December 15, 2011
By Jessica Schaeffer, RN, serving at Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, Mali, West Africa
The following is an adapted excerpt from Jessica’s recent update.
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”) [Matthew 1:23].
In the challenges of these past months, I’ve often reminded myself, “Jesus is with me right now.” What a gift to know that He will never leave me or forsake me. I am not alone because of Immanuel, God with us. And what a joy it is to see others come to know the Gift, to enjoy the presence of Jesus in their lives.
God with Salif
Salif came to our hospital a year ago looking for help. The teenager had been in a moped accident two years previously and broken the bone in his thigh (femur). He hadn’t received proper care, so a piece of bone was sticking through his skin and chronically infected. Salif spent a lot of time watching Christian films during his hospital stay.
Ever since his discharge from the hospital last spring, he has come to church with me. Just recently, God answered our prayers: Salif decided to follow Christ!
A few days ago he visited me, discouraged because his father continues to verbally persecute him for having become a Christian and has threatened to kick him out. After missing school since his accident, Salif was finally back in school, until a few weeks ago when his father pulled him out . . . apparently a consequence of his profession of faith in Jesus.
As I talked with Salif, I kept reminding him that even in the difficult things he is facing, he is never alone—God is with him, and at any moment, we can cry out to Him for help.
Pray for Salif, that he will grow in his faith, and that He will know God’s presence with him, even in the midst of rejection and persecution from his family.
It is a joy to see others find Jesus and experience God’s presence with them always. Thanks for your important part in helping people to know and experience Immanuel. May you know His love and presence today—and every day.
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance workers the world over. “Although life has been rich and full over these past months,” Jessica wrote this fall, “I’ve also been fairly overwhelmed with my workload. Sometimes the pressure is great, and I feel ready to despair. But my hope is set on Jesus, who I know will continue to help me through your prayers.”
Partner with Alliance workers like Jessica to share the light of Christ—Immanuel—with those living in spiritual darkness. Be Light—give to the Great Commission Christmas offering!
December 13, 2011
By Esther Schaeffer, serving in Burkina Faso
Two young Christian leaders in our church in Bobo-Dioulasso recently started up a ministry to help at-risk children and orphans. After I visited their project several weeks ago, the Lord laid it on my heart to donate a file cabinet and some soap to their work. I had bought the soap from a woman in one of my Bible study groups to help get her small business going. And the file cabinet was not doing me any good anyway; my papers are strewn across my desk and on every other available surface, so it was no great sacrifice to rid myself of it.
So I loaded these items into my car and decided to drop them off on my way to my Saturday afternoon Bible study that’s in a neighborhood near the ministry center. Well, the road was horrible, and the metal cabinet bounced around in the car making me think it would break a window. Once I drove into the neighborhood, I realized that I wasn’t quite sure which road I should take. So I began driving around, but it seemed like I always picked the worst road. I searched and searched, but since it was a new center no one seemed to have heard of it.
True Giving Costs Something
I finally had to give up and get to my Bible study, arriving late, tired, and somewhat unnerved. Worst of all, I knew that after Bible study I would have to go back into that neighborhood and try again to find the place, since I couldn’t keep all that stuff in the car for another week.
One of the women in my study said she knew about the ministry center so we went together, back over the bad roads. Finally, we found the place and unloaded the donations.
As I headed for home, I was still upset, grumbling about how something so easy could be so hard to do. Suddenly, the Lord said clearly to me, “Will you offer me something that costs you nothing?”
Wow! What answer did I have to that? “Lord, I will not make an offering to you like that.” Then I realized that my cost in this gift was the hassle, time spent, stress, and driving the bumpy roads. When I could view my efforts as something done for Him, I began to be thankful that I could offer to Him that which was most precious to me—my time and energy.
What You Can Do
When you give, you enable Christ’s light to shine through workers like Esther Schaeffer. Be Light—give to the Great Commission Christmas offering.
Read another inspirational article about Being Light, this one by Peggy Drake, RN, who also serves in Burkina Faso.
Pray for Alliance workers the world over.
December 9, 2011
Over the 2011 Thanksgiving Weekend, a fire truck—previously used by the New York City Fire Department—was transported to a New Jersey port to begin its ocean journey to Africa via cargo ship. Its mission: to serve the C&MA’s Bongolo Hospital and the surrounding community of Lebamba. The fire truck is scheduled to arrive in Gabon in early 2012.
“What a blessing this fire truck will be, not only for our hospital, but [also] for the local Gabonese!” exclaimed Dr. Keir Thelander, the hospital’s medical director. “Not long ago there was a fire in a nearby village; bystanders just watched as unsuccessful attempts were made to put the fire out with buckets of water—a fire truck could easily have put it out in minutes.”
Hospital Fire Spurs Action
After witnessing a fire that had greatly damaged Bongolo Hospital’s warehouse in 2009, Dave and Diann Conquest (parents of Keir’s wife, Joanna), returned home to Pittsford, N.Y., where they commenced an exhaustive search for a fire truck on eBay®. After placing a bid, the couple purchased the 1975 Mack CF600 Pumper 6-Cylinder vehicle for $3,175!
Since July 2010, the Conquests have helped to raise more than $20,000 to cover the cost for necessary repairs, supplies, and shipping the truck to Africa. Contributions have come in from the community, including local fire departments, and beyond.
The 158-bed Bongolo Hospital is more than 200 miles from the nearest fire station. In addition to its busy surgery, maternity/pediatrics, and outpatient departments, the hospital has a nursing school, a dental clinic, and an eye surgery clinic. As of November 11, a reported 1,111 people had received Jesus as Savior through the hospital’s ministry in 2011.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. Partner with Alliance workers like the Thelanders to share the light of Christ with those living in spiritual darkness.
Learn more about Bongolo Hospital’s powerful witness in Gabon.
Watch a YouTube video about the fire truck’s journey to Africa, including an interview with the Conquests. Note: Clicking on this URL will take you off of the C&MA Web site.
December 5, 2011
By Laura and Jeter Livingston, serving at West Africa Alliance Theological Seminary (FATEAC), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
The following is an adapted excerpt of a recent update from the Livingstons that describes FATEAC’s state of ministry since failed presidential elections took place in Côte d’Ivoire one year ago.
One year ago last week presidential elections were held that set off months of violence in Côte d’Ivoire that culminated in civil war, which left hundreds dead and tens of thousands emotionally traumatized. On that one-year anniversary, we celebrated the official opening of the new school year with great thanksgiving!
Many Reasons for Gratitude
Our joy was compounded at this event because we were blessed to have a recovering Isaac Keita (FATEAC’s dean who has undergone cancer surgery) welcome us to the worship service. Former church President Andre Kouadio preached the Word clearly, in spite of his age and ongoing battle with diabetes.
In surveying the students attending this event—faithful church leaders representing 12 countries and 20-plus denominations—we were thankful to God for giving us the privilege of being a part of this ministry. And we were thankful for you and your part in enabling this work through your prayers and giving.
Trauma Healing Update
Speaking of ministry . . . Laura has just finished writing a standardized curriculum for use in the Trauma Healing Seminars as well as a program for training facilitators. This training is sponsored by ECGAP (The Church, Healing Community/Peacemaker)—a partnership between FATEAC and Action Internationale De Developpement Integral (AIDI), an Ivoirian nongovernmental organization focused on the development of women and children. Opportunities to meet deep needs through this partnership are endless.
On the first trip (July 2011) to take the message of healing and reconciliation to Duekoue—a town in western Côte d’Ivoire where the worst war atrocities took place—the idea was born to create a booklet that could be given to those whom we have counseled. Lynell Zogbo (The Bible Society) compiled the text, and Marianne Sommer (SIM) supplied the illustrations.
“My God, You Are the Light in My Night” helps the emotionally traumatized work through their grief as they interact with David’s Psalms of lamentations. The booklet is at the printer this week, and we plan to sell it at cost or, as funds become available, give it away to those still in the refugee camps here.
Last year at this time, we were daily battling fear and wondering what the future held. How good it is to look back and see that God never took His good hand off of us!
What You Can Do
Praise God for peace in Côte d’Ivoire after months of war. Please pray for peaceful legislative elections in December and for Isaac Keita’s complete healing. Pray also for Alliance workers worldwide.
Donate to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers like the Livingstons to share the good news of God’s healing grace, provision, and reconciliation with the hurting and the lost.
November 30, 2011
The Board appreciates hearing from constituents with various opinions, suggestions, or concerns. Each letter is considered by the entire Board and frequently is sent to a committee for discussion. Letters addressed to the Board of Directors shall be presented to the Board at its next scheduled meeting through the Corporate Secretary’s Report. Upcoming Board meetings are:
- February 22–23, 2012
- June 27–28, 2012
- October 24–25, 2012
- February 27–28, 2013
- June 10–11, 16, 2013
- October 23–24, 2013
After a meeting, you will receive a response from an administrative vice president or from the secretary of the Board of Directors.
Letters to the Board of Directors should be sent to:
The Christian and Missionary Alliance
Office of the Corporate Secretary
PO Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500
closes@cmalliance.org
719-265-2005
Fax 719-262-5393
Dear Co-laborer for Christ,
The Board of Directors of The Christian and Missionary Alliance met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 26–27, 2011. On occasion, the Board meets at a location away from the National Office in Colorado Springs. In this instance the Board members met at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church (ACAC) and were thrilled and challenged by the transformative urban ministries of this thriving congregation. This church is a faithful example of what God is doing through Alliance ministries around the world.
In addition to touring the work of ACAC, the Board reviewed numerous reports and acted on certain recommendations. The following is a summary: Funding our global vision is an ongoing challenge as we research ways of engaging a larger percentage of our Alliance family in advancing Christ’s Kingdom globally. It was a blessing, however, to be able to appoint 12 international workers to posts around the world, including creative-access regions. Also, funding has been approved for a Spanish edition of an updated All for Jesus, a history of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
The idea of holding General Council overseas has been discussed but a committee has determined that it is not feasible at this time. Revisions to the local church Annual Report will allow this document to be completed online and will compile data in a manner that will be more useful to our congregations. A list of National Evangelists and Ministers-at-Large was approved for the next year.
The Office for Federal Chaplain Ministries will now be called Alliance Chaplain Ministries. Also, the director for Federal Chaplain Ministries will now be the executive director for Alliance Chaplain Ministries, and the assistant endorser for Alliance Institutional Chaplains is now the director for Alliance Institutional Chaplain Ministries.
The Office of Intercultural Ministries has been renamed the Office of Multicultural Ministries. This more accurately reflects the current constituency and ministry of our denomination.
The report of the Audit Review Committee was received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. All financial practices were deemed to be sound and there were no recommendations for changes or improvements. The Board is also asking districts, colleges and supporting organizations to complete audits and reviews within 120 days and no longer than 180 days following the end of the fiscal year. The Board of Directors suggests that it is helpful to meet with auditors regularly during the year to avoid year-end surprises and also for district executive committees to meet with their auditors as part of the year-end audit or review process.
Other special committees reported to the Board and are continuing their work. The Board also received reports from several supporting organizations, including the following retirement communities: Chapel Pointe at Carlisle; The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation (Shell Point Village and DeLand); and Town and Country Manor. A fourth organization, The Orchard Foundation, also reported to the Board.
The next meeting will be February 22–23, 2012, in Colorado Springs. It is always refreshing to review the wide expanse of God’s work through our Alliance family. We thank God for each of you and solicit your prayer and labor for the increase of the Kingdom.
Rejoicing in Jesus,
David L. Goodin
Corporate Secretary
dlg/smc
November 22, 2011
By Peggy Drake, RN, serving in Burkina Faso
It was an ordinary day at the clinic here in Bobo-Dioulasso. Around 10 a.m., I was between the waiting room and the pharmacy when I heard an old taxi pull up along with another much less noisy car.
I decided to walk out to the street, thinking someone in the taxi might need help getting into the clinic. To my surprise, the man in the taxi hopped out and went on into the waiting room. I then looked over and saw a beautiful black BMW! The driver, a well-dressed African woman, was looking straight at me and waving for me to come help her. Through the window, she explained that in the back seat was her neighbor, whom she had found crying and who had pled with her to please take her to the clinic.
“Please Pray for Me!”
When I opened the door, I realized that I knew this woman. She was a patient of ours! She looked up at me with tears streaming down her face and said: “Peggy, can you please pray for me!” That I can do, I thought!
This woman (we will call her Sali) is not a Christian but is of the majority religion here in Burkina. She told me that she had learned that her husband was in the United States with another wife and their children; he also had another wife and child in a different African country. She was obviously devastated. Sali told me that she was filled with sadness and fear when she was alone with her children in their family courtyard.
What a joy to be able to pray with this woman!
A few days later when I walked into the clinic, Sali was standing by the door. She came over and hugged me (this is not African, but she was so happy). She said that things were so much better in the courtyard and that her husband was now back and was being very kind to her. God is so good!
You see, it does not matter if people come to the clinic on foot, bicycles, motorcycles, or in taxis or BMWs. What does matter is that our patients learn about our Lord Jesus and see Him in us! That is why we are here—Living the Call together!
Thank you for giving to The Great Commission Fund so we can do what we do—shine the light of Christ among those living in spiritual darkness, desperate for the true hope only He offers!
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance workers around the world who are being Christ’s light in some of the world’s most spiritually dark places.
Give to The Great Commission Fund—partner in Living the Call together with Alliance workers like Peggy!
By Evan and Jewel Evans, serving at Dakar Academy, Senegal
The following is an excerpt from a recent update by the Evanses who serve at Dakar Academy—a boarding and day-school program (K-12) largely for the children of international workers. School chaplains, the Evanses head up outreach programs and discipleship ministries; they also serve as dorm administrators.
We are up to our eyeballs in preparations for our Thanksgiving outreach weekend. It is going to be a big group again this year—about 140 of us, including 15 students from Faith Christian Academy in Colorado Springs. There will also be 10–15 Senegalese pastors and laypeople who will join us in ministry when we arrive in the area.
We will be busy with a number of team ministries during daylight hours, including:
- A drama team and children’s ministry team that will travel to a number of villages
- One work team that will paint a church in Bikol (the church for which we laid the foundation and made bricks by hand in January).
- A team that will paint a mural on the front wall of a church in Diofane (the church we built in November 2010).
- Our medical team, which will include three nurses and a doctor who will minister in Diakhao; they will be joined by a team that will dig and lay a foundation as well as make bricks by hand.
- A small team that will build 20 benches for the new church.
In the evenings, we will be holding evangelism campaigns in the following villages:
- Fri., Nov. 25: Diakhao, Gandiaye, Poukham Tok
- Sat., Nov. 26: Mbelakadio, Ngouloul Peul, Mbouscene
On our way home Sunday morning, we plan to worship in the church that we helped build in Diofane during the fall of 2010. We’re looking forward to the blessing of worshipping with our African brothers and sisters and seeing the results of our labors there last year.
Please Pray
We will be serving in an area that is populated by followers of the predominant religion here and ministering in villages that have just begun to hear about Jesus. Please pray for open doors and open hearts. Pray against spiritual resistance and that God will prepare the way for us. Pray for protection in travel and at all the ministry sites.
November 16, 2011
A “random” encounter leads to a heavenly selection
By Rob Burns, serving in Macedonia
I passed some hitchhikers on my way to Kochani to pick up Zoki, a national Christian who has a gift for evangelism, before going on to Berovo, a town of 7,500 near the Bulgarian border where we regularly visit believers and seekers. As I approached the city of Shtip, I saw more hitchhikers. After some deliberation, I “randomly” stopped next to a couple young guys, and asked them where they were going. They said, “Kochani, and then on.”
The boys, Noel and Victor,* hopped in the car and said they were high school students, studying in another town. They asked, “What are you doing in Macedonia?” I explained that I was here to work with the Evangelical Church of Macedonia (the national partner church) and to be a blessing to the people and country of Macedonia. I told them that regardless of whether someone calls himself Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant, the most important thing in life is to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Coincidence?
When we came to Kochani, I asked if they were stopping here, telling them I was going on to Berovo. They were excited, as “coincidentally,” their real destination was Berovo, too, and now they had a ride as far as their town. Perhaps I was even more excited, however, as I thought, “Good, they will meet Zoki.”
Zoki got in the car, and, after learning my companions were students, discussed what it means to get an “excellent” grade in life. He asked them if they believed that was possible without God, to which both replied that they felt it was impossible. Zoki began to share the gospel with them, asking from time to time if they wanted him to continue or if he was boring them. Each time, the students said, “No, please continue!” Zoki shared his own story, the gospel, and the need for repentance.
Divine Appointment
I prayed silently as I drove. Zoki asked his listeners if they wanted to pray a prayer of repentance and begin a relationship with God. They said yes! We still had several minutes before arriving in Berovo, which was invaluable time as the young men prayed with Zoki, who stressed the importance of fellowship. I related my testimony as well. The two guys, Noel and Victor, gave us their phone numbers, and we promised to be in contact with them. They both seemed interested in that. Zoki said to me, “Shame on me and shame on you for not having any New Testaments to give them!”
“How often does this happen?” I asked my coworker as we allowed the moment to sink in. Zoki said that he was surprised to see so much spiritual openness and warmth, particularly in teenagers. He was excited that they agreed to pray with him a prayer of repentance in the car and then also to give us their phone numbers. Had they not been interested, or just humoring us, they would not have given their numbers.
The following Friday, Zoki and I picked up Noel and gave him a New Testament, which we obtained through someone in his village. We told him many important basics about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Zoki and I look forward to meeting again with Victor and Noel, who continue to show an interest in learning about Jesus.
Our first Alliance Core Value states, “Lost people matter to God; He wants them found.” In the case of Noel and Victor, I refer to Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep; we could also say that He wants them brought home. God chose us to give them a ride to their physical home to lead them to their spiritual home.
Please pray for Victor and Noel! I have been encouraged by the warm reception we have received in Noel’s village. I have to wonder if God is preparing this village for spiritual fruit and Noel is just a part of that. Pray that the seed that has begun to bear fruit will result in many people knowing Jesus as their Savior.
Learn More
Read more stories about Alliance work in the Balkans.
Read additional stories of the worldwide work Alliance ministries supported by the Great Commission Fund.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers, like Rob Burns, who are lighting the way for people trapped in spiritual darkness.
Pray for Alliance workers around the world.
Check out how your church can begin a Ministry Partnership with overseas Alliance workers.
By Alan Lee, San Jose Christian Alliance Church pastor, serving on a short-term missions trip to flood-ravaged Cambodia.
As the plane was preparing to land in Phnom Penh International Airport, I peeked outside the window to see the flooding firsthand. What I witnessed was truly unbelievable—acre after acre of rice fields and houses literally submerged in the flood along the riverbank, reminding me of the scenes of devastation in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. The Cambodia flooding was severe—the worst in 10 years. Many lives were lost. Others lost their homes, rice harvests, and livelihoods.
With the help of the Khmer Evangelical Church (C&MA national church in Cambodia) and Alliance international workers Rev. Joe and Kay Kong, our team of seven was honored to participate in the flood relief work. Through the generosity of one couple, we purchased 11,000 pounds (about 5.5 tons) of rice to be delivered to two devastated areas.
A Disturbing View
On the first day after our arrival, we headed north to Kompong Chhnang province, where the flooding was severe. The trip was long and tedious. We had to drive from Phnom Penh to a river dock to take a boat to one of the remote villages. As we were approaching the dock, we saw that the floodwater was everywhere. Roads were submerged; buses, cars, motorcycles, and boats were floating on the streets! Many businesses were boarded up or had used two-foot high cement walls in a futile attempt to hold back raging waters. Children were going to school in boats. We witnessed a little girl (with IV still administered) heading home from a hospital in a boat! Living conditions were indeed harsh and tough!
Before we got on the boat, we had to walk barefoot in the water, not knowing that the roads were littered with sharp objects. One member, who was carrying his wife, was wearing slippers borrowed from a local pastor. As he stepped out of the water, he discovered that the base of one slipper was literally “chopped” off, yet he was unhurt. It was indeed divine protection from our Lord.
Familiar Territory
The boat ride was cool and sweet. We sang praises along the way, and our spirits were lifted. We saw many houses submerged in water along the river bank. After we docked, we drove a “tuk-tuk” (a converted motorcycle with passenger seats) to our final destination. When we saw a C&MA church sign hung between two trees, our hearts were so moved with praises and thanksgiving to God. In this remote village in Cambodia, there stood a C&MA church that glorified the Lord. It made us all very proud to be part of The Alliance!
The “church” was an empty lot with a canopy on top. Cambodian brothers and sisters, who have suffered much, welcomed us with such joy, warmth, and love. After singing songs with them, we gave rice to the villagers who had lost almost everything. Our hearts were warmed to see the smiles on their faces. They displayed much faith and joy in the midst of suffering and pain, and they even treated us to a “gourmet” lunch of fish and chicken. We were so impressed with their love and hospitality.
No Marginal Worship
On the second day, we headed south to the Svay Rieng province. We had to cross the Mekong River to another flood devastated area. The scene was pretty much the same. People’s lives were severely affected by the floodwater. We were told that many Vietnamese people live along the river bank. They are the disenfranchised people without any legal rights, living in the poorest slums in Cambodia. One Vietnamese church was completely flooded, yet church members continued to gather in boats tied together while the pastor stood in one of the boats, preaching to them! We were all very moved to witness the faith and resiliency of the believers in the midst of suffering.
During these trips, we were able to help 200 families in need. Although the relief effort was small and might just be a drop in the bucket, we sensed God’s presence and pleasure throughout the trip. We are honored to be part of the C&MA relief efforts that bring hope and joy to people who have suffered much. May the Name of the Lord Jesus be glorified!
Learn More
Read more stories about Alliance work in the Cambodia.
Read additional stories of the worldwide work of Alliance ministries supported by the Great Commission Fund.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers, like Rob Burns, who are lighting the way for people trapped in spiritual darkness.
Pray for Alliance workers around the world.
Check out how your church can begin a Ministry Partnership with overseas Alliance workers.
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