RENEWED Ministries Update – 2 February

This is the RENEWED Ministries update for 2 February 2021 as provided by Reverend Courtney Richards.

Dear friends and prayer partners, greetings and sanitation! I trust that you and your family and loved ones are weathering the storms that life has brought to all of us no matter where on earth we are living out our God-given calling. Only by God’s grace, strength, wisdom and power can we be triumphant in these very dark times. If we didn’t know it before, we should know it now, our lasting and eternal hope is in God alone!

The last several weeks, from the end of last year into the beginning of this year, have been very challenging for me. I have lost friends (and some of their relatives have also died) to COVID-19 in South Africa and the USA. Others have passed away to different illnesses. Still others have been infected with the coronavirus or have had other illnesses in various countries. We have seen some recover yet others continue to struggle. Some persons on our teams have suffered job and income loss. They have turned to us to help them survive. We have tried our best with limited resources to help as best as we can.

Never have I seen so many people die or be seriously ill in such a short period of time in all my life! I am drained and overwhelmed with grief and the responsibility that comes with shepherding, encouraging, counselling, mentoring and nurturing people of faith, to faith and in faith! I have come to more fully realize what it means to be an intercessor as I daily pray for the numerous prayer requests that come to me.

Yet, in all of this, I have seen persons survive and thrive –  victorious over the dread of the coronavirus and the dread of loss! I have seen others press on with their calling to make disciples, in the midst of unforeseen challenges, and they continue to see people commit their lives to God and follow Jesus. And so, we too must press on, to fulfil Jesus’ Great Commission – to make disciples of the nations! Helping people follow Jesus with their whole lives is our greatest calling!

How and when to do it is not an easy decision in some instances. As you know, we have Africa missions planned for South Africa, Kenya and Uganda from May to the end of July this year. The Coronavirus has hit South Africa hard. Indeed, South Africa is one of the countries with a new variant of COVID-19 which is more infectious and more deadly, medical experts say. The USA has recently banned flights coming from South Africa. Some of our ministry partners there think it is not wise to travel to South Africa at this time. Others tell us to wait and pray, which we are already doing. Meanwhile, our leaders in Kenya and Uganda advise us to still come as their situation is not as bad.

We have invited leaders from several other East and Southern Africa countries to Nairobi, Kenya and Kampala, Uganda for our consultations and training in July. How will that work? Will it be safe for them to travel if the virus is still raging? These and other questions confront us as a ministry like never before.  

So please continue to pray with us as we face these questions and the decisions that come with them. We have an Executive Committee meeting scheduled for February 18 in which there will be discussion and likely decisions on our teams going forward. WE NEED GOD’S WISDOM AND POWER FOR NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!!

Thank you for being a prayer, ministry and financial partner of RENEWED Ministries. I truly love and appreciate each of you and your partnership with us over the years to help us fulfil our central commission to make disciples of the nations for the Kingdom and glory of God.

As we continue to serve those in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean helping them in several ways through these difficult times, we depend on your continued support in prayer and finances. May God graciously and generously bless you for your faithful love and service to His Kingdom building!

Abundant love and grace to you. Shalom aleichem!

Always in God’s grip,

Courtney

Mailing address:
RENEWED Ministries, P.O. Box 1229, Mishawaka, Indiana, USA 46546.
For online giving via PayPal donate at: www.renewed-ministries.org.

For more on Reverend Richards’ missionary journey, go to our Archive pages.