Reconciled World (RW) has officially been in existence for 10 years. Those years have been filled with many things – traveling, growth, expansion and contraction of programs, and lots of prayer, just to name a few. We are immensely grateful that we have a faithful and loving God who has been by our side throughout these last 10 years.
GROWTH
October 2023 was filled with celebration for Reconciled World. Thirty members of the team gathered in Turkey to celebrate our 10th anniversary. One thing that stands out is the growth that God has blessed us with throughout the years. Ten years ago, we started as a small handful of programs working in four countries in Asia. We are now active in 25 countries throughout Africa and Asia. The Truth Centered Transformation (TCT) program first expanded to Africa in 2015. Over time the work has grown exponentially.
See here how our work has changed in Africa since our 5th anniversary in 2018.
We Currently Work in 25 Countries:
Asia
- Bangladesh
- India
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Philippines
- **some names omitted for security reasons
West Africa
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
Central & East Africa
- Angola
- DR Congo
- Kenya
- Republic of Congo
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
Southern Africa
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- South Africa
- Swaziland
- Zimbabwe
This growth would not be possible without the more than 1,000 volunteer trainers we have throughout Africa and Asia. These volunteer trainers are leaders in the church with a passion for seeing God transform their communities. They come together multiple times a year to learn the TCT materials and then return to their communities to share the program with churches in their areas. This map shows the 1000+ volunteers who help make it possible for us to share the TCT curriculum with more than 14,000 churches.
Annual Budgets
In the midst of all of this growth and change, God has been faithful to provide for all of our financial needs over the years. Most of our program funding comes through foundation grants. We’re blessed to have several foundations that have walked with us since the beginning as well as several that have joined along the way. Their generous contributions help our program continue to grow. We also have an amazing group of individuals and churches that financially support our programs and our staff. We would not be where we are today without them.
STORIES
One thing that we are reminded to be thankful for over and over again is that God is at work in communities. We regularly hear new stories from the areas where we work that highlight God’s power to transform lives. Here are several stories that have inspired us past and present.
Here is a story from a pastor in India:
One day as I went to a village, I saw a man called Rajayya who was suffering from paralysis. He was living with his wife and their family was very poor. I prayed for their family and the next day I took him to a doctor for treatment. Our church members also came to visit him, bringing fruits, vegetables and rice to show the love of Jesus. The couple was amazed by the love shown by the believers and soon they put their trust in Jesus. Three months later Rajayya died. Shortly after, his wife, Rajavva, started to attend our church.
She heard the lesson that all people are valuable to God and understood how important it is to show the love of Christ to others through acts of love. Rajavva would ask me, “I am a poor, illiterate laborer–how can I serve others?” I reminded her that though she is illiterate, God has given her the ability to memorize the songs they sing at church. God only needs a willing heart; He will show you how to serve with love.
Rajavva works as a daily wage laborer in the fields. At the end of the day, it is common to drink alcohol to deal with aches and pains, so the workers are given a bottle of alcohol as part of their wages. After hearing about Jesus, Rajavva did not want to drink alcohol anymore. She started telling her team of laborers that Jesus loves them, and that they are all important to Him. She shared that Jesus is concerned about their health and well-being, so they don’t need alcohol to give them strength. They should instead pray to Jesus and He will give them the strength to work.
Rajavva would also sing the songs she learned at church while working. Her team quickly learned them too and would sing along with her. They said the singing helped them to work without getting tired. After finishing work, Rajavva worshiped God for His help and strength for her and her team. At the end of the day, when it was time to get paid, Rajavva and her team refused the alcohol and asked for money instead. This helped them earn more money and also save their health in the process.
Then, on Sunday, Rajavva refused to go to work because she wanted to attend church. Her team of laborers now join her at church every Sunday. They are very happy, and healthy, and all the other people in the village are wondering how they are being transformed.
The Create Commission (TCC) believes that art has the power to shape culture. It’s a ministry both to and through the arts, helping artists engage with issues of social justice and use their unique artistic vision to communicate truth through beauty.
Rishan is an Indian, an artist, and a Christian who struggled as an undergraduate student to reconcile these different aspects of himself. At university, he created a piece for a class using a cross, and his professor took one look at it and moved on without a word. These sorts of experiences left Rishan wondering how faith and art could integrate. He participated in multiple TCC residencies over the subsequent years, and his understanding deepend from believing that being a Christian artist meant putting crosses on things to exploring all kinds of different ways art has the power to shape society with beauty and truth. “If there was no Create Commission,” he says, “I would not know I am commissioned.” He now holds an MFA in Sculpture and has started a studio in his home village, where he teaches art to young people.
Ending Gendercide was a program in India that challenged the Church to value and protect girls and women as equally valuable image-bearers of our Creator. Through advocacy and biblical teaching, Ending Gendercide brought awareness to the problem of gender violence in India and helped to spark a larger movement. Now called Worldview Training Initiative, the team continues to teach about gender issues but has expanded to bringing biblical truth to other social justice issues in India–like caste and the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Our Ending Gendercide team wanted to stand against the deeply rooted belief that the birth of a son is a blessing but the birth of a daughter is a tragedy. So they began going to hospitals to congratulate and give gifts to parents of baby girls on International Day of the Girl Child. The impact on families was incredible—in-laws opening up, fathers weeping, parents promising to tell their daughters about their special birthday. The team wanted to expand the program to more hospitals, but they weren’t sure how to raise the funds. Yet God had a different way: the Delhi government was so impressed that they took it on as their own initiative for the next several years.
More than 50 years ago a princess in DR Congo donated 15 hectares (37 acres) of land as a tithe to the church. Until recently the land sat empty and unused. After a TCT training Pastor Difuangi and Mbuku decided it was time to use this resource. They started by processing the title for the land to ensure it was legally a property of the church. Next, they designated 1 hectare (appx. 2.5 acres) of the land for growing vegetables. The vegetable garden is used as a way to train members of the community in gardening. The vegetables grown on the land are used to feed people during church events, and some of the people who took part in learning about gardening are now self-sustaining. The farming has been done manually so far, but in the future, the church dreams of partnering with others who can help them farm more of the land with machinery.
The Wholistic Development Center provides vocational training and discipleship to young people in Southeast Asia. One young man who lost his father to martyrdom as a child came to study at WDC in 2016. John* was struggling with mental illness, and his medication seemed to be making the problem worse instead of better. WDC staff took John to a doctor who helped him wean off this unhelpful medication, and his condition improved significantly. John went on to complete his two years of job training and discipleship at WDC. God used WDC to enable John’s healing and deepen his faith. Now, seven years later, he continues to love and serve the Lord in his hometown. He’s on new medication that serves him well, and he helps his mother lead the church his father started.
*name changed for security reasons
Children living with disabilities in India are often seen as cursed by bad karma, and experience neglect in their own families and in society. At In His Image, a center for children with autism in New Delhi, the staff feels called to demonstrate each day that the children in their care are precious to the God who created them.
Rohit was born with severe physical disabilities and was highly vulnerable, given that many in his culture considered him better off dead. His whole family was vulnerable as well–his father was unemployed, and his mother–who also has a disability–couldn’t get a job either. They survived on a government disability pension.
Rohit went to primary school for a little while, but the school eventually said his disabilities meant he could no longer attend. The government school also refused to admit him, so he just stayed home for three years. When his family heard about In His Image, they enrolled Rohit in the vocational program for young adults. He attended hands-on job training and got a job two months later. He’s now the family breadwinner, working in a supervisory position at an e-commerce company. God had so much more for Rohit than his culture thought him capable of.
In Ekeae Village, Benin, there was a young man who went about on makeshift crutches, begging from place to place. Several years ago, he had been training to be a bricklayer, but an accident had paralysed his legs. His mother had died, and his father was disabled from a stroke, so there was no one to take care of him. Occasionally, when he came around begging, people from the church gave him food or a little money.
Then the church began TCT training and learned that the best kind of help is often not about giving people things but helping them with ideas and skills. The next time they saw Dominique begging, their response was different. The pastor asked him if he would be willing to learn some trade instead of begging. Dominique said he would like to be a shoemaker. So the church found someone able to train Dominique in shoemaking and paid for his six-month apprenticeship. Dominique is so excited to be able to support himself and contribute to the community again. The church has great joy in helping a brother. And the community is astonished—they thought the church existed only for prayer and music. They had no idea a church would care for someone in this way.
Thank you for being on this journey with us. Thank you for reading our updates and stories. For praying for our staff members and for our organization as a whole. Thank you for giving financially year after year. Thank you for being cheerleaders and encouragers, reminding us of God’s words when we’ve felt lost or discouraged. Thank you for celebrating alongside us.
10 years feels like such a big milestone, but we know God has a lot more in store for our organization. We can’t wait to journey with you through the next 10 years.
