Together for the Family - September 2021 Update

The Family Oasis

Twelve years passed and I never gave up on this dream: Together for the Family needs a permanent center for its various activities after all our years of renting land and putting up temporary structures. Perhaps it was more wishful thinking than even a dream! Who could afford to pay for a property? With the global crisis that the world is facing, who would think to help us buy a piece of land in Lebanon? Those who know me well will understand that I do not easily give up my dreams!

I shared my dream with several friends and, in June, sent an appeal to all our partners after we found an appropriate piece of land for an exceptional deal. One of our partners is a dear sister, Dr. Sharon Ayabe, who visited us a couple of times, coming all the way from Hawaii. In June Sharon’s sister, Cheryl suddenly passed away. Cheryl loved Jesus and others - especially children and families. In life, she was gentle and generous. Sharon and her dad experienced unending sorrow until the Lord lifted their heads and dried their tears with the idea of the Family Oasis! It would be a place for the expanded and consolidated ministry of Together for the Family where everyone who enters it would surely find comfort, love, peace, and a better future. They began giving and raising funds to purchase the land. The major bulk of funding for the purchase was raised by Sharon and her dad and others joined in as well. In no time the long-awaited dream became a reality!

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsElizabeth CarterSeptember 22, 2021Together for the Family, Lebanon, Syria, Syria Lebanon Partnership

Syria Retreat Center - September 2021 Update

Najwah and Nahla are leaders in the Presbyterian Church in Homs, Syria. Like so many of our family-by-faith in Syria, they are eagerly anticipating the completion of their Retreat Center which will serve the Church to equip and encourage, provide rest and restoration, gather in for study and reflection, and send out for mission and ministry. Several years ago, The Outreach Foundation pledged to help the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon fulfill its vision to create, in Syria, what already existed in Lebanon at Dhour Schweir – a retreat and conference center that would not only serve their congregations but also the larger Christian community.

With 50 double rooms, each with a private bath, and a large conference hall, it will soon be filled with youth groups, families, women’s conferences, and much more. It will have stunning views of the peaceful, rolling hills which make up this “Christian Valley” not far from the border with Lebanon, and it will be part of the small town of Amar al-Husn with its own Presbyterian Church.

Middle East, Projects, PartnershipElizabeth CarterSeptember 20, 2021Syria Retreat Center, Syria

Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan - September 2021 Update

Dear friends,

Many members of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan (PCoSS), a partner of The Outreach Foundation, remain displaced as a result of the civil conflict which erupted in their homeland in 2013. Some are in camps for displaced people within the country, but many are in refugee camps in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. You can imagine the despair and feelings of hopelessness many have experienced. On the premise that we “boast in the hope of the glory of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 5), The Outreach Foundation has tried to help rebuild hope among our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan. They asked us to provide assistance in four priority areas: preschool education, trauma healing training, providing Bibles in the Nuer language, and scholarships for training leaders. The Presbyterian church has inspirationally and exponentially grown in the camps – in numbers and in faith, hope, and love for their neighbors. Congregations have become critical safety nets and “front-line responders” to hunger and ill health for many refugees. Providing scripture-based trauma healing training has been effective in relieving memories of the past and rebuilding hope for the future.

Bibles for New Christians - September 2021 Update

Nuer Bibles for Refugees

Dear friends,

Praise God!

Our order of 5,000 Bibles in the Nuer language which were printed in South Korea and delivered to Gambella, Ethiopia has now been distributed to South Sudanese refugees throughout the region. You may recall that an appeal was made in 2019 and 2020 to raise funds for this project as a priority of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, an Outreach Foundation Partner. Despite the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic, $35,000 was raised from faithful supporters on 3 continents to procure and ship the 5,000 Bibles in the Nuer Language for distribution among the 400,000+ refugees in camps in Ethiopia. And the Bible Society of Ethiopia gave a gift of an additional 600 Bibles. There were delays in the shipping process and travel that heightened the anticipation and excitement around the delivery. During my visit in June, I had the joy of celebrating the delivery in Presbyterian congregations in three refugee camps. The Christians were so thankful to all who gave to this project. This Nuer Bible appeal, together with an earlier distribution of 7,500 Nuer Bibles in 2017, is a blessing to so many. They are eager to receive more Bibles for new believers and The Outreach Foundation will maintain the account for contributions. The cost of one Bible (for orders of 5,000 or more), and distribution is approximately $7.50.

Cuba Appeal - September 2021 Update

With gratitude for your generous response to our Cuba Emergency Appeal, we have been able to share more than $38,000 to meet the urgent needs of our partners at this critical time on the island, due to the pandemic and the collapse of the economy.

On June 21 at the Seminario Evangélico de Teologica (SET) in Matanzas, the school opened an annex ward of the local pediatric hospital which had been overrun with COVID cases. 120 patients and their accompanying relatives were received along with 20 medical personnel. For 47 days, ten SET employees and an onsite manager provided meals for 140 people. This included their daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as two snacks and food for babies under one year of age. Disinfecting cleaning, internet access and electricity had to be supplied by the seminary, along with the staffing of the kitchen and maintenance.

Gifts for the Presbyterian Reformed Synod of Cuba were sent with our wish that the funds be divided equally amongst the three Presbyteries who could then disburse resources, as needed, to their congregations which were in great need of assisting families to purchase food and medicine. Most of these congregations are found in small towns and villages and you can meet some of your Presbyterian family here, whom your gifts have both helped and encouraged…

Latin America, Projects, PartnershipElizabeth CarterSeptember 13, 2021Cuba Appeal, Cuba, Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary

San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary - August 2021 Update

Despite the COVID-19, pandemic, we continue training leaders and pastors to fulfill the Great Commission.

We Were Impacted as a Seminary by COVID-19

· Although just three members of our personnel were affected by the coronavirus and are now well, some friends and pastors around us died.

· We had to change some things about the way we train our students. The most important change was to establish online courses. We will continue providing courses online until the COVID situation improves.

· In the midst of this situation, in October 2020, we suffered the onslaught of a tropical storm. There was extensive damage to our facilities. So far, we have repaired six classrooms and two bedrooms. Unfortunately, we have not been able to repaint the buildings of our facility due to high humidity levels.

Presbyterian Education Board - August 2021 Update

Zerafshan Yousaf: Bearing Christ’s light in Pakistan

Recently we heard from Zerafshan Yousaf. She is the Principal of Presbyterian Education Board’s Higher Secondary Girls’ School in Pasrur and is a great example of PEB’s vision to provide high-quality education that equips girls and boys to become leaders in Pakistan who are guided by Christian values.

Zerafshan’s journey as a student at the girls’ school in Pasrur began in 1997. It was there that she learned to face with courage the many challenges that meet every Christian girl and boy in Pakistan. She recalls how inspirational and meaningful her Christian teachers were and that because of her experience she was able to attend university, earning a degree in psychology and a master’s in political science. Now she is following her heart’s desire to give back to the Christian community by inspiring young girls just as her teachers inspired her.

Asia, Partnership, Projects, Theological EducationThe Outreach FoundationAugust 30, 2021Pakistan

Holistic Evangelism in Tete Province - August 2021 Update

Outreach trustee Berry Long recently shared the following update on the Holistic Evangelism in Tete Province, Mozambique partnership:

I want to give you an update on our Holistic Evangelism in Tete Province project. Project Director Sebber Banda is doing well. She lives in Blantyre, Malawi about an hour and a half from Tete Province, Mozambique. She moved to Blantyre years ago when her children were small so that they would go to school in an English-speaking country instead of Portuguese-speaking Mozambique. Her son Adam is at home doing online college classes. He had been in college in China but moved back home when the COVID-19 virus began to spread. Her daughter Nancy was accepted at a college in Lusaka, Zambia and Sebber just returned home from taking Nancy to college and getting her set up. They are excited that Nancy can begin her college studies, but they worry about the new wave of COVID cases in Lusaka. Please pray for Nancy and her friends to stay well.

Palestinian Bible Society - August 2021 Update

In a place where the Christian population has dwindled to only about 2%, the Palestinian Bible Society (PBS) is working diligently and faithfully to nurture the next generation of leaders who will stay in this fractured land to heal it and to be the light of Christ so that all may know the Good News and be saved by it.

Over the past few years, PBS has focused on the district of Jenin, which is located in the very northern part of the West Bank. It has an attractive history, beautiful nature, and numerous touristic sites. It is also home to the American Arab University, which is one of the major universities in Palestine. Around 7 years ago, PBS launched activities in this area through different projects, mainly in the village of Zababdeh---a largely Christian village.

Middle East, Projects, PartnershipThe Outreach FoundationAugust 25, 2021Palestinian Bible Society, Israel, Palestine

Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary (SET) - August 2021 Update

Below are excerpts from a recent letter sent to us from one of our strategic partners in Cuba:

Dear sisters and brothers:

We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and at the same time, we thank you for your prayers and your expressions of concern related to the current situation in our country. We are living in an acute economic crisis and a crisis of values since the “special period” (decade of the 1990s) when the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc collapsed; we have not yet recovered from those times. The crisis has become worse …

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought negative consequences: the sad death of loved ones, which has produced a great emotional impact on the people. Furthermore, the State lost millions of dollars due to the fall of tourism. Despite that, it invested millions of dollars to try to heal and save the people.

Europe Initiative: News from the European Diaspora

Many of us are reading despairing news out of Afghanistan and wondering how the Lord would have us respond. The Outreach Foundation has discovered that millions of people are fleeing their homes from places like Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia and converging in Europe. And they are discovering that God’s promise to Isaiah is for them. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19).

Those who have left homes with little to nothing are encountering the gospel in Europe through the bold witness of evangelists, pastors, and house churches. And not just refugees. People in Europe are hearing the gospel alongside refugees such as the evangelistic outreach in Poland pictured here.

Europe, Important News, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 19, 2021Europe Initiative, Europe

Hope for Syrian Students - August 2021 Update

Where is God in the Midst of Suffering?

The question has been asked since the beginning of time. Theologians have been quick to write their responses. The Bible gives its “Emmanuel” answer. Still, the question announces itself seemingly not fully satisfied with our words or our thoughts.

The question was asked again of me as our team visited a refugee school operated by the Synod of Syria and Lebanon near the Syrian border, only two hours by car north of Beirut. Upon arriving at the school and hearing from its leadership that question announced itself loudly.

Where is God in the midst of this suffering?

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 19, 2021Hope for Syrian Students, Lebanon, Syria

Prayers for Haiti-Updated August 18, 2021

Our partner Haiti Outreach Ministries just shared this important information concerning relief efforts. Please continue to pray for brothers and sisters in Haiti:

Dear friends,

HOM is now accepting financial contributions for earthquake relief in Haiti. We are working with our partner staff at Mission Communautaire de l'Eglise Chrétienne des Cités (MICECC) to provide food and medical supplies. Our medical staff is interested in making a trip in September to provide much needed care. Longer term, we are exploring the possibility of rebuilding homes and drilling a well to provide clean drinking water to the community. All this is possible through the relationship our Terre Noire church has with the church community located in Cavaillon, near the earthquake's epicenter. We will be working through that relationship to provide assistance.

Financial contributions will help us to meet needs in the earthquake ravaged area as transportation and safety considerations allow.

Latin America, Projects, Partnership, Important NewsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 18, 2021Haiti Outreach Ministries, Haiti

Syria Lebanon Partnership - August 2021 Update

A team from The Outreach Foundation (Jack Baca, Julie Burgess, Mark Mueller, Nuhad Tomeh, and Marilyn Borst) made a 2-week journey to Lebanon in late May. The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon made it possible for us to visit many of their churches. Two of those visits are highlighted here (Aalma Ech-Chaab and Sidon) by Julie Burgess.

Encouragement

Coming back from Aalma Ech-Chaab after worshipping there, I struggled for a way to frame our Sunday. But then it came to me from Mark’s sermon about Barnabas, from Acts 4:32-36. As Mark explained it so eloquently, pausing as Nuhad translated into Arabic for this sweet congregation, Barnabas was patient with Paul, positive toward Paul, and persistent for Paul, and saw the potential in everyone. These characteristics define an encourager, and of course, Barnabas’ name means “son of encouragement.”

Projects, PartnershipThe Outreach FoundationAugust 12, 2021Syria Lebanon Partnership, Syria, Lebanon

Dustin and Sherri Ellington - August 2021 Update

Inspirations from the Zambian Church

Dear friends,

Sometimes Sherri and I are asked what we find inspiring about Christians in Zambia. We’d enjoy sharing three traits that have particularly stood out to us.

Singing their faith

One of the things that has always struck us, both in Zambia and at Justo Mwale University, is that the Christian faith is something sung. Many supermarkets play worship music almost all the time. While walking around campus or working in my office, I (Dustin) hear students singing their hearts out numerous times a day. It may be a choir practicing (our resident student body of about 65 has several choirs), or it may be a class starting with a hymn, or it may just be a student walking across campus singing her/his love for God. Perhaps many Zambians take it for granted that life is meant to be spent singing to God. Singing is a main way people learn the faith, deepen it, and express it. Having near-constant songs of God in the air has a way of nourishing our faith. I also suspect it prepares us for the life to come. Additionally, African Christianity creates lots of music, and I’m thankful our students receive an education that helps people to think through the witness which they are singing and producing.

Musalaha Ministry of Reconciliation - August 2021 Update

Children's Summer Camp

Musalaha was happy to report that they successfully executed a fantastic children’s Summer Camp in Givat Haviva this year. With less than two months' notice after the pandemic lockdowns were lifted, they organized the licenses and correct permissions the Ministry of Education required, trained a camp leader to conduct antigen COVID-19 tests, and tested all non-vaccinated participants.

In late July, they gathered over 80 individuals from every corner of the land. Children and teenagers from Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza attended, including Palestinian Christians, Palestinian Muslims, Messianic Jews, secular Jews, and several international volunteers. The camp theme was the story of the prophet Jonah, reflecting upon how God deals with our attitude towards people who are different from us.

Middle East, Partnership, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationAugust 9, 2021Musahala, Israel, Palestine

José Carlos Pezini - August 2021 Update

Please join us in praying for Pezini and Odete as Pezini undergoes shoulder surgery August 9

Dear brothers and sisters,

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

Brothers and sisters, may the blessings of God the Father be with you all for the expressions of affection and generosity that you have shown to us. As the Apostle Paul prayed for the Philippian brothers and sisters, Odete and I pray for you.

PCEA Church Construction - Dedication of Kianjau

Dear friends,

The dedication of Kianjau was very different in many ways.

The group that helped build this church was from TOLI (Touch of Love International) led by Executive Director Abigail McConnell, a former Outreach board member. We have been partnering with them for about six years. They do microloans and have been working in the Kiandutu slum next to the church. They have already given out over forty loans and by year’s end will have given out over one hundred. Many of their loans are going to single mothers with few skills and few opportunities. They not only provide loans but also provide training on how to run a business, open a bank account and choose a sustainable enterprise. I have been through the slum several times and met many of these women that have been helped. This program has lifted families out of poverty, empowered these women, and given them a chance to excel.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 5, 2021PCEA Church Construction in Kenya, Kenya

Partner Updates

Nuer Bibles for Refugees

Please join us in praying for Pezini and Odete as Pezini undergoes shoulder surgery August 9