Pastor Naeem is the Missionary Pastor and Executive Director of the Biblical Orthodox Lutheran Mission (BOLM).  The BOLM mission statement is “Sharing Christ’s love with all Muslims and others throughout the world, particularly Arab speaking Muslims.”  BOLM continues to share the great gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Please keep in your prayers our mission, GCI, whose goal is to educate our communities about the prevalence of human trafficking in our neighborhoods, in plain sight!  Especially with the Pandemic, our young people are turning more to the internet for social interactions which makes them such easy targets.  Be aware and pray fervently for our young people and for GCI to continue their outreach!

Praise and thanksgiving for the completion of the foundation for the barn that is finally being erected so that the mission can continue on sanctioned property. As Sharon was reflecting on the start of the building, she was only focused on the barn itself, but when the concrete trucks arrived, she started to realize that a strong foundation is where it all starts. Sharon says, “This ministry is built on the solid rock of Christ, and to me, the concrete underneath our barn represents that! This barn will be built on a solid, firm foundation, and this will allow us to stand the test of time, to serve hurting people through the storms, and provide the a safe place to heal and grow.” We cannot wait to see the barn progress in the coming months!

Although other areas of China have curbed the virus, Hong Kong has not turned the corner. Gatherings cannot be more than 2 people and there are other restrictions, so they are still operating in a virtual environment, meaning church services and bible studies are still virtual. Iantha sees this as an opportunity to attend more seminars and studies. Normally, if a study was offered through the Concordia Mission Institute it would mean travel to other places; now that they are virtual, Iantha can choose to attend and learn new things. 

The current study is “Culture Meets Scripture” which teaches mission workers to look at the cultural influences and try to adapt those aspects into their Christian outreach. She gave an example in her recent newsletter in that many people in Hong Kong pray to a spiritual gatekeeper before going to feed their ancestors during grave-sweeping festivals. She learned that God, too, assigns angels as gate keepers (i.e., Genesis 3, Numbers 22, Revelation 21). These angels are given assignments from God for the purpose of our protection - a very different role and power than the gatekeepers being prayed to at the Hong Kong temples. This chages her conversations with a person in this culture from one of saying simply that there is no reason to believe in this gate keeper to one that explores the trut of God’s power and relationships with other spiritual beings She plans to continue these conversations with people in the community and I look forward to being invited into the “underlying beliefs”-area of their daily living.   

Iantha asks for prayers for her family: one daughter injured her finger badly and another is recovering from COVID. 

CWO has several missions and one of them is in Burkina Faso, one of the missions is the Village of Opportunity that helps young women obtain life skills in order to keep them out of a bad situation. Some of the young girls, if they are orphaned, are married off to older men and never realize a future for themselves and to learn about Christ. Every year, the VOO gives each student a Christmas gift. This year they gave them all a package of spaghetti, some fabric, a pair of shoes and a Bible. Shepherd of the Hills designated their quarterly stipend to CWO to this mission which helped partially pay for the $30 needed for the 70 students. 

They are still in lockdown in their area of Austria, so any visits from friends or family is so welcomed. Doug and Tricia were visited by friends for Thanksgiving, and they hope their daughter, Meg can make it for Christmas. They are thankful for an increase in missionaries in Portugal and more are coming. Please pray for these new teams so they are successful in bringing more people to Christ. Doug and Tricia’s small group is also expanding, which they are thankful for.  Please pray:

1.  Doug will have numerous electronic meetings with those serving in our area, as well as those who want to come. Please ask for Doug to have wisdom from the Spirit and the ability to listen well during these conversations.
 
2.  We have not been able to meet with anyone face to face for the month of November. Pray that we will be creative in how to love our neighbors well during this time.

3.  Pray that God will help us to know how to encourage others to persevere in doing good

Because of generous donations, Sokly was able to purchase so much rice and they continue to distribute to their families. God is good!  

Greg and Sinuon will be returning to Cambodia in January after four months in the states. It has been a very fruitful time in that the kids are doing well in school, Sinuon  is getting her paperwork in order to eventually become a citizen and Greg was able to spend time with a fundraising coach so  have had opportunity to work with a fundraising coach to learn more about supporting an organization long-term and what steps we need to take to more effectively utilize the gifts you support us with. 

Their flight has been canceled and they are trying to get arrangements to get home. In addition, they will need to get COVID tests one to two days before departing and will need to pay 2000.00 due to a new quarantine rule in Cambodia. Pray for Gods protection and that the Holz family can get back home safely.

 In 2020, fifty pair of eyeglasses were collected. The eyeglasses were delivered to the Lions Club and will be distributed to those in need throughout the world. Since 2010, you have donated 1472 pair of eyeglasses. THANK YOU!

We also collect used hearing aids and are given to the Sertoma organization.  

Your contributions are a blessing to many!