“Teach us to number our days . . .”
Greetings from our A Buck a Day team!
September marks the start of the “-ber” months, and in the Philippines, that means the start of the Christmas season. As the end of the year quickly approaches, I am reminded of the psalmist’s words in Psalm 90:12:
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
We don’t know what tomorrow brings. But as each day passes, I pray that we will never grow weary of the calling God’s placed in our lives and that we will trust in Him to guide us and give us wisdom to fulfill that calling.
We hope that these stories serve as an encouragement to you as you see how God is transforming the lives of people all around the world. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to empower every believer to engage in building up Christ’s kingdom.
Blessings,
Eben Tabelisma
Cofounder, A Buck a Day
MISSIONARIES IN HISTORY
Alexander Duff was a Scottish Christian missionary who played a considerable role in establishing and developing higher education in India.
His heart for foreign missions began during his studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland where he was greatly influenced by Thomas Chalmers, a renowned minister and theologian of the nineteenth-century. After his ordination as a preacher, Duff accepted the call to be the Church of Scotland’s first missionary to India.
He sailed with his wife in October 1829 for Calcutta, India, where he began to reach the upper castes by means of higher education. Duff developed an institution that taught his students Western arts and sciences that were founded on Christian philosophy in hopes to challenge Hinduism with Christianity.
As news of his school began to spread, Duff’s college grew and became the largest mission school in India. However, because of the deep roots of Hinduism, the school was more successful educationally than evangelistically. Despite that, of the thirty-three conversions that were recorded, almost all of the converts became influential Christians in India. The work that Duff started planted seeds of the Gospel and greatly developed India’s higher education.
In 2023, India is expected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country. The harvest is still plentiful and continues to grow. Let’s pray that the Lord will send more laborers to the field, especially to the nation of India.
MISSIONARIES IN THE FIELD
Providing Clean Water in Nepal
In the Himalayan region, clean water is so scarce, which forces villagers to travel many miles just to get clean water. RHMI, our missions partner in Nepal, is helping alleviate this issue by drilling a water well in the center of the communities they have been reaching. The well serves the village’s basic need for water as well as opens a door for evangelism to take place.
Reaching One Family at a Time
Ruby, one of our missionaries in Thailand, has been passionate about reaching families in Chiang Khong District in the northern part of Thailand. She and her team play a role in helping the locals grow their faith through Bible studies and trainings by consistently visiting their houses and fellowshipping with the residents. Their goal is to grow leaders of leaders. Here’s a short video update of her ministry.
Raising Up the Next Generation
Edwin Ryan (ER), one of our missionaries in the Philippines, is strongly dedicated to reaching students in Camarines Norte, a Bicol province in the Philippines. His goal in the next three years is to lead 1,000 disciples in two other towns, Labo and Daet, who will become disciple-makers with a persistent desire to reach their families, friends, and fellow youth.
Continuing to Train Leaders
Prabhat Ranjan, one of our missionaries in India, continues to conduct classes and train potential leaders using the modular Bible School model. Even with restrictions imposed by local authority and their limited movement around the community, classes are still able to continue and more people are being trained. These are the new leaders who have completed their training this past July.
ABAD UPDATES
Teaching Financial Stewardship
Jeff, originally from the Philippines and a missionary that ABAD supports, led the apprenticeship program to train new missionaries in Thailand. Eben also had the opportunity to teach a class about financial stewardship to two trainees from Brazil and one from Thailand.
A Life Changed through Christ’s Hope
Eben and Malou met singer and song-writer Billy Ballenger earlier this year through a common friend. Billy is a Christian music artist who shares the hope of Christ with audiences around the world through his music and his story. His life’s mission is summed up in his words:
Jesus has commissioned me with a life-changing message to share, therefore, I love to reflect His hope to humanity through my music and speaking.
GOMakeDisciples Update: An Answered Prayer!
For many months, we’ve been praying for the expansion of the GOMakeDisciples brand. God has answered that prayer! We have partnered with CCT-Tindahan para sa Bayan in the selling of our GOMakeDisciples merchandise in the Philippines. They are part of an organization called the Center for Community Transformation Group of Ministries that provides spiritual development, economic development, and community empowerment through social services in the Philippines. We’re excited about this partnership and are standing in faith that God will continue the expansion of this brand.
Keep Up to Date with Us
If you’d like to view past newsletters and keep up to date with what’s going on with A Buck a Day, visit our website below!
THANK YOU!
Our goal is to support missionaries’ efforts to reach every nation with the truth of God’s love. Your faithful partnership helps make our mission possible. We greatly appreciate you!
Please stand with us in faith and prayer for the following:
For the people and nation of Ukraine to receive provision for their needs during these hard times, and that they will eventually be free to share the testimony of victory that God will give them.
For ABAD to be connected with local churches in Nashville, Tennessee.
For the expansion of the GOMakeDisciples store.
For the growth and fruitfulness of the missionaries we support as well as the protection of their health as they continue to serve their communities.
That ABAD will have more individual and corporate partners in order to support more missionaries.
"No higher honor could be imagined than to be an instrument in the hand of Jesus Christ, to be at his disposal for the furtherance of his purposes, to be available whenever wanted for his service." (John Stott, 20th century theologian) |