GRACEWAY PRAISE & PRAYER Reach Out: Partners in Mission October 2018

GLOBAL: Bible University (ABU) , Missionaries Kurt and Marlene Schimke Pray that more than 40 students will receive financial partners. Some students only need help through the remaining two years of their education while others need a four year commitment. It costs $2,000 per year to sponsor a student at African Bible University. •This is the biggest class ever- more than 54 students! Pray that the Schimkes will give these 2nd year students all that they desire to present- especially Marlene’s speech class. •Pray for growth and spiritual maturity for ABU students. •Praise for the Schimke family settling back into life in Uganda after their extended visit here and pray for their oldest daughter as she studies in the US. •Pray for peace in Uganda despite political interruptions. •Pray for Kurt as he finishes the final touches on his PhD.

Alternative Missions, Mission to South Africa, Mission Partners Joe and Avery Morris Joe and Avery are back in South Africa from home assignment and need a vehicle as their old one is no longer operable. Pray that funds would be forthcoming. Praise for the nine people who recently accepted Christ as Savior and pray for their growth in the Word as new believers. Pray for a six year old girl that was raped; Avery is ministering to her and her family.

Bridges International, Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU), Trey, Tania, Luke and Maddie Harmon, Missionaries at UC Irvine Thanks for your prayer support. Trey and Tania welcomed 60 new and returning students from 10 nations at their first social event. Pray for spiritual and physical health and protection for their team as they have felt very attacked in these areas.

Children’s Ministry IPUC (United Pentecostal Church of Colombia) Rionegro, Colombia Children and youth ministries in Rionegro are supplied with Sunday school and vacation Bible school materials.

European Christian Mission International – (formerly New Hope International) New Hope, Bulgaria, Mission Partners Dimitrie and Maria Todorov, Missionaries The Todorovs minister with Iranian volunteers on a refugee outreach team. Refugees Munir*, from Syria; Sami* and Ahmad* from Iran; and Muezin* from Afghanistan (names changed for their protection) came to faith in Christ as a result of the outreach team. Pray for the growth of these former Muslims and those who disciple them. One of these refugees saw his father and brother murdered and their business destroyed. Pray for peace in this region and love and wisdom and the Holy Spirit’s power in sharing the Gospel with Muslims.

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GRACEWAY PRAISE & PRAYER Reach Out: Partners in Mission October 2018

Ukraine Orphan Care Missionary Oksana Savka Praise for permission from the State Department of Education to do Public School Ministry for another year in the Rivne region. Praise for the 46 new children who joined Bible Correspondence Courses. Pray for our orphan ministry. There are 106,000 orphans in Ukraine. However, 92% of the children in orphanages have living biological parents; children are in orphanages because their parents are cruel and abusive. In September 2017, the Ukrainian government decided it did not want to spend money on so many children in orphanages- food, housing, medical care, care givers, education, etc. Unless there are changes, these children could be on the streets with no place to sleep and nothing to eat. They will not have the chance to be adopted by loving families. Pray that God would change the hearts of government officials and that God would provide for these children.

Heart for Africa is a ministry in Swaziland. Project Canaan Children provides a safe haven for orphans and vulnerable children. Children’s homes and schools provide for the ever-growing number of orphans being left in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. There are 137 abandoned/orphaned children living at Project Canaan, with a new baby added to the orphanage every two weeks. Project Canaan Farm has multiple approaches to agriculture using both outdoor and greenhouse crop production, dairy farming, raising chickens and goats, and growing fruit. Proceeds from farming help Project Canaan become a sustainable community and provide training and employment for local people. Twenty seven Swazi churches partner with the Project Canaan programs.

Hope Unlimited for Children in Brazil cares for over 1,000 children that have been abandoned to the streets or exploited and abused; they have life expectancies of only 3 – 5 years unless rescued. Children live together in family groups with loving, committed house parents. The City of Youth and Hope Institute programs nurture through spiritual care and award-winning academic and vocational programs. 90% of Hope graduates are meaningfully employed two years after graduation. Mission: To transform the lives of children at mortal risk, providing them and future generations with a productive future and eternal hope.

International Justice Mission IJM International Justice Mission in Kenya. IJM is representing a 6-year-old girl in a sexual assault case in Kenya. Her court case was scheduled first week in August and the legal and

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GRACEWAY PRAISE & PRAYER Reach Out: Partners in Mission October 2018

aftercare teams have been working with her and her family to prepare them for court. Unfortunately, the case was postponed until late August. Pray for the little girl and everyone close to her as they cope with the stress of preparing for an emotional day in court only to have it rescheduled on the day it was supposed to take place. Pray for peace as they wait for the next trial date and pray for the trial to proceed with steadiness toward a just decision.

International Justice Mission in - On average, over 50% of hearings in IJM cases in Latin America are suspended each week. Suspension not only delays justice, but it has a big impact on survivors’ families- many have to miss a day of school or work and have to travel to attend court. Suspensions occur mostly because key witnesses don’t show up. Pray that all upcoming IJM hearings in the next month will not be suspended. Pray for stamina and wisdom for IJM’s legal team, for survivor’s families not to get weary, and for witnesses to show up for court dates.

International Justice Mission in Southeast Asia- Praise for the conviction of three brothel owners after a six-year trial. The husband, wife and sister-in-law had been selling five girls and young women for sex in a dirty hotel until IJM anti-trafficking police rescued them. Pray that the perpetrators would repent and find salvation through Christ; they will be in jail for 10 years.

International Justice Mission in Northern . The IJM team here is advocating for access to citizenship on behalf of hundreds of thousands of stateless people living in the region. Though those people have a legal right to citizenship or legal status, they have not historically been recognized as Thai people. The team is spending intensive time in the Mae Hong Son province in the northern part of the country to survey stateless people living in villages and districts within the province, train volunteers in each area to help people in their district apply for the legal status they are eligible for, and support government officials to champion these rights for stateless people living in their jurisdictions.

International Justice Mission in the Philippines. The IJM team here supports law enforcement to conduct rescue operations in new regions of the country. Please pray for favor and partnerships in those areas. IJM and their partners are committed to tackling the crime of cybersex trafficking across the country, finding children where they are being abused and exploited, and helping churches and communities protect children in their own neighborhoods. Pray that God will identify people of courage and goodwill and that His Church would rise up in these areas to protect and care for the victims of this crime.

Medical Ambassadors International (Lifewind) Dr. Ravi I. Jayakaran, President/CEO Medical Ambassadors International believes that developmental work should be community owned. They promote this core principle by training workers in a very specific development philosophy known as Community Health Evangelism (CHE), which focuses on transforming lives both physically and spiritually.

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GRACEWAY PRAISE & PRAYER Reach Out: Partners in Mission October 2018

Mission Encounters International, Larry and Sheila Benson, Missionaries in Helene, Honduras Praise: Cassie and Levi Riley, recent graduates of MEI’s Discipleship Encounters (DE) program, completed the mission field component of the DE program- on site in Helene this summer. They found the DE component to be “an eye opening experience which was both robust and life changing.” They will be returning to Helene in early 2019 when Levi will begin his team role as MEI Learning Leader. The Rileys are in the process of selling their home and raising funds in preparation for returning to the mission field in Helene. Pray: That their support will be raised and prayer partners committed.

Pray that the addition to the school will continue at a rapid pace and that it will be safely completed.

Pakistan Christian Recording Ministries , Zahoor Ur Haq Pakistan has a low literacy rate, it ranks 160 out of 198 countries so oral learning is one of the most effective ways to teach the Christian minority as well as to evangelize the Muslim majority. Listeners’ Regional Rallies, Medical Outreach Camps, Church Enrichment Seminars for pastors and church staff, and Distribution Sundays in local congregations are all part of the work of PCRM. PCRM also produces programs for the Far Eastern Broadcasting Association and Trans World Radio. They provide training to other ministries and have produced 28 volumes of worship music. Music and Arts Camps and Fellowship Gatherings help to share the Gospel in word and deed and undergird those new in the faith and introduce them to more mature believers. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is shared in Pakistan through short wave, medium wave, web radio programs, audio CDs and DVDs using Urdu as well as several regional languages. Biblical teaching, Christian music and ethical instruction form the core of the content. Pray for the outreach and follow-up of this radio ministry throughout Asia.

Partners International, TNT, Mali ,Pastor Nouh and Fati, Missionaries in Mali, West Africa Thanks to UNICEF, a solar kit was received to use with the radio broadcasting ministry; it needs to be installed and when it is, it will reduce the cost of electricity. There are a number of challenges in their radio ministry that need prayer: Broadcasting in multiple languages to reach the most people The country and culture’s daily contradiction and watering down of Christian beliefs Teaching people to work together for community development Political and administrative authorities trying to make the station water down their message Development of programs on health, hygiene, HIV, and other illnesses Truth and Justice for Joel and Samuel who were murdered for their faith God’s protection on His church in Mali as the government continues to promote Islam Courage for the radio team in times of insecurity and empowering the team through training Training of technicians and installation of solar panels

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GRACEWAY PRAISE & PRAYER Reach Out: Partners in Mission October 2018

Plant with Purpose, Dave Luebkeman, Bay Area Regional Representative “Faith is at the core of all we do. We firmly believe that true transformation comes not only through economic growth or healed environments, but through a relationship with God. Faith is a difficult thing to measure; there are stories of families growing deeper in faith, fewer instances of substance abuse, and increased church attendance. Plant with Purpose evaluates its programs every three years. Here are some of the results: •Plant with Purpose participating families cut their level by 2/3 compared with control group families. •Sustainable agriculture techniques increase farm yields by 44%, allowing families to eat healthier and improve their farms. Families in Groups have saved enough to cover living expenses for twice as many months as comparison groups. •While most rural communities see vegetation decreases each year due to , participant communities see this trend reversed. •Plant with Purpose communities are 64% more likely to say they have the power to improve their lives. •Plant with Purpose equips families with tools they need to manage personal finances, save, access credit, build equity, earn dividends, and invest in their future. This approach has paid off. The average Plant with Purpose participating family is 2.3 times more likely to save and has twice the savings reserve compared to the control group. In fact, families have enough emergency savings to make it through 2.1 months. •Women are twice as likely to have business income as men across areas where Plant with Purpose works. •Plant with Purpose families are 55% more likely to send their daughters to school.

Seminaria Reformed Latinoamericano (formerly Gospel Through Colombia), Noe’ Acosta, President SRL is a reformed, historical, confessional ministry of education for pastors and church leaders in Latin America. The goal of SRL is to have a reformed seminary in each Latin American country by the end of 2019. Praise: An SRL branch opened in Helguin, Cuba, on June 15, 2018. Professor Alejandro Castiblanco traveled from Medellin to teach Hermeneutics and open the SRL branch; 55 students attended. There was funding for 20 students, but a Baptist church made up the tuition for the remaining 35 students! A second site in Santiago, Cuba, will open in October 2018. On July 15, Professor Castiblanco opened an SRL branch in Guadalajara, . Praise: SRL is authorized by the Florida Department of Education and is affiliated with and accredited by the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries (ARTS). Pray for: the professors who will be teaching in these countries the remainder of this year. In addition to local seminary professors, pastors from many U.S. churches teach one week at the seminary. Teaching is in English with simultaneous translation. Pray that God will continue to raise up qualified visiting professors to teach one week at several branches in Latin America.

Streets of Hope in Kenya, Africa, provides formerly homeless boys with a safe, Christ-centered home and education. All of the boys, recruited from the streets are given medical checkups;

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GRACEWAY PRAISE & PRAYER Reach Out: Partners in Mission October 2018

they may have experienced rape, drug abuse, have HIV, TB, venereal disease or be addicted to hard drugs. Each boy receives treatment. Education is provided from nursery school through college. Many boys get involved with church activities such as choir, workshop, evangelizing, and youth groups. Hope is revived, destinies changed and they know the love of God. DIRECTOR: Ruth Mwangi

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Bay Area Rescue Mission Partner: Rev. John Anderson Each $2.05 donated provides a meal for people in the Bay Area who are homeless and hungry and is a gateway to job training (culinary arts program), counseling and life-skills classes and often a start to a new and better life. Pray for each person who comes through the doors and hears the Gospel and receives food.

City Serve of the Tri-Valley is a consortium of churches in Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton which exist to bring Christ’s compassion to our cities by sending church volunteers to non-profits serving in our region. It is a subsidiary of the Tri-Valley Pastors Association. City Serve provides volunteers for: Alameda County Parent Association, Children’s Emergency Food Bank, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Gideons International, Hope Hospice, Literacy programs, Livermore Homeless Refuge, Open Heart Kitchen, Safe Families for Children, Shepherd’s Gate, Valley Pregnancy Center, and Young Life Tri-Valley.

Habitat for Humanity Habitat East Bay/Silicon Valley is sponsoring Cycle of Hope on November 3. Registration is open for this cycling event which will help place keys in the hands of Habitat homeowners. There are five scenic routes, food and beverages, and a Kids’ Village. Register at HabitatCycleOfHope.org.

Livermore Homeless Refuge The Refuge needs volunteers during winter months when the weather forecast is for greater than a 20% chance of rain and the temperature is 45 degrees or less. The Refuge will be open for homeless guests to spend the night--if there are enough volunteers to staff the site. Varying shifts from 6:00pm to 7:30am. For more information call 925-895-4167. Complete a volunteer information form: Livermore Homeless Refuge

Mercy and Grace Prison Ministries, Pastor Chris Pastor Erie Mueller and his wife Renee, from Pleasanton, are moving to Fresno to launch a new Fresno Region to better serve prisons and partner with churches these. Praise God for their faithfulness and pray for His continued favor on the Mueller’s marriage, home and ministry. Mule Creek State Prison has been added to the Mercy and Grace preaching schedule; pray for this new ministry.

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GRACEWAY PRAISE & PRAYER Reach Out: Partners in Mission October 2018

Open Heart Kitchen serves struggling families with children, unemployed and underemployed, physically disabled and veterans in the Tri-Valley with the simple gift of freshly prepared, nutritious meals. It also provides vegetables, fruit and bakery products. OHK served more than 313,800 meals in 2015. The Regional Food Storage Project, located in Pleasanton, provides expanded refrigeration and dry food storage to optimize OHK capacity to accept food from the community. OHK provides weekend lunches and lunches during the summer to at risk school children in 19 locations.

San Francisco City Impact serves the inner city of San Francisco in the Tenderloin. It has a wide range of outreach programs: Rescue Mission Dining Room, Health Clinic, Inner City Elementary School, Food Bank, Thrift Store, Sunday Church, Volunteer Center, Youth and Children Ministries, Social Enterprise (job creations), Men’s Recovery Home, Adopt a Building (reaching shut-ins), Care Host (food delivery), and Leadership Development (internship). LEADERS: Christian and Cori

San Francisco Safe House , Jessica Li, Director Pray that the Safe House will continue to be a place of safety and healing for women who are homeless and victims of sexual exploitation.

Shepherd’s Gate, Carol Patterson, CEO Carol Patterson is the new CEO of Shepherd’s Gate. You are invited to meet her and hear her passion for the present and future of Shepherd’s Gate as well as learn how God called her to this ministry and how hew background uniquely fits her for this role. There will be time for Q & A regarding programs led by Taryn Shuck, Director of Programs. Thursday, February 22, 2018, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., light hors d’oeuvres will be served Saturday, February 24, 2098, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m., continental breakfast will be served Both sessions will be held at Shepherd’s Gate Life Center, 1660 Portola Avenue in Livermore. RSVP to Kristyn Higgins if you will be attending. 925-583-8109 or [email protected] Please pray for Carol as she leads this wonderful ministry to women and children.

Valley Pregnancy Center, Michelle Kelly, Executive Director Michelle Kelly is now directing all of the day to day operations at the center. Since pregnancy and parenting go hand in hand, client services have been expanded. New programs include: Healthy Communication Coaching, Healthy Boundaries, Baby and Mom Support Groups, Miscarriage and Grief Support Groups and Specialized Parenting Programs based on client needs. Pray for the staff, clients and the effectiveness of these programs in strengthening the family unit to make healthy and confident life choices.

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