Your Gifts Had Great Impact In 2011. Thank you!

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows
in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 NIV

Our current newsletter contains the following:

Training Leaders For The Work Of The Ministry - Updates from Plaine du Nord d'Haiti on MENH's annual Pastors' and Leaders' Conference in December and a week-long celebration in January over victories won over some of the prevailing non-Christian practices that had existed in the area.
News From Good News Theological College And Seminary (GNTCS) - Guests have a new place right on the GNTCS campus outside Accra, Ghana where they might stay, allowing them greater interaction with students and staff.
Notes From Julian Orimbo - Excerpts from three reports received in January from Julian Orimbo in Nairobi, Kenya, who serves both as the librarian at Nairobi Great Commission School and also as the director of Bright Angels Academy.
Christmas And New Year Provide Opportunities For Sharing - Pastor Frank provides updates on the many ways in which members of Bethel Mission in KGF, South India, work to share the love of Christ with those in their sphere of influence.
Ministering To Those In Need - Whether it was a sari given to a poor woman, a meal offered as a love feast to the guests at a New Year celebration, singing carols or performing dramas, the members of JSCH in Narsapur, India shared Christ's love "with much enthusiasm."
EWI Books For The Training Of Leaders - An overview of East West InterKnit's book ministry during 2011.
Burmese Missionaries Watch, Wait, And Pray For God's Direction - Even as international visitors and businesses are finding the doors to Myanmar more open than they have been in many years, the local missionaries pray for direction and for the freedom to print and distribute material where it is needed.

For a printable full-color PDF copy of the entire newsletter click here.

Training Leaders For The Work Of The Ministry (MENH)

Plaine du Nord d'Haiti

A hurricane in August of 2011 forced MENH to postpone their annual Pastors' and Leaders' Conference. To Pastor Thony, the conference held on December 13th was far more than a success, "it was a miracle." Attendees are pictured to the left.

MENH manages its various ministries by separating them into departments: the Health department oversees the clinic; the Education department oversees the 14 MENH schools; the Church department serves 19 churches; and the Agriculture, Micro-Credit, and Development departments each oversee a variety of projects and training programs. During the conference a new Board was appointed to oversee the Church department. We were pleased to see that this new board includes at least four pastors who completed their studies with the help of scholarships from East West InterKnit and who are faithfully serving the church in Haiti.

In early January MENH sponsored a week-long celebration in memory of victories won over some of the prevailing non-Christian practices that had existed in the area. Pastor Thony reported that 65 attendees responded to the invitation following messages focusing on the difference between their former beliefs and the gospel message - messages which were also broadcast over the radio and made available on the internet.


Paster Thony preaching, Bois Caiiman	Worshippers at Bois Caiiman	Baptism of 23, Plaine du Nord

News From Good News Theological College & Seminary (GNTCS)

Accra, Ghana

Thomas, Sabina, Clement, Rita and Jemima Reverend Dr. Thomas Oduro, Principal of Good News Theological College and Seminary, began his teaching career at GNTCS in 1986 after having attended the school and catching the vision for serving the needs of the African Independent Churches. He praises God for provision, protection, and equipping, for family support and much more as he celebrates 25 years in this ministry. Dr. Oduro remains passionate about eliminating ignorance and mediocrity, and is especially passionate about leading people to Jesus Christ. He is shown in the photo to the right with his wife, Jemima, and three of their children.

The half completed duplex. There have been several notable developments on the GNTCS campus in recent months. Part of an unfinished faculty duplex [see photo to the left] has been completed and now serves as a guesthouse. Having this facility available on the campus allows visitors to interact more easily in the life of the college. Dr. Oduro informs us that they also expect to begin work on another part of the duplex to allow for a much needed day-care center.

Your recent gifts for the benefit of Good News either have already been or will shortly be used to provide scholarships, purchase computers, aid faculty and staff, and fund a special event for the students.

Please continue to pray for the needs of the campus, for outreach as students and faculty minister outside the campus, and for Dr. Oduro and his family, as well as the entire faculty, staff and student body of GNTCS.

Notes From Julian

Nairobi, Kenya

JANUARY 13, 2012 — In her report on December events, Julian Orimbo, librarian at Nairobi Great Commission School (NGCS) and director of Bright Angels Academy, stated that “the crops that were planted when the others failed did not do well and we had to cut the stalks down. There are no rains and this sends a signal of more bad times ahead. Today the price of maize (corn) meal has gone extremely high and again finding it has become another hurdle. Last time I had to travel to the interior of the Rift valley where they had some good harvest but they refused to sell their maize and beans. However, I got enough only for one week with the funds I had. This fund could not be enough for even three days if I bought the same at the usual vendor. But I believe, if the Lord saw us through last year, He will do the same again this year. The children are so happy and enjoy learning. There are some of them that whenever I look at them I shed tears of joy.”

JANUARY 18, 2012 — ”Today we had an orientation for the new students of Nairobi Great Commission School. Tomorrow the classes begin.” She reported that several boxes of books shipped from East West InterKnit had arrived and contained material that they had been seeking.

JANUARY 23, 2012 — ”I want to say thank you for the transfer [of funds]. I got it over the weekend and fortunately that was the day that food could be bought. I thank the Lord for such connections.” She said that she sent the funds immediately to the one who would purchase food for the children. She was also able to purchase three cardigans “for some children whose cardigans were in bad condition, two pairs of shoes, and some learning materials that they had not been able to purchase earlier. “God bless you and all those connected in this service to the children and to our Lord.”

Please pray that Julian will continue to be able to provide for the needs of those children entrusted to her care.

Christmas and New Year Provide Opportunities for Sharing

KGF, South Central India

Bethel Mission churches held many events over the holidays during which they shared the love of Christ through gifts and through the proclamation of the Good News that salvation is available to all who will believe. Pastor Frank had the privilege of conducting six Christmas and New Year services in three Indian states and of organizing many other activities during this time.

Bethel Mission churches work diligently all year long to meet the needs of people in their midst. Your gifts, when combined with their own sacrificial giving, enabled them to serve many during the month of December. Each of the 100 children in their care received two sets of clothing and a Christmas gift. Little gifts were presented to more than 600 other children who attended one of the holiday functions. Eight hundred widows and destitute women received new saris. Eighty poor families, including some of the mission pastors, received clothing and small cash gifts. One thousand poor villagers each received a 5 kilo bag of rice, 1,500 villagers received loaves of bread, 100 blankets were distributed, and gifts were distributed when they visited the sick and disabled.

Many people representing a great variety of religious backgrounds heard the Gospel at the services where Pastor Frank spoke. He wrote, “We are believing God for greater things in the coming year. We thank and praise God for His faithfulness in leading us and guiding us.”

Ministering To Those In Need

Narsapur, India

The The Jehovah Shammah Children’s Home (JSCH) held its annual Christmas program on December 21st. The children participated by singing carols and performing in dramas “with much enthusiasm” for more than 130 guests, including the parents of a few of the children. Gifts of saris were presented to a number of poor women who, along with the JSCH sponsored evangelists, were served a special meal following the program.

In one village church a JSCH evangelist led a New Year celebration during which all who attended were served a meal referred to as a love feast. Ten needy women in the church received saris. [See photo to the right.] David, the JSCH director, and his wife, Mary, shared the Word of God with them, and some of the church members shared as well.

EWI Books For The Training Of Leaders

The distribution of books to our overseas partners, especially those serving in Bible schools and seminaries, slowed for a time during 2011 due to rising shipping costs. We worked hard to find alternative methods and were able to make some changes which have resulted in a reduction in the final cost of shipping.

East West InterKnit shipped a total of 2,315 volumes in 2011 plus additional periodicals and other written materials. These items went to schools in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Sudan, India, Burma, and Haiti. We have agreed to begin shipping books to a Bible school near Ranchi in North India and have begun the process of selecting and processing books for their use.

During the month of November we were privileged to have Bobby and Linnet Gupta of Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI), which is located in Chennai, India, share an evening with the East West InterKnit family and friends. They stressed the importance of books for the training of Christian leaders. They have arranged for a container to ship books destined for HBI and hope to have the container ready to go by mid-February.

Bobby recently wrote to say, "If you have been thinking about sending books, now is the time." Especially valuable additions to their research center would include books on: Theology, Missions, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, Business Management, Education, Church History, Counseling and Psychology.

Mark and Susan Jones lending a hand in the GNTCS library

Guests Mark and Susan Jones lending a hand in the library during their recent visit to Good News Theological College and Seminary in Ghana.

Burmese Missionaries Watch, Wait, And Pray For God's Direction

Myanmar

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has recently begun opening its doors a bit wider for international visitors and businesses. Our contacts in that part of the world tell us that not only are many companies beginning to invest but also many mission groups are coming in and establishing agencies. The local Burmese missions are watching, waiting, and praying for God's direction. In the meantime, they continue to send out evangelists and workers to the market place and to remote villages to share the gospel and to lend a hand. They have asked for help to provide tracts and Bibles for free distribution.

Please pray with them for direction and for the freedom to print and distribute material where it is needed. Pray also for Ronnie, head of the mission, who has celebrated his 80th birthday but, according to his son, "comes to the office and works like a young person."