Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Rejoice along with the Ugandan church, as seen in this video update sent by CWC Missionaries Matt & Noelle Harris from Gulu, Uganda! The video shows the Grand Opening of the 2nd campus site for the School of Discipleship, which trains Ugandan pastors to teach through the Bible verse-by-verse. This second campus was set up to allow accreditation for the pastors who complete the 3-year training at either campus. Ugandan accreditation is a necessity, as the government often closes down churches led by pastors from unaccredited schools. Thanks partly to the generosity of you and others in the CWC congregation, who donated over $25,000, this school will be a blessing to countless Ugandans for decades to come.
Praises and Prayer:
- Matt & Noelle continue teaching through the Bible and have ministered in Uganda for 8 great years already!
- The big celebration of the opening of the Terebinth School of Discipleship campus happened in October. Nearly 1,000 people attended the grand opening including staff, students, 180 widows in the neighboring community, and even political leaders.
- Pray that Jesus will continue to be exalted through the use of this campus and that he will guide them through the accreditation process to prevent students from having any future problems from the government as they share the gospel.
- Matt and Noelle were especially grateful for the visitation of Noelle's mom, their nieces and friend while they caught up on things to put those dreams on the ground.
Thank God for continued openness and opportunities to serve a local family of Afghan refugees. Someone from CWC visits at least once or twice a week, helping with various things such as doctor appointments, English & reading for the children, or navigating bills and mail.
Praises and Prayer:
- Beautiful Baby M was born to our precious family on 12/5! Mama and baby are doing well, and we are thankful for Tammy, a CWC member and doula, who was able to accompany them through the entire labor and delivery, and for many other opportunities to minister to the family through this tender time. Please pray for little Baby M and her whole family to come to know Jesus!
- Akeepa, the 1-year-old daughter of another Afghan family has been hospitalized and was on a ventilator for respiratory issues and now faces a long recovery after possible brain damage. Please pray for her healing, for her family to understand what is happening, and for them to encounter the peace of Jesus Christ through this difficult situation.
- Pray for Afghan families who come to our Christmas party to have fun, build friendships, learn American culture, but most of all to see the beauty of Emmanuel, God with us, as we share the Christmas story.
- Please pray as we start training to teach English as a Second Language, first to "our" adopted family, and possibly to others of the many refugees coming to Colorado Springs from other countries. If you are interested in being a part of exploring this opportunity to serve and love in a life-changing way, please let us know!
Matt & Jonna continue to minister in Central Asia.
Please pray for them and their family. Recently, their 13-year-old son, Malachi, had a sports accident and was hospitalized for 4 days with a concussion. While Jonna was in the hospital with him, she received a call that her father had died suddenly. She returned for his funeral last week. Please pray for the family as they grieve and recover and reunite.
Janice Evans
Thank God for Janice Evans, and her continued love for the Ukrainians around her! She continues to live in Ukraine while waiting for visa paperwork. She currently plans to return to Hungary in January or February to minister to Ukrainian refugees there.
Praises and Prayers:
- Please pray for continued wisdom about where God wants her to serve, and for peace and warmth for Janice and the millions of Ukrainians suffering through below zero winter temperatures without stable electricity and power.
- Pray for hearts to turn to Jesus, and for provision and protection.
- Pray that she can give away her cats to a good home before she returns to Hungary in January. These cats are like family for her and it's difficult to part ways!
We are so thankful to our missionary Augustin who is located in Paris, France. Recently he distributed Bibles at the University of Jussieu.
Praises and Prayer:
- Pray for fruit from the Bibles he distributed - that people will read the Word of God and encounter Jesus!
- Pray for fruit from the Thanksgiving party, where about 30 people came to fellowship. Pray for relationships to grow with their neighborhood, for good spiritual discussions to continue, and for the love of Jesus to soften the hearts of the guests.
- Pray for Davy and Areski who are going through difficult times, that they will turn to Jesus for strength and comfort. Please also pray for victory over addictions that prevent them from growing in their relationship with God.
- Praise God that Cedric continues to progress in his faith and go to their church activities regularly.
Kenya - we praise God for our continued partnership with Hope's Promise Sanctuary of Hope, ministering to teens, orphans, and other needy children in Mathare Valley Slum, Nairobi, Kenya. Please continue to pray for them and for our good friends, Mathare Worship Centre, as they minister in a tough place!
Praises and Prayer:
- Continue to pray for S., one of the Sanctuary of Hope teens, who was swept up in one of the 2021 school fire incidents and continues to attend re-scheduled court hearings. The next hearing is January 11.
- Pray for Kuza, Sanctuary of Hope's relative-based orphan care program. It went from 30 to 50 kids and now the program is being prepared to expand to 100 kids in 2023.
- Please pray for areas in Kenya impacted by severe food shortages. Pray for rain to continue and for harvests in January/February.
Cross Centered Records serves in the city of Colorado Springs by sharing the gospel through hip hop concerts.
- Praise God for this amazing testimony of a man who was saved at their September Concert On the Curb.
- Praise God for a great outcome of Trunk or Treat 2022 and The Hip Hope for the Homeless Antlers Park outreach.
Thank you for praying for our CWC missionaries! If you would like to be more involved in sending or encouraging our missionaries, please contact us at kellyb@cwccs.org.
Credits:
Created with images by ingusk - "Aerial panoramic view of the Mother Motherland monument in Kiev. Historical sights of Ukraine. Beautiful scenic view of Kyiv." • Wollwerth Imagery - "Aerial 180 degree panorama of the downtown government and financial district in Nairobi, Kenya."