Pigs + Prayer = Powerful Presence

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Joanne

 

On a recent trip to a Caribbean Island to visit our international workers and the microeconomic program they oversee, I was deeply impacted by what I experienced. Our 25 churches on this island are house churches.

The pastors of these churches sacrifice their living space in their homes in order to provide a ‘sanctuary’ for their small congregations.  A wall knocked down between a living room and a bedroom creates a space large enough to hold some pews.  Many families then share one bedroom!  As many of the pastors and members of the congregations live in poverty, our team initiated a microeconomic program for church members several years ago.

I walked through small communities visiting members’ projects – one after another:  some were raising pigs (the most common project), some growing crops, others sewing clothes, or painting furniture… the initiatives too varied to list them all here.

Our leaders invited other denominations to participate and currently 20 churches from 7 denominations are involved.  The goal of the program is to provide financing for the poor so they can develop small businesses to help them out of poverty.  Another objective is to empower the national church to become economically self-sustaining through the tithes of their members.   As we visited with pastors and members they told me about a 24/7 prayer movement that has been birthed within this interdenominational relationship.  Their annual prayer retreat was attended by 280 pastors and leaders last time.

Some of the microeconomic groups have started to include prayer and fasting at their weekly meetings. One of the pastors had the vision to invite people in the neighbourhood to participate in the micro program as a way to serve the community and express the love of Christ.  During the first 6 months of their involvement with the program, 20 community participants have made decisions to follow Jesus.

One man told me that he sensed something very different in the people.  As he engaged with the small groups he soon came to know that it was the presence of Jesus that he was sensing.  He told me, “Now my life has been transformed; I am so thankful that they opened their group up to me!”

I, too, discerned a powerful Presence in these believers.   Their passion for Jesus is contagious.  Through pigs and prayer, God is empowering His Church to impact that island nation!

Posted in Global Initiatives, Sun Region | Leave a comment

Haiti Earthquake 2010

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Joanne

The Christian and Missionary Alliance raised over $1.3 million in Haiti Earthquake Relief donations.  To date we have disbursed $ 861,874.46.  As we do not have personnel in Haiti, we responded through partnership with Food for the Hungry, Samaritan’s Purse,  World Relief, and First Alliance-Calgary’s connection to HelpAge, Int’l.  I visited Haiti in April 2010 and was overwhelmed by the devastation and the living conditions of what they estimate over 1 million people.

Aerial view of a tent city

Family living in a tent city

Below is a brief summary of what we funded to date…
 
  • We contributed funds to support Samaritan’s Purse efforts of immediate response  of material and food aid.  SP also used our funds to purchase two mobile clinic kits—the contents of each had the amount of medical equipment and medication to care for 10,000 people for a three-month period.

Waiting to see the doctor

  • We provided funds to support Food for the Hungry’s Child Friendly Spaces project that ran for the past year.  There are 62 locations, each connected to a local church where land was cleared, and tents set up to make space made available for children to gather for daily activities.  There were 12,000 children enrolled in this program that otherwise would not be in school. A definite investment in the next generations of Haitians.

Child Friendly Spaces

  • World Relief used our funds for drilling wells on church properties. This provided for drinking water for immediate use and also established a long-term clean water source.  The pastor, pictured below, explained that they invite the whole community to come for water and to participate in health education.   He reported that their church had tripled in size since the earthquake.  We heard similar stories from most pastors we visited with.

New well at a local church

  • First Alliance – Calgary had connections to HelpAge, Int’l which focused on a seniors’ home that was destroyed.  Funds were used to purchase tents, cots, and supplies to provide shelter for the elderly who were displaced as a result of the earthquake destroying their seniors’ residence.  While the First Alliance team was there they assisted in clearing sites for tents, visited with elderly in relief a camp, painted and completed some electrical work in the medical centre.

First Alliance volunteers

 

Posted in Disaster Relief, Global Initiatives, Sun Region | Leave a comment

Fighting for Justice for Abandoned Babies

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Joanne

In a West African country where we work, it is not uncommon that a newborn is thrown away.

Collette and Lizette, two of our International Workers both are involved in ministries that receive and care for these precious lives.  These babies are loved and nurtured to health and wholeness until they can be adopted into a loving Christian family.

There is another group interested in saving these babies…  Unfortunately, they are known child traffickers who have vested interest in getting possession of these babies in order that they can sell them!

Today I received an email from Lizette asking us to pray for ‘Baby David.’  This is a young infant that has been a part of her ministry.  These child traffickers are attempting to get custody of this little one pictured below:

Here is an excerpt from Lizette’s letter:  “Today may be the deciding day! Please pray for justice. The cries of hundreds, even thousands, of babies, thrown away by their mothers or stolen from their parents are rising up to God, as they are sold out of country into adoption, slavery, for sacrifices or for organs. My heart is totally torn by this massive tragedy, but God is able to touch the hearts of the judge and counsel,so that this country’s child protection laws will be upheld, and child traffickers’ schemes be foiled. We are fighting not only for David, but for all babies thrown away. They need to be loved and cared for until good families are found for them, families who will adopt them legally, love them and raise them up as their own.”

Update on Baby David Case…

Follow up …the Rescue Centre was awarded legal guardianship of Baby David!!!

Our International Worker, Lizette writes: “This case establishes a precedent that we want to take advantage of to inform the population and the authorities of the rights of children and the need to establish or enforce a proper procedure for placing these children in good centres so that they can be legally adopted by caring people. As we prepare for the next steps, please pray for us, that God would give us wisdom and coworkers who would help us with this media campaign we want to set up in the next few months. We are looking at preparing radio programs, posters and flyers that would inform and inspire people to do the right thing concerning throw-away babies.”Interesting that on the same day I received this news, another of our International Workers in the same West African country, Colette, wrote of a 7-month old girl that was very sick when she arrived at their rescue centre.  She hung on for 3 weeks but died yesterday.  Here is a moving quote from Colette:  “I have been praying and asking the Lord if we should continue in this project (Source of Life – Infant Rescue Centre). I am convinced we should – WHY? This center is an act of Spiritual Warfare. It is completely opposite of what the destroyer of life does. It is a declaration to the unseen forces in the heavenly realm that every life is precious in God’s sight and HIS people will destroy the works of the devil by saving the lives of the innocent.”

As you read this, thousands of miles away.  How can you respond?  How can you participate in this battle against injustice?   First, pray…AND…if you would like to contribute financially to support these ministries, Click here for the Canada Helps donations page and designate your gift to either the C&MA’s Baby Rescue Centre or the C&MA’s Kids in Crisis project. 

Posted in Global Initiatives, Sand Region, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Niger School Feeding Program

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Joanne

C&MA impacting kids in Niger through our school feeding program using our Canadian Foodgrains Bank funds. In the last year we have seen school attendance more than double.  The number of girls has increased by 50%!

Posted in featured, Global Initiatives, Niger, Sand Region, Video | Leave a comment

Slave Lake Fire Response

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Joanne

The Slave Lake Alliance Church has served its community in various ways: · For the first week after residents were allowed back into Slave Lake, the church ran a ‘coffee house’ open to the entire community to drop in for refreshments and to share stories.  It was open from 10:00 a.m. to midnight daily. Many people were blessed by this opportunity to debrief with one another.  · Once the government’s program for feeding relief workers ended, the church took on this practical ministry for another 5 days. · The church is finding ways to meet practical needs as they become aware of specific instances. · The church hosted a basic trauma debriefing training session to equip people to talk with and pray for people who have experienced this devastating situation. · The church has been given the mandate by the town leadership to manage the semi-truckloads of donations and the volunteers who are sorting, classifying, and distributing the items. These  donations are   currently being housed at the local curling rink.  · Last week 18 volunteers from the following Alliance churches worked tirelessly on sorting items and also praying with people in the community: Barrhead Alliance, University Drive Alliance (Lethbridge), Calgary Chinese Alliance, Daysland Alliance, North Point Community (Calgary), Heartland Alliance (Sherwood Park)
“The Alliance Family has been terrific both with encouraging emails, prayers, finances, material goods, and volunteers. The Alliance Family is really shining right now.” – Pastor Ottenbreit
Please continue to pray for Pastor Ottenbreit and the Slave Lake Alliance congregation as they continue to recover from this tragedy while ministering to their community.  We are very thankful that Curtis and Linda Doell, our Caribbean Justice and Compassion track leaders, were in Canada on a short home assignment and were available to come alongside Pastor Ottenbreit and give leadership to these initiatives. Read about their experience on their blog:http://cdoellimagery.blogspot.com

Posted in Canadian Initiatives, Disaster Relief, featured | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Niger Goat Loaning Initiative

Posted on August 3, 2011 by admin

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. Most people live on less than $2/day. The Fulani, a nomadic people group, have a cultural practice of lending animals to those who are in financial need. The recipient keeps and cares for the cow or goats until they give birth. After the young is weaned, the mother is returned to its owner and loaned to another person in need. The idea is to help them establish a herd, and thus a means of improving their children’s diet (with milk) and providing a source of income (from the sale of milk and butter.) We have distributed hundreds of goats to women.  One woman recently expressed, “Poverty is beginning to leave our village.”

Posted in featured, Global Initiatives, Niger, Sand Region | Leave a comment