| Lausanne Women's Network Newsletter - December 2005 |
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NO TRANSLATION AVAILABLE Dear Friends, The Forum on World Evangelization hosted by Lausanne in Thailand at the end of 2004 seems a long way away now, but the memory of 1500 people from 130 countries all working on particular issues related to obstacles and opportunities for the gospel still lingers. All the reports from the Issue Groups are now on the web: www.lausanne.org and are a great resource for individual Christians and churches. Do look them up and feel free to download those that are of particular interest to you and encourage church leaders to look closely at the suggested outcomes from each group. Some countries are organizing one-day consultations in their city on one or more of the papers and encouraging Christian leaders to attend so that the impact of the Forum and the work which came from it will spread far beyond the Forum itself. LAUSANNE YOUNGER WOMEN’S NETWORK Twelve of those who were with us in Berlin were at the Forum and each was involved in one of the Issue Groups. It was wonderful to meet up again and to see what the Lord has been doing in each of our lives since we had all been together. Let me share with you the ministry of two of these young women. EVANGELINE SITA IN INDIA I had an opportunity to speak to the children on the importance of the Bible as God’s wonderful letter to each of us and at the end of the session each child was given a New Testament in his or her own language. Evangeline Sita is a young Christian woman who has put the needs of her country ahead of her own personal ambitions, choosing to sit under a tree in the slums at the end of her university training instead of seeking paid employment as a teacher. As a result, God has used her in a mighty way. Many of the children who attend her school, St Andrew’s School, Hyderabad, can’t afford the small fees that need to be charged and Evangeline herself does not take a salary so that any money received goes straight to the school. If you would like to support the work of Evangeline and help some of the children continue at the school, do let me know and I will put you in touch with her. Evangeline has also started a ministry to the women in a nearby leper village, takes food to the people, and has recently established a church in the village.
PRAYER POINT AN EXCITING MINISTRY IN CROATIA
You will remember that, as a result of the War in Yugoslavia in the early to mid nineties, when Croatians, Serbs and Bosnians were engaged in a terrible conflict, that many villages were completely destroyed, hundreds of people killed and thousands made homeless. One of the results of the war was a sense of hopelessness amongst the young with the result that many turned to drugs. Eva and Danijel started a ministry among these young people and have been able to arrange for some of them to go to Spain to a Christian rehabilitation Centre where they are not only helped to give up drugs, but where they are told of the love of God. Many of these young people have returned to Croatia eager to be involved in ministry. When my husband David and I were in Split a couple of years ago we shared in a river baptism service of some of these young people and others who had come to Christ. We also saw the church which Danijel and Eva were building so that there would be a place for people to come and experience fellowship with other believers and receive good Bible teaching. When we met up with Eva in Thailand she said that the church was almost finished and was to be dedicated in July 2006. Eva is an excellent speaker and has a started a number of ministries for women and children: the “Deborah” seminar for women whose husbands are unbelievers; two women’s Bible Study groups; a meeting for mothers of pre-schoolers; evangelistic meetings and visits to the mothers in the refugee camp close to Split. The children’s ministry is flourishing too with Sunday schools, camps, and “Life in the Kingdom” seminars for young people. PRAYER POINT One of the wonderful things about being part of God’s family is that we can support each other.
She had many opportunities to see the work of HEED (Health, Education and Economic Development) first hand and was very impressed with the variety of ministries including Micro Enterprise Projects. Adolescent girls were being trained to teach pre-school children in their homes in the mornings and in return received a small salary which helped them pay for their own education in the afternoons. Women from the slums were being given a small loan to start a business and the repayment was made possible from their profits. These opportunities have not only raised the self-esteem of the women and girls, but also helped raise the standard of living for poor families. One woman started with one sewing machine and now has seven machines and employs fifteen women. Jill said that one woman had saved up for a rickshaw for her husband so he could work and lent her son some money to start a video stall! Many Christians in Bangladesh are being persecuted for their faith, but are standing firm. It was encouraging that many people were coming to Christ after having a dream in which they saw Jesus with outstretched arms calling them to come to Him. Jill asks that we would join her in praying for the Christians of Bangladesh and for the pastors, teachers, women and children who heard of the love of Jesus through her visit and for the on-going work of HEED. PRAYER POINT
Robyn Claydon
Editors Note: Learn more about the current work of the Lausanne Women's Network. |
