Newsletter Contents:

1.   Mary Dunham Faulkner Dedication
2.  Taking GWTW to Kenya by Pat Joyce
3.  Women of Abuse by Barbara Collins
4.  On equality by Pat Joyce
5.  What's New on the Web  A list of new material posted on the GWTW Website.

Spring Newsletter Dedicated to Mary Dunham Faulkner

Mary Dunham Faulkner is a cross-cultural communicator with a message that empowers her international audience to discover and claim their God-gifted destiny. She is also the founder of Leah’s Sisters, an organization committed to rebuilding nations through restored women.

Her experience of living in Thailand for 25 years where she founded and directed a
Girl’s Home for girls at risk of being sold into prostitution has given her a unique foundation for her seminars and conferences that she conducts around the world.

Faulkner is the author of four books, “
I’m a Woman!”— addressing issues of self-esteem and the Asian woman; and Soul on Sojourn—Gaining an Eternal Perspective through the Losses of Life (contracted by Multnomah but unpublished), Living Beyond the Possible by Wayne Myers and Mary Dunham Faulkner, Evangeline Press, 2003; and Gentle Wisdom for Tough Times.

She is now partnering with the Rwanda government in Central Africa in building a Women’s Resource Center for the families of the victims of the tragic genocide of 1994. Besides her partnership with the women of Rwanda, Mary also conducts leadership conferences and seminars in southeast Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe.

Two years ago, an article about Mary appeared in the Dallas Morning News.  Our planned trip to Kenya prompted a search through old emails, and this one containing that article was rediscovered.  You can read it now on our website.  Enjoy. 

Some women are abused to their very deaths.  All of us have watched the violence toward women grow.  Violence against women by their live-in spouses or partners is a widespread phenomenon in developed and developing countries as well as in rural and urban areas.  The World Health Organization conducted research in 15 countries and found partner violence went from a low of 15 percent in Yokohama, Japan to a high of 71 percent in rural Ethiopia.  Isn’t it time to address the ongoing crisis of men’s violence against women? What we’re up against is a deadly mix of deep misogyny and violent masculinity.

We’ve become shock-proof from the stories we’ve heard.  The latest from Texas is about a 19-yr-old student at Texas A & M University whose body was dismembered and put on a barbecue grill piece-by piece for at least two days.  She’d gone home to Houston on spring break.  Her former boyfriend wasn’t cooking; he was burning.  Guess what?  It didn’t smell like barbecue and wasn’t a normal cook-out.  Nothing remains of her body.  The man’s confession revealed he was simply angry she had started a new relationship. 

To highlight just one of 118 murders of young women in Mexico last year alone, 13-yr.-old Angela was beaten, sexually assaulted and tortured to death.  Her body was abandoned along a road and eventually buried without ever being identified.  Is it possible to kill a woman in Mexico and get away with it?  The perpetrators think so.  Isn’t it time for this lethal message to change?

Comfort women?  You are asking, what's that?  They were the Japanese sexual slaves in military brothels that were scattered across Asia during W. W. II. to "comfort" the military men after being coerced, confined and raped by their captors.  Representative Mike Honda from California held hearings on a bill asking Japan to finally acknowledge apologize and accept historical responsibility for its Imperial Armed force's coercion of young women into sexual slavery.

Was India any different in its occupation by the British army who also "needed" comfort women?  The only difference is the time-frame around the turn of the twentieth century.  “Christian” England hid behind “Contagious Diseases Acts” and gave government sanction to the sexual “needs” of the British Army stationed in India.  See how young Indian women were held to prostitution by the iron law of military regulation. To read Katharine Bushnell and Elizabeth Andrews' contribution to the subject, click here.  Warning:  This short book is 59 pages long! 

What about the Amish schoolhouse massacre in Pennsylvania where a 32-year-old man forced five, defenseless girls, ages 6-13, to line up against a blackboard while he tied their feet together.  Then, he shot them in the head, killing some and critically wounding several others before taking his own life. The media as well as the government failed to put the origin of the problem where it belongs--another hate crime perpetrated by an angry man against defenseless young girls. 

When are we going to call a spade a spade?  When will sexism be dealt with honestly?  Yes, what has been written is about extreme acts of gender violence.  What about the incidents of rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence that millions of women and girls grapple with daily?  Where are the men who will stop looking the other way, pretending that nothing has happened?  When will men break their silence and start working with women to turn these tragedies into a transformative moment through the power of Jesus Christ?

 The tragedy at Virginia Tech happened after this article was written.  Let's look at violence in general.  Only Christ can save us from the evil penetrating society.  Scripture says, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” The world system cannot solve the problem.  Only as the Body of Christ truly repents and seeks Him alone will we be changed into His likeness.  Only as the Lord lives His greater life through us will Christians be able to demonstrate the authority God gave to His people.  Here alone is true hope. 

As women begin to speak up, are we a threat?  Does biblical womanhood threaten biblical manhood? 

Christians must see their value in God’s eyes, men as well as women.  Our identity and significance is in Christ.  We are all one in Him with no differentiation based on ethnicity, social status or gender.  (Gal. 3:28)  “In Him we live, move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)  Men and women moving together by His Spirit will complete the Body of Christ. 

Men who feel threatened by women assuming a place of equal partnership succumb to a lie from the pit.  Women, who limit function because of gender, choose tradition over the Word of God—another lie.

If we believe in hierarchy in our priesthood that places the man as final authority in the home or assembly, it’s time to become a good Berean and study, not just read, the scripture.  Seek truth from God.  If you ask, He will answer.

Do you know the origin of misogynistic tradition in Christianity?  It lies  with rabbinical teaching and pagan Greek philosophy.   The early church fathers had a classical Greek education that influenced their thinking much as humanism colors ours.  The error was supported by cultural tradition and persists to this day.  From Jewish oral law to the Greeks, to Tertullian, to Thomas Aquinas, to Luther, Calvin, and even Wesley down to our day, their own words convict them.  Click here and scroll down to read for yourself.  

Have you really studied Genesis 1 & 2?  Did you take time to check out the Hebrew instead of trusting that you have accurate understanding of the original meaning of the words?  These chapters tell God’s original plan for humankind.  Remember, God doesn’t change.   GWTW has a podcast as well as articles on these chapters.

True Christianity looks to God’s original plan where men and women are given dominion in the earth over everything but each other. God can use all of us.  All are called to service—service He directs.  Competition or power struggles have no place in His kingdom --those belong to the fallen world system.  The Kingdom has one head—Jesus Christ.  His life in us is demonstrated by the love described in 1 Corinthians 13 and the fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:23.

Christianity is not Sunday School or going to church.  It is a life---the life of Christ lived thorough broken vessels by His Spirit.  We are called to a high calling as sons.  All of us are sons—male and female.  We are invited to be His bride—all of us—male and female.  We need  to get over ourselves and find our identity in Him.  Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life for both male and female. 

   
   


Near Kitale in Western Kenya

Taking
GWTW  
to Kenya

By Pat Joyce

Barbara Collins and Pat Joyce are taking the ministry of God’s Word to Women to Kenya in June.  For years GWTW has received invitations from all over the world to come and minister God’s truth about women.  A few weeks ago a letter came from a pastor in Kenya and we felt God saying, “It’s time to go.” 

We are being joined by our friend Kathy Wozniak.  Kathy has missionary experience in India and Nepal, but this is her first trip to Africa. 

The message that got this trip started was from Pastor Wambeye Wafula and his wife Loice from Webuye, Kenya.  He says, Women have been neglected, oppressed and dumped for a long time, this will be the best time for Ladies. Women are a great force and sleeping giants sleeping, come minister to them and wake them up. You know what it means to wake up sleeping giants. They will turn the world upside down for Christ.” .  It you’d like to know more about them, click here to look at their website.

 Some of the other ministries who had written to GWTW, were contacted.  Pastor Fredrick Baraza and his wife Sarah from Watoya replied immediately.  We couldn’t find Watoya on the map.  Pastor Fred told us Watoya is a village very close to the town of Bungoma.

Pastor Albert  Onyango and his wife Christine of Kitale also responded.   He is a friend of Cheryl McGrath from Australia who has articles up on GWTW.  She ministered with him in 2003 & 2005.  Pastor Albert has a section on Cheryl’s website.  Take a look!  Christine has been ill.  Please pray for her.

Although other responses came, the Lord quickened these three to us.  When we finally found the three locations on the map, we discovered the towns are within a few miles of each other in Western Kenya near the Ugandan border.  God’s hand was definitely in the planning. 

Sadly, many pastors that have asked us to come we will miss. Particularly, Pastor Ayub from Nakuru and Pastor Robert and his wife Esther from Uganda.  We pray the Lord will provide for them, or open the door for us to return.  The need is great.  God’s people must be set free from traditions that limit women and weaken the Body of Christ. 

This trip is our first not only to Africa but to anywhere,  and we are learning many things.  For one, it’s expensive!  It’s not just travel and lodging.  These ministries require assistance with the expense of holding meetings and feeding people who come. 

Bibles are needed, and we want to take materials to the pastors as well.  One of the pastors has requested a laptop, but one for each ministry would be even better.   If any of you have a source for laptops, Pat has someone who will check them out.   We are looking for those no longer fast enough or have enough memory for business use but that are in good working order and will meet the needs of these pastors.

Besides a heavy schedule of seminars and meetings for the adults, we’ll spend one day with widows and their children who have AIDS and another at an orphanage.  Little things for the children would brighten their day.  Pray that we will choose wisely as the weight limit on baggage is quite firm. 

Be praying for us as we leave June 12 and return July 6.  The schedule is developing.  If you’d like to know more about the problems of Kenyan women or want to see what’s planned so far, click here.  The itinerary will be updated as it develops.

A pastor wrote, “Women in Africa's church are finding it difficult to break their cultural barriers, so as to be ushered into a full release of their God-given potential.  What makes it worse, they have no access to the internet, neither do most of their leaders. . . The church has tried to reach women but the barriers still prevail. I believe your ministry would do a great deal to lift women up, especially in their relationship with God!

Health officials estimate as many as 50 percent of females nationwide have suffered Female Genital Mutilation, mostly at an early age. Although two presidential decrees banned it, no law has actually stopped Female Genital Mutilation.   Violence against women is a serious and widespread problem.

In Kenya, twice as many women have HIV as men.  The HIV/AIDS epidemic magnifies the devastation of women’s property violations.  Because of these violations, AIDS’ deaths expected in the coming years will result in millions more women becoming widows at younger ages than would otherwise be the case.

The truth of the biblical equality message must confront Kenyan Christians.  The people of God can lead the way to overcoming discrimination against women only when they have overcome the distorted view of male and female relationships in the church.  Our prayer is that people will hear and proclaim the word we take to their world.       

The pastors we are going to visit have been to our website.  They contacted GWTW because they see the need for their women to realize their value and identification in God.  The door is open for us to bring the word of biblical equality to their people, both men and women.  We covet your prayers and support. 

We have been told to expect sizeable crowds.  People walk for miles to attend all-day meetings in seminars that last two or three days.  Some must stay overnight.  They must be fed and housed.  The local ministries do not have resources for such expense.  GWTW needs to assist.  However, this being our first experience, we underestimated the cost. 

 Checks can be mailed to:

God’s Word to Women
912 Tanglewood Dr.
Plano, TX 75075

God’s Word to Women is a registered non-profit and all contributions are tax deductible which would include the computers!

What’s New
on the Web

We want to call your attention  to new additions to the website.  You can always find the latest by clicking on "What's New" found at the top of each page.

 

This Woman You Gave Me, Lord! by Joel Davisson "This Woman You Gave Me, Lord!" is Chapter Three from The Man of Her Dreams/ The Woman of His by Joel and Kathy Davisson. In it Joel tells what it took to come to grips with his part in their marriage problems. The Davissons minister a strong word of marriage restoration drawn from their years of struggle, and the victory they now live.

 God's Word to Women's Statement of Faith  In response to requests, here it is. 

Testimony of Isabel Chapman includes her conversion and first missionary experience in the mountains of Kalinga Apayao on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Her experiences demonstrate the power of God in response to true faith. You don't want to miss this one!

Sisters In Healing is an article about Mary Dunham Faulkner and how God led her to minister through Leah's Sisters, an organization committed to rebuilding nations through restored women. Here is a word of hope, encouragement and motivation. 

The God's Word to Women Blog

The GWTW blog will be the place to keep up with the Kenyan trip and post your comments.  Reports will be sent as often as we are able to get them written. 

For those who don't blog, our musings will also be posted in the letters section.

The latest post on the blog reads:  "One of the best articles I've read in a while; it's a little long in this blog byte world but it is worth the time. Try reading it out loud; you may find yourself standing and pounding the pulpit!"

The Article is "On Slippery Slopes, the Blogosphere, and (oh, yes) Women. The place of women in the redemptive community. by Susan Wise Bauer"

We encourage you to forward the newsletter to those you believe would be interested. 

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