INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES NOVEMBER 2016
On the Ground A Year of Blessings Andrea Burris - Harvesters International Ministries MYANMAR Fellowship Bible Church FBC recently launched a preschool program. A team traveled from the US to bring supplies and help teachers with setting up classrooms. There are currently six students enrolled, but they expect enrollment to increase as word of the program spreads. The children are learning all the basics, as well as English, in a loving, Christ-filled environment. PAKISTAN Omega Ministry Despite increased persecution of Christians, the church in Pakistan is growing! Omega recently baptized eight new believers! To protect those worshipping, guards must be present during church services. Construction is underway on a new church building. This is a tremendous blessing as the church has been meeting in a location that has no roof to offer protection from the elements. We ll share more about this exciting project soon! RUSSIA Hope for Life Homes Please continue to be in prayer for Christians in Russia. A new law prohibits the sharing of faith in either a home or public setting. This paves the way for the government to potentially make things difficult for HFL s house parents that are providing care for orphans. 2 We hope you enjoy learning more about our partners and getting an inside look at the work of their ministries. To ensure we are communicating with you in the best way possible, we ve included a survey card inside this edition. We d like to know more about your preferences for receiving our quarterly newsletter. Would you prefer the print version, electronic download through e-mail, or both? Please take a moment to complete the card and return it in the enclosed postage paid envelope. Thank you in advance for your help! It s hard to believe that 2016 is almost over. It seems as though the year just began! It s been a busy year with so many wonderful things happening - Bible College graduation in Myanmar, anti-fgm training in Kenya, an orphan care center constructed in DR Congo, church buildings under construction in Pakistan, new schools started, teams traveling from the US, the addition of a new partners - all resulting in countless lives changed by the love of Christ! The Lord has truly blessed the work of His people. We are so grateful for your partnership and your prayers. May this Christmas season be filled with the love of Christ and the joy that only He can bring! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to receive regular updates on our partners! Harvesters International Ministries harvestersinternational 3
Expanding Our Reach Andrea Burris - Harvesters International Ministries We are so grateful that the Lord continues to provide opportunities for us to expand our reach around the world. Our Board of Directors has unanimously approved the addition of a new ministry partner, Sion Assembly Church Ministries (SAC), in Vijayawada, India. SAC was established in 1993 by Rajendra Kumar Yellamelli. While most of Pastor Rajendra s family was Hindu, his mother was a committed Christian. When he was 15 years old, she was diagnosed with cancer and given only a week to live. They fervently prayed for her healing, and the Lord completely healed her body! Once home from the hospital, she invited many of her Hindu neighbors to visit and hear what Christ had done for her. As a result, numerous lives were changed. After witnessing the Lord at work, Pastor Rajendra dedicated his life to the service of the Lord and began preaching on the streets and in the slums while he was attending college. He is now joined in ministry by his wife, Suneetha, daughter Achsah, brother Ravi and his wife, Prathibha. Ministry is a family affair! The ministry has two churches with active, growing congregations. The original church in Vijayawada is led by Pastor Rajendra. They conduct Bible seminars and conferences, and provide training for pastors each month. Their focus is to train pastors and send them out to plant new churches. Pastor Ravi leads the church in Kandrika. For many years, the congregation has conducted services in tents moving from place to place. Due to the large size of the congregation and increased persecution of Christians, they recently purchased land and plan to construct a large church with a baptismal pool. Approximately $50,000 is needed to complete the project and they are trusting that God will provide. In 2010, they established an orphanage at the original church that currently houses 26 Pastors Ravi and Rajendra abandoned or orphaned children, but can accommodate up to 200. While they meet the basic needs of the children - food, shelter, education - the primary focus is to reach them with the love and care of Christ. As news spread through the community that the church was feeding and caring for the orphaned or extremely poor, many destitute widows began to arrive, begging for food. SAC began feeding them through the children s home. These women would sometimes stay the night on the floor of the church. Seeing the need to empower these women to care for themselves, SAC set up a sewing center and began teaching them to sew. Lessons and use of the machines are free of charge, however, the women must earn money to pay for materials. In 2017, SAC will open a Christian school. Many parents living in the slums want their children to be educated in English, as it provides the children with many more employment opportunities both at home and abroad. Schools in the area do not provide adequate teaching. SAC desires to build an English speaking school, with a Christian worldview, where Telugu (the native language) will be taught as a second language. Reaching the 1.3 billion people of India, which are primarily Hindu, is a daunting task, but SAC has created numerous opportunities to serve the community and share the Gospel. In addition to their churches, SAC provides regular medical clinics in the slums for those that do not have access to, or cannot afford, medical care. They also perform relief work after natural disasters. In an effort to reach large groups, they regularly hold Gospel crusades and show the Jesus Film. Their widest reach comes from a daily television broadcast. Join us in praying for Sion Assembly Church as we begin to work together for the cause of Christ in India! 4 5
From the Field Reuben Meriakol - Pokot Outreach Ministries, South Sudan Greetings in the name of our Lord! From the field, we would like to share our joys and challenges with you. We always count on your partnership as you help bear our burden through prayer and material support. Our unity of purpose on what God has embraced in our hearts shall one day be achieved. Situation in South Sudan The country remains in a state of uncertainty. The economic meltdown is unbearable for many. War, combined with hunger, has caused people to flee to refugee camps. The original peace agreement collapsed, and a modified version is now in effect. We still pray for God to bring enduring peace. Ministry Update The main church at Kapoeta is doing great. We were excited to hold our first baptism since the ministry began. We also had our first communion services, which we hope to hold on a regular basis. This has breathed life and energy into our church. Construction of our church building resumed last month after a break. We expect that the structure will be complete with windows and doors by the third week of December. The flooring, paint, glass for windows, and other furnishings are still needed. We hope that it can be finished by next year, whenever God provides the funds needed for the last phase. The church programs are running well. We have held seminars with several church groups including elders, youth leaders, evangelists, and worship leaders. There has been great impact. Our evangelism team is taking the Gospel to the hospitals and prisons at least once a week. I had the opportunity to preach in the Kapoeta prison. Recently, one of those men was release from prison, and he came to church. His testimony was a great encouragement! Our other preaching points in Riwotoo, Katiko, Lotien, and Mogos are going very well, with many seeing record attendance. We do not have a committed evangelist in Nanyia and are praying that God will raise up the right man for this village. Education Program & Street Kids Ministry Our educational program focuses on supporting needy children from our main church in Kapoeta, as well as a few from our preaching points. We are supporting 15 students in both primary and secondary schools, including some of the street kids. Next year, we hope to take our educational program to our newest preaching point in Nachilakur. There is a school that has been closed down, and we are negotiating with the government education authorities to begin using the building. We are planning to recruit teachers, employ a watchman and cook so that the school can kick off when schools begin session early next year. Once the school is handed over to us, then believers and community members will also be able to use the classroom to conduct their services. We are praying for God to provide for our needs to run this school. My Family I thank you for your prayers for the safety of my family. My wife, Loice, and son remain in Kenya while the situation here is so dire. I thank God for the grace He has given that we could endure this situation that has forced the family to be apart for a while. Prayer Requests 1. Pray for the peace in the country. 2. Pray for our ministry especially to new places like Nachilakur. 3. Pray for the funds needed to finish the church approximately $17,000. 4. Pray for the school program kicking off next year. Pray for provision for the borehole that is needed. 5. Pray for Christmas celebration in each of our churches. 6 7
A Need for Discipleship Samuel Mwesigwa - Kerith Ministry, Uganda A woman arrived at the crusade carrying a 10-liter jerrycan full of alcohol. As the gospel was being preached, she threw the jerrycan down and ran to receive Jesus. It has become evident that the preaching of the gospel is more needed than ever before. As a ministry, we have put it at the forefront of our activities. Over the last three months, I have traveled to meet with pastors around Rwanda, with the goal of reviving the spirit of discipleship in our congregations. A Muslim man had been mistreating his wife since she became a Christian. After several days of hearing the gospel and testimonies of those who were once Muslims, he decided to give his life to Jesus. Today, the family lives with great joy. During my time of evangelism and church planting in these areas, I discovered that much emphasis is put on bringing in bigger numbers to the church, but less attention is given to them so they may become good disciples. This is not what the priority should be. We have begun training almost 40 pastors to lead discipleship classes. Each pastor will then disciple two people for six months and continue with a new group for another six months. I believe that this will take the church to another level of spiritual maturity as each of these new disciples begins to disciple others. River of God Church held an evangelism campaign from July 1 to August 14. A number of activities were conducted, including prayer and fasting, home visitations, and a 14-day open-air crusade followed by a discipleship class. During the crusade, 621 people made professions of faith! Here are some of the transformations: A woman who had practiced witchcraft for many years lives near the crusade site. She heard the gospel while in her house through our loudspeakers and gave her life to Christ. There is a spirit of revival in our community. Keep praying for Pallisa that the Lord will keep the fire burning and the new converts will have the hunger and thirst for the Word as they begin discipleship classes. Harvesters Is Growing Again! Susy Rardon recently joined the staff of Harvesters as the Assistant to the Director. She worked for the last 13 years as the senior loan processor for a mortgage broker and knew that God was calling her into full-time ministry. As the missions coordinator for Grace Community Church in Hilton Head, South Carolina, she had many dealings with Harvesters. When God opened this door for ministry, she knew that this was where He was leading her. As well as serving as missions coordinator, Susy also serves as the pianist and music coordinator for Grace Community Church. She lives in Bluffton, South Carolina, with two of her three children, Alli and Greg. Her oldest son, Zach, is married and lives with his wife, Nicole, in Davidson, North Carolina. 9
You Can Help! As you plan your year-end and 2017 giving, we humbly ask that you keep Harvesters in mind. There are many ways you can partner with us to accomplish our mission of encouraging and assisting national missionaries as they fulfill the Great Commission. Below are some of our partners most pressing needs, as well as a number ways for you to participate in what God is doing. Good Samaritan Sewa Kendra - India: Child sponsorships @ $19 per month Kerith Ministry - Uganda: Purchase of land for a church in a predominantly Muslim village @ $2,300 Omega Ministry - Pakistan: Motorbike for a pastor to travel between preaching locations @ $1,800 Hope for Life Homes - Russia: Larger living quarters to take in additional children @ $14,000 Union of Baptist Churches - DR Congo: Grain mills provide a local pastor/ church a means of income and an evangelism site. Also allows them to provide a needed service to the community. Six mills @ $1300 each Seira Community Church - Rwanda: Initial funding for a sewing training project to empower women to support themselves @ $7,000 Pokot Outreach Ministries - South Sudan: Completion of the church building @ $17,000 Start a Campaign Ask family and friends to donate in honor of a special event or as an alternative to holiday gifts. Organize a community event like a 5K run or basketball tournament. You can specify which partner or program you want to benefit or have your contributions go to our general fund. Simply visit our website at www.harvesters.net and click My Harvesters to begin your campaign. Host a Shoe Drive Our program, Shoes 4 Hope, transforms used shoes into hope and practical help for those that need it most. It s a great way to involve your group in missions. Churches, youth groups, scout troops, and others may host a shoe drive to collect gently used or new shoes of all types and sizes. They are exported to developing nations where demand for used shoes is strong. Funds generated from exporting are then used to support the vital work of our ministry partners. Your group will select a project or ministry important to you to support. Hosting a drive is easy! We ll provide collection boxes, storage bags, and promotional materials needed for a successful drive. Please visit www.shoes4hope.org or email Doug Radford at doug@harvesters.net for information on holding a shoe drive. Become a Monthly Giver Amazon Smile Did you know that you can support Harvesters each time you shop? Amazon donates a portion of each purchase when you shop through the Amazon Smile portal. It s easy to get started! 1. Visit smile.amazon.com. 2. Sign in as you normally would. 3. Select Harvesters International Ministries as the charity to support. Once you ve selected Harvesters, the shopping experience will be the same as always. 4. Begin shopping! Be sure to update any bookmarks for Amazon in your browser. Have you considered becoming a regular, monthly giver? You can support any of our programs through a monthly gift. 1. Visit www.harvesters.net and click donate. 2. Select the ministry or program you would like to support. 3. Click Make this a monthly gift. These are just some of the things your donations can do! 10 11 $10 = $75 = Give God s Word Support a pastor $25 = $100 = Provide clean water Send a child to secondary school
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