Eckert Ministry
Tim Eckert
Ministry Updates
Ministry Updates

ALO Ministry

Summer Ministry at Happy Horizons

Doris, Ariyanna, and Gracie spent time this Summer at Happy Horizons Children’s Ranch (HHCR) in the Philippines, with a small ministry team of women from Missouri. HHCR is a restorative home for girls age 3-20ish rescued out of sex-trafficking.

Ariyanna was a huge blessing to the girls teaching them various art skills, spending hours painting and drawing together in love and friendship. With Gracie’s infectious joy and outgoing personality she played games and helped with baking. Kristy Weyer, the Northern Missouri Womens Ministries Director that traveled with us, poured into and inspired the staff and caregivers. Doris painted a mural for the counselors office. We did a Freedom Challenge 5K with the girls. We also sponsored the end of Summer celebration with a special lunch and took everyone swimming at a local pool. On Sunday we worshiped together, Doris preached the Word, and the Ranch girls ministered to the community that attends Happy Church on their campus. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and ministry in the Philippines.

Thank you for sending us, and thank you for praying with us! If you ever would like to join Doris on a ministry trip for Asia’s Little Ones please email us at asiaslittleones.agwm@gmail.com.

From the Streets of Bangkok to Hope

There are children in Bangkok that are born in the dark corners of the red-light district. Asias Little Ones partners with brave missionaries called by God to share the love of Jesus in these streets. Offering help, prayer, and bringing the love of Jesus to those enslaved by evil in these places is no small feat and is foolish without the power of the Holy Spirit. While visiting this ministry, I walked these streets during the day with the team and we prayed fervently for the ministry that would take place later when the streets were dark and full of people. Please pray with me for the many innocent children born into this place. Pray for the cycle of violence and exploitation to stop. Bangkok is known world wide for it’s human trafficking districts. Sin is so tangible here, and the value of life so little that people are bought and sold for selfish gratification and treated as currency.

Praise God we know that ultimately faith, hope, and love will conquer because of the blessed hope we have in Jesus! We know that even in these dark places of the world God will win. He is the God of restoration, a conquering hero, the God of Justice, and one day Jesus will return and set all things right. So we pray boldly, we walk boldly, and we declare hope even here. Pray the Kingdom of God come to the streets of Bangkok with us!

The Gospel is Going to the Hard to Reach Places

Someone is waiting…

Growing up I lived in a little trailer, and nearly all the neighbor kids around me were refugees from a peninsular Asian country that embraced communism after the conflicts that took place there in the 70’s.  These children were my first exposure to the world of Asia Pacific, so it was very exciting to go to their home country this fall and visit the Asia’s Little Ones affiliated project there that over the years has transformed the lives of hundreds of children, and has been a creative access ministry platform for our kingdom workers to serve there, share the gospel, disciple new believers and plant the church! 

Because it is a sensitive country I will not name the place and will refer to the ministry by its initials LC, but it is a ministry that has grown from small beginnings, ministering to a handful of street children of the outcast ethnicity, to now serving a hot meal to roughly 100 children daily!  These children faithfully attend classes for English and Mandarin, and receive tutoring, and life skills training that has made all the difference in their lives, and empowers them to a better future.  For the students and families they also get to meet followers of Jesus and hear the Good News of the Gospel for the first time.  So many of them have watched the followers of Jesus carefully for many years and over time LC can boast that every single person affiliated and working with them is now also a follower of Jesus!  

Recently, LC opened a coffee shop next to its campus to continue outreach and serving in the community after school hours, provide greater opportunities in skills training, and maybe someday aid in the financial cost of the ministry of LC.  

I love all the projects I get to be part of because of Asia’s Little Ones. It’s exciting that this particular compassion project for children’s health and education has become the catalyst for planting the church and providing kingdom worker’s visas! I am especially excited for what the future holds in this “closed” country. 

No place is really “closed” to the gospel if you follow the creativity and leading of the Holy Spirit.  And you can see the church birthed anywhere, if you are willing to sacrifice, and willing to endure for as long as it takes by the power of the Holy Spirit.  


I believe someone who reads this ministry update will be called to a hard place that others feel is impossible or just too difficult. If that is you, I urge you to obey God’s leading immediately. Reach out to us so we can pray for you and help you in your journey however we can, and take steps of faith even if others think you are nuts. The best Christmas present you can possibly give, is to give Jesus your “yes”. The Never Reached have waited long enough for the Gospel.  Someone is waiting for you.

Asia's Little Ones ministry in the Philippines is changing lives and giving Hope!

In May and June, I (Doris) traveled to the Philippines, as part of ministry for Asia’s Little Ones (ALO). I spent time visiting, ministering, and encouraging the ALO affiliated ministries there and I am excited to share with you what the Lord is doing! I am also hoping you will intercede with me on behalf of the many children we endeavor to provide hope, restoration, and share the love of Jesus with.

King’s Garden

First, I had the opportunity to work with and encourage the board of local pastors that have carried Kings Garden (a home that takes in children whose parents have been incarcerated, or children who are orphaned, or have been abandoned). I had the opportunity to encourage them as they made tough decisions for the future and betterment of the ministry for the children. I was also able to encourage them with the news that a new missionary couple feels called to come along side them in ministry and is working to get there as soon as possible!

Please pray for the 31 children under the protective wings of Kings Garden. Life has dealt them some tough blows, but the Lord has brought them to our care that they might have a hope and a future!

Childcare Community Ministry Philippines (CCMP)

Then, I joined the ministry of Childcare Community Ministry Philippines (CCMP). I shared about this ministry in our July hardcopy newsletter (please write and request one if you didn’t receive it and would like to!). A brief description of this ministry is that it prayerfully seeks out the most destitute neighborhoods and communities, then in cooperation with a church planter, a nurse, a social worker, and volunteers, a transforming community initiative begins. The most needy and malnourished children in the community are fed a nutritious hot meal 5 days a week for 6 months-1 year. They and their parents are introduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Lastly, practical teaching is given in health, nutrition, parenting, etc. for the parents, and educational support is provided for the kids.  Currently, there are 13 CCMP sites actively transforming communities all over the Philippines, 1,625 meals a week are served, and this food is physical as well as spiritual! Over the years the success rate of CCMP in transforming communities and planting church ministries has been incredible. Thousands of lives have been changed and many thousands more will be. Please pray for these communities, and please pray for provision of the incredible financial need to continue to minister with excellence.

Happy Horizons Children’s Ranch

In the central region of the Philippines lies a group of islands in the Visayas region, I had the honor to minister with Happy Horizons Children’s Ranch, which is committed to the restoration of young girls rescued from sex-trafficking. Typically, anti-trafficking ministries focus heavily on rescue, when in actuality that is the easiest part of the fight on anti-trafficking. The more difficult initiatives focus on prevention, and the most difficult of all, the long road of restoration.

Currently home to nearly 60 girls ages 5-20, these girls are incredible survivors. While I was there, seven girls were rescued by International Justice Mission, and brought to Happy Horizons. The contrast of dark empty eyes full of pain in the newcomers versus the light, joy and determination in the eyes of those that have been under the care of Happy Horizons for many years was a testimony to the success and importance of Happy Horizons!

One girl, we will call her Mei for her protection, shared her testimony: When she first came to Happy Horizons she felt hopeless filled with sadness. Despite the efforts of staff and other girls, she barely ate, isolated herself, and cried constantly. After many months of hearing about Jesus’ love for her and God’s desire to heal her, she began to slowly join in some of the activities with the other girls. One of these was a creative arts therapy and crafts class. She began helping clean freshwater clam shells that would become wind chimes. It was a long process, but she shared that when the wind chime was finished, God spoke to her that just like she had cleaned away the grime from the shells, filed them into various shapes and then strung them together to create something beautiful; God wanted to do the same in her. He wanted to wash away her shame, pain, and all her sins. If she let Him, Jesus would lovingly reshape her life, and put her life back together for a beautiful purpose. Mei has since made four more wind chimes that are all unique and special. 

Nothing is impossible with our God, so many of our survivor’s testimonies are evidence of this. While I was there I had the opportunity to preach. For most of the new girls that had just arrived, it was the first time they had ever heard about Jesus! When I heard this, I cried. It was so humbling to be the first to share about the Savior with them and to pray over them. Please pray with me that all our girls at Happy Horizons will experience restoration, receive salvation, and walk in joy and freedom!

Kid’s Helping Kids & Hope Ministries

Lastly, ALO ministry took me to the southern most region of the Philippines in Mindanao where ALO affiliated ministries, Kids Helping Kids and Hope Ministries, is bridging the gap into Muslim tribes with education ministry from pre-school all the way up to college age. It was so exciting to meet and have the opportunity to pray over a Muslim community leader and his family of one of these tribes. After eight years of building relationships in this place we are beginning to see fruit! Our local pastor has been given a place and title of honor in the tribe even though he is a different ethnicity. This gives him greater influence and freedom to share faith. Most exciting, however, is that four young Muslims that have studied hard and become quite excellent in language agreed to help translate the Bible into their tribal language. Only a few books have been translated so far. One is the book of Luke, translated by one Muslim translator, another is the book of Mark, translated by a different Muslim translator. Each of them, after translating just one of the gospels came to the pastor and shared that they and their spouses wanted to profess faith in Jesus and desired to be baptized! These are the first known believers in their tribe! Please pray with me for these new believers, for the education ministries and the Bible translation initiative in this place!