MISSION BITES

God Is Never Far Away

By Jenny Jenkins

What to do when obstacles seem to be everywhere and the activities or tasks that you thought were a given aren’t possible? It can be a frustrating and daunting time—perhaps one when you feel far from God. But one thing followers of Christ always know—God is never far away. God is always working and present even when we don’t see Him. Recently, Haiti again went through another period of civil unrest, a fuel crisis and increasing insecurity and violence. These events meant that the planned ministry had to wait. No fuel meant no travel. Insecurity and violence required people to stay home to remain safe. Most Haitians ventured out only to get the necessities of daily living, but even that was limited. Inflation and lack of fuel meant supplies and other materials weren’t available or too expensive, especially since people couldn’t work. So how to minister during this time became a huge question for me.

My normal routine had been halted, but I knew God wasn’t stagnant.

Pastor Brutus, pastor and director of the Bourdon School, came to ask for help feeding kids on the mountain in the fourth section of Grand Goâve—a five-to-six hour walk up the mountain from our base. Due to the country-wide problems, children couldn’t start school. He knew the children were hungry and thought they could host a camp where he could feed the children that came and provide some activities that might be educational.

Our ministry had been blessed with nutritionally prepackaged meals for the school but, due to the lack of fuel, they were just sitting in storage. Here was an opportunity to fill a dire basic need during their struggle.

We had no way to deliver the food, but Pastor Brutus was able to find farmers with donkeys and horses that would come and get the food and make the trek to the community. He found parents who were willing to prepare the food while others brought water and spices for meal preparation.

The camp started with 50-60 children coming Monday through Friday for activities and a meal. It continued until school was able to officially start in November. Children were fed and the providence of God was once again visible.

Jenny Jenkins serves as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Grand Goâve, Haiti.

The Strength Of Partners

By Annette Ellard

We may look like a two-man band. But the truth is we are not alone in this ministry among refugees from Burma. We are one of many. Throughout 16 years of ministry, we have developed a network of partners without whom our ministry would not be possible.

These partnerships take many forms, and the connection is their greatest strength. This story is just one example of many.

Aye Cho is kind-hearted, generous and bold. She has a good education and speaks English, Karen and Burmese. We have known her since she arrived in Louisville on her own in 2009. We celebrated with her when she married. When she was expecting her first child, we connected her to an “American grandmother” to walk with her through that special time.

For years, she has assisted us with interpretation. We often call her at odd hours or in desperation, and she always takes the time to help someone in need. She has grown her own ministry in Louisville, assisting the Karen community. She is a leader in her church and the community at large.

When the Survivors of Torture Recovery Center couldn’t access an in-person, Karen-language interpreter for their clients, they enlisted us to help them find someone. They offered to pay for the medical interpreter training in exchange for eight hours of service. We immediately thought of Aye Cho. She was so excited to receive the training opportunity and have the chance to be of further service in the community. The center was thrilled to have access to such a conscientious interpreter.

A few months later, a family support agency providing special services to a Karen family desperately needed in-person interpretation to make their work effective. They had funds to pay for interpreters, but they couldn’t find any. The tough part was that they needed interpretation for two hours twice weekly for three months. They knew that having the same interpreter each time would be beneficial to all parties, but they didn’t expect that to be possible.

After talking with Aye Cho about the situation, she enthusiastically said she would do it. Aye Cho made herself available for the duration despite the difficult schedule and the already strenuous demands of her own family life. Her participation was crucial, and it was life-changing for the family.

Over the years, Aye Cho’s partnership in ministry has gone far beyond interpreting. She has educated us on cultural issues, sent us notes of encouragement, contributed to our funding and prayed for us. Her partnership—like the partnership of many others—has strengthened us, other people from Burma and our whole community.

Partnership is the strength of this ministry.

Annette Ellard and Steve Clark serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Louisville, Ky.

The Language Of Friendship

By Dianne McNary

Years ago, I was looking for an English language resource to supplement my children’s education. I found InfoUSA (now known as American Spaces) at the Kosice State Scientific library. American Spaces is an extension of the U.S. Embassy into the community and has outreach in many countries. I began to visit the library and got to know the librarian. When they decided to start a book club for people who wanted to improve their English, I joined and became the facilitator as a native speaker. That was almost 17 years ago, and I continue to facilitate the group weekly. The format has changed over the years and now we are a discussion group. Through this group, I have met many Slovak over the years and consider them my friends. Several of our members are English teachers in local Slovak schools. I’ve had the chance to visit some of their classrooms and lead lessons. The teachers don’t have good access to English language resources which can be quite expensive if they can be found. Over the last few years, Shane and I have joined with our supporters to provide these resources to English teachers. We develop a wish list along with the teachers and share it with our supporters who generously purchase the items for the local Slovak teachers. What a joy it is to be able to provide these resources to our friends and help them as they work with their students.

Dianne and Shane McNary serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Poprad, Slovakia.