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Our "5K Campaign" Begins     16 July, 2008, 07:50 am I've been feeling a bit out of place lately. For many years we have spent the better part of July teaching English in China. But this summer we knew that it would be too difficult to get a camp organized at a university in China, with all of the resources being taken up by the Olympics. Lord willing, we'll be back there in 2009 though. A few weeks ago we completed our Italy project in Cesena on the northeast coast of the country. This is probably the most difficult field in which we work. The spiritual darkness is overwhelming, yet Rev. Nicodemo has persevered in evangelism and discipleship and has planted a strong church. One thing is sure; we are not tripping over other ministries in the piazza doing outreach. God has called us to be a voice crying in this wilderness. We did open air evangelism, children's ministry, and fed the poor in the parks around Cesena everyday. Now we are preparing for our Fall projects. This summer turned out to be different for us in many ways. Not only did we not do China, but we had to cancel our Haiti and Zimbabwe projects due to unrest in those countries. This has left us with some time to concentrate on some much-needed things at home. During the EPI Board of Directors meeting in April, the board addressed the need to increase the regular monthly giving to the general fund of EPI. This is the fund that keeps all of the rest of the ministry moving and provides the foundation from which all the other work flows. For 20 years now, the people who have given to the general fund of this ministry have provided the backbone of the work. From this all other things are possible. But, like all ministries, this fund has been the hardest to raise money for. We generally have had success providing for the orphanages, bibles, and medical supplies, but we have consistently been short in the general fund. Now with plane fares and other expenses climbing, we realize that we need regular monthly giving to the general fund like never before. A few months ago, the board decided to address this issue, by making a concerted effort to pray over and seek God's supply to raise $5,000 of extra monthly support by the end of this year. This “5K Campaign” began on June 1st. One of the first things we did was send an EPI team of young men on an 11,000 mile road journey around the country, speaking in churches and meeting with supporters to inform them of all that EPI is doing. By the end of this year we are asking God to raise the monthly giving to our foundational fund by $5,000. By faith this is an achievable goal. Would you pray about this with us? If every person reading this gave just $10 a month extra we could meet this goal. I rarely ask for donations for EPI, instead choosing to ask for funds for special projects overseas, but at this time we really need your help with this effort. So until the end of the year the board and I will be working on the “5K Campaign”. I will also be headed to China and Nepal in October. We have an expanded schedule for 2009 which will be up on our website soon. Thank you to all who have made this ministry flourish over the past 20 years to the glory of God. Posted By: Phil Eyster Photo: EPI at work in Zimbabwe in 2007

Funerals on Friday and Wednesday - A Story From Kenya     9 July, 2008, 09:14 am I received an email from our director in Kisii, Kenya that other day that brought into perspective how much our life is different from our brothers and sisters in other countries. Things that we would just take for granted here, are not taken for granted in other places. Here is the story... ****** We are fine in the Lord, only that we are now faced with a situation that has saddened our hearts. But we get our strength from God. One of the elders of a church that I oversee died recently. He had just finished witnessing and sharing God's love to the neighbors. He went home to rest and died in his sleep. As his pastor, I was putting things together for the arrangements for burial which was schuduled for July 4th. On the previous Monday evening, a snake emerged from a hole around the pastor's house and bit his two year old son. Due to lack of transportation or doctor in his area, they frantically did what they could for the little boy. For more than two hours they were not able to get any help or transportation to Kisii and the hospital. They did manage to get word to me and I tried to get to them with my old car but did not have enough petrol in the tank and no means to get any more. As I was walking to their home, someone was on his way home in his car and sympathized with the situation, he turned and drove them to the town hospital. By this time it was 9PM. When they arrived at the hospital the innocent boy had died. We will bury the father on Friday and his little son on Wednesday. ****** Folks, we have so much to be thankful for. Posted By: Phil Eyster

Story from Nepal - Child Rescue Fund     2 July, 2008, 10:56 am You've heard me write of our child rescue operation in Nepal. This ministry saves young girls from remote villages who would otherwise be taken to India and used up in slavery around the world. I received this story from our workers in Nepal about one young girl that was sold by her parents. We are helping her now that she is free. Maina (not her real name) was born in a very poor family. One day a labor broker came to their village. He promised to offer a good job to the young girl. Her parents believed that the girl would be able to send money home to them to better their lives, so they gave their daughter to this man. The man took her, together with some other girls, to a hotel, gave them good food and clothing, and pretended to teach them cooking skills. After a week of this, all the girls believed the broker was a good person and submitted to being taken to a city in India. After arriving in India, the girls were forced to work in a circus as slaves. She was trained in the circus. She was nearly starved to death. They made them practice long hours to entertain others. Besides this, the trainer abused her physically and sexually. With foul language he beat her with a stick almost every day. But Maina was a little more clever than the other girls. After 7 years she managed to escape. She fled back to Nepal and her village and family. But after she arrived home her family was mad at her for not bringing any money. They told her it would have been better for her to die in India than to come home with no money and shame. They disowned her. Thankfully, one of our pastors in the area heard about her and shared the gospel with her. She is now a believer in Christ. We are setting her up to know how to sew clothes. She is now able to earn money and help others. EPI and our partner in Nepal have rescued many of these girls. We could do many more if we had the funds to support them until they are self sufficient. If you would like to donate to this cause, just use the website and designate your gift for "Nepal Child Rescue." Posted By: Phil Eyster Photo: Young Nepali Girl

Please Continue to Pray for Zimbabwe     25 June, 2008, 07:28 am Since the "election" in March the country of Zimbabwe has been in turmoil. Things have gone from bad to worse, and my contacts there tell me that things are actually more terrifying than the news reports. Any of the people who voted for the opposition party in March, which would include many if not all believers in Zimbabwe, are being hounded, followed, harassed, and threatened. A very good friend of mine had a gun held to his head the other day on the street by a "policeman", telling him he had better vote for the president in the coming run-off election. Well, since the opposition party has withdrawn from the run-off election, due to the violence inflicted upon their supporters, there really is no "election" this week. I am told by our worker in the country that some church members have been killed, many have been driven from their homes, and even the children at some of the orphanages have been driven away and beaten. Our director in Zimbabwe has asked that we remove his photo from our "Partners" page. He is being followed and monitored by the secret police and his life is in danger. Please pray for the protection of God's people. Pray for our Sovereign Lord to bring His good out of evil. Posted By: Phil Eyster Photo: http://media.monstersandcritics.com/galleries/1134748/0129915850085.jpg

EPI Targets The City of Three Popes     18 June, 2008, 07:16 am For the rest of this week, we will be in various piazzas around Cesena, on the northeast coast of Italy. It is known as "The City of Three Popes." Find out why on our 2008 Italy PLOG. Each day we will be "going to them", sharing the gospel in public places. Please check out the "PLOG" of this trip for daily updates. The team will return on the 23rd. In the meantime, please keep them in your prayers. Posted By: Phil Eyster Photo: Rev. Fabiano Nicodemo preaches the gospel out on the streets of Cesena.

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