2019 was a busy year for AFM and 2020 is shaping up to be even busier!   We are seeing more and more ways that God is using AFM to advance life & prosperity in developing communities through the fire service in Africa (and Ukraine!).  The end of 2019 had us leading 4 teams to Africa with 35 trip team members!    Fire training is having an impact on saving lives and property – but most importantly on lives.   One of the fire chiefs from a rural area, that’s largely a Muslim area, made a point to let me know “You are changing our lives.”   As I looked at him I knew his meaning was changing them at the heart level.   We’ve been showing the firefighters that they are important, loved by God and that they are valued.   As a result of that – they are showing that love to their communities.   

Our fire prevention team in Mariakani, Kenya was able to provide our fire prevention VBS to about 150 children.  Here’s what they had to say: "Thank you for your visit to Mariakani, Kilifi County. It was an excellent week full of love, blessings, positive energy, friendship, learning and encouragement. We couldn't ask for more! Since then most of us have turned our lives around, we have changed the way we look at one another and created a new purpose! Because of that visit, even the community consider us as family, how great! Thank you so so much! It is making a great impact not only to us but Africa at large. May our good God always reach out to your needs, our prayer is that you may never lacking" - Mariakani Fire Brigade, Kilifi Junior Firefighters & Kilifi Fire & Rescue Department

At Missions of Hope, our social work team trained their 65 social workers with new skills for supporting the families of the 19,000+ children that MOHI is serving!  

In Kenya and Zambia our fire teams trained nearly 550 firefighters, EMTs and community members in new skills that they can put into action in their communities and we launched a new Chaplaincy program in Zambia so that firefighters can minister to each other. 

So what are we up to in 2020?   Expansion – again!   We’ll continue our work in Ukraine, Kenya and Zambia – with teams going to each and we are expanding to Sierra Leone and Ghana and possibly Liberia!  Please pray for these opportunities to be kingdom rich and full of connections for the gospel.  

We are grateful to LifeSpring Christian Church for the Christmas gift of Love for our project in Ukraine!   We will be shipping the container on February 22.   We are still in need of about $4000 in financial support to make this happen and we will need your help to help load the container on February 22 at LifeSpring Christian Church so we can continue add impact to the ministries working in Kherson, Ukraine.

Thank you for all the ways YOU are changing lives in the world! Happy New Year!