OMC Newsletter 2021 in Review

Welcome to OneMillionChildren's 2021 Year in Review!

This Newsletter highlights the incredible milestones, stories, and updates from the past year, giving the OMC Community an opportunity to reflect on God's work and share these moments with friends and family.

Content

January
February
March
April
May
July
August
September
October
November
December

January 2021

1. Training Children with the Word of God

2. Empowering Graduates

3. Raising Future Leaders

4. The Eternal Impact of Our Mission

Training Children with the Word of God

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6.

The foundational purpose of OMC is, and always will be, to train the children in Africa with the word of God.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is central to everything we do.

Empowering Graduates

The goal of our Hope for Zambia Bible School is to train Zambians in the Word of God.

Each graduate becomes the hands, feet, and voice of OMC to the children.

Raising Future Leaders

Our vision for each child is that they become ministers of the gospel to their own generation.

Hope for Children ministry sites, which have been meeting for the last three years, are reporting that the older children are beginning to teach the younger ones.

The Eternal Impact of Our Mission

Whether in small groups or large gatherings, OMC remains steadfast in fulfilling the purpose God has given us.

Thank you to each of you who have partnered with us in fulfilling God's will for these children.

Only in eternity will we fully understand the magnitude of God's power on their lives.

February 2021

1. Building Progress

2. Preparing for the Next Bible School Session

3. Building for Continuity and Adapting with Technology

Building Progress

The weather finally cooperated, and the walls began to go up at our Hope for Zambia Bible School building.

We faced a time crunch, with the goal of starting our next Bible school at the beginning of April.

Preparing for the Next Bible School Session

We requested that our contractor focus on the classroom end of the building so that we could begin classes even if the building was not completely finished.

Our Bible school is foundational to our vision of reaching children with the gospel.

Our commitment remains to train Zambians to fulfill the work of the ministry.

Building for Continuity and Adapting with Technology

This building represents a significant step in ensuring that this ministry will continue regardless of what happens to Pastor Larry and Marsha.

We are considering installing a system to conduct classes through Zoom.

This will help eliminate external issues beyond our control, enabling us to consistently train and release Zambians to the work of ministry.

March 2021

1. Meet Simon Chikonka

2. Thriving Amidst Challenges

3. Simon and Purity's Impact on Children's Ministry

Meet Simon Chikonka

Simon Chikonka, seated in the picture, graduated from our Hope for Zambia Bible School in 2019.

He is from the Chiefdom of Chikanta and serves as a pastor.

His church prioritizes ministering to children.

Thriving Amidst Challenges

This picture was taken this past weekend, showcasing the resilience of the children's ministry despite the challenges posed by Covid.

Simon's location in a crucial area is poised to serve as a launching pad for ministry into the remote western side of the southern province.

Thousands of children await the good news of Jesus Christ.

Simon and Purity's Impact on Children's Ministry

Not only is Simon a great pastor, but he is also a remarkable leader.

The woman on the left in the picture, Purity, is also a graduate of our Bible school.

Simon has empowered and entrusted her to oversee the children's ministry.

While Simon focuses on expanding the ministry westward, Purity leads the children with dedication.

Purity's leadership will be instrumental in developing new children's ministries as we continue to expand westward.

April 2021

1. Welcoming Siandwazi: A New Hope for Children Ministry Site

2. Overcoming Challenges: Establishing a Ministry Site in Siandwazi

3. Transforming Lives

Welcoming Siandwazi: A New Hope for Children Ministry Site

These pictures are from our newest Hope for Children ministry site, Siandwazi.

Located on the southern border of the chiefdoms of Siputnyana and Mukuni, it opened on Easter Monday with over 100 children attending.

Overcoming Challenges: Establishing a Ministry Site in Siandwazi

David and Joseph, two of our Bible school graduates, had planned two years ago to open a site in this area.

However, the restrictions brought on by the Covid virus set back their plans.

This is a very remote area and is not well reached with the gospel.

Transforming Lives

Many of the children made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as their savior.

This will also open the opportunity to minister to the entire village.

This is made possible by your faithful partnership with OMC.

As the Scripture says, "Suffer the little children to come to Me, for of such is the Kingdom of God."

Your support is instrumental in bringing the message of hope and salvation to these children and their communities.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in this important work.

May 2021

1. The Vitality of Wells in African Villages

2. The Urgency of Well Repairs

3. Saving Lives with Clean Water

The Vitality of Wells in African Villages

A well in Africa isn't complicated.

It consists of a few moving parts with pipes to get the pump down into the water source.

Yet, to an African family living in the villages, it is life.

It supplies the entire village with clean, safe water for all their needs.

The Urgency of Well Repairs

Under normal use, a well should last about five years before it needs repair.

When a well breaks, it creates a crisis for the village.

This picture is one of many examples of the types of water sources villages use when their well is down.

Drinking this water can cause illness, and the little children suffer the most.

Saving Lives with Clean Water

Our Zambian well repair team is among the best in Zambia.

They have the tools, expertise, and vehicle to reach even the most remote villages.

With a list of over 300 wells waiting to be repaired, what they need most is the funding to purchase the necessary repair parts.

An average well costs $650.00, which can provide clean, safe water for hundreds of people in a Zambian village.

Of these people, about one third are children who suffer the most and are at risk of death due to waterborne germs.

"And whoever gives one of these little ones a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." - Matthew 10:42

July 2021

1. New Building and Covid Shutdowns

2. Meet Constance Muntanga

3. Meet Patrick Mudenda

New Building and Covid Shutdowns

Early morning at our school: this was about half the class waiting to begin.

We were finally able to have class in our new building on June 7th.

For the first four weeks of this session, we had to meet at a local church in Livingstone.

The students were much more comfortable in the new building, especially with the improved sleeping quarters.

Unfortunately, the Zambian Government shut down all schools nationwide due to a spike in Covid cases.

When Pastor Larry left the country on June 22nd, the shutdown was scheduled for three weeks, but many believed it would last longer.

This was very frustrating for the students. Our plan was to continue classes via Zoom once the shutdown was lifted.

Meet Constance Muntanga

This is Constance Muntanga.

She was from the village of Sikwaazwa in the chiefdom of Siachitema.

Her husband, Alick, was a former student.

They had four children, including a set of twins.

Before she came to school, she did not understand the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

She was very excited to work with her husband to teach the gospel, as so many where she lived were lost.

Meet Patrick Mudenda

This is Patrick Mudenda from the village of Muyuni in the chiefdom of Siachitema.

He was not married, and when I asked him what he did back home, he said, "I am a farmer and nothing else."

Our partner Tom brought some of our previous students on an expedition into his area.

He was encouraged to come to school, and the other students had a big impact on his decision.

He never understood what it meant to be unsaved and saved.

He also gained new revelation about the Old Testament Law and what it means to be born again.

No matter what time of day it was, he always had a smile on his face.

August 2021

1. Well Repair Team Back in Action

2. Well Maintenance Training

3. Impact on Young Girls and Women

4. Support Well Repair

Well Repair Team Back in Action

Our well repair team is back in the field fixing wells.

It has been a tough year getting started due to the lack of diesel fuel.

They have been out for about a week, and with the repair parts available to them, they will be able to finish 40 to 45 wells.

Well Maintenance Training

Here, our team leader Joshua met with the leaders of a village where we had repaired the well.

He trained them on how to maintain the well so they would get the maximum benefit from the repair.

Often, children had damaged the wells because no one had ever taught them the proper way to use it.

Impact on Young Girls and Women

Often, it was the young girls who carried the greatest responsibility for getting water for their families.

In many cases, it kept them from having the same educational opportunities as the boys.

It was not uncommon to see young girls lifting a five-gallon bucket (about 40 pounds) onto their heads.

When ministering in the villages, we often found many older women with severe neck and back problems from years of lifting water buckets.

Support Well Repair

A first-class water delivery vehicle in the African bush.

If you would like to fund a well repair, the average cost is $650.

We will ensure it provides clean, safe drinking water to those who need it most. Thank you.

September 2021

1. Ringford's Ministry During Lockdowns

2. Reuniting with Joy

3. Soccer as a Gateway to God's Word

4. Empowering the Next Generation

Ringford's Ministry During Lockdowns

Ringford is a graduate of our Hope for Zambia Bible School.

Even during the Covid lockdowns, he never lost focus on ministering to the children of the village of Njezya.

Ringford continued to meet with the children in small groups and through home visitations.

Reuniting with Joy

After the lockdowns were lifted, it was easy to gather the children back together.

One of the tools that Ringford used to draw kids back together was soccer balls, which were donated to us last year.

Soccer as a Gateway to God's Word

Soccer is not the ultimate goal; the ministry of God's Word is.

The sites that Ringford has started are all growing, and the children are very excited to learn the Word of God.

Empowering the Next Generation

The most exciting development in these sites is that older children are being given the responsibility to teach the younger ones.

This is one of our primary goals: to introduce children to ministry.

Just think about the impact these young people will have in the Kingdom of God.

Your support makes this all possible. Thank you!

October 2021

1. Introducing the 2021 Graduating Class

2. Celebrating Our Fifth Graduating Class

3. Praying Over Our Graduates

Introducing the 2021 Graduating Class

"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." — 2 Timothy 2:2.

This scripture has been the foundation of our ministry in Zambia.

We train Zambians to do the work of the ministry.

Our Hope for Zambia Bible School was created to fulfill that vision and strategy.

It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you the graduating class of 2021.

Celebrating Our Fifth Graduating Class

This is our fifth graduating class, and we have ministered to 122 students since 2016.

It was a challenging year, but it was also a year of firsts for us.

We completed our new Hope for Zambia school building, and this was the first class to graduate from it.

Additionally, this was the first time we used Zoom to teach classes.

In the picture above, our seven zone managers came to greet and pray for the students.

The man on the far left is Tom Siachitema, our Zambian partner.

Tom's passion for his people and the ministry is contagious.

Praying Over Our Graduates

Each student was prayed for by Tom, Pastor Simon (class of 2019), and Pastor Larry via Zoom.

They spoke prophetically over them as the Holy Spirit gave us utterance.

This class looks to be one of the most effective we have had to date.

They are, on average, very young and very energetic.

Your partnership makes all of this possible. The eternal fruit that will come from their ministries is a direct result of your vision for the work of God in them and your faithfulness to support it.

If these students could talk with you, they would tell you how grateful they are.

November 2021

1. Fifth Bible School Class

2. Expanding Outreach

3. Overflowing Crowds at Evangelistic Crusades

4. Street Evangelism and Miracles

Fifth Bible School Class

At the end of September, we graduated our fifth Bible school class.

We had a sense that this class was going to do great things!

They have not disappointed us, as they immediately put into practice what they were taught.

The following pictures are a brief testimony of the ministry that has taken place in just one month.

Expanding Outreach

Several new children's ministry sites have been established, and wherever a group of children can be gathered, the gospel is preached to them.

Overflowing Crowds at Evangelistic Crusades

Evangelistic crusades have been held where the crowds were too large to fit inside the buildings.

Street Evangelism and Miracles

Our students are going into villages and doing street evangelism.

People are being saved, healed, and delivered.

All of this is happening just one month after their graduation!

Your financial support makes this possible, investing in the eternity of so many. Thank you so much!

December 2021

1. Our Three Pillars of Ministry

2. Meeting Needs and Sharing the Gospel Through Well Repair

3. Making a Difference

Our Three Pillars of Ministry

If you have followed OMC for any length of time, you know that we focus on three specific areas of ministry:

1. Training children in God's Word in very remote areas

2. Running a Bible school to equip Zambians in God's Word and release them to do the work of ministry

3. Repairing wells to provide clean water.

Meeting Needs and Sharing the Gospel Through Well Repair

There is no question that well repair is our largest budget item, followed by our Bible school, and then children's ministry.

We conduct ministry very efficiently by empowering Zambians to lead.

An average well repair costs $800.

This past year, we repaired 52 wells!

We strategically use well repair not only to meet a serious need but also as a door to preaching the gospel.

The well in the picture was repaired last week at the Zimba Mission Hospital, where the pregnant women's shelter is located.

Making a Difference

In this picture, Tom, our Zambian partner, is ministering the word of God to the women who are waiting to deliver their babies.

This was an emergency repair. Consider how difficult it must be for these pregnant women to be without water in temperatures over 100 degrees.

This is just one of 52 stories from this year where a well repair made a huge difference for these precious people.

We are able to do this because of the generosity of people like you!

Thank you for taking the time to enjoy our 2021 Year in Review! For regular updates and to stay connected with the ongoing work of OMC, be sure to "Like" and "Follow" the official OneMillionChildren Facebook Page through the link below.

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