Our annual Summer Giving Match is well underway! This year, our goal is $45,000. As of July 24th, we are at 69%! If you plan to give, this is a great time to do it. All Summer Match donations postmarked on or before August 6th will be included, until our goal is reached.
So far, we are making the fastest progress we ever have on a Summer Giving Match – and this is our largest goal yet! Thank you. Thank you so much. We are honored to steward your giving.
As an organization working in six countries, joining in the work of over 300 leaders operating within the local church – we can’t even scratch the surface in sharing with you about all the amazing people and programs you are supporting. But in this letter, I want to share a snapshot of what has personally brought me (Kate, executive director) the most joy this month! These are a few of my favorite things:
Women’s Health Camps
It’s been amazing to see this unfold over four years, and the way this all came about is so in line with how HB works best:
In rural villages in Nepal, as small churches and house churches spread, women’s prayer meetings became common. Christian and non-Christian women were all welcome to attend. It was here that women began sharing prayer requests for health issues – things they wouldn’t have felt comfortable to share with men or boys around. They had the privacy and opportunity to talk about what are considered “taboo” topics. One issue in particular came up over and over – uterine prolapse. At the time, the women didn’t have a term for it and they didn’t know how common it was with other women until it was shared in those prayer meetings. In 2019, Jandi*, the wife of our Nepal director, began hearing about this from female church leaders all over the country. She shared it with me, and I shared it with SowHope, one of our partner organizations.
There were delays due to the pandemic, but with SowHope’s financial support and Jandi’s considerable organizational and people skills, three medical clinics benefitting 875 women, coupled with follow-up surgeries for 40 women who had the worst cases have followed!
Jandi recruits female doctors and nurses, and the medical treatment is paired with counseling and follow-up in the community. Word of these camps has spread and is impacting other village communities. Jandi’s goal is to do at least one of these camps in all seven provinces of Nepal.
“In our health camp and counselling programs, the women who hesitate to share about their women’s health issues are able to share about their problem after talking with the the counsellor. Those women who get the surgery for prolapsed uterus get timely treatment.
Jandi
They get healed after a long period of suffering and weakness, which was a great burden in the family. They are freed from sickness and shame. They learn and become aware about female health and hygiene. Now they are able to help others who are suffering from the same kind of problems and hesitate to tell others. The women, as well as their families, now understand the importance of health check-ups.
One lady was diagnosed with cancer and got immediate surgery through our support. Now she is very good, healthy and free from cancer cells.”
Food Relief
This screenshot is a snippet from a conversation I had in late June with our country co-leader, Pastor Pan*, about sending and using funds for food relief for refugees in and outside of Myanmar. I love this about Where Needed Most funds (like the summer match funds). Our leaders have full flexibility to spend it exactly where it will be best used, without having to worry about reporting.
If you read or even skim our Impact Report, you know that we do care about accountability and gathering reports! However, what we are always aware of is that the inability to write a detailed report or take photos does not necessarily reflect poor management of funds (and visa versa). Myanmar is a great example – with the war, it’s unsafe to pass written messages within the country, let alone send photos of people receiving food or any kind of help. It could make them targets of the military.
On average, $88 will feed a family of five for a month in Myanmar. A month of food can be the difference between life and death for a family on the run or who are rebuilding their lives after a disaster. It gives them vital time to think and plan beyond their next meal.
Bibles
Will there ever come a day when I don’t cry while reading testimonies of people reading or listening to their own Bible for the first time? Somehow, I doubt it. Recently, 1,700 people throughout Bhutan received their own study Bible. The Bibles were in Nepali and English, as many young people speak English. I loved reading 26-year-old Aysa’s* excitement!
“I was raised in a Buddhist family, and was saved in my school days through my Christian classmate when I was a teenager. After I accepted the Lord I eagerly wanted to read the Bible, but there were no Bibles in our area. Most of our people had never seen a copy of the Bible in the book shops, and we don’t have any online facility like other countries.
I prayed to God every day to own and be able to read His Word. Then, after 5 years of praying, God answered! I received, through my friend, my very own English Study Bible on Easter Day. What a wonderful gift from the Lord! Thank you so much for your love and concern for our people. May the Lord bless you more and more. Millions of thanks!”
Aysa
These are just a few of the ways the Gospel is being demonstrated in word and deed through your support!
In Christ,
Kate Therese,
Executive Director
All 2023 Summer Match donations postmarked on or before August 6th will be included, until our goal of $45,000 is reached. We need your help to ensure that the full amount is matched! Thank you!