This article was originally published in the December 2022 edition of ITMI Monthly.
We asked our partners to share some of the ways Jesus’ kingdom was advanced this year. We hope you are encouraged by their answers and the special messages they have for you!
What are you thankful for this year?
Richard and I are beyond thankful for each and every single person that immediately jumped into action to help support us and Bread of Life with the war in Ukraine.
From the first day of the war, Bread of Life has not only been to the border of Poland/Ukraine, Ukraine/Moldova, but we have been beyond the border - going as far east as Kharkiv - delivering over 10,000 pounds of humanitarian aid and food.
The New Life Center has been occupied beyond capacity since day 1 of the war. Currently we have nearly 30 people residing at the New Life Center - including two newborn babies. And - a huge praise - we are putting in two tiny homes this very fall at the New Life Center. Our goal is 10 tiny homes (at $55,000 each). These homes are going to help Ukrainians that come from utterly devastated regions to build a life in Poland while waiting for the war to subside and rebuilding to begin.
In Kalisz, immediately a huge warehouse/store was given to Bread of Life in one of the most prestigious shopping malls - donations began flowing in from the UK - and the shop filled to brim and overflowing. It has opened as a “Ukrainian Free Shop” - allowing refugees and families the ability to find clothing, shoes, supplies, and more. This shop had over 400 refugees come through its door on day one. It has been an especially HUGE blessing, considering most refugees crossed the border with only backpacks on their backs.
This summer, Bread of Life was also able to host nearly 100 Ukrainian and Polish children with summer camps. We heard from many that it was the best time of the children’s summer!
There are so many stories that it is impossible to share them all here - but please know that we, Richard and Brooke Nungesser, are so grateful for your sacrificial giving, prayers, and love. It goes across continents and borders and into war zones.
What would you say to your supporters?
Our hearts are broken by this war in Ukraine. And, despite the war, we have encountered the most amazingly resilient people in the world. Because so many of you have walked alongside of us for the last 20 years, we did not have to even think before serving Ukrainian refugees and Internally Displaced People of Ukraine.
Thank you for living with grace and mercy, love and compassion. Thank you for allowing us to serve with you these last 20 years. Our family, Richard, Brooke, Adelyne, Maxwell, and Josephine, is forever grateful!
Merry Christmas, our friends, and Happy New Year!
May God go before you each day, bless you with health, strength, grace, mercy, and unfailing love.
We say at Poznan International Church - Love Never Fails. It comes from the Bible, so we hold these truths in our own hearts and lives, as well. And we wish this for your life, too!
What are you thankful for this year?
We are incredibly thankful for the conclusion of our fourth Polish Bible Translation Project—one of the first, if not the first, study Bibles on the Polish market! I know it’s hard to believe because if you’re in the States, you can pick from study Bibles of all shapes and sizes. This is not the case in Poland—so this project was a trailblazer!
We were honored to partner with Life Publishers and the Pentecostal Church in Poland. It took us three years to conclude. The result? A thing of beauty: a Polish edition of FireBible, over 2,000 pages thick, a couple thousand study notes, 70 articles, and numerous other unique features, including a concordance we built from scratch.
All of this alongside the translation that you have supported through ITMI. Moments like that are what we live for! The study Bible came out at the end of September and sold a thousand copies on the day of the release alone!
We are also thankful for being able to meet the challenge of the influx of war refugees from Ukraine. Poland is bearing the brunt of this wave, being the country most often chosen by the people running away from the war.
Since the end of February, a whopping seven million have already crossed the border into the country, although just under two million have stayed—it’s difficult to tell for sure since a lot of people keep moving back and forth. As you can imagine, this is nothing short of a crisis situation.
The housing market has skyrocketed, and we now have about 200 thousand children in the public education system, many of whom barely speak the national language. It’s especially hard to see groups of Ukrainian teenagers roaming the city streets at night, belonging nowhere.
Your help through ITMI has been invaluable. Along with other sister churches in the Poznań area, we have had our hands full with finding and furnishing lodging and plugging the newcomers into their new surroundings. This last task is possibly the most challenging—and it is still ongoing.
We were able to sponsor a few teenagers from our church for Christian summer camps, and we are currently helping with care for a few foster children from Ukraine.
How did God provide encouragement this year?
After three years of Covid, in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis, we were so encouraged by the visit from Steve Evers, Johan Leach, and the ITMI team. When you get busy battling the storm, it’s easy to feel alone. The group had a packed-full ministry schedule, but it felt good to steal a few minutes to talk about life and share a meal at the best burger place in the world which happens to be in Poznań.
In the midst of the influx of refugees, K5N church needed more resources than we had. God used ITMI, NVBC, and the churches around Randall Runions to encourage us and enhance our reach. This year, as never before, showed us the value of TEAM work. TEAM — meaning: Together Each Achieved More.
We are deeply thankful for your partnership and could not imagine working or ministering differently, and I am sure we will receive equal rewards.
They call it love and encouragement.
We call it the General Fund
Your year-end contribution to the ITMI General Fund enables our staff to provide the support our partners in the field rely on.
What are you thankful for this year?
As I am sure is true not only for us, but for many people around the world, especially in Europe - the eruption of the war in Ukraine was the most terrifying and significant moment in 2022. It has set our daily life on a different trajectory.
The question arose - how do we respond to a multitude of refugees running for their lives. By God's grace, until now we have been able to help and love those whom God brought to our doors. In the midst of this human disaster, we have seen God at work, saving lives from the war, as well as for eternity.
We are a different church, we are different people - more compassionate, more caring, and, thank God, more loving toward “sojourners”. God's faithfulness is with us, His provision helps us to be light in dark times. All the glory be to Him.
What would you say to your supporters?
We lack proper words to express our gratitude and appreciation toward all who spontaneously and generously stood up at this critical moment. But for sure we can say - if this help hadn’t come at the right moment, we wouldn’t have been able to help right away in such a massive way.
But it was not only spontaneity but it is also ongoing faithfulness and interest to keep walking with us the extra mile that we are thankful for - and be sure, there will be many more miles to walk yet. May He take all the glory and abundantly reward all His faithful servants.
We can do because of you!!!!
What are you thankful for this year?
There are so many things to be thankful for, but we as a ministry see the below as a miracle and we are really grateful to God for it.
The story of Spring of Love school began with Eugene’s dream to share the gospel whilst teaching, especially the young. Spring of Love started out of a Bible study where Eugene would meet on Sunday to share the word of God with the people of Lubemba village and the surrounding rural areas.
With time he recognized that an effective way to share Jesus would be through a school right inside Lubemba village. When classes began in 2020 it was exciting to see a lot of parents calling it an answered prayer because their children would now get a Christ-centered education.
On the other hand, the closest accommodation that could be found for Spring of Love teachers was not less than 18 km (~11 miles) of bicycling or walking along a dangerous highway - frequently in the rain during rainy season. Financial resources were also being depleted by paying rent at the guest lodge for the three teachers.
Your support enabled us to finish the completion of the teachers' houses which we must say has brought a lot of relief.
With your support, three apartments are now constructed! This means that the teachers are walking less than 5 minutes to class to deliver a lesson. They are not as exhausted but rather have quality time to spend with the students.
The houses have electricity which means the teachers can now prepare their work peacefully in the light after dark. This could only be possible because you gave. Words cannot express our gratitude enough for what you have enabled Spring of Love school to be today.
What was a significant moment for you or your ministry in 2022?
For quite some time, we were struggling to find spare parts for our mission tractor. We recently had to consider ordering a very expensive diesel pump from overseas since the parts were not available in South Africa. Then a few days later we saw a tractor for sale in a town close to us.
The tractor was in a very good condition and its parts are readily available in South Africa. Our son, Jurie, then said, "Will the Lord not help us to buy this tractor?" We prayed together and trusted the Lord with him, not sharing the need with anyone.
A few days later we received a donation from the Lord through ITMI with a request to use the money where most needed. It was a miracle for us! The Lord in His faithfulness provided funds for us to buy the tractor and transport it to the mission.
We just stood in awe of the Lord's provision and faithfulness to His children.
What did your supporters enable you and your ministry to accomplish for His kingdom this year?
The Lord laid it on our hearts and provided us with funds to set up a bakery to serve the local community. We are very grateful for the opportunities we receive through the bakery to build relationships with and to reach out to the people in Onseepkans. In recent years, there have been high increases in food prices worldwide.
This has also greatly affected the communities in Onseepkans. With the funds we received from ITMI for bread flour, we could supply bread at an inexpensive price to the local shops and they in turn could sell bread at an affordable price to their clients.
In this way we could not only reach out to the community, but also to the other shop owners sharing about the Bread of Life.
What would you say to your supporters?
We sincerely want to thank all our supporters for their prayers and support throughout the past year.
We greatly value your partnership in building the Lord's kingdom in Onseepkans. May our Lord richly bless and reward you!
We wish you and your families a blessed Christmas season, as we remember the greatest Gift given to mankind. May the Lord also bless you with a safe, healthy, and joyous New Year.
What are you thankful for this year?
It was summer of 2021 that we received a phone call. There was a young man at the other end of the line whose marriage needed help.
Several days after the initial conversation, we scheduled a meeting with him and his wife. They were still in their first years of marriage, and everything looked good on the outside: they had good jobs, a stable financial position and a nice home.
What they did not have was a thriving relationship. The job and time spent away from home took a toll on their marriage, and one of them was ready to leave.
After praying with them and spending time getting to know the situation a bit better, we challenged them to set aside two weeks to pray for their marriage and have a special day for fasting. We asked them to let us know if they had decided to give it another chance.
By God’s grace they did!
We began meeting with them on a regular basis for counseling.
Despite trying to connect with them and helping them move forward, things were stalling. It was late in the spring of 2022 when the Lord enabled us to see a breakthrough: they both decided to be more intentional about re-connecting and grow in their relationship with the Lord and one another.
That’s when a clear shift took place, and things got slowly better. Before we left for the US at the end of August, they came to our home and we encouraged and prayed with them, thanking the Lord for how He worked through us to restore their marriage.
We praise the Lord for allowing us to witness another marriage saved through His grace, and we are very thankful for His work and for allowing us and our supporters to have a role in it.
Thank you for partnering with us! Your faithfulness means together we can “write” stories such as the one we just mentioned above, through God’s grace and in His time.
What are you thankful for this year?
We praise God for His gracious gift of 50 new pastors working alongside us for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. It is our joy to see the fruit in their lives and hear the testimonies of their faith as they focus on their own walk with Christ and learn family discipleship – how out of a healthy relationship with Him we as pastors and leaders can lead our churches.
The growth, humility, and passion of these champions are a great encouragement to us.
Thank you for your love in this impossible journey we have been on - only by His supernatural grace and mercy are we still here, seeing Him at work.
How did God provide encouragement this year?
We praise the Lord for the gift of our unity of hearts as Paul and I cheer each other on to seek Christ and give our all when tempted with great discouragement and fear.
What would you say to your supporters?
We are so thankful for you, the precious ones who are standing with us to make the impossible possible!! Each of you is more than an idea to our children - we pray for your families and praise the Lord for you!
What did your supporters enable you and your ministry to accomplish this year?
Together we were responsible for sharing God’s love and compassion in both spiritual and practical growth.
Through our combined efforts, more than thirty new rural churches have been planted, many souls received salvation and discipleship is taking place on an unprecedented scale.
More than one thousand Luvale Bibles have been given into the hands of the Luvale peoples, leading to a surge in individuals excited about sharing the Word with their neighbors!
Evangelism and theological training has expanded to new towns and cities resulting in a groundswell of pastors and leaders attending and strengthening their preaching and teaching.
Seven new freshwater boreholes have been installed out in the remote areas on the flood plains across the Zambezi River.
Structures that support the spread of the Gospel were developed, such as our forward base in Mahina. At Mahina, we made progress on structures that will help our team assist with monthly mobile medical clinic services, allow veggie gardens to flourish as well as provide a place for holding training sessions in various disciplines.
With your support we were able to upgrade the medical services provided at the maternity clinic in Chilombo, Angola. We also demonstrated God’s love by manufacturing reusable, washable sanitary wear and gifting them to young ladies who have no means or access to these basic necessities.
What would you say to your supporters?
How can one say THANK YOU in such a way that the giver really understands what difference their contribution has made? For without our supporters, the task to fulfill the call would be that much more challenging.
One fact I do know is that you are shoring up treasures in heaven and we are ever grateful that you are doing this by supporting our mission.
What are you thankful for this year?
From the time Covid-19 started in 2020 our school activities came to a complete halt. Lockdowns created immediate hardship for the families of our children (we thank God for ITMI’s nonstop support during those very difficult days so that we could periodically provide groceries for our students and neighborhood families).
Our children lost two whole academic years while we were closed by government order and many struggled with hunger daily. We praise God that we could finally re-open in June 2022 and minister to 50 students daily!
We thank God for faithfully leading us to towns to train local pastors and leaders to share the gospel with Muslims. Many of our trainees have had meaningful conversations or shared the Gospel with their friends and many have even started seeing fruit for their labor.
We thank God for new openings to train others in northern parts of our state.
Several times we have had to cancel outreaches due to issues finding parts for our used vehicle. We began to feel that we needed a different car. The resale value was dropping, but God in His mercies helped us sell this car and buy another in October 2022.
We thank God for His timely help so that our ministry was not affected.
What did your supporters enable you to accomplish for His kingdom this year?
It is our strong conviction that without the partnership, prayer, and support of our supporters we couldn’t do much. With your help, poor children were provided with good food and a quality preschool education. Some very poor but intelligent Deepam alumni were helped with admission fees so they could attend grade school and are doing well.
Impoverished widows received medicine. Most importantly our team has a wide-open door to visit the families of our students to counsel, pray and share the Gospel! Our staff receives regular support. Rural pastors and believers were equipped to share the gospel meaningfully. All this happens because of our supporters.
In all humility, we say THANK YOU for your faith and trust in us and for supporting us faithfully so that together we can do the kingdom work of the Lord in this needy part of the world.
What are you thankful for this year?
I’m thankful the Lord kept me alive. I was sick for almost a month, unable to eat or drink. It was the first time I was this sick.
I’m thankful for His protection, His love, His care, and His grace. I’m thankful for your help in accomplishing what Jesus said in Matt 28:20, and for entrusting me with this wonderful job. This is all because of the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without you, I can not do it.
Thanks for your support of me and my family.
What did your supporters enable you to accomplish for His kingdom this year?
Together we ministered to the vulnerable - women, the needy, widows, and orphans. We provided training and counseling. We visited them and preached to them. We taught them to know more about Christ and the joy of knowing Him and we shared the Gospel with them.
Each of you has done an excellent job, your support has changed the lives of many people.
What would you say to your supporters?
Thank you. ALL of you. May the Lord bless you and keep on doing good and as Paul writes to the Philippians, “…My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
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