Read the update below from Trustee Berry Long on the current work of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Mozambique:
“We are grateful for The Outreach Foundation’s partnership with our Holistic Evangelism Project and the support of Sebber Banda and Rev. Carlos Faquione. Sebber and Carlos are doing a wonderful job of leading our project, and I thank the Lord for the talents and dedication of these amazing servant leaders.
Read MoreRead this wonderful update written by our friends Bob and Kristi Rice. They write…
Dear friends,
Last week our network of facilitators for the Healing Hearts, Transforming Nations (HHTN) workshop gathered to share how we saw God at work through the workshops in 2023 and to pray together for God’s work of healing and reconciliation in South Sudan. As I (Kristi) looked around the room of people who have been trained within the last couple of years I was humbled and grateful for the gift of working together in pursuit of helping people to know and experience the true life that Jesus came to give us. Several people shared about the deep divisions and mistrust that they encountered between clans or communities, or even within families. But in each workshop, they saw evidence of the Holy Spirit bringing freedom and healing from those wounds and divisions and enabling people to forgive as they looked deeply at the love and forgiveness of God
Read MoreDear family and friends,
Blessed New Year to you all. There is something gracious and hopeful about a new year. This was demonstrated to me recently as I sat on my porch with the rain pouring off the roof. It had been raining off and on for days, a most unusual event here in Rwanda. The end of December should have been the end of the rains with only occasional showers as the dry season approaches. But that has not been the case this year. The heavy rains continued throughout December. The last Sunday of Advent the rain began about 3 a.m. and by 8 a.m., when we were gathering for worship, it was coming in torrents. People do not brave going out in the heavy rains. They are smart enough to wait them out, if possible. I did not wait. I was responsible for the service, so I forged through the downpour, soaked by the time I reached the chapel, just a block away. Seven of us gathered for worship as the rain pounded the windows and roof and seeped through to puddle on the floor. Only in the late afternoon did it let up.
On Christmas Day just as my dinner guests arrived, the rain began again. We had 38 diners from 13 different countries sharing the joy of Emmanuel’s coming. We were blessed to have no water damage but in Kigali, seven people were swept away in the flooding and many houses were damaged. The next day, I heard something that surprised me - the song of a lone bird. Many birds nest in the trees in my yard and sing me awake every morning unless it is raining. These birds do not sing until the rain stops. But this morning, in the downpour, a song rang out. There, in the midst of the storm, rang out a voice of hope. The rain did not stop for several hours, but the song and the hope continued in my mind. Since then, the rains have begun to taper off.
Read MoreWe recently received the following information from Stu and Annie Ross, please pray for Hola Church:
The transporters and workers met at our workshop early in the morning to load the ten ton lorry and transport all the materials needed to build Hola Church. They loaded mabati (corrugated steel sheets), J-bolts to attach the roof to the steel, paint, a welding machine and other supplies and were packed and ready to go by noon.
The trip to Hola was long and treacherous. They drove eight hours until they reached a town called Garissa. T
Read MoreDear friends,
Nile Theological College carries on its ministry in North-East Africa through its campuses in Juba (Republic of South Sudan) and Khartoum (The Republic of Sudan). Each location has its own unique character and lives out the calling to develop Christian leaders in very distinctive ways amid formidable ethnic and religious tensions. The Khartoum campus recently sent us a moving update worth celebrating.
Leading to a bachelor’s degree, Nile Theological College (NTC) in Khartoum offers the highest level theological training institution in the Republic of Sudan. Presbyterians, Episcopalians and members of other Protestant traditions attend school there.
With ninety-eight percent of the population of the country being Muslims and seven percent of the population having access to college-level education, the school plays a crucial role in the current and future life and witness of the church. As only eight percent of those attending college in the country are women, The Outreach Foundation comes alongside the efforts of Nile Theological College in support to its female students.
Read MoreDear Friends,
If sleeping on the ground outdoors in the cold, or with mosquitoes biting in the heat, will help him preach good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed, our student Mphatso Matemba (pictured here) is willing to do it. On one level, I think any follower of Christ would be. But how often do we actually do so – put ourselves in places where we must make physical sacrifices on behalf of others?
Read MoreDear Friends,
We want to share with you some exciting news from Rev. Rose Marie Ibyishaka, Coordinator for Women and Families for the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda:
Read MoreFor several years we have been hearing about the “university church” in Jimma, Ethiopia, and we’ve been grateful for the gifts to The Outreach Foundation in support of the congregation’s building project, but it wasn’t until visiting the congregation in January that I gained a true sense of the amazing ways that God is working through this church!
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