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we step into 2006 and another year of life-changing
outreach together through SIM, I am grateful for
the many opportunities God has given us to bring
the eternal hope of Christ to millions of searching
hearts.
Serving the Lord with you in God's harvest fields
is a tremendous privilege for us. I am encouraged
by the reports in this issue of Harvest,
which show some of the ways God is using your
support to impact lives.
Ministries such as the hostels for the children
of missionaries in Nigeria and the Nurses Training
Program in Burkina Faso are exciting because they
reflect the changing face of missions and SIM's
priorities for 2006. In particular, these projects
and several other stories in this issue demonstrate
how we are partnering with the emerging missions
movement in the two-thirds world.
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For example, by providing hostels for their children,
we are using our partnership with these Nigerian missionaries
and our resources to help them be more effective in their
work.
The missionaries who are being served by this hostel project are, in many cases, living at basic subsistence level themselves as they reach out to their own people in very remote and difficult areas. We consider it a privilege to help teach and disciple their children-who may become the next generation of servants God calls into missions!
The Nurses Training Program is one result of our partnership with the national church in Burkina Faso as we equip these nurses to meet both physical and spiritual needs.
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We know that people respond and the Church grows
in areas where SIM ministers to people's physical
needs, and we are seeing this at work in Burkina
Faso, among many other places.
I am also encouraged by the new medical center for
HIV/AIDS outreach in Malawi. This devastating disease
is the reality of the world in which SIM ministers,
and helping people deal with this problem is another
priority for our mission in 2006.
These are also thrilling days for SIM as the first
edition of the Africa Bible Commentary is
being printed in Asia. I reported in a recent letter
that 51,000 copies of the commentary are being printed
at this time. These are English-language books,
which will serve us well this summer at the Pastor's
Library conferences in Kenya. |
The total costs for both the English and French editions
are included in the figures quoted in this issue, which
will be an exciting goal to reach. The editors say that
the French edition is nearing completion, and we are also
planning future translations into Portuguese, Amharic,
Swahili, and Hausa.
This year has brought a change for SIM in the medical portion of our overall insurance coverage. We are now using an outside insurance provider for cost savings, and this change has been a difficult transition for many of our missionaries. Please keep them in your prayers.
You are a valued friend and ministry partner. We thank
God for you, and we need you to continue doing His work
together with us. May our faithful Lord sustain and bless
you as you serve Him in partnership with SIM.
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