You may recall our request to help the new Believers in Afghanistan that we had to relocate after two of their numbers were publicly martyred. As a result, seven families were taken into a neighboring country, and our churches there took the responsibility to house, feed, clothe and assimilate them into the society. (They are among a people group – the Jews -- that span both sides of the border, thus the language and culture are the same.)
For the approximately 700 remaining, we had to relocate them in their own country but far enough away to a city where none are known. We saved the lives of nearly eight hundred new Believers by doing this. After they were successfully relocated, I asked you to give so that we could provide them with food, clothing, medicines, etc., as they had to leave behind all their belongings. We took your funds and rented fourteen apartments to house them, putting nearly fifty people in each apartment. The funds secured their housing for three months but left precious little for food. So, again I asked for your help, and as usual, you responded. But because it was you who prayed and you who gave, it was not we but you who saved them all. How does that make you feel? With certainty, when you stand before God, receiving the rewards He has laid up for you, you will revisit this event and be thankful you played a part. This morning I woke to an email that arrived while I slept. Our director for the region had sent some of our church members and pastors back into the country to preach and teach the struggling new Believers, encourage them, and verify that their relief had arrived. Here is his brief report: Our 700 Believers have received the help, including milk, flour, oil, rice, some types of local cheese, tea, sugar, eggs, chicken, clean water, and oil containers to use to heat their homes. Those will help us for the next couple of months. Thank you. In a few months, when the funding has been exhausted, if they have not been able to find employment, I will let you know, and we can once again bring aid to these children of Abraham who have become Believers in the Messiah. Jon If you want to review the entire story, you can read all the related correspondence through the links below. Beginning with the first and ending with this update. September 4th; https://conta.cc/328bbR0 September 11th; https://conta.cc/3E78ts6 November 9th; https://conta.cc/3p0EjCF November 17th; https://conta.cc/3dYzvYc
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Today, the young lady has had her second of two surgeries. We spoke to the doctor by phone, and he said that she would need to come back and see him in about fifteen days, but he does not anticipate any problem. She is doing fine and is expected to be able to see perfectly. She wanted to express her gratitude to those who gave her this gift of sight and let them know how much their generosity benefits her and how grateful she is. Now she will abide by the doctor's instruction and have her bandages removed in two weeks. At that time, she will give glory to God for His healing and get busy again in her service for the Lord.
Those of you who gave to help her did so for your own personal reasons. We are so thankful for you demonstrating God's love to this young sister. You have changed her life for the better and given her the ability to serve Him as never before. You are amazing, just as your Father is. I hope that someday, somehow, we will be able to get you a photo of her. You all know by now about our farms in Myanmar. They are up and running a bit now; still, the civil war in that country continues. Pastor Vel wrote the other day to give me an update and shared a story that was a blessing. I thought it would be to you as well, so here it is. Yesterday, our deacon and I brought our church's widow and her three grandchildren to our new farmland and built a temporary hut for them to stay. They have been living on the side of the road in our area, on municipal property, and they were forced to leave the place by the military on Tuesday. So, the widow came to me and asked for help and said that she wanted to live in our new land. So we brought them and built for them a temporary shelter. A very simple hut and I pray we will be able to build a better or decent one than this soon. We also need to build a toilet as well. Our farm watcher, his older brother with our deacon, and two of our orphan boys helped build the hut.
How wonderful it is to see those among the poorest of God's servants doing what they can to take care of a family in even worse financial shape. How grateful I am for them and for you, whose offerings for recent projects have allowed us to help so many churches, families, and pastors. You may remember back in April we raised funds for a project over in the Democratic Republic of Congo for 2 corn grinder machines. These would allow the local church to help members grind their own corn, sell corn flour to others and bring in a small income by charging others to use it. We wanted to give you a short video update on the project now that they have been using them for the last 6 months or so, so please enjoy! Each day Pastor Shaukat sent photos and videos of the camp, starting with teaching sessions for the 30 workers from his churches. Many of the photos were of them eating (I guess he knew what was important to me) and many of the services. One night at 11:30 PM, I hooked up with them via Zoom and preached (talked) to them from scripture. It was a blessing to see how they received the Word, though the 5-second delay was a little hard to get used to. Shaukat wrote this morning to tell us that 50 of the campers (from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds) accepted Christ during the four-day camp, and 70 campers committed to join his team as co-laborers. He has selected from among them to attend his youth seminar this Sunday to begin their training. Michael and Daniel thought it would be good to have Joshua Martyn (our videographer) make this short presentation for you using the photos and clips Shaukat sent us. I know it will be a blessing to you. (BTW, the next season of Ernest Livingstone is in the final stages of post-production, so get ready to re-join him in his missionary adventures.) In about 5-6 months, he will have his winter camp. So if you want, you can give now in preparation for that or wait for our notice. Enjoy the short video, filmed entirely in Pakistan A big thank you to those who gave to help the poor widow who was robbed of all her funds last week. We took what you gave and sent it to our National Director, Lucas Ulo, and he promptly gave it to Sister Amadi Charity. To be sure you knew that what you gave arrived as intended, he snapped this photo of himself giving the funds to her. In addition, he attached a note saying that she has received your funds with great appreciation. You can see it is a bundle of money. But, as usual, and like our Father, you gave “exceeding and abundantly above” what was asked for. In fact, you exceeded the amount by about 10%. Isn’t it great to be used by the Lord to help a fellow Believer on the other side of the world? One who will not be able to thank you personally until you meet in Heaven. The Word says that God sees those who bless the poor and considers what they give as a personal loan to HIM; and assures us that He will pay us back, WITH INTEREST.
Now, as my dad always said, don’t spend it all in one place! Jon |
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