One family was earning very little from their small vegetable farm. The father thought his children would have to find work across the border in Thailand. But with training from World Concern, the family learned how to cultivate mushrooms. Now they have a thriving business.

The father told World Concern:

“I hope to share this success with others as well, so we will all benefit from this. Thank you, World Concern, for giving me this opportunity to help my family. My wife and children love mushroom farming very much…. This is actually a double blessing. First, the mushroom farm helped me in providing for my family. Likewise, our family will stay together in our village. My children no longer need to go to Thailand to earn their keep in the future.” 

Photo courtesy of World Concern.

Julia Boharski of World Concern says, “When times are tough or resources are stretched, they now have a sustainable source of income for him and his children.”

World Concern has similarly served the people of Laos since 1983 and over ten thousand Laotians in the last year alone. The organization works with the Laos government and the Ministry of Health to provide more resources to rural communities.

“Our activities that are present there is integrated development, so really focusing on those root causes of poverty,” Boharski says.

Partnering with community leaders, their programs range from improving health to preventing human trafficking. The majority of World Concern’s in-country team are Laotians and other South Asians, many of whom are local to the same areas they serve.

Boharski says, “Really, it’s just an effort of sustainability to learn from the community what their needs are, what are the risks that are posed to them and their children, and how can we just meet them where they are.”

But God has not abandoned Laos.

Pray for God to bless and protect vulnerable families and especially the children in Laos. Ask God to keep them from harm and increase their opportunities for the future. May the team of World Concern benefit the lives of many more Laotians and give them hope. Watch this video from Prayercast to pray further over Laos.

Learn more about World Concern and how you can partner with their work at WorldConcern.org.

Header photo shows a mushroom farmer in Laos (Asian Development Bank, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

But there’s much more to it than that.

Rob Myers with DOOR International tells us, “If your hearing went away right now, what you would envision is you would gather information through reading. But that’s not the experience that Deaf people have.”

(Image courtesy of DOOR International)

Reading is a sound-based experience. For people born Deaf, reading is just a series of symbols and a very challenging second language to learn.

“When you think about Deaf ministry and trying to provide resources to Deaf people in general,” Myers says, “not only do you have to take away all the audio resources or sound-based resources, but you actually need to take away all of the written resources as well, because Deaf people for the majority of the globe don’t have full access to that information.”

That’s why DOOR is passionate about creating sign language resources for the Deaf.

“Sign language, which is a very different language in terms of grammar and structure, really is their first language,” Myers says. 

Very few resources exist today in sign languages. As far as access to God’s Word, only one sign language out of the 375 globally has a full Bible video translation (American Sign Language). 

“Just in terms of Scripture access, [we have] up to 75% of the sign languages that are out there globally that have no Scripture translation that has been happening at all,” Myers says. 

“That’s a very different situation than we find ourselves here in America, where we have literally hundreds of different Bible translations and we can get access to any of those types of resources that we need.”

Pray for DOOR’s innovative Bible translation work and learn more about how you can partner with their work at doorinternational.org. 

Header photo courtesy of SHVETS production/Pexels. 

“We’re seeing renewed fighting in some countries like Syria and completely new conflicts erupting in other places,” says Hunter Williamson with Thimar-LSESD.

Photo courtesy of Thimar-LSESD via Facebook

“When the war between Hamas and Israel began in October, some of the armed groups here in Lebanon, who are allied with Hamas, began attacking Israeli positions, which has created a conflict here which has displaced about 83,000 people.”

Israel has also returned fire into Lebanon. In the middle of these tensions, LSESD seeks to provide relief and development aid as well as education and church discipleship. (More on that here.)

Today, the needs are enormous.

“The country has really been suffering under a severe economic crisis since 2019. It’s been hosting a tremendously large refugee population of Syrians. It also hosts a few 100,000 Palestinians as well,” says Williamson.

“Some of the latest figures show more than 80% of the population being cast into poverty.”

Pray for Thimar-LSESD as they provide aid for displaced persons in Lebanon, and consider supporting this critical ministry.

“Every donation, every dollar helps tremendously,” says Williamson.

Header photo courtesy of LSESD.

Perhaps you’re still unsure about these rites of passage. Many Deaf Christians fall into this category.

“Often, when we encounter Deaf people who come across these concepts, they’ve encountered them visually – they’ve seen people get married or baptized – but they have very little background information about why that’s necessary,” Rob Myers of DOOR International says.

“Frequently, there can be misunderstandings about the Scriptures connected to those areas.”

(Photo courtesy of DOOR International)

On one occasion, Deaf leaders trained by DOOR encountered a Deaf pastor employing unusual techniques. The Deaf pastor was “sharing the Gospel – which was awesome – and people were coming to Christ,” Myers says.

When it came time to baptize the new believers, this Deaf pastor would hand each person a microphone before they stepped into the water. “Keep in mind, these people are Deaf,” Myers says.

“Before they (new believers) were baptized, they’d say some things into the microphone. Our leader was also deaf and had no idea what this person was saying, so he asked the Deaf pastor, ‘What were you having them say in the microphone and why?’” Myers continues.

Referencing Romans 10, the Deaf pastor told DOOR’s leader, “This Scripture says, ‘If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ Deaf people must confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord, so they have to speak the words when they’re getting baptized, and we have them practice that.”

DOOR’s leader quickly explained, “No, no, no, that proclamation doesn’t literally have to come out of your mouth; it can come off your hands, it can be a sign language proclamation – ‘Yes, Jesus is my Lord, I surrendered my life to Him.’ That small explanation had a radical change in terms of how this person [understood baptism],” Myers says.

“These kinds of misunderstandings are very prevalent in the Deaf community because Deaf leaders often don’t have full access to Scripture.”

DOOR International is producing a new set of training resources to help counteract the confusion. More about that here.

“These videos [will] be freely available to any Deaf leader who wants more training in evangelism, discipleship, or church planting, or just wants access to more theological education and content,” Myers says.

“The number of resources in sign languages is generally minimal. We plan to make these videos available for free on our website so that Deaf people can finally access this information in their heart language, in sign language.”

You can help by spreading the word! Use the buttons at the bottom of the page to share this article through email or social media.

Connect with DOOR here to find more ways to help.

Header and story images courtesy of DOOR International.

The campaign is called Greater Together. Don Waybright, e3’s new Executive Vice President of Partnerships, says, “This premise is that together – and that’s field staff, that’s our national indigenous co-workers, that’s Great Commission ministries and partners around the world, that’s Kingdom investors and donors and friends of e3 – we can be a thriving family all being driven together by this audacious vision of really getting the Gospel to every people, every village, every place.”

(Photo courtesy of Priscilla du Preez/Unsplash)

E3 needs fellow believers like you to support Greater Together and help make Jesus Christ known in every corner of the world.

Waybright says, “You look at Scripture and the age that we’re in and there’s one sign that the end is coming. That was, ‘…this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed to all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.’ [Matt. 24:14] We’re in the age of movements – this exponential increase of Gospel activity around the world.”

Click here to give towards e3’s Greater Together campaign.

Then, pray for the advancement of the Great Commission around the world.

“Pray for the stewardship of what God has given us,” asks Waybright. “Let us not take organizational shortcuts. Let us continue to keep that ethos, putting our head in the Bible, praying, abiding, surrendering, yielding, and pursuing these targets with great passion. We’re an apostolic ministry, and let’s continue to protect and steward that dynamic.”

Header photo courtesy of Louis Hansel/Unsplash.

Europe isn’t the only place where sign language Scripture is unavailable. Only one of the world’s 350 sign languages has a complete Bible translation.

DOOR International is one of many agencies working together to change this statistic.

“In spoken languages, there’s an approach [called] ‘gateway languages.’ For example, in Kenya, two languages tend to be the (gateway) languages of wider communication: English and Swahili. You might use one of those in the community, but then in your home, you might have a language you grew up using, like Kikuyu,” DOOR International’s Rob Myers says.

“Once we get a Bible translation and resources in the gateway language (English or Swahili), any other language user that knows [it can] effectively use that to translate God’s Word into their [home] language.”

Meeting Deaf needs on a global scale requires a different strategic approach.

First, DOOR’s Deaf leadership team ranks various sign languages according to the most significant potential impact. In other words, how many Deaf people use the sign language? Strategic sign languages are those used by a large portion of the global Deaf community.

DOOR’s Translation Resources Development team finished developing how-to videos for translation teams. Now, they are passing on their knowledge and experience to the brand new 2-by-2 Resources Development team.
(Photo, caption courtesy of DOOR International)

“An example would be Russian Sign Language because [it] was taught throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia during the former Soviet Union,” Myers says.

“Another thing we look at is the spiritual maturity of the Deaf Church in a community. Bible translation always has to be paired with theological education and spiritual formation.”

With this principle in mind, DOOR combines Deaf-led church planting with sign language Bible translation efforts. More about that here.

“Our organization most recently has been focusing on [creating] resources, not in written language, but in video format, so (Deaf) communities that want to start Bible translation work would have the tools they need to begin,” Myers says.

“Traditionally, there have been very few resources in sign language that help Deaf people understand, ‘How do I share my faith? How do I follow Jesus? What’s involved in planting a church? How do I begin a Bible translation project?’”

Sign up for regular updates from DOOR here. Most importantly, pray. “This is very new work. Many people leading these movements have only been believers for a few years. Pray for spiritual maturity and encouragement,” Myers requests.

Header image depicts a Deaf-led training session. Deaf people are part of one of the largest unreached people groups of the world. Part of that is due to a lack of training and resources available in sign language. With God’s help, this is slowly changing. (Photo, caption courtesy of DOOR International) 

For 20 years FARMS International has operated two separate loan programs in Haiti. Surviving hurricanes, earthquake, and sickness, these locally-run programs seek to strengthen communities by offering business loans through local churches. Projects typically revolve around agriculture and livestock, says FARMS Executive Director Scott Clifton.

One program issues 35 loans a year while another had issued more than 300 before natural disaster setbacks. They’re working back up again, and 60-65 families are currently loan recipients.

(Photo courtesy of FARMS International).

Among the recipients are many large families with 7-10 kids. Widows with FARMS loans have been able to create livelihoods for themselves and their families.

Haitian loan participants often buy goats and pigs. With the additional money or livestock they are able to pay back the loan, allowing money to go out again.

Those extra livestock are a form of security for many families.

“If they have goats and they need an emergency expense… then they’ll sell one of the goats and they’ll have that money available,” Clifton says.

The earnings also go back into the community through church offerings, adding an extra layer of support. Learn more about FARMS here.

Relief vs. Development

(Photo courtesy of FARMS International).

There is an important place for relief, but that’s not where FARMS does its best work. In cases of disaster and war, fast externally sourced relief can be life-saving. FARMS does its best work by addressing the long term.

“Haiti really is a place with a lot of need and a lot of poverty. It’s a difficult situation to work in, because the need is so evident, yet at the same time there’s so many people trying to help. There’s more NGOs per capita than any other nation and so there can be a real problem of dependency as well,” Clifton says.

The FARMS approach focuses on local development and dignity.

“They’re joining the purpose that God has for their life by using the gifts and talents that God has given them. And when people have that… dignity, participating in the kingdom in that way, that can be really transformative,” he says.

Haiti’s Unique Training Program

FARMS loan programs are each run by a local board of directors who receive training in business and on what to look for in a loan. The Haitian directors decided to go a step beyond and provide general and technical training for all loan recipients, Clifton says.

Pastor Renaud, one of the Haiti program directors, describes the process as ‘like training a toddler to walk.’

First they stand, then they take their first steps, and soon they’re running around having completed their business development.

Pastor Renaud and the other Haitian FARMS leaders have made development even easier for program participants.

“It was something that they developed because they saw the need, and when they developed it, they saw it meet that need. And so they continued with it. And that’s a great model to follow,” Clifton says.

He thinks the Haitian Loan Program’s training may be helpful in other locations.

How Can I Pray?

Pray for the residents of Haiti and other FARMS locations around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cases have now reached Haiti, but social distancing is often not possible due to close quarters and an inability to stop working.

“It’s just a very difficult situation if diseases start to spread rapidly.”

Pray for the success of FARMS programs and local loan recipients. Ask that successes now would create a domino effect for future generations and communities.

Consider donating to help support initial loan investments in places like Haiti.

Header photo courtesy of Tim Trad via Unsplash.

New Beginnings From Chance Meeting

It all began when Bill Wingenroth met former FARMS International Executive Director Joe Richter in a chance encounter at a missions conference. At the time, Wingenroth was working with a different organization and had been ministering in Cuba for several years. Outreach already included teaching, training pastors, and growing churches, but Wingenroth wanted to do more to improve the lives of believers and was encountering roadblocks.

(Photo courtesy of FARMS International via Facebook)

“We felt overwhelmed with what we saw, how poor the people were and how they were totally dependent on government rations,” Wingenroth says.

Purchases were limited, government programs had failed, and many were without work, Wingenroth says. (Learn more about Cuba’s current economic challenges here.) The will was there but the inability to get bank loans stood as a major hurdle to Cubans trying to improve their lives.

“They just needed some support, to be able to make some investment to start their own business,” Wingenroth says.

By providing interest-free loans through churches, FARMS International gave potential business owners exactly the opportunity they needed. Wingenroth, now a FARMS Board Member himself, considers the encounter almost a miracle.

Loans bring growth for the Cuban People

The effect of FARMS International’s involvement is already visible and Wingenroth is thrilled with the impact. The loans provided through FARMS have helped feed and support families, businesses, and churches alike.

“We started business after business after business. It’s been a very successful program in Cuba. FARMS International has just been an answer to my prayer, for the Cuban people to be able to take pride and be able to build up their church, and also be able to provide jobs for people within the church.”

Churches have grown and congregations have multiplied thanks to funds from FARMS programs, Wingenroth says. The impact continues to spread.

Impact of Local Church

In the province of Artemisa, a loan of several thousand dollars has already changed lives. With FARMS funds, a small house church rented 26 acres of land and hired 6-8 residents to work the plot. Half the crops were sold to pay back the initial loan and provide a profit, but the other half is being used in the church to feed the elderly who may only have a retirement of $10 a month, Wingenroth says.

“They’re feeding two meals a day for about 75 people in this little church.”

The elderly receive one noon meal and, after a worship service, go home with a supper.

“When I saw that I just had to cry because I thought, oh my gosh, how the Lord has blessed this program,” Wingenroth says.

(Photo provided courtesy of FARMS International via Facebook)

Through the FARMS loans programs, close to $60,000 has been invested in Cuba. But more generosity is needed to continue to improve the lives of communities and believers. Currently, there are more programs than there is funding to support them. FARMS international is not just servin in Cuba; they’re present all over the world including in Moldova, Ecuador, and the Philippines.

What’s next?

Will you join FARMS International in providing empowerment opportunities? Help communities in Cuba and around the world through a one time or recurring donation.

Wingenroth also asks for prayers. Pray for the success of the loan programs to build churches and communities to their full potential. Pray for the committees that oversee the loan programs and guidance in their decision making. Also, pray for wisdom among training leaders as they work to overcome the hurdle of teaching small business.

Header photo courtesy of Chandler Cruttenden via Unsplash.

Samuel explains, “We like the Good Samaritan, desire to show acts of love and kindness to our neighbor. In this case, our neighbors are the people that we work with here in the Middle East, our Muslim neighbor.”

Local Outreach

Redemptive Stories primarily works in a single community in Jordan. For many years this community had very little attention or help; today, there’s transformation happening, with the help of Redemptive Stories.

(Photo courtesy of Jean-Pierre Dalbéra on Flickr at https://goo.gl/v2KJm8
Header Photo Courtesy of Dennis Jarvis on Flickr at https://goo.gl/tXJPAa)

“Our main goal is to primarily work with local partnerships.” Samuel says, “And local partnerships mean believers that are from a Muslim background that desire passionately to communicate the love of Jesus Christ to their people and to do that through these vehicles, the vehicle of business development and community development.”

Often these community and business development programs take on different faces. From soccer clubs to start-up businesses, education opportunities, and refugee outreach, Redemptive Stories works with locals to help break poverty cycles and benefit their communities.

Doing Something Wonderful

Through the many facets of their work, Redemptive Stories is seeing the development of a community that is rich in hope, and compassion. As relationships develop, people begin to see their value and worth through different eyes.  The work is exciting and Samuel wants everyone to know it.

“In the Middle East, God is working. And He is making His name known and He is working to build His kingdom and valuable activity is happening here. People are coming to faith, the kingdom is growing and that sometimes what we see on the news isn’t the real story.”

Working Within the Law Where Possible

As amazing as what’s happening is, great care is taken to stay within the law. The government has outlawed proselytization. Christians in Jordan enjoy a relatively high level of religious freedom but there are some who experience pressure from their communities. Is it safe?

Samuel approaches this question from a different direction. “First of all I think the first question we ask as followers of Christ is we don’t need to be asking about the safety question because God never called us to a life of safety and comfort and relaxation. But He calls us to a life of walking with Him in the paths that he leads us to. So I think it’s the wrong question to ask.”

Samuel explains, “when I make decisions about each country, or wherever I live, we understand need to follow the law of the land wherever that does not conflict with our faith. But in those areas of conflict where it does conflict with our faith then we have to challenge that and ask those questions, ‘Okay, how can I do this and still respect the law of the land as much as possible but then also communicate truth and do what I’m called to do.’”

Get Involved

Most people are unaware of Jordan, its history, or its people, so first and foremost, get informed about the issues facing the country. Then, for those who want to make a difference, “[Pray] first and foremost for boldness. That we would be bold in the midst of strife and that we’d be bold in the midst of difficulty that comes along the way for our national partners in particular. They have to walk this balancing act of who I share my faith with, who I don’t, because of the fact that they are illegally doing what they are doing – as all of us are here.”