Ministry Update: November 2020
Dear friends and supporters of The Mark43 Institute,
It is with great joy that we are beginning to send out newsletters. After approximately 2 years of registration and delays due to the worldwide pandemic, thanks be to God, the board members that serve on our team in Nigeria have completed the registration process, and are only waiting on official documentation from the government allowing us to begin working as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Nigeria (we will have this by years end!).
Therefore, since we are ending the registration journey and beginning our work in earnest, I am writing to provide an update on how God has been at work in this vessel known as The Mark43 Institute.
Serving on a cold, wet and windy evening
Local Ministry in Carthage, OH
We continue partnering with local groups to provide help for the homeless and food insecure in Carthage, OH. Mark43 has been ministering in Carthage for nearly 3 years now, and although our goal is to enable people to break free from the conditions that hold them where they are, in the meantime many are still hungry, they still need a place to stay, they still need to know that someone loves them and, as winter approaches they need the kind of cold-weather gear that will protect them from the elements.
If you would like to partner with us to help meet some of these temporal needs, especially providing cold-weather gear as winter is upon us, please go to the donation section at the bottom of the newsletter.
Ministry in Nigeria
As I mentioned above, the coronavirus pandemic slowed down our efforts in establishing a greenhouse farming and training center in Nigeria, but we have still been able to make a substantial impact and sow seeds that has helped hundreds there. Instead of sitting on our money until the day we would begin working towards our goals, we realized that the more faithful direction was to invest in like-minded organizations that were already busily at work and in need of financial support.
Therefore, we decided to sow $6,000 into a trusted Nigerian NGO. From that $6,000 we helped a missionary organization buy a truck that is now helping them transport biblical literature without having to depend upon public transport. A portion of the money helped a local orphanage that supports orphaned children and widows with education, job training, food, and medicine. Here is a short note we received from one lady that was helped through our gift.
“I am writing to appreciate Mark43 for the helping hand that was given to me, a widow with three children, and to my mother who was hospitalized as a result of a stroke. With the money received we bought medicine for her. I was also able to balance my house rent and provide food for my children. May God bless you and the ministry for the timely help; we are grateful.”
We received dozens of these notes from individuals that were helped by our donation ... and we only gave $6,000! What will happen when we really begin working in earnest and investing much more to see Nigerian lives flourish?! Needless to say, the response we received has invigorated us! This is what happens when you give generously; it encourages you to give more so that God do more with what you’ve given. Our expectations of what God will do is very high!
Organizations We Supported
Along with the NGO we supported in Nigeria, we also distributed $5,000 between The Nairobi Girls Chorale in Nairobi, Kenya, the Nigerian work of Back2Back Ministries, a local ministry called Spirit & Truth—an organization that helps make disciples in the Wesleyan tradition—and a legal fund that is working towards the release of persecuted Christians around the globe. We did this because we believe that the things God entrusts to us, both organizationally and individually, is meant to be governed as stewards. That means, sometimes God gives it to us because he wants to bless others with it. Therefore, it is our blessing to be used as conduits through which God’s abundance can flow to others! In other words, we are privileged to bless others because we know our Father in heaven is looking after us. As St. Paul said, “God will supply all of your needs, according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Mark43 began with a vision of sowing seeds to create the kinds of conditions where growth in God’s kingdom is possible. Perhaps you are interested in working with us. If so, please click the button below to find out more about the work we intend to do and how you can support. Thank you and keep on!