I love working for AFA Journal. It is such a blessing to me. And one of the best parts of working here at American Family Association is the privilege of getting to encounter so many of our loyal supporters. Each and every week I meet and talk to people from all over the country, deeply devoted Christians who care so much about the future of America and its families.
I particularly enjoy talking on the phone with our oldest generation of supporters. They bless me so much with their love for Christ and their wisdom garnered from years of following and serving Him. Many of them order our AFA Journal in bulk and pass them out in their hometowns as a means of evangelism and ministry. Their faithful determination to continually serve God so inspires me!
Other supporters simply call and pray for us, declaring that prayer is “all” they can offer as a means of support at this time in their lives. I cannot tell you how I cherish those prayers, often prayed directly aloud with me over the phone. I usually hang up in tears, amazed at such love and compassion.
We also receive calls, emails, and letters from supporters with news and information for us, sometimes introducing us to other ministries in their area. We have met some humble, diligent servants of Christ through these introductions.
In fact, that is exactly how I found out about Supreme Task International, a ministry that has reached almost one million people. One of AFA’s precious supporters, Mrs. Jenny Womble, reads AFA Journal regularly, and she called several months back when an article we wrote reminded her of Supreme Task International.
Now, in all honesty, Larry and Laurel Derstine, the founders of Supreme Task International, are very near and dear to Ms. Womble’s heart, since Laurel is her daughter. Of course, as a mother, she is proud of the great work the Derstine’s do. And as I researched and learned more about Supreme Task International, I began to understand that Ms. Womble’s love for this ministry went far beyond her love for her children.
Larry and Laurel Derstine started Supreme Task International in 1989 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and since that time, their goal of seeking and serving those who are in need has led them across the globe, to places like the Durga slum of India on the outskirts of New Delhi. Through Supreme Task’s Literacy Training and Development Center, they are helping to feed, clothe, educate, and medically care for children in Durga, indirectly helping their families as well.
As an NGO, a non-governmental organization, Supreme Task International is able to run their free Literacy Training and Development Center through a sponsorship program in which people can give a small monthly donation for one particular child. This monthly sponsorship program helps change the lives of children and give hope to their families.
Supreme Task International also works with indigenous pastors to help them grow their local churches. Christians around the world can also join with Supreme Task International and support these Indian pastors by providing monthly financial assistance, or a church can even sponsor an entire school of pastors on a regular basis.
These pastors also serve as a network for local information and personal connections in times of extreme need. Supreme Task International humbly works with these local pastors and other international ministries to be an even more practical tool to aid Indian villages suffering from catastrophic disasters such as flooding.
Back in 2008, Supreme Task International partnered with Help Age India to take over and help run a 50-bed hospital in India’s Orissa state. Since that time, the hospital has flourished, and they are now working with local officials through partner support to make the facility totally self-sufficient.
Supreme Task international has also partnered with Samaritan’s Purse to bring in much-needed medical equipment there, as well as helping Samaritan’s Purse to process over 1,000,000 shoeboxes through its Operation Christmas Child Program.
About three years ago, Supreme Task International started Smash Hunger to feed children in extreme poverty. The heartbreaking reality is that more than 300 million children go to bed hungry in India every day. Chronic hunger leads to malnutrition. Stunningly, India’s malnutrition rate is five times more than China and twice the rate of Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s often the underlying cause of disease, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths among children each day.
Larry and Laurel have personally seen the devastating effects of hunger, which is why they started Smash Hunger to address this unimaginable epidemic. Fortunately, Smash Hunger offers a highly effective and quite simple solution to this epidemic through a nutritional meal. For only ten cents per meal, Christians around the world are partnering with Smash Hunger and Supreme Task international to make sure that no child should go to bed hungry.
No wonder Ms. Womble is so proud of her children and the work they are doing for Christ.
For anyone interested in learning more about Larry and Laurel Derstine and Supreme Task International, go to supremetask.org or smashhunger.com.
