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November 2008
Isabell in Argentina with Latin Link: Part 1   Compassion   Peru 2009   EnerJ

Isabell in Argentina with Latin Link: Part 1

Hola mes amigos,

I bring back greetings to you from my host church in Villa Monica, Salta, Argentina where I spent 4 weeks this summer with a Latin Link ‘Step’ team and a further 3 weeks myself.

I was part of a short-term mission team who were placed with a church fellowship on the outskirts of Salta, a city about the size of Edinburgh in Northern Argentina. Our purpose was to build relationships and help with plastering and decorating parts of the church and the Pastor’s house. We were also able to be involved with all the church activities which included a feeding programme for children in the community surrounding the church. The team took money to help with practical tasks. All had been raised by the respective churches and fellowships of the team members.

The team was made up of a family with 3 children [all under ten] and 4 ladies.

I left home on the evening of Monday 4th August and it was raining [as it had been for much of the summer] but there was a beautiful double rainbow over East Calder. I believe that God made me notice this and remember His promises down through the ages to His people.

I met up with the other members of the team at Gatwick Airport as arranged and we all checked-in; very relieved to pass over our heavy bags into the safe care of the airlines. Our allowance was 46 kg and we made use of this to take out crafts, books, clothes, toys and sports equipment.

We flew via Madrid and arrived in Buenos Aires at 9 a.m. on Wednesday 6th. After a futile wait for our baggage we continued across the city to the domestic airport and on to Salta, where we arrived at 4 p.m. We were greeted by the local Latin Link missionaries, Priscilla and Danny, and taken to the church to be introduced to Pastor Thomas Guzman, who greeted us warmly.

Instead of sleeping in the church on mattresses, to our surprise the Pastor took us across the road to the flat which had been prepared for us by the congregation. Our first indication that God was working with us came when we realised that our sleeping bags [which are still travelling??] would not in fact be needed as beds with blankets were provided for us. 

Thursday was spent with Priscilla and Danny receiving ‘orientation’ i.e. information about local customs and practices. The thing that we found most difficult to adjust to was the drinking of ‘mate’. This is a non-alcoholic hot herbal drink which has the same effect as caffeine and is shared socially using the same cup and ‘straw’. We had a taste of it during our orientation. The other difference was the custom of hugging and kissing cheeks as a friendly greeting. For example, when joining a meeting you would greet everyone present in this fashion, no matter how many were present or whether you had already met them several times that day.

Friday was the start of our work involvement with the church. Our first ‘lesson’ was the ‘laid-back’ approach to getting into a job. Pastor Thomas indicated the places where we were to work then disappeared, returning an hour later with the materials and then instructed us in the precise method to be used. Along with Debbie [a clinical scientist from Cambridge] my task was to sand-down walls that first day. Angie [a development worker with Holy Trinity Church in Wester-Hailes] and Sarah [an architect from London] along with the children [Cathryn, Hayley and Nathan] were helping in the kitchen to prepare vegetables for the ‘Comidor los Ninos’ mid-day meal. Susan and Mike, our team leaders, were involved in liaising with Pastor Thomas and the purchasing of required materials.

This formed the pattern for most of the first 3 weeks.

Our baggage did eventually arrive on the first Friday night but was 50% lighter as many items had been taken out by persons unknown.

Our team had an allocation of money specifically for building works and it became obvious to Pastor Thomas that this was more than could be used up by painting and decorating. He asked if he could have new roofing on the church building as the existing roof was not watertight, resulting in the building becoming flooded during the heavy downpours of summer. After a 3-way discussion which included Priscilla a decision was made to pay for the re-roofing of the church. The total cost of this was about 6000 pesos [£1200], a sum well outside the Church’s means. Pastor Thomas immediately organised the materials, scaffolding and a roofer, together with volunteers from the church. The job was started at 8a.m. on one day and finished the next day by 5p.m. It was not a job which we could have tackled but there was a lot of associated cleaning which we did help with.

The prayers of the church that week were focussed on thanks to God for His blessing to them in this unexpected way as well as for our involvement in the work.

The ongoing daily work of the kitchen was done mainly by ladies from the congregation whose payment was food for their own children each day. The ‘Comidor los Ninos’ fed approximately 120 children from the surrounding area whose families were unable to provide enough for the large number of children in each family [often as many as 10].

Each member of the team was able to build relationships with the Pastor’s family and the church family. Through these friendships we were able to become aware of people’s true family situations, often finding real hardships in their struggle to exist on low wages, long hours and lack of opportunities.
We were made very welcome and quickly became part of the church, helping out where we could with individual skills and the materials that we had brought. 
This period with the ‘Step’ team ended with a 3 day holiday break touring beauty spots in the Argentinian Andes.

In Part 2 next month I intend to cover the 3-week period when I was in the same church on my own.

Adios mes amigos, Dios te bendiga.

I WANT TO BE NORMAL-
Daniel stood at the edge of a busy soccer field, watching other boys run after a faded ball. He turned to shuffle home slowly, their happy shouts pressing on his back.

By the time Daniel arrived home, tears pooled in his dark eyes. ‘I just want to play with the other kids’, he told his mother as she wiped his streaked face with the hem of her apron. ‘I want to be normal’

POVERTY BLOCKS TREATMENT
As an infant, Daniel was diagnosed with flat feet and deformed knees. His body grew at odd angles causing his knees to turn inwards. While not life-threatening, his condition worsened over time and prevented him from running and playing with his friends. If he had been a child in the developed world Daniel’s condition would have been treated simply. But in his home town of Lorna Bonita, Mexico, where families struggle to live on four pounds a day, doctor visits are reserved for the wealthy.

Eventually, Daniel’s condition worsened. He became withdrawn, unable to play with other children and embarrassed by their schoolyard taunts.

AN IMPROVED LIFE
When Daniel was six, his parents registered him at the local Compassion project. There, workers helped Daniel’s parents find an orthopaedic doctor, who fitted Daniel with corrective shoes and braces. A physical therapist taught him exercises to strengthen his knees.

As Daniel’s condition improved so did his outlook. Daniel, who is now eight, plays with his friends and eagerly attends the student centre each week and he loves writing letters to his sponsor.  Those letters, along with the hours Daniel spends at the physical therapist’s office each month, have inspired him to be a doctor when he grows up.

“I know God will give me strength and that I will keep getting better,” says Daniel. “God is all-powerful, and he will help me be a doctor one day.”

By Brandy Campbell Compassion International, with Elvia Garcia in Compassion Mexico.

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Compassion Sunday- On Sunday 21st September at Kirknewton and East Calder we had the privilege to hear from Sheiba Mbabazi (a former Compassion sponsored child) about her life as a child in the Compassion project in Masaka near Kampala. Hundreds of churches across the UK took part in this year’s campaign and, as sponsorships continue to pour in, we believe that more than 2,000 children have been released from poverty as a result.

A retiral collection was taken after both services and a light buffet lunch was held in East Calder Church Hall, all money donated was given to the Compassion Child Survival Programme located in Kajiado district in the rift valley region of Kenya.

The area faces numerous poverty related problems. The area is extremely poor and unemployment and prostitution are commonplace. However, there have been great improvements in these areas since the establishment of the Compassion Child Survival Programme.

Pregnant mothers are provided with prenatal medical checkups and a safe birthing experience. Mothers also learn how to prepare healthy nutritious meals for their children and how to prevent, identify and treat commonplace childhood illnesses. To help them they receive first aid kits, mosquito nets, and storage containers for their homes. Compassion empowers mothers and caregivers with literacy and economic training to help provide for their families.  Adults are also educated in the prevention of Aids.

We thank all those who helped out on Compassion Sunday at both churches and a big thank you to Fred and Rita Fielding, Mabel Hope and Shona Ewins for the buffet tea.

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Share Compassion with your friends this Christmas - Wesley Owen bookshops have selected Compassion as their charity of the year and will be selling a number of cards to raise funds for Compassion’s work.

The cards have been designed by Compassion child Tadheus Putra Restaquilla. 10 per cent of the sales generated from these cards will go toward the work of Compassion.
The cards are available from Wesley Owen bookshops across the UK or on line at www.wesleyowen.co.uk.
This is a wonderful way to support children across the world and introduce Compassion to your friends and family.

Tadheus Putra Restaquilla is a 13 year- old from Java, Indonesia. In addition to the practical benefits he received at the Compassion programme, Tadheus was encouraged to pursue his talent in art and he is truly grateful for his God-given talent. He says, “I’m very happy to serve the Lord with the talent I have”

Peru 2009

 

Anyone wishing to join the Church Work Party to Peru next year with the Vine Trust (Registered Charity No SC017386) please collect an application pack from Robert Alexander.

EnerJ

It was great to welcome everyone back for our new session and encouraging to see some new children joining us for the first time. We would love to see our numbers rising even higher this session and would ask you not only to pray for the children who are already with us but to encourage any youngsters who live near you to join us too.

Our team of leaders remains the same as last year and we are looking forward to working together over the coming months.

Over the last few years we have continued to fund raise for the Street children in Peru. This year, although keeping our contact with Peru, we have decided to raise money specifically for the Senales Centre in Lima. This centre supports deaf children and adults in Lima and surrounding area, with some people travelling for hours to attend. They provide many services including sign language classes and education together with Social Work. Without this centre deaf people would have very little hope of communication.

As Jill visited this centre for 2 weeks during the summer and left with a lasting impression it is hoped that she will be able to come along to EnerJ to keep us up to date with this very worthwhile cause. The leaders and children of EnerJ feel it is really important to continue this connection with God’s children in another part of the world who are less fortunate than themselves.

We will again donate 20% of all our offerings (including retiring collections from the Church) to the fund. We also hope to have our own stall at the Christmas Fair to boost our fundraising.

Our Christmas party this year will take place on Saturday 13th December and we plan to have a Nativity in the hall on the afternoon of Sunday 14th December.

We would ask that you continue to remember the children and leaders of EnerJ in your prayers in what looks like becoming another very busy and exciting year for us!