Brother Isaac* from Global Catalytic Ministries was in Myanmar not long ago. “Since the coup, there’s been a wave of economic hopelessness again. People cannot survive, people are hungry,” he says.

Protest in Myanmar against Military Coup 14-Feb-2021. (Wikimedia Commons, CC by SA 4.0)

“People everywhere just don’t know where to go on from here. I’ve never before been in an atmosphere where nearly everybody is afraid.” 

Unlikely leaders of the church

The civil war has displaced at least 3.6 million people and killed thousands — some estimate tens of thousands, such as the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project monitoring group.

The church in Myanmar hasn’t been spared these tragedies. It has many widows, many of whose husbands died in conscripted military service. Yet Isaac says these women are leading the church movement. 

“I look at their faces, and I know their losses. I know many of them have lost homes — their homes have been burnt down. They are in extreme persecution. And at the same time, their worship is extremely joyful,” he says.

A future hope

More things have changed in Myanmar since the 2021 coup. Isaac says Buddhist monks in Myanmar have received more power. Persecution of those who leave Buddhism to follow Christ is severe. Persecution also exists for people groups who are considered ethnically Christian, such as the Chin, Karen, and Kachin. 

“There’s something called ‘the Burmanization of Myanmar.’ That has expanded where it includes Buddhism,” says Isaac. “So other minority ethnic religious groups — even though they do deserve protection, even under the military — there is an undercurrent of attempts to force them to become Buddhist or at least submit to Buddhist ways.”

But one thing grounds Christians from all backgrounds: a very real hope in Christ’s second return. 

“They know that there is a coming hope,” says Isaac, “and that their hope is anchored in a deep Maranatha cry of ‘Come, Lord Yeshua. Come, Lord Jesus.’ That is the exciting part I’ve seen that I wish even the Western Church would grab.”

(Photo of child in Tambon Mae La, Kayin State, Myanmar courtesy of Z via Unsplash)

Find your place in the story

Pray for God to bring a time of refreshing upon the persecuted church in Myanmar, “so they could experience what it means to be a body without having to be refugees again,” says Isaac. 

Pray for a political change to happen in Myanmar, so that believers can live out their faith in freedom, not fear.

Finally, consider how to take further steps toward discipling others in Christ. 

“One of the best ways we can honor the underground church is by joining them in the call and the mission that they have,” says Isaac. That mission is the Great Commission, to help others become disciples of Christ, be baptized, and learn to obey all His commands.

If you’re looking for more insight on how to live on mission with God, consider visiting Global Catalytic Ministries’ website and taking a disciple-making course. 

*Pseudonym

Header photo: U Bein Bridge, Mandalay, Myanmar (Stock photo courtesy of Alexey Komissarov via Unsplash).

Saint was a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). On January 8, 1956, he and four fellow missionaries were killed on a jungle beach in Ecuador by the very tribe they were attempting to reach with the Gospel.

Gene with Nate, Shandia, 1955. (Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

For Gene Jordan, a former MAF pilot who spent 22 years serving in Ecuador, the story is personal. Jordan’s parents were missionaries in Ecuador starting in 1951 with a different mission organization.

“My parents knew all the missionaries in those early days,” he says. “I have a picture of myself sitting on Nate’s knee in the little jungle station of Shandia where the Elliots worked. I don’t remember it; I was too young. But what I do remember is always knowing of Nate with an airplane serving other people in the jungle.”

As a teenager, Jordan spent his time at the MAF base in Shell, Ecuador, helping however he could — fueling and washing planes, loading cargo, and buckling in passengers.

(Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

“I saw the difference the airplane made in the jungle communities. But more than that, I saw the impact and the effect that the pilots had in living out their faith and caring for people,” says Jordan.

“I decided this might be something that I could do, and I go back to the influence when I was young — of always knowing about MAF, knowing MAF pilots, seeing what they did, and the main one being Nate Saint because he was in Ecuador. I grew up with his kids and his widow, Aunt Marge. So it was always an influence in my life.”

Seven decades after the killings, it still echoes today – the faith legacy of these men, their widows, and a surrender to God’s will.

Jordan says, “When the five guys were killed on that day, the widows’ worlds fell apart. But…I never heard any of them say or write that they doubted that God was not in control.

“I have a letter that Elizabeth Elliot wrote my mom just a couple weeks after Jim was killed. In it, she says, ‘My house feels empty, but Jim died doing exactly what he felt God would have him do in the fullness of his manhood, and I cannot fault God for anything.’

Elisabeth Elliot with spears retrieved from the bodies. (Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

“Today, we have 70 years of being able to look back and see what God has done.”

As believers remember the sacrifice of these five men and the steadfast faith of their families, the question remains deeply personal.

What mission field is God calling you to?

Learn more about MAF’s ministry here.

Header photo: Five widows in Shell, following the return of the search party. (Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

Uncharted Ministries sought to encourage these believers by equipping them with a new skill and reminding them they have a purpose. 

The ministry purchased several sewing machines and hired a local Christian seamstress to offer a six-day-long sewing class as encouragement and practical help to twelve women.

Erik Ouimette with Uncharted says the ministry hopes to honor the women, giving them a new skill and a reason to be in the public square again, engaging with civic life. The ministry wants the widows to know that they are worthy of investment and valuable. 

They originally intended the event to be a ministry for Christian women. However, the on-the-ground team in Egypt turned it into an opportunity for evangelism. 

They wondered, “We’ve got enough sewing machines here, and the room is large enough. What if we bring in six Christian widows and six Muslim widows? What would happen?”

Muslims and Christians in the country are not supposed to gather for events like this, so the biggest concern going into class was that security might shut it down.

The event was successful, however, and the favor with security that was prayed for was granted. The class was a rare example of how Christians and Muslims could interact.

Ouimette says, “I’ve never seen more women, more integrated, sitting side by side at a sewing machine. One of them was running the elastic on a band of a pair of pants, and the other one was sitting there running the machine through. You would never know that one was a Christian and one was a Muslim. You would never know as the children in the room were playing, which kids were of which religion.”

Going forward, this ministry hopes to do more classes.

“No one held up women in a culture that did not more than Jesus did. That was the heart of our Lord and Savior, and that continues to be one of the big differentiating pieces between how Christians interact with women in Egypt and how the Muslim culture does.”

Please pray for the ministry that it will continue to find favor with security.

Pray for the widows in Egypt that they will be blessed by the ministry, encouraging believers and reaching unbelievers with the love of Jesus. Pray for the resources to do this good work. 

Header Photo is a representative stock image by J Williams on Unsplash

The Bibles were specifically hand-delivered to communities of widows who often live alone and have never heard the Bible in their native tongue. Many of them do not speak Spanish and are unable to read. They rely only on oral communication and speak one of two Indigenous dialects: Poqomchi’ or Qʼeqchiʼ

The following is a testimony from LaTonya Lewis, a missionary involved in the distribution. She recounts the initial reaction of the widows upon receiving God’s word for the first time in their tribal tongue:

As we prepare to distribute the audio Bibles, we can’t help but wonder if the recipients will be able to learn how to use these audio players. Most of them have no formal education, and learning to operate even a simple electronic device can be a significant challenge. Personally, knowing the dedicated individuals who have spent their lives translating for the Pokomchi people, and now seeing the fruits of their labor produced on these small devices, fills me with awe. Acting as a bridge to connect these two worlds—those who translated and produced the Bibles and the women receiving them—brings a profound sense of purpose and excitement. We understand the importance of follow-up; these women will need continued guidance and encouragement to fully utilize and benefit from the audio Bibles. Ensuring they can listen to and engage with the living Word is our ongoing mission.

One of the widows responded with “I live alone, but this will be my companion now, I will have God’s word with me and I will not be alone”. She practically hung the Bible around her neck from the moment we handed them out and didn’t stop playing it the whole time we were there! Her words really impacted my heart because most of the 64 widows live alone or have a couple of young grandchildren (that were left with them to take care of from parents that have taken off or died). They’ve told me over and over again “thank you for coming to visit us because no one comes to see us.”

(Photo courtesy of MegaVoice)

In the picture, we see Rosa, a lady who initially stood back, watching others receive their audio Bibles. She observed intently, her shyness apparent as she hesitated to receive her own Bible.

With great focus, she tried to comprehend how to use the audio player. Once she put it around her neck, she had to hold it close to her face to see the buttons, as her vision isn’t very good. Rosa can’t read or write, but now, with this audio Bible, she has the profound ability to hear God’s Words spoken in her language. Living alone, this device brings the comforting presence of His Word into her home. We hold great hope that this will bring her life and transformation, for His Word is Life.

Header and story images courtesy of MegaVoice.

Major flooding across the country damaged at least 62 primary schools. So when other schools were re-opening from flood closures last week, 15,000 students from destroyed schools had nowhere to go.

Since mid-March, at least 250,000 people have been displaced by the floods. The slums of Kibera were especially impacted.

Steve Holman with Kenya Hope says, “If water floods classrooms, that’s even worse. Because already, just the issue of each child having their own workbook or sitting at a desk meant for two and there are three, all those hardships are there every day — with or without floods.”

(Photos courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Kenya Hope supports widows and vulnerable children through its Hope Centers.

Holman explains, “The model of the Hope Center is that we bring in resources, fence it in, put in a water system, and up to 300 families can have a reliable place for clean and even drinkable water all the time year-round.”

The Kibera Hope Center has a daily feeding program for kids. For many of the children, it’s the only meal they get that day.

Up to 250 kids come to the Kibera Hope Center each week for Saturday Bible Club where they have fun, sing songs, and hear Bible stories.

Also, Holman says, “We help widows — often they’re young, but have a lot of children. We help them learn a livelihood. Plus, they’re discipled in the Gospel and following Jesus.”

Pray for good governance in Kenya to address infrastructure issues in the wake of flooding.

“For Kenya long term, there’s always the need for better infrastructure in a place like Kibera where everything is informal. The electricity is rigged, there’s no proper supply of water and drainage of sewage — all the things we take for granted here.”

Also, please ask the Lord to comfort Kenyans who were affected by flooding, and pray for encouragement for the Christians meeting peoples’ needs.

Holman says, “There’s just so many obvious ways that we can show compassion and…build a bridge, as it were, to have long-term opportunities to speak the truth of God’s Word into lives.”

Connect with Kenya Hope here.

Header photo courtesy of a schoolboy in Kenya. (Photo courtesy of Jan Canty/Unsplash)

One single woman named Vivian joined a Syrian dating app to find a husband. She met and married a man who beat and abused her after they were wed. Although she didn’t know God, she cried out to Him and was able to escape from her husband.

Soon afterward she discovered she was pregnant. Vivian was homeless and jobless. She didn’t think she had any option but to abort her baby. But God had other plans and she kept her daughter.

A “Chance” Meeting with Uncharted Ministries

The Uncharted Ministries team in Syria met Vivian while they were sharing food with the poor, orphans, and widows.

Tom Doyle with Uncharted Ministries says, “She had one small little container of yogurt. They had so little. Her daughter could only just dip her finger in there and lick it once a day. They had a little bit of watermelon, occasionally some bread, and that was it.”

Through the ministry of that team, God brought her to faith in Himself. Now despite what she endured, Vivian radiates the joy of the Lord.

(Image courtesy of JodyHongFilms on Unsplash)

Doyle shares, “You talk about a 180 in Christ and just a passion she has to serve others. Now she’s come to faith in Christ. She’s serving [as a] volunteer, got a little job. That’s a miracle in Syria, where she’s able to feed her daughter and herself. The blessings that God has poured out from heaven in Christ to her are really astounding when you think about where she was and where she is today.”

Given Much, Giving Back

Like the widow in Mark 12, Vivian understands both poverty and the value of giving. She received much from God and so now she joyfully gives it back.

“Whether it is money – her little money that she receives in her job – or the food that she gets, she always gives 10% away to others. Whether she buys it or it’s given to her – funds or food – she always gives away 10%. [She] prays, ‘Lord, who do I give this to?’ And He directs her. She’s just the testimony of God blessing us [and] how we’re supposed to pass on the blessing to others.”

Doyle encourages believers to go to the Uncharted Ministries website to learn more about how they can get involved with widows and orphans in Syria. “One of the major ministries we have with Uncharted is helping widows and orphans. We believe every ministry is called to do that, whether that’s in your sphere of what you do — we’ve got to help them. That’s something specifically in Scripture that God tells us to do. And there are so many in Syria.”

Visit the Uncharted Ministries website here to get involved with their ministry.

(Header Image courtesy of Rostyslav Savchyn on Unsplash)

Dave, Joy, and Kenya Hope volunteer Julie Holman were killed in a car crash in Kenya on October 25. The Muellers are survived by their three sons — Ian, Forrest, and Cameron Mueller, along with their wives and four grandchildren.

The couple served as executive directors with Kenya Hope for 13 years. Prior to that, they worked with New Tribes Mission, Partners in Compassionate Care, and Closed Door Ministries.

Ian Mueller says his parents were passionate about ministry at Kenya Hope, caring for Kenyan widows, providing clean water, and distributing audio Bibles.

Dave Mueller, Joy Mueller, and Julie Holman. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Joy’s heart was especially with the widows they served at Kenya Hope. Each widow sponsored through a 24-month program receives food assistance, skills training, goats, and Bible instruction.

“She just saw the need of the widows in Sub-Saharan Africa was just like, ‘I can’t sit idle,” says Ian.

“The thing I want people to remember about my mom is she was impossible to contain. [She had] endless wells of energy powered by her love for the people that she valued and the people that God loves as well.”

Meanwhile, Ian says his father Dave was a handyman, known for fixing almost anything, “So taking a multi-year construction process and turning it into a two-week complete move-in — from prefabricated homes in the jungle for missionaries, to Ferro-cement buildings in southern Sudan, to water towers and water projects, churches, chapels, and school buildings in Kenya.

“A do-it-all guy. We called him MacGyver most of the time! The Kenyans called him ‘The General.'”

Dave and Joy Mueller (Photo courtesy of Mueller family)

Dave was also especially attentive to the audio Bible distributions. “These people walk everywhere, miles and miles and miles a day, and they’re just listening to the Word constantly,” says Ian.

“They would come to him like three or four years later and they would say, ‘It (the audio Bible) doesn’t work anymore. It’s been through rain and everything.’ He would hook them up with another one [and saw] the life that brought to so many people.”

The Muellers’ celebration of life service is on Saturday, November 4 at 1:00 pm EST. The service livestream can be viewed at this link.

You can read Dave and Joy’s obituaries here.

Ultimately, Ian says anyone can serve God as his parents did.

“You don’t need to be a super person because a missionary isn’t a special person. It’s just a job, and the job is faith.

“My dad would say you never graduate from the school of faith. It just gets harder. He would say he hated walking by faith, in all honesty. Even though he was an incredibly committed missionary, it never gets easier. It only gets harder. But Jesus is a light unto our feet and He guides the way, so you’ve just got to keep saying yes every time.”

Please pray comfort for the Mueller and Holman families, and for Kenya Hope as they grieve and continue in Gospel ministry.

Header photo courtesy of the Mueller family.

Unrest in one of East Africa’s most stable democracies raised alarm earlier this year. At least 20 people have died in police-protestor clashes, though human rights groups say the toll is much higher.

Protestors say the cost of living is out of control. By contrast, Kenyan President William Ruto insists the country’s economic rebuild is “progressing well” and that Kenyans need to “bear the pain” of excessive taxes.

Widows suffer greatly during an economic downturn. “They’re often very overlooked in the society there (in Kenya),” Kenya Hope’s Joy Mueller says.

“It’s a vicious circle cycle of being knocked down and always failing, failing, and never getting ahead.”

There are approximately eight million widows in Kenya. Most rural communities embrace a polygamous culture, meaning it’s normal for a man to have several wives. When that man dies, his family takes over the estate, and each wife is left to fend for herself and her children.

Typically, a woman enrolled in Kenya Hope’s Widow’s Might program meets two criteria. “One, she’s hungry [because she cannot afford food],” Mueller says.

“[Two,] her kids aren’t going to school because she doesn’t have the money to send them to school.”

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Kenya Hope pairs Christian discipleship with job skills training, giving widows hope for the future. Learn more and become a “Widow’s Might” sponsor here.

“Once a woman starts earning an income, she can start breaking that cycle,” Mueller says.

The training varies by location. “The cornerstone training is breadmaking. We teach these women how to make these absolutely delicious rolls Dutch oven style, and then they start selling them,” Mueller says.

“In Nairobi, where we have electricity, we have been teaching the ladies sewing, and this is huge. They are now sewing all the school uniforms for our sponsored kids, and they are making gorgeous canvas leather bags that we sell here in the United States.”

Header and story images courtesy of Kenya Hope.

There are an estimated 258 million widows globally, and nearly one in ten live in extreme poverty. Roughly eight million widows call Kenya “home.”

“Many times, when you think of a widow, you think of someone [old,] bent over, and very wrinkly. But that’s not the case in Kenya. Many of our widows are young,” Kenya Hope’s Joy Mueller says.

“My youngest widow is 22 years old, and she’s looking at a life of never being married. In this culture, women are not allowed to remarry after they [lose] their husband, so it’s a lonely journey.”

Men often take several wives in rural Kenya. “It is a polygamous culture; of course, each wife is younger than the previous one,” Mueller explains.

“When the husband dies, this doesn’t impact one woman. It can impact up to four women and 20 to 30 children that now are left homeless.”

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

When the man dies, his family takes over the estate, and each wife is left to fend for herself and her children. “They take everything [else] – her house, her land, livestock – and it puts these women in a desperate, desperate plight,” Mueller says.

The women “have no income, 98 percent of them have no education [so] they don’t know how to read or write, and they’re at a complete loss.”

Hope for Kenya’s widows

Kenya Hope offers a two-year path to safety through its Widow’s Might program. More about that here. Once a sponsor covers program costs, Kenya Hope “immediately starts providing food assistance each month [and] we start training the widow in a job skill,” Mueller says.

“We’re also doing Chronological Bible training with them; each woman is given an audio Bible to start hearing God’s Word for herself.”

Widows gain a new sense of independence when they complete the program and the tools needed to succeed. “Anytime a widow completes a skill, such as breadmaking, we give her everything she needs [to start a] business of her own,” Mueller says.

“They get a lot of dignity and pride from the fact that they can now support themselves and their family, and they’re not destitute.”

Today on International Widows’ Day, you can give a woman and her children hope for the future. Sponsor a widow through Kenya Hope here.

“We are very intentional about what we’re teaching, and that there’s a timeline because we don’t want them to think this is a handout, it’s a hand up. It’s giving them the skill to provide for themselves,” Mueller says.

In the header image, widows in Nairobi learn how to support themselves through sewing. Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

Barb* loved to tell her stylist about the widow she sponsored in Kenya. After hearing so many stories, the stylist decided to investigate one day. Walking into Kenya Hope’s office, she said, “‘[Barb] keeps talking about Kenya Hope and this widows program,’” Executive Director Joy Mueller says.

“‘I just wanted to come and see it for myself!’”

Widow’s Might

Kenya Hope started Widow’s Might, the widow sponsorship program, in 2017. “The program was born out of seeing this desperate need of widows in Kenya,” Mueller says.

“When a woman is widowed, the husband’s family often comes in and takes everything from her. Many times, she’s kicked out of her home, anything of value is taken; she’s just destitute,” she continues.

“These widows don’t have any schooling, so what are they supposed to do to support their family?”

Sponsorship provides a widow with food aid, job skills training, and more. See a complete description here. “First off, we get a Bible into [their] hands, so they’re getting that spiritual food, along with the actual food we give them each month,” Mueller says.

(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Kenya Hope’s two-year program empowers widows with both training and tools. Once a widow receives sponsorship, she “immediately begins getting food assistance every month, and starts being trained in different skills that will provide an income for her,” Mueller says.

“Depending on the location, we teach them [different] skills. We also teach the women about financing: how to set money aside, put it back into your business, [etc.].”

Sewing is one of the most successful job skills. It also supports Kenya Hope’s child sponsorship program. “We’ve been teaching them (the widows) how to sew the uniforms because [school] uniforms in Kenya are all handmade,” Mueller says.

“Our women in the program are now sewing the uniforms for all of our sponsored children.”

Find your place in the story

Remember Barb’s stylist from the beginning of this story? “By the time she walked out the door, that dear woman had paid the sponsorship for three widows for two years,” Mueller says.

Will you be a sponsor? Help change a widow’s life here.

“The widows are so grateful that someone is showering love on them, caring for them, and teaching them. We know they pray constantly,” Mueller says.

“Kenya Hope is lifted to the Lord by the prayers of the widows.”

*Pseudonym

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of cottonbro/Pexels.