*** A Tribute to Orville Coleman

(Beloved Missionary

with

Christian Triumph Company)

Orville Coleman passed away on November

10, 2004 at the age of 93. He is survived by his

sister, Ester Coleman and nephews, Mervin, Claire,

Wayne and Milan Coleman and nieces, Elaine

Chapin and Meredith Parde. Born and raised on a

farm in Southeast Nebraska, Brother Coleman never

married and cared for his aging parent until their

death. When he was 57, he moved to Corpus

Christi to dedicate himself full time to God in the

ministry of Christian Triumph Company. He

remained a vital part of the ministry, donating his

time and talents, until he suffered a stroke at age 90.

Funeral services were held at Christian Triumph

Church of God on November 13, after which he was

buried in Nebraska. Donations to honor Brother

Coleman may still be sent to Christian Triumph

Company.

HAND WRITTEN

WORDS

BY ORVILLE COLEMAN

―The Lord has been good but that doesn‘t

mean I have escaped all troubles and all calamities.

I was raised on a farm in Southeast Nebraska and

(lived) with my kindly parents, a sister, and 2

brothers. It was a very regular habit to go to church

on Sunday and some through the week. This was a

fine country church where the Word of God was

taught and believed. Bad weather and poor roads

did not hinder much of our 3 mile trip each time the

church was open. In those early days, it was travel

by team and wagon. It was a meeting place for

friends and relatives of like faith.

May I condense a few happenings from

those days? Of course, there was sickness and

nervous breakdowns but it seemed my lot to have

more broken bones than the other boys my age. At

one time in a fall in a building, I suffered two

broken wrists. …….My calamitous days helped me

put confidence in the Lord‘s help. Frequent visits in

our home by my Godly aunt revealed her smile, her

encouragement, and her prayers….

Our home was a fine training place for

children. Besides good hard work, there was

discipline. I grew up with the understanding that if

we received a whipping from our small country

schoolteacher, we would get another whipping

when we got home.

I never married but helped care for my

parents and at their passing, I was already 57 years

old and felt it unnecessary to stay on the farm. I

read in Brother Janes‘ paper about help that could

be used… and so I burned all my bridges behind me

and came. I think the Lord was in such a choice

and for 33 years, I have tried to be helpful.‖

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THE NECKLACE

The cheerful little girl with the bouncy

golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her

mother at the checkout stand, she saw them – a

circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

―Oh, mommy, please, Mommy, Can I have them?‖

Quickly, the mother checked the back of the

little foil box and then looked into the pleading blue

eyes of her little girl‘s upturned face. ―A dollar

ninety-five. That is almost $2.00. If you really

want them, I will think of some extra chores for

you; and in no time, you can save enough money to

buy them for yourself. Your birthday is only a

week away, and you might get another crisp dollar

bill from Grandma.‖

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her

penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After

dinner, she did more than her share of chores, then

went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if

she could pluck dandelions for ten cents. On her

birthday, sure enough, Grandma did give her

another new dollar, and, at last, Jenny had enough

money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel

dressed up and grown up. She wore them

everywhere – Sunday school, kindergarten, and

even to bed. The only time she took them off was

when she went swimming or had a bubble bath

because mother said if they got wet, they might turn

her neck green.

*Volume 68 *No. 01 *Published by Christian Triumph Co. *Permit # 695 * January 2005

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Jenny had a very loving daddy. Every night

when she was ready for bed, he would stop

whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read

her a story. One night as he finished the story, he

asked Jenny, ―Do you love me?‖

―Oh, yes, daddy, you know that I love you.‖

―Then give me your pearls.‖

―Oh, daddy, not my pearls. You can have

Princess, the white horse from my collection, the

one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one

you gave me. She‘s my very favorite.‖

―That‘s okay, Honey, daddy loves you.

Good night.‖ And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About one week later, after the story time,

Jenny‘s daddy asked again, ―Do you love me?‖

―Daddy you know that I love you.‖

―Then give me your pearls.‖

―Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can

have my baby doll, the brand new one I got for my

birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the

yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.‖

―That‘s okay. Sleep well. God bless you,

little one. Daddy loves you.‖ And as always, he

brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in,

Jenny was sitting on her bed. As he came close, he

noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear

rolled down her cheek.

―What is it, Jenny? What‘s the matter?‖

Jenny did not say anything but lifted her

little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened

it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a quiver,

she finally said, ―Here, daddy, this is for you.‖

With tears gathering in his own eyes,

Jenny‘s daddy reached out with one hand to take the

dime store necklace, and with the other hand, he

reached into his pocket and pulled out a new set of

genuine pearls. He gave them gently to Jenny. He

had them all the time and was just waiting for Jenny

to give up the dime-store necklace so he could give

her the genuine treasure.

And so it is with our Heavenly Father. God

is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our

lives so that He can give us beautiful treasures.

A New Year‘s Goodbye

No one emerges from the past into the

present without some changes. Remember the

person you were at age 20? 39? 60? Hopefully, you

learned from experiences, changed for the better,

and became a person of strength.

Although the past holds happy memories, it

can also haunt us with guilt and sorrow.

Sometimes, our family or friends choose to

remember our failings and make it difficult for us to

live in the Present. There is a scripture that states

we do not have to accept this kind of condemnation.

―Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for

His own? Will God? No! He is the One Who has

forgiven us and given us right standing with

Himself.‖ (Rom. 8:34). In his past, the author of this

scripture was a persecutor of the Church. Jesus met

him on the road to Damascus, and Paul became a

follower of Jesus. Although others continued to

remember Paul‘s sins, he laid them aside and

became a great missionary and writer of the New

Testament.

The past can be used as a stepping-stone!

God is the forgiving God of our Past,

God is the Merciful God of our Present.

Jesus is the Triumphant Son of God Who

changes us

And proceeds to build and transform our

lives!

In Romans 6:11, Paul, once again, advises us

to forget about our sins of the past and be joyful in

the Present because of Jesus: ―…look upon your

old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and

instead be alive to God, alert to Him, through Jesus

Christ our Lord.‖ Is it time to say ―goodbye‖ to the

past and live abundantly in the Present?

If someone has hurt you in the past, those

memories are very painful. It takes trust in God‘s

justice and mercy to move beyond that grief. To

allow that injury to continue in the present,

however, may keep you from enjoying today‘s

blessings. Seeking the power of God to help you

forgive can free you.

TODAY is the only day we have. Our

past is G O N E! Our future is uncertain.

3

TODAY, I sit looking out upon the green

fields embraced with the colors of Fall. The golden

leaves pass by my windows, floating gently to the

ground. The huge dark- limbed trees lift their arms

toward Heaven as the few remaining leaves of red

and brown stir lightly in the breeze. The blue sky

fills with gray and white tumbling clouds of soft

cotton. The sun tries to peek through to bring its

warmth as the darker clouds hide it from the earth.

I am enjoying this scene TODAY.

In the past, there have been other sights,

sunrises and sunsets, but I can only vaguely

remember them. TODAY, I am experiencing the

fullness of this earth‘s beauty with all my senses. If

I live in the past, I allow this day to go by without

my full attention. What joy and beauty I would

miss TODAY, if the past continues to rob me of my

Present.

You have no obligation to live in the past!

Although God is there, He is also with us

abundantly in the Present. ―The Holy Spirit helps

with our (today‘s) problems.‖ (Romans 8:26)

As the New Year, 2005, unfolds each day, consider

resolving the issues of the past. Consider saying

―goodbye‖ to its memories that haunt you. Accept

the forgiveness of God, and learn to forgive

yourself and others. Let go of the weights that

make each day and night a painful memory. Open

your heart to the renewal of God‘s restoration.

Allow yourself the freedom to live again with joy

and happiness. Dream those dreams; reach out to

endless possibilities through the grace of our Lord

Jesus.

Remember that little saying, ―TODAY is a gift; that

is why they call it the Present.‖ Thank God for

your gift and consider saying ―goodbye‖ to a

painful past.

Nancy Hunter

(Inspired by Pastor Adan Espinoza)

“And I will give you a new heart with new

and right desires,

and I will put a new spirit in you…

And I will put My Spirit in you so you

will obey my laws…”

Ezekiel 36:26-27

“God is still working on me!”

A ― NUTSHELL‖ FOR THE NEW YEAR

―Do for others

what you want

them to do for you.

This is the teaching

Of the Law of Moses

In a Nutshell.”

(Matt.7:12)

Rev. 14:6, ―Then I saw another angel flying in

midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to

those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe,

language, and the people. He said in a loud voice,

‗Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of

His judgment has come. Worship Him who made

the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of

water.‘‖

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Dear Ministry,

The Spanish congregation of Green Haven

Correctional Facility as well as myself would like to

thank you for the material that we had received

from your office. And we will be…thankful for any

forthcoming Spanish material that your office feels

free to donate to us. ―For God is not unrighteous to

forget your work and labor of love, which ye have

shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered

to the saints, and do minister.‖ (Heb. 6:10) Again,

thank you in the name of the One whose return I

eagerly wait, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rev. Jose Luis Mattos

Coordinating Chaplain

******************************************

THREE EMAIL REQUESTS:

Dear Beloved in Christ Jesus,

I Am Revd. Samson Olaposi Olasupo, an

ordained and full time pastor of a local Baptist

Church…here in Nigeria…I am, through the grace

of God, the Founding Rector of a Bible College

known as Soul Winners Bible Institute. The

institute aims at training Christian men and women

for effective church related ministries…The

purpose of this mail is just to seek for your

assistance towards the growth of the Institute in the

4

area of teaching materials and resources for the use

in training our student s for effective ministries in

the Body of Christ. Being an independent and free

tuition Bible College in Nigeria, Africa, we are

unable to pay for the cost of the materials...we are

appealing to you to please come to our aid by

supply us with the teaching materials so that the

name of the Lord shall be glorified…I hereby

promise you that all…resources…shall be used

wisely.

Waiting to hearing from you soonest.

Revd. Samson Olaposi Olasupo. Rector

SENT FROM CHRISTIAN TRIUMPH: Sunday

school materials, Books, and 2 pounds of English

tracts.

******************************************

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to bring to you the request of

sending me urgently Bibles which I have to

distribute at my upcoming crusade…I fellowship

with Deliverance church Kampala and we usually

have meetings and Conferences where we minister

to mainly non-believers. We are however faced

with the problem of Bible shortages…

Isaac Muhangisa Ndyagenda

Uganda, East Africa

SENT FROM CHRISTIAN TRIUMPH:

3 N. Testaments and Bibles

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Warm greetings in the name of most high:

I am a police officer working in Andhra

Pradesh, India. In my free time I share the gospel

of Jesus Christ with my colleagues. But they don‘t

have enough time to share their time with me. I

want to present Christian literature to them so that

they can read it in their own time. Therefore, I

request you to send few Bibles and some literature

for distribution.

Thanking you,

Yours in His eternal bonds,

K.P.V. Raju, India

SENT FROM CHRISTIAN TRIUMPH:

4 N. Testaments, 2 Bibles, and 2 lbs. English tracts.

******************************************

Faith is believing what God says simply because it

is God who says it.

Dear Christian Triumph:

Sorry for delay in contacting you. Mom passed

recently…God in His mercy has kept me, and I

believe in His grace, chastening, and healing power.

I send out tapes and books about prayer and healing.

Jesus was Immanuel ―God with us‖. God is Spirit.

God is Holy. Holy Spirit is ―God in us‖…Where

the voice of the King is, there is Power and

authority. He has put His words in our mouths,

mind, and hearts. (Isaiah 59:21)…I do try and

encourage the broken hearted. (Micah 2:7). Psalms

34:18 – The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and

saves those who are crushed in spirit.‖

Ruth Williams

(Ruth sent us some good materials. She may also

write for the FAITH MESSENGER.)

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FAITH MESSENGER: Just a few lines to say I

enjoy reading the Messenger. The news says our

gas bill will be more than last year so thought I had

better send (my offering) now…My husband is still

in the nursing home…he will be 82 in May of 2005.

Remember us in prayer,

Mrs. Daisy Lee

(Please pray for Mrs. Lee. She also has a serious

health problem.)

******************************************

Dear Christian Friends,

I am enclosing an offering for your many

needs as I read the wonderful paper from Christian

Triumph. Am asking you to please send the paper

to this person…and the paper in Spanish to…

(another name)….. God bless your good work, and

remember me in your prayers.

Thanks,

Ressie Fulton

Editor’s Note: We’d like to thank Ressie for sending

over 20 names to add to Christian Triumph’s

mailing list in the last couple of years.

******************************************

WE WELCOME ANY ARTICLES OR LETTERS

FROM OUR READERS. IF YOU HAVE A

TESTIMONY, PLEASE WRITE US, AND WITH

YOUR PERMISSION WE WILL CONSIDER

PRINTING IT.

PRAYER REQUESTS

5

Remember - your letters requesting prayer are of

great concern to us. We value you each one and

pray for your needs.

******************************************

The Church of God, Chile: Slow but Steady Growth

By Donna L. (Anderson) Schillinger

When we think of the Church of God

movement in foreign countries, we often focus our

attention on our American missionaries‘ work.

American missionaries do make extraordinary

sacrifices to live away from friends and family and

live in circumstances often substandard compared to

our way of life. But they are by no means the only

catalysts for growth and expansion of the Church of

God in foreign countries. In these pages, our readers

have come to know many diligent workers,

especially in Latin America, who are themselves

Latin Americans.

Far from relying on missionaries from

Anderson, Indiana, (Church of God Missions

headquarters) to shoulder the burden of seeding new

churches, these dedicated workers make similar

sacrifices as our Anderson missionaries. Many of

them come from Catholic families who reject them

once they join Protestant movements such as the

Church of God. And many leave friends and family

to travel to some of the most remote regions of their

countries to bring the Gospel of Christ to those in

need.

One such missionary is Narciso Zamora, a

dear friend of Christian Triumph Company for

many years. Narciso‘s name and picture have

appeared in the Faith Messenger times before and

we have rejoiced as we follow God‘s

accomplishments through him and his family over

the years. Narciso is from Peru and began

evangelizing in the jungles of Peru some 20 years

ago. At that time, the threat of the terrorist group,

The Shining Path, was very serious and Narciso has

his share of war stories about near misses with great

danger.

As God added two sons to his family,

Narciso and his wife Udelia sought a less hazardous

assignment and were lead to move to Quito,

Ecuador and begin churches there. This is where I

first met Narciso and his family in 1989. They lived

in one of the worst neighborhoods of Quito and

started a church there that is still going strong.

While in Ecuador, they began more than 8 churches

in various parts of the country and left the work

there in good hands with stable leadership as they

decided to depart to Chile and begin Churches of

God in Latin America‘s longest, thinnest country.

In October, my husband, John, daughter,

Gwen, and I visited Narciso and Udelia in their

home in Isla de Maipo, a suburb of Santiago, the

capital of Chile. We were proud and happy to see

the various congregations that these missionaries

have established and are excited to learn of their

work in progress.

Narciso arrived in Valparaiso, Chile, a city

of 500,000 on the Pacific Coast, about 12 years ago.

He left his wife and sons in Ecuador for several

months until he was established in Chile. My

grandmother, Evelyn Anderson, provided Narciso

with the name and address of another long-time

friend of Christian Triumph Company who hosted

Narciso in his first weeks in Chile.

While Valparaiso seemed promising and

Narciso did purchase an inexpensive property there

to begin a work, he felt a calling to the capital city,

Santiago. There his family met him and they began

working to establish a church. They met with a lot

of opposition and only a little success and housing

problems to boot. To seek affordable housing, they

moved, finding a good deal in housing in Isla de

Maipo, about 45 minutes outside of Santiago.

*** Not long after moving there, they located a

very nice property, again very inexpensive, and

purchased the land and built the church pictured

here, which is now their largest congregation in

Chile. The main ministries are a children‘s ministry

on Sunday mornings and on Friday nights they

project films outside in the church yard, which

draws quite a crowd of many that would otherwise

not come to church. Christian Triumph was

privileged to assist Narciso in purchasing the

projector which hooks up to his VCR and projects

an excellent quality on to a large screen (Narciso

uses a sheet.) Sister Anna Morgan of Odessa, TX,

who has visited Narciso many times, took the

projector to Narciso about 3 years ago and he

maintains that it has been his most valuable piece of

technology for evangelizing.

Narciso also purchased another property on

which sits a very small church that holds services

6

once weekly with a small congregation of about 10

believers—some 15 minutes outside of Santiago.

Many of the students of the Bible Institute that

Narciso administers assist in the pastoring of this

smaller congregation, which also has an active

youth ministry on Saturday nights.

In summary, between the different ministries

of the two congregations and the Bible Institute,

Narciso is busy every night of the week. One great

outcome of the church in Isla de Maipo is that a

young family that came to know Christ there, left to

become missionaries themselves in Peru, pastoring

several churches that have been without pastors for

years.

Despite obvious progress, Narciso feels an

urgent burden to do more. Thank God that his two

sons are now of age and both have graduated from

seminary. The older, Gerson, attended seminary in

Costa Rica and will be finishing his doctorate in

theology from a seminary in Peru next summer. At

that time, he plans to move back to Chile and renew

the effort to seed a successful congregation in

Santiago.

The younger son Eliezer and his new bride

Cristiani, who both just graduated from seminary in

Brazil last year, have been helping in the ministries

in and near Isla de Maipo until last month.

During our visit, we went with Eliezer,

Cristiani and Narciso to see the property in

Valparaiso, where Eli and Cris now reside and are

beginning a Church of God in, as Narciso always

seems to choose, the most seedy of neighborhoods.

The house pictured at the end of this article, has

been used as a drug rehabilitation home in these

years since its purchase but while Narciso did not

have the resources to begin a work there. Now Eli

and Cris, with God‘s help, will attempt, what

seemed to John, Gwen and me, the impossible, by

fixing that shack into a home and whipping a

steeply sloped property (the only kind available in

Valparaiso as it is on a mountain that juts into the

ocean) into shape and beginning a viable church

work there.

We were so impressed by the young

couple‘s optimism in the face of a disastrous living

arrangement and very little monetary support from

the other Chilean churches to be able to make an

impact in the property first and then the

neighborhood. We would like to invite you to join

us in supporting Narciso and Udelia as they

continue to expand the work in Chile and Eli and

Cris as they start a new life and a new work.

Although the Church of God in Anderson,

Indiana can claim these works in their statistics due

the official affiliation, you will probably find it

interesting that they do not provide any monetary

support or much of any kind of support. All the

accomplishments in Chile were financed by the

savings that Narciso and Udelia accumulated while

living in Ecuador. There they had a very successful

small business selling vinyl Bible covers to

Christian book stores. In eight years, they were able

to save enough to purchase their home in Isla de

Maipo and the three church properties Chile now

has. Of course, there have been generous individual

supporters along the way as well, including some of

our own dear readers.

Whereas our American missionaries receive

considerable recognition and monetary support,

perhaps those like Narciso and his family, who are

carrying on the work of the Church of God without

financial assistance of Anderson and without much

formal recognition, deserve our equal or greater

attention.

*** Narciso Zamora in his office in Chile.

*** The house pictured here has been used as a drug

rehabilitation home since its purchase.

Poet‘s Corner GIVING FOR THE NEW YEAR

―…if you give, you will get!

Your gift will return

To you

In full and overflowing measure,

Pressed down,

Shaken together

To make room for more,

And running over.

Whatever measure you use to give-

Large or small –

Will be used to measure

What is given back to you.‖

(Luke 6:38)