When a group of young people gets behind a project, amazing things can happen. On September 7, 2017, students at Timothy Christian School in Chicago hosted an Epic Burger Battle to raise funds for Hurricane Harvey response in Texas through World Renew’s Disaster Response Services (DRS).
With funding from Baker Health, on-the-ground support from the Anglican Diocese of Niassa in Mozambique, and a church reaching out to its community, beliefs and attitudes about nutrition are changing in the community of Chapitas. This slow and critical work is done person by person, with community members learning, applying, and then sharing nutritional advice that is making a real difference in the lives of children and families there. Here is the story of one of those changed minds changing the minds of others.
Did you know there is a Christian Reformed Church in Haiti? The Eglise Chretienne Reformee d’Haiti, or ECRH, was legally recognized in 1999 and currently has 45 affiliated churches in seven geographic departments.
Can you believe it’s already been three months since people in the southern US and Puerto Rico were pounded by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria? Time marches on, but the urgency to help hasn’t subsided. Thousands of people are still displaced from their hurricane-damaged homes.
What do you see when you look around you in
What do you see when you look around you in
“But once in Puerto Rico and talking with several Christian
This year’s hurricane season has been historically catastrophic. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria were the first, fourth, and fifth costliest storms on record and affected millions, leaving thousands upon hundreds of thousands displaced or homeless. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the need. Where to start?
Have you experienced loss or suffering in your life? How did you respond and what was your relationship with God like during that time? These are some of the questions that were asked as I participated in a Trauma Healing workshop this month. The main facilitators were Mary Crickmore, World Renew’s team leader for West Africa, and Dorothy Taft from the American Bible Society. One of the interesting parts of this training included writing a lament similar to the psalms that King David wrote. Laments are a way for someone to express fully and freely to God whatever complaints they have while recognizing the constant love and care He provides.
Amal and Mohammad, Loay’s parents, celebrated his birth in early 2013, when the war in Syria was growing more violent by the day. In this Syrian family’s hometown, bombings were becoming a regular occurrence and many families were forced to flee for their safety. Shortly after Loay’s birth, Amal and Mohammed took their firstborn son and fled the only home they had ever known. They hoped to come back someday. Loay’s name, meaning small but strong, was a symbol of their resilience and determination to carry on until their return to Syria. Resettlement to a third country such as Canada was an option that rarely crossed their minds.