Harvesters International Ministries is committed to being a part of the Great Commission. It is with that mission that evangelism and church planting are at the center of everything we do. Our national partners are made up of men and women dedicating their lives to evangelism with the hope that they may reach their own people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Grace Outreach Mission is no exception. Here a small group of believers is reaching their community for Jesus.

Working in conjunction with Face 2 Faith Ministries, Harvesters was able to arrange evangelism training for area pastors. The week-long training is designed to equip local pastors with the evangelism tools necessary to engage their community with the Gospel. This training of one-on-one evangelism is proving incredibly effective and bearing much fruit. It’s been reported that many have been saved that had come to learn to evangelize others.

Pastor Philip Ochieng and Grace Outreach Mission hosted one such training on April 20-24 in Uriri, Kenya. All reports indicate that the training was a great success and is currently bearing much fruit. Please read Pastor Philip’s summary of the training…

“On April 20 through 24, we at Grace Outreach (Mission) in Uriri, Kenya, had the privilege to host a pastor’s conference on Faith Evangelism Training, which was attended by over 40 pastors and church leaders from various local churches in the community.

The training was very informative and helpful to the participants of the training. From the registration process we could sense that there were doubts on whether anything new could be learnt on a common topic as how to evangelize. I personally had to convince some to come for the training mainly because Ed from Harvesters highly recommended it and again because I had a chance to meet with the training director Don Honeywell when I was in the US in March. I got convinced through his talk that it was a worthwhile training. As a matter of facts a good number of the participants did say they wanted to try it out on the first two days. To our surprise, on the very first day all the participants were convinced that they have been doing evangelism the wrong way.

The training was so helpful to the extent that not a single participant missed a session throughout the training days.

There were some very old men who have been leading congregation in their churches but could testify that they have been doing it all wrong. These were men from an Anglican church. We had men and women from all denominations around including Seventh Day Adventist.

All praised the training as beneficial and promised to go and teach the same in their respective churches. From my interactions with some of the participants, they have been using the training resources to evangelize their churches. This is because they came to understand that a good number of their believers are not actually born again. They feel that the first calling is to straighten their congregation first. With a stronger spiritual base they can go far.

Something that is unique to our environment and it came out even when we could go out for visitation during the training sessions, is the fact that almost 90% of the people here are related to a church. They may not be attending church at all but should something happen to them or they have a need that calls for spiritual attention, they have a church somewhere. Now such people as we realize are not willing to forsake their traditional or family churches to join new ones. A good number felt encouraged to be more committed to their mother churches and in turn we too never enforced it upon them to join our church.

We have been able to make a number of follow-ups on many homes and we see them embracing the truth and thereby growing. We do believe that with time they will want to be feed more and may turn to the source instead of getting it as piecemeal.

We have had many encouraging reports of people’s faith being strengthened more church participation and to this we thank our Lord for the work remains His. We shall continue to practice what we learnt through the training and trust the Lord to do the increase as He is the Lord of the Harvest.

We want Don and His team to know that the seeds that were planted are growing and will surely bear much fruit. As the Lord opens more doors may they be more willing to go and do to others the good thing they have done among us.”

For Don and his team, this was one of the most unique training sessions they had done. Early on they were concerned by the attendance of the Seventh Day Adventist Bishop and four SDA pastors. There had been a request by the Bishop to do the evangelism solo since he was concerned what his constituents might think, but Don and his group held to their established training style and all complied with the format. The summary of their week-long training is as follows:

“The graduation was a blast; all the Pentecostal, Episcopal, Seven Day Advent, and Anglican Pastors were so grateful and are ready to use Faith in their home churches. I’ve seen one other time when all the denominations came together and focused on what we have in common rather then what separates us. We started with 41 students, graduated 41 and had 56 professions of Faith along the way.”

Harvesters International Ministries is committed to do our part to accomplish the Great Commission. Our national partners are working daily to see to it that Jesus Christ is proclaimed among their own people. Harvesters and Face 2 Faith Ministries are working to ensure they have the encouragement, support, and tools necessary to effectively reach their communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you would like more information on Harvesters or Face 2 Faith Ministries and how you can support evangelism training please feel free to contact us and we will be glad to help you.

“Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19)

Does the thought of going to all the nations scare you? Do you feel the Spirit nudging you to go, but feel anxious about leaving your family and friends for the ends of the earth? Many churches, as they are growing their missions programs find that they have one or two who are interested in going, but just can’t devote the time or manpower to putting a team together for just a couple of people, so they tend to let their vision die.

This is where Harvesters International Ministries (HIM) can be of assistance. We have ministry partners around the globe and schedule several trips a year to visit the different partners. It doesn’t matter if your church only has one or two people – we can put you together with a team of like-minded Christians from all around the US to fulfill the call the Lord has placed on your life.

The following report is a testimony of the blessings that some women from a church in Mars Hill, NC experienced as HIM assisted them in fulfilling their call to minister in India with our partners Kamlesh and Ranu Bairwa and the Good Samaritan Sewa Kendra ministry that they operate in Ujjain.

“We spent a lot of time in our room watching the local Indian people go through their everyday tasks; from carrying items upon their heads, watering their cow, driving farm machinery to playing cricket. It was incredible India just like the ads portray. One activity that is still clear in my mind is when the hotel employees brought the trash over to the field on one of those carts that look like a railroad cart.(I actually have one of these in my shop). They would bring the trash over to the left side of the field and dump it. They would claim a few items from the pile as the first picks. Then the local people came from the street and get usually about 3 garbage bags full. Next the children went through the remains. Later in the evening the donkeys came to pick. The next morning a local farmer with wrapped head brought the cattle to the pile and they grazed through while the farmer sat in the early morning sun. This happened every day.

We also watched the children playing cricket with a stick sometimes and then someone occasionally brought a bat. Local ladies were walking some distance to get water on their heads to wash their clothes at the street’s edge and then return to get water for the cow. Children and parents come out of the local school probably anxious to get to the field to play cricket. We watched long enough that we finally figured out how they play the game.

We carried a suitcase of “goodies” from the US with us which we affectionately called the “blessed suitcase”. I do think the suitcase brought us safe travels. On the way to Ujjain the plane rescheduled and was to leave earlier than our tickets showed. We begged the lady at the counter at least 4 different times. She reluctantly agreed. So off we went with the “blessed suitcase in hand” Also the “blessed suitcase” gave to the 5,000 just like the fish.

Since we had never been to the school before we didn’t know how things worked with the children. So, we were worried that 6 t-shirts, 10 toothbrushes, 2 tubes of toothpaste. 15 crayons and pencils, some toys, etc. would not be enough for 80 children to share. Well, we had taken all the miniature blowing bubbles that we could carry. There still was not enough for all the children. Kamlesh had us to pass out the bubbles the first day to some of the children telling us that it was okay that all didn’t get anything. I could tell in his voice and his expression that it was really okay. A day later we returned with the “blessed suitcase” to pass out its contents. I still felt bad as all the children were not going to get something. I thought of an idea; I had Kamlesh announce that all those who didn’t get any bubbles needed to raise their hands. Guess what! There was just enough for all the children and the T shirts went to the adults. The “blessed suitcase” fed the 5,000!!! We worried for no reason.

I know I will go back. I know it is not beneficial to go back too soon as we will need to get updates in a couple of years. I could have came home for one week and gotten right back on a plane to India. I so feel the need of the people there. They are so kind and loving. They so deserve to hear about our Lord and His salvation.

Thank you for encouraging me and I hope not to fail in doing what the Lord would have me to do in this endeavor to spread His name.”

If you have a burning desire to have a similar experience, please check out the upcoming trips we have planned. HIM is here to help you and your church to fulfill the great commission. It is not easy to get out of your comfort zone, but if the Lord has called you, He will equip you.

“I am confident of this, the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6)

In October 2008, Harvesters’ medical team headed into the highlands area of the West Pokot District of Kenya. Alongside Pokot Outreach Ministries’ evangelists and nurses the team sought to bring the Gospel through medicine and pave the way for evangelists and pastors to plant churches among the otherwise unreached area of Pokot. God was at work.

Harvesters’ twenty member medical team made its way into the bush; six hours drive from the nearest clinic. Once at camp the team split into groups of ten and partnered with local evangelist and pastors. The next seven days where spent conducting mobile clinics and sharing the Gospel.

Often under no more than a shade tree, the people were seen by doctors and nurses and given medicine for their ailments. Their sicknesses, sometimes common, other times severe, speak volumes of their condition and environment. Malnutrition, dehydration, sores, wounds, malaria, typhoid, s.t.d’s, colds, and many other issues and diseases, all made their way through those small clinics. Medical problems that might be solved in the U.S. with a quick visit to the local pharmacy go unchecked and aggravate into something far more serious.

Daily, as the people streamed in, national evangelists and pastors gathered them into a large group. As the people waited to be examined team members and evangelists shared the Gospel with them. For many, this was the first time they had heard this news. The Gospel is new to many Pokot and is a foreign concept for them. God was working on many of their hearts and dozens made commitments for Jesus Christ.

Each day the team returned to camp with stories of Pokot accepting salvation through Jesus Christ and the gratitude of the people. At each clinic the people expressed their appreciation for the love shown by the team and thanked the national evangelist and pastors for bringing the team to visit them. Often they would say, “We have never seen so many white people before. No one has ever done anything like this for us, not even our own government. God bless you so much”

For months God had been paving the way and preparing hearts. Pokot Outreach Ministries’ had sent the word out into the bush that the team would be coming and the people responded. In all, around 3500 Pokot were examined, given medicine, and most importantly, heard the Gospel.

Today there are fifteen churches planted in that area of West Pokot, Kenya. In what many might view as a temporary solution to a much larger problem, God uses to win souls. It’s often that God uses the small things to do the big things. Through simple love to a people who don’t know love, God won hearts and called people that never knew salvation to Himself. And while the people of that area may fall sick again or even die, the Gospel is now alive in those hills. The Believers are meeting and the Word continues to travel out. God is still at work.

If you are interest in participating in an up-coming trip with Harvesters please contact us for more information. We would love to have you. Bring people from your church, your husband, your wife, your kids, your friends…whoever has a heart for Christ and a heart to serve…or wants one. More often than not it seems that the people on the team take more away from the trip than they feel like they leave. God has a funny way of breaking us down and teaching us about Him when we think we’re the ones coming with something to give.

Don and Sherry Gray (Callahan, Fl.) were a part of the medical team in October 2008. This is how they explained their experience…

Since our trip our view about life and our experience has changed significantly. We believe that the will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you. We had no fear. To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done before, so we ran to the adventure. When God takes something from your life, He is not punishing you, but opening your life to receive something better; He will provide you the strengthening experience required making you strong to support the job. That is how we now view our history and life. We cannot help but think that God is calling us stronger now than ever before in our relationships with Him; that there are many in this world that have yet to hear the Truth about the God who created them and who loves them and desires a personal relationship with them. We were blessed with the opportunity to take God’s Truth, Jesus Christ, to the Pokot tribe.

You may or may not be a football fan. Either way, I think you’ll understand what I’m trying to convey.

A fabled football coach at a major college program with a winning tradition was recently fired with three games left in the current regular season. Although the football program has been successful for decades, the team was having a dismal losing season this year.

While I was traveling on business, I was listening to fans express their views on a radio talk show. Opinions were mixed. Some die-hard team supporters were irate at the manner in which the dismissal took place. Others defended the action. The unmistakable theme of the conversation, however, was that the college’s fans were clearly divided, and the divisiveness was hurting the athletic program, especially in the recruiting war for new talent.

Apparently, more than half of the fan base was not willing to accept anything less than consistent wins. They wanted to see results.

Whether it’s on the football field, in the workplace, or at a charitable organization, people have a tendency to focus on the bottom line. They look for results. Those who supported the coach’s reluctant decision to step down were not satisfied with the results he was getting.

This seems to be true in the church as well as in the world. We are judged by our results. In fact, Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”

At Harvesters, unlike the world of football, however, Jesus is in charge of the results. We are, indeed, an organization that has been abundantly blessed by God. As we self-examine ourselves at the end of another year, I’m drawn to the heroes that I observe.

I can’t think of a single Harvesters board meeting in the past 15 years when we were not reminded in some way to work faithfully as though it all depended on us, while realizing that the “fruits” of our labor all depend on Him. At Harvesters, “fruits” are souls. The men who protect the integrity of this ministry are heroes.

As a board, we operate in the full recognition and appreciation that our prayer partners and financial supporters are the backbone of this ministry and because of you God is faithfully blessing the harvest. Whether you pray or give or do both, you are heroes.

Furthermore, once again God has stretched the borders of this ministry. As Harvesters expands from Kenya and becomes involved in places like India, Sudan, Uganda, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the continued support of our long-time ministry partners becomes even more critical. A growing ministry necessitates a growing support base.

We continue to follow God’s leading as we partner with pastors and churches in far-off lands in an effort to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into places where there is spiritual darkness and human despair. Ministering to people who are constantly battling thirst, starvation, political unrest, civil war, Christian persecution, and homelessness is one of the key reasons that the board of directors has pursued a new way to explain who we are and what we do.

The men and women who spread the Gospel under such adverse circumstances are heroes. Unless we have gone and seen with our own eyes, I’m not sure that we can really appreciate their sacrifices and devotion.

Funded by private donations made specifically for this purpose, we are developing a new identity that will be incorporated in all print, broadcast, website and video materials. The Harvesters ministry is not changing, other than growth. We are, however, trying to do a much better job of telling people what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.

All of us on the board are thankful that we have the support for a full-time director (Ed Hirshman) and a full-time administrative assistant (Sandi Roach). We are earnestly praying for support to materialize to convert one part-time position into a full-time job for a third team member (Jonathan Lancaster).

Growing our support base in the U.S. is the key to meeting specific global needs. This is the direction in which the Lord has been leading for several years.

Jonathan wrote the article, Raisin’ The Roof In Congo that appeared in the Summer 2008 newsletter. Speaking about his visit to Africa, Jonathan said the people of the DRC “are hungry for the Gospel and Hekima church is one bright light in a world of darkness.”

I was particularly struck by one statement. “The people rejoice in God’s gracious provisions,” Jonathan wrote, “and are very generous despite their own needs, giving freely beyond their own means.” Those words describe the opportunity that God has placed before all of us who are willing to become involved in an expanded Harvesters ministry.

With your help, we will see the lives of individuals and families changed for eternity. These are the “fruits” of our labor.

On behalf of all of us at Harvesters, may you and your family have a blessed holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our risen Lord.