Dear Pastor and Mission Leaders,
Greetings in Christ. This past month my wife Kathy and I had the privilege of being in Asia. We heard about new ministries and new opportunities for being involved. I thought that I would share some of this information with you this month.
GLOBALFINGERPRINTS is the child sponsorship program through the EFCA. In Asia they are involved in Indonesia, India, The Philippines, and Myanmar. This May they are opening a new site in Vietnam near Ho Chi Min City. Children are waiting to be sponsored in all the sites. This can be a good ministry for a local church to come and adopt a group of children. This is also a great way for church planting to start. It is also an effective tool to help stop trafficking. Go to https://www.efca.org/ministries/reachglobal/globalfingerprints.
BUSINESS AS MISSION (BAM) is one way to do outreach in Asia. One of our friends with BAM shared these opportunities: sales and marketing consultant, ESL teacher, crop consultant, manufacturing consultant, manufacturing person, ECO tourism person, regulation compliance person and mechanic. Interested in serving? Contact charlie@deeimp.net.
THE GLOBAL HERITAGE PROJECT cultivates creative futures through the cosmetology industry in India. The project seeks to disciple young women who are at risk of being trafficked or women who have been rescued from trafficking and are seeking to begin a new life. The year long program entails discipleship, a complete professional cosmetology license and job assistance to find a career within the local economy. It emphasizes sustainability by inviting the women to give back 10% towards the next students tuition once they are settled into their career, empowering not only one woman but families and communities. It also creates job sustainability by working within the realm of cosmetology, a growing industry in India. It emphasizes multiplication by teaching each woman the importance of discipling someone else from their community, creating disciples into disciple makers. We believe in the power of the Gospel to transform each woman, to then be a part of transforming communities. If you’d like more information, please email julie.triplett@efca.org. If you’d like to donate towards the project, visit www.efca.org/give and designate to #5172-The Global Heritage Project.”
ASHA RISING: This is a permanent housing ministry for older women who have aged out of the sex industry inside of Sonagachi, Kolkata’s largest red light district. Currently eight women are living there. Two have already committed their lives to Christ. Go to www.asharising.org for further information about praying and giving.
Blessings,
Steve Austvold