Donations:

WORKSHOPS & BUSINESSES

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:25-27)

COVID-19

In these days of an unprecedented global crisis, "distress of nations" and "men's hearts are failing them from fear", I receive a lot of message of people thinking this is the beginning of the end. Do I believe that? I believe we've been approaching the end ever since Jesus returned to heaven and that every generation has believed they were the one Jesus would return to.

I do believe that we're closer to Jesus's return than ever (evidently!), and that this global crisis is a great opportunity for God's people to rise up and show the world the One who is Love and who expels all fear when His love comes into their lives. We could be on the brink of the greatest spiritual awakening ever seen on this earth! And all this in the significant year of 2020!

Let's not join in with the world, but stand apart with faith and love. Let's rise up and be beacons of hope to a world overcome by fear. Let's not let this great opportunity pass us by!

AUSTRIA

Right now we were supposed to be in the US and start doing itinerant ministry again, with our little treasures. Instead we have to stay in our apartment in Vienna and are only allowed to leave to buy groceries. A few weeks have already passed, and it looks like quite a few more are ahead of us.

Really not much has changed for us when it comes to our daily schedule, besides not going to church or doctor's appointments. We keep busy all day long with feeding babies, changing diapers, playing with babies and doing housework. We still don't sleep much, and the day is over before we know it, before another identical one starts.

Our little ones are doing great, growing, learning, and bringing so much joy to our hearts. Unfortunately Samuel cannot go to physiotherapy right now, which he really needs, and there is no telling when he'll be able to go again.

Samuel day 212                 Tamara day 212                Emmanuel day 214

Once they are in bed for the night around 6 pm (though they all still eat during the night), is when we have a little time to do other things. Office work never ends for me, and currently I'm working hard on creating a new website for the ministry.

As for Randy, he has put all his energy into trying to find a bigger apartment for us (online). As we are 5 people in a 55 sq.m. apartment, we're eligible for a subsidy from the city for a bigger apartment. However, demand is much higher than what's available, and there are only few big apartments built, and even fewer with two bathrooms. Imagine once they're teenagers... Vienna is where our European headquarters are located, and we're trusting God to provide us with the perfect apartment, like he did with the apartment we're in right now (that I moved into as a single person). Thank you for believing and praying with us!

MALI

In Africa the coronavirus is only just getting started. With its huge population of over 1 billion people, its poverty and everything related to that, the outcome of this pandemic could be absolutely disastrous. The only upside is that most of the population is young and therefore not as vulnerable, though malnutrition increases the risk factor again.

In 2018 Mali ranked in 8th place when it comes to the poorest (least developed) nations in the world. On March 25th the first two Coronavirus cases were confirmed. Today there are 39 confirmed cases, but the number of people unknowingly carrying the virus is undoubtedly high. Now the country is slowly starting to react.

A curfew was imposed from 9 pm until 5 am every day. Businesses close at 2 pm, and they are talking about closing the markets which freaks people out. In a country where most people live without electricity, people have no choice than to go to the market every day to buy the food they need. They are talking about people having to shelter in place, but how is that possible when you need to go buy food and even your drinking water. In a country like Mali, a shelter-in-place order seems absolutely impossible.

Schools already closed a while back - after a strike - so our own kids have already been home for a few weeks. There is no such thing as e-learning like we have here in Austria. There is a good chance that this will be a lost school year for the children in Mali (the 46% that do go to school).

The street children are the ones most at risk. With the curfew in place, it is difficult for them to find a place to sleep, and with the businesses closing so early, and people afraid to give them food or money when they beg, they suddenly find themselves more in need than ever.

Our gates still open for them every night. Every person entering our gates has to use hand sanitizer (which is harder and harder to get), and we still need to talk about what additional measures we can take to keep everyone safe. Paul has just purchased 40 bags of rice, half to give away to widows in need, and the rest for us (we need one bag of 50 kilos every 3 days). Food prices are rising, adding more strain to the population, where two thirds already live under the poverty line.

People have heard that malaria medication helps against the virus, and so suddenly a few pills to treat malaria that used to be 100 CFA (17 cents) now cost 6000 CFA ($10) - a price unaffordable to most, which will now cause the death rate of malaria to go up considerably.

Gatherings have stopped, and so Paul now only has a service with those living on our base. I'm relieved that he and his family are moving onto our base this Sunday. He's also working on bringing his five nieces and nephews (his late sister's children) to our base to become part of our family in the next few days.

Please pray for Paul. It is never good when a ministry depends on one single person, especially in times of a crisis like this one. Pray for his health and protection.

TOYS FOR THE VILLAGE KIDS

We were so blessed by the donation of many stuffed animals for the children in Mali that we meant to distribute for Christmas. However, as it did not work out to travel to Mali for Christmas, we brought them with us in January. Because of several other challenges, it took until March before they were finally distributed in the village of Dara.

We had planned to distribute them at the village elementary school, but the school was on strike, and so we distributed them to the children in the village directly instead. Hundreds of children came and received a stuffed animal or toy. Many of them had never owned a toy in their life, and they were so very thankful. Paul was amazed at how happy they were with even just a toy car. Even parents thanked us from the bottom of their hearts. News spread, and more and more children showed up, even after the 500 stuffed animals and toys were all gone.

Thank you for making this possible. Let's do it again next Christmas!

QUICK NEWS

•        Support - We have already lost donors because of the economic effect of the pandemic, and our hearts go out to them and we pray for them. However, this is the time when we need MORE funds as prices are rising and access to food might become difficult. Thank you for your support!

•        Summer Missions Trip - Assuming international travel will be restored by then, we're still planning on traveling to Mali in the middle of July until the middle of August. Why don't you join us!

•        US Trip - Our trip to the US was canceled, but we hope to be able to come in fall instead.

•        Building Permit - Paul is still working on getting a building permit so we can continue construction, but to this date we have not received it. Please pray we get it soon.

•        First-Grade Teacher - We are still looking for a French-speaking first grade teacher to join our team. There is such a need for a good, Christian school where the children are treated with dignity and learn something. Many of our Muslim neighbors would send their children to our school. Please pray we'll find a teacher!

•        Malian Director Paul - Paul has been leading the ministry in Mali by himself for quite some time now and he's tired. Please pray for him!

•        Security Situation - Mali is becoming more and more radicalized by jihadists. Also, the population is rising up against the government, still not accepting the president's election. The opposition leader was just kidnapped, days before an important election. Please pray for peace, and for protection from jihadists.

•       Volunteers - Do you want to come change an orphan's life? Do you want to heal the sick? Preach the gospel to those who've never heard? Come to Mali for a season and let God change your life. No language skills needed, but French skills are helpful.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isa 43:2)

Trusting HIM,

Claudia (& Randy)