When Amin,* a Central Asian believer, got kicked out of the Middle Eastern country where he was living, he had no choice but to return to his Muslim family. But Amin’s father would not receive him as a son or a guest. “Get out of here,” Amin was told.

But later, upon hearing that his father was sick, Amin returned again. And, thanks to your generosity, his family experienced God’s care and provision.

Donations to the Persian Outreach Project enabled the project manager to facilitate distribution of packages with basic food supplies such as rice, flour, tea, sugar, beans, lentils and fuel to six families with believers in hiding from religious persecution. Amin’s family was one of them—and the supplies were enough to get them through the winter months.

Persecuted believers also receive regular counsel, encouragement and prayer from a pastor and another believer in a neighboring country thanks to a cell phone and laptop provided through the Giving Catalog’s “Think Bigger!” challenge. The project manager explains that these gifts have helped believers from minority groups reach out to Christians who are suffering for their faith, standing in the gap with prayer and support.

We are grateful for the generosity of God’s people in providing almost 30 food and fuel packages, as well as $300 for a phone and $300 to subsidize the purchase of a laptop.

Layla had issues with creating and keeping personal boundaries. She found her value in her achievements and believed negative thoughts about herself. But as this Arab woman from a nominal Christian background attended the life-growth program, she started reading her Bible more and learning how she could change her life.

“My beliefs can be changed,” she shared, “And there is always an opportunity to grow and adopt a growth mindset!” Through the ministry of Arab Woman Today, Layla has shown clear signals of greater self-confidence and understanding about her personal capabilities and how she lives out her faith.

Another Arab lady, Farah, dealt with fear and apprehension leading to nightmares. As a divorcee, she felt lonely and insecure. Then she found out about the counseling sessions offered by Arab Woman Today. Over several sessions, Farah and her counselor talked about her value and identity as a mother to her children.

Although Farah is a Muslim, she saw the light of God's truth entering her heart as she began sleeping better. The counselor also showed her Christ’s love in every interaction.

One of the staff shared how lives are being impacted because of the funds you provided through the Giving Catalog. “We are seeing women who are being presented with the gospel, even in small ways. Others are taking steps to read the Bible on their own for the first time, which is huge in our Arab context!”

Donors sponsored 18 hours of counseling for Arab women and six women’s participation in AWT’s Life-Growth programs.

Ha-Eun, her husband and their girls were emotionally and mentally tired. As Christar workers in Albania, they are affected by many stressors, and Ha-Eun says that they needed “solid biblical counsel and encouragement that we are going the right direction with our family.” In search of that help, the family visited Cleft of the Rock Ministry Center earlier this year.

While Ha-Eun’s family enjoyed a getaway in the mountains of the Middle East, the Cleft of the Rock staff also provided marriage, parental and children’s counseling. Ha-Eun and her husband are still applying the lesson of asking their four daughters, ages preschool to fifth grade, for their perspectives. The family is also growing in sharing expectations with one another, learning to adjust those expectations and understanding that expectations tend to change. “Thank you for investing and caring for families to be healthy so that they can glorify the Father to the best of their potential,” shares Ha-Eun.

This family is just one example of the many who are benefiting from the Cleft of the Rock and the free one-night retreats provided by your giving! The Cleft of the Rock Ministry Center fills 7,000 beds annually. Once the lodge is complete, with conference rooms and a dining hall, it will serve 25-30 different groups each year, as well as provide a welcoming reception area to all who enter the retreat center.

Christar donors gave six sets of sports equipment and six one-night retreats for cross-cultural workers, as well as provided $16,400 toward the construction of a conference room/kitchen for the Cleft of the Rock lodge.

Pastor Harsha and his wife Akhila had not been getting along. Harsha confessed that he expected Akhila to obey whatever he said and tended to speak critically about her in front of family and friends. Moreover, the South Asian couple argued all the time, both trying to win the constant conflicts.

But then, the New Life Resource Center conducted a marriage seminar in their area, and Pastor Harsha and Akhila attended along with 24 other couples. At the conclusion of the two days of teaching, Harsha stood up and testified that he had learned to uphold Akhila in front of others and to appreciate and encourage her as much as possible rather than grieve her. The two also realized the importance of listening to each other and making adjustments and compromises together rather than fighting. Most importantly, Pastor Harsha learned that Akhila is his equal before God.

“Women are not treated as equals in families,” explains the Christar project manager. “Many women suffer abuse from their husbands and in-laws.” Thanks to your giving, seminars like these help husbands and wives who lead South Asian churches understand how to love and respect one another in biblical marriage.

In addition, with the Think Bigger funding received, the project manager also plans to buy a used car for starting the first driving school in his village—an investment he believes will benefit 15-20 believers per year. Driving is a skill that can easily lead to employment in this area, and completing a driving course will help local followers of Christ earn money to support their families as well as contribute to their churches and communities.

Praise God that donors’ gifts sponsored 15 of the couples’ attendance at the marriage seminar. In addition, a single gift almost fully funded the car.

For North African immigrants in France, the Beacon Community Center provides a place for fellowship and camaraderie, as well as learning! Because of your gifts, their children will have an opportunity to learn English together on scholarship. You also provided funding for social media ads, an updated exterior sign and other improvements to the building.

Thanks to the generosity of Giving Catalog donors, Beacon Community Center was able to run a month of social media ads and can provide scholarships that cover 10 English classes for at least 13 children. And the new sign and other exterior improvements were fully funded!