Happy New Year!

“new , nuevo, nouveau, novo, mpya, naya”

I hear “New” being said in many languages and it always brings a sense of hope. One of the most exciting new things ahead in 2025 is the record number of international short term trips that are scheduled. Our first Short-Term Team of the year arrived in SE Asia this week

The team’s “base” for this trip will be “Grace Clinic” in Mae Sot Thailand. This brand new facility connected with Grace Church is in a refugee settlement on the border with Myanmar. It is the ONLY clinic for days of walking and serves some of the most vulnerable people on earth at this moment.

Because of you, many new things are ahead in 2025! FAME is honored to partner with you to send teams to share the news of Jesus because “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Thank you for your partnership!

There’s a lot of talk about knowing your “why.” I tell you a lot of stories about the people and projects of the “how” of medical evangelism, but as we head into a new year, may I emphasize the “why” and take it a step further to ask for your prayer?

Part of the results of what you make possible at FAME are in our “control” but there is one part that is up to the Holy Spirit.

One thing to pray for in 2025 is that each person treated in the name of Jesus and who is told the good news will respond “Yes!” to Jesus!

Every FAME partner has a plan for evangelism. Each one is a little different but they are all intentional in their approach.  Above is a picture of the Chaplain’s motorcycle for one African partner. They not only share the good news while someone is a patient at their clinics, but the chaplain follows up and visits them afterwards too! At this specific mission, which has multiple 24/7 clinics, the chaplain is also the church planting director for the area!

So a prayer request for 2025 is that doors will open for FAME partners and trip participants to share the gospel (our part) and that each person who hears will respond “Yes!” to Jesus!

Thank you for your partnership in medical evangelism!

Dear FAME Prayer Partner,

Blessings in the New Year! Thank you so much for your continued support of the ministry of FAME through prayer. It is because of faithful prayer warriors like you that our ministry is strengthened and that people all around the world are being healed both physically and spiritually through medical evangelism. We at FAME have seen God’s blessings this past year and we look forward to seeing what God has planned for the ministry in 2025.

As we start a new year, may we remember that no matter what lies ahead in the coming year, Jesus is right there with us guiding us, comforting us and strengthening us in times of need and uncertainty. Recently I came across a devotional in Guideposts that speaks of just that and how sometimes we just need to be reminded that Jesus is in control.

The author writes about a gift that was received by her husband and how it gave her comfort for the new year. The gift was a simple framed message penned by a professional calligrapher that read, Trust Me. I have everything under control. Jesus

She goes on to write, He set the frame down amidst the clutter on the kitchen counter so I could see that simple message as I went about my tasks. Slowly those words began to change my frame of mind. If I needed something to help me carry my old concerns into the New Year, I’d just found it … the determination to face each day’s concerns, trusting in the words of this promise from the Source of all comfort and strength.

How wonderful it is knowing that Jesus is always with us. He comforts us, strengthens us, and hears our prayers.

As we start the new year, please partner with us in praying for the following that are on each day of the January calendar.

• God’s provision for the ministry in the coming year
• FAME Board members as they continue to lead the ministry
• A short-term medical mission team that will be going to Thailand to serve with Asia Christian Services. Pray for not only the team, but the people they will be serving around Mae Sot. Mae Sot sits at the border of Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. The ACS clinic is serving thousands of refugees who are fleeing Burma, as well as those who live in the surrounding area.

Thank you again for your partnership in prayer and blessings in the coming year

Click here for the January Prayer Calendar

They traveled “afar”
2 hours
3 hours
8 hours
11 hours

What do these all have in common? These are the travel times walking that I have been told recently about people to reach a FAME partner clinic. Before a FAME clinic, or where one is needed the number of hours is higher and sometimes just as many hours driving!

The wisemen who arrived After Jesus was born in Bethlehem followed what they knew. And they found Jesus.

Because of you, every day people “travel afar” seeking what they know they need and they find Jesus!

Timon just wanted to find out what was wrong with his mother. She had been ill for many weeks and no traditional remedies or treatments by ‘practitioners’ in their village were improving her condition. So he packed supplies, and was able to put his mother in a 2 wheel cart that was pulled by his motorcycle.
He drove her the rough (terribly rough) journey for 4 hours to a 24/7 clinic staffed by a nurse who had received a FAME scholarship!

The first good news is that antibiotic and fluids were all she needed for treatment, and the second good news is that because she needed to stay overnight a couple of nights she and Timon heard the GOOD NEWS. Most of your FAME partner clinics are connected to local churches which have been started through medical evangelism. Timon was waiting for his mom and so he was outside of the church and clinic on Sunday morning. People arrived and were kind to him. He remained outside though, but as the service began he was drawn to listen. Next thing Timon knew he was drawn (like the wisemen following the star) into the building.

May I jump to the conclusion that you see coming? Timon and his mom came to the clinic seeking treatment, and they found the true CURE also!

They came seeking one thing and found Jesus!

That’s because of you! As you celebrate the gift of Jesus to the world, could you consider one last gift of the year to help people like Timon and his mom who travel afar to find treatment, but also find the cure in Jesus?

Thank you for your partnership and the opportunity to impact thousands every day around the world with the good news of great joy that is for all people!

This week’s Character of Christmas is YOU!

In the biblical story of the nativity, there may have been an innkeeper who played a subtle yet pivotal role. Though his inn was full and unable to provide a traditional space for Mary and Joseph, he offered the only available option—a stable. This small act of compassion, though seemingly modest, created a safe and sheltered environment for Mary to give birth to Jesus. In a moment of need, the innkeeper’s generosity provided a place of refuge for a family that would change the world.

The vision for the clinic (one day hospital) pictured here began with a crisis of an expectant mother.

She came to a mountain village clinic where a husband/wife physician couple had just opened their first one room consultation clinic. She was in the early stages of labor, so they prepared her and sent her and her husband on a two-hour drive to the nearest hospital for a safe delivery. Tragically that hospital had her wait in the waiting room for hours, so long that a crisis occurred and both the mother and the baby didn’t survive. At that moment – they began planning this facility, which is now ready for the flooring tiles that are scheduled to be delivered this week.

There needs to be a safe place for the 21,000 people who live in the villages surrounding this wonderful new clinic / maternity clinic; and other places like this!

Much like the innkeeper’s act of kindness, FAME partners extend their generosity to create safe spaces for mothers and fathers around the globe. Through your generosity, hospitals, birthing centers, and other facilities have been built, ensuring families have access to secure, supportive environments to welcome their children. Just as the stable became a sanctuary for Mary and Joseph, these places of care stand as testaments to the transformative power of compassion, offering hope and safety to families in need.

The innkeeper’s small but meaningful gesture parallels the impact of you and many people like you who invest in creating havens for families worldwide. Whether a stable in Bethlehem or a fully equipped birthing center, these actions share a common thread: the provision of a safe, nurturing space for the miracle of life to unfold. In both cases, such kindness not only meets immediate needs but also sets a foundation for hope because of the message of the Good News of Great Joy!

Thank you for Providing like the Inn Keeper! You are one of the Characters of Christmas!

Blessings and Merry Christmas!

I like the Shepherds! After seeing and hearing from the angels, the shepherds in Luke 2 hurried to find Jesus. Their response to Jesus is most amazing, and the exact reason medical evangelism works!

The shepherds “reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them…. They returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard.”

That’s why medical evangelism works; people see and hear the love of Jesus- the good news.

Jonathon lived in a family and community that did not follow Jesus. In fact they lived in a anti-christian community. But for his whole childhood Jonathon had heard about Jesus from being invited to VBS, and missionaries, and the few Christians in his community. As an adult he experienced a life threatening snake bite and went to a FAME partner clinic in the village near his own. Here’s his story in his own words:

My whole life I have had Christians tell and tell me about this Jesus. I believed he was a historical person, and probably a good man, but I had no interest in him. THEN I was at the clinic and the people there treated me differently than I had ever been treated. They were caring, loving, and happy! Even though I was a different religion than them, they still treated me, and treated me well. My families religion, we only treat our own people well. So when I was nearing my release and the doctor asked me if I knew about Jesus, and told me about him…I was interested, because I had seen and heard the gospel in the Christians who cared for me there! I now am following Jesus because of the staff at that clinic.

That is medical evangelism. Telling and Showing the good news!

Thank you for your partnership that allow FAME to partner with thousands who share the good news by showing and telling! So that the love of Christ can be seen and heard.

I am always impressed with Joseph. His first response at the knowledge that Mary was with child was one of questioning and understanding. BUT when he heard the message from the angel, he was responsive.

Questions are normal, but because of partners like YOU, this birth on Christmas Day brought an amazing response!

Vilya and her husband were responsive too. In their country, their family celebrated Christmas by exchanging gifts. As she was expecting her first child, Vilya and her husband arrived at the newly opened FAME Mother/Child Clinic on Christmas Eve, ready to welcome their baby. After the birth of their beautiful boy, the hospital chaplain spoke with them and asked what they thought about their son sharing a birthday with Jesus.They didn’t know who Jesus was.

The chaplain found out that they celebrated Christmas by giving and receiving gifts but had no idea about the gift of life that could only be found in Jesus! They had never known why they celebrated Christmas, and that Christ was the name of a baby being celebrated each year! Last I heard, they were attending church and seeking to learn more about this baby Jesus who shared a birthday with their son. Your partnership with FAME brings responses like Joseph’s in the lives of thousands every week!

Thank you for your partnership in the past. If you’d like to know more about a current opportunity to help people like Vilya and her husband you can click HERE !

I don’t know exactly how many people are thankful for you…but I can give you some numbers to start with!

• 87 received Surgeries at Peredo Christian Hospital in Haiti last year
• 383 had Surgeries in Mashoko Hospital in Zimbabwe so far this year
• 3765 patients were treated at Charles Selby Hospital in the Philippines last year
• 7,109 patients visit Jacmel Haiti in 2023
• 14 people received ultrasound scans when a team from this Philippines Hospital took a two-hour drive from the hospital to Marag Valley, carrying their supplies, walked for 20 minutes to reach a boat. Then it was a 45-minute boat ride to reach the destination.
• 1 little weak eight year old girl who had a 105 degree fever when being carried onto the Medical Mission Boat on the Amazon River was treated with antibiotic and ibuprofen

These are just a few thousand of the people I know who are THANKFUL FOR YOU! There are others directly around your daily life too, but when you partner with FAME financially, over 2 Million People are Thankful for you every year!

You are FAME, and they are grateful for ALL THAT FAME does for the nearly 80 global partners annually.

When I am planning for the next year or so, sometimes I wish I could see the future. John did.

He saw “…every tribe and language and people and nation….” Seven times he recorded that they would be part of the Kingdom of God in the book of Revelation.

One thing I know about the future is that YOU are part of reaching every tribe and language and people and nation when you partner with FAME ! If the Lord allows, next year will be similar to this year;

• teams will travel to countries to open doors for the gospel
• medical equipment and supplies will be shipped to support global partners
• scholarships will be given to students serving with a FAME global partner
• grants will be given to sustainable projects to provide access to healthcare where there is limited access to healthcare and the gospel currently

Impact will occur among every tribe and language and people and nation!

 

 

 

 

 

That is what the future holds! One place we’d like to see a sustainable project finished is with a highly evangelistic partner who is building a Clinic “for children, moms, dads, and their families that will be a HUB for reaching people in this region with the gospel. Delivering high quality patient centered healthcare will draw patients from all over opening the door for evangelism.” They presented FAME with plans having the following headings:

• On Site Evangelism
• Follow Up of New Converts
• Recurring On-site Evangelism
• Gospel literature campaign
• Off-Site Evangelism and Community Outreach

When I think about next year and the future I am grateful for YOU and the global partners who are reaching every tribe and language and people and nation by intentional Medical Evangelism. When you partner with FAME in the last two months of 2024, you are supporting the fulfillment of the vision Jesus gave to John in the book of Revelation.

Some FAME partners are brand new in 2024 as your impact grows and increases around the globe. But other FAME partners have been connected for decades, and their influence is astonishing!

One such partner has established many clinics across their country. Each location is remote, requiring half a day to a full day to travel between them, not only because of the distance but also due to the poor road conditions—if you can even call them roads. These clinics serve as true outposts of the gospel in predominantly Muslim communities. On a recent visit by one of our FAME staff members, they observed that every church building connected to most of the clinics (either on the property or adjacent) was solidified or built after the establishment of the clinic. Each building, a hut-like structure, currently holds around 100 people for services. However, at more than one of these sites, construction is underway for simple but larger church buildings that will accommodate 500+ people for a service!

Each clinic has a chaplain who is the pastor of the church or a pastor in the church! The founder of this mission – whom I will name and identify next week in “Part Two” said the quote above on the subject line. It is from the middle of this sentence, Why do we partner with FAME? Because Medical Evangelism…it works! For sharing the gospel and church planting.