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| “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4Welcome!As you will discover ‘weakness’ becomes evident in the lives of so many. Sometimes people are physically weak, sometimes emotionally weak or in some other way. At times a person’s weakness is due to the fact that they are born that way, others become weak due to the circumstances of their lives. Weakness can be due to the fact that there are people around who are much stronger than you and so by default you are weak. As Christians we are called to “uphold the cause of the poor, oppressed and rescue the weak”. The task that Mission International faces is just that. Our message, the Good News of Jesus Christ, is a message of hope and not despair; a message of life and not death; a message of joy and not sorrow. That powerful message is accompanied by practical help and support for the weak and the poor. With the help of faithful donors and supporters Mission International is able to help the weak, the poor, the needy. Thank you to all of those who assist us in the work we do.Hugh Henderson MBE CEO Mission International  This month the focus of this newsletter will be onGhana.   Click here to donate on-line!   Pastor Peter Awane: Word-FM broadcasting: Listening in to a broadcast:Word-FMGhana is a country of around 30 million people with the capital Accra on the Atlantic coast a well known tourist destination. Some 600 miles north east near the town of Bolgatanga lies a village called Zuarungu. Pastor Peter Awane the director of Word International is located there, a short distance from the Burkina Faso border. As a young man Peter Awane was not a Christian, however there was a Christian radio station nearby from which he was able to hear regular Christian broadcasts. One day after hearing many broadcasts he committed his life to the service of Jesus Christ. Eventually he became a pastor of a small church which grew as he preached from the Bible, the word of God. Peter’s prayer was that one day he would be able to have a radio station that he could share the Gospel with others in remote parts of Ghana and in the neighbouring countries of Burkina Faso and Togo. The donation by an American organisation and his prayer was to be answered and on 22nd March 2010 Word-FM 88.3 began broadcasting across the region.Click here to donate on-line!   Rescue the weak:The problems in Ghana are many, poverty being the main problem that so many experience. Drug and alcohol abuse and prostitution, amongst others, are also prolific, especially in the large conurbations. Pastor Peter tells of those young people, predominantly girls, who due to poverty and a dream of success, run off from distant rural parts of the country to the capital Accra in the belief that they will have fame and fortune. However when hunger strikes with the dawning of the reality that their dream was indeed only a dream, they are forced into a life of prostitution and often drug addiction. Girls, if they survive HIV/AIDS, may find themselves pregnant and therefore make their way back to their home area and discover life even more difficult than before due to the rejection of their families.Income Generating Projects:One of the projects that Mission International has been involved in amongst such girls, is to provide an income generating project which will help them provide for themselves and their babies. From as little as £100 a small project can be initiated which will provide regular income for a rejected girl who is now a single parent.  Click here to donate on-line!Word International School:Reformer and founder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, John Knox said “where there is a church, there should be a school” and that is the maxim that many African churches repeat. Pastors see education as the way out of poverty and a way of making sure children grow up with a chance in life.Many children in the developing world are unable to go to school due to the economic situation of their families. For those that do make it to school the situation can be varied and the quality of their education can be very mixed. From its inception in 2008 Word International School continues to provide a quality education for many children from economically poor backgrounds giving them a chance to find work and provide for their families.   If you would like to help a needy child to have an education please contact us for more details!Frafra Bibles:There is a great need for Bibles in the Frafra language for the people of North Eastern Ghana. Although able to read a Church member, or even a pastor can find it difficult to source a a Bible in their own language. Mission International is currently seeking funding to print more Bibles in Frafra to make them available to those who speak the language.Below the image shows a woman, a new believer, receiving a Bible in Frafra. Click here to donate on-line!Covid-19 support:Word International School, supported by the church have tried to support needy parents with some food supplies, however since the lockdown this has become more difficult. Mission International has been able to send some help, but much more is needed.The image below shows parents and elderly people arriving and waiting for food support and then carrying their provisions away.  Items for Prayer:Thank you for praying for Mission International. Your prayer support is a great encouragement to us. Below you will find a number of items which you can pray for as we seek to help the many that are in great need in the world.1. Covid-19: I suspect this item may be on our prayer list for some time. Many in the developing world remain in strict lockdown and are suffering greatly as a result. Many are hungry with no help from Government or aid organisation. We are thankful to those of our donors and supporters who have selflessly given of what they have to help so many. Please continue to pray for the needy as there are many who have had no help at all.2. Project funding applications: Mervyn, the MI volunteer fundraiser, has been inundated with requests for funding in recent months from our partners around the world. Mervyn’s job is to take the requests and formulate a funding proposal to seek funding for these small and large projects. Please pray for Mervyn as he tirelessly follows up leads and seeks to find the funds necessary to make the projects a success.3. Maliam from Malawi: Maliam is deaf. She set out early in the morning to avoid the crowd to get water from a distant well so that the pastor’s could have water for their training days in Migowi. On the way she was struck by a motorbike and has sustained serious head and leg injuries. Pray she recovers well and that her family can afford the hospital bills.4. Chin State Myanmar: Due to fighting between the Arakan Army and Government forces many have had to run away from Chin state. Please pray that peace returns to Myanmar and families are able to return to their homes. Chin state has a large number of Christian communities who are made to feel unwelcome by the Buddhist majority. Pray that there might be peace amongst neighbours.5. Enslaved Brick Kiln Workers Pakistan: Many people in Pakistan get in to debt to pay for hospital bills or other emergencies. The debt is covered by loan sharks and as payment those in debt have to work in a brick kiln. The interest rates are so high that instead of the debt decreasing, it increases. Eventually after a lifetime of enslavement the children of the family inherit the debt and they too are saddled for the rest of their lives. Christians have no recourse to the law and so are more seriously affected by this and other very serious abuses. Pray that Government policy will provide covers for such people and outlaw the loan sharks and abusive brick factory owners. |
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