W&D Magazine Spring 2018

SPRING 2018

Plus Word & Deed is Hiring.

INSIDE

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Disaster Relief

Ministering to Victims of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti

Colombia

Challenging Cultural Mindsets

Costa Rica What Is Education Plus?

Malawi Strengthening the Bars of His Gates

Haiti

Christian Education: Shining a Light in the Darkness

The Official Publication of Word & Deed - An International Reformed Relief Ministry

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WORD&DEED

meditation

Official Publication of Word & Deed An International Reformed Relief and Development Agency Free for sponsors and friends

SPRING 2018 Editor Rick Postma Assistant Editor Hanna Korvemaker

Graphic Design Knor Graphic Design Solutions Copy Editors Shelly Crites Susan Trentacosti

In response to Jesus’ command to love others, Word & Deed is an international, evangelical relief and development ministry that provides funding to meet spiritual and physical needs among people in developing countries. With cooperating offices in St. Thomas, Ontario, and Hudsonville, Michigan, Word & Deed partners with Christian agencies in Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Myanmar, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Malawi, and South Africa.

Canada Office PO Box 20100 St. Thomas, ON N5P 4H4 Toll free 877.375.9673 office@wordanddeed.org

Director of Projects John Otten Director of Public Relations Rick Postma Office Administrator Scott Koopman Support Staff Hanna Korvemaker John Kottelenberg Kara Luiting Board of Directors President – Corney Les Vice President – Jake Sinke Secretary – Dave Wielinga Treasurer – Henry de Waal Dr. Arjan de Visser Rev. C. Heiberg John Jagersma Harold Leyenhorst Bert Mulder Dick Naves John Vangameren Lyle Ypma Advisory Committee Mr. Jim Beeke –

International Educational Consultant Dr. Gerald M. Bilkes – Professor of Old & New Testament, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

Rev. Richard Bout –

URCNA Missions Coordinator

Rev. Danny Hyde – Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church

Rev. Mark Vander Hart –

Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary Rev. Frank Van Dalen – Former Executive Director of the Foreign Missions Board of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

United States Office PO Box 157, Hudsonville, MI 49426 Toll free 866.391.5728 usoffice@wordanddeed.org

Office Administrator Heidi Pronk Board of Directors President – Pete Vander Stel Vice President – Paul Laman Secretary – Harry Kooistra Treasurer – Karen Vander Sloot Eric Brandt Peter Van Kempen Jay Van Voorst Registered Charity Number (Canada) 89 120 0941 RR0001 EIN Non-profit Number (USA) 37-1429283 Bible quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

BY Pastor hans overduin

>

My Brother’s Keeper In Book 4 of the series, 52 Spurgeon Stories for Children (by T. Hutter, Day One Publications, 2015), there is a true story told about C. H. Spurgeon when having preached on the text, Genesis 4:9. In that verse, Cain answers God’s question about the whereabouts of Abel, after having murdered him, “I do not know.

Am I my brother’s keeper?” In his sermon while preaching on being our brother’s keeper as God calls us to be, Spurgeon said among other things, that “he regarded every man as his brother.”

There was a needy person sitting in the congregation not particularly fond of preacher Spurgeon who thought he would test these words of the preacher. This skeptical person apparently went to Spurgeon’s house the next day asking to see Mr. Spurgeon.

As told in the narrative, at the door this man asked, “Will you tell Mr. Spurgeon that his brother wants to see him?” The house servant knew that Spurgeon had only one real brother, and this man by the door was certainly not James, the brother of C. H. Spurgeon! But the man insisted and, upon informing preacher Spurgeon of the strange guest at his door, Spurgeon told the servant to invite him in his study.

When Spurgeon then asked him, “My friend, what is the object of your visit?” the man answered, “Well, sir, I heard you preach yesterday and you said that you regarded

every man as your brother. I am a man, and I am out of work, and I thought I would come and see if you would regard me as your brother!”

To this bold and “strangest of visitors” he responded by first providing him with some food and refreshments. Then as this true story goes, “While the man ate, Spurgeon chatted with him, and then he gave him a note to take to one of the deacons of the church about finding the man a job. Before he left, Spurgeon prayed with him.

By this time the man had completely changed his view of Spurgeon. He realized that he was not an imposter at all. What Spurgeon had said in his sermon was real and genuine!”

The application given with this account reads, “It is not what we claim that is so important, but what we are. If you claim to be a Christian, is that claim real?” Are we not our brother’s keeper, as confessing Christians? When that is the case, will we not be involved in genuine care for others in word and deed ministry in Jesus’ name? Cain scornfully said to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” When it is well with us, by God’s grace, we say it humbly and caringly and affirmatively before God and our neighbor. Others observe we mean it too, with our words and deeds, by God’s grace. Let none of us be imposters, especially as confessing Christians, in view of Christ the Savior and Him laying down His life, yes, even to the death on the cross to save sinners like us. See 1 John 4:10–11 and Galatians 6:10! W&D Pastor Hans Overduin is the minister of the Calgary Free Reformed Church.

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>DiSaSTeR ReLieF By jean-pierre kawas

Ministering to Victims

of hurricane matthew in haiti

Damage from Hurricane Matthew.

Some 20 years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ led Pastor Francisco Guzman from the Dominican Republic to northern Haiti to begin a ministry focused on equipping pastors and leaders with the redemptive doctrines of grace. The ministry became the Association Espérance Pour Haïti (“Espérance”), of which I work as the Public Relations Director. Our principal goal is to pull the churches of this region from the clutches of fatalism and animism and to bring holistic development to the poorest Haitians primarily through a multifaceted Micro-Loans Program which began 12 years ago.

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This Micro-Loans Program gives poor Haitians the opportunity to become entrepreneurs in a country where access to credit is extremely unreachable for those with no collateral. It includes biblically based courses about finances, administration, and savings; literacy courses for those who cannot read or do basic math; and technical courses such as baking and cooking. Five mandatory sessions about the Micro-Loans Program are held before recipients can officially join the program, after which recipients present a business plan for evaluation. If accepted, they are given a loan and

continue to be mentored by our staff as they strive to execute their business plan.

In 12 years we have given over 32,000 loans to over 5,000 individuals. Loans average $133 USD each, and there is a return rate of 96.12%.

Most of our work has been done so far in northern Haiti, but we praise our Lord for opening a door through Word & Deed to enable Espérance to expand our services to southern Haiti. Our goal in the south is to provide low-cost and quality financial services for the most deprived and marginalized population who were affected

by Hurricane Matthew. In addition to microfinance, we will provide business counseling, vocational and literacy courses, complementary health services, health prevention instructions, incentive for savings creation, and contingencies insurance. We hope to provide loans for 100 people each month, to increase the income of these poorest people above $1 per day, and to minimize the number of illiterate people in the churches of southern Haiti.

All those who receive loans meet twice a month for training on the biblical worldview of work and to meditate on Scripture, pray, and worship. Once or twice a year, we also provide a full day seminar about the biblical worldview of work. The loan advisors provide supervision, encouraging the recipients to apply the principles of biblical stewardship.

The board of Espérance has many concerns about work in southern Haiti: •

•

Extreme poverty generates insecurity in people and prevents them from assuming credit responsibilities for fear of failure.

Fatalism and animism are cultural chains difficult to break; only the power of the Gospel can free men from these chains.

• •

The difficulty of finding honest and serious people to do the work.

The need of getting more funds to grow and make the ministry self-sustainable.

For all of the above, please join us in prayer so that the Lord might be pleased to bless this project, making it successful in southern Haiti as it has been in the north for the last 12 years. To God be the glory in all. Amen! W&D Jean-Pierre Kawas is the Public Relations Director for Association Espérance Pour Haïti.

Employment Opportunities Word & Deed North America, a growing Reformed humanitarian organization with partners in 12 countries, is looking for two selfmotivated, versatile, talented, and cheerful Christians with a heart for missions and a love for the Reformed faith.

Word & Deed works with our partners to provide physical help and spiritual hope to those in the developing world, emphasizing a focus on the gospel, an end goal of self-sufficiency under Christ, and indigenous leadership.

The successful candidates will take on responsibilities in one or both areas described below:

Public Relations

You are relational, organized and self-motivated and will be responsible for establishing and maintaining donor relationships, public speaking, and writing. Some travel required.

Project Management

You have strong relational and organizational skills. You will work alongside our partners to develop goals, solve problems, and provide support. International travel is required. Spanish fluency and experience working in the developing world are assets.

To apply please submit a cover letter and resume to Heidi Pronk at pronk.heidi@gmail.com

thew t a m e an hurric

On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew devastated portions of Haiti, a country still struggling to recover from the earthquake of 2010. Estimates place the death toll at more than 1,300, damage estimates are close to $1 billion dollars, 175,000 people were left homeless, and many business’ goods were either lost or destroyed. Word & Deed is partnering with the Association Espérance Pour Haïti, an organization with over a decade of experience in providing micro-loans to impoverished Haitians, to help victims of Hurricane Matthew build small businesses to help them out of poverty and into self-sufficiency. Budget for 2018: $160,000 CAD/$125,000 USD SPRING 2018 I Word&Deed

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>COLOMBia

By Kara luiting

Challenging Cultural Mindsets

Students at John Calvin Christian School.

It was a balmy 32 degrees Celsius on the day that I had the privilege of visiting John Calvin Christian School (JCCS) in Barranquilla, Colombia. Stepping off the bus that had brought us to the school on that hot October morning, my companions and I were warmly welcomed. We were escorted directly into the school’s gymnasium where the students had prepared a program to welcome us. As I looked over the faces of the students, I realized that I recognized many of them. All of these students had sponsors back in North America and the faces of these children had passed over my desk numerous times. What a joy it was for me to be in the school with the students that morning!

JCCS has the capacity to hold 400 students and yet only 271 faces were staring back at us in the gymnasium that day. One of the reasons that we were visiting the school was to determine whether the school should continue, despite this drop in enrollment over the last few years.

JCCS was initially started by a local Reformed church in Barranquilla, which has since folded. In 2005, the church approached our Colombian partner, CDA, for financial aid and CDA then approached Word & Deed. In the years since then, a very functional school building was constructed to replace the three dilapidated buildings that students were meeting in. For years, JCCS was one of only a few small schools in this poor, rural community. However, because of new government schools popping up in the area over the last few years, JCCS has been struggling with a drop in enrollment. Parents are attracted to the government schools because they offer free education to their students.

Conversely, JCCS students are charged a small tuition (up

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to 30% of the overall cost per student), thus promoting self-sufficiency.

Historically, people in this community have little education, and so parents often undervalue the importance of education for their children. The people of the coast are also used to receiving handouts, and they balk at the prospect of having to pay money for something that they could be getting elsewhere for free. Thankfully, JCCS does have a group of parents who are dedicated to the continuance of the school and who recognize the importance of such a school in their community. School administration is also working on getting similar support from the local churches. Building relationships with churches is key in developing the much-needed support of the school.

john calvin christian school

Through several interactions with both current and former students that day, it was confirmed to us that the quality of education at JCCS is unparalleled in the government schools (see the Word & Deed Facebook page for a testimony from a JCCS alumnus). “Everyone is an equal here,” remarked one of the students. One student even told us of how he was kicked out of several public schools due to behavioral issues, but when he was enrolled at JCCS he “felt compelled to do better and change his life.” Students also told us that their peers who left JCCS are now being exposed to many social risks that they previously did not have to deal with. While sitting in on several classes, we were also grateful to see that biblical instruction envelops the whole of the students’ education. An alumnus told us that because of his constant exposure to the Word, he was better equipped to share the Gospel while attending a secular university. He said that after graduating he “realized the importance of sharing the Gospel with others.” There is much good happening here and the staff acknowledges that all of this is possible only through strength and wisdom that is given to them from the Lord.

Stepping back on to the street at the end of the day, my companions and I said good-bye to our new friends. Looking back at them as we left, our sentiment was unanimous: the Lord’s blessing was resting on this school and by all appearances, His work in this community was not done. And so we pray with them that the Lord would continue to bless their efforts and that the significance of a Christian education would be seen and embraced by all in this rural coastal community of Barranquilla. W&D Kara Luiting is the Administrative Assistant and Sponsorship Coordinator at Word & Deed Canada.

Word & Deed partners with CDA (Corporación Dios es Amor or the God Is Love Corporation) to fund a number of projects in Colombia, including the John Calvin Christian School. The school’s general objective is to minister to families in the vulnerable community of Las Americas in Barranquilla, Colombia, through education (pre-primary, primary, and high school), the promotion of health and prevention of disease, and the strengthening of families, while sharing the good news of the Gospel. Budget in 2018: $330,000

(CAD)/$255,000 (USD)

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>COSTa RiCa

By Juan Carlos Ramírez Álvarez

What IS Education Plus?

Education Plus is a Christian nonprofit organization that has been working with at-risk children and young people in the shanty town areas around San José, Costa Rica, since 1994. We exist to provide support to these children through Bible studies, tutoring, recreational activities, and pastoral care.

In Costa Rica, basic education is obligatory and free.

However, in practice, this means that the state pays for teachers and classrooms, but each family has to provide their children’s school uniforms, textbooks, and all school utensils, as well as materials for the school community— such as toilet paper! This makes it economically impossible for children from the shanty towns to attend school, especially if they come from a large family.

Our Purpose is: To write a different story in the lives of those with whom we work, first through the Gospel and then through practical help with material needs.

Our Vision is: People ready to challenge the world; to see youngsters growing up with a positive attitude to the challenges of life rather than developing a victim mentality.

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Our Mission is: To demonstrate the love of God and practical outworking of the Gospel by serving underprivileged, high-risk children and their families in shanty town areas and by giving them the opportunity to develop in a Christian and holistic manner.

We work with around 450 young people and their families through friendship and strong personal relationships that enable us to know first-hand their individual needs and help prevent them from dropping out of school and ending up on the street. Our program of activities has been running since 1994.

From the second week in February to the last week in November each year, in all three communities the following activities are held on a weekly basis:

• Bible clubs and youth groups (three in each community)

• Sports activities • Academic sessions (help with schoolwork) • Pastoral visits (covering all sorts of spiritual, practical, and social issues)

of our social workers, are so important because they allow us to share the Good News of the Gospel each week. In this way the practical outworking of the Gospel becomes an agent of change. For example, playing football, alleviating basic needs, and pastoral visiting become expressions of God’s love.

Throughout our 24 years we have seen many stories of success—men and women getting to university, others working in large and successful Costa Rican companies, and still others serving God in their churches or with Education Plus as volunteers. We have also seen things that have saddened us. Too many of our youngsters have died while still young because of poor decisions they have made in their lives and others have spent time in the country’s jails because of things they have done. At the same time as making us sad, these things motivate us to continue working with perseverance.

We give thanks to God for the opportunity to serve Him daily and we ask for your prayers that He would give us wisdom and guidance as we do so. W&D Juan Carlos Ramírez Álvarez is the Director of the Education Plus program in Costa Rica and is an elder in a Reformed church in San José, Costa Rica, which was planted by Rev. Bill Green, a URCNA missionary.

A shanty town where Education Plus ministers.

There are also several annual programs which are highly anticipated by the students:

• Camp programs (January and October) • Back-to-school program (February) to provide the necessary equipment and uniforms for individuals at the beginning of the school year

• Christmas activities (December) • Football championships • Mountain hikes • Athletics festival

All of our activities are designed to offer opportunities to make the most of one’s time in useful and profitable ways throughout the year.

In the communities where Education Plus works there were 63 murders related to drug abuse or trafficking in 2017. In Costa Rica as a whole, there are 17,000 adolescent pregnancies each year, a number that is particularly pertinent in the communities where we work. Taking into account figures like these, the activities we provide are vitally important.

Join us at the 3rd Annual

COLOUR RUN Saturday, May 5th Gage Park, Hamilton

Help make a difference in the lives of Adoration students by participating in our 3rd annual 5K Adoration Colour Run!

Register today at adorationcolourrun.net

In association with:

The program itself, along with the relationship-based work SPRING 2018 I Word&Deed

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>MaLaWi

By Pastor Christo Heiberg

Strengthening THE Bars of His Gates

Entering the Logos Ministries property in Lilongwe, Malawi.

In Psalm 146, we read about one of the reasons why we should praise our God as long as we live, “for He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you”! That is how we at Word & Deed seek to be useful to God in a humble and small way, by teaching His people and equipping the church’s leadership far away in central Malawi.

On August 1st, I boarded an Ethiopian Airlines jumbo in Toronto, heading for Malawi, making a brief stop in South Africa on the way. This would be my fourth visit to the “warm heart of Africa” since 2006. As before, I taught the same courses, at two different venues, back to back over two weeks. My first week was spent at the building of the Logos Centre in the capital Lilongwe, while the second week took us to the beautiful setting of the Malingunde CCAP Youth Camp on the shores of the Kamuzu Dam, some 45 minutes toward the Mozambique border.

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I focused on three areas. Since Christians all over the world are remembering the Protestant Reformation of 1517, I decided first of all to do a three-part series on the book of Galatians. We worked through three lesson-units namely: “The Origin of the Gospel,” “The Heart of the Gospel,” and “The Fruit of the Gospel.” These talks were warmly received and sparked some very interesting discussions. Much appreciation was expressed for the centrality of God’s grace and the cross of Christ in our salvation.

The next module was basically a popular apologetics course based on some material I prepared years ago for my catechism students in Ontario. I spoke on five reasons “Why I am a Christian.” They are: “The Nature of God’s Free Grace in Christ,” “The Claims of Jesus of Nazareth,” “The Power of the Cross,” “The Fact of His Resurrection,” and “The Paradox of Our Human Nature.” These lessons sought to reinforce our Christian defenses against systems of unbelief, both ancient and modern, both open and subtle.

Logos Ministries:

Pastoral Training and Education

Word & Deed partners with the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian (CCAP) to provide CCAP pastors, elders, and leaders with the practical and doctrinal tools they need to better serve their congregations (which often number in the thousands).

They offer training seminars to church leaders to equip men in CCAP churches to lead and instruct their flocks. Multiple seminars are held each month and are conducted by visiting pastors and teachers, as well as by Logos staff. What an amazing opportunity to impact a one-million-member denomination!

Budget in 2018: $180,000 (CAD)/$140,000 (USD) by several authors including John Piper and Conrad Mbewe.

Several participants each received an opportunity to give a short summary of a chapter of either of these books.

My last day of lecturing was devoted to the fascinating work of the Indian Christian scholar Vishal Mangalwadi.

In The Book That Made Your World, Mangalwadi seeks to tell us how and why the Bible made the West so successful and prosperous and why the sun is now setting on it as well. Mangalwadi’s book is rich in references from church history, which makes it a fascinating teaching tool for any Christian teacher. It demonstrates powerfully why anyone who is even thinking of discarding Christianity must think twice and do so urgently.

In addition to these three modules of teaching we also listened to Kevin DeYoung’s powerful speech on John Calvin, delivered at the Gospel Coalition 2017 Conference. At the Logos Centre I also gave a 40-minute summary of the Heidelberg Catechism.

The last item on our menu was a brief discussion of two books: Answering Jihad by Nabeel Qureshi and Prosperity

A wonderful highlight of the two weeks was yet again the prayers, warm fellowship, and inspirational singing of these Malawian brothers and sisters. I will never forget the humble but immensely powerful message delivered in his full ministerial attire, in the dim light of a very humble structure, by the young Pastor Hara of Malingunde. He opened the second week’s proceedings on the Monday night speaking from Mark 16. The urgency with which he said, “Our problem is . . . as Christians in Malawi, we do not believe that Jesus is risen . . .!” will abide with me forever. I wished he could bring that message to the church in North America too. Equally captivating was the moving singing of well-known hymns in Chichewa by these joyful African voices.

It was yet again a tremendous privilege and joy to be used

by God in a small way to strengthen his people in the hope of their heavenly calling, in the midst of so many earthly challenges. May it be that the gates of God’s city were indeed strengthened, so that his people—and the world— might be blessed! W&D Pastor Christo Heiberg serves as the Assistant Pastor for the Providence Community Church, in St. Catharines, Ontario, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), and on Word & Deed’s Board of Directors.

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>HaiTi

By Pastor Octavius Delfils

Christian Education: Today, because of God’s grace to me, I am a pastor at the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Haiti and a Bible teacher at Adoration Christian School, but this was not always the trajectory of my life.

I was born in a village in northwest Haiti to fervent Roman Catholic parents, though they also fervently practiced voodoo. That was and remains the common worldview in most rural towns in the mountains of Haiti. Most people go to the Roman Catholic chapel of the village on Sundays to pray, attend the mass, and take the Eucharist, but at the end of the year they offer sacrifices to appease the voodoo gods. My parents shared these same beliefs.

The Catholic chapel in the village had a school, but the quality of education was really low. My parents sent my older brother there, but he didn’t make much progress in reading and writing. Some years later, a missionary planted the first Protestant church and school in the village. My parents decided to move my brother to this school where he heard and accepted the Gospel. He was constantly witnessing to my parents who refused to listen to him.

Then three in a short really sick. the voodoo

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of my siblings passed away time and a fourth one was My father sought help from priest of the village, but that

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Emariot

shining a light in the darkness

I am Emariot, I am 22 years old.

I have been seven years at Adoration. Adoration has helped me in two essential factors of my life: religious and educational. First, Adoration has helped me toward eternal life, by encouraging worshiping and serving God with all my heart, with the desire to be made into the image of Jesus Christ. Second, it has given me all the possible tools in education so that I can serve my community.

I intend to study science of education, social psychology, and social communication. I will serve my community with dignity, integrity, humility, and wisdom with a clear head. I love the Bible entirely, but the verses that most help me grow in faith are Psalm 1:1, John 3:16, Colossians 3:15, and Proverbs 23:17.

did not help. My brother and the church used that opportunity to witness to him again and my dad responded to the call of the Gospel. The whole family became Christian. Since that time, there has been peace in the family. My brother and I were called to the Gospel ministry.

As a pastor and as a Bible teacher, I see Adoration Christian School bringing the light of the Gospel to students and to their families in much the same way that it was brought into my own life and family through Christian education. When students hear the Gospel through the teaching ministry of the school and become members of the church, they are liberated from the chains of darkness and superstitions. We see the Lord at work in their lives. They become witnesses to bring their families and relatives to the Lord and to impact their community for Christ.

I am confident that the Lord will continue to bless His church in Haiti through that work. To Him be all praise and glory! W&D Pastor Octavius Delfils (“Pastor Tav”) serves as pastor at the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Haiti. He is an MDiv graduate of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2007 by Calvary Presbytery (PCA) as a missionary evangelist to Haiti. He also teaches Bible classes at Adoration Christian School.

PRAYER REQUESTS

DISASTER RELIEF: MINISTERING TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE MATTHEW IN HAITI • Praise God for blessing the good work that the Association Espérance Pour Haïti has been doing in northern Haiti for the last number of years.

• Pray that the work that is beginning in southern Haiti, focusing on victims of Hurricane Matthew, will be similarly blessed and that many will be lifted out of poverty and come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.

• Pray over the specific concerns the Espérance board has about beginning work in southern Haiti (see the last portion of the article for a list).

• • COLOMBIA: CHALLENGING CULTURAL MINDSETS • Praise God for the high quality of Christian education that is available to many poor and at-risk youth through JCCS. • Pray for renewed commitment to Christian education in Barranquilla from parents and local churches which results in increased enrollment.

• Pray that JCCS staff will be encouraged for their daily work in spite of the challenges being faced by the school at this time.

• • COSTA RICA: WHAT IS EDUCATION PLUS? • Praise God for the robust ministry of Education Plus through both weekly and annual programs and for the many opportunities they have to share the Gospel with at-risk youth.

• Pray that God will use this ministry to transform many lives with the Gospel, and that, in time, the violent, impoverished, and immoral landscape of the communities where Education Plus is working will also be transformed by the Gospel.

• • HAITI: CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: Shining a Light in the Darkness • Praise God for intervening in Pastor Tav’s life (and the life of his family) to bring him to faith, and pray that he will be given strength and wisdom for his present tasks in the Gospel ministry.

• Pray that Adoration Christian School will be used similarly: to effectively present students and their families with the Gospel, changing the trajectory of their lives on this earth and for eternity.

•

MALAWI: Strengthening the Bars of His Gates

• Praise God for the numerous and profitable lectures that Pastor Heiberg was able to deliver in Malawi.

• Praise God for the eagerness of the attendees to grow in wisdom and knowledge and for the good discussions they were able to have together.

• Pray that the church in Malawi will continue to be strengthened “so that [God’s] people—and the world—might be blessed!”

• • WORD&DEED: NORTH AMERICA • Praise God that board and staff members both north and south of the border were able to gather for Policy Day (March 1–3) to participate in meetings, discussions, fellowship, education, and growth as an organization.

• Pray for enthusiastic participation and safety for the many summer fundraising activities which will take place over the next few months (Adoration Colour Run, Scenic Niagara Bike-a-thon, softball tournaments, etc.)!

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wordanddeed.org/ways-to-give/child-sponsor

h il la ry

sponsors needed

M AR IA

Birthday: Feb. 25, 2014 Hillary is a cheerful young girl who likes to play with her toys. She lives with her parents and two half-brothers.

Birthday: Oct. 25, 2014 Sabrina is a young child who lives 15 minutes from the school.

Her father works as a motorcycle taxi driver.

AN D RE S

Birthday: Dec. 17, 2010 Sharit is an obedient child who enjoys playing with her dolls.

Her mother works as a cashier.

sa br in a

sh ar it

Birthday: Oct. 27, 2014 Maria enjoys playing with her dolls and with her cousins. She lives with her parents. Her father is a motorcycle taxi driver.

Birthday: May 9, 2014 Adrian lives with his mother and grandmother who both sell food from their home. Adrian enjoys playing soccer.

$38CAD / $35USD PER MONTH

Birthday: Mar. 31, 2013 Jorge is a healthy boy. One of his favorite things to do is to play soccer with his father, who is currently unemployed.

Birthday: Oct. 16, 2014 Keilin lives with her mother, currently unemployed, and some of her mother’s family. She enjoys being with her cousins.

jh o n

///////////// Child Sponsorship

jo rg e

Birthday: July 26, 2001 Elian is a boy who is helpful with household chores. His mother is a cook and his father works as a driver.

KE IL IN

el ia n

Ad ri an

Birthday: Mar. 10, 2005 Andres is an obedient boy who enjoys playing soccer with his younger brother.

Birthday: Nov. 11, 2000 Jhon is a social boy who enjoys soccer.

He cleans car windows to help make some money for his family.

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Upcoming Business Group

Meetings A P R I L / M AY 2 0 1 8

Please visit www.wordanddeed.org for New events and for dates and locations as they are determined

Canada

Chilliwack, BC

Abbotsford/Langley, BC

Edmonton, AB

Calgary, AB

Neerlandia, AB

Central Alberta

Southern Alberta

softball tournaments Lethbridge (AB)

June 23, 2018 Grand Rapids (MI)

August 11, 2018 USA

Tri-State, IA/MN/SD

Ripon, CA

Visalia, CA

Paris (ON)

september 15, 2018 Please visit

*Please see our website for new events and for dates and locations as they are determined.

www.wordanddeed.org

for New events and for dates and locations as they are determined

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Word & Deed USA

NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID Grand Rapids, MI PERMIT #1

P. O. Box 157, Hudsonville, MI 49426 USA

Publications Agreement # 40595030

Meditation: My Brother’s Keeper 1. What did Spurgeon mean when he said that “he regarded every man as his brother”? Do you see how this sentiment of Spurgeon’s (scripturally founded in 1 John 4:10–11, Galatians 6:10, and elsewhere) when faithfully applied has potential to change the world?

2. After reading the articles in the magazine, who exemplifies this principle the most to you? Why? Disaster Relief: Ministering to Victims of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti 1. Define “fatalism” and “animism,” two words that Kawas uses to describe the church in Haiti.

2. The Association Espérance Pour Haïti focuses both on encouraging local churches and church leaders to greater biblical faithfulness, and on the holistic development of the poorest Haitians through a Micro-Loans Program. How do you see these two areas of focus (strengthening the church and microloans) working synergistically together?

programmatic areas would be of benefit for each case (there may be more than one).

Transforming Lives Now and for Eternity 1. Consider the hardships that Sender has faced growing up in Guatemala. In what ways has enrollment at La Palabra Christian School in Guatemala transformed his life?

2. “Empty stomachs don’t have ears.” Explain this statement in your own words.

New Beginnings at Nakekela 1. Visit the Nakekela website (www.nakekela.co.za) to read about the history of the organization on the main page.

How has Nakekela grown since its inception in 2004?

Mercy and Glory at the Nakekela Step Down Facility 1. Put yourself in the shoes of somebody living in the KwaMhlanga community. How would you feel about the opening of the HIV/AIDS Clinic and why?

2. How has the community perception of the Nakekela Clinic changed since its inception? Why has it changed?

Introducing: Children of Light 1. “Families who did send their children to school were often sacrificing heavily to do so, suffering from a lack of food, and an inability to provide their children with proper clothing and school supplies.” List five Join or Die? reasons that Christian education is so valuable, in 1.

“Corporate worship is . . . theMindsets centerpiece of the Christian the developing world and in North America.

Colombia: Challenging Cultural 1. life.”

Why is there declining at JCCS? Explain how thisenrollment is true using scripture. Here is one 2. Aren Bulan is motivated to become a doctor because What cultural mindsets are our Hebrews partners at10:24-25 passage to get you started: of the lack of medical care on his home island of JCCS challenging?

State the challenges our when he compares 2. Explain what Pastor Boekestein means Rote. Make a list of the needs you see around you Malawi: Strengthening the Bars of His 2. What makes the activities of Education partnersmembership are facing in your own words. church to parents making their children eat (at home, at school, among friends or otherwise).

Plus so vitally important to the Gates 2. their What dessert. solutions to this problem do you see?

What can you do now to make a difference?

Include solutions stated in the article, as

communities where they work?

Education Plus project?

similarities do you see?

1. Pastor Heiberg says that he wishes

that PastorWord Hara could bring this wellAasTransformational any of your own ideas.

CDA: Approach to Poverty Serving Through the Written message to the church North word Haiti:projects Christian 1. The mission of CDA is carried out through inEducation: 1. Shining Discuss athe following statement: “The in written America: “Our problem is . . . as Costa Rica: What Is Education Plus?

Light areas in the and Darkness five main “programmatic areas.” List those is powerful and should be handled carefully.”

Christians in Malawi, we do not believe 1. How do you research see Word &toDeed’s three what 1.

Compare Tav’s 2. childhood do some understand they entailPastor if Martha mentions the different talents and privileges that Jesus is risen . . .!” Why do you areas of emphasis experience of religion to the description you’re not sure.(a Gospel focus, that each of us are think givenPastor

by God. Compared tothis students Heiberg feels that is targeting self-sufficiency, and a reliance of a typical church in Haiti as outlined 2. Re-read the stories of Andrea, Shirley, Juan David, in the developing world, what unique privileges have an important warning for us as well? on indigenous partnerships) at work in the in the Disaster Relief article. What Genaro and Briceida. List which of the five CDA you been given? How can you use them for God’s glory?

Integration: Integrate Bible, history, geography, critical thinking, current events, and reading comprehension (etc.).

Missions: Challenge students to consider short-term mission trips and the use of their time, talents, and money to the glory of God while also having them ponder their relationship with the Lord.

Problem Solving: Develop problem solving skills in response to problems presented in the articles.

Awareness: Dramatically raise students’ awareness of what people in the developing world face on a daily basis. It will shape them for life.

Compassion: Elicit compassion when students come face to face with the very difficult lives of their peers in the developing world.

Thankfulness: Encourage thankfulness for God’s blessings in their lives.

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Word&deed I

winter 2013