Mission Without Borders TOLL FREE 1-800-494-4454 PO Box 2007 Abbotsford, BC V2T 3T8 EMAIL mwbcanada@mwbi.org WEBSITE www.mwbca.org Once again I sit down to write my monthly newsletter to many wonderful people, who have given over and over again. We have often talked on the phone, some I`ve been fortunate to meet face to face and of course others have traded correspondences with me. It`s those exchanges that keep me doing this, that make me feel blessed to have this opportunity to serve. It`s a very humbling but richly rewarding experience for me to ask you for your support, as you express God`s love in your very generous manner. It would be nice if I could write one month to say you can put the credit card away, we are not in need right now … But that`s not likely to happen any time soon, so I am back again on behalf of the children and families of Eastern Europe, who are in such great need, seeking your support yet again. SPRING IS HERE, BUT SUMMER’S COMING It`s spring now and our thoughts turn to the preparations underway for our annual summer camps. Mission Without Borders has a 20-year track record of providing summer camp for vulnerable children. These camps are found in beautiful tranquil settings in the countryside of each country in Eastern Europe. We hope to provide space for over 3,500 children this summer, and with your help we will meet that challenge. It costs $15 a day for one child, and our aim is to provide 10 days for each child … days filled with good food, good beds, good fun, good friends and the good Lord.
16 year old Serhiy in Ukraine had a lifechanging experience at Summer Camp
Serhiy first heard about God during Sunday School classes in his boarding home. In the summer following fifth grade, he went to MWB’s summer camp. The
camp was an unforgettable experience. He said: “I was really impressed by the atmosphere … it felt like I was in another world. I had no idea that people could live like that, and I was so much eager to have the same life. I was amazed by how kind everyone was, and after my experiences I wanted that too.” Our Summer Camp ministry works in partnership with local churches, so after camp Serhiy was able to carry on his experience at a local church. He became very close to the summer camp team; he is now on the team, and will work as a care-giver assistant this summer. “I’m still far from perfect, but I also know that Jesus changes me day by day; He is my righteousness, and I need Him in everything,” Serhiy says. Both Ananstasiya (Nastya) and Roman will be going to summer camp for the first time this year. It couldn’t come at a better time for both of them. Across Ukraine in January, there was a serious flu epidemic with over 300 people dying. Nastya fell seriously ill with pneumonia & pleurisy, and she has only just started to recover. She has never met her birth father. Last year her stepfather died from tuberculosis, and his relatives threw Nastya & her mother out of the home. As a result she now lives at a boarding home that MWB supports while her mother stays with relatives. ”When she first came to the home, she could not read or write,” head teacher Tetyana said. “She would not speak to anyone. Progress with her is slow, she is our wildflower, but we think going to Summer Camp will help.”
Ananstasiya (Nastya) and Roman will be experiencing camp for the very first time this summer
Roman’s parents were alcoholics, and their home had no windows, heating or food. Neighbors alerted social services, and Roman & his three siblings were taken to an orphanage. Their mother never visited them there, and their father came only to take them home for the summer, always reeking of alcohol. Tragically, it was recently reported that the father’s addiction killed him, and the mother drowned, allegedly as a result of an epileptic fit. To fill this gap in Roman’s life, and help him find some hope in his young life, MWB is taking him to Summer Camp. For ten days, Roman will be able to find some peace away from his daily struggles, where he will have opportunity to meet other children, be mentored by passionate Christian volunteers, enjoy tasty food, and hear the Good News about Jesus.
Children from deprived backgrounds in Ukraine have often never been on “holiday” before. Orphans have nowhere to go for the summer, so they often just stay at their boarding home. Summer camp therefore provides a wonderful new experience for them, where they can enjoy peaceful surroundings away from their daily struggles. Our team is going to do its best to show Christ to these children and to be their friends.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THRIFT CENTER
We believe our Summer Camp Project is one of the most effective programs we offer. The cost is $15 per day, which will help give these children an experience of a lifetime. Just $150 will give a child the ten full days at camp. Please use the enclosed Reply Form or give us a call to make your donation.
Thank you for your kind generosity! David Inwood NATIONAL DIRECTOR MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS CANADA
camps in Romania, with 120 staff and volunteers across 5 sites. 900 children attend summer camps in
Western Ukraine across 7 sites supported by over 150 volunteers and staff. Over 20,000 Ukrainian children have been to summer camp over the years. 30% of the young people who attend
summer camp in Moldova are orphans. 600 vulnerable children attend summer
camps each year across Albania, Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
OUR NEXT CONTAINER We expect to ship another container very soon, with items urgently needed in Eastern Europe. We are especially looking for summer clothing, shoes, detergent, diapers, sanitary pads, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorants, cooking oil, rice, pasta, canned food, flour, chocolate, biscuits, dishware, towels, backpacks, school supplies and sewing machines.
QUILTS WITHOUT BORDERS
Do you think you might be able to organize a donation drive in your area or at your church? Please call 604-855-9126 or 1-800-494-4454.
Calling all QUILTING GUILDS, KNITTING & CROCHETING CLUBS, CHURCH AND SERVICE GROUPS!
MEET THE MISSION
We are looking for at least 2,000 quilts to fill a 20’ shipping container in late 2016, for distribution in Eastern Europe by January 2017.
We are always available to do presentations about the work of the Mission to church groups across Western Canada.
Needed—patchwork or panel quilts (cotton, denim, etc.), polar fleece blankets/quilts, knitted or crocheted blankets/bedcovers. Min. size—160 x 140 cm
If you would like us to speak to your group, please call 604-855-9126 or Toll Free 1-800-494-4454
Help us keep the needy families & children of poverty-stricken Eastern Europe warm next winter!
PRAYER GUIDE
1000 children and teenagers (ages 8 to
900 children each year attend summer
If you would like to help by volunteering in the store, please drop in at #3-33550 South Fraser Way, or call the store at 604-776-1620.
We humbly ask God to bless abundantly all those who reach out to send as many children as possible to summer camp this year.
SUMMER CAMP NUMBERS 16) of all ethnicities and background attend summer camps in Moldova. Camps in Moldova have run every year since 1998; to date 18,000 children have attended during this time.
The MWB Family Thrift Center is now open in Abbotsford, BC. It’s a great way to receive and process donations we can then send overseas. Or we can sell items that we have too much of, or are not in demand overseas, with all monies raised used for the needy to Eastern Europe.
Please call 604-855-9126 or Toll Free 1-800-494-4454
Your prayers are truly appreciated! Look for the “Prayer Team” page on our website at ...
www.mwbca.org/get-involved