The Lord continually provides and there is a wide-open door to continue sharing the gospel and being the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ to the surrounding Jali communities.
What a powerful and far-reaching impact the two COVID-19 response teams have had! Thank you to all who gave generously allowing us to develop a response strategy. We started in April with this plea, “As we respond to care for the Passion Center family and church communities, we feel we need to concentrate on the following areas: (1) Continue making critical visits to those with the greatest need- the infants, champs, and orphans in CHHs. (2) The CHN staff & volunteers led by pastor Edwin and Dr. Often, will concentrate on education, information, and counseling in all the villages we serve. (3) Our executive team will stand with our growing number of Churches and PCP pastors and make sure the Jali Passion Center site is supplied and encouraged.” Soon after, we added the Education Initiative team to provide school lessons to students in five areas. As your generous donations allowed us to serve those hit the hardest, we saw God bringing hope to many and saw many respond when the gospel was presented. Here are just a few impactful stories:
One of the students receiving lessons, tutoring, and encouragement from the Education Initiative Team responded to the gospel. His name is Bright from Ntonda Primary School. Previously, Bright’s parent told him not to work too hard in school, because they would be able to make him pass his exit exams through the practice of African magic (witchcraft). He believed in it until the day the Education Initiative Team shared the gospel at his school and he received Christ. He says he is now a changed person, he has completely been transformed and he believes in the power of God. Bright is being followed up on a weekly basis by the education team so he can grow in his faith in Christ!
Bright isn’t the only one being blessed and hearing about the good news of Jesus.
There are a significant number of Muslim students who are being helped through our Education strategy and hearing about Jesus!
Just through the Education Initiative, 125 students have given their lives to Christ!
Some girls have been rescued from early marriages because their parents were pressuring them to marry instead of being at home.
Students now have enough educational materials to sustain their learning while the government is working on how to re-open schools.
Girls have been rescued from abusive household chores since heavy work usually falls on them when they are not in school.
Through the Passion Education Initiative, students now have strong encouragers and role models in their lives.
If schools are not re-opened, we may need to extend both COVID-19 response teams beyond July. That will require more funds and resources to reach schools, villages, groups, and communities with prevention and health awareness training, handwashing supplies, and printed lessons, tutoring, and follow up.
The need for an additional dedicated field vehicle is huge now that our older field vehicle has driven on its last dirt road. That leaves us with only one field vehicle for all our village visits, outreach activities, and ministry initiatives. Please pray along with us!