Dear Outreacher: 

The CDP GLOBAL NETWORK has developed quite rapidly over the last seven or eight years from just a Cassette Discipleship Program (CDP) activity in India, to a multi-national activity that is reaching out to many millions of otherwise ignored and forgotten villagers. This has extended to most of the developing countries of the World. This is especially poignant when one realizes that over half of the World’s population is “out there”!

            We are awed by this growth and great potential to reach out to these precious souls that often have been worshiping God the best they know how via many aspects of His creation! How great to see them come to the Lamb of God. Receiving His Salvation, Joy and Peace (sometimes even amidst turmoil all about them).

            In discussions with folks this last month, it has come to my attention that many have lost their focus and/or don’t remember what CDP and the Global Network is all about. Perhaps a brief summary of how it all came about is in order.

            Missionary Electronics provided the basic platform for sensitizing us to the need. Preparing our hearts for some 35 years (starting in 1948-1952 for some of us). It also provide the basis for a trip which our V.P. Wayne Walton, and I took to India in 1984 to implement a ‘change of guard’  from then present leadership to yet unknown persons.

            Flying between Bombay and Bangalore, I hit a really low point and just in my inner being asked my Father-God: “How can we reach these multiplying millions with the Gospel”? Immediately I saw this process that we now call the Cassette Discipleship Program (CDP).   It was most interesting that wherever we went we discussed it with the various national leaders – all said it was so simple, it would work!!! Indeed, it basically involved training villagers to become Village Evangelists – to reach out to their own – augmenting their literacy challenges with cassette players, etc.!!! This certainly had and has an exciting ring to it! Doesn’t it!

            National leadership was seemingly lagging, but, Dr. C. D. Jebasingh and GIFTS (Galilean International Film and Television Services) soon took on the challenge, and, after about four years of detailed planning and procedure preparation CDP was launched in India in early 1990s.  Mr. Chinnappa Jacob took the challenge and started by preparing 30 messages for recording on cassette tapes. He also placed one Village Evangelist (VE) in the Andhra Pradesh State area as a first trial balloon for CDP.  This worked so well the first year that he placed four VEs the next year. The success was so good that CDP really got the attention of the GIFTS board and they started to give it more support and credibility!  The next year, 16 were placed, then 64, and 256 on up to 375 with an added 50 VEs trained and ready for ministry -///- when -///- we lost $6,000/month designated to CDP-India,. So CDP-India had to reconfigure with significantly less and/or reduced gifts to the VEs and Supervisors.

            With this situation driving out plans and thinking, Jeba was able to scale back and then restart the growth based on a partial volunteer base – eventually (by about 2000) they were getting back with a few hundred VEs  in the six regions in South Central India.  Plans were made to move north just as fast as funds would allow! They also had several groups of VEs that were adopted by churches; this took them off our operational budget.

            In the meantime, in early 2001 we had also been approached by a young Pastor from Ghana, Africa who had seen our WEBSITE: me-intl.org and desired to get started with the program.  Yes, Pastor Prince Paul Konu started with a bang and has never stopped – insisting that they all wanted to be Volunteers working for the Lord!  Within three years, CDP-Ghana grew to over 320 VEs with their EWE language group and in 2007 reported over 300,000 led to the Lord and being discipled – many being baptized and in home church fellowships.

Now (June 2009) they have over 1,600 VEs ministering in three languages and growing! Today, June 2009, Pastor Paul is mentoring a group getting started in ‘next door’ Togo, Africa – another 4-million villagers to be reached!

            In early 2002 we had new startups for CDP-Liberia, CDP-Nigeria and CDP-Kenya, and CDP-Cameroon became interested in late 2003. Then with a desire to verify and also encourage Pastor Paul in CDP-Ghana, we decided to send our V.P.-Outreach, Dr, James Butare, to CDP-Ghana. We soon seized on this opportunity to also get all new groups together in Ghana to meet with Dr. Butare.  All but CDP-Kenya attended and it proved to be a very important meeting, convincing all that CDP was for real and a going, growing process.

            Then, early in 2004 CDP-Cameroon brought 110 countries into CDP, – these being tried and trusted former students of their Institute, where they had trained Evangelists and Pastors for the last

15 (or so) years.  Many of these interested other trusted friends, in other counties, who also wanted to be a part of CDP, so the number climbed at that time to a total of 186 countries.

            These all quickly signed in with 20 to 40 VEs to start, and growth started where they all were using the three candidate VEs with each ministering VE for a growth period of six to 12 months, applying the CDP on-the-job training.

            This growth continued up into mid 2008, at which time the reported total VEs were arguably  over 20,000, where China alone had reported 7,500 VEs ministering!

            About that time, CDP-Cameroon and most of the countries which they had brought to the CDP process, determined that they wanted to maintain their former bonding within the CDP operation. As such. CDP-Cameroon has taken on the responsibility to coordinate that group of ‘continents’/countries. This, including the rest of Africa, Indonesia, South America and extended Russia and Europe, is a total villager population of about 1.5 Billion.

            This leaves India, China, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Kenya in our concern group, with new potentials of Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Togo in startup mode. Our group of countries now (July 2009) have a reported 15,000 VEs which we desire to further validate in future verification trips. It will cost about $5,000/person/trip to verify two or three of these statistics.

            In coming into the final quarter of our challenge to reach most all of the un-reached that have previously been ignored and forgotten souls, we have several tasks that need to be completed if we/they are to be fully successful and finish well!  Some of these are:

·        Verification trips at about $5,000/trip/person – three needed.

·        Bicycles needed -- about 140,000 bikes --   $14-Million.

·        AMBASSADOR Units – about  890,000 Units -- $44.5-Million

·        Media Centers – one per group of 80 VEs -- $8.75-Million

·        Programmatic Overhead  -- $14-Million

       Keep in mind that these cost projections are based on finishing well with all equipments and Programmatic OH funds being supplied for optimum support for maximum outreach possible,  This assures that our CDP GLOBAL NETWORK is fully equipped and supported even if we are cut off in the future from added support or help!

       We are both grateful and humbled as we just begin to realize the marvelous network that  our Father-God has directed and pulled together, literally from all of these many Countries and the related Nations of a myriad of languages.

       Bottom line, the villagers are indeed reaching their own – truly, the only way this incredible job could be accomplished.  Foreign missionaries could not do it – only the national leadership and related villagers could do it!!!

       There is another ‘bottom line’ for this project, namely the support which M/E International has received from so many of you – indeed, you and we were and are all partners with those nationals and VEs in seeing this project finishing well!

             Sometimes I visualize sitting at or near Jesus feet with YOU, -- seeing Him welcoming the millions of precious souls to His Place, those that were introduced by CDP VEs -- truly, that will be wonderful (second only, perhaps,  to our own welcoming to Him).

At any rate, when we think of the task at hand, we are often reminded that truly, it will be worth it all, when we see JESUS!!!  Even so come Lord Jesus!!! =====================================================

Report from Pastor Prince Paul Konu of CDP-Ghana

                    As our Poster Board Group, CDP-Ghana continues to shine – seeing each of their language groups continuing to bring many to the Savior – this last month Pastor Konu reported:

·        EWE Language:  720 Professions of Faith – 210 Baptisms.

·        TWI Language:   412 Professions of Faith – 112 Baptisms.

·        FRAFRA Lang:   600 Professions of Faith --  95 Baptisms.

             Paul has also been to ‘next door’ Togo, Africa to help them get started in CDP.  They have a six man steering committee and an Evangelist Peter Serwornu that will be coordinating this group to reach out to about 4-Million villagers there in Togo.  They will need some 400 VEs to reach these on a timely basis – PRAY that the Lord will bless them in special ways that they may be most effective for HIM!!!

Note: Early in June we sent some funds to help with the operations on our VE who was injured in a 2-bicycle crash at night. He had two broken jaws and head injuries – Pray for Pastor James Doku, he is 23 years old, pastors a village congregation of 150 members. We want to send added funds for his operations as soon as possible.

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REPORT from CDP-LIBERIA

          Our Coordinator for CDP-Liberia, Evangelist J. Aaron Wright, is in process to open up a new area in the northern area of Liberia, but too, he has been very active in helping to start and mentor the CDP program in Sierra Leone with Pastor Paul Winner the new coordinator. We will have more on this and other new countries that are new in the CDP Global Network – reaching their own otherwise ignored and generally forgotten peoples.

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        Evangelist Paul Mba of CDP-Nigeria

          Evangelist Mba reports that they are making good progress and need our Prayers as they are advancing rapidly north right into heavily Muslim controlled areas.

           Yes, let’s all remember to pray for this and many other needs there in Nigeria -- asking that they may always find the harvest ready for the harvesters!

           It is interesting that quite often we hear of incidences where Visions of JESUS are causing some to come to the Lord!!! Isn’t He gracious – meeting them where they live, despite the death threat imposed if they even attend a Christian service of any kind!

          You can clearly see that it is not easy to evangelize in that area – it wasn’t too long ago that our VEs and leaders were all driven out from these same northern districts –PRAY that it will stay quiet so they can minister fairly unmolested!

          But, we are reminded that the church always thrives during difficult times – indeed, the Holy Spirit controls all situations -- so, we see this principle in play, which dictates a level of trial and trouble by the evil one, where we/they must trust our LORD and HIM only! Indeed, empowered mightily by the Holy Spirit.

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Don’t forget to PRAY DAILY at 6:00 PM for our CDP Global Network – leaders and VEs!!!

REMEMBER:  The earnest prayer of a righteous man avails much!!!

DONATE ---  On-Line: WEBSITE:

www.me-intl.org  

 J. R. Jim Ford, President

     M/E International, Inc. . 

655 Shadow Lake Drive .  Brea,   California . 92821  

 714/624-3547     e-mail:   cdp767usa@aol.com