baumann ronald marti 2000 turkish world outreach

8/11/2019 Baumann Ronald Marti 2000 Turkish World Outreach

1/16

nl ng

^urks

to Qbrist

M R H


2/16

THE TURKISH

BIBLE

Turkey,

the

largest unreached

people

group in the

world, is

one giant step closer

to

losing

that somewhat

negative

distinction.

The text of

the Old

Testament inmodern Turkish

was

completed in

September,

and typesetting has begun. Stylistic revisions of the New Testament are

proceeding, and there is great hope that the entire Bible in modern Turkish will

be

ready

for

distribution

this

Summer.

The

huge challenge

facing

Christian

workers is just

that

- the distribution of the Bible. Someone has asked the

question Whydid it take

1800

years for the

first Bible

to appear in

Turkish?

The next thought is Will it takethat longfor otherTurkic people to receive the

Scriptures?

A VERYREAL THREAT It is reported that at least 100,000Americans convert

to Islam every year. Many of these new

converts

arewomen, strange as thatmay

seem, considering that Islam universally mistreats women. It is believed that

there are over six million American Muslims who attend and support 1200

mosques and religious centers.

THE EARTHQUAKES The two earthquakes that occurred in Turkey last year

were devastating in many ways. Those

who

have been involved

with

the rescue

and rebuilding efforts have truly been touched. Seeingthe extensive damage to

buildings

and

houses, being involved in providing medical assistance to those

injured, and helping deliver food, blankets, tents and clean drinking water to the

homeless has literally been life-changing for the rescue volunteers. Over 70,000

of the

205,000

collected by Turkish World Outreach was provided by

International isaster mergency Service IDES). Turkish World Outreach

channeled all of these funds to the Christian relief teams in the country. There

are thousands of tragic stories concerning those injured

and

killed. The

following is just one of those stories. N. O. was under the

concrete

for 48 hours zoith

her leg injured. Her eight-year-old daughter loas saved, but her husband

ivho zvas

sleeping

beside

her zuas hit hard by

the

falling

ceiling,

and died

quickly.

Shefelt his

hands and feet go

cold

and

clammy.

They put her in a tent city after

being rescued

thinking that her leg

zvould be

all right. When it turned purple they rushed her to a

hospital

ivhere

theyamputated it to below the knee to saveher life. Shedescribed her 48

hours as a time ivhen sheprayed a

lot,

and

zuas

in and out ofconsciousness zoondering if

she

zuould

live. She zuept at the thoughtofcontinuing zvithout her husband.


3/16

ULG RI

^Edirne

I s tanbu

YQlovgy..-':.,

nkara

Samsun

GEORG I

RMENI

AZERBAIJAN

M{.Ararof

Bergama ^

ANATOLIA

REGION

IR N

Salihil (Sorcfts)

Epbesus'.

Denlzli

Konya

Antalya

Kaysen

Tarsus

Mersln *

SYRI

biyaTltekfr^

Urfa

H o

Mobcrvi Turkcxi

THE SILK

ROAD Thename

given

to an imaginary road (a band of land)

that stretches through Central Asia from Macedonia in the west to China in the

easL is

the

Silk Road. Most of

the

Turks of

the world

at least 130 million or so of

them, live in this band of land. This super highway of the ancient world

functioned mainly for commerce between the nations, but it was also an

information highway as

well

as a highway for conquest . This commerce

centered

mainly

on the trading of goods, such

as:

silk,

gems, spices, porcelain,

furs, gun powder, gold, silver, perfumes, ivory and the

like.

The information

aspect of this road included the spreading of various religions in the world.

Conquest of other nations, in the form of invading

armies,

quite naturally

followed. The los t sou ls who dwell in this silk road area of Central Asia are

the objects of our mission here at Turkish World Outreach. In this area where

communism and Islam are so dominant, we are stepping up our efforts to

proclaim the message of Christ; the door is open now as never before in modem

times. The Turkic church grew at a rate of 43 per year during the nineties.

Less that ten years ago, the number of active believers in this area was around

1600; today it is reported that there are in excess of

43,000

active believers. We

cannot and must not fail in our mission to reach these people.


4/16


5/16

T o d a y s

C h a l l e n g e

For

ye rs W has been sending

and supporting workers in various

minis tr ies . However, in 1993, the

Lord

called upon

TWO

to set its mind its

purpose and its goals toward

establishing

churches of Turkic

believers throughout the Turkic world.

Our ch al len ge to day is to mobilze the

Lord s people to establish independent

reproducing churches , led

by

local

b e l i e v e r s in

a l l

a r e a s o f

th e

w o r l d

w he re t he re are s ig ni fi ca nt n um be rs of

unreached peoples

who are

of Turkic

origin or who speak Turkish.

O ur m ea ns

is t o

e s ta b li sh t ea m s o f

people with similar ministry objectives

and complementary gifting to locate

in strategically significant areas where

the L or d is cal li ng p eo ple to Hi mself .

Each t eam works w ithin th e plan

e st ab li sh ed by the

Lord

to r ea ch t ho se

w h o

w i l l

b e c o m e

H is c h ur ch in

t h a t

location.

T he te am withdraws

as the

church

becomes

locally-led and begins

reproducing new local churches.

G o d s P l a n

FOR Y o u

We are l ook in g for people called by

God

to go

and make d is ci pl es , a nd

bonding with them in fellowship.

If

you feel that God may be calling you

to

work

among Turkic peoples

please

co nt ac t us so we can assist you in w ha t

the Lord is call ing you to whether or

not you join Turkish World Outreach.

For more information, contact:

Don Mechem, F ie ld Director

T u r k i s h Wor ld O u t r e a c h

5 8 F r u it v al e

C o u r t

Grand

Junction,

CO

81504,

US A

Phone:

970 434-1942

Fax:

970 434-1461

E-mail : TWO@onl inecol .com

TWO

FOT

also has off ices

in

thirteen

o t h e r

count r ies .

T u r k i s h

W o r l d

O u t r e a c h

riends

of

urkey

l j

ISi

^o

T h e C h a l l e n g e

o f

T u r k i s h

W o r l d

O u t r e a c h


6/16

W hy t h e Turks?

Turks re a

m jority in countries

stretching from Turkey, Central Asia

and

into

Western China.

While

the

names and linguistic dialects of these

people differ, a Turk from Istanbul can

make

himself

under st ood among

Uyghurs of

China. The Turkic

languages

constitute the fifth largest

linguistic

group in the world , after

Chinese, English, Spanish and Hindi .

This

means

that hundreds of millions

of

unreached

Turks ca n b e t old

about

Jesus through a similar heart language.

Planting churches

among

Turks is

important to

both

Christians

and

to

God

as they

a re among the la rg est

unevangelized people

groups

in the

world. To be a Turk is to

be

Muslim

is their hear t fe lt bel ie f. However , most

Turks who say this do not attend the

mosque,

and may not

even

pray as

thei r faith requires. Being Muslim is a

c ultu ra l tra ditio n, r ath er than a

religious belief.

Like most

Muslims, Turks are

prevented by their

religious

and

governmenta l ins ti tu tions

from

knowing

t he t ru th about Je su s. If

anything about Jesus is mentioned, it is

usually inaccurate, serving

to

build up Islam rather than reflect what

is sta ted about Jesus in Scr ip ture and

often, the

Qur'an.

Wh ile T ur ks n ee d

to

k no w th e tr uth

about

Jesus , t he church

has

focused

it s

efforts in sending missionaries to areas

whe re p eopl e a lr eady know about

Je su s . W ith 63

o f

th e wor l d s

unreached people groups located in the

Middle

East,

Eura si a and

Asia,

there

are only 8 missionar ies for every one

million people. Meanwhile , there are

362 missionaries for every one million

people in the

Car ibbean , Lat in

America

a nd t he P ac if ic - a re as wh i ch

are 76 Christian and have only 6

of

the

world's

unreached people groups.

Wh a t is

TWO ?

Turkish orld Outreach w s

founded in 1969 as Friends of Turkey,

and continues it postal

evangelism

ministry under that name. The purpose

of TWO is to evangel ize Turks by any

means possible. Ini tial ly , the

best

m ean s w as

to

i nv it e T u rk s

to

know

more

about J esus th ro ugh Gospe l

Letters sent by Christians.

Each month, throughout the world tho

sands of Gospel Let te rs are mai led

Turks

in

many countries

telling

the

a b ou t t h e love of Jesus

Christ .

Over the years, TWO has expanded i

ministry, as

t he Lord

has

directed

i

path, into the following areas;

Enabling

missionaries to minist

in

th e

T urk ic w orld , b ot h wi

TWO and other agencies;

Planting churches

within Turki

societies;

Mobilizing worldwide prayer

o

behalf of

Turks through the Ca

to Prayer and other networks;

Sending Gospel Letters to

Turk

throughout the world;

Assigning

as Pen-Friend

Christians

with Turks

wanting

improve

their English; and

Serving

Christ ian

workers

an

agenc ie s worki ng

with

Turk

through

f re e g if ts of

Scriptur

literature

and

videos;

and

financi

support

for evangelistic activiti

o f Tu r ki c b e li e ve r s

to

o t he r Tu r k

peoples, translation ministries

an

Gospel broadcasts.


7/16

Kyrgyzs t an o f

en t r a l

Asia

./

A V

< v

{

H S T \ N

> o

T

^ J

' K 1 S T A N ^

Jesus

in

speaking

forth themission of

His

church

commanded Go

ye

into

all

the

world andpreach

the Gospel

toevery

creature.

He

that

believeth

and is

baptized

shallbesaved buthethat

believeth

notshall be

damned

o YE

INTO

ALL THE

WORLD AND PREACH

THEGOSPEL TO EVERY

c r e a t u r e

The Lord of the harvest is calling people to proclaim His message in

Kyrgystan. The outreach in

ICyrgystan

this April and May will be targeted to

the Uigher(Wee-ger) peopleof this Central Asia nation. Linda and I began

praying for this unreached people group at Envision '96 in Lexington,

Kentucky. It thrills our hearts to be part of a team reaching out to these

precious people.

TheUighers first came to ourattention when oneofour

Turkish

World Outreach workers went to the city

of

Chun-Ja along the Chinese

border.

We

learned

of the beginning of a newchurchwhere there had not


8/16

fn i f r a i

I n f o rm a t io n o n t h e

Population; 4.5million

60

rural / 40 urban

People Groups:

Kyrgyz-60 , Russian-16 , Uzbek-14 ,

Ukranian-1.7 , Dungan-1.5 , Uygurand otherTurkic peoples.

Major Religions: Sunni Islam(60-70 ), Russian Orthodox

Area: 76,600squaremiles (a littlesmaller thanOregonState)

Kyrgyzstan is situated in a mountainous region so high and

massive it is often referred to as the rooftop of the world. The

entire extent

of

the country is filled with rugged mountains, many

of

which soar above 20,000 feet. Agriculture is the main force

of

the economy in a country often referred to as the Switzerland of

Central Asia. As we might expect, the dominant people group,

called the Kyrgyz, are said to be an independent and enduring

people. They tend to be proud and nationalistic with a highly

developed culture and very strong clan and family ties. Though

70-80 percent of ethnic Kyrgyz do not have a command

of

the

Russian language, they are highly literate in their native tongue

of

Kyrgyz.

In a people profile completed in January 1992 it was stated

that of the rural Kyrgyz, The majority have no awareness of the

existence of Christianity and in the end they concluded that The

Kyrgyz are considered to be spiritually ripe.

'3'Prior to 1990,

the number

ofnative

Kyrgyz

believers

was

estimated to be around 20.

G ln 1991 the Kyrgyz Aew Testament was completed.

Ii*Between 1990

and

1993 an estimated 200 came to faith.

y Currently

Christian missionaries are focused mainly in the 2 or 3


9/16

OFreedom of religious ministry for all faiths is upheld; however,

Islam is favored by preferential treatment and is noted in the

constitution as the country s main religion (i.e. to be subtly

promoted in government policy).

N o r th f r n K v r g y z s ta n

GIslamwas slowto penetratedue to natural barriers.

While

most

other centralAsian peopleswereconqueredby Islambetween

700 and 1200 AD, Kyrgyz were not strongly affected until

1 8 0 0 s.

GVirtually all ethnic Kyrgyz convertedon the surface to Islam in

th e

1 8 0 0 s.

G

Their faith has remained as

a

sort

of

Shamanistic

folk

Islam.

Most

Kyrg)^are burdenedand bound by

occultism

This is noticeable in many ways. They cannot pray.

They have visions. Many of them have exercised

healings sometimes,by using charms, amulets, etc....

Bishkek Missionary--^ ^

Muslim missionary effort in Kyrgyzstan is extensive with the

focus

of

purifying and strengthening Islam throughout the

country.

^

Central

KYRG\zBTAi^

VH.\

T U I t R B V

t R U K

JUf^AN

R A N

A K S T A N

JiHtitAN

M O N G O L I A

K A


10/16

Sou t h e r n KYRgYZSTAhJ

Centered in and around the fertile Fergana agricultural

regiona lowland valley between two extremely high

mountain

ranges called

the

Pamir and

the

Tien Shan southern

Kyrgyzstan is a

place

of

great

cultural

and

historic significance

as

well

as a

place

o

strong spiritual oppression.

Crossed by

a

main

east

west

trade route for well

over

2000 years

Holds asmany as200Muslim

holy

places andpilgrimage sites

Islamestablished as

early

as 900AD inconjunctionwith silk trade

A hotbed of militant Islam Muslim fundamentalism)

Dominated byethnic Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, andTajiks

The i ty

o f Osh

A true Asiatic city

The Capital ofSouthern Kyrgyzstan

Wasa main trade poston the

ancient

silk

road

Current distribution center for 50 of the worlds illegal opium

Hostto the

most important

Muslim

pilgrimage

citein

Central

Asia^ Solomon s

Throne

Home

to

several groups

of

unreached

minority

peoples

including

Uygur,Dungan, and others


11/16

BIOGRAPHY

Dr and Mrs Ronald S.

Baumann

RonandMarti

Ron and Marti began their mission field service in Zambia, Africain 1980. Prior

to

their missionary activities,

Ron

served

in

the

U.

Army

Dental Corps

as

a

major, and later

maintained

a

private practice

of dentistry in Tennessee.

Marti,

with approximately twenty years

of teaching

experience, has taught

in

Tennessee, West Germany, Zambia and currently) Colorado.

The Baumann s mission work in Zambia lasting fifteen years) included:

preaching, teaching, leadership training,

famine relief,

digging

wells,

church

building construction and

of

course) dental surgery. The

Mission

in that

country was closed in 1995, due to government interference after operating

there for 32years), which resulted in their coming home. They joined hands

with Turkish

World

Outreach

which

then was

Friends

of

Turkey)

in

May

of

996

Ron

andMartihavefourchildren, allofwhomcompleted theirhigh

school

years

at

Rift

Valley Academy amissionary boarding

school)

in Kenya,

Africa.

They

have all graduated fromthe university and are now employed in various

fields.

They have

two

grandchildren.

As the Associate Director of the TWO home office, Ronhas a variety of duties:

printing newsletters, gospel letters, portfolios,

cover

letters,

etc.;

overseeing the

dailyoperationofthe

office;

previewing and sortingall incomingmail, including

the recording of all gifts; supervising volunteers from local chturches who donate

their time; and other duties that may be assigned when the Director is away.

Ronalso occasionally fills thepulpit oflocalcongregations when invited.


12/16

nllin ^ u r k s to ^ h n s t

i C 4 Q 3 ; i

\r \r \r \r \r ] n r \r \r \

J S e A z i y v c A j v jv ^ j vw j^7yc : ?

SEPTEMBER

2000


13/16

ENVIS ION 2

The

53 ^

National Missionary Convention is to be held in the East Tennessee hills

of

Knoxville

from the 2 ^ through the5^^ of November. Excitement is building as

interest seems to be at an all-time high. According to Walter Birney, the

bookings of motel rooms may exceed 1000. This of course does not include the

number of folks who will be staying with friends and acquaintances. It was at

oneof these conventior\s in

Knoxville

inthe

70's

1think) that Bill

Loft

challenged

us, the Baumanns, through his message, to GO BilTs example of personal

sacrifice lives on in the minds and hearts of many today. What a wonderful

servant of our Saviour he was. 1 will be manning the TWO booth (along with

Gerald and Mary Holmquist),and look forward to seeing many of you there.

TWO DE DES

m

August, of the year 2000, saw us begin our 21st year of full-time missionary

service.

WOW

We were determined, when we left in August of 1980, that our

leaving

would be

a permanent, career move. The Lord has blessed us beyond

our wildest imaginations And, here we are...still at

it We

fully

realize

that

your part in supporting our ministry has been vital. What would we have done

without you? Along that same line, we

continue

to need your prayer support

and financial support .as the Lord leads.

EARTHQUAKE

RELIEF

Thousands and thousands of precious Turkish souls have benefited directly from

various Christian disaster relief efforts. Our own (TWO) relief fund is

approaching a quarter of a million dollars. A substantial portion of that amount

($79,842)

was funded by

Dick

Sprague s group. International Disaster Emergency

Service (IDES). Along with the more obvious efforts to provide food, clothing,

clean water and emergency medical care, more long-range assistance has

included: thermal tents, wheelchairs, hygienic mattresses and prosthetic

appliances artificial limbs). Tire growth of Christ s Kingdom is the reason for all

o f

th is

effor t


14/16

S HOOL IN

Schooling continues to be an important facet in the lives of the Baumann family.

Marti with twenty years or so of experience is in her fifth year as a teacher in

the hristian school here

in Grand

Junction, olorado Susan, who continues to

teach, is seeking an additional degree from the University of Tennessee in

Knoxville she already has her

and Masters . Robbie Qeffs wife continues as

a preschool teacher in Stockbridge, Georgia, and their kids our grandchildren -

Stephen and Katherine are entering the second grade.


15/16

BITS O IN ORM TION

The Translation Trust London, England)

reports

that, for

all

practical

purposes, the text of the Bible in Turkish has been approved. Typesetting,

proofreading and printing will require some

months yet,

so the Bible Launch

is projected to be early next year.

World Pulse

reports that

the Jesus film is available in 547 languages.

They

also report that 2.6

billion

people

have

viewed the film in the past ten years.

The U.

Census

Bureau has revealed

that,

due

to

AIDS, life

expectancy in

some

African

countries

will

fall to approximately 30 years by

2010.

IN H ONOR

This issue of the Baumann s newsletter is published in

honor of my Mother, Anna Margaret Johnson Baumann.

The founder of Johnson Bible College, Ashley S. Johnson,

was Mother s uncle. Lord willing. Mother will be 93 years

old in December. There are no words adequate to express

to

her my

love

honor and devotion

This newsletter is published by; Turkish WorldOutreach

508 Fraitvale Court, Grand Junction, CO81504

970) 434-1942 E-mail: tworon@onlinecoI com

mM


16/16

nmmnnnnri

Dear

Christian

Friends,

...cnlUng

T urks

to

RON and MARTIBAUMANN

Turk ish

W or ld Outreach

8

Frl i i tva le

Cou r t

Grand

juNCTioN, CO 81504-5768

8 November

2000

I have just returned from the tremendously successful

2000

NationalMissionary

Convention, which

was

held in Knoxville again. The worth of such conventions

can never reallybe completelyevaluated due to the huge amount of seed that

is planted.

Everi

thoughmanyman-made recordswere broken at thismeeting

(which is

good),

the real importance lies in the fact thatChristwaspreached and,

consequently, liveswere touched. Thiswill (sooneror later) translate into

workers

for the harvest. This is the point, isn t it?

Forme,personally, thiswas one of those proverbial mountain top experiences.

Iwant to sayTHANK YOU for comingbyand visitingme at the TurkishWorld

Outreach booth. I simplylost count of the number ofvisitors that I had. The

encouragement you were tome, both verbal and by your presence, cameat a

crucial timeinmyministry. Thankyou for standing with mefor all ofthese

years through your

prayers

and financial support. I sincerely believe thatthe

Great Commission really means what it says: ..make disciples of all the

nations... Theword

il

means that Turks should be included

too

Even

thoughMuslim nations are hard fields (as some people call

them),

someone

has to do it. Withyourcontinued support,wewill continue in this

work.

May ourLord continue tobless us all aswepartner together in theworkof the

Kingdom.

Faithfully in Christ,

Ron a nd Mar t i Baumann

baumann ronald marti 2000 turkish world outreach

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