Uganda

Night-Radio Ministry Support in Uganda

Radio Ministry here is progressing well. From the last report till December 2024, we have had 171 decisions  to follow Jesus on radio program. And now so far in this January 2025, we have recorded 40 New conversion. To God be all the glory!

We failed to make it to Karamoja outreach in time as we had planned, this is because of financial difficulties. However, we’re trying hard to make sure we go there before the GNN Leadership Conference reaches. Keep that in your prayers too.

We can’t wait to receive you with team on 28th February!

– Bishop John Magaba  –

Harvest in Ugandan Night Radio

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to share with you the exciting news from yesterday’s Sunday morning radio service (22. December-24). By God’s grace, 26 people accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, including Muslims, Catholics, and Protestants.

The response was overwhelming, and the radio phone lines were jammed with callers seeking prayer and sharing their testimonies. Some Muslims who couldn’t get through on the phone sent messages confessing their decision to follow Jesus Christ. I prayed for all of them, as well as for the sick and those with various prayer points.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you and GNN Finland (Good News Networking) for your love and support towards our radio ministry. Your partnership has enabled us to reach the unreached people in Uganda and Africa at large with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are grateful for your trust in us and for being part of this great commission.

– ’Flash-Jordan’ –

Two seminars will be held in Mubende

 

Missions 2025 in East Africa

The GNN team will go to Tanzania on 21st of February 2025, and will continue to Uganda on 28.2 for another week. A lot of prayer support is needed for this two-week trip!

Once landed in Tanzania, 3,000 copies of the children’s teaching books called Mwanga (Light) are ready to be distributed to pastors from different provinces who gather in Arusha.

They distribute them to workers who already were trained in their areas. We give them a three-day video training in Swahili* (8 lessons of 2nd level training filmed by children’s veterans Mama Mirjam and Mama Raili). The purpose is for the participants to share the teaching further in their regions.

There is a crying need for children’s ministry in Tanzania. There are almost 30 million children under the age of 14!

We are grateful that the costs of the Mwanga book edition were covered, thank you to the donors!

And while writing this GNN News in English, we had also donations almost to the whole budget for Tanzania, Arusha and Uganda, Mubende that consists of 4 seminars all together.

Would you like to support this training?

On the map, you can see how GNN children’s work has progressed in different provinces. The pastors who joined GNN’s former mission courses have already reached out to 10 new tribes.

Our man in Africa, Francis Tusiime, is a Ugandan missionary who has been coordinating GNN’s work in Tanzania since the year 2018.

Harvest in Ugandan Night-Radio

Below is a wonderful testimony from Uganda ’night-radio’ that we are supporting.

I wanted to share with you the exciting news from yesterday’s Sunday morning radio service (22. December-24). By God’s grace, 26 people accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, including Muslims, Catholics, and Protestants.

The response was overwhelming, and the radio phone lines were jammed with callers seeking prayer and sharing their testimonies. Some Muslims who couldn’t get through on the phone sent messages confessing their decision to follow Jesus Christ. I prayed for all of them, as well as for the sick and those with various prayer points.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you and GNN Finland (Good News Networking) for your love and support towards our radio ministry. Your partnership has enabled us to reach the unreached people in Uganda and Africa at large with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are grateful for your trust in us and for being part of this great commission.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous Happy New Year 2025!!

Blessings,

Flash-Jordan

Christmas Greetings 2024


Our Father’s heartbeat

Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

The heart is the center of a person’s being. The director of our Mission training, Ensio Mustonen, once said that a doctor comforted him by saying that the heart will last until the end. When we talk about matters of the heart, we mean those things that captivate our attention.

Eventually when it’s time to leave our legacy, it’s important for us to direct it to what serves the purpose closest to our heart’s desires. The legacy may be spiritual, something that speaks to the next generations, but usually it concerns the legacy we bequeath to those left behind.

I think that the most far-reaching is the kind of legacy that is for the eternal good of people. Funds given to missionary work are according to the Father’s heart, and the supporter can be happy about it even during his lifetime.

Whenever I send support to the work of the unreached, I feel great pleasure when I think of the goal they will pursue, with the result that people from all ethnic groups will once stand before the throne singing a new verse. What a sight!

GNN Finland reg. is a small missionary organisation with a big vision. We drive on ‘one track’ which means focusing on reaching different people groups with the Gospel.

Up until now, we have managed to keep local expenses to a minimum. We don’t even keep an office so that the ‘earmarked’ funds directed to us go to the right places in which they were assigned, even paying the bank charges ourselves.

In cooperation with local partners, we train and employ selected national pioneers among unreachable tribes and new areas where the message of Jesus is not known.

A young man died in traffic in Sumatra while on his way to Bible school. A grieving father made a song whose words touch me every time.

Life is an opportunity to serve the Lord.

Don’t waste the time you’re given from Him.

Like a fragrant flower that blooms in the morning in the meadow,

Then withers in the heat of the day.

Likewise, life here only lasts for a moment.

Chorus:
Oh Lord, use my life while I’m still strong.

Then when I am weary, my life has become a blessing.

Whether you are young or old, we are only here on earth for a brief moment. When the time comes, what kind of foot print will we leave behind us?

 

 

 

 

 

– Arto Sädeaho –

Children – the world’s largest Unreached People Group

Did you know that eight out of ten children in the world have never heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? In Tanzania alone, there are nearly 30 million children under the age of 14 years old. Such a challenge is certainly huge. But we can do our part, if we work together.

The GNN local team we have trained in Tanzania, has since 2021 held 22 regional Sunday school seminars to 2,800 participants consisting of local pastors, bishops and Sunday school teachers. To them our team arranged the first level training.

After realizing the value of a child, they have gained a new perspective at work. Children’s ministry has multiplied and even new churches have been born. However, the second level was unfinished due to limited funds. In addition, a useful teacher’s guide book was missing.

Now, an improvement is planned for it from the beginning of 2025:

I have just agreed that 3,000 Mwanga (Light in English) – book edition in Swahili language will be printed in Tanzania. It will be distributed to all who attended the first level course. Therefore, we plan to fly end March to Arusha, which is located near Kilimanjaro.

Here is the plan: Key persons from each course will come to Arusha. There they will receive a number of books along with them to distribute for those who already participated our regional seminars.

Would you like to be part of this challenge? Funding is greatly needed and printing one book costs less than one euro. How many of those greatly needed books would you like to cover?

European Network of International Churches

In October 2024, in the 42nd week, the pastors of the FEIC – Fellowship of European International Churches, gathered for the 20th time for a joint summit. This time we gathered in Budapest. Pastor Edsel Klit from VICF church in Vantaa was there.

When pastors and other activists struggling with similar questions come together to prayerfully consider different challenges in a supportive atmosphere, it is clear that creativity enriches the participants.

An idea popped up of such a network in Slovenia in 2003 at a meeting with pastors. My friend, Terry Hoggard, then the pastor of the Brussels Christian Center, took the initiative and the FEIC Summit 2004 was held for the first time in an inn in the mountains of Austria.

Now the network has more than 80 international congregations from 32 countries and VICF congregation is one of them. The 42nd week of autumn has become the regular time for such an Annual Event.

Then in the mountains of Austria, the idea of expanding the work globally was born. This time, too, Terry Hoggard assembled the Global ICF network, which together with four similar networks organized the first Global Conference in Hong Kong in 2011. Global ICN gatherings are organized every three years.

– Pastor Arto Sädeaho –

 

From October 15-17, I had the privilege of attending the FEIC Summit in Riverside, Hungary, an eye-opening experience that I hope to share with you. This was my first time at the summit, and I was eager to connect with other attendees.

On the first day, I engaged with several inspiring individuals during a round-table discussion, laying the foundation for meaningful relationships. Following this, I participated in a leadership session led by Dr. Aaron Cole, the pastor of Life Church in Wisconsin, and was moved by Mark Oais, who shared his impactful experiences ministering to Muslims in Turkey.

The second day was equally enriching, focusing on the discipleship curriculum and the continuation of our leadership discussions. I had the pleasure of meeting Phil and Jane Heeke, who introduced me to effective discipleship programs for both men and women.

The final day featured further leadership discussions and a panel in the afternoon, deepening our collective insights and strategies.

Overall, the summit was a transformative experience, allowing me to forge valuable connections and acquire essential tools for ministry. The atmosphere was incredibly uplifting, as we came together to pray, share challenges, and encourage one another in our endeavors.

I am immensely grateful to our church for sending me to the FEIC Summit. This experience reassured me that the Lord’s work among international churches is thriving in Europe. Together, we can continue to advance this mission and bring hope to many.

– Pastor Edsel Klit –

Mission Work in an Ever-changing World

Today’s “international migration” is changing societies in Europe, sometimes radically whether we like it or not. The traditional thinking about missionary work in some distant country has acquired new dimensions alongside it. One of them is that missionary work is in close proximity, even in the home environment. Maybe God makes us better fulfill the command in churches and as individuals.

Still, traditional has its value. Sometimes, the concepts of evangelization and missionary work get mixed up, both are important in their own way. If only this would clarify the matter a little: The sharing of the Good News within the circle of one’s own people and culture is evangelism. Again, if linguistic and cultural borders are crossed, we talk about missionary work, even if it takes place in the home country.

The concepts do not matter, as long as we do not shame the Gospel; ”For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Our domestic mission is called Vantaa International Christian Fellowship, VICF, which functions as part of GNN, offering “a spiritual home for all nations.”
When I look at the international audience from the podium, it reminds me of the moment when we stand in front of the Throne (Rev.7:9).

Did you know that heaven is international?

– Arto Sädeaho –

East Africa: Tanzania and Uganda

Tanzania

Since 2018, we had been operating from Dar-es-Salaam to Tanzania. Francis Tusiime, a missionary from Uganda, has been our man there. He organized courses to ignite local pastors to reach new tribes and to organize children’s ministry training around regions in the country. There are nearly 30 million children under the age of 15 in Tanzania. Until then, the churches had a perception that children do not understand coming to faith. However, children are key to families and unreached  areas.

Pr. Francis had to return to his hometown of Mubende in western Uganda last Christmas to arrange funding for his elderly mother and his vocation work. However, he continues his missions from there. Now in March, Pr. Francis carried out a 2nd level mission trainings to northern Tanzania. Hundreds of pastors participated in the training sessions, during which Sunday school veterans Mirjami and Raili were present via Zoom, answering participants’ questions in Swahili.


Uganda

In the spring of 2023, together with Pastor Aki Miettinen, we trained the Christian military and police personnel of the Joint Forces association. Now Pr. Aki, a former captain of the border forces, received a new invitation sent by the major general to give additional training in June 2024. The flights were also organized with external funding. It seems that this specialized training would also extend to a neighboring country in East Africa. Uganda had never before invited missionaries to train army personnel.

 

Radio waves across borders

Our partner, Bishop John Magaba’s evangelizing programs have since the time of the pandemic brought more and more people to contact the studio, even from neighboring countries. Still, approximately 25 callers want to become followers of Jesus every week.

Nasta Magaba, John’s wife records the calls and converts are directed to the churches. Once a year, those who came to faith through the programs are invited to a radio conference in Mubende.

In March 2024, radio cooperation with Uganda, which has been going on for a decade, gained additional color, when Bp. John visited Finland with his wife and son, Jordan, as guest speakers.


 

Southeast Asia: Indonesia

Discipline builds character

This school is special. One of the course goals is the development of character. When some students complained asking why the program is so tough, they were told that if they can’t make it through the year at school, how are they going to survive in more demanding field conditions? These young people are really getting ready to face the challenges of the fields. Maybe that’s why about 90% of those sent persevere until they succeed. However, the determining factor for success is their prayer life. Morning prayers start at 4:00 a.m. and everyone participates in them if they plan to continue their studies.


Prayer chain over the decades

Another feature of the school is the prayer chain that has continued for 39 years without a hiatus. It works on a 24/7 basis. During the course, the students are responsible for the continuity one student cell at a time.

Between annual courses, the school staff is responsible for the prayer chain. I was happy to hear that GNN missions and supporters were on the prayer list from the beginning!

Fasting Fridays during the course weeks train the students to be disciplined, and even before the course ends, everyone quiets down for a three-day fast. Then, for many, their own vocation is confirmed.

Iron sharpens iron, and man sharpens man …
Around the time of the pandemic, online Bible schools started to emerge in Indonesia. Everything has its advantages, of course, but virtual education, even if it is high-quality, cannot train character. And that is exactly what is needed behind the difficult connections in the demanding field conditions, where the young pioneers are sent like sheep among wolves. But they also have prayer support behind them.

Yes, also this school also used virtual learning during the restrictions. But when other schools closed their doors for a year, even then the students stayed at this school. Teaching continued within strict health regulations and the school was kept closed to outsiders.

What kind of conditions do the pioneers face?

Agus (31) was sent in 2021 to a village of the Dayak tribe on the southern coast of Kalimantan, Indonesia. The villagers are bound by shamanism, powerful witchcraft and tribal traditions. Outsiders are treated with suspicion and avoidance.

There he started from scratch. Now, through many difficulties, a small congregation was born in the village, which meets in rented premises. Agus is currently building a prayer room on the lot which he received as a gift. Along with the Sunday meetings, he goes around meeting those who have come to faith and tries to build relationships with the villagers.

Facing the power of witches

In the beginning, the village shaman used his witch powers to send Agus a painful and itchy rash. No treatment given by the doctor worked. After a couple of months of suffering, Agus remembered from the Bible how the prophet Elisha cleaned the spring by throwing salts into the water. He got an idea from that and threw a handful of salt into the bath water in faith. The prayer of faith helped. He recovered from his affliction and was able to resume his work.

Life threatened

A young man in the village hated Agus because he had evangelized his grandmother. In the end, he took a hunting rifle and went with a couple of his friends to shoot Agus while he was in the toilet. After hearing two “bangs”, Agus peeked out the window and started shaking. He realized he was being targeted by three men. They fired a third time and disappeared from the scene, thinking they had succeeded.

Miraculously, Agus was spared unharmed. After later encountering Agus alive in the village, they concluded that he had greater power than themselves.

The work continues

Despite the opposition, Agus continues praying that people will come to faith and that the church will grow as a witness to the villagers, who are bound by witchcraft and prostitution.

He was motivated by Acts 20:20,

“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house”.

Spring News

Dear Friend and Intercessor,

At the end of May, Sumatra Bible School celebrates the completion of its 39th semester. The majority of young people who graduate (103) will go on internships in churches.

However, 20 pioneers are selected to open new, untouched locations. In addition, 6 are sent to unreached tribes.

I used to watch the students leaving the lecture with the founder of the school, Jan Siwi. My friend said: “Arto, these are ordinary village boys and girls, but they have the spirit of Zebulun and Naphtali. They go to their destinations with the mindset – either win or fall.”

Some of those who have been sent have experienced enormous hardships, even martyrdom. Still, over the decades, more than 2,500 new congregations have been planted all around that vast archipelago even to neighboring countries.

From Finland, we are involved in this cooperation.


Warm regards,

Arto Sädeaho