Dr. Awad was raised in a refugee family. When Dr. Awad was just a child, his father was killed by a sniper right outside their family home. His mother raised him and his six siblings until they were old enough to attend boarding school. Then, in 1979, he first heard God’s call. 

According to Dr. Jack Sara, current president of Bethlehem Bible College, “He went through a lot of persecution, hardship, difficulties, and attacks. Yet he served and was able to establish one of the most impressive evangelical institutions in the Middle East which had an impact over generations of people like myself and many others who studied at Bethlehem Bible College.”

Sara says that 70% of pastors in Palestine and neighboring regions graduated from Bethlehem Bible College. That impact cannot be understated, especially in a region as spiritually volatile as the Middle East.

“A man like that should not only be honored, but also his legacy should be carried on by people like myself and many others, because of how he was a prayerful man of faith, a man that did not fear, despite the hardships he faced and despite the brokenness he faced.”

The Labib Madanat Kingdom Impact Award takes the form of a kintsugi bowl. Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese pottery art that involves piecing together broken fragments using gold, making the resulting bowl far stronger and more beautiful than it was originally. It’s symbolic of the challenges that forge great spiritual leaders in the Middle East. Dr. Awad’s legacy earned him a spot amongst those leaders.

But Dr. Awad hasn’t served at Bethlehem Bible College for some time. In fact, twelve years ago, he passed the baton to Dr. Jack Sara. Where is Bethlehem Bible College now, and what is their vision for their students and the people those students will serve?

“We want to serve the Lord in his land, and we want to be faithful to his call for us in such a land that has been in turmoil as long as anyone could remember,” Sara says. 

“I remember [Dr. Awad] telling me that when he was approached by one of the guys who supported us for quite a long time, and he asked him, ‘Why should I support you? You guys work in a war zone. Who would establish such a thing in a war zone?’ And [Dr. Awad] said, ‘This is in this place that we need to empower agents of peace, the love of Christ, and the work of the Kingdom.’”

Ultimately, Bethlehem Bible College’s true leader is God, and He has remained faithful in the face of every conflict. 

“Despite the difficulties, God is faithful with us, and because of His faithfulness, we want to be faithful to Him and His people and the church in the Holy Land and in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Pray for the continued legacy of Bethlehem Bible College and the leaders it empowers. Ask God if He wants you to participate in furthering that legacy. And thank Him for the blessing that Dr. Awad has been upon the Middle East and the rest of the world. 

Header photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College.

SAT-7 Finalist Standing

SAT-7’s Rex Rogers shares:

“Anytime you get recognition for something that you’re doing that comes from outside of your own constituency, but of course is a form of validation, credibility. It’s not that you do this just to get awards, but it speaks to excellence and you know that’s a good thing because we try to do things unto the Lord.”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

Just being selected as a finalist for this award signals to both viewers and donors that SAT-7 is producing great work. Its products are worth watching, trusting, and supporting. With that said, SAT-7’s work is grabbing and retaining viewers’ attention while competing against other quality programmings.

However, it was SAT-7 KIDS’ “Chato” program, formerly known as “Tomorrow Is Better,” which secured the finalist position. The program, which is in Arabic, is aired throughout the Arabic world.

The channel is specifically geared towards children between the ages of seven to 10 years old. It’s designed to help kids gain confidence through interactive sequences. But it also teaches them how to apply biblical values to the various challenges in their lives.

TV Access

Access to a TV in the Middle East is more possible than one might think. Once a transponder and a satellite dish are hooked up, then a household has access to hundreds of TV channels with no monthly fee.

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

“So, even the poorest of the poor typically can afford television. And it’s very important to them because it’s an endless source of information and entertainment. And, we’re also talking about a region of the world with 50 percent illiteracy rates,” Rogers says.

Many people in this region haven’t had the blessing of an education, but this doesn’t mean they’re not smart. Instead, it means TV is a powerful tool. It provides access to information and even education in the safety of one’s home.

“When I say that, we’re talking about every kind of person in the Middle East. Rich and poor, male and female, dominate groups and minority groups, all different religious; anybody can have access to SAT-7 and its broadcasts,” Rogers shares.

Be Prayerful, Be Active

SAT-7 knows that many different kinds of people are watching because it receives contact from its viewers through social media. So please, be encouraged that Christian programming, with solid theology, is being sent over the waves into people’s homes—and people are interested.

Pray for the kids in the Middle East to receive the education they need to one day support themselves and be less vulnerable to extremism. Ask God to provide Christian truths to these kids both through SAT-7’s programming as well as the local Church.

Pray for the Church in the Middle East to have strength, encouragement, and perseverance in their faith and in discipling others. And finally, pray for SAT-7 to continue to be effective. Ask God to provide the necessary resources to do the job He has called this ministry to do.

Learn more about SAT-7 and give to its work here!

(Header photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA)

Compassion International recently received an award recognizing their ministry as a great place to work.  Jack Wilson of Compassion says that making sure the Christian workplace is a healthy, vibrant environment is an extremely important component of sharing the Gospel and being the hands and feet of Jesus.

He says, “Our mission statement is to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. By nature, we’re a very developmental organization. That’s really what we believe God has called us to. But we also believe that the developmental necessity extends not only to our beneficiaries but to those who provide the services that God has kind of charged us with doing.”

In other words, it’s important to equip the leaders and those who are shepherding the churches where their projects take place around the world.

The award is given out by Gallup, based on an annual survey given to employees. Wilson says they’ve had a relationship with management consulting company going on ten years.

(Photo Courtesy of Compassion International)

“This is actually the sixth time we’ve won what’s called the Gallup Great Workplace Award. And this is an international award that … the competition is among the Gallup clients around the world of which there are about 350 companies and organizations.”

Compassion is the only Christian organization who received the award. Wilson says the polling process is extremely helpful to their organization because it helps provide actionable areas of improvement.

Jimmy Mellado, Compassion’s president, is a former Olympian who represented El Salvador in the 80’s. His take on this award explains why it matters for Compassion International.

Wilson shares, “When we received the award a year or two ago, he said, ‘You know, trophies are nice. I’ve one a couple of them myself,’ he said jokingly. ‘But what it means to me and this organization is not so much that there’s a trophy in a display case, but rather what it means to us as an organization: it means that we are actively working at increasing the engagement of employees throughout the organization. And, consequently, we are a better organization. And by God’s grace, we’re able to provide better services as a result of that.’”

So, you may be wondering, what exactly is employee engagement? 

“Employee engagement is the extent to which an employee actively adds his or her discretionary energy and passion into their activity. I truly believe this is a God thing. God does not want us to have a blasé existence, obviously, he wants us to thrive, he wants us to have an abundant life.”

When Compassion first started with Gallup, they had an employee engagement of about 40 percent. Today, it’s at 64 percent. Wilson says they are pleased with this progress.

“The United States workforce, when measured by different organizations, Gallup and others, they’ll tell you that about 30 percent of workers are engaged in the work that they do. The sad part, of course, is that what does that mean for the other 70 percent? What are organizations missing out on because folks, employees, are not feeling that passion, that engagement?”

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Therefore, Wilson says, this survey isn’t about numbers, but it’s a matter of passion.

“Again, how does it affect the Kingdom? Going in reverse, it’s equipping the leadership, it’s equipping the staff to feel more highly engaged with the ministry and the mission. And the results are, better things are happening.”

There are many ways to come alongside Compassion International. You can start by learning more about their ministry and how they operate their child sponsorship program, here.

You can also contribute financially or sponsor a child, here.

And finally, perhaps you are passionate about the Great Commission and want to work with others who are also passionate about helping others. For more details on job openings at Compassion, click here.

“We are constantly looking for great people with great competencies to share this love of Jesus Christ, who share this desire to join us in a mission environment.”

Christians know that our ultimate award awaits us in heaven. But on earth, recognition can serves as a means of accountability, transparency, and the pursuit of excellence. Recognition also motivates and refocuses ministries. Wycliffe Bible Translators USA recently received the GuideStar Platinum Seal recognition. This means that Wycliffe has been diligent in measuring progress, has improved their impact, and continues to look for ways to be more effective.

Chris Winkler of Wycliffe explains, “We’ve been really blessed to be honored with the GuideStar Platinum Seal and status with Guidestar. Guidestar is one of the largest independent evaluators of nonprofits in the country. And one of the things we’ve been striving for is to be fully transparent with the public, with our donors, those that are wanting to pray with us, those that are wanting to serve with us.”

Wycliffe works in many areas of the world, but all Bible Translation projects take hard work, diligence, and collaboration (photo courtesy of Wyclffe USA via facebook)

Financial transparency is important in building trust with donors and volunteers in both secular organizations and Christians organizations. But for the latter, the transparency has to do with honoring God.

“We do feel that we should be doing everything as unto the Lord, whether that’s translating God’s Word or whether it’s working with our finances. In our culture, we tend to demand excellence from our sports teams, from our retails stores.

“But in my thinking, we need to be striving for excellence when dealing with some of the most important things that God has called us to, like the translation of God’s Word, church planting. The souls of men and women are at stake and they deserve nothing less than our absolute best.”

Winkler says they’ve been blessed by the thousands of people in the United States praying and supporting their work financially. He understands that this group of supporters cares about transparency and knowing that the resources they give are going to good use.

(Image courtesy of Wycliffe USA).

It comes down to this: In their work as Bible translators, Wycliffe is a steward of the people, prayers, and funds that God has given them.

“They’re not Wycliffe’s—those are God’s that we’ve been entrusted to steward for this season.”

If you’d like to get involved with Wycliffe, Winkler says now is the time:

“The work of Bible translation is at a really exciting point where we’ve never seen translation starts happening as quickly as they’re happening now. There’s great movements all over the world. And we invite those listeners to be a part of that—you can go to Wycliffe.org and find out how you can pray for this work. You can adopt a Bible-less people group to be praying for. You can give to the work, you can serve.”

For more information, click here.

Bright and her husband, Bill, founded Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru in the United States) in 1951, and committed their entire lives to ministry. In 2003, they joined Wycliffe USA to create the Scripture Impact Award to honor our mutual commitment to the role God’s Word plays in reaching the world for Christ. Vonette Bright passed away in December 2015.

(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe USA)

“My wife, Dallas, and I counted it a privilege to be one of Vonette’s friends,” said Bob Creson, President and CEO of Wycliffe USA. “Her work, as well as that of her dear husband, Bill, and the ministry of Cru are completely entwined with Wycliffe.

“Vonette left all of us a tremendous legacy,” Creson said at a ceremony on December 5th during which Vonette’s son and daughter-in-law, Brad and Kathy Bright, received the award on the family’s behalf. “One part of that legacy I’m most grateful for is that she and Bill valued God’s Word above all else.”

Steve Douglass, President of Campus Crusade for Christ International and Cru, also shared several memories with Vonette at the event. “Vonette once said, ‘It is the book that tells us how to relate to God; it tells us how to relate to each other; it tells us how to relate to family. This book tells us so much of the truth we should be applying every day and with such excitement,’” Steve said.

(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe USA)

The Scripture Impact Award commends men and women who have a passion for the Bible and demonstrate a personal commitment of mind, will, resources and influence to see that God’s Word reaches, engages, and changes people. Previous recipients include U.S. Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black, Dr. Luis Palau, Dr. Billy Graham, Dr. Chuck and Cynthia Swindoll, Drs. Tony and Lois Evans, Bobby Gruenewald and Rick Warren.

If you want to find out about the part you can play in impacting the world for Christ, we’ll connect you to Wycliffe here.

Dr.  Bransford is the recipient of the 2010 Dr.
Nathan Davis International Award in Medicine. Presented by the American
Medical Association (AMA) Foundation, in association with Pfizer Inc, the award
is part of the Excellence in Medicine Awards program and is presented to a
physician who has dramatically improved health care for an international
patient population. 

Dr. Bransford will be recognized at
the Excellence in Medicine Awards Ceremony in conjunction with the AMA National
Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C.  Award recipients are honored for
their altruism, compassion, leadership and integrity. 

The legacy of Dr. Bransford is his work
with African kids with disabilities in and around Kenya. Bethany Kids, a ministry he established in
2001, annually performs over 1,000 operations on children suffering with hydrocephalus,
spina bifida, and other debilitating conditions.

"Dr. Bransford is the definition of
true selflessness," said AMA Foundation President Richard Hovland. "His
lifetime devotion to caring for children in places such as Kenya, Sudan and
Somalia has transformed the lives of so many. By establishing Bethany
Kids at Kijabe, his efforts will leave a permanent mark on Kenya." 

Together with his team in Kijabe,
they are dedicated to reaching the people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The NHIF said the award was given in recognition of the hospital's "consistency in seeking to offer quality health care in all aspects of [its] service delivery systems." The
hospital has provided 22,000 surgeries since opening in 1998. Each year they do 2,500 surgeries and see an average of 8,000 patients total.

The hospital will be expanding their program, thanks to a grant from USAID and a private donor. The
additions will include enhancing their operating theaters, adding a conference and training center, and resident housing which will improve their ability to train more surgeons.

Right now, it is the only orthopedic residency program in Kenya.  Residents in training spend five years at the hospital and sometimes travel to surrounding hospitals.  After completion of their degree, they are required to spend a specific amount of time at a CURE hospital or other African hospital.  

Not only does the hospital provide elite medical care in the area, it provides Christian spiritual healing as well.

Henline is a Christian participating with Shepherd's Ministries, a Christian organization devoted to helping people with disabilities reach their full potential–especially in their relationship with Christ. Shepherd's commitment to empower the developmentally disabled gives them the opportunity to share God's love and His message. 

During the Special Olympics, Shepherd's Ministry participants wear t-shirts with Bible verses on them. While these seem a subtle message, they have had people ask about them,
explained Cindy Weitzell with Shepherds. "Our athletes are able to witness at that point in time," she said. 

However, it is the overall attitude of their athletes that stands out the most. "When Becky was at World Games, even at State Games, they said something
about her attitude just being so perfect that they would love to have her go anywhere. I think that attitude speaks a lot as far as her testimony for the Lord," said Weitzell.

Weitzell nominated Henline for the award because she always puts forth her best effort while also encouraging others to do the same. Henline is not the first member of the Shepherd's Ministries team to win an award. Seven others have received awards in several different categories in the past. 

Weitzell is in the process of nominating other groups in their ministry for awards. Pray that their presence in this well-known event will be a shining light to those they meet. Pray that they will boldly share their faith and the source of their motivation to live the way they do.

Henline will accept her award at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI on July 19.

That puts Compassion in the top 1 percent of charities evaluated by Charity Navigator.

"Compassion takes stewardship as a sacred trust with our sponsors and donors, and that's why it's so important to us that we walk the talk in this critical area," said David Dahlin, Compassion's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "We're honored to receive this ranking for the sixth year in a row because it affirms our dedication to excellence and stewardship."

Ed Anderson, Compassion's Chief Financial Officer, said that strict guidelines for spending and on-going accountability have aided Compassion over the years.

"Our audits on financial accountability have been rigorous," Anderson said. "While we meet the legal requirements all U.S. charities must comply with, we have developed audit procedures and teams to provide fiscal scrutiny in the U.S. and in all 24 countries where Compassion's child development ministries are implemented by local churches. Americans expect their charitable dollars to be wisely spent and fully accounted for."

In addition to the prestigious ranking by Charity Navigator, Compassion has been recognized for superior financial integrity by several publications and financial-accountability groups, including The American Institute of Philanthropy. Compassion is also a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

"As the non-profit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars," said Trent Stamp, president of Charity Navigator.

This positions Compassion to help even more children physically and spiritually, as the organization works through local churches in the areas where they work. Compassion is one of the world's largest Christian child-development organizations, working with more than 65 denominations and nearly 4,000 indigenous church partners in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Since its founding in 1952, Compassion has touched the lives of more than 1.6 million children.