Advocacy
The Lord directed my steps to be deeply involved with the Greunu
people. At Proclaim '86, a student missions conference, I was
convinced that I must become involved in world evangelization. Soon after,
I took the Perspectives course at the US Center for World Mission.
That same year, I got news of a fellow who wanted to build
a Christian school as a means of reaching out to the Greunu community,
where he was a missionary. G. wrote personally and affectionately
and I started writing back, slowly developing an interest in his
work and the people.
My wife and I attended 3 different churches between 1989 and 1992. In that time, whatever church we were in, we joined existing prayer groups and shared the missionary's burdens for prayer. Towards 1992, the focus slowly widened from concern for G. to prayer for the whole people group, whose spiritual needs had been very well communicated. God answered some of our prayers in specific and miraculous ways! That provided impetus for us to continue this role as a link between the Harvest Field (the Greunus), the Harvest Force (missionary G.) and the potential Senders (American church).
From the Perspectives course, I knew how to produce a people profile for the Greunus and involve people in praying for them as an unreached people. I corresponded heavily with G. who had a very exciting ministry of evangelism and healing among them. Through carefully directed inquiry to him, I was able to put together a people profile.
Using the people profile, I contacted various agencies and churches to involve them in this concern. Although I was not personally very capable of doing this, my father-in-law helped to stir up interest and get a church to join in. In addition, with his help, three major milestones came to be: the dubbing of the Jesus film into the Greunus' language (by Campus Crusade for Christ), the initiation of an effective ongoing church-planting program known as the "portable school movement" (original program designed by Evangelism Resources in Kentucky) and the dubbing of the Scriptures into their language on cassette by Hosanna Ministries (not the music people).
I continue to track events and people surrounding the evangelization of the Greunu. The Greunu Prayer Force newsletter has become the means by which I can communicate my findings, call for specific prayer, raise funds for key programs, and help to orient the Church on who the Greunus are and why we must focus specific energy on reaching them. My main concern has been to find groups, i.e., churches, who will focus on the Greunus and help contribute in a larger way. Our trip last fall helped to sharpen our focus and give us a personal and emotional connection with the Greunus, many of whom we met outside of their homeland. In addition, I finally met G. who to this day continues to work sacrificially among them.
Jim Au 2925 N Willamette Blvd. Portland, OR 97217 (503) 283-4020 [email protected]
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6/16/99
