Walk with Me, NOMADS, and the Greens in Fiji all shared about the ways Easter was celebrated. Children in camps and communities spanning multiple countries were singing the Christian hymn He is Lord in English, doing crafts, and learning about Jesus. There were also a number of small celebrations among migrant communities in the Middle East that included lots of praise and baptisms!
NOMADS shared that although the celebrations stayed small among the communities they serve, they were joyful. One young man shared about his transformed life. Once burdened with worry for his family in India and familiar only with worshipping idols, he heard for the first time about Jesus and the new life He offers. He joyfully shared of the hope he now has for himself and his family. A new beginning to celebrate indeed.
There were many answered prayers this April. Several of our team members in Lebanon were excited to share of their opportunity to grow their families with the addition of children whom they had come to love while serving at Home of Hope. In addition to this good news two other children from Home of Hope now have foster families as well. “This is a huge praise for us because…of the very difficult things that come along with trying to care for kids coming from this background.“ (Please pray for Amber who is working with the families to help them in this wonderful but very challenging time.)
While this has been happening, God opened the doors for Brady to put his artistic skills to work with a local art gallery. This has resulted in a new art ministry with street kids in Beirut. One of the murals he was commissioned to do ended up being the longest mural in Lebanon done by a single artist! When talking about this new direction Brady said, “It is just so easy [because] doing the Father’s work, even just a little, makes you stand out like crazy. And the Lebanese love to ask questions, so we end up talking about Jesus and why He cares for these street kids. It’s been so exciting to be able to encourage people in Jesus using art and beauty.“ Corsaire also officially joined the staff at City Bible Church in Beirut, and Steven with CodeBrave is part of an effort to raise enough funds to begin tech education training for 320 at-risk children in Lebanon.
We rejoice with all that God is doing around the world. Next month Tying Vines celebrates its 10th Anniversary. We are thankful for all who have walked this road with Tying Vines and excited to see what comes next.
Kyle joined a group coming in from another part of the Middle East who were connected to the Tying Vines Walk With Me Pr
The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is observed annually on July 30th.
In June about 120 people gathered together in Houston, Texas for our first Tying Vines fundraising dinner – Cultivatin
