that she would let me sleep there, she refused. I asked myself a question, when have I ever tried so hard to put others needs before my own?

Her home is very small, a 3 room apartment. Outside her door, the hallway is like all apartments here. It is so dirty and it smells, but as soon as you open her door, you are in a clean, bright place, full of love. If you want cold water anywhere in the house, you must go to the back of the toilet and turn it on. Then, it pours into the sink non-stop. Her life is difficult as I look at it, but she has the kindest spirit and often has people stay with her. She uses all that she has to be a blessing!

English Class

I am always looking for every opportunity to talk to someone about Jesus. While Sam was teaching 1 night, I met with an English class. None were believers. By tradition, they were Muslim and Russian Orthodox. Before I left to speak to them, we all prayed.

God answered our prayers with and outpouring of His Spirit. I shared my story of God’s revealed love in my life and they responded with the best questions. Several of the students came to the Victory Day puppet show the next day where they heard even more about Jesus Christ. Some were moved to tears and some brought gifts.

Please pray for the students of this English class. God knows their names. The teacher was so excited by their questions. Please pray for her to have wisdom and loves as she tells them more about Jesus!

Prayer Requests

We have only 3 days left! Please focus your prayers on this remaining time. We want to see Jesus do big things in Tatarstan!

Photos are online at: Russia May 2008

In Jesus,

Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Oksana Pyvovar
Masha
Oleg

Tartarstan May 9th, 2008

2008-06-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Dearest friends!

WOW!

Yesterday morning, I asked the Lord to do something that was beyond my imagination. Let me tell you how He answered. Our friends here had been before to a place we visited. They were not permitted to see but a few of children, only the ones who did not speak Russian. More, it was the children nap time and they were told that they could only speak to those who were awake. Everyone was asleep. Clearly, they were not wanted.

However, yesterday God gave us all of the children, their teachers, and their mothers! We were very careful with the sound effects we used because many children were mentally handicapped and loud sound frightened them. They loved the program and everyone laughed even better they listened. We told them about Jesus Christ and how they could know Him. When we finished, the teachers presented us with an official thank you letter! It was addressed to The Agape Puppet Charity. Becoming a non profit (a charity) has been a very wise decision, especially for this place. I am constantly asked if I am from a church. Remember that all this of people are Muslim, either nominal (by tradition) or observant (practice). Protestants are seeing as a cult that is to be feared, ignored, or ____________. It was such a wonder that all of this people were so happy hearing about Jesus death on the cross and how He rose from the dead so that we could be forgiven. It was also very good that we could t!
ell them that we are from an American non profit (a charity).

Many of the adults were touched by the Bible stories and testimonies that they heard. One lady said in broke English, “so sweet. I wanted to cry.” The gospel is so sweet! Wow! God gave us a great answer to my prayer.

Each day is more amazing than the day before. We went to a special school for handicapped children. Some had minor learning disabilities, others had a cerebral palsy, some were in wheelchairs and many struggle to walk. Sam and I have been in so many of these places across the old Soviet Union, but we have never seen one like this orphanage. It smelled nice, no one seemed to be afraid, the teachers and workers really cared about children, and all of the children had good, clean clothes. All were nominal Muslims.

Always we see God’s hands in ours steps. As many of you know, my right leg bothers me when I walk, a lot and it was bothering me. While the rest of the team toured the building, I sat in the auditorium and waited. Children began to come for the program and we talked. I used every Russian word that I had; they used all of their English words. I drew pictures for them, took their pictures and let them see themselves. We laughed together and became friends.

The teachers watched me and seemed to appreciate my effort even if my Russian is not so good. So, by the time program started, everyone was ready to listen. God poured His spirit on the show. Afterwards, the children thanked us by singing. They sang a song that broke my heart. They sang a song about the beauty of a mother’s love and they live in an orphanage. Most have parents and are able to go home on the weekend.

The teachers and the director stayed after the program. They were amazed at all of our testimonies. They kept looking for a way to dismiss the truth about Jesus that we were sharing. By God’s grace He gave us the answers that they craved. All of them had tears in their eyes. Pray for these Muslims ladies to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Pray for our last day in Chelny.

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Simioni Shaw
Oksana
Masha
Oleg

Tartarstan, May 6th, 2008

2008-05-07T05:02:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

We are so blessed! Who has the sweet privilege of sharing Jesus Christ in a Muslim nation. Because you pray and by God's grace, this is our testimony. Let me share with you some blessings.

1. We were in a Tatar village and God provided someone who could translate from English into Tatar. Then the children could understand the stories about Jesus.

2. Sam, Silvana and I are so blessed by one of our Ukrainian puppet teams that is working with us. Masha, Oleg, and Oksana spent the night in the Kiev train station and then traveled 2 days by train to reach us. They saved the money for this trip and paid for their own mission trip. This effort represents great personal sacrifice. So we are a team from 4 different nations. We laugh allot and often confuse each other, but we are having so much fun!

3. After one show, I spoke with 4 widows. They had sat and stood for an hour, listening to the puppet show! We made all of the children balloons and we made each of the ladies a special flower balloon. They were very pleased and happy to listen to me talk with them while they waited for their balloons.

I told them about the great love story that the Father gave Mike and I. The love a Christian man can show his wife is very different from their own experiences. It was precious to share with them about Jesus. One lady was very touched by what she heard. My hands were very dirty from drawing pictures. She grabbed my dirty hands and began to kiss them, telling me how grateful she was for the stories she had heard.

4. One little girl had made a sign that she held up during different parts of the puppet show. It was written in beautiful English and beautifully decorated. It said, "Very Good". Her sign made all of us smile!

5. Earlier today, we set up our equipment in a large culture hall. These places were built to teach people about communism, that there is no God. Today, that auditorium was filled with public school children who heard about the one true God. It was a very special show. All of us could feel a great out pouring of Gods spirit on the children. Many of the teachers came to us and thanked us. They were excited! Praise God!

Prayer Requests

We have traveled deeper into Tatarstan and need your constant prayers for protection and wisdom.

Thank you!

In Jesus,

Linda for
Samuel Shaw - Assitant Director
Silvana Simioni Shaw
Oksana
Masha
Oleg

Russia, May 5th, 2008

2008-05-07T05:01:00.001-07:00

Dearest Friends,

A TATAR VILLAGE SCHOOL

We are having the most encredible opportunities. Today come we drove about 80 kilometers to reach a village school. For quite a dustanse we followed behind the manure truck. The man who was driving for us said that he had grown up in a farm so he did not mind the smel. He said it made him think of home. The rest of us were praying to pass the truck.

The director and his wife gave us a very warm welcome. They knew that we were christians and we had been very honest in telling them that we would talk about Jesus Christ, God touched their hearts. Even thought they were Muslims, they were happy to have us come to the school, they prepared tea and lunch for us, they even gave us a Tatar hat to use in our program. These children were hearing about the good news of the Gospel for the first time. This place was very far from a major city and required traveling some poor roads. Please pray for these children to think about the story they heard today. We told them how they could invite Jesus to be their Savior. Please ask God to call these children to faith tonight.

Food

Schuk Schuck is a favourite Tatar food. It reminds me of rice crispy squares that i ate as a little girl only better. It is noodles that are stuck together with lots of honey and is a special treat.

The first day that we were here, some little boys told me to be sure and eat Ish bish muck. It is a pastry stuffed with meat, onions and potatoes. The boys said it was delicious and they told the truth!

Training the New Puppet Team

Tonight was our first opportunity to meet with our Tatar friends that will become the new puppet team in Kazan. They were very enthusiastic and were willing to try everything. We will meet again next Monday. Please pray for these friends and ask God to give them a great desire to do this work. One young man, came up to me after the teaching and was really wanting to learn more about storytelling. However he will be out of town next week and unable to attend the class. He was so desperate to learn that we agreed to give him a special class over the weekend. I am very excited about how interested everyone is in learning these skills.

Prayer Requests

Tomorrow we are leaving for another city and will make stops along the way doing puppet shows. Our driver for this part of the trip is the director of childrens ministries for summer camps. This will be a great opportunity to work with him and also learn from him. Please pray for us as we are traveling. This is a Muslim country and we have already been told that if we were staying here for a long period of time that we could not do what we are doing. We are attracting allot of attention and we need you to pray that we would be able to finish our work without any outside interference.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Oksana
Masha
Oleg

Kazan, Russia May 4th, 2008

2008-05-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Russia or Tatarstan

We are in Russia! However, no one here will tell you that you are in Russia. They are very proud of their regional history and are quick to tell you that we are in Tatarstan. This is a Muslim state with very few Christians. If you are Protestant, you are often looked at with questioning eyes. Most people think you are members of a cult.

We are staying in an apartment owned by a Bible College. I can look out the window at an endless sea of 12 story buildings. Most look identical, with little external or internal differences. They are all in various stages of decay. The apartment buildings are the same across the old Soviet Union. We have worked in numerous countries that were part of the Old Union and everywhere, it is the same. You get the feeling that decades ago someone paid an architect to design the first one and they simply kept building it again and again.

There are 1 and a half million people in this city, Kazan.

Worship

Sunday morning was not what we had planned or what we had expected. We were scheduled in 2 churches, but they cancelled because most people in their congregations had to be at school or work. They told us that such a situation happens once or twice a year at special holidays. A third Pastor invited us to come and worship with him.

It was so amazing to be sitting in a Muslim country and worshipping with brothers and sisters. They sang “Shine, Jesus shine”. Our prayer is that He would flood this place with His light. Please pray for wisdom as we must be careful not to attract the wrong kind of attention, but still share Jesus with the children.

Two Street Shows

We never expected to have such a sweet privilege. Our very first day, we did two shows outside on the courtyard that sits in the center of multiple apartment buildings. Children, teenagers, and adults came. Most were Muslims, but they eagerly listened to the Gospel. We also had many conversations with children and even older adults after the show. Even more people stood at what they judged a safe distance and listened. Please pray for all those who came. God knows their names. Please ask Him to call them to faith.

So many of those listening were hearing about Jesus Christ as the only son, of the one true God. The fact that they listened was a wonderful gift from the father. We were threatened at one location, but in the end, they did not call the police. Praise God!

Prayer Requests!

Please pray for Kazan. The Tatars are a dear people. There is so little light in this city and so few believers. Please stay on your knees!

Tomorrow, we are going to a village and we have a training session planned. We are so excited!

We have a very special praise report. We passed through customs with all of our luggage without anyone opening any of the suitcases. This was a miracle! We were stopped and asked if we intended to bring all of our luggage home with us. I prayed for wisdom and the Lord give us a very funny answer I began to explain to them how I liked my suitcase's and I really hoped I could put the smaller ones inside the bigger ones. They were of course really asking me if I intended to give away all the things that I had inside so, I just kept talking to them about how much I loved my suitcases. God was very kind to us; they became so frustrated with my explanations and told us to go.

In Jesus,

Linda Summer – Director
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Simioni Shaw
Oksana
Masha
Oleg

To Russia with (AGAPE) Love

2008-05-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Thursday, May 1st, I am leaving for Russia. I will meet Sam and Silvanna Shaw in Frankfurt and then we will travel to Kazan, 500 miles east of Moscow. It is the capital of old Tartarstan, a Muslim area. Three Ukrainian friends are traveling 3 days on a Russian train to join us, do puppets, and help with translation. Please pray for all of us as we travel!

As always, I am concerned about the luggage arriving with us and without damage. Please pray that we will have no difficulties in customs.

Begin to pray for the children and ask the Father to call many to Himself! Ever since I was a very little girl, I have prayed for the people of Russia. To me, this trip is a privilege that I never imagined that I would have! I am really excited!

Please stay on your knees!

In Jesus,
Linda for the team
Kazan, Russia Google Maps

Cameroon, Africa April 24th, 2008 Final Report

2008-04-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

AN AMAZING TIME IN CAMEROON!

This was a very special trip! In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined some of the incredible things that we saw God do in Africa. We shared the love of Jesus with thousands and thousands of children and heard thousands praying in soft whispers or out loud. Many prayed quietly and told us afterwards that they prayed either verbally or by raising their hands.
This is a sweet sight to see! To be honest, I do not usually ask for this kind of response because I’m never sure if it’s culturally correct. Our Cameroon partner, Silas, did this and that is why we were blessed to know how many responded. The children were very shy and this response was a big step for them. Please pray for them to grow strong in their new faith! Their love for Jesus can change Cameroon! More, we found ourselves standing in places that sounded like some great old missionary adventure like the books I read as a child. We stood where witch doctors (jujus) stood and shared Jesus. Tribal chiefs (fons) invited us into their palaces. We saw children walk four miles to come to a puppet show. God opened doors for us to share in Muslim areas and He sent us huge crowds. More, they listened! Adults and children of all faiths trusted in Jesus. They told us!
Doors opened to private, public and Catholic schools. Children thanked us. Priests thanked us. Muslims thanked us. They all were grateful for the program. Chiefs gave us gifts. Not only were we thanked with encouraging words, we received a goat, two live roosters, and a bag of potatoes.
God blessed us with a wonderful new team. Silas, Mary and Humphrey will do a great job for the kingdom leading this new team. Please pray for others that the Lord will call to join with them in this very important work. Pray especially for transportation to and from shows!
Because you prayed, God touched the hearts of a dear couple that provided the funds to supply forty-six schools with children’s Bible storybooks. Now, the children in these Northwestern schools will grow up with our Father’s stories. Because of their generosity we were also able to provide a young pastor in the Northwest – not with the ten Bibles he requested – but with forty so he could teach three youth Bible studies. When we return there in two years, we hope to start a new puppet team choosing team members from this group.
We are forever changed by our time in Cameroon and so excited to see what God will do in Kazan, Russia. We leave on May 1st for another great adventure in following Jesus that requires your faithful prayers!

ONE INCREDIBLE BUNCH OF FRIENDS

This was an extremely rough trip for me physically, but God, the amazing puppet team (Sam, Silvana and Heather) and our Cameroon friends (Silas, Mary and Humphrey) took such precious care of me. They gave me their strength so that I could be strong for the children. I am so humbled by their gifts. On the way home, the Father blessed me through a Swiss Air employee. We always fly economy and arrive coming or going quite tired. When we arrived at the airport in Doula, they put me in business class. On very short flights, I have been upgraded but never on a long flight. I had so much leg room and my legs didn’t swell as they usually do. More, the food was perfect for a diabetic diet. And I slept great! The team said that I looked so well rested when I reached Zurich that they were shocked at the difference. Again, coming to Atlanta, I was blessed as no one sat beside me and I had two seats to stretch out and enjoy. I came home so rested! Thank you Father!

INTERESTING STORIES, BLESSINGS, AND FUNNY THINGS

1.) On the flight from Africa, I sat beside a man from Croatia who lives in the Hungarian speaking part of Slovakia but works on an oil rig off the coast of Africa. His English was broken, but I was able to share with him about Jesus. His response warmed my heart. He said, “I know I have never heard anyone speak like you. It is so wonderful. I must tell you I like it.” Please pray for him to come to faith. Ask God to send others to him to finish sharing Jesus with this hungry soul. I knew he was listening because at one point he told me that he collected airline silverware. He stole it! Then he laughed a nervous laugh and said, “Oh, I should not steal sitting by you. I will ask if I can steal it.” He did! The flight attendant brought it to him wrapped in a linen napkin. You can have anything you want in business class! (Hee hee) For over thirty-three years he has worked oil rigs all over the world, but he never remembers hearing the Gospel. Please, please !
pray for him.
2.) You may be wondering what happened to the chief’s roosters. On our last day in Cameroon, we ate them. Silas cooked them and they were delicious!
3.) What happened to the goat? Normally people give a male goat as a gift but it turned out that the chief gave us a much more valuable female goat to show us his true gratitude. A female goat is not to be eaten because it increases the wealth of the person who owns it because you can have offspring. The goat is happily living in the Northwest and Silas promises to cook some of its offspring for us on our next trip.
4.) People in Cameroon eat hippo, monkey, and rat. The rats are fourteen to fifteen pounds and we saw them hanging on sticks for sale on the side of the road. One of our friends described them this way: “The rats here are so big that they say, ‘Here, kitty, kitty.’” Snake is considered a real treat! And expensive!
5.) Clumps of grass in the road tell you to slow down; there is a problem ahead or an accident. They cut clumps of grass to warn drivers because they don’t have emergency markers.
6.) Everyone must always carry their identity papers or they risk going to jail. All of the passengers must also provide their documents, not just the driver.
7.) All of the chicken that we ate in the villages was very tough and sometimes raw in places. Only as we were leaving did we find out that this is the way they like it and they wanted to really bless us with “good” chicken.
8.) There are alot of bugs in Africa. I took showers with roaches that were 2 to 3 inches long. I confess that I love these trips and the incredible places that the Father allows us to share, but I found out that I do not like centipedes. At least, when you have to share your room with 24 of them. When I told one missionary who was from Central African Republic this embarassing truth, she told me about the monster centipedes that they have there. Sometimes, you just need perspective to appreciate the bugs you have.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Our plans are to leave May 1st for Kazan, Russia. I have very few days at home because of an opportunity that opened for us at this particular time. Please ask God to make Sam, Silvana and me well rested for this next trip. Please ask the Father to give us wisdom and clear minds as we have many details to sort before we leave.

In Jesus,

Linda for Sam, Silvana, Anna and Heather

Cameroon, Africa April 21st, 2008

2008-04-22T11:33:00.001-07:00

Cameroon and Home.

Dearest Friends,

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday night, we leave for home. We will actually begin our journey early in the day as we have a four-hour drive to the airport with many checkpoints. As I write you these words, we have just finished our last show in Africa. Yesterday and today, we saw so many children trust in Jesus! Praise God!

More, we feel very good about our new team. The 3 main members, Silas, Humphrey, and Mary have traveled with us all over the country. Much training has happened as we traveled. Please pray for these dear friends. They hope to do their first show within the next month.

Please pray for Cameroon. A day to mourn the death of democracy was called for today. However, so far, no one has responded. People are concerned about riots. Please pray for peace, not just for today, but keep praying for all the brothers and sisters you have here. These dear children and friends need our continued prayer support.

Customs here can sometimes be difficult. Just pray as we go to the airport. Please cover the new team and us with your prayers! Rejoice in all the Father has done in Cameroon!!!

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine
Heather Kelley

Cameroon, Africa April 19th, 2008

2008-04-19T18:29:00.002-07:00

Please disregard the last of our newsletters dated April 17 and 19 as it was sent in error. The latest news is given below. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks again for your support in prayer, which we really value!

April 18th 2008

Dearest Friends,

OUR LAST DAY

Our last day in the Northwest was an answer to prayer. We asked the Father to make it special because all of us are sad at the thought of leaving these wonderful children. He is so faithful! Our first program was in an all-Muslim area, but we had received special permission from the government to be in the public schools. Isn’t that awesome?

Children from 5 schools, public, Christian, and Muslim gathered in a big field. The teachers came too. Though we were not able to pray with the children, we did teach them how to pray and call on Jesus to save them. Many of the children walked a good distance, but no one seemed to mind.

WHAT WE SEE

The grandeur of God’s creation surrounds us. This is a beautiful place! There are no tourists in Cameroon because they lack a developed infrastructure. The things that travelers demand do not exist here, but the views are spectacular. We passed a tea plantation full of workers very early as we were going to the morning show. Eucalyptus trees grow everywhere.

The schools are scattered along winding dirt roads and usually have dirt floors. They have precious few supplies and not many books. We have been with thousands and thousands of children, but not a one has had glasses. It’s not that they don’t need them. They are not available.

Many children in rural areas walk up to 3 miles each way to school. Some walk even further. Many children that we see are wearing torn, dirty clothing. Others have birth defects that would have been treated in the West. Here, they endure.

MARY’S FATHER’S CHURCH

Mary’s father loved the Lord and planted two churches in the Muslim area that we worked in on our last day in the Northwest. A Muslim man even donated the land where the church is built. In this area, so many children, mostly Muslim, gathered in a field, sitting in tall grass. They listened to a story about the miracles of Jesus Christ and heard testimonies of changed lives. Then we made balloons for everyone. A large group of men patiently waited so that they could also have a flying mouse balloon. Everyone left very happy.

April 19th, 2008

DJOKO BORIS AND BRANDON

Djoko Boris and Brandon are 2 little boys, about 11 years old, and best friends. Today, they became brothers in Christ. At an outside puppet show, just before a storm, they asked Jesus to be their Savior. Then they came up to thank me.

THE FACE OF AIDS

In the North West, we met Mymona, a grandmother who is raising her grandchildren. Both of her daughters and their husbands are dead from AIDS. This is a common story as so many die daily here. This place is full of orphans.

BLESSINGS

Today, we smiled as we did a show on the steps of a large church. When the children heard that Jesus healed the blind man, they all clapped. It is a good thing to be like a small child!

Today, we received a texted thank you from the Catholic priest in Ndu. He was very grateful for the puppet show we did where hundreds attended. We told all the children how they could trust Jesus and prayed with them.

BACK IN YAOUNDE – PRAYER REQUESTS

We returned safely from the North West and we appreciate your prayers. While we were in the villages, the President of Cameroon declared himself President for life, changing the constitution. The government is renowned for its corruption and trouble was expected. To stop the potential for riots, more armed checkpoints were established. Consider that we passed through 36 stops on our way to Ndu and there were many more stops on our return to Yaounde. All were armed.

We are scheduled to leave Cameroon at 10 pm Tuesday night, but must travel 4 hours across the country to reach Douala. More, we must finish training our new team. Please pray for us. There is much to do. Also it is extremely hot here and we are all very tired. Because we are back in the city, there is a lot of pollution. Ask the Father to give us strength and wisdom for the days that remain.

In Jesus,
Linda Summer for
Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana S. Shaw
Anna McIlwaine - French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mary Nfor, Humphrey Nformi – Cameroonian Directors

Cameroon, Africa April 17th, 2008

2008-04-19T18:29:00.001-07:00

Dearest Friends,

A FIELD OF CHILDREN

Children from three schools gathered for an early morning program. As our friend Mary said, “Their number was uncountable.” They were so excited and full of joy as they delighted in every part of the program. When we finished, even the teachers were excited! As we left, they lined the sides of the road as they walked back to school. The children laughed, smiled, and waved. We are rich!

JONAH’S STORY

Sam told the children the story of Jonah at a place called Jirt. His story held them spellbound. They responded to the story with the same enthusiasm that they had greeted us with when we arrived. Two schools were waiting for us in a large church. A roar escaped the building as we arrived.

It was quite a trip to get to this place. All of the roads that we are traveling on are dug out by hand and rougher than you can imagine. We hugged the side of a mountain as we drove into a deep valley. Farms crawled up its sides. The view was spectacular, but the children’s smiles were the best part of the afternoon. Dozens and dozens of children trusted in Jesus. Praise God!

PURE JOY

At the second and fourth program we experienced pure joy. The children had waited fro us to come all day. They were so excited with every single ting we did. Best of all, they prayed by the hundreds. Each day is such a display of God’s Holy Spirit moving among the children. I can never express to you the joy and wonder that is ours. Please stay on your knees! Tomorrow, Friday is our 12 hour drive home. You would not believe the roads. Pray for “walka fine” which is pigeon English and it means safe journey.

MIKE

It’s been over 2 ½ years since Mike went home. Perhaps, you think it odd that I still miss him desperately, but I don’t. I loved him and prayed for him for over 34 years. His loss does not cripple me, but it has birthed in me a deep tenderness that I never though possible. Mike always had a greater compassion then I possessed. All this pain has been used by our Father to grow my heart. IN spite of everything and through everything, I am so grateful.

When I stand in front of the children and look into their eyes, I see such deep need and pain. I pray the Father lets Mike glimpse what I see. These children are worth whatever price we must pay, with our bodies and our finances, to tell them about Jesus who is their only hope. He is my only hope!

Sunday morning, I shared part of In Jesus, my story and encouraged wives to love their husbands and husbands to love their wives. I encourage you as you read these words to live lives marked by expressions of deep love. Our marriages must reflect the glory and wonder of our Father if we are to show this broken world His love

Linda Summer for
Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana S. Shaw
Anna McIlwaine - French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mare Nfor

Cameroon, Africa April 16th, 2008

2008-04-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

GOD’S PLEASURE

Yesterday morning, I told the story of Jonah. Two schools gathered and the crowed numbered hundreds. The Father gave me a sweet gift. Each year, Sam and I tell hundreds of stories, but sometimes we feel the Father’s pleasure. As I told this story, I felt His delight. He reminded me of the joy of obedience and the sweet wonder of being His daughter. I pray as you read these words, you will be encouraged and remember how amazing it is that as believers, we can call God our Father. How awesome that we are His sons and daughters!

JUJU’S

We went into Ndu to use an internet Café. Our return home was delayed by many juju’s and their followers running down the street. First, a group of barefoot young men in traditional African clothes ran down the road, carrying branches and screaming. Then, some different juju’s came running and shouting.

Finally, 2 juju’s came holding 2 ropes that were tied to a man all dressed in black with a huge mask that made his head 5 times the normal size. An educated young man standing near us said: “Step back, they can hurt people.”

This land is bound by fear and superstition. The reality of demonic activity is not stood by most people. The juju’s give themselves to a power they do not understand. They are evil men, but they need your prayers. How might this area change if the chief juju came to Jesus? Pray for great deliverance!

BLESSINGS AND ADVENTURES

1. We visited a local market. It was fascinating, so many things to see that are so different from home. The thing we noticed most was that there was absolutely nothing for sale that you could not work with, wear, or eat. This is a very poor place and people have so little.

2. At 2 puppet shows on Tuesday, we again praised God as hundreds of children prayed out loud.

3. We are all so blessed materially. Everyday we are reminded of this truth as we see so many children wearing torn, dirty clothes. Each of us feels a burden to better use for the kingdom what the Father has entrusted to us.

4. Outside of must churches, they have a bell to call people. Actually, it’s a wheel drum or part of an oxygen tank with a large stick.

5. A pastor said after a show: “The seed has been planted and we pray that it will not decay in Jesus name.”

6. One group of children left the show singing “Jesus loves the little children” to an African rhythm. It was wonderful!

7. Fufu is the staple food of this area. It’s ground corn that is cooked to a mush. When you eat it you roll it into a ball with other things on your plate. Silas sings: “Fufu in the morning, fufu in the evening, fufu all day long.” Sometimes this is true for us.

PRAY REQUESTS

Our time in the Northwest is almost finished. Please pray for these last shows and our 12 hour ride home on Friday. Also, begin to pray for the remaining days in Yaounde where we will finish training a team and give away the equipment.

In Jesus,
Linda Summer for
Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana S. Shaw
Anna McIlwaine - French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mary Nfor
Humphrey Indiformi

Cameroon, Africa April 15th, 2008

2008-04-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Note-Please know that i have not been able to check my personal email for 5 days and do not expect to be able to check it for another 3 days.

CHILDREN, THUNDER AND RAIN

After yesterday, I could not have imagined that today would be so special. We had seen God move in such an incredible way with the chiefs that I confess I did not have big enough expectations for today. The Father surprised us. Our favorite show of the day was at a rural school just outside Ndu town. We set up on a hill surrounded by the most incredible views of the mountains and the forest. The children came and sat or stood on the grass and we began the program.

In the middle of the Bible story, the sky suddenly grew very dark and it began to rain. However, the children made absolutely no effort to leave. It rained harder and harder but they continued to stay and listen to the Gospel. They were so hungry. None of us were willing to quit when we saw how determined they were to watch the program. Even the teachers, the head chaplain, and the headmaster stayed. Everyone wanted to see.

When we finished the show, we gave the children an opportunity to receive Christ. They responded by praying very loudly and with great enthusiasm. I told the children, “You will always remember today, the day you asked Jesus to be your Savior sitting in the middle of a thunderstorm surrounded by beautiful trees on the top of a mountain.” Through the years I’ve met so many Tpeople who aren’t sure when they asked Jesus to be their Savior. They can’t remember. These children will never have that problem.

BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS

God has given us an incredible opportunity and we need your help. Someone who is reading this e-mail needs to adopt this project and help us to meet a very special need. Since we have been in Cameroon, God has shown us great favor with all the government officials in the areas where we have worked. It is the same in this area. All of the public schools are open to us. Also, all of the private schools have welcomed us, no matter which denomination they are. Today we received a request. We can place Bible story books in each of the 43 schools run by the Cameroon Baptist Convention in this district. They have no supplies to teach the children Bible stories except for the Bible. Children do not even have individual copies of the Bible, but more, children need pictures. We want these children to grow up hearing all of the wonderful stories in God’s Word.

The area chaplain spoke to me today. He had a very simple request. He told me about growing up as a little boy in this area and hearing Bible stories, and how much they had meant to him. He said that none of these teachers even have a Bible story book to read to the children. When I heard him talking, God began to give me this idea. I want to place well illustrated Bible story books in each of these 43 schools. I would like to place at least 2 copies in each school so the staff can share them to teach the children.

This is an incredible opportunity to impact children in this area of Cameroon for the Gospel. This is a very small request. To be honest, the bigger part of this expense will be the shipping. Please pray. I believe that someone who is reading this e-mail today can respond to this very urgent need.

HARD LESSONS

I would love to tell you that I always know just the right thing to do at a program and always do it. However, that would not be true, and today was a good example. At our first show today we had a real problem with the children staying quiet. I allowed myself to become distracted by the noise in the room and did not do the best job I could have done telling the story. I also confess that I was frustrated with the teachers who were not helping us. Despite my lack of focus, God was kind to us. Many children prayed to receive Christ. Ironically, an Irish nun came up to me after the show. She told me she had never seen the children so well behaved. She was amazed at how well they listened. Again, the Father showed us great mercy.

I used my mistakes as an illustration to teach our new puppet team what not to do. At the second show, we had similar problems but my focus was completely on Jesus. That made all the difference. So today, I taught our new team what not to do and what to do. I marvel at God’s forgiveness. I am grateful for all the lessons that He continues to teach me.

PRAYER REQUESTS

We are still in the North West and request your prayers for these children. Our days are long but we are very happy. Last night, on our way home from the incredible Sunday that God had given us, we had a flat tire in the dark and in the rain. Then we accidentally stood in a nest of carpenter ants. This accident made our lives very interesting as some of them got in the car with us on the way home. Then the motorcycle of the youth pastor broke down in front of us. They had to push his bike up several hills before we could find someone who could help him. We were in the middle of nowhere. Our own ride home was also an adventure as the roads had become giant mud puddles. We slipped, bumped and slid our way to the house. So, please pray for us as we are traveling. Please pray for our driver Dennis who is doing a great job and loves the Lord. Please ask God to make us wise as we share with the children.

Love in Jesus,
Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine – French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mary Nfor – Cameroonian Director
Humphrey

Cameroon, Africa April 14th, 2008

2008-04-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

THE CHIEF’S DREAM AND A GOAT

God gave us the most wonderful answer to your prayers! The chief gave us permission to share with his children, but more, to do a show inside the palace compound. He even came out and sat on his throne, watching the entire program. We saw hundreds of children praying out loud, calling on Jesus to save them. I met with one group of children and their pastor who had walked over 4 miles to come to the show. We were all humbled by their desire.

When we finished, the chief was so pleased that he posed for pictures with us. He declared, “I have joy for the words that I have heard.” Then he asked us to eat with him. Since we could not stay because we had a prior invitation to eat with the pastor of the local church, he gave us a stalk of bananas. This is not a single bunch, but an entire stem full of bananas.

While we were packing, he decided that he had not done enough. We were presented with a live goat. There was only one thing to do. This gift could not be refused. We tied the goat and the bananas to the roof and went to our next show. We are still traveling on very rough roads and the goat was not happy. We did not need a horn. His bleating told everyone that we were coming.

How did all of these incredible things happen? First, we saw God move so powerfully because so many people must have been praying. Then, in answer to so many prayers, God sent the chief a dream. We were invited into the palace for a private audience. That is how we found out about his dream. He received us because the night before we came he dreamed that a car load of people were coming to see him from Yaounde. When we arrived, he saw God’s hand. Isn’t this incredible? Our friends told us that they were so surprised by his openness. Normally, he would not have behaved this way.

More, during our private audience, Sam and I were both given the opportunity to share with him. Sam told him the story of the good Samaritan and how he could know Jesus. He also brought him greetings from the people of Ireland. That was funny.

I shared my own story of faith and included Mike’s testimony. I told him that the only hope for his children, for his people is Jesus Christ. He and the queen mother listened. Please pray for this man to come to faith in Christ. The jujus (witchdoctors) share his palace. He lives in the dark and desperately needs the light that only Jesus can give.

All of us are in awe of our Father! Who stands where witchdoctors stand and shares Christ? God is so good!

POTATOES AND TWO ROOSTERS

While the team set up, I was taken to meet the second chief by myself. We walked through 3 inner courtyards, following the chief’s torchbearer (his right hand man). Then one of the men with us coughed. It is not proper to call for a chief out loud. This chief is a believer.

The chief came, welcomed me and said, “I believe God will give you the strength to do the job He has given you.” Then he said he would pray for me to go everywhere with this work. He added some more words about how God would take care of me.

When I heard his words, I was stunned. All day long, I had been missing Mike and his leadership as our director. I had confessed to the Father how inadequate I felt and mostly, how much I miss my husband. Then God spoke to me through a man I have never met, who knew nothing of my circumstances. I was so encouraged and comforted.

The chief gave me gifts before we left. I received a 50 pound bag of potatoes and 2 roosters in baskets. We tied these on the roof with the goat. He bleated through the Bible story, but seemed happier once we tied the chickens on the roof. I think he was lonely.

Again the children responded powerfully to the Gospel and prayed loudly, calling on Jesus. Praise God!

SILAS’ VILLAGE

Sam was just beginning to tell his story when the rooster on top of the roof started to crow. It is entertaining traveling with livestock! We also had the opportunity to meet Silas's mother. Please hold her in your prayers as her husband just went home to be with the Lord in December.

The children were so very excited and Sam did a great job telling the story. In soft whispers, they trusted Jesus.

SUNDAY MORNING

We spent Sunday morning in a rural Baptist church where Silas’ father had preached. The singing was like what you would expect in heaven. They sang, “Today is the day of decision, tomorrow will be too late.” In a place where so many have AIDS and die, these words carry more weight.

They danced down the isles to give their offering. Last week more than 300 people attended and gave CFA 9,000 ($21.80). This is a huge offering for people who live in houses made of mud bricks that they made themselves. The roofs are thatch and the floor is dirt. They truly have nothing, but they give.

The church was in rough shape. You could hear the bats that filled the ceiling and their guano was on the benches. The smell was very, very strong. The walls were dirty and cracked. The front wall was decorated with scenes of Christ’s return and scriptures. Outside the windows, huge mountains rose against a blue sky. I remembered the scripture, “I will look unto the hills from whence comes my strength and my salvation.” No one cared about where they were sitting. Their focus seemed to be only on Jesus.

Sam preached a great sermon, and I gave a missionary report, but those stories will have to wait until tomorrow. We are all exhausted!

Please hold us in your prayers as we will be doing shows in schools and at a market on Tuesday.

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine – French Director
Heather Kelley
Humphrey
Silas and Mary Nfor – Cameroonian Directors

Cameroon, Africa April 13th, 2008

2008-04-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

NKAMBE STREET SHOW
Can you imagine setting up to do a puppet show beside a mosque where they were praying, across from a bar full of loud patrons, in the middle of a funeral with dancing juju’s (witchdoctors), accompanied by a pickup truckload of men carrying rifles and shotguns, and beside us there was an empty army truck with a stack of AK-47's and one soldier behind us? This is how we spent Saturday afternoon. By God’s grace, we were blessed with this privilege.

Only a month ago, this whole country was torn a part by riots. People burned and looted houses, cars, and gas stations. Seventy people died and over 700 went to prison. But now, God has given us peace and calm. We have an opportunity.

The Father sent us 400 children, teenagers, and adults. They stood in the street, across the street and a big crowd even gathered behind us. Though we did not pray with them, we clearly explained the Gospel and how to ask Jesus to be your Savior. Praise God! The crowd was very large but amazingly well behaved; we had no problems. We prayed and the mayor gave us permission for this location. More, God sent two new friends who were able to share with six Muslim men as we did the program.
Please pray for all of the people who came to the show today to remember what they heard and trust in Jesus Christ.

TWO MORE SHOWS

At two other shows today we were blessed to see dozens and dozens of children trusting in Jesus! We also saw 4 funerals and 1 wedding. We met Natalie, a wonderful older lady who walked up and down the street in the rain to gather the children for a program. Mostly, the children are very quiet, staring at us in wide eyed wonder. One pastor said, “We have seen and heard things today that we could not imagine or even dream. We will think about these things the rest of our lives.”

PEACE

We are far away from all that is familiar and yet we are so at peace, even though we are stared at by children and even adults, we feel safe and loved. We take the attention as an opportunity for the Kingdom. Since we have been in the Northwest, we have only seen 4 other white people, 2 Irish nuns and 2 people doing ministry. It is no wonder that we are a curiosity.

3 H GIRLS

In Binka, we met a lovely group of girls today, the 3 H girls. They wore sky blue dresses and bright red hats. The H stands for head, hearts, and hands…all for Jesus. This program teaches young girls scripture, spiritual growth, and respect for their parents. They sing, “Christian girls for Jesus, Now that we believe, We will love and serve God in everything we do.” When our friend Mary was a little girl, she belonged to this group. There are badges to earn just like Girl Scouts. This is a wonderful ministry!

PRAYER REQUESTS

On Monday, we have programs at church schools, both Protestant and Catholic, please pray.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam Assistant Director
Silvana
Anna French Director
Heather

Cameroon, Africa April 12th, 2008

2008-04-13T13:31:00.001-07:00

Dearest Friends,

THE PIED PIPER

There is an old fairy tale of a piper who charmed all of the children in a village with his music and they followed him. Today, God poured out His Spirit on Sam and Silas and they led several hundred children and adults to a church for a puppet show. Muslim children followed them, as well as church kids and children who never came to church.

Two of the children played drums; one was as big as the boy who carried it. They sang as they gathered the children and we heard them coming long before they arrived. I got some of the most incredible pictures! More than 50 children trusted Jesus! The Lord blessed us and blessed us. We love this work!

THE MOST WONDERFUL GIFT

We have been given the most wonderful gift. We are in the Northwest, traveling to villages in remote areas. The roads are all dirt, rocky, and very dusty. You cannot imagine how rough these roads are. We are all thrown about in the car. It’s a day long roller coaster ride.

Today, when we came home, my white hair looked light brown. We were all so dirty! Sam and Silas were especially dusty because they had ridden to some shows holding onto the back of the land rover. We all prayed that they would not fall off. Silas said it reminded him of his childhood growing up in the mountains. When he was 8, the back of the land rover was his spot. Sam was a farmer before he became a puppet director, so he counted it a lovely ride. I confess that I really wanted to try it, but I was wise enough to know this adventure was beyond me.

We know such great joy! Today, we traveled to even more remote places. We have met with children sitting in the dirt, on benches carried from churches, and many stand. They watch us from the moment we arrive until we pack the last box. They consider it all part of the program. These children are very dear. No one tries to crowd us or grab equipment like we have experienced in other countries.

At one show, high on a mountain, over looking other bigger mountains, over 140 children and adults walked to the show. Some of the children were very small and all were so dirty and so very poor. Honestly, I was not happy with the job I did telling story, but at this place dozens of children prayed loudly to receive Christ.

All of us were reminded that it is only God’s Holy Spirit that calls children, not anything we do. Though we always seek to do our best, it is only our Father who should ever receive any praise!

They gave us banana's to thank us. None of us wanted to eat anything. The children looked so hungry, but we did not want to disrespect their gift. We ate a banana and then broke all the rest in a half and shared them. I had told the children how Jesus multiplied the fish and the bread for the crowd. I was praying that He would bless the bananas too!

I WANT TO SEE

We arrived at our second show at 12:00 and found out that the children had been waiting since 8:00. There had been a miscommunication with the schedule and all of us were confused. I am so blessed by Sam, Silvana, Anna and Heather. They were hungry but when they found out how long the children had been waiting, they did the show and ate later. There were no complaints, only joy as we watched a precious few trust Jesus. There were more than 250 people gathered outside the church. Please ask the Father to call the people of Wanti to Himself. Please ask the Lord to bless these children with deep faith. They wanted to see so much that many walked great distances over very rough ground.

Prayer Request

Tomorrow is Sunday and Sam is preaching. Also we have an opportunity to do two shows in a tribal palace area. Please pray for these opportunities and ask God to make us very wise.

In Jesus, please keep praying.

Linda for

Sam Assistant Director
Silvana
Anna French Director
Heather

Cameroon, Africa April 11th, 2008

2008-04-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

Jesus Vous Aine!

Jesus a kong we

Jesus Loves You!

In French, in Libum (a tribal language) and in English we have been telling children how much Jesus cares for them. Now we are in the North West, 4 hours from any city, traveling to villages. Most of the children have never seen puppets, juggling clubs, a flute like Anna plays, or white people. Our whiteness instantly draws a crowd of curious onlookers. More important, too many do not know Jesus and they have no hope.

All of the comforts we hold onto in the West are missing from the lives of these village children. This area has many people with AIDS. These children are dirty and some come only with a shirt. I cleaned a little boy’s nose yesterday and he only stared at me with distant eyes. Many are sick. They respond best to smiles, a gentle touch, or music. They love to sing and surely their praises are some of the sweetest we have ever heard. This lack of things is their great blessing in one important way. They listen to stories about Jesus with hunger, usually responding in soft whispers. They are beautiful and each day we thank God that we are in Cameroon. Even the name of the country sounds like an adventure and by God's grace, we are having a great one!

Each day, we return very dirty and very tired, but so happy to have this sweet privilege. These children have a great need. They need to be someone’s priority. Please pray for the new team that we are seeking to establish in Cameroon. They will make these little ones their first priority. More, they will see them, really see them.

The Journey

The trip to the North West was a journey that lasted 12 hours. The countryside was spectacular, changing from savannah to hills and then to mountains with forests. The roads changed from paved to dirt with lots of holes and rocks. Some hugged the sides of the mountain and gave us views that made us want to shout praise to our Father for the wonder of His creation. Mist hung over the mountains and made several of us think of Taiwan and our dear friends there.

We passed many sights that caught our eyes. Most people walk and carry their burdens on top of their heads, unbelievably large piles of sticks, sacks of food, or big baskets. At one stop we were offered gold and silver rings, bread, sliced coconut and Chinese herbal remedies including “miraculous mosquito chalk.” All of these Vendors came to the window of our bush taxi. We passed a restaurant named Sweet Mother, a hotel named Melrose Place, The White House, and crossed the widest river in Cameroon, the Sanaga.

Men in long flat boats dove off the sides of the boat with a bucket. They scooped sand from the bottom and poled to the shore to dump their load.

Along the way, we shared Christ with a Muslim man that we bought hats from. When we told him that we were going to use the hats in a program to share Christ with children, we thought he would be upset. He surprised us all. As long as he had his money, he didn’t care. Still, we talked to him for a good time. Please pray for God to give him a love for truth, for Jesus.

Kenneth’s Story

The trip to the North West was very difficult for me physically and so I prayed constantly. That was wonderful because it enabled me to see a little boy named Kenneth that I would not have seen had I not been praying so much. He was selling sliced coconut on the side of the road like hundreds of other children. Why was I so drawn to him? The only answer is that God drew my eyes to him. I bought all of his remaining coconut and shared with him how I was doing this to teach him about Jesus who bought and paid for all of our sins on the cross. His eyes grew wide as I talked with him and he was so shocked when I told him to keep the coconut. I said it was a gift like the gift that Jesus gave us. Our friend Mary said he will never forget! Pray for Kenneth to hold onto Jesus!

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIllwaine
Heather Kelley
Silas & Mary Nfor

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Cameroon, Africa April 8th, 2008

2008-04-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

JACQUES-LOU, LAURENT-PAUL, PRECIOUS, SUZANNE AND HUMBLE

Imagine the incredible sound of 200 children singing praise to Jesus. This was the wonderful sound that greeted us as we climbed the steps to set up for our first show. They were accompanied by African drums and large gourds wrapped with a net of small brass bells. Everyone was clapping! One little boy even tried to clap to Anna’s flute music. That was funny.

In Cameroon, I am Mama Linda, Big Mother or Auntie Linda. Our team is Uncle Sam, Auntie Silvana, Auntie Anna and Auntie Heather. However, the children are having a lot of trouble pronouncing Heather’s name. She has even been called Auntie Hedgerow. I like that one!

Some of the children’s names are so different from the ones we normally hear, but they are beautiful. Today, we met Jacques-Lou and his twin brother Laurent-Paul. They were 2 of the more than 30 children who kept a promise to me at the end the program today. They promised to go and tell their teachers if they prayed with us to receive Jesus. So many did.

Silas and Mary’s little children, Suzanne, Precious and Humble, are also learning to use puppets. They are helping us at the puppet shows. Precious has such a sweet spirit.

THE MARKET

The Briquetterie is the market part of Yaounde. Each part of it specializes in a different kind of sales or service. All of the fruit and vegetable vendors are gathered together. They stack their apples in pyramids and arrange the mangoes in beautiful spirals. Other parts of the market are devoted to car parts and even computers. We visited the fabric section so that we could have proper African clothes for the villages. The colors are so fun and the patterns so different. Watch the e-mail for a link to photographs of us wearing our African clothes.

All through the market, you see many people walking around with things for sale stacked on their heads. One man walked past us carrying four large dead rats. He was selling rat poison. One man had a big shoe sitting on top of his head so you would know that he sells shoes. Another man was walking around with artificial flowers on his head and looked like a giant flower pot. Others have large flat baskets with different kinds of food arranged on top. Today I saw a man carrying a stool along with his basket. It appeared that you could sit down and eat while he held the tray for you. People here are very creative.

STREET SHOW

Our last show of the day on Tuesday was in front of a church, beside a busy street. The church brought out chairs and all of them filled with children and adults. They all listened very well and some prayed in soft whispers. However, the biggest blessing of the afternoon was all the people who stopped along the street and listened to the story of Peter walking on water. They heard the stories of Jesus and His miracles. This was wonderful. Afterwards, Anna and I went over and shook the hands of some of the men who had been watching at a distance. We wanted them to know that we were so glad they were there. Please ask God to call these people who listened on the street to faith in Him.

THREE SHOWS

On Monday we did three programs at different Catholic schools. They are even putting our photo in the Catholic newspaper. We all looked pretty dirty and tired.

At one school, the headmistress was especially excited. I had a wonderful time of talking with her for over 30 minutes after we finished. She thanked me so many times for the program. She said, “May God give you the strength to travel over the whole world and tell these stories.”

While we were alone, I had an opportunity to answer many questions that she had. More, I shared with her my own testimony, Mike’s story, and the faithfulness of God. Please pray that we will be able to schedule another puppet show with her children when we return from the North West. She has more than 900 children who did not hear the program.

At one school, the children stood for over an hour listening to the program. These children live very differently from most of your children. The main roads are paved, but the side roads are all dirt. You cannot do anything quickly as there is so much bureaucracy. Things that you take for granted are things that these children will never know. Most schools offer no music or art programs. Many children come to school hungry and will go home hungry. There are many beggars in the streets. Our hearts are often broken by how hard life is for the children here. We remain hopeful that if these children come to know Jesus Christ, their worlds will change.

STREET KIDS

Cameroon has an undetermined number of street children. Home is so bad that many go to the street to escape. What happens to these children? There are only a few ministries that target reaching them with the Gospel, but for most there is simply no help. More, there is no-one to see them. They sell drugs and become involved in prostitution in order to survive. They form groups of children with the younger ones doing whatever the older ones tell them to do. Children often go to the street as young as ten. God sees these children. Please pray that the Father would raise up a ministry in Cameroon that will target these children with the hope of Jesus.

THE GREAT STORYTELLER

The other night, while we were sitting around talking, the Lord gave us a really good idea. We want to be able to offer the children who pray with us a website where they can go to hear more stories and maybe watch a puppet show. We will call this site The Great Storyteller. We hope to have it up and running by August.

We want this site to be multi-lingual. This should be easy to accomplish by contacting our different directors around the world and asking them to send their own material to the site. There will be no links on this site to our respective websites as we want this to be a purely evangelistic tool, dedicated to the sole presentation of the Gospel with no “strings” to any given denomination or ministry. We want children to have a way to hear more stories about Jesus.

All of us were very excited by this idea and the Lord confirmed to us the very next day the need for The Great Storyteller. A woman came up to us after the program who was a teacher and begged for stories she could tell her children like the ones she had just heard during the show. She was at a Catholic school and very hungry to hear more about Jesus Christ. She said, “Please, I’ll buy them. Do you have anything?”

I told her about the website and she was so excited! Later, I found her with a group of children gathered around her. She was telling them all about the website and that it would just be a few months. A Catholic priest also told us that he would be waiting for us to get the Great Storyteller website running so that he could read the stories.
Please pray for this project. There is a real need to get this done!

PRAYER REQUESTS

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we leave for the North West to do ministry in many small villages. We will drive for 11 to 12 hours to reach Bamenda. Please pray for travelling mercies as this will be an extremely long and tiring drive. More, please ask God to call many children to faith in this place. There is much ancestor worship in this region and many witchdoctors. We really need your prayers.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Heather Kelley
Anna McIlwaine – French Director
Silas and Mary Nfor – Cameroonian Directors

Cameroon, Africa, April 6th, 2008

2008-04-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Motto of Cameroon is Paix Travail Patrie

Dearest Friends,

Friday April 4th

We are in Cameroon! I can hardly believe it. I sat in my bed tonight rejoicing and reading my Bible: “This is the message to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1: 1. Our hearts desire is to proclaim to the children of Cameroon His life, His Light and His hope. Please pray for us to be wise and kind. Ask the Lord to call many to Himself.

Already, we have felt his favor and His kindness. Imagine arriving in customs with 8 suitcases, four large plastic tubs and ten carry on’s. Consider that the biggest problem here is corruption and yet, we charged nothing and allowed to pass through customs with no problems. Praise God!

As we drove four hours from the airport, to reach Yaounde where we will begin our ministry on Saturday, we were stopped more than a dozen times by police. Every time our friend explained that we were missionaries and they let us pass. Usually, telling people that we are missionaries would get us in trouble. Last year, when we were in *************** we could have gone to jail, but here such knowledge kept us from a dozen searches.

Saturday, April 5th

Today we did two puppet shows, one outside on the street and the other in a church that was open on one side. The children are wonderful. Most have never seen many of the things that we brought with us. They are amazed and we are wonderfully blessed. A small little girl came up to me today and softly said, “You did very good on that story.” They laugh with Sam, loved Heather’s puppets, and smiled with Silvana. When the children heard how Jesus calmed the storm everyone clapped. We love Africa!

Sunday April 6th
Relationships are very important in the Church in Africa, We visited six different churches inviting them and their children to come to the puppet shows, that we will be doing on Monday and Tuesday. We visited a Catholic church where the Prime Minister of the country was in attendance. We told them that we would tell their children about Gods love and how they could know Jesus. What an amazing opportunity.

Blessings & Funny Things

1. Saturday evening, after the puppet shows, children workers from 7 churches gathered for training. Some of those attending had traveled 90 km. It was not an easy trip.
2. A Muslim man, was carrying cows feet and cows tails in a large basket, but he stopped to hear the Bible story. When would he come into a church!
3. Some of the teachers were amazed at the childrens response. No one had to tell them to be quiet, though traditionally children in Cameroon are very respectful.
4. We are doing programs in English and French. It is such a blessing to have Anna, our French director here to translate for us.
5. Our friends Silas and Mary Nfor are the biggest blessings. They take such wonderful care of us and love Jesus so much.
6. We have rented a van and hired a driver. Inside the van, near the top of the ceiling, he had painted all the rules. They were, “No smoking No Vomiting, No Discussion with the driver” It is always good to know the rules.
7. Someone asked Anna today if she wanted to get married and stay in Cameroon. Anna is young and pretty, but I am old and a white header. They also asked about me. This was really funny!

Please hold us in your prayers!

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Assistant Director
Silvana
Anna French Director
Heather

Cameroon, Africa April, 3rd, 2008

2008-04-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

We are traveling today to Cameroon, Africa! Please pour much prayer on this trip as this is a new country for us. We need wisdom. Also, we have been told that there are usually problems at customs. We have alot of equipment with us that we need you to pray safely to our dear friends in Cameroon.

Ask the Father to call many children to Himself and ask Him to raise up a strong new ministry there!

Please thank God for the wonderful opportunities that He gave me over the last month in the USA to meet with many people and share our vision for reaching the children of the world for Christ. More, I spent alot of time with my children and grandchildren. I am so happy! I finally got to hold precious Ian in my arms for the first time! Evangeline smiled at me and Luke knows my name. Paul sat with me in church at a wedding. I am also blessed to report that our oldest grandson George has put his trust in Jesus as his Savior! Praise God! Truly, the Father is very kind to me!

Thank you for praying!

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam Shaw-Asst.Director
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine-French Puppet Director
Heather Kelley

India Update February 25th, 2008

2008-02-26T04:42:00.001-08:00

Dearest Friends,

THEY ATE THE TREES
By God's grace, we were able to go and do the shows that our prolonged visit with the police kept us from doing the day before. These shows were in very dark places where the children had heard little or nothing about Jesus Christ. At two of the three shows, we heard hundreds of children calling on Jesus, asking Him to save them. Praise God!

At one village school, there were no trees on the property. It was fiercely hot and very miserable for the children. I asked the teachers why there weren't any trees. They told me that they had planted trees, but the children were so hungry, that they dug them up and ate them. Can you imagine?

At this particular school, they had no space big enough for all of the children. So, one of our friends, who had been training with us, did a program for all of the younger children while we did a program for all of the older children. More, many villagers came desperate to see the rest of the program. They squeezed into every window and even stood in the doorways for over an hour. Still some were not able to see, so when we finished, Sam went outside and did a small program for them so that they were able to hear about Jesus Christ.

These people in this village were tribal people, who, due to a decrease in rainfall, had left the forest where they lived. They worshiped bears and were drawn to our opening song because we were singing with a giant bear puppet. We did not know they were bear worshipers, but God used this so that they could hear the gospel.

These children were attending a Christian school. Please pray for them to grow strong in their new faith.

BACKPACKS
Because of the gift of $5,000 from two supporting churches, we were able to pack and give 35 story teller backpacks to young Indian men and women. We gave these to the graduating seniors from the ACA seminary program as well as others that we identified who work with children. They are from some of the most difficult places in India, places where we would have difficulty gaining access. Some of them were also from Burma and Manipur. Each backpack contained puppets, balloons, and story telling supplies so that they could go into villages across India and share with the children. Please consider. . . on this trip to India we shared with 18,500 children in two weeks. Can you imagine how many tens of thousands of children these brothers and sisters will reach for Jesus Christ?

I would like to ask you now while this is fresh on your mind, to make the funding of this project an item on your church budget. I have already identified 35 young people who want and need this equipment by next February.The advantage of the backpack is that it enables you to do a great program and then put it on your back and run. In many of the places where these young people work, they may need to make a hasty departure. More, it is not easy to carry larger amounts of equipment on public transportation or walking.

This project presents you with a unique opportunity to reach children for Jesus who live in some of the most difficult places in the world. Will you help? Will you see their need?

PLEASE FORGIVE
Please forgive the delay in you receiving this letter. Coming out of India I got a stomach bug. I can honestly tell you that I sat in the bathroom on the air plane praising God for His timing. It was so much better to be sick when we had no programs for the children. More, the stewardesses became concerned about me, had me sit in the galley, and it gave me a wonderful time to share about the children. By the time we got to Frankfurt, I had started to come down with the flu and developed bronchitis. So, I have been in bed since I have returned home on Friday. I am doing so much better now, and expect to fully recover very soon. Please also pray for Will, as he has the flu. When you travel as much as we travel, you can expect to be sick. However, we are all very grateful for God's timing in these matters.

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam and Silvana Shaw
Will and Ali Jackson.

India Update February 20th, 2008

2008-02-26T04:41:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

Yesterday and today, we left very early. So, we passed through some villages along the side of the road just as they were waking. How can I describe to you the poverty that people endure here? They have houses made of straw mats in the villages that look more like broken tents than houses. Life is so hard, but still, always their greatest need is Jesus. They have less than nothing because they live in total darkness. These dear people have no hope in this life and worse, no hope for the life that is to come.

Sometimes I imagine a different India. What if God poured His spirit on this place and all idol worship and demons were wiped from this land? What would India be without this crippling darkness? Please pray for God to raise up national believers to take His light into the darkness.

MUSLIM LADY

Yesterday at a show a large crowd of adults stood at the gates of the school and watched the entire program. There was one lady in the crowd who was a Muslim. She was wearing a full berka with only a narrow slit for her eyes to show. Sometimes when you’re telling a story, you can look straight into their eyes and sense that they are listening. This lady stared at me as I told the children the story about Jesus. She seemed hungry to hear and remained even through the prayer, when the children prayed out loud asking Jesus to be their Savior. Please ask the Father to call her to faith. He knows her name. When we finished I went over and spoke to all of the people at the gate and thanked them for listening. Mostly, I wanted an opportunity to look into her eyes and let her know that I really cared that she heard about Jesus.

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS

Tomorrow, we will try to do what we were unable to do today. We will travel to another city to present the Gospel to 2,000 children. They live in an exceptionally dark place where there are very, very few Christians. More, they worship the wilder of the Hindu deities which require a buffalo or goat sacrifice, though chickens are most common.

On our way there today, we were hit in the rear by a fully loaded milk truck that had no brakes. No one was hurt; not even the people riding in the back of the truck. Praise God! However, we spent the next 12 hours plus trying to deal with the police. Our driver was not at fault, but accidents are handled very differently here than in the states. All of the milk company’s wives came to the police station. It was quite a scene. We missed all of our shows. Since our exiting the vehicle would have only made matters worse, we remained seated in the car. Directly across from us was a butcher. We watched him kill a lot of chickens, chop them up and sell them. Some hung beside the goat carcass which changed color as the day went on.

At one point we were surrounded by about 35 school-age boys who were fascinated by how strange we looked. Alli had fallen asleep for a few minutes and woke up to find the vehicle was surrounded. None of them spoke English, but we still had a good time visiting with them. It’s funny how the children are drawn to us just because we look so different.

I want to brag on everyone’s amazing attitude today. No one ever complained; they just prayed and enjoyed the view. I laughed so much that my sides began to hurt. Everyone kept their sense of humor.

Please pray for a safe journey tomorrow as our friends here say that they often experience all kinds of problems when they come to this city. We will teach our last class tomorrow evening at 7:00pm after the shows and leave for the airport at 10:00pm. We will be home on Friday. I am very concerned that we are able to share with these children. Please make this a serious matter of prayer. Thank you.

Love in Jesus,

Linda, for the team

Sam Shaw, assistant director
Silvana Shaw, Will & Allison Jackson

India Update February 19th, 2008

2008-02-26T04:39:00.001-08:00

Dearest Friends,

16,000 CHILDREN

For the past week and a half, Will has been sharing with children how all things are possible with God. He uses a balloon trick to illustrate this point. The children love watching him push a 2-foot long needle through a balloon. They are always in awe when the balloon does not pop. Then, he challenges them to believe that God can do anything.

We have seen God do the impossible. This last fall began our 18th year of ministry as The Agape Puppets. Each year, God has grown this work and by His grace, we have been able to share with more and more children the hope of Jesus Christ. However, we have all been very surprised by the crowds of children that we have seen in India. God has given us the privilege to share Christ with over 16,000 children in the past week and a half. We still have 2 more days of ministry. Praise God! Previously, we’d been blessed to share with over 12,000 Zulu children in South Africa in 2 weeks, but none of us can believe the opportunities that we’ve been having here in India.

More, we have been training 106 seminary students in the evenings in child evangelism skills. We will be equipping many of these young people with story telling backpacks that they can take back to their homes, so they can go into villages all over India. Many of the places that they call home are places where it is simply not possible for Sam and I and the team to go. The doors are closed in some places for us, but open to these nationals that we are training. Please rejoice with us in what the Father has done!

BEAUTIFUL!

Yesterday we did a program at a school and the children were so excited. They absolutely loved every single thing that we did. So many children asked Jesus to be their Savior. One little girl came up to me after the show, and she was so happy. She said “You are beautiful, and I will never forget you.” We always tell the children “Remember Jesus”. They crowded around us, wanting to thank us, and even ran down the road as we were driving away from the school waving at us.

DEAD BABY GIRLS

Today we did programs in a very dark city. It is surrounded by many villages, where the people often will kill a newborn baby girl because of the economic burden that she represents. They put poison in the baby’s milk, and she dies. The schools where we shared, were so full of little boys, and did not have very many little girls. Imagine standing in these places and telling the children that God sees each one of them, boys and girls, as a treasure.

Both of these schools were Christian schools, but had a 70% plus Hindu student population. Most of their parents have very little education. Most of these students came from the villages where baby girls are killed. Hinduism does not place any worth on the life of a child.

We are working with all kinds of people: Baptists, Methodists, Anglicans, and some denominations you would not know in the U.S. At these schools, we are allowed to pray with the children, and today we saw many children on their knees calling on Jesus to save them. It is the most wonderful sight that we will never forget. God is so kind to us!

KINGSLEY

Our 3rd school today was a school called Kingsley, and it has a wonderful story. In 1976, the only son of Christian parents, Kingsley, was killed in an accident on Christmas day. It would have been so easy for the parents to be bitter and curse God. This is not what they did. In memory of their only child, they began to work with children, and from this work, the school grew where we were sharing Jesus with the children today. 800 children, today alone, heard the gospel because these dear people put their eyes on the cross, and not on their pain. I am so grateful that we were blessed to meet these dear people today. Their love for Jesus challenged me to love Jesus more.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Most of you celebrated Valentine’s Day last week, but we celebrated it this evening with the orphans from the House of Joy. They are a wonderful group of boys and girls, some teenagers, and live here on the A.C.A. campus. This is my 4th trip to India, and I’ve watched some of these children as they have grown up over the last few years. I wanted to do something special for them. I had the idea of giving them a Valentine’s party, because I always enjoyed Valentine’s Day so much with Mike.

Often, we had to celebrate on a different day because one or both of us were traveling, but the times were very precious. For the first time since Mike went home a little over 2 years ago, I began to think differently about Valentine’s Day. I stopped thinking about how much I had lost, and realized how much Mike’s love had given me. I wanted to share that love and be a blessing to others; comfort with the comfort that I have been given as the scripture says. So, I brought all the supplies for a proper party, including decorations, beany baby teddy bears, special treats, and more.

We also brought an extra large box of crayons and pretty papers, so they can draw pictures of someone or something they loved. Some of the children drew pictures of Will and Alli, and oddly, Will was shorter than Alli in some of the pictures. Some drew pictures of themselves, and many drew flowers. One little boy drew a beautiful pictures of a lake, perfect house, lovely trees, and a car headed down the driveway. In this picture, the sun was shining, and the mountains were fantastic. I asked him if he had ever seen this place. It was picture-perfect! He said “No, only in my dreams” and gave me the biggest smile.

An orphans dreams are no different than your dreams and my dreams. We all told them our love stories today, and shared how God had given us our dreams. We encouraged them to trust in the Father’s goodness and provision for their lives. Please pray for these children to put their trust in Jesus, and to love Him with all of their hearts. Many of them have been hurt so terribly, and have so much to forgive. Only Jesus can heal their broken hearts.

PRAYER

We have 2 days remaining. Unless our schedule changes, you need to pray for 7 or 8 remaining puppet shows, 2 classes that we are teaching, and many details. Keep praying!

Love in Jesus,

Linda, for the team

Sam Shaw, assistant director
Silvana Shaw, Will & Allison Jackson

India Update February 20th, 2008

2008-02-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

India Update February 19th, 2008

2008-02-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

India Update 17 February 2008

2008-02-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

THE PEOPLE OF CALI

Today is Sunday and we went to a village that is named for the goddess cali. At one end of the village, they were having a festival for cali and at the other end of the village; we met with a precious group of believers. Their testimonies were incredible! One man was a former Hindu priest. You need to pray for his wife to come to faith as now she serves in the temple as a priest. Another woman came to faith who lived an immoral life and no amount of beatings or threats of divorce would stop her behavior. When she came to faith, she changed her behavior. Two years later, her husband trusted Jesus, moved by his wife’s change of character to trust Jesus. Now, 6 families form the nucleus of this sweet body of believers.

The little house that we met in belonged to the former Hindu priest. It was 3 very small rooms with concrete floors in 2 rooms and the third room was treated with cow dung that is brushed across it. They had so little, but the beautiful smiles on their faces showed just how truly rich they were in their faith. It was our great honor to spend time with these brothers and sisters and their children.

THE BIG TREE

There is a large tree that grows beside a lake near us. At this place, they worship bhatra cali, a goddess with multiple arms and a very long tongue. This is the same goddess that the people in the village serve. It is said that as they worship, their tongues grow long. Recently, thousands of people came to this spot to worship and sacrificed 100 goats. Every false god that I have ever seen requires a blood sacrifice.

I believe that it is easy for us in the West to dismiss this belief and say that we are so much wiser. Is it wiser for us to sacrifice all of our time, even our families, as we chase after things that will pass away? Our altar looks different, but is it really any different? The people of India, the people of America, people everywhere must answer 1 simple question: Am I spending my life for God’s truth or a lie?

LIFE EXPECTANCY

The average life expectancy in India is 55. I am 54 and I find this truth very sobering. With all my heart, I want to invest well the life the Father has given me. Our entire team is so blessed by the way the Father has allowed us to invest our time in India. Our hearts are full of gratitude for all of our friends at ACA, our translator Hanson, our driver Stephen, and all of the young men and women here.

AN ELEPHANT RIDE
Yesterday, we took a day off and enjoyed seeing this amazing country. We saw a white peacock and a white tiger. I loved the Indian porcupines, but they really stink. Will was thrilled to see the King cobra. We learned that it can stand upright half of its length and even has been known to knock on a door. It can stand at 6 feet tall. It’s bite is deadly and you have only 13 seconds to get the anti-venom. Unfortunately, it is only available in Thailand.

Best of all, we rode an elephant. They advertised it as the elephant joy ride. We all agreed that it gave us great joy!

PLEASE PRAY

Please pray for these last 4 days of shows and teaching and training. There is so much to do in such a short time! Our schedule is full. Please pray for strength as most of us are not well. All of us are very tired and wonderfully happy! We have seen so many children praying out loud, calling on Jesus to save them! Praise God!

In Jesus, Linda for Sam, Silvana, Will and Alli

India Update 15 February 2008

2008-02-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

A HAPPY LADY

Hanson, our translator, told us a story about a lady who came to a church where he worked. Every time they saw her, whether on the street or at church, she said she was happy. One day, they went to visit her home. She was terribly poor and her husband was a drunkard who hurt her. He was shocked! Was the lady lying? No, she had simply come to understand that her happiness was not dependent on her surroundings, but on her relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

POVERTY

Let me describe to you many of the houses in the villages. Most are very small with only one room and usually have a dirt floor. The roofs are thatch and full of bugs. All cooking is done over a fire outside and the bathroom is where you find a spot. The children are always hungry. Silvana looked into one house and was shocked to see that they basically had nothing inside. People suffer with diseases that the doctor would cure for you. Everyday is hard and there is no hope that life will ever improve.

HINDUISM

Hinduism offers these dear people who suffer so much no hope in this life and little hope for the life that comes after death. This is a religion of self effort with a very fuzzy set of rules. You keep dying and coming back and maybe, though it is doubtful, you will eventually achieve perfection, nirvana, and break the endless circle of life’s pain.

The words of Jesus proclaim hope and peace that is not dependent on one’s surroundings. His instructions are clear and more He makes promises that enable us to live this life with joy. Against the confusion and hopelessness of Hinduism, His message stands as the brightest light in the darkest place.

Truly, in many ways, this country that I have come to love so dearly is one of the darkest places. Everywhere you go, there are hideous false gods; half man/half elephant, half monkey/half man and multi-armed men and women holding weapons in each hand. Snakes are worshiped here. The sexual organs of their male and female gods are worshiped. In an effort to embarrass the Christians here, Hindus began years ago building a temple across from the school to honor the male sexual organs of their head god. Everyone who sees it knows exactly what it is. Only the faithful payers of the believers have stopped its building progress. You must pray against this evil.

SPIRITUAL ATTACK

You truly feel the battle in this place. We all feel the weight of the darkness, especially in the villages, where we are often surrounded by temples and non-believers. Each day requires great prayer as we ask the Father to hold open the door and enable us to share Jesus’ love with these precious children.

Our schedule has been filled for Monday and Tuesday, but now Wednesday requires your attention. Please thank God for the doors He has already opened and ask Him to answer our prayers for Wednesday.

Please pray for everyone to have the strength they need to finish. You cannot stand in the dark and speak about Jesus without paying a price. Please pay for our dreams that they will not keep us from a restful sleep. It is hot here and there are lots of mosquitoes. Usually, they eat the young people, but this time, they are enjoying all of us. One night when I could not sleep, I counted 42. Counting mosquito bites will put you to sleep just like counting sheep. Hee Hee.

PUNITHA’S STORY

One day, in another city where we worked, we stopped to ask a school principal permission to share a program. They asked us to give 2 children a ride to the next school. When Punitha, a beautiful, dark eyed 12-year-old little girl sat down beside me, I was just about to take a nap. On her forehead, she wore a mark signifying she had received a blessing at the Hindu temple.

I confess that for the first few minutes I saw so hot and exhausted that I almost missed a precious opportunity. The Father was kind to me and got my attention. Hanson and I talked with her, explaining to her how she was a treasure. We told her all about Jesus and she promised that she would remember. She listened so intently that I believe she will put her trust in Jesus. I challenged her to grow up and tell other children about Jesus. I told her that she could be me in India. Please pray for Punitha to trust Jesus. We did have the opportunity to do a program at her school and she was thrilled! I was thrilled!

BLESSINGS:

1) One little girl took flowers out of her own hair and gave them to Silvana to thank her.
2) The faces of all the children staring so intently at us are memories that will always stay with us.
3) At so many schools, the children turn to see Jesus, when I tell them that Zacheus could see Him coming down the road. They are swept up in the story and by God’s grace, really listen to the Gospel.
4) A little boy was celebrating his birthday and shared his birthday chocolates with us.
5) We visited a Christian evangelical monastery founded 80-90 years ago.
6) We drove an hour and a half up a mountain to meet with 400 orphan children on top of a giant, flat roof.
7) Our friends gifted us with the opportunity to enjoy a boat ride on a mountain lake.
8) We were blessed to be allowed to share Jesus at a large Catholic high school, where the principal was a Hindu. The Catholic schools never allow us to pray with the children, but Sam explained the Gospel very clearly to them.
9) In one city where we worked, over 8,000 children heard the Gospel in 3 days. Praise God!

OUR FAVORITE SOUND

You cannot come to India without noticing the things that are so different than the way they are at home. When we are in cities, it is never quiet. The horns sound all night long. Driving in India is something you cannot really describe. On a 2-lane road, you would find 2 buses, 2 cars, with assorted pedestrians and motor bikes and a large truck honking its horn determined that it will pass. Sometimes in the midst of all of this traffic, there are cows and herds of sheep or goats running loose. If a car’s horn is broken, the car cannot be driven. None of us want to hear the sound of a horn again!

However, there is a sound that we love to hear. At some of the programs, we are allowed to pray with the children, and always we are amazed at the response. Today we did a program for the Christian school here at ACA and heard so many children calling on Jesus to save them. When we finished, one of the teachers came up to us and really encouraged us. He said he was amazed at how well the children listened to us. Please pray that the children will listen this well at every show. Only God can hold their attention.

Love in Jesus,

Linda, for the team

Sam, Assistant director
Silvana
Will & Allison

India Update 14 February 2008

2008-02-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends,

PHOTOS ARE ONLINE AT

India 2008

It is not always easy for us to have access to the internet. For the past 3 days, we have been doing ministry in another city. We had an amazing time. If you were praying for us over these last 3 days, then you can read these stories and see how God answered your prayers. Please pray for us everyday, whether you hear from us or not. This is a very dark place, and we need the strength of your prayers.

EARLY IN THE MORNING

Early one morning, we met together for prayer and to read God's word. God used Psalm 115 to speak to our hearts. "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human kind. You, who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield." We are surrounded by false gods! There are several at the little hotel where we are staying. Since we have traveled to another city we all noticed the increase in temples. They are everywhere! You can buy your false gods at different shops or you can purchase a mask from different vendors to scare evil spirits from your home. It is a symbol of darkness itself and invites trouble, but this is not understood.

This city has many problems because it is a very strong Hindu place and the caste system, though outlawed, is still strong in people's hearts. There is also a strong Islamic group here, so this city suffers from many false teachings. Demonic activity is also a big problem. We are in the dark and discovering each day how the Lord is our help and shield. Please pray! Please listen to the Holy Spirit as he calls you to pray for us, even if it is in the middle of the night! We are 10 ½ hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in America. Expect to wake up!

3500 CHILDREN

On Monday, we did 3 shows and shared the hope of the cross with 3,500 children. We were all in awe of how the Lord was blessing us. At each school, many of the teachers and sometimes the assistant head-master gave us trouble, but we were always allowed to share with the children. Some of the teachers actually listened, but they were fewer in number than those who glared at us.

At each school, we explained Jesus' death and resurrection. We told the children how they could know Jesus as their personal Savior and even gave an example of how they could pray, using my testimony. We could not pray with them, but that is not a problem with God! We will not nurture this seed in their hearts and call them. They know what to do to become a Christian.

This is what we have done in India over the last 4 years. Still, even with their opposition, the teachers and principals from schools that we went to last year were disappointed that we were not coming to their schools this year. Praise God! All of these schools this year in this town are new places for us to share. We have so many wonderful opportunities.

TOO MANY STORIES

There is not time for me to write all that we see God do in a single day, but I will share with you what I can. At a school of 1500 boys, I looked into their faces and saw that they were hungry to hear the Gospel. Can you imagine 1500 boys sitting in the dirt spellbound by the Gospel? When I said that Zacheus looked down the road to see Jesus, they too looked because they were so caught up in the story. At other schools, we had this same response. My heart is broken for these children!

At a school for girls, I told the girls that they were a treasure to the one true God and their countenance lifted as they heard the words in their own language. Will delighted them by bragging on his wife, Alli in his testimony. He showed them a little bit of how a Christian man looks at his wife. Remember, this is a place where healthy baby girls are thrown into the Ganges River to redeem their worthlessness.

One principal only gave us 20 minutes. I asked for 40 minutes. We compromised at 35 minutes. One friend thought that maybe we should not say "Jesus" since it made people angry. We could not agree to this. We began the program and ironically, after we began to talk about Jesus, the principal gave us an extra 15 minutes. He was a Hindu and his actions encouraged all of us to be wise, but to share Jesus. Our friend considered the principal's actions a confirmation that he was not to worry.

A VILLAGE SHOW

We set up our stage in front of a Hindu temple. Can you imagine? We used the light of the village's only street light so that the children could see. The local pastor was very excited and said that every night the power is out from 7-9:00pm. This is always true. However, the light never went out. Praise God!

By God's grace, 200 people attended the show that night, men, women and children. Almost all were Hindu and so many were hearing about Jesus for the first time. Sam told an amazing story! There is a weekly outreach in this village, but so far no one has publicly confessed Christ. Ask God to give them courage! They looked into our eyes with such hunger. Their poverty was great but their soul's poverty was much greater.

Afterwards, they crowded around all of us asking us to pray for them. This happened in so many places. People came asking for prayer for pain, for blessings for their children, for family members, for everything you can imagine and more. The village elder said to me, "May you live 1000 years to tell these stories." This man was a Hindu. Pray for this small seed of faith to grow in his heart. We left this place exhausted and more happy then I can describe.

HOME

We are back at ACA and feel as though we are home. I will continue to write the reports of our 3 days working with Pastor Livingston. Please pray for our time here, as we are going to many villages. Today, we were denied entrance to a school because they were afraid to have us come. We need special prayer for tomorrow morning as our friend and partner in ministry, Hanson, will go to speak to schools about programs. We are having some problems with the schedule on Monday and Tuesday. Please pray and ask God to fill this schedule. Please pray for God to hold open the doors. Please ask others to pray.
Also, we began teaching at the seminary tonight and we are very excited about this opportunity. We have 6 more evenings of meetings with these incredible young men and young women. I will tell you some very exciting news about this part of our schedule later.

URGENT PRAYER AND MINISTRY NEED - MOLDOVA

Please take the time to read the following request from our partner in ministry in Moldova, Alexandru Sandulac. We saw God do amazing things in Moldova because of this man's sacrificial efforts for the Gospel. Please read the request that he sent us and if you desire to help him, please contact him directly through his email: alexsanduleac@yahoo.com

He has a way to receive funds in the United States.

This is the message he sent:

Please pray for our son Paul, 12 years old that is in the hospital in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. He has breathing problem and often cannot breathe. It has gotten so bad last week that he could not even stay on his feet. We went to the best doctors in Moldova we know but our hope is just in God. Doctors say that most probably he has asthma and the doctor that is treating him insists on giving him hormonal treatment. All problem began 1,5 years ago, when he had pneumonia and doctors in Cupcini, our home town misdiagnosed it and did not treat it for almost 2 months, then he was treated in another city (Balti), but still got pneumonia 4 times in a year period.

Please pray God will heal Paul and encourage him, and that the Lord will provide funds for his treatment and medications, as we did not have any money for that and had to borrow. We have already spent for his treatment $1,300.

God bless you! And thank you for your prayers and friendship.

In Christ,

Alexandru and Svetlana

In Jesus, Linda for the team

Sam Shaw, Assistant director
Silvana, Will & Alli