October 13, 2009
The following report comes from a field worker on the ground in Indonesia. It was originally dated October 6, 2009.
Pariaman and Sicincin are two communities that were hit hard. Almost every house either heavily damaged or completely destroyed. The communities are primarily family based with about 30 heads of families in a area. No power or public water source. Well water is fine. While some wells sustained damage or were filled with falling debris, most are functioning.
Death count is still not dependable. Govt is saying 550, however two major landslides may have claimed hundreds of victims. Also victims from the Chinese community are being buried without any report to the government.
The government is saying that over 30,000 homes have heavy damage, most cannot be repaired. We have decided to purchase and put together tool packets so that people can salvage usable materials from their houses. Tool packet contents are as follows: hammer, shovel, saw, file to sharpen saw, hoe, mallet, 3 kilos assorted nails, crowbar, pliers and two pair gloves. Initial purchase is 50 packets which we’ll distribute Tuesday afternoon. If this is received well by the community, we anticipate a purchase of 200 more tool packets.
We anticipate the arrival of a number of national workers that will help with cleaning of destruction debris and tool packet distribution. Adequate housing in the city of Padang has been secured. For the village area we’ve purchased tents and a small gen-set.
October 9, 2009
The following is an adaptation of Jessica Schaeffer’s recent newsletter to her supporters.
On Monday, Oct. 5, the 5,000th baby was delivered at Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, less than three and a half years since our May 2006 opening here in Mali!
What a privilege it is to make a difference in the lives of many moms and babies at this hospital, in a country rated by the organization Save the Children to be one of the worst in the world to be a mother or child.
Preventing Double Tragedies
Recent research shows that more than two million babies and mothers die worldwide each year as a result of complications during childbirth. Each death is a double tragedy, since nearly all of these deaths could be prevented.
Koutiala Hospital has daily opportunities to prevent these double tragedies. And as we provide good medical care, we have open doors into the hearts and lives of people who need Jesus. One example is Nana.
My friend Nana (a Tired Mom)
Last fall Nana delivered triplets at her home in Koutiala with the help of her teenage daughters. She hadn’t received any prenatal care, so didn’t know she was having triplets. Maybe since she’d already had three sets of twins, having more than one baby wasn’t a big shock?
Her triplets were quite small, about three pounds each. One of Nana’s friends told her she should bring them to our hospital to be checked (we have a growing reputation as the place to bring premature babies). So a few days after their birth, Nana arrived here with her triplets and spent the next six weeks at our hospital.
The family just barely manages to get by on the money her husband makes. (He travels to nearby towns on big market days to sell flip-flops.) So when the time came for the three babies to be discharged, one of my missionary colleagues covered the $200 bill. Nana and her husband sent their oldest son, 15, to work in another town in order try to earn a little money to help the family pay the bill.
Malian Family Struggles
In many ways, Nana and her family are a typical Malian family. They have a lot of children (with a few more multiple births than usual, although multiple births are more common in West Africa). A few of their kids died before reaching age five; meanwhile, about one in four Malian children die before this age.
In January 2009, a couple of months after the triplets-”Sara,” “Bintu,” and “Miriam”-were discharged from the hospital, Sara died. Realizing how sick her baby was, Nana was taking her to a nearby health clinic when the infant expired.
Survival
I was very upset when I learned this, but when I visited Nana a week or so later, I was surprised at how accepting she was of the loss of another child. Like many Malians, life for Nana is about survival, and she must keep on going to care for the rest of her family. She was just as warm and gracious as always.
Nana doesn’t yet know Jesus as her Savior. I’ve had opportunities to share the good news with her in my fairly functional, although elementary Bambara, and I’ve also given her a family Bible. She doesn’t know how to read (less than 30 percent of Malians older than age 15 are literate). But one of Nana’s older kids said they would read it to her.
Would you pray with me for Nana and her family? She is a dear friend, and she also represents so many other Malians whom I have grown to love, and whom God loves infinitely. He desires that they find life in His Son.
Thank you for praying for our hospital as we participate in what God is doing in Mali. Thanks, too, for your gifts to the Great Commission Fund, which supports me in my work.
What You Can Do
Please also pray for . . .
- The many patients who have heard the good news at Koutiala Hospital, that they will understand Jesus’ great love for them and give their lives to Him.
- My Malian and missionary colleagues who are working long hours with many difficult and sad cases during malaria season. Pray that God will protect them physically, spiritually, and emotionally from the attacks of Satan.
October 6, 2009
By an Alliance worker, serving in Indonesia
Editor’s Note: The following was taken from an update by an Alliance worker concerning progress in bringing relief to survivors of the September 30 earthquake in Padang, Indonesia. CAMA (Compassion and Mercy Associates, the relief arm of The Alliance) has been in contact with national church leadership and TALI, an Indonesian relief agency. A team was coordinated to fly directly to the earthquake affected area to determine how best to respond to current needs. Continued opportunities to give are available. Make a donation now.
The devastation is pretty overwhelming. So many homes and families have been affected not only in Padang, the central point of the quake, but also in the outlying areas where help is just now beginning. There had been unrest due to relief supplies not reaching those areas, yet now it seems as if the food and water are being distributed there as well.
At least three or four villages were completely buried in landslides and are lost. The death toll seems to be somewhere above 1,000. Rescue efforts have given way to recovering bodies. My fellow survey team members and I are doing fine. We ask for prayer for the following.
Wisdom
We really need wisdom as to the best way to help. Right now, we are focusing on helping to gather building supplies so people can begin to rebuild their homes and not have to stay in tents, or worse, without shelter. Many of the bigger relief organizations are providing food, water, and immediate shelter. Our team would like to focus on helping people rebuild their lives. This will mean supplies and also people who will be able to stay to help distribute materials and oversee the project.
Personnel
It is very important to be able to place some people in this area to help for a while and to oversee things. Pray for God’s leading in this area and that the right people would be able to go in to help.
Provision
Pray along with us that God will provide for all that is needed here. The church in Indonesia is responding to this need, and we are grateful. We are trusting God for all that will be needed.
Thank you for praying with us and for working alongside of us.
Make a donation now.
October 1, 2009
The Alliance is assisting survivors of two natural disasters that struck the Pacific rim this week. On September 30, 2009, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 shook Indonesia at 5.16 p.m. local time. The epicenter was 53 km north of Padang, and the quake produced a tsunami that has flooded sections of Sumatra. Another strong earthquake hit Indonesia early October 1. “All C&MA personnel are fine,” says an Alliance worker. However, at least 1,100 people have died as a result of both quakes, and hundreds more are believed to be injured, reports CNN.
In Padang alone, the death toll has exceeded 500, with more deaths expected. As many as 1,100 homes have been destroyed. Rains continue to hamper rescue efforts, and roads and bridges from the south suffered damage, making land access to the city of 900,000 hazardous and difficult. Communication is poor, as phone lines and wireless towers are down. “Survivors are in need of clean water, food, and medical supplies,” says an Alliance spokesperson.
CAMA (Compassion and Mercy Associates, the relief arm of The Alliance) has been in contact with national church leadership and TALI, an Indonesian relief agency. A team is being coordinated to fly directly to the earthquake affected area to determine what role TALI, CAMA, and the C&MA should take in responding to current needs. Continued opportunities to give are available. Make a donation now.
Philippine and Vietnamese Typhoon Relief Under Way
Elsewhere in the region, the Philippines braced for the impact of a super typhoon, Parma, just days after Typhoon Ketsana left hundreds dead and most of Manila under water, reports CNN. The storm, downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday, also killed more than 100 Vietnamese. Typhoon Ketsana has affected about 1.4 million people and damaged or submerged more than 350,000 houses.
CAMA has responded to the devastating flooding in Manila with a $5,000 donation to the Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines (CAMACOP). This will be used to assist the communities in which Alliance churches are located. Continued opportunities to give are avaialable. Make a donation now.
In Vietnam, CAMA will be working with PACCOM, a government agency, and the Tinh Lanh Church, the latter as allowed by the government.
What You Can Do
Pray that those who have been affected by these tragedies will come to know the love of Jesus through the compassion of our workers and their national colleagues. Also, pray for God’s blessing on rescue efforts and for safety and direction for the survey team.
Allow CAMA to be your hands to a hurting world. Join our workers in helping to change the lives of the survivors and introduce them to Jesus, the source of life. Click here to donate.
September 24, 2009
By Betsy Blanchard, serving in Granada, Spain
The following is an adaptation of Betsy Blanchard’s recent update about the Cinderella’s House ministry, her God-given vision to address the overwhelming needs of Spain’s sex-traffic victims.
An estimated 350,000 women in Spain are hidden behind the doors of more than 2,000 legal brothels called “Alternative Clubs.” Mostly illegal immigrants, these women are enslaved to satisfy the appetites of an estimated 40 percent of Spain’s male population who seek their services regularly.
Prayer!
I have been doing intensive research and strategic planning to best meet the needs of these women in crisis. God has given me many important insights. What has been overwhelmingly clear is that when God calls one to this ministry:
- He opens doors that no man can close
- It’s slow and hard work; and
- In order to succeed PRAYER, PRAYER, PRAYER is needed.
If you embark in this type of ministry, make sure you have many praying people supporting you in this spiritual battle! This is the only way forward, for it is only Christ who can break the bondage and bring new life among those ensnared in the sordid sex-trafficking business.
As I continue to learn about the horrors of sexual exploitation and the situation in Spain, God has reminded me as well of two things I’d like to share with you.
Our Biblical Heritage
In the late 1800s, Alliance founder Dr. A. B. Simpson was moved by the unmet needs of the marginalized. Leaving a lucrative pastorate in a well known church, he established the Gospel Tabernacle in New York City. God led the church to embark on new approaches for that day to reach the lost, including a number of street prostitutes. Many of these destitute women found new life and hope in Jesus as a result.
My prayer is that Cinderella’s House will follow not only this heritage, but the mandate of our Savior, who also loved and cared for prostitutes!
Divine Healing for the Whole Person:
Dr. Simpson also believed whole-heartedly in Jesus as our Divine Healer; this, too, is part of our Alliance heritage. Women caught in prostitution and sex trafficking-the overwhelming majority of whom have suffered physical, emotional, and especially childhood sexual abuse-desperately need Jesus’ healing touch.
Lied to from their earliest memories, many of these women have distorted thinking that has trapped them in a cycle of hopelessness and vulnerability hard to understand and harder still to break. Since their life experiences define “love” in destructive ways, the “Good News” is a concept almost beyond their comprehension. A lasting demonstration of God’s love through a deep, divine touch from the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of their hearts and to heal the most damaged places in their lives is desperately needed.
Prayer and Fasting
In order to break such bondage our Heavenly Father calls us to fast, “to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness,” (Isaiah 42:7).
The 4th Annual International Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for the Victims of Sex Trafficking is September 25-27. Will you join me and believers worldwide to fast and pray for at least one meal that weekend on behalf of the victims of today’s slave trade-sex trafficking? If you are led to do so, please pray for
- God’s leading in the building of the Cinderella’s House ministry, and
- Freedom through Christ amongst the 350,000 women caught in sex trafficking in Spain.
Your faithful giving to Alliance Great Commission Ministries allows me the privilege and joy to serve in Spain, as we “Live the Call Together!”
You can also donate online to the Cinderella’s House project to help make this vital ministry a reality!
Learn More
Read another article about the Cinderella’s House ministry.
For additional suggestions on how to pray Sept. 25-27, check out the Salvation Army Web site
Please note that by clicking this link you will be leaving The Alliance website.
September 22, 2009
West Africa’s rainy season has caused extensive flooding throughout the region this year, reported Stan and Jaynee Walker, who serve with The Alliance in Senegal.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, many have contracted waterborne diseases, and more than 160 have died.
Tens of Thousands of Senegalese Affected
According to the United Nations, the Walkers said, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone are among the worst hit countries. “Here in Senegal, more than 260,000 people have been affected by this rainy season’s flooding.” Each rain reportedly brings more flooding.
Even in normal conditions, access to water and proper sanitation is limited in many parts of Africa, the couple added. Although malaria outbreaks are always a risk during the rainy season, the flooding is expected to cause even greater risk of disease outbreaks.
Churches Respond to Needs
In Dakar, Senegal’s capital city, churches have responded, opening their doors to offer shelter to those in their neighborhoods forced out of flooded homes.
“Pray that this testimony would be a light to many who do not know Him, yet seek this shelter,” the Walkers concluded. “What a wonderful opportunity to extend God’s grace.”
Pray for . . .
- the many who are displaced by West Africa’s floods
- local churches as they work to show God’s love to those who are suffering
What You Can Do
Because Alliance workers are in place around the world, God’s people are available to assist in times of crisis, like the current flooding across large portions of West Africa. Giving to Alliance Great Commission Ministries ensures that our dedicated workers can continue to faithfully share Christ’s hope and compassion with those who are suffering.
Burkina Faso’s government has placed land markers on the four corners of the Alliance-run Dorcas House property, reports Amy Nehlsen. “Praise the Lord with us! We have been praying for this for three years, since this assures that the property is secured and is officially ours.”
The Nehlsen family serves with The Alliance in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Life-Saving Assistance
Fifteen young women live in the home in Ouagadougou where they receive literacy training and Christian discipleship as well as vocational skills training. Nearly 80 percent of females in Burkina are illiterate and face a life of deep physical and spiritual poverty without interventions like those Dorcas House offers in Jesus’ Name.
Amy asks for continued prayer and protection for house residents. Last week a five-foot snake was killed in one of the dormitories on the property. “We rejoice in the protection of the Lord on the girls,” she concludes.
Learn More
Read about the spiritual awakening at Dorcas House earlier this year.
Check out our Alliance work in Burkina Faso.
What You Can Do
Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries! Help to ensure that workers like the Nehlsens can continue to share the love of Christ with those who are destitute and without hope.
August 26, 2009
In 2005, the initial response to Hurricane Katrina was swift and generous. Americans, shocked by the storm’s destructive power on the Gulf Coast, came to the aid of their fellow countrymen with compassionate abundance. But time passes, and people forget. While agencies and individuals have moved on to other noble causes, the Gulf Coast residents cannot forget Hurricane Katrina. Many continue to live in barely habitable homes and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that 3,000 families still live in its issued mobile homes.
There is one agency, however, that has not moved on. One organization has maintained a constant vigil for four years, meeting physical and spiritual needs of the people in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as in Gulfport and Waveland, Mississippi-The Alliance.
The Alliance continues its commitment to help rebuild homes and lives in the hurricane-stricken areas. Read more about these God-sized outreaches and how you can help.
New Hope in New Orleans
From the day that Hurricane Katrina breeched the levees of New Orleans, Louisiana, leaving most of the city under water, Willie Neudahl, associate pastor of New Hope Church in Gretna, has worked selflessly to serve the urban neighborhoods of The Big Easy. The multiethnic communities have benefitted from Neudahl’s efforts to rebuild homes but still are in desperate need of spiritual renewal.
Understanding that he needed assistance in reaching the large, ethnically diverse population of displaced residents, Neudahl sought help from his district leaders, who invited Rev. Donald Smith from Pennsylvania to join Neudahl in the daunting task of rebuilding homes and lives in the Gretna area. Smith joined Neudahl in 2007, and together, the two are impacting a community for Christ.
With the majority of relief work taking place in the Gentilly area, New Hope is in various phases of reconstruction. “While the need is far greater,” says Smith, “our ability to assist is proportionate to the number of missions teams that partner with us.” The need is expected to continue for at least a few more years.
The Vision
Because of the ethnic diversity of New Hope, which includes, Indian, Vietnamese, Guatemalan, African American, Caucasian and more, it is necessary to understand the various cultural backgrounds in order to meet the people at their level of need. “This requires careful consideration of everything from music to the propagation of the gospel to social interaction,” Smith says. “But the leadership of New Hope-an African American pastor and a Caucasian associate pastor-demonstrates to those on the outside that Christ loves people from all walks of life.”
New Hope facilitates five weekly home Bible studies as well as a mid-week study at the church. “Home studies allow people to get to know us while learning about Christ in an informal setting,” says Smith.
Outreaches such as Vacation Bible School and cookouts pave the way to community involvement. “Most of the people who attend New Hope are involved in some way to help the pastors in proclaiming the good news,” says Neudahl. “Many have accepted the Lord, and many others have recommitted their lives to Him.”
As Smith and Neudahl plant and water the seed of the gospel, “The Lord opens doors of opportunity,” says Smith. “As we disciple the souls that the Lord entrusts to our care, we believe that a mighty harvest for the Lord will arise.”
Help is still needed to continue this critical New Orleans ministry. If you would like to partner with New Hope, contact Pastor Smith at djjd49s@cox.net or visit the New Hope Web site.
Incredible Journey in Gulfport
When Darren Sanford moved his family of nine to Gulfport, Mississippi, he found the ministry of Journey4Life to be not quite what he expected. Journey4Life began as a relief outreach to Gulfport residents and businesses that were left helpless after Hurricane Katrina decimated the small Gulf Coast community located between Waveland and New Orleans.
Not much has changed since Sanford reported last year. Four years after the killer storm, FEMA trailers still dot the landscape; illegal drug use is rampant, and divorce and suicide also are on the rise. “Insurance companies’ refusals to cover the losses, lack of employment, and a virtual standstill in the rebuilding effort have led to a deterioration of morale,” Sanford says. “Criminal activity is on the rise as desperate people battle hopelessness.”
Freedom and Liberty
Progress is slow at Freedom Hall community center, but Sanford’s vision is the same. “The building is a perfect illustration of both us and the community,” he says. “It’s a real fixer-upper, a project that many would simply evaluate as not being worth the time. But God uses things like a neglected building and delights in using people of no reputation to mainfest His glory.”
Youth outreach will include sporting events as well as training for young men in skills such as carpentry, electronics, and mechanics. Other life-skills training classes will be made available for women. Freedom Hall will be open to families for events, banquets, meetings, and other social gatherings and also will be home to the Journey4Life church plant.
Liberty Café will be a place where the love of God is shared with people in a welcoming environment; a portion of the profits will go to an organization that helps girls get off of the streets, builds orphanages, provides blankets for those who have insufficient shelter, and supplies formula for babies in famine-stricken areas.
Regrouping
“In regards to Journey4Life, we are restarting the ministry,” says Sanford. “Presently, I am trying to discern the mind of Christ in how this is done. I need to understand the heart of God in this matter.”
Journey4Life has great needs-for workers and for supplies. Electrical supplies, heating/air conditioning resources, and volunteers are needed to help in completing the building transformation.
Sanford requests prayer for God’s wisdom and guidance as well as for the physical needs of the church. If the Lord is leading you to contribute to this vital ministry, contact Sanford journey4life@bellsouth.net or visit Freedom Hall.
Waveland’s Camp Katrina
From the moment The Alliance stepped foot in Waveland, there has been a continuous flow of workers who have helped in demolition, rebuilding, supplying, and meeting the physical needs of the city’s residents, most of whom live in spiritual darkness.
“RP* represents the need for each of us to never give up on the people God puts in our life,” says Tom Barbour, who pastors the Christian Life Center (CLC), “no matter how futile our efforts may seem.” A meth addict, RP received help from the original staging area of “Camp Katrina,” which is now CLC. She indicated early on that she wanted a life change and was ready to follow God on His narrow road. After four years of off-again, on-again attendance at CLC, the once-emaciated woman praises God for delivering her from drugs and tells others of their need for the Savior.
I Work for Jesus
While in search of wood for the smoker grill that is used to cook meat for volunteers, Barbour asked the Spirit to lead him. He turned onto a dead-end street in an old and obviously poor neighborhood he had never seen. “At the end of the street was a pile of oak logs,” says Barbour, who was joined by an older African American man, Theo,* from a FEMA trailer in the neighboring yard. As the man assisted Barbour in loading the wood, Barbour offered the services of a volunteer rebuilding team. Theo thanked Barbour, who gave his standard reply, “Don’t thank me. You know who I work for, don’t you?” Cautiously, Theo answered, “No.”
“I work for Jesus,” Barbour told Theo, whose face brightened immediately. “You know Jesus?” he asked. Barbour and Theo spent the next hour talking about Jesus.
Greg, a recent college graduate, had the next 45 years of his life neatly planned-until he visited Waveland with a short-term missions team. “Trying to fit my recently grace-filled spirit into the constraining box of American routine proved painful,” he says. “Here [in Waveland] was life abundant, and I found myself in a position where I was unable to exist without it.” Greg joined the CLC staff to minister to Waveland residents as well as CLC volunteers, finding his contentment “in Christ alone,” he said.
A Promise Kept
Many lives have been impacted by the CLC ministry, whether they are recipients of CLC’s help, like RP and Theo, or on the giving end, like Greg. Circumstances vary, but the results are the same-God moves in the hearts of all who come in contact with CLC. Through ongoing rebuilding efforts, a thrift store, Bible studies, and church services, CLC has remained faithful to its promise four years ago: “We’re in it for the long haul.”
If you would like to partner with Christian Life Center, contact Tom Barbour at jtbarbour@comcast.net
View Gulf Coast Devastation and Alliance relief efforts on Alliance Video Magazine
*names changed
July 23, 2009
At least 24 people died and hundreds were left homeless after the worst floods to hit Mongolia in 43 years devastated the landlocked nation. The floods struck last week as a result of severe rain storms in Ulaanbaatar, the capital.
Although the government issued televised warnings prior to the rainstorms, many children and elderly people could not be evacuated in time, CNN reports.
“There were three districts of the city that were primarily affected,” says Alliance worker Bernie Anderson. “Most of these were low-lying ‘ger communities’ with poor drainage and unsanitary living conditions. One family was particularly devastated in that they lost not only their home but three of their children in the floodwaters.”
Concerns voiced by the local media include the potential spread of disease, compounded by the possibility of snow in a mere eight weeks or less. “The onslaught of a notorious Mongolian winter could be a very bad situation for the families without adequate housing,” Anderson says.
“We are inquiring from all three districts to see if there is anything that we can do to help with relief efforts. The local government is working to provide gers for the families [that have been displaced]. We’ve had continued rain this week, and some of the same areas were hit with repeat flash flooding,” Anderson adds. As a result, several families lost their new homes to the flood waters again this week. “The Mongolian government is working now to move these families to another location.”
Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA), the Alliance relief arm, is ready to come alongside government efforts as needed to address the flooding.
Learn More
Check out our Alliance work in Mongolia.
Learn more about CAMA.
What You Can Do
Pray for all those who have been impacted by this disaster: that God will meet their needs and that He will use this tragedy to draw many people to Himself. Also, pray for Alliance workers and national believers as they minister to those in need.
Donate now to Alliance Great Commission Ministries to support God’s work around the world.
July 8, 2009
An estimated 350,000 enslaved prostitutes live in Spain, said Betsy Blanchard in her July 4 ministry update from the southern European nation. “These women are forced to ‘work,’ sometimes 14-hour days, regularly shifted between more than 2,000 legal brothels and other venues. The stories are shocking!”
To assist these women in crisis, God has laid a vision on the heart of this veteran Alliance worker to establish a residential center-”Cinderella’s House.” In a May 2009 article she explained that the home will be “a center for restoration where a hopeless and broken ‘princess’ (a daughter of the King of Kings!) can meet the Prince of Peace and be transformed.”
Alliance Women Ministries has designated the new center as its official project for 2009/2010.
“Almost No Way Out”
Young women trafficked into Spain for prostitution purposes range in age from 16 to 25, Blanchard said; most are immigrants from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and parts of Africa. “Enticed to Spain by what seem to be legitimate jobs, they find themselves enslaved . . . with almost no way out.”
Blanchard returned to Granada, Spain, June 27th from a year-long furlough in the United States that included visiting two residential women’s programs in Nashville, Tennessee. Both centers provided insights that will help to inform the new ministry’s administration.
“I hope to visit an organization in Madrid next week,” she concluded in her recent update. “[It] is trying to raise awareness of the problem and bring together various groups who are working to address the issues.”
How You Can Help
“Please pray for God’s guidance, His favor, and His provision” Blanchard requested, “to get Cinderella’s House off the drawing board and into reality, so that broken Cinderellas can meet the Prince of Peace and learn that they are deeply loved!”
Donate online to the Cinderella’s House Project-help make this vital ministry a reality!
Learn More
Read about our work in Spain.
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