The Cross - Stories of God's Love in Action - Winter 2024

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cross he WINTER 2024

STORIES OF GOD’S LOVE IN ACTION

SPECIAL FIELD REPORT

Maxwell and his mother

FIELD REPORT

Over the past year, we at Cross International visited tens of thousands of children and their families in the four African countries we work in—Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, and Uganda. We broke bread with them. We prayed with them. We laughed and we cried with them.

This special issue of The Cross Magazine shares our staff’s personal entries from the field, reflecting the deepest needs and greatest joys from these encounters. May these experiences deeply resonate with you as you realize that you can play a pivotal role in furthering God’s Kingdom on earth.

E R Y T N A L B N I E R A C L A CRITIC Blantyre, MALAWI DAVID BURBACH Director of Marketing and Media A short drive from Thanganyika Village finds me in the heart of Blantyre — a city of about 1.6 million people.

It is here I find our ministry partners at CURE Hospital — a 50-bed facility that provides free medical and surgical care for children.

I’m talking to four-year-old Maxwell and his mother.

Maxwell was born with a bowed leg and has never been able to walk. He attended a mobile clinic provided by Cross International near his home. Maxwell was invited to get the treatment he needed here in Blantyre. He and his mother were provided with transportation, and the treatment he is now receiving is all free of charge.

After he gets his surgery, Maxwell and his mom will stay at the hospital during his recovery. They will both receive food, discipleship, counseling and Maxwell will get the care he needs to heal. Soon brave young Maxwell will finally be able to walk!

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Thanganyika Village, MALAWI CHRIS MCINTYRE Director of Communications

In speaking to little Moses, I discover that he hasn’t eaten today, or yesterday for that matter...

D I’m traveling from house to house along with our ministry partner, Edwin, who works with Ambuya Development Center, our local partner. Nearby are some fields that were recently planted, and out of the corner of my eye I see a group of kids pounding at the ground with little sticks. My immediate thought is, “Something isn’t right.” They aren’t playing. They aren’t planting. They certainly aren’t harvesting, as this field wasn’t ready for harvest. I ask Edwin, “What’s growing here?” He says, “Sweet potatoes.”

I then look closer and am shocked at what I see. The little children are digging up the immature sweet potatoes and eating them raw right out of the ground.

I approach one of the children, who is barely 6 years old. His name is Moses. “Are you hungry?” I ask. He says, “Yes, I am hungry.”

How is that possible, I wonder? We have a feeding program. That’s when Edwin says, “Remember the last house we visited, with the empty plates along the wall?” He explains how these children are taking home the meals they receive from us and are sharing them with their mothers and their grandmothers.

And then it dawns on me just how giving and selfless these children are. They sacrifice their meals by taking them home and sharing them with their family.

That’s why this little boy is hungry.

God is sending me a clear message today.

“Do more,” He is saying. Especially in this particular region of Malawi that is so entrenched in poverty.

Agripa Village, ZAMBIA DAVID BURBACH Director of Marketing and Media I am here at Agripa Village, where several women are washing clothes at an open stream. This stream used to serve as the main water source for the village. One of the women, the village headman’s sister, is named Chuma. She tells me that the open water source is “very bad” to drink.

“If you use the water from there,” she says, “your stomach will hurt.” Thankfully, Chuma and her family are now able to access a community water system that was built recently by Cross and the Kachere Development Program.

Now, for the first time in her village’s history, safe water is available on demand! Chuma also stressed that she and her neighbors are committed to maintaining the new well in good working order. Chuma and other family leaders also participated in water and sanitation training, which has not only changed the way families use water but has also changed their hygiene habits, and the way they cook and clean.

“Our life has changed,” she says. Life is as different as you can imagine. We have no more water problems.”

Now thanks to the new well at Agripa Village, the water is safe to drink. This is just one of the 91 community water systems built by Cross and Kachere Development Program as part of our Water Is Life program, impacting 35,500 villagers.

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Many of the women are so dedicated, they come to the training sessions with their babies strapped to their backs.

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Mafuta Village, ZAMBIA MARIE WHITE Director of Development

I feel incredibly blessed to personally witness the tangible impact of God’s work unfolding before my eyes. Thanks to the unwavering support of Cross’ dedicated donors, a sewing project was initiated through the Kachere Development Program in Eastern Zambia.

There was a time when these same women struggled to provide even one meal a day for their families.

But with the introduction of sewing skills, everything changed. It’s been six months since the funds were allocated for sewing machines and a trainer, and the progress is remarkable. They’ve not only mastered sewing but are also selling their creations at the market. Today, they can provide two to three meals a day for their families. What’s even more heartwarming is that many of these women have enrolled their children in school — a blessing they hadn’t dared to dream of before.

The depth of poverty never ceases to amaze me, regardless of my tenure at Cross or the number of partners we collaborate with. The sheer lack of everything is a stark reminder of the work that remains.

L E P S O G E H T F O T IF THE G Agripa Village, ZAMBIA ZACH OLES VP of International Programs One of the many heartwarming moments I experience at Cross is the village celebration that unfolds when we successfully deliver clean, safe water to a community in need.

During this poignant occasion, we have the privilege of distributing Bibles to the newly served villagers, marking a significant milestone in their journey.

This event resonates deeply with the Gospel of John and the parable of the Woman at the Well, allowing us to proclaim, “We have provided safe water for you to drink; now here is Living Water so that you will no longer thirst.”

It’s a moment that beautifully completes the circle.

This afternoon’s turnout left me astounded. While we had initially prepared to distribute around 10 or 15 Bibles, more than 30 villagers eagerly gathered to receive the Word of God. Each Bible has been thoughtfully printed in the local Chichewa language. Despite the villagers’ Christian faith, most had never been fortunate enough to read a Bible, let alone hold one in their hands.

One particularly touching moment was when Mary Vickers, a kind-hearted villager, shared her sentiment, saying, “I never thought I would own a Bible.”

Last year, as the culmination of our Water Is Life program, 501 Bibles were distributed, so that these families will experience the glory of God in their own native tongue.

SPECIAL FIELD REPORT Your generosity will lead to a sustainable, better world in which children can thrive.

For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

PSALM 72:12

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