Sue Kinsler made her fourth and final 2015 visit to North Korea in November. The purpose of her visit was to monitor and evaluate Green Tree International (GTI) partnership aid, secure an agreement on plans for 2016, and attend North Korea’s celebration of the World Day for the Disabled. Sue met Ms. Ri Boon-Hee, former North Korea table tennis champion, in Shenyang, China. Ms. Boon-Hee is now in charge of special athletes from North Korea who are training in China.
Read MoreDear friends,
Some tribes in Kenya have a cultural practice that forces young girls into early marriage and circumcision. Several years ago, the Lord opened our hearts to help these girls through rescue centers. There are now a number of Girls’ Rescue Centers in various locations where we work.
Read MoreDear friends,
In 2015, we have had the joy of returning to the classroom! We taught courses at Colombo Theological Seminary in Cultural Anthropology and Contextual Evangelism. In the process we learned how the Sri Lankan culture has welcomed holidays from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim faiths into their calendar. For instance, a major Buddhist holiday, Vesak, celebrates the life of Gautama Buddha and huge murals are constructed to depict different events in Buddha’s life.
Read MoreDear friends,
We began our work in the Loodokilano Mission area by building seven churches. We are now building a girls’ boarding primary school and girls’ rescue center. Rev. Charles Maina, the vibrant minister we partner with in Loodokilano, takes a holistic approach to his ministry by looking at the overall needs of the communities in the area. One of the greatest needs is water.
Read MoreDear friends,
It has been a tremendous week in China. I taught the first week of a course on Spiritual Theology at Jiangsu Seminary with about 90 students. This year's class is quite different from last year's class, since half of the students are regular seminary students and half are at the seminary from a rural area of the northern part of Jiangsu province. The first four days they sat on opposite sides of the large classroom. On one side were the mostly younger seminary students in brighter, more fashionable clothes, several using their cell phones for their Bibles. The rural evangelists, dressed mostly in black or brown coats with faces lined with stories from rural life, sat on the other side.
Read MoreDear friends,
Twenty years ago, I packed a bag to move to Xpujil full-time. Thanks to you, I can look back with tons of great memories and look ahead with hope and excitement.
From my front row seat, I marvel at this ministry that, by design, leans heavily on its partners. Your participation and commitment allow us to continue to make an impact in the Xpujil region. I am blessed to be a part of it. Hundreds of families, from both sides of the border, dedicate time, talents, and treasure to form this unique partnership. Thank you for your role. Truly, I cannot thank you enough.
Read MoreDear friends,
Soon Marta and I will return to the U.S., in the Charlotte area, to conclude our current term of service in Brazil. We would love to have the opportunity to visit you between December and March to share with you how God has been at work in and through our partnerships and to personally thank you for the support you have given us over the years. Our prayers these days focus especially on our current transition in ministry. We covet your prayers as well. Let me explain.
Read MoreDear friends and family,
Our part of the world is much in the news these days. In the midst of troubled times, it is important to remember that Christ was born into times such as these and He remains our hope and our compass as we navigate our way. Ellen was in Russia when the airplane en route to St. Petersburg blew up over Egypt. She managed to get to Berlin for a week to explore the refugee crisis. More recently, France has also experienced grief and unrest. The rising levels of fear concern us and the dialogue about refugees has distressed us. People are fleeing violence, seeking refuge and hope. If Christ is within us, what should our response be?
Read MoreDear friends and partners,
Greetings from Lusaka, Zambia. It is always a joy to hear from former students who are thriving in pastoral ministry. I invite you to read this recent email interaction I had with one such pastor now serving in Malawi. The subject line reads, “Extension of my ministry area.”
Jankens: I just wanted to inform you that my ministry area has been extended to eight congregations from five, with 1,600 members as the minimum number of congregants.
Read MoreFor the past four years I have celebrated Christmas in the U.S.A. Last year my goal was to attend as many Christmas performances and activities as possible. I spent Christmas Eve with my 21 year-old son Charles and Christmas Day with Charles and my brother David’s family.
This year I am celebrating Christmas in Lusaka, Zambia. I dusted off and set up all my Christmas decorations. The house looks nice. One evening – when the power was on – I listened to a Christmas music CD. But these things were not very satisfying. This is the first year son Charles and I will not be together on Christmas. I have had moments of panic and grief about being in Lusaka by myself at Christmas. The pull of western style Christmas traditions, and of family fellowship, has been very strong.
Read MoreDear family, friends and supporters,
Thank you for your support of our ministry. It’s going well, and good things are happening. More people are worshiping with us each week. It’s nice to see young folks in the church, too. Without your prayers and support, these people would not be learning about the Lord.
However, we recently received a letter from World Mission of the PC(USA) informing us of the current financial situation. Giving is down, and the endowment funds have run out. In the 1960s endowments and Shared Mission Support made up 80% of co-worker support. In 2014 they paid for 16% of missionary support. We realize that many of you give to our support, and we are grateful. We were surprised to learn that only 15% of congregations give directly to mission support. Up to 40 co-workers (of 162) could be downsized next year!
Read MoreDear friends,
Walking into the fellowship hall of First Presbyterian Church in Hanford, California it was a special treat to see a beautiful cake made to celebrate our silver anniversary – not our wedding anniversary, but 25 years of service as mission co-workers with Presbyterian World Mission. It was a thoughtful gesture as we give thanks for how God has worked through churches, presbyteries and individuals to encourage, support and sustain us in mission service in Africa over the past quarter of a century.
Read MoreThe first phase of a massive hydroelectric project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to begin in October of this year. If completed, this six-phase project would be the world’s largest hydro development project and would produce 40% of the African continent’s energy needs. DR Congo’s hydroelectric potential is staggering. But in spite of this potential, World Bank 2014 estimates indicate that only 16.4% of the Congolese population has access to electricity.
Read MoreWho would have guessed that September is now like a brown leaf falling off a tree? We have not written a newsletter in a couple of months, so there is a lot to bring up to date. We have made several trips to Yucatán to help with the retreat center there. They host many groups each weekend, so we are thankful for that. Martha and I want to place our focus there when we return full-time to Mérida in January.
Read MoreGreetings from Zambia. This lovely country where we live has been going through perhaps its most difficult time since we’ve been here. Lusaka, the capital city and our home, has gone without electricity for a minimum of eight hours/day since June – and it looks like this will continue. For power Zambia relies upon a large hydroelectric dam on the largest man-made lake in the world (Lake Kariba), but last year's rainy season was too light. Almost all of the remaining water in Lake Kariba has been used, leaving little to pass through the dam.
Read MoreGreetings in Christ from the Beisswenger family! On Pentecost, Peter said, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.” Acts 2:39 Though we tend to emphasize “your children” more than “all who are far off,” the scripture is clear that both are crucial to God’s covenant. Our circle of faith stretches dramatically from our closest kin to envelop people whose culture and circumstances differ sharply from our own.
Read MoreDear Friends,
For many years the principal partnership of The Outreach Foundation with the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil was in relationship to the IPIB’s church-planting initiatives in the semi-arid interior of Northeast Brazil (Sertão), in the river communities of the Amazon Region, and in the largely unchurched southern (Gaucho) part of Brazil.
Read MoreDear Friends,
One morning I walked out of the seminary to the road heading down the mountain to the bus stop. As with so many people who take public transport around the world, you never know exactly when a bus will come, so you have to plan extra time. It was already hot and humid, so when I got on the bus, the air conditioning felt good. I took the fifteen minute bus ride to the subway station, where I caught the subway to Taipei main train station.
Read More
