Did you know that every single donation and prayer makes a difference for our missionaries and those they are helping? Our goal is to ignite hope one relationship at a time. Thank you for your support! Enjoy these stories of transformation from across the world!
The following is story from our friends in India. There is a new believer, D. S.in Shyamnagar Friends Church who made a public testimony of baptism in 2021. He sells fish for a living. He has continued to grow in the faith since 2021 and started two new house fellowships. He says that in the morning he sells fish but, in the evening, he is free to tell people about Jesus. He did Bible training through our Bible classes. Recently, he did business training as well. He is so happy now. He says it is a new opportunity to sell fish in accordance with the Bible and the teachings of his business training. With recent encouragement, he started the ministry in the expanded area of Shyamnagar.
The following is a story of a transformed life from our Friends in Nepal. In March during a screen of the Jesus Film in a community in D* (a district predominantly of the Hindu Maithili community), leaders reported that there was a good response from the crowd as they watched the end of the movie depicting the story of Jesus. Many people were moved to come forward with questions the same night as the next day. A few young boys from the same community came forward and were asking interesting questions about the life and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. They were guided into the nearest church for follow-up.
The following is a story of a transformed life from our Friends in Cambodia. Sokha is the youngest of three sisters. When she was around ten years old, her parents divorced and both remarried, leaving their three daughters to fend for themselves. From a young age, Sokha worked as a farm laborer.
Sokha (who is now married with three children) joined an evangelistic bible study. After attending the Bible study for a few months, she asked if leaders could pray for God to heal a swollen lymph node (or tumor) in her throat that had been afflicting her for years. They prayed, and God graciously responded.
Since then, as Sokha has surrendered more of her life to Christ, the Lord has transformed her heart, her family, and delivered her from alcohol and gambling addiction. He’s also used Sokha to lead others to Christ. About a month ago, a small group of believers began meeting for Sunday worship beside Sokha’s house.
The following is a story of transformation from our Friends in Rwanda. Clementine is a leader of women for the local government in her neighborhood. She was chosen by government leaders to be discipled in the whole-life discipleship group. Her story is a story of a “transforming” person rather than a “transformed” person, which is also true of all of us. She is a Catholic. She said that through D4D her relationship with God has deepened and that she has gained confidence that has enabled her to become a small group leader in her church. She now leads her small group in prayer and study. She has done various things to improve the health of their family, like putting cement on walls and tiles on the floor to reduce dirt in the home and purchasing animals to help provide for their family. She also started a money-making venture that she gained the confidence and courage to start through D4D. She has stewarded her products and increased what she can make. She also recently opened a shop. She said, “What I learned in D4D has enabled me to grow this business and provide for my family.” Clementine is learning and growing in various ways. She is in the process. We can trust God to continue to work in Clementine’s life and draw her to himself as the D4D leaders in Musanze disciple her and the others in their church and surrounding community.
The following is a story of transformation from our Friends in Bangladesh. A. D. is from the Kanaidia village and she is a student at the Friends Tutorial School. She was born in a Hindu family and before entering the Friends Tutorial School, she was very disobedient to her parents. She didn’t listen to her parents, she lied to them, and she did not study or go to school. As a result, she was often scolded and disciplined by her parents. After enrolling in the Friends Tutorial School, she started attending Sunday School regularly. There she began to learn from the Bible and she began to learn a lot about Jesus. She learned that Jesus was humble and he gave his life for us. We are sinners, yet He loves us. She learned more about Jesus’ forgiveness and decided to obey Jesus’ teaching. Following the Ten Commandments of the Bible, she began to follow moral teachings such as honoring her parents, not lying, and not stealing. Her life began to change. She started going to school regularly from then on. She concentrated on her studies. Her life is no longer the same as before. She has become a new person.
The following is a story of transformation from our Friends in Cambodia. Sokha is the mother of three small children, and an agricultural laborer at a local rubber plantation. When she first started attending an evangelistic Bible study she rarely smiled and frequently complained about marital disputes and health problems. A few weeks later she asked the leaders to pray for a cyst in her throat. According to her, she immediately experienced the cyst shrink in size. Since then both her and husband have committed their lives to Christ, she smiles and laughs often, and actively shares the gospel with neighbors and friends.
March 2024
This story is from our Friends in Nepal. Shyam is a 56-year-old man born into a Hindu family that practiced its rituals. He heard the gospel through elders in his village as a child and followed their example. He would go with them to read the bible and pray. Once he was married, he moved to a new city and while there, interacted with his new family members who were Christian. He made a public testimony of baptism though he did not know much about Jesus. A few years later, he walked away from his faith, moved around, and was eventually invited to a local church which he started attending regularly. In this church, he was discipled by the pastor and eventually accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He took the CHE TOT training and after that, a one-month discipleship course. These trainings encouraged Shyam to grow in his faith and to share with others. Though he is a day laborer, he does not work all the time. He plans to do pig farming which the church gave him funds to start. He is thankful for all of this and how God has provided.
February 2024
This story is from our friends in Mexico. The First Retreat for Future Missionaries in Latin America was held from August 7 to 11, 2023 with an attendance of 25 young people from the different Friends Churches of Mexico and from Kansas, United States. Most of the attendees were between the ages of 16 and 30. During these days, potential future missionaries had the opportunity to listen to speakers with experience in missions and focus on exploring their call to missions or church planting. These days were filled with intense learning, prayer, praise, paying attention to God’s call, and expanding their vision to the need that still exists to reach the parts of the world that do not yet know about Jesus.
These potential future missionaries also had opportunities to sense the spiritual need through service and evangelization in the city’s downtown. At the end of the retreat, several of participants were given the opportunity to talk about what they experienced individually, and each of the testimonies was one of hope, since the majority are willing and determined to go wherever God wants to send them.
One pastor who was there as a mentor, shared that he can see that what has been sown for a long time in the churches of Mexico, now shows fruit through these young people, and now is the time in which God is pouring out his Spirit on them so that they are the ones who reach those who remain unreached.
January 2024
This story is from our Friends in India. Badal and Pratima are a couple from a Hindu background and come from the Dalit caste, one of the underprivileged groups of India. Pratima started a training program at our sewing center and learned the skill of sewing clothes. We shared the gospel with her and visited her home to teach her and her husband more about Jesus. After six months, she and her whole family came to Christ and accepted Jesus as their savior. Before she learned how to sew, her husband was the only one who earned a livelihood for their family and now Pratima contributes to their income and can help her family financially.
Pratima was given a sewing machine so that she would not have to pay rent for using the sewing machine. Jesus’ love has impacted her life by providing training for sewing clothes. Her life has improved, and her sister-in-law is also a student at the sewing center, learning the same skills so she can also provide income for her family.
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