Kingfisher International Family News - April 2018

KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

APRIL 2018

ISSUE 4

Teach a child the way they should go...

It is rightly said that ‘you need to celebrate what you want to duplicate’, particularly in the context of child development. The idea is that, if you demonstrate that you believe in and support a child, and give them every opportunity you can to help them grow and develop, and that child will believe in themselves and be far more likely to achieve great things. Is that actually true, or is it just wishful thinking?

As you can see from the report in this newsletter, the effect has been remarkable. The children who are in Bulak village are being graded as ‘excellent’ by their teacher, Aileen. The children who are receiving a more mainstream education at the foot of the mountain in Sibug Elementary school are receiving honours and are having their education accelerated, some by 2-3 grades. Two pupils - Mayit and Gerry - even got 1st Honour, which the top award they could receive.

It is certainly true that there are other factors that Who knows determine the outcome of a child’s life, not least the These are children that what God ingredient of free will. many of us are sponsoring.

However, what is happening has in store You are truly involved in at the moment in the impacting the lives of young for them as Philippines demonstrates children in a major way. that children who are knows what God has in they grow? Who believed in, given store for them as they grow? opportunities and made to But what we do know is that feel that they are special and they are already exploring capable of great things, actually makes their potential and achieving heights a profound difference in their lives. that were not previously open to them and you and I have been part of God’s A year ago, we launched the Dumagat plan for that to happen. We may never Education program, a project to enable get to meet these young people in children of the Dumagat tribe to be person, but what an amazing legacy to properly fed, housed and equipped leave in this life! Let’s pray that this with school books and stationery so Program continues and expands to give that they could have proper access to more and more young people the the education that is theirs by right. opportunity to discover the plans and How has that backing, encouragement purposes that God has for their lives! and prayer impacted those children one year on?

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UPDATE FROM THE PHILIPPINES

UPDATE FROM MOZAMBIQUE

UPDATE FROM SPAIN

More from the Dumagat Education Program (page 4)

Update from the UK (page 5)

International Day of Prayer (page 7)

KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Work starts on new training centre in the Philippines A new centre that will provide facilities for leadership training, accommodation for visiting missionaries and a wonderful resource for local churches is now under construction in Rio Chico, the Philippines. Under the banner of Kingfisher International Family, this wonderful facility will be a blessing to many in the region and will provide a focus for Kingfisher to expand its teaching and training ministry in that country.

Builders began to clear the site ready for construction, which should start this month and will continue for the rest of this year. This is an enormous and very exciting undertaking and is going to be a great blessing to many. We will hopefully be commissioning this building in 2019.

Please pray that the work goes smoothly and that the way the project is conducted brings glory to God. Also, let’s pray that this building proves to be a great blessing and that the Lord uses it in many wonderful ways to extend His Kingdom in the Philippines and beyond.

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Rebuilding work continues on the Kingfisher Centre in Mauza, Mozambique Charles Mithowa reports that the corrugated iron sheets, nails and wires have been purchased and transported from Malawi across the boarder into Mozambique. The timber for the roof beams still has to be purchased, but this should happen in the next couple of months, and then work can begin rebuilding the roof of the Centre.

This Centre has become such a lifeline to so many in the community. It provides shelter for the homeless, a schoolhouse for children, a meeting place for the community, a refuge for those fleeing the ongoing violence and civil war in the country and a central church building for Kingfisher church. We are working with Charles to enable the Centre to be reopened, and pray that this will be done over the next few months. Let’s keep praying for the funds to be raised that are needed to purchase the remaining materials, and for the many people who are currently lacking shelter as a result of the damage done to the building.

All of the Bibles, printed in the local language, Chichewa, and all of the mosquito nets have now been distributed among the people who need them most in Mozambique. As our national Director in Malawi reports: “Brothers and sisters in Mozambique are very much happy and blessed by the gift of Bibles and nets you have donated!!!”

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Update on the success of the Dumagat Education Program The DEP aims to enable children to get a good education at school in the village of Bulak and the town of Sibug, through supplying them with food, classroom materials and accommodation. The accommodation for the children who attend Sibug Elementary school has now been resolved, with the land having been given by Pastor Noel Delfin (our National Director in the Philippines) and the toilet and kitchen block (financed by the DEP) having now been finished.

However, the DEP is about far more than just providing for physical needs. What has been demonstrated by this program, is that, if you communicate to children that they are believed in and if you provide them with opportunities, they will rise to that belief and positive encouragement. We have just received updates of the children’s progress at school particularly those attending the elementary (mainstream) school in Sibug. They have been achieving outstanding results at school and have been receiving various honours: Mayit -1st honour Gerry -1st honour Sofia - 2nd honour Mark Nathan - 3rd honour Aramina - 4th honour Mary Grace - 4th honour Alvin - 5th honour Monica - 6th honour Eyyan - outstanding In addition to this, Mayit from grade 4 plus Sofia and Eyyan from grade 5 have all been accelerated to grade 7. And Monica has been accelerated from grade 1 to grade 4. All the children at the school in Bulak village have performed amazingly well too.

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Growth in the UK Kingfisher in the UK continues to grow and develop. In January, a new city-centre church was planted in Gloucester. This is a church specifically for those who are far from God, struggling with mental health issues, with addictions, with social isolation and so on. Launched to provide a spiritual ‘hub’ for all of the outreach services we already offer and that are used by hundreds of people, this church - Kingfisher Westgate - has grown each week since it opened and has already seen fruit in terms of people coming to Christ, baptisms and and a growing sense of community.

Treasure Seekers, the Social Enterprise that is part of the Kingfisher International Family, continues to expand. It recently opened a Wellbeing Centre in cooperation with the NHS, and has also just opened a new centre for Daytime Services.

This new service provides training and enablement for people with mental health issues and learning disabilities.

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Circulo de Fuego - Mediterranean Mission Circulo de Fuego is a ministry headed up by Tim and Mary Slegg, a British couple who have, for the last 20 years, been ministering in the Spanish speaking world, firstly in Mexico and, for the past 15 years in Granada, southern Spain. Tim is now part of the leadership team of Fellowship of the King, a church-planting network that has recently come into the Kingfisher International Family.

Circulo de Fuego (Circle of Fire) has a vision to see the spiritual ‘Circle of Fire’ of the early church around the Mediterranean Sea relit in Spain, North Africa and beyond. They worship and pray regularly for this, receiving and sending out ministry teams and missionaries and networking with other organisations. They seek to commend Christ through friendship, evangelism and public outreach, establishing home groups as a basis for local churches and encouraging each member in their calling as well as training up local leaders, building bridges and encouraging unity.

Circulo de Fuego is looking for people with the following gifts to be involved, as part of a visiting team, as part of a short-term mission (3 months to a year) or as part of a longer term commitment: • Musicians and worshippers • Intercessors • Evangelists (Spanish speakers) • Both those with creative and practical gifts • Those who would like to grow in all these things • Young people and couples with or without children but including older people too.

Would you like to find out more about the opportunities that Circle de Fuego can offer? Do you feel the stirrings of a call to this in your life? You can contact Tim direct via email (timslegg@circulodefuego.org) or go via Kingfisher - email us on info@kingfisher.org.uk.

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Sunday 10th June Announcing the 4th Kingfisher Family International Day of Prayer. On Sunday June 10th, join with thousands of other believers around the world for a day of life-changing, faith-building, world-impacting prayer.

2017 saw up to 10,000 believers from the UK to the Philippines united in passionate, believing prayer for our nations and for this world, and we are still experiencing the aftershocks of this powerful event. God promise in His Word: “How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down on the collar of his robe.It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133, NIV) The 2018 International Day of Prayer is our most strategic event yet, with more people than ever passionately interceding for our nations, for His Church, for our world in the authority that He has given us, taking the battle to the kingdom of darkness with the weapons He has given us, believing for miracles to happen as a result.

Every part of the Kingfisher International Family is vital for IDOP 2018. Every believer. Every ministry. Every church. Wherever you are on Sunday, June 10th, let us ‘..pray with holy hands lifted up to God.’ (1 Timothy 2:8) and let us believe for great breakthroughs.

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Resources There are literally thousands of promises made in the Bible; promises people make to each other, promises people make to God, and most importantly of all, promises that God makes to us.

Every single promise that He makes is backed up by a particular guarantee: the honour of His name (Psalm 138:2) Kingfisher International Family stands as testimony to the truth that, when God makes a promise, He keeps it. The amazing growth and development of this Family of churches and ministries that stretches around the world is based on the outworking of a series of promises made to us by God. Coming to understand those promises and, more importantly, the promises He has made in your life is an adventure that leads to some life-changing discoveries. Are you on that adventure with the God of Promise yet?

What does the world expect of Christians today?

Very little would probably be the honest answer.

The church is marginalised, largely disregarded by policy-makers and the public alike, with Christianity seen at best as a life-style choice, one among many.

When it comes to Christianity, society’s expectations are often low.

This book challenges us to expect more - to set our sights on becoming High Impact Christians, just as were the believers in the Early church - those ordinary people who were impacted by an extraordinary encounter with Jesus Christ and who, as a result, turned the world upside-down.

With opportunities for group discussion, this book highlights seen strategic ways of becoming a High Impact Christian in a low expectation world.

Visit the Resources page at www.kingfisher.org.uk for more details

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