Celebrating Niu's wedding as an EE famil
Church small group end of the year celebration and Christmas party
Young people in church Christmas fellowship and gift exchange
EE family reunion at Wilson's wedding in Navua
Nuku's 10th birthday (nieces and nephews)
Christmas package from my family back in the US
House blessing for Ranjini and Vashneel and learning how to cook South Indian dish Palau
Gingerbread house party on Christmas Eve with young people
childhood friends, mission supporters, reunion for buddies :)
Christmas lunch with Maba's family at their family home
Sailing adventure with family - beautiful and so fun!
Amazing experience with the hubby
Surprise birthday party for one of the senior citizens in church
New Year's Day beach picnic (where we got married) with our church family
Dance team in church performing together
Psalm 18:32,
50
“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way
perfect….He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed.”
Belated
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! We hope you and your families
were blessed celebrating the birth of our Savior and welcoming 2014! This time
last year Maba and I were in the States spending the holidays with my family
and taking time off from the mission field to rest and raise financial support.
We praise God for the opportunity to be with Maba’s family and our local
church/mission family here in Fiji this past holiday season. Maba and I enjoyed
having the Christmas spirit in our home and sharing that same spirit with
others and pointing them to Jesus! We were encouraged by the verses above as we
saw God’s favor upon us in special ways this past month.
Local Church
Ministry:
·
Our church hosted a celebration
service to
praise God for all that He has done in 2013. Maba and I worked with the young
people to prepare 3 different dance items. We had a great time performing the
items during the special service! During our involvement with the young adult
ministry this year, we saw God move greatly. The ministry came alive in
marvelous ways and we have created special bonds with the young people. After
the service many church members came up to Maba and I raving about the
wonderful performances and how each dance blessed them. People also thanked us
for investing in the young people by leading and teaching, mentoring, and
opening our home as a safe place of fellowship and spiritual growth. We give
God all the glory for using us in these ways!
·
Maba and I hosted a special Christmas party in our home the week before
Christmas for our church small
group. We
organized the activities for the night: read the Christmas story in Luke 2,
sang Christmas carols, played games, exchanged gifts, and feasted! I was even
able to find candy canes for everyone (after searching long and hard) and share
how they are reminders of our Savior (red stripes for His blood shed for us,
white for His purity and holiness). When we were new in church back in March
this group of families embraced us with love and care, and they were our
biggest cheerleaders on the mission field. This group of people became family
to us, so we wanted to bless them with a time of fellowship and fun.
·
We also organized an event for the Young
Adult Ministry
on Christmas Eve. It was a fun making gingerbread houses, delighting in sweet
treats and a cup of tea, and reflecting on God’s goodness within the ministry
for 2013. Maba and I were so blessed when the young people surprised us with a
gift to say thank you for our involvement this year. They presented something
for our home that we didn’t yet have – a wall clock! So thoughtful of them! We
encouraged them and affirmed them as being incredibly special in the eyes of
God and to keep seeking Him in all things.
Evangelism
Explosion Ministry:
·
Maba and I visited one of EE Fiji’s Hope for Kids workers and her
husband. We have been mentoring Ranjini and Vashneel for
about 2 years now. They recently moved into a new home and we wanted to pray
over them and their new place. Ranjini and her mom taught me how to cook a
traditional southern Indian dish called palau which was so fun! It’s chicken
and rice cooked in all kinds of amazing Indian spices and herbs, a fave of mine
that’s for sure! It was a blessing to break bread with them, encourage them,
and praise God for His provision!
·
Maba and I were able to follow-up with one of the Pacific Interns, Kitione, from this past year. He had been enduring
some hardships in his home and church that caused him to be discouraged
spiritually. Kiti had been praying for a time to meet with us and share his
heart since he doesn’t open up to many people. We praise God for ordaining a
time for him to come over during a youth fellowship in our home where we were
able to take him aside so he could unload. We encouraged him with the Word,
spoke into his life affirming his God-given gifts and his spiritual maturity,
and challenged him to see these obstacles as a testing of his faith and God
preparing him for greater things to come. Kiti sat in front of us tears
streaming down his face with a spirit renewed and strengthened to persevere. He
thanked us for listening and uplifting him. Kiti will be joining us on our
upcoming mission trip, so we are excited for him to continue using his passions
and gifts for evangelism!
·
We have been busy finalizing plans to take a mission team to one of the outer islands called Kadavu to
conduct an Adult EE clinic and Hope for Kids workshop. Both of us have never
been there, so we’re excited for this new adventure! We have promoted to many
pastors, gathered materials for the trainings, and started fundraising for the
trip. We have a great team including other local EE workers, young people from
our church, and a young woman from Australia who is studying to reach out to
the indigenous people in her country. Our team will be fasting Tuesdays and
Thursdays in preparation for the mission trip. We are seeking EXTRA
FUNDS
for this project so if you feel led to give please contact me or follow the
directions below.
·
I was able to contact all the Hope
for Kids
workers here in Fiji and hear reports and testimonies of God moving in churches
through children. In an area called Suva (about 5 hours from where we stay),
our staff there have been doing a wonderful job helping churches implement the
program. On another island in a town called Labasa our staff there have been
following up with churches and providing refresher courses for using the
materials to help their children’s ministries be effective in the area of
evangelism.
Heart-to-Heart
Ministry:
·
Maba and I were invited to help throw a surprise 73rd birthday
party for one of the elderly women (a recent widow) in church whose birthday
always gets overlooked since it is on Christmas Eve. We along with her
grandchildren and other relatives celebrated with her on the 28th
and she was moved to tears by the special and thoughtful gathering just for her
birthday. The family asked me to pray for their grandmother which was such a
privilege to thank God for the life of this mighty woman of faith.
·
This past month we attended 2 weddings. The first was for Niu, one
of the young women who work at the EE centre as part of the catering team. In
EE we always celebrate as a family! It was a beautiful and traditional Fijian
wedding, and she was so happy we were there for her special day. The 2nd
was for Wilson, a Fijian-Indian young man whom we have mentored and served on
the field with. It was a beachside wedding with all kinds of Indian curries and
sweets served during the special reception. It meant so much to him that we had
taken a one-day road trip (10 hours there and back) to attend his wedding.
·
Recently, we had a sailing adventure on an 83-foot schooner. We
were blessed with a daytrip pass and went with Maba’s family. It was a
beautiful day of fun in the sun and swimming in the open sea! During the outing
I met 2 Fijian ladies also enjoying the sailing trip. We got to know one
another and they wanted to hear all about what I do in ministry and how Maba
and I met. As I shared my testimony, I saw tears in their eyes and smiles that
came from encouraged hearts. They said to me, “Sarah thank you for loving our
nation. Thank you for serving our people. It’s so beautiful to hear your
story.” It reminded me that there are always opportunities around to share with
others the importance of reaching out and demonstrating the love of Christ!
Christmas &
New Year’s:
·
We received a package from my parents and sister a week before
Christmas filled with presents and treats! It was so special to receive gifts
since we decided not to buy any for one another. I was so happy to have a piece
of home come to us!
·
Christmas day we attended a morning church service then had a big lunch
with Maba’s family at his Mom’s place. In the afternoon we went out for dinner
with friends from church. It was a wonderful day!
·
New Year’s eve Maba and I made a special brunch in our excitement for
all 2014 will bring! In the evening we attended a Christian Praise Jam
(concert) with friends for a great time of worship and fellowship to ring in
the new year! New Year’s Day our church hired a big coach bus to go to the
beach (where we got married) for a picnic which was lots of fun!
Prayer Needs
o
To be refreshed spiritually to kick off 2014
o
Mission Trip to Kadavu Island for EE trainings
o
Opportunities to serve in the local community
o
Increase of Financial Support
Thank
you for continuing to be partner with us through prayer and giving! We love sharing
with you all the great things that are happening on the field by God’s
grace. Your support brings us
overflowing joy and allows us to carry on! We hope you have been encouraged by
this month’s update. Please share with anyone you know will also be encouraged!
Ways
to Support:
Online - www.eeworks.org
*Click on "Support" then "Online Giving"
*Type "Sarah Maba 6124" in the box provided
*Type in amount and complete the given instructions
*Click on "Support" then "Online Giving"
*Type "Sarah Maba 6124" in the box provided
*Type in amount and complete the given instructions
*If
support is to be monthly – please indicate
-OR-
Make checks out to Evangelism Explosion International and on memo line write "Sarah Maba 6124" (all checks tax deductible)
Mail to: Evangelism Explosion International
P.O. Box 23820 Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33307-3820
-OR-
Make checks out to Evangelism Explosion International and on memo line write "Sarah Maba 6124" (all checks tax deductible)
Mail to: Evangelism Explosion International
P.O. Box 23820 Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33307-3820
Abounding in
His Grace,
SARAH &
MABA
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