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An International Missionary Outreach Dedicated to Evangelizing the Lost By Sharing The Gospel According to the Scriptures
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Ministry Update |
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Personal Ministry Update from Roger Oakland Some of you, if you are a regular follower of Understand The Times, may have been wondered why an item was posted on our website October 17, 2014 stating that I had successfully undergone shoulder surgery and was recovering in hospital. At that time I had asked our webmaster Ron Pierotti to let our readers know about this situation but details were not provided. Now, six weeks after my 14 foot fall off a ladder which happened while working in our yard in Saskatchewan, Canada, I am thankful that I can let you know that I am well on the road to recovery. Without describing the break in minute detail I can say that this event brought about a major alteration in my daily routine over the past month and one half. While I am finally able to use the keyboard on my computer my therapist has told me it will probably take over a year to get back the full use of my shoulder.
Before this injury I had planned to visit our Bryce Homes in South Africa and also the Philippines in November and December. These trips had to be placed on hold, but Lord willing, I will be able to resume travelling in the New Year. Bryce Homes World Wide This past year has been a year for expansion for the Bryce Homes Program. Originating in the year 2006 with one Bryce Home in Myanmar, there are now 49 Bryce Homes in four different countries around the world – 10 in Myanmar, 10 in the Philippines, 24 in Kenya and 5 in South Africa. For ongoing information and regular reports coming from the leaders located in these four countries please go to our website home page at understandthetimes.org to read the reports. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors from all over the world who have caught our vision and supported this ministry faithfully, either online or by sending checks to the ministry. The reason we have been able to expand the number of Bryce Homes each year is because of the generosity of our donors who read these reports from Myanmar, Philippines, Kenya and South Africa and respond accordingly. Lighthouse Trails has also been extremely helpful informing their reading list of the special needs in Kenya and many of their readers have also contributed. A number of special projects are presently underway to assist widows and their families in Kenya. All of the widows in Kenya have been provided seed funds this past year so they were able to start their own small businesses on the road to becoming self-sufficient.
During the year we were also able to build several more new houses for widows and their families who were living in deplorable conditions. These homes have metal roofs and have indoor stoves for cooking that vent the smoke outdoors via a metal chimney. The homes are painted white indoors and outdoors. Since we started our program in Kenya 14 different homes have been constructed. The cost of building a complete home is about $2500.
This past year we have been able to provide water purification systems for all Bryce Homes. This has been a tremendous success in improving health conditions for our families as many of the diseases they deal with are related to drinking contaminated water.
Water collection is accomplished by capturing the water that is shed from the metal roofs of the new homes we have constructed. Four more will be built before the New Year. The metal roofs are ideal for shedding water that can be collected by eave troughs that drain into a storage tank. The cost of installing a water collecting system is about $400. There are more homes that are in need of these systems.
Solar Light Another project that are interested in promoting is the purchase of a solar light system for the homes that are located in areas where there is no power. Presently, as soon as the sun goes down candles are required to provide enough light for the children to do their home work. For only $75 per home we can install a system that will store solar energy for that the interior of these homes can be brightly lit. I consider this to be a tremendous step forward as I have experienced the what darkness in these homes is like when the sun goes down.
Vitamin C While the food we provide monthly has made a huge difference in providing proper nutrition for the families there is one more very simple thing we can do. Vitamin C for each family can be provided less than $2.00 per month. The benefit this will provide for overall heath cannot be emphasized enough. About $50 per month will cover this expenditure so that our 24 families can experience better health. Future Plans for Bryce Homes International My desire is to visit each of the countries where we have Bryce Homes this year to encourage our leaders and the children. As well, while I am there I will be able to assess the immediate needs with my own eyes and pray about ways we can be a further blessing to these Bryce Home families who need our help. As resources become available the Lord has given us the vision to expand the programs in each country and to eventually establish Bryce Homes in other countries where there are needs. Two countries we are considering are Mexico and India. On the average, with the exception of special programs for special needs, the cost of supporting a child in each country is approximately $30 per month. Reporting on the News and Speaking Engagements One of the important aspects of the Understand The Times ministry is to keep our readers informed about current items in the news that relate to Bible prophecy. This comes at a time when fewer people professing to be Christians accept that the Bible provides insight on events relating to the present and the future. I am grateful to several dedicated volunteers who help scan the news so that we are able to post our regular weekly “News in Review” our readers receive when they subscribe to our e-mail mailing list. Once I am able to use a computer keyboard with ease I will continue to post commentaries on our site. Our commentaries appear to be one of the main reasons readers come to our website. According to Google Analytics we have visitors from over 130 different countries around the world each month. This next year I am scheduled for several speaking engagements starting in the Month of March. So far these speaking events are located at Fargo, North Dakota, England and Saskatoon, Canada. I am constantly scanning the news to follow various trends and will be preparing new topics that are of interest to those attending Bible conferences and churches where there is still an interest in hearing about a Biblical perspective of the days in which we live. While our priority is to support unfortunate children and families around the world I am still open to presenting topics related to the creation-evolution controversy and/or the topic of Bible prophecy when requested. I hope this short update will provide a yearend review for those who are interested in the ministry of Understand The Times. If you have supported this ministry in prayer and/or financially over this past year we want to express our gratitude to you. If you know of others who are looking for a legitimate ministry to support then please pass this update on to them. Sincerely, Roger Oakland Understand The Times
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Understand The Times is an independent non-profit organization in
Canada and the United States.
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