Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
John 4:36
Do you realize that in this verse Jesus spoke directly to you? He unlocked the mystery of the Great Commission – the call to “go and make disciples” as the invitation to the most tangible reward and the deepest joy a person can experience in this life.
Working the field is a tough assignment. It requires perseverance, patience and courage. Sometimes it feels like every seed you have ever sown died. But then comes the harvest…
This time of the year, the earthly harvest with all the beautiful colors and rich flavors, is just a pale copy of the Great Harvest, that you and I are a part of when we win souls around the world for eternity.
Last month in Macedonia the WMA team got to experience His miracles and abundance in the most incredible ways. Helen and I are excited to share what the Lord has accomplished with your prayers and support, and the new “sowing and reaping” opportunities for you in the upcoming months.
In Christ,
Chuck & Helen Todd
WMA team to Macedonia was led by the Assistant Mission Coordinator Jack Cowart and his wife Kenna. Just like it was in the days of the Apostle Paul, Macedonia is in great need of the Good News. The evangelical churches in Macedonia are small, and less than 1 % of the population know Christ as their personal Savior.
While most people were receptive to the Gospel message, through the entire trip there was not anyone willing to accept Jesus into their heart. Yet, the team continued to “sow the seeds” wherever they went. The reward came to them sooner than they expected. They traveled to a poor Albanian Muslim village where a missionary couple started an outreach to children with special needs. The team was told to expect 15-20 people and prepared bags with gifts and toys for the boys and girls and the moms. Over 45 people showed up for the ministry and it was clear there weren’t enough bags. The team prayed over the bags and asked the Lord to multiply the supplies. He answered the prayer , just like He did with the loaves and the fishes. At the end of the distribution not only every person received a gift but there were left over gift bags that the team left with the missionaries.
In the area where depression was very prevalent among the population the medical team hosted a “health education seminar” on the subject of stress management and depression. The topic drew many non-believers who would not have come to a church service. Dr. Macfield explained the deep connection between mental and spiritual health and many of them wanted prayer afterwards.
The team also ministered , took supplies and hosted a clinic in a poor Roma community.
On the last day, after many days of sowing, the Lord showed our team the glimpse of the harvest to come. The last person they prayed for was a Muslim college student from Turkey. He came to the church to visit a friend. After hearing the Gospel message he accepted Jesus in his heart and wanted to be baptized.
We believe that every seed planted in Macedonia will produce fruit in God’s perfect timing! Please continue to pray for revival to sweep across Macedonia. If you have a heart for the Balkan Peninsula, please consider our mission to Kosovo February 13-23, 2023
In just 5 weeks we will take the Gospel message to one of Mexico’s garbage cities. The garbage pickers live and work there, sifting through mounds of refuse in search for recyclable materials, such as cardboard and glass. Some of them are middle-aged, while others are teenagers trying to help their families survive. This kind of work is dangerous for their health because they frequently cut themselves with needles and sharp objects and become infected. Most of them have been living there for decades in generational poverty. We will host a medical clinic to provide them with the treatments they need, distribute food, clothing, Bibles and Gospel tracts.
You can help us with this outreach in three ways:
1. Help us purchase medications for the clinic (inhalers, eye care medications, etc)
2. Helps us provide food and Bibles for the kids and adults
3. Pray for the harvest of souls in the garbage city
Help meet the immediate needs of those living in the garbage city in Mexico through the distribution of food, medications and Bibles.
March 13-20 you have an opportunity to join the WMA team in Mexico to share the Gospel, do medical missions, plant churches and reach the kids and the youth of Mexico for Christ.
Children and youth are a big focus for our ministry in Mexico. They are the future of Mexico, and we believe that if you can win them for the Lord you are bringing a real change to the entire nation. Unfortunately today, the public education system in Mexico is focused on agendas very contrary to the Word of God. Partnering with Christian schools allows us to not only proclaim the Gospel to the kids but to their parents as well. Many non-Christian parents prefer to send their children to a Christian school because they want a better education for them.
Our first destination will be Pachuca, a capital city of 320,000 people in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. It was once a silver mining center during the XVIII and XIX centuries and combines Spanish influence with the English (mainly Cornish) and some other European influences. It is a unique city with lots of history.
We will partner with two local churches and a Christian school to reach the most underprivileged segments of the population. During our last trip we helped one of these churches plant a fellowship in one of the most impoverished and difficult neighborhoods in the city. We will continue to work with this church plant as well as help with the new ones.
We will also visit our partners in San Vincente to continue the evangelistic outreaches whe have launched in the past.
On the day of sightseeing you will have the opportunity to explore exquisite Real del Monte, an old English mining village in the mountains that was recently awarded a Pueblo Magico status as one of the most beautiful towns in the country.
We will also spend time in San Vincente partnering with Iglesia De Cristo in street evangelism and medical missions.
Even though the team is filling up, we still need more team members and especially people with the following gifts and talents: preachers and teachers, evangelists, those who are called to children and youth ministry, prayer warriors, musicians, people called to counseling and medical professionals.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is far from being over. The reports we receive from Ukraine are full of concerns over the damage to Ukrainian power infrastructure and the power blackouts it has caused across the country. In Kyiv, residents of the apartment buildings started leaving small packages of snacks in elevators to be used in case people get stuck during a blackout.
May of the Ukrainians flee across the border to the neighboring Moldova. Our partner, Victory Church in Chisinau, has provided shelter, food and even schooling for the refugee children. They need our help to continue to be the “hands and feet of Jesus” for the people who lost everything due to the war.
Families come weekly to the church to receive their provisions. Many of them would not survive if it was not for this help. Along with food they receive, prayer and counseling. The Kushnir family, Mom Valentina and her sons Vlad (13) and Timur (5), came to Moldova from Odessa. Andrey and Larisa Shikov with their 3-year old daughter Lada are also from Odessa. This city in Southern Ukraine has been frequently bombed since the very beginning of the war. These two families were lucky to escape.
Will you please consider adopting a refugee family for a few months to sponsor their food packs monthly. A gift of $25 per person per month would keep this person from hunger, a gift of $125 per month could feed an entire family!
You can choose to sponsor one or more families. You can choose a full sponsorship or a partial sponsorship. You also have the option to do a full or partial one-time gift for an entire year if you prefer to not have your donation withdrawn and applied monthly. As a result, you will not only help “your family” to have their needs met but form a beautiful relationship that can show them the love of God and lead them to a relationship with Him.
As a sponsor you will receive regular updates and photos from their lives, as well as the reports from the program leaders in Moldova of how they progress within the program. You will be able to send notes, prayers, observe how God works in their lives and know that you have played an important part.
Please click the link below and check out our Refugee Family Sponsorship Program to see the MANY families who need sponsorship!
https://rfwma.reachapp.co/sponsorships?sponsorship_type=refugee-family
