Missions

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations

Matthew 28:19

Ismael & Amy Cortez

Guayaquil, Ecuador

August 2024
Dear Friends and Family,

In our last letter, our church community was going through some difficult times. Noemi’s mom, Ruth, had broken her hip and needed to move in with Noemi and her husband. Ruth is now back at her house, living on her own again, and doing very well.

Raul, who had lost his job after being robbed while at work, now has found a different job. The situation is better, though not ideal. He often doesn’t get paid on time, and there are days when there is no work and the employees are told to stay home, which means less pay at the end of the month. Let’s pray that the situation at Raul’s current job changes, or that he is able to find a different job.

Angelica is doing very well. After being fired for refusing to participate in a surgery that she considered to be unnecessarily risky, she decided to retire. She is really enjoying staying at home resting and taking care of her house and family.

And Katty and Kevin’s family are doing well also. They moved to the mountain city of Cuenca after Kevin found a job there. They have found an online school for their son Kenji, who is enjoying school again, and no longer being bullied.

We thought that you might want to know what was happening with some of the situations we had shared with you. We know that God has shown his work in each of these families who were encountering difficult times in their lives.

You might remember that Ecuador was facing difficulties with crime and insecurity. After all the violence that broke out in January, things have gotten a bit better. The government is taking the right steps to fight against criminals. We know that it might take some time for this situation to improve. Please helps us with your prayers so that Ecuador will see better days since we know that these kinds of problems affect everyone and are affecting the economy of the country.

We also want to share with you how we are doing with some of our ministries. We are continuing to go into Downtown to give food to the people that live or work on the streets. We found a particular place where they seem to gather to go to sleep or wait for food. Good things are happening here. Our community is holding tight to this ministry. Conversations are happening now with some of the people there. You know, sometimes what they really need is just someone they can talk with. A few trips back we were able to take some hygiene kits and hand towels. We have been able to take many Bibles due to some generous donations from friends in the U.S., and sometimes our community collects clothes in good condition to give away. Something good that we have noticed is that some of our church members are taking the initiative to do more for these people living in tough conditions. Please be praying for this ministry and pray that the people there get to know Jesus and the love of our God.

God has also been working in our kids’ ministry, and we have seen his provision there. For nine months of the last year, we were blessed to have a friend, Sarah Colaw, living with us here in Ecuador. She had just graduated from high school and was looking to spend some time serving somewhere before going to college. We are so glad she came to us. She was a blessing for our family and for our church community. She spent many Sundays teaching and loving the kids. She was able to help train and guide the volunteers that we have in our kids' Sunday school. And she was able to find the funds to buy a year of Sunday school curriculum for us. We will always be grateful to Sarah and all the work she did here.

Our church community is doing very well. We continue to grow together as family and we continue to learn more about how to live as followers of Christ. On Easter Sunday this year, our church took a day trip to an outdoor pool complex and five new believers were baptized that day! God is doing some great things here. Yes, sometimes we encounter difficulties but we know that God is with us and we know that he will provide everything we need as a church.

Amy and I are always grateful to have you as our partners on this journey. We appreciate your prayers and your support very much. Knowing that we are doing this work together with you keeps us humble and grounded. Thank you for being part of our lives. We thank God that he crossed our lives in the right moment. God bless you so much in everything you do.

With love,
Ismael, Amy, Eleonor, and Ivy

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Thank you for everything Sarah!

Church in Downtown
More than one hundred people gather on this block on Saturday nights. Some of them make their beds here on the street each night. Others have somewhere else to sleep but are hoping to find food here.

Easter Sunday
Ismael had the joy of baptizing his uncle, Juan, and his aunt, Monika.
Mariuxi, Marcia, and Luis were also baptized into Christ that day.

Missionaries Joni & Nangsar Morse

Chiang Mai, Thailand

June 24, 2025

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are sending you our Newsletter for June. Nangsar and I have just finished hosting a Missions Team from Christ's Church of the Valley in Bakersfield, California.

All of us were blessed beyond measure by their brief visit. We wish we could have spent more time with them -- but such is the nature of short-term mission trips!

One village benefited from a water project, while another village school benefited from experiencing a Vacation Bible School program.

Many village leaders received Bibles, and a number of churches received new communion trays.

We are so grateful for these contributions. God's work goes forward on the momentum of such visits and partnerships. We pray that we will be able to host many more Mission Teams like this in the future!

Your Coworkers in Christ,

Joni & Nangsar

Newsletter

Larry & Ginny Niemeyer

Harvest 21 Ministries: Nairobi, Kenya

February 2023

Here's what God's grace is unfolding before our eyes for 2023:
With Harvest Community Discipleship Trust registered in Kenya, it will manage the Harvest21 Endowment Fund (a task previously done in the USA). Jeff and Anne Kimari have joined with us to be Founding Trustees continuing indefinitely and Michael Ndungu is the current Trust Chairman.
It's Vision: to see Christ's gospel transforming the lifestyles of people, families, and churches in Kenyan communities and beyond.
It's Objective: to make disciples and contribute to discipleship mobilization that leads to community services by individuals, families, churches and ministries committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Harvest Heralds, Inc. serves HCDT by administering the Endowment Fund. Together, we will...

continue what we all began as Harvest Heralds in 1967 (Zimbabwe), 1972 (Zambia) and again in 1982 (Kenya) - distribute 3,000 books this year, seek 630 new disciples, 395 disciple-makers and 63 teams.
keep the dream for discipleship mobilization alive from 2000 onward - a 21st century built on a 20th century foundation.
manage the Harvest21 Endowment Fund we started in 1996 when Larry's dad died and what the families and loved ones of 135 other people have honored.
utilize the Fund's annual interest accumulations (about $35,000), ensuring it is invested in the lives and ministries of people engaged in Christ-centered discipleship mobilization.
invest in 1) the publication of discipleship tools, 2) the mobilizing and training of born-again disciple-makers, and 3) the combining of discipleship with community service and compassion beyond church walls.