Maria is a psychologist from Ukraine who works in Poland. “The trauma I am seeing in children is terrible. It is a very different type of trauma, hidden trauma. On the first days after the children escaped their towns in Ukraine, such as Mariupol, Izium, Deobropillya, they did not say anything. They just sat in silence. There is nothing worse than the silence of children when they hear certain words that remind them of the war, or of their hometown. They fall silent and just stare into nowhere.”

Important News, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMay 2, 2023Ukraine Appeal, Ukraine, Warsaw, Poland

Holistic Evangelism in Tete Province — Special Dedication in Madzimaera

Outreach trustee Berry Long recently shared good news from Sebber Banda, Project Director of the Holistic Evangelism in Tete Province partnership:

I want to share with you a message and photos from Sebber about a government celebration and opening for the women's shelter and staff kitchen that have been added at the Madzimaera Clinic.

Ukraine Appeal — Vasiliy's Story

The Outreach Foundation recently visited our friends serving sacrificially and at great risk in the eastern part of Ukraine. Dr. Ivan Rusyn and his wife Luda were terrific hosts and we met many of Christ’s faithful followers whose stories have yet to be told. These are the quiet heroes who daily risk their lives out of love for God, and affection for their country, and who are trying to be faithful to Christ’s call to witness about His glory in times like this. One of these heroes is Vasiliy, a 23-year young graduate of the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary who serves as Coordinator of Relief Ministry for the seminary.

Europe, Partnership, Projects, Important NewsThe Outreach FoundationApril 27, 2023Ukraine Appeal, Ukraine

New Church Development in Brazil — April 2023 Update

Dear brothers and sisters, servants of Christ Jesus,

I greet you with the sweet peace that flows from the throne where Christ sits with the Father and intercedes for each one of us. I hope all of you, as well as your families, are doing well, enjoying health and fellowship with our good God. After two chaotic years of the pandemic, we are happy to be able to live life again.

Ukraine Appeal — Providing Meaningful Help to Soldiers in Ukraine

In March 2023, The Outreach Foundation visited Kyiv. Among our goals for this visit was to provide Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs) that had been requested specifically by Dr. Ivan Rusyn of the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) during his visit with us. These are the most requested items by soldiers at every checkpoint, he told us. Thanks to Delta Airlines, the baggage fee for 600 IFAKs was waived, which meant we were able to purchase an additional 200.

Philemon Project Preschool GROW Center — April 2023 Update

The Philemon Project GROW Center provides Christian early childhood development programs for underserved and at-risk children in Beirut. Rev. Dr. Robert Hamd, the GROW Center’s founder, recently shared this update:

The ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon has affected the whole population. Those living at an acceptable level previously are now finding it extremely difficult to cover the costs of daily living and the essentials of health and education.

Namumu Orphanage Center — April 2023 Update

Since its inception in 2000, Namumu Orphanage Center (NOC) has provided vulnerable children with food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and spiritual and educational support. Through partnership with generous Outreach donors, a van was recently purchased. We received the following letter from Siakwale Matomola, Namumu Orphanage Center Director:

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationApril 11, 2023Namumu Orphanage Center, Zambia

Ukraine Appeal — April 2023 Update

From March 18-26, a window of opportunity opened for The Outreach Foundation to visit friends at the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) in Kyiv as well as some surrounding towns. The team was comprised of Mark Mueller (Outreach Executive Director), Tom Boone (Associate Director for Mission), and Victor Petrenko, husband of board member Amy Petrenko. Victor’s parents fled Ukraine following World War ll. Joining our team was Dr. Piotr Nowak, president of the College of Theology and Social Sciences (CTSS) in Warsaw, Poland. Dr. Ivan Rusyn of UETS was our host.

Kyiv, Ukraine: Living in this New Day

Last week, four people from The Outreach Foundation traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, to meet with our partners. The Outreach Foundation has seven partners in Europe, and one is in Kyiv. Upon our arrival in Kyiv, we met with the staff of the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary led by Dr. Ivan Rusyn. The seminary trains leaders and pastors and currently has a student population of more than 500. Right now, the seminary is housing Ukrainian soldiers, but the students return in September.

Europe, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationApril 3, 2023Ukraine Appeal, Ukraine

Snap Shots: a reflection on our visit to Ukraine

Where do I begin?

Is it the beginning of our trip — on the western border of Ukraine — where rich dark soil and the appearance of normalcy teased us as we traveled to Kyiv? Is it our first night when we escaped from our comfortable hotel room to a bomb shelter from midnight to 4:30 a.m.? That peaceful route we just traveled was now under attack, thank you Lord for the people praying over us!

Europe, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 31, 2023Ukraine Appeal, Ukraine

Budmo! We will exist: Reflections on visits to three Ukrainian towns near Kyiv

A team from The Outreach Foundation just returned from a visit to Kyiv (March 19-26). Tom Boone, Mark Mueller, and Victor Petrenko joined Piotr Nowak from Warsaw on this significant visit that we were unable to advertise for security reasons. We saw and heard the testimony of what the church is doing with the help of many donors and congregations through The Outreach Foundation.

Europe, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMarch 30, 2023Ukraine Appeal, Ukraine

Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary (SET) — March 2023 Update

As this year began for SET, one of our partners in Cuba, there were many challenges presented by the severe economic crisis on the island: shortages of food, unavailability of even basic educational supplies like paper and thumb drives, fuel shortages, and power cuts. Yet despite those hardships, the seminary began the new year with energy, vision, and a renewed commitment to providing ecumenical theological and pastoral training across the island, with comprehensive remote learning opportunities as well as classes on campus in Matanzas.

Middle East Earthquake Relief — February 2023 Update

On February 6, an earthquake in Turkey and Syria measuring 7.8 magnitude was followed later that same day by an aftershock of 7.5.

The numbers are staggering:

the area of destruction is equal to the size of the state of Texas
the death toll in Turkey and Syria has reached 46,000
5.3 million have lost their homes
12.4 million people in Syria are now food insecure

The mobilization of the Church in Syria was swift.

Middle East, Partnership, Projects, Important NewsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 27, 2023Middle East Earthquake Relief, Syria, Turkey

Crisis Nurseries February 2023 Update — Baby Prosper Returns Home

Baby Prosper, one and a half-year-old years old, was brought to Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) by the Child Protection Unit (CPU) in Lusaka, Zambia. The baby was living on the streets with his twenty-one year-old mother. The CPU, in collaboration with several other stakeholders, removed Prosper and his mother and many other babies from the streets during one of their outreaches.

Africa, Projects, Partnership, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 21, 2023Crisis Nurseries, Zambia

The Face of Jesus — Ukraine Appeal February 2023

“When this war started all we had was ourselves, our bodies, our hands. But we had nothing to give. Because of you, we have been able to give food, warmth, shelter, God’s Word, and be the face of Jesus when everyone wondered ‘Where is God?’ Thank you.” Dr. Ivan Rusyn, president of Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) in Kyiv

Europe, Important News, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 16, 2023Ukraine, Ukraine Appeal

Strength and Beauty in Ukraine

The Outreach Foundation has noted the courage of several Christian servants over the course of the war in Ukraine. Today we share the story of Lludmyla (Luda) Rusyn. Luda joined her husband, Ivan, president of the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UTES) in Kyiv, on their recent visit to the U.S. She comes from the eastern part of Ukraine, and her family has been refugees twice. The first time was when they fled Donetsk in 2014 and the second time occurred when they fled Bucha, north of Kyiv, in 2022.

Europe, Important News, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 8, 2023Ukraine Appeal, Ukraine

Near East School of Theology (NEST) — February 2023 Update

When the Rev. Sally Azar was ordained on January 22, 2023, by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the Church of the Holy Redeemer, in the Old City of Jerusalem, was packed. Rev. Azar becomes the first Palestinian woman to receive that honor. She joins a small cadre of Protestant women in the Middle East ordained to Word and sacrament which was “founded” in 2017 with the ordination of Rev. Rola Sleiman of Tripoli, Lebanon. This small, but visionary group of women have an important thing in common: they are all graduates of the Near East School of Theology (NEST) in Beirut, which on November 11, 2022, marked its 90th anniversary.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 3, 2023Near East School of Theology, NEST, Lebanon

Blessed School — Update

Founded by British missionaries in 1868 as the first school for the blind in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region, the Lebanese Evangelical Society decided to expand Blessed School’s mission to receive students with special needs including autism and Down syndrome. Blessed School spreads the Word of God not only to the Lebanese but also to people of many other nationalities who study there and learn and explore the God of Love during daily chapel services.

Middle East, Partnership, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 2, 2023Blessed School, Lebanon, Beirut

Partner Updates