4/14 Window News - Volume 1, Issue 3

Greetings!

Welcome to Transform World Next Generation's newsletter. This newsletter contains information about the 4/14 Window, the opportunities and challenges in reaching that generation, and case studies illustrating how God is at work around the world. If you want a more in-depth look at these issues, visit the 4/14 Window website to download a copy of the full 4/14 Window report.

In this issue Luis Bush gives us a window into the lives of the Dalit people in India, and an example of social transformation among them English language education. To learn more about the work of Joseph D'Souza and English education for the Dalits, read Paul Beckett's 1 July 2009 article in the Wall Street Journal.

Also in this issue is an exciting report from Frank Carmical on signs of transformation in Burundi, an African nation once torn apart by civil war but now experiencing the miraculous peace that comes through God-given reconcilitation and restoration.

As usual we offer you greater insight into the Opportunities and Challenges of reaching children in the 4 to 14 age group.

And finally we invite you to join others around the world in fasting and praying on the 4th and 14th of each month as we find strength, direction, and wisdom from God in reaching the 4/14 Window.

Martha Anderson
Transform World newsletter editor
National Director, Centurions Program of Prison Fellowship / BreakPoint

Join Us in Prayer and Fasting on the 4th and 14th

This month, pray specifically:
Apostolic prayers are God-centered prayers the Apostles prayed. Jesus,the Chief Apostle,the twelve apostles,and Paul all have prayers recorded in the New Testament.

These apostolic prayers are God's very own prayers written in the Bible by the Holy Spirit. There are approximately 25-30 New Testament prayers. These biblical prayers give us insight into the language of the heart of God, revealing His great passion and strategy for His Kingdom.

1John 5:14-15: And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for.

"Lord, teach us to pray."

On the 4th and 14th days of each month, let us set aside time for fasting and prayer for the raising up of a new generation from the 4/14 Window to transform the world. This month, please pray:

• That all in key roles with the Transform World 4/14 Window Initiative will personally experience the Lord Jesus Christ
• That we grow in fellowship with each other as we experience fellowship with God -- a genuine communion with the eternal God
   

At the end of this newsletter, please also see the "Praise and Prayer Report" that contains the latest, specific praise and prayer items for 4/14 Window activity.

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Social Justice in the 4/14 Window: India's Dalit People

By Luis Bush

Societal transformation includes providing equal opportunity and social justice for all people. In India, an estimated 334 million Dalits have long been denied social justice. They are officially considered "out-caste" or "untouchable" in a nation where they comprise 24% of the population. The effects of this outcast status have been devastating to this huge portion of humanity: "The Dalits are history's longest-standing oppressed people and today constitute the largest number of people who are victims of slavery." (See the case study also included in this newsletter.)

By 2010, India will contain 248 million of the world's 1.2 billion children from ages 5 to 14. Dalit children form a major part of this 248 million. Indeed, Indian Christian leader Joseph D'Souza realizes that the Dalit people and India can be transformed through educating Dalit children in a Biblical worldview and the English language. In the year 2000, D'Souza and others were encouraged in this mission by two Dalit leaders, Udit Raj and Professor Kancha Ilaiah. Raj is president of the Indian Justice Party; Kancha advocates "spiritual democracy" and has called upon the Christian church to focus on abolishing untouchability and caste discrimination in India.

On July 1, 2009, Paul Beckett of The Wall Street Journal highlighted the work of D'Souza and his associates whose vision is to eventually open 1000 schools for Dalit children. Beckett pointed out that "by the middle of this month, almost 90 schools across the country will open their doors for a new year of teaching to about 18,000 predominantly Dalit schoolchildren." Peter Dance of Operation Mobilization wrote on July 2 that "we now have 86 schools and two of our schools are recognized as some of the best in the country."

God seeks to transform India and its oppressed Dalit people, bringing justice and freedom through the education of Dalit children.

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The Opportunity: 4/14ers Around the world

A country-by-country comparison of the nations with the most 4/14ers is revealing. India, with almost 20% fewer people than China, has over 30% more children and youth. This is largely due to China's controversial "one child" policy. Nigeria and Indonesia, with half the population of the U.S., actually have more children and young teens in absolute numbers.

In the U.S., 25% of the nearly 42 million school-age children are Hispanic--though Hispanics comprise only 15% of the general population. And the continent of Africa and countries like Gaza, Afghanistan, Pakistan and most of the Middle East have 40 to 50% of their populations under 15 years of age.

Contrast this with the countries with the lowest percentage of persons under age 15: Italy (13.8%), Japan (14.3%), Germany (14.4%). It can be readily seen that the greatest population growth by far is taking place in the least developed and most conflicted countries of the world.

According to Global Trends 2025: A World Transformed, by the year 2025 we can expect more cultural and religious clashes, more trouble spots, and the enduring consequences of a "global financial tsunami." The purpose of this November 2008 report, prepared by hundreds of renowned international social scientists, is "to stimulate strategic thinking about the future by identifying key trends, the factors that drive them, where they seem to be headed, and how they might interact."

This report is more than an effort to "stimulate strategic thinking." It is a Christian call to action. We must think strategically, of course; but it is imperative that we also act decisively to evangelize, inspire and equip this generation of 4/14ers to transform the world. If we don't, an entire generation could be lost.

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The Challenge: Addressing the Mental and Cognitive Needs of Children

By the time the typical child reaches age nine, the mental gears are shifted and he or she begins to use internal cues to either confirm or challenge an existing perspective. As the child grows into adolescence, change becomes more and more difficult. By adulthood, only with great effort or under great influence will a person change existing views and understandings. George Barna notes that "adults essentially carry out the beliefs they embraced when they were young." This view challenges the stages of intellectual development formulated by Jean Piaget, et. al., contending that one must reach the age of 15 to be capable of adult reasoning.

Every mature society recognizes childhood and adolescence as times to prepare the young for the remainder of their lives. Most often this is done through primary and secondary schools. Educators worldwide understand the critical importance of the 4/14 Window in the correct formation of children; however, despite the efforts of many governments, untold millions of children receive little or no education. This problem of substandard education is exacerbated by other factors-the disintegration of the family unit, poverty, ill health, poor nutrition, to name but a few. This results in masses of unmotivated, poorly educated men and women, barely capable of earning a meager income. And the situation is further complicated for children whose own parents deprive them of an education by forcing them to work in order to help support the family.

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Transformation through Education: The Dalit People of India

The Dalits are history's longest-standing oppressed people and today constitute the largest number of people who are victims of slavery. According to Joseph D'Souza, more than 250 million Dalits are denied their basic human rights and dignity. For thousands of years they have been directly and indirectly oppressed, often quite cruelly.

India's caste system is rooted in an ancient myth that out of the body of God was birthed the four major castes. The lowest caste was said to come out of the feet of God. Yet, because the Dalits were not believed to have come from the body of God at all, they were, and still are, considered out-castes and untouchables; and, according to the myth, they are to be treated as if they were never born. As a result Dalits endure painful shame and rejection and a sense of hopelessness that is so culturally engrained in them that only the transformative work of the Lord Jesus can remake their worldview. The word "dalit" actually means "broken" or "crushed." The Dalits represent 334 million (24%) of India's total population, estimated by the U.N. to reach 1,395 million by 2025.

After 25 years on God's mission ("as a missionary" might be better understood), Joseph D'Souza describes the transformative moment that caused him to turn his attention to the Dalit children. He saw the answer through education focusing on the development of a biblical worldview and a mastery of the English language.

Says D'Souza, "It was in the year 2000 that we ended up in a major meeting with the Dalit leadership. They encouraged us to do Jesus' mission among them and not to be on the defensive in the light of the attacks on the Christians by the extremist Hindu forces. The two Dalit leaders were Udit Raj 56 and Professor Kancha Ilaiah.

"When I asked them what mission of Jesus would they like us to do among the Dalits, they said, 'Free our children. Free them by giving them quality English-medium school education with a biblical worldview that teaches about the equality of human beings, their value as humans, and the fact Jesus loves them.'

"When probed further they asked whether we were aware that there were more than 40 million child laborers in India, whether we knew that of the 15 million children who were in some form of bondage the vast majority were either scheduled caste or scheduled tribe children, whether we were aware again that the vast number of children trafficked in the sex trade were again from the Dalit and 'backward caste' backgrounds.

"Finally they pointed out that to break the cycle of slavery among the Dalits we had to break it before the children began to think of themselves as slaves, as untouchables, as criminal tribes, as forsaken and punished by God in this life and as being worthless.

"I was already in mission work for 25 years when this encounter happened in my life and in the organizations I lead. I clearly saw that the key to Dalit transformation, the key to transformation of India, and the key to Kingdom impact in India was to free Dalit and other low caste children.

"Thus by 2010 we will have the first 100 schools. This has resulted in my involvement in the justice issue for the Dalit people. The Dalit leaders in the nation of India believe us because we responded to their cry for freedom, which began in their cry for the freedom of their children.
"Thus the vision of 1000 schools was born-seeking to provide access to education for every Dalit. The English language would allow them access to all jobs, not just the most menial jobs. The biblical worldview would help all Dalits to discover their true identity as children of God made in His own image. It would enhance the likelihood that religious freedom would be practiced in every place throughout India."

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Transform Burundi 2009: A Report by Frank Carmical

God is at work transforming the tiny African nation of Burundi. Torn apart by a long civil war between Hutu and Tutsi tribes, Burundi was a mirror image of Rwanda, their neighbor to the north. But God has brought peace to Burundi.

Here are a few highlights of our conference, "Transforming the World Through Raising Up a New Generation from the 4 to 14 Window", 1-5 July 2009:

Bro. Diamonde Mugisha, our conference organizer, is a national church planter, a modern Daniel who is a friend and counselor to his president and men of power and influence in his nation.

Over 100 pastors and other church, community and government leaders participated in our 4-day conference that included prayer and wonderful Burundi and Korean worship teams.

We laid the foundation for transformation by convincing participants of the absolute priority of raising up a new generation from the 4/14 Window: Children between the ages of 4 and 14 are more open, receptive, and moldable for spiritual, cognitive, and every other kind of development than they everwill be again.

Participants shared in their own words their vision for national transformation:

"That Burundi would become ... a nation of peace, freedom, unity, leaders with character, justice, prayer, no idols, the Great Commission, and Christian education for all children with a Biblical worldview."

We heard powerful testimonies of transformation in the Burundi military including:

• The top general in the army and one of the top counselors to the president of the country is a Christian. God has begun to transform the soldiers so that many no longer drink or use bad language. This general once wanted to be a pastor but now sees himself as a shepherd to his soldiers!
• The commissioner of the national police stood before the leaders at our conference and publicly asked forgiveness for murdering many of their fellow countrymen during the war. God has given him a ministry of reconciliation among the 16,000-member, Burundi police force, many of whom meet weekly for prayer.
• A major is second in command of the Burundi naval forces on Lake Tanganyika, the world's longest and second deepest lake. Saved when he was young in the 4/14 Window, God gave him a ministry to reconcile and bring 22,000 rebel troops home to Burundi after the war. He now teaches Bible studies to men in the armed forces.
   

Other signs of God's transformation in Burundi:

• A banker and vice-president of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce is planning to start 1,000 new Christian businesses where 100,000 young people finishing high school can work, get job training, and learn how to start their own Christian companies.
• At a national work day, the Christian president, Pierre Nkurunziza (whose last name means "Good news" in the language) and his son, worked side-by-side with over 1,000 citizens. As they sang hymns together, they built a school by hand made of sun-dried bricks where children will be taught a Biblical worldview. The president's goal is to build enough schools so every child in the country can get a quality Christian education.
• Three of our facilitation team were invited to a formal state dinner at the presidential palace with the president, first lady, and a Burundi Who's Who of national VIP's. This was not a political event. It was a 4-hour worship service. Three national choirs organized by the president sang and led us in worship. The president himself delivered a powerful speech where he gave God the credit for bringing peace, reconciliation, and transformation to the nation. Like King David, the president danced, sang, and worshiped God, as did everyone else. It was like Heaven had come down to Earth, and we were like little children again dancing for joy around the feet of Jesus! This was a glimpse of what it looks like when God starts transforming the leaders of a nation.
   

God taught us a powerful lesson in Burundi: We were not there to bring transformation. God is already at work transforming that nation. We were merely witnesses to what God is doing. We are learners and catalytic servants in the process as God allows. Please pray for Burundi and God's transforming power among its leaders, and especially, a generation of 5 million children between 4 and 14 years old.

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Praise Reports and Prayer Requests

Praise Reports:

• For the wonderful work God is doing for and through the 4-14 age group and for the amazing opportunities we have to be part of such a move of God worldwide
• Frank Carmical shared from Burundi that "the 4/14 Forum and Transform World Conference here have gone well." Give thanks to God for this success, for the Burundi President's efforts on behalf of transformation in his country, and for Frank's continuing ministry and travels worldwide to share the 4/14 Window vision and work.
• Praise for the kids, their families, their churches, and those people and groups/organizations through which God is raising up a new generation to carry forward His glory and Great Commission purposes
   

Prayer Requests:

• For Bambang Budijanto (Steering Committee Chairman for the 4/14 Window Global Initiative) on his ministry journey to SE Asia from 28 June 28 to 27 July
• For the visas and travel finances, as well as spiritual and ministry preparation, for participants to the 4/14 Window Global Summit in New York City,6-9 September 2009
• That the Lord would help us in acquiring, storing, and sharing all the information and contacts needed for His 4/14 Window purposes; for His help in communicating effectively and securely among ourselves
• For continued wisdom and clarity of mind as each 4/14 track leader fine tunes their 7-year strategic plan; and for grace and courage to put these plans into action
• That each leader and facilitator spends time praying for the "laborers" they are approaching as regional and national leaders for 4/14 activities
• For protection, good health, and blessing for each of us and for one another's marriages and extended families
• For wisdom from and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit for each facilitator as they recruit leaders from "Generation X" (ages 26-44) and "Generation Y" (ages 7-25) For Wesley Tullis and the 4/14 Prayer Focus
   

Announcements & News

1. Pray for the 4/14 Window Global Summit, 6-8 September in New York City:
   The 4/14 Window Global Summit theme is "Working Together for the Raising Up of a New Generation from the 4/14 Window to Transform the World."
2. Various global tracks and task forces composed of regional representatives worldwide will examine different aspects of raising up a new generation and will each develop, carry out, and commit to a 7-year plan of action.

    

For more information visit http://4to14window.com

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