Get to Know the Y Family in Southeast Asia

Posted on February 9, 2026

The Y Family’s Ministry

The mission of the Y family is to empower and strengthen the local church while sharing the light of Christ with the poor, lost, and marginalized members of their community. They accomplish this through various ministries:

The Local Church – J serves as the primary pastor and shepherd to a small congregation in their city. Their desire is to build a Christ-centered fellowship that is growing deeper spiritually and numerically as more people in their community place their faith in Jesus.

Project Life & Project Life Launch – These ministries provide physical, emotional and spiritual care to HIV+ widows and young adults.

Miracle Milk – This program supplies nutritional and counseling care to orphans who live in various institutions around their city.

Hope Bakery – The Y family has established this business to provide employment opportunities for women with HIV, helping them to develop skills while providing community through faith-centered relationships.

Hope Farm – Their long-term vision is to build Hope Farm, a biblically-based residential center for care and counseling, as well as skill-based training facility.

The Y Family and their History with FBC

Both J and R have multiple degrees, including master’s degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, which is where they met Rob and Jodie Sweet in 2006. Their friendship began there and continued to grow after graduation. Since 2018, Fellowship has sent five different teams to explore and assist in the ministries that the Y family is involved in. The Y family became our latest global partner in 2024.

A Recent Addition to the Ministry – Hope Bakes

HIV positive widows are among the most marginalized groups in the world. In many communities, this diagnosis brings more than illness – it brings rejection. These women are disowned by family, excluded from work, and quietly pushed to the margins of society. Shame and isolation settle in, poverty deepens, and the path forward can feel nearly impossible.

But marginalization is not the end of the story for all the HIV positive widows in South Asia. From years of providing practical help to these women, The Y family has gained a deeper understanding that what these women needed was not just assistance, but also opportunity. They longed for meaningful work, genuine community, and a place where they could rebuild confidence and dignity together.

That vision led to the creation of Hope Bakes – a small bakery with a big purpose. Through hands-on training, women are learning valuable skills that allow them to earn income and support themselves. Just as importantly, the bakery creates a space where the love of Jesus is shared, dignity is restored, and community is rebuilt. The women are seen, known, and valued – not for what they have lost, but for who they are.

What happens inside this bakery goes far beyond the banana muffins, cinnamon rolls, or garlic knots. It is a tangible expression of God’s love at work – meeting women in places of deep loss and shame and reminding them of their true worth. Here, they are seen by God, known by name, and invited into lives marked by dignity and purpose. We are grateful to partner in this work and invite you to join us in praying for these women…as hope continues to rise.

Jaishree’s Story

When Jaishree chose to attend bakery training at Hope Bakes, she was met with ridicule from her family and friends who doubted her abilities. They told her she would fail and insisted her place was at home, limited to daily chores.

The Y family encouraged Jaishree to bake, which she took to enthusiastically. Soon, she began creating her own ideas for delicious baked goods, discovering confidence she never knew she had. With her newfound income, she is now able to send her children to school. The voices that once ridiculed her have been replaced with respect—and recently her family even gifted her an oven to use at home!

Each morning, as Jaishree participates in pre-work devotion at Hope Bakes, she is learning about the love of God—the God who delivers.