Dear Friends and Partners:

Happy New Year to you and your family from The Bridge team and our partners around the world!  We appreciate all of you who take an interest in the Bridge’s ministry and encourage others with the testimonies of the wonderful things God is doing in the nations through His people! An especial warm THANKS to those of you who sacrificially keep giving of your finances and faithfully praying for the missionaries we serve!  Your 2022 official Tax Receipt and Annual Bridge Report have been sent to you via postal mail or by email.  May you all experience the abundance of the promise in Proverbs 11:23-25: “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”

2022 IN REVIEW— A SUMMARY

BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA – Robert and Sandrina Jurjevich:

During the year The Lighthouse continued its pro-life ministry by advertising pregnancy classes for local women.  Sandrina and her assistant received many opportunities to be in touch with pregnant women.  Each woman who contacted the Lighthouse, received personal follow-up and for some, it resulted in a decision to keep their babies. The church distributes Bibles and during the month of March (for example), around 80 Bibles/New Testaments were requested from their Facebook ad. Many more Bibles were sent out during the year.  Robert and Sandrina were involved with a number of special meetings throughout Europe, including setting up worship meetings in Sarajevo with Michael Turner.  Robert, a requested speaker at a number of events, was instrumental in planning the Balkan Call Conference in Istanbul in October.  After the church Summer Camp in August, Robert and Sandrina flew to the US to see their children and apply for Sandrina’s Social Security.  During the Christmas season, the church arranged the distribution of 400 Operation Christmas Child packages as well as continuing the distribution of Bibles & New Testaments. The big project for 2023 is translating Andrew Brunson’s book, into Serbian and Croatian.

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA – Steve and Sophia Schmalz:

Steve and Sophia continue to faithfully visit the local airport to provide Ingels (New Testaments) in their own Farsi language and other literature primarily to Iranians arriving into Tbilisi. They carry Ingels in several languages in order to distribute appropriately. During the year they came across several people who had become believers in Christ as a result of their ministry over the years. In the spring, they took a furlough in the US to sign up for Social Security and visit many of their supporters and prayer partners.  They were able to visit the Ulrichs, as well as prayer team members, the Rays and the Negveskys. At the end of June, they returned to their home in Tbilisi. They report: “Last year, by God’s grace we were able to distribute over 9300 Ingels among travelers on 614 flights.” At the end of the year, Steve re-organized some rooms in their home to store 40,000 Ingels in Farsi in 2023. This year they are tentatively planning a European outreach, as well.

IRAN/TURKEY – Sargon and Nadezhda Daniali Chamaki:

The year began with the arrest of Sargon’s assistant in Iran, Masud, charged for Christian activities. Sargon spent much time assisting the appeal for Masud’s release.  Masud was imprisoned for several months before being deported to Armenia.  Now Sargon and Masud have begun a new ministry in the capital city of Armenia.  During this time, Sargon began a new video series (interview style) giving answers to frequently asked questions by Middle

Eastern Muslims about the Christian faith.  It was posted on YouTube in several languages. In addition, he filmed videos for new converts in Iraq and these videos were copied to USB drives and were sent into Afghanistan. He has also been leading conferences for Life International. These include leading times of prayer in Farsi, which is very encouraging to Farsi speakers. He has 437 followers from Iran on his YouTube channel and 1,300 followers on Instagram.  Near the end of 2022, Sargon and Nadia moved from Istanbul to Ankara for a more strategic ministry location.  Living in Ankara is closer to Armenia & Iran.

KAZAKHSTAN – Yermek and Kamazhai Balykbekov: 

Yermek and his family live in Karaganda, but serve in leadership to home groups all over Kazakhstan.  They are prayerfully intending to move to Almaty.  However, the year began with protests and riots in that city.  All the home churches in Almaty were safe from the protests.  Yermek subsequently made several trips to Almaty and several Kazakhs accepted the Lord.  In Karaganda, Yermek began to delegate leadership responsibility to Olzhas, his assistant, who will eventually take over leading the team in Karaganda. Yermek is recording video lessons on growing in Christ and Christian marriage. The courses will not be free, but he just needs to charge enough to cover costs. In October, all the home churches were invited to Karaganda for the third anniversary celebration of the ministry. During 2022 Yermek was able to build relationships with three additional home groups.  He provided many reports of new believers, water baptisms and healing miracles.

KENYA – Paul and Marcia Cowley:

The Disciple Support Ministries now have two training locations in Kenya and two in Tanzania. Although Paul and his family live in Florida, he travels to Kenya three to four times a year to oversee the ministry, which is fully run by graduates who have been trained and discipled by Paul. Over the many years of the Bible School, about 6000 people have attended and many have graduated.

KYRGYZSTAN – Rustam and Zamira Kazakbaev:

During the year, Rustam and Zamira continued their seminary studies.  In 2022 they completed the second full year of training, the half way mark to getting appropriate ministry credentials.  When not studying, they visit gypsies  and other villages of the poor, distributing food and clothing, while sharing the Gospel.  When permitted, they conduct Bible studies for the children and pray for the sick. During the summer months Rustam works and teaches at Christian children’s Summer Camps.  Working with the Child Evangelism Ministry and other churches, he taught over 500 children.  Rustam and Zamira shared many amazing testimonies from both his teaching and her on-line min

istry. They even conducted an “on-line water baptism” for a new Christian wanting to be baptized. During the Christmas season the family traveled to Uzbekistan and ministered to three churches.

SOUTH SUDAN – Matthew and Regina Deng Dut:

Matthew has a group of three churches he oversees in Juba. He conducted a number of evangelistic outreaches in other cities and regions, as well.  In the beginning months of last year there was an increase of Covid in South Sudan, during which two of his leaders died.  Some time later, Matthew was invited to visit S. Korea, but during his travels Matthew and his team contracted Malaria and had to abort the journey. All recovered. He continues to reach out to the city of Juba with evangelistic meetings.  In addition, he works with his home tribal land, evangelizing, training new believers and planting crops that feed several thousand people from his large Dinka tribe with a surplus to sell. They are now planting their own seed rather than buying them from abroad.  The harvest on his tribal land is so plentiful that they now employ over twenty people to plant and harvest. Matthew’s mother started a restaurant. The Bridge helped in this business venture.

BHUTAN, INDIA, NEPAL and TIBET—Dawa S. Bhutia:

Dawa keeps on training, discipling and raising up church planters and Christian leaders via his ministry, Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry, in spite of much pushback from the Indian government.  The authorities are oppressing ethnic minority groups who adhere to belief systems other than Hinduism, which is being promoted as the only legitimate religion in India. That also includes the Christian faith. This has affected Dawa and his ministry, as well.  In spite of the persecution, he and his team continue through their Himalayan Bible Institute to raise up and disciple pioneer evangelists, train leaders, and then send them out as church planters into some of the cities, as well as villages in the more remote Himalayan mountains within Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibet.

KALMYKIA—Sarang Badyev:

Sarang spent most of 2022 in Mongolia, visiting and sharing the Gospel with the many Kalmykian nomadic communities there.  Back home in Russia Kalmykia is experiencing an economic crisis due to the Ukrainian/Russian war. To avoid being drafted into the war by the Russian military and to seek for work, many of the young men and families in Sarang’s church have fled to neighboring countries.

UKRAINE—Relief Aid:

In addition to several other projects financed by The Bridge, we assisted with Relief Aid to the suffering people in war-torn Ukraine with $15,000.00 which was sent via three partnering ministries in Poland, Australia and Moldova, and administered by Christian leaders in the warzones of Poland.

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends and Partners,

“God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  2. Cor 9:7b-8, 10-11

We thank God for those of you who continue to actively participate in the work and ministry of our field partners through your financial giving. The 2019 Annual Bridge Report and official contribution receipts have been mailed to all last year’s donors. Also, thanks to you who prayed for the mission field and the workers whose labor of love brings light and hope to so many living in darkness and despair.  Your love and interest encourages us to continue moving forward in Linking God’s People to Reach the Unreached.

1989 AND 2019 — THEN AND NOW

As we have just entered a new decade, it is befitting we pause and look back at the turn of an earlier decade thirty years ago.  Since 1961 the infamous Iron Curtain had divided Eastern Europe from Western Europe.  On November 6, 1989, to the whole world’s shock and surprise, the part of the wall dividing the city of Berlin fell, dismantled by the masses in the streets who demanded freedom from tyranny.  Then, like carefully stacked dominoes, in a short two years, the entire wall came down in country after country until the once powerful empire of the USSR was dissolved (Dec. 1991).  The Soviet Union, having controlled the lives of 300 million people in 29 countries by their ruthless dictatorships, suddenly ceased to exist.

In the early eighties I traveled for two years within the Iron Curtain countries to bring Bibles and Christian literature to the underground churches on the other side. I learned first hand the dangers of passing through that wall. After The Bridge was founded in 1983, its Intercessory Prayer Group began to pray, imploring God to smash the wall which represented the evil regimes and to liberate the people both physically and spiritually!

When the Berlin wall actually fell, Steve and I were driving through West Germany on a mission trip in Europe.   Although we had prayed diligently for so long, we were taken by total surprise!  Throughout that decade there had been much geopolitical maneuvering by politicians and governments, but not one individual, group or government could rightfully take full credit for this historic event!  As the crumbling of the wall progressed, we recognized were living in the midst of a modern day Psalm 2 miracle—God had heard the prayers of His people! His hand had swept over the nations, cut their bondage and freed them to seek and find Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  The closed countries opened up and we were bought knee-high into the harvest fields of scores of hungry souls. As coworkers with the Lord, we watched the transforming power of the risen Jesus Christ bring untold thousands of individuals and whole communities from darkness into light, satisfying their hunger and quenching their thirst!

Today, there is a different Iron Curtain in the world, a very real one; one that cannot be seen with human eyes, but is just as an oppressive and powerful deterrent to freedom as barbwire, killer dogs, and Kalashnikov guns.  The Judeo-Christian world view is founded on Biblical precepts which is the bedrock on which Western civilization is built.  It recognizes that man is endowed with liberty and certain rights given by their Maker which no ruler or government has the right to deny the people under their care.  Dictators and their cadre seek absolute power and total control over people’s minds, souls, and lives. They are engaged in a spiritual/cultural/physical war via political ideologies, world religions and personality cults directed at those following Jesus. Their Christian faith must be eradicated from society, and their quest for freedom must be suppressed!

Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors, a renowned ministry, pioneered the smuggling of Bibles through the Iron Curtain to the underground church 65 years ago.  Today, Open Doors is on the forefront of representing religious and human rights violations against Christians communities worldwide, and encourages believers everywhere to pray for and advocate on behalf of the suffering believers.

Their World Watch List is a comprehensive annual publication of the top 50 countries that are the worst offenders, number one being the worst.  No surprise that North Korea tops the list!  I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the content with special emphasis on the 10 countries in which our Bridge Harvesters live and serve (their numbers are listed below beside their respective countries).  This will guide you as you pray and intercede for them, and get actively involved.  To print the List, please copy this address and download the file: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020_World_Watch_List.pdf

To read the List online, go to: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/  

2019 IN REVIEW — THE HARVESTERS

All our Harvesters are in charge of their own vision and ministries.  The Bridge comes alongside them as friends and resource partner.

No. 2 — AFGHANISTAN: The community centers in cooperation with local Afghans are progressing well, in the midst of grave dangers and several setbacks.  The four centers, built on Kingdom principles, encompass water drilling; agricultural projects whereby Afghans are learning to grow food effectively; a chicken farm business; training in leadership & entrepreneurial skills with emphasis on character building integrity, and responsibility.

BOSNIA: ROBERT and SANDRINA After securing the facilities  a year ago for their ministry in the Muslim section of Sarajevo: Raphael Church, the Lighthouse with their apartment,  the Pro-Life Woman’s Center, and the meeting hall for fellowship and ministry to children and teenagers, they have been busy sharing their faith and pursue registration for the church and permanent residency visa for their long term stay in Bosnia.  They have been blessed with three grandchildren – two in the States and one in Holland.

No. 10, 32, 45 — INDIA/BHUTAN/NEPAL:  DAWA and his team at Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry continue to raise up pioneer evangelists, train leaders and send church planters  into some of the cities and villages in the more remote Himalayan mountains between Bhutan, India, Nepal and Tibet.  The persecution against Christians is intensifying , but the ministry keeps growing in depth and outreach.

No. 23 — CHINA:  SARANG continues to forge ahead deep into the remote mountains of China’s Northwest district, Xinjiang, to bring the Gospel to his Kalmyk people.  They are Buddhist nomads who roam the region with their herds.  He has found inroads for the Gospel with a doctor, a well known singer whose father is tribal leader, and a number of young people who are reading the Bible with interest. The China regime is persecuting people of faith.

CUBA: JORGE and MAGDALENA have now lived in Florida for a number of years, but they have not lost their passion for meeting the needs of their brothers and sisters in Cuba, so they visit there often. Jorge continues to travel to other Caribbean and Central American countries, to also equip them with both spiritual and physical food, besides pastoring his church in Miami.   He has Bibles printed and distributed inside Cuba, partially financed by The Bridge who also assisted in the completion of the storage facility.

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA: S & S have been called into a unique ministry, having been led to places where people arrive from closed countries, then hand deliver the visitors Scripture portions in their respective languages, which are received with great caution and curiosity. They also blanket immigrant neighborhoods in West European cities with tracts and Scriptures. Last year, they hand delivered 17,870 New Testaments and brochures, and 16,000 DVDs and Gospels of John in several languages.

No. 9, 36 — IRAN/TURKEY: SARGON has been able to more effectively focus on the various aspects of ministry to his countrymen since his wife and two youngest children (the two oldest are already attending college abroad) a year ago permanently joined him in Turkey.  His ministry is expanding as the revival is growing exponentially in Iran, and there are many exciting testimonies of supernatural encounters with the Lord.  But with revival comes persecution whereby many homes and churches have been ransacked and believers arrested.  Much more could be said – however, due to security concerns, this will have to suffice.  We implore you to pray for safety and wisdom for the believers in Iran and Turkey, and for Sargon and his family!

No. 35 — KAZAKHSTAN:  YERMEK’s  Kazakh fellowship parted from the Russian church under whose umbrella they had operated since its inception.  They are now joining other Kazakh groups of believers as he is being led into a broader sphere of leadership locally, as well as other Kazakh church fellowships throughout the country and beyond.  Yermek continues to be true to his vision: to be a tool in God’s hand, guided by the Holy Spirit to help bring forth committed people of faith who find their identity in Christ via their own Kazakh language and culture.  God answered  a promise from years ago: his wife gave birth to their son!

No. 44 — KENYA: PAUL continued to teach, train, mentor, and disciple the Pastors of the Least, who live and minister hope among the poorest of the poor in the Kiberia slum near the capital city of Nairobi.  It was a transition year in that Paul moved his family back to the States, as the time had come to leave the leadership of the two ministry schools in the capable hands of the local leaders who had been trained and discipled under his leadership. Paul will divide his time between the States and Kenya and operates in an overseeing and guidance capacity while bringing awareness of the ministry to people back home.

 KYRGYZSTAN — RUSTAM and ZAMIRA with their two children, have moved back from Dushanbe, Tajikistan to their family home in the capital of  Bishkek.   They are happy to rejoin their family of believers and former church fellowship.  Rustam who feels called to the fatherless and helping fathers build good, healthy relationships with their children, works among teenage boys discarded by state orphanages. Zamira ministers among and prays for trafficked women. Together they reach out to poor Gypsy families, always with the message of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

 No. 7 — SOUTH SUDAN: MATTHEW continued evangelizing among his people and pastoring the two churches he has planted in the capital city of Juba.  It has become an annual event for him and his team to travel to Kampala, Uganda to minister among the many South Sudanese refugees in diaspora there. They also conducted a crusade in Abyei, Matthew’s home state, a disputed land area between Sudan and South Sudan, where he visited his tribal land and shared the Gospel with his family after 26 years absence as refugee abroad.  He plans to plant a church in his home town.

Please pray for them and their people, and consider helping them financially!

If you want a hard copy of the report for download and printing, please click on the below link:

2019 Annual Bridge Report 01-20 web

Dear Friends and Partners:

“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1. Thessalonians 1:2-3

We thank God for all of you who continue to take an interest in the work and ministry of The Bridge. We have mailed  the 2018 Annual Bridge Report and official contribution receipts last year’s donors.  A special thanks to those of you who shared with people in your church or fellowship the testimonies and stories published in The Bridge Reports, with the purpose of praying and interceding for those who labor in the mission field.  Your love and interest enable us to continue serving the Harvesters whose labor of love brings light and hope to so many living in darkness and despair.

2018 IN REVIEW—REFLECTIONS

In society at large in the United States, last year saw an improvement in the standard of living for many people who were struggling financially.  Due to a growing economy, the number of new jobs within many sectors soared, bringing new life to many needy communities.

Yet, it was a tumultuous year with a marked increase in expressions of dissatisfaction, anger, divisiveness, and hate between groups of people who reject the notion of “the American Way”—freedom to live in peace with one another while “agreeing to disagree” in a civil manner.

We are in the midst of a spiritual/cultural war between ideologies. The Judeo-Christian world view was always the bedrock; the glue which held our society together with a common understanding of basic Biblical moral values, adherence to the rule of law, equality under the law, and respect for the individual’s rights. It is increasingly challenged from all sides by those who want any expression of the Christian faith eradicated from society.  The fundamental phrase in the Constitution, which guarantees the individual’s rights is, “…endowed by our Creator…” — not given by man, or governments, or the politically correct in society at large, but given by God.  The adherence to the Christian faith made America exceptional!  This must be removed, they say.  Herein lies the core of the  battle!

The impact on the church at large is a diminished focus on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.  But Jesus’ words are still relevant, “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The teaching on the Great Commission has largely dissipated from the pulpit. Many of the traditional missionaries have had to return home, banned by denial of renewed visas by foreign governments which are increasingly hostile to the Christian faith.  Being questioned at home by well meaning fellow Christians about the validity of “proselytizing” peoples of other religions and cultures, the missionary, once respected for his/her faith and courage, has become irrelevant in the church.   The above describes an overall trend. It does not include the many Western missionaries still being effective ambassadors for the Lord around the globe.

God used the church in Western civilization to pioneer and establish the Christian faith in large parts of the world.   In the last half-century, however, there has been a distinct shift, whereby the indigenous believers, having internalized through their own languages and cultures the Bible message of God’s love and redemption by faith in Jesus Christ, are now ready and willing to bring that message to the rest of the world.  They are carrying the banner of Christ to complete the Great Commission to all nations!

We are privileged to partner with our many indigenous Gospel workers on several continents, and also with a few  outstanding Americans and Europeans called to the mission field abroad. We call all of them HARVESTERS. They are not commissioned or sent by Bridge, rather, every one of them individually heard and responded to the call of God, and in obedience followed the Holy Spirit’s guidance; they carry the vision, wherewithal, responsibility, and authority for their own unique, individual ministries. They exemplify the Apostle Paul’s words in  1. Corinthians 3:6-7, “ I planted, Apollos (Paul’s co-worker) watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”  The Bridge come alongside them to serve, guide, and help add to their resources as needed, with the goal that they will continue to gradually become fully self financed.   Your donations helped lighten some of their burdens.

2018 IN REVIEW—THE HARVESTERS

The hostility and persecution against Christian believers keep increasing in the world.  Some of our partners choose to live and minister openly, and have given us permission to share their testimonies and field reports in our publications.  Others, for obvious security reasons, work more effectively clandestinely; therefore they are not mentioned in our official reports. If you sponsor one of them, please free to contact us, and we will provide you updates.  Characteristic of all the Harvesters are their clarity of vision, personal sacrifices, courage, endurance, and hope; standing firmly in faith in the face of serious setbacks and apparent insurmountable problems.  

ANDAMAN ISLANDS –  VARUGHESE and his wife need prayer as they continue to care for the children in the two orphanages they manage, and various unreached indigenous peoples on the island, in spite of his struggle with severe diabetes, and her physical limitations after being in a serious car accident.

BOSNIA – ROBERT and SANDRINA had a fruitful year.   A generous gift from one of our donors helped them finally complete the process of taking ownership of  the Lighthouse facility, located in the Muslim section of Sarajevo.  It provides living quarters for them, offices and space for Sandrina’s growing Pro-Life Woman Center, and a meeting hall for fellowship and ministry to children and teenagers. Another building was secured for their Rafael Church where they conduct Sunday services.

INDIA – Last year was tough for DAWA, an ethnic Tibetan and former Buddhist from Bhutan, his family and ministry, Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry.  The Indian government is oppressing ethnic minority groups with other belief systems than Hinduism, which is being promoted as the only legitimate religion in India.  This has also affected Dawa and his Christian ministry.  However, he and his team continue to raise up pioneer evangelists, train leaders, and send church planters  into some of the cities, as well as villages in the more remote Himalayan mountains between Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibet.

KALMYKIA –  SARANG is a native from the Russian Federal Republic of Kalmykia, located between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea.  They are the only Buddhist people in the West. Sarang, who came to faith during the Soviet era through a brave American missionary, has been pioneering the Gospel in his homeland and among his countrymen who live in diaspora.  Last year he visited Kalmyk communities in Mongolia and several villages in the remote mountainous regions of Xinjiang, located in the north western part of China, which is the home of the Muslim Uighur people.  China is oppressing them in an effort to  curb ethnic uprisings against their regime.  It is believed that the Chinese have detained one million Uighurs in detention camps to control the province.  Kalmyks living in the region are also among the minority ethnic groups oppressed by the Chinese. Sarang’s message of God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus is a new, powerful message to his people.  Sarang fell very ill while in Xinjiang, but is now restored to health.

KAZAKHSTAN –  YERMEK’s ministry continues to expand among his people in Karaganda and beyond.  It is apparent that the Lord is bringing him into a broader sphere of leadership throughout the many Kazakh fellowships in the country.  Last year he was asked to preach at regional and national conferences in his area and in Almaty.  He also had an opportunity to participate in a Central Asian church conference in Cyprus.  His vision is to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands to help bring forth committed people of faith who find their identity in Christ through their own Kazakh language and culture.

KENYA  – PAUL continued to teach, train, mentor, and disciple the Pastors of the Least , who live and minister hope among the poorest of the poor in the Kiberia slum on the outskirts of the capital city Nairobi. The pastors graduate each year from the Disciple Support Ministry’s school with the Word of God imbedded deep into their hearts and minds, as the program ensures that the Bible is studied line upon line.   They are proof that the power of the Word of God transforms lives!

TAJIKISTAN – RUSTAM and ZAMIRA whose ministry are among children of Muslim and Gypsy families, moved from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to Dushanbe, Tajikistan with their two children to continue their evangelism, in spite of learning that the government had just made it unlawful to “proselytize” (meaning sharing the Gospel with) children, and also banned children from participating in religious activities. They cautiously continue to meet with families and children and share the love of Jesus with them.  Rustam carries a burden of helping fathers build good, healthy relationships with their children.

TURKEY –  SARGON who had for several years traveled from his home in Kazakhstan to minister to Turkish and Iranian believers in Turkey, finally moved permanently with his wife and two youngest children to Turkey.  There, his ministry is flourishing and expanding.   Sargon’s online Bible teaching course in Farsi kept progressing very well for the Iranians in Turkey.  It also reaches believers inside Iran, also providing them access to learning the Word of God.  Every quarter, he conducted Biblical leadership conferences for Iranians, and, in cooperation with a Korean church, established a part- time seminary of Biblical  studies for future Iranian pastors.  He also networked well with the Turkish communities of believers,  and was often invited to come and minister in their churches.

 SOUTH SUDAN – MATTHEW continued evangelizing among his people in the capital city of Juba, and adding to the flock of believers.  He lead two congregations in the city, and was able to finish building  a new church facility on his property, due to generous donors through The Bridge.  It is necessary to be sheltered during the rainy season.  He and a team of ten of his leaders traveled to Uganda to minister among the thousands of South Sudanese refugees congregating in the capital city of Kampala.  Matthew is an evangelist at heart, and, as such, preached at a number of rallies in various contexts.

SOUTH SUDAN—WILLIAM and his team made an extraordinary effort  to rebuild the mission center, the farm, and the radio and outreach compound near Nimule, after warring factions had destroyed so much.  A donor helped toward the completion of the media center building, from which daily radio Gospel programs are beamed in many tribal languages across the region, reaching several hundred thousand people.

BLESSINGS  to those of our HARVESTERS not mentioned here, and those of you who invested resources into their lives and ministries.  Again—THANK YOU!   R.K. Ulrich

 

DEAR FRIENDS AND PARTNERS,

The year was 1983. While traveling through the “Valley of Roses” in Bulgaria, I had a vision… a picture of a large bridge reaching from the United States, across Europe and Russia—deep into Central Asia, at that time only known as the foreboding Soviet Gulag. This bridge consisted of living stones — of people with the same purpose of heart and mind: help resource the suffering church living under the oppressive Stalinist communist regime behind the then Iron Curtain. The message was simple: “Return to the States and BE A BRIDGE… don’t build one.” The motto was clear, “Linking God’s People to Reach the Unreached”, with the underpinning Scripture verses from 2 Corinthians 9:9-15, “…As it is written,’ He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness…“ Upon my return to the States that fall, with help of my local church, The Bridge was launched.

The following year, while writing a summary of the ministry’s activities in the very first Annual Bridge Report, I remember being in tears, overwhelmed and humbled in thanks to God for the generosity of our newfound Stateside partners — a group of people who enthusiastically and sacrificially joined us in our labor to make the vision a reality. Their prayers and financial donations helped build the initial supply routes through which we have been bridging resources to the pioneer mission fields abroad. Over the decades, new partners joined us; together, we helped enable young believers in the nations to grow in faith and knowledge of the Word of God, become more effective in pioneer evangelism, church planting and church leadership, embrace Jesus’ call to make disciples, and reach out to the needy in their local communities through a variety of mercy ministries. We came alongside and helped them in their sowing, planting, and watering—always with the awareness that the growth comes from the Lord, alone, through the love and power of His Spirit! Gradually, the indigenous believers matured, developed their own ministries, and in many cases became financially independent from The Bridge. Our role changed from overseers to equal ministry partners. We call them, in addition to various other like-minded ministers with whom we cooperate in the mission field, HARVESTERS.

Today, thirty five years, more than 10 million dollars distributed, and thousands of transformed lives later on four continents, I am again summarizing the Annual Bridge Report with the same sense of deep gratitude and humility at the privilege of serving the Lord with so many dedicated partners on the home front, and faithful Harvesters abroad.

Those who contribute to The Bridge in 2017, have received this report with a donor statement as the official contribution receipt to their postal address . The Bridge International, Inc. is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit, 501(c)(3) religious organization with EIN no. 65-0100609; any contribution you give is exempt from Federal Taxes.

2017 IN REVIEW — THE PRAYER TEAM

A group of people I have not mentioned above, is a few individuals whom I want to specifically thank and honor: the members of The Bridge Prayer Team. They are a handful of individuals who have been longstanding friends of ours. Each of them are strong individualists who live in diverse states—Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Texas, but they have one thing in common: they feel called by God to watch and pray for the Body of Christ in the nations, and have made themselves available to do the heavy lifting of prayer and intercession for The Bridge – our family, our Stateside partners, the Harvesters in the field, and the church at large. We all meet online once every two weeks to share updates, concerns, prayer requests, and testimonies of answered prayers. They also meet and pray several times a week. They are a blessing to us all, especially to Steve and me at this time, as he is again struggling through some serious health issues.

2017 IN REVIEW – THE HARVESTERS

In November, we published pictures of some of the Harvesters we sponsor and the countries where they serve. They represent only those who have chosen to live and minister openly as followers of Jesus Christ. Others who live in closed or hostile nations to the Gospel and work clandestinely underground, are for security reasons not mentioned in our publications. Characteristic of all the Harvesters are their clarity of vision, personal sacrifices, courage and endurance; standing in faith in face of serious setbacks and apparent insurmountable problems.

They all sense the importance of seeing new believers be transformed into disciples of Jesus and provide them one-on-one mentoring toward leadership through serious, solid Bible teaching and life groups; the emphasis being on cultivating a personal relationship with God and with one another.

If you want to know more about the individual Harvesters and the Projects we sponsor, you will find the information under RECENT POSTS and ARCHIVE on the right sidebar, and earlier issues of The Bridge Report under the PDF ARCHIVE on the horizontal bar at the top.

2017 IN REVIEW — SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS

Varughese Mathew and his wife continue to labor among the orphans in their two orphanages and various unreached indigenous peoples on the Indian Andaman Islands.  Following is an example of an urgent, practical need being met by a donation received from one of our partners. Varughese contacted us and let us know the old freezers in their two orphanages used to store meat and fish bought once a week, were broken, resulting in rotten food that had to be discarded. “Could you help us purchase two new freezers?” Due to our partner’s generosity, the immediate answer was, “Yes—the money is on its way!”

Dawa Buthia, an ethnic Tibetan and former Buddhist from Bhutan, founder and leader of Himalayan Good News Networking Ministry has raised up hundreds of pioneer who are now evangelists and church planters spread out into some of the cities and also villages in the more remote Himalayan mountains between Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibet. A couple of generous gifts enabled us to help fund their Bible Training Center and resource some of the poorest Bhutanese mountain pastors.

Sargon Daniali is in the midst of a fruitful harvesting field among his Iranian people in Turkey and beyond.  There are again demonstrations in the streets of Tehran and other cities against the oppressive Islamic regime; this time the people are less fearful, and more expressive, indicating there is a spiritual hunger in the nation for a new reality. The Bridge has provided Sargon 1,000 Farsi Bibles, and another ministry has given him 20,000 for distribution. Sargon’s online Bible teaching course is progressing very well. He also serves many Turkish churches, and conducted several leadership conferences among Iranian and Turkish believers. His team has translated an excellent book on God’s Covenant from English to Farsi.

Through Sargon, we were introduced to a very effective Christian drug rehab center for Russians and Ukrainians in Istanbul. The Bridge financed an agricultural project (chickens, rabbits, vegetables, fruit trees) which might help the center toward the goal of becoming financially self-sufficient.

Yermek Balykbekov in Karaganda, Kazakhstan is pastoring less at the Sunday services of the larger Russian church – rather focusing more on individual discipling and leadership training among his own Kazakh people. He participated in several leadership conferences in Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, the latter being life-changing. In spite of severe persecution of Christian believers, Yermek met a flock of courageous, fearless, mature leaders, who oversee over 800 underground home-groups in the country, and they are growing!

In Kyrgyzstan, Rustam and Zamira have had a number of fruitful outreaches among children of Muslim and Gypsy families. Just before Christmas, they visited several towns near the Tajik border and presented the Gospel via the Christmas story to people who had never heard—the enthusiastic responses both among the adults and children were very encouraging!  an Afghan living in the capital of Bishkek, has so matured in faith while waiting in line for an exit visa to immigrate to a Western country. During this time, the Lord has brought him into a powerful ministry to fellow students, guiding him to present the Gospel through the Qu’aran (Koran).

In Afghanistan a friend is doing an outstanding service in building a community center based on Biblical principles for a local community. The team’s outreach of love and care are touching many people’s hearts –and there is spiritual fruit!

A larger gift designated to relief in Haiti enabled us to send funds through two ministry partners who are effectively rebuilding the lives and communities still recovering from the some of the areas most devastated by hurricane Matthew—more about that in an upcoming report.

In Bosnia, Robert and Sandrina Jurjevich keep on serving the Muslim community in Sarajevo. They had to leave the facility rented for the church and community center, but are in the process of obtaining the ownership of another building which will also include the Woman’s Center led by Sandrina.

A Harvester team dear to our hearts have been called to show up at their city’s airport and meet visitors on incoming flights from the Middle East with Gospel tracts and a video in their own languages. They also spend months walking through immigrant communities in large cities of Europe, going from door-to-door while delivering their literature—hardship and testimonies are their portion! We help with the literature printing.

In South Sudan, we sent funds for a water line to supply fresh water to William Levi’s ministry center on Gordon mountain near the city of Nimule in the southern part of the country. We continue to sponsor Matthew Deng Dut and some of his projects in the capital of Juba. South Sudan is one of the most unstable and volatile places on earth! Undeterred by many obstacles, they and others (the Kuj family in Tonj, and the Starks in Juba) continue faithfully to build community and rebuild people’s lives, even in face war and threats of war!

The Cowley family continue to serve the Pastors of the Least in the slums in Nairobi, Kenya , by teaching and discipling them through their Disciple Support Bible Institute. Every year, the student body grows in numbers and depth of Bible knowledge — they learn to live the Gospel, not just preach it!

Thanks, again, for participating with us in raising the banner of Jesus

Who is the Light in  a very dark world!