Dear Friends,

Hana had already helplessly watched her parents slowly succumb to starvation. Shortly after they died, Hana’s husband also slipped into eternity for lack of food. Now she was left alone with her younger sister, and they both knew it was just a matter of time for them. Both were malnourished and hungry.

As starvation took its toll, Hana’s sister became very ill and frail. Hana searched frantically to find any food that could save her sister’s life. She succeeded in finding one small loaf of bread and rushed home. But she was too late. As Hana gently placed a small piece into her sister’s mouth, she silently passed away.

Hana, now all alone, knew her own death was imminent. Her fear, bitterness and grief were overshadowed only by her hatred for the North Korean government for its failed policies and for withholding foreign aid during a famine. Thousands of North Korean citizens had died of starvation.

Thankfully, one of our partners, Mrs. L., along with other underground church leaders, found Hana and reached out to her. They provided Hana with food that was smuggled into North Korea, in part, because of gifts to Heaven’s Family’s North Korean Christians Fund. They also shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with her. Hana’s heart was softened and she gave her life to the Lord.

Thank you so much for your compassion. Because of your gifts, Hana and others like her are not only receiving bread to eat, but also the Bread of Life.

Elisabeth Kirkwood

A Khampa woman from Yushu, in Tibet

Dear Friends,

God has done it again. He’s opened a door for the gospel in a few seconds where missionaries haven’t been able to break through for centuries. He did it through the April 14th earthquake in Qinghai Province, China. Heaven’s Family joined with indigenous Christian relief ministries in that key moment to help take advantage of an open door.

We helped initially with $3,000 to provide emergency food, clothing, blankets, and other supplies for thirty of the neediest families, and through your compassion following our appeal for help in April we’ve assisted more by sending an additional $2,000.

These supplies are providing much more than physical relief, however.

The Yushu earthquake took place at the heart of a completely unreached people group, the Northern Khampa Tibetans. They are one of the most difficult groups to reach anywhere in the world because of the geographical, cultural, linguistic, and spiritual barriers that have prevented them hearing the gospel for centuries. Although professing to be Buddhists, the Khampa actually worship demons that must be placated by constant offerings. They also worship Yama, the god of death. The earthquake not only caused buildings to crumble, but it’s causing many of the barriers to the gospel to crumble and fall as well.

Chinese Christian relief workers have traveled to Yushu in the past several weeks, and they are boldly sharing the gospel. As the Khampas see love from believers demonstrated to them in the midst of their tragedy, some are repenting and turning to Jesus. Thank you for your partnership in this long-overdue harvest! Your gifts to the Disaster Relief Fund are continuing to reap eternal rewards.

Khampa people can now hear the gospel for the first time, thanks to Christian relief workers

A thankful Khampa family in Yushu, who are living in a tent city

Do you know others who have compassion for those struggling through times of disaster? Please forward this email to them, along with your recommendation of Heaven’s Family, so that we can continue to meet urgent needs in places like Tibet, Chile, Haiti, and wherever God sovereignly opens the next door.

Because of Him,

Jeff Trotter
Director, Disaster Relief Fund

Dear Friends,

Because of contributions to the Critical Medical Needs Fund, Sajini John of Kerala, India, was alive to celebrate her first Mother’s Day.

Last fall, however, when she should have been expecting life, Sajini was facing death.

At 26, Sajini thought her dreams were all coming true. Although from a poor background, she was able to finish school and begin serving the Lord as a missionary. When she desired a husband who would be her partner in ministry, God provided Sajini with a man who loved Jesus and who also was a missionary. Soon after they wed, she became pregnant—a precious child was on the way. Sajini was indeed blessed!

But without warning, Sajini’s life took a turn for the worse. She wrote, "The doctors found out that I had a problem with my heart valves." Immediate surgery might save her, but it cost 60,000 Rupees ($1,500)—way more than she and her husband, also from a poor family, could ever afford. Would she survive? Would her unborn child survive? Were her dreams of a life of service to the Lord about to die as well? Sajini didn’t know the answers to any of these questions, but she trusted God, and He supplied her need.

K.V. Daniel, a trusted ministry partner, found out about Sajini’s desperate situation and contacted Heaven’s Family. Because of gifts to the Critical Medical Needs Fund, we were able to send what was needed to help pay for Sajini’s balloon-heart surgery.

Now fully recovered and with a healthy newborn, Sajini is able to continue her missionary work and enjoy the treasures of motherhood. She told us, "Today we are so happy and healthy. I would like to thank Heaven’s Family members for helping me to go through this valley of death."

Thank you so much for your compassion for Sajini and the many other members of our spiritual family whom we are able to help through the Critical Medical Needs Fund. You are making a difference!

In Him,

Emily
Director, Critical Medical Needs Fund

Dear Friends,

I want to give you a quick report about one way that gifts to the Bibles for Believers Fund are making a real difference. Here are some details from my recent trip to Africa.

Placing Bibles into the hands of believers who have never owned one before is always exciting. While in Rwanda, however, I wasn’t quite prepared for the blessing I was to receive as I gave out a new kind of Bible I brought along with me this time—a Bible called a Proclaimer.

Proclaimers are audio Bibles housed in brick-sized plastic boxes and powered by a built-in solar panel, hand crank, or electrical wall outlet. One Proclaimer can be heard by dozens of people at once, making them ideal for those who cannot read.

I discovered another group that really appreciates them—the blind. Thank the Lord that I happened to have one with me when I visited Kabuga, Rwanda. There I met with twelve families in a blind community. Surprise and delight flashed across their faces as they realized what I was giving them. They insisted on “seeing” this blessed box by passing it around for all to feel!

These believers in Rwanda can now "see the light" in a new way

I was overjoyed to be a part of sharing the Living Word with these precious brothers and sisters in Christ. Your love and faithfulness made this blessing possible. Thank you.

In Christ,

Chuck King

P.S. Please forward this email to your friends who love the Word of God!

Dear Friends,

Because of contributions to the Safe Water Fund over the past twelve months, I wanted to share some uplifting news that we’ve recently been receiving. I just visited Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to follow up on our safe water filter ministry team. The testimonies received from those benefiting from the biosand and Sawyer filters was very encouraging!

First, here is a photo (below) of the Corneille Luanda family and some of their thirty-five neighbors in Goma who are now benefitting from a Sawyer filter from Heaven’s Family.

Your gifts to the Safe Water Fund have not only been helping poor believers in DR Congo, but also in eleven other countries. The establishment of filter production centers in those nations is resulting in lives being saved. Hundreds of families are benefitting.

Below is a photo of Simeon and Josephine Muhunga with one of two biosand filters that together are providing safe water to 350 church members in Goma.

The testimonies concerning the use of these filters was unanimous in Goma. Before using the filters, everyone suffered from sickness from drinking the unsafe water from Lake Kivu. Now, no sickness can be found among those who are using the Sawyer and biosand filters to purify Lake Kivu water! The biosand filter even removes a salty taste in that lake water!

As the director of Heaven’s Family’s Safe Water Fund, I hope to keep you informed periodically via email of what your contributions are accomplishing, as we only highlight it in our monthly magazine about twice a year.

Thanks again helping us to provide safe water for our spiritual family around the world. Jesus will one day say to you, "I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink" (Matt. 25:35).

In Christ,

Chuck King

International Director
Heaven’s Family

In some African countries, the acquired wealth of a man belongs to his parents and male siblings at his death. If there aren’t any male siblings or parents who survive him, his wealth goes to his male relatives. His wife and children do not have a claim on any of the material possessions that were gained by their husband and father. The widow does have the option of marrying a brother or male cousin to keep the wealth in the family, but if she refuses, she is cast out and left with nothing. Of course, many Christian widows will not become a second wife or marry a nonbeliever. This was the story of Philagona.

Philagona was married to Wafula for ten years and had three beautiful children—two girls, Diana and Daisy, and one son, Davis. Tragically, in 1999 Wafula contracted a severe case of malaria and died. Philagona and her children found themselves homeless and penniless. (I will never understand how a grandparent could take the home and belongings of their grandchildren and leave them destitute, but this is common in some African nations!)

Philagona and her grandson outside their one-room home

Philagona took any small job she could find just to put food on her table. For shelter, she rented one room of a building made of dung and clay. Primary school is provided by the government in Kenya, but secondary schools cost money, so her daughter Diana had to drop out because she couldn’t afford the school fees.

With the help of a few caring friends, Philagona took a course in sewing and tailoring. Her dream was to open up her own shop and sew women’s clothing, men’s suits and table cloths. As the saying goes, "It takes money to make money." Philagona didn’t have any money, so her dream seemed impossible.

Thanks to you, however, Philagona now owns two sewing machines and rents a business place where she started her own tailoring shop just last month. Her shop will provide for all the needs of her growing family, and she is already thinking of ways to expand her business to hire some other needy believers!

Philagona is so happy with her new sewing machine and shop

Truly, God has made a way for Philagona and her family, creating a river in the desert. Thank you for helping to make Philagona’s dream a reality!

In the past nine months fifty-six widows have been helped in five different nations because of your compassion. Thanks so much.

To Jesus belongs all the glory,

Becky

Learn more about how you can help widows through Heaven’s Family.

Naomi Nkinyi preparing dinner for the children at Lynsi Love Orphanage

I’ve got a great story to tell you about how your gifts to the Education Fund are making it possible for a very grateful orphan to receive an education and life skills that will help her to become self-sufficient.

Many orphaned African children cannot attend school, as paying school fees becomes impossible. They consequently lack the neccesary education needed to get jobs or start their own businesses. To give older orphans a chance, our good friend, pastor Peter Kingoro, has opened an entrepreneurship program just for them. They are trained in business skills or tailoring, depending on their preference.

The letter below was a scholarship request that we received from a young Christian woman in Nairobi, Kenya, who, because of your compassion, is now benefiting from the training she is receiving in Peter’s entrepreneurship program:

Dear Heaven’s Family,

I am Naomi Nkinyi born 21 years dropped out of school at primary school level. My parents died in the tribal clashes in the famous Mt. Elgon. I was only 11 year. I was taken in by my auntie who made me a slave as I could only wake up at 4:00am to cook for everybody before going to school. This abuse affected me mentally and performed poorly in class. I found no love from my auntie and her husband.

After my primary school, they made me house maid and did not even gave me anything to meet my needs. This prompted to seek for love in a wrong way. I was involved in fornication got pregnancy and was thrown out of that home. I married the young guy who also did not have parents. I am currently cook for orphans at the orphanage, but need sponsorship to pursue entrepreneurship course. This will help start catering to do hotel business and have a bright future for myself and my family.

Naomi Nkinyi

The entrepreneurship course Naomi refers to in her letter is a six-month course that only costs $90. After receiving six similar letters from older Christian orphans, we granted them all scholarships to pay for their entrepreneurial training. We hope to report on these orphans’ success stories once they graduate and start their own businesses. Your compassion is truly a dream come true for Naomi and the other five students!

100% of all contributions to the Education Fund are used to provide schooling for poor children and young adults around the world.

Thanks so much.

CJ McDaniel
Director, Education Fund

Rebecca, Joseph and Hellen are all students who have received HF scholarships for the entrepreneurship course

Haiti’s beauty lies in the faces of her children, who seem to smile so easily despite the very difficult living conditions there

Tuesday morning finally arrived, and I rolled out of bed excited about the day ahead. This was the last full day of my five-day trip to Haiti to check on the progress of our relief efforts there. Today our ministry friend, Pastor Preval, and I were looking forward to delivering food to several groups of needy believers in Port-au-Prince, including a stop at Mt. Zion Orphanage. (Click here to read a report in our March newsletter about Mt. Zion.)

I wish you could have been with me that entire day to enjoy the many expressions of thanks I received on behalf of you who have given—smiling faces, warm handshakes, sweaty hugs (it’s always hot there this time of year), and even a kiss! Well, I hope I can at least bring you along through words and pictures.

Our first stop was at a bulk-food warehouse to purchase $1,000 worth of rice, beans, and cooking oil. This warehouse wasn’t Costco or Sam’s Club, however, and the shotgun-carrying guard confirmed that. Port-au-Prince has made some significant progress since my last visit there a week after the January 12th earthquake, but it remains a dangerous and desperate place. After loading our beat-up old Land Rover to its capacity, and covering everything with a tarp to avoid attracting unwanted attention, we were on our way.

"Premium" American rice, beans, and cooking oil is stacked, left, and then loaded into our Land Rover

We planned that our first food delivery would be to a small camp where a few dozen people from one church were taking refuge. Preval informed me on the way, however, that their location was too dangerous for us to take the food to directly. He feared that we would be mobbed by other people in the area. Naively, I did not realize that all this food made us a target. In much of Port-au-Prince, people are everywhere and never seem to sleep, desperately trying to make enough money to survive another day—and secrets are hard to keep. Instead of going to the camp, therefore, we made a low-profile delivery at the house of the pastor who serves the people there, leaving about six large sacks of food that he would deliver to them in smaller portions.

Next, our Land Rover groaned and rattled its way to Preval’s own church, up eroded rocky "roads" that wound through the tightly packed houses, shacks, abandoned vehicles, and other various discarded materials that seem to fill every nook and cranny. When we finally arrived, I saw about eight tents erected in a small church yard surrounded by walls. Also in this yard were four or five outdoor classrooms filled with children in school uniforms. Several tarps stretched across the area to shield them from sun and rain. After unloading some of our valuable cargo and taking many photos (I can’t resist when I see precious children whom Jesus loves!), we moved on to Mt. Zion Orphanage, just a few minutes away.

Unloading food at the camp near the church

School was in session when we arrived; the food we delivered was for the people who lived in the tents in the background of the left photo

A curious neighborhood boy and a shy school-girl

I enjoyed seeing the children of Mt. Zion Orphanage again, and they seemed to enjoy seeing me! Many children were just returning from school when we arrived, and one little girl greeted us with a kiss on the cheek. They quickly gathered around, and many hammed it up for my camera.

The orphanage compound, small as it is, looked much more organized and back to normal than when I visited in January. They’ve moved back into their home during the day, but continue to sleep in one large tent at night, still fearing the aftershocks that occasionally return to remind them of that awful day in January. We unloaded some more of our life-giving cargo, and also left some clothes, toys, and a little candy that I brought.

Mt. Zion gets some food, left; director Widelson standing, with sleeping tent behind him

Some of the beautiful girls that live at Mt. Zion Orphanage

By now our load was getting lighter, and our joy at being able to serve our needy brothers and sisters was growing. We drove southwest, towards the outskirts of the city, then made one more arduous climb in our Land Rover up a yet steeper and more deeply rutted path/street (Land Rover’s reputation for building vehicles that go anywhere is well-deserved). We passed one of the larger tent cities on the way.

When our path came to an end, we found ourselves at a very small church in the midst of various small, dilapidated cement-block houses of the type that characterize Haiti. I was told that there was an eighty-year-old pastor who served a congregation there numbering fifty-five or sixty people. His name was Pastor Clermonier, and we met his son, Daniel, and his family, as well as his brother-in-law Cressant and his oldest son, Jeff. We also brought them a tent.

Almost the entire right wall of Pastor Clermonier’s church had collapsed, but thankfully two columns prevented the roof from caving in. The small home that Clermonier, his wife, and his son’s family lived in didn’t fare so well (half of it collapsed), but no one was seriously injured. Preval told me of his heart for Clermonier’s ministry, and of his desire to rebuild his home for him.

Pastor Clarmoniet’s church (with missing wall at left), and with Pastor Preval

Pastor Clarmoniet’s son Daniel, his wife Tina, and daughters Sephora (2) and Salina (7) stand in what remains of their home

Little Sephora as cute as she can be with her hairdo-in-progress!

With only a couple bags of food remaining, we headed back towards Preval’s home. On the way, a woman from his congregation met us on the street. We gave her the remaining food for her family, completing our mission for the day. It was so awesome to be able to deliver the much-needed food—God’s love for them provided through spiritual family members like you! My heart was full of joy.

Although the need is so great, it is wonderful to be able to serve Jesus through these people who are still so much in need. And by purchasing the food locally, we are also helping the economy to recover. As the economy gets back on its feet and more Haitians are able to find jobs again, we’ll be able to help other hurting brothers and sisters in another part of the world. Thanks so much again to our friends who have given in the past few months to help disaster relief victims in Haiti and elsewhere. If you would like to contribute to the Disaster Relief Fund, please click here.

Because of Jesus,

Jeff Trotter
Director, Disaster Relief Fund