Good Samaritan News!

Dear Fellow Laborers,

What a great day we had today in Malawi! In the morning we went soul winning to the village of Kautuka #1. Forty Six souls trusted Christ as their Savior and Lord willing they will attend the new church we have started in this village last Sunday; Good Samaritan Kautuka Baptist Church. President Henry conducted the first service and this Sunday the pastor we are looking at sending to this village will teach and preach to them. What was really the icing on the cake was the start of the Good Samaritan Junior Bible College at Mapanga. For many months we have been concerned with the fact that not much spiritual meat was being fed to the orphan teens other than Sunday and Wednesday. The Lord laid on my heart the desire to have classes in a college setting for the teen orphans. Well, we set it up and today we had the first classes. We are meeting every Saturday at 2pm with classes lasting 40 minutes with 15 minute breaks. There are 5 classes, The Study of Proverbs, Homiletics, The Life of Christ, Women of Character, & New Testament Survey. I am teaching Proverbs, Navigator Homiletics, Lloyd the Life of Christ, Darcy & Ms. Goodman Women of Character, & Henry NTS. We provided notebooks, study materials, pencils, pens, Chichewa & English (KJV) Bibles, and personal study/information books. Darcy & Ms. Goodman teach their class while Navigator is teaching Homiletics, other than that we are all together. It is really exciting to see this! We have 17 boys & 10 girls signed up and Lord willing they will stick to it. We are trusting God to smooth and iron out wrinkles and the wiles of the devil that I am sure that will come our way.

I wanted to share this day with all of you as I know that I am generally Mr. Doom and Gloom but I know that God blesses the ministries that desire to honor Him! I desire His very best for this ministry and for those workers and orphans that are involved in it.

Thank you for your prayers and Lord willing we will see you shortly.

By His Grace & Mercy,
John

John & Darcy Fullford Newsletter update

May 6^th, 2009

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

The Lord is truly good and He blesses us in ways we cannot even imagine!!

Much to my shame I have not sent out our “Prayer Letter” since the month of February. To this I ask your forgiveness and my only defense is that we have been overwhelmed with the ministry here in Malawi.

I pray God’s blessing on all those dear people that have responded to our “Plea Letter” for the month of January. During the month preceding the implementation of our new food menu at the Good Samaritan Children’s Home, we took 56 children to the Chiradzulu Hospital for illness. The month following the start of the new menu we took 5 to the hospital. We continue to receive emails from those that have given a “one time gift and from those people or families that have committed to contribute every month. We are “Tasting and Seeing” that the Lord is very good!!

Our members of Bible Baptist Church of Bwaila have really taken to heart the “Great Commission” in that they are faithful in going out soul winning in the Satemwa tea fields and the surrounding villages. During the months of February, March and April we have had many people believe and receive Christ as their Savior;

Satemwa tea fields 184

Mbeluko #1 99

Mbeluko #2 160

Kautuka #2 70

Chizinja 220

At the village of Chizinja people asked that we start a church at their village because of the distance from Bwaila and the hills and streams that needed to be crossed. Two Sundays ago we started our second church, Chizinja Good Samaritan Baptist Church. We moved the church service at Bwaila up to 9am, and finish at 12:30pm. We then travel the 5 Km to Chizinja, a 20 minute drive, and start that church service at 1pm. We also have started a Bible study for these dear people on Tuesday afternoons at 3:30pm. Just this last Tuesday during the Bible study some other village people sat down to listen as we taught. During one of the question/answer periods a man raised his hand and stated, “I am tired of drinking, I want to be saved”. Six people trusted Jesus as their Savior at the end of this Bible study! The Malawians are hungry for the Truth of God; John 8:32, “ And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The work at the Good Samaritan Bible College and Children’s Home at Mapanga continues. We are trying to maintain the facilities to His Glory and Honor. Between the weather, insects, pest, and all the children, this is a task.

During the month of February we completed the electrical wiring for the bakery addition at the kitchen facility. After hooking up two of the commercial ovens, Darcy baked bread for the first time. The children and staff enjoy these first fruits and Lord willing in the next couple of weeks Darcy will teach the cooks and others how to bake simple but nutritious foods.

At the end of April, 5 graduating teen girls and 2 adult women chaperons from Bible Baptist Church of Fairbanks Alaska arrived for a two week “working” mission’s trip. We have put them to work at Mapanga teaching and cleaning at the Orphanage. They have gone out soul winning both at Mapanga and Bwaila and have also taught Junior Churches at Njuli, Mapanga, Bwaila and Chizinja. They have been a blessing to our family and also to the people of these villages. Some of the nationals that have seen them work have commented that they did not know that the Inzungu’s, white people, worked with their hands. The visitors have seen the work here in Malawi “first hand”and Lord willing their report will encourage and energize others!

We understand that a family from Bible Baptist Church of Fairbanks has surrendered to come and join our family in this ministry in Malawi. David & Laurie Mowery are believing God’s Word, Prov. 3:5 & 6. They have talked with Pastor Duffett, received his blessing and are moving forward with the plans to come to Malawi. We have known this family for many years and are excited about working with them!

PRAYER ITEMS

1. People continue to see the needs for the Mapanga Orphanage
2. The new Independent Baptist church at Chizinja
3. Bible Baptist Church of Bwaila
4. Health for our family as we are stretched thin
5. Funds for a permanent church building at Bwaila

By His Grace & Mercy,

John, Darcy, Elizabeth,

Sarah & Johnathan

The Fullford's are a family that have come to Malawi, Africa to help me with this great work. I have been there 10 years and they came this past July 2008 and are doing a great work.
Dr. Gardiner Gentry
Founder/Director

John & Darcy Fullford Newsletter

"Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child." Exodus 22:22

Dear Family & Praying Friends,
This is going to be a different monthly prayer letter in that it is a PLEA letter.
"You shall comfort and assist them, and be ready upon all occasions to show them kindness."
(Matthew Henry's Commentary)

January was a hard month for the orphanage at Mapanga. During this one month we were compelled to take 56 children to Chiradzulu District Hospital due to malaria, colds or flu. These were the children bad enough to be taken to the hospital and does not take into account the many children that we tried to nurse ourselves. I believe with all my heart the one dominating factor is the lack of nutrition due to our food menu we have been forced to adopt. Over the last year many people who had committed to the care of these kids have been forced, or chosen to quit sending aid for the kids. We have 101 children that depend on us and it tugs on the string of our hearts when we see the kids getting sick and we know with a proper diet it could very well be averted.

Let me give you a glimpse of what a child gets in one week for his/her meal.
Approximately one and one half cups rice (Sunday only)
4 eggs (2 on Tuesday & 2 on Thursday)
1 cup beans
1 cup small dried fish
1/3 cup of milk (that's right: for one week)
Rice porridge at every meal except on Sundays (This is called Nsima, (the national food) and it has very little nutritional value. It is eaten as a filler to make the children feel full.) A mixture of vegetable greens, onions, ground nuts and tomatoes they call "relish" to be eaten with the Nsima.
Hot tea with sugar
Water to drink with their meal

THEY DO NOT GET:
Red meat of any kind Chicken or fowl
Fruit Bread
Noodles or other types of starches Hot or cold cereals
Snacks, treats or desserts Flavored drinks; only water

January was a deciding month, Darcy and I knew we had to change the meal plan, so we have revised our menu and starting February 15th, we have implemented a new menu aimed at increasing the nutritional intake of each child. The children will be receiving:
2 fruits every day
1 1/2 cups of milk a week
4 eggs a week
9 oz of red meat a week
Chicken once a week
Noodles with beef once during the week
Hot cereal with raisins twice a week
A larger quantity of small fish in their relish
Beans with beef soup bones once a week
One slice of bread every day
More vegetables & less Nsima during the week
Nutritious baked rolls for snacks, made at the orphanage

We are trusting God to touch the hearts of people to help us with this meal menu for the children. It is still lacking, but it will give them the marginal nutritional values that they need. What if 350 families would be willing to give $10.00 per month for this need? This would cover the increase in our monthly food budget for the kids. If you believe God is leading you to help please send your donations to:
Victory World Outreach
P O Box 4403
Milton, Fl. 32572

Please designate your donations as "Orphan Food" and send an email to us at john@raisingagodlyheritage.org to let us know what has been given so that we can plan accordingly.

If we believe the Bible is /God's Word, and He many times shows that His Heart is for orphans shouldn't our hearts also be towards the widows, afflicted and orphaned? God has chosen to work through His people and I pray that when He talks to you in "that still small voice" you will listen and obey!

PRAYER REQUEST:

1. Health and support for our orphans
2. Rufina, one of our HIV kids that is going through a tough time
3. Health and safety for our family.

By His Grace & Mercy
John, Darcy,Elizabeth, Sarah & Johnathan