December 2020 Global Report
Every $1 doubled to share God’s Word with young people like Abhay
Only until the end of this month, a $500,000 Greatest Gift Matching Challenge will double your impact to share God’s Word with children and youth in Southern Asia!
Usually $1 reaches three young people … today, the fund will match every gift, so $1 will be doubled to reach six children with the Gospel!
You’ll reach twice as many young people like Abhay, a 13-year-old boy in a majority Hindu region. His mother died when he was young — he was being raised by his father and grandfather — but Abhay had already taken to roaming the streets with a gang of other boys who smoked, drank, and looked for trouble.
But then he received the Book of Hope and read about Jesus and the way to salvation. Abhay dedicated his life to Christ!
He also shared the Gospel with his father and grandfather, and now the family is attending church together. The Book of Hope transformed Abhay and the people he loves.
Now you can help reach 3.2 million children and youth like him, and your gift will be DOUBLED to go twice as far! Every $1 reaches six children with God’s Word. How many will you reach today?
“There are far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.”
Reflecting on the close of 2020, this C. S. Lewis quote above comes to mind.
No matter how grim the headlines were this year, what we need to remember is that Christ has come in power and victory; God is always at work, and His is an indestructible Kingdom.
Our human tendency is to rely on victory and salvation coming in tried-and-true ways that we have grown accustomed to, but His ways are not our ways. God is never that predictable; His solutions are rarely natural or common. They are extraordinary and supernatural.
Like the Apostle Paul being an unlikely choice for revival in his time, I hold out hope for influences of our time to become forces for the Kingdom as well, coming not necessarily from recognized or traditional Church leaders but from new voices, encountering the Spirit of God in a fresh new way.
God is always at work. He will prevail — there’s nothing that can stand against Him or change the ending to the story. Even with the most discouraging headlines, we need to remember that the Kingdom is not in jeopardy; it is triumphant, and victory is inevitable.
No headline can nullify that truth. Let’s spend the last few days of this year rejoicing in the goodness of our God and anticipate the New Year with fresh resolve and passionate commitment to follow our King toward His victorious ends.
All this “bad news” is but a momentary and light affliction, preparing us for all the Good News of an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
The Bible App for Kids raised up a missionary
Audrey in South Korea was staring at the Bible App for Kids on her mother’s phone. Audrey was only four years old … but she was deeply moved.
She had been playing with the app, following the life story of Jesus … now she was looking at the animation of the crucifixion, and tears filled her eyes!
Soon Audrey invited Jesus into her heart. And from that day, 5 years ago, she has continued to love the Lord — and to share His story, using the Bible App for Kids.
“Now Audrey is 9 years old, and she loves to read the Bible and talk about Jesus,” says her mother. “She loves to tell her friends about Jesus because she has a caring heart for them.”
Now you can share God’s Word with twice as many children like Audrey. Your gift, dated and postmarked by December 31, will be doubled by the $500,000 Greatest Gift Matching Challenge.
Limited Time: reach twice as many children with God’s Word through the Greatest Gift Matching Challenge
Usually $1 shares God’s Word with three children and youth —
Now, every $1 DOUBLED to reach six young people with the Good News!
Reach children and youth in limited access nations with the power of the Gospel!
Matthew and Friends: Believers sharing Jesus with the children in their neighborhood
In many regions of Southern Asia where believers may be at risk of persecution, or where there’s political or religious opposition to sharing the Good News, Christians still want to reach the next generation with the Gospel.
Matthew and Friends is one powerful Scripture engagement program which helps make this possible. The program name honors the disciple Matthew who brought his friends to Christ.
We train local believers in how to use the Superbook videos from our partners at CBN, along with special editions of the Book of Hope, to bring neighborhood children to Jesus. The Christians then launch Bible Clubs in their homes, so children can choose to follow Jesus and begin to grow and be discipled in their faith.
Right now, we have an incredible opportunity through the $500,000 Greatest Gift Matching Challenge to provide God’s Word to 3.2 million children and youth through Matthew and Friends. This means the challenge fund will double your gift, right up to the $500,000 total, when you give by December 31.
Please don’t wait — time is running out for your gift to be doubled!
A Hindu boy finds hope in Christ!
Kanraj knew about gods. He was from a pious Hindu family, and they worshiped many different gods.
But when a local believer gave Kanraj the Book of Hope, he discovered a different God. He read the life story of Jesus and learned there is one true God, who loved and cared for him.
Soon Kanraj committed his life to Christ, and now he’s attending the local church and growing in his faith.
This is the power of the Word to transform young lives, even in areas where there’s intense opposition to the Gospel! Thank you for sending the Gospel for Kanraj … and for 3.2 million more young people in Southern Asia.
Remember, your immediate gift will be doubled by the matching challenge — every $1 will reach six children and youth with God’s life-transforming Word.
OneHope’s online training launches new children’s ministry
Ariel had little preparation to lead the children’s ministry at her church in Nicaragua, but our online training helped her launch a whole new program!
“The training equipped us with knowledge we didn’t have before,” she says. “It pointed our ministry toward excellence and quality.”
What’s the best way to say goodbye to 2020?
Millions of people will be glad to see the last of 2020. December 31 can’t come soon enough for them!
But for God’s people, it’s important to recognize the divine care that is bringing us through these sometimes dark and difficult days.
So what’s the best way to say goodbye to a year like 2020?
With a year-end gift to support the work of the Lord … a gift to share the Word of God with the next generation and transform lives … a gift that will be DOUBLED in impact by the Greatest Gift Matching Challenge … and a gift that can also provide a tax advantage for you, too.
What are the best ways to make such a donation at this year’s end?
1. If you’re 70 1/2 years or older, you can give a rollover gift from your IRA, and this will not add a penny to your taxable income. It saves more tax dollars than itemizing. You must consult the custodian of your IRA for the paperwork though, so don’t wait! Start this process today to make sure your gift is given by December 31.
2. When you donate appreciated assets you’ve held for over a year, you receive a tax deduction for the fair market value of the stocks or property donated, and you may avoid capital gains tax. In this way, you can actually give more to ministry than if you sold the property and donated the proceeds.
3. A gift of cash will be doubled by the challenge fund — you will reach six children with every $1 you give — and you receive a charitable giving income tax deduction for 2020. Use the enclosed envelope to return your gift, and as long as it is dated and postmarked by December 31, it will be doubled by the fund and apply to this year’s taxes.
However you choose to give at this year’s end, your offering will be a testament to your faith in God who carries you even in the difficult times — and it will be doubled to help provide God’s Word to children in some of the most difficult-to-reach regions of the world.
Thank you for saying goodbye to 2020 with a life-giving gift for the next generation!
For more information on strategic year-end giving, please contact April Floria at aprilfloria@onehope.net today.
NATION BY NATION
LESOTHO — An orphan finds hope for the future!
Lorato’s parents died when she was little. The only guardian she had ever known was her grandmother, who never had a kind word for her.
By the time Lorato became a teenager, she was bitter and disrespectful toward her grandmother. “Rebelling didn’t help at all,” Lorato says. “It only painted a picture of me that isn’t who I am!”
Then she joined a Bible Club in her village, and received her special-edition Book of Hope called Journey to Hope. She met Jesus and learned about His mercy, love, and forgiveness.
“I forgive my grandmother and give her respect, regardless,” Lorato says today. Now this young woman has peace and hope for the future, thanks to the gift of God’s Word!
Dominican Republic
Limited Access Nation (Asia)
Angola
God’s Word. Every Child.
You introduced him to Jesus — in the most wonderful way!
Antonio came to Sunday School — he learned the lessons and recited the memory verses — but somehow the message never quite got through to him.
He remained shy and aloof from the other children and the Sunday School teachers. They rarely saw him smile, and if anyone tried to hug him, he got irritated.
They didn’t know: at home Antonio’s father practiced Santeria, a voodoo-type religion that still flourishes in Venezuela, especially now amidst economic and social chaos. The fear and uncertainty seemed to have made Antonio stoic at 5 years old.
But he kept coming to church. And it was there he was introduced to the Bible App for Kids. Now this he liked! He began working his way through the Bible stories, playing the games, enjoying the animations … and he chose to dedicate his life to Christ!
Soon his whole demeanor changed. He began to smile and laugh, and he didn’t shy away from friendly hugs.
Then, Antonio began using his app to share Jesus with his family. His mother and younger sisters began attending church with him — and soon they chose to follow Jesus, too. The family, and their new church family, began to pray for Antonio’s dad…
He also came to church — where he made the commitment to abandon Santeria and live for Jesus! Today, the entire family is thriving in their faith. It all began when you introduced Antonio to Jesus through the Bible App for Kids. God is at work!
