Kid Orphan Sponsor Featured on TV News

KELOLife Television in Aberdeen, South Dakota ran a feature about one of Harvest Ministry’s sponsors, an energetic 10-year-old, named Ethan, who’s been selling lemonade (for three years!!!) to support his orphan friend, Allan, in Uganda. Ethan really takes his sponsorship commitment seriously!

It’s a sweet news clip . . . and a blessing!

Lemonade for an Orphan Friend!

You can view the TV station’s video file right here. And if any of you could take a moment to log in to view the article on the TV station’s website, it would be wonderful to add some positive comments about the feature. Please keep Harvest Ministry and all of our orphan children (currently over 700 kids!) in your thoughts and prayers.

P.S. Ethan was inwardly “moved with compassion” with a specific burden on his heart; he felt that if he didn’t raise that last $4, his orphan friend would “die.” We’re all so inspired by Ethan’s commitment; but be assured that if any of our sponsors are unable to meet their commitment (of $1/day), we’ll simply trust God together for His provision!!! Amen???

500 New Mattresses for Orphan Kids!!!

Could you imagine putting your child to “bed” each night, on a dirt or cement floor, with no mattress or even a decent warm blanket? For many precious children, orphaned, and/or in poverty, this is daily reality.

At Harvest Ministry’s GUMA NA YESU (“Keep With Jesus”) Children’s Center in Mbarara, Uganda, there was a HUGE need for bedding for all of the children . . . and God abundantly provided with designated mission gifts for 500 new mattresses.

Our prayer and focus for our GUMA NA YESU children is that they will “keep with Jesus” all the days of their lives, and now as they sleep, they will be reminded (in this small way) of God’s GREAT love for them.

GUMA Directors (and NETS Ministers) Naboth & Alice, were absolutely delighted with what they called the “MIRACLE at GUMA.” Now we are believing God for blankets (at $5/each) for all of the children, and possibly sheets and pillows.

(And one little preschool girl in Oregon, named Olivia, has added her own precious prayer, that God will also help to provide “teddy bears” for these kids!!!)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We thank everyone who GAVE and who PRAYED for this need.
May God bless you for your heart for these children.

Keep it PURE!

There are 143 million orphans in the world today.
But why should you CARE?

 

 

’cause it’s PURE!  

We all know that it’s physically healthy to drink a lot of pure fresh water. And how many glasses-a-day are recommended? Isn’t it about eight? Well, how much of God’s PURE and undefiled religion are we getting into our spiritual system on a regular basis?

Let’s drink more.
Let’s keep it pure.

A note from my journal:

I’m feeling so blessed to know that God is hearing our prayers for all of the 700+ orphan children in our care. It’s so wonderful to know that when God  gives us a responsibility — when HE puts a specific need on our hearts to follow Him in obedience — He always provides.

Just a while back (randomly “out of the blue” — on a day when Harvest Ministry had some huge pressing orphanage needs), two people “just so happened” to sneak generous handshakes (with mission checks), both because they said the “Lord told them” to help the orphans in Africa (what a BLESSING!!!). One man drove across town to present us with a special missions gift . . . and he said he had never given an offering like this in his entire life. He was struggling to conquer a “fear of lack” in his own life, yet he felt “compelled” that he was supposed to help these orphans with their needs. And right now, others are also seeking God’s direction regarding what they should do to help.

God is SOOO good. I’m feeling the Lord’s focus for me is simply to not worry and to not fear. He simply wants us to obey . . . with a pure heart.

Yep.
Hand me another glass.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake, for they shall be filled” (JESUS – from Matthew 5).

 

Related audio: COMPASSION

 

Closets, Clutter, & God’s Great Commission

Amid twisted hangers, bulging drawers, and way too many clothes, the kids and I began our major closet-cleaning attack. It took days–with sacks for the dumpster and sacks to give away…

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We’re Blessed to be a Blessing!

 

This is one of several devotionals by Ann Dunagan, published in A Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers – Daily Inspiration for Christian Moms, edited by James Stuart Bell and Jeanette Gardner Littleton.

 

“I was naked, and you gave me clothing…” Matthew 25:36  

 

 

Amid twisted hangers, bulging drawers, and way too many clothes, the kids and I began our major closet-cleaning attack. It took days–with sacks for the dumpster and sacks to give away. Best of all, we finished just in time before I left on a short-term missions trip to Uganda.

 

Soon I was surrounded by orphans adorned in only rags and ripped-up shirts, and often with bare bottoms. I thought of these precious children and my family’s ridiculous “conquered” closets.

 Then I felt the Lord whisper, “I am the One naked on these streets!”

Immediately, I went and bought armloads of children’s clothing, but the situation turned pathetic. Mothers came from everywhere, holding up naked babies and begging for help. The need was beyond me.

Back home, our family raised funds to clothe that whole village, but that was only the beginning. In that year, the Lord put in our heart for Harvest Ministry to establish a new orphan ministry, now reaching hundreds of precious children.

The world’s needs are huge, but they’re not beyond God!

 

Let’s show our kids that we’re blessed so we can be a blessing to others!

 

Hardcover - Available from Amazon.com 

Will you “plead” for orphans and souls?

Completely surrendering to God is more than merely asking Jesus to “come into our heart.” Instead, it’s coming into “HIS LIFE” and allowing the heart and passions of Jesus to flow through us.

iPlead [i-pleed]

VERB: to allow GOD Himself to make an earnest and urgent entreaty through me, perhaps in emotional terms, on behalf of another person or a specific need, and to willingly argue for His justice in support of someone or something, especially for SOULS.

In our hightech world of ipods, itunes, and iphones — in a world that needs God more deperately that ever — comes a new mission word we recently combined.

The word is “iPlead” and this fresh yet timeless theme sums up so much of our heart . . . for reaching SOULS with the Gospel, for helping orphans and people in need, and most importantly, for loving GOD.

Just think of the word “I.” Have you ever wondered, “What difference could “I” ever make?” or “How could “I make an impact for God, when the needs are so huge?

But the exciting point and focus of this new word is that the “I” in “iPlead” doesn’t represent us. The only “I” we should care about is the Great “I AM” . . . not ourselves or our personal lives and selfish ambitions (me, myself, and I).

When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, He declared, “I am that I am” was sending him. It was God Himself who spoke to Pharoah and to the children of Israel. (Remember the words, “Thus sayeth the LORD…”?) And today, God wants to speak through you, and through us, and through all Christians. To literally “plead” through us for His purposes.

II Cor. 5:20 says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” Prov. 31:8-9 tells us to “plead” the cause of the poor and the needy. And Esther was challenged to “plead” for her people before the king.

Wow.

Those words “plead” and “implore” are passionate and intense, and how much more-so when I realize that God wants them to refer to pleading for HIS purposes, on HIS behalf.

God is giving me a bigger passion to plead for precious orphan children, and to plead for the lost.

In the world today, there are over 143,000,000 orphans in the world (which is more people than the entire population of Russia, now at 141,800,000), and too many of these precious children are in desperate need. They need the basic necessities of life . . . something for their tummies, somewhere for them to live, and something for their nakedness; yet more importantly, these little ones are “people” who need love . . . specifically to know their Heavenly Father’s love, and to be shown the eternal life God has provided for them through the only way of salvation: JESUS CHRIST.

In the world today, literally billions of people are so lost, and they’re totally oblivious to the forever-punishment they deserve. Because of sin, there’s a guilty charge against them, that’s completely impossible for them to pay . . . without God.

So this is the question I’m asking myself? “Who will plead on their behalf?”

“ipead” is about being God’s ambassador and submitting to His purposes. Following God is more than simply “asking Jesus to come into our lives.” Instead, it’s surrendering into “HIS LIFE” and allowing God’s heart to flow through us.

There’s a lot stirring in my heart along these lines. For now, I’m simply responding to what I believe the Lord (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is asking of me:

He’s asking, “Who will plead for Us?”

And I’m responding, “I will.”

iPlead.

Ann

So, here’s a question to consider: What about you? Will you allow God to plead through YOU . . . for the specific assignment that’s from His heart, through yours?

Feel free to share your comments . . .

A Special Day with the Children

Jon just returned from a wonderful time with the kids at Harvest Ministry’s orphanage. We had a special “SPORTS DAY” to celebrate the end of the school term, with all kinds of races, cultural contests, singing, and dancing. This 4-minute video includes special praise reports about two special kids: Justine & Eliman. Justine is now excelling at KING’S COLLEGE; she ranks in the top academic percentile in the nation; and in this exclusive secondary school, she ranks #5 out of all of these top 77 students which is a huge “boost” to all of the children and to our school and teachers!. Eliman recently had surgery on his CLUB FOOT – He used to be called the little “lame boy” but now he can walk and RUN! Praise Jesus! God has a huge love for orphans, and so do we!

Thank you for loving these precious children! Please keep everyone in your prayers!

April Outreach to APAC, UGANDA

April 13th to 21st, 2009 – Harvest Ministry just returned from an exciting time of mission evangelism in Northern Uganda, East Africa, in an area called “APAC” (which sounds like “a-patch”). Approximately 13,000 people heard the GOOD NEWS of JESUS, and over a thousand people surrendered their lives to the Lord.

Background . . .

This isolated district has been a center for the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) Ugandan rebels and riddled with civil war and horrible human rights violations (slavery, abduction of children, forced child soldiers, prostitution, and other abuses).  It’s a place that needs JESUS!

April 17th -  Current Update & Report from Apac:

The land and spiritual condition in this Apac district is extremely dry, but God is beginning to move and to pour out His Spirit. This morning, there was a minister’s meeting where many national pastors and leaders repented before God of division between the churches. And right after the announcement of this week’s upcoming meetings, there was a physical torrential downpour of rain. We’re praying that God will continue to pour out His presence, open the eyes of these precious people who need Him so desperately, and draw SOULS into His kingdom through the Gospel message – God’s Good News of salvation from sin through the cross of Jesus Christ.

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April 18th – Thunder, Lightning, and SOULS!!!

In response, Jon says, “I love my job!!”

Later he said, “It’s still pouring rain! And it’s so much fun preaching with thunder, lighting, rain, and flooding. It makes me feel like Elijah. And it feels like God is in our midst!”

Please continue to pray!

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April 19 – Lunch anyone? How ’bout some GOAT GUTS and ANTS??

The city-wide Apac outreach began with approximately 4,000 people in attendance. Already, hundreds of people have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and have prayed to receive God’s salvation . . . in the midst of torrential rain during the preaching. There were also 13 cases of violent demon possession “stacked on the platform.” Everyone was soaked, with mud and water everywhere.

Jon says, “Long Ugandan church services this morning. For lunch: rice, beans, goat guts, and a paste made of sesame seeds and smashed ANTS . . . nice!!!”

The final night outreach in Apac will start soon.

Thanks for your prayers!

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April 20th – Such JOY!!!

The final night in Apac concluded with “TOO MUCH JOY!!!” Over the three nights, approximately 13,000 people heard the Gospel message (combined total attendance) and approximately 1,200 individuals prayed to receive God’s salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ. There were many people set free of demonic activity, and many who were touched by the Lord. We thank everyone who has been prayed!

Please Keep Praying:

Continue to pray for all of these new converts, and for the local pastors and church leaders to welcome and to teach and to disciple these young believers. Also, be continuing to pray for safety and strength for Jon and the team as they begin the long journey back to Kampala, Uganda . . . and then home.

These rebels operate under a spiritual mixture of “so-called” Christianity, combined with Islam, witchcraft, sorcery, and tribal animism. This area is so remote, we can’t access it through M.A.F (Missionary Aviation Fellowship). Instead, our team plans to drive in, with all of our evangelistic equipment, for a large city-wide outreach to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Harvest Ministry’s advance team (led by NETS Minister, Paul Kintu), just returned from securing local government permission for this outreach, along with cooperation and prayer support of the few local churches. There are many people in this area who desperately need God’s salvation and deliverance, and Jon is excited to GO!

Jon will also be ministering at Harvest Ministry’s Osanidde Village Orphanage on Bussi Island, and he looks forward to spending time with the children and encouraging the leaders.

Prayer Request: Please pray with us for provision and direction for this upcoming mission, for God to prepare the hearts of people in Apac, and for SOULS to be won to Christ!!!

N.E.T.S. News – from Naboth & Alice

January – February – March, 2009

N.E.T.S. Minister Naboth, and his wife Alice (from Mbarara, Uganda – in East Africa) have had some exciting mission reports to share. Recently, they held village evangelistic outreaches in two locations (including a mission crusade in Keisho, Tanzania where approximately 1000 people heard the Gospel and hundreds prayed to surrender their lives to Jesus). As they prayed for the sick, several people testified of healing, including one woman who had been blind.

At Guma Na Yesu Children’s Center in Mbarara, Uganda (where over 700 orphan children are being trained and cared for, supported by Harvest Ministry), workers are currently plastering the new Guma Na Yesu school building, and soon the children will be settled in that location.

Prayer Request: Please pray for the brand-new believers who came to the Lord during Naboth’s recent mission outreaches, and also for the leaders and orphan children at Guma Na Yesu Children’s Center, during this school construction and transition time.

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