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.”  

In a country often described as spiritually dry, we see remarkable ministry happening in Barcelona with our new partner church, Centro Familiar Cristiano (Christian Family Center or CFC).  In the midst of a context where 42% of Spaniards identify as non-religious and less than 2% of the population identifies as Protestant, CFC is growing as a vibrant community of disciples and witness to Christ’s love. And now, they’re starting a new chapter in their ministry and life together.

The staff and board at Tumaini Children’s Ministry have continued to provide loving care and support for vulnerable children in Kenya’s Central Highlands during a season of transition.

In 2022, Tumaini began re-integrating children with relatives or guardians in compliance with government mandates. As of August 2025, most children have successfully returned to family care. Tumaini continues to provide school fees and uniforms; food supplements for families; and regular visits from social workers and a chaplain to ensure children are thriving. University students from Tumaini also receive tuition assistance.

In a time of transition, Namumu Orphanage Center is an oasis of health and life in their community. God is moving, and children are learning, growing, and flourishing thanks to your faithfulness. The following is just a glimpse of this inspiring environment for families. 

Graduation is not just a milestone. It’s a victory!  

As The Outreach Foundation learns more about our brothers and sisters building Christ’s church in Central Asia, we hear stories that inspire us, and some that bring us to our knees in prayer. Before He was crucified, Jesus foretold, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). One of our partners sent us this story that captures the situation many Christians face in this dark space in the world.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, donors through The Outreach Foundation have given more than $2 million with sacrificial love. This will be our third winter partnering with the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS), holding fast for a just peace while bombs fall and power grids collapse. In a recent conversation with a partner who works with war-affected children and orphans, we heard grim words: “We would be willing to settle for peace now.” This signals weariness we’ve not heard before. Through this update, know hope continues to spread through our faithful partners whom we continue to support. We once again ask you to respond prayerfully and generously to this winter’s challenge.

In Matthew 13, Jesus paints a vivid parable: the gospel seed scatters everywhere, it is unstoppable. We can’t control its flight or the ground it lands on. In Pakistan, the land is rocky, where persecution looms like an immovable boulder. While we cannot change that reality, we can empower leaders to till that soil with bold vision and courageous faith.

That’s the heartbeat of The Outreach Foundation’s partnerships in Pakistan. We work with leaders like Eli Sardar, Director of Pakistan Bible Correspondence School (PBCS) in Faisalabad, so they can shine as beacons in one of the world’s darkest corners.

We have always believed that, like Daniel, God has sent us into the diaspora — far from our homeland, our culture, and our families — not by accident, but with divine purpose.

In this place of exile, God has been teaching us, blessing us, and shaping us to grow in wisdom and faith, so that we may carry those blessings back to the persecuted church.

Veronica and the Musalaha team see their mission as continually bringing the spirit of forgiveness and responsibility into their context – opening hearts, healing wounds, and helping build a more just, healthy, and whole society. With this conviction, the team works tirelessly with the Mixed Cities group, Young Adults, the Muslim-Christian Civil Society Group, and the Palestinian Women’s Group.

Under the leadership of its new president, Dr. Martin Accad, Near East School of Theology (NEST) has embarked on a new and promising chapter – one marked by hope and action.

Amid Lebanon’s ongoing economic and political instability, NEST persevered with remarkable resilience. During the violent conflict that shook the country between September 2024 and January 2025, the school kept its doors open and reached out in service to displaced families in the surrounding neighborhood.