Motorbikes For Pastors In Pakistan

As the church in Pakistan continues to grow, so does the need for pastors. We would like to provide financial support of $100 per month to these hard-working servants as they bring the Gospel into new areas. This allows them the economic freedom to focus on the difficult day-in and day-out work of the ministry without the worry of how to provide for their families. Omega has 60 pastors, none of which are well funded.

There is a further need of transportation for pastors as they travel from location to location to hold services and minister in the villages. The easiest mode of transportation is via motorbike. Presently, there is a need for ten motorbikes costing $1,850 each. Will you help the pastors of Omega Ministry as they continue to share the Gospel in a country that so desperately needs the love of Christ?

Expanding our Mission, Expanding the Kingdom

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus! We thank God for what He has been doing in us and through us this year. We have witnessed great impact in the lives of our teams and the people in the places we are serving. So far, we have strengthened and built our teams serving in different hubs, Using The Timothy Initiative Training for church planters has blended in so well with our mission. We have witnessed multiplication of churches on a different scale. Our Timothy Initiative program started in mid-July; with 7 Pauls (trainers), who in turn recruited 79 Timothies to the program. In turn, they are discipling over 45 Tituses, and 18 fellowships and village churches have been started. We are excited about the people coming to the Lord!

We want to share with you our needs for the near future:

Addition to Kapoeta mission house

Kapoeta is the mother mission hub. There, we receive missional leaders from all our hubs for quarterly meetings, seminars, and conferences. It is sometimes difficult to host them, as there is no extra guest space. We began a project to extend the existing house to add three guest rooms, a kitchen, indoor toilet and closet, and extra storage space. Changes will also have to be made to the existing roof and ceiling to accommodate the addition. Furnishings are needed for the new rooms. The project has been partially funded, but an additional $4,950 is needed to complete it.

Infrastructure development for our hubs

Construction of simple structures is needed in three of our hubs in Toposa – Lotien, Mogos and Riwotoo. What we envision is to be able to have a simple structure which can help host local trainings, seminars, and programs customized for a particular area. So far, our localized trainings happen under trees, which is adversely affected by weather conditions. Our plan includes putting up iron poles, iron sheet roofing, and iron sheet walls. Each hub’s construction will cost $8,800.

On the same note, we wish to construct a permanent structure in Chukudum hub because of the long-term importance to the church planting efforts to the Didinga tribe. This costs $33,000.

Need for a well in Napopo – Martha Lokwale’s village

We have talked about Martha several times in the past. She is a great woman of faith who is also a leader and evangelist to her people. This village has no water source; people walk for long distances to get water. We are praying for the day her village gets a borehole. The borehole will serve over 1,000 people. The average cost for a borehole is $24,000.

Bringing Power to Kerith

On behalf of Kerith Ministries, I would like to thank God for His continuous blessings over our ministry in Uganda through Harvesters International.

Praise Report

In the last two months, our ministry has had a tremendous success on one major project that we have been praying for over the years – electricity in our orphanage and school compound. This project is 40% under way! We hope that in the next two to three weeks the project will be completed. We shared this need with Pastor Doug during his visit a few weeks back. The Lord used you to provide for this need!

Besides Kerith Ministry, the entire village and the community leaders are very, very happy for the miracle of electric power. This will help to improve the finances of some of the people since they can start up a small business with the help of power.

As we celebrate this big project, we have two other projects that we are believing God will provide for.

Roofing of Four Classrooms

Through our model of saving and utilizing the funds we receive, we have been able to raise walls of the four classroom block that was remaining to finish the nine classroom plan. We are now left with roofing, which is always the challenging part. We need $5,900 to roof these remaining classrooms. This will provide us with enough classrooms by the beginning of the next school year which starts in January 2020. We currently have two classes that do not have a proper learning classroom.

School Toilet Facility

Since the school started, we have been sharing the pit toilet facility with the Health Center. We have been warned by the Ministry of Health several times to add toilets, but due to lack of funds, we have not been able to construct them. It is on this basis that we seek your financial support to help us provide a good, sanitary facility for our school to avoid health problems. The cost to construct a modern toilet that will serve the 300 children in the school is $1,950.

The Power Of Light

Samuel Mwesiwga – Kerith Ministries

I would like to thank you so much for the great work you are doing through Kerith Ministries. We know that God continues to use each of you in so many ways. Because of your support through Harvesters International Ministries, we have been able to accomplish much and create a lasting impact in the community and in the lives of individuals.

In addition to providing a home for 32 children, Kerith Ministries offers an outstanding Christ-centered education to more than 165 children each day in our primary school. Our school children, most of whom walk from one of five surrounding villages, receive breakfast, lunch, medical care, and a great deal of love each day.

We are thankful for a recent special gift that God provided so that we can begin a new, micro-finance program. We will be making small, but life changing, loans to widows and single mothers in our area. Currently, 18 participants are undergoing the screening and orientation process to receive loans that will help them purchase needed items to begin or enhance their small business enterprises.

God has blessed our evangelistic efforts with over 400 new believers accepting Christ so far this year. Our new church plant among the Mening people in far northern Uganda continues to grow. Please pray for the new pastor who has recently moved there to reach more of these people for Christ and to disciple the new believers there. The material needs are also great in this area. On a recent medical outreach, our team met an 18 month old boy named Amon who was suffering from malaria, pneumonia, and scabies. Amon’s father died when he was two months old. His mother, three sisters and two brothers struggled greatly due to poverty and mistreatment by her deceased husband’s family. When the team met Amon he weighed only 11 pounds. The team was able to take him back to Kerith where he is living with the other children in the ministry’s full-time care. He is receiving regular medical care as well as proper nutrition. We are so grateful for his tremendous improvement! Please be in prayer for him and his family.

I would like to share with you our urgent need to install electrical power to our ministry property including the orphanage, clinic, and school. For years, we have been using solar panels to provide power. Due to the growth in our work and our vision to expand the ministry, we need access to regular electrical power. Using solar panels has turned out to be very expensive and inefficient to run the lights and support our office work. We have faced several challenges because the batteries break down often and are very costly to replace. During the rainy season, they do not generate enough power for lighting. All of this results in several dangers and issues for us. We have too much darkness at night, which attracts thieves who have tried to break into the health center. We need security lighting to also increase the safety of our children in the orphanage. Likewise, improved inside lighting will help our children to read at night and complete their homework assignments. Dependable electrical power will allow us to use electrical appliances in the clinic to provide better care and service to our patients. We will also use power to train young people in skills like metal fabrication, use of our electrical sawing machines, and computers.

To have electrical power at our ministry, the utility company must construct lines that will pass by over 30 other families. Those families will then have opportunity to have electricity for their homes. The total cost of this project is approximately $12,000 and will provide great, ongoing benefits that will impact many lives and our community in a wonderful way.

We are trusting God in all these matters. Again, thank you for your prayers and support.

From Uganda With Love

This summer, I had the privilege of traveling to Pallisa, Uganda, to meet and work alongside Pastor Sam and his wife, Mercy Mwesigwa, for two months. While there, I learned so many valuable lessons such as living a selfless life, showing the love of Jesus to others, and the way we should effectively do missions. As someone who has been on multiple mission trips, including those within the states and all throughout various parts of the world, it was interesting to learn more about creating a ministry like Kerith Children’s Home and what it means to be missionaries within your own culture and country. At times, it was personally difficult to see the poverty and the struggles that these people are faced with daily. Struggles that most Americans will never be able to comprehend. I believe that it’s important that people go on mission trips. It changes your perspective on life and what it really means to love and follow Jesus. I know it certainly has changed my perspective.

Pastor Sam has a heart for reaching people with the gospel, discipling believers so that they can grow deeper in their faith, and church planting. He has planted churches in places where people have never heard about the love, hope, and grace that we have solely in Jesus. Mercy’s heart for orphans and other vulnerable children is evident in the work of Kerith Ministries. In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus instructs his followers that the world will know they are his by the way they treat others. Mercy and Sam are the living examples of these verses. Through their actions and kindness, they show Jesus to the very least of these. What a selfless example they are of being Jesus to a lost and broken world.

During my time at Kerith, I taught at the school. I taught English classes to multiple grade levels, which allowed me the opportunity to meet and interact with children not only from the children’s home, but from the surrounding community as well. As an educator, it was exciting to learn about the education system in Uganda. Kerith Ministries is constantly growing and has an exciting vision for the future. Kerith is equipping their students to have a chance at life once they reach adulthood. It’s horrifying to think where some of these children might be without Kerith. Most of the children at the home were rescued by Mercy. The stories of their lives prior to being rescued will bring you to tears. The children’s home, school, health clinic, and farm are some of the many ministries that make up Kerith. It was a privilege to serve with them during my time in Uganda.

My life has forever been changed by my summer in Uganda. At times, I felt so inadequate being there. How could someone so insignificant as me make a difference in the lives of these children? I came to the realization while in Uganda that I can’t change the circumstances of every person I meet, however badly I may desire, because only Jesus can do that. However, I can be present in the life of that child and show love to them while I’m here. As a follower of Christ, I am called to simply love others just as Jesus loves me. So with every hand held, every cup of porridge served, smile and hug given, and every broken English word learned, I am constantly learning to simply be love.

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Virginia is a senior at the University of West Florida. She is currently student teaching at a school specifically for students with special needs. After graduation, she would like to teach high school students with special needs. She would also like to get more involved with mission work.

Have A Heart For Missions?

Harvesters is committed to helping encourage a passion for missions in the hearts of those God allows us to meet and to offer opportunities for them to serve, grow, and learn. Internships, short term trips, and even actively participating in our work here in the U.S. are all great ways to be part of what God is doing through our ministry partners. Anyone interested in any of these opportunities should contact Doug Radford to learn more. He can be reached by email at doug@harvesters.net or feel free to call him at 252-230-9742.

 

Hope For A Child

The things a child needs to survive are obvious – food, shelter, clothing, and the like. Sadly, in many places where Harvesters is working, countless children struggle daily for these necessities. Some are orphans whose parents have died due to disease, accidents, or violence. Others live with impoverished families who lack the means to meet their basic needs. Out of our first-hand witness of many children forced to live under such circumstances, Harvesters International has developed Project Hope 127, our new child sponsorship program. This is an easy, effective way for those who want to provide life-changing love and support for a child in Asia or Africa to do so with confidence.

Project Hope 127 takes its name from James 1:27 which says “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress…” This verse expresses the same truth as many others do, that God’s love working through His people takes the form of life-impacting action.

Sponsoring a child helps bring wonderful change to the shape and direction of a child’s life in many ways. As the name implies, Project Hope 127 is not only about providing food, health care, clothing, education, and a home to the children we serve. Beyond their material need, a child will quickly lose hope when struggling to survive in places that offer little or no opportunity for their future. At that point, giving them love, stability, and a sense of safety is vital to building their confidence that life is worth living. Teaching them about God’s love helps them understand that they do matter. Most importantly, helping them understand the Gospel provides a child the opportunity to live in the hope of knowing God for eternity.

Sponsors play a vital role in bringing hope to a child that goes beyond financial support. Both formal university studies and our experience confirm the wonderful reaction that occurs for a child when they know that someone they have never met cares enough about them to not only provide for their material needs, but to also send them letters of encouragement. Sponsors are much more than faceless donors! They develop a relationship with a child that needs to experience being loved by as many people as possible. Sponsors may also travel to Africa and meet their child.

Currently, we have children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who are awaiting sponsorship. These children are in the care of our ministry partners. Beginning a relationship by sponsoring a child is easy! It begins at www.ProjectHope127.org. There, you can see the photographs of our children, learn about their background, and become part of their lives by sponsoring one or more of them for $45 per month each. Below are just a few of the amazing kids that need sponsors.

Aganze Kulondwa
My parents were taken captive by rebels, and I am unsure what happened to them. I am 11 years old and want to be a businessman.

Nadia Balume
I was born in Kibumba in 2008. My parents were killed by rebels in 2016. I am 11 years old and want to be a teacher.

Solomon
I came to the children’s home in 2016. My parents are sick and cannot take care of me. I am ten years old and hope to become a doctor.

A New Way To Give

Making the most of what you have is always important. It’s part of being a good steward of the resources God has allowed us to manage.

To help our supporters increase the good that is accomplished by their gifts, Harvesters International Ministries has established the Harvesters Impact Fund. This giving option was created to provide supporters an easy way to take advantage of the tax benefits of donating appreciated stocks, mutual funds, real estate, and even business interest. Trust funds and annuities can be arranged as well. Using these assets as charitable gifts to Harvesters results in avoiding the capital gains that occur if they are sold by the owner. You receive the charitable tax deduction of the full value of the asset, without the tax liability of a capital gain. This strategy results in a greater investment in effective ministry.

Good management yields good results. Utilizing the Harvesters Impact Fund results in more churches being planted, more clean water being available, more orphans being cared for, along with all the other impacts of Harvesters’ work in Africa and Asia. Supporters who use the Harvesters Impact Fund still have the ability to direct where and how their gifts are used by our ministry partners.

Harvesters has chosen the National Christian Foundation to host the Harvesters Impact Fund. Their extensive experience, reliability, and solid reputation make them a great part of our team. We know that God will use their work to expand our efforts to touch lives.

If you would like to learn more or are interested in donating an asset to further the work of Harvesters, please contact Doug Radford at 252-230-9742 or via email at doug@harvesters.net. We look forward to sharing with you about this great stewardship giving tool!

Sion Assembly Church

Our passion is to win souls for our Lord from our pagan country, India. India has 1.3 billion people. Approximately 80% are Hindus, 15% are Muslims, and only 4% are Christians. There are 33 million gods and goddesses in India. We are working hard to win souls by conducting mass evangelism through Gospel Crusades. Many are giving their lives to Christ through these Crusades, joining our churches, and growing in the Lord. At the same time, we are encountering a lot of persecution from the government and also from the people in the villages and cities who are Hindu fanatics. We desperately need your prayers and support to conduct these mass Gospel Crusades.

 

Also, please continue to pray for our training of pastors. So far, we have been able to train 220 students from two Telugu states – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State. This year, we are training 75 students, which will graduate in August. Some will be starting new ministries in unreached areas. Please continue to pray for all of our pastors and students has they take Jesus to the unreached. Pray for their protection and for provision while they are sharing their faith and the Gospel.

China Sees

Thank you for praying for our fellow believers in China who are experiencing increased hostility from their government. We have remained in regular communication with our ministry partners in China, conducting Biblical counseling and providing advice through technology called WeChat, which is like twitter in US.

Our “city” group planned to plant a church in 2018, but the tightened government control made them unable to find a meeting place. This March, they officially launched it. It is their first church plant, in the midst of heightened persecution from government! A core group from the “mother” church launched a new location in another part of the city, which has population of 30 million! This has been two years in prayer and planning, and we are super excited to see the Lord moving!! In addition, this is a testimony of God’s faithfulness and their unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Four of the men we trained are leading this plant. So please pray for them to continue to trust the Lord and lead the newly planted church according to what the Lord taught and showed in the Bible. Praise the Lord for their moving ahead given the current environment toward Christianity in China.

Please also pray for the “mother” church to continue to grow in faith, in laborers and workers, and in numbers of believers. They have already asked us to train more men for them.

Oddly, to our thinking, the “countryside” portion of our work is attracting more government attention. They are laying low and have broken into small cells to fly under the radar. So please pray that they will remain faithful to the Lord while they are scattered.

We are hoping to be able to make a trip over the summer, but the situation still does not allow us to do so. The Chinese government has encouraged local people to report any “suspected” foreigners for 5000-10,000 RMB (Chinese yuan). This can be very troublesome for us, especially for Mr. Jones and, as a result, for the local believers.

We are praying, exploring the feasibility, and seeking confirmation for other ways to serve Chinese believers. Please pray with us as we seek the Lord’s guidance in this area. As always, we appreciate your continued support and prayers.

The Kind Of Medication You Can’t Write A Script For

By Guest Contributor, Dr. Mark Paschall

This image has haunted me since our return from a remote village in a forgotten region of Kenya. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture makes that especially true.

It tells a story of hardship in this mother’s eyes as she brought her child to our clinic looking for answers to the developmental and behavioral issues in her son. He was not acting like other children his age and at times did not seem capable of understanding and complying with directions or instructions. Hoping that perhaps some medication or nutritional supplement could remedy the problem, she had travelled a long distance to attend one of our medical clinics.

We were able to quickly diagnose Down syndrome and also determine that, at least for now, there were no other serious neurological or cardiac issues that often accompany this condition. While we certainly had no medication to offer that would change his situation, we were at least able to explain his condition to her and offer her realistic expectations for his future.
The obvious concern that can be seen in her face in this photo affirmed she had understood the challenges she was facing. The tremendous resources available in the U.S. for children with this genetic chromosome disorder would never be available to her, and she now understood that this was a lifelong condition that would impact her entire family for decades. At the same time, we were able to give her the information she needed to understand the implications of his condition.

When I was at the University of Michigan, the slogan for the Medical School was “Knowledge is Power,” While this may ring hollow in many desperate situations, I believe there is some truth in this case. We were able to empower this strong, determined, and concerned mother. We were also able to offer a commodity little seen in these remote areas of Africa. That commodity is hope. We were able to pray with her and remind her that she is not alone in her struggle. God is aware of her challenges, and there is now a group of Americans who will remember to pray for her regularly. Hope is something that I could never write a script for. It’s a remedy only God can provide.

As medical personnel, we often feel we have been successful only when our treatment has offered a cure or when we have fixed something or alleviated physical suffering. The most important thing we can do on these mission trips, however, is point people to the Great Physician through our holistic approach of caring for their entire beings: physical, emotional, and spiritual. This is what Jesus did and we have the tremendous opportunity to do likewise in His name on these medical mission trips.

Whatever your passion is, whatever skills and abilities God blessed you with to share with the world, I’d encourage you to use those gifts on a short-term mission trip. You will leave changed.

 

**Since 2011, Dr. Paschall has traveled to Kenya each year with his church, Kensington Community Church in Detroit, Michigan. We are grateful for his faithful service to the Pokot people and Pokot Outreach Ministries.