AIMS Harvest Connection Seminar Prepares Students

for Ministry within the 10/40 Window

AIMS News: Posted 8/1/2006

In 1988, God gave Mike Crow a vision of a focal point where flames of fire dispersed to nations within the 10/40 Window. Out of that vision, the Asia Pacific Mission was birthed. As the ministry's training arm, Bethany School for Missions, located in Singapore, has trained missionaries to plant churches in cross-cultural and non-traditional settings, trained trainers who will raise up missionaries from within the 10/40 Window, and trained tentmakers who can gain access into restricted nations.

Since 1999, "Andrew and Lydia," AIMS Southeast Asia Coordinators, have worked with the Bethany School of Missions. Last year, they used the Harvest Connection seminar and other AIMS seminars to train masters-level students who intend to begin missionary training schools throughout the 10/40 Window. In February, they joined the director of SCEM, another AIMS partner organization in Singapore, to train the next graduating class of missionary trainers.

"Twenty six students representing ten different political nations participated," reported Andrew. "They were excited about the materials and are looking forward to going back and mobilizing their home countries."

Most of the students participating in the program come from countries within the 10/40 Window and focus developing a plan to begin a missionary training school. Students completing the program receive an MA in Intercultural Education.

"The students are being trained to teach the Harvest Connection seminar," said Andrew. "When they return to their home countries, we want them to have the tools to mobilize their churches to develop these training schools."

The focus on training trainers has been a long-standing vision at the Bethany School of Missions. The organization has already assisted in beginning missionary training schools in India, connected with other missionary training schools in Africa and Indonesia, and have helped finance schools in several other countries throughout the 10/40 Window.

A representative from Bethany wrote on their ministry website: "We anticipate seeing thousands of disciples won in Restricted Access Nations, hundreds of churches planted among Unreached People Groups, and scores of Missionary Training Programs established across the 10/40 Window, each in turn multiplying many more workers for the fulfillment of the Great Commission!"