EHC February Newsletter 2023

February 2023

LEBANON

LEBANON Hope for a New Nation -

A moment can be a turning point in a story - one conversation can change a life.

That’s the theory behind the Oikos taxi service in Lebanon. A large sign mounted on the roof of the car reads: Oikos Taxi—A ride can change your life.

As you slide into the back seat of the car and tell the driver your destination, he turns to smile at you. The ride is free. When you ask why (and all passengers do), the driver will tell you:

Because the love of Jesus is free, and it’s your way to a new life.

The driver might tell you that Jesus’s love rescued him from the influence of Muslim extremism in his community. If the Gospel changed his life, it might have something to offer you too. You see his eyes sparkle with kindness in the rearview mirror.

For years the people of Lebanon have suffered. They’ve seen continual conflict, economic hardship, the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating explosion in the capital of Beirut. Over half the population is struggling to feed their families. There’s no simple solution. Lebanon needs to be rebuilt—to become a new nation.

To many, the situation seems overwhelming, even hopeless. But Danny, Every Home’s ministry director in Lebanon, and his team don’t see it that way.

“We dare to dream of a new nation,” Danny says, “regardless of the brutal reality, because the Gospel of the grace of God and the redemption of Jesus Christ keeps us from seeing any person or situation as hopeless.”

Our team sees practical aid as the obvious first step in helping people encounter the love of God.

In partnership with local churches and dedicated believers, our team offers tangible help—like assistance with food and medication—to hundreds of families each month. Their Academy Program tutors children in music, language and academics and hosts sports programs, creating a haven for children suffering from loneliness and trauma. Free Oikos taxi rides provide a unique opportunity to reach women, who are difficult to reach with the Gospel any other way due to the constraints of their culture and religion.

“We meet people who need something to make them feel alive again,” our team explains.

Additionally, our team is committed to meeting their neighbours’ deep psychological needs. They conduct around 100 free counselling sessions in their office every month.

Despite the hardship and obstacles that surround them, our team in Lebanon loves their nation. Through faith, they see the big picture: an opportunity for the Gospel of hope to transform the rubble of a nation. Through love, they see each person as inherently worthy of love, dignity and hope in Jesus.

But our team’s work doesn’t stop with one free taxi ride or a food package. Local believers bring their diverse gifts—from counselling to tutoring—to share the Gospel with their neighbours in the context of lasting relationships. Every person who encounters Jesus’s love is invited to a discipleship group and eventually connected to a local church. We’re in this together. Reaching every person takes every gift, every creative idea, every compassionate conversation and every sincere embrace. It takes the whole church.

The result?

There is a light rising in Lebanon. It’s not necessarily a new nation in geopolitical terms. But it is a new kingdom—a people defined by dauntless hope and steadfast love.

In the end, every creative project and thoughtful gift has one goal: to see every need and share the only thing that brings true hope and life—Christ.

5 Prayers for Releasing Burdens

Kim Butts

Many of us are carrying burdens these days. Do you find it as difficult as I do to just bring them to the feet of the Lord, set them down, and ask Him to take them upon Himself?

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you. ”

If you are anything like me, sometimes I set a burden down then grab it up again. This is completely a lack of trust on my part. Leaving my burdens with Jesus results in freedom, joy and peace! So, I decided to study some of the Scriptures that speak of the attentiveness of God to the burdens I carry in my heart.

As I studied, I wrote prayers to go with each Scripture. I hope they will help to jumpstart your own prayers as you trust Him to lift the worry, concern and anxiety from you during stress-filled seasons:

Psalm 143:1

Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because You are faithful and righteous.

Father, no matter what burden I am carrying, I can trust that You will not only listen, but that You will also be faithful and righteous as You answer. Sometimes my burdens are heavy and difficult as I lay them at Your feet with loud frustration. Other times, I may not even be able to speak, but only utter pleas that have no words. Please give me courage and strength during these times so that I am

able to lay down the burden and walk away, knowing that You will handle it as You have promised!

Psalm 3:3–4

But You, O Lord, are a shield around me; You are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain.

Thank You, Father, for being my protector and defender. There are many days when my head is down because I am so burdened, but You are the lifter of my head. You help me to look up and out and beyond my worries. When I cry to You, asking for peace, You answer me!

Romans 8:26

Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit Himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain.

Holy Spirit, when I am feeling weak and unsure about how to pray, You are there! Sometimes there are just no words to describe the feelings and I just feel inadequate to express the depth of emotion in my soul. Thank You for crying out to God on my behalf and for coming alongside of the depth of my pain, hurt, disappointment, fear, frustration, or whatever else I am going through when life is difficult. Instead of being ashamed before God. I can trust that You will carry my burdens to His understanding, loving heart.

Ephesians 1:19–20

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Powerful, miracle-working God, help me to remember that there is nothing I will ever walk through that You can’t handle. The same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead is always at work in my life. I believe You are able, Lord! Walk me through this time of uncertainty and hold my burdens as Your own. Fill me with peace and the knowledge of Your continual presence moment by moment.

Jude 1:24

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault.

Grace-filled Father, sometimes I am tempted to doubt Your goodness when my burden is so heavy.

I don’t understand why I resist giving it into Your care. I know that You are able to keep me from falling away from Your love, even when others I know walk away and turn their backs on You during difficult times in their lives. I don’t always understand why I struggle when I have placed my trust in Your heart. I know that when I can’t figure out how You are moving, Your heart is always for me. Show me how to experience great joy in Your “glorious presence” as I willingly release my burdens and allow You to carry them.

God is for us, even when life seems against us. Burdens can sometimes be gifts we carry so that God can reveal more about His character. What burden are you carrying today that you want to prayerfully give to God? Spend some time releasing it into God’s care. He wants to help you break free and experience rejoicing.

Trust His heart. He is the God of miracles who raised Jesus from the grave. His heart is for you.

Reprinted with permission from Harvest Prayer Ministries

UkraineHumanitarian Aid

You can read the full 2021-2022 Annual Report on the websiteeveryhome.org.au

BUSES IN UKRAINE - Funds were used to hire and fuel buses, each loaded with 3 tons of food and other supplies, which travelled throughout the country to places with great need. The staff would unload the buses to provide for people and thern load the buses with people who were trying to flee the area and take them out of Ukraine. Then the process would be repeated over and over and over. At least 2,000 people received humanitarian aid in this way.

Funds were also used to buy food to fill plastic bags which held up to 10 kg of food. The bags were loaded into many cargo vans and delivered to war zones where people were struggling to obtain food – many hiding out in basements. In this project, over 240,000 people received humanitarian aid.

ROMANIA & BULGARIA - Many countries in Eastern Europe saw a large influx of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to find safety. Our EHC partners in Romania and Bulgaria were able to utilise funds to serve the refugees in their countries. In Bulgaria, they were able to provide humanitarian aid to 1,000 refugees - food, clothes, hygiene products and accommodation for sleeping. In Romania, they were able to provide humanitarian aid to 450 refugees. They were given packages with food and hygiene products, clothing and underwear and housing for refugees who needed to stay longer.

As families were separated and millions suddenly found themselves unmoored from their old lives, a kind face, a smile, a hug and a prayer gave simple assurance to these familes that they were not alone. This has been a precious gift!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KINDNESS TO THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

1

FEBRUARY 2023

Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from the books of Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon and Isaiah. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.

PRAY FOR TANNER & BETHANY

PEAKE Tanner is now the International President of Every Home for Christ with a large responsibility for EHC ministries across the world. Please pray for good health, wisdom, protection and blessing on their family as they take over the role from Dick and Dee Eastman.

Ecclesiastes 11 1 (1Timothy 4-6)

2 PRAY FOR DIPLAVE POKHREL

Thank you so much for your prayers for Diplave and Sangita who have now settled into a unit near the Every Home for Christ office. Please continue to pray for the Lord’s blessing for them both. Ecclesiastes 12 (2 Timothy 1:1 to 2:13)

3 PRAY FOR ERIC AND LORRAINE LEACH

Pray God will guide Eric in his leadership as Executive Director in Australia and New Zealand and Lorraine with EHC office responsibilities. Pray

that all 6 grandchildren will grow up to love and serve the Lord.

The Song of Solomon 1 (2 Timothy 2:14 - 4:22)

6 SLOVAKIA Pop. 31,255,435 Map. 81

Please pray for the western Slovak city of Topolcany, that the good news about salvation and hope will spread to households through the EHC evangelistic newsletter called “Everybody Matters.” Pray the gracious Father will touch hearts with His love. The Song of Solomon 4 (1 Peter 4:12 to 5:14)

7NAMIBIA Pop. 8,737,371 Map. 11 Brother Immanuel Kainde and Brother Jeffrey Damaseb are hosting a gospel talent show and worship night events aimed at attracting young people so they can receive the message of salvation. Pray for all of the necessary logistics to fall into place easily and for many of the young people to be saved. The Song of Solomon 5 (2 Peter 1)

8LEBANON

Pop. 6,825,445 Map. 114

“Today we ask for prayer for Jad,” the Lebanon team shares, “a young man willing to start a new chapter in his life away from his country and family in order to serve Jesus. We ask for prayer for a special anointing over Jad’s life and blessings on his journey.”

The Song of Solomon 6 (2 Peter 2)

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CREATIVE ACCESS - CENTRAL ASIA

4

PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY - sons, daughters and grandchildren, plus others to come to Christ. Get a piece of paper and write down their names. Get their photos and pray every day for their salvation; eternity without Christ is a long time!

The Song of Solomon 2 (1 Peter 1:1 to 2:10)

5 PARAGUAY Pop. 31,255,435 Map.

222 The EHC team in Paraguay is involved in important prayer and evangelism training. Pray this will bear fruit in preparing volunteers from the churches and give much glory to God. The Song of Solomon 3 (1 Peter 2:11 to 4:11)

The team in this nation requests prayer for people in need of Jesus. “There is a certain place in our nation,” they say, “that we are not allowed to visit. It also has a rare language that not many people know. Please pray for heavenly wisdom on how to reach these people.” The Song of Solomon 7 (2 Peter 3)

BOLIVIA Pop. 11,673,021 Map. 221 Please pray for all the churches the Every Home for Christ team will visit to deliver the Love Your Neighbour kits. They are believing for many church members to share the Gospel - to be mobilised through this effort. The Song of Solomon 8 (1 John 1-2)

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11FINLAND Pop. 5,540,720

Map. 96 The Every Home for Christ team requests prayer for many churches to join them in reaching this nation of Finland for Christ; only through partnership with Finnish churches will they see transformation in their country.

Isaiah 1 (1 John 3-4)

12CAMEROON Pop. 26,545,863 Map. 24 Pray for the district of Mandjou, an area in the eastern region. The EHC effort began door-to-door evangelism here a few months ago, however accessibility to the houses remains very difficult. Please pray for traveling mercies and for the Holy Spirit to speak to hearts.

(1 John 5)

Isaiah 2

13CREATIVE ACCESS - NORTH

AFRICA This nation has several challenges when sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. The Every Home team working here says, “We ask for Jesus to give more freedom of religion in our country as many fight against us and try to manipulate others to rail against Christians. It is difficult for us.”

Isaiah 3

14

(2 John)

IRELAND/NORTHERN

IRELAND Pop. 4,937,786 Map. 91 Please pray for the Christian ministries in Ireland as they welcome and support refugees fleeing from Ukraine who continue to enter in a steady flow. Please pray that God would guide these believers in prayer, in word and in action as they minister to these broken and tired people.

(3 John)

Isaiah 4

15SEYCHELLES Pop. 98,347 Map. 145 Seychelles has remained open until now, as they have had a limited amount of COVID cases. However, at the moment there is an alarming increase in COVID cases. Pray that the COVID situation will remain under control and that the Gospel can be preached without any further obstacles.

Isaiah 5 (Jude)

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CYPRUS Pop. 1,207,359 Map. 113 Recently the evangelism team in Cyprus has connected with many people who are interested in the message of salvation. They are truth seekers and our prayer is that they would continue to grow and find answers about God and what believing in Jesus is all about.

Isaiah 6 (Revelation 1)

17RUSSIA

Pop. 145,934,462 Map. 106 Please pray for the situation in Russia in light of the war and the trauma that it has caused. It is difficult for the Every Home for Christ team and other Christians to serve every day. Churches are divided into those who support the war and those who do not support the fighting. Pray for unity and peace! Isaiah 7 (Revelation 2-3)

THAILAND Pop. 69,799,978 Map. 136 Currently the Every Home for Christ Thailand team is putting together plans for big outreach projects where many will hear the good news of Jesus Christ for the first time. Please pray that many would encounter Christ’s love and receive His hope for their souls this year! Isaiah 8 (Revelation 4)

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19CREATIVE

ACCESS - MIDDLE

EAST The team in this restricted nation asks for prayer that those who respond to the Gospel would be further discipled to see many ushered into the kingdom. Please pray for the effectiveness of their follow-up services so that many people would come to know Jesus.Pray for multiplying disciples in this nation. Isaiah 9 (Revelation 5)

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BRAZIL Pop. 212,559,417 Map. 218 “Our team is looking for strategies to reach the Brazilian hinterland [remote region] for Christ. We ask for prayer for more pastors and leaders to learn about EHC and for methods to be devised to reach all people.” Pray the Every Home for Christ team would hear God’s voice on how to proceed. Isaiah 10 (Revelation 6:1 to 8:5)

Send your prayer request to us and we will pray for you too!

21 ITALY Pop. 60,461,826 Map. 65 Pray for the homeless people of Palermo as the Every Home for Christ ministry works to give them physical assistance as well as the bread of life. Pray they would experience the good news of the Gospel and encouraging relationships in their lives. Pray that they would find hope in Christ.

Isaiah 11 (Revelation 8:6 to 11:19)

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CREATIVE ACCESS - EAST

AFRICA The team in this nation is suffering as three Christians have been arrested and have yet to be released. Pray for these precious workers, for their safety and endurance during their incarceration. Pray also for peace for their families as they struggle through this difficult time of waiting. Pray they will be released soon. Isaiah 16 (Revelation 20)

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GABON Pop. 2,225,734 Map. 21 Join us in prayer for all the evangelism and discipleship activities of Every Home Gabon: “We thank the Lord for all the coordinators and volunteers who are active on the field, doing the ministry work of going home to home and serving the communities here. May God grant them grace and strength.”

Isaiah 12 (Revelation 12-14)

27NIGER Pop. 24,206,644 Map. 36 “Continue to pray for the security of our country,” the Every Home for Christ team in Niger asks, “because in some areas it is not possible to cultivate important relationships with new believers due to terrorist threats. We humbly request that you join us in prayer for courage and protection in these difficult days.”

Isaiah 17 (Revelation 21)

23CREATIVE

Isaiah 13

ACCESSCENTRAL ASIA During Every Home mobilisation meetings, local churches shared an urgency for educated, competent, and faithful counsellors as there are almost none in this nation. The desire now is to organise counselling courses for believers. May the Lord grant wisdom and vision to accomplish this task!

(Revelation 15-16)

24BARBADOS

Pop.

287,375 Map. 207 Please pray for outreaches taking place currently in two of the toughest areas of Barbados. The Every Home for Christ team and churches are believing for many lives to be impacted by the good news of Jesus. Pray for protection and for good responses to result from these important events.

(Revelation 17-18)

25ALBANIA

Isaiah 14

Pop. 2,877,797

Map. 75 Each Thursday, the Every Home ministry in Albania organises evangelism outreaches among college students in the capital of Tirana. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare their hearts for the Gospel and to guide the team as they minister. Pray also for a revival among the students in Tirana.

Isaiah 15

(Revelation 19)

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Isaiah 18

CAMBODIA Pop. 16,718,965 Map. 138 Please intercede for Every Home for Christ’s Cambodia field leadership, that they would have the wisdom and the determination needed to reach everyone in their nation with the Gospel. Pray for energy, vitality and exuberance as they share the good news with those who have never heard.

(Revelation 22)