Heaven's Family Stories

Peanut Profits [David’s 2nd Photo Blog from Myanmar]

Last year's arrival at Tluang Khua was unforgettable. As the first white-skinned person to visit this very remote village, I was greeted with the firing of a shotgun, a garland of flowers, a long reception line, and traditional Chin dancing. I also recall the village tradition of publicly broadcasting through loudspeakers a reading of the entire Bible during December nights, a devotion that allowed me little sleep at the chief's house. This year, thankfully, they took one night off...at my request.

17 Dec

Pigonomics [David’s 1st Photo Blog from Myanmar]

Over the past two weeks I've been navigating jeep trails carved into the steep mountains of Myanmar's (Burma's) Chin State, visiting remote villages served by Heaven's Family. In some cases, when those trails have become too narrow for our Land Cruiser, our team of three has transferred to motorcycles. The going has been slow. At the most, we've advanced 90 miles in 10 hours.

16 Dec

Small Girl, Big Faith

Her name means “Small Girl” in her native Khmer language, really? I thought as I looked down on the pint-size girl in front of me. Well, at least it was much easier to pronounce than her real name. I couldn’t help see the irony in the fact that she really was a small girl, even by Cambodian standards. But God, who sees the heart, already knew how big she was on the inside. Small Girl came from a poor family in a poor village. In 2011, out of pressure to pay off her family’s debt, she and her older sister moved to Phnom Penh to find work at a beer garden, where uneducated girls find easy work selling drinks and sex. But Small Girl soon met someone from a ministry called Precious Women, a Heaven’s Family partner, who told her that she didn’t have to work in a beer garden. Small Girl heard the gospel, and also received a scholarship offer for 4 years if she would return home and finish high school, the very thing she wished to do.

10 Dec

Philippines Disaster… Again

It’s likely that you’ve heard about the destructive path of Typhoon Hagupit (locally called Ruby) as it raked across the Philippines just a few days ago—just over one year from when Superstorm Haiyan ravaged the island nation. Late last winter I told you about Mahalit, a small fishing community that had been devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. Through our friend Pastor Lot, we helped rebuild the decimated fishing boat fleet in addition to helping rebuild damaged homes.

09 Dec

Cindi’s: a Blessed Hope for Many

Having just returned from Kenya, I cannot help but boast in what the Lord is doing through our new partnership with Cindi’s Hope, a ministry that rescues abandoned and sexually abused children in Nairobi and throughout the country. We first visited the Hope Academy campus located in Eastleigh neighborhood, one of the worst slum areas of Nairobi. It is here that the government brings Cindi the children nobody else wants. In their secure compound we witnessed the restorative effects of loving care, nutritional food and biblical teaching in the healing of wounded young lives.

05 Dec

God’s Grace in Gaza

I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent armed conflict between Israel and Gaza. As is often the case, innocents are either caught in the crossfire or neglected due to strained resources or the evacuation of aid workers. Happily, Heaven’s Family has found a partner currently working among the needy in Gaza, and we’re funding two of their aid workers for a year to help those like “Mohammed,” an 11-year-old boy who has been partially paralyzed since birth.