Year End Fund Impact on Lives

Joy had just been in Cairo two weeks when we met her on September 12, 2023. She, her mother and brothers fled the horrific war in Sudan in shock, bearing immense loss when their father was killed and older brother was severely injured as their house was shelled. They had to leave her brother behind. Her face said it all; she was traumatized and fearful, saying nothing as she stood next to me. Joy focused on the floor nervously all the while twisting a piece of her dirty top as I spoke to her. Her mother looked over and smiled.

At first Joy didn’t respond, and after a few minutes she didn’t use words, rather, she slipped her thin body in next to me on the chair and settled in as I put my arm around her. Their story is tough and they’ve been through so much already, but here’s a bit of good news: Joy and her brother are now in our Cairo Child Sponsorship Program and she’s now sponsored by my son John and his wife Nicole Cook, and her brother by one of dear sponsors in Oregon. While her mother, now a recent widow, still has a long road ahead of her living in a new country, they have food and Joy is attending school. They are also surrounded now with our team’s care and the love of Christ.

I begin this Year End request because Joy’s story really and truly is what Indigenous Ministries is about. In one to two years, Joy and her family will be transformed by love. God’s love. How exciting is that?!

The purpose and mission of Indigenous Ministries is to share Christ through nationals in their own culture and country. I know God is using this ministry to change lives for His glory. This mission continues on even after John’s death, as our US staff and overseas teams in Iraq, Egypt and India continue sharing Christ. And we are growing! Already in 2023, Indigenous Ministries has expanded and, by God’s grace, we will continue to impact more lives.

Each year we share a Year End Fundraising appeal in order to meet financial needs of the current year and to prepare for next year. Normally John writes this letter, but he was called home to Heaven on March 30. Now I am reaching out to you in John’s place, asking you for your continued help and generous gifts for this Year End Fund.

Let me share ways I know lives will be forever changed by your love, your prayers and your financial gifts:

1. Reaching the next generation with the gospel: Our commitment to bring the hope of the love of Christ continues in eight different ministry points in the Middle East through our Child Sponsorship Program and Global (cont’d on page 2) (cont’d from page 1) Church Planting Initiative. Children who’ve been in the program for several years clearly show the transformation that God’s love and regular care of our national teams and local pastors provide.

How the Year End Fund will help: This fund will provide a second much-needed ministry vehicle in N. Iraq for the Child Sponsorship Program and the five areas of ministry there. This fund will also enable us to set up a much-needed ministry center in Cairo (where Joy, her family and others will meet), and buy equipment for that center as well as for ministry centers in Upper Nile and Alexandria. Additionally, these funds will enable us to buy vocation and skill training classes equipment; sewing machines, barber shop utensils and musical instruments for lessons, and additional tables for language classes. These classes enable students later to find work in Kurdistan.

2. Biblical training: Grace Bible College (GBC) in India and Middle East Theological College (METC) in Iraq are both accredited, well staffed and engaged in successfully training the next generation with a biblical foundation for life and ministry. These young people bring strong spiritual maturity and depth to the local churches which is the full circle of Indigenous Ministries’ impact.

How the Year End Fund will help young men and women in India and Iraq study the Bible: This funds helps us provide vital scholarships at GBC to young men and women from poor backgrounds – Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists and Christians – all have come to Christ and want a biblical foundation for their life and some for ministry. METC is not funded outside the general fund, and the Year End Fund is critical to helping us with this annual expense. Additionally this fund will enable us to expand the Bible lessons and discipleship for children and youth in our programs.

3. Taking care of our overseas and in Colorado teams: A core value of Indigenous Ministries is taking care of our frontline workers – our Indigenous Ministries team members. This means giving them the ability to take care of their families, plan for their futures and have healthcare benefits. Well cared for teams can focus better on ministry.

How the Year End Fund will help and encourage our hard working teams: This fund enables us to provide the above financial benefits and ongoing training and equipping of our valued team members.

I definitely need your help! Would you to pray with me for $130,000 so we can help more little girls just like Joy who are refugees without a home and future? Can you stop today and donate now?

Would you please give as generous gift as you can so we can train young people like Vishal? Oh wait, you don’t know Vishal…let me share his story with you: He is studying as a freshman at Grace Bible College in India. He wants to be a pastor.

Raised as a Hindu, Vishal’s father died when he was a toddler, and his mother died when he was nine, leaving him and his brother as orphans. Soon after, he became very ill and doctors declared he would die. As his family waited for him to die, his aunt pushed her way into the hospital room much to everyone’s dismay.

She had recently accepted Christ and the family had shunned her; she knew she wasn’t welcome, but she stood her ground and began praying over Vishal as he lay dying. She dug in, calling for reinforcements asking her pastor to come and pray for him. To everyone’s surprise, God heard her prayers and he began recovering. Vishal’s testimony is that it was then he realized that she believed in the one true and living God who hears and answers prayers. She began taking Vishal and his brother to church on Sundays and taught them from the Bible. He trusted Christ and began to hear God’s call on his life to serve Him and that’s how he came to GBC in July of 2023. In his words, “I came to Grace Bible College to learn more about God’s Word and someday be a teacher and preacher to other lost souls. Pray that God may help me in this journey of mine. Thank you!”

Your gifts are so important and valuable, and I want to thank you in advance for praying about giving now. Some can give large gifts of $100,000, and others can give $1000, $100 or $10. God will multiply your gifts for His purposes.

You can donate HERE Thank you in advance, dear friend. May the Lord richly bless you and give you his peace and abundance.
In Christ’s great love, Dee

Dee A. Cook, CEO