Believe it or not, 2023 has arrived! And we could not be more excited about what God is doing through missions all throughout the world. Harvest Christian Church supports eight full-time missionaries, and by God’s grace, we have had the chance to witness His work through the eyes of every one of them at various points throughout the year.
At Harvest, we allocate 12% of our entire budget to cross-cultural missions because we absolutely love being part of all that God is doing here in Oregon as well as abroad. And through your prayers and financial support, God has blessed us with the opportunity to come alongside some of His most faithful servants.
Here is just a glimpse of how your faithful giving is impacting God’s Kingdom work around the world …
Harry Douglass / Team Expansion
After being unable to travel down to Cuba during the COVID-19 pandemic, Harry was able finally get down to the people he serves at three different times over the span of the year. He used that time to for training, encouragement, and bringing some medicines and items to areas and people that badly needed them. He also provided funds each month to some of the neediest areas to assist with the purchase of food and medicines that are available locally, but very expensive. 
On top of his actual presence in the country with the people he works with, Harry maintains regular contact with his key leaders on a weekly basis. He uses this regular communication to help plan, train, and facilitate discipleship training opportunities both for his people in Cuba as well as Venezuela. This also meant that two of Harry’s coworkers were completely funded and prepared to lead an entire week dedicated to training for a discipleship-making movement, which is a key component to the future growth and church planting opportunities in the new year and beyond.
God-willing and with the Holy Spirit’s leading, Harry plans on making four training trips to Cuba in 2023.
Cash Lowe / Grace Network International
Balancing his own health issues and ministry, Cash has been using every opportunity he has to do the work he’s been called to do despite the challenges he’s faced, including losing both his niece and his father in 2022.
Creating safe havens for those who feel they have nowhere to turn, Cash has been actively involved in all forms of ministry offered through Grace Network International. From helping provide emergency housing for 100+ people nearly every night, to serving both the long-term men’s and women’s recovery centers who have been near capacity throughout the fall and into the peak of winter, the Kingdom work is never done for the organization. Cash has even been teaching a class at the men’s recovery community on Monday mornings.
For 2023, Grace Network International is rushing to get its building remodeled in Redmond to open it fulltime.
Jaffet Perez / Gate of Hope Mission International
Still awaiting the opportunity to travel freely in Cuba due to limited transportation and a lack of fuel, Jaffet and his coworkers have been focused on mentoring key leaders who are then contacting other local leaders spread out over 40 congregations committed to living out the New Testament-style church throughout the country. Of these congregations, 20 Iglesias do Cristo Primitiva work closely with Jaffet, including 10 which communicate directly with him, or one of his two closest confidants, David Rivera and Russell Driver. These meetings are done weekly, and sometimes daily, over telephones that are recharged regularly by Gates of Hope Mission International.
Regarding the work being done in Haiti, two of Jaffett’s local leaders, Ben Dutervil and Obed Michel, have been continuing to do their part in mentoring others. Ben has been working with needy children, including having Saturday classes and Sunday services while Obed has been traveling and training preachers near the Dominican Republic border. The schools Obed is involved with serves around 300 students.
Jaffett will start 2023 off with trips to El Salvador and Guatemala in January, where he will be doing similar work to what he has been doing in both Cuba and Haiti recently. After that, he will be headed to Haiti where he will train leaders and setup a base for future ministry training opportunities on the 1 ¾ acres the organization owns in Pignon, Haiti.
Jonathan Turner / Key Communications
As Jonathan continues to serve faithfully for Key Communications in their ongoing radio broadcast ministry to those who speak Urdu in Pakistan, he took the time recently to share about the rich spiritual heritage he inherited from his dad, Lee Turner, who founded the ministry.
Upon the 85-year anniversary of his dad getting baptized at his home church in Orland, California, Jonathan was one of the main speakers at their Faith Promise rally. With reaching the Muslim world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as his focus, he will be amping up his speaking engagements in 2023, which started with the precious opportunity he had at the church that launched his father into his ministry to Pakistan clear back in 1960.
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Thanks so much for your ongoing love, prayers, and support for our local church family here at Harvest as well as for the missionaries we support overseas. We would not be able to continue to do what we are able to do without your regular tithes and offerings.
With your financial contributions to Harvest this year. we can continue to bless our missionaries along with all the people and families that come through the doors here at church every week. Help us get out of the gates strong in 2023 with your donations that are making a worldwide impact!
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The other fulltime missionaries we support are …
Jim & Kathy Tierney / Tierney Christian Mission
Doug & Shelly Kallestad / IAM (Iberoamerican Ministries)
Pablo Martinez
Bev Meyer / South Sudan African Mission