It’s Happening! Christmas Presents for the EHC School Children and Overseas Staff The Amazing $10 Christmas Gift that Will Save a Life November 2009
It’s Christmas!
It’s Christmas!
It’s Christmas and it’s time to give all the children and teachers in the Every Home for Christ schools as well as other EHC staff a Christmas present. I’m writing because I know many people like to help buy presents for the children. Thank God for the greatest Christmas present ever given! God in the person of His only Son was God’s gift to us. We celebrate the birth of Jesus in countries like Bangladesh, India and Nepal where the main religions are Islam and Hindu. And in celebrating the birth of Jesus we give the children in the Every Home for Christ schools a present. This brings the Lord Jesus Christ to their attention as we give the presents and also talk of the birth of Jesus as we celebrate their joy in receiving a present. The teachers also receive a present to express our thanks for the wonderful work they did in 2009. Also, we give a “Christmas present to other Every Home for Christ staff and evangelists who are sponsored by EHC supporters. It’s a joyful time of the year and especially joyful for many of the Every Home for Christ children in Bangladesh, India and Nepal when they receive their Christmas presents. Please, if you can send a “Christmas gift” for the children, the EHC teachers, workers and evangelists overseas it will be a great blessing for them. For many “yours” is the only Christmas present they will receive. Please send money! If you send an actual “gift” or a “package of any
description” it costs too much to send it to the overseas country and often it’s difficult to get through customs overseas. Also it means that the children do not receive equal gifts. When people send gifts some children receive better gifts than others. It’s cheaper and more effective to send them money and Every Home for Christ staff in that country will buy the presents. Usually we buy for Christmas clothes for the children in the schools. These are the kind of clothes they would not normally be able to afford. Please, and thank you. May God give you a wonderfully blessed Christmas too! Eric Leach
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It’s Christmas! The Every Home for Christ Evangelists and Workers have been visiting home-to-home telling others the Christmas story all the year round. It’s the right time now to encourage them with a Christmas present. Thank you so much.
The teachers in the Every Home for Christ schools in Bangladesh and India are truly dedicated to helping the children be the best! Your gift will truly be a blessing. It’s Christmas!
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Here is something for your church school, university, work place, Rotary Club or whoever you know!
Every year 1 million children die in Africa from malaria - from mosquito bites 5
Every year 1 million children die in Africa from malaria - from mosquito bites
My beloved EHC friend.
Here is the tragic reality of “malaria” in Africa and this Christmas while we have “fun,” yes and we should be having “Christmas fun,” but the stark reality is that people are dying in Africa from the simple bite of a mosquito. One million Africans die of a mosquito bite, malaria, every year and worldwide every 30 seconds a child dies. This is a disease as easy to prevent as us buying a $10 mosquito net so others can live. The reason to tell you “all-this” is to encourage you to talk to your pastor about distributing brochures like the one enclosed with this newsletter at your church one Sunday morning and night, sometime before Christmas.
Yes ok! Give out brochures.
This brochure I’m sure you’ll love and most important it will tell people how to “save a life for $10”. WOW! That’s some brochure. Take the brochure enclosed to your pastor. You need your pastor to agree to do it one Sunday! Distribute the brochures one Sunday and collect the envelope attached to the brochure another Sunday. Africa has one million dying and they need your church. Pray and see if God puts this in your heart! Together we can save thousands of lives. I hope you will have a go at trying to encourage your church to be involved in this the best work of all….the work-of-the-Lord. Ask God to guide you. He will give you wisdom. May God’s best be yours.
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-Eric Leach
$10
buys one mosquito net That’s all your church friends are being asked for to save a life
In 2006 Every Home for Christ distributed 3,333 nets to villages in Malawi
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For your church, home group, school or any other group here is something special to make it easier for you to present the $10 to save a life Africa project. 1
The Brochure azing The Am as Gift stm $10 Chri ve a Life Sa ill That W
Enclosed with the Newsletter is a brochure/envelope and you can give it to everyone at church, your work place, school or wherever. The brochure explains everything. Tell us how many you need. How many church bulletins does the church print every Sunday. Get one for every bulletin. Don’t put it on the table at the back of the church. The results will be disappointing.
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The DVD or Video A 5 minute presentation filmed on location in Africa. This will be a big help for you to talk about the project. In fact you only need to ask people to watch the DVD or video and it tells its own story. All you have to say is, “I’m supporting the project. I hope you will too!” Westmedia of Perth are producing this DVD/video without charge.
See enclosed “Reply Slip” to order or Freephone Australia
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1800 807 172
New Zealand 0800 900 200
Photo Kristy-Lee Simmons Standing from left: 2nd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Hannah Tony Turner Mark Zollweg Kristy Justin Aaron Bryant Westmedia Westmedia Simmons Franks Moore Presenter Film/Script Film/Script Photographer EHC Staff EHC Staff (Food Security Projects)
A TEAM FOR AFRICA An Every Home for Christ team (mainly volunteers) as pictured above visited Malawi in June 2009 to meet the Malawi Every Home for Christ staff and see for themselves some of the incredible work happening there. This team lived in a remote part of Malawi to meet the people who were benefiting from the Every Home for Christ farmer training, and to see the tools and seeds supplied to them so they can have their own farms.
Westmedia of Perth had a Pro-Bono Video Competition and Every Home Global Concern (Every Home for Christ) made an application and won the production of a free video from Westmedia.
Also to see some of the toilets made possible by Every Home for Christ supporters.
This is a 5 minute DVD/Video that will be available to your church, home group, school, university, work place or wherever you can gather a group of people to show them along with the presentation of the brochure “An Amazing $10.00 Christmas Gift That Will Save a Life�.
They were also part of implementing a new program of water wells. Their true satisfaction was to hear the people express their gratitude for all you have done with your gifts over the years because they saw how poor the people would be without you.
The Westmedia team in the photo above were in Malawi to do the filming. We are grateful to Westmedia.
With the need so great in Africa we are so very grateful for the special help of the team!
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Sri Lanka Twenty-five years of violent battles between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil separatists created a potentially deadly environment for EHC’s pioneer missionaries. Believers also faced unique challenges as a religious minority. Buddhism is the state religion, followed by 71 percent of the nation’s 18.4 million people. Hindus and Muslims also outnumber the nation’s 1.4 million Christians. Despite the dangers and difficulties involved in home-tohome evangelism, believers across the nation stepped up to meet the challenge. Courageous Christians entered battle zones to share the Gospel. Sometimes, they were suspected of being rebel spies. Other times, rebel forces accused pioneer missionaries of being government troops. God honoured the courage and faith
of His army of disciples, enabling them to distribute more than 10.7 million gospel booklets home to home. More than 231,000 people have responded to the Gospel. “During this period of 25 years of turmoil and civil war, we have seen more people turning to the Lord and seeking answers in Christ and His Gospel than ever before,” said EHC Director Sam Thevabalasingham. “More than 300,000 people have completed EHC's Bible correspondence course, and many are integrated into local churches. We have seen a phenomenon of church growth and church planting which we have never before experienced in Sri Lanka.” The civil war in Sri Lanka came to an end in May 2009 when the government defeated the Tamil Tigers.
However, according to Sam, the conflict continues. “At the moment,” he explains, “in the wartorn areas there are more than 300,000 people who are considered to be IDP— Internal Displaced People—who are in 45 refugee camps within an area of 25 square miles. In these camps, there are thousands of makeshift tents that are supposed to house six people maximum, but are instead holding 25. There is a lack of water, inadequate toilet facilities and food. Many Christians are suffering in these squalid conditions. We would ask for everyone to pray for this horrible situation to be resolved!” Despite the challenges, EHC’s distri-
Every Home for Christ
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Australia: PO Box 168 Penshurst NSW 2222 New Zealand: PO Box 31-260 Milford North Shore City 0741 www.everyhome.org.au
bution of gospel booklets home to home continues throughout Sri Lanka, and special efforts are also underway to train and mobilize church leaders for evangelism efforts through a Mobile Training Center initiative. Through this program, believers in many areas are being trained to share the Gospel, form Christ Group fellowships and disciple new believers across the nation. Director Thevabalasingham is encouraged about reaching a new generation in Sri Lanka with the Gospel. “I am convinced that it is the Gospel of Christ that will give them a new sense of life, meaning and purpose,” he said. “Because of this totally God-dependent conviction, we are more than determined that we will go and reach out to every member of every family.” Please pray for EHC’s massive campaigns to take the Gospel to 250 million families in the nations of India and the South Asia Rim.
Telephone: (02) 9570 8211 Facsimile: (02) 9570 4738 Telephone: Free call 0800 900 200 Facsimile: 0061 2 9570 4738 ehc@everyhome.org.au
Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from Daniel, Hosea, Joel and Amos. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading programme these chapters are in brackets.
November, 2009
PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM PSALM 122:6 AND THE WORLD.
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AUSTRIA – Pop 8,300,000 Map 79. An EHC evangelistic outreach is taking the Gospel to 45,000 in the province of Autriche Inferieure. EHC published a new gospel leaflet for this project. To date, 22 people have responded. Pray that this interest will be followed by many decisions for Jesus. Daniel 6 (Nehemiah 1-7) NAMIBIA - Pop 2,100,000 Map 11. Praise God for the ongoing church-planting efforts in the Himba villages. Workers are greatly encouraged by the fruit that is evident in the lives of many Himba people. As they are reaching out on their own to villages close to where they live. Daniel 7 (Nehemiah 8-10) SAMOA – Pop 186,000 Map 157. There is an urgent need for a more co ordinated effort of prison outreach follow up. Many churches and ministries are involved, but solid discipleship and instruction in the Word is being requested. Also pray for more committed ministry partners for EHC Samoa. Daniel 8 (Nehemiah 11-13) ISRAEL - Pop 7,000,000 Map 115. Today Every Home for Christ is participating in the global emphasis of praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Join with us in praying for God’s purpose in Israel, knowing that the hour in history is critical and authority in prayer is greater. Daniel 9 (Malachi 1-4) CREATIVE ACCESS #5 Praise God for the three believers who were baptized in one region. Pray for the more than 130 Christian families who have been displaced due to unrest in the north. Also pray for the distribution efforts currently underway in two districts. Daniel 10 (Matthew 1-2) BURUNDI – Pop 8,900,000 Map 18. Pray for the provision of Bibles. Also pray for the security of EHC`s mobile training Centre kits and its leaders who have faced the threat of robbery as they travel. There is a desire among believers for follow up teaching centres. Daniel 11 (Matthew 3:1 to 4:11) SLOVAKIA - Pop 5,300,000 Map 80. More than 20,000 families have recently had the opportunity to hear the good news in the southern half of Slovakia in a region of high unemployment known as “the poor valley”. A large gypsy community has settled there. Pray that the heart of the people will accept the riches of the Gospel. Daniel 12 (Matthew 4:12 to 7:29) NICARAGUA - Pop 5,600,000 Map 182. Pray that the Lord would open doors in the Sandinista schools and universities in the capital city where EHC has not been able to initiate the students-reaching-students ministry. Pray for
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peace as acts of violent crimes are on the rise with 45 new gangs formed this year in Managua. Hosea 1 (Matthew 8:1 to 11:1) TOGO - Pop 6,600,000 Map 37. Ask the Lord for good health for Christ Group leaders. There have been 197 Christ Groups recently formed. Pray that their faith would remain strong. To date 2,892 Christ Groups have been formed throughout the nation. Hosea 2 (Matthew 11:2 to 13:53) ARMENIA - Pop 3,000,000 Map 103. This past summer EHC Director Samvel Minasyan took advantage of the good weather with several open-air evangelistic events. Pray that through this project people will come to know Christ. As responses come into the EHC office, pray that connections among participating churches and residents will be maintained. Hosea 3 (Matthew 13:54 to 16:28) GUINEA REPUBLIC - Pop 9,300,000 Map 44. Pray that God will strengthen and direct the local churches and volunteers as they embrace the EHC vision. Pray for a man and his wife, former Muslims, who have accepted Jesus Christ that they would be encouraged spiritually to live for Christ. The husband suffers from high blood pressure. Hosea 4 (Matthew 17:1 to 19:2) INDIA - Pop 1,150,400,000 Map 128. Recently an EHC team faced opposition when their literature bags and Bibles were taken. The workers were beaten and chased off. The team moved to another area and continued their efforts. Pray for God’s divine hand of protection upon every EHC team sharing the Gospel in India. Hosea 5 (Matthew 19:3 to 23:39) MALI - Pop 12,000,000 Map 48. Pray that the kidnapping and rebelling caused by some Islamic army groups will cease and that the Gospel would be able to be freely shared. Pray for God to transform hearts within the Fulani people group that they might come to the Lord. Hosea 6 (Matthew 24:1 to 26:2) PHILIPPNIES - Pop 87,500,000 Map 168. EHC Philippines conducts a feeding program in Muslim communities in Mindanao. Pray that the Lord will touch these young lives through this ministry of feeding children in the public schools. Pray also for the pastors and church workers who volunteer in this program. Hosea 7 (Matthew 26:3 to 27:66) CREATIVE ACCESS #3 EHC workers are now in the most exciting phases of planning towards beginning the very first gospel literature distribution program to homes,
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universities, schools, and military police in this nation, pray for these outreaches. Hosea 8 (Matthew 28) ARGENTINA - Pop 38,800,000 Map 222. Pray that Gospel messages that are reaching 787,500 people in three districts will truly make a lasting impact on many hearts and lives as EHC workers visit homes, schools, hospitals and prisons. To date more than 43.1 million homes have been reached in this nation. Hosea 9 (Mark 1:1 – 13) UKRAINE - Pop 44,700,000 Map 100. The first outreach to Netishin reached 9,800 families with the Gospel. Each home received a Gospel booklet presenting the message of Christ along with the addresses of local Churches. Ask the Lord of the harvest for an outpouring of His spirit upon those who have been contacted. Hosea 10 (Mark 1:14 to 3:35) SPAIN - Pop 43,900,000 Map 59. In Barcelona, EHC Director Jose Seisdedos has visited several Churches to share EHC`s vision and train their members in witnessing with the printed page. Pray that God will bless the Church members` zeal that has taken root by reaching a district in the south. Hosea 11 (Mark 4-5) NIGER – Pop 14,500,000 Map 35. Recently a young Muslim Fulani woman received Jesus after being healed through prayer in the name of Jesus. Her healing led her father to receive Christ as well. Pray that the entire family will accept Jesus and stand firm in their faith. Hosea 12 (Mark 6:1 to 8:26) ZIMBABWE - Pop 13,300,000 Map 9. Pray for EHC`s training centre program that is targeting the areas of Kwekwe and Bindura. Travel expenses have been increasing which have proven to be a challenge for attendees and ministry as well. Pray that the Lord would provide. Hosea 13 (Mark 8:27 to 10:31) BULGARIA - Pop 7,600,000 Map 78. Pavel Vilcov has taken on the responsibility of coordinating EHC outreaches in this nation. After visiting 21,000 homes with a local church 27 people asked for follow-up Bible course. Pray for continued success of EHC efforts. Hosea 14 (Mark 10:32 to 13:37) INDONESIA – Pop 229,200,000 Map 142. Praise the Lord for the effective outreach effort in which EHC workers distributed 53,600 pieces of Gospel literature. Pray for YT. Also pray for brother D as his team trains the next generation to become missionaries and leaders in reaching their nation with the good news. Joel 1 (Mark 14 – 16) CREATIVE ACCESS #9 Pray for God’s protection for the EHC team as well as spiritual revival in the country. Pray that the team would demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in their lives and that many would be drawn to Christ
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by their testimonies. Also pray for the ministry in the north as God has opened many doors. Joel 2 (Luke 1 – 2) MADAGASCAR – Pop 17,800,000 Map 4. EHC workers have visited schools where some children have had no food for two days and the classrooms are in poor condition. Pray for this situation that the Lord would provide EHC the resources needed to help the school with humanitarian aid as well as a Gospel outreach. Joel 3 (Luke 3:1 to 4:15) SERBIA - Pop 7,800,000 Map 70. Pray for the Muslim people who receive EHC Gospel booklets in southwest Serbia. May the Word of God touch their hearts. Pray for the distribution campaign in that area that the Lord would call forth volunteers who are willing to go into that region at least once a month. Amos 1 (Luke 4:16 to 6:49) KENYA – Pop 37,900,000 Map 27. Pray for the various ministry teams working with EHC during special projects to reach as many homes and children as possible and to realize everlasting fruit from their mission. Pray for the safe arrival of gospel soccer balls. Praise God for His protection of EHC teams in the harvest fields of Kenya. Amos 2 (Luke 7:1 to 9:50) NEPAL - Pop 28,500,000 Map 132. David Lepcha, along with his wife Milan, has been appointed as a new national director for Nepal. Pray for God’s wisdom and knowledge for them so that they will be able to carry out their new responsibilities. Praise God for their commitment to serve him and to continue the ministry efforts in Nepal. Amos 3 (Luke 9:51 to 12:59) SIERRA LEONE - Pop 5,900,000 Map 43. Praise the Lord for the provision of a ministry vehicle. Pray that God’s protection, wisdom and divine favour will be EHC workers’ portion as they embark on outreach projects. Pray for new converts to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord and for more Christ groups to be established. Amos 4 (Luke 13:1 to 18:30) BELGUIM - Pop 10,300,000 Map 86. Pray for EHC Belgium’s efforts to get an outreach together for Luxembourg, which includes a bilingual gospel booklet and follow up materials. Praise the Lord for another effort involving 25 believers working with EHC where 19,000 families were reached. Amos 5 (Luke 18:31 to 21:38) TANZANIA – Pop 40,600,000 Map 16. Praise God that EHC’s Mobile Training Centre program is continuing well. Continue to pray for this much needed effort – for God’s provision and wisdom for the translation of materials into Swahili.Also,for guidance and protection as thousands are anticipated to be trained. Amos 6 (Luke 22 – 23)
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