It is something we cannot do by our own strength. We cannot rely on our own plans or systems. This is why we always turn to God and seek his help. The barriers are real, the dangers are palpable, and the challenges are countless. Yet, none of this is news to God. Over and over, we turn to him and see the miraculous ways he removes obstacles and provides the answers and resources we need most.
I had been to the Gwembe Valley of Zambia before, but this time I was trying to answer a question: Could the Good News really bring hope to a place like this? If the stories I had heard about our ministry there were true, the answer would be “yes.” But if so — how?
Two weeks before my arrival, an Every Home volunteer — a local Tonga believer — visited a small village with the Good News. He told a few residents about Jesus and the response was overwhelmingly positive. With the permission of the local headman, a small group of believers was formed in the village.
I now walked into the same area alongside our local Every Home for Christ leader named Albert. (Albert is our Director for all of Zambia.) Looking into the eyes of surprised locals, I wondered what I could possibly say to these people about Jesus.
I felt awkward, a clear outsider. On top of that, I felt like I had walked into another world.
Every Home’s national director for Zambia, Albert Muleya
Here, everyone was united by a struggle to survive. In a place like this, suffering was allconsuming. Flesh, blood, and soul were united in a single plight, groaning for hope. The concerns that typically weigh on my mind suddenly felt meaningless.
Walking through the trees, we saw a man sitting under the shade of a wooden canopy. He was asleep. As we approached, the man opened his eyes. Albert greeted him with a warm smile. Albert has visited countless villages like this and conversed with thousands of surprised villagers but I didn’t know what to expect.
I was anxious to see this man’s response to Albert. Would he be harsh? Would he reject what we said? Would we be “too religious” for him? My American fears were screaming but I quickly realised I was in a different world. The things that obscure the Good News in the West simply aren’t at play in the Gwembe Valley.
The man, awake from his nap, invited us to sit beside him in the dirt. His name was Mec. His clothes looked well worn and his shoes were filled with holes.
I listened to Albert converse with Mec in the local language. I couldn’t understand, but I could observe their facial expressions. Albert’s face was full of intensity and openhearted kindness as he talked about the value of every soul. He held a booklet in his hands. As he explained how Christ’s love gives dignity to each and every person,
Albert pointed to words in the booklet. He looked confident and his tone was that of someone who regularly shares this message. Mec listened attentively. He was captivated by Albert’s words. Within a few moments, I could see tears rolling down his face.
I interrupted Albert and asked him what was happening. Albert turned to face me, looked at me with a coy smile and said Mec wanted to know Jesus. He wanted to know the value of his soul.
“...Mec wanted to know Jesus. He wanted to know the value of his soul.”
I was caught off guard. There was no argument here. No apologetics set forth precisely. No hostility. No church. No celebrity preacher. No altar-call. No props or lights. No gimmicks. And yet, the place felt sacred. In this moment, there was just the Good News, shared from one local person to another and a soul ready to receive hope.
I was a witness to the fact that the Good News is still good news. I saw its goodness in Mec’s tears and in the hope that flooded his soul.
Today, all around the world, Every Home for Christ teams are encountering people just like Mec. At this moment, people are sharing hope with others through our global fellowship. The Good News is still good and it fills our souls with hope.
Every time you partner with us, you extend the reach of hope to one more soul, one more person, through the message of the Good News. And that’s how we make sure every person, everywhere on earth — even in overlooked places like the Gwembe Valley — has a chance to encounter Jesus.
The Gwembe Valley in Zambia is home to the Tonga people
As a child, Rabioul was one of the children in the EHC sponsorship program in Bangladesh. His dream was to be a doctor and the fact that he was sponsored enabled him to gain a basic education which resulted in him being accepted into college. Rabioul applied for a medical degree but unfortunately he was unable to get admission as the competition is extremely high in a populated nation like Bangladesh. Rabioul was able, however, to get admission into a university where he graduated with a Masters of Science Degree in Physics. He is currently working with a leather company on a contract basis and is happily married. He is thankful to his supporters who made this successful life a reality.
This story reminds us that, although sponsorship finishes with Primary School, the benefits continue and make it possible for children from the slums to grow up with dignity and hope.
There are many more children from the slums who need a chance to be educated.Please let us know if you would like to sponsor a boy or girl for $30 a month and we will send you a photo so that you can pray for this child and receive reports and photos about his/her progress.
If you are a new sponsor tick the Reply SlipEnclosed is my first $30 for Child Sponsorship
“What kind of father are you?” the immigration official asked. His voice was full of scorn. Something within Amin broke. The strength that had carried him and his family through the last few difficult weeks crumbled.
Amin couldn’t argue with the man. The hardship Amin and his family had endured was apparent in their faces and this official held the power to grant or refuse Amin’s family refuge in Cyprus. Their circumstances were the result of Amin’s actions. Yet, he hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he’d tried to do something right.
Just a few weeks before, Amin had been a successful mechanical engineer in Iran. He and his wife, Roushan, were well educated and lived in a comfortable home with their four-year-old son.They were faithful Muslims and had a good life.
Then Amin’s employer informed him he would need to travel to Syria for work. Amin complied. But en route, he discovered the trip’s true purpose was to press him into service with a group of Muslim extremists. Amin’s employer had conspired to send him to fight an unjust war.
Amin fled to Turkey, sending a message for Roushan to meet him there. Reunited, they quickly realised their family would not be safe in Turkey either. So, they moved on to Cyprus.
Amin, Roushan, and their son bounced between cheap hotels and caught a few nights’ sleep at a friend’s home. But for a long-term solution, Amin would have to find work and a more permanent place to stay.
After losing everything in a matter of days, Amin tried to obtain papers that would allow his family to become legal residents in Cyprus. The immigration official loudly criticised Amin for his predicament.
“What kind of father are you, coming to Cyprus as a refugee with your wife and child and no place to shelter them, no way to feed them? Why would you do this?”
Desperate to provide for his family, Amin endured the humiliation of the official’s reproach. Without warning, a business trip had turned into the hardest and most frightening weeks of his life. Amin couldn’t help but wonder, “What kind of god would let something like this happen to good people?
What kind of god rips a family from their home and abandons them to beg for bread?”
The answer Amin came to was simple: No god would do that. There must be no god. Amin abandoned Allah and his family became atheists. In the hard years that followed, it was the only thing that made sense.
Article written by Emily Stroble of EHC InternationalThen one day, the Every Home team in Cyprus knocked on Amin and Roushan’s door.
Cyprus has a large, diverse refugee population and its geographic location lends it a unique blend of European, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences. Every day, the Every Home for Christ team strives to serve those living at this busy crossroads of cultures. The team met Amin and Roushan while delivering food packages to families in need.
“We met their physical needs,” our team said. “God met them spiritually that day. We shared the whole Gospel. They were broken, hurting and asked a lot of questions.”
Amin and Roushan were skeptical but curious. They were in no hurry to get involved in another religion. The last thing they wanted to do was put their trust in someone else who would let them down in their hour of need.
“I think our gesture with the food packages and our genuine love and concern for them made them feel safe and trusting,” a member of our team in Cyprus said.
The team didn’t pressure Amin and Roushan to accept the Gospel or attend church. Yet, Amin and Roushan regularly attended church for several months, seeking answers
to their questions. For months, Amin and Roushan listened to the Word of a God who doesn’t leave or forsake. They witnessed the love of His people. Finally, they asked to be baptised themselves.
“I wasn’t looking for God,” Amin said. “He found me.”
Seeing how God has reached out to Amin and Roushan’s hurting hearts has encouraged our Every Home team in Cyprus.
“We knocked on their door and God met with them that day,” a team member reflected. “God was pursuing them through our ministry. Glory to God! I didn’t know until now the impact we had on lives but we witnessed Amin and Roushan pass from death into life. We met them when they were atheists and — in the blink of an eye it seemed — God did the work in their hearts. These fruits make us tirelessly labour in love for the Gospel!”
Amin and Roushan were recently baptised. They have found a community where they belong in their church. After years of struggling to find work, Amin finally has the necessary papers to work at a job in his field. Now, he and Roushan are expecting their second child.
“God has restored my life completely!” Amin testifies.
Amin
When Jesus is called the Lamb of God in John 1:29 and John 1:36, it is referring to Him as the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin. In order to understand who Christ was and what He did, we must begin with the Old Testament, which contains prophecies concerning the coming of Christ as a “guilt offering” (Isaiah 53:10). In fact, the whole sacrificial system established by God in the Old Testament set the stage for the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice God would provide as atonement for the sins of His people (Romans 8:3; Hebrews 10).
The sacrifice of lambs played a very important role in the Jewish religious life and sacrificial system. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the Jews who heard him might have immediately thought of any one of several important sacrifices. With the time of the Passover feast being very near, the first thought might be the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. The Passover feast was one of the main Jewish holidays and a celebration in remembrance of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. In fact, the slaying of the Passover lamb and the applying of the blood to doorposts of the houses (Exodus 12:11-13) is a beautiful picture of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Those for whom He died are covered by His blood, protecting us from the angel of (spiritual) death.
Another important sacrifice involving lambs was the daily sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem. Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38-42).These daily sacrifices, like all others, were simply to point people towards the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. In fact, the time of Jesus’ death on the cross corresponds to the time the evening sacrifice was being made in the temple. The Jews at that time would have also been familiar
with the Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, who foretold the coming of One who would be brought “like a lamb led to the slaughter” (Jeremiah 11:19; Isaiah 53:7) and whose sufferings and sacrifice would provide redemption for Israel. Of course, that person was none other than Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God.”
While the idea of a sacrificial system might seem strange to us today, the concept of payment or restitution is still one we can easily understand. We know that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and that our sin separates us from God. We also know the Bible teaches we are all sinners and none of us is righteous before God (Romans 3:23). Because of our sin, we are separated from God and we stand guilty before Him. Therefore, the only hope we can have is if He provides a way for us to be reconciled to Himself and that is what He did in sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. Christ died to make atonement for sin and to pay the penalty of the sins of all who believe in Him.
It is through His death on the cross as God’s perfect sacrifice for sin and His resurrection three days later that we can now have eternal life if we believe in Him. The fact that God Himself has provided the offering that atones for our sin is part of the glorious good news of the Gospel that is so clearly declared in 1 Peter 1:18-21: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him and so your faith and hope are in God.”
Bible Readings: This month the daily text will be taken from the book of Psalms. For those wanting to do the one-year Bible reading program these chapters are in brackets.
1PRAY FOR DICK AND DEE EASTMAN Dick is the International President of Every Home for Christ with a large responsibility for EHC ministries across the world. Psalm 45 (Isaiah 24 - 27)
Give thanks that Sangita’s visa has been approved and by the time you read this she will be reunited with Diplave in Sydney. Please pray for them both as they seek God’s will for their life together. Psalm 46 (Isaiah 28 - 35)
3PRAY 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. Psalm 47 (Isaiah 36 - 39)
4PRAY 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! Psalm 48 (Isaiah 40 - 43)
ASIA The Every Home for Christ team in this nation is excited to share that recently, 11 new believers were secretly baptised in a local river. “This is the fruit of one of our pioneer missionary’s labours,” our team says. “Please pray for the spiritual growth of the new believers.” And may God continue to work through His people. Psalm 49 (Isaiah 44 - 48)
6ALBANIA Pop. 2,900,000 Map. 75 “Every Thursday, we are sharing the Good News with the students in the city,” our team in Albania reports. “Please pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare young hearts for the Gospel,” they ask.
“May many students accept Jesus.” Join our brothers and sisters in praying for a great harvest. Psalm 50 (Isaiah 49 - 57)
D’IVOIRE Pop. 26,300,000 Map. 41 Several churches partnering with our team in Cote d’Ivoire are preparing for outreaches in Abobo, the second largest district in the country. This area is known for its high crime rate. “Let us pray that God’s Word will touch lives and transform men, women and children deeply,” our team says. Psalm 51 (Isaiah 58 - 66)
EAST “Please pray for everyone who reads the gospel literature that our ministry shares,” our team in this Creative Access nation asks. “Pray that the Word of God would be alive and make an impact on minds and hearts so that people will accept Christ.” Let’s ask the Lord, in faith, for every person this team will meet. Psalm 52 (Hosea 1 - 3)
9KOSOVO Pop. 1,900,000 Map. 72 "We started covering the city of South Mitrovica,” shares our team in Kosovo. “It is known for radical Islam and it has lots of political tensions.” Please pray for unity in the Church so that they can overcome division. “Pray for open doors and hearts and acceptance of the Gospel,” the team asks. Psalm 53 (Hosea 4 - 7)
10FIJI Pop. 900,000 Map. 150 Tradition and religion are two of the biggest challenges in preaching the Gospel in Fiji,” our team reports. “It seems like the biblical Gospel is completely different from what is being taught to some congregations. Pray for the Church and the nation.” Psalm 54 (Hosea 8 -13)
Pop. 1,300,000
Map. 6 Please keep a newly formed outreach team in your prayers. “We pray that they are successful and may God protect them,” our team says. They also ask for prayer over another outreach team serving in a Muslim area. “We pray that God would touch these people’s hearts,” the team says. Psalm 55 (Hosea 14)
16MOLDOVA Pop.4,000,000 Map. 102 "Please continue to pray for the next outreach among the villages in the district of Criuleni, Isnovat and Riscova,” our team asks. “Pray for open hearts among the people and for God’s grace when they share the Gospel! Thank you and may God bless you!” Psalm 60 (2 Chronicles 33 - 34)
Pop. 11,700,000 Map. 221 “Pray for the new Christ Groups,” the EHC team in Bolivia asks. Join our brothers and sisters in praying that God will help these new believers grow in faith. “Please also pray that God will bless every activity as we complete our 2022 project to reach marginalised people.” Psalm 56 (Micah 1 - 3)
Pop. 5,500,000
Map. 81 Our Every Home for Christ team asks for prayer over the town of Kremnica in central Slovakia. “Pray for evangelists and evangelistic events in this city and for our effort with our partners to establish a new church,” they ask. Pray that God will raise up wise leaders for this new congregation and make logistics smooth. Psalm 57 (Micah 4 - 5)
VENEZUELA Pop.28,400,000
Map. 214 “Pray blessings over the strategies that will be used in our project to reach marginalised people with humanitarian aid and the Gospel,” our team asks. Please pray for unity among the participating churches and that the people who hear the Gospel would be touched by the Holy Spirit. Psalm 58 (Micah 6 - 7)
Pop. 54,400,000 Map. 135 Our team in Myanmar asks for your prayers over believers working tirelessly to bring the Gospel to their areas. Pray that they would be able to move swiftly, that the training they lead would be a success and that God would protect them as they share about Christ. Psalm 61 (Zephaniah 1 - 3)
18GABON Pop. 2,200,000 Map. 21 Please pray for our Every Home for Christ teams’ projects to reach young adults through college ministry and incarcerated youth through prison ministry. “May the Lord strengthen the team so that they will have a great impact,” our team says. May God call young hearts. Psalm 62 (2 Chronicles 35)
ASIA “Pray for a movement of the Holy Spirit amongst the people in a particular area we are trying to reach,” asks our team in this Creative Access nation.“We partner with a church in this province. We have met together with their leader.We plan to train them on discipleship, evangelism, and leadership.” Psalm 63 (Habakkuk 1 - 3)
20CROATIA Pop. 4,100,000 Map. 69 “Please pray for the creation of our newest piece of gospel literature,” our team asks. ‘We want to make it simple, understandable and interesting. Pray for the writing, designing and printing. Pray that the people who read it will understand the Gospel and many will come to know Jesus.” Psalm 64 (Jeremiah 1 - 6)
EAST Our beloved brothers and sisters in this Creative Access nation simply ask for your prayers over the persecuted Christians in their country. Pray that God would protect and strengthen them and that every day, they would be conscious of His steadfast presence in the midst of the challenges they face. Psalm 59 (Nahum 1 - 3) your prayer request to us and we will pray for you too!
21ZIMBABWE Pop. 14,900,000 Map. 9 "Pray for the 3,000 trainers who have committed to train farmers in agricultural skills,” our team asks. This unique project will incorporate outreach into useful skills training. Pray that the trainers would be filled with a desire to see rural communities truly transformed and lifted from poverty. Psalm 65 (Jeremiah 11 - 12)
22MIDDLE EAST “A. is an elderly lady we met a few years ago,” our team shares. At the time, A. was searching for encouragement and encountered the life-giving words of Jesus. “Recently, she is feeling the emptiness even more. She has asked us to pray for her.” Pray that A. would turn to Jesus with her needs and be comforted. Psalm 66 (Jeremiah 26, 7 - 10)
26NORTH AFRICA Our EHC team in this region joyfully reports that they have recorded audio versions of the New Testament and half of the Old Testament in the local language. Praise God! “We need your prayers for the completion of this project,” they say. Pray that God will equip them to finish this project well. Psalm 70 (Jeremiah 46 - 49)
Pop. 46,800,000 Map. 60 "We thank God that it has been a good month,” shares our team in Spain. During recent outreaches, our team shared the Good News with 119,686 families. Additionally, 27,126 people encountered the Gospel on our team’s social media accounts. Pray that these efforts would bear fruit. Psalm 71 (Jeremiah 13, 22 - 23)
RICA Pop. 5,100,000 Map. 184 Our team in Costa Rica asks for your prayers over the Love Your Neighbour project. Pray that many churches would get involved. Pray that many believers would be empowered to share their faith and that communities will be reached with the love of Jesus through this project. Psalm 67 (Jeremiah 14 - 20)
24NEW CALEDONIA Pop. 285,000 Map. 149 This French archipelago is home to 341 tribes. Many are completely unaware of the message of the Gospel, which everyone should have access to,” our team says. They are printing several thousand pieces of gospel literature in seven languages. Pray that the testimony of the equipped believers would touch hearts. Psalm 68 (Jeremiah 35 - 36)
28SURINAME Pop. 590,000 Map. 212 “Pray for Every Home Suriname, that God will help us to make the right connections with the right leaders,” our team asks. “Pray that God would call wise, compassionate believers to serve with our team. May God bless their faithful work. Psalm 72 (Jeremiah 24, 27 - 29)
29THAILAND Pop. 69,800,000 Map. 136 “We praise the Lord that the director of Prison Fellowship International in our region is interested in partnering with us to extend prison ministry to every prison in the country,” our team shares. They hope to launch outreach and discipleship programs. “May the Lord guide us in making plans and working,” they say. Psalm 73 (Jeremiah 50 - 51)
Pop. 1,200,000 Map. 3 “Pray with us this week as we continue to mobilise churches,” our team asks. “Pray for leaders to embrace the strategy and allow their members to experience the joy of sharing Jesus. Pray for our team. We will be reaching the village of Sidvokodvo. Pray for open hearts. Psalm 69 (Jeremiah 45, 25)
30 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Pop. 3,300,000 Map. 70 “Please pray for believers and a leader to join our EHC ministry,” our team asks. “We have been looking for the right person for a long time but haven’t found anyone.” Please join our brothers and sisters in praying for God to raise up a leader with vision and passion to reach every home. Psalm 74 (Jeremiah 30 - 33)