Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cuba News

News has reached me that our seminary partner in Matanzas, Cuba, has been asked by the government to open one of their facilities (students are not yet allowed back on campus) to receive children (and their caregivers) who are suspected of having COVID-19. This comes as the local pediatric hospital is overwhelmed with cases. They have agreed to do this—an extraordinary act of service, as you can imagine. Please join me in prayer for this, that Christ may be glorified and that the seminary community is kept safe…

Together for the Family - June 2021 Update

Fresh. It is a word we hear on a daily basis on our travels around Lebanon and in our visits with Outreach partners here. It modifies the word “money.” Fresh money. It is the money that comes to you after the economic crisis began in Lebanon many months ago. If you want old money, the money you deposited and saved in your bank account, you will be found at a loss. Dollars in the bank are restricted for withdrawals, and if you do withdraw them, you will get back the Lebanese equivalent at the old rate, thereby losing up to 90% of their value. Fresh money, especially for an NGO like many of the partners here, becomes a new lifeline.

Not wanting to dwell in such a hard place, let us make a list of the more joyful ways we think of for the word fresh, and I think in the listing you will discover what we found: God is still making all things new – fresh.

Don and Martha Wehmeyer - June 2021 Update

Dear friends,

Martha and I are now fully vaccinated and starting to move around more. Martha has been in Wichita Falls and Dallas to help with the grandchildren and will be bringing Guillen and Sahia down here with Valerie. The other two will follow when their school year gets out.

The little church I am pastoring in Sitpatch is doing well. We have both in-person and online services although there is the possibility that in-person church will be closed again as the number of COVID cases is going up in Merid

Blessed School - June 2021 Update

The person who thinks that when an immovable object meets an irresistible force that nothing happens has probably never met Linda Maktaby, pictured left. Linda, a graduate of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, is the executive director of Blessed School, a ministry established by the English in 1868 originally as a school for the blind. 153 years later, it still serves those with vision impairments, but its main focus now is on those with disabilities on the autism spectrum. As we sat with Linda, we encountered another fully-turned-on spigot freely flowing with the love of Jesus. If the firehose analogy can be used again here, encountering Linda will leave you drenched with that love.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 10, 2021Blessed School, Lebanon

Home of Hope Beirut - June 2021 Update

We spent the morning at the Home of Hope Beirut, a ministry of the Lebanese Evangelical Society, which also oversees Blessed School. The words “home” and “hope” are linked together here in the most blessed way. Home of Hope is a one-of-a-kind ministry in the densely packed city of Beirut and its surrounding area. Abused children – sexually, physically, emotionally – who have been living on the streets, many trafficked, are placed by court order in their loving hands. There are currently nineteen here, ages 7-18.

Trauma is something we have seen before here, usually from visiting refugee camps. This is trauma at a whole other level. The stories we heard here have shaken us to the center of our beings.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 9, 2021Home of Hope Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Beirut Compassion Fund - June 2021 Update

A team from The Outreach Foundation (Jack Baca, Julie Burgess, Mark Mueller, Nuhad Tomeh, Marilyn Borst) just returned from a 2-week journey to Lebanon, our first post-pandemic trip. We traveled to encourage our partners there who have been through so much over the past 19 months: a collapse of their government and the economy; the pandemic and its necessary lockdowns; the cataclysmic explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4th which left over 200 dead, 6,500 injured and 300,000 homeless. After the explosion, thanks to our generous donors, we were able to wire funds to the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon within 48 hours and they began handing out food vouchers to residents near the port. Their outreach soon “morphed” to assist families in making repairs to flats and apartments in densely populated neighborhoods within a mile of the port. We were blessed to visit with several of those families….

The brand new door was ajar and awaiting our arrival (the old door had been blown away by the explosion in the port). We caught a glimpse of a picture of Jesus on the wall within and noticed a sign on the door. It announced that tailoring services could be found here, and soon we would meet that tailor/seamstress, Jacqueline, who lived here with her special needs sister, Lodi.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 9, 2021Beirut Compassion Fund, Beirut, Lebanon

Haiti Outreach Ministries - May 2021 Update

Dear friends,

I hope you and your loved ones are well as we continue to navigate these unusual times. Friends like you are at the heart of our ministry, and we have greatly missed seeing you in person and serving with you in Haiti.

I am writing today to share a status update on volunteer teams returning to HOM mission sites in Haiti. We currently expect team travel will resume no earlier than March 2022. This decision has been made with the guidance of our Haitian leadership, with two main factors informing this timeline.

First, the COVID-19 pandemic – which thankfully has not hit Haiti too hard – is resulting in certain requirements by the Haitian government for those who wish to enter the country.

News from Partners in Israel and Palestine

Our partners in Israel and Palestine – Musalaha, Bethlehem Bible College, and the Palestinian Bible Society – are safe amidst the conflict there. Please continue to lift them up in prayer.

The Outreach FoundationMay 19, 2021

Iraq Appeal - May 2021 Update

The birth of a new church in Iraq (with some help from fellow Presbyterians in Egypt!)

Iraq is a very dear country with a rich history. For many years, the Iraqi people suffered from a series of wars that affected their country in all aspects. The Christians in Iraq suffered a lot in the last few decades. Many families were dislocated, migrated, or immigrated to other parts of the world. ISIS and different radical groups caused a great deal of damage to churches, houses, and other properties. This led to a devastating situation for families who had to leave their homes and move to other areas.

The Presbyterian Church in Iraq is one of the oldest churches in the Middle East. History tells us that the Presbyterian Church in Mosul was established in 1840 as the oldest Presbyterian Church in the Arab World. There are three Presbyterian churches in Iraq now. They are in Basra, Baghdad, and Kirkuk. In recent years, God opened doors for the Egyptian church to send pastors as missionaries to the churches in Basra and Kirkuk. Rev. Haitham Jazrawi, the Kirkuk pastor, encouraged a young Egyptian pastor, Rev. Samer Karam, to serve with him in Kirkuk during the last year - a very difficult and challenging time.

Middle East, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationMay 12, 2021Iraq Appeal, Iraq

Philemon Project Preschool - May 2021 Update

By God’s grace, the GROW Center (part of the Philemon Project, a legal Christian Lebanese NGO) has weathered the storms of revolution, economic crisis, disaster, and the COVID-19 pandemic. We are still able to provide children with a God-centered experience by giving them a safe, warm, and welcoming climate in which to explore, grow, thrive, and develop.

We wanted to introduce two of our key staff members and share some of their thoughts with you. They have led the project through Lebanon’s many challenges over these past months.

Mireille, GROW manager: “This year was so challenging for us as Lebanese citizens. But despite all the bad circumstances, we are grateful for God’s blessings. When the blast at the Beirut port happened, all the GROW students who live close to the port were safe. God protected them and protected the staff as well.

China Partnership - Update

It seems so long ago that we were able to visit our friends in China. So, it is encouraging to hear from churches and individuals that with COVID-19 God has pruned many things, but the Spirit has only strengthened the resolve to deepen the bonds of friendship with our brothers and sisters in China. Though we do not envision a visit in the immediate future, we know that God’s timing is perfect and we look forward to the day He opens the way. Until then we follow friendship’s multi-faceted pathways.

First, we commit our resources and energy to the relationship. Thus we celebrate that with the hiring of Rev. Dr. Thomas Boone, The Outreach Foundation is investing deeply for China. In addition to him having been in China, Tom’s own family has had a favored relationship with many in China for over twenty years. His father, Dr. Thomas J Boone, Jr., was considered a foreign expert and taught economic law in several universities throughout China (Tianjin, Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Changchun, and Wuhan). His mother, Susan, taught English to some of our dear friends who have themselves become pastors, elders, and professors. Building on the good work of Jeff Ritchie, Peter Lim, Choon Lim, and Juan Sarmiento, Tom is committed to seeing The Outreach Foundation’s long-standing friendship with Christians in China continue and flourish to include new relationships.

The Tete Province Clinic Has Officially Opened - Praise the Lord!

Dear friends of Tete Province,

I am overjoyed to report that our health clinic in Tete Province has been officially opened! I received word from Sebber. She was there in person and was able to get some photos. Sebber is wearing a blue coat, and the Head District Commissioner in Tete Province is in red. Sebber said, " Clinic finally opened. We give all the Glory to God Almighty."

The new health clinic is in the rural village of Madzimaera. We have built a school and a church in this village and drilled a well. This clinic is about an hour's drive by vehicle to the nearest hospital in the border town of Zobue. Transportation to the hospital would be a formidable problem for the villagers who live around this clinic.

Tumaini Children's Ministry - April 2021 Update

Christian greetings from Tumaini/Huruma Children’s Ministry in Nyeri, Kenya.

We continue to pray and trust that you are staying safe and healthy during this COVID pandemic. Kenya has now recorded over 154,400 cases and 2,500 deaths. Between mid-March and mid-April, the country experienced its fourth surge in cases. Supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Kenya in early March and over 650,000 have been administered. Kenya’s population is nearly 54 million, so it will be many months before there is adequate vaccine coverage. Nyeri county, home of the Tumaini Children’s Ministry, is a rural county, yet has experienced more than 720 confirmed cases.

The pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty, yet the staff at Tumaini and Huruma are working hard to sustain daily operations and care for the children. We were saddened to learn from Anne Wandimi the manager at Tumaini Children's Home, that Ms. Monica Kagume, chair of the Tumaini Board, died from COVID infection in early March. Her leadership and love for the children will be greatly missed.

Home of Hope in Zimbabwe - April 2021 Update

Dear family in Christ Jesus,

How wonderful that God loves us so much that he gave us his most precious gift, his only begotten son Jesus. Through Jesus, we are forgiven and given everlasting life. In Jeremiah 31:34 we hear God’s word speaking, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

What an amazing message to share with those who think they have no hope, especially now when many are unemployed, have lost loved ones, and see no future for themselves except for life on the street. What a joy to share the Good News with those who must fight for survival, sharing with them that despite living in a fallen world, our hope is not of this world but in God who has compassion and has given us a heavenly home.

We thank all who support us so that we may help those living on the street with food, clothes, medicine, soap, and the Good News of Jesus. We pray that the Lord will be with you always.

COVID-19 Appeal Mexico

We recently received the following COVID Appeal update from our partners in Tabasco, Mexico. The Rev. José Juan Garcia Hernandez, rector of Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary, recently shared this information . The first two photos are Sureste professors who had COVID. The remaining photos include seminarians affected by flooding.

Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary - April 2021 Update

Dear friends,

My name is Francelia. I am married to Christopher McReynolds. We live in Del Rio, Texas located five minutes from the border city of Cd. Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico. I was born in Mexico City in 1977 but moved to Villahermosa, Tabasco in 1985. There, at age 21 while I was still in college, the Lord saved me at an evangelistic campaign on March 28, 1998. I then started my walk in the Presbyterian Church.

I am amazed by God’s grace, thankful for where I am, and thankful for The Outreach Foundation for playing such an important part in the story – God’s story. Here is how I was called to do what I am doing today, thanks to sponsors like The Outreach Foundation.

Namumu Orphanage Center - April 2021 Update

The Outreach Foundation has been in partnership with Namumu Orphanage Center (NOC) for nearly 20 years. Located in the Kariba lakeshore area in the district of Siavonga, Zambia, Namumu has provided vulnerable children with food, clothing, shelter, and education to help them reach their potential. Children who have “graduated” from NOC have trained as pastors, teachers, and clinical officers, and many have returned to serve in the community where they grew up. In response to the health needs of the area, a clinic was built in 2005, with the help of The Outreach Foundation, to provide essential primary health care services to the children and the surrounding community.

Over time, it became clear that there was a need for more and better health and clinical services. So two years ago, in collaboration with the Government of Zambia, the clinic expanded services and increased staffing. Currently, there are two volunteer clinical officers, four nurses, an environmental officer, a psychosocial counselor, and several community health workers and clinic assistants. They provide a full range of primary services to the community and local businesses. And the community has, in turn, helped to provide for and maintain these services.

Africa, Partnership, Projects, Vulnerable ChildrenThe Outreach FoundationApril 21, 2021Namumu Orphanage Center, Zambia

COVID-19 Appeal Brazil

We recently received the following letter from Reva. Ana Isaura Lima de Souza, National Secretary of Diaconal of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB):

MANÁ PROJECT

"I will rain down bread from heaven for you." Exodus 16:4

COVID-19 Appeal UpdatesThe Outreach FoundationApril 16, 2021COVID-19, COVID-19 Appeal, Brazil

Partner Updates