Haiti Outreach Ministries and the Crisis in Haiti
Sadly, there has not been an improvement in the situation in Haiti since our last message. Daily life in Port-au-Prince remains mostly paralyzed, and the Varreux oil terminal is still blockaded by gangs. Due to lack of clean water access, cholera cases continue to rise,
Read MoreThe Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB), our partner in fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus, has been striving to plant new churches, and The Outreach Foundation has been working to find partners to plant new churches. One of these new churches is located in the city of Valinhos, State of São Paulo. This is a city with enormous potential, but its inhabitants are very resistant to the Gospel message. Despite the resistance, the church has grown, as the organizing pastor discovered that he can best share the Gospel through interpersonal relationships with good results, thank God!
Read MoreDear sisters and brothers, partners in the work of expanding the Kingdom of God in this world!
May grace and peace from God our Father be poured out in abundance upon your lives. I am very happy, and I pray constantly for you, thanking God for your generosity and love for us. In this difficult time, His love is expressed through the efforts you make, sharing with us so that through you we can live with dignity and develop our mission.
The pandemic is still present in Brazil. But my perception, in general, is that we have learned to live with it and life here in Brazil is slowly returning to normal.
Read MoreDear friends,
Our partners in Mexico are very busy even though we do not plan to send American mission groups to build cisterns this year. Victor, Raul, and Isaias are leading a team that will work with at least twenty-two families to build twenty-two family-owned cisterns during the next couple of months. Generous financial support from our American church and family partners makes this possible. We hope to build up to forty cisterns in 2021, but that number depends on the response we receive from our American partners.
We are also doing something new and exciting. In addition to the many support tasks he already performs to support the cistern process, our associate in Xpujil, Felipe Torres now leads a small crew that visits each of our cistern partners who have repaid at least $2,000 pesos of their cistern materials loan. The purpose of the house call is to:
Read MoreYour gifts to the COVID-19 Emergency Appeal are making a difference...all over the world
When we launched this Appeal almost a year ago, none of us could have grasped what the devasting effects upon the global community would be with almost two million dead and economies devastated. Vaccines provide a glimmer of hope, but we know it will be a long time before large parts of the world can access them.
The Outreach Foundation is grateful for your faithful generosity over these past months as your gifts of over $277,000 have allowed us to respond to urgent needs in 23 countries: Iraq, Syria, Ghana, Rwanda, China, Cuba, Venezuela and so many more. These gifts have provided food relief, tuition help for seminarians so that their studies could continue, salary support for pastors in impoverished villages, and refugee relief for those whose lives were already being lived on the edge of calamity. The Global Church has used these gifts to shine the Light of Christ upon those who might not yet know of him and to encourage the faithful to “hold on.”
Read MoreThe Situation
According to James 1:7, “True religion is this, that we care for orphans and widows in their distress…” We cannot be faithful to the whole Gospel if we do not express love and care for the most vulnerable in our midst. The Outreach Foundation believes this fundamentally and believes that children are the most vulnerable of all in our sinful, broken world. And The Outreach Foundation believes that all children have the right to survive, to thrive, and to fulfill their God-given potential. This means understanding the global situations facing children everywhere and committing to helping to provide access to basic services, care, and education to the children in their (Outreach’s) spheres of influence.
In the church, and around the world, there is an effort to provide comprehensive care for vulnerable children that addresses the physical, emotional, educational, social, and spiritual life of every child, recognizing that they are each created in God’s image. The ultimate focus is on value and dignity for children and their families.
Read MoreDear Guatemala mission partners,
The parable about the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) gives an excellent description of mission partnership. The Samaritan, moved by the plight of an assault victim along the road, ignores social barriers and renders first aid. Then, instead of resuming his trek to Jericho, he carries his fellow traveler to a shelter where his wounds can heal. Next, he provides resources for his new friend’s care. Incredibly, the Samaritan even promises to return to check on him and make sure the recovery is complete.
The spirit of the good Samaritan is so evident in our mission partners. Moved by the dire conditions in Guatemala, the response hasn’t been minimal or fleeting. Instead, through your partnership, we have been able to overcome barriers and walk alongside people who find themselves in a ditch along life’s pathway.
Read More“If you are willing to give up your life to God, he’ll give it back. Not the way you expect it, but as something greater.” Below please find one tiny snapshot of what happens when a bunch of regular folks like you and me take a step of faith that looks to be so foolish.
Fifty-one Cisterns Built in Six Villages in 2018
Fifty-one cisterns were way beyond our expectations this year, but the Lord graciously worked through those mentioned above. Several supporters play important roles in this clean water story without stepping foot in Mexico, while other contributors never leave there.
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus, Savior and Redeemer of God’s elect,
We have had some very busy months here. I have been teaching at both San Pablo and the Mints program. Mints is a non-residence program that has become popular in many countries. Here in Mérida, I had nine students (four pastors and five lay folks) for Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) and now with the same group I have just started Patristics (theologians from the first seven or eight centuries of church history). The picture here is a few of the students at Gethsemane.
I was officially installed in the Seguidores de Cristo (Followers of Christ) mission church as pastor for a period of up to three years. In the Mexican Presbyterian church, pastors are installed for one year (pastor oficiante), for three years (pastor comisionado) and up to five years (pastor instalado).
Read MoreDear friends,
May is the wild card month for the Xpujil region’s agrarian communities. With immeasurable toil, families have cleared their land and are ready to plant. But sowing seed must wait until the rain returns. So, the farmers wonder. Will soaking rains come in May or in June? The good news is, some rain has already fallen – enough to refill our nearly empty guest house cistern. But more is needed.
Here is a worthwhile prayer: Lord, send the rains that refill family cisterns and farmers’ hopes.
May is also festival time in the county seat, Xpujil. Two weeks of games, rides, food stands, and men who hawk blankets, pots, utensils, and pans with their voices electronically amplified to eleven. Eleven is also the volume level setting for the nightly concert/dances which begin, appropriately, at 11:00 p.m. and last until the break of dawn.
Read MoreA Few Cistern Numbers
2016 Cisterns Built: 32
2016 Repayments: $17,000 Pesos
Total Cisterns Built: 401
Number of Cisterns to Be Built Later This Summer: 3
Two of the next three cisterns will be built by partnering with families run by single mothers. The third cistern is for a family living in Cristobal Colon. It will be our first time working in that village. That cistern will have 1/3 more volume. The family will cover 40% of material costs up front and all the expenses related to the larger size.
Dear friends,
Twenty years ago, I packed a bag to move to Xpujil full-time. Thanks to you, I can look back with tons of great memories and look ahead with hope and excitement.
From my front row seat, I marvel at this ministry that, by design, leans heavily on its partners. Your participation and commitment allow us to continue to make an impact in the Xpujil region. I am blessed to be a part of it. Hundreds of families, from both sides of the border, dedicate time, talents, and treasure to form this unique partnership. Thank you for your role. Truly, I cannot thank you enough.
Read MoreDear friends,
Soon Marta and I will return to the U.S., in the Charlotte area, to conclude our current term of service in Brazil. We would love to have the opportunity to visit you between December and March to share with you how God has been at work in and through our partnerships and to personally thank you for the support you have given us over the years. Our prayers these days focus especially on our current transition in ministry. We covet your prayers as well. Let me explain.
Read MoreDear family, friends and supporters,
Thank you for your support of our ministry. It’s going well, and good things are happening. More people are worshiping with us each week. It’s nice to see young folks in the church, too. Without your prayers and support, these people would not be learning about the Lord.
However, we recently received a letter from World Mission of the PC(USA) informing us of the current financial situation. Giving is down, and the endowment funds have run out. In the 1960s endowments and Shared Mission Support made up 80% of co-worker support. In 2014 they paid for 16% of missionary support. We realize that many of you give to our support, and we are grateful. We were surprised to learn that only 15% of congregations give directly to mission support. Up to 40 co-workers (of 162) could be downsized next year!
Read MoreThis ministry year began with a father/son trip and ended with a group of high schoolers. In between there were folks who remember when Kennedy was shot, college students, more high school kids, and a family of five with children in elementary and middle school. Every group came to serve God and others through cistern construction, but each had unique experiences. As an eyewitness, I delight in watching the Holy Spirit move around unexpectedly.
Read MoreDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of the Lord. Martha and I trust you are well and practicing the faith of Jesus in each moment of your life. El Señor es nuestra Dios ahora y para siempre! Él vive!
Read MoreDear Friends,
In the villages where we build cisterns, not many Christmas lights glow. That’s fine. Our Presbyterian partners have their own traditions. For most, the highlight was an evening long worship service on the 24th. Kids sing. Grown-ups lead prayers, sing hymns, and read scripture. Most churches do not have a pastor, so church members deliver the Christmas message. Following worship, there is a big meal. Very few gifts will be exchanged between friends or family members. Resources are limited, families are big and gift giving is not part of the Christmas tradition. Nevertheless, folks will give thanks again and again for the abundance of blessings received from the Lord, even though they have also endured illness, death of loved ones, unimaginable heartbreak and poor harvests during the past year.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the name of the Lord! Martha and I would like to share our gratitude with all our partners in ministry this Thanksgiving holiday. Every church, every brother and sister in Christ who has prayed for and supported us is a blessing from God. As we get older the fact that God has worked in so many hearts amazes us more and more. We have known his promises in the sacred Scriptures are true, but now we know they are really, really true
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