A year of great challenges and blessings
This year we have been blessed to see God’s amazing work in Bangladesh, Uganda, Nepal, Pakistan, India, DRC, Kenya, Philippines, Rwanda, Ghana, Indonesia, and the USA. The first 8 countries in this list, we were blessed to help indigenous ministers financially, so the work there could continue. Thank you for making this possible by joining with us in this great effort to do what we can to make a positive difference for Christ. The others, we have faithfully encouraged in the Lord, as our Father led us through the Holy Spirit and the many wonderful men and women of God in each country have been a great encouragement to us as well. Each report, picture, and video we get encourages us to continue this work as long as God makes it possible for us to do so, when we hear of the many miracles God is doing in hundreds of lives. We are extremely grateful for your faithful prayers and generous gifts as to the Lord for making this ministry possible.
In Bangladesh, many have come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior in both the Fishing Boat Ministry and the Teacher’s Project, where people continue being saved from their former beliefs in false gods. Pastor Lemon and Pastor S. and his wife faithfully travel long distances with their teams through dense jungles, through rivers teeming with leaches, or miles of fishing waters to meet the people in their needs and help meet those needs through Jesus Christ. Our Father’s love shines through each of these wonderful brothers and sisters in the Lord and people are drawn to that genuine love, freely given with great sacrifice, not just once, but again and again. We are still supporting 6 teachers in 6 remote villages. From this effort, an average of 10 new believers a month and sometimes whole villages has resulted, new believers are baptized, trained in the teachings of Jesus in the Bible, and new churches are being planted in new villages as one village of new believers reaches out to another neighboring village.
In Uganda, many of you have supported the Pro-life work of Africa Life Youth Foundation, where Richard Sempala and his team have been used by God to save the lives of literally hundreds of unborn children and faithfully educated the young people even when it became more and more difficult with the same “shut down” and “stay-at-home” orders going out all over the world at the same time. Uganda is one of a multitude of countries who had MANY more people dying from the Covid 19 restrictive orders than from the illness. They desire prayers that these restrictions let up.
Bro. Arjun in Nepal, who together with his wife Shoba, runs Gentle Hearts Children’s Home, have expanded their care from the 20 rescued children in their own home to include a special home for girls and young women who have been rescued from sex trafficking, which is rampant in Nepal and India. Read more in their monthly newsletters about these and other ministries like their after school project, sewing project, etc.
In Pakistan, God enabled us to bring food to His children in remote villages, brick kiln workers, as well as many who only heard of Jesus when Ptr. A. and his team took rickshaws filled with food to those who were starving due to Covid restrictions added to the oppression they were already under. These precious people are praising God for His timely provision. This love in action, allowed Ptr. A’s team to share the great news of Jesus and many accepted Jesus as their own Savior and were baptized.
We recently began helping Bro. Ruboneka in DRC. He and his wife have taken in 37 orphans and street children. The need for food and basic needs there is overwhelming due to “shut down” orders. They and their children have gone days without food. Starvation is devastating the country. We praise God we have been able to help alleviate a small bit of their pain and show God’s love to these hurting people through provision of some food. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Ptr. Joe and his wife in Kenya continue to follow this goal, 1 John 3:8, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” They continue to do this daily by caring for orphans and ministering the love of Jesus in action to all they encounter, even in the most difficult times, like when torrential rains came, causing enormous mud slides which washed their house away. It used to be where Joe is standing in the picture by the new waterfall. They are providing food for those in need.
In the Philippines, we continue to help Bro. Rupert with the Mambatagan Feeding Project where the poorest of families in the CDO area are provided with both physical and spiritual food. We also sponsored 3 children from very poor families to get a Godly education in Davao at Mustard Seed Christian School with Sis. Anita, and encourage Sis. Ruth in training evangelists for Jesus in Davao del Norte. God continues to do His work as long as we continue to obey Him and do what we can do.
We continue to encourage John in Rwanda as he shares the Good News and feeds the orphans, Gideon in Ghana as he runs Furman Foundation School via individual homes since March, Herli in Indonesia as times became even harder, and the opportunities to minister among the deaf and hearing impaired in the USA.
We are exceedingly grateful to God and each donor who make this work possible. Words cannot adequately express how much we appreciate each of you who have made it possible to get gifts of love into the hands of those in need through the hands and feet of the indigenous ministers God has given us to work with– His laborers in His harvest field. We are so blessed and honored to be used by our Father in this way. We could never do what has been done this past year or in previous years without cheerful givers like yourself, acting on what God put on your heart. We believe God will continue to bless and use us as we strive daily to be careful stewards of all He provides. Again, this year, as in years past, 100% of all donations to FHM are used for ministry work. This ministry is also where we personally give as God enables us.
Thank you for being a vital part of our ministry!