MISSION EXPLOSION INTERNATIONAL “Striving to be Ambassadors for Christ around the World”

Rusty Swafford, Evangelist PO Box 1331, Athens, TN 37371 (865-292-4411)

MEI@MissionExplosion.com www.MissionExplosion.com

January/February Issue Rusty Writes Happy New Year Brothers and Sisters in Christ! It is our prayer that 2015 will be a great year for a harvest of new souls for the Kingdom of God. We ended 2014 with a great trip to India. I would like to thank Linwood Smith, Ray Fumea, Wayne Jocelyn, and my son-in-law Joey Schools for a fantastic job of preaching and teaching on our trip. Also I’m very thankful for my daughter Jordan, my granddaughter Kylee and my wife Audrey for their singing and helping with widows and the Freedom House children. We had a successful trip filled with lots of emotion and excitement. We distributed over 400 Bibles and gave new saris to many widows in the churches. The children from Freedom House were so excited to be able to spend several days with our group. We took them to a water park, an amusement park, a petting zoo and shopping for new clothes and shoes. Take a look at the pictures and see the fun they had during the Christmas season. You would never know that these children were once abused, abandoned and unloved. The smiles on their faces tell the story of your Freedom House Children’s Home. We are so thankful for your continued support.

“The House That Love Built”

Group photo at the Amusement Park Seeing the Ocean for the first time They were afraid to touch the water

Fun at the Water Park

William and Rosemary the house parents of FH

Enjoying the day with the Children

Pray for us every day and please help to bring more kids just like us to

Freedom House

SHOPPING FOR NEW CLOTHES AND SHOES FOR CHRISTMAS

Shakeela’s Story Shakeela Needs an Eye Shakeela is in the 6th grade. She is a very emotional little girl. Her brother Sai who is also in Freedom House is very protective of Shakeela. You see, she and Sai were badly abused by their alcoholic father. He is a lazy drunkard who does not work and tried to sell his children into slave labor. He would send them out in the fields to work each day, collect the money and drink it up. Their mother brought the children to FH because she was afraid he would eventually kill them. She could not care for the children and needed to run away from her husband to save her own life. We gladly accepted the children in FH. Because of fear, Shakeela and Sai will not tell us exactly what happened to her eye. Dr. Vinod tells me it was a deliberate puncture not an accident. We have been told by folks living in their village that her father maimed her to send her out in the streets to beg. She is receiving counseling and needs much love, attention and to feel a sense of security. The whole time we were in India she stayed right with my daughter Jordan. It was so hard to leave these precious children. Shakeela needs a prosthetic eye to give her encouragement, confidence and to greatly improve her beautiful face. Will you help this child? I am gathering information on the cost and the procedure for the surgery. I am told the cost will be around $2,500 but I will not know for sure until next week. I wanted to share this with you now so you can begin praying about helping with her needs. I will send out a special email and letter next week with all the details and the funds needed to help Shakeela get her eye.

Audrey, Jordan and Kylee spent much of their time in India with the children and widows. With the Christmas Project funds you gave we purchased saris for the widows. Each year the widows look forward to receiving their new clothes. These women are very poor and often times do not have family members who will help them throughout the year. MEI will help the widows with food and medical assistance all year long. Many of the churches do not have enough funds in their offerings to meet their needs. These dear sisters in Christ only have maybe two or three saris to wear all year. As you can imagine they are so happy to receive a new dress for Christmas along with food and a special gift from MEI. If you would like to give each month to help us take care of these dear sweet ladies, just mark your checks for “widows” and we will use your contribution solely for their care. God blesses those who help the widows and orphans.

Thanks to those of you who gave to this year’s Christmas Project, we were able to purchase three sets of clothes and shoes for each child. Please continue to give throughout the year to Freedom House because we need to purchase cots, bed covers, clothes boxes, (needed to store their clothes in to keep rats and insects out) school supplies, and sports equipment. We also need to add a 2nd floor to separate the girls from the boys. If God is speaking to you please give generously to help us take care of these precious children. Ask and it will be given; seek and you will find. Mathew 7:7

Matthew 7:

Linwood, Ray K, Wayne and Joey Preaching the Gospel to a Nation of People who Worship Idols and greatly need JESUS!

Kylee’s Korner

Kylee: Poppy you misspelled corner! Poppy: I know Kylee; it’s a play on words. Kylee: Poppy you don’t play with words, you read them. hahaha! Kylee: I had fun in India. It was along plane ride but I played with my iPad. My mommy went to India her first time when she was 3 I am 5. I went to the same Big Rock where my mommy went when she was a little girl. I got to wear a sari and so many people kissed me and held me, also they would pinch my cheeks. I had fun playing with the children at Freedom House. They are so sweet and I

love them so much. I really miss them. I got to sing in all the churches. They are different than USA churches. I didn’t understand their language but when the men preached I could understand what they were saying. I got to go to a water park and went to a place to pet the animals. My cousin Gracie would have liked to pet the goats. She wants to go with me sometime back to India. I want to go back next year with my poppy and see the kids again. I will talk to you next newsletter, bye!

Our Wish List for 2015! We are asking you to prayerfully

consider helping meet these needs. 1. Freedom House Children’s Home - Send $25 per month so we can save more children who are forced into child trafficking and slave labor. Many children are waiting to be rescued. . 2. Bibles for India and México - $25 per month for Bibles, or a onetime gift for the year. 3. Motor Home or Camper - We need a good, used, dependable motor home or camper to use for our travels while here in the States. (For sale (cheap) or a tax donation. 4. Rusty’s Living Expenses – Please give for our personal daily living support. Many souls are being saved because of the ministry of MEI. We must continue planting the Lord’s Church and preaching the Gospel around the world. 5. Workers in the field – Consider taking a mission trip with us to Mexico or India. “If You Are Breathing God Can Use You.” Several dates to choose from! Please contact us for information.