East Africa (MNN) — In East Africa, children with disabilities or mental health conditions are often severely mistreated. Parents don’t always know what to do with their disabled kids and even see them as curses or bad omens. So these children are often locked away or chained up. They are malnourished, abused, and cut off from the rest of society.

Dean VanderMey with Set Free Ministries says sometimes these disabled children are cast out and left to die, even as infants.

“They actually put them in the jungle and they let the wild dogs come and eat them at times. So it’s even worse than you might think. Sometimes they’re not just chained to a pole.”

Set Free has been working in East Africa since 2005. They were first invited to Uganda, then expanded to other countries in the region.

VanderMey says it was heartbreaking to see children who were cast out by their families. They knew they had to respond as a ministry.

Robert, before his surgeries. (Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

Today, Set Free has founded or supported 17 Christian schools in Uganda, Kenya, and Sudan. Students of all abilities are welcome to attend the schools and are shown Christ’s love. Set Free also supports En-Gedi Children’s Home in Kenya for disabled children.

VanderMey shares one story about a boy named Robert. When he was around three or four-years-old, Robert suffered severe abuse that left both of his legs broken and twisted.

“His feet were actually pointing backward. He was thrown along the roadside and left for dead,” VanderMey says. “A local family saw him…and they picked him up.

“We invited him to come to one of our schools even though he was severely handicapped. And not only that, but…we had some donors wanting to help repair his legs. So he went through four very extensive surgeries.”

Robert ran to greet VanderMey during a recent visit.
(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

VanderMey says, “Today, Robert can run, he can walk, and he’s the top student in his class. He’s valedictorian, and he’s a bright young man.”

All 2,000 students in Set Free’s schools will go through vocational training of some kind, such as accounting, farming, motorcycle repair, sewing, or cosmetology. By the time they graduate, each student will be ready to attend university or join the workforce.

But most importantly, each student hears about Jesus’s love for them — no matter what they have suffered in life.

“We’re seeing a lot of children who have been loved to life. Love covers over a multitude of sins.”

You can show Christ’s love to disabled and discarded children in East Africa through Set Free Ministries! Click here to support Set Free.

VanderMey also asks for prayer as their team travels to and from East Africa. “Prayer is obviously what this whole ministry is bathed in. So pray for safe travel and for health. The last time I was there, I got malaria twice. When I came home, I nearly died. So pray for health, pray for safety, and then pray that God would be glorified through the stories through the witnesses.”

Header photo courtesy of Noam Jordan via Unsplash.

However, maybe it should.

A Unique Ministry

(Photo courtesy of The King’s Table Ministries)

Sally Gallagher, co-founder of The King’s Table Ministries, explains, “You know, in John 9, when Jesus was talking about the healing of the blind man… He talked about the disability and there being question about the man’s blindness and what the parents did, as far as sin-wise to cause him to be blind.

“Jesus is very clear that, through [the blind man’s] disability, God shows Himself. When you look at that and really ponder on that for a while; days sometimes I will think about that, because it’s kind of a uniqueness that we can’t just put our hands around, how God actually shows Himself to people who don’t even know that’s what He’s doing.”

Shameless Evangelism

How does this type of evangelism work? Well, for example, The King’s Table Ministries has a dance team made up of members with disabilities. Yet, these disabilities don’t keep them from worshipping or carrying out evangelism. Instead, it could be argued, it enhances them.

“I see it over and over and over again, whether it’s in the school we work in, or the group homes, or the churches, they have so much to bring and give from the spiritual aspect,” Sally says.

There’s no shame with these people. Dance team members have no shame in telling others they dance for Jesus. And as Gallagher admits, she can’t even do that.

Furthermore, all of humanity is made in God’s image. God does not use society’s value system. 1 Samuel 16:7b says, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (ESV)

So why would those individuals with disabilities be any less capable of proclaiming God’s name? They’re not.

The King’s Table Ministries’ dance team. (Photo Courtesy The King’s Table Ministries)

The truth of the matter is God can use anyone at any time for the work of the kingdom, and He does.

Evangelism isn’t limited to those who are theologically or culturally inclined. It includes all of God’s people.

Still, Gallagher says their evangelism isn’t always simply proclaiming Jesus’s name. Instead, she’s seen first-hand the Gospel work in individuals’ caretakers’ lives.

When one of these men and women attend church, they’re accompanied by their caretakers. Sometimes, this is the first time these caretakers attend church or hear the Gospel, and it changes lives.

So whether evangelism is a term that makes you think of South America or a Chicago neighborhood, remember that any one of God’s children can share His love and the Gospel. Including people you might not expect.

Want to see first-hand how God’s children at The King’s Table Ministries worship and evangelize?

Then come visit The King’s Table Ministries’ dance team’s next performance set for October 11, at Cornerstone University. Click here to learn more!

To donate to The King’s Table Ministries, click here.

OR, to you can also volunteer with The King’s Table Ministries.

God’s plan had been put into motion.

In the Middle East and North Africa, people with disabilities are either hidden or shunned. Disabled children are an embarrassment to their parents, and access to buildings, opportunities, and employment are limited.

Tania Nahas
(Photo Courtesy SAT-7)

That’s where SAT-7 came in.

They hired Tania as a receptionist in their Lebanon office, and she fulfilled her role beyond expectations, all from a wheelchair.

Then, one of the channel producers saw an opportunity he had been waiting for. He had always wanted to do a program for and about people with disabilities, and Tania was the perfect host for such a show. The show was called, “One Hour is Not Enough,” and by the end of its run had produced an impressive twenty-six 90-minute episodes. Each episode enthralled people with and without disabilities, asking them to respect and remember others whose daily lives might not be as easy as their own, and reminding them of God’s unconditional love.

“One Hour is Not Enough” was the first television channel in the Middle East and North Africa to be hosted by someone with a disability. Not only were all the guests on the show disabled, so were the host and episode consultant. The atmosphere allowed guests to speak with boldness, and they weren’t shy about sharing their struggles with physical, mental, and social issues.

The show was a huge hit. Tania was astonished to be recognized in public as the show’s host, and calls came in to the show from across the region.

(Photo courtesy SAT-7)

The calls varied, but all reflected an appreciation for the show and the impact it was having on the community. People said the show was changing the public identity of disabled people and that the program had inspired the improvement of roads and facilities. Parents of disabled children called in to thank Tania for giving them the courage to take their children into public.

Although the show has adjusted over the years, the core idea of encouraging people struggling with issues that make their daily lives much more difficult remains. Pray that SAT-7 will continue to lead the charge to stand up for those who may not be able to do so themselves. You can help by supporting SAT-7 right here.

(Photo courtesy of SOAR International via Twitter)

Abkhazia (MNN) — Few countries recognize its independence. Many people do not know it even exists. It has been forgotten by much of the world, but one Christian organization has made it the target of its ministry.

Abkhazia broke from the Soviet Union in the 1990s and considers itself an independent state. Georgia’s government, the United Nations, and much of the rest of the world, however, consider it a part of Georgia. Due partly to this lack of world recognition, its needs go unmet, and poverty in Abkhazia is rampant. But SOAR International is working to bring change.

One church SOAR partnered with during the Sochi Olympics is ministering to the churches in Abkhazia, and asked SOAR to help with its outreach. One of the Abkhazia church’s main outreach programs is aimed toward serving handicapped children, specifically those with cerebral palsy. SOAR workers packed a 40-foot long container full of wheelchairs donated from the Joni and Friends foundation, a handicap van, and other supplies to be shipped to Abkhazia for the churches there to access.

“The church is really filling a vital need, and we have been excited to do what we can to help then in that outreach ministry,” says SOAR’s Greg Mangione. But this wasn’t the only way SOAR helped meet needs. The pastor of the church has a building where he gives therapeutic massages to children with cerebral palsy. Not only was he in need of supplies, but he needed space to store them. And since the church sits on a small plot of land, the ministry doesn’t have much room to expand.

But again, SOAR workers stepped in to bring assistance. SOAR held a fundraiser, and earned enough money to purchase a plot of land.

“The Lord opened up an opportunity to buy a perfect piece of property just down the street from the church, across the street from the Black Sea. It was good sized and has a building on it,” Mangione says. “We had a big fundraiser, and they were able to purchase the property. There was even enough money to get electricity and running water going.”

Every year, the church also holds a summer camp for disabled children. Finding an available location for the camp was difficult, let alone expensive. Now, the church can hold an affordable camp on its own property.

SOAR International’s Greg and Vika Mangione.
(Photo courtesy of SOAR International)

Not only does this ministry meet children’s physical needs, it gives them hope and security. With unemployment around 70%, parents spend more time searching for work than caring for their children. Abkhazia has few resources for assisting those with birth defects, so their needs often go unattended to. Like Abkhazia itself, these children are often forgotten. But SOAR is demonstrating God’s love and creating opportunities to share Christ.

“I got to meet a gentleman who came to the Lord through his handicapped situation,” Mangione explains. “He had become handicapped, and the church started reaching out to him as nobody else was, and he saw God’s love and accepted the Lord.

“It definitely is opening doors, showing people that they are loved, that God loves them, and that they aren’t just abandoned. Every day the church is trying to find more and more people that they can reach out to help and really show God’s love through this ministry to the handicapped.”

God has blessed SOAR with resources to serve, but they still need your help. Pray that SOAR would effectively meet physical and spiritual needs in Abkhazia. Pray also for the safety of SOAR workers as they travel to Abkhazia this summer to continue helping the church. Support SOAR’s work in Eastern Europe by donating to its Abkhazia ministry fund.

For Haiti with Love ministers to all different ages. Please help them in this time of need. (Photo by For Haiti)

Haiti (MNN) — It’s a fact that the things of this world are unreliable.

For Haiti with Love is well aware of this truth. This month, they will not receive their regular food aid. This is the second month since December.

Eva DeHart of For Haiti explains how dire the situation is as food runs out: “We’re fast running out of food for our food program. We’re going to have to switch to local sources for rice and beans to carry us through this time, and it’s going to be more expensive than what we’ve been dealing with.”

As the stocks run out, DeHart says, “We have people looking in Haiti to locate sources of bulk rice and beans that we can get to carry us over.”

It may not seem like such an issue to use local food sources. However, the difference is extreme. It is $10,000 worth of extreme.

“We have elderly, we have disabled, we have great-grandmas raising grandkids,” DeHart says, “We’ve got people that will starve to death if we don’t get regrouped pretty quick, and at this point that means money.”

Their food program is a response to the general poverty of the area. “When times get tough, the young people get very involved in providing for their own families, and the elderly get forgotten.” DeHart explains, “They’re people who are too old and too weak, really, to provide for themselves, and [they] just need help in getting food. There are a lot of disabled people–people who have been injured in their work, people who were born with physical disabilities.”

There is another group that is desperate for help. Their situation is heart-breaking: “People are walking away from their children for some reason, and they’re leaving them with Grandma, or they’re leaving them with Great-Grandma. Those people are really too old to figure out a way to provide for those children. And nutrition at a young age is very, very important for mind development.”

Not only have these children been abandoned by their parents, but their providers wonder where the food will come from.

This program is not all about earthly food, however. When asked if For Haiti gets a chance to share the Gospel through this, Dehart says affirmatively, “All the time.”

The burn clinic is another place where people need food, and it’s another chance for them to see the love of Christ in action. Here also they need good food in order to heal properly and get back to work.

“They know that their food is coming from God, and that it is God’s people who are helping them,” DeHart says.

If you feel led to help For Haiti with Love through this time, it’s easy to give. Visit their homepage here, and click the picture icon right under “Donate now!” on the upper left.

DeHart also says that there are Teams heading to Haiti soon to help out with various aspects of the ministry. She asks that you pray for those will to step out and get involved with mission groups around the world.

She says, “It really helps the morale of the Haitian people to take hold and try to help themselves when they see people coming from America who are willing to leave the comforts of their homes and go down to help and to share God’s love with them.”

Please pray for God’s comfort, guidance, and providence through this time.

The two begin a race and the hare quickly leaves his opponent in the dust. Confident in his ability to win, the hare settles down for a bit of shut-eye halfway through the course. Tired but continuing along steadily, the tortoise overtakes the snoozing speedster for a win.

Hence, the phrase and moral lesson, “Slow but steady wins the race,” continues to pass along from generation to generation.

The new building is now taller than the current office building! (Image, caption courtesy ASM)

Audio Scripture Ministries cohort World Cassette Outreach of India (WCOI) is personifying this concept in Bangalore.

ASM began raising funds to construct a new ministry center several years ago. The old building was torn down at the end of 2012, and work began on a new center to take its place.

The first level was finished in June, and ASM says the four-floor building’s skeleton should be completed in a few weeks. At that point, workers will move inside to begin constructing the building’s interior.

Pray for continual safety of the workers.

WCOI gets God’s Word in audio to forgotten groups like the disabled and illiterate. This new ministry center will help them work more quickly and efficiently.

Bricks are making an appearance. Soon they will begin to form walls for rooms! (Image/caption courtesy ASM)

At the same time construction is progressing in Bangalore, a new branch of ministry is taking root in nearby Nepal. Demand for audio Bibles is rising in this previously-isolated country, and WCOI leaders are making connections with Nepalese pastors.

Pray distributions of Nepalese audio Scriptures can begin soon.

Even though work continues on the new ministry center in Bangalore, financial support is still needed for this project. Click here to make a difference.

The two begin a race, and the hare quickly leaves his opponent in the dust. Confident in his ability to win, the hare settles down for a bit of shut-eye halfway through the course. Tired but continuing along steadily, the tortoise overtakes the snoozing speedster for a win.

Hence, the phrase and moral lesson, "Slow but steady wins the race," continues to pass along from generation to generation.

Audio Scripture Ministries cohort World Cassette Outreach of India (WCOI) is personifying this concept in Bangalore.

ASM began raising funds to construct a new ministry center several years ago. The old building was torn down at the end of 2012, and work began on a new center to take its place.

The first level was finished in June, and ASM says the four-floor building's skeleton should be completed in a few weeks. At that point, workers will move inside to begin constructing the building's interior.

Pray for continual safety of the workers.

WCOI gets God's Word in audio to forgotten groups like the disabled and illiterate. This new ministry center will help them work more quickly and efficiently.

At the same time construction is progressing in Bangalore, a new branch of ministry is taking root in nearby Nepal. Demand for audio Bibles is rising in this previously-isolated country, and WCOI leaders are making connections with Nepalese pastors.

Pray that distributions of Nepalese audio Scriptures can begin soon.

Even though work continues on the new ministry center in Bangalore, financial support is still needed for this project. Click here to make a difference.

On this trip, Kaytie Fiedler and her teammates shared Christ’s love with over 200 orphans like this one. (Image courtesy India Partners)

India Partners’ Kaytie Fiedler led a team to work on projects in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Her team helped disabled students prepare for interviews and trained villagers in WASH – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

Last but not least, the team got a chance to share Christ’s love with over 200 orphans – a highlight for Fiedler.

“When you live in that massive of a community with very few adults, it is just a joy [to see] big people that want to play with you and spend time with you, and do crafts,” she explains.

“I absolutely love bringing that kind of joy and the love of Jesus to those kids.”

However, Fiedler says working with adults is equally gratifying. On the team’s first week in India, they spent time at the Agape Rehabilitation Center helping graduating students prepare for job interviews.

“Some are deaf, some are blind, some are in wheelchairs; so, the variety of disabilities is [huge] and this organization has an incredible way of meeting the needs of those people,” says Fiedler.

Disabled students receive helpful tips on how to create a great resume. (Image, caption courtesy India Partners)

The group’s sessions geared toward helping students prepare for a future job: resume writing, interviewing skills, how to be an excellent employee and video production.

“When you are put up against able-bodied employees, you have to do your very best to try and out-do any other employee,” Fiedler explains.

Fiedler and her cohorts hope video production and the other skills they shared will give students an edge over their competition.

“They were excited and empowered, and I know they’re really looking forward to getting the opportunity to put those new skills into practice,” says Fiedler.

Using those skills to overcome prejudice will be a sweet victory for Agape students.

“If [the disabled are] seen out on the streets they’ll be spit on, they’ll be shooed away, people yell at them and mock them and ask them to go back home, [saying] ‘We don’t want to see you’,” says Fiedler. “It’s very sad.”

Pray for opportunities in their lives and open doors to share the Gospel.

On the second leg of their journey, Fiedler and her teammates ‘trained the trainers’ in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene practices. Around 50 community leaders came from three different centers to become WASH program trainers.

“Their creativity and the enthusiasm in which they embraced that information was really inspirational and a lot of fun,” Fiedler says. “They came up with the most creative skits, dramas, songs – they got the information and then embellished the ways that they could educate others.”

One of the skits was caught on tape – watch it here.

And, leaders aren’t just learning skills to prevent disease and save physical lives. Fiedler says each lesson is “peppered with Scripture and biblical principles.”

Learn more about the WASH program.

In addition to helping with India Partners’ field projects, the team was also able to attend an English-speaking church service. In 20 years of journeying to India, this opportunity became Fiedler’s first chance to share God’s Word in her native tongue.

“My message was to encourage them to really seek and understand what [God has] called them to do and get out there and do it, because it is going to revolve around meeting needs,” says Fiedler.

“Your purpose in life is always going to be about how you can love and serve others with the best of your abilities and the skills and talents that God has given you.”

She says many individuals approached the team for prayer after the service concluded.

“There were teachers, there were moms; there was a huge beautiful blend of people there, just like here in the States, that are on these walks of life wondering, ‘What am I doing here?’ and ‘How can I best serve God where I’m at?’,” Fiedler notes.

“There was one young man who just got his pilot’s license and he wants to go work for Mission Aviation Fellowship, and was trying to figure out a way to do that.”

Pray growth for each believer in the knowledge of Christ and His will.

Would you like to share Christ’s love in India? The next trip goes in November; learn more by clicking here.

Kaytie Fiedler with
India Partners led a team to work on projects in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Her team trained villagers in WASH–Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, and helped disabled students prepare for job interviews.

Last but not least, the team got a chance to share Christ's love with over 200 orphans–a highlight for Fiedler.

"When you live in that massive of a community with very few adults, it is just a joy [to see] big people that want to play with you, spend time with you, and do crafts," she explains.

"I absolutely love bringing that kind of joy and the love of Jesus to those kids."

However, Fiedler says working with adults is equally gratifying. On the team's first week in India, they spent time at the Agape Rehabilitation Center helping graduating students prepare for job interviews.

"Some are deaf, some are blind, some are in wheelchairs, so the variety of disabilities is [huge]. This organization has an incredible way of meeting the needs of those people," says Fiedler.

The group's sessions geared toward helping students prepare for future employment: resume writing, interviewing skills, how to be an excellent employee, and video production.

"When you are put up against able-bodied employees, you have to do your very best to try and out-do any other employee," Fiedler explains.

Fiedler and her cohorts hope video production and the other skills they shared will give students an edge over their competition.

"They were excited and empowered, and I know they're really looking forward to getting the opportunity to put those new skills into practice," says Fiedler.

Using those skills to overcome prejudice will be a sweet victory for Agape students.

"If [the disabled are] seen out on the streets, they'll be spit on, they'll be shooed away; people yell at them and mock them and ask them to go back home, [saying], 'We don't want to see you,'" says Fiedler. "It's very sad."

Pray for opportunities for the Agabe students and open doors to share the Gospel.

On the second leg of their journey, Fiedler and her teammates "trained the trainers" in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene practices. Around 50 community leaders came from three different centers to become WASH program trainers.

"Their creativity and the enthusiasm with which they embraced that information was really inspirational and a lot of fun," Fiedler says. "They came up with the most creative skits, dramas, songs; they got the information and then embellished the ways that they could educate others."

One of the skits was caught on tape: watch it here.

These leaders are not only learning skills to prevent disease and save physical lives: Fiedler says each lesson is "peppered with Scripture and biblical principles."

Learn more about the WASH program.

In addition to helping with India Partners field projects, the team was also able to attend an English-speaking church service. In 20 years of journeying to India, this opportunity became Fiedler's first chance to share God's Word in her native tongue.

"My message was to encourage them to really seek and understand what [God has] called them to do and get out there and do it, because it is going to revolve around meeting needs," she says.

"Your purpose in life is always going to be about how you can love and serve others with the best of your abilities and the skills and talents that God has given you."

Fiedler says many individuals approached the team for prayer after the service concluded.

"There were teachers, there were moms. There was a huge beautiful blend of people there, just like here in the States, that are on these walks of life wondering, 'What am I doing here?' and 'How can I best serve God where I am?'" Fiedler notes.

"There was one young man who just got his pilot's license and wants to go work for Mission Aviation Fellowship. He was trying to figure out a way to do that."

Pray for each believer to grow in the knowledge of Christ and His will.

Would you like to share Christ's love in India? The next trip is scheduled for November. Click here to learn more.

"Our vision is an India full of hope, justice, and the compassion of Christ," says Glass. "If they (listeners) feel that in their heart, then we want them on our trip."

On June 28, India Partners is going to visit a cohort, the Agape Rehabilitation Center (ARC). Since its inception, ARC has served over 600 people, providing computer training free of charge. ARC's training includes specialized courses for people with all kinds of physical handicaps.

The team will arrive right after students complete their government exams and can help ARC students prepare for their graduation in mid-July.

"We are going to help them by doing some mock interviews, give suggestions on how to present themselves and how to answer with confidence," Glass says.

Disabled individuals face significant challenges in India, where many consider them a shame.

"They are shunned and hidden away. The justice isn't there; they're not given an equal shot," says Glass. "They have rights as human beings and fellow Indian citizens to go out and secure good jobs with good pay."

India's constitution doesn’t protect disabled people from discrimination, observed the U.S. State Department in a human rights report issued earlier this month. Reports say India has struggled to pass a Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD) since 2011.

You can help show the love of Christ to India's disabled. Sign up for the trip by contacting India Partners.

Pray for safety for the team's travels. Pray that many will see the love of Jesus through team members.

"Pray that God's blessing and Spirit is upon the team, and upon all who we encounter."