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“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the broken hearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.” Isaiah 61:1 (NLT). Imagine there’s someone in your community who is about to unknowingly stumble into a situation that involves human trafficking. What if God chose you to be the person who changes their story? Human trafficking is the global issue of humans selling humans for profit without the victims consent. To combat this, our HOPE61 ministry was created to get churches informed about this crime of human trafficking, and to equip people in using their gifts and talents to make true community with those who are vulnerable. Statistics from Global Estimates (2021), stated that “49.6 million people are victims of human trafficking. 15.1 million of those people are working in the Asia and Pacific regions”. Unfortunately, these people are being robbed of their childhoods, their families, and their God given worth. We need to get to the roots of the issue, and we can only do that by everyone doing their part. If this is a ministry that pulls on your heart strings, there are three ways you can get involved. Pray This is the biggest asset we have to end human trafficking once and for all. Nothing can be accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit. As we pray and fight for justice in the spirit, God can and will move mountains in the best way possible. 2) Learn HOPE61 offers one day human trafficking prevention trainings that informs you of what human trafficking is, gets you informed about people’s biggest vulnerabilities, and equips you in recognising what you can do for your community. This training can be split over two days/evenings, if that works better for you. We can train small groups or churches, just get in touch and we’ll make a plan! 3) Fundraise If event planning and fundraising is your gifting, you can help by hosting events to raise money for HOPE61. These funds are used to send our HOPE61 trainer Imogen Cook, around New Zealand and other countries in the Pacific so more people are able to be informed and get equipped with this information. If you want to take a step in helping prevent human trafficking, email Imogen at hope61@oms.org.nz and she’ll tell you everything you need to know. Together, let’s make a plan! Originally written 15 July 2019. Revised April 2024.

“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NLT). Bellavista. This maximum security prison, located in Colombia, was once known as the most violent prison in South America. On average, 50 deaths happened every month, sometimes up to 20 deaths would happen in one day. The Bellavista Prison held numerous men who were identified as drug traffickers, kidnappers, murderers, hired hitmen, smugglers and thieves. Darkness surrounded Bellavista and it was in desperate need of light. In 1992, Jeannine Baron, an OMS missionary, stepped out in faith and ventured into Bellavista. News had spread that only a year before, a Colombian Pastor had started ministering in the prison, resulting in a significant drop in the death toll. Jeannine was eager to be a part of this incredible work that God was doing, so she began the Bellavista Prison Bible Institute. Due to ministering in the prison for so many years, she has gained the nickname, ‘The Angel of Bellavista’. Through her and her teams work, God has changed countless lives. Men once identified as criminals are now identified as God’s masterpieces. Many of the men that have been saved in the prison, have willingly returned as Pastors and ministry workers to help save those that need God’s intervention. Where there was once darkness, there is now light! Over the years, this prison ministry has grown, and as inmates were transferred to other institutions, the Gospel has spread with them. Today, OMS is involved with over 200 active ministries across prisons in Colombia. These programs offer discipleship training, planting churches in prisons, providing courses to inmates, and guiding restorative justice ministries between victims and offenders. Prayer warriors are always needed to join the fight for this prison ministry in Colombia. Tell your friends and family and encourage them to join you in praying for this incredible ministry. If you’d like to know more, send us a message! Originally written 1 July 2019. Revised March 2024.

“Join me, everyone! Let’s praise the Lord together. Let’s make Him famous! Let’s make His name glorious to all!” Psalm 34:3 (TPT). In the Philippines, on the Island of Mindoro, the Mangyan people lived out their days as squatters on the land. They had no toilets, no electricity, their water came from a well on top of the hill, and many of the children helped their parents work instead of getting an education. In 2009, Pastors Rely and Lalaine Samonte (Pastors of Jesus Christian Ministry Church in Malolos, Philippines) had a divine encounter with the Chief of the Mangyan tribe. They had a great desire to plant a church in this village and give the community hope. That same year, OMS New Zealand partnered with Rely and Lalaine and embarked on a life-changing journey. 15 years later, the Mangyan community are living with hope and are thriving! Their church continues to grow each year, bringing the good problem of needing to extend the church building. They now have running water in their homes, electricity through the village, toilet blocks, and a daycare building in their community. Children are now being sponsored and are able to attend school. In 2018, this village celebrated Dona who was the first in the community to graduate high school! Then in 2023, she was the first to graduate university by completing a Bachelor of Special Needs Education! Many other young people have followed Dona’s inspiring educational journey and are achieving well in school too. This community is a real testament to the goodness of God. They now have a strong faith, with many in the community being reborn and baptised over the years. Ps Rely and his team travel often to the village to support and train the Mangyan people. Because of this, many in the community have risen into leadership positions and are now beginning to take the Gospel into neighbouring villages. It has been a privilege for us at OMS NZ to take teams to the Philippines on short term trips, and share in this amazing ministry. It’s been an incredible 15 years and we look forward to many more in the future as God is far from done with the Mangyan people, especially as opportunities open up to minister in other villages. We encourage you to join us on a trip to work in a village outreach in the Philippines. It will challenge and grow you in so many areas, and as you say yes to God, He will bless and reward you in ways you can’t even imagine! Come with us and utilise your unique gifting in partnership with our Filipino friends! Send us a message for more information! Originally written 24 June 2019. Revised March 2024.

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV). The need for Pastors and Christian leaders in Russia is huge. Due to the large population and the lack of a theological training school, the Moscow Evangelical Christian Seminary (MECS) exists in a vital time and place. Ex KGB Agent Sasha Tsutserov, and his wife Natasha, founded the MECS in 1993. They have a passion for training pastors and leaders in Russia, so that Russians are able to minister to their own people. If students leave Russia to study abroad, statistics show that many do not return. Since the birth of MECS, well over 3000 people have studied and graduated with a theology degree. The majority of those graduates have gone on to plant churches and start ministries, bringing hope back to Russia after decades of communism. This evangelical training in Moscow is an incredible project to support. Please share this with your friends and family, and consider supporting prayerfully and financially. The cost of training a student minister at the seminary is NZ$1,950 per year. This is an amazing investment in someone’s life as it costs 40 times less to train a minister in Russia than in the United States, and 80 times less than sending a missionary from the US to Russia. Investing in a student studying at the MECS is also important as statistics show that 9 out of 10 Russian students who go to the US to study do not return to their homeland to minister. Sasha Tsutserov often sends out updates and testimonies of students who are studying at the MECS. To hear of the amazing work God is doing in the lives of Russians and those studying at the MECS, you are welcome to be included in Sasha’s support mailing list. Send us a message if you’d like to know more! Originally written 17 June 2019. Revised March 2024.

“I followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly… Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.” Joshua 14:8,12 NIV. The Caleb Institute is a theological training college located in North India, that works to equip and grow Christ centred leaders who have a calling to reach the church in India. OMS NZ is connected with this institute through our late missionary, Dr Graham Houghton. He was our first missionary we sent out to the field in the 1960s, and was a fundamental part of founding the Caleb Institute. His desire for ministry and theology training in India was his God given mission. Together with an amazing team of locals, this desire for many has turned into a reality! The Caleb Institute was founded to address three main issues: After 300 years of missionary work, no post-graduate institution had been started that taught theology in Hindi, a language that over 600 million people speak! Theological education had become too ‘bookish and academic’. There was a need for studies that are Christ-centred and done in a passionate way that could help our Muslim and Hindu friends understand and follow Him. There is a need to learn what being a Christ-follower looks like through practical learning. Since Caleb started in 2016, there have been new students coming in every year. It is already producing fruit as they have students, staff and faculty coming from almost every region of North India. God is doing a new thing in India! According to the principal of Caleb Institute, Rev. Dr. Richard Howell, the “present student body comes from fourteen states and neighboring countries. They represent many ethnic and denominational backgrounds from North India and beyond. Harmonious living and collaborative learning in this diverse community, equips students for Christ centered leadership in culturally diverse mission fields.” We encourage you to join us prayerfully, financially, or just by sharing about this amazing institute with the people around you. It has been incredible to see the growth of strong Christian leaders over the years since Caleb began. If you’d like to learn more about this institute, you can visit their website www.calebinstitute.in. You can also send us a message to find out more information! Originally written 10 June 2019. Revised March 2024.