Out of Africa at The Africa Region of The Global Church of the Nazarene: Nazarenes address needs for education, wells and medical care in communities - newsletter for November 2015
Table of contents:
- New Nazarene school helps fill education gap in DRC
- Growing ministries in West Africa transform lives
- Project Book Bag assists widows, orphans in Kenya
- Amazing trip for Madagascar: Evangelism Thrust 2015
- Prayer requests
School in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) isn't free. Schools can cost anywhere from $5US to $50US per month. The more expensive the school, the better the education. Imagine being the sixth or eighth child in a family of 10 children and hoping your parents will be able to afford for you to attend school.
The South Katanga District in Southern DRC has seen this need and has a vision to build schools, giving quality education to families who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it. One of these schools has officially opened in the neighborhood of Katuba, in Lubumbashi.
When construction on the school in Katuba began in July of 2014, children would gather around as the first bricks were laid and walls started to come up. When we would ask the children where they attend school, they would respond, "Here."
"No, where are you attending now? This school isn't open yet."
Again, their response was, "Here!" That's when we realized so many children were waiting for a good education at an affordable price.
On Oct. 5, Complexe Scolaire du Nazaréen opened its doors to the community of Katuba, hosting kindergarten through fifth grade for $6.50 per month. Currently, there are over 100 students in attendance and more coming to enroll each day. Students are learning French (since most come from homes where only Swahili is spoken), math, science and Bible. Quality education with a biblical foundation!
Growing ministries in West Africa transform lives
by Monica Carr, Africa West FieldLeaders representing 12 countries in West Africa met in Accra, Ghana, Oct. 4-8 for training, to share testimonies of God's faithfulness, to pray, to develop a common vision and to fellowship. Highlights of the conference included a graduation of 12 pastors from Nazarene Theological Institute and an ordination service of three Ghanaian pastors including the ordination of the first woman in Ghana.
Nazarene leaders gathered in Ghana last month for training and fellowship. (Photo from the Africa West Field.)
General Superintendent Dr. Eugenio Duarte taught on the Nazarene Essentials. Regional Director Dr. Filimao Chambo shared his desire to seek God's will and vision for the church in Africa, and regional Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Director Rev. Cosmos Mutowa emphasized the importance of Christ-like compassion. Africa West Field Director Rev. Daniel Gomis, district superintendents, country coordinators and other ministry leaders from the field also presented.
The gathering included leaders from Sierra Leone and Liberia who had not been able to attend field or regional events during the past year because of the Ebola epidemic. Stories of heroic faith and compassion were shared - of leaders who went by bike daily to deliver food to quarantined families, of NTI classes that were held and even grew despite the epidemic, and of orphans that were ministered to and counseled. The church in Liberia has partnered with organizations like Last Well and plans to build 10 wells in the coming year.
In Senegal and Niger the church has also been involved in providing fresh water to communities through wells. Other exciting compassionate ministry projects were shared, as well, like the cattle project that was started by a church in Benin in which cattle were raised to send over 300 children to school with all of their supplies. The school was built by the church in order to meet the need for a secondary school in the community.
In Burkina Faso, over 100 orphans are being cared for by families in the church, and in Ghana 10 girls from rural areas in the north have received nurse's training so that they can go back to their village and work in the newly constructed medical clinic.
Other ministry highlights included the attendance of over 1,000 women at a women's convention in Southeast Nigeria last year and the first women's clergy conference in Burkina Faso and Togo. The youth ministry (NYI), which is gearing up for its first regional conference in South Africa in December, continues to show dynamic growth.
Many new churches were planted this year including in new ministry areas like Mali, Niger and Guinea. The discipleship training associated with the Jesus Film has made a positive impact and several powerful testimonies of transformed lives were given.
For example, a woman came to know the Lord through an all women's Jesus Film team. She came for four nights and on Sunday morning shared that she was the voodoo high priestess for the village and that she and her assistant had made sacrifices for 20 years - once a week they would steal a child and sacrifice him. That morning she burned all of her fetishes and turned her life over to Christ. She is still serving God in the church.
While there was much rejoicing at the conference there was also mourning and intercession through prayer. During the conference, District Superintendent Rev. William Grant received the news that his wife, Elisabeth, had died in Liberia. She had been sick for many years but through her suffering had remained a faithful servant of Christ. The group was also saddened to hear that a zone leader, Rev. Anthony Goleh, also from Liberia, was in a tragic motorcycle accident. Please pray for the mourning families during this difficult time.
Through both tears and rejoicing, participants sensed God's close presence at the conference and could readily testify with the Psalmist that God's love, "reaches to the heavens, [His] faithfulness to the skies" (Psalm 36:5).
Generating hope: Project Book Bag assists widows, orphans in Kenya
[Republished with permission from NCM Magazine, Summer 2015 edition] 
At the center of an ancient valley in Kenya, the Nyamasaria River brings to life everything for miles. The flow sustains crops, livestock, and the residents of surrounding villages.
Next to this river is where Nancy* and her husband began a shared life. Here, they planted their first ears of corn, built their first home, and started their family of 12.
"It was a normal life with my husband and all our children helping to support the family," Nancy said, reflecting on her past. "Life was easy then."
But the area is also where Nancy also experienced death. Today, she lives in a 14-by-14-foot mud home with her 12-year-old son, Peter,* and her stepson, Philip.* Two of her daughters are married with families of their own. Everyone else in her family passed away.
Losing family
In the Nyamasaria River valley communities, children are seen as a blessing, and men sometimes take multiple wives in order to have larger families. As the extended family grew, Nancy also witnessed it decline under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Symptoms of the virus began to present themselves with greater regularity in her husband, then among his wives - including Nancy. In 2004, her husband's immune system failed and AIDS took his life.
"Immediately after my husband died, things started to become very difficult," she said. "I had to engage in casual labor on other people's farms and sell food from mine to generate income for my family."
Nancy with the children.
One by one, the virus claimed her husband's other wives, and Nancy became the sole caregiver to their offspring as well as her own. The tragedy didn't stop with the adults, though. "The younger children were becoming ill, too," Nancy said. Over time, Nancy cared for many children and then watched as death came to all but four of her children and stepchildren.
The fear and stigma surrounding the virus made Nancy an outcast in her community. Although she was desperate to provide for her family, Nancy was refused work over and over and again.
Through tears, Nancy shares about the devastation in her life. "My relatives called me names, thinking I was the one who infected my husband and killed their relations, but it wasn't me," she said. "The church I used to attend rejected me too when they heard the stories my relatives told. I never felt such brokenness and rejection in all my life. I had nowhere to turn."
Rejected by her family, friends, neighbors, and even her church, Nancy thought, The only thing left for me to do [is] to die.
On the side of the vulnerable
Along the Nyamasaria, stories like Nancy's are too numerous to count. In a community filled with the widows and orphans of AIDS, grandmothers care for grandchildren, stepmothers provide for stepchildren, and neighbors care for non-related children in an increasingly fatherless society.
In response, local Nazarene churches have been partnering with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and Nehemiah's Restoration, a faith-based nonprofit organization, to help women who have been widowed by AIDS and children who have been orphaned by the disease find health and stability.
Kenya's local churches play a vital role in raising awareness about the plight of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
"The message the church is spreading is, 'Though we cannot do everything for OVCs, everyone can do something,'" said Samuel Oketch, NCM coordinator in East Africa. "The church identifies volunteers to offer psycho-social support to children in the community, and NCM supports them as they raise awareness."
The nutritional services, healthcare, legal aid, psycho-social, educational, and spiritual support provided through the partnership of the church, NCM, and Nehemiah's Restoration have been valuable in the short-term, but providing for widowed women and children without fathers requires long-term solutions, too. The partnership has been working to create small business opportunities for those who have been rejected by their communities and, therefore, have no way to gain employment.
"There are times in everyone's lives when the world around them is shattered and they end up 'out on a limb' in need of assistance," said Rob Bollinger, founder and president of Nehemiah's Restoration. "It is our job to support the limb until they can get off the limb themselves."
Project Book Bag
While Nancy and other women have the desire and ability to work, opportunities are scarce. Many are able to make jewelry, paint, sew garments, or produce other handcrafted items, but they have no funds to begin a small business, and there's virtually no local market for their products.
The solution? Project Book Bag, a cooperative effort, provides those affected by HIV/AIDS with a chance to earn income. Local NCM staff teach the women to sew the bags and add artistic paintings, as well as how to purchase the needed materials.
Nancy provides for her children and step-children through the sale of handmade book bags.
Nehemiah's Restoration funds the purchase of materials, pays each worker's salary, and then ships the bags to the U.S., where they are sold. The project was chosen in collaboration with community members, particularly women caring for orphaned children, as many already had the skills needed to make the bags.
"There is no other group in the community creating something like this [project]," Oketch said. "It creates good income for the caregivers to help provide for their families."
As a result of the partnership, about 400 orphans and vulnerable children now have essential needs met, including food and nutrition, psycho-social support, shelter and care, child rights, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities.
Nancy learned about Project Book Bag through a pastor at her local Nazarene church. Through it, she has been able to provide food for her children and send them to school, and she has also been able to reconnect with her extended family.
"My relatives have started to see me as somebody again," Nancy said. "Some of them now attend [church] with me as I lead worship in my Nazarene church."
Click here to give toward Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' fund to help widows and orphaned children in Kenya.
Oketch is grateful for the changes he has seen throughout the community. "The children of those caregivers look healthy, and we have seen caregivers who were initially un-churched start attending," Oketch said. "Nancy is now dedicated to church activities because she has seen love and compassion."
*Names have been changed.
Note: Photos used by NCM Magazine courtesy of Rob Bollinger. Out of Africa obtained the photos from the NCN News website.
The amazing trip for Madagascar: Evangelism Thrust 2015
by Therese RavelomanantsoaSince last year, Madagascar District has an evangelism thrust that each church has to send at least one person on an evangelism trip with the district. During our District Assembly, it was decided that the location for the evangelism thrust will be in Nosy Be. Nosy Be is an small island in north, just off of the main island of Madagascar.
To travel from the capital city of Antananarivo, where most of our Nazarenes live, to Nosy Be is a 17-hour bus ride followed by a quick 35-minute boat ride. The cost of travel is about Ar. 150 000 ($50). This is almost the four months' salary for most of our people. So, from District Assembly in November 2014 to August 2015, people who wanted to go had to save money.
Arrival in Nosy Be
It is always amazing how God works! We had 61 people who went. Twelve people traveled up from Morondava, an additional 10-hour bus ride, who had to pay and additional Ar.100 000, and two people came from Tamatave, a further nine-hour bus ride, who had to pay an additional Ar.60 000.
A man named Charles from Morondava, who is also blind, did fundraising by holding a concert of his own music in order for him, his wife and another lady named Naina could also be a part of the trip.
Charles and his wife presenting the gospel.
The church in Nosy Be was responsible to provide food for a week for all 61 people.
Due to some additional financial help, our evangelism choir called Living Hope Evangelism Team was also able to travel up from Antananarivo to be a part of the evangelistic thrust to Nosy Be.
Before departure on Aug. 15, the people committed to meet together for prayer and fasting. On Aug. 22, we had training about evangelism on the presentation of the Roman Road. We trained people about follow up, discipleship and made a schedule for the trip.
Jesus is the good Shepherd. We left Antananarivo on Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. with three busses. We had a problem with one of the buses at 2 a.m. We stopped together, but the problem happened again. So, only one bus could arrive in the morning. The other two busses arrived much later, which meant they were not supposed to be able to take the boat to Nosy Be on that day.
Do you know what this story means? Even the people with the second bus should not have been able to go by boat because the waves are stronger in the afternoon. But even the people in the third bus were still able to come on the boat that afternoon. By faith, they could cross the sea and our Lord watched over them. This was amazing. Most of those people had no experience going by boat.
On Aug. 25 we all arrived safely, with some people who were very tired. On Aug. 26, we divided people into four areas. We had 25 people in Hell Ville, 16 people in Dzamandzar, nine people in Orangea and 10 people in Daresalama - areas where we had seen potential for church plants.
The Gospel was presented on the first day, and then on the second and third day, follow up was done. The Gospel was presented to more than 172 people, along with the two concerts, so even more people were able to hear the Gospel.
At the Living Hope Evangelism Team's concert
There were 127 people who accepted Jesus. We could start a new church in an area called Daresalama. One woman even tithed that Sunday because of the follow up that was done. Members of another faith accepted Jesus as their Savior. Some people were delivered and some were healed.
Our new church in Daresalama
When we came back home on Aug. 31, the people from the third bus had problems again. Because of an event in Nosy Be, there were many people on the island. Our people were late because there was no boat. So, their bus left without them. This group of people arrived home only three days later. But, we praise the Lord because they arrived safely.
We want to give our special appreciation to those who faithfully prayed. The plan for next year is to go to the coastal city of Tamatave, and the cost will be much lower.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Radio broadcast ministry
Please pray for the Nazarene Church's radio ministry in West Africa, which is spreading the Gospel and drawing people to church. A young leader passionate about this ministry in the West African country of Togo was recently given a "studio-in-a-backpack," thanks to the generosity of World Mission Broadcast donors. The new equipment will empower him to produce more radio programs and spread God's word. Missionary Tim Eby asks, "Pray that young leaders like this will continue to find ways to get on the air, produce programs, and make the Good News spread throughout West Africa."
(Prayer request from the NMI Prayer Mobilization Line, Oct. 16)
2. Clean water
The Justice Movement, an initiative founded by the Nazarene Church, is encouraging church members to raise money that will help people gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Almost $4,900 has been raised toward a goal of $300,000. The $4,900 is enough to help 194 people. Click here to get involved or make a donation.
3. Ebola epidemic
Please continue to pray for the three West African countries hit hardest by the Ebola epidemic: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. In these countries, approximately 11,300 people have died from Ebola, and another 17,230 contracted or likely contracted the virus, according to the World Health Organization.
Thankfully, new cases have dropped drastically to five or fewer per week from August through October. Three new cases were reported in Guinea in mid-October. Health officials are working to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading by following up with hundreds of people who had contact with the patients.
WHO reports that the epidemic is now in "phase three." Officials are working to drive new Ebola cases to zero as well as take care of survivors both physically and emotionally. Please pray for these efforts and for the Nazarene churches in these areas, that God will heal his people and empower them to love and care for one another.
ABOUT THE REGION
The Nazarene Church is in 42 countries in Africa, with more than 600,000 members in six fields. What would you like to see in Out of Africa?
Email us at news@africanazarene.org.
English / Français/ Português 
@NazAfrica Holly Beech, editor
17 Botes Street
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
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