Kingfisher International Family News - November 2021

KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

NOVEMBER 2021

ISSUE 18

Legacy This year we received the sad news that Simon Haq, our National Director in India had passed away. He had been admitted to hospital with respiratory problems at a time when COVID was running rampant in India, with hospitals packed with people suffering terminal COIVD symptoms. Whilst he was bedridden on a ward in that hospital, he prayed ceaselessly for the patients all around him and saw many of them healed from COVID-19. Sadly, he then succumbed to illness and passed away just hours before he was due to be discharged. Many have been asking the obvious question: why would God allow him to die? Why did He not heal Simon as He healed many for whom Simon prayed?

them. Building into others - encouraging them to grow in their walk with the Lord, to discover and begin to use the gifts that He has given them - is what grows the Body of Christ and ensures that the seed we plant in our lifetime continues to bear fruit long after we have passed away. Today the church in India, despite encountering intense opposition and persecution, is thriving and growing rapidly, as it is around the world.

In Malawi, the new Leadership Training Centre continues to be used by God to train and equip leaders from around the country and beyond. The student accommodation has been constructed, and we are in the process of constructing a more permanent class room block. This is the project that Charles Mithowa, our National Director in that country, is increasingly focusing on, as he seeks to leave a legacy of leaders that have been trained and equipped to move the Church in that nation forward.

There are, of course, no easy answers to questions like that. We will not know fully until we get to Heaven (1 Corinthians 13:12). However what we do know is that Simon is a great example of something that we all should be striving for: legacy. When our lives come to an end and we pass on to eternity in Heaven, what will our legacy be? What will we have left that will be of lasting value? In this, Simon left a great example of living life to leave a legacy.

Also in Malawi, we are seeking to leave a legacy in Healthcare through partnering with Andrew Mithowa to construct and equip a Rural Community Hospital which will provide health care for hundreds living in isolated, rural areas in the south of the country. You can read more about this in this edition of International News.

This project will still be operating, saving the lives of many, long after we have passed on to Heaven. That is legacy!

Simon experienced a call to church planting, healing and evangelism over 20 years ago. Having attended a Kingfisher conference in northern India he launched into that ministry, planting many churches and seeing thousands come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. He built into many people, encouraging them to launch their own ministries. Today there are thriving churches throughout the north of India, all of which stand as a testimony to the legacy that Simon left.

I am so pleased to say that, whether it is evangelism in India, healthcare in Africa or church planting and education in the Philippines, Kingfisher Family is building a legacy. Because you are reading this you are part of that legacy! But what will your own, personal legacy be? What are you building that will outlast you?

We can be very busy in our lives without actually building a legacy: “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” (Psalm 127:1, NLT). Don’t let your work be wasted - build something that will outlast you!

Dumagat Education Program update

Updates from around the King sher family

2021 Harvest Appeal

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Over the past three months, over 1000 people have come to know Jesus as Lord, hundreds have been baptised and many have experienced freedom from demonic oppression. All of this is because of the grace of God, and because Simon invested his time into growing disciples of Christ, encouraging young Christians to step out and learn to operate in the gifts that God has given

KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

King sher International Family Harvest Appeal 2021 Kingfisher Family is an international grouping of churches in the UK, Spain, Africa, India, The Philippines, China and Central America. Each year we designate one project as our Harvest Appeal, picked from one of the countries in which Kingfisher is active.

The initial services the hospital will offer are as follows: • Medical services to adults and children suffering from acute illness/disease • Children suffering from malnutrition • Home-based Care Services, travelling to people suffering from chronic diseases rather than expecting them to walk to hospital.

In 2021 our Harvest Appeal is focussing on helping to build a Rural Community Hospital in Malawi.

Heading up this project locally is Andrew Mithowa, who has recently graduated from the Catholic University of Malawi, having studied medicine there.

He has a vision to build this Rural Community Hospital in Limbe, which is just outside of Blantyre in the south of the country. His vision is outlined as follows:

Our Harvest Appeal aims to cover the cost of the 100,000 bricks needed to provide the initial structure of the building. This will cost in the region of £3000, which is our target for the 2021 Harvest Appeal, which launches on Sunday, October 31st.

“It is our wish that the Kingfisher Church Center here in Malawi, should build a Community Rural Hospital coming year 2025. We believe that many villages, where there is much poverty, with the construction of this community hospital, those vulnerable people will be able to access the health care at lower cost. We believe also that this rural community hospital will shorten the distance for hospital, as my fellow members of the Community walk long distances to seek health services.”

All contributions to this appeal will be most gratefully received and can be made either online via credit or debit card through the giving page of our website (www.kingfisherfamily.org) or via Standing Order. Our details for this are: Bank: Account name: Sort Code: Account number: Ref:

This hospital will be built over the next four years and will be accredited by the Christian Mission Hospitals Association of Malawi, an organisation that works hand-in-hand with the government of Malawi. The Malawi Medical Council will provide a licence to enable the hospital to start operating.

Kingfisher Church is a Registered Charity in the UK, number: 1078477

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HSBC Kingfisher Church 40-22-09 22358565 Harvest2021

KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Updates from King sher around the world India: At the beginning of September we were sent a report from Mohan Paul, an evangelist in India and friend of Simon Haq. They were friends since their school days and together have led thousands to Christ. Mohan is continuing the work that they started together:

Malawi: Congratulations to Andrew Mithowa who graduated in September, gaining a degree in Nursing and Midwifery!

Andrew says “It is an honor from God to me to reach this far. I thank God for His grace and protection during the time at the University. I believe this is God's purpose for me, and I pray for God's fulfilment of His plans upon my life as now am taking a new step in my lifetime to help those who are vulnerable/weak in our communities for the betterment of our Nation Malawi.

“This month we have done 3 meeting in different places. Around 6 hundreds peoples attended meeting and more than 125 people accepted Christ. 85 people healed from different kinds of diseases. In the month of September we are going to do again 2 meeting there will be 1000 people will attend meeting And next week there will be a big 2 days meeting in Orissa state. Please pray for us so God may do great miracles.”

“I ask for your prayers for God's protection, good health and His grace towards the fulfilment of God's plans in my lifetime. As I am taking time to praise and worship Him for this accomplishment, I am also asking you to pray for me, as I stay closer than ever to Jesus, and watching Him continue working on me, for the betterment of people of Malawi and beyond.”

Malawi: In October, Charles Mithowa sent us news of the new training centre in Malawi. They have already held one leadership training course and are planning to have permanent classes training there.

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Update from the Dumagat Education Program In July, Mike and Anna Leal, from Kingfisher Tredworth, very kindly sent a donation of used clothes and toys to the Dumagat tribe in Bulak and to the new Lord’s Light Kingfisher Church in Pantay, Rio Chico.

As you can see, all the donations were very gratefully received and Aileen and Roldan were there serving food while the items were being distributed.

Please pray for the Covid situation The Covid situation in Rio Chico is much worse now. Vaccination is very sporadic and many people live in a densely populated areas. The culture is different in terms of how they view Covid there. Covid patients are often shut off in the community, instead of being supported or seeking medical help, due to fear of spreading the disease. People don’t seek hospitalisation as it’s expensive and there is a very real fear of not coming out of hospital alive. Please pray for the ongoing situation there.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Head Teacher Thelma Caballero

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