Angel Food

Here is another post by Alyssa concerning her time volunteering for Angel Food.

Angel food Ministries provides a cheap alternative to grocery shopping. A benefit to angel food is it can provide for families that are small to families that are very large. Angel food Ministry has a website where people order and then they come pick it up at the nearest place that partners with Angel Food.

There is only one place in Williamsburg that partners with Angel Food and that is CrossWalk Community Church.  Every third Saturday of the month people come and pick up their food from CrossWalk.  The process is run very smoothly. People drive up in front of the church, and the volunteers get their receipt and bring the food out to them. There are also volunteers who will pray with them. I recently had a chance to volunteer with Angel Food. It was a great experience, and I would love to do it again. It was a blessing to be able to pray with the people and meet the members of my community.  If you have any questions about volunteering with Angel Food Ministries you can call Crosswalk Community Church. If you would like to order or receive more information about Angel Food Ministries go to http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

God’s Closet

We have an intern in our Outreach department here at CrossWalk. Her name is Alyssa, and she recently volunteered for God’s Closet. She wrote a short post to share with  you what has been going on at God’s Closet.

God’s closet is an organization that Crosswalk Community Church supports. The purpose of God’s Closet is to bless needy families with clothing and household items.  The operator of this organization is Carole Nesslerodt. She manages God’s Closet from her home. She and a few other people recently went on a mission trip around Hampton Roads community and gave winter clothing to the people who are in need. I recently had a chance to volunteer with God’s Closet. When I got there, she took me to where she keeps all the donations, and we started separating clothes by gender, size, and age. Carole has two attics filled with clothes. She explained that, although it seems like alot, they had recently given away alot of clothes and they used to have much more. If you are intrested in serving with God’s Closet or giving a donation please leave a comment or contact the church office and somone will conact you with more information.

- Alyssa Madison

Haiti Cholera Update from the Field

After a break that I’ll call an extended maternity leave, I will be back to posting on the blog! I would first like to post an update from Pastor Augustine of Bethanie Evangelical Mission of Haiti.

“Dear Friends in Christ,
 
As  I am writing this letter my heart full with sorrow and compassion for my fellow citizen.  Last thursday we had a fasting prayer meeting at the church with many saints crying before the Lord for the people. Sunday morning we raised several prayer requests on behalf of the people. What is going on in Haiti is like the  plaques in Egypt.
 
According to the health Department:  1,344 people already died with the cholera. The hospital in Les Cayes already identified several cases. Even some police came from Port-au-Prince with the disease. Bethanie Mission is getting prepared. We already purchased a thousand of serum oral, foods and other medicines to go to the area more affected either PAP or Saint Mack
 
WE need your prayers if God doesn’t intervene rapidly Haiti will face the greatness epidemic that we never have before in our history.  I believe our God is a God of love and compassion, please pray that through our prayers and intercessions God will stop the angel of death in our nation.
 
Yours in Christ Harvest,
 
Pastor Ignace Augustin”

On a lighter note, the children from the orphanage in Haiti want to wish you a Merry Christmas!

Pray for our Missonaires

Have you ever wondered how to best pray for a missionary? Here is a fantastic article that gives great advice about what to pray for: How to Pray for Missionaries.

Check out our page “CW supported Missions” to find some great missionaries that you can pray for. If you would like to be added to a missionary’s email prayer list to receive regular updates, email me at alexis.johnson@crosswalk.cc.

Haiti Mission Team

Please continue to pray for the Haiti Mission Team. They return home on April 24. Here are some facebook comments and photos from some of the team:

Michael said: “Just got to preach for 2 services in the Haitian Church!!! What an experience! All is well and the papaya is AMAZING!” “Digging footers in Haiti for a new building that happen to have some sewage run off :-/” “Learned a lot about prayer from the people of Haiti tonight.”

Judy said: “Michael talked in both services today using an interpreter. We are sleepless in Haiti, but hope to catch up on that tonight.” “The children in the Bethanie Mission school all wanted me to take their picture. A camera with instant feedback helps bridge the language barrier.” “We spent some time today with the school children. They wanted to try on my chapo (hat).”

Angel said: “Haiti team is safe and sound. Pray for us everyone! 6 hour drive from Port au prince to Les Cayes was very very interesting!”

Heidi said: “Went to the orphanage yesterday! Kids are adorable! Went to the school today. Kids were so excited. Wanted to touch our hair. We tickled them and hugged them. They unbuttoned their shirts just so I would button them back up. Prayer meeting tomorrow night.”

This is the team at 1am preparing to leave for the airport

Earthquake damage

At the church in Les Cayes

Sunday Morning service in Les Cayes

The Tatar People

Location: While most of the Tatar people live in Volga region of Russia, there are sizeable colonies in every republic in the former Soviet Union.

Population: There are approximately 5,416,000 Tatar people in Russia. Around the world, there are approximately 6,719,000 Tatar people.

History: The Tatar have had a strong civilization since the tenth century. Their culture survived the Mongol invasion of the thirteenth century and the Russian conquest of the sixteenth century. In the 1800′s, Tatar cities ranked among the greatest cultural centers of the Islamic world. Today, the Tatar are a settled people, mostly peasants and merchants, who have completely lost their traditional tribal structure. Many of those in the Volga region work on community farms where they raise grains, hemp, legumes, and other fodder crops.

Culture: “Among the Tatar, the father is the legal head of the household. He is also in charge of the family income and how it is spent. The women usually cook, carry water, wash clothes, and tend to the livestock, while the men do more strenuous labor in the fields. Most Tatar are well educated. There are 1800 libraries in Tatarstan, having over 20 million books in Tatar. The Tatar people enjoy the arts – especially theatre, the orchestra, opera, and ballet. Although the Tatar are primarily Islamic, many still observe sabantuy, or “rites of spring.” This is an ancient agricultural festival that is celebrated simultaneously with the anniversary of the founding of the Russian Tatar Republic on June 25. These celebrations have their origins in Shamanism (the belief in an unseen world of gods, demons, and ancestral spirits). The younger generation of Tatar wear contemporary city-style clothing. However, the older, collective farm members wear traditional dress. Many Tatar will identify themselves as Muslims before they will identify themselves as Tatar. Unlike devout Muslims, however, 25% of the Tatar will eat pork, and very few observe the prescribed Islamic fasts.” (see below)

Language: They speak Tatar, however, in urban areas more than 30% of them primarily speak Russian.

Religion: Most are Hanafite Muslim. Some beliefs in supernatural powers such as the “evil eye” still exist from their pre-Islamic days. Islam has had a stronghold on the Tatar people since the ninth century, but their beliefs are typically much more liberal than Orthodox Muslims of Central Asia. Some examples of this are that prayer times are modified in some places so as not to conflict with work schedules, and women are sometimes encouraged to join men at the mosques for prayer.

The Spread of the Gospel: The Tatar people’s views of Christianity has been scarred by the Russian Orthodox church. The Russian Orthodox church attempted to convert the Tatar people through coercion. During the 1600′s and 1800′s, their mosques were frequently burned. Those who “converted” by these measures converted back to Islam when the oppression ended. In 2001, the New Testiment, Genesis, Proverbs, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Ruth and Esther were translated into Tatar. The need for those willing to reach these people is great. Less than 2% are Evangelical Christians.

Reference: www.joshuaproject.net

The Arapaho People

Pronunciation: “Uh-RAH-puh-hoe”

Location: The Arapaho people are a Native American tribe that is split up into Northern and Southern tribes. The Northern tribe is mainly on a reservation in Wyoming and the Southern tribe is mainly on trust land in Oklahoma.

Poplutaion: There are approximately 9,000-7,000 Arapaho people living in the United States.

History: Early tradition suggests that they lived in permanent villages in the eastern woodlands, where they practiced agriculture. As they moved westward into the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming, they began to split into northern and southern groups. Similar to other Plains tribes, the Arapaho were nomadic, living in teepees and following the buffalo as a primary resource. They took part in trading with other Indians such as the Mandan and Arikara. Bands of the Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians lived in Colorado until November 1864 when the Sand Creek Massacre, and its aftermath, drove them from the territory.

Government: Each Arapaho tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Arapahos are also US citizens and must obey American law.

Language: Arapaho people speak English today. Some elders also speak their native Arapaho language. Here are a few easy Arapaho words: “hebe” (pronounced “heh-beh”) is a greeting used among men, “tous” (pronounced “tose”) is a greeting used among women, and “hahou” (pronounced ha-ho) means “thank you.” Today Arapaho is an endangered language because most children aren’t learning it anymore. Because the Arapaho tribes were merged into two other tribes who didn’t understand Arapaho, it was very difficult for them to preserve their traditional language. However, some Arapaho people are still working to keep their language alive.

Religion: They have their own tribal religion. Everyday objects and actions have an important and symbolic meaning. Like other tribes, they practice the sun dance. Old stories tell of a sacred pipe that was always carried ahead of the northern tribe on their travels. The pipe-bearer would signal the beginning and end of the day’s journey. At night, the tribe would make a circle and camp around the pipe-bearer. The northern tribe of Arapaho still possesses the pipe.

Recent News: In July 2005, Arapahos won a contentious court battle with the State of Wyoming to get into the gaming or casino industry. The 10th Circuit Court ruled that the State of Wyoming was acting in bad faith when it would not negotiate with the Arapahos for gaming. Presently, the Arapaho Tribe owns and operates high-stakes, Class III gaming at the Wind River Casino, Little Wind Casino and 789 Smoke Shop and Casino. They are regulated by a Gaming Commission composed of three Tribal members. The Northern Arapaho Tribe opened the first casinos in Wyoming.

The Spread of the Gospel: They are an unreached people group, and it is estimated that there are between .01% and 2% Evangelical Christians. The Arapaho people are very traditional people, and they have lived hundreds of years with a traditional belief system. When Jesus was finally introduced, His message was clouded by harshness and demands to conform to societal standards. The God of Christianity was misrepresented as a harsh taskmaster. Traditional beliefs and practices were discouraged, leaving Native peoples without a spiritual foundation. That spirit of aimlessness has only increased since.

Adrift without a moral compass, kids are easy prey for an enemy who eagerly tempts and leads them to destruction and death. Suicide becomes an option to young people who believe the enemy’s lies and embrace the hopelessness he sells them. Although the Arapaho people have a rich cultural heritage, they struggle to live as a healthy community. They deal with alcoholism and drug abuse, diabetes, broken families, and limited economic opportunities. Local Christians are convinced that the Gospel message provides answers and offers life-giving hope.

Prayer Requests: Pray that the people’s eyes would be open to the gospel. Pray that that strongholds of gambling, alcoholism, and drug use would be broken. Pray that they would see the true God of the universe who wishes to bring them peace.

References: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/northamerica/arapaho.html, http://www.bigorrin.org/arapaho_kids.htm, Wikipedia, Joshua Project, Adventures in Missions)

The Culture of the Least Reached

I would like to do a series on highlighting the cultures of a few of the least reached people groups in our world. Each culture is unique and beautiful in it’s own way. In order to effectively minister in a different culture, you must first become a student of that culture.

Here is a very interesting article called Does Missions Destroy Culture? God wants each culture to worship Him with their own expressions. Imagine what it will be like around the throne with all the different cultures worshiping Him!

Haiti

Another email from Mike concerning Pastor Ignace:
“Andia, Pastor Ignace’ daughter who lives in St. Louis, is leaving for Haiti Monday with a team from Tennessee. Pray for their team to be effective in ministering to the needs of the people in Port au Prince.

As of today, we have received $44,233.00 for earthquake relief. Pastor Ignace has received some of this money and I will wire the rest of it to him this coming week. Pastor Ignace said to me in a recent email that, “I am glad money began to come because there are many important things to do to assist the people. When you arrive, we will discuss the possibility of building some temporary shelters for the people before the rainy season – perhaps for four or five thousand homeless. Remember there are over one million people homeless in the capital.”

Pastor Ignace also said to “remember to ask our supporters to pray for Haiti, especially in Les Cayes. According to some scientists, probably we may have another earthquake in Les Cayes. We will have three days of prayers and fasting on February 12th, 13th, and 14th by all the churches in the country. God wants to bring the nation to repentance. After the earthquake thousands of souls came to Christ. Glory to God.”

I, along with Pastor Ignace’ daughter Nehemie, and a medical team of 19, plan to leave the 15th. Nehemie will do interpreting for the doctors. We still are not definite on how we will get to Port au Prince. Missionary Flights International is not definite on scheduling so we are still up in the air about how to get to Haiti. We thought it was definite but then we were told we don’t have a guarantee yet. So be in prayer for us that the Lord’s favor will rest upon our team. Pray that all will work out as the Lord desires. “The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.” We make plans but the Lord determines the outcome!

Keep on praying! Remember the dates Pastor Ignace mentioned and let’s agree with the Haitian Christians for their concerns.

God bless you. Your support has meant so much to Ignace and Franchette and the Bethanie churches.

With Love,
Mike & Jean”

Haiti Update

Here is an email from Pastor Ignace Dated January 21:

“Yesterday, January 20, with a team of 20 people from our main church in Les Cayes, we left our compound at 4:00 a.m. and headed to Port-au-Prince. We arrived there at 9:00 a.m. We went with two vehicles, a big yellow school bus and a pickup truck with the goal of distributing aid. We were armed with shoes, clothes of all sizes – even for babies, bras for women, underwear for men and women, pads for women, lotion, shampoo, toothbrushes, laundry detergent, sheets, soap, spaghetti, beans, rice, bread, 5,000 water bags and 20 gallons of water. We even had basins!

To make this possible, we had asked our congregation to bring clothes in good condition. We were amazed at their generosity! They did not have any money to give but they brought LOTS and LOTS of clothes. They also dedicated their time to make packages for their fellow brothers and sisters from Port-au-Prince. From 2:00 p.m. and all through the night, they worked tirelessly to measure the food, put different sizes of clothes in the bags – until it was time for us to go.

Prior to us leaving, we had contacted several pastor friends of ours in different parts of Port-au-Prince, in hope to cover as many areas as possible. We had chosen churches as places of distribution because these churches are the pillars of the community. When we arrived, we divided our team in two. Ignace was with one group. Franchette was with another.

Our first stop was in Carrefour, the epicenter of the earthquake. We gave supplies to about 400 people. Then we went to Delmas 33. There, we met Pastor Luc St. Felix, and we gave him and the elders of the church enough food to feed 500 people.

We also went back to our Bethanie Church in La Plaine. And there, we distributed food to about 250 people. Our fourth stop was Bourdon at the Church of God Headquarters. There were a lot of people there. We were so surprised by the crowd. We started distributing and 1,600 people benefited but there were so many people that we just left the food to be distributed.

We used the assembly line technique to distribute the supplies and we did not expose them all at once. Then, we went back to Delmas 31, at the St. Louis de Gonzague School, which is a big locale. There were so many people – thousands and thousands! We requested the help of the local police, and that was the only camp that we had requested the help of the police, due to the size of the crowd. We gave food to about 800 people. People started to be unruly at one point, and we left the food with some leaders that we had identified.

Church of God of Prophecy on the Bicentenaire was another place that was filled with people. We estimated about 900 to be there. We did not stay to distribute but we gave the supplies to the committee of the church. We did the same thing for the Church Théophile of Martissant. We left supplies with the pastor and the committee of the church for about 600 people in their community.

Souray is a place where people sleep on the streets with nothing but sheets to cover themselves (even before the earthquake). We gave supplies to 150 people on the lower part of Souray and to 200 people on the upper side of Souray.

We worked nonstop and did not even take a break for lunch or dinner. It was hard to navigate at times in PAP because of the debris on the streets and obstacles but we were able to make all of our stops.

On our way back at 7:00 p.m., about an hour into our drive, around the city of Leogane, our school bus began to overheat. We would put water in the radiator, and it would not stay in. It would flow back out (refouler in French). We would put in more water, wait for it to cool and repeat that process over again. When we got to Ti-Goave, and noticed that the bus was overheating even more, we stopped. We took the women with us in the pickup and headed to Les Cayes. The men stayed with Jean-Marie (our driver) and the bus. We ended up getting into Les Cayes at 2:30 in the morning.

We brought back some injured people with us but their cases were not as severe.

We would like to share a particular story that struck us. On our way back to Les Cayes around Cote Plage (Carrefour), we were flagged by a woman on a motorcycle taxi. We asked her where she was going and she told us that she was trying to leave PAP to go to Léogane. In her hands was something wrapped. When she stepped on the bus, we realized that what she was holding were twin babies of a month and a half. They were just discharged from the hospital. She told us that we were angels sent from God. We gave her clothes for her baby and her family, some food and some money and dropped her off in Léogane.

We hope to be used by God to reach as many people as possible. We also have medical teams that will be coming up in the weeks to come from the States and hope to provide care to those refugees that are now in Les Cayes.

Thank you for keeping Haiti in your prayers and hearts.”