News from the Moravian Board of World Mission

Hangar Completed for Alas de Socorro

2012-01-27T16:39:31+01:00

Last October and December you helped support raising over $40,000 (including Board of World Mission grant), to build a new airplane hangar for George Goff's mission. The team from North Carolina returned Tuesday, January 17. Here is their completed hangar with George's airplane. All excess funds raised will be used for maintenance of the plane.

Brother George Goff’s mission in Honduras, Alas de Socorro or Wings of Mercy, provides medical air transportation to his native Miskito people who, otherwise, face a twelve hour or longer trip by canoe to the nearest clinic or hospital. In addition, he pilots visiting pastors, missionaries, medical teams and church workers to his native coastal lowlands of eastern Honduras. At his destinations, he often witnesses to villagers about the saving grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Joey Transou

New Philadelphia Moravian

Winston-Salem, Nc

Sharing Good News in the Sierra Madre

2012-01-20T16:46:20+01:00

Into the heavens…

Eunice and I were climbing higher and higher into the backbone of the Sierra Madre and it was hard to believe our six months in the States had passed along with Christmas and the new year. We were on the road, climbing higher into the clouds, into the heavens for our first visit back to the village San Juan Juquila, and our only passenger, the mother of our host family, trying to sleep amid the curves and bumps in the road. As we climbed, the clouds came closer until we were just floating among them. We reached our resting place three hours into our trip for a bathroom break and some breakfast. The three of us stepped out of the car and felt the the difference we could see from inside the car. The temperature had dropped 20 degrees and the fog was thick and wet. We quickly ate our tacos and downed the coffee trying to hide the fact we were freezing, and the mother (Antonia) kept saying " sure is cold eh." Eunice just responded with a shiver and a sip of her coffee.

We continued higher into the mountains and suddenly there was a break in the clouds and the sun shown through. From this point it was about two hours down into the valley on a narrow dirt road to Juquila. But on top of the mountain, 8,000 feet up we felt the sun and looked down into clouds, a heavenly view. Eunice and I both felt excited to drop down into those clouds and begin our journey that has taken over a year to commence.

Our sun basking was short lived and once again we were surrounded by fog and rain. Every time we went around a wet, muddy curve in our descent I thanked God and our supporters for the new tires on our car as we avoided colliding with other cars on this extremely narrow "two lane road". Further down the road Antonia popped her head up and said we were getting close and sure enough just around the bend was Juquila. We drove straight to her house and greeted her son Luis and her niece Maryella. We only had two days in the village so we needed to go right away to see the President (Mayor) and his cabinet to tell them our plan. Luis agreed to take us and translate because the new President doesn't speak spanish. As we walked up the the government building I became really nervous and the cold didn't help, but as always Eunice was as cool as a cucumber. She was ready to speak and she did a great job.

The meeting consisted of about 15 men sitting around a wooden folding table. We greeted everybody individually and sat in front of the President and began to tell him about our plans. Most of the men sat expressionless as many indigenous men do during meetings like this, so I wasn't discouraged by their body language but it is frustrating trying to figure out what they are thinking. In the end they seemed to like our proposal and agreed to have another meeting with us to finalize things with the nurses who run the clinic there. Luis thought it went extremely well and so we are hopeful that they will invite us into the village. After the meeting we went with Luis to his plot of land outside of town and got good and muddy. We also made a campfire to warm up, out of almost dry corn husks and some wet firewood, it took about an hour to start and was very smoky but it did warm us up.

The next morning we got up early and saw the nurses. The head nurse was glad to see us, and admitted she didn't think she would see us again. We had a pleasant talk and she agreed to meet with us and the government to hammer out some final details. After the short walk home, we ate breakfast and headed back to Oaxaca. Luis agreed to keep us informed when the President wants to see us again, in about a week or two.

Now we wait. We have formally met and proposed our plan to all the parties involved. Please pray with us as we know God will open this door for us. It is in God's hands now. We thank you all so much for your support. God will open this place up to the gospel, we pray that we are a part of His plan. Just as our trip, up there in the heavens the clouds break and the Son shines free. May the people of Juquila look up and feel the Son break them free from the fog surrounding this village. Blessings to all and we will keep you updated as soon as we know something.

Blessings,

phil and eunice

Donations Tax Deductible:

Friedberg Moravian Church

2178 Friedberg Church Rd.

Winston Salem, NC 27127

Memo: IMT

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Finding Hope in 2012

2012-01-04T16:36:10+01:00

It is customary at this time of year to receive from others and to offer from those with whom we relate or come in contact, an expression that has found its place in our yearly encounters: that is, “Happy New Year!”

Millions of human beings in various latitudes and in many cultures and contexts make use of this expression. But if we take a closer look at the state of our planet we might ask ourselves how accurate or reasonable this expression really is, not only for the individuals with whom we share the phrase, but for humanity as a whole. We cannot overlook or keep from thinking about the situations that face us today, “crises” of all kinds that confront our planet: economic crisis, energy crisis, food and nutritional crisis, environmental crisis, and other temporary crises that arise on the world scene from time to time, overshadowing it, not to mention the deep moral crisis that affects so many of us who live under the sun. We add to this, of course, the foolishness of a continued arms race that consumes quantities of financial resources while hunger and poverty and the lack of basic and essential services for a worthy existence have become the daily bread for a daily increasing number of human beings, and all of this in the midst of “wars and rumors of wars” that threaten the very existence of the human species.

So we ask ourselves, “Is it really coherent then that in the situation in which our world finds itself we would say to each other, “Happy New Year?” The panorama that manifests itself around us is, without a doubt, desolate, and could be, for those who do not have the resources to be able to look beyond the present misery, destruction, pain and suffering, a reasonable cause for despair. But as for us, my sisters and brothers, we do have that resource, that infallible and unfailing resource that is our faith, the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” and that faith moves us to turn our eyes and our hearts toward that instant in history in which the divine took root in the that which is human, when the One who is love itself came to inaugurate a new era in the destiny of the world: the era of the supremacy of spiritual values, the era of the fellowship of peace, the era in which the people of the earth will “turn their swords into ploughshares” and in which the “dry places will become springs of water,” and in which the “wolf will live peacefully with the lamb,” and the earth will not be filled with hatred and malice because it will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas.”

Yes, it is because of our faith in the One who is the Word that was made flesh that we have this hope – the certain hope that love will finally be victorious over hatred, justice over injustice, liberty over all oppression, and that the “new heavens and new earth where justice abides” that are announced in the Word, will truly become a reality. It is because of that faith that we look with confidence to the future, with the immovable certainty that the dawn of that day will come when we can claim for ourselves these words from the Song of Songs:

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time for singing is come.

Happy New Year? Yes, we, as Christian men and women of faith, with our sights set on the Kingdom of God and its consummation, can and should say to all people, “Happy New Year,” with our souls dancing to the joyous conviction that Jesus Christ, God with us, is the hope of our glory, and with the most sincere desire in our hearts that all of those to whom we express this phrase, might someday be able to participate in this glory of the Lord that will be revealed to all flesh.

So, from the Moravian Church in Cuba, I say to my sisters and brothers, “Happy New Year!”

Rev. Armando Rusindo

Second Mile Projects

2011-12-20T16:21:42+01:00

Help With Second Mile

Several of our Global Partners have requested help with specific projects as they seek to build up their churches. Please consider contributing to one of these projects:

Honduras

 Completion of Brus Laguna primary school - $2,000

 Construction of shed for food staples to sell - $4,000

Nicaragua

Instruments for youth singing group, Los Misioneros Moravos de Nicaragua:

 Drum set - $1500

 Keyboard - $800

 2 bass amplifiers - $300 each

Western Tanzania

 17 motorcycles to help pastors reach remote locations - $870 each

 18 solar systems to provide pastors with electricity - $1310 each

Donations for these or any other project of the Board of World Mission can be mailed to our Bethlehem office. Please make sure to clearly indicate the purpose for the donation.

Funds for Second Mile projects that are received in excess of the amount needed will be put toward another need for that particular province.

We wish you a blessed Christmas and New Year!

All Things to All People

2011-12-19T20:34:03+01:00

Greetings everyone from sunny Oaxaca, we are back.

Being a missionary has its challenges, but it also has its rewards. After six months being in the US, it was a very warm welcome being back in Mexico. Less than 12 hours after traveling home, we were on the road again to a friends wedding in Mexico City, where we were sponsors of the traditional coins during the ceremony. When Eunice and I were finally able to get back to Oaxaca and settle in, life came back to normal. I reunited with a friend of mine, hungry for the Lord but not quite ready to be baptized. Our friendship has grown close, and I hope he makes a public decision soon. Later in the week, I was working on our car, checking the oil and preparing it for the long trips into the mountains, when another friend asks me to help him move. The day before leaving for the States I was helping the same friend move and just days after returning we are doing it again. After helping my one friend, another asks me for assistance moving equipment as well. So between helping my friends move, fixing a car and doing some odd jobs in our carpentry shop, it has been a pretty normal week here in Oaxaca. Last night our church held a Posada, which is the traditional Christmas celebration in Mexico. It involves singing, punch, piñatas, and of course an impromptu Christmas pageant. Eunice and I gathered up our bedsheets, a friend brought a few sheep, and a few shepherds and angels later we had a play. I volunteered to be director and we put on a great pageant (my mom would be proud).

Everyday I thank God for allowing me to be a missionary. I love the challenge of being who I need to be in another country within another culture. As Paul says we need to be all things to all people, so they may know our witness. So if that means being a wedding padrino, carpenter, friend, mentor or impromptu pageant director, I do it so others may know the love of Christ. A missionary is not just someone who travels and does good deeds and hands out bible verses, but someone who like Christ, gets involved in peoples lives, allowing a bond to grow, love, and with boldness proclaiming the source of that love, God.

Eunice also has some great news, she has been accepted to work in a midwife clinic here in the city. She is very excited to learn some new techniques on giving birth and the philosophy behind being a midwife. This is a great opportunity for her, because of the practicality of midwifery in the villages. Here in Mexico the village ladies have great respect for midwives, and although Eunice is capable as a doctor, the clinic teaches the intimacy of being a midwife and how to care for mother and baby as a midwife and a christian. The clinic is run by missionaries and they are excited to hear that Eunice will be taking her new skills out into the villages. Eunice will be working and learning at the clinic 3 days a week and continuing even while we are traveling to the new village.

We are so thankful for all of your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for our travels, and for the hearts and minds of the villagers in San Juan Juquila. We hope you all have a very merry Christmas and new year. We are going to Eunice's family's house for Christmas (she is very excited to see her mom and dad). May God bless us all to overflowing in 2012.

Blessings,

phil and eunice raiford

Indigenous Mission Today

Donations tax-deductible

Friedberg Moravian Church

2178 Friedberg Church Rd.

Winston-Salem NC, 27127

Memo: IMT

Saving A Nation

2011-12-16T18:49:07+01:00

Safie sits opposite me as the late afternoon sun casts its warm glow around us. The music is low and the aroma from the restaurant’s kitchen is intoxicating. Safie explains that her appetite has yet to return, a side effect of the pain medication and antibiotics. She pauses and then hesitantly adds that she has become uncomfortable with the overemphasis placed on eating in our society. In her native country people eat for survival.

As our meal progresses, a sadness becomes more apparent. Safie longs to return home. It is the summer of 2010 and she temporarily back in the United States recovering from a life-threatening infection related to an ant sting. But, I find myself wondering, “Why would she want to go back?” No electricity, little plumbing, no doctors. In her village of 4000, it is not uncommon for seven children under the age of five to die in a single month from malnutrition. But for Safie, there is no greater desire than to return home.

As a native of Sierra Leone who immigrated in 1975 to the United States, 30 years of modern conveniences and comparative plenty could have squelched any desire to return to such poverty. After all, the situation is certainly hopeless in a country with one of the world's highest child mortality rates and maternal mortality rate. Life expectancy is 56 years. Annual per capita income is in the neighborhood of $800.00 (approximately $2.19 per day).

Or is it hopeless? In this seemingly bleak scenario, Safiatu Braima and her husband Mohamed are shining examples of individuals who refuse to succumb to the "impossible". They are devoting their lives to saving a village (Luawa Yiehun, Sierra Leone) with ultimate hopes of saving a nation.

The story begins 20 years ago with Mohamed's dream of someday returning to his native Sierra Leone to open a school. He wanted to return to his village Luawa Yiehun with a "message of hope" and envisioned education as an enduring solution.

However, civil war in Sierra Leone (1991 to 2000) would deliver a cruel blow to a country already plagued by extreme poverty. As much as one third of the population would be forced from their homes, fleeing in the wake of rebel brutality exacted against civilians, often in the form of physical mutilation or worse. The war would claim 75,000 lives, with entire villages wiped out.

In 1996 Foday Sokah, the leader of the RUF, Revolutionary United Front, had set up his headquarters in Luawa Yiehun. The village has a very good water system. Two of my childhood girlfriends became romantically involved with the rebel leader. These two women discovered that the villagers were plotting a coup against Sokah and informed him of their plans. In retribution, 70 people were lined up and shot, including these two women. As we were in the United States, we did not know who was killed. To this day, I do not ask about people’s whereabouts. (Safiatu Braima referring to Luawa Chiefdom Massacre in 1993)

This is the country Mohamed returned to in 2002. Over 1,200 schools had been destroyed during the war, leaving a generation of young people illiterate and traumatized. But Mohamed would not be deterred from his dream. With Safiatu's help, he returned to the village in 2008 and built a library, which is currently considered one of the finest in the entire country. Following this, they constructed a church and a mission house.

And then they built a school.

Before we built the school, children moving up to the middle grades had to walk ten miles to the next village. They would spend the week away from their families and return on Friday. There was a very high rate of pregnancy among the 12-13 year-old girls. About 40 percent of the girls would drop out each year because they got pregnant. In the first year our school was open, there were two pregnancies. This year there were none. (Safiatu Braima)

Although it is Christian, the majority of the students who attend the Moravian Secondary School are Muslim. No one is turned away. Families are charged a small tuition, which serves to provide modest salaries for the seven teachers. The principal’s salary is government subsidized. The enrollment this past year was 195 students.

Safie and Mohamed strongly believe that the answer for Luawa Yiehun, and ultimately Sierra Leone, lies in education, particularly reading. Currently, the school is open for sixth and seventh graders. This year, the eighth grade will be added. Ultimately, they hope that the school will add a university, making it the fourth in the entire country.

The opportunity to help the people of this community and the country of Sierra Leone as a whole is enormous. The sky is the limit. Presently, we have only one school building, enough rooms to house junior high students. Our plan for next year is for a similar building for senior high students. As time goes on, there will be need for sleeping quarters for students and teachers that will come from far away distances. (Mohamed Braima)

Safie and Mohamed know that women are key to bringing lasting change in their village.

One day while talking with my sister Monjama (MJ), Luawa Yienhun’s nurse, a gi

One day while talking with my sister Monjama (MJ), Luawa Yienhun’s nurse, a girl brought in her very ill 4-month-old baby girl. She was no more than 15 years old herself. Fifty percent of her baby’s skin was burned off. You can just imagine the look on my face when she unwrapped the baby. My sister had seen so many cases as this before. We both asked her what had happened. She said that her baby had a high fever. Instead of this young mother bringing her child to my sister for treatment, she decided to take her to a witch doctor. The witch doctor gave the mother some kind of leaf to rub on the baby to bring down the fever. It was a poison plant, which cooked her skin. She did not have the money to pay a nurse, but could afford a witch doctor. The poor baby died a week later.

You hear stories like this one often. Had this girl been educated, even though poor, she would have had the knowledge to take her baby to a nurse. Forty percent of our students are girls. Just imagine what would happen if the majority of these girls were educated. We could cut dramatically the child mortality rate in this community and beyond. (Safiatu Braima)

Article by Holly Jarrett

Challenges Deepen Faith at Clemson

2011-12-09T15:38:22+01:00

Dear Friends, Family and Faithful Ministry Partners,

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jn. 1:14

For this reason, we have much to rejoice over and be thankful for this Christmas season! I also continue to thank God every time I remember each of you, and I pray that this is truly a season of love, peace and everlasting joy for you.

As I reflect on this fall semester at Clemson, I must admit that it has not been without some challenges. From receiving news that our two Greek IV interns this year would not make it to campus, to dealing with busyness, to the tragic passing of a few Clemson students and a Greek IV alumni, not everything has been easy.

However, in spite of the difficulties, by God’s grace I am wrapping up the semester with increased faith and a greater awareness of my own need for our Lord, as well as a deepened sense of calling to this important ministry. Students’ need for Christ and the transformation He offers is as great as ever. Fraternities and sororities remain systematically broken and desperate for renewal. I am thankful for how God continues to use the ministry of Greek InterVarsity at Clemson to meet some of these needs.

          Here is a quote from Chris, a senior brother of Alpha Tau Omega, whom I had the privilege of praying with this semester to commit his life to Jesus:

            Over the past couple months Christ has been the center of my life and Greek IV has been there from the beginning. My fraternity brother, who is a part of Greek IV, helped me start my path with Christ by doing a GIG this summer that has changed my entire perception on life. Sometimes the hardest thing is to admit your sins and confront them; Dusty, my Greek IV adviser, is always there for guidance where a new believer like me may be struggling. Most of all Greek IV has showed me the importance of Jesus Christ within my life, from salvation to continued sanctification, and that He is the way to an eternity of light and joy.

            Praise God for Chris’ salvation, ongoing transformation and desire to reach out to his brothers with his new faith! This is why Greek IV exists—to reach students like Chris with the Gospel—and to encourage and equip them to reach out to their peers. Stories like this never get old! Now our student-leaders and I are praying for more opportunities to see Lives Transformed, the Greek System Renewed and World-Changers Developed next semester.

In order for me to remain on campus full-time to shepherd our current leaders and reach out to new students/Greek chapters with the Gospel, I still need to raise $14,000 of new financial support. I know many people enjoy giving year-end gifts. With this in mind, would you consider a one-time or additional year-end gift of $100, $500, $1,000, or any other amount to help meet this need and further invest in Clemson Greek IV?

  If the Lord leads you to give, please click on the Tiger Paw to the right for a link to online giving. You may also make checks payable to “InterVarsity” with “Dusty Harrison” in the memo line. Mail checks to "Attn: Donation Services, " InterVarsity Christian Attn: Donation Services," InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, PO Box 7895, Madison, WI, 53703. Many blessings to you and your family during this Christmas season! May His kingdom continue to come in 2012!

                                          Rejoice!
                                        Dusty Harrison

First Woman Ordained in Labrador

2011-11-21T20:49:58+01:00

September 25, 2011 was a proud day for the Moravian Church in Newfoundland and Labrador. At a service in Happy Valley Moravian Church, Beatrice Hope made history as the first woman from Labrador to be ordained as a Moravian minister. Beatrice graduated from Queen’s College (affiliated with Memorial University of Newfoundland), in May 2011 with a Bachelor of Theology. In May of 2010, Queen’s College presented Beatrice with the Core Values Award, given to a student who most shows the characteristics of Jesus.
Bishop Paul Graf from Wisconsin officiated at the ordination service. Members of the Provincial Board of the Moravian Church in NL and the representative from the Board of World Mission were present for the service. Beatrice’s parents also came from Nain to share in the special event. Surrounded by her friends and family, Beatrice, well known for her singing, sang “Draw Me Nearer” as her testament of faith.
The following day, Beatrice left on the MV Northern Ranger to serve the congregation of Hopedale Moravian Church.
Congratulations, Beatrice, for persevering through the challenge of being away for the years of study, and for achieving so well in the program! Labrador Moravians look forward to her sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all proud of Beatrice!

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Posted By Labrador Moravian to Labrador Moravian at 11/20/2011 08:17:00 PM
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Wedding in Mexico

2011-10-03T17:55:45+01:00

Judith and Deme are Mexicans preparing to be cross-cultural missionaries. We have had a part in their training, and we were honored to be invited to their wedding in Deme’s Triqui village where he pastors, and where he met Judith, who was finishing up her apprenticeship before moving on to an unchurched Triqui region. We took Philip and RuthE. Here is RuthE’s take on it:

It starts with a road. A road with potholes and bumps and dips. A road big enough for only two cars and yet three lanes. A road that snakes in and out of the tree-draped mountains, where flowers shine and the most ordinary shrub strikes a pose. To the left, a long affable cactus waves at the passing cars. To the right, a valley dappled with flora ends gracefully at the bottom of sturdy mountain. Ahead, a small village bubbles with life: a seasoned man and an exhausted donkey rest on the side of the road; a giggling girl points at a dog…

My family and I had been invited to an Indian wedding. We drove on patchy, coiled roads where reading was impossible, yet I didn’t mind. All I could think of was how the clouds rested on the top of the mountain, how the old wooden shack on the side of the road gave an aura of mystery, how the road slipped into white, how the cars fingered through the velvet fog. The village where the wedding was held was high in the mountains, protected in mist.

When we got there, four hours late (the bride was in the car right behind us), the village was waiting along the side of the road. The Triqui women, young and old, all wore their typical dress: red huipiles, hand-woven masterpieces with long colorful ribbon streamers floating to the ground after them.

The path that led to the wooden church building was steep and wet. I was dumb enough to wear high heels to this Indian wedding, so that journey was interesting. At the top I had to sit outside in the freezing weather since the church was too small to fit us all, and full to overflowing before we arrived. I couldn’t hear or see any of the wedding inside, so I passed the time playing with the fallen pine needles and chatting with my friend Andres.

When the time finally came to eat, the whole village was involved. We all walked down to the town square, groom and bride greeting people as they walked hand in hand. My feet have never hurt so bad. My advice: never wear high heels in the mountains. Thankfully, a young man offered to take me on his bike.

The whole village was still blanketed in fog, giving it a sense of vagueness. The tables relaxed under a big tarp on a sea of mud. My chair sunk when I sat down. The barbacoa, a red beef soup with strings of meat in it, tasted salty and spicy, and I dug in with my plastic spoon and homemade tortillas. My father and I tried some of the chiles. I felt like a cloud had drifted into my head it was so hot. I’m surprised I didn’t drown myself in the amount of coke I drank.

On our way back, the fog was so thick, the car inched forward painfully. Any simple mistake and we could all fall over the edge of the mountain. We finally got to Tlaxiaco, where we were going to sleep. In the morning, we ate tamales with our host family, shared stories and laughed. Alejandro, the father, laughed the loudest. I never knew exactly what “a twinkle in his eyes” meant before. His crow’s feet seemed to be outlined in Sharpie. He seemed to smile and laugh at anything. I was sad leaving that house…

It ends with a road. The river glides in and out of the weeping trees. The Catholic temple positioned beside a mountain belongs in a fairy tale book. The sky was painted by God Himself. Clouds distribute themselves. Birds flit here and there. Butterflies coast and bees buzz. The road heads straight for a red clay mountains contrasted with green tress. I love Mexico, its mountains and tress, its dusty villages, its roads full of potholes, bumps, and dips.

RutheE Thiessen

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