So often we feel like we need to go somewhere else to do God’s work, but so often God is already working where we are. Spanish World Ministries is a ministry who ministers to their native lands. Their main way to do so is through a radio program called El Camino de la Vida (The way of life).

For more information on their philosophy, check out this excerpt from The National Missionary Connection page:

Who is a national missionary? A national missionary is a person who is serving Christ while living in the country in which he or she was born or has become a permanent resident through the means of immigration or marriage. National missionaries have the same culture, language, economic status, and physical features as those to whom they minister. They eat like they eat. They talk like they talk. They think like they think. They live like they live. They are educated like they are educated. They look like they look. A national missionary understands and intimately identifies materially, emotionally and intellectually with the people he or she is trying to reach for Christ.

Here’s a great summary of what their mission:

Our confidence is that every day, somewhere in Latin America, many people are hearing that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the World.

I’ve been using my navy blue, leather-bound Bible for years. Flipping through it shows the marks of my relationship with it: the frayed bookmark, the pocket I added to the back and the scuffed cover that make it mine.

If you were to browse through Matthew, you would see where as a senior in high school I underlined my way valiantly through the wisdom of Jesus’ words. You can achieve a similar look to your copy of Matthew by taking a black pen willy-nilly to the bottom of every fifth verse.

Thing was, at that time, I could have cared less about the translation. I was full of the vitality that comes along with a renewed interest in one’s faith. You could have given me the Precious Moments Bible, and I would have loved it.

Which raises an interesting question to me now: What would I be doing if I didn’t speak English?

Well, your options become severely limited, or you don’t have any options to begin with. If one speaks English they have a myriad of choices to read the Holy Bible (most of which you can find on a little site we call BibleGateway.com).

If you’ve ever wondered if a country does have the Bible, let me point you towards WorldMap.org. They’re a ministry that publishes evangelistic statistics, including whether or not the country has the Bible in their language.

Take Angola for example. There’s still a large chunk of that country that needs a translation of the Bible, which was news to me.

There are a few ministries in the Gospel.com community that are devoted to the gargantuan task of Bible translations like IBS and the Lutheran Bible Translators (check out their list of translations).

If you’re interested at all in this part of spreading the Word of God, you might want to check them out so you can know how better to pray for them and support them. You can also read some of their efforts in other langauges via the BibleGateway.

The massive cyclone destruction in Myanmar has occupied world attention in recent weeks—but the earthquake that struck central China has wreaked havoc and left a horrifying body count as well. Mission Network News has a story up about Christian ministry efforts to bring aid to the quake victims:

Baptist Global Response’s Jeff Palmer says they’re partnering with the Southern Baptists in an emergency response. A needs assessment is ongoing. “The first thing we’re going to do is get water, food and shelter to those who are in need. That in and of itself, people coming from halfway across the world, is a testimony to the people who are there. It’s the love of Christ that compels us, and we are commanded to help those who are in need.”

Even as Christian relief teams are being assembled, Palmer says, “Prayer is the strategy that we want to mobilize, first and foremost–praying for those who are in suffering, those who’ve lost family members, those already responding to the effort, [and] also pray for wisdom and knowledge of how to respond.”

Another story includes quotes by an International Aid representative who says that they’re standing by to help as well. If and when we learn of other Gospel.com ministries working in the area, we’ll post an update here on the blog. In the meantime, the ongoing relief efforts are certainly something to add to your prayers this week.