Relief for Myanmar

You may be aware of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Myanmar on March 24th. What you may not know is how you can help the people whose lives have been uprooted by this event. While 150 people have been declared dead, another 3,100 have been declared homeless.

Advancing Native Missions partners with a ministry that works right in the middle of this devastation. Their churches have collapsed, one with 21 people inside. Not one of them survived that disaster. Hundreds of the local believers have been admitted to the hospital, though few of them have money to cover the expenses.

The people have been begging our ministry partner for help, but not just with the finances. These people are calling in tears of grief, sobbing over the deaths of their loved ones.

It’s so easy to think of these disasters in numbers, or to see the rubble as little more than a building. But these are people’s families that have died. It is their homes that have been destroyed.

The people of Myanmar need your prayers. They need for you to lift them before the throne of God, praying for restoration, for healing, for protection. They also need your financial support. This country is poor. What little the people had has been taken from them. Will you help them? Will you give to rebuild the lives of your brothers and sisters in Myanmar?

You can do this by going to ANM’s contribute page. Please select “other” as your contribute type, then “Myanmar Earthquake” in custom donate.

Feeding the 500,000

Between feeding programs, shoe box gifts, and discipleship programs, Bethesda Ministries in the Philippines is currently reaching 500,000 children, but who knows how much impact comes from the “ripple” effect that trickles throughout the family – brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents and housemates. Such an effect could easily add up to 1,000,000 people being reached with the saving message of Jesus Christ.

The ministry leaders at Bethesda are excited about the infinite possibilities that have been unfolding before their eyes. They’ve worked so hard to come to this point, yet they realize that the work is not yet finished. But the many amazing testimonies that are being told are enough to keep this ministry motivated.

One of these testimonies is of an orphan girl who was slowly starving to death. Church workers took pity on her because she could not walk and was only crawling on her hands and knees. After 3 months of being on the feeding program’s VITAMEAL, she was walking and going to church.

Another story is of a large elementary school that had 546 malnourished children. After six months of the feeding program, that number diminished to 101. The Principal was so impressed that she has invited pastors to freely minister in this public school, but best of all, the Principal accepted Jesus into her heart.

Mayors from several different towns have approached the ministry leaders with tears in their eyes, begging them to start a feeding program in their town. Whole Cities and Municipalities are wide open to the Gospel because they are desperately in need of food.

Starting this May, 600,000 children will be placed on the feeding program. Please pray for these kids and the people who will minister to them.

How You Can Help Japan

Unless you’ve been secluded from all manner of society for the last few weeks, I think you are well aware of the earthquake and tsunami that recently hit Japan. Perhaps you would like to do more than pray for these people who have lost their homes, friends and families. Perhaps you’d like to give in some way. Perhaps you would like to send the needed funds to feed and shelter these people, providing for their most basic needs.

Advancing Native Missions provides the opportunity to help a people in need. Partnering with Samaritan’s Purse and Gleaning for the World, we are finding a way to get much-needed supplies into the hands of the Japanese people. If you happen to live in the Charlottesville/Afton area, you can collect items to be sent through our Warehouse ministry. All items should be new and unused and must be something from the following list:

Wash cloths

Comb/brush

Plastic cup

Baby bottle

Disposable diapers

Baby wipes

Sippy cups

Baby formula

Pacifiers  

Bandages

Alcohol pads

Anti-bacterial cream

Deodorant

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Hand sanitizer (small bottle)

Package wipes

Bar soap

You can also contribute financially by visiting Advancing Native Missions’ contribute page. In “contribute type”, click “other”. Under custom donate, select ”Japan Disaster Relief”. Be sure to type “095 NCI - Japan Disaster Relief” into the comment box.

Thank you so much for your partnership in lifting the people of Japan before the throne of God. You are making a difference for eternity.

God Never Leaves a Work Unfinished

The following is a testimony from a camp counselor in Ukraine:

When I think about camp I cannot find the right words to describe all that God has taught me there, all that He has shown me, and how He has shaped me through the numerous situations and people I have come in contact with. How do you transfer the heart to paper, or limit feelings to the impoverished vocabulary of us small people?

I will never forget a little girl by the name of Marija. I met her at the children’s camp. I first noticed her during lunch. She was sitting all by herself, stiff and cramped, her big brown eyes showing fear. She was like a terrified deer, and she didn’t even touch her food. At that point, I gave no thought to the possibility that Marija may end up in my small group, but that is exactly what happened.

It was very difficult to work with her. She came from a family that lived in extreme poverty and was prone to abuse. We know this from the cigarette burns we found on her skin. She was afraid of being too close to other people. She was so disoriented that she would be unable to find her way back to her room after leaving it for awhile. She was not interested in anything – no stories, no songs, no small groups or even friends could catch her interest… She lived in her own little world to which we had no access. I often observed her while the other kids were playing. It was as if she didn’t know how to smile. She didn’t seem to understand the idea of joy. Over her childhood loomed a cloud of poverty, abuse, sorrow, disappointments and pain…

My daily prayer for her was: “God, let her know that You love her. If she can walk away from camp with one realization, let her feel Your love. Only you have a way of access to her fearful heart and can bring light into her darkness.”

At the evening service on Friday, the children received an altar call. Many of them came forward. We cried, prayed, lifted our hands in worship… It was so beautiful to see God at work in the lives of all those children. Marija was standing next to me, holding onto my hand. I remember we were singing a song with the lyrics:

“I AM SPECIAL BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME,
HE GAVE HIS BEST TO SAVE US.
JESUS, GOD’S SON DIED ON THE CROSS;
HE TOOK ALL MY REBELLION
THANK YOU, LORD, FOR LOVING ME SO MUCH
I KNOW I DON’T DESERVE IT.
LET ME KNOW IN MY HEART
YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM YOURS!”

In the middle of the song, Marija pulled on my arm. She looked and me said, “Jesus loves me!” Her eyes glowed as a wide, honest smile spread across her face. I started to cry. A child who couldn’t understand a thing, whose world was so dark and lonely, experienced God’s love!

I don’t know where Marija is now or what became of her, but I do know that God performed a miracle in the life of that little girl. She knows that Jesus is her King and that He loves her. And no matter what struggles she faces in her life, I strongly believe that those feelings will stay alive somewhere deep within her. After all, God never leaves a work unfinished.

Where the Name of Jesus is Not Known

Fulfilling the Great Commission by reaching the unreached is the vision God has given to Soul Winners India. For this to become a reality, they need to train and send out many more pioneer missionaries to bring God’s love to all the unreached people groups of South Asia.

Every year they train 60-100 students in their Bible colleges. The goal is that each student would gain the vision to take the Good News to the unreached, receive on-the-job training through ongoing outreach ministry along with quality instruction in the Word of God, and be fully prepared for the hardship and persecution that comes with a life of faith in Jesus.

The classes are held in the local or tribal language, and the training course is intensive. Alongside their studies, priority is given to personal character building and prayer.

All of the teachers have  years of experience as church planters and evangelists, and they regularly accompany the students for outreach ministry. Since each Bible college is located right on the mission field,  in addition to their studies, student teams will often plant churches and take care of new fellowships.

Most of these graduates minister in places where the Gospel has never before been preached. They will go out and work in churches, on film teams, and in various other aspects of the ministry. Regardless of his or her specific assignment or location, each graduate’s main job is to bring the Gospel into villages where the name of Jesus has not yet been proclaimed. On average, each graduate will help establish at least one new congregation during that first year on the field.

Praise God for the marvelous work He is doing both in and through this ministry!

The Work in India

The following is a report from one of ANM’s ministry partners in India:

By God’s grace, the ministry is going well as we continue to add new souls and new mission fields. God is so faithful to me in keeping us under His mighty arms during the past several years. Even though there were so many painful situations and hindrances in the ministry, as we see in the book of Acts, His grace was sufficient. God has helped me to firmly believe in these words, and He has not only helped me to face all the problems by His spirit, but He has given me victory above them as well.

We have a lot of needs in the ministry. The most crucial need  is that, many times, we have failed to support our missionaries who are doing a sacrificial ministry in the mission fields. They often are sacrificing even their own health. But God has helped me to help them. Won’t you please join me in praying for regular support for these missionaries?

Our missionary training center is functioning well, and about 20 students are getting ready to work in His vineyard.

All the children in our children’s home at Lothabari (for orphan children) and in Peniel Children’s Home at Bagdogra (for the children of missionaries) are doing fine. God is helping us give them a good education and proper care.

It has long been our prayer to have some solar water heaters for the use of these children. God has since helped us install two solar water heaters in the children’s home. Still, we are in prayer for more water heaters.  This will help the children in their studies and also in case of power outages.

In the last year, God has also helped us to construct  a few more village church halls and houses for the missionaries. We were also able to distribute about 6,000 Bibles and 50,000 New Testaments.

It is also my pleasure to say that 16 more new fellowships were added to the ministry.

I and my wife Alice are doing well, and God has given us good health. My daughter Mercy, her husband Jibu, and their little one Angelin are doing fine and rejoicing in God. My son Moncy will complete his M.Div. by the end of this year and is getting ready to come back to India for the village ministry. Even though his higher education was in the U.S., he didn’t forget his vision which God had given him. He developed his vision in a good way and has the desire to spend his life for the ministry among the poor village people.

I have a few prayer requests for your valuable prayers:

1. Motor bike for senior missionaries

2. Two vehicles for the team ministry

3. A good sound system for the gospel meetings

4. Two LCD projectors – one for using in the auditorium during different meetings and the other for the outreach ministry to show the Jesus film

5. Regular support for those children who are not receiving any, and missionary support for some full-time missionaries who are also not receiving regular support.

Thank you so much for joining your prayers with ANM and with our brothers and sisters overseas. May Christ’s heart for the nations be made manifest throughout our lives.

Report on Focus

Trisha and her trusty monkey, Mel

Rebekah and Trisha are back from the Focus Conference. It was a great couple of days where we made some awesome connections, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on top of that.

I (Rebekah) attended a class on raising missions-minded kids. Imagine my surprise when I found that Advancing Native Missions was in the outline! I came to find that the woman teaching the class came from an ANM supporting church. She shared about the 10/40 curriculum and the opportunity to sponsor a missionary through ANM.

I was greatly blessed when she unrolled a large banner with a picture of the missionary her children’s church sponsors through ANM. She told stories of how her kids beg their parents for quarters that they can give to this Indian pastor. One boy even went without ice cream so he could save the money for “his” missionary.

What an amazing blessing it was to have such an amazing advocate for ANM teaching a session at the conference.

We’re excited about all that God has done and all that He has yet to do. Thank you so much for your prayers and support as we reach out to the nations!