You would have shivered at the sound. I did.
A three-year-old girl, crying. I could hear her through the thin walls of our temporary apartment.
Our own Sarah was still little, playing there joyfully. But from the next apartment, I could hear a little one’s mournful whimpers—punctuated by her mother’s harsh insults. It was the sad soundtrack of a cycle of abuse that seemed to have no end.
We were separated by mere inches, but we were living in entirely different worlds. And the painful reality was: this parent and child were not unique. They were representative of a systemic tragedy.
Yes, Christmas was wonderful, but this is where Christmas brings us. Yes, we celebrate the gospel of hope and redemption that Jesus brought into the world . . . yet I feel a deep urgency to inspire us all to take action.
- The message of Christmas compels us to embark on a rescue mission for those ensnared by despair and darkness—those who are crying out for help amid the turbulence of sin and suffering
The darkness shrouds many corners of the globe, but my heart is drawn particularly to South Asia, where exploitation and suffering are rampant. In India, especially, many believe that a higher existence can be gained only through relentless striving. They wearily hope one day to gain the attention of distant deities.
But you and I know the truth: our hope, love, and salvation are found in Jesus Christ!
And you and I are sharing this truth—shining a light into the darkness, for the sake of India’s next generation.
For years, we’ve been giving forgotten children the education and the mentorship they need . . . teaching them about the Lord, sharing meals, praying for them, and teaching them to pray.
We started long ago with 42 children. Today, 600 are transformed. Another 500 are waiting for a chance to step into this life-changing program. It’s a beautiful thing to see the current students’ blossoming potential as they excel in their studies, earning scholarships to schools previously thought to be beyond their reach!
The momentum of this mission is so inspiring that now church planters in neighboring Nepal are praying and planning and working to replicate this heartfelt approach in their communities.
It would be impossible in this place of poverty for the churches to mount such an effort on their own. But now, a friend with over 20 years of experience and a God-given vision has stepped forward to lead the charge.
My prayer is that you and others will also be inspired to come alongside and seize this opportunity to bring real change to the lives of the children of Nepal.
This is where Christmas must take us. Christmas is a call to action . . . a call to carry the light of Christ into the shadows where hopelessness reigns, rescuing those burdened by suffering, offering real comfort. Christmas can’t be just a season of joy and celebration in our homes; it’s also an invitation to join in God’s mission to seek and save the lost.
The Bible says clearly, in both the Old and New Testaments, that children are a primo audience. For example, we often, and easily, quote the common-sense Proverbs 22:6:
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and even in old age he will not depart from it.”
In India, we’ve chosen Proverbs 22:6 as our “verse for the year.” Our team has built out six important and enduring principles from this simple verse—key principles that need to be understood, internalized, and applied in order to make the most of the children’s outreach there:
- Importance of Early Education: Start young. The verse highlights the significance of early training and guidance. The formative years are crucial for instilling values and principles.
- Parental Responsibility: Involve moms and dads. Help parents and guardians actively teach their children right from wrong and cultivate their moral character.
- Long-term Influence: Play the long game. What children learn and experience early in life can have lasting effects on their behavior and choices as adults.
- Guidance in Life Direction: Teach children to look ahead. The verse advocates providing children with direction and support to identify their paths and make decisions.
- Spiritual and Moral Foundation: It’s about the spirit, not just the mind. It’s crucial to ground children not simply in academics but in spiritual or moral teachings; this will help them navigate life’s challenges.
- Hope for the Future: Today shapes tomorrow. The promise that appropriately guided children are likely to adhere to positive values throughout their lives offers reassurance to parents about their efforts in child-rearing.
It’s just one short verse, but it actually reflects a holistic approach to parenting and education. This briefest of scriptural passages, with its universal divine principles, crystallizes the God-given opportunity that you and I face right now in Nepal—an opportunity to reshape the destiny of an entire generation.
I thank God for speaking to the heart of a longtime friend. He attended our ministry event in DFW and saw a video from Nepal. He was touched by the plight of the children and told me he wanted to “do something”—something that could make a difference in the lives of the people, starting with the children.
Since that day, we’ve talked numerous times, and we’re making real progress toward starting a program in Nepal similar to the one we already have going in India. Our Nepal field director, Kumar, is already at work. Our American friend is excitedly inviting his friends to join him in the work. We’ll soon hold a meeting to start the work, and Kumar will join us via Zoom from Nepal.
But even with all of this startup energy, it will take the generous support of friends like you to really make it happen, and to sustain the work. I hope you will pray about this and give generously toward this opportunity.
In a few days I’ll head to Nepal myself. I’ll meet the first group of children entering training. I hope I can tell Kumar and the workers there that friends like you are standing solidly behind them.
- My prayer is that we will come together, united in purpose, to support these children who desperately need the light and love that God has positioned us to share with them. Together, we can build a foundation of hope that resonates far beyond our walls, illuminating the path for those lost in darkness.
But at the same time, God is moving through your generous support in fields all around the world:
As I write, I’ve just arrived in Spain. I’ll teach pastors and church planters in two cities. And I’ll be meeting with an architect, our lawyer, and the mayor of the town where our seminary campus is located—we’re working through the offer of a tract of land to expand our seminary campus. We need to expand, because so many churches in Madrid want to send more students. When you teach the Word of God, people are inspired!
Meanwhile, in India, we’re preparing for a season of special festive events for all the children and parents in our training centers. Parents and children alike are delighted to be part of such a breakthrough movement. They’re enjoying the discovery of the gospel, and the loving God who is truly there for them.
In the Philippines, we’re preparing for a new year of ministry by mapping out ongoing evangelistic campaigns that will get the gospel to another half a million people over the next two years! Through your faithful giving, 285 churches have been planted—and the Filipinos are praying and planning to plant twice that many churches in the next two years!
In Cuba, we’re preparing three campaigns for the first three months of the year, sponsored by three different churches who want to join the Lord’s evangelization movement: the Colón region in the northwest, the greater Havana region, and the Villa Clara region in central Cuba. And that’s just in the first quarter of the year! Mucho más ministerio—much more ministry—is already being planned in other places!
In Venezuela, we have gone over the 1,000-church-plant mark—but this is only the beginning. We’re already at work on our second thousand. The people are very happy to press on, building on the already successful run of the last two years. And I’m delighted to report that our teams have reached the country’s borders and are now reaching across into jungles and towns inside Colombia as well.
The people of Ukraine are praying hard for a breakthrough in the peace negotiations with Russia. Ruslan, our field director, came to Spain in November for our leaders’ gathering, and he wrote a couple of days ago that he’s still experiencing the afterglow of that beautiful experience.
One of his fondest memories: friendly skies. No drones, no missiles, no fear in looking at peaceful skies. Airplanes instead were taking people to constructive or fun activities, all without the fear or the presence of war. (Next time you look at the sky, thank the Lord for the peace you enjoy, and pray for those who see the skies as bringing hatred, destruction, and death.)
My friend, I could go on for pages! The work that God has called us to together is happening all around the globe.
Let our recent Christmas reflections energize you today. Let the Holy Spirit inspire you to envision what God can do through your investment. Think of what Jesus did with the loaves and fishes. That’s our potential today too, by the grace and power of our Lord.
Let’s make this a year of eternal gains as we join the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the thrilling work of redemption for eternal souls. “Indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3)
Another year, and life soon will be past, only what’s done for Christ will last. Let me hear from you quickly. Give as generously as the Father has blessed you. Let’s populate eternity together!
For the Harvest,
Dr. Manny Fernandez
P.S. We know God will multiply your gift. But you decide what you let Him start with. Thank you in advance for giving as freely and generously as you can, according to the resources the Lord has entrusted to you. God bless you greatly for your sacrifice of love today, sharing the message of Christmas every day with people in need of the truth all over the world!