BOOKS FOR SYRIA

JMM Middle East Coordinator

I was in Syria recently to check on a shipment of JMM books that were being sent from Cairo to Damascus. Damascus is considered to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. This picture was taken in the village of Maaloula about forty minutes from Damascus where they still speak Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke. It was a blessing to see our second shipment of JMM books arrive safely and legally into this country. This is no small feat as there is no Pentecostal Church registered in Syria. They are viewed as a cult and have no legal rights to assemble together. The Director of the Bible Society, who is a member of the Syrian Orthodox Church and a faithful believer, has been helping us distribute the books throughout the country to members of the Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Baptist Churches. His wife loves Joyce Meyer and is a faithful daily viewer of Enjoying Everyday Life and there are many others being blessed by both her books and the EEL program. In the past three years we have shipped about 400,000 JMM booklets to Syria.

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

BRINGING AID TO THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC IN ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe's children are the most vulnerable to the Cholera epidemic.

Shelly Meyer

Recent reports say that over 1,100 people have died and more than 20,000 have been infected from the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe. Medical care is scarce in this nation that is already struggling with poverty and malnutrition. The children are the most vulnerable to the ravages of this disease. That is why we have sent our South Africa director of outreach there this week to bring aid and see how we can help those who are suffering. Please continue to pray for the people of Zimbabwe that God will heal those who are infected and stop the spread of this terrible disease.

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

GOD'S LOVE IN KOSOVO

Bledar assisting the dentist in the new dental clinic.

A young man named Bledar was a victim of the war in 1999. He, his mother, sister and brother watched as the Serbian soldiers came to their home and burned everything they owned. When his father and grandfather were being taken away, Bledar’s five year old brother broke free from his mother to try to hold onto his father. One of the soldiers grabbed the boy and slit his throat. He then shot the father and grandfather…killing them on the spot. They then threw the grandfather’s body into the well to try to poison the water.

Service International (SI) has reached out to help the family over the last nine years. They have built them a permanent home. Bledar liked to work alongside the SI volunteers during the time of construction in an attempt to heal his brokenness and hurt.

In 2001, SI established the first dental clinic in the village of Hereq. Bledar lived in that same village and asked if he could watch the dentist as he worked. Dr. Ortinau took Bledar under his wing.

Bledar was inspired at seeing how people were helped with dental care. He went to school to become a dental assistant. When he graduated, it just so happened that SI was looking for a dental assistant for the newly established full time dental clinic of Gjakova fully funded by Hand of Hope! Bledar is now one of SI’s faithful staff members! Now Bledar can help stabilize his family’s condition while doing something he loves.

Bledar’s story is a stunning reminder that God’s goodness is not thwarted by the evil deeds of the enemy. He restores hope and breathes life into any situation. Bledar is a living testimony of God’s love!

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

PUERTO RICO PRISON OUTREACH

Roy Lormis

Prison Ministry

This was truly a life changing outreach. Puerto Rico will never be the same!

One of the highlights of the trip was a service at Vega Alta Women’s Prison. Here at least 28 inmates received Jesus. As we shared with them we saw the power of God move mightily. Many of the women were broken and weeping openly before God. There were many women in this facility who are pregnant.

We also visited a youth facility in San Juan. Here we met a seventeen year old boy who was recently sentenced to 200 years for a triple murder. There was another young boy who was sobbing when we met him. His mother was a drug addict and used all of the family's money to fund her addiction. With no money left and fearing his little brothers would not have food to eat, he stole some bananas in an effort to provide for them and was arrested. We were able to minister to both of these boys, as well as many others.

Over 16,000 lives were touched by the generosity of this ministry, its partners and volunteers. 4,300 people gave their lives to Jesus!

Words can not express my gratitude for the opportunities given to us. What a joy to see the lives of so many touched by the hand of God. Many will have a brighter tomorrow and a whole lot less sorrow in the future. As long as people can change, the world can change. We are making a difference together. THANK YOU!

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

Letter of Thanks From Zimbabwe

Shelly Meyer

The political situation in Zimbabwe has made it very difficult for aid organizations to get assistance to the people who are suffering greatly due to the conditions there. God has made a way for us to provide a daily hot meal to thousands of school children in Zimbabwe. Here is a letter of thanks from one of the schools:

Madam Meyer,

I wish I had a thousand tongues then I could fully express in sincerity the gratitude that the community of Nembe has towards Hand of Hope and Joyce Meyer in particular. An empty stomach had been order of the day for most of the pupils until you came to the rescue. To highlight a few cases of serious starvation. I have a family that lives solely on this porridge. Gugulethu Msebele is a 13 year old girl, seventh in the family and doing grade 7 at Nembe Primary School. She is staying with her grandmother. Her parents passed away in 2002. They survive by asking for food from other people. She is performing well at school. I wish she could proceed to a secondary school.

May the Lord keep you in good health and keep on blessing you abundantly as you continue to bless those who have been blessed by your life saving ministry.

Nembe Primary School - Nov 2008

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

Visit to Papua New Guinea

David L. Meyer

Our team spent a few days visiting some of the poorest, undeveloped and most isolated areas I have ever seen. In this tiny nation, they speak over 800 languages! In the Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea, there are hundreds of villages with little to no basic life-essentials we all take for granted. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) kindly took us to several of these villages. Because of these conditions, the infant mortality rate is the second highest in the world.

In July 2009, Joyce will team up with Hillsong's Darlene Zschech with the intent to inject renewed hope into this nation. We are planning to take medical teams to give aid to the hurting and visit all the prisons of the country, plus much more. 

Please pray for us as we work with the numerous churches and ministries which have labored for many years to make a difference. They have done a great job and we go only to add to their efforts.

Together We Are Better!

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

Woman Saved From Burning Car

Shown left to right: Pam Ross and Marilyn, a SLDC volunteer.

Pastor Jeff Allensworth

Senior Pastor of St. Louis Dream Center

Pam Ross is a graduate of the Women of Hope program at the St. Louis Dream Center. Recently, Pam was driving home when her car began to smoke. Pam pulled over to let the car cool off. She turned the car off and rolled the windows up so she could lock her car. As she proceeded to exit the car, she noticed people beckoning her to get out of the car quickly. The people yelled, "Get out of the car! Your car is on fire!" Pam could not open the car door. The flames began to rise and Pam cried to the Lord, "Please, Jesus, don't let me die like this!"  One thing she remembered was hearing the voice of God saying, "Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? I saved them, and I will save you.”

Just then, a little pop sound came from the door and there stood a man in white with a white beard and assisted Pam out of the car. Pam fell to her knees and thanked God for saving her. When she stood up, she noticed the man was gone. She asked the people standing around her for the direction the man in white went. The people responded, "There was no man in white". Pam insisted there was a man who got her out of the car, but no one saw him but Pam. When she looked, the door on the car was closed and the firemen asked Pam how she got out of the car.

Pam was saved by her guardian angel, and she was not harmed. Praise the Lord! For His mercy endures forever, to all generations.

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

Thank You From a Young Boy in Egypt

Ezbet El Nakhl Project – Cairo, Egypt

The feeding outreach in a garbage village on the outskirts of Cairo continues to go well. This outreach touches 250 families and is a tremendous blessing to this poor slum area. This testimony is from a young boy in this garbage city:

 

“When we got the food we were thankful to God because we were going without food for a couple of days and we children asked my mother several times for food to eat, but we didn’t have any. Now we are able to eat and don’t have to feel hungry as much anymore. Thank you for your help.”

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

Outreach in Ethiopia

Ashley Wilkins

Medical Outreach Coordinator

The medical outreach that we conducted in Ethiopia was a huge success. During the three days of the outreach, we saw almost 3,000 patients and had 100 souls come to the Lord. Our OB/GYN surgeon saved a woman’s life today when she came in and had to have an emergency c-section. There were many complications with her case that the local doctor could not have handled, so since our surgeon was there, the woman lived.

We also witnessed two miracles. We had a ten year old blind boy come in to the clinic. His dad was asking for medicine to make him better. Since there is no medicine for blindness, our prayer team prayed over him for thirty minutes and when he opened his eyes, he could see! He saw his father for the first time in his life and the father just broke down in tears. We also had a twelve year old boy come in with his father. The boy was crippled and could not walk. After getting prayed for, he straightened his crippled limbs and walked out of the clinic!

God is so good. He always shows up and exhibits His great love to the people that come to our outreaches. Thank the Lord for His faithfulness and thank you to everyone who make these outreaches possible!

Update from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda

Former child soliders George, Flavia and David have fun at the children's home in Uganda.

Joyce Meyer and US Ministry Staff

As we’ve toured Africa this month, we’ve seen some pretty disturbing scenes—as well as some pretty incredible things.

In Ethiopia, we saw the agony of malnourished children and the hopeless look on their parents’ faces. The good news is we are blessed with an opportunity to feed these children. By God’s grace we won’t have to see the next generation live in this kind of poverty.

In Rwanda, we followed up on a school we provide a daily meal program and are glad to report that the children are thriving and learning more since their bellies are not empty. The school is having a great impact on the children and the surrounding community.

And in Uganda, we’re spending time at a children’s home where three former child soldiers—two young boys and a girl who’ve seen unspeakable horror in their lives—will live with a house mother, which they desperately need since all their relatives are dead. 

Update October 17, 2008: We've just added a photo of some of the children at the children's village in Uganda.

These are the former child soldiers who we are helping through our partnership with Watato Ministries. George, Flavia and David will soon live at the home with a house mother. 

Each house mother will take care of four girls and four boys. We are so glad to see them laughing. 

HURRICANE IKE

David L. Meyer

On Sunday, Sept 7, Hurricane Ike hit the Northern coast of Cuba, and this only eight days after Hurricane Gustav devastated the region. Never before has Cuba experienced such a short span of time between tropical storms. The provinces of Guantánamo, Holgúin, Granma, Las Tunas, Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey were hit hard. Severe flooding and massive destruction left many homeless. Numerous families have lost everything and are in desperate need of basic necessities. It is extremely difficult to get aid into Cuba but this disaster has given us an opportunity to help these people and to share the Gospel. Joyce Meyer Ministries, partnering with Convoy of Hope, is bringing much needed help and hope to the people of this country during this time of need.

Following is a message we received from Rev. Héctor Hunter Wright, Cuba

“Greetings to our brothers and sisters. We thank you for your help and concern regarding the resent disasters we have gone through. I have seen personally the devastation left by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and it is a sad moment. I would like to thank Convoy of Hope and Joyce Meyer Ministries. They have come to our aid at exactly the time when we needed it. Thank you for your open heart. Thank you in the name of all the children that are being helped.”

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

UPDATE FROM YEMEN

Below is a letter of thanks from an outreach that JMM supports. This ministry trains midwives to deliver and care for babies in the poor regions of Yemen.

Thank you very much Joyce Meyer Ministries for the support!!  It is such a blessing to be able to carry on with the work and having the funds to carry out what we are called to do.

Last week the new midwives, who finished their studies eight months ago, received their diplomas and a fully equipped delivery bag. Attached is a photo from the graduation party.

Many thanks again for making it possible to train these women to help care for the women and new babies in Yemen.

Alya

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

HURRICANE GUSTAV UPDATE

Marc Cleary

Healing Place Church

Joyce Meyer Ministries is partnering with Service International of St. Louis, Missouri, Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Convoy of Hope in Springfield, Missouri, to help victims recover from the hurricane. Below is an update from the field.

The relief effort continues to gain steam as we receive supplies on a steady basis. Our needs remain the same with ice, water and food beginning to be the most pressing needs. Thank you so much for all your help with supplies and finances...even though most of you are not here physically, you are literally giving people eternal hope in spite of this tragedy. Yesterday we worked with Service International cutting down trees off houses and in yards. These guys are unbelievable because they can knock out some serious work very quickly and efficiently. What I admire most about them is their love for the Lord. They were clearing the trees off of one man's house when one of the guys with Service International struck up a conversation with the gentleman. The SI worker discovered that they both served in Vietnam and by the end of the conversation, he led the man to the Lord! That is just one of hundreds of stories that are taking place because of your prayers and support.

Again...thank you for all you do!

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

TESTIMONY FROM MALAWI

Jamie and Lea Peters

Missionaries to Malawi and Burundi, Africa

Joyce Meyer Ministries supports missionaries Jamie and Lea Peters in Africa. Following is a testimony we recently received from them.

This afternoon seven of the men from our church went with Jamie for an hour to witness on the streets nearby. They brought Joyce Meyer's books, "Peace" and "Tell Them That I Love Them" (translated into Chewa, the local language) and passed them out as they witnessed. These books were well received and truly appreciated. In just an hour, 47 people received Christ! It was an amazing afternoon! Thanks to JMM for working with us to reach this world for Jesus.

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

TESTIMONY FROM GERMANY

David Wessler

JMM Germany Director

 

We received this testimony in our office recently. We thought it would be a blessing to you to see what God is doing in Germany.

 

I became aware of Joyce Meyer Ministries through an article in a Christian magazine. After that I ordered one of the books. I received much encouragement as well as the confirming scriptures which led me to make an important decision for my life. I took courage and ran as a candidate for the position of the mayor of our community. I won this election.

 

The situation of our political community is extremely difficult. I’m a newcomer without much experience facing a big challenge. My whole life is changing with this step.

 

This is why I am asking for your prayers that I receive strength and wisdom and that God will bring a positive change into our town in every respect and that all obstacles will be removed. Thank you so much for the opportunity to receive prayer from your ministry.

 

I wish you God’s blessing and love.

Bernd H.

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

TRASH DUMP - EAST LONDON, S.A.

David L. Meyer

As I visited this trash dump site in East London, South Africa my heart was once again broken by the unspeakable level of poverty that I saw. This man spends hours collecting trash that will net him very little money. However, he does it to survive. Sickness, disease and hunger are rampant here. The good news is we launched a new feeding program here in this dump in partnership with Umthombo, a ministry that helps alleviate the pain and hunger of street children. By God’s grace, we won’t have to see the next generation live in this poverty and hopelessness.

For more information visit Hand of Hope.

SOUTH AFRICA OUTREACH

Ron Martin

JMM South Africa Director

We conduct a monthly outreach at Shanke High School, where the headmaster is very accommodating. Hans and Petra Roos, who are with the JMM office in South Africa, speak to the 833 students. They focus on topics like alcohol and drug abuse, immorality and general life skills, as well as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Joyce’s book “Tell Them I Love Them” was given to the students. They also play a DVD; the topics include the hope of a second chance and encouraging them to live out certain values. We believe that the seed we sow into these young people’s lives will produce a large harvest for the Lord!

PRISON OUTREACH NEW ZEALAND

Tom McKaskill

JMM Australia Director

We have just completed prison outreaches on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand where we visited twenty prisons and gave out a total of 9,045 hygiene bags to the inmates. We saw many of the inmates reading books that we gave them from Joyce. The gratitude from the inmates and the wardens was incredible. We were treated to a full Maori song and dance routine by the inmates, which the leader stated was to honor Dave, Joyce and us for thinking of them. The prison manager told us that this has never been done to this extent before and he was totally surprised. What a privilege it is to be able to visit these souls and show them the love of God and offer them the freedom that only Jesus can give!

For more information visit Hand of Hope.