Hello Friends,
The last month of summer has been an eventful one for Streams of Light! It began with the ASI National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, where nearly 3,000 attendees gathered to receive inspiration, discover new ideas for evangelism, and network together for the advancement of God’s work.
We had a prime location for our quad booth in the exhibit hall, surrounded by 270 other ministry booths. The ASI exhibit hall was an amazing opportunity to spread awareness about Streams of Light, and many attendees told us they had never heard of us before. Praise God, we were able to promote our mission schools, share about our evangelism programs, and connect with people interested in joining our mission trips.
There were several special highlights from this year’s convention for Streams of Light. For the first time, we were included in the main offering. As a result, Streams of Light was highlighted in the printed program and received a $50,000 grant. What a blessing!
Another unexpected blessing came on the final Sabbath. We were not originally scheduled to give a report from the stage, but that evening the ASI president called and asked if we could fill an open time slot. This last-minute opportunity resulted in an interview where we were able to share about the mission and work of Streams of Light with an audience of more than 2,000 people, as well as the 3ABN audience watching remotely. Immediately following the report, one gentleman approached us and shared that he had been impressed to support the work of Streams of Light. It was a beautiful reminder that God is able to open doors in ways we could never have planned ourselves.
Following the ASI convention, we stayed in Phoenix for an additional week for a SOLI Director’s Planning Summit. All of our department directors were present, along with several board members, as we shared reports, prayed together, and planned for the future. This very special time together helped clarify our purpose, vision, and mission as an organization.
Our directors also found it extremely helpful to receive feedback from the larger group about how their departments could become more effective and where their priorities should be in the coming months and years. We concluded our time together by spending the final day at the Grand Canyon. What an amazing place!
Upon returning to our respective campuses and homes, we had only one week to prepare everything for the launch of our mission and trade school at our Gulf Coast campus in southern Mississippi.
On August 17, we began two different courses: our 10-month Comprehensive Evangelism course, our 10-month HVAC Certification course, and our 4-month Certified Nursing Assistant and Health Evangelism course. Students arrived from across the United States—from California to Maine! We have a great group of students, bringing a lot of young energy and enthusiasm to our campus.
We started the school year with a powerful week of prayer and consecration. The students then went out for their first outreach, and they were tremendously blessed. Several people from the community requested Bible studies, giving our students an immediate opportunity to put their training into practice.
God has certainly been opening doors for Streams of Light, and we are excited about what He has in store for the months ahead.
Please keep our students in your prayers, along with all of our staff at Streams of Light. There is much to do, and we want to see every opportunity used for the advancement of God’s work!
James Hartley
VP of Operations
Gulf Coast Campus Director
Streams of Light International
