Shoutlouder

Pray for the Karen People

// June 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // Missions, Prayer

I just got this email from a member of our church who is currently working in the mission field out in Burma / Thailand. It’s horrible to think what is happening – but I firmly believe we have a God who reigns over all things and His promises are that He will respond to our prayers… if we just ask “in His name”. I’ve included the email here for you to read in Fiona’s own words. Please do pray!

I am just writing with a prayer request. If you have a chance i would appreciate your support in prayer. Thank you!

Last week i moved out to a village school called No Boh, it is on Thai soil but very close to the Thai-Burmese border, near a village called Maesalit and approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes from Maesot, a large border town. I am volunteering through an organisation called ‘Partners’ and had planned to teach English for 1 month before returning to the UK at the end of June.

All the children in the school (from age 10-20) are Karen children (an ethnic group from Burma). Most of the children come to the school from nearby refugee camps or leave their families in Burma and cross the border to study at the school. They mostly all live in dorms there and are almost all Christians as the Karen are a Christian people.

After i had been teaching there for a few days, i received word that the Burmese Army (SPDC) troops were advancing on the otherside of the river/border and preparing to fight and that i would have to leave. After one rather sleepless night with my belongings packed by my bed as instructed, ready to run if necessary, i was picked up and driven back to Maesot.

The children and teachers are still there. Since then the situation has escalated dramatically. Troops have been restrengthened and there are now 1000′s of Burmese SPDC troops in this border area on the Burmese side. The troops are trying to take over land along a stretch of approximately 30km of the border that has previously belonged to the Karen people, and are forcing the Karen people from this land. They have fired 60 rounds of mortars into the Karen area, and are forcing any people they find to work as porters carrying their supplies, or to walk ahead of them and clear the area of landmines. At this point they have not started full-scale fighting or burnt any houses, but this is likely to follow.

The Karen resistance force (Karen National Union) are attempting to defend the land and the remaining people. There are still many people hiding in the jungle and trying to flee into Thailand.

At this point in time 4200 people have fled the Karen land and crossed the border into Thailand. These displaced people were forced to flee with their families, children and all they could carry of their belongings. Some are sheltering in a Thai school, temples, and caves but others have no where to shelter. It is monsoon season and right now the pouring rain is relentless. ‘Partners’ have supplied as much food, clothing and medical aid as is financially possible up to this point but no other NGO’s have provided supplies over the weekend. Thai soldiers at checkpoints along the route make it very difficult for aid to successfully get through to the people.

Please pray:

- for the thousands of people who have fled and are still fleeing
- for other and larger NGOs to respond to the huge and immediate need
- for aid to get through the checkpoints
- for compassion from Thai people towards the displaced people
- for the KNU as they defend their land
- that the SPDC will not be able to cross onto Thai soil (this happened previously in 2001)
- for defeat and retreat of the SPDC

Reading reports like this, it is easy to forget that each one of those 4000+ people is an individual, with a life, hopes, fears and a family. Please do not forget the Karen people, who have been fleeing in this way for many years. Pray for peace for Burma and an end to the evil miltary junta’s rule over the country. Pray for democracy and justice.

For more information about Partners, or to donate money: www.partnersworld.org. If you would like your money designated to this situation please let them know.
For more information about the situation in Burma: www.freeburmarangers.org
For up-to-date reporting on the fighting: www.irrawaddy.org

I am hoping to be able to return to No Boh school as soon as possible but until then will be teaching at another school in a different area.

God bless you, and thank you
Fiona

it’s time to stop trying to SAVE people

// October 11th, 2008 // No Comments » // Evangelism, Inspiration, Missions

The last week has certainly been an interesting one. My dear wife Gosia has been having a few breast feeding issues over the last few weeks that eventually led us to turning up to A&E on Tuesday morning to try and get some final resolution to the problem. Turned out she’d developed an abcess (not nice but quite common from the sounds of it) and so needed a small op to sort things out. Well a small op on the NHS usually means waiting until a theatre is available on a long list and so finally on Friday morning after 3 nights waiting (mostly in a hospital room) she finally got sorted.

I’m writing this from the Hospital cafe (which is frustratingly shut cause I need a decent coffee) on a Saturday morning with the hope that at some point today she may be able to come home. The odd benefit of the week however has been some quality time spent with my daughter who now finally knows who I am after spending the last few months busily working too hard. Even Gosia joked this week – “So this is what I have to do to finally get some time with you…”! Bit extreme…

The other benefit of the week has been interacting with a whole host of different people and the few conversations that have taken place that will hopefully see them move one step closer to God!

One step closer?

One step closer – that’s an odd thing in this day and age as it seems the world has locked itself into the mentality of a junk food, fast food, want it now or not at all type of thinking. It’s even worked its way into our churches and our understanding of Christian living. Christians find themselves all over the world being given the unrealistic fast food challenge to ‘save’ people every week, to ‘get’ people to church in any way possible. Churches think that by posting a billboard, handing out a few flyers and starting church with a ‘contemporary item’ that people are going to fall over themselves to get saved and ‘hey presto’ we have revival.

The problem with that kind of thinking is the misconception of our role on planet earth! The key determining factors that make it possible for eternity to invade the broken heart of a person is completly beyond any of our control! After all wasn’t it God who said “I build the church – you just grow and water it“? We can encourage it, we can engage in the journey, we can add salt and seasoning to the taste of it – but for us to be able to ‘save’ someone infers that we hold some divine ability to personally reconnect the eternal power supply to a broken and sin ridden life. If that was the case then wouldn’t we be doing it every week, every day, every conversation…

The truth is that we’re not called to SAVE we’re simply called to RECONCILE and they are two incredibly different things! Jesus saves – we simply set up the appointment! (2 Corinthians 5:17-20) Father God’s role for His people was never to get worked up trying to do the work of the divine – that’s all done and dusted… the chasm has been crossed, the bridge has been built, the path paved and grace lined up for every person! All that He’s waiting for now is for His people to point others towards the gate… that’s where we come in!

We’re the signpost, the appointment maker, the introducer, the match-maker, the salesman at the door, the Big-issue worker standing on corner, the announcer over the tanoy, the lighthouse pointing to safe-harbour… all we can do is attempt to connect and engage with people in our world so that THEY can make a decision to walk towards the bridge emblazoned with the word Eternity.

I’ll expand on this thought in some posts over the next couple of weeks! I hope you’ll join me in discussing what it really means to be His witnesses to the end of the earth!

a trip to Christians Against Poverty

// August 8th, 2008 // No Comments » // Evangelism, Leadership, Missions

Had the great pleasure to visit the CAP offices this morning at the invitation of Matt Barlow – the UK Chief Executive. The main reason for the invite was due to the increasing number of my congregation who are being employed at the Head Office based in Bradford City Centre. So it was good to connect with Matt and get a chance to see first hand the place that everyone raves about… and they have good reason too..

CAP’s head quarters is an old mill that has been converted into a large open place office space keeping some of the old features. The main floor you enter onto is effectively a massive attic complete with sweeping glass windows that make up the entire wall and overlook the city centre of Bradford. You can’t help but stop and stare across the city in awe as you take in the mass of humanity that is sprawled before you – a mass of lives currently living under the weight of the ‘credit crunch’ which makes CAP’s work even more important as across the nation it seeks to help people out of the often overpowering and crushing weight of debt.

CAP won the award for the No.1 Small Business in this years Sunday Times competition. No mean feat at all – and the award sits pride of place amongst a whole heap of awards and recognitions that this incredible organisation duly deserve.

It’s amazing that it all started in the heart of just one man – a passionate John Kirkby who just wanted to make a difference. Now there are over 90 staff and even more being employed each month in a business that is funded entirely by the generosity of CAP ‘Life Changers’ who give monthly and then through the sponsorship and donations provided by businesses, banks and individuals. Plus on top of that there are now CAP centres open in churches across the nation and now – thanks to a chance meeting with Ps Phil Pringle at the last Fabulous Conference – CAP are opening up centres in Australia and elsewhere around the world.

It truly is a remarkable achievement and goes to show what can happen when someone takes a hold of the God given vision that God has placed in their heart. The untold stories are the countless thousands of lives who are being freed from debt every year through their work – plus the many who don’t just receive freedom from debt but also freedom in Christ through the witness and prayerful support of the staff and workers across all the centres.

As I sat with Matt chatting over the coffee a Bell rung in the office and I found myself experiencing first hand the gathering of the entire office staff to hear about the two people who have just become Christians through the work of CAP. As we stood there listening to the testimony and praying for the individuals you could see the faces of the staff members being refreshed and filled with a new sense of purpose and vision, realising that the job they were doing is more than just a job – its changing lives for eternity! The bell ringing is a daily occurance – even happening up to two times a day – and no one ever tires of the interuption..

It really is quite a profound thing that God has done and I count it a privilege to be connected to what is happening – not just through the members of the congregation who are staff members – but also as this week we signed up as a CAP Money church. This means we’ll have 4 trained members of the congregation who can run CAP’s new Money course with a small group of people – giving basic financial advice and support to everyone. It’s an opportunity to share with people the simple basics of how NOT to get into debt – but also a door of opportunity to share something of God’s love in people’s lives.

If you want to support CAP then make sure you visit their website at www.capuk.org – and if you’re interested as a church at getting involved then give them a call!

catching up with the hartlands…

// August 4th, 2008 // No Comments » // Interview, Missions

I love the fact that these days you can sit on either side of the planet and have a conversation with another person as easily as if they were across the desk from you – and you can do it for free (if you discount the cost of the computer, software, broadband connection, wireless router… yeh great ‘free!’)

Every now and then I get the opportunity to Skype with Rich & Katie Hartland. They’ve been part of Hope City Church for years – Rich originally arriving as student early in the days of my student pastoring. He eventually became part of the student team in Sheffield, then when he and Katie got together, got involved in the kids ministry ending up in Leeds as we took things on. But it had been a call of God on their lives for a number of years to go out and work with a church and mission in the Phillipines.

Last year we had the awesome privlidge of sending them out with the knowledge that they would have at least 2 years support from us as a church to ensure they could get on and make a difference. And a difference they are making..

I’m going to interview Rich & Katie this week on skype as a way of catching up with how things are going – but before I do I thought it would be great to pull together some questions from those of you who are interested in missions work and want to know ask something a little more searching than – ‘so how’s things?’

So I’m hoping to interview them later this week – if you have a question – post it in the comments below. Then I’ll post the interview on skype to share with you all soon!