In the hard neighborhoods surrounding Comas, Perú — where extortion, prostitution, and drug trafficking shape daily life — children grow up with few role models and even fewer opportunities. When two 11-year-olds were asked, “What do you do for fun?” their answer was heartbreaking: “Breaking into houses and stealing.”

Into this reality, the Reflejo team has stepped with the hope of Christ.

Two days. Two locations. More than 400 women.

It was a busy weekend in early May for some of the staff of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL) as they traveled to Syria for two, one-day women’s conferences. The events were something of a regional mini retreat, a glimpse of the larger gathering that occurs each year in Lebanon.

In total, these spring gatherings brought together more than 400 women; the first in Latakia and the second near Homs, both locations in Syria. Under the theme “standing firm with unwavering courage, God is forging a new path,” the conferences were time for women to connect, to share stories, to worship, and to pray.

The rainy season is finally over in Tete Province, which means work is getting underway on big improvements at the Holistic Evangelism Project’s Leadership Training Center (LTC).

Seminars are held at the LTC, which was built about 10 years ago and consists of a church, a dormitory, a kitchen, some latrines, and a well and water tank. God has blessed the program with increasing attendance each year, and it has outgrown the original LTC. Now underway, stage two of the building’s construction will add a skills training hall, a fellowship hall (where seminars will be held instead of in the church), a guest house for seminar facilitators, a new kitchen, another well, and some bathrooms.

Outstanding in their field…literally. The Chongwe church planted roots in a field, and now, through faithful prayer and gifts from The Outreach Foundation supporters, their efforts are yielding fruit.

This Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Zambia Synod congregation began as a prayer meeting launched by the Mtendere Church, 28 miles to the east of the capital city, Lusaka. After planting the seed of the Gospel through evangelistic efforts, they witnessed a harvest of two prayer meetings with 25-50 members at each.

When you wake up on Sunday morning and begin getting ready for church, you probably don’t think, “I’d better pack a lunch—it’s going to be a long drive.” And as you sit down for worship, you likely don’t wonder, “Will I understand the sermon today, or only understand half of it?”

But for many believers in northern and central México, these are weekly realities. Some travel hours to reach the nearest Presbyterian congregation. Others sit through services in Spanish even though their heart (primary) language is Otomí, Mixtec, Tzeltal, or another indigenous tongue — and understand only fragments of the message.

This is why our partner, the National Presbyterian Church of México (INPM), is working diligently to plant new churches in underserved regions and to establish congregations where indigenous believers can worship, learn, and grow in their heart language.

For more than a quarter century, Namumu Orphanage Center welcomed children in Jesus’ name to their campus in Siavonga, Zambia. Many of these little ones lost their parents due to the AIDS epidemic. Through the years, the children were nurtured and educated. They worshiped and learned God’s Word. Eventually, they graduated, equipped to pursue life and a career.

Then things changed. Many African countries, including Zambia, now recognize that living with extended family or foster parents is essential for the growth of a child. Though the leaders of Namumu welcomed this new direction, it also brought them to a crossroads. Should they close their mission or transform it to meet the continuing needs of children?

Lebanon, a country that has endured armed conflict and hostilities for three generations, experienced a sharp intensification of violence in the past two months. Beirut and other parts of the country experienced devastating strikes and intensified military activity, including repeated evacuation orders and widening geographic impact. It has triggered large-scale displacement across Lebanon.

Despite the difficult circumstances, Compassion Protestant Society, the diaconal arm of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), has courageously responded to the crisis in a manner that is both operationally realistic and faithful to its calling.

It’s hard to teach with your back against the wall, but that’s exactly where educators found themselves in the cramped and crowded classrooms of the John Laing School – a Community School of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in the Synod of Zambia. More than 200 eager learners were squeezed into three 5x5 meter (about 16x16 feet) rooms. The only place for the teacher to stand was against the chalkboard. Such tight quarters make education almost impossible.

Many of the rural villages (kebeles) in the fertile central highlands of the Shewa region are not accessible by car or truck – the only option is to trek for hours by foot or horse. The Oromo people in these villages are mainly Muslims or practice Waaqeffanna (an Oromo traditional belief system). For the past several years, Reverend Teferi Berkassa has led a team of evangelists attempting to reach the Oromo people in these far-flung villages. Evangelists pack all their belongings on horse-drawn carts and trudge miles on dirt paths to reach a village.

Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to increasing hostilities in the Middle East, media outlets have featured stories of tankers set ablaze, supply chain disruptions, and skyrocketing oil prices. Those are real stories with real consequences for individuals, families, and businesses around the world.

But they aren’t the only stories that need to be told.

Because the ships aren’t ghost ships. Each vessel is staffed by individuals with families – even children – at home. These civilian seafarers, many with no military training, boarded the ships and set on their journey as if it were any other ordinary trip. They didn’t know more than a month later they’d be forced to drop anchor on the front line of a geopolitical confrontation in which they are powerless.

Founded in 1930, The Evangelical Church at Basion once functioned primarily as a small American elementary school. By the early 2000s, however, the church was in decline as members slowly left the area, migrating towards larger cities. Eventually, no members were left, and no pastor was willing to serve the church in Basion.

And so, for 15 years, The Evangelical Church at Basion closed, and its building sat empty. Until recently.

As part of their initiative to revitalize the village churches throughout Egypt, the Pastoral, Outreach, and Mission Council (POMC) of the Synod of the Nile got involved and sent an evangelistic pastor to Basion to revitalize the church.

A tanker with enough oil to last up to 10 days arrived in Cuba this week, to the relief of the entire country. Despite this delivery, U.S. sanctions against oil deliveries to Cuba in hopes of forcing a regime change remain. The effects on civilians have been devastating, including rolling blackouts, hospitals in crisis, and transportation gridlock.

Mission partners of The Outreach Foundation tell us life for them has been increasingly difficult.

We have shared updates for some time now about the young girl in Xpujil, Mexico, Betsabé, who suffers from brain cancer. We recently received this update from our partner Todd Luke who builds cisterns in Xpujil with Betsabé’s father, and we wanted to share it.

In the early hours of March 2, countless residents in southern Lebanon were told to evacuate. Within hours, highways jammed as people fled.

Early estimates were that more than 50,000 people were displaced in one day, and that number rises with each day as evacuation orders expand.

Where do those internally displaced people go? The simple answer, wherever they can find shelter.

Paul’s words to the church in Corinth echo true in this heavy and uncertain moment as war once again casts a long shadow over the Middle East. Violence, fear, and instability have a way of affecting everyone – families, churches, ministries, and the most vulnerable in communities. No one remains untouched.

In such circumstances, it would be easy to despair and to give up hope. And yet, our partners throughout the Middle East are responding differently. Below is a brief update on our partners who find themselves in the midst of uncertainty and upheaval.

From January 18 to February 8, Dr. Ivan Rusyn, President of the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS), visited the United States on a trip hosted by several congregations connected to The Outreach Foundation. Dr. Rusyn’s messages uplifted and challenged us with news out of Ukraine that is both heartbreaking and marked by terror. Yet he consistently said his purpose was not to focus on such things. In a quick pivot, he spoke in ways that gave us hope and inspired us because the church is shining with beauty as it sings the song God has given her to sing in such times. I am here.

Please join us as we pray for the people of Madagascar, including our mission and ministry partners with the Fiangonan’i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara (FJKM), Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar.

In late January, and again on February 10, two cyclones battered most of Madagascar. This included a direct hit on Toamasina, which is the largest city on the coast. The damage was extensive to churches, schools, residences and agriculture. Tragically, we were reminded lightning really does strike twice. With two successive major storms smothering the island with rain and high winds, compounding the misery and extending the road to recovery almost beyond sight.

Every week, Michael and Nohemi Palomino drive three hours into the mountains with muddy terrain and no clear roads. Some days, due to landslides, they’re not sure if they’ll arrive at the village, but God always makes a way. 

“What would you like Jesus to do for you?” The Palominos asked children at the local school. The children raised their hands and answered: 

“For my dad to come back.”  
“For him to help me with school.”  
“For no more fighting at home.”  
“For my family to know Jesus.”