Immediate Need: Summer Bible School Camp - 5 Days - 60 Orphans

Our TM Philippines team is putting together a Bible camp for orphans in April. There are 100 indigenous children already planning to attend! However, there are also 60 orphans wanting to come learn about Jesus who cannot pay the small registration fee (covering materials, snacks for the 5 days). 

At the cost of 500 pesos - only $9.57 per child, would you consider helping one or two children come to Bible school? The total for all 60 orphans to be able to come is 30,000 pesos or $574.20. Thank you for helping fulfill the commandments in James 1:27 and Matthew 28:19-20.

Update: Sponsors Needed After Pakistani Man's Death Leaves Family in Dire Need!

Update: March 7, 2018

Thank you to all who helped this family! We were able to send someone with food and supplies.

Pictured: 2 daughters (outer edges), the brother, and the wife and mother of the man who died

While visiting, the two daughters, "Aisha" and "Safia" (not real names) said they would like to attend school. Ting Ministries would like to raise support for  so they may continue their education. If you want to help Aisha and Safia go to school, you may read more on Becoming  a Sponsor, or give a one-time gift. A full or partial sponsorship will cover monthly attendance fees and basic supplies for the daughters.

Aisha's University fees: Full: 60 dollars/month Partial: 30 or 15 dollars/month One Year: 540 dollars/year

**UPDATE: Aisha needs only 340 more dollars to provide for one year of university!  

Safia's High School fees: Full: 30 dollars/month Partial: 15 dollars/month One Year: 270 dollars/year

Sponsorships are an essential part of Ting Ministries' work that continues to grow! Not only are sponsors meeting basic needs, they are a source of encouragement for our TM families, who are blessed to know others care about them.Thank you!

Original Post from March 3, 2018

Dear friends, we have an urgent, heartbeaking plea to share with you today.

There is a family in Pakistan. Their father, the brother of a Christian pastor, was unable to provide for his family due to the rising persecution of Christians in-country. Being Christian, their family continues to be extremely ostracized, unable to find jobs, or purchase basic necessities. Overwhelmed at being unable to take care of his family, he committed suicide, just a few days ago. Now, his widow and four older children are left alone, with no means of caring for themselves. The story has been in Pakistan newspapers (pictured above). 

Ting Ministries has contacts in Pakistan who are going to visit the family with food and supplies - but in order to purchase the food, we need to raise $ 160 USD. Such a small amount to help in such a big way to comfort and encourage. If you feel led to give to help this family, please:

Give online: www.paypal.me/Tingministries 

Send a check: Ting Ministries, 29 East Poplar Street, Lebanon, PA 17042

Ting Ministries Returns 2 China: Help Hope and Brittan Come Home

Thank you to all the friends who contributed to this post and who have been interwoven with our adoption story of Hope and Brittan...

Annie Hamlin Speaks about Her Friendship with Stephanie...

"Many of you may know my sweet, amazing friend, Stephanie Carpenter, founder and director of Ting Ministries. I first "met" this amazing family about 10 years ago. The Lord used Steph to plant a seed, one that would grow and change my life forever!

Not only did the Lord pick a sweet, incredibly faithful mentor for me but He picked one whose heart is exactly as mine.

Steph loves to run - check!

Steph loves animals - check!

Steph is involved in dog rescue - check!

Steph is heavily involved in orphan care - check!

Steph has adopted multiple times - check!

The difference is that this amazing family has adopted 7 beautiful, higher needs girls from all over, including Bulgaria and China. They are in process for 2 more high needs girls from China, who were locked away in a room, left to die. Steph fought to get them file ready and have fought against SO many attacks since their process began.

 Steph's girls are amazing and beautiful and so very very special but their needs are more than most families are willing to take on. Steph and her wonderful Hubby, Brian, chose to follow the Lord with abandon! Their home and their hearts are so full of love and blessings and tremendous witness. They are the founders of Ting Ministries."

About Ting Ministries (from their website):

"We are the Carpenter family.  We have seven (soon to be nine) special daughters adopted from all around the world!  Brian and Stephanie Carpenter are founders/directors of Ting Ministries – a 501(c)3 Christian nonprofit orphan ministry.  We are passionate about caring for “The Least of These” and being a Voice for the Voiceless.

Our daughters all have some type of special need – some mild and some more severe – but they are all our treasured daughters. Their special needs include: deafness, blindness, post traumatic stress disorder, Cerebral Palsy, spastic quadriplegia, Spina bifida, feeding tubes, epilepsy/seizure disorder, cochlear implant, club feet and other orthopedic issues, failure-to-thrive, global developmental delay, institutionalization etc.

Our first adoption was from Russia and Sasha was never supposed to walk and was headed to a mental institution.  She is now 20 years old and a double major at Bucknell University. Sasha is also the Administrative Assistant and Director of Social Media of Ting Ministries and has a heart for the aging out orphans.

Ting Ministries got its name from the Carpenters' daughter Ellianna, whose Taiwanese name is Ya-Ting which means "to listen with your heart."  Avigayil “Tin Tin” is adopted from the Philippines and her orphanage and region is where Ting Ministries began ministry work in 2009. Today, Ting Ministries works in the USA, Philippines, Ukraine, China and Bulgaria."

Annie Shares Our Urgent Need:

"I am writing this today to ask for help. Steph, in the middle of their adoption of 2 more high needs kiddos, helped us with our adoption of Will in so many ways, too many to even get into here but now they need help!

This incredibly faithful family needs $4,577 and they need it... like yesterday!!!

The total from their agency for the remainder of the adoptions, including travel and post adoption services, is $35,277

Please take a moment to pray for this family, to share this post and if you feel so led... DONATE!

Not feeling as if you are being called to adoption? Well, this is a wonderful way to help another family who has felt called and has said "YES Lord!"

Just go here to donate - www.paypal.me/tingministries

Hope and Brittain...

                                                                  

Christmas Soap and a Prayer Meeting in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, our ministry partners and team had a blessed Christmas. Please continue to keep Pastor James and our partners in your prayers for 2018. Know they are also praying for you! 

The church sings Christmas songs on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The children were so excited to receive a bar of soap for Christmas! That's right - a bar of soap. Even such small items and ways of helping are greatly appreciated by our partners! They are deeply blessed and encouraged to know that you, as a part of Ting Ministries, are helping and praying for them as they continue to share the Gospel. In the new year, may you consider being a sponsor or helping one of Ting Ministries' current projects.

In Bangladesh, our partners and those helped through the support of Ting Ministries held a mass prayer meeting for Ting Ministries, our family, our work around the world, the orphanage home we are building in Bangladesh and pastors support  for 2018.

We hope you will prayerfully consider how you may help our pastors, orphanages, and ministry in 2018. Our partners faithfully pray for the ministry and together, we - our board, our TM missionaries and those they help, alongside our faithful supporters - help make a difference for souls around the world. 

To give a gift this new year or become a sponsor, you can: contact us at tingministries@comcast.net or:

1. Mail a check to Ting Ministries, 29 East Poplar Street, Lebanon, PA 17042

2.Use our PayPal buttons on the side of the blog. Please note what you would like your gift to go towards. 

Thank you!

In Case You Missed It - Recap of Our Night for Orphans with the Celtic Martins!

In case you missed it...

Ting Ministries Presents

The Celtic Martins & A Voice for Orphans

A big thank-you is extended to The Celtic Martins for coming to share their talents with Ting Ministries and the audience. Keep reading to see a short video of their performance! 

Executive Director of Ting Ministries, Brian Carpenter, shared about God's Word and the orphan. Graduated from seminary with his Masters in counseling, Brian has a passion for fulfilling the calling of James 1:27 - the core verse of Ting Ministries. He believes that getting into the Word is the key to a transformed life in Christ and that is what allows us to care for the Least of These.

Hannah and Sasha smile for a selfie! Sasha spoke about issues of identity in adopted children and families and the healing Christ can bring to these questions. She also sang and closed the night with a dramatic prose performance of The Boy from Baby House 10. This is the story of a boy with Cerebral Palsy who was adopted from Russia, by John Lahutsky. Check out and follow her on her blog: www.natalyacarpenter.blogspot.com

Director Stephanie Carpenter with Hannah and Ellianna. Stephanie spoke about Ting Ministries' work in Bangladesh, the Philippines, Ukraine, Bulgaria and more. To learn about current needs and how you can help, please see Our Projects.  One of our top projects right now is to build an orphanage in Bangladesh. There are currently 30 village children who have nowhere to go and the cost to build a place where they can sleep, eat, and go to school is less than 5,000 dollars! Our partners have also asked for help to purchase a motorbike for safe travel, and pastor sponsorships.

Learn how you can help Ting Ministries's Christmas Child Gift Project. We need outfits, warm gloves and shoes! You can sign-up in the spreadsheet here.

 Angelina and her friend Molly having fun!

Thank you to our friends in Bangladesh who shared their love for Ting Ministries halfway across the world! 

Here's a short clip of the performance by The Celtic Martins. Enjoy!

Thank you again to all who came out in support and to learn more about Ting Ministries and the plight of the orphan. Thank you for everyone who helped in set-up, clean-up and providing desserts!

God Bless!

Not Only in Word, But Also in Deeds: Masha and Marichka

From our partners at Bible Orphan Ministry.

"Do you see these beautiful young ladies? At first glance, they seem to be happy, enjoying meal and having a great time... Yes, they are enjoying food for the first time in a few days!!! Can you believe it??? When I asked them what you ate in the morning? We did not have breakfast today. What did you eat yesterday? Nothing. How about the day before yesterday? Only tea ... It's terrible! How you would feel, if you are a young mother expecting a baby? 

Marichka (in pink) and Masha, two girlfriends and are going through a very, very difficult time now... They share not only their clothing but also joy and problems. Marichka should give birth to a baby girl in January. Her baby does not feel very well. Bad medical tests. Later we will know more details. Her belly is so tiny that you can not even tell that she is pregnant at all... And this is on the 7th month!!! Marichka often starves... In a month she has nowhere to go! Masha is already homeless! Today we just met with each other by a miracle! This is another story. But anyway, if we had not met, Masha would have spent the night in the street today! And maybe even one more night, two, a week, a month... It's very cold, windy and rain. In some parts of Ukraine it is already snowing! Can you imagine this? The young lady all alone and hungry on the street? What would have happened, if it had not been God's mercy to this precious young lady? Even scary to imagine ...




We found a temporary housing for Masha. But we do not know what to do next? How to be? We just can not leave these abandoned children on the street! Both girls do not have winter clothes and a lot of necessary things. They are both feeling cold today and now! And for this reason they got sick. Marichka needs medicines to ensure that her baby girl will be healthy. She tries hard and she needs help. A young mother loves her darling daughter and worries about her. They worked some time ago and earned 25.00 uah per day($0.90)! Yes, Yes! 25uah per day($0.90)! This is less then a $1.00 !!! They quit this job because it's not enough to eat at least once a day!!! Can you imagine what they feel these days??? Hungry, barefoot, without necessary clothing, cold, lonely, without hope, disappointment, 
fear.

Both girls were crying today...could hardly hold back tears so as not to burst into tears. Our hearts are broken. Thousands of thoughts in the head. What to do? How to be? Now the tears running down the face. Pain. A terrible pain for these orphaned children... It tears your heart into a million pieces... 

Dear friends, we need the mercy of God!!! Please, pray with us about these two precious souls!! Pray that God has blessed and revealed to us His will. We have some thoughts on how to help these two sweet young ladies, but is there a will of God in this? If not, then God would show us and open other door. Pray that God will send funds to buy the necessary clothes and food for the first time, while Masha will find work and Marichka as well. Since she is expecting the baby, we are not sure that she will be able to work. God already answered to many your prayers! 

Will you help please to show the love of Christ to these poor and lonely souls, not only in words but also in deeds? That they are not alone, that they are precious and loved? To give them hope and their hearts would opened to Jesus Christ, where they can find rest for souls, joy and grace. Every donation is precious and greatly appreciated!

One time gifts for food and medicine or monthly sponsors of 30 or 60 dollars welcome! 

To send gift of love through PayPal: tingministries@comcast.net
or send a check:

Stephanie and Brian Carpenter
Ting Ministries
904 State Drive
Lebanon, PA 17042
USA

Please, leave a note "For Marichka or Masha". 

Thank you very much! May God bless you!

Emergency Update: We Need Tangible Help for the Philippines!

Update: This need was met! Thank you to our supporters!

EMERGENCY: Okay friends! You may have seen our update yesterday from the Philippines, asking for help. Today, the situation has gotten worse. Our team is down in Marawi and they have run out of funds - and they still have 200-300 children to feed tomorrow. Trusting the Lord, they went down and were able to have several days of ministry, but unless people like our supporters begin to help in tangible ways, there is nothing they can do! Some people may call it foolish to go down having little else but faith, but what else can you do when you see suffering and the Lord commands us to "Go?" (James 1:27)

Pictured is a little girl who sustained severe burns on her face during the fighting between ISIS and the military in Marawi. Dear friends - I am pleading with you - this is why we need you! Ask yourself what you can give, even if it is 5 dollars it makes a big difference! If everyone who liked only our Facebook page gave ONLY 5 dollars we would have more than enough!

The total needed is 1,060 dollars. Please. It is nighttime in the Philippines. Let's show Pastor Mark the faithfulness of the Lord by having the need fully met when he wakes up! To Donate, go to: www.paypal.me/tingministries and specify Emergency Marawi Relief.

Thank you and help us be a Voice for the Voiceless.
Proverbs 31:8-9

Breaking the Flask for Orphans

Avigayil

Church - where are you?  
Where are the families?  

As obvious as it may seem, orphans do not want to be orphans. They want to be in a family. They want to be loved just like you and I want to be loved. (From "Adoption and the Gospel" by Gerry Clark – a must read).

There are approximately 37 million Christian churches worldwide.  There are approximately 153 million orphans. 15 million of these orphans have lost both parents. Not all of these 153 million orphans are adoptable, but for the sake of making this point, let’s say they all are adoptable.

Do the math. Only 4 children would need to be adopted per church worldwide to eradicate the orphan crisis. Only 4 orphans per church….

Here in the USA, there are 400,000 total children in the foster care system. 100,000 of these children are waiting to be adopted. There are approximately 350,000 churches in the USA. Look at the numbers – that is only 1 child being adopted by every third church.

Where is the church - the believers who are the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth?

We have often been asked, "Why do you want her when you could adopt any other healthy child in the whole orphanage? Why her? What value will her life ever hold?"  Our daughter Avigayil was the child with the highest special-needs in her whole orphanage in the Philippines. Believe it or not, I have heard it said about children who died alone in orphanages before they were adopted:  “Well, at least maybe they smiled and made a caregiver feel useful. Perhaps their life made the caregiver feel good.  At least if they die, they will go to heaven and be with Jesus where they will be healed and loved.  Isn’t that even better than suffering?” 

What? Dying alone in an orphange is better than knowing the love of a family?

It is true that the ultimate answer is yes.  One day, we will all die and these children who never had the ability to understand salvation will go to be with Jesus when they die. Yet, isn’t this answer just relieving us of our guilty feelings?  Our guilt at not seeing and then, when we do see -  our guilt at not opening our own hearts or home to a child in need. Our refusal to answer God's call to care for the Least of These. 

This past week, we have seen the flooding in Texas and the horrors of the extreme need. In this time of crisis, we have come together - people are jumping to action and stepping up to care for others. Our hearts go out for the people caught in this tradgedy and we, like countless others, feel burdened to help and glad to see people rallying together for Texas. 

But I say there is a crisis happening every day. The orphan crisis. It has been occurring for years on end, for child after child, that most refuse to see.  We need to open our eyes and work with the same fervor and compassion that has gripped our country to allieviate the suffering of the amazing folks in Texas. By doing so, we can make a difference in the lives of all the orphans. Yes, all the orphans – remember the statistics. 
It is completely possible.  

Now, back to the question of why we should adopt a child like Avigayil. Let us respond with a simple question. 

Why not her?  

God called us to her and asked us to go. What makes Avigayil any less deserving of a family and love than any other child?  Every child deserves to be loved and know what family is. In His Word, God commands us to Go and care for the Least of These.  He does not have conditions.  He does not say, "Go and care for some...but not those who are looked down upon in the eyes of the world." He says "Go and care for the orphans and widows in their distress..." (James 1:27). All of them. 

We have also been asked, “What value does Avi's life have as a completely dependent child with a severe disability?"  She has as much value to us as parents as our daughter Sasha who also defied the odds placed on her life.  To the world, Sasha, who is an intelligent, gifted academic, an honors student, appears to have more value in life than Avigayil. 

I completely disagree.  

They both have equal value and both have equal right to be loved and to be adopted because both were created by God.  Galatians 4: 4-5: “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.  God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own children.”

I believe we have it all upside down and that children like Avigayil are not here for us to teach them but rather - for them to teach us.  Avigayil’s life is priceless and God has used her to start a whole ministry in the Philippines. Already, because of her life, countless other children now have a mother and father and know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Avigyail’s life has blessed our lives more than words can express, but we do not adopt because we expect to be blessed.  Indeed, we do not become Christians because we expect to be blessed. Theologian Oswald Chambers in some of his “Utmost for His Highest” devotionals says this: “We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life.  We are not destined to happiness nor to health but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them.  Many of them may be right, noble, and good and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease (From September 1).

If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain for ourselves, but He pours through us that really counts. As Oswald Chambers eloquently writes: “'When Mary of Bethany broke the flask [...] of very costly oil […] and poured it on Jesus head,'  it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, there were some who […] said,  ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ (Mark 14: 3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion." (My Utmost for His Highest, September 2).

I greatly suspect, in our prioritizing of value and importance, we have it backwards and upside down.  Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did – not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son ”that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).  Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him? Are we prepared to give of ourselves for a child like Avi, whom the rest of the world sees no value in? For if Jesus was pleased with Mary's sacrifice, how pleased must He be when we care for a child like her - the least of the Least of These.

That is ultimately what adoption is – pouring out of your life for Him.  Are you prepared? The truths Oswald Chambers so fittingly stated are at the heart of the question: will you adopt? Will you step out of your comfort zone and your comfortable life and care for the Least of These. Will you break the flask, as Mary did, regardless of how wasteful others may regard your decision? “Now is the time for us to break the flask of our lives to stop seeking our own satisfaction and to pour out our lives before Him.  Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him. (Oswald Chambers Utmost for His Highest September 2).

Guest Post: Caring for the Fatherless...in Bulgaria

Guest Post from our TM Partners in Bulgaria.
Read the original here, on Caring for the Fatherless.

This is Lina.  When this picture was taken, she was 5 and 1/2 years old and weighed only 12 pounds.  She was in an orphanage where abuse and neglect happened every single day.

A new director is now in charge of this orphanage, and she cares deeply for the children.  But poverty in Bulgaria is still affecting the children in this place.  There is NOT enough Bulgarian money to provide adequate care for the almost 100 special needs children who are in this orphanage.

Our ministry just received the exciting news that the Bulgarian court has approved our non-profit NGO status!  This is HUGE because it has given us an open door into this orphanage.  This is THE orphanage I have asked God to give our ministry.  I have prayed for 2 years for THIS place – for THESE children.  The orphanage director wants and needs our help.

We need to raise $17,000 in a very short time.  I will go to this orphanage in October, and I desperately want to be able to provide basic needs for these children.  We need $6,000 to pay the salaries for 5 nannies for one year.  We need $6,000 to provide basic medical care (a doctor and 2 therapists) for these children who all have severe special needs.  We need $3,000 for medical tests for the children (MRI’s and other tests that the government won’t provide).  We need $2,000 to provide nutritional supplements.  The children are underweight and need more food than they are receiving now.

I am also looking for a medical person with a feeding specialist background to go to Bulgaria with me in October or January.  The director is very willing to receive feeding training for herself and the nannies.

Can you help? Can you pray or give?  Every dollar given through our ministry will go through our non-profit in Bulgaria and directly to the nannies and medical personnel.  Every dollar given will directly impact the lives of children who desperately need us.  We need you.

Here is a picture of Lina today.  Isn’t she beautiful?  God’s love heals broken hearts and sets the lonely in families.

Making Disciples: Update from Bangladesh

Dear friends - we have much tor rejoice about in Bangladesh! Thank you to those who have been praying for our TM family and missionaries. Pastor Sanga says:

"We had fellowship, follow-up, more teaching, sharing more on church and congregations leading, making discipleship, gave them encouragement. We knew that our teaching, training and seminar are not vain but it’s fruitful and effective. We had also women seminar on Christian family and women leadership in the ministry. The seminar went very well. They are very much pleased such kind of seminar for women."

TM missionary sharing the gospel

Sharing the Gospel with unreached people 

The women's seminar on Christian family ministry

Teaching on discipleship

The women's seminar on leadership in the ministry

Our TM team in Bangladesh has planted 8 churches in various villages and there were 15 people who came to know Christ! Praise the Lord! Please pray for the strengthening of their faith and for their neighbors who still do not know Jesus. Here are some photos of baptisms:

Time of prayer for those who have been baptized

Our TM missionaries also spent time with the youth, singing and worshiping and praying with the sick...

Pastor Sanga says: "After prayer she was healed in the name of Nazareth Jesus! Praise the Lord!"

This woman's stomach pains lessened after prayer! Imagine what a testimony of Christ and encouragement!

How encouraging to know we have new brothers and sisters in Christ, halfway across the world. Please continue to keep TM partners in your prayers - they face heavy persecution and risk, but this is why they continue! Please pray for their safety, particularly as heavy flooding has damaged many roads in Bangladesh this month. If you would like to help our TM pastors and missionaries continue their ministry, there are several ways to help!

1. We are raising funds for a motorbike. It costs about 2,404 dollars and will help our team get to villages more quickly and safely. Right now they are traversing the jungle and crossing rivers and the journeys take days. A motorbike is a practical need and one that will help spread the Gospel to even more lost souls!

2. There are some ongoing needs. We have 5 Pastor's families waiting for sponsors! Things like clothing outreaches are also made possible through your support. 

This pastor and his family need a sponsor!

3. You can make a one-time donation by a) using the PayPal on our website. b) Send a check to Ting Ministries, 904 State Drive, Lebanon, PA 17042. Please specify what you would like the donation to be used for (100% goes to your specified program).

Though the needs may seem overwhelming, there are lots of ways you can get involved - even 5 dollars makes a difference! You can know that your gift will be of great encouragement! Please join us in praying for our TM family, as they are praying for us!

James 1:27, Mark 28:19