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.

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.

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.

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.

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.