This couple got married in 2016 and spent years unable to have children. During that time, Ira decided to volunteer at The Children’s Ark. It was there that she met Kira — a little girl who would forever stay in her heart. By then, Kira’s biological parents had lost their parental rights, and she was about to be transferred to a state institution.
One day, Ira asked her husband, “Could you love someone else’s child?” His answer was simple: “Yes.”
To support the development of relationships between children and adoptive parents — and to inspire more young families to consider adoption — we host family gatherings, individual consultations, group workshops, seminars, holiday celebrations, and cozy evenings of connection. Every donation you give helps strengthen a family and change a child’s future.
After that conversation, Ira and her husband enrolled in a foster parent training course. When they submitted their paperwork, they finally heard the long-awaited words from the child welfare office: “Congratulations — you’re now Mom and Dad!” Kira went home with them, and their new life together began.
But the story didn’t end there.
A year later, due to difficult family circumstances, Kira’s younger sister, Lusya, was brought to the shelter. When the family was informed by social services, Kira began asking, “Can we take my sister too?” And six months later, Lusya joined their family as well.
One of the highlights of the month was a women’s breakfast, where two new participants joined us. We talked about how God is at work in our lives and why it is so important to turn specifically to Jesus. In today’s world, it’s becoming popular to seek help from “the universe,” from within oneself, or from a psychologist. But we discussed how all these paths are ultimately deceptive. Only Jesus Christ is the true Healer of souls. Only in Him do we find real peace and rest.
Many women shared personal testimonies of how God had spoken into their lives in supernatural ways. These were touching moments that showed just how close the Lord is to each of us.
Our Saturday children’s gatherings also continue. This month, we introduced a new format: after the lesson, we now read a short Bible passage together with the parents and discuss what God is saying to us through His Word. Another mother and child joined us recently, and I rejoice at how the Lord is gently leading and expanding this ministry.
We also had many personal meetings this month — times when we simply prayed for one another, giving our worries and burdens to the Lord. In such moments, it becomes so clear that “the Lord is near to all who call on Him.”
Thank you so much for your prayerful and financial support!
A year ago, the Lord led us to go a little further beyond our usual fields. That’s when He brought the Nguyen family into our lives — a mother and her six children. Nguyen is a 35-year-old orphan who grew up in a children’s home.
When we began sowing the Word of God in this area, she welcomed us with joy. We started visiting regularly, playing with the children, showing Christian films, and holding Bible lessons. At Christmas, we prepared gifts for the family.
Nguyen’s husband works odd jobs — here and there, wherever he can — earning about $9 a day. Every day he drinks around two liters of beer. Recently, their eldest daughter gave birth. The family lives in extreme poverty, eating just one bowl of rice a day.
We’ve been regularly helping them for about a year, but recently realized that even this is not enough for their needs.
Just a few days ago, a translator friend visited, and we went to see the family again. We shared the Gospel with them and called them to turn to Jesus Christ. Praise God — Nguyen and Salome made the decision and prayed to receive Him!
They are part of the Raglai people group — a community that is very difficult to reach with the Gospel. That’s why we kindly ask you, dear friends, to support us in prayer for this people. There are fewer than 100,000 of them left on earth.
Beloved, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your dedication, consistency, and faithfulness in the work of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Teava’s mother abandoned her when she was just one year old, and her grandmother took her in. When Teava turned nine, her grandmother passed away. It was a terrible shock and deep pain for her — her grandmother had become like a mother.
After her grandmother’s death, she moved in with her uncle and his wife. They treated her well, and her uncle became like a father to her.
But when Teava turned 15, her uncle told her that she was now old enough to work and support herself. He found her a job as a waitress at a restaurant in Battambang. She moved to live with her aunt — working at the restaurant and spending the nights at her aunt’s house.
Teava shares: “I felt fear and loneliness again. The uncertainty and emptiness were pressing down on me. I was once again in a different family, in someone else’s home. I cried for my grandmother, and when I looked at other children, I couldn’t forgive my mother for abandoning me. Why did she treat me so cruelly?”
As it turns out, Teava’s aunt’s husband is the brother of a social worker in our village. When the social worker heard her story, she came to us and asked if we could take Teava into our shelter.
That’s how she came to live with us.
Together with you, we can care for children like Teava. Thank you for making that possible!
Gu Yen, a 74-year-old woman from the Mien tribe, grew up in a culture of spirit worship and dependence on shamans. In her community, spiritual matters were led by men. When her husband left her, she became an outcast — especially after the village shaman refused to help her. That rejection left her feeling deeply humiliated.
“I had no one to turn to and felt completely broken,” she said. “But then I met the One who truly loves me — Jesus. He listens to my prayers. I don’t have to offer anything to earn His love. He understands my pain and is always with me.”
Last year, Gu Yen suffered from a serious ear problem and began praying to God for healing. “God answered my prayers, and I began to feel better. I see His hand in my life every day! Thank you, Lord, for choosing me! Thank you for sending missionaries to our tribe so we could hear about You!”
Gu Yen’s tribe has no written language, so they listen to the Bible in audio format. “Once a week, I gather with other elderly believers to pray,” she shares. “We pray that our whole tribe will come to know the one true God.”
Because of your support, people like Gu Yen are finding true hope — and eternal life — in Christ.
This month our team had the opportunity to serve and share the Gospel at one of the largest schools in the region! The school is called Markham Valley Secondary School — it is the only school in the Markham Valley, and about 1,500 high school students study there, all of whom need Jesus. We were invited by our old friend, Pastor James, who now serves as a local pastor there, and we were very happy to spend time with the youth and share songs, dances (of course — how could we not in Papua New Guinea!), and most importantly, the Word of God.
As a result, many young people came forward in repentance and decided to fully dedicate their lives to the Lord. We praise God for this fruit and hope to make our visits to Markham Valley more regular — starting with a series of deeper seminars and, in the near future, organizing discipleship groups on the school campus — first among the leaders and teachers, and then among the students. Please pray for the successful development of this ministry.
