January 30, 2009

FEEDING PROGRAM BRINGS HOPE


Ron Martin

JMM South Africa Director


Kondwani (Beloved) is one of the children that Hand of Hope is reaching in Lilongwe, Malawi. For the last year she has been coming to our Hand of Hope Center every day to receive a nutritious meal and listen to Bible stories with her friends.  When she first started coming she was malnourished, shy, and held tightly to her food so no one would take it away from her. Today though, she is happy, healthy and playful as she interacts with the workers and other children at the Center.  What a blessing it is to help this precious little girl and others like her.


For more information visit Hand of Hope.

January 22, 2009

EARTHQUAKE IN COSTA RICA


Dan Salas

Director, Dan Salas Ministries


In January 2009, Costa Rica experienced an earthquake registering 6.2. Vara Blanca, near the epicenter, was like a war zone. The earthquake caused numerous landslides. It also destroyed homes, roads and businesses.


We live forty-five minutes from this area so we were able to assist the people in this community. Joyce Meyer Ministries, Hand of Hope was quick to respond and equipped us to feed the people and supply rescue workers soon after the quake.


Although communication was limited, we quickly found a need and began to meet it by replacing a water supply line. With the help of fifteen other volunteers, we were then able to repair water lines and install almost a third of a mile of new water lines.


Please continue to pray for the people affected by this as we continue to find ways to help these people whose lives have been devastated by this tragedy.


For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 20, 2009

THANK YOU FROM INDIA


Chad Harris

Producer JMM Broadcast


It has been so amazing to see another part of the world that is being ministered to through the partners of Joyce Meyer Ministries. So many amazing moments, so many glowing faces of children who are happy and healthy because of the love and care they receive at the Hand of Hope Children’s Homes. We saw hundreds of people being ministered to through the medical outreaches, and of course hundreds of thousands of people worshiping at the evening conferences. I was able to talk with many people who had comments regarding how blessed they were by the conference and the outreaches – but there was also an overwhelming appreciation for the fact that the daily TV show is translated into all of the major languages in India! One man with tears in his eyes asked me to tell all of the partners, “Thank You!” for sending Joyce to teach them about Jesus – not only for this conference but every single day on television. It is sometimes easy for us to forget that the TV program is translated into so many languages world-wide and that people every day around the world are encouraged and inspired.


For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 19, 2009

FESTIVAL OF LIFE UPDATE - BANGALORE, INDIA



John Pipes

Senior Producer JMM

What always amazes me is how there are Christ followers all around the world who love to worship Jesus. Here we are half way around the globe from my home in St. Louis, and we are experiencing amazing praise and worship to the one true God with our family here in Bangalore. Hillsong and Delirious? have led the people to understand that our God is a big God, and that He is worthy to be worshiped and praised! The Christians here have been praying for months for people to become new believers at the Festival of Life event, and that is happening every night as a sea of hands respond to the opportunity to receive Christ’s forgiveness. Joyce and Tommy Barnett shared Saturday night about not missing an opportunity to know true contentment in life, and as far as I could see on our camera shots, hands were raised by people who wanted to know the love of Jesus. It is a humbling experience to be part of an event like this, realizing how awesome the Lord is as lives are changed forever.


For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 17, 2009

CLINIC IN WEST BANGALORE


Ashley Wilkins

JMM Medical Outreach Coordinator


We had another great day at the clinic! We treated 570 patients, with 70 of those being dental patients, and saw 90 people come to the Lord! We were in an area that was highly Muslim and we had quite a few of them come through the clinic. Many of them accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior!

We had a woman come in for treatment who had never been able to bend her arm all the way. When she came through our ministry area she was prayed for and afterward she had full range of motion in her arm!  She was very excited. It was a great miracle!

God never ceases to amaze me. He cares so much for people and wants to help all of us. What an honor to serve Him and show His love to this world!

For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 16, 2009

CHANDRAKAL HOSPITAL AND CHILDREN'S AIDS ORPHANAGE AND CLINIC


Chad Harris

Producer/JMM Broadcast 


Today we drove the 4 hour bouncy trek from Hyderabad to Joyce Meyer Ministries’ Chandrakal Hospital and the adjacent Children’s AIDS Orphanage and Clinic. I was amazed as we came to the peak of the hill where the hospital is located. Three years ago I was here for the dedication of the hospital – now it is a thriving place of hope and refuge for an estimated 100,000 surrounding villagers. There are children in this hospital who have been orphaned or abandoned due to the devastating AIDS disease.  The hospital is bringing help to many. Lives are literally being saved and people are ministered to.


We were able to meet some of the children at the Children’s AIDS Orphanage and Clinic. Humbling. That is the word for it. These children are totally innocent, yet due to various circumstances they are left with HIV. Today, thanks to this new home, they have a better life than many children living in the region. The home is beautiful with plenty of room to run and play and just be kids. They are also treated for HIV with Antiretroviral drugs, which are proving to be very effective in dramatically improving their quality of life. These children have a hope now that they didn’t have before.


For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 15, 2009

MEDICAL OUTREACH IN BANGALORE


Ashley Wilkins

JMM Medical Outreach Coordinator


Today was the first day of our clinic and it went extremely well. This was the first medical outreach for some of our medical professional volunteers and they are doing a great job and working very well together as a team. It is incredible.


There were a lot of Muslims around our clinic today, all who seemed very pleased with what we were doing. I spoke with one man who kept saying he could see the love of God in us and thanked us for coming to India. 


This 2 year old girl was born with a heart defect and will die if not operated on. She came to the clinic today and our doctors were able to connect her with a hospital in India where they perform free heart surgeries on children. 


We treated close to 500 patients today and saw 30 salvations! Helping these people and seeing the miracle of salvation is such a blessing!


For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

FESTIVAL OF LIFE UPDATE – BANGALORE


John Pipes

Senior Producer JMM


Preparations are underway in Bangalore, India for the Festival of Life event this week. We are expecting hundreds of thousands of people for the four day festival, and the transformation of the Palace Grounds into an event venue is quite amazing. What looked like a large dirt field a couple of days ago is beginning to take shape with staging, large video screens, sound, and lighting equipment. Local laborers have constructed the stage by hand, building an 80’x40’ platform with hand tools. Technicians are busily loading the lights and sound gear on a giant truss system and scaffolds in order for the massive crowd to see and hear the Gospel being shared in a powerful way. Every step of the way we have been blessed with the Lord’s provision. Last week India was experiencing a trucking strike that threatened to halt the shipment of key equipment to the Palace Grounds. But by God’s grace in the midst of the strike, when no trucks should have been able to move, our equipment was delivered! Please pray for many hearts to hear the Good News and respond to the opportunity to follow Christ.


For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 14, 2009

CHILDREN'S HOME IN THAILAND


Chad Harris

Producer/JMM Broadcast

As we approached the grounds today of the Bethel Children’s Home (sponsored by the partners of JMM), our team could hear the sounds of laughing children and their cheers of delight. The children were enjoying soccer, basketball, ping pong and volleyball games. Some children were fishing in the pond that provides fresh fish for the orphanage.  Some were working in the vegetable garden that furnishes fresh vegetables. Children everywhere were smiling. It looked very much like a playground in America where parents take their children on a warm Sunday afternoon. Without knowing the back-story nothing would seem out of the ordinary, but the truth is, these children have been rescued by the partners of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Every one of these children was left to fend for themselves because their parents had been involved with drugs or alcohol or had been affected by AIDS.

I type this blog as I overlook the beautiful, well manicured grounds of the Bethel Children’s Home in Chaing Rai. I am watching 30 children of various ages play a game of “duck duck goose”. The smell of Thai food fills the air.  Inside, children are sitting on their comfortable bunk beds doing their homework. I met with two children yesterday, Tun and Nut, whose parents both died of AIDS several years ago. Their grandfather tried to care for them but couldn’t. For the past four years they have lived here and now they are thriving. They attend Christian school, they eat well every day, they have comfortable beds and in their own words, they have a “huge, wonderful family with many brothers and sisters.” God cares for these children. Thank you JMM partners for helping to make all of this possible!

For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 12, 2009

THAILAND FESTIVAL OF LIFE



David L. Meyer

Three days of ministry in Thailand have produced great results. Joyce & Hillsong once again teamed up for a Festival of Life in Chiang Mai. When all was said and done over 50,000 people attended. According to local pastors this represents the largest public meetings on record. God is so good and we are grateful to all our friends and partners who this week have helped the people of Thailand to hear the Word and be encouraged.

For more information, visit Hand of Hope.

January 09, 2009

HEART FOR LEBANON


Maya came to Lebanon seven months ago, hoping to start a new life far from Mosul in her homeland of Iraq. Her three children, Paul (8), Peter (6), and Lamia (2) are slowly coping with their new lives, but the journey is harder without their father who was assassinated in Mosul seven months ago.


When Heart for Lebanon, a ministry supported by Joyce Meyer Ministries, visited Maya and her children, the HFL staffers were speechless in front of the sufferings the family is going through. They felt they wanted to do more for this family. So, a week later, they announced to Maya that they wanted to take her and the children out for lunch. “How did you know?” she asked. “It’s Paul’s birthday today. He has been crying all night, thinking about his birthday last year, remembering how he celebrated with his dad, and not expecting anything nice for this year.” Yet, God surprised him with a nice birthday celebration which brought a big smile to his face and showed him that He cares!


For more information visit Hand of Hope.