How We Serve

By Samuel Mwesigwa – Kerith Ministry, Uganda

The Kerith Ministry family and our community would like to thank God for His protection over us and for using you to support us during this trying moment. In the midst of all the challenges that come with COVID-19, we want to let you know that we are doing well health wise and spiritually.

Through HIM donations, we have been able to support more than 300 families during this time with food, salt, and soap.

Halima (seen here with Mercy Mwesigwa) is a widow who lost her husband to HIV/AIDS. She lives a few blocks from Kerith in a grass thatched house with four of her grandchildren. We were able to help her with food that will last her two weeks. Halima has challenges to sustain herself and her grandchildren since she does not have a piece of land to cultivate her own food. Halima has taught us to have faith in the Lord even in the hardest times like these. Halima received Christ three years ago after having been a Muslim all her life. We ask that you pray for her that the Lord will meet the needs of her life.

 

We were also able to assist Goretti, a widow who lost her husband six years ago. Her family lives in a ramshackle, grass thatched house; and she singlehandedly struggles to educate and feed her three teenage children. I met Goretti during our community outreach on Parenting God’s Way for single mothers. Like many other widows, she cannot earn any money because of the lockdown. We were able to provide food for her family. Our long-term plan for Goretti is to employ her as a trainer of our teenage children, women, and single mothers in tailoring and sanitary pad making. We are trusting God for five sewing machines to be used in the training. If we get the machines, we will be able to train more women like Goretti.

Kerith Ministry is also providing counselling and prayer to families that are facing hard times feeding their families and paying bills. Others are facing domestic violence due the challenges in the families. Because of the restrictions of movement, we do this by making calls, and those we cannot reach by making a call, we make a short visit.

Kerith Health Centre is also providing medical support to people that are facing health challenges and cannot afford the costs. We have also provided free maternity services to the delivering mothers to help reduce the maternal mortality rate, which is on the rise due to the lock down.

We want to thank God for His unending love, care, and protection to all our friends and ministry partners.

New Fish Farm

We are excited about our new fish farm project. Fish production is the third largest income generating activity in Uganda. Over the last two years, we have been studying fish farming to see if our land is suitable and if it would generate both food for our children’s home and some income for self-sustainability of our ministry. Our findings gave us the encouragement to embark on this project.

We are employing locals to help in the excavation of the land and construction of the farm, giving them new skills they can use to provide for their families. Once the farm is yielding, we can easily move to a larger scale operation since the property is adjacent to wetland.

Our objectives with this project are to improve the living conditions of our community, to promote biblical values of work and conservation of the environment, and to contribute to the income of Kerith Ministry. To that end, we anticipate that we will sell approximately 75% of the fish raised, while the remaining 25% will be consumed in our children’s home.

 

 

Urgent Needs At Myanmar Bible College

Harvesters’ partner in Myanmar, Fellowship Bible Church has successfully operated Myanmar Bible College (MBC) since 2011. The current group of 47 students is the largest since the school began! MBC, under the leadership of “Pastor Ben”, operates in three rented buildings. Two are used for dorms, while classes are held in the third. Several years ago, Harvesters received a special gift that was used to purchase five acres of land to be developed as a permanent site for the MBC. There was one existing building on the property, which has been renovated for future use; however, the funds needed to move the school have not been available.

Over the past few months, we have sensed a great urgency to proceed with the relocation of MBC to the new property. The importance of this move has been highlighted by the difficulty Pastor Ben has had each year with securing housing for the college students. At the end of this past school year, one landlord said he would no longer rent his building to MBC for the student’s dormitory, possibly due to MBC being a Christian college. Just days before the arrival of the students, Ben was eventually able to find a house for the women’s dormitory. Unfortunately, the rental cost increased $1,200 over last year.

The MBC staff is now searching for a different men’s dormitory space due to the poor conditions of the current location. During the rainy season, significant leaks occur. Two of the students have plastic over their beds to keep the rain off of them during the night. Ben is also concerned that the building is not structurally sound due to water damage. A new men’s dormitory will likely increase the rental costs, just as the new women’s dormitory. This will result in rental costs for the three buildings used for dorms and classroom space to total at least $12,000 to $13,000 per year.

We have recently revised the Phase 1 development plan to construct the basic buildings and infrastructure needed to quickly move MBC to the new site. This could be completed for approximately $82,000 and will eliminate both our annual rental costs and the perpetual anxiety of not knowing if the current rented properties will remain available for the college. Our hope is complete Phase 1 so that MBC can relocate prior to next year’s new term, which begins in June 2020. In September, a team of engineers and surveyors will visit the site to gather the information needed to finalize plans for construction.

Special gifts are needed so that we can begin work right away and meet the June 2020 goal. Your consideration of helping fund this important project would be appreciated. Myanmar Bible College is providing both a biblical education and ministry training to some very bright and motivated young people who desire to reach Myanmar with the Gospel and strengthen the existing churches there. Myanmar is a spiritually dark place in great need of Christ. Harvesters is thankful for the supporters who will be used by God to help continue the progress being made by the Myanmar Bible College.

Will you help us facilitate this first phase of development, which will provide young men and women with safe living and learning environments while they are equipped to become world changers? If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Dave Stansbury, our Asian Partner Liaison, via email at dave@harvesters.net.

 

Fellowship Bible Church – Myanmar

There are many people that are involved in the work of Fellowship Bible Church and all of our ministries. We would like to tell you about two of the men that are just a small part of what God is doing in Myanmar.

John – Church Planter

John is one of our church planters among the Buddhist people in Yangon. He was born again in 2001 and got the vision to do evangelism and church planting. He immediately began to share his faith with a few people, even though he was very fearful.

John has worked with FBC as a minister since 2014. He has seen the work and direction of God throughout his ministry. He has witnessed people experience healing and other miracles of God. And God has given him much more confidence. He is now able to approach anyone and share the Gospel.

John was able to start a church in the community. The area is filled with unbelievers, and most are very poor. Each week, about 150 people attend services. This year, 35 people accepted Jesus as their savior! He regularly visits homes in the area to distribute tracts and invite people to church.

John says: “By working with FBCM, I have the benefits of financial support, prayer, education, Bibles for ministry, and strategies for evangelizing. Myanmar Bible College sent students to help our church with evangelism outreach and to share the love of God house by house, at the market, and on the bus and train.”

Thang Law – Myanmar Bible College

Thang Law was a student at Myanmar Bible College and completed his Bachelor of Theology in 2015. He completed his Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology at Myanmar Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in 2018. During his time in graduate school, he began serving as a warden in the boy’s dormitory of MBC. He was happy to serve because it was the place where he began his studies of the word of God. As warden, he has full responsibility for all boy students and manages the dorm and all activities including devotions, cleaning, study hours, discipline, and more.

He began to develop ways to improve communication among the students. Because they came from varied cultures, tribal backgrounds, and life experiences, it was sometimes difficult for them to find common ground. What they do have in common is an eagerness to learn the Bible and serve God in ministry in the future. The eagerness he sees in them, continues to motivate him. The students have become very organized and diligent in their daily household responsibilities, as well as their studies.

Thang says: “They are quite eager to study. They often come to me during study time to ask about the things they do not understand. I am also able to talk with them about their future plans. They have a burning desire to serve God, and the are being well trained for that at MBC. I hope and expect these students will become great servant leaders in our country.”

Thank you for your prayers and financial support of our ministry. It allows us to continue to fill the great commission of Jesus Christ in Myanmar.