Not governments...
Not relief organizations...
Not NGO's...
Not Business...
Not Unions...
Not social ACTION GROUPS...
Not the RED CROSS...
Not food banks or World Banks...can do for suffering folks what the church can do.
Don't get me wrong...all these organizations can do GOOD things to relieve suffering.
But after all the relief organizations have packed their tents and moved on to the next crisis..THE CHURCH REMAINS.
That's why we partner with the local pastor in relief...the church, the Bride of Christ, can bring hope and change to broken lives by introducing them to the good news of God's love and Christ's offer of forgiveness and new life.
Only the church...only the Lord.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
BIG GAP BETWEEN PROPAGANDA AND REALITY
The government of Myanmar is saying...this is our problem...we will handle things.
The reality is...the military junta is dragging it's feet while the people are suffering and starving on a massive scale.
The government of Myanmar says...only a few thousand have died and are missing.
The reality of eyewitnesses is...over 100,000 are dead and laying in flooded fields and delta areas.
The government of Myanmar says...outside relief help is not needed.
The reality is...the government here doesn't want the world to see the horrible state of things in this mess of a country.
The military is saying...give the food and medicine to us and we will make sure the right people get it.
The reality is that top to bottom corruption and paranoid thinking have placed this nation alongside North Korea and Zimbabwe.
Do I sound like a fanatic? Sorry, but every private conversation with citizens leads to the same conclusions..."The military regime in our country cares nothing for the people of Myanmar and this cyclone is just the latest evidence that the generals only care about the generals and the military rule."
Please pray that the church in Myanmar...will be a beacon that people can turn to...for comfort and refuge and hope. The Lord is the only way back to the light.
The reality is...the military junta is dragging it's feet while the people are suffering and starving on a massive scale.
The government of Myanmar says...only a few thousand have died and are missing.
The reality of eyewitnesses is...over 100,000 are dead and laying in flooded fields and delta areas.
The government of Myanmar says...outside relief help is not needed.
The reality is...the government here doesn't want the world to see the horrible state of things in this mess of a country.
The military is saying...give the food and medicine to us and we will make sure the right people get it.
The reality is that top to bottom corruption and paranoid thinking have placed this nation alongside North Korea and Zimbabwe.
Do I sound like a fanatic? Sorry, but every private conversation with citizens leads to the same conclusions..."The military regime in our country cares nothing for the people of Myanmar and this cyclone is just the latest evidence that the generals only care about the generals and the military rule."
Please pray that the church in Myanmar...will be a beacon that people can turn to...for comfort and refuge and hope. The Lord is the only way back to the light.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Finally!!!
I was really starting to seriously doubt if our team would ever actually set foot in Burma.
Well, we left at 5am today after getting the final okay at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand to travel to Rangoon, the capital.
Driving out of the airport sent me immediately back to New Orleans and the Mississippi coast. Huge trees weighing tons, thrown about like straw in a windstorm. Buildings crushed flat...roofs everywhere, but where they should be...on the buildings...crews of workers in military uniforms, hacking away with hatchets on gigantic fallen oaks.
There is that same LOOK in the face of the locals that we saw at Katrina...disbelief...almost a disengaged , far off stare of watching this drama play out but not really being there in person.
Meeting lots of folks who are very helpful in our assessment...can't go there right now..
Have lot's of stories when we get home, but can't rely on the internet or phones.
I'll fill you in when we get back, but you read the papers, so you know the background here.
OPEN DOORS everywhere for comfort from our father... monks who are seeking...conversations that are amazing...
Well, we left at 5am today after getting the final okay at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand to travel to Rangoon, the capital.
Driving out of the airport sent me immediately back to New Orleans and the Mississippi coast. Huge trees weighing tons, thrown about like straw in a windstorm. Buildings crushed flat...roofs everywhere, but where they should be...on the buildings...crews of workers in military uniforms, hacking away with hatchets on gigantic fallen oaks.
There is that same LOOK in the face of the locals that we saw at Katrina...disbelief...almost a disengaged , far off stare of watching this drama play out but not really being there in person.
Meeting lots of folks who are very helpful in our assessment...can't go there right now..
Have lot's of stories when we get home, but can't rely on the internet or phones.
I'll fill you in when we get back, but you read the papers, so you know the background here.
OPEN DOORS everywhere for comfort from our father... monks who are seeking...conversations that are amazing...
Monday, May 12, 2008
Greetings from THAILAND
Spent the day Monday at the Myanmar Embassy working on our visa approvals.
That is one WILD compound.
There were hundreds of relief organizations in line there, trying every possible method to get into Myanmar through International Relief documents ...camera crews...journalists...people with every kind of organization you can imagine...with shirts...all screaming, "International AID."
And the answer for all these folks was a resounding, 'NO!'
From the looks on the faces of the relief workers... these folks are not used to being told 'NO!'
They just stand there in disbelief...they've come all this way to help...Lord knows the people NEED the help desperately, and yet the officials are saying that they do not need or want their help...that this is an internal issue to be worked out by the Burmese.
Please continue to pray for us.
They accepted our applications...
They took our money ...
They didn't say NO...actually they said come back tomorrow afternoon!!!
So we are hopeful and blessed.
Can't say any names, but we've been meeting with Burmese people and displaced ex-pats and NGO folks and even MUZUNGUS who are stuck here in Thailand and we have gotten a University education on the history and culture of Myanmar.
JUST HEARD ABOUT THE CHINA EARTHQUAKES...7.8 on the Richter scale.
Pray for the folks there.
Things are getting drastic in Rangoon...with the flow of help equivalent to a trickle...people are dying of preventable causes, and that's just not right.
However, this is a historic opportunity for the church to show unity and model love and concern.
REACHING BEYOND OURSELVES WITH THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD'S LOVE
PS Chris Sharon has been a HUGE help to the team and I.
That is one WILD compound.
There were hundreds of relief organizations in line there, trying every possible method to get into Myanmar through International Relief documents ...camera crews...journalists...people with every kind of organization you can imagine...with shirts...all screaming, "International AID."
And the answer for all these folks was a resounding, 'NO!'
From the looks on the faces of the relief workers... these folks are not used to being told 'NO!'
They just stand there in disbelief...they've come all this way to help...Lord knows the people NEED the help desperately, and yet the officials are saying that they do not need or want their help...that this is an internal issue to be worked out by the Burmese.
Please continue to pray for us.
They accepted our applications...
They took our money ...
They didn't say NO...actually they said come back tomorrow afternoon!!!
So we are hopeful and blessed.
Can't say any names, but we've been meeting with Burmese people and displaced ex-pats and NGO folks and even MUZUNGUS who are stuck here in Thailand and we have gotten a University education on the history and culture of Myanmar.
JUST HEARD ABOUT THE CHINA EARTHQUAKES...7.8 on the Richter scale.
Pray for the folks there.
Things are getting drastic in Rangoon...with the flow of help equivalent to a trickle...people are dying of preventable causes, and that's just not right.
However, this is a historic opportunity for the church to show unity and model love and concern.
REACHING BEYOND OURSELVES WITH THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD'S LOVE
PS Chris Sharon has been a HUGE help to the team and I.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Myanmar Cries Out
Well...just when I had settled back into life in the OC...a round of golf with Kyle...a trip to Disneyland with Connie and our grandson, Luke, hanging out with Caroline and her BIOLA buds, and celebrating the birth of Erin and Jake's newest baby girl, Harper Lane Rutenbar...up comes this crisis...here's what we know:
*feared dead in Cyclone Nargis...100,000
*feared homeless...1 million and growing
*utter crop devastation
*virtually no clean water
*severely delayed response to attempts by the international relief community to help The Myanmar (formerly Burma) government is extremmely hostile to ANYTHING that looks American or Christian ...including relief supplies.
*feared dead in Cyclone Nargis...100,000
*feared homeless...1 million and growing
*utter crop devastation
*virtually no clean water
*severely delayed response to attempts by the international relief community to help The Myanmar (formerly Burma) government is extremmely hostile to ANYTHING that looks American or Christian ...including relief supplies.
Here please read this appeal for prayer from a Myanmar pastor we are meeting with tonight in Thailand. We do not use his name because it would endanger his work and the life of his family.
Our team of Don Thompson, Don Herr, Chris Sharon, and me is in Taipei, headed for Tailand and praying that tomorrow we will be able to get into Myanmar...not as relief workers or missionaries, but as 'eco-tourists'..I've been called alot of things, but never 'eco'-anything.
Our team of Don Thompson, Don Herr, Chris Sharon, and me is in Taipei, headed for Tailand and praying that tomorrow we will be able to get into Myanmar...not as relief workers or missionaries, but as 'eco-tourists'..I've been called alot of things, but never 'eco'-anything.
Dear brothers and sisters,
A week has already passed. Tens of thousands are still helpless in a hopeless situation. Time is running out. People are dying of diseases and starvation. It seems our prayers are unanswered. Those who pray and those who help are frustrated. But as I watch the news, read the news and listen to the news I thank God for the answers He has given although everything does not happen according to our wish and our timing. Let us praise the Lord who is sovereign, who has all the power to do everything he wants to do, who is merciful and compassionate,….
Let us confess our own sins and the sin of our authorities and our people as our own(Dan 9:4-19)
Let us thank God the Lord that
* Our authorities accept the international aid although it seems very slow.
* Burmese people all over the world are considering coming back to Myanmar to assist the relief work which no foreign aid workers are allowed to come into to do. Some are already back with the resources, skills and headed to the affected area.(I feel like many Nehemiahs coming back)
* Myanmar Christians and churches are doing the relief work with the limited resources they have. I am sure the believers of other faith are doing the same.
* The NGOs and UN organizations are doing their very best to help the victims.
Let us keep on praying to the God of mercy on this Global day of Prayer on Pentecostal Sunday when hundreds of millions of Christians lift up their prayers to
* break the power of Satan on Myanmar and the authorities who are very superstitious and make every single decision for the affair of our country from the advice of astrologers and fortune tellers. Let us resist the power of Satan, break the strongholds he has been taking in the lives of the authorities and the people. Let us deliver them from all evil in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
* to soften the hearts of authorities to fasten the relief, inviting and allowing the citizens to assist the overwhelming task and allow the international aid workers to involve in the relief work, to help and open the ways for those who provide resources and aid from outside Myanmar
*to comfort those who lost everything may be reached by the aid He has already provided.
* to strengthen and protect those who are helping the victims. The relief work may not be hindered by any resistance of the authorities and the weather (UN Weather Agency forecasts heavy rain in Burma next week)
*to send back thousands of Myanmar people who have heart and skills to join in the relief work when international workers are prohibited to enter into the country.
* to empower and give wisdom to the Christian leaders in Myanmar in one accord to cooperate strongly and humbly as they come together to give servant leadership to assist the needy.
*help us to pray according to His will that His Kingdom may come and His Will be Done through this tragedy.
A week has already passed. Tens of thousands are still helpless in a hopeless situation. Time is running out. People are dying of diseases and starvation. It seems our prayers are unanswered. Those who pray and those who help are frustrated. But as I watch the news, read the news and listen to the news I thank God for the answers He has given although everything does not happen according to our wish and our timing. Let us praise the Lord who is sovereign, who has all the power to do everything he wants to do, who is merciful and compassionate,….
Let us confess our own sins and the sin of our authorities and our people as our own(Dan 9:4-19)
Let us thank God the Lord that
* Our authorities accept the international aid although it seems very slow.
* Burmese people all over the world are considering coming back to Myanmar to assist the relief work which no foreign aid workers are allowed to come into to do. Some are already back with the resources, skills and headed to the affected area.(I feel like many Nehemiahs coming back)
* Myanmar Christians and churches are doing the relief work with the limited resources they have. I am sure the believers of other faith are doing the same.
* The NGOs and UN organizations are doing their very best to help the victims.
Let us keep on praying to the God of mercy on this Global day of Prayer on Pentecostal Sunday when hundreds of millions of Christians lift up their prayers to
* break the power of Satan on Myanmar and the authorities who are very superstitious and make every single decision for the affair of our country from the advice of astrologers and fortune tellers. Let us resist the power of Satan, break the strongholds he has been taking in the lives of the authorities and the people. Let us deliver them from all evil in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
* to soften the hearts of authorities to fasten the relief, inviting and allowing the citizens to assist the overwhelming task and allow the international aid workers to involve in the relief work, to help and open the ways for those who provide resources and aid from outside Myanmar
*to comfort those who lost everything may be reached by the aid He has already provided.
* to strengthen and protect those who are helping the victims. The relief work may not be hindered by any resistance of the authorities and the weather (UN Weather Agency forecasts heavy rain in Burma next week)
*to send back thousands of Myanmar people who have heart and skills to join in the relief work when international workers are prohibited to enter into the country.
* to empower and give wisdom to the Christian leaders in Myanmar in one accord to cooperate strongly and humbly as they come together to give servant leadership to assist the needy.
*help us to pray according to His will that His Kingdom may come and His Will be Done through this tragedy.
When we work we work,when we pray God works(Hudson Taylor)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Myanmar Cyclone Relief
Dear PEACE RELIEF and missions team members,
I'm hopping on a plane in a few hours with Don Herr, Don Thompson, and Chris Sharon to assess the scope of the Burmese cyclone crisis.
What we know so far...100,000 feared dead...1 million homeless...widespread waterborn disease outbreaks from rotting corpses being disposed of in local rivers...Myanmar is a very closed...very hostile military regime that hates all-things-Christian and all-things western, so we are going into Myanmar under cover...not as pastors or relief workers. We'll be reporting back in 9 days about what God shows us and what we believe our church response can and should be.
Please pray for our team, that the Lord gives us favor and insight and discernment. A number of you have asked if Saddleback folks can go and give...the answer is yes and yes. We'll return with partner churches (embedded and underground churches) we can work with, and a gameplan for the days ahead, just like the tsunami, Katrina and the recent Kenyan crisis.
You can give to RELIEF through the on-line giving site at Saddlebackfamily.com This is a gigantic OPEN DOOR for the Good News of God's Love to penetrate a closed culture with the Gospel.
PLEASE PRAY ...expectantly...for victory in the midst of chaos.
Pastor Steve Rutenbar
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Ameni and Juliette Make a Big Decision
They are just 17 and 16 years old...
They are both orphans...
One is Muslim, the other has never believed in God
Their names are Ameni and Juliette...
Juliette has been to 4th grade...
Ameni has never been to any school...
They sell stuff in the back alleys of Kigale to get some food...
They sit in shopkeepers stores, while the owner runs errands or goes to the mosque
They are 2 of my favorite new friends...
like Jambi, and Andrew, and James Juma, and Nadia, and Sasha
I met Ameni and Juliette and her sister, Janet, while looking for wool blankets the other day, and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind since.
Something just connected, especially with this little Islamic girl, Ameni, who from behind her veil and prayer garb, kept asking who we were, and where we were from, and why we were in her country, and in her store, and why we wanted $1000 of blankets and cups and basins and fabric, and who was it for?
why, why, why...
Even though I invited them to come to the Samaritan's Purse Shoebox day...I never really believed they'd find out where it was and actually show up.
At a church clear across town...down a long dirt road...up a hill...behind an iron gate...
We had drivers and cell phones and we could barely find this place...but there they were...
Ameni, in her prayer veil, Juliette, and Janet.
Then all of a sudden, I started to get it...
God was moving in these girl's hearts...
They were leaning into everything we'd say...
Sunday morning, at church...Deliverance Church, with Pastors Joseph and Rose... I was walking up onto the stage to preach at the first of 2 services.
And there they were...
Julliette and Ameni, still in her Muslim garb.
Janet was caught up in feeding her other sister and ran late for the church service.
After the message, I turned the service over to Pastor Rose, to close in prayer.
We offered that if anyone wanted to begin walking a new journey wth Christ to come forward and pray. My heart almost jumped through my chest when I saw these girls, these new friends, get up out of their seats and walk to the front.
Marilyn Mohr and others greeted them as they approached the front of the church and they began to pray.
I watched as Ameni lowered her veil, wrapped it around her shoulder and began praying to Jesus Christ for the first time in her life. Juliette and others joined her in that prayer to confess their sins and failures and to place their faith in the Lord Jesus.
We have been around Ameni now about 5 more times...at the stadium...at the town center...at a coffee shop...and I have never since seen the Islamic veil...
Pastor Rose took me aside Sunday afternoon and said, "These girls really want to change their lives, Steve. They are sincere." She told me that she would do everything in her power to make sure the girls got in with good Christian girlfriends at their church. Rose said, "Orphans need love, I can assure you they will get that at our church."
Thank you to everyone who paused to pray for these girls to come to the Lord. I believe Janet will soon trust too, but it has to be her decision...not her sister's or friend's choice.
PRAYER WORKS
They are both orphans...
One is Muslim, the other has never believed in God
Their names are Ameni and Juliette...
Juliette has been to 4th grade...
Ameni has never been to any school...
They sell stuff in the back alleys of Kigale to get some food...
They sit in shopkeepers stores, while the owner runs errands or goes to the mosque
They are 2 of my favorite new friends...
like Jambi, and Andrew, and James Juma, and Nadia, and Sasha
I met Ameni and Juliette and her sister, Janet, while looking for wool blankets the other day, and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind since.
Something just connected, especially with this little Islamic girl, Ameni, who from behind her veil and prayer garb, kept asking who we were, and where we were from, and why we were in her country, and in her store, and why we wanted $1000 of blankets and cups and basins and fabric, and who was it for?
why, why, why...
Even though I invited them to come to the Samaritan's Purse Shoebox day...I never really believed they'd find out where it was and actually show up.
At a church clear across town...down a long dirt road...up a hill...behind an iron gate...
We had drivers and cell phones and we could barely find this place...but there they were...
Ameni, in her prayer veil, Juliette, and Janet.
Then all of a sudden, I started to get it...
God was moving in these girl's hearts...
They were leaning into everything we'd say...
Sunday morning, at church...Deliverance Church, with Pastors Joseph and Rose... I was walking up onto the stage to preach at the first of 2 services.
And there they were...
Julliette and Ameni, still in her Muslim garb.
Janet was caught up in feeding her other sister and ran late for the church service.
After the message, I turned the service over to Pastor Rose, to close in prayer.
We offered that if anyone wanted to begin walking a new journey wth Christ to come forward and pray. My heart almost jumped through my chest when I saw these girls, these new friends, get up out of their seats and walk to the front.
Marilyn Mohr and others greeted them as they approached the front of the church and they began to pray.
I watched as Ameni lowered her veil, wrapped it around her shoulder and began praying to Jesus Christ for the first time in her life. Juliette and others joined her in that prayer to confess their sins and failures and to place their faith in the Lord Jesus.
We have been around Ameni now about 5 more times...at the stadium...at the town center...at a coffee shop...and I have never since seen the Islamic veil...
Pastor Rose took me aside Sunday afternoon and said, "These girls really want to change their lives, Steve. They are sincere." She told me that she would do everything in her power to make sure the girls got in with good Christian girlfriends at their church. Rose said, "Orphans need love, I can assure you they will get that at our church."
Thank you to everyone who paused to pray for these girls to come to the Lord. I believe Janet will soon trust too, but it has to be her decision...not her sister's or friend's choice.
PRAYER WORKS
Monday, March 31, 2008
Pastor Rick Kicks off 40 Days of Purpose in Rwanda
OK...they are calling this the kickoff event for 40 Days of Purpose for Rwanda.
...if that's the case, Rick Warren just kicked a 70 yard field goal right through the uprights.
I was at the Anaheim Stadium 25th Anniversary event and it was cool, but this was a pretty awesome day.
Let me go back a day, first...
On Saturday, we discovered that the whole country of Rwanda has these periodic National Cleanup Days, where NO ONE can travel on the roads...everyone has to be busy beautifying the country and involved in cleanup activities
Really a great idea...like a big secular sabbath, but rather than rest, you scrub your community.
I just wish someone would clue me in on these awesome ideas..I'd have brought a brillo pad and some ajax...
But this really threw a wrench in our plans...going to meet more churches, schools and children's centers.
What we ended up doing was FAR better than anything I could have planned...we set out in 4 vans and attempted to drive through 10 police roadblocks to the National Stadium. What we told the police was that we were headed for a cleanup on a national project...
It worked !!!!
We got to this huge stadium and just went down on the track and prayed...it's been raining A LOT we just simply asked the Lord to look kindly on this event and for us to follow His Plans for the day. Then we fanned out all over the stadium and PRAYED
Over every seat in the stadium
Over the guests that would be coming
Over the security for the day
Over President Kigame, who would be attending
Over Bishop Kolini, the Anglican Archbishop, overseeing the day
Over Pastor Rick
Over all the details that go into preparing for 30,000 people they expected
I just chose a place in the 'endzone' where I stood in the tunnel entrance and could see the whole stadium before me and prayed for 45 minutes straight...all of us did the same...Then we fanned out and actually did some work projects with the stadium team preparing the venue.
After church at Deliverance Church and about 7 more PD churches the next morning ..we all went to the event. It felt like EVERY church in Rwanda was there...people arriving by foot, taxi, bus, and moto-bota-bota...photo of that coming.
*The Presidents speech was terrific.
*The Bishops prayer was inspiring, but
*Rick's talk was historic.
Sitting there in the grandstands, with a backdrop of thousands of ebony-black faces, I tried to take myself back to 1982 at Laguna Hills High School, in the Little Theater, with Kay Warren playing the piano and Rick preaching about how every believer is a minister...
And for that moment... I felt as though I was really involved in reaching beyond myself.
And that's a cool feeling.
...if that's the case, Rick Warren just kicked a 70 yard field goal right through the uprights.
I was at the Anaheim Stadium 25th Anniversary event and it was cool, but this was a pretty awesome day.
Let me go back a day, first...
On Saturday, we discovered that the whole country of Rwanda has these periodic National Cleanup Days, where NO ONE can travel on the roads...everyone has to be busy beautifying the country and involved in cleanup activities
Really a great idea...like a big secular sabbath, but rather than rest, you scrub your community.
I just wish someone would clue me in on these awesome ideas..I'd have brought a brillo pad and some ajax...
But this really threw a wrench in our plans...going to meet more churches, schools and children's centers.
What we ended up doing was FAR better than anything I could have planned...we set out in 4 vans and attempted to drive through 10 police roadblocks to the National Stadium. What we told the police was that we were headed for a cleanup on a national project...
It worked !!!!
We got to this huge stadium and just went down on the track and prayed...it's been raining A LOT we just simply asked the Lord to look kindly on this event and for us to follow His Plans for the day. Then we fanned out all over the stadium and PRAYED
Over every seat in the stadium
Over the guests that would be coming
Over the security for the day
Over President Kigame, who would be attending
Over Bishop Kolini, the Anglican Archbishop, overseeing the day
Over Pastor Rick
Over all the details that go into preparing for 30,000 people they expected
I just chose a place in the 'endzone' where I stood in the tunnel entrance and could see the whole stadium before me and prayed for 45 minutes straight...all of us did the same...Then we fanned out and actually did some work projects with the stadium team preparing the venue.
After church at Deliverance Church and about 7 more PD churches the next morning ..we all went to the event. It felt like EVERY church in Rwanda was there...people arriving by foot, taxi, bus, and moto-bota-bota...photo of that coming.
*The Presidents speech was terrific.
*The Bishops prayer was inspiring, but
*Rick's talk was historic.
Sitting there in the grandstands, with a backdrop of thousands of ebony-black faces, I tried to take myself back to 1982 at Laguna Hills High School, in the Little Theater, with Kay Warren playing the piano and Rick preaching about how every believer is a minister...
And for that moment... I felt as though I was really involved in reaching beyond myself.
And that's a cool feeling.
LOVE IN A SHOEBOX
The looks on their faces...
The anticipation of getting a gift...
The hugs of appreciation...
The squeals of joy when they open their boxes...
The dancing...
The singing...
There is NOTHING in the world like a distribution day for Operation Christmas Child...a program that Saddleback Church partners with Samaritan's Purse around the world.
Packing the boxes is a lot of fun..
Collecting them at church is fun and fulfilling...
Sorting and sending them at the processing center is awe-inspiring...
But giving these little kids around the world a Christmas gift ( even in April...Christmas is anytime you get a gift in Christ's name) from the families of our church is the BEST.
All 3 orphan girls from the street showed up at the distribution...they are listening !!
The anticipation of getting a gift...
The hugs of appreciation...
The squeals of joy when they open their boxes...
The dancing...
The singing...
There is NOTHING in the world like a distribution day for Operation Christmas Child...a program that Saddleback Church partners with Samaritan's Purse around the world.
Packing the boxes is a lot of fun..
Collecting them at church is fun and fulfilling...
Sorting and sending them at the processing center is awe-inspiring...
But giving these little kids around the world a Christmas gift ( even in April...Christmas is anytime you get a gift in Christ's name) from the families of our church is the BEST.
We have had 2 huge OCC distributions here in Rwanda...one at a church...one at a church-run school... We've given out close to a thousand of these shoebox gifts to every kind of kid. We sang songs and played games..went in classrooms and shared our stories of Christ in our lives...and talked with the kids about THE GREATEST GIFT ANYONE EVER GAVE...God's gift to us, His Son, Jesus Christ...and Christ's gift of His life for us.
Pictures don't tell it all, but here's a few.
Pictures don't tell it all, but here's a few.
All 3 orphan girls from the street showed up at the distribution...they are listening !!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
RWANDA, MARCH 2008
The Rwanda PEACE team from Saddleback has arrived has and we're staying for a few days at the Presb. Guest House and the Beautiful Iris Hotel across the street. There are 30 1/2 of us...the half????...Mikey Stephens ...5 years old...missions giant...more on this cool kid later.
Spent the day before the team got here with Ron Neufeld and Floyd Mohr buying wool refugee blankets and wash basins and plastic cups and 'lessos'...fabric from Tanzania that can be used as clothing wraps or space dividers in the refugee tents.
We will be going to Kibuye Refugee Camp close to the Congo border in a few days...after Pastor Rick launches his Nationwide 40 Days of Purpose Campaign at the Kigale Stadium on Sunday...what an event that's going to be...singing and African cultural dancing and worship...sounds to me like the Praise Venue in TENT 3 at Saddleback.
Met 3 delightful girls in a back alley fabric shop in Kigali ...
Janet,17
her sis, Julliette, 16
their Islamic friend, Ameni, 17
Spent the day before the team got here with Ron Neufeld and Floyd Mohr buying wool refugee blankets and wash basins and plastic cups and 'lessos'...fabric from Tanzania that can be used as clothing wraps or space dividers in the refugee tents.
We will be going to Kibuye Refugee Camp close to the Congo border in a few days...after Pastor Rick launches his Nationwide 40 Days of Purpose Campaign at the Kigale Stadium on Sunday...what an event that's going to be...singing and African cultural dancing and worship...sounds to me like the Praise Venue in TENT 3 at Saddleback.
Met 3 delightful girls in a back alley fabric shop in Kigali ...
Janet,17
her sis, Julliette, 16
their Islamic friend, Ameni, 17
Couldn't really understand a single word at first , but over an hour we bought $1000 of relief supplies, invited them to Kingdom Christian School for a distribution of Samaritan's Purse Gifts, and a gospel presentation, and invited them to the National Stadium Event on Sunday.
All 3 girls, orphans from AIDS and the Genocide...came to the Sam Purse Shoebox event and helped us give out boxes to 400 schoolkids, 70% of which are orphans. I AM COUNTING ON ANYONE READING THIS BLOG TO STOP RIGHT NOW AND PRAY FOR THESE 3 GIRLS TO TRUST CHRIST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I am trusting the Lord for their salvation...I just know it will happen.
All 3 girls, orphans from AIDS and the Genocide...came to the Sam Purse Shoebox event and helped us give out boxes to 400 schoolkids, 70% of which are orphans. I AM COUNTING ON ANYONE READING THIS BLOG TO STOP RIGHT NOW AND PRAY FOR THESE 3 GIRLS TO TRUST CHRIST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I am trusting the Lord for their salvation...I just know it will happen.
Send me a word of encouragement...please...
I've been in freezing Ukraine, burning Kenya, and now drenched Rwanda.
I've been in freezing Ukraine, burning Kenya, and now drenched Rwanda.
Our team is all healthy and working great together.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
LAST DAYS IN UKRAINE
I was really amazed at Kay Warren and her HIV/AIDS INITIATIVE team's hard work and outreach over the past few days...The Churches of Ukraine, from Orthodox to Baptist to Evangelical to Catholic to Charismatic were all so appreciative for Kay 'rolling up her sleeves' and facing the problems as they really are. Each day Kay and her team shared the message of how the church...the body of Christ in Ukraine...can and should be the vanguard in the fight against AIDS. Kay shared with hundreds of church leaders what every congregation can do individually and teaming with other churches and organizations through her C.H.U.R.C.H. strategy.
Some of my memories of Ukraine...
*Kay speaking to 5 different large audiences on Sunday...from 8am to 10 pm
*The train ride from Kiev to Mariopol with the whole team and Vlad
*Visiting the drug and rehab centers that are run by Church of Good Changes
*The 'Children's Pilgrim Republic' a church-based orphan-care outreach that addresses the entire spectrum of street kid care issues, from church family adoption to temporary group homes to vocational training to entry level assessment and placement of abandoned and abused and orphaned street kids. 
*The worship service on the final night with Christians from around Mariupol
*The SWEET prayer time where the Saddleback Team and Church of Good Changes leaders prayed for person after person who came forward to lay their issues before the Lord.
*The HIV hospital in Kiev
*New Life Church in Kiev and Pastor Anatoly's gracious and welcoming team.
Some of my memories of Ukraine...
*Kay speaking to 5 different large audiences on Sunday...from 8am to 10 pm
*The train ride from Kiev to Mariopol with the whole team and Vlad
*Visiting the drug and rehab centers that are run by Church of Good Changes
*The 'Children's Pilgrim Republic' a church-based orphan-care outreach that addresses the entire spectrum of street kid care issues, from church family adoption to temporary group homes to vocational training to entry level assessment and placement of abandoned and abused and orphaned street kids.
*The worship service on the final night with Christians from around Mariupol
*The SWEET prayer time where the Saddleback Team and Church of Good Changes leaders prayed for person after person who came forward to lay their issues before the Lord.
*The HIV hospital in Kiev
*New Life Church in Kiev and Pastor Anatoly's gracious and welcoming team.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
VLAD IS THE MAN!!!!!
I've had the incredible privilege to be friends with Vlad Kannashan, from New Life Church, in Kiev, Ukraine, for 15 years now and I can't even come close to explaining this:
*Worship Leader
*Evangelist
*Encourager
*Song Writer
5 of my FAVORITE VLAD MOMENTS
#1 Riding the train from Kiev to Harkov...
Vlad is listening to James Taylor sing "The Water Is Wide" and Vlad says, "This man, James Taylor, he makes my heart bleed!"
#2 Underground the city of Kiev in the Arsonalna Metro station, speaking to a drug addict..."Mr. Narco-man, you can destroy your head, and your body, but God's love for you, you cannot break this."
#3 In Trabuco Canyon, California. Vlad took a tent and a jug of water and hiked up Saddleback Mountain to speak with God for the weekend. 60 MPH gusts of Santa Ana winds blew all weekend and Vlad comes off the mountain on Monday looking like he had been spent 72 hours in a wind tunnel. Vlad says, "Steve, I just screamed out to God and all these days, He screamed back at me."
#4 At Kyle's Santa Margarita vs Servite football game...(during one of the huddles in the 3rd quarter) "These boys who pray every time before they run and throw ball...they are Christians, yes?"
#5 Witnessing to 3 Mexican guys at a bus stop at Los Alisos and Santa Margarita Pkwy (he refused to ride in my car because it cut him off from 'peoples' Vlad says," Mr, Mexicoman, This bench is perfect place for you and me to pray God for you to repent." (30 minutes la ter the guys was praying with Vlad to trust Christ.)
Vlad is definitely the MAN.
*Worship Leader
*Evangelist
*Encourager
*Song Writer
5 of my FAVORITE VLAD MOMENTS
#1 Riding the train from Kiev to Harkov...
Vlad is listening to James Taylor sing "The Water Is Wide" and Vlad says, "This man, James Taylor, he makes my heart bleed!"
#2 Underground the city of Kiev in the Arsonalna Metro station, speaking to a drug addict..."Mr. Narco-man, you can destroy your head, and your body, but God's love for you, you cannot break this."
#3 In Trabuco Canyon, California. Vlad took a tent and a jug of water and hiked up Saddleback Mountain to speak with God for the weekend. 60 MPH gusts of Santa Ana winds blew all weekend and Vlad comes off the mountain on Monday looking like he had been spent 72 hours in a wind tunnel. Vlad says, "Steve, I just screamed out to God and all these days, He screamed back at me."
#4 At Kyle's Santa Margarita vs Servite football game...(during one of the huddles in the 3rd quarter) "These boys who pray every time before they run and throw ball...they are Christians, yes?"
#5 Witnessing to 3 Mexican guys at a bus stop at Los Alisos and Santa Margarita Pkwy (he refused to ride in my car because it cut him off from 'peoples' Vlad says," Mr, Mexicoman, This bench is perfect place for you and me to pray God for you to repent." (30 minutes la ter the guys was praying with Vlad to trust Christ.)
Vlad is definitely the MAN.
A Praise Report and a Prayer Request
*PRAISE God that Sister Freda is featured as the front page story this week on Giving Children Hope's website at http://www.gchope.org/ because the $2M in pharmaceuticals should ship soon!
*Please Pray that the meds arrive safely in Kenya and that Pastor Steve and Don Thompson are able to get them through customs without any problems. (GCH director told me that it is getting more difficult to get meds into Kenya , so much so that one client changed the country since they would not be able to clear customs.) Let’s all pray these medicines into Kenya so they arrive and can be a blessing to Sister Freda and the great work she does as the hands and feet of God.
^^Thanks Tasha (Kenya PEACE trip Feb. 2007) for this incredible opportunity to stay on our knees for Kenya and see God do miraculous things!!
*Please Pray that the meds arrive safely in Kenya and that Pastor Steve and Don Thompson are able to get them through customs without any problems. (GCH director told me that it is getting more difficult to get meds into Kenya , so much so that one client changed the country since they would not be able to clear customs.) Let’s all pray these medicines into Kenya so they arrive and can be a blessing to Sister Freda and the great work she does as the hands and feet of God.
^^Thanks Tasha (Kenya PEACE trip Feb. 2007) for this incredible opportunity to stay on our knees for Kenya and see God do miraculous things!!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Pastor Ghenady from Mariupol, Ukraine
I had the most fun-filled and inspiring trip to Mariupol (map above) with Kay Warren 
and her HIV/AIDS Initiative team to visit Pastor Ghenady from The Church of Good Changes.
Love that name for at least 3 reasons...
#1 the word CHURCH...I am discovering that the church of Jesus Christ, the community of simple, committed followers of Christ have a staggering capability to influence, to encourage, and to evangelize a neighborhood or a city.
#2 the word GOOD.... there is just SO much brokenness and darkness and just plain BAD in the world today that the Good News is a beacon that hurting people are drawn to.
#3 the word CHANGE... people will attend church for a while called:
The Church of Good MUSIC
or The Church of Good PREACHING
or The Church of Good FEELINGS ...
but the only thing that will sustain a person through a lifetime is CHANGE...pure and real CHANGE.
changes
I don't have to tell you about the needs for change in MY life....you've got your own changes to deal with.
Ghenady is a change agent...using his actions and his words and his influence to his fight the drugs and death and destruction in his city of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.
And his parishioners are 'the changed'.
+from alcohol
+from drugs
+from despair
+from abuse
+from sure death
#1 the word CHURCH...I am discovering that the church of Jesus Christ, the community of simple, committed followers of Christ have a staggering capability to influence, to encourage, and to evangelize a neighborhood or a city.
#2 the word GOOD.... there is just SO much brokenness and darkness and just plain BAD in the world today that the Good News is a beacon that hurting people are drawn to.
#3 the word CHANGE... people will attend church for a while called:
The Church of Good MUSIC
or The Church of Good PREACHING
or The Church of Good FEELINGS ...
but the only thing that will sustain a person through a lifetime is CHANGE...pure and real CHANGE.
changes
I don't have to tell you about the needs for change in MY life....you've got your own changes to deal with.
Ghenady is a change agent...using his actions and his words and his influence to his fight the drugs and death and destruction in his city of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.
And his parishioners are 'the changed'.
+from alcohol
+from drugs
+from despair
+from abuse
+from sure death
Ghenady's church family is modeling how a single church can care for folks that most communities view as hopeless causes.These folks aren't some fringe group that meets in the basement of Ghenady's church on Friday nights and talks about their screwed up lives . The screwed up people ARE the church.
This church cares for the homeless because THEY were homeless.
This church cares for the sick because THEY were sick.
This church cares for the dying because THEY were as close to death as folks could be...
And then Jesus changed them...
This church cares for the sick because THEY were sick.
This church cares for the dying because THEY were as close to death as folks could be...
And then Jesus changed them...
Monday, March 10, 2008
Pastor Steve's Night at the Sauna
Every snowy and freezing country has it's own social coping method for dealing with their sub-zero world. But for my friends in Ukraine, a night at the SAUNA is both a warming event and a time to interact with your friends.
My 10 Easy Steps to Sauna Heaven....
#1 This is a GUYS ONLY event....step 2 will help you understand.
#2 Take off all your clothes and wrap up in a sheet.
#3 Heat the sauna to about 500 degrees ...whatever the heat is where skin peels off your frame.
#4 Jump in the Dneiper River...woooooooaaaaahhhhhhh.
#5 Call your cardiologist.
#6 Enter the sauna and sit on the top row...the 3rd ring of Dante's Inferno.
#7 Call your Psychiatrist.
#8 Lie down and be beaten by birch and eucalyptus leaf whips called a 'veenic'...this needs alot of explanation that I don't have time for here, but somewhere between total agony and strange ecstacy, this bizarre practice exists.
#9 Dive back into the freezing Dneiper River....nnnnnoooooooo!!!!!!!!
#10 Call your Urologist.
My 10 Easy Steps to Sauna Heaven....
#1 This is a GUYS ONLY event....step 2 will help you understand.
#2 Take off all your clothes and wrap up in a sheet.
#3 Heat the sauna to about 500 degrees ...whatever the heat is where skin peels off your frame.
#4 Jump in the Dneiper River...woooooooaaaaahhhhhhh.
#5 Call your cardiologist.
#6 Enter the sauna and sit on the top row...the 3rd ring of Dante's Inferno.
#7 Call your Psychiatrist.
#8 Lie down and be beaten by birch and eucalyptus leaf whips called a 'veenic'...this needs alot of explanation that I don't have time for here, but somewhere between total agony and strange ecstacy, this bizarre practice exists.
#9 Dive back into the freezing Dneiper River....nnnnnoooooooo!!!!!!!!
#10 Call your Urologist.
Friday, March 7, 2008
On the Road Again...
I know this blog is titled Pastor Steve's KENYA Relief...but I don't think I should create a DIFFERENT blog for every place I go. 'Pastor Steve's Crazy Cambodian Campaign', 'Big Daddy's Oaxacan Adventure', or 'Comrade Steve's Soviet Journeys'...it's all a bit much...let's just meet HERE and you can see where I am from day to day.
Speaking of today... I woke up this morning with a thought that has become all too familiar... 'Where the heck am I this morning?' I looked out my window and saw the Livobareshno Metro station and the Dneiper River...for some of you that's a big clue...for others, no clue at all. I'm on the Left Bank in KIEV, UKRAINE. It is still winter, but the sun was out yesterday and the city is absolutely beautiful. Kay Warren and members of her family and AIDS/HIV Initiative will be here tomorrow for 4 whirlwind days of ministry in Ukraine. Kay will be speaking at Pastor Anatoly Koluzhney's New Life Church for 3 Sunday Services... (Pastor Anatoly was the first Soviet era pastor to receive Rick Warren's 'PD Church Health Award')...following the services Kay will address a women's conference for 800 Christian leaders from around Kiev and visiting the home of one of the AIDS families at New Life. We'll be meeting on Monday with Christian leaders from the Orthodox, Baptist, Pentecostal and Evangelical communities and discussing their church's approach to the AIDS crisis in Ukraine. If you read Russian you'll love this press release about Kay's visit... http://news.invictory.org/issue16707.html
On Monday night we go by train (photos coming) to the city of Mariopol, Ukraine on the coast of the Azure Sea. We will be meeting with Pasor Ghenady and his congregation Church of Good Changes (one of the great names in church history!) Ghenady is a real champion of orphans and street kids outreach and Kay will be visiting his church's ministries to the drug addicted kids Mariopol. In Kenya the street kids turn to glue and 'changa' (street brew)...in Mariopol they shoot Tramadol and heroin... I'm talking about 10-year-old orphans and runaways. Tramadol is a super strong pain reliever like morphine or oxycontin, but on the mean streets a young boy or girl can easily get high for a few cents or a sexual 'favor'. The results are tragic and widespread...addiction to Tramadol is quick, for many kids it is IMMEDIATE, on their first high. And coming off the drug is a nightmare of pain, sweat, tremors and vomiting. No one...absolutely no one cares for these street kids, but their drug dealers and the Lord Himself. Take a look at a few of the street kids that have come under the care of Pastor Ghenady's 'Pilgrim' homes.
I LOVE getting your comments while I'm on the road, so if you have a moment, click on 'comments', log in and send a word. Megan weeds out whackos and bill collectors.
I know this blog is titled Pastor Steve's KENYA Relief...but I don't think I should create a DIFFERENT blog for every place I go. 'Pastor Steve's Crazy Cambodian Campaign', 'Big Daddy's Oaxacan Adventure', or 'Comrade Steve's Soviet Journeys'...it's all a bit much...let's just meet HERE and you can see where I am from day to day.
Speaking of today... I woke up this morning with a thought that has become all too familiar... 'Where the heck am I this morning?' I looked out my window and saw the Livobareshno Metro station and the Dneiper River...for some of you that's a big clue...for others, no clue at all. I'm on the Left Bank in KIEV, UKRAINE. It is still winter, but the sun was out yesterday and the city is absolutely beautiful. Kay Warren and members of her family and AIDS/HIV Initiative will be here tomorrow for 4 whirlwind days of ministry in Ukraine. Kay will be speaking at Pastor Anatoly Koluzhney's New Life Church for 3 Sunday Services... (Pastor Anatoly was the first Soviet era pastor to receive Rick Warren's 'PD Church Health Award')...following the services Kay will address a women's conference for 800 Christian leaders from around Kiev and visiting the home of one of the AIDS families at New Life. We'll be meeting on Monday with Christian leaders from the Orthodox, Baptist, Pentecostal and Evangelical communities and discussing their church's approach to the AIDS crisis in Ukraine. If you read Russian you'll love this press release about Kay's visit... http://news.invictory.org/issue16707.html
On Monday night we go by train (photos coming) to the city of Mariopol, Ukraine on the coast of the Sea of Azov. We will be meeting with Pasor Ghenady and his congregation Church of Good Changes (one of the great names in church history!) Ghenady is a real champion of orphans and street kids outreach and Kay will be visiting his church's ministries to the drug addicted kids Mariopol. In Kenya the street kids turn to glue and 'changa' (street brew)...in Mariopol they shoot Tramadol and heroin... I'm talking about 10 year old orphans and runaways. Tramadol is super strong pain reliever like morphine or oxycontin, but on the mean streets a young boy or girl can easily get high for a few cents or a sexual 'favor'. The results are tragic and widespread...addiction to Tramadol is quick, for many kids it is IMMEDIATE, on their first high. And coming off the drug is a nightmare of pain, sweat, tremors and vomiting. No one...absolutely no one cares for these street kids, but their drug dealers and the Lord Himself.Take a look at a few of the street kids that have come under the care of Pastor Ghenady's 'Pilgrim' homes. (Megan...please insert a few street kid photos here)I LOVE getting your comments while I'm on the road, so if you have a moment, click on 'comments', log in and sned a word. Megan weeds out whacko's and bill collectors.
Speaking of today... I woke up this morning with a thought that has become all too familiar... 'Where the heck am I this morning?' I looked out my window and saw the Livobareshno Metro station and the Dneiper River...for some of you that's a big clue...for others, no clue at all. I'm on the Left Bank in KIEV, UKRAINE. It is still winter, but the sun was out yesterday and the city is absolutely beautiful. Kay Warren and members of her family and AIDS/HIV Initiative will be here tomorrow for 4 whirlwind days of ministry in Ukraine. Kay will be speaking at Pastor Anatoly Koluzhney's New Life Church for 3 Sunday Services... (Pastor Anatoly was the first Soviet era pastor to receive Rick Warren's 'PD Church Health Award')...following the services Kay will address a women's conference for 800 Christian leaders from around Kiev and visiting the home of one of the AIDS families at New Life. We'll be meeting on Monday with Christian leaders from the Orthodox, Baptist, Pentecostal and Evangelical communities and discussing their church's approach to the AIDS crisis in Ukraine. If you read Russian you'll love this press release about Kay's visit... http://news.invictory.org/issue16707.html
On Monday night we go by train (photos coming) to the city of Mariopol, Ukraine on the coast of the Sea of Azov. We will be meeting with Pasor Ghenady and his congregation Church of Good Changes (one of the great names in church history!) Ghenady is a real champion of orphans and street kids outreach and Kay will be visiting his church's ministries to the drug addicted kids Mariopol. In Kenya the street kids turn to glue and 'changa' (street brew)...in Mariopol they shoot Tramadol and heroin... I'm talking about 10 year old orphans and runaways. Tramadol is super strong pain reliever like morphine or oxycontin, but on the mean streets a young boy or girl can easily get high for a few cents or a sexual 'favor'. The results are tragic and widespread...addiction to Tramadol is quick, for many kids it is IMMEDIATE, on their first high. And coming off the drug is a nightmare of pain, sweat, tremors and vomiting. No one...absolutely no one cares for these street kids, but their drug dealers and the Lord Himself.Take a look at a few of the street kids that have come under the care of Pastor Ghenady's 'Pilgrim' homes. (Megan...please insert a few street kid photos here)I LOVE getting your comments while I'm on the road, so if you have a moment, click on 'comments', log in and sned a word. Megan weeds out whacko's and bill collectors.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Great News about Mobile Medical Clinic Vehicle
Without any formal word going out, folks from our Kenya Missions teams have been praying about helping Sister Freda take her clinics to the refugee camps in the Kitale area, which presently are housing 80,000 + IDP (internally displaced persons…refugees…)
Since the posting of the ‘Why we hold Mobile Medical Clinics” on youtube and this site, over $30,000 USD has come in to Saddleback for this project and we soon have teams going with Freda to serve at the camps in Endebess, Cherengani Hills, Kiminini, and Showgrounds.
One cool family…who hasn’t even been to Kenya, gave a gift that sent me to my knees.
Amazing…keep tuned in …I’ll report to you from Kitale and Nairobi next week. I will be in Kiev and Mariopol , Ukraine next week and will blog from there…(and maybe throw some cool Russian words in for effect) But right now I’m kind of blown away by the generosity of our church community and our Kenya PEACE advocates.
This picture is actually Stonic’s awesome 1996 Land Cruiser and Jim Dobbs photo-shopped the red cross and other affects…but the real deal will look something in between ‘Pimp My Ride’ and ER.
Since the posting of the ‘Why we hold Mobile Medical Clinics” on youtube and this site, over $30,000 USD has come in to Saddleback for this project and we soon have teams going with Freda to serve at the camps in Endebess, Cherengani Hills, Kiminini, and Showgrounds.
One cool family…who hasn’t even been to Kenya, gave a gift that sent me to my knees.
Amazing…keep tuned in …I’ll report to you from Kitale and Nairobi next week. I will be in Kiev and Mariopol , Ukraine next week and will blog from there…(and maybe throw some cool Russian words in for effect) But right now I’m kind of blown away by the generosity of our church community and our Kenya PEACE advocates.
This picture is actually Stonic’s awesome 1996 Land Cruiser and Jim Dobbs photo-shopped the red cross and other affects…but the real deal will look something in between ‘Pimp My Ride’ and ER.
Friday, February 29, 2008
ANSWERED PRAYER!!!
Kenya's rival leaders sign a power-sharing deal mediated by Kofi Annan to end the country's post-election crisis. Hallelujah!
Click the link below to read the full story!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7268903.stm
Click the link below to read the full story!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7268903.stm
Why We Hold Mobile Medical Clinics
Why We Hold Mobile Medical Clinics:
#1 Because many people FEAR the hospital, because of bad past experiences and tribal traditions.
#2 Because so many folks are TOO SICK to make it to a formal clinic or District Hospital .
#3 Because I don’t know of ANY way to more clearly reinforce for our teams the ‘face’ of disease and illness.
#4 Because the very DISTANCE of travel to many hospitals makes it almost impossible for the sick.
#5 Because the COSTS for treatment are very often what keep village folks from seeking treatment.
#6 Because a little effort and a few resources go a very long way.
#7 Because Jesus Christ cared about people’s heart and BODY and soul.
#8 Because we are following the Lord’s example and His command. (Matt 22:39)
#9 Because it’s the RIGHT thing to do. (Titus 3:1b) ‘Always be ready to do whatever is good.’
#10 Because Sister Freda does them, and frankly, ANYTHING she does…I want to be a part of.
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