O U T R E A C HHarmony

www.HarmonyOutreach.org

BRINGING HOPE AND HELP TO CHINA, CAMBODIA, ETHIOPIA & VIETNAM

CHRISTMAS 2017

I will come right out and say that 2017 completely floored us. Harmony has al-ways been good at helping the vulnerable, but this year the reports com-ing in from our country directors evidenced salva-tions at levels unprecedented in our history. First in Vietnam, then in Cambodia, and finally in Ethiopia scores of Bud-dhists, secular-ists, and Muslims were becoming born again as a result of our work! It was like a young tree that suddenly came into maturity with a bumper crop of fruit. And while all that was going on, we were simultaneously providing new

lives to orphans, helping rescue young girls from exploitation, training and deploying a pile of pastors and evangelists, and building

churches. What a blessed year!

So here is how we are going to do it. While you read the rivet-ing and Pulitzer-worthy story of how Harmony Outreach got started, we will show you what happened in 2017 through pictures sprinkled through-out this newslet-ter. Now…grab a pumpkin latte and cranberry scone,

put a blanket on your knees, and settle in for a magical ride with some really good news:

by John Bentley

2017 - Like Nothing We’ve Seen Before

ETHIOPIA

CHINA

VIETNAMCAMBODIA

10/40 WINDOW

In 2006, Harmony Outreach began—opening our doors to 5 special needs orphans in China. Since then our work has grown to 11 projects in 4 countries!

d 78 Muslims came to Christ (Ethiopia)

d 11 Orphans adopted from Harmony House (China)

d 9 Girls rescued from exploitation at Esther’s House (Cambodia)

d 24 Students came to Jesus through Khai’s J-Club outreach (Vietnam)

d 30 Muslim background evangelists deployed to Muslim areas (Ethiopia)

d 10 Buddhist university students came to Christ through our L2W Outreach (Cambodia)

d 3 Churches built in remote villages (Ethiopia)

d 31 Underground ministry students graduated from our 3-year training program (Vietnam)

d New home built for children’s evangelist Chanthorn (Cambodia)

d 27 Orphans cared for at our 5 homes (Ethiopia)

Mercy 1 & 2Orphan Homes

Harmony House

Harmony’s Work in the 10/40 Window—the most unreached area of the world.

J-Club (Khai)University Students

Rescuing Exploited Girls L2W Buddhist

University Students

Sodo Orphan Home

2

In 2011, when Harmony was working only in China, our support hit an all-time high. In the 6 years since, our support has actually declined while our outreaches to the 10/40 Window have quadrupled. How is this even possible? Honestly, we can’t explain it other than to point to the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. It is the miracle of God taking not enough and causing it to be enough!

&Five Loaves Two Fish

2017 Fruit Report

SelahOrphan Home

Saba TeenOrphan Girls Muslim

Evangelism

TrainingUnderground Pastors

For our size, I cannot think of another organization having as much impact around the world in terms of lives saved and lives transformed—and that in the most unreached areas of the world. If you agree, one of the best ways you can help is by monthly supporting Harmony Outreach. You can initiate (or increase) your support by completing the red-highlighted portion of the enclosed prayer/support card. Thank you for being the wind beneath our wings and…Merry Christmas!

Christian School for Village Children

Cont. pg 4

3

I promise you, my life wasn’t always this way. Like every high school student, I had to choose what kind of person I was going to be. The available options were laid out like choices on a menu: jocks, pre-professionals, nerds, ROTC, stoners, or goat ropers. After careful consideration, I made my choice. I was going the pre-professional track that would put me on the path of success. What followed were good grades, Jr. Rotary Club, and Young Republicans. High School was followed by UCLA on an ROTC scholarship. When I graduated I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and while on Active Duty I completed my Master’s degree.

After the Army came law school—and four years later I was working at the top law firm in my city. It worked! Hurray for me! My carefully planned, carefully controlled life had landed me as a young professional by age thirty. And John lived happily ever after, winning a pile of cases, and upgraded his countertops to granite….

Not so fast! Actually, that wasn’t how the story ended. Being a professional wasn’t bad but it didn’t take long for me to get a nagging feeling that something was misaligned in the universe. The best way I can describe it was a profound sense that I was somehow missing my destiny. Imagine Taylor Swift selling real estate. A more apt example might be Martin Luther who, living in the Middle Ages, was on the path to becoming a lawyer until a near death experience with lightning caused a career adjustment that changed the world.

24 University students came to Christ through J-Club outreach

Completely Out of Control!

78 Muslims came to Christ!

Children’s evangelist Chanthorn was a happy camper when PK announced we were building her a new house

HELPING THE VULNERABLE – CAMBODIA

SPREADING THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS – VIETNAM

SPREADING THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS – ETHIOPIA

9 Sweethearts rescued from exploitation —Esther’s House

HELPING THE VULNERABLE – CAMBODIA

Abigail

Anna Elizabeth Sarah

Shiloh

Sophia

Victoria

Bella

4

Ya’ll know the rest of the story—how after years of living carefully and conservatively, I chose to go to China as a missionary because that path was grassy and wanted wear. The inner call of how God has uniquely wired each of us must be listened to because God knows. David wasn’t meant to be a shepherd, Luther wasn’t meant to be a lawyer, Swift wasn’t meant to be a realtor and Bentley wasn’t meant to be a professional! And I promise

31 Students graduated from our 3-year ministry program

Srey Ta and Lihour, 2 of the 10 Buddhist students who

came to Christ in 2017HELPING THE VULNERABLE – ETHIOPIA

Like the bloke in Frost’s poem I can remember well that time, facing the crossroads of my life. Oh, I had worked so hard to achieve my promising legal career. It had required a carefully controlled life of sensible choices. Ah, but the other path…! It required that I relinquish control and give up everything I had built in my life. This path was adventurous and something about it called out to that nagging feeling in my inner-man.

Well, God didn’t redirect me with a lightning bolt but, like a Good Shepherd He orchestrated a series of events which gave me the chance to change course and follow Him into missions. As my favorite poet, Robert Frost, penned:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,and sorry I could not travel both. And be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other, as just as fair, though having perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear. Though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same. Both that morning equally lay. In leaves no steps had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubt if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence,two roads diverged in a wood, and I —I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.

Cont. from pg 3 SPREADING THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS – VIETNAM

Cont. pg 5

SPREADING THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS – CAMBODIA

Our babies are growing up! 34 Orphans cared for at our 5 homes.

11 Sweethearts adopted, bringing our total adoptions to 124!

HELPING THE VULNERABLE – CHINA

3 Churches built in remote villages

you that none of my colleagues (David, Swift or Luther) regretted fulfilling the unique call on their lives.

Well, if you have been paying careful attention you will, no doubt, have realized that what I am really talking about here is your life. You see, I made my choice but what about you—and what does the Word say on these matters?

Now the lawyer in me feels compelled to provide FULL DISCLOSURE. My decision to follow God down the road less traveled meant I got moved from pilot to passenger—and God had me on a ride like a stunt pilot! My life is now completely out of (my) control and I suspect it will remain this way for the duration. My new life is adventurous with a capital “A,” passionate, frequently hurtful, and indescribably beautiful. The very best of it is that my life (and this was not the case before) has affected many other lives—and that all around the world. Would I do it again? In – a – minute.

Now, here’s a thought: Unregenerate man believes that life is about experiencing as much pleasure as possible because, after all, you only live once. Born-again man understands that life is about walking with God, being conformed into the image of Christ, and bearing much fruit because, after all, the fruit is the only thing that will remain from your life.

Here is my wish for you—that you will surrender control of your life—and in doing so, will find your life. Merry Christmas everyone!

Cont. from pg 4

Harmony House has a new 9-passenger van!

SPREADING THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS – ETHIOPIA

HELPING THE VULNERABLE – CHINA

5

120 Village kids attend Christian school

SPREADING THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS – CAMBODIA

And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor 5:15)

For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from them and be separate says the Lord.” (2 Cor 6:16-17)

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:17-18)

I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. (Jer 10:23)

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)

To help us in our work, please send your tax-deductible gifts to Harmony Outreach.

Harmony Outreach • 42210 Roick Drive, Suite 1 • Temecula, CA 92590 • USAwww.HarmonyOutreach.org • 951-600-4474 • 1-877-CHINA70

$500Replenish emergency medical fund (All Countries)

$9,240L2W university student outreach(Cambodia)

$1,000Winter heat for Harmony House. Let’s keep our babies warm! (China)

$1,500Scholarship for new believer Sompors (Cambodia)

$1,800Train village pastors in 2 provinces(Cambodia)

$4,800J-Club university student outreach (Vietnam)

$4,800Nurse providing medical care for 250 orphans & staff (Ethiopia)

$6,000Annual support for 20 girls rescued from sex exploitation(Cambodia)

$12,700Muslim evangelistic outreach (Ethiopia)

$15,000Harmony House orphan support (China)

$14,500SUV for Dr. Eyasu (Ethiopia)

$2,000Training underground pastors(Vietnam)

When a believer gives gifts to help the vulnerable, three beautiful things happen:

God Sees It! “Your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God”—words spoken to Cornelius by an angel (Acts 10:31)God Feels It! “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me”—words of Jesus spoken on the Day of Judgment (Mat 25:45)

God Rewards It! “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”—words of Jesus (Mat 10:42)

(If you donate toward a need already filled, your donation will be applied to the next-greatest need.)

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