To view newsletter in your internet browser, click here.

Bright Hope World is committed, out of concern for the needy, to use donations as cost effectively as possible.
 
 

God is at Work in Thailand

 

After many years of hearing about Bright Hope’s partners in different parts of the world, it was our privilege to join a small team heading to Thailand in March. First stop was Bangkok, where over a three day period, our happy team of eight visited Rahab, The Good News Team, and the House of Hope.

The morning at Rahab (click to visit) was spent listening to Prai explain how they work to reach girls working in the local Patpong bars and rescue them from prostitution. The team provides the girls with employment in jewellery, toy making and catering, and teaches them English in a safe environment where they can learn about Jesus. We enjoyed a shared lunch with the team and bought some of their incredibly well made, bright and beautiful crocheted toys.

The next stop was the Good News Team (click to visit) where we met a group of young adults passionate about sharing their faith with the Thai children. We climbed several flights of stairs to their resource room at the top of the house, to find a large newly painted replica of Jesus’ tomb which was to be used for an upcoming Easter event.

The following day we arrived at the House of Hope to meet Prasert (click to visit) and Chuenjit (click to visit) – two truly amazing women. Chuenjit works with the Youth Remand Prison. She told us stories of several young men who had come to faith and successfully transitioned into life outside prison. House of Hope has spectacular, bright paintings on its interior walls, and it is not hard to see why local children flock to the house for outreach programmes, music, English and craft classes each week. The endless energy that Prasert has for what she is doing is remarkable.

After flying up to Chiang Mai, we had an intrepid eight-hour journey with the ITDP team (click to visit) in 4WDs to Mah Oh Jo Village. What a treat it was to stay with a local family in their pole house with their children and new-born puppies. It is amazing the communication you can have even if neither of you can understand a word! After a visit to another two villages, it was clear to see what a difference ITDP had made over the years to the lives of these tribal people. The children won my heart. They were so beautiful! It is incredible how ITDP has been so successful in improving the living standards of those in many villages, but yet they still have their primary goal of sharing the gospel with these people – the vision has not been lost.

My biggest challenge from this trip was the passion and focus each of the partners has for their work – that was confronting to me, as my passion and focus for God’s work often are sadly diluted in my daily world. In a land of smiles and gold buddhas, it was a privilege to see how Bright Hope World makes a huge difference to these ministries. Bright Hope’s support is clearly valued by the partners, as often they are not supported by their local Christian communities. Great work team!

Grace Downs

Want to make a comment? Click to comment on this article on Facebook


  New Partnerships New Partnership Reports Visit us on Facebook

Bright Hope News

We are delighted to report that we met – and exceeded – our target for raising funds for our partners in the DRC and in Jordan.

The appeal we sent out was focused on displaced women in Bunia, DRC and refugees from Afrin in Syria. Our target for this appeal was NZD40,000, but we actually ended up with a little under NZD42,000.

We are incredibly thankful to those who supported this appeal financially and in prayer and to God for the wonderful partners we have in these two locations.

In Bright Hope World, we see the worst as corrupt and violent people subjugate others, spread lies and exploit the vulnerable. We come to appreciate how much of the poverty the world experiences is because of the actions of the selfish and greedy.

But we see the best in our partners as God inspires wonderful people to step into these situations and share His Good News and love through compassion and generosity.

 
   
 

Life Change Story – Ras Baptist Church, Lebanon

 

Prayer and Praise

 

Ras Baptist Church has a number of ministries for refugees, and they are empowering Syrian people to help and serve their own people. They are seeing many come to faith and being baptised.

The following are two testimonies we recently received from our partners:

“RK's friend invited her to come to church and she accepted Christ into her life from the very first meeting. She comes from a 'Cousin' background and she says that the Lord has moved her from the darkness to the light. She leads a Bible study group and loves the Lord deeply in spite of her hard situation in life.

Recently she decided to pray for her husband with the authority that we have in Christ after MCQ had encouraged the group to use this authority. Her husband was present in the meeting and he accepted Christ then and there, and he witnessed that something happened inside him that he has not experienced before. She had promised the Lord early on that she would bow in the middle of the church and praise Him when her husband accepts Him as saviour. She did so, and her husband bowed with her and together they praised the Lord.

FJ came with her friend to church when she was grieving her father’s passing away. She did not accept Christ at the beginning but after attending all the Bible studies on the Gospel of John she came to realize the love of Christ although she comes from a Cousin background. She used to question God’s love and whether He accepts her as she is. She took the decision and accepted Christ in her life and now she is busy doing ministry among the young generation by helping them with their homework, helping with the relief work at church, and the Bible study.

One day she heard the Lord asking her to break the last constraint of Islam, i.e. take off her veil. She did that and made the decision to be baptized”.

Read more about Ras Baptist Church Refugee Support (LEB01) here.

 

We greatly appreciate your prayers for us and our partners.

  1. Pray for our partners in Thailand and the amazing work God is doing through faithful people working in difficult circumstances.
  2. Pray for the Syrian refugees that Ras Baptist Church is working with in Lebanon, that many more would come to know Christ.
  3. Pray for a number of our team members who are travelling to various African countries in the next month or two including Matt O’Byrne, John Vlaming, Jerry Field, Kevin & Helen Honore and some potential new partnership facilitators!
  4. Praise for the funds raised in response to our appeal for help for pregnant women in DR Congo and Afrin refugees in Jordan.
  5. Please also continue to pray for these two groups that we have focused our appeal on. The situations in these two challenging places have not eased and life will continue to be difficult for some time. Please remember these people in your prayers over the coming months.
 
  Order La Mai Coffee  
Spacer

Bright Hope World, PO Box 8928, Christchurch 8440, New Zealand
Phone: (03) 341 0933 Fax: (03) 341 3363
www.brighthopeworld.com
Unsubscribe