Union of Baptist Churches

We are privileged to introduce you to a man who has been greatly impacted by the ministry of UBC. His story, which he shares below, is one of redemption, hope, and full reliance upon Jesus Christ.

I am called by the name of Hagumishuti Eilya. I was born in Rutshuru territory in Nyanzale village in the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 23, 1975. I am the third born of my family. My father was married to four other women, and my mother was the second wife. She was very jealous of the other wives and children. She used to train us to grow into conflicts with the other children of my father and consider them as enemies. At age 11, my two older sisters and I were trained by our grandmother in witchcraft. She wanted us to poison our brother and become the leaders of our family.

In an effort to try to control my father, my mother introduced him to drugs. She supplied him with drugs to keep him in our home so that she would have access to all of his income. She did not want the other wives to have anything.

At age 14, I was in secondary school with my brother, Nelson, the son of the first wife of my father. I used to run races with him at school. By the end the school year, he began to win all of our races. My mother was totally jealous of that. Nelson and I would tend the family goats in the afternoon. One day, my mother and grandmother gave me a banana that had been poisoned and told me to give it to Nelson. I gave him that banana, and I ate one without poison. After tending the goats, we each went back to our homes.

About an hour later, someone came running to our home to say that Nelson was about to die because of complications in his belly. My father, mother, and grandmother ran to check on him and instructed all of us children to stay at home. After a few minutes, I decided that I needed to join them. Nelson was my friend, and I knew that I should not have given him the banana. I had to try to remedy this problem. When I arrived, I was met with many people weeping. I told my father and the neighbors present what I had done. They gave Nelson traditional medicines that caused him to vomit the poison. Fortunately, he survived.

My mother and grandmother were immediately captured and beaten by the villagers. They both died two days later. I, too, was beaten, but my stepmother intervened. She was a Christian and knew how I had been impacted by my mother’s teachings. She wanted me to live with her and attend Sunday School and church. I went, but was insulted by all the other children because of what happened. No one would be my friend. I learned about Jesus and was mentored by Pastor Ushindi. At 16, I was baptized. There were still very few people that would accept me. I began to fall away from my faith.

At 19, I decided to join a rebellion group in our village. During the war against the government army, I was captured and put in prison. I was there for one year and four months before I escaped, fleeing to the town of Goma. I met a woman and got married, but I continued living in a very sinful way.

In September 2017, I met Pastor Kazaviyo while I was working. He started telling me about the news of Jesus Christ. I told him that I know all that. He asked me if I had received Christ in my life. I said yes and that I have been baptized since I was 16 years old. He asked me why I hadn’t continued to serve God in church. That really made me stop and think. When he saw that, he continued to question me. I told him all about my life story and the devastating things that I had experienced. He comforted me and gave me a new hope in Jesus Christ. He invited me to his church, where I began to learn more about Jesus and grow in my faith.

I am now an evangelist and share the hope of Jesus with others. The Lord has blessed me with a wife and five children. The Lord has cared for me, even when I had done so many terrible things. I am grateful for the ministry of UBC that helped me find God and His purpose for my life.

A Heart For Orphans

Hope for Life Homes in Russia provides an alternative to the institutional setting that most orphans experience there. The children are nurtured in loving, Christian homes by a couple who has a heart to care for orphans.

HFL also reaches out to children who are living in government-operated orphanages and sends a number of them to a Christian camp each summer where they learn about the love of God. Many come to faith in Christ and take that message of hope back to the other children and staff in the orphanages where they live. We are excited to share with you the stories of three children that have been impacted by HFL.

Polina

We met Polina in the Ussuryisk orphanage seven years ago. At the time, she was a sad and withdrawn girl. Her parents regularly abused alcohol. They divorced and decided it would be best to take Polina to an orphanage. Although it didn’t seem like it at the time, Polina now knows that it really changed her life in a positive way. It was in the orphanage that she was exposed to Christians and learned of God. Her hunger for Him was strong, and we were able to send her to the Transformation Camp where she gave her life to Jesus. Her walk with the Lord has been such a blessing to see. When she graduated from the orphanage at 15, she entered into a vocational school in Vladivostok so that she could attend the Vladivostok Bible Church.

Polina found and talked with her parents. Her mother hated her for coming back since she would have to share her apartment with her. Her dad tried to be supportive, but his wife didn’t want her around. In spite of that, Polina keeps in touch with, and prays for, her parents. Her eyes always get watery when she shares about them. She says: “I don’t know what the future has in store for me, but I know that without God I won’t have a future.”

Polina was baptized last fall. She has a beautiful ministry of greeting people at the church door each week. She will be graduating from vocational school next year and wants to enter Far Eastern University to become a teacher. She also has a strong desire to adopt a child from an orphanage when she has a family. She longs to see her parents come to church. Polina trusts God sincerely and is excited to see what He has in store for her.

Angelina

Angelina’s parents lost their parental rights due to alcohol and child neglect. Her health was extremely poor. The doctors and local authorities tried to talk Misha and Lena, our HFL house parents, out of taking her. Of course, they didn’t consider giving her up, even for a second. Lena spent one year in and out of hospitals with Angelina because of her severe lung and allergy conditions. Then, God granted them a miracle! Angelina’s health changed to perfect. She has grown into a very bright, always smiling, kind, healthy girl who loves both the Lord and the church. She loves helping her mom in the kitchen and around the house and is quick to take initiative. Her favorite verse is Luke 1:37: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Elijah

Dear Elijah came into our HFL 2 Home when he was four. His birth mother abandoned him just after birth because she had a problem with alcohol and had no means to raise him. He was adopted by a non-Christian family, then abandoned again.

Even at the age of four, he was not trusting of people. But when our HFL 2 mom, Lena, came into the orphanage where he lived, Elijah must have been moved by God to just run to her as fast he could and ask whether she would take him to her home. She did.

Elijah will be 13 this year. It has taken many years of questioning for him to accept that his HFL parents really love him and want him to be part of their family. He now has peace that he is loved unconditionally. He is a challenging child, but also bright, kind, and loves the Lord.

Last year, Elijah’s birth mother came in contact with his HFL parents. They learned that she is now a believer and had been praying for the son she abandoned. She now raises a handicapped daughter. Our HFL Home parents help by taking her to doctor appointments or for groceries, and she often comes to spend time with Elijah. We trust that Elijah will root his life in God and that He will use him to lead more people into the Kingdom. We believe in him and we trust our God and praise Him for using us to minister to Elijah.

Kerith Ministry – Rwanda

We are grateful for your continued support of our ministry. Because of your faithful giving, we were able to construct two additional classroom buildings last year, which allows us to provide life-changing education for more children. I would like to tell you about two of our students and the impact that education is making in their lives. It would not be possible without your prayers and assistance. Please continue to keep our ministry in your prayers.

Mary Among

Before joining Kerith, Mary was subjected to child labor. She would chase away birds in people’s rice gardens to be able to get a meal. Mary could not go to school because her parents could not afford to pay school fees and not even raise scholastic materials for her. Mary was sleeping on a mat with her four sisters and brothers, with nothing to cover themselves. Their parents were simply too poor to meet their basic needs. Mary led a miserable life and daily admired her friends that went to school.

Mary joined Kerith in 2009. Since then, she has been able to pursue her education with no delays and is currently in high school. In addition, she no longer uses a mat, but sleeps on a mattress with bed sheets and a covering, has access to clean water and medical care, and has made new friends that have made her more outgoing. She has grown spiritually and helps to lead other children at Kerith in the evening devotions. She is confident sharing the word of God!

Mary wants to become a surgeon and is working so hard to continue her studies. Your contributions help us provide the education that Mary needs in order to succeed. Please join us in praying for Mary and her future. We know that she will become a wonderful surgeon some day!

Barbra Kisakye

Barbra Kisakye is another one of the kids at Kerith home. She was born to a woman who used to attend our church. Her mum was so sickly. Little did we know that she was suffering from HIV/AIDS. Her mum came to Pallisa town after being chased from her home by her husband who accused her of infidelity, saying that was how she contracted the disease. Barbra’s father then married a woman who did not want Barbra living in the home and sent her away to live with her sickly, helpless mum. Barbra was not stable in school since her mother could not afford all the school requirements and school fees due to her condition.

Barbra and her mother faithfully attended our church. The Sunday School teachers took notice of Barbra’s vulnerability. Through our church, she was able to get her primary education. Sadly, Barbra lost her mum a week before her final exams in her primary education. She was left an orphan. Because of the way women are treated in our culture, we knew how difficult life was going to be for her. By this time, our congregation was very attached to this precious girl. It was determined that she would come to live in the children’s home. Without our intervention, she would have ended up living on the streets with no hope of a future.

Since she came to Kerith, Barbra has been able to continue with her studies and make friends with the other children. She has also grown in her spiritual life. She is in the music ministry at church and also helps with young children in their Sunday School classes.

By the grace of God, Barbra is turning 14 years of age and attending a secondary school in senior two (equivalent of 10th grade in the US). She is a very smart girl, loves her books, and puts much emphasis on her science subjects. Barbra is working so hard toward becoming a nurse.

Seira Community Ministry – Rwanda

The Lord has faithfully been growing the churches that are part of our ministry. Our first church in Kigali now has two services every Sunday with over 600 people hearing the word of God.

The members of the church in Rukumberi met for the first time under a cover of tarps hobbled together to give protection from the sun. Last summer, church members began working together to make all of the bricks for a church building. They now have a beautiful, safe place to meet protected from the elements. The church is also surrounded with gardens that are used to help provide for the community.

In Jarama, we have a church and water project that provides clean water to those living nearby. The people are so grateful to have clean water and because the church helped to bring in the well, they have started coming to the church to hear the word of God. The church has grown from 150 members to 300 this year.

Nyirabazungu Peresi

Meet one of our church members in Jarama. Her name is Nyirabazungu Peresi. She has lived with HIV for many years. She had no hope to live after she received the news of her diagnosis.

In 2013, when we went to Jarama to start a new church, we met Nyirabazungu when she attended a seminar where we shared the Gospel. The pastor told the people that the impact of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. She was very touched by that word, but did not accept Christ that day.

The next day, I was there with other members of our ministry. As I left, she stopped my car on the road and started to ask me how she could have eternal life. She told me that she was dying. I asked who told her she was dying and that no one can know the time they will die. She answered with two things – I am living with HIV because my husband frequented prostitutes. When he died, I began prostituting so that others would have the disease too. I do not have peace in doing that. Also, I am drinking too much, and sitting with people that are no good.

We prayed together, and now she is a Christian. She helps in our Sunday School classes and is also the secretary at the church. We praise God that she has turned from her wickedness and is living her life for the Lord.

Nyiramivumbi Pascasie

On the last Saturday of the month, we go to visit with those who are in the hospital. We give them clothes, food, soaps, and other items depending on what we are able to get every month. We also spend time praying with them.

Nyiramivumbi was very seriously ill, without someone to help care for her. People from our church continued to visit her in the hospital for months, praying with her and sharing about Jesus. God answered our prayers; and finally, Nyiramivumbi was well enough to go home. She began attending our church services and accepted Christ as her Savior last year. She is 83 years old and is very proud of being a member of the church that cared for her while she was ill. We continue to help her as different needs arise, and she is faithful in praying for others.

Pokot Outreach Ministries – South Sudan

The focus of our ministry over the past year has been evangelism, church planting, the training and equipping of leaders, and education. Evangelism was done in our five hubs and was significantly boosted by the Jesus Film machines. Over 15,000 people were reached and almost 500 came to the Lord! Four churches and several preaching centers were established and 77 people were baptized. We have had exciting moments with training of our leaders.

Among those who were impacted by our ministry is a woman named Lokeno, who came to the Lord as a result of our evangelist and mission hub leader to Mogos, Eliya Lokuru. Lokeno, who is due to be baptized this month, was formerly an ardent believer of African Traditional religion, which is a belief in animism. Preoccupied by a fear of spirits and malevolent gods, they seek the comfort, protection, and priesthood of witch doctors. They believe that every sickness, catastrophe and calamity has a direct connection to the spirit world. Therefore, charms and superstition give physical assurance of the control of the spiritual world. Lokeno had beads, bracelets, pieces of skin ropes and other things worn on the wrist, waist, neck, and some put in the house as an expression of her belief in the occult. She followed witchcraft and occult teachings, but after hearing the good news, it dawned on her that there is a loving God who loves and cares for her, who is appeased not by traditional sacrifices and superstition, but by a pure heart surrendered to Him.

After hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, and of the love of a good and gracious God, Lokeno stripped herself of all connections to her former way of life, giving up her belief in animism, burning her bracelets and charms, and completely surrendering her life to the Lord! She is so excited about her new found faith, and her testimony is leading others to church. She always testifies to others about the goodness of Jesus and is leading others to Christ. We praise God for her!

The other evident impact that our ministry is causing is to children. With the excitement of showing the Jesus Film, along with joyful singing and child-friendly games, our ministry is attracting many children, both in the villages and urban centers. At our main hub in Kapoeta, we have over 200 children attending our weekly activities. These children are from various family backgrounds. Some have both parents, while others are partial orphans and a few are total orphans. Some are living in the home of friends and others are street kids. We had previously taken 13 street kids and sponsored them to go to local schools. A few were later taken to a boarding school by a church organization that has similar interest in children. There are three who are now staying in the homes of believers in Kapoeta. One is a Toposa girl called Napem, who was drawn from street life by the love of Christ through our ministry. Her former life was the business of collecting used water and soft drink bottles, which were sold very cheaply to retailers to wash in order to repackage their liquid products such as cooking oil, petrol, or liquid soap. This hard street life orients boys to abuse drugs and use vulgar language. Most become desperate and alcoholic. Girls usually follow the same route, but also became commercial sex workers at some point. We are happy that the trajectory of Napem’s life was affected positively the day she joined our community. We sent her to school for a year, but she found it hard to continue since she is in her early teens and still in grade 1. She lives in the home of a church member. We are still exploring how to help her learn a trade or skill that can help her be self-reliant. She is part of our community and joins all activities with the teenagers at our church. I baptized her in December. She asked me to give her a new name on baptism day, and I called her Ruth. We hope that she will live to tell the goodness of God. I can’t tell of the joy in our hearts whenever I see her, and the many other lives, affected positively.

Good Samaritan – India

Creating A Future For Girls

Girls in our area are seen as a liability. They need to be married off with a big dowry, whereas sons bring a dowry! The male members in the family eat first, and the females have to do with whatever remains. Girls are neglected and abused, even in their parental homes. Their plight gets worse still in their in-laws’ homes. They are even sexually abused by their male in-laws. Female empowerment remains an important part of our ministry. When you educate a girl, you educate a family! With this in mind, we have 138 female students, out of a total of 200, in our Kollukhedi Village School.

Payal, a girl from Village Kaliyedeh Gaon, has been with us right from nursery (equivalent to American preschool) onwards. At the age of 11, she finished her 5th Standard. Her parents said, “That’s enough! Let her stop her education, help with domestic work, and get married.” Like in all these kind of situations, we advised that she should continue her studies. We assured her safety as we provide transportation from her home to school and back in our hired 4-wheeler. Finally her parents agreed, much to Payal’s delight!

In March 2019, Payal will pass her 8th Standard and wants to continue her studies further. And her parents have agreed! Please join us in praying for Payal! It is through your help that we can continue to provide education for children like Payal. Only $19 a month provides a child with education from loving, Christian teachers, school supplies, uniforms, and a meal.

Pokot Outreach Ministry – South Sudan

Greetings in the name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are all doing fine in the Lord. We thank God for the continued partnership in prayer and material support. We praise God for richly supplying for our needs in every way as we serve him here in South Sudan. It has been an exciting year, and we have seen God do great things. We have and still are continuing to connect to many villages and many people hoping to build bridges from our hearts to theirs over which Christ may walk into their lives. We are anticipating yet another exciting year and we are hoping to make a greater impact in the scope of our ministry. We are hoping to do more village to village campaigns, conduct our first pastor’s and evangelist’s conference, and help our mission leaders have a more clear and succinct plan on building their teams and developing those they lead. Our immediate needs therefore focus on things that help us achieve our next phase of goals.

We are hoping to have the first pastor’s and evangelist’s conference in late January or early February. We have been bringing our key leaders to be part of the Pastor’s Conference in Kenya. But for the coming year, we are bringing none because we felt that it is time for our ministry to discuss things that are more specific and unique to our situation. We also want to cast the net wider to include mission leaders’ disciples into the program. The conference is expected to bring about 20 to 30 pastors, leaders, and evangelists from two major tribes that we are reaching – the Diding’a and Toposa. It shall be a vision casting conference where we hope to have our missional leaders, along with their teams, draw a grand plan of the next 10 years for their mission hubs with mid-term, short-term, and immediate plans clearly spelled out. We shall also be introducing The Timothy Initiative training where leaders are expected to train about six or more “Timothys” in one year.

To make this conference possible, our ministry shall provide transportation, accommodations, and facilitate the materials for the conference and training. We hope to have one or two guest facilitators/speakers. Our budget for this is $1,500.

We are planning to have more village evangelistic campaigns. The team from the main hub shall be backing up the efforts of our missional leaders in reaching their specific areas. In most of these remote places, there are no houses to accommodate a team of six to ten people at a time. We therefore hope to purchase tents and some sleeping bags to support our remote outreaches. We need at least 10 for a start, with a total cost of $1,000.

To accommodate our missional leaders during trainings and conferences, we would like to add additional rooms to the veranda of the house at our main mission hub. We are expecting to have regular training sessions that shall bring our missional leaders to our main hub at the same time. We therefore wish to have reliable rooms for our missional leaders to provide accommodation to them during our meetings/training. This will cost approximately $6,000 to $6,500.

We also have additional needs that we are earnestly praying God to meet. One of the pressing ones is the need for clean water in Nanyia village. This is home to our legendary woman of faith, Martha Lokwale. On numerous occasions, Martha walked 21 kilometers to speak with me about the people in her village and the need for the Gospel. Two years ago, we met and prayed about starting a church in her village. Recently, 25 people were baptized there! She constantly reminds me of the suffering of her people. We humbly ask that you pray with us that this need will be met. Drilling a borehole is about $14,000.


Omega Ministry

We are thankful for the dedication and courage of our Pakistani partner, Omega Ministry, who continues to share the Gospel amidst threats of violence. Recently they held a seminar for pastors and church members to specifically encourage them. Over 250 people attended this special session.

Please pray for them as they hold three crusades in different cities in late November and early December. These meetings are intended to both encourage believers and reach those who have not accepted Christ.

Ongoing needs for the Pakistani pastors include monthly support and motorcycles. Having transportation is of vital importance for pastors to be able to effectively reach more people. They typically minister in multiple areas and moving from place to place can be challenging. Currently, it costs $2,200 to provide a motorcycle to a Pakistani pastor. Beyond transportation, monthly support is also important so that pastors can focus on teaching and preaching. Most serve in very poor areas and are unable to gather adequate support from local congregations. Depending on the situation $50 to $100 per month can make a great difference in the life of a pastor and their family.

Sion Assembly Ministry

Thank you for your continued support of our ministry.

At present, we have 45 children living in our orphan home. We are looking forward to starting a school that will also allow children in the slums to attend alongside the orphans. We have raised some funds for this project, but still need $4,000. These funds will enable us to start the school and continue through the end of the next academic year. The funds will provide for paying teachers and staff, as well as the purchase of benches, desks, and white boards.

Providing activities for the children in the SAC Orphan Home and the community is a huge priority for our ministry. Several years ago, we constructed a playground. The swings, slides, and basketball goal need to be replaced or repaired. We would like to provide two televisions for the children to be able to watch Christian cartoons and movies, as well as our SAC broadcast. Our sewing machines are also in need of repair. These machines are used by the children and are also available to people in the village who wish to learn how to sew. The combined costs of this project are approximately $2,200.

As pastor and leader of SAC, I am often traveling between ministry locations. In order to continue our Skype services broadcast, I have given my laptop to the church for use when I am traveling. I am in need of a new laptop so that I am able to continue to work while traveling. The cost is $1,200. Thank you for considering our needs. We are grateful for your partnership!

Seira Community Ministry

God continues to bless the church in Rwanda! Recently constructed churches are now filled with both people and songs of praise. A team recently visited the Seira Community Churches, our partner there, and participated in three special services where a total of 47 people were baptized, including this excited young lady.

As previously reported, literally thousands of churches have been forced to close in Rwanda due to new government regulations that dictate stringent building standards. One by one, we are rebuilding churches as God’s people provide the funding. Currently, we have several locations where the property is ready for construction. A gift of $500, $1,000, or more towards church construction will help us to continue moving forward with the Gospel.

Another way to help in Rwanda is by providing a goat to a needy family. Goats provide milk and eventually income to help sustain and encourage a whole household. A gift of $50 will purchase a goat and help change a family’s future for the better.