2023 - FRIENDSMISSION.COM

What God Accomplished in 2023

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:50:22 +0000

We experienced a banner year at EFM. If we were to raise a banner it would read, “God’s Relentless Love in 2023”. Because of your generosity added to God at work among us, we experienced these blessings!

B. and D. A. retiring from EFM employment and leaving behind a fully self-sustaining and self-multiplying field in Nepal.
We chose six new fields to send 12 new missionary households to as a part of the Luke 10 Five-Year Goal.
Several other fields are still under deep consideration.
Trained and certified new coaches so that all our missionaries have a ministry coach.
Welcomed Friends Church Southwest to the EFM family. With this, missionaries in Cambodia and workers in Indonesia are also part of this family.
Celebrated the first ever missions-sending learning conference in Central Africa, learning together with our sister regions Burundi and Rwanda how we might work together sending missionaries to other countries and peoples.
On a fun note – through the 2023 Christmas Catalog, God’s people have already provided: 1,139 chickens, 81 buffalo, 197 goats, 252 blankets, 235 mosquito nets, 150 primary student school kits, 61 love gifts, 37 sewing machines, 34 tube wells, 41 medicine packages, and 41 medical kits!
We raised funds for three special projects in Cambodia, Africa, and Nepal.
Celebrated the 60th Anniversary in PDX honoring our past and raising $195,000 for pre-launch training of the 12 future missionary households we are going to send out.

As we enter the new year, we are looking to follow God into our next season:

Approve our first wave of Luke 10 missionary households.
Together with each of our North American regions, meet crucial pre-launch benchmarks in order to launch into new fields by New Year’s Eve 2025.
Expand our capacity to care for present missionaries through the use of Missionary Care Teams.
Collaborate with Latin American sister regions for another missions-sending learning conference.
Build EFM’s base of participants in prayer, giving, going, and supporting.
Continue to develop and raise up future missionaries through retreats, internships, apprentices, cohorts, and fieldwork.

Have you had a chance to read through EFM’s 2023 Year-End Review?

In this report you will see stories of God’s faithfulness, his people’s generosity, the team of missionaries he has raised up, and the vision he has given EFM. We hope you will be encouraged and inspired by the stories and perspectives found in these pages.

One of our goals is that this would be a tool this year to share EFM with your friends, family, and church leaders. We hope that as you do, they will be inspired to partner and get involved in the work God is doing! You can download your copy aquí!

As we step into this year, again, we are grateful for your support. Please prayerfully ask the Lord how you might continue to walk with him to make sure that every woman, man, boy, and girl experiences God’s relentless love.

Por Cristo,

Stanley David Leach

Executive Director

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A. and M. A. Deputation Ministry Update: December 12-31, 2023

Kimberly Mer — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 17:38:21 +0000

We are thankful to God that he brought us back to the Denver area after thirteen years. We are also very much thankful to Christy and Patrick for hosting us in their house, taking us to some meeting places, and introducing us to church people.

On December 12, we met two groups. The first one is the AWANA children’s group. M. shared her ministry with children in Bangladesh. Then she allowed them to ask questions. We are amazed to hear their meaningful questions. They ask M. why she became a missionary and when. They kept asking many good questions. Finally, I asked them how many of them are dreaming of being a future missionary. I probably counted eight hands up. I pray that their dream will be fulfilled by the Lord Jesus in different ways. Our time was closed with their prayer.

We are thankful to Cassi Coleman for allowing us to talk about our ministry in Bangladesh with the youth group at Denver Friends Church. M. spoke to them and invited them to ask questions. It was a good time with them. We saw some migrant children from Venezuela. Cassi was interpreting our talk to a man in the Spanish language. She was also using her cell phone for live Google translation for a mom and her kid in Spanish. I also shared a bit about how I encountered God. Cassi then led a Christmas lesson to them in a brilliant way. It was very encouraging to us.

The next day was a very joyful and memorable day for us with Cassi Coleman. She was in our country twice for about seven and a half months helping our ministry. She knows us very well. We enjoyed Nepali food at the Yak & Yeti restaurant. I had the opportunity to take a nap in her Ford RV and did some deputation ministry work at the desk in the car. In the evening, she brought us to a small bible study group of the Denver Friends. We are thankful to Phil and Kay Burgi for coordinating this group. We shared our ministry there and most of them asked questions. We thank the Lord that he also provided some partners from this group.

On December 15, we had the opportunity to meet Vicki and John at a coffee shop after a very long time. We remember that we stayed at their house once many years back and they took some of the beautiful mountain places. We shared many memories and told ministry updates. It was a real joy to see them face to face. In the evening Patrick and Christy took us to the Water World in Denver to show the Christmas lights. It was so colorful and beautiful. We enjoyed it a lot. Thanks, Patrick and Christy for your love, fellowship, prayer, and care.

We are thankful to Jim and Becky Towne for hosting us in their home, making our room warm, and cooking salmon fish, and shrimp which was a favorite for me and E. M. also loves salmon fish. We had the opportunity to speak about our ministry during the Sunday school hour and for a short time during the morning service at the First Friends Church in Colorado Springs. We had a good group of people who responded to our ministry very positively. Edwin also had an opportunity to be with a youth group in the evening. We had a short but memorable tour to see the “Garden of gods” on a sunny afternoon with Jim. It is an amazing work of God.

We came back to Wichita and stayed at David and Jennifer Wells’ home for our Christmas vacation. We appreciate their love, generosity, and respect for us. We had a very good family Christmas time with the Wells family. We are very much thankful to Dr. Kevin Hoppock for his great love for us. He became our family doctor. He checked our health for the second time to ensure that we were in good health. We are very much thankful to Matt and Carrie for their special Christmas treat of homemade, the very best ice cream, and Macy burgers on December 23. We had lots of fun and games at their house. We also are grateful to Jeff and Jann for inviting us on Christmas day to have a Christmas breakfast. The house was full of people. It seems to me that we are in a real church program. Thanks for their love and hospitality.

We had a good fellowship time with one of my professors at Fort Worth, Houston on the way to the Summit. We were so blessed with him and his wife. The Summit was awesome. I had the opportunity to share the testimony of my calling in the ministry. We tried to encourage young people to respond to the call of Jesus on mission. We were very much blessed to celebrate the 31st night together with my both son and other friends in Summit.

If we look back, we can see our lives are full of blessings that we do not deserve. We are thankful for all his mercy and kindness. Please pray for our last month of stay in the US. We will be back in our country on February 1. Pray for our health. M. needs to do laser surgery in the retina on her left eye on January 19. I am having some health issues that need to be done quickly. We need to finish our medical care before leaving the US. Pray that our health becomes smooth and strong. Also, pray for our meaningful vacation time together with family before returning home to our country. We give all glory to God as he is leading us in this country.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. (Psalm 28:7)

Thank you very much for your faithful prayer and generosity. You are a great source of encouragement for us. May the Lord bless you

Regards,

A. and M. A.

Serving together in Bangladesh

You can support us through prayer and financial giving. We need and appreciate both so that we can reach 100% in both areas before heading back to Bangladesh. We currently have 765 prayer partners and have a goal of raising it to 800. If you know anyone who would like to pray for our ministry, please forward this form to them.

We are now fully funded in recurring ministry support needs if previous recurring financial partners continue! If you are a current monthly supporter, thank you. It is important to let EFM know that you plan to continue or increase your giving. We still have a need to raise $3,700 of $5,000 to help with one-time travel costs and upgrades to our devices for deputation.

If you are not currently giving, would you please prayerfully consider supporting our ministry in Bangladesh? There are four ways to partner with us:

Online. Visit https://catalog.friendsmission.com/ama. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “A. and M. A. Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post A. and M. A. Deputation Ministry Update: December 12-31, 2023 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

December 2023 Testimonies from Thailand

Kimberly Mer — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 19:28:44 +0000

EFM’s relationship with The Way Foundation in Thailand is valuable in continuing the Great Commission work in Southeast Asia. The Way Foundation’s vision is to help establish a growing ministry that will continue to share the gospel, make disciples, plant churches, and be connected to churches around the world, including those in America, for many generations to come.

We are excited to share this report from one of The Way Foundations Projects! This report was shared by Yaw Sa Pa, Director of the Holistic Community Development Project.

Holistic Community Development Project Report

Mr. JA BO is the pastor at the JA THAW church. It is located in Chiang Rai Province. He has been serving for four years, and before that, he was a member of the church.

Mr. JA BO said from having the opportunity to participate in learning and doing various activities in the D4D (Discipling for Development) project, he has seen many benefits. This project has helped open various perspectives and attitudes for serving in the church. For example, the swimming lessons have given rise to the idea that we should constantly learn and develop ourselves in every aspect. It also encourages to not depend on others forever and to grow in various skills that are necessary for serving God.

There is another lesson and activity that has been done which is “finding the root of the problem.” This lesson has made him go back and remember various problems that have occurred in the JA THAW village and the church because in the past he has only paid attention to the effects of the problems that happened, but this lesson teaches him to find the root or true cause of that problem.

He has the feeling of wanting to continue sharing things gained from this D4D lesson with others because it has been seen that it is beneficial for application in various missions, in service, and in the family as well.

I would like to pray for the D for D team and people in the community to have strong faith and let God be honored. Amen.

Thanks for your prayers and your support.

From,
Charlee Kunakorn
Executive Director, The Way Foundation

EFM Thailand’s fundraising status is currently at 73% based on the commitments for monthly/yearly recurring giving that are needed for this ministry to be fully funded. Would you consider partnering with EFM Thailand? You can:

Donate online on EFM Thailand’s webpage aquí.
Donate by credit card over the phone at 303-421-8100.
Mail a check marked with “EFM Thailand Support” to EFM, PO Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277.

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Deputation Ministry Update: December 5-11, 2023

Kimberly Mer — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 20:43:00 +0000

We arrived in California from Iowa on 5th December and stayed at the Rowntree Garden Guest House. We had a good time with Stan for the whole afternoon on the 6th. The evening fellowship was memorable. We, a group of international multilingual people met for a dinner fellowship at Stan Leach’s house. We sang the “This is the Day” song in 6 different languages: English, Bengali, Indonesian, Cambodian, Spanish, and French language. We had an opportunity to share what and how the Lord is doing ministry in Bangladesh. We all had the opportunity to share the Christmas tradition of our culture. It was awesome.

We are happy to meet Pastor Larry and Pastor Carlos at the Canyon Hills Church. Thanks for their love and prayer. We pray that the church will partner with us. We are also thankful to Mrs. Claudia Gehele at Canyon Hill Friends Church. We talked about the ongoing Jesus Film ministry in Bangladesh and showed some of JF showing pictures. She is very much excited to reach non-Christians in our country through the Jesus film. Pray that the Lord fulfills her desire. We convey our gratitude to our beloved pastor Bruce Butler for his great heart to win the lost and partner with us. We are grateful to Mr. Sung Kim and Teddy Omondi for their gracious love and for sacrificing their valuable time with us at Panini Kabob Grill house for lunch. Thanks for their encouragement and prayers.

We had a very fruitful and blessed day with the Riverview Church people in Bonsal, California. Thanks for their faithful prayer and giving for the last 23 years. We were honored by the mission board members through a Christmas dinner at Scenic Ranch. We express our gratefulness to Floyd who coordinated with board members. We also are thankful to pastor Mel, Don, and Carlos for their great contribution. We had the opportunity to share our ministry with the Adult Bible Group on Sunday morning and were introduced at both church services at 9:15 and 11 am. Edwin had the opportunity to share his experience with the youth group. It was encouraging to him and the group. Thank Melvyn and Sue Michaelian for inviting us to their house for a lunch fellowship with us. Thank you, Damian Helling, for calling us even though you were not able to meet with us at the church. Gregg, we are sorry that we met but could not talk. We are very thankful to Rob and Betty Keenan for taking us to the Bob Burton Theater on the Fallbrook High School campus to enjoy the Nutcracker ballet performance. The whole family and relatives were with us. We are very thankful to Randy and Rose Howard for hosting us in their house with much love and care. May the Lord bless them and be glorified through their lives. We ask mercy to Elise Paty for bringing us out and bringing us into the airport on time. May the Lord bless her new married life.

There I saw a handwritten statement on a whiteboard in a ranch: “Fear is a reaction; courage is a decision.” Our prayer to God is that he gives us the courage to face fear in all situations in our lives.

Thank you very much for your faithful prayer and generosity. May the Lord bless you.

Regards,

A. and M. A.

Serving together in Bangladesh

Below is our general schedule. If you would like to schedule an opportunity to see us while we are in your area, you can fill out this form or contact us at ama@friendsmission.com. You can also call our US cell phones at 316-304-8373 (Albert) or 316-308-2473 (Metali).

December 12-18 Colorado (Denver and Colorado Springs)

January 3-14: Kansas

You can support us through prayer and financial giving. We need and appreciate both so that we can reach 100% in both areas before heading back to Bangladesh. We currently have 762 prayer partners and have a goal of raising it to 800. If you know anyone who would like to pray for our ministry, please forward this form to them.

We are now fully funded in recurring ministry support needs if previous recurring financial partners continue! If you are a current monthly supporter, thank you. It is important to let EFM know that you plan to continue or increase your giving. We also have a need of $5,000 to help with one-time travel costs and upgrades to our devices for deputation.

If you are not currently giving, would you please prayerfully consider supporting our ministry in Bangladesh? There are four ways to partner with us:

Online. Visit https://catalog.friendsmission.com/ama. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “A. and M. A. Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post Deputation Ministry Update: December 5-11, 2023 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Carta de Oración Diciembre 2023

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 21:50:52 +0000

D.K. y Choity Sarkar |Sirviendo en India

Saludos en su inigualable nombre. Este es un informe breve y específico de nuestro ministerio en Bengala Occidental. Por su gracia y gracias a sus oraciones, nuestro ministerio se expande cada año.

En Bengala Occidental – Actualmente tenemos veintitrés iglesias y alrededor de sesenta iglesias en casas. Estamos trabajando entre el pueblo bengalí, el pueblo santali, el pueblo musulmán, el pueblo dalit (intocable) y en la zona de prostitución.

Ministerio de otros estados: Pudimos expandir nuestro ministerio más allá del estado de Bengala Occidental. Actualmente tenemos ministerios en Uttarakhand y Andhra Pradesh. Para su amable información, los cristianos de Uttarakhand enfrentan persecución debido a su fe en Jesús. Aún así, nuestros dos hermanos OM Prakash y Raj siguen trabajando allí. Alabo a Dios por ellos. El ministerio en Andhra Pradesh comenzará en enero de 2024. El hermano Peter Sethy está trabajando allí. el progreso es muy bueno.

Ministerio en el Área de Luz Roja – Gracias a Dios por el área de luz roja. Choity va allí todos los jueves. Nuestro amigo Peter y su esposa Leonora iniciaron un negocio en la zona roja para el desarrollo financiero de las niñas de allí. El ministerio comenzó con cinco niñas y ahora hay treinta y cinco niñas. A menudo, las niñas son hijas de mujeres que han trabajado en la industria del sexo. Las madres esperan que sus hijas elijan caminos diferentes y no ejerzan la misma profesión. Ahora viven con honor y dignidad. Once de ellas se acercaron al Señor e hicieron un testimonio público del bautismo en la Iglesia de los Amigos de Kolkata. Alabado sea el Señor.

Ministerio musulmán – En el año 2023, veintiocho personas vinieron a Cristo e hicieron un testimonio público del bautismo de la comunidad musulmana. Nuestro ministerio musulmán está creciendo por su gracia.

Centro de tutoría: tenemos cinco centros de tutoría en Shyamnagar, Nazatt, Gopalpur, Krishnapur y Habibpur. Hay entre 30 y 40 niños en estos centros. Los niños pobres de la zona reciben clases gratuitas durante dos horas, tres días a la semana. Este ministerio es para la gente pobre de la localidad, gracias a los centros de tutoría, EFM Kolkata ganó una buena reputación en ese distrito. Los centros de tutoría también son una buena herramienta para la evangelización. Enseñamos a los niños la palabra de Dios, canciones, etc., e invitamos a los padres y sus amigos a nuestros diferentes programas. Escuchan la palabra de Dios en esos programas. Estas cinco iglesias consiguieron nuevos creyentes a través de los centros de tutoría.

Curso bíblico por correspondencia: también tenemos un curso bíblico por correspondencia para estudiantes de secundaria y universitarios. En la actualidad hay más de tres mil estudiantes. Es un curso de cinco pasos donde se escriben las historias de la creación, el nacimiento de Jesucristo, sus enseñanzas, su muerte y resurrección y la vida eterna. Los estudiantes pasan por este curso. Cuando completen los cinco pasos, los invitamos a la iglesia para un mejor aprendizaje y compañerismo. Algunos estudiantes entregaron su vida a Jesús a través del curso por correspondencia.

Estamos tratando de alcanzar a la gente a través del evangelio de todas las formas posibles, para que la gente tenga el conocimiento salvador de Jesucristo. Por favor oren por nosotros.

D K & Choity Sarkar

Descargue la carta de oración de este mes aquí...

The post Carta de Oración Diciembre 2023 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Sarkar December 2023 Update

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 20:55:00 +0000

Dear Partners in Christ,

Greetings in the matchless name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an honor for me to write to you all after my deputation in the USA. I thank each one of you for your love, prayer, and hospitality when I was in the USA. It was the best time for me and my wife when we were in your house. I am grateful to you all.

At this time I would like to talk about our present ministry. Our time in the United States, was a great encouragement to me and for my coworkers in West Bengal and two other states in India.

West Bengal Ministry

We are working among the Bangali Hindu people and at present we have eight Bengali speaking churches here in West Bengal. There are also thirty-three house churches here in West Bengal.

We are also working among the Muslim people in the district of Murshidabad and Nadia. At present there are three churches in these two districts. The members are all from the Muslim background. There are also five house fellowships in these two districts among the Muslim people.

We are also working among the Dalit (untouchable) people of West Bengal. They are in South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas. Mostly they do the work which high-caste people will not do. They also catch fish from the rivers and ocean. There are three churches and eleven house churches in these two districts.

The biggest group is the Santhally group. They are in Malda district. There are five churches and twenty-three house churches in this district. All the people speak in Santhally language.

Ministry in the Red-light area – Choity my wife started a ministry among the girls in the Red-light area. She started with five girls and now there are thirty-five girls. These girls are working in an NGO, named Inology. Choity is a board member of Inology. She teaches the girls the word of God, Christian songs, etc. She also conducts VBS once a year with these girls. There are eleven girls who came to the Lord through this ministry. They are all happy. Others are struggling, they need your prayers.

Children’s Ministry – We have five tutorial centers in the poor village churches. Two in Malda district among the Santhally people, one is in Nazatt among the Dalit people, one is in Shyamnagar among the Hindu people, and another one is in Murshidabad district among the Muslim people. More than two hundred children are receiving the benefit of the tutorial center. The teachers help them to prepare the next day’s lesson at the school and they learn the word of God and Christian songs. The tutorial centers are very good tools for evangelism. The children and the parents are always invited to the church for prayers and participate in different church programs. People came to the Lord through these tutorial centers. Praise the Lord.

Our sister NGO – Seed Welfare Society is our sister organization. We work together. Seed is committed to helping orphans and poor children. There are fifty-six poor and orphaned children in the hostel. EFM Kolkata is providing Christian teachings to these children.

Beyond West Bengal Ministry

By the grace of God, we could expand our ministry to other states in India. The reports are:

Andhra Pradesh – At the beginning of 2023, we started our ministry in Andhra Pradesh. This state is in the Southern part of India. Our evangelist Peter Sethi is doing a good job there.

Uttarakhand – Uttarakhand is situated in the northern part of India. There are lots of persecutions. Despite all these persecutions, our evangelist Raj Chand is doing a good job there. He could establish four house churches. He needs our prayers.

Uttar Predesh – The highest persecution is going on in Uttar Pradesh. The whole state is made of the Hindu religion. Our Evangelist O P Prakash is newly sifted there from Uttarakhand. He is doing a good job. He needs our prayers.

Thank You!

We praise God for his grace and mercies for us and for our ministry. I would like to thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart. We are also grateful to you. Because of your prayers and monetary support, we could make it. But still, there is a great need in India. People are there who did not come to Jesus Christ. To bring these people to Christ, we need your prayers and support. Many of you are giving spontaneously to EFM for our ministry. Please continue to give. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Those who are still planning to give, please start giving, and those who are not giving anything please think and pray how you can take part in God’s ministry.

God bless each one of you and your family. May the Christmas and the New Year bring peace, joy, happiness, and prosperity in your life. Thanks.

With the greetings of Christmas,

D.K. Sarkar

Kolkata, West Bengal, India

If you would like to partner financially with DK and Choity to get their ongoing monthly support from 92% to 100%, there are four ways to give:

Online. Visit https://catalog.friendsmission.com/sarkar. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Sarkar Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”
Thank you for the ways in which you have already blessed the Sarkars. May the Lord bless you too!

The post Sarkar December 2023 Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

December 2023 Prayer Letter

Kimberly Mer — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 21:12:34 +0000

D.K. and Choity Sarkar | Serving in India

Greetings in his matchless name. This is a brief and specific report of our ministry in West Bengal. By his grace and because of your prayers our ministry is expanding each year.

In West Bengal – At present, we have twenty-three churches and around sixty house churches. We are working among the Bengali People, Santali people, Muslim people, Dalit (untouchable) people, and in the red-light area.

Other states ministry – We could expand our ministry beyond the state of West Bengal. At present, we have ministries in Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh. For your kind information, Uttarakhand Christians are facing persecution because of their faith in Jesus. Still, our two brothers OM Prakash and Raj are working there. I praise God for them. Andhra Pradesh ministry will be started in January 2024. Brother Peter Sethy is working there. The progress is very good.

Red-light Area Ministry – Thanks be to God for the red-light area. Choity goes there each Thursday. Our friend Peter and his wife Leonora started a business in the red-light area for the financial development of the girls there. The ministry started with five girls and now there are thirty-five girls. Often, the girls are daughters of women who have worked in the sex industry. The mothers hope that their daughters choose different paths and do not pursue the same profession. Now they are living with honor and dignity. Eleven of them came to the Lord and made a public testimony of baptism in Kolkata Friends Church. Praise the Lord.

Muslim Ministry – In the year of 2023, twenty-eight people came to Christ and made a public testimony of baptism from the Muslim community. Our Muslim ministry is growing by his grace.

Tutorial Center – We have five tutoring centers in Shyamnagar, Nazatt, Gopalpur, Krishnapur and Habibpur. There are 30 – 40 children in these centers. The local poor children are receiving free tuition for two hours, three days a week. This ministry is for the poor people of the locality, because of the tutoring centers, EFM Kolkata gained a good reputation in that district. The tutoring centers are also a good tool for evangelism. We teach the children the word of God, songs, etc., and invite the parents and their friends to our different programs. They hear the word of God in those programs. These five churches got new believers through the tutoring centers.

Bible Correspondence Course – We also have a Bible correspondence course for high school and college-going students. At present, there are more than three thousand students. It is a five-step course where the stories of creation, the birth of Jesus Christ, his teachings, his death and resurrection, and eternal life are written. The students go through this course. When they complete all five steps we invite them to the church for better learning and fellowship. A few students gave their lives to Jesus through the correspondence course.

We are trying to reach the people through the gospel in all possible way, so that the people will have the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Please pray for us.

D K & Choity Sarkar

Download this month’s prayer letter aquí…

The post December 2023 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Molly Morton November 2023 Ministry Update

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:33:26 +0000

Earlier this week, I was asked what I was grateful for in the lead-up to Thanksgiving. I realized that I was grateful for the Irish government changing the regulations on the Minister of Religion Visa back in 2018. If you have been supporting and praying for me for any length of time, you’ll know how long a road it has been to finally live and serve full-time in Ireland. Many different kinds of delays have happened along the way. One of those delays was a change in the regulations of the Minister of Religion visa in 2018, the visa I was hoping to enter Ireland with. Amongst several new regulations was one in particular that required an in-country partnering charity. It seemed an easy task since I had several existing connections in the country but as I would come to find out, not as easy as I had hoped. All of my existing connections were not able to partner with me in this way which led me to ask some charities and organizations I had never met before.

In 2019, I visited Ireland and more specifically Greystones with the purpose of finding a partnering charity. To make a long story short, the Church of the Nazarene Greystones agreed to be my partnering charity for my Minister of Religion visa. Currently, I live and serve in Greystones, Ireland. This town was not on my radar at all in 2018, only as the town my teammate Kathi lived in. She had suggested asking the church she attended. But now I live here. Now I am blessed to serve a rapidly growing and diversifying church family at “the Naz” as it is locally known.

As I thought about how different the reality of my life in Ireland is to the one, I imagined, I was struck by the creativity of our Heavenly Father. I would have never imagined that I would live in County Wicklow because all my connections were further north in County Louth. I would have never imagined that I would be in a pastoral position in a church. But now I serve as the administrative pastor at the Naz. But God knew. He had it planned this way all along. I am so incredibly blessed to serve in this community. The one God designed for me.

Some of the ways I’ve been able to serve in this community in the last few months have been so fun. In August, I was privileged to accompany residents from Peace Haven, a local charity that provides housing and support for adults with intellectual disabilities, on their vacation to Orlando, Florida. All three residents, Rachel, Beverley, and Clara attend our church. We got to go to all the Disney parks, ride a fan boat in the Everglades, visit Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade Village, and swim with dolphins. It was so much fun to help provide a safe and relaxing holiday for these ladies. It also was really nice to be within driving distance of a Target for two weeks!

Right before Florida, a team from my home church of Gateway Friends in Diamond Bar, California came to Greystones to help us provide a craft and cookery camp for over 50 children. I loved having some of my favorite people from Gateway here with me in Ireland. It was immensely gratifying to be able to show them our ministry here. They loved meeting all the people I’ve been talking about and getting to serve our church family.

We as a church family are looking forward to the Advent season as we journey towards Christmas morning and the gift of the Son of God. We have lots of plans to engage our community. We are excited to host a carol service, men’s and women’s dinners, ecumenical gatherings, and children’s programs.

Thank you so much for your intentional and generous prayer and support of what God is doing in and through my ministry in Greystones, Ireland with the Church of the Nazarene. I am so grateful that those visa regulations were changed all those years ago.

All my love and prayers,

Molly Morton

The post Molly Morton November 2023 Ministry Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Join David Thomas in Prayer for his November/December Trip to Bolivia!

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 21:08:19 +0000

David at home in La Paz, celebrating the sun shining on Mount Illimani after days of his mountain being hidden in the clouds!

Trip to the cities of La Paz and Sucre, Bolivia, November 24 – December 9, 2023

Trip Purpose:

We will facilitate a coaching workshop for three days of our first week for Food for the Hungry (FH)– Bolivia leaders including a few leaders from other ministries. This will be held in La Paz close to FH’s national office. The second week in Sucre we will facilitate an Adult Learning and Bible Telling five-day workshop with Food for the Hungry leaders and their local team leaders. We will also have conversations with FH leaders as to how to organize ongoing training with them throughout the year.

Trip Calendar:

Other team members will be flying out on Nov. 25 and back on Dec. 10, one day after me.

Praises and Prayer Requests:

Praise God for this amazing opportunity to work with a well-known and successful Christian development organization, Food for the Hungry International-Bolivia! We are no longer working with Compassion International – Bolivia as their Colorado Springs office has another program that they want them to follow. We wish them well. FH wants to see their partner churches and communities gain a strong sense of ownership and empowerment in effectively reaching out to their own communities, long-term after their partnership with them ends. They are inviting us to walk alongside them in the process of improving their organization and methodologies to more effectively see the kingdom of God expand through their work throughout Bolivia. What a privilege!
Pray for our three-day coaching workshop with FH leaders and a few other leaders we are also training, including our Navigator leaders. Gary, Merri Lee, and I will facilitate this workshop for everyone else. Pray for people to understand Christ’s empowering leadership. Pray for a strong desire to grow in participants to be a more empowering leader, and pray for some excellent experience in coaching, and a commitment in the months ahead to practice these skills. Pray for FH leaders to see ways to improve their organization’s leadership culture to become more empowering, with a growing strong value of developing the leaders they have and work with.
Pray for our Adult Learning workshop for people to understand the “why” behind the way we facilitate, to desire to learn how to teach in this way, and to commit to taking some practical steps to grow personally and especially for those who will be on local D4D teams, that they will practice this method of facilitation.
Pray for our Bible Telling workshop for people to see the value and effectiveness of studying God’s word in this powerful and involved way. Pray they would catch the vision of this method and that they would commit to practicing it. This skill often brings a strong “win” to those beginning to implement Discipling for Development in their churches and communities. This is a powerful way to connect people in our churches and communities to Bible study in a much more accessible way than using traditional preaching or teaching methods.
Pray for our team:
- Gary and Merri Lee Hipp – American missionaries who coached our Rwanda D4D team. They are an amazing team who have led D4D for many years. Gary is our team leader. They are learning Spanish and will facilitate a few lessons with Katia interpreting for them.
- David Thomas – Evangelical Friends Missionary blessed to partner with The Navigators D4D in this new work in Bolivia and a former missionary kid from Bolivia.
- Judy Camp – American Navigator ministry with Hispanic ladies in Los Angeles for many years.
- Bruce Hook – American Navigator working with American Navigator missionaries and Latin American Navigators in member care in Latin America.
- Sergio and Mónica are Mexican Latin American Navigators.
- Marcia and Carlos are Chilean Latin American Navigators.
- Cintia Huayhua – FH worker, Friends church member, future missionary hopeful.
- Stefanie and Rodiz Chambi – Friends church members, and future missionaries to the Middle East. Stefanie has been translating our material into Spanish!
Pray for God’s favor, blessing, and grace to rest on us! Pray for wisdom and Holy Spirit insight as we walk alongside FH a YWAM leader, his local church in Santa Cruz, and a Bolivian Friends missionary couple to the Chiman people.
Pray for health, strength, energy, excellent Spanish, and excellent communication with all those participating in these seminars.
Pray for safety in travel for all those coming (often a day’s drive from their cities). Pray for health for everyone during the two weeks of seminars.
Pray for me. I am learning to be continually centered, grounded, and rooted in Christ’s love. I know that I am his “beloved ‘huios’ (son, heir, family representative), that Papa is pleased with me, (that he trusts me), that his delight rests on me.” (Luke 3:22) Pray for these truths to be deeply rooted in me, in who I am.
Pray also for me to be continually aware of Holy Spirit’s presence and nudging, to find a good rhythm of rest alongside the times of intense focus in facilitating and listening to others facilitate. Pray for growth in my emotional intelligence and awareness of everything and everyone around me. Pray for God’s favor to rest on me!

I am seeking new monthly financial partners as well as new prayer partners. A friend startled me with the idea “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” and that Holy Spirit’s greatest impact through my ministry will be through the people partnering with me rather than with the people I work with! I will be thinking on this more. Ask Holy Spirit about joining my monthly financial and prayer team!

There are four ways to give:

Online. Visit https://catalog.friendsmission.com/thomas. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
Tarjeta de crédito. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form aquí and email it Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Thomas Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

Bless you!

David Thomas

The post Join David Thomas in Prayer for his November/December Trip to Bolivia! first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

A. and M. A. Deputation Ministry Update: October 31-November 15, 2023

Kimberly Mer — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 16:58:21 +0000

We arrived in Portland on 31st October. Jan Cammack took us to her apartment from the airport. She was a great help to us. She drove the car for us to visit different churches and friends in the Oregon area. We were privileged to have a Zoom meeting with Tony and Stacy Wheeler. It was a blessing time for us. In the evening, went to the South Salem Friends church to share our ministry. It was a joint event with Scott’s Mills, Rosedale, and Marion Friends. We had a very good potluck dinner with a group of people. We are thankful to Pastor Austin Way for arranging everything for us. We express our special gratitude to Dr. Chuck and Nancy Mylander for sacrificing their time with us and offering lunch together on November 2. We shared many memories and prayed together. In the evening, Linday Bryd and Marilyn came to visit us at Jan’s house and had a wonderful dinner time together. Jan and Metali cooked for us. We are thankful to all of them. Edwin had also a very good time with the Newberg youth group. He enjoyed it a lot. November 3 was one of our very memorable days. One of our very beloved missionaries and professor Dr. Phil Parshall made time with his wife Juli to have a video call from Sebring, Florida. They were missionaries in Bangladesh for 20 years. Very much committed to minister among the Muslims. He has written several very important books related to the ministry among Muslims. What a blessing to talk with him. He is waiting to go to his original home in heaven.

Jan Cammack became a great blessing to all of us, but especially to Edwin. Jan had completed her Ph. D on Organic Chemistry, and she helped E. a lot to understand chemical reactions and related lessons. She also demonstrated some chemical reactions that can be used as an objective lesson to share the gospel. It was awesome. She is very organized and a good planner. She became our GPS here in Oregon. We just simply follow her. We thank the Lord for her life and love for the Lord.

On November 4, me and E. went to the Chehalem Friends church in the morning to speak at the men’s breakfast. It was a good time with some very dedicated godly people. We thank God for that. In the afternoon, I had a good talk with Pastor Nike LeMonds of Forge Life in a coffee shop in Newberg. I have learned about his transformed life and passion for the lost. May the Lord use him mightily to bring many young people to Him who are living without Jesus.

Sunday, November 5 was a very special day for us. We had a morning speaking engagement at Newberg Friends Church combined with Sunday School classes. Dr. Chuck Mylander introduced us to a large group of people. We shared our ministry with them. We were introduced to the Sunday service. Joe Thouvenal delivered a gospel message entitled “He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand…” It was a very good sermon with several reflection questions. We gathered at a Potluck after service. We have a wonderful question-and-answer time with many people.

On November 7 we visited several waterfalls including Multnomah Fall and Bonneville Lock & Dam in Oregon for the whole day. It was awesome. It reminds me how beautifully God has made everything for us, and we should be very much grateful for all his blessings.

November 8 was the most important day for the EFM family because it was the day to discuss, seek direction from the Lord, and propose to select new ministry fields for sending missionary households in 2025. I have observed oneness in discussion and dedication in prayers. We celebrated the 60th Anniversary of EFM followed by a Banquet at Oregon Zoo. It was a time of honoring God and expressing our gratitude to the Lord and all who were involved in mission work. We had a wonderful dinner fellowship at Jan’s house with some godly men and women including B. and D. A. The next day morning we went to visit one of our long-time partners and friends at Mustard Seed Farm in Newberg. As we were about to leave the house, Hudson, the dog of Jan Cammack ran to Jan and started to plead to take him with us. He was pleading again and again. It seems to me that a son is pleading with his father something he likes. He was longing to go with his master. His expectation was very simple but very sincere. It reminds me that we have a faithful God who loves us and cares for us. We must long for his fellowship and our prayer should be very humble, simple, and sincere. Hudson opens me again about my intentional relationship with my heavenly Father.

We are so thankful to Jan Cammack and Marilyn Harmon for arranging a short vacation after a very busy week of ministry. We’re very grateful to Marilyn and her brother who graciously offered us their beach house to stay and provided different kinds of sea food to enjoy at beach house. We enjoyed the sunny beach and nature there. On the way back to Newberg, we visited Tillamook cheese factory and other nature. We saw a very old cedar tree “Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) which is estimated to be 800-1200 years old. We have a lot of fun and enjoy with nature and it remined us the song, “How Great Thou Art…When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.”

Our last ministry in Newberg was with the youth group. M. cooked Bengali food that was all eaten by them. I think they loved it. E. helped the group make a ball with paper and an unused polyethene bag and played like cricket. It was fun. I shared some video clips that teach about our culture and country. Then I spoke about our ministry. Our time was closed by a group of prayers.

We’re very much thankful to Jan Cammack who was a guiding angel for us in our time in Oregon. She took good care of us, opened her house to stay, cooked for us, took every place where we needed to go, contacted people as many as she could, helped us to keep busy with the ministry and people and so on. We are very thankful to her love and generosity. May the Lord bless her richly.

As we have joy in our present deputation ministry here in the USA, we also have disappointment. But God is always good to us. Our next destination would be in Sequim, WA, Iowa and California area. Pray that the Lord provides at least one person in each place we share who will be willing to partner with us either by praying or giving.

Regards,

A. and M.A.

Serving together in Bangladesh

Below is our general schedule. If you would like to schedule an opportunity to see us while we are in your area, you can fill out this form or contact us at ama@friendsmission.com.

November 27-December 3: Iowa
December 9-17: California (Orange County/Bonsall/Fallbrook)
January 3-14: Kansas

You can support us through prayer and financial giving. We need and appreciate both so that we can reach 100% in both areas before heading back to Bangladesh. We currently have 719 prayer partners and have a goal of raising it to 800. If you know anyone who would like to pray for our ministry, please forward this form to them.

We are currently at 87% of our ongoing monthly need. If you are a current monthly supporter, thank you. It is important to let EFM know that you plan to continue or increase your giving. If you are not currently giving, would you please prayerfully consider supporting our ministry in Bangladesh?

There are four ways to partner with us:

Online. Visit https://catalog.friendsmission.com/ama. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form aquí and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “A. and M. A. Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM.”

The post A. and M. A. Deputation Ministry Update: October 31-November 15, 2023 first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.