We are excited to share a report about the latest developments in Thailand! The first is an update on the Holistic Community Development Project in Ja Saw Pa. The second is a report on the Pastors and Evangelists Training (PET) Graduation followed by testimonies from some of the graduates.

We are impressed by the changes we have seen in the villagers in Ja Saw Pa.

After we started to continually gather and build relationships and teach Discipling for Development (D4D) lessons, the relationship between the team and the villagers continued to improve. In addition, the villagers began to better understand the lessons. The D4D team is trying to help the villagers follow and apply the D4D lessons in their daily lives. Some villagers wanted to change their lives in a godly way, but they couldn’t because the circumstances made it difficult to change. We would like prayer for God to strengthen our team’s wisdom and to see the mission of God working through our team.

On October 22, there was a graduation ceremony for the PET graduates. There was a total of 50 graduates, comprising 49 PET students and one DBS student. You can view a full graduation video online here.

Our prayer is to continue our mission to:

• To teach PET courses to interested groups
• To help and encourage DBS students who are currently learning now.

We would like to praise and thank God:

• For the successful ending ceremony.
• For everyone who has been involved in this PET training course from the beginning to the end.
• That many people became interested in learning the Word of God and that the PET course was established.

“I want to thank God for giving me a better understanding of God’s Word. Through my study in the PET course, there are many things that I have misunderstood about God’s Word that was revealed during the time I attended PET. The PET course helped me to understand the word of God better.” – Suwit Saengthip
	“I am a person who has studied the Bible in many places in the past and had the opportunity to share the word of God many times. But when I came to study PET, it made me see that what I used to understand and taught, I had misunderstood the true word of God. During the time I studied the PET course, the teacher helped me understand how to properly interpret the Bible.” – Insorn Cha – ouet
“After I studied PET, I learned what the meaning is to be a disciple of Jesus and that as disciples of Jesus Christ how we should live. I would like to encourage all brothers and sisters who have completed this training together to apply what you have learned in the PET course in your daily life because if we do not follow what we have learned, we will forget in the end.” – Bee Khampan
	“When talking about my past life, I was a person who didn’t care about God. But when my children went to the children’s home, the owner gave me the opportunity to attend Bible training twice a year, which the owner had set up for parents. There, I started having a heart that wants to read the Bible and became more interested in God. There was a friend who was an evangelist in the village who had previously completed PET courses. They encouraged and invited me to study the Bible at the PET course. The teacher helped me understand many of the words of God that I had never understood in my past life. I want to thank God, that he has helped me understand and know him better.” – Niran Losue
“I am a person who has studied the Bible in many places. But coming to study this time I clearly understood the meaning of the gospel. Because of this, it made me feel very happy. Although I have been a Christian for a long time, I had not truly understood the gospel. I want to thank God for helping me understand the gospel and know him.” – Anusara Bordue
	“I was a person who had studied the Bible in the past, but I didn’t understand God’s Word much. Even though I pray and call upon God, I didn’t really know God. I did not understand the meaning of faith. I had the opportunity to study the Bible again in the PET course. This course has helped me understand the gospel and the salvation we receive through Jesus Christ, and how to live according to the new life that he has given us. I have now grown stronger in obeying God’s word through my understanding of the gospel. I would like to invite and encourage everyone to try and learn God’s Word in the PET course.” – Naphaporn Porkham

Thanks for your prayer and your support.

From,
Charlee Kunakorn
Executive Director, The Way Foundation

The post November 2022 Testimonies from Thailand first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Kathi Perry | Serving in Ireland

Jeremiah 29:5-7

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Create family (my paraphrase). Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

In November I will have been in Ireland twenty-one years. I think about the places I have lived, and the people I’ve met. I think about friends who have become family. I am thankful.

In 2009 I started the first Little Friends Parent and Baby group. I see these women (whose babies are now teenagers!) when I am in the shops or walking in the neighborhood. They say to me “The people I met in your group, they are still my friends. Those babies are the children that now come to birthday parties.” I love this. Create family. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you…

Not long ago a mum messaged me and asked if I could “help” her husband. She was with their youngest who was in hospital, and dad needed a nap. I brought the older children here and we went into my garden. They helped me dig up potatoes and carrots, and water. They laughed and they hugged me, and their shouts scared the cat. We went for ice cream. My heart is full. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Create family.

I recently asked some of the women if they would write down what “Little Friends” has meant to them. One mum wrote this:

“Little Friends baby and toddler groups were a great help to me when I was a new mum in a new place … It was a lifesaver to have a place to go in any weather to talk and get support and advice… To be able to sit down and drink a mug of something hot and to enjoy the luxury of cake was a real gift and something to look forward to each week. Later came the Bible study where we were able to have some great discussions and disagree on various points without damaging the friendships which had grown out of the baby and toddler groups. These days when many are afraid of causing offence this was really valuable, to be able to freely discuss different points of view whilst maintaining unity. I believe this helped us to grow spiritually.”

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you… Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. Peace. Community. Growth. Unity. Thankful.

Kathi Perry

Download this month’s prayer letter here…

The post November 2022 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

I’ve been busy these last weeks, and it has been good to see many of you on my travels. Since my last update I have been in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky! I’m writing from Kentucky now. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share about my work in Ireland, and the people that I love so much there. It has been a pleasure to visit some new places and meet people whose names I have seen over the years on different reports but haven’t had the chance to meet in real life until now. I have felt loved and supported and encouraged – Thank you!

In this week of Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for my life in Ireland. Twenty years ago, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, and just a few days later I got on a plane for Ireland. I arrived there on November 27, 2001. There have been great challenges, and great joy over the years. God has made a home for me there and given me friends who are like family. And I am so thankful.

I am also thankful for the chance to be in California for Thanksgiving again! I think that has only happened once in the last twenty years. I’m looking forward to holidays with my family.

As we approach the holidays, there are fewer opportunities for me to travel and speak, but if you are local in California and would like to have me come to your small group or church (or if you want to hear about Christmas traditions in Ireland!) give me a shout. I would be glad to come if we can work it out.

The post Kathi Perry November Deputation Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

On the left is a group photo with the participants spelled out “EFC”! On the right you will see a few of our lay leaders speaking!

The women enjoyed playing ice breaker games before teachings!

Here you will see M. leading classes!

We were able to distribute gifts to the children, volunteers and women during the event!

On the left, we were able to pass out Bibles to all the women! On the right you will see women who have lead for three generations!

The post November A. and M. A Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

“What has the Pandemic been like in Rwanda?”

We were asked this thoughtful question many times during our stay in the U.S. (May 2020-July 2021) and have reported that, like everywhere else, it has been very difficult.  Various lockdowns, masking mandates, and social distancing and movement guidelines have seemed to be very helpful at containing the spread of illness, and for that we are extremely thankful!  However, isolation, lack of ability to work and to worship the Lord with others have had severe consequences both physically and emotionally to many people whose livelihoods depend on day-to-day jobs and whose hearts depend on being with other people in every situation.

While we were gone, the Lord sustained the leaders in the Evangelical Friends Church of Rwanda (EFC-R) and gave them creative ideas such as taking turns writing and sending devotions to each other by phone messages, joining in regular video calls to encourage each other, recording sermons, and responding to local churches to help their most needy church and community members.  They have also initiated the Pastors’ Development Fund to help pastors with their livelihood.  With EFM joining in partnership, pastors can develop income-generating plans and work with a local group of leaders to refine that plan and take out a loan when needed.  This is exciting to see pastors more able to take care of their families as well as their congregations, and we hope that these bi-vocational skills and experience will be useful in the future as we dream of pastors and leaders being sent to where there are no churches, even across borders to the mission fields!

In D for D, specifically, leaders focused on discipling their families, and we have seen encouraging testimonies of families growing closer to Jesus and all that he wants them to be. Without being able to travel, they’ve remained connected to Congo and Burundi discipleship groups by phone, encouraging them to continue following up on their group members’ progress. Through all this, we believe the Lord is empowering and growing leaders in discipleship, and we pray that growth will continue exponentially into the future!

Brad has embarked on a challenging but exciting new journey! He has started a Masters’ program through Fuller Seminary (online) for the purpose of learning and preparing for the future task of helping our African friends to raise up, train, and send their own missionaries.

Though we originally thought we would only spend a few months in the United States, living life through a full year with our extended family nearby was very special.  Our transition back to Rwanda has had its ups and downs, but we are very grateful that we have mostly settled back into our life and home in Rwanda at this point.

Sarai (almost 9) and Gideon (6) have enjoyed being back at Virunga Valley Academy (VVA) for school, learning and playing with friends.  They both have expressed missing their family in the states, especially their cousins, but we can see that they are appreciating some of the special people and opportunities in Rwanda too.

Ian (1) has not skipped a beat since touching down in Rwanda.  He loves exploring, running, and playing everywhere.  He loves going on walks to see the neighborhood goats, cows, and vehicles on the nearby road.  We are thankful that he also loves reading books and has gotten to know and love our Rwandan friends that work in and around our home.

Brad and Chelsea are thankful to be in their Rwandan home again but are still finding it challenging to figure out new rhythms, having added an active toddler and Brad’s schoolwork to the mix!

Click here to download full prayer letter…

The post November 2021 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

When Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful,” he wasn’t kidding! David Thomas found the infographic below that gives us one way of seeing how huge the harvest is today. It also shows us where most of the people groups who have not heard the Gospel are located. Please take a moment to ponder what this infographic tells you.

Frontier People Groups (FPGs) are Unreached People Groups with 0.1% or fewer Christians of any kind, and no evidence of a self-sustaining gospel movement. According to the Joshua Project there are currently about 5,047 Frontier People Groups with a total population of 1,941,674,000. One fourth of the world lives in FPGs and these people have almost no chance of hearing about Jesus unless workers come from the outside to share the Gospel with them.

Jesus continues to say, “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” EFM believes that he wants Evangelical Friends of North America to send out at least ten new missionary households to launch at least five new fields over the next five years.  Will you pray with us that that will come to pass? If so, please send us a message at this link to let us know you are praying about this specific need.  And be on the lookout for updates in this monthly prayer letter about the progress being made on this five-year goal.

Thank you for praying!

Dan Cammack

Executive Director of EFM

Click Here to Download Full Prayer Letter…

The post November 2020 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

For nearly a decade the Badgley family has been on a journey to reach the Shuar tribe of Ecuador and Peru with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It started when Russ and Sarah took a “Perspectives on the Christian World Movement” course and did a research project on an unreached people group. The group they studied was the Shuar. At that point they began to sense that the Lord wanted them to do something about the Shuar’s need for the gospel.

It wasn’t long until the Badgleys arrived to Greenleaf Friends Church in Southern Idaho and then soon afterwards began talking with EFM. Eventually the Badgleys moved to the southeastern part of Ecuador where they have been pioneering a new field for EFM. In a relatively short amount of time they have been able to establish relationships with the Body of Christ in Ecuador and get a much closer look at the realities of life for the Shuar. The need for the gospel is truly there. So is the opportunity for making disciples of Jesus Christ.

As you know, this journey has been a rough one for the Badgley family. There have been health challenges that have led to bouncing back and forth between Ecuador and the U.S. Until recently they did not feel released from a sense of call to live and minister in Ecuador. That release has now come after a period of seeking the Lord’s direction together.

The Badgleys will be relocating to the Pacific Northwest before the end of 2019. They will be stepping down from their roles as missionaries with EFM and looking for ways to serve the Lord through their professions. EFM is committed to helping them with their relocation which includes leaving Ecuador well, processing what the family has been through during the last few years as well as what they will go through as they adjust to living in the U.S, and also doing what we can to help them with some of their needs while they get settled in their new location (which is yet to be determined).

You have faithfully journeyed with the Badgleys through your prayers, giving, and encouragement. We ask that you continue to stand with them indefinitely through your prayers and encouragement and financially through March of 2020 in order to help cover the costs of relocation and missionary care.

This change of direction does not mean that the Badgleys’ journey with Ecuador and the Shuar is over. They want to be a part of helping whoever takes their place to pick up where they are leaving off. They also want to find ways through their professions to contribute to these efforts. So please pray that they will have eyes to see how the Lord wants them to do this. Pray also that the Lord of the harvest will send more workers to reach the Shuar. Thank you for praying.

Your fellow servant in Christ,

Dan Cammack

Executive Director of EFM

The post November 2019 Badgley Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

“Thank you all for this afternoon, the girls loved it. They were asking if they could come back next week!”

“Thanks so much. I really enjoyed that meeting with you all… for me it was a lovely time to worship with my kids… to be together at their level. Looking forward to the next one!”

“It was fab! We don’t get to too many services in the year, but was wanting to talk about and sing about God with my kids but not in the way I was brought up…”

These are a few of the comments that were posted in our “group” following our first “Interactive Family Worship Service”.  We have called it an “experiment”, and it is one that these families are committed to. We spent another hour on Thursday talking about what worked and what didn’t work, what they loved about sitting on the floor with their children listening to a story, hearing their questions and taking time to respond, creating a craft (or putting together a pie) as a family, and dancing and moving with the music. And most importantly we talked about “next time.” Next time is already on the calendar, and these women have already begun to invite others to join us.

As always, I am so thankful for the life that God has given me in Ireland. I feel privileged to be allowed to enter into the lives of the people around me – through baby and toddler groups, Bible Study, Godly Play, and this “experiment” of worship that invites the whole family to participate fully. And I am thankful for you who faithfully pray for me, and these people that I love.

Praise God…

• For this new way to worship together, and the commitment to continue our “experiment”.
• For the privilege of learning and growing deeper in faith alongside these families.

Please Pray…

• For our interactive service, that it will become a regular part of our practice together.
• For a deeper understanding of grace and love for each of us.
• For my family as we navigate this time of grief following the death of my sister.

Read more…

The post November 2019 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Some days this looks like going to a friend’s house for dinner, who is making us a special dish, even though our stomachs are protesting eating anything (and the food doesn’t come until after our kids’ bedtime). Sometimes it looks like inviting the little girls to come in to play, even though we were just sitting down for dinner. Or maybe it looks like trying to figure out if we should go on a four-hour trip with a friend the next morning after being asked at 9 o’clock at night. And some days it is getting a phone call from another foreign worker who isn’t being allowed to exit the country because of a new law that all foreigners need to navigate but are just finding out about! Obedience looks so different every day. We feel like this life that we live is constantly throwing us curve balls, loops, or sometimes broken roads because of a massive rainstorm. But, we are so thankful that we don’t have to know ahead of time, or figure out on our own, which way to turn, which road to take, or even the amount of vehicle changing that the road will demand. We praise God for being with us each step of the way, for leading us and us giving what we need when we need it…not a moment too soon, or a moment too late. He is such a good God!

We have had a good and busy last few months. It has been a good time in our village and living life with those around us. We feel more and more part of this community and are so thankful that they continue to think of us as part of their family! Just a few weeks ago we were going to take a picture of our kids with the landlord’s mother (they call her grandma and she calls them grandkids), and before the picture she went and rounded up the rest of her grandkids to have them all in the same picture. For us, it was a special moment and showed us just how much she cared to have all of the children she calls grandkids in one picture with her. God continues to work here, and we are trusting and obeying in the small steps that we get to take daily to bring the Good News of Jesus!

M. and K. L.

Read more…

The post November 2018 Prayer Letter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.