The missionary, Gena Heraty, is known for her decades-long care for children with disabilities. EU officials are working to secure the group’s release.

The kidnapping happened not far from the Haiti office of Christian World Outreach (CWO). CWO staff weren’t targeted, but the ministry is feeling the strain of daily unrest.

“We have not directly been affected by any kidnappings or anything recently,” says CWO President Greg Yoder. “But it’s caused ministry to slow down and sometimes be postponed, especially in the Port-au-Prince area.”

Women learning sewing skills at a feminine training center. (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)

That’s already forced closures elsewhere. In Mirebalais, another hot zone for gang control, violence has emptied the streets.

Yoder explains, “Recently, with the gangs kind of taking over Mirebalais, that shut down our Feminine Training Center there because pretty much everybody left town.”

Still, CWO isn’t pulling out. If anything, the team sees the chaos as a reminder of why they’re there in the first place. Haiti needs Christ more than ever.

“Our goal is to use those opportunities to share the Gospel. Our hope is, even during these difficult times, that it makes people think about their lives and eternity.”

CWO-partnered churches and training centers continue to meet when they can — sometimes online, sometimes in person, always looking for safe ways to encourage believers and train up leaders.

Pray for God’s protection and encouragement over those who were kidnapped. Petition the Lord for their safe return!

Yoder also asks, “Pray for the believers, that they won’t get discouraged. Pray for them as they evangelize in their communities. Pray for safety of the staff there as they try to continue on with ministry.”

Learn more about CWO’s Haiti ministry.

Header photo features a child in Haiti. (Photo courtesy of TopSphere Media/Unsplash)

It’s a testimony to miracles.

(Photo Courtesy Orphan Outreach)

When the Halpern family first made the decision to join Orphan Outreach on a mission trip to India, they had no idea the impact it would have on their lives.

“We were there two years ago as a family, and my wife and daughter were there again last year. It was shocking for us. Lucy is so amazing. What she does is amazing,” shares John Halpern.

The family learned about the ministry being done at Gan Sabra through friends, and began supporting the home. Then an invitation was extended to travel to India to visit the children and staff of the home. “We were hesitant, but we went. Just the love that comes from these kids, what they’ve been through and how they spend their lives praying for others. That’s why we had to go, and so we took the leap.”

And then they met Lucy. “What that woman is doing is beyond words. She’s not teaching kids like you or I would. She’s teaching these kids to live–to care for each other and to take their medicine and to survive. As long as we can, we’re taking care of these kids.”

Halpern was unable to return to India in 2015 due to changes in business, but he received regular updates from his wife and daughter as they spent more time at Gan Sabra. “I would get text messages from the kids saying they were all praying for me, that things would go well for me, and that I would get a good job. And I did! Their prayers were answered in such a big way.”

With a new job came a surprise: a signing bonus. And for the Halperns, there was no question where the gift should go. “We didn’t do this for us; this has nothing to do with us. The money for the Jeep was an offering of love for these kids; for Lucy–for someone who stands up for kids who can’t stand up for themselves, for the kids who have gone through so much but think it more important to pray for us.

“Orphan Outreach allowed us to say, ‘We want this money to go to the truck.’ We got to watch as this money went exactly where we desired. They do a phenomenal job to steward the money well. We’ve never met any other organization like them: they were open to us and open to our heart’s desires. They transform ‘us’ into a group of people who work together to help.”

(Photo courtesy Orphan Outreach)

The Halperns plan to return to India in the summer of 2016 to see Lucy and the children. John hopes the trip can become an annual event for them. He also believes others should see what is happening at Gan Sabra.

“My #1 wish is that people would just GO and meet Lucy and the kids. Once you go, you can’t let go.”

A service member with the Royal Thai Navy helps build a multipurpose room at the Ban Cham Kho School, in Rayong, Thailand.
(U.S. Marine Corps Combat Camera photo by Cpl. Hilda Becerra/Released)

In the 35th annual war game, military personnel hail from seven nations: Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the U.S.

U.S. and Thai officials kicked off the 19-day Cobra Gold exercise yesterday with an opening ceremony at the Royal Thai Navy Command Center. As explained here, Cobra Gold began as a training drill to improve teamwork between U.S. and Thai troops.

This year, Cobra Gold was used by U.S. officials to urge their Thai counterparts toward democracy.

“As deep and broad as our partnership is today, it will grow stronger still when, as the prime minister has affirmed, Thailand returns to elected governance,” said U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, Glyn Davies, in yesterday’s opening ceremony.

“With a strengthened, sustainable democratic system, Thailand’s regional leadership role–and our alliance–can reach its full potential.”

Vision Beyond Borders is looking for skilled Thai soldiers, too, but not for the same reasons as the Cobra Gold coordinators.

Thai and U.S. Army Soldiers practice tactical maneuvers during exercise Cobra Gold 2006.
(DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Efren Lopez, U.S. Air Force/Released)

“There are still a lot of dangers, a lot of booby traps, land mines and active fighting. Our contacts are hiring soldiers to protect them, and the kids, and all the caretakers [during the journey],” shares VBB spokeswoman Dyann Romeijn.

In a few weeks, VBB’s contacts plan to move 90 orphans and their caretakers from refugee camps in Thailand to a safer children’s home in Myanmar (also known as Burma). Learn why their partners are making the move in this article.

“They don’t want to be a part of that mass exodus [in 2017]…. They feel like the [Burma] Army will be more prepared for a move like that,” Romeijn shares.

“A lot of times they place land mines around these villages and trails to make it difficult for ethnic tribes to move around.”

While the group’s final destination–the children’s home in Burma–is safe, the journey itself will have danger around every corner. They may face death, but the kids aren’t scared.

“These kids are some of the strongest kids, spiritually, that I’ve ever seen,” says Romeijn. “They pray for the soldiers that persecute them, and they forgive them; they’re just such an example of the true love of Christ.”

(Photo courtesy VBB)

Along with your prayers for safety and protection, Vision Beyond Borders needs a little financial help to underwrite the trip’s costs. Click here to help VBB cover the costs of this relocation.

“To move everybody will [cost] about $5,000–hiring soldiers, all the transportation, and all the food that they will need during the two weeks of traveling.”

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive Peru)

Peru (MNN/KAI) — Ever have a story that just haunts you? Sometimes that motivates action.

That’s what happened to John and Janette Hocking. Kids Alive Peru says John and his daughter, Cristina, walked some land in 1997 and asked God to speak to them about a special place to start a children’s home.

Why? In the region surrounding Pucallpa, Peru, there is one government-run children’s home serving a population of more than half a million people. 90 children currently crowd into an institution designed to house no more than 80.

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive)

Overcrowded, the institution is chaotic. Many children suffer from severe mental and physical disabilities–needs that are difficult to address in that environment. The children who live there have all experienced some form of abuse, neglect, homelessness, or poverty. They are orphans, or otherwise do not have anyone currently willing to provide for their needs. Their young lives have been nightmarish.

The Hockings wanted to make a difference. In 2005, John and Janette decided to donate a piece of property that would eventually be “The Orchard” Children’s Home. It was a blank slate.

The Kids Alive team started dreaming and planning in 2008. The reality was grinding hard work, building, fundraising, and praying, but it paid off. On April 8, 2015, after 7 years of preparation, meetings with government officials, and property inspections, Kids Alive Peru finally got their license to operate. Unlike many child-sponsorship programs, they provide not just food and a loving, learning environment, but a home and an introduction to the Gospel as well.

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive)

This month, they got permission to open, and the overjoyed team dedicated the project to the Lord. In a way, the end of this building project is actually the beginning of the project of a lifetime. The walls are painted, the cupboards stocked, and the beds are made. Now they’re ready to start receiving kids! Over time, this ministry will grow to four homes for 40 sponsored children.

(Photo courtesy of ODM)

Colombia (ODM/MNN) – With widespread issues such as poverty, lack of quality education, and human trafficking, Colombia can be a tough place to grow up.

It can be even more difficult for children of pastors and church leaders. They are often violently harassed by guerrilla groups, and their parents are the targets of violence because of their faith.

But through Open Doors USA’s Colombia Children’s Center, these children have a place to thrive. It was started in 2000 and is a key part of Open Doors’ Women and Children Advancement ministry. It can’t solve every problem–children still miss their parents and worry for their safety; but they receive love and opportunities they most likely never would have otherwise.

Open Doors recently interviewed a few Colombia Children’s Center alumni about God’s redemptive work in their lives.

At eight years old, *Sofia was orphaned when guerrillas murdered her parents for their ministry training. She describes the love she found at the Children’s Center:

“They were real role models. Our teachers were the parents I never had.” As she developed personally and spiritually under the guidance of loving teachers, she felt God calling her to be a missionary.

Another alumnus, *Santiago, realizes that his time at the center was not a coincidence, but God’s plan to give him a future: “I would be nothing today…. They always had time for us.”

*Ferney, an alumnus who is one of the country’s ethnic minorities, hardly ever attended school as a child. His family was expelled from their village after accepting Christ. His parents worried about his safety and were relieved when they found the Children’s Center. It was there that he discovered a passion for Information Technology (IT), and he now studies at Bogota University and serves part-time for Open Doors Colombia.

His friend *David says, “When I entered the Center, I knew nothing. It is only there that I learned to gain a perspective on my own life.” He now studies linguistics and tutors students at the Children’s Center.

These children urge others to follow Jesus and pray that the Open Doors Children’s Center will become a training ground for many other Christian children. Other children like them only thrive at the Children’s Center because of prayer and financial support.

Here are ways you can help give children in Colombia a better future:

• Pray for the Children’s Center, that it would continue to refresh young lives and equip them with faith and purpose in the name of Jesus Christ.
• Financially support the Open Doors Children’s Center and other Women and Children Advancement programs, showing Christ’s love to the least of these.
• Click here to see how you can share words of encouragement with a child at the center.

*Names changed for security.

(Photo courtesy of Kids Alive International)

Kenya (MNN) — In Kenya, 12% of children don’t live to see their fifth birthday. Of those still living, nearly two million live without food, shelter, and their parents.

Disease, poverty, and sickness run rampant throughout the country’s rural villages. Many lose hope, but one organization is making a difference: Kids Alive International.

“We’re working in a number of communities in Kenya, where there’s huge suffering…a lot of squalor, extreme poverty, high infant [and] child mortality rates, a lot of orphans and abandoned children, a lot of sickness, a lot of kids who really have no opportunity to go to school,” says Matt Parker, President of Kids Alive International.

One specific village where Kids Alive is making a difference is Mitaboni. A few years ago, Kids Alive and its partner Calvary Church in Valparaiso, Ind., were asked to take over management of a children’s home in the village.

“We took a look at the home. There were 10 kids in there at the time. Really, there was a whole lot of work that needed to happen,” Parker says. “The facilities were very run-down. They needed renovation. The standards of care for the children really needed to be drastically improved.”

Now, five years later, there’s been quite a change.The home’s overall quality has been greatly improved, and more children are coming in.

“We’ve really seen a dramatic transformation in the home over the last five years through this partnership,” Parker says. “We’ve now got 40 kids in the home, so the numbers have increased from 10 up to 40…. It’s amazing to see the joy that is in these children’s eyes.

“We’ve got new facilities, the home is now growing much of its food, we’ve installed an amazing playground there for the community, and we’ve got a wonderful Kenyan staff team there as well that really demonstrates genuine love and care for the kids.”

But the partnership is not just a blessing to the children. It is providing opportunities for the partner church to strengthen its missions program as well as experience the satisfaction of serving others.

“Our partnership with the church has really helped them to bring new life to their missions program,” Parker says. “It’s helped give them enthusiasm. There’s a real common sense of purpose.

Shown here under construction, the recently-finished
Bradley Hall is a multi-purpose room in the
Mitaboni children’s home.
(Photo courtesy of Kids Alive International)

“The call in Scripture is to make disciples and to serve the most vulnerable people in our world today. So the partnership with Kids Alive has been a great way for the church to live that out in reality. The church has been very involved in sending mission teams, short-term service teams to help out, providing  practical support at the home.

“It’s about relationship. The church can see firsthand how their gifts are being used, and they have the joy of seeing kids come to know Christ and serve Him in their lives. So it’s a wonderful partnership, a great partnership, between Kids Alive, the church, and the Kenyan team on the ground.”

Parker says Kids Alive is always looking for new churches to partner with. Click here to get in contact with Kids Alive and find out more about a partnership, or consider supporting the ministry financially, sponsoring a child, or taking a mission trip.

(Photo courtesy Flickr.com/freedomhouse)

Lebanon (MNN) — The plight of children caught in the crossfire of the Syrian civil war makes for painful reading.

Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan currently host hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees including tens of thousands of children, traumatized and often living in squalid camps. Lebanon isn’t far behind, with nearly 1 in 4 people living there having escaped Syria.

A United Nations report four months ago detailed the kinds of horrors perpetrated on these children. What it amounts to is thousands of stolen childhoods. What will the future hold for them?

Without intervention of some kind, these kids will continue to suffer for a lifetime. Children of refugees are often denied access to schools, leaving them illiterate and unable to provide for their own families when they become adults.

An entire generation is now growing up without education. Jed Hamoud, Vice President of Operations of Kids Alive International, explains: “We’re having kids that are coming to our ministry that are really shook up. Some of them have not been to school in years, like two years or so, since the conflict in Syria started.”

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

The ministry has a number of outreach points in Lebanon’s Christian areas. Instead of adding the influnce of despair, they’re part of the solution. “Their parents heard about the ministry and that we are willing to accept Syrian refugees into our home with no conditions.”

Kids Alive provides care to as many as 150 children in Lebanon every year in its two Children’s Homes, School, and Care Center programs. Hundreds of applications are piling up for entrance into the Kids Alive programs in Lebanon, notes Hamoud. “Our school is full to the max. Our care center is full to the max. We’re accommodating as many kids as we can. Currently, we have about 43 Syrian refugees between the school, the residential program, and the care center.”

As well as a growing number of Syrians, there are also many Palestinian refugees in the country, along with other displaced people from Sudan, Iraq, and other places. The sudden increase prompted a shift in Kids Alive’s current work, which means adapting to the immediate needs, says Hamoud. “We’re trying to look at how we can create more space, so we’re having to abandon some programs like our workshop. We’re realizing that the need to take care of Syrian refugees at this time is greater than trying to provide vocational training at the moment.”

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

Hamoud goes on to say that the support their partners provide is critical to addressing the trauma these kids have lived through. “We’re trying to give them almost one-on-one attention in school to bring them up to date with their schooling. That’s basically what we’re trying to do: love them and care for them as much as we can.”

Kids Alive is developing their work with refugees and other vulnerable children over the coming year. They’re able to do this by providing Christian care and a secure environment to these children of war. Hamoud adds, “We can use a lot of prayer, first of all, for wisdom on how to minister to those children and the financial need to be able to expand our ministry to be able to minister to those children.”

The mission: to shine the love of Jesus into the hatred and violence of this troubled region.

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

South Sudan (MNN) — Violence continues in South Sudan despite ongoing peace talks taking place in Ethiopia. Talks, ongoing since January 3, seem to have stalled out. Matt Parker with Kids Alive International has been watching the situation with a vested interest. The ministry has a number of programs operating in Wau, a town roughly 400 miles northwest of Juba, the capital city. Parker says, “So far, there has been very little progress made. The conflict is now a month old, this week. More than a thousand people have been killed, probably a lot more than that. 200,000 have been displaced.” A key sticking point is holding up all progress even as rebels continue their advance, driving more people to flee their homes to escape the deadly clashes. Parker explains, “One of the conditions that the rebel group has tried to impose is that they want the release of 11 prisoners who have been arrested by the South Sudanese government.” The government gave no quarter, even as the fighting sparked fears of a civil war in the fledgling nation. As time goes by, the pressure increases because “It’s a highly unpredictable, volatile situation and still very much a risk that the violence could continue to spread to other areas of the country”, he says.

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

Since 2011, Kids Alive has had a presence in South Sudan. They launched a home in Wau for street children, mostly boys. Because there have been a couple isolated incidents between different tribes in town, Parker warns, “There is an uneasy calm, but there’s a real risk that one incident could really spark a widespread conflict.” Staff report feeling the tension, but they’re moving forward, he adds. “Despite the violence, we are still in the process of moving these children to a new children’s home that we just finished constructing. We are excited to see the opening of the new home. So despite the situation in the country, Kids Alive is very much committed to continuing its work.” The expansion of the children’s home means “we hope to double the number of street children that we’re working with in the next couple of years. We’re also doing some work in the community, working with children, providing an education for kids that would otherwise not have the opportunity to go to school.” Without Kids Alive’s help, the future of a street child is bleak. Roughly 29% of kids get to go to primary school. The rest often turn to the streets to survive. Tragically, many of these children are dying from preventable diseases, suffering abuse and persecution, becoming addicted to drugs and other substances, or getting involved in gangs, with no hope of having a better life.

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

Kids Alive’s focus is on the entire child. Just like Jesus, they are concerned about the empty stomachs of children as much as their empty hearts, explains Parker. “Bible teaching is a key part of our program. We’re excited to see these kids that have come from the streets that have come, not knowing the name of Jesus. It’s amazing to see the transformation in these children’s lives.” Through their community programs, “We want to see these families come to know Jesus. We want to see them connected to a local church, so our staff takes every opportunity to share the Good News.” With such a great need in this area, there are plans to grow this critical ministry as soon as they are able. “Pray for our work in Wau. It’s a tough situation, a tough area to work in. Pray for our staff, that they would be able to keep their eyes on Christ in every situation. Pray for our kids that despite the turmoil that’s taking place in South Sudan, that they would know the peace of God.”

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

South Sudan (MNN) — Recent fighting in South Sudan has left about 500 people dead, and the death toll could rise, warned the country’s government. Bodies are still being found in forests, and many of those who were wounded are dying in hospitals.

United Nations officials raised alarm in the days following a failed coup attempt, as continued violence not only displaced 15,000-20,000, but also fed concerns that the fledgling nation could topple back into civil war.

Despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew, the fighting has highlighted the bitter fault lines in the country. The president and his former vice president hail from different ethnic groups and fought on different sides during Sudan’s 1983-2005 civil war (Dinka and Nuer). There are also oil rights to consider and religious alliances.

Add to that new clashes between rival army factions, and there’s fear that the violence is spreading beyond Juba into Jonglei state. What’s more, there’s evidence that tensions were rising in other states.

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

Kids Alive International Vice President of Operations Jed Hamoud oversees the Kids Alive ministries in the Middle East and Africa. Of their work in South Sudan, he says for now, everyone is safe. “I’ve only been able to contact him once because the communications–phone network, internet, all of that–is pretty much unsupported–D-grade at this time, so the communication is poor.”

Wau is nearly 18 hours away from Juba. However, if the violence splits the nation along tribal lines again, no place is safe. Even in the remotest part of the village, says Hamoud, “The word gets around. They know there’s conflict. When I talked to Frances, our national director in Wau, he said the situation is very tense.”

Hamoud goes on to explain that in Wau, “We have residential children, about 20 children in residential care, and then we have about 20 community children that we care, for as well.” Although violence hasn’t hit them directly, it has caused a problem. “With the airport closed, with the banks closed, the only way to get between Juba and Wau is flying. There are no roads that take you there. We are concerned about our ministry being able to reach their bank to get the funding they need to buy the food and the needs to take care of the children.”

Already on the edge of survival, having no food isn’t an option. Fortunately, there is history with the community. “What we have done is rely upon community people to provide us with food we need: the grocers there, the shopkeepers, and so on. When we have our hands on our resources, we pay them.”

(Photo courtesy Kids Alive International)

Hamoud says their focus is on the entire child. Their team focuses on meeting the physical, emotional, AND spiritual needs of each child through Christ-centered care, education, and ministry. With the safety concerns mounting, the team takes the opportunity to prepare the kids. “In the morning, we have devotions with the children, and we have devotions in the evening with the children. A lot of those things get talked about.”

Christian caregivers in their Children’s Homes and community programs nurture and encourage these children to become faithful followers of Jesus that give hope to their community. Hope brings change, says Hamoud. “We usually try to give the message of peace, love, reconciliation. We do all that we can to teach the kids those biblical principles.”

This situation isn’t the first crisis for Kids Alive in South Sudan, and it may not be the last. Hamoud says, ”We know that it is the power of prayer that has sustained us all those years. We covet the prayers of everybody for the safety for our children, for the wisdom of our leadership.”

Please pray:
1. For the current situation to be resolved and that the violence would cease with no further loss of life.
2. For the safety of the children at the home in Wau and that they would know God’s peace at this turbulent time.
3. For the Director and staff, that they would make wise decisions and would continue to be able to meet the needs of the children.