Welcome to the Victory Blog

iCare is about…

Creating opportunities for others to encounter Christ…

Reaching beyond ourselves to spread the gospel and help those in need around the world…so that young lives are changed and hunger, sickness and disease are conquered.

Throughout the month of August, iCare is focusing on projects in three different countries:

In India, we are partnering with Larry Derstine, founder of Supreme Task International, to help rebuild up to 300 homes for some of the thousands of believers in the State of Orissa who were driven from their homes into the forest because of vicious false rumors spread among the majority Hindu population last year. Countless homes, churches and even orphanages were ransacked, torched and leveled by crazed and angry mobs roaming village to village. (Click here for a more detailed report. Click here for a chronological listing of incidents.)

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In Liberia, West Africa, where thousands have died, the economy is devastated and the children have suffered incredibly as a result of a 14-year civil war that ended in 2003, we are partnering with John Yeedia, founder of Hope Christian International Ministries and long-time member of Victory from Liberia, to drill a well that will bring much-needed clean drinking water to more than 1,000 people in the area of Timbo Village, where he also plans to build a school in the near future. (Click here for a listing of articles about the child victims of Liberia.)

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Finally, in Benin, West Africa, we are partnering with Jace Rabe and his non-profit organization, Projects for Progress, to drill a well to bring clean drinking water to between 15,000 and 25,000 people in need. Benin is one of the poorest nations in the world and has one of the highest infant mortality rates – largely due to preventable, waterborne diseases. Child labor and sex trafficking have become huge industries and have recently seen a surge in activity.

Projects for Progress is a non-profit ministry that focuses on community development, believing that by meeting the physical needs of impoverished communities, a door is open to meet their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Digging wells is one of the first steps in this process. (Projects for Progress is also on Facebook.)

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(Click here to make an iCare donation online. Be sure to select iCare in the “Add a gift to:” drop down box.)

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Earlier this year, through iCare, we gave $10,000 to the ministry of Rev. Ebenezer (Ebi) A. George, Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church in India. This money was given to purchase motorcycles for local ministers who must travel great distances to minister in the various locations under their care. Eleven motorcycles have now been purchased and are in use. In response, Pastor Ebi produced a PowerPoint presentation expressing his tremendous gratitude and that of the ministers and other believers who have been blessed by your generosity.  You may download, unzip and view the presentation by clicking here.

In addition, he also produced this video:

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Thank you, Victory!!!

Recently, we kicked off a new year of our iCare giving campaign. In an inspiring video announcement that noted heartwarming progress, we saw Victory being Jesus’ hands, extending our reach locally and globally, building the God’s kingdom both spiritually and practically in Sierra Leone and Ethiopia, as well as in our immediate community. The presentation highlighted:

• A 21,000 square foot medical clinic and school that will touch more than 12,000 men, women, and children
• Ministry to more than 1,000 seriously malnourished babies
• 40% reduction in death rates in the communities served by 15 wells
• 55 young girls being housed and educated in a beautiful facility
• 16 of 34 beautifully furnished transitional apartments for homeless women

View the video here:

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Victory, you are making a huge difference in this world!

And, here’s a breakdown of what we’ve already given this year:

• $30,000 towards the Salvation Army, UNITE!, and 20 Transitional Housing Units being sponsored in partnership with other Gwinnett churches
• $20,000 for eight additional Transitional Housing Units in partnership with Open Arms/ Mary Hall Freedom House
• $20,000 to provide hospital medical equipment for Larry Derstine’s ministry, Supreme Task International
• $25,000 and hundreds of bags of food to the Norcross Co-op
• $10,000 to E.B. George in India to purchase scooters for evangelists
• 1,364 books and other educational items for the Peachford Health Center.

We cannot say thank you enough for you generosity in giving. You are truly making a difference in our community and around the globe. Thank you for caring.

And, thank you for your ongoing support in our efforts to:

• Provide more apartments for homeless women in Gwinnett County
• Fight Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation
• Dig wells in countries without access to clean water
• And so much more!

 

This week, we received the following updates and pictures from Pastor Mark in India:

Dear Victory,

Greetings to you in Jesus name! We had a wonderful Christmas together with all the children. [We have attached] pictures of the children enjoying Christmas programs and [receiving] the presents we distributed. We did invite local village children and some village elders too. [All of] the children send their greetings to you. Thank you very much for sending your support regularly from “Victory World Church.” We were able to use your donations towards Christmas presents and clothes for the children, etc. Thank you very much for all your help and prayers. We love you and we are praying for you. And [best] wishes for New Year 2009. God Bless.

Love and Prayers,

Pastor Mark and Francina Mark

Rays of Peace – India

 

Dear Victory,

Greetings to you in Jesus name! Attached are the Pictures of two new calves that the villagers donated. [These] two calves will be [very] useful in the future for the children for the milk. We all had a wonderful Christmas and hope you [did] too! We thank Victory World Church for all your help and prayers.

Love and Prayers,

Pastor Mark

We are excited today, August 15th, to receive fresh new photos from Pastor Mark and the children of our Rays of Peace Victory Children’s Home as they celebrate India’s Independence Day. Below is the note from Pastor Mark:

Greetings to you in Jesus name. Today, August 15th, is our Nation Independence Day celebration. Our children from Victory Children’s Home performed some programmes and we invited a village leader who hoisted the Flag of our Nation.

Love & Prayers.
Pastor Mark & Francina Mark

It is such a blessing to watch these children prosper in the love of Jesus Christ and enjoy national celebrations from a place of peace and comfort. Thank you, Victory, for your generous hearts.

Enjoy the photos. You can click on the images to view larger versions.

Today we were blessed to receive some exciting new photos from Pastor Mark in India along with the following message:

Greetings to you in Jesus name, these pictures are about people from neighboring villages taking water from our Victory Borewell, they are very Happy because we give them water from our recent dug borewell, We are able to witness about Christ to them. We thank you Victory World Church. We love you and we are Praying for you, Love & Prayers.
Pastor Mark & Francina Mark

It is so exciting to see how God uses our faithfulness in meeting the practical needs of others to minister and provide opportunity to know Him.

Thank you, Victory, for your generosity on behalf of others. Enjoy these wonderful photos.

We were excited to receive a newsletter from Pastor Mark in India and find that the children of our Victory Children’s Home are doing exceptionally well; winning awards and bringing recognition to the school through their academic performance.

It’s always inspiring and amazing to see what God can do to multiply our efforts. The impacts upon these children’s lives and the community around them will not be truly seen until eternity. God has taken the faithful giving of our church and will multiply it for generations to come.

Thanks again, Victory, for your generous giving and love for the nations.

Here’s the snapshot from Pastor Mark’s newsletter:

You can also use the link below to visit the Rays of Peace Ministries website to see some photos of the children enjoying a day at a nearby Amusement Park.

Day out at Wonder-La

Dear Victory Family,

I want to give you a report of the wells we have been able to drill because of your generosity. The first well was drilled at Rays of Peace Church premises. We drilled 600 feet deep and tapped into clean drinking water. The drilling people told us that this water is sufficient for the seven-story building that we are believing for God to enable us to construct in the future. (We already have approval from the government to do so.)

The second well was drilled at Victory Children’s Home (Rays of Peace Orphanage). The well is 350 feet deep and we are blessed with clean water. We have now built a cistern to store the water. We use it for the orphanage and to bless the people of our community. The drilling people told us that the water which we got from this well is sufficient to irrigate 10 acres of land for growing crops, etc.

The third well has now been drilled at the Precious Children Home (the first Orphanage of Rays of Peace). We drilled 250 feet and instead of putting in a pump and pipes, we have installed an overhead tank which provides running water for the orphanage, office and another building.

With the funds we received through iCare and the Advent Conspiracy, we will soon drill one more well in another village where we have our branch church. And, as the Lord provides the funds, we have also planned to drill five more wells in different villages where the people are desperate for drinking water. Thank you, Victory World Church, for giving so generously towards our water project in India.

 

 

 

 

 

In His Service,

Pastor Mark Jayakumar
Rays of Peace Ministries

We are so pleased to announce that the generous giving for the Advent Conspiracy during the 2007 Christmas season is bearing fruit. Here’s a thank you letter, pictures and video from one of the ministries that is directly benefitting from it.

Dear Victory,

Greetings to you in Jesus name, we just finished drilling the well for the Rays of Peace, Victory Children’s Home Orphanage, located 65 kilometers away from Bangalore City, India. God blessed us once again, as we tapped into the rare sweet water that is so valued in India. God is good! We have fixed the water pump, and the people are so happy to have sweet, clean drinking water. We thank you Pastor Dennis Rouse and Victory World Church for helping us to drill the wells. May God bless you!

Love & Prayers,
Pastor Mark Jayakumar
 

Watch video

 

In 2006, in partnership with Pastor Mark Jayakumar, we began work on an orphanage in India. The Victory family supported this vision and gave generously in the 2006 Christmas Gift to the World offering. By early 2007 we were blessed to see concrete being poured and the structure taking shape. Less than one year from the initial offering, the Rays of Peace, Victory Children’s Home opened and began serving orphaned children of all ages.

Below are pictures of Victory Children’s Home in its various stages of completion.

The initial architectural renderings:

The building process:

Victory Children’s Home is Opened!!!

Thank you, Victory Family, for caring!