601,994.713 Square miles. That is the area of the largest state in Brazil… Amazonas (for reference Texas is 268,820 Square miles). Within this vast area lies the intricate Amazon River system, home to over 32,000 villages accessible only by boat!

One of your FAME partners in Brazil, Central Brazil Mission (CBM) has been traveling BY BOAT from village to village for years, taking the gospel through medical evangelism one village at a time.

CBM’s three-story medical boat, equipped with Exam rooms, Dental suites, a Pharmacy, and housing, travels the Amazon, stopping at villages to treat people in the name of Jesus. People arrive in small boats from nearby settlements and villages to receive treatment and hear the gospel. The team reports, “After providing medical and dental care, we close out the visit with a worship service in the village before we leave. Most of the time, our visit leads to an invitation to return and, ultimately, to the establishment of a new church in the village.” Over 50 churches have been established since 1969 in many of the 70 villages that are their ministry focus.

Amazing regional impact has occurred. Earl Haubner, the founder of CBM, said last week, “Where Jesus goes, everything gets better.” He continued, “We have observed that where the Gospel is preached, life in the whole village gets better. In fact, village leaders have thanked us for bringing Jesus to their villages. In addition to new-found hope through Christ, the people have a better life through better medical care and nutrition and the whole village benefits from the presence of the church and from the local missionary.”

Your partnership with FAME makes this happen, as FAME supports global partners so that Where Jesus goes, everything gets better!

Blessings,

Bill Warren
Executive Director

 

Dear FAME Prayer Partner,

Thank you for your continued partnership with FAME through your prayers for the ministry. We are blessed in knowing that you come alongside us with your faithful prayers for FAME board members, volunteers, mission partners, shipments, scholarship recipients, the staff, or church visits or events each month.

This month, with so many of the kids going back to school, we ask that you partner with us in praying for our 9 FAME scholarship recipients who are studying to become medical professionals in their home countries. These Christian students all desire to serve God through their medical professions. Each of these students are sponsored by a FAME Partner mission and are in the countries of Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, India, and Haiti.

Also, please pray for a medical team of 5 midwives and doulas that will be serving in Kenya with Entepesi Ministry the first week of August. The team is a collection of providers who specialize in women’s health, midwifery, and babies. They will be focused on training local midwives in Kenya who treat women in remote villages.

And then mid-month we have another short-term mission team that will be serving with Central Brazil Mission. This team of 12 participants will be serving on a boat trip along the Amazon River. They will be docking at multiple remote villages along the river and will treat patients both physically and spiritually. Patients will make their way on board the boat to be seen by medical professionals on the team.

The scripture used in this month’s prayer calendar is Hebrews 1:10-12. It reads, In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment, they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. NIV

How wonderful and encouraging it is to know that our Lord, Jesus, is eternal and never changes. May you be blessed by his never-ending love for you!

Thank you once again for your faithfulness and your partnership in prayer for FAME.

Blessings in the coming month,

Click here for the August Prayer Calendar

We were surrounded by Global Partners.

This week, I had the privilege of leading the Lake James Christian Assembly School of Missions. Because of my role, we were blessed to have each main speaker and presenter be one of your FAME global partners. There is so much I could tell, but one comment that stood out is from Dr. Zindoga Bungu of the Mashoko Christian Hospital in Zimbabwe. The Mashoko Hospital is actually the location where the vision for FAME was first expressed and actions began toward the ministry’s beginnings. Zindoga was a young man who was taken under the wing of FAME’s founders and has now become the doctor leading the team of six doctors.

Dr. Bungu told of a young girl who had developed a crisis pregnancy and, like the majority of women in that culture, first went to a local witch doctor, which worsened the situation. Eventually, she was brought to the hospital by the ambulance that you, as a FAME partner, helped to provide. She joined a dozen other mothers in waiting and watching their pregnancies closely. During that time, these mothers are taught about Jesus and healthy habits as a mom and for their newborns.

This young girl was able to be stabilized and delivered without complications.

Here’s the line from Dr. Bungu: “The mothers not only leave with a baby, they leave with Jesus.”

That is why FAME does what we do! I’m sure that is why you partner with FAME! “…(people) leaving with Jesus.”

Count me in.

How about you?

Bill Warren
Executive Director

Fred and Molly are two examples of FAME volunteers who seem to be addicted to generosity.

Every week there are people who come and sort, count, pack, and ship medical equipment. Sometimes a crew is testing medical equipment to make sure it works perfectly, others will build crates to ship medical equipment. But no matter what, they are touching items that will save a life.

Every month there are small groups that arrive at the FAME warehouse and do some of the same things the weekly folks do! This week one of those people who traveled an hour to serve said, “It’s almost as if I can’t help myself- I’m hooked on helping every month!” They continued, “I’ve volunteered in many places and ways over the years; but there’s something special about FAME! Knowing that each supply I prepared will travel thousands of miles this year and someone will have surgery or be treated in a lifesaving way! You can’t measure that value.”

I couldn’t agree more. Yearly there are so many who travel globally to directly support your FAME global partners treating people in the name of Jesus.

But I mentioned Fred and Molly (in the picture above); they deliver supplies from Florida every few months! This last week they arrived with a brand new truck and trailer (twice the size of their last one) that others joined them to acquire for the purpose of bringing donations to FAME!

All of these people and those like you who financially partner with FAME remind me of when Paul said, “The love of Christ compels us!”

Thank you for your partnership! And we are so thankful for those who make it possible to provide not just treatment, but the cure! The eternal cure that comes from the gospel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patrick grew up in an African family that sacrificed animals as idol worshippers to “cleanse” them from any offense against the idol. He ended up in a conversation with the Director of FAME clinics in his country. Your FAME partner shared the story of how God demonstrated His love for man by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Patrick understood the power of sacrifice because he had watched his uncle sacrifice many animals to an idol in their family house.

Our partner there shares that he asked Patrick how many times he thinks they would need to sacrifice to an idol to have all of their sins truly forgiven. He responded that he had no idea, but many! Learning that Jesus paid the ultimate price for his sins, Patrick decided to follow Jesus and now many of his family are no longer idol worshippers.

When you partner with FAME, you release the power of God to be spoken by your FAME global partners. Being a witness through medical evangelism opens the door in communities where hearts might not be open to the gospel. Treating people in the name of Jesus is one way to soften their hearts and earn a hearing in a community.

Thank you for your partnership that turns some of the most unlikely people away from hopelessness to hope!

The Good Samaritan parable by Jesus offers a powerful lesson about love in action, and reminds us of the way YOUR FAME partners treat people daily in the name of Jesus and share good news with them! But as with all scripture, there is more to be found, including a valuable lesson about how we think of giving.

“Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?” — Luke 10:30-37 (CEV)

Jesus wanted to make the point that the neighbors we are to love are not just the ones who are easy to love, but also those we may dislike.

There is more to discover here. Reflecting on the customs and culture of Jesus’ era, the story presents some very real examples of how the ancient world functioned.

We find three distinct philosophies about money.

The first philosophy was that of the robber: What is yours is mine, and I’m going to get it. Today we may call that looking out for number one, with number one being the person who believes they have a right to take someone else’s treasure for their own.

The second philosophy was that of the priest and the Levite: What is mine is mine, and I’m going to keep it. These individuals keep a tight reign on their purse strings and have little compassion for others in need. While they have no interest in taking from others, they are not about to take the time to see if someone else is truly in need. After all, it could be a con. They distrust panhandlers and simply move to the other side of the road, never making eye contact.

The third philosophy was that of the Samaritan. What is mine is yours, and I’m willing to share it. Here we have an example of someone who truly understands generosity. He did not plan on meeting the victim, but when he did, he responded generously.

The Samaritan recognizes God as owner of all — we are stewards, caretakers, and trustees of the resources. Generosity is done with a joyful heart and desire to honor God and help others.

When the lawyer realized the truth about their neighbors, Jesus commanded him to “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37) His challenge remains for us to fulfill.

Mrs. Johnson had an estate plan in place. She planned a substantial portion of her estate for her ministry interests. The remainder was to be divided equally among her three children.

Mrs. Johnson read in a magazine about the importance of having someone in place to manage her property should she become incompetent. The article suggested one solution, to place a child’s name on property titles.

One of her children was a missionary in a foreign country. Another was a very busy doctor who lived some distance from her. She also had a daughter who lived on an adjoining farm, so she placed her name on the property as a joint owner.

At Mrs. Johnson’s death, all jointly owned property was distributed to her daughter with nothing going to her ministries or other children.

The hard lesson of Mrs. Johnson’s decision is that Joint ownership must always be coordinated with other estate documents or there is a possibility that your estate will not be distributed as you desire.

Mrs. Johnson could have addressed the issue of property management with a trust. Property can be managed by a chosen person (or people) should incompetence occur. The same person can make appropriate distributions at death.

If a Mrs. Johnson-like problem concerns you, we would love to offer you a no-cost, no-obligation copy of our eBook, Your Estate Planning Guide. It contains a helpful inventory that is a first step in reviewing existing plans or creating new ones. If you have any questions after that contact Jeff Coon jcoon@fameworld.org and he will answer your questions or direct you to our partners who can!

Thank you for your partnership that makes it possible for over 5,000 people each day to be treated like the Samaritan and the Innkeeper treated the injured man. As your partner, let us know if we can serve you in this vital area of your stewardship.

Dear FAME Prayer Partner,

Thank you so much for your partnership with FAME through prayer. Your prayers are making an impact all around the world!

This month please join us in prayer for a medical mission team that will be going to Kenya in partnership with CMF. Please pray for the participants and the people they will be serving.

Pray also this month for many shipments we have going out to mission partners around the world. Pray that the supplies and equipment that are sent will be a light to those around the world who need help and hope and who have little or no access to healthcare. And pray also that they may feel the love of Christ in the care that they receive as those supplies are used.

Lastly, pray for many volunteer groups that will be serving at FAME this month in the FAME warehouse. We are so appreciative of all the faithful volunteers who come and serve.  We truly could not do all we do around the world without the help of so many.

With this being the month of July and a time on July 4 for celebration, I wanted to also share an article from Bibles for America (BFA) that gives some good insight on the 4^th of July that we will be celebrating this month in the US and why it’s important. The author writes, While it’s important to be with family and friends on this day, it’s also good to reflect on why we’re celebrating. Our early forebears left England for the unfamiliar shores of America mainly because they were unhappy under the tyranny of religious persecution. Since those dawning years of our country, many others have migrated for the same reason. They gave up everything for the right to freely worship God here.

Among the many freedoms our country guarantees, what we as believers particularly hold dear is the right to worship God and to read His Word, the Bible, freely. In many countries on this earth, this freedom still does not exist.

This July 4th, as we watch fireworks and wave flags in celebration, may we also pause to reflect on our nation’s heritage. As the festivities end and the last trails of smoke glide across the summer night sky, take a moment to solemnly thank God for all that our freedom allows.

May God bless all the inhabitants of America with His salvation and the full knowledge of the truth in His Word.

Click here for the July Prayer Calendar

Flooding, Landslides, and destruction. Those describe the situation in El Salvador where your FAME partner has been a great example of partnership! The last report I saw said that 19 people have died including some children. Many of the injuries come the same way as some of the lost lives. A family of 5 near San Salvador lost their lives when the mudslide destroyed their home. But disease is always accelerated in the midst of these disruptions to sanitation and safety. The landslides are so severe that thousands have been displaced, and many day laborers have been unable to work for weeks!

100 Emergency Shelters have been established across the country but 3 are near a FAME partner clinic.

Your FAME partner reports, “We made plans on who we were helping in the shelters but the government continues to direct people to us to see how we can help with basic necessities. It’s flu season here! And we still have over 100 people in each shelter. Our PA, Jessie, nurse Sarah, and Intern Emma, have been helping this week in correlation with the Ministry of health to evaluate and assess all those in the shelters as well as those in the surrounding communities. Please pray for our medical team as we come off the adrenaline rush but still need to be putting in 100%. It’s not time to rest yet.”

Did you see the partnership? The government trusts them and is sending people to them for help, which means your FAME partner also provides hope!

FAME has received a number of emergency requests recently; for medical supplies in the Himalayan foothills, refugees in North Africa, and the Emergency Fund is a little low to meet these requests.

Each of them has a similar theme – a Crisis situation, in when there is a healthy
Partnership, a door of Opportunity for the gospel opens!

Crisis + Partnership = Opportunity

Thank you for your partnership, that makes these “add up!”

Partnership!  And God!  The only way to reach a vision so big.

6,103

Big Audacious Goals are often spoken to set a vision, and one of your FAME partners had his 100th Birthday Celebration and his team met a critical Big Audacious Goal for a whole county in Kenya.

If you’ve ever volunteered at FAME you have probably seen or ridden the hand-cranked, three-wheeled, sturdily built wheelchairs for leg-handicapped persons, which FAME has sent hundreds around the globe.

Mel West, who started building those colorful carts in 1994 in his garage, believes one day there will be a country where everyone in the country has mobility. A place where no one crawls on the ground or has to be carried from place to place or is unable to leave their house for the lack of a mobility device. God gave Mel a vision that that country is Kenya.

The ministry he and his wife of 79 years founded let us know they would be celebrating Mel’s 100th birthday on May 9, 2024. “While we can not obtain a mobility device for every person in need in Kenya before Mel’s birthday, with help we can give mobility to everyone in need in one county” – Transzoia County.

Transzoia County is located in the Western part of Kenya and borders Uganda to the North West. It has five sub-counties namely, Enbess, Cheraganyi, Saboti, Kiminini, and Kwanza.

According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, the population of Tranzoia County is 990,341 people. The first step in ensuring all persons have mobility was to determine the persons who need of an adaptive devise and what devise they needed. An assessment was conducted throughout the County by Community Health Volunteers and the disability heads of the Transzoia County Disability Network Team. They identified 6,103 disabled people in Transzoia County who need a mobility device to have mobility.

The FAME team sent a large number of devices many months ago, but in April received a message that they had only reached “4,230 pieces of adaptive equipment!

Soon after that message, our team received a 25-pallet donation from Franciscan Health Alliance. There were five pallets included in that donation of BRAND NEW, IN THE ORIGINAL BOX cases of crutches! They were loaded, along with additional walkers and wheelchairs, and sent on their way by a monthly volunteer team from Greenwood Christian Church.

On May 7th, the eve of Mel’s 100th birthday, our team received the message that 6,118 pieces of mobility equipment had been received! One county in Kenya of nearly a million people will have the provision of mobility equipment for every person who needs it!

What a vision! Because of you, partnership is providing help and hope to the world’s most vulnerable.

Thank you for partnering with FAME!

Thanks be to God for His repeated miraculous provision to meet the needs of the world!

 

 

 

 

Isn’t it fun to be part of something so amazing that happens over and over again? What’s one of your Big Audacious Goals?

Partnership, and God – nothing is impossible.

Blessings!

Bill Warren
Executive Director

Our staff is asked this often. “Are you able to do anything right now in Haiti?”

And often the follow-up question is, “How can I help?”

The first answer is “Yes!”

You have many FAME partners who are quietly serving in Haiti, even in the midst of turmoil.  I am not going to name any of them for their own safety, but yesterday I learned something new!

Food insecurity is listed as one of the current tragedies in Haiti, and children are at great risk. Through a series of events here in Indiana, FAME has received multiple pallets of Infant Formula! This is not a normal “medical” or “health” solution, but malnutrition leads to some of the most serious health problems in children. The amazing thing is that one of your FAME partners in Haiti has a quiet, trusted way to ship and deliver the medical equipment AND the Infant Formula which is such a critical need! (BTW a pallet of Infant Formula contains 1000 containers of Formula)

The answer to the second question, “How can I help?” is two part.

1. Pray. Pray for Haiti, and pray for YOUR FAME partners in Haiti, there are 16.

Pray for shipments to arrive at their destination, Pray for Haitians to find Jesus through medical evangelism!

2. Partner. Keep Partnering with FAME. It can be volunteering in Indy, going on a Short-Term Trip, collecting and sending medical equipment and supplies to FAME, or financially partnering with FAME.

When you give to the “Yes!” Fund, you don’t need to designate to Haiti, to help Haiti – the daily work at FAME has supported 63 Mission Partners this year- Haiti included. Partnering with us changes the world!

Infant Formula. One more way God provides to meet the needs of the world’s most vulnerable. If you think this story is amazing…wait until you read next week’s!