OM Australia

Over the next two years, Jackie prayed about moving to another country. The Lord led her to a bookkeeping job in Costa Rica, and she knew it was for her. “I never thought I would be in my 60s, quitting my job, selling my house and becoming a missionary,” Jackie recalls.

OM Costa Rica was desperate for Jackie’s expertise, and they were blessed by her heart to serve. They recently asked Jackie to be the Finance Director for their region of 5 countries, which she accepted with joy. Her encouragement to others her age is simple: “If you give the Lord control of your life, what He does with it will absolutely amaze you!”

Please pray for Jackie’s ministry in Costa Rica and for God to raise up others like her to join missions.

Under the umbrella of OM’s Emerging Missions Movements Key Focus Area, discussions about partnership between the ministries first began with the vision to train OM participants in discipleship, leadership development and practical ministry followed by service on an OM team in Durban, South Africa. With the addition of Pro Christo, OM in Southern Africa has now grown by 130 workers, and many more exciting missions and training opportunities can be offered in more countries.

Please pray for transition of Pro Christo and OM in Southern Africa as they merge. Pray for the wisdom of the leaders as more opportunities are created for ministry in Southern Africa.

*Name changed

Over the following weekends of Advent, the ship was open for ‘Christmas Around the World’. Cultural displays showed how Christmas is celebrated in different countries, with costumed representatives, national foods, and music. A live nativity scene (complete with a goat and a sheep) was a source of great interest. Over 1,100 people came on board during the first weekend alone. The event provided wonderful opportunities to talk with many about the real meaning and significance of Christmas. Meanwhile, work is continuing towards obtaining the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (PSSC), a requirement for the ship to be launched into ministry. The PSSC surveys are scheduled to take place at the end of January.

Please pray that all the work still needing to be done is able to be completed in time.

The king had decreed that anyone is free to worship in the privacy of their homes, but the religious police, the mutawa, did not accept his ruling. There were still regular crackdowns on these “illegal” meetings, with whole congregations getting arrested for meeting in their homes for “organizing dancing parties.” As part of his drive for reforms in the country, King Abdullah encouraged interfaith dialogues by trying to engage the UN to promote dialogue between the world faiths, although not in Saudi Arabia, but outside its borders in Spain.

Please pray for the protection and boldness of the Church in Saudi Arabia.

Food prices in Afghanistan have soared over the past few months.  People turn to desperate means, digging through rubbish containers in order to feed their families.  Unable to find work, a 40-year-old man sold his 11-year-old daughter for US$2,000.  “For too many days I stood next to roads and asked people for work,” said the man.  “Because I am illiterate, no one will give me a job.”  War and poverty have perpetuated illiteracy.  Schools are slowly becoming a priority again in northern Afghanistan.  However, the pressures of immediate hunger are often too demanding.  Vulnerable is the hope of a generation of formally educated Afghanis.

Orus, a desolate village in Northern Kenya, is home to the Pokot people.  During a two-year drought, the village diviners had traveled to the mountains with their best animals to sacrifice and plead to their gods for rain.  A young, enthusiastic missionary among them told them of the greatness of Jesus Christ.  “Can your God send rain?” the people asked him.  The missionary responded that Jesus was able, but that the people first needed to repent of their sins and then to pray in Jesus’ name alone.  Days later, as the missionary returned from a nearby village, Pokot people greeted him with news of rain.  During the Sunday service, an old diviner stood among the congregation and proclaimed, “Truly it is Jesus who has power with God.”

Vitamin A doses save the lives of more than 30,000 children annually in the impoverished nation of Bangladesh.  The supplements increase children’s resistance to disease, as well as improving their chances for survival, growth and development, according to UNICEF.  In Bangladesh, infections such as measles and diarrhoea contribute to more than one-third of deaths among children under five.  A vitamin A capsule, costing only one taka [US $1 = 69 taka] can increase a child’s chances of survival by up to 25 percent.  Bangladesh’s child mortality rate (under five years of age) was 69% per live births in 2006. Child rights activist and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have successfully provided vitamin A doses to 19 million Bangladesh children.