February/March 2019 – Refuge for the Poor

REFUGE FOR THE POOR

www.refugeforthepoor.org

We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.”

Nelson Mandela

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 NEWS

BEN IS WITH HIS SAVIOR

Our world was turned upside down a week ago when our daughter Katie’s husband, Ben, went home to be with His Lord. He had beat cancer twice and because of his immune-compromised body, he was not able to fight off an infection. It all happened in less than 24 hours. It’s been very difficult, but we keep crying out to our God, expecting the comfort and strength He promises to give us. Thier baby, Jackson, is 14 months old. Please pray for wisdom as we gather around Katie to help her with the many new decisions moving forward without Ben. “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40

NEW LIFE!

Srey Oun, the last college student (2nd year) in our dorm to believe Jesus in her heart now has new life in Christ! Srey Oun is the life of the dorm! She is very fun – almost too fun at times when she would be bothering students during special church/worship times! There is an immediate change in her. She is quieter now. She’s contemplating more during Bible and worship times. Her family keeps asking her why she is so absorbed in reading the Bible. This crown picture shows her fun personality – We all love her so much and are excited to watch her grow in her faith in Jesus! Thank you to those who pray for us, sponsor students and give to our project fund which allows us to provide the atmosphere/community for these poor students to find new life and grow in Christ! (She’s also pictured riding her bike – 5 of our 8 college students ride their bikes to school which means during extreme heat/humidity, monsoon rains and the daily rains that happen during rainy season!)

When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17 (Living Bible)

OUR FIRST MOM AND HER NEWBORN!

We finally have a single mom AND her baby in our Mother’s Home! This lady has been living there for a few months waiting for her baby’s arrival. She had been working in the karoke bars until her pregnancy. We are so happy to provide refuge for her and her baby. We also have two poor families with children living there and running the home, but we have been waiting for a long time for our Mother’s Home to provide safety and protection for single, working moms (especially the poor, vulnerable and at-risk) and their babies. Thank you to all of you who have given toward this home. Your gifts have helped to keep the home open and provide for the three families now living there. (Sorry for the unclear picture – our leaders in the Mother’s Dorm don’t have very good camera’s on their phones 😉

FROM SHACK TO MINISTRY CENTER

There have been times when we wonder – “God – have we gone too far in expecting these needs to be met?” What we have seen and want to proclaim to you and the world is that God has provided over and over again (even when it looks bleak) and He will provide for your needs, too! This ministry center was literally a metal shack that a family lived in which flooded and they feared it would blow over in storms. When someone offered a large donation, we knew it was exactly the amount we needed to help this family. We also were needing a place to minister to the local village. Now three of our sponsored college students run a ministry there (two live there), training young people to reach other young people and children. Don’t miss this video – it was taken on New Year’s Eve in the new center – not a typical New Year’s Eve for most people, but for these young people following Jesus, it was a very special night.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please continue to pray for more women and children to come into our Mother’s Home. Pray for the one mom to come to know Jesus in her heart.
Pray that our Refuge Center is constructed well and finished by the end of April. There have been some set-backs.
We have applied to an organization that helps missionaries with projects. Please pray they accept our $5,000 proposal to help us furnish our new Refuge Center. They will make a decision about our project at the end of March. Please pray as we seek other resources for musical instruments, a school van, and Bibles/books.
Pray for Srey Oun and all our students that they “will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight” Philippians 1:9.
We continue to give Greg injections every evening for his blood clot and will need to for 4 more months. Please pray the clot diminishes and for his strength to continue as he still has 7 chemo treatments remaining. He has a cold as I write, so please pray it doesn’t develop into anything worse.

Please choose from the following options to give a donation to Refuge for the Poor:

CHECK

Write a check to:

REFUGE FOR THE POOR

PO BOX 548

HATBORO, PA 19040

Please indicate on a separate piece of paper how the money is to be designated. (Sponsored student, general project fund, Greg and Jane, Janine, Sam, etc. or if giving to 2 or more categories, please specify, for example $25 to Greg and Jane and $25 to the general project fund)

CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD

Go to our website: www.refugeforthepoor.org and click “Donate” in the right hand corner. Fill out your credit or debit card information. Please use the designation box to indicate if you are giving to our general project fund, sponsored student (no name needed – we already know :), support for Janine McClaverty, support for Jane and Greg Drebes or support for Sam Sem.

BILL-PAYER

Call your bank for bill-payer information or go to your online banking site and look for bill-payer information to schedule checks to be sent to Refuge for the Poor at the address above.

We do not have ACH or automatic bank withdrawals. You may use a debit card on our website to have monthly money drawn from your bank account similar to an ACH or automatic bank withdrawals.

Please contact us if you have any questions:

office@refugeforthepoor.org

Greg Drebes – 267-858-0589

Jane Drebes – 267-347-2571

Janine McLaverty – 215-355-3416

WE THANK OUR GREAT GOD FOR YOU!

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