Bob and Kristi Rice — August 2022 Update

Young men and women leaned in thoughtfully as I described how Ida B. Wells risked her life to investigate and publish the truth about the lynchings that were happening across the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s. “The environment in South Sudan is a lot like that,” one young man said, “you cannot speak the truth about the injustice that is happening. You will be silenced.” The youth were impressed by how Ida Wells endured opposition, threats, and discrimination to write and speak tirelessly about the brutal culture of lynching and how it opposed God’s standard of justice. While many churches at that time feared speaking out even if they opposed lynching, Ida Wells carried on.

Nyadak, one of the youth leaders, led us in a Bible study about God’s view of justice.

Africa, Global Workers, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 6, 2022Bob and Kristi Rice, South Sudan

Ethiopia Partnership — August 2022 Update

In June, I met an incredible doctor by the name of Thomas Donguande in Juba, South Sudan. Dr. Donguande was born in Africa and has spent a great deal of life in Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda. For the last several years he has served as a general practice medical doctor in South Sudan.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 30, 2022Ethiopia Partnership, Ethiopia

Bill and Bette Bryant Crisis Nursery — August 2022 Update

Two little girls, Comfort and Charity have become the best of friends at the Bill and Bette Bryant Nursery (BBB) in Lusaka, Zambia.

Comfort was brought to the House of Moses (HOM) because her mom was in jail and unable to care for her. Since then, she has had no other family willing or able to take her into their home. As Comfort grew, she was transferred to BBB and continued to thrive. She is now three years old and can comfortably count to ten and say almost all her alphabet with a smile on her face! She has a fun and mischievous sense of humor and loves to make the other kids and caregivers laugh.

Prayer Request for Kenyan Elections

We just received this prayer request from Lauren Scharstein, Deputy Director of Mission for the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in Kenya:

Dear friends of PCEA,

Receive Christian greetings. We ask that you join with us in prayers for peace and security, as Kenyans go to the polls to elect a new president on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.

Africa, Global Workers, Missionaries, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationAugust 7, 2022Kenya, PCEA, Lauren Scharstein

Celebrating the Life of Eunice Muindi

We are saddened to announce the recent death of Eunice Muindi, wife of the late Rt. Rev. Bernard Muindi, former moderator of the Presbyterian Church in East Africa, former pastor of the Riamukurwe Parish at Nyeri, and visionary advocate for the needs of vulnerable children at Nyeri and beyond. Rev. and Mrs. Muindi were great partners and friends of The Outreach Foundation.

Girls' Education and Rescue Centers – Mother Esther School – July 2022 Update

It has been a heartbreaking season in the life of the world, but we worship the God who has journeyed through the depth of pain and heartbreak for us. Each year at Easter, we celebrate the promise that through Jesus Christ, God brings hope out of despair, abundance out of scarcity, and new life out of death. At Mother Esther School, we have certainly witnessed new life emerge from situations of despair, and we have experienced joy — fierce and defiant — in the face of hopelessness.

Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan - Update

Nearly 400,000 people live in six United Nations Refugee Camps in western Ethiopia near the border with Sudan and South Sudan. People have been in the camps since the 2013 civil war in Sudan, UN average stay is 20 years.

The Outreach Foundation has worked in the camps for years. Most recently, with the help of our donors, we provided 20,000 Bibles in the Nuer language for people in the camps.

Bob and Kristi Rice - June 2022 Update

The greatest joy for me serving in South Sudan these five years has been my students. I am always amazed by their curiosity, thoughtfulness, intelligence, good humor, hard work, and care for me as their teacher and brother in Christ. This semester has been no different. In Philosophy of Religion, we have tackled questions such as “Why is philosophy important?” “What is God’s central attribute according to many theists (believers in God)?” “What analogies help us better understand the Trinity?” “How can Jesus be both fully divine and fully human?” “What is the major weakness of Calvinism?”

PCEA Churiri Church - Kenya - June 2022

Stu Ross, East Africa Mission Consultant, recently sent this note about the dedication of PCEA Churiri Church in Kenya. The church was built in partnership with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA); Memorial Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC; Mid-Atlantic Synod Men’s Council through the Nendeni Outreach Program; and The Outreach Foundation.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationJune 20, 2022PCEA Church Construction in Kenya, Kenya, Stu Ross

Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan - May 2022 Update

The Nuer Christian Youth Network for Peace and Development (NCYNPD) is a church-affiliated youth association formed in 2008 by a group of young Christians in Gambella, Ethiopia. It was formed to revitalize the faith of young Nuer Christians, encourage them to live a life of Christ-likeness and be able to transform others to live in peace and harmony with one another as good disciples of the Lord Jesus. The organization has conducted several spiritual conferences across the Nuer community in Ethiopia and South Sudan. This year, the NCYNPD conducted its 15th annual conference in Akobo, South Sudan with the theme “Peace and Restoration for the Akobo Community.” It is with deep gratitude that we acknowledge the gift of The Outreach Foundation, which made this significant conference possible.

Bob and Kristi Rice - May 2022 Update

The South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SSPEC) recently collaborated with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to host a national Training of Facilitators and Training of Trainers in South Sudan. As a result of the collaboration, fifteen new facilitators were trained, and seven new facilitators were certified for the Healing Hearts Transforming Nations (HHTN) workshop. It was the first time that the training of new facilitators for this workshop was held in South Sudan.

Home of Hope Zimbabwe - April 2022 Update

Dear friends and supporters of Home of Hope,

In this update, Craig shares news about the street children. Some are now grown-ups; some were able to start new lives by joining a family; some rejoined their own family; some attend primary school. Given how tough life is in Zimbabwe, each case is a miracle in itself. This was made possible through your prayers, your generous gifts, and your love for the destitute, the homeless, and the otherwise uncared for.

Africa, Partnership, ProjectsThe Outreach FoundationApril 18, 2022Home of Hope Zimbabwe, Home of Hope, Zimbab

Girls' Education and Rescue Centers in Kenya - March 2022 Update

The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) supports a ministry rescuing girls who might be forced into early marriage by providing rescue centers for them. The Outreach Foundation partners with the PCEA and civil authorities in this ministry. All of the rescue centers are connected to a PCEA boarding school, offering the girls a hopeful future. Lauren Scharstein, Outreach global worker and Deputy Director of Mission for the PCEA, shared the current major needs of the rescue centers:

New Dorm for PCEA Mother Esther Girls' School and Rescue Center
We currently have 175 girls under our care ranging in age from 6 to 17 years old. Our dormitories are at full capacity, some girls already sleep two on the bottom of a twin bunk bed. The big need for a new dormitory is also due to the fact that we have 25 girls who will finish 8th grade in March and move into high school.

Exciting News from Madzimaera Clinic in Mozambique!

Sebber Banda serves as Project Director for the Holistic Evangelism Project in Tete Province, Mozambique. Her work has transformed the health of thousands of people through programs such as lay leadership training, drilling wells, and constructing new churches in Tete Province. We recently received this exciting news from Sebber and Outreach trustee Berry Long:

Today, was a big day at Madzimaera!! It marked the groundbreaking for a shelter at the clinic for women to use after arrival before having their babies.

Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan - Update

Parents the world over are concerned about meeting the needs of their children for love, shelter, food, clothing, and education. Whether in a church school in western North Carolina or under a tree in a refugee camp in western Ethiopia, preschools are helping to meet some of these basic needs.

Clean Drinking Water in Kenya - Update

Clean drinking water is a much sought-after commodity in East Africa. The Outreach Foundation and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) have partnered to bring water to thirsty villages. East Africa Mission Consultant Stu Ross recently sent a report on this life-changing partnership:

Water is life! Over 50% of Kenyans don’t have piped water. It has to be fetched, mainly by women and children, in 20-liter cans. The water may be up to 15 km (10+ miles) away, which makes this an all-day job, two-three times a week. Consequently, mothers are not at home and children miss school. In Maasai land, where water is far away in many villages, children and adults aren’t able to wash regularly and skin disease is common. Diarrhea and dysentery are also widespread diseases where water is either not available or not clean.

Nile Theological College - February 2022 Update

Nile Theological College (NTC) provides theological and practical training to equip men and women for effective ministry in Sudan and South Sudan. Our support helps provide scholarships for students to continue to study and make an impact serving their congregations, denominations, and other organizations. Here are excerpts from NTC’s most recent newsletter, Light to the Nations:

Africa, Projects, PartnershipThe Outreach FoundationFebruary 23, 2022Nile Theological College, South Sudan, Sudan, Bob and Kristi Rice

Update on Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar

Nancy Warlick shared this note and information from the Madagascar Mission Network:

There is great need at this time for prayer for God's people and rebuilding in Madagascar following the devastation caused by Cyclone Batsirai in early February.

Partner Updates