A Year of Change and Growth

Posted on: 
December 16, 2021

Greetings in the name of King Jesus! As 2021 draws to a close, we reflect back with gratitude on the many answered prayers and blessings of the past months. I will highlight just a few of those below (many more could be added).

1. On April 15 of the past year, we at last received the signature for our final inspection and our official occupancy permit for the new building. The building journey, from the planning stage to completion, took several years with many unexpected turns along the way. However, we are so thankful to the Lord for this new space where we can team together and daily focus in on the tasks at hand. We are also very grateful to the Lord for the gift of being able to build completely debt free. Many people —certainly hundreds— donated both funds and labor to make this happen. Thank you, God, for your provision!

2. Another answered request that we had been contemplating and praying about for a couple of years is the need for more help in the office. At the end of 2019 we made a list of 8 men that we felt may be an option for this role. However, God knew all along that the man He had prepared for this role would soon contact us. Jeff B reached out to us over a year ago to inquire about possibly working together, and this spring he and his family transitioned to State College so he could help serve here in with All-Nations. We have very much appreciated already, the gifts and experience he’s added to our team!

3. Another first for us this past year? Hosting a Bible translation forum here at the base where members attended both virtually and in person. We were able to use the recorded video lectures from the previous week’s biennial BT conference that’s hosted in Dallas, Texas. Our team members spearheading this (Aaron/Jeff) spent hours discussing, previewing, and planning the schedule for this event. When the three days actually arrived, everyone was pleased with the good attendance and interest. In addition to our group gathered here at the base, members Zoomed in from Western US, West Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, and Colombia.

4. A fourth area of growth that I would like to highlight from the past year is the establishment of a partner organization focused on community development. In the future, we envision this organization serving as a networking opportunity for our team members who have an interest in taking community development to another level. We have much to learn on this front as well as many others!

5. One final area I want to mention was the blessing of a core team of developers and reviewers that have committed together to work at preparing a church planting course for our team members and sending churches. This work has moved ahead steadily for the past eight months and we are just starting to contact the selected contributors (Phase 4 out of 7, “Delegate tasks: writing, interviewing, etc.”).

In conclusion, while speaking with one of our senior advisers yesterday he made a comment that caught my attention. He said that he’s coming to see the overarching message of the Bible as “The story of God, the story of man, and the revelation of the glory of God in redemption.”

This is why we continue to labor together. To God be the Glory, great things He has done!

—Joel Martin

Category: 
  • “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
  • “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witness of these things.” Luke 24:47, 48
  • “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19
  • “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3
  • “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the Gospel.” Ephesians 3:6
  • “That they all may be one; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:21
  • “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’?” Mark 11:17
  • “Ask of me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance.” Psalm 2:8
  • “Behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes.” Revelation 7:9
  • “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1
  • “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16
  • “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
  • “As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.” Proverbs 25:25
  • “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:10
  • “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.” Psalm 22:27
  • “Truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.” Numbers 14:21
  • “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” Psalm 96:3, 4
  • “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14
  • “That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.” 1 Kings 8:60
  • “For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations.” Malachi 1:11
  • “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.” Psalm 86:9
  • “For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:11
  • "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10
  • "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3, 4
  • "You are worthy. . .; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God." Revelation 5:9, 10