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| Monday, September 06, 2010
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A Note from Chuck & Ramona Shawver
Dear Friends,
Mission expresses itself in many forms but at its core it is always about helping others come to know the One who can change their lives forever. That happened to me forty years ago this month and continues to be the driving force in all that we do. (I met Ramona a year after I met God and tomorrow we celebrate our 37th anniversary!) Back to Jesus...more than doctrine; so much more than religion. We heard it over and over again a few weeks ago when we sat with a group of students at the Baptist Seminary and shared how each of us came to know Him. Each tale is different, yet all of us knew that when we stumbled into the Kingdom it was the real deal. We found something that changed us and changed our outlook and perspective. Like Ramona and I, these young men and women are compelled to serve the church and the world, wanting to make a difference while at the same time knowing that the greatest difference comes when people find the faith to believe in and come to know a loving God and experience the redeeming work of his only Son.
David remembers that, as a young child, his mother carried him for blocks through muddy streets to church. “I knew it was important,” he says, but then one day he found out why and now he is doing the carrying. Miriam grew up in the church, played the game, went away and then came back when she learned it wasn't a game after all. Alex came to faith through the friendly encouragement of a youth leader and Nati, born into the church, was born again as a pre-teen. Ismael rebelled against the church and his family's faith but hard times in the world brought him to his knees and now he serves with a heart that is whole and full.
Last Sunday I attended the Baptist Church in Iguala, Guerrero where one of our Seminary graduates serves as pastor. It is filled with people of all ages but especially youth: lively worship, good teaching, lots of love, lots of enthusiasm. The kind of place you want to be, even when Mexico's soccer team is playing in the world cup! The kind of place where people can come to know God. The kind of ministry we want for all of our graduates.
At the seminary we want our students to be good theologians and we want them to be good pastors, preachers and teachers; committed to justice and to the poor and to the planet's well being. We are less concerned with Jesus' second coming than we are with what we should be doing till he comes. There is a lot to do. But in all that we do, we know that if people don't see our relationship with Christ and if people don't hear that message, then we are cheaters, doing nice things but leaving out the single most important piece.
Thank you for supporting us in our work at the Baptist Seminary and with the churches of CICEM. Your generosity month after month is amazing. Your prayers for us and for the churches of Mexico make all the difference.
Have a blessed summer.
Ramona & Chuck
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Congolose Independence
by Wendy Bernhard
Dear praying friends,
June 30 marks the 50th anniversary of Congolese independence from Belgium! Streets in Kinshasa are lined with flags, souvenir cloth is available for purchase, and the atmosphere is festive. The King of the Belgians is arriving today to join in the celebration. Major roads in the capital have been refurbished at a rapid pace, and traffic is horrendous.
On the other hand, there is still a lot to be done for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Off the main roads, streets are unpaved and filthy, people are poor, medical and educational facilities are in ruins. Villages don't have access to electricity or safe drinking water.
At the Bible Institute in Kimpese, we are having our graduation service on Sunday the 27th. Seven seniors, including one woman, will receive their diplomas, and begin a pastoral ministry where they will never be paid an adequate salary. The wives of 5 of the students have studied at the Women's School, and will be starting ministries of their own alongside their husbands.
On a sad note, we received word yesterday that a beloved Baptist pastor has passed away in Bas Congo. Pastor Bedelo, also an evangelist, had been ill for some time. He and his wife recently visited their children, who live near me at the Evangelical Cooperative Center in Kimpese. Their son Papy, who had polio as a child and walks with braces and crutches, is a student at the Protestant University of Kimpese and is our AV technician whenever we show films. Just last week, Pastor Bedelo shared with another pastor and me his vision of creating a center for evangelism and development in his native village; he was thinking of his Lord and how to serve his people right up to his last breath! May the Lord help us to accomplish Pastor Bedelo's vision!
So, we have mixed emotions as we enter the joyous festivities of graduation and independence; we will also share the tears of the Bedelo family. That's the Christian life, isn't it, "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep." Even if we're doing both at the same time!
Thank you for your part in making it possible for me to serve in the D.R. Congo!
Shalom,
Wendy
(Please note: If you wish to email her directly, see her personal email address below. Thanks!)
Missionary Partnership Network
with Wendy Bernhard
Missionary to the Democratic Republic of Congo
"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2
(please enter this email address into your email address book so that our mailings aren’t dropped into the junk mail!)
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Journal
Breaking The Chains of Prostitution
By Sarah West
Dear friends,
I first met Joyce (not her real name) about a year ago. She spoke to our Bible study ladies about the life she used to lead. Joyce talked about how she used her body to manipulate people, how she used her body to buy drugs, beer and even food. Joyce used to be a sex worker in the Copperbelt region of Zambia.
Joyce talked about how she and her girl friends would meet the men and how many partners they would have in one day. It wasn’t an exciting life, nor was it an easy one, but it put food on the table, it was a job.
She told us how she killed her baby, smothered the child with a pillow, because she couldn’t be bothered with taking care of an infant. Although she spoke English very well, she spoke in her native language which allowed the ladies to hear and understand everything she said. Nothing was lost in translation except for me, who had an interpreter nearby but I could still understand bits and pieces of the language, especially as it was punctuated with English words. Every now and then the women would laugh, partially out of nervousness, partially because she had a way of telling her story that made the women feel comfortable and relate to what she was saying. After all, she shared lots of intimate information that made us all blush!
She told us about how, even after she had a “husband”, she continued in the lifestyle of sex working. When a “john” would call, she would drug her “husband” so that he would sleep heavily and Joyce could make a few Kwacha, the currency of Zambia, even from her own house in an adjoining room. People in the compound would tell her “husband” that she was unfaithful, but he didn’t believe them, she had him totally convinced.
She talked about how she had some kind of “voodoo” that would attract men to her, and she knew exactly who would be “following” her home.
The dysfunctional existence of drugs and prostitution was a daily occurrence for Joyce and her friends. She told us she was the only one alive of her cluster and she knew there was a reason for that.
Romans 1:28 tells us that “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. Romans further tells us, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. I missed this part in the translation, but at some point in her life, someone introduced Joyce to Jesus. Joyce called on the name of the Lord and Christ broke the chains of prostitution, drugs, infidelity and death!
I don’t know Joyce’s whole story- how she started on this journey of selling her body for food and drugs, but I do know that when Joyce met Jesus her whole life changed. She now devotes her life to talking to other women who are caught up in this lifestyle, willingly or unwillingly. Her powerful message is a testimony to how Jesus can break the chains of spiritual poverty and bring healing and wholeness to a life formerly given over to certain death.
As we minister to men and women in abject poverty, we tell some and remind others of the saving grace of Jesus and how just knowing Him brings you out of a life of spiritual, physical and emotional poverty.
Thank you for your partnership of support, encouragement, prayers and funds. We couldn't do what we do, if you didn't do what you do!
In His Service,
Sarah West
Our MPT website: www.westinzambia.org/
IM website: www.internationalministries.org/missionaries/100
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What a joy to know we travel together in this mission process and to know we are part of each other’s bigger and loving family. You who get to the website and read the Missions’ Corner are our spokespeople to your friends and loved ones as you’ve been the closest to us throughout our ministry. This is going to you so that you share as you see fit...
We have been patiently (and not so patiently at times!) waiting for our entry visas to go to Spain and FINALLY we’ve been cleared to get ready, set, and go… Our departure date has been set to be this week in June, 2010! It has been a longer than expected US/PR assignment, but all in all, we’ve seen God’s hand in every detail; being closer to relatives and churches in Puerto Rico, visiting with many of in the eastern USA, and even taking a couple of days to be together as a family without computers, phones, or else. As we are close to departure, there are some prayer praises and requests we’d like to share with you, so that you can be in prayer on our behalf and see how God may want to nudge you. As always, we trust you continue to search for and share our journals posted online every month… Your feedback is always welcomed and appreciated!
We are looking forward to this new ministry opportunity in Spain with the Baptist Evangelical Union of Spain and their ministries to Migrants coming to and around their churches, to Prepare Christian Education curriculum materials, and to Train the local leadership in their churches. It is a great undertaking and we know the Lord will continue to provide for us spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially, and etc. We have shared journals based on this US/PR assignment (our second) and look forward to sharing of our lives in Spain, in a ministry that you are an important part of.
· We count on you and your friends: for your continued prayers for discernment as we settle and get the lay of the land, our adjustment to a new place and culture (especially for our children), and our effectiveness in ministry.
· We count on you and so many brothers and sisters: for your continued encouragement by joining our journey with your emails, cards, letters, and physical company once we know what is really needed and work out the logistics.
· We count on the Lord to nudge you, your friends and families: for your continued provision of resources needed for our sustainable support while in the mission field and US/PR assignments…
We pray not only for ourselves and our colleagues in ministry, but also for each of you as you discern how God is nudging you to be a steward of the resources He gives you in these times of financial hardship around the world. Many of you have been on our network for almost 10 years (some have recently joined journeys along the way; some even before we joined ABFMS in 2000); so you know us well. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14) We go with joy for “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7) Each of us as missionaries are called to go and serve and you are invited to partner with each of us in all areas of support (Romans 12:15 and 15:22-33).
May the Spirit inspire
· those brothers and sisters who will be willing and able to increase in their current giving, (http://www.internationalministries.org/give#)
· those friends who will be sharing with others and inviting them to join a missionary network, (http://www.internationalministries.org/people?categories=staff) and
· those individuals who will for the first time decide to share of their gifts with a missionary (http://www.internationalministries.org/give#).
Perhaps this is God’s nudging to share your gifts…
Our eyes continue to be fixed on our Boss and we serve Him (Matthew 6:33) and He shall provide as He has thus far. We rejoice to have your ears to listen, your eyes to read, and your hearts to pray with and for us; we do the same for you! It is not easy but in His strength we shall do greater wonders; you, us, and those around us He’s placed to accompany our journeys.
Pressing firmly toward the goal,
The Bonilla-Giovanetti's and The A Family Net
Dear and beloved friends and partners in ABCLA/ABCOSH:
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God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,…
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 46.1-2, 11 (NIV)
By Mercy Gonzalez-Barnes
As I write this it’s been approximately two weeks since the Easter afternoon earthquake in Baja, Mexico and Southern California; since then there have been major earthquakes in Indonesia, China and a volcano eruption in Iceland. Of course you will not hear any more about what is happening about us in the news, but we do want to keep you informed as to earthquake relief in our part of the world. It does feel like in many ways the earth is giving way, and we were reminded of that yesterday when we had another minor aftershock of 4.3. It was a small one but strong enough that we continue to be vigilant.
Even though we did not have many structures fall down and thankfully deaths were limited to two and injuries were minor; many structures have been weakened and since the aftershocks continue, you wonder how long even the good structures will last until they start showing some stress. The canals that deliver water to irrigate farms were also affected by the quake. One of them in Durango broke and flooded the nearby homes. These homes are just feet away from the canals and most of the people that live there are extremely poor and their homes were not in the best conditions before the quake.
Most of the schools and businesses were closed for two weeks. Because many of the people in Mexicali and the valley live in a hand-to-mouth existence, closed businesses means they have not had income, and not been able to purchase food or supplies.
Part of the struggle we face is that individuals and churches were already stressed because of the economic downturn. The economy, the H1N1 scare, bad press, and other things have conspired to make things very difficult right now. But even in the midst of this, the churches in Mexicali, Ensenada, Tecate and Tijuana as well as San Luis have responded. There have been caravans of supplies to the Mexicali valley (the epicenter of the quake) and these are being distributed out of “Rosa de Sarón” Church. It is wonderful to see what the local churches are doing, but they cannot maintain this level of support for long.
Our context here in Baja is full of many challenges and struggles. Yet, even in midst of all of these challenges and chaos, we need to be the people of God that proclaim and live out the Good News of the Gospel of hope. Psalm 48 finishes with a call to “Be still and know that I am God”. Let us be still to discover that God is indeed present here and will continue to work through his people. So be still, maybe God has something to say to you too.
(Mercy and Rick Barnes will be on home assignment starting in July 2010 until June 2011, they live in El Centro, CA and they can be reached at mercyrickmx@hotmail.com )
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In the Footsteps of our Master: A Lenten Journey
DAN CHETTI, BEIRUT, LEBANON, March 2010
Our Church has six Home Groups meeting mid-week in different parts of the city of Beirut. They are not places for indulging in gossip or pass idle time. They are focussed and intentional, and led by responsible members. Past few weeks our group in Mansourieh has been fallowing the video-assisted study of Phillip Yancey’s book, “The Jesus I never knew”. Recently, I was asked to lead another Home Group in Ashrafieh, in a series of meditations on the seven words of Jesus from the Cross. This group is led by a wonderful believer, a Singaporean domiciled in Australia, now head of a UN division in Lebanon.
As I got to know the group a bit, I discovered it was rather an eclectic bunch. The majority was Protestant Evangelical, but there were also Maronite Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and a Muslim seeker. The discussion gradually moved to the popular Lenten practice of ‘fasting’ or ‘giving up something you love’ as an offering to Jesus who suffered on the Cross for us. It quickly became apparent that the protestant evangelical group was not too comfortable with this. May be they come from churches who never practiced following “Lenten journey with Jesus’, or thought the practice negated ‘faith’ in Christ, or smacked of ‘works righteousness’. Interestingly, the Maronite Catholic, the Orthodox Christian, or even the Muslim, who practiced fasting at Ramadan, had little difficulty connecting faith of a believer with a deep desire to somehow identify with the Passion of Jesus. Protestant evangelical churches in Lebanon are almost universal in their rejection of Lenten observations or memorial of Passion Week.
I understand their reluctance. Lebanon with large Catholic and Orthodox Communities, with numerous churches and 24 hour Christian television stations, becomes religiously engrossed in the Lenten observations. Yes, there is every reason to be weary of formal religion, or rituals of external faith that does not resonate with transformed inner lives. As Protestant evangelicals we know well the perils of cultural Christianity. But a Lenten journey with Jesus can be deeply meaningful and spiritually uplifting. One of the spiritual disciplines connected with the season of Lent is ‘fasting’. Many religious people, be they Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians undertake fasting as a means of bringing them closer to God. People like Gandhi and others undertook fasting as a means of drawing attention to their political agenda.
Fasting was a well known spiritual exercise in the Old Testament. Moses fasted for forty days (Exodus 34:28) before he had the mountain top experience with God. Esther fasted and prayed for three days, and sought the entire Jewish community to do the same, so that God would rescue his people (Esther 4: 16-17). In the New Testament fasting is almost always connected with praying. It was seen as a process of introspection, discernment, and getting into right relationship with God. Jesus began his ministry with forty days of fasting and spiritual preparation to fight the temptations of the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). The early Church at Antioch ‘fasted and prayed’ before they were led by the Holy Spirit to commission Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. Christian history is full of examples of men and women of God who fasted and prayed, seeking closer communion with God and new spiritual direction. Many a revivals and renewal movements were launched through fasting and praying.
For us in Lebanon, Lenten fasts and spiritual disciplines are particularly helpful in drawing believers from all denominations and churches, and even Muslim seekers, to pause together, to pray together, and walk together in the footsteps of our Master. Walls of suspicion are broken and bridges of trust are built. As we yield ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit, He will leads us all into greater truth. Lenten journey with Jesus can be spiritually uplifting, and a powerful means of pointing the way of Christ to others.
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 Please, continue to come and encourage us
After preaching the morning worship service, “Please, continue to come and encourage us”, were the words of one of the members at the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia. After the worship service, everyone files out of the church and begins the tradition of lining up near the doorway of the building and shaking hands. This takes up a lot of time, but is an important cultural part of the end of every church service.
The members of this newly formed congregation gather together in spite of the fact their founding pastor has gone for further study. Having no church building of their own, they meet in a public school room like so many other congregations in Zambia do. The church’s lay-leadership carries on with Sunday School and worship service, as best they can.
We have been involved in ministries in Africa since 1997 among orphans and vulnerable women and impoverished children, but one of the most important reasons we are in Zambia is to help train pastors to take over the many churches that are planted by our national Zambia partner convention, the Baptist Convention of Zambia (BCZ) in the rural as well as the peri-urban (near city center) areas.
Preparing students for ministry in Zambia is a vitally important and essential ministry. It is a major financial, family and church sacrifice for the students to attend school. Some are farmers as well as pastors, and have families dependent upon them for basic living; food, their children’s education and clothing expenses.
The members of the Cornerstone congregation, like so many others in Zambia, are in need of trained leaders. Charles has been a BCZ Education Committee planner since 2006 and lecturer at the recently opened Zambia International Theological College (ZITC). After much prayer and planning this theological training school, of our Baptist Convention of Zambia partner convention (BCZ) was successfully opened in September 2008 with financial and prayer support from the ABCOTS region and has finished its first year of providing training to pastors and church leaders through our three- year Diploma of Theology program and our two-year Certificate of Theology program. Upgrading of national faculty members’ degrees, many financial crises and current lack of funding has delayed the start of the second year study. The first term of Year 2 has been postponed until April 2010. Please join us in financial support and prayer for the continuation of this vital ministry and the fulfilling of the need to immediately train many more pastors for the churches.
In His Service, Charles and Sarah West
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To read more about their ministry and of other American Baptist missionaries, global consultants, and development workers, we invite you to please visit www.internationalministries.org, and click on People who Serve.
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Acts in Action (para la version en Español oprime aqui)
by The Bonilla-Giovanetti family
February is the month of love and friendship. We would like to begin a series of journals by sharing, on even months throughout 2010, some thoughts about and from our MPTers. John 3:16 (Contemporary English Version) sets the tone for our sharing:
“God loved the people of this world so much
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who has faith in him
will have eternal life and never really die.”
We met Carolyn Haines in 2005 in New Jersey. She joined our MPT as association rep for the Watchung Association. Carolyn, who is an active member of Freedom in Christ Baptist Church (FICBC), became one of us. She says that God took her weakened heart and replaced it with a “heart for missions.”
Through a series of subsequent encounters, our relationship has deepened and from association rep, Carolyn became our ABCNJ Regional Advocate and is very dear to us.
Friendships and love have been integral in our ministries and mission; we’ve seen afresh how important relationships are. We are moved to love just like God was moved on our behalf because of love. His love for us moves us to love those around us: our families; those that are part of our MPTs, like Carolyn; many of you in the churches; and, in our fields of service. More important, it moves us to love the lost and to share with them this Good News of salvation.
More recently, we have seen this kind of love in action as we have watched the outpouring of God’s love to those in Haiti after their January 12th earthquake. We pray for them and colleagues like the James, the Nzungas, the Pierres, the Schweissings, Kristy, Madeline, Adalia, and others yet to get involved. We see it in the ministry Kim Kushner is doing in El Salvador since she arrived in July 2009. You will get to hear her first hand during her upcoming visit to California. Call the ABCLA/OSH office for details. We’ve seen God’s love throughout this year of visits in the States and Puerto Rico and as we prepare for our new assignment in Spain. Many migrants continue to flow through Spain and we will accompany the churches of the Baptist Evangelical Union of Spain in their ministries to these migrants, training their leadership, and preparing Christian Education materials for their churches.
We know God’s love is moving us to His mission. We know God’s love moves you to His mission through prayers, encouragement, and financial support of missionaries serving around the world and of the regions that help us remain connected to the local churches. We are grateful for your loving support, your notes of encouragement, and the gifts that allow us to continue this journey en route to Spain.
Once we relocate in Spain, watch out for our call for “all hands on deck” for we cannot do this on our own; we want you to join us in this effort. There are so many different and pressing ministry opportunities around the world, with so many colleagues, and there is always a place for each of you in the field. Just ask the Lord to tell you where does He wants to use you, through His love, to touch those lives and offer them the Good News of salvation with the relief and care they need. He loved us so much, wouldn’t we love others just as much?
Let us invite as many as we can to have faith in Him so they too have eternal life and never really die.
Together pressing toward the goal, with loving prayers for you,
Acts 1:8, Romans 12:15, Romans 15:22-33
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To read more about their ministry and of other American Baptist missionaries, global consultants, and development workers, we invite you to please visit www.internationalministries.org, and click on People who Serve.
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The Story of Bak
It was Bak’s first day at NightLight. She was attending her first Bible Study (Jesus 101). Even though she came into the class about 30 minutes late – she was right on time for God to change her life.
I was in the middle of teaching several other new employees at NightLight when Bak walked in and interrupted. She graciously folded her hands and bowed her head to apologize as any good Thai person would do. She wasn’t smiling. Most women on their first day usually aren’t smiling. They are nervous, they are embarrassed about the life that they have been living, they don’t know anyone yet, and they have never heard about Jesus. She sat down with the other women and listened. As I was wrapping up the lesson I noticed the expression on her face was changing. She seemed to be more and more interested in what was being said. Finally, as I was still speaking, she blurted out in a not so quiet voice, “I want that man! How do I get that man?” I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant, but I dared to ask, “Do you mean Jesus?” “Yes! Yes! How do I get that man Jesus?” Though the way she put it was rather crass, it was the only way she knew how to ask about a man. Stuttering a little bit in response to her excited outburst, I tried to explain that you can get to know this man Jesus by following him, talking to him, and receiving him into your life. “Yes! Yes! I want to do that!” We have never had a conversion this quickly before at NightLight, but then again there are surprises almost everyday at NightLight. So I led her in prayer and she became a follower of Jesus. When she lifted her head from prayer she was beaming and proclaimed, “Jesus is my boyfriend!” Soon after that Bak received instruction in discipleship and was baptized. Bakquickly learned that being part of the churchmeant being the Bride of Christ which – is way better than just being Jesus’ girlfriend.
One year later I began to notice her expression had changed. She looked sad, depressed, and lonely. One day she blurted out to me inthe office, “Pastor Jeff, when am I ever going to get a real boyfriend?” Though sympathetic I had to ask her, “What happened to your boyfriend Jesus?” She hung her head and looked embarrassed. I quickly told her to find a quite place and read on her own Revelation 2:4 “You have forsaken your first love.” She came back the next day with a lighter countenance and simply said to me, “I understand.” Since then I have seen her worshipping more wholeheartedly and falling back in love with Jesus.
Bak’s conversion may have been different or more unique than some of the other womenat NightLight, but her post conversion experience is not unusual. It takes quite a while for women who have been used and abused by men to continue to embrace Jesus as their first, true love.
Pray for Bak to not forsake her boyfriend/husband Jesus!
Pray for the others who come to NightLight that theywill passionately desire to be in relationship with Jesus as much as Bak was on her first day!
Blessings,
Supervisor of the Pastoral Department
NightLight
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The Story of Alex
Alex, a graduate of the City of Youth, just can’t get away from Hope Unlimited! After settling into a great job as an industrial carpenter, he decided to put down roots and purchase land to build a home. The plot of land has a beautiful view of Hope Mountain. He said he wanted to be constantly reminded of the ministry which led to his transformation.
Alex has created an opportunity to unite most of his family in Vitória to begin a new life together. He brought his 33-year-old sister up from São Paulo where she and her four children had been living in extreme poverty. Her family includes a 21-year-old daughter, son-in-law, and their three-year-old girl. These seven relatives now live with Alex in his small rented apartment while they are waiting to move in to the new home.
Alex has displayed such generosity and grace. This type of family reunification and healing is common among Hope graduates. Only 18% of Brazil’s street children are biological orphans; many of the remaining “social orphans” have a strong desire to be reunited with family – and to create healthy, loving relationships. Since the children at Hope are able to experience so much spiritual and emotional healing, they become the perfect “agents of healing” for their families once they graduate.
Update: In the past year, since we wrote about Alex, he has finished his home—and was married this December. He and his new wife have accepted our offer for them to be on our team of house parents at Hope Mountain. He won’t make as much money as he did as a carpenter, but they will live with us, and Alex’s extended family lives in his newly completed home. There is no one that can understand another street kid more than a former street kid and graduate of our program. We are truly blessed to have such well qualified, young, Christian house parents that want to give back to the program that once helped them.
Phillip and Corenne Garrison Smith serve as American Baptist Missionaries with International Ministries in Brazil. Click here to read about their ministry. (link to: Phillip and Corenne are in need of individuals and churches who will support their ministry through prayer and finances. Our missionaries need to raise a majority of the funds that are required to keep them on the mission field. Learn more about how you can support Phillip and Corenne and other American Baptist missionaries by clicking here ; Learn about the missionaries in the “Covenant of Relationship” with ABCLA/ABCOSH by clicking here
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Dear Friends,
We are happy with the warm welcome we received starting our deputation time in the LA area. It is good to reconnect with so many friends here. We are thankful to the Lord that FBC Alhambra, made a car available to us, and that we already have been able to visit a number of churches and bible study groups in the few weeks that we are here.
Nora was at the conference for Seminarians, and Pastors in the denomination the first full week of January in Orlando, Florida. She did some presentations and put invitations out for volunteer work in Europe, including teaching at Seminaries there, as well as teaming up with Seminary Students in the former Soviet Union, for outreach specifically in Muslim areas of the former Soviet Union. Though this invitation was great for seminarians, it is also a possibility for any other young adult that feels the call for outreach in that part of the former East-Block, to do this with experienced other young adults that speak the local language, and are well aware of local cultural sensitivities.
We want to highlight working in an elderly people home in Moldova, as well as helping new mission outreach, a youth camp and a seminary there. Also a three month high school English teaching in Serbia, as well as some renovation and construction work in summer 2010 at a Seminary building and a church-outreach center. Also an English camp in the Czech Republic in summer 2010 or church construction help in the Czech Republic throughout the year.
Pieter had some preliminary meetings with Pastors and regional ministers, about our starting 12 months, of deputation, and how to use the time best. We are feeling home here in Southern California, and are grateful for the help we received with the integration here, including a grocery basket upon our arrival at Atherton. It is our joy and with great appreciation and thankful hearts, we are happy to have a small apartment at Atherton Baptist homes, which in regard to their original calling has the desire to help hosting missionaries on deputation in the US, without their hospitality it would probably not be possible for us to be so centrally located in the LA area. We are starting to know more and more residents and it gives a sense of being home.
We are looking forward to sharing with you about the ministry in Europe, and about what God is doing there while we visit your churches, or Bible study meetings, or home cell groups. Please invite us through the regional office, or by emailing or calling us.
Greetings from Alhambra,
The Lord Bless You,
Pieter & Nora Kalkman
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Hidden on a Hill in Tijuana
A few miles from the junction of the Pacific Ocean and the US-Mexican border, hidden on a hill in Tijuana lies Deborah's House. Its location high on a hill overlooking a poor neighborhood in the suburb called La Gloria is somewhat ironic, because it is a shelter for abused women and children run by the Baptist women of Northern Baja, California, and needs to be kept secret from the abusers. When a work team from First Baptist Church arrived in June, it stuck out like a sore thumb, because the second floor of the shelter was covered with raw lumber. Now it has a stucco surface that has been painted and fits into the surroundings more comfortably. Tijuana is a surprising city. No longer a sleepy border town, it is bustling place of about 3 million people (no one knows for sure). Hundreds of thousands of native Mexicans have made their way to the city to seek employment in the factories. Costs are high and wages are low, so for many, instead of finding a better life, they have sunk deeper into poverty. With poverty and despair comes abuse. Ray Schellinger and Dr. Adalia Schellinger-Gutierrez, an American Baptist missionary husband and wife team, are working with the Baptist women of Tijuana to provide a safe environment for families needing to escape. Last summer, during the time the Des Moines team was there, 3 mothers and 9 children were living at Deborah's House. Our work task while there was to work on the construction of the roof and internal structure of the second floor of the main building and to provide wiring to a smaller building that is being used as a sewing room, and to teach marketable skills to the women. Eventually it is hoped that many more can be sheltered for up to 3 months while women develop skills and find jobs and places to stay.
There is more work to be done. In March, two separate teams from Des Moines are traveling to Deborah's House: one from Westover Baptist March 13-20, and one from First Baptist Church March 20-27. Consider joining them, or bring your own team. The experience will be rewarding!
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Previously on Missions Corner..
ATM MACHINES in the DR CONGO?
How do missionaries in foreign countries get local funds? In the past, the process of "getting cash" in local currency (FC's -francs congolese) depended upon the treasurer and bank account of our local partners, the Baptist Churches of the Congo (CBCO). This meant uncertainty and often long delays between the request and the actual receipt of the funds.
While the "cell phone revolution" hit Kinshasa in 2002-2003, banking and ATM possibilities have taken longer to develop. The first free election in over 40 years, in 2006, paved the way for more governmental stability, and for the increasing investment in development by private corporations and other countries, especially China.
While in 1998 it was illegal for a person to posses or use US currency, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, US currency is now preferred. In 1998 it was almost impossible to get money exchanged. Today, 100's of exchange tables dot the sidewalks of Kinshasa with $1,000's of dollars sitting out "in plain view", and anyone who looks like they might have foreign currency is "rushed" while walking down the sidewalk. Theft is rare, since the thief will be stopped by the uproar of the crowd, and often is beaten on the spot.
AT LAST, access to cash through the ATM system is NOW available to our missionaries Wendy Bernhard, the Niles, the Clemmers, and the Lowery's who live in or near Kinshasa. PRAY for safety for Wendy as she travels from Kimpese to Kinshasa on Sat. Jan. 9th, to deliver molasses, get money from the ATM at her bank, and to pick up BIbles for use in upcoming youth rallies with the Responsible Living Skills Team. Pray for their film presentations and that the young people will be receptive to the True Love Waits seminars coming up on the 15th and 16th in Kimpese.
Peace,
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download avatar movie3325 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 800, Los Angeles, CA 90010 ~ 3325 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 800, Los Angeles, CA 90010 ~ 213.955.9948 ~ Fax 213.480.9447 ~
CCOCOconnect@abcla.org
3325 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 8
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