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Wednesday, April 13, 2016 Issue #111
RECENT ARTICLES:
Video: Nazarenes in Northern Europe are reaching postmodern societies by Eurasia Communications
Nazarenes are both using traditional forms and pioneering new methods to share the age-old message of God's love in what some are calling the post-Christian societies of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/144090996" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>In an area known for a thousand years as the beating heart of Christianity, many believe that heartbeat for God is waning. Nazarenes are both using traditional forms and pioneering new methods to share the age-old message of God's love in the postmodern, post-Christian societies of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
4 minutes, 56 seconds.
To download this video, or watch other video stories from Eurasia, visit the Eurasia Region's video page:https://vimeo.com/144090996.
RECENT ARTICLES:
Video: Nazarenes in Northern Europe are reaching postmodern societies by Eurasia Communications
Nazarenes are both using traditional forms and pioneering new methods to share the age-old message of God's love in what some are calling the post-Christian societies of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/144090996" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>In an area known for a thousand years as the beating heart of Christianity, many believe that heartbeat for God is waning. Nazarenes are both using traditional forms and pioneering new methods to share the age-old message of God's love in the postmodern, post-Christian societies of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
4 minutes, 56 seconds.
To download this video, or watch other video stories from Eurasia, visit the Eurasia Region's video page:https://vimeo.com/144090996.
Read More
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Reflecting Christ: Proactive and intentional by Howard Culbertson
Missionaries, like Jesus, can do things intentionally so that daily activities contribute to purposefully following a pattern that fulfills the call of God on their lives.Jesus went about His three years of earthly ministry in intentional and proactive ways. He did not wait for life’s interruptions to dictate His direction, pace or overriding priorities.
Jesus models how missionaries can ensure that their day-to-day actions move them forward toward long-term objectives. To be sure, missionaries can accomplish good things even when they operate primally by spur-of-the-moment decisions. When they do that, however, they risk being “blown here and there by every wind” (Ephesians 4:14).
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Reflecting Christ: Proactive and intentional by Howard Culbertson
Missionaries, like Jesus, can do things intentionally so that daily activities contribute to purposefully following a pattern that fulfills the call of God on their lives.Jesus went about His three years of earthly ministry in intentional and proactive ways. He did not wait for life’s interruptions to dictate His direction, pace or overriding priorities.
Jesus models how missionaries can ensure that their day-to-day actions move them forward toward long-term objectives. To be sure, missionaries can accomplish good things even when they operate primally by spur-of-the-moment decisions. When they do that, however, they risk being “blown here and there by every wind” (Ephesians 4:14).
Numerous Gospel passages indicate the intentionality with which Jesus lived and acted. Here are four:
We, of course, cannot know the future in the way Jesus did. However, cross-cultural missionaries will do well to emulate the way Jesus was proactive and intentional. Missionaries can move beyond simply reacting to things as they happen. This does not mean banishing spontaneity. It does not mean missionaries should be coldly calculating. It does mean that missionaries, like Jesus, can do things intentionally so that daily activities contribute to purposefully following a pattern that fulfills the call of God on their lives.
Read More
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Sending love beyond the walls by Carol Anne Eby
A group of men going through discipleship at their prison in Alberta, Canada, felt led to give to others less fortunate. That's how their fundraisers for projects in the developing world began.Crosses rise over churches, orphanages, and rural medical clinics. Funds are sent to support an orphanage in war-torn Sri Lanka. A school is rebuilt after being destroyed in typhoon devastated Philippines. Wells are installed in 10 rural villages of earthquake-stricken Nepal. These are amazing results of compassionate caring and giving. But what is more amazing is that the initiators of these projects are men incarcerated in a Canadian correctional institution who never go beyond their prison yard!
- Jesus took the initiative in calling specific people to be His disciples. He knew who He wanted and went after them. He was different from other Jewish rabbis who waited for people to apply before choosing them as followers.
- The story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at a village well in Samaria begins with “He had to go through Samaria” (John 4:4). Choosing that route was intentional because Jews purposefully avoided traveling through Samaria. The encounter at the well was thus more than a happenstance.
- When Jesus encountered Zacchaeus, He said, “I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). Inviting Himself to lunch at the house of a hated tax collector was intentional on Jesus’ part.
- As the last Passover that Jesus spent on earth was approaching, it was obvious that the Lord was going to make a trip to Jerusalem with intention and purpose. He told His disciples exactly what was going to happen there. (Mark 9:31).
We, of course, cannot know the future in the way Jesus did. However, cross-cultural missionaries will do well to emulate the way Jesus was proactive and intentional. Missionaries can move beyond simply reacting to things as they happen. This does not mean banishing spontaneity. It does not mean missionaries should be coldly calculating. It does mean that missionaries, like Jesus, can do things intentionally so that daily activities contribute to purposefully following a pattern that fulfills the call of God on their lives.
Read More
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Sending love beyond the walls by Carol Anne Eby
A group of men going through discipleship at their prison in Alberta, Canada, felt led to give to others less fortunate. That's how their fundraisers for projects in the developing world began.Crosses rise over churches, orphanages, and rural medical clinics. Funds are sent to support an orphanage in war-torn Sri Lanka. A school is rebuilt after being destroyed in typhoon devastated Philippines. Wells are installed in 10 rural villages of earthquake-stricken Nepal. These are amazing results of compassionate caring and giving. But what is more amazing is that the initiators of these projects are men incarcerated in a Canadian correctional institution who never go beyond their prison yard!
Rev. William (Bud) Sargent was the pastor of the Innisfail Church of the Nazarene, which was only a few miles down the highway from Bowden Institution, a federal correctional facility in Central Alberta, Canada. The Bowden Institution is a medium institution with over 600 inmates, fulfilling sentences ranging from a couple of years to “lifers” who will die there. There is also a minimum annex to the institution where 125-130 inmates live in a group home setting, preparing them for release. Sargent became involved in prison ministry as a volunteer.
“I never really thought about ministry inside prisons and the impact chaplains might have upon offenders,” Sargent said. “But I was challenged to change my thinking and was invited by the chaplain to attend a few Sunday evening worship services at the prison to see what God was doing behind the fence.”
After that experience, Sargent said, “I was hooked! I couldn’t believe sitting in chapel with 60 to 70 inmates worshipping God from the bottom of their hearts. I saw them with tears in their eyes as they came to receive the Eucharist. They understand fully how much love and mercy has been extended to them. Those who have been forgiven much understand God’s grace.”
“I never really thought about ministry inside prisons and the impact chaplains might have upon offenders,” Sargent said. “But I was challenged to change my thinking and was invited by the chaplain to attend a few Sunday evening worship services at the prison to see what God was doing behind the fence.”
After that experience, Sargent said, “I was hooked! I couldn’t believe sitting in chapel with 60 to 70 inmates worshipping God from the bottom of their hearts. I saw them with tears in their eyes as they came to receive the Eucharist. They understand fully how much love and mercy has been extended to them. Those who have been forgiven much understand God’s grace.”
Sargent became a regular volunteer and led services when the chaplain was absent. Soon an opening came available for a full-time chaplain and Sargent applied. He has served five years in that position, where he says, “I am blessed every day to see God at work.”
Chaplains are not government employees but are contracted by the federal government to provide chaplaincy services inside of prisons. However, Sargent is actually employed by the Canada West District Church of the Nazarene. He serves with four other full-time chaplains: two Roman Catholics, two Protestants, one Muslim and a Wiccan/Pagan, a range intended to cover the diversity of the inmates beliefs. Also, more than 100 volunteers come inside the walls to provide a variety of ministry events.
Men who are incarcerated often tell Sargent that coming to prison was one of the best things to happen in their lives. Prior to coming to prison, they say, their lives were out of control. Incarceration has given them time to reflect on their lives and by reading the Bible and good books, and coming to know Christ as their personal savior, they find new purpose in life.
Many of these men realize they have taken so much out of society and created victims through their self-acts, and now that God has forgiven them, they have a burning desire to give back—pay it forward, if you will.
They found a way to do that after completing a study called Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God,created by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King.
One chapter of that study asked participants to consider ways in which each of them, as believers, could join God’s redemptive mission in the world. The inmates prayerfully sought a way to overcome their circumstances and make a difference in the lives of others who were suffering. They prayed, asking if a group of Christian men behind a prison fence could impact the world. That prayer has been wonderfully answered in the last three years.
One of the inmates worked for CORCAN, which stands for “Corrections Canada,” a government owned company that runs manufacturing operations within prisons to provide meaningful employment and apprenticeship opportunities to inmates. Working there, the inmate came up with the idea of constructing crosses that could be sent all over the world.
Chaplains are not government employees but are contracted by the federal government to provide chaplaincy services inside of prisons. However, Sargent is actually employed by the Canada West District Church of the Nazarene. He serves with four other full-time chaplains: two Roman Catholics, two Protestants, one Muslim and a Wiccan/Pagan, a range intended to cover the diversity of the inmates beliefs. Also, more than 100 volunteers come inside the walls to provide a variety of ministry events.
Men who are incarcerated often tell Sargent that coming to prison was one of the best things to happen in their lives. Prior to coming to prison, they say, their lives were out of control. Incarceration has given them time to reflect on their lives and by reading the Bible and good books, and coming to know Christ as their personal savior, they find new purpose in life.
Many of these men realize they have taken so much out of society and created victims through their self-acts, and now that God has forgiven them, they have a burning desire to give back—pay it forward, if you will.
They found a way to do that after completing a study called Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God,created by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King.
One chapter of that study asked participants to consider ways in which each of them, as believers, could join God’s redemptive mission in the world. The inmates prayerfully sought a way to overcome their circumstances and make a difference in the lives of others who were suffering. They prayed, asking if a group of Christian men behind a prison fence could impact the world. That prayer has been wonderfully answered in the last three years.
One of the inmates worked for CORCAN, which stands for “Corrections Canada,” a government owned company that runs manufacturing operations within prisons to provide meaningful employment and apprenticeship opportunities to inmates. Working there, the inmate came up with the idea of constructing crosses that could be sent all over the world.
The company agreed to let the prisoners use the metal shop in the prison to build the crosses. Sargent guided them in designing the cross, Nazarene churches donated the materials and the inmates as well as staff members worked through coffee breaks and downtimes to finish the crosses. The crosses were then shipped free of charge by CANEXPRESS to Victoria to the Compassion Resource Warehouse run by Victoria Church of the Nazarene, and staff included a cross with shipments of clothing, medical and school supplies they were sending to developing countries. To date, 20 crosses have been sent to six countries in Africa, to Thailand, Burma, and the Philippines. Dell Marie Wergeland, president of the Compassionate Resource Warehouse, said in a CORCAN article, “Our ‘friends on the inside’ are blessing the world and infusing hope in many communities around the world.”
In the spring of 2013, some of the inmates asked themselves how they might raise money for those less privileged than themselves. They came up with the idea of a walk-a-thon, and with financial support from Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Canada, have successfully organized three walk-a-thons through which they raised over $20,000 to support development projects around the world. They’ve supported orphanages, rebuilt schools and partnered with Nazarene Youth International members in Nepal to dig wells for villages that don’t have access to clean water. The walk-a-thon has turned into a much anticipated event with the entire prison population looking on in the exercise yard. During the 2015 fundraiser, over 300 inmates and volunteers walked 4,162 laps equaling 1,388 miles, urged on by the cheers of clapping inmates. Games, prizes and music from the chapel band add to the excitement.
This year’s walk-a-thon will be held September 10 and money will be raised to support a Syrian refugee family relocated in Canada.
The Bowden institution has been supportive of all these projects. The staff sees that when men start making positive changes—faith, morality, integrity, forgiveness—the tension within the prison reduces.
“The staff see that although some offenders will always be ‘cons’, and there will always be those who claim to have ‘found Jesus’ in prison, there are many more who truly experience transformation,” Sargent said. “The testimony of a changed life inside a prison setting is the best example of what God does.”
Inmate *B.R. testifies that, “If we are going to be the men of God we are called to be, we can’t depend solely on the odd Sunday sermon to grow our faith. Being a man of God requires us to not only have faith but to believe that God is with us every step of the way.” He said the Experiencing God series and other Bible studies have shown him God has a purpose for his life.
He also said, “I have had the privilege of witnessing an incredible transformation in men who were broken, had no place to turn, and had lost everything.” Because of the grace of God, B.R. went on, “We are becoming better fathers, better husbands, better brothers. . . men of God. We are building a legacy of faith, and we owe our transformed lives to our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
The inmates of Bowden join in David’s cry from Psalm 18:29 “. . .with my God I can scale a wall!” Compassion, gratitude, and grace know no boundaries.
Read More
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De iglesia hogareña a líderes de educación by Gina Grate Pottenger
¿Cómo se siente aprender acerca de tu fe en un lugar que se encuentra cerrado al evangelio? Rut comparte su historia, así como la manera en que ella y Marcos están llevando la educación teológica nazarena a su contexto.Cuando ella tenía 6 años de edad, Rut se encontró sentada a la mesa de su cocina haciendo su tarea domiciliaria y por primera vez se puso a contemplar acerca del sentido de su vida.
Todo comenzó cuando ella se puso a pensar acerca de lo que haría al terminar con su tarea. Sus pensamientos comenzaron a fluir mientras que ella se imaginaba a sí misma comiendo la cena y retirándose a su habitación para dormir, despertándose al día siguiente para ir a la escuela, volviendo a casa para hacer su tarea y luego comenzar el ciclo una vez más. Ella se dio cuenta de que esa sería su rutina diaria hasta el día en que se graduara de la escuela secundaria.
“¿Y después de eso, qué haré?” Rut recuerda hacerse esa pregunta. “Conseguiré un trabajo, quizás me case. Luego tendré un hijo y ese hijo hará lo mismo que yo: se sentará a hacer su tarea. Éste fue un momento muy triste: me di cuenta que la vida no tiene sentido. Es en vano.”
Cuatro años más tarde, a los 10 años de edad, ella se enteró de que su vida tenía un propósito hermoso y significante.
Su hermana mayor, quien era atea, se fue de viaje junto con una amiga que era cristiana y durante el trayecto ella compartió con la hermana de Rut acerca de Jesús.
“Cuando ella regresó, me acuerdo que eran las 5 de la mañana. Ella golpeó a la puerta y yo me levanté. Ella estaba parada a la puerta con una sonrisa radiante. Me dijo, ‘Hermana, ¿sabes qué? Encontré a Dios. Su nombre es Jesús.’”
Rut jamás en su vida había escuchado una historia bíblica. Ella jamás había escuchado el nombre, “Jesus.”
In the spring of 2013, some of the inmates asked themselves how they might raise money for those less privileged than themselves. They came up with the idea of a walk-a-thon, and with financial support from Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Canada, have successfully organized three walk-a-thons through which they raised over $20,000 to support development projects around the world. They’ve supported orphanages, rebuilt schools and partnered with Nazarene Youth International members in Nepal to dig wells for villages that don’t have access to clean water. The walk-a-thon has turned into a much anticipated event with the entire prison population looking on in the exercise yard. During the 2015 fundraiser, over 300 inmates and volunteers walked 4,162 laps equaling 1,388 miles, urged on by the cheers of clapping inmates. Games, prizes and music from the chapel band add to the excitement.
This year’s walk-a-thon will be held September 10 and money will be raised to support a Syrian refugee family relocated in Canada.
The Bowden institution has been supportive of all these projects. The staff sees that when men start making positive changes—faith, morality, integrity, forgiveness—the tension within the prison reduces.
“The staff see that although some offenders will always be ‘cons’, and there will always be those who claim to have ‘found Jesus’ in prison, there are many more who truly experience transformation,” Sargent said. “The testimony of a changed life inside a prison setting is the best example of what God does.”
Inmate *B.R. testifies that, “If we are going to be the men of God we are called to be, we can’t depend solely on the odd Sunday sermon to grow our faith. Being a man of God requires us to not only have faith but to believe that God is with us every step of the way.” He said the Experiencing God series and other Bible studies have shown him God has a purpose for his life.
He also said, “I have had the privilege of witnessing an incredible transformation in men who were broken, had no place to turn, and had lost everything.” Because of the grace of God, B.R. went on, “We are becoming better fathers, better husbands, better brothers. . . men of God. We are building a legacy of faith, and we owe our transformed lives to our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
The inmates of Bowden join in David’s cry from Psalm 18:29 “. . .with my God I can scale a wall!” Compassion, gratitude, and grace know no boundaries.
Read More
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De iglesia hogareña a líderes de educación by Gina Grate Pottenger
¿Cómo se siente aprender acerca de tu fe en un lugar que se encuentra cerrado al evangelio? Rut comparte su historia, así como la manera en que ella y Marcos están llevando la educación teológica nazarena a su contexto.Cuando ella tenía 6 años de edad, Rut se encontró sentada a la mesa de su cocina haciendo su tarea domiciliaria y por primera vez se puso a contemplar acerca del sentido de su vida.
Todo comenzó cuando ella se puso a pensar acerca de lo que haría al terminar con su tarea. Sus pensamientos comenzaron a fluir mientras que ella se imaginaba a sí misma comiendo la cena y retirándose a su habitación para dormir, despertándose al día siguiente para ir a la escuela, volviendo a casa para hacer su tarea y luego comenzar el ciclo una vez más. Ella se dio cuenta de que esa sería su rutina diaria hasta el día en que se graduara de la escuela secundaria.
“¿Y después de eso, qué haré?” Rut recuerda hacerse esa pregunta. “Conseguiré un trabajo, quizás me case. Luego tendré un hijo y ese hijo hará lo mismo que yo: se sentará a hacer su tarea. Éste fue un momento muy triste: me di cuenta que la vida no tiene sentido. Es en vano.”
Cuatro años más tarde, a los 10 años de edad, ella se enteró de que su vida tenía un propósito hermoso y significante.
Su hermana mayor, quien era atea, se fue de viaje junto con una amiga que era cristiana y durante el trayecto ella compartió con la hermana de Rut acerca de Jesús.
“Cuando ella regresó, me acuerdo que eran las 5 de la mañana. Ella golpeó a la puerta y yo me levanté. Ella estaba parada a la puerta con una sonrisa radiante. Me dijo, ‘Hermana, ¿sabes qué? Encontré a Dios. Su nombre es Jesús.’”
Rut jamás en su vida había escuchado una historia bíblica. Ella jamás había escuchado el nombre, “Jesus.”
“Cuando escuché ese nombre, supe inmediatamente que era la respuesta a la pregunta que me hice cuando tenía 6 años. Esa era la clave. Entonces supe que ese era el significado de mi vida.”
La hermana de Rut preguntó, “¿Quieres conocerlo?”
“Yo dije, ‘¡Por supuesto que sí!’ En ese momento tomé la decisión de servirle.”
Su hermana le dio una Biblia. Ese día, ellas le contaron a su madre acerca de Jesús y ella felizmente siguió el ejemplo de sus hijas y recibió a Cristo.
Su padre era un ingeniero que ponía su fe en la ciencia. Pero tres años más tarde el testimonio de ellas hizo que él también aceptara a Cristo.
La familia no sabía a dónde ir para recibir discipulado. Ellos no tenían conocimiento de iglesia alguna en su ciudad.
“Si deseas tener una iglesia, tú debes empezar una,” dice Rut. “Tú compartes el evangelio y luego te reúnes. Nosotros leemos la Biblia pero siempre nos encontramos con pasajes que no comprendemos. Entonces los salteamos y esperamos al momento en que el Espíritu Santo nos enseñe su significado.”
Cuando se hacen entrar de contrabando libros teológicos a nuestro país, los grupos se los pasan entre ellos como copias invalubles. Las personas que desean poseer pasajes específicos hacen copias a mano antes de hacer circular los libros.
“Sentí que era una hermosa experiencia, incluso a pesar de que no contábamos con esos recursos. Dios estaba allí todo el tiempo. Él sostenía mi mano.”
En su ciudad comenzó un movimiento de iglesia. En un fin de semana típico se bautizaban hasta 20 personas. En cierta ocasión se bautizaron 60.
Cuando Rut se graduó de la universidad y comenzó a enseñar, ella conoció a una pareja de misioneros con quienes su hermana se había puesto en contacto. A través de ellos, Rut se enteró de un seminario nazareno en otro país. Ella sintió que Dios la guiaba a estudiar allí para más tarde regresar a su hogar y continuar sirviéndole.
En el seminario, Rut conoció a Marcos. Él era un estudiante extranjero que se preparaba para ser misionero. Su relación se formó rápidamente y poco tiempo después ellos se casaron. Luego de culminar sus estudios, ellos se mudaron al país de Rut y comenzaron una familia.
Ellos estaban en contacto con otra familia nazarena que había estado ofreciendo clases de educación bíblica para personas trabajadoras durante los fines de semana. Las dos parejas se pusieron de acuerdo en trabajar juntos, pero poco tiempo después de que Marcos y Rut llegaran la otra familia renunció, de modo que Marcos y Rut se hicieron cargo. En los últimos cinco años ellos han graduado a 65 personas. Ellos llevan a presentadores del exterior, lo cual provee una amplia variedad de perspectivas y conocimiento, así como diferentes trasfondos culturales.
La hermana de Rut preguntó, “¿Quieres conocerlo?”
“Yo dije, ‘¡Por supuesto que sí!’ En ese momento tomé la decisión de servirle.”
Su hermana le dio una Biblia. Ese día, ellas le contaron a su madre acerca de Jesús y ella felizmente siguió el ejemplo de sus hijas y recibió a Cristo.
Su padre era un ingeniero que ponía su fe en la ciencia. Pero tres años más tarde el testimonio de ellas hizo que él también aceptara a Cristo.
La familia no sabía a dónde ir para recibir discipulado. Ellos no tenían conocimiento de iglesia alguna en su ciudad.
“Si deseas tener una iglesia, tú debes empezar una,” dice Rut. “Tú compartes el evangelio y luego te reúnes. Nosotros leemos la Biblia pero siempre nos encontramos con pasajes que no comprendemos. Entonces los salteamos y esperamos al momento en que el Espíritu Santo nos enseñe su significado.”
Cuando se hacen entrar de contrabando libros teológicos a nuestro país, los grupos se los pasan entre ellos como copias invalubles. Las personas que desean poseer pasajes específicos hacen copias a mano antes de hacer circular los libros.
“Sentí que era una hermosa experiencia, incluso a pesar de que no contábamos con esos recursos. Dios estaba allí todo el tiempo. Él sostenía mi mano.”
En su ciudad comenzó un movimiento de iglesia. En un fin de semana típico se bautizaban hasta 20 personas. En cierta ocasión se bautizaron 60.
Cuando Rut se graduó de la universidad y comenzó a enseñar, ella conoció a una pareja de misioneros con quienes su hermana se había puesto en contacto. A través de ellos, Rut se enteró de un seminario nazareno en otro país. Ella sintió que Dios la guiaba a estudiar allí para más tarde regresar a su hogar y continuar sirviéndole.
En el seminario, Rut conoció a Marcos. Él era un estudiante extranjero que se preparaba para ser misionero. Su relación se formó rápidamente y poco tiempo después ellos se casaron. Luego de culminar sus estudios, ellos se mudaron al país de Rut y comenzaron una familia.
Ellos estaban en contacto con otra familia nazarena que había estado ofreciendo clases de educación bíblica para personas trabajadoras durante los fines de semana. Las dos parejas se pusieron de acuerdo en trabajar juntos, pero poco tiempo después de que Marcos y Rut llegaran la otra familia renunció, de modo que Marcos y Rut se hicieron cargo. En los últimos cinco años ellos han graduado a 65 personas. Ellos llevan a presentadores del exterior, lo cual provee una amplia variedad de perspectivas y conocimiento, así como diferentes trasfondos culturales.
“Los cristianos de este país han estado desconectados de los cristianos en otras partes del mundo,” dice Rut. “Dentro del aula, algo que realmente toca sus corazones es el ver a profesores con diferentes colores de piel hablando inglés con diferentes acentos y provenientes de diferentes trasfondos – cómo crecieron y cuándo recibieron su llamado, así como qué tipo de trabajo tenían antes. Esas historias verdaderamente los llena de ánimo. Ellos han dicho que una de sus cosas favoritas no tiene que ver simplemente con los cursos, sino que son las historias de los profesores – el ver que Dios está con cada nación del mundo y ver que Él verdaderamente utiliza a todos sin importar su pasado.”
Debido a que muchos cristianos en el país han desarrollado su fe con cualquier material que hayan podido obtener, muchos no tienen una “posición teológica clara,” dice Rut. “El programa de educación nazarena presenta la teología wesleyana-arminiana a los estudiantes, muchos de quienes jamás han sido expuestos a la misma, y el mensaje de santidad está transformando las vidas de los estudiantes,” cuenta Marcos.
Cíntia atendió al programa en 2011. Ella venía de una familia cristiana nominal y se unió al programa para aprender más acerca de su fe, pero hasta ese entonces se había sentido satisfecha solamente concurriendo a la iglesia los domingos, siendo éste su mayor compromiso con Dios.
A la mitad de su curso de un año, ella le admitió a Rut que, en cuanto a su vida espiritual, ella se sentía como un hámster corriendo dentro de una rueda sin llegar a ningún lugar. Rut le preguntó si alguna vez había entregado su vida completamente a Jesús y si lo había invitado a ser el Señor de su vida.
“No, no puedo hacerlo,” respondió Cíntia.
“¿Por qué no?” le preguntó Rut.
“Porque me temo que Dios me llamará y no podré vivir una vida comfortable, no podré comprar ropas hermosas. Seré pobre. Y seguramente me case con alguien que terminará haciéndose pastor.”
Rut le dijo a Cíntia que ella no tenía que entregarse completamente a Dios, pero que esa decisión resultaría en un sentir continuo de estancamiento en su fe.
“¿Quieres poder avanzar?” preguntó Rut. Cíntia dijo que sí. Entonces ellas oraron juntas y Cíntia le dijo a Dios que ella debía entregarse por completo a Él.
Luego de que oraran, la vida de Cíntia se convirtió en un desastre, “pero era un buen desastre. Dios comenzó a batir esas aguas. Ella había pasado por varios momentos difíciles, pero había comenzado a confiar en Él. Ella estaba cambiando. Hoy en día ella es muy dedicada.”
Debido a que muchos cristianos en el país han desarrollado su fe con cualquier material que hayan podido obtener, muchos no tienen una “posición teológica clara,” dice Rut. “El programa de educación nazarena presenta la teología wesleyana-arminiana a los estudiantes, muchos de quienes jamás han sido expuestos a la misma, y el mensaje de santidad está transformando las vidas de los estudiantes,” cuenta Marcos.
Cíntia atendió al programa en 2011. Ella venía de una familia cristiana nominal y se unió al programa para aprender más acerca de su fe, pero hasta ese entonces se había sentido satisfecha solamente concurriendo a la iglesia los domingos, siendo éste su mayor compromiso con Dios.
A la mitad de su curso de un año, ella le admitió a Rut que, en cuanto a su vida espiritual, ella se sentía como un hámster corriendo dentro de una rueda sin llegar a ningún lugar. Rut le preguntó si alguna vez había entregado su vida completamente a Jesús y si lo había invitado a ser el Señor de su vida.
“No, no puedo hacerlo,” respondió Cíntia.
“¿Por qué no?” le preguntó Rut.
“Porque me temo que Dios me llamará y no podré vivir una vida comfortable, no podré comprar ropas hermosas. Seré pobre. Y seguramente me case con alguien que terminará haciéndose pastor.”
Rut le dijo a Cíntia que ella no tenía que entregarse completamente a Dios, pero que esa decisión resultaría en un sentir continuo de estancamiento en su fe.
“¿Quieres poder avanzar?” preguntó Rut. Cíntia dijo que sí. Entonces ellas oraron juntas y Cíntia le dijo a Dios que ella debía entregarse por completo a Él.
Luego de que oraran, la vida de Cíntia se convirtió en un desastre, “pero era un buen desastre. Dios comenzó a batir esas aguas. Ella había pasado por varios momentos difíciles, pero había comenzado a confiar en Él. Ella estaba cambiando. Hoy en día ella es muy dedicada.”
Cíntia se casó con otro estudiante teológico, quien ahora sirve en un ministerio laico ocupándose de seis o siete grupos hogareños. Cíntia también tiene pasión por cuidar de los creyentes jóvenes.
Cada año, cuando el curso vuelve a comenzar, los miembros del grupo de estudiantes nuevo se sienten como extraños. A veces el aula se convierte en un lugar de tensión, ya que los estudiantes se enfrentan con varias personalidades y opiniones diferentes. Pero durante el correr del año, el grupo se acerca y desarrolla unidad.
Una pareja tomó la clase en forma conjunta. Ellos habían tenido dificultad para concebir y habían experimentado al menos un aborto natural. Cuando la clase estudió los sacramentos, ellos decidieron ungir a la pareja y orar por que concibieran.
La pareja concibió. Pero cerca del fin del programa, la esposa, Melissa, comenzó a experimentar señales de otro aborto. Ella se dirigió al hospital y su embarazo se encontraba en un grado tal de peligro que los doctores sugirieron que tuviera un aborto para poder salvar su propia vida. Los demás estudiantes se vieron muy preocupados y perturbados. Ellos oraron fervorosamente por Melissa, la visitaron y demostraron su cuidado en otras maneras.
La noche en que ella dio a luz a un bebé saludable, toda la clase se puso de rodillas y oró.
La madre de Melissa no era creyente, pero luego de ver al grupo de estudiantes – quienes no tenían relación alguna con la familia – acercarse para recomfortar a su hija y trayendo artículos prácticos así como llevándola a realizarse sus chequeos médicos, dijo, “Jamás he visto a nadie que amara a mi hija de la manera en que lo vi en ese entonces. Si ésta es la manera en que su Dios los ama, entonces este Dios debe ser muy bueno y cariñoso.”
La madre de Melissa es ahora una creyente en Jesús.
Marcos pide que se ore por la obra de crecimiento y desarrollo del programa de educación teológica, y también pide oración por los estudiantes graduados, quienes se encuentran esparcidos por todo el país y muchos se encuentran involucrados en diferentes formas de ministerio cristiano.
Leer más
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From house church to education leaders by Gina Grate Pottenger
What is it like to learn about your faith in a place that is closed to the gospel? Ruth shares her story, as well as how today she and Mark are bringing Nazarene theological education there.When she was 6 years old, *Ruth was sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework, and for the first time began to wonder about the meaning of her life.
It began as she wondered what she would do after finishing her homework. Her thoughts rolled forward as she imagined herself eating supper and going to bed, then getting up the next day, going to school, coming home to do homework, and doing it all over again. She realized she would do this every day until graduating high school.
“After that what will I do?” Ruth remembers asking herself. “I will get a job, maybe get married. Then I will have a child and then that child will be just like me: Sitting here doing homework. That was a sad moment: I realized life is meaningless. Pointless.”
It was four years later, at the age of 10, that she learned there really was a beautiful meaning and purpose to her life.
Her older sister, an atheist, left town with a friend who happened to be a Christian, who, during the trip, shared with Ruth’s sister about Jesus.
“When she came back, I remember it was 5 a.m. When she knocked on the door, I got out of bed. She was standing at the door with the most radiant smile I had ever seen. She said, ‘Sister, you know what? I found God. His name is Jesus.’”
Ruth had never heard a Bible story in her life. She had never heard the name, “Jesus.”
“When I heard that name, I knew right away that is the answer to the question I had when I was six years old. That was the key to the lock. I knew that was the meaning of my life.”
Ruth’s sister said, “Do you want to know Him?”
“I said, ‘Of course I do!’ In that moment, I made a decision I will serve Him.”
Her sister gave her a Bible. That day, they told their mother about Jesus, who soon gladly followed her daughters’ example to receive Christ. Their father was an engineer who put his faith in science. But three years later, their witness won him, and he also accepted Christ.
Cada año, cuando el curso vuelve a comenzar, los miembros del grupo de estudiantes nuevo se sienten como extraños. A veces el aula se convierte en un lugar de tensión, ya que los estudiantes se enfrentan con varias personalidades y opiniones diferentes. Pero durante el correr del año, el grupo se acerca y desarrolla unidad.
Una pareja tomó la clase en forma conjunta. Ellos habían tenido dificultad para concebir y habían experimentado al menos un aborto natural. Cuando la clase estudió los sacramentos, ellos decidieron ungir a la pareja y orar por que concibieran.
La pareja concibió. Pero cerca del fin del programa, la esposa, Melissa, comenzó a experimentar señales de otro aborto. Ella se dirigió al hospital y su embarazo se encontraba en un grado tal de peligro que los doctores sugirieron que tuviera un aborto para poder salvar su propia vida. Los demás estudiantes se vieron muy preocupados y perturbados. Ellos oraron fervorosamente por Melissa, la visitaron y demostraron su cuidado en otras maneras.
La noche en que ella dio a luz a un bebé saludable, toda la clase se puso de rodillas y oró.
La madre de Melissa no era creyente, pero luego de ver al grupo de estudiantes – quienes no tenían relación alguna con la familia – acercarse para recomfortar a su hija y trayendo artículos prácticos así como llevándola a realizarse sus chequeos médicos, dijo, “Jamás he visto a nadie que amara a mi hija de la manera en que lo vi en ese entonces. Si ésta es la manera en que su Dios los ama, entonces este Dios debe ser muy bueno y cariñoso.”
La madre de Melissa es ahora una creyente en Jesús.
Marcos pide que se ore por la obra de crecimiento y desarrollo del programa de educación teológica, y también pide oración por los estudiantes graduados, quienes se encuentran esparcidos por todo el país y muchos se encuentran involucrados en diferentes formas de ministerio cristiano.
Leer más
---------------------
From house church to education leaders by Gina Grate Pottenger
What is it like to learn about your faith in a place that is closed to the gospel? Ruth shares her story, as well as how today she and Mark are bringing Nazarene theological education there.When she was 6 years old, *Ruth was sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework, and for the first time began to wonder about the meaning of her life.
It began as she wondered what she would do after finishing her homework. Her thoughts rolled forward as she imagined herself eating supper and going to bed, then getting up the next day, going to school, coming home to do homework, and doing it all over again. She realized she would do this every day until graduating high school.
“After that what will I do?” Ruth remembers asking herself. “I will get a job, maybe get married. Then I will have a child and then that child will be just like me: Sitting here doing homework. That was a sad moment: I realized life is meaningless. Pointless.”
It was four years later, at the age of 10, that she learned there really was a beautiful meaning and purpose to her life.
Her older sister, an atheist, left town with a friend who happened to be a Christian, who, during the trip, shared with Ruth’s sister about Jesus.
“When she came back, I remember it was 5 a.m. When she knocked on the door, I got out of bed. She was standing at the door with the most radiant smile I had ever seen. She said, ‘Sister, you know what? I found God. His name is Jesus.’”
Ruth had never heard a Bible story in her life. She had never heard the name, “Jesus.”
“When I heard that name, I knew right away that is the answer to the question I had when I was six years old. That was the key to the lock. I knew that was the meaning of my life.”
Ruth’s sister said, “Do you want to know Him?”
“I said, ‘Of course I do!’ In that moment, I made a decision I will serve Him.”
Her sister gave her a Bible. That day, they told their mother about Jesus, who soon gladly followed her daughters’ example to receive Christ. Their father was an engineer who put his faith in science. But three years later, their witness won him, and he also accepted Christ.
The family didn’t know where to turn for discipleship. They weren’t aware of any churches in their city.
“If you want to have a church, you start one,” Ruth says. “You share the gospel and then you meet together. We will read the Bible, but always you will come across some passages you don’t understand. So you skip it. We just wait until the right time that the Holy Spirit will teach us.”
When theological books are smuggled into the country, groups might pass around the precious copies. People who want to possess specific passages will hand copy them out to keep before passing the books on.
“I felt that was really a wonderful experience, even though we don’t have those resources. God was there the whole time. He was holding our hand.”
A church movement began in their city. On typical weekends, up to 20 people would be baptized. Once, they baptized 60.
When Ruth graduated from college and began teaching, she met a Nazarene missionary couple that her sister and her family had connected with. Through them, Ruth learned about a Nazarene seminary in another country. She sensed God leading her there to study, and that she would return home later to continue serving God.
At the seminary, Ruth met *Mark. He was a foreign student studying to become a missionary. Their relationship formed quickly and soon they were married. After finishing their studies, they moved back to Ruth’s country and started a family.
They were connected with another Nazarene family who had been conducting biblical education classes on weekends for working people. The two couples planned to work together, but shortly after Mark and Ruth arrived, the other family resigned, so Mark and Ruth took over. In the past five years, they’ve graduated 65 people. They bring lecturers from outside the country, which provides a wide variety of perspectives and knowledge, as well as cultural backgrounds.
“If you want to have a church, you start one,” Ruth says. “You share the gospel and then you meet together. We will read the Bible, but always you will come across some passages you don’t understand. So you skip it. We just wait until the right time that the Holy Spirit will teach us.”
When theological books are smuggled into the country, groups might pass around the precious copies. People who want to possess specific passages will hand copy them out to keep before passing the books on.
“I felt that was really a wonderful experience, even though we don’t have those resources. God was there the whole time. He was holding our hand.”
A church movement began in their city. On typical weekends, up to 20 people would be baptized. Once, they baptized 60.
When Ruth graduated from college and began teaching, she met a Nazarene missionary couple that her sister and her family had connected with. Through them, Ruth learned about a Nazarene seminary in another country. She sensed God leading her there to study, and that she would return home later to continue serving God.
At the seminary, Ruth met *Mark. He was a foreign student studying to become a missionary. Their relationship formed quickly and soon they were married. After finishing their studies, they moved back to Ruth’s country and started a family.
They were connected with another Nazarene family who had been conducting biblical education classes on weekends for working people. The two couples planned to work together, but shortly after Mark and Ruth arrived, the other family resigned, so Mark and Ruth took over. In the past five years, they’ve graduated 65 people. They bring lecturers from outside the country, which provides a wide variety of perspectives and knowledge, as well as cultural backgrounds.
“Christians [here] have been disconnected with Christians in other parts of the world,” Ruth says. “In the classroom setting, one thing that really touches their hearts is to see teachers of different skin colors speaking English with different accents and different backgrounds – how they grew up and when they had a calling, what kind of job they had before. Those stories, that really encourages them. They said one of the best parts is not only the courses, it’s the life stories of the teachers – to see that God is with every nation in the world and to see that He actually uses everybody despite what your past is.”
Because many Christians in the country have developed their faith with any resource they can obtain, many don’t have a “clear theological position,” Ruth said. The Nazarene education program presents Wesleyan-Arminian theology to the students, many of whom have never been exposed to it, and the message of holiness is transforming the lives of the students, Mark said.
*Cynthia attended the program in 2011. She was from a nominal Christian family. She joined the program to learn more about her faith, but until then she had been satisfied to just attend church on Sundays as her main commitment to God.
Halfway through the year-long course, she admitted to Ruth that, in regards to her spiritual life, she felt like she was just a hamster running inside a wheel, never going anywhere. Ruth asked if she had ever given her life completely to Jesus and invited Him to be the Lord of her life.
“No, I can’t,” Cynthia replied.
“Why not?” Ruth asked her.
“Because, I’m afraid God will call me and that means I cannot live a comfortable life, cannot buy nice clothes. I will be poor. I might marry someone who will become a pastor.”
Ruth told Cynthia she didn’t have to give herself completely to God, but that such a decision would result in a continued sense of going nowhere in her faith.
“Do you want to have a breakthrough?” Ruth asked. Cynthia said she did. So they prayed together, and Cynthia told God she would submit herself to Him completely.
After they prayed, Cynthia’s life became a mess, “but it was a good mess. God started to stir up that water. She has gone through a lot of difficult times, but she started to learn to rely on Him. She’s changing. Today she’s very dedicated.”
Because many Christians in the country have developed their faith with any resource they can obtain, many don’t have a “clear theological position,” Ruth said. The Nazarene education program presents Wesleyan-Arminian theology to the students, many of whom have never been exposed to it, and the message of holiness is transforming the lives of the students, Mark said.
*Cynthia attended the program in 2011. She was from a nominal Christian family. She joined the program to learn more about her faith, but until then she had been satisfied to just attend church on Sundays as her main commitment to God.
Halfway through the year-long course, she admitted to Ruth that, in regards to her spiritual life, she felt like she was just a hamster running inside a wheel, never going anywhere. Ruth asked if she had ever given her life completely to Jesus and invited Him to be the Lord of her life.
“No, I can’t,” Cynthia replied.
“Why not?” Ruth asked her.
“Because, I’m afraid God will call me and that means I cannot live a comfortable life, cannot buy nice clothes. I will be poor. I might marry someone who will become a pastor.”
Ruth told Cynthia she didn’t have to give herself completely to God, but that such a decision would result in a continued sense of going nowhere in her faith.
“Do you want to have a breakthrough?” Ruth asked. Cynthia said she did. So they prayed together, and Cynthia told God she would submit herself to Him completely.
After they prayed, Cynthia’s life became a mess, “but it was a good mess. God started to stir up that water. She has gone through a lot of difficult times, but she started to learn to rely on Him. She’s changing. Today she’s very dedicated.”
Cynthia married another theological student who is now serving in lay ministry, caring for six or seven house groups. Cynthia is also passionate about caring for younger believers.
Each year when the course starts again, the new group of students are strangers to each other. Sometimes the classroom is a place of tension, as the students are faced with different personalities and opinions. But over the year, the group bonds and develops unity.
One couple took the class together. They had struggled to get pregnant, having experienced at least one miscarriage. When the class studied the sacraments, they decided to anoint the couple and pray for a pregnancy.
The couple became pregnant. But near the end of the program, the wife, *Melissa, began to experience the signs of another miscarriage. She entered the hospital, and her pregnancy was in such danger the doctors suggested that she have an abortion to save her life. The other students were greatly concerned and disturbed. They all prayed fervently for Melissa, visited her and demonstrated their care in other ways.
The night she gave birth to a healthy baby, the whole class was on their knees praying.
Melissa’s mother was not a believer, but when she saw the group of students – who were not related to the family – coming to comfort her daughter, bringing practical items and driving her to medical check-ups, she said, “I have never seen anybody that can love my daughter the way I saw. If this is the way their God loves them, this God must be a very good and kind God.”
Melissa's mother is now a believer in Jesus.
Mark asks for prayer as they grow and develop the theological education program, and to also pray for the graduated students, who are scattered across the country, many involved in some form of Christian ministry.
*All names are changed and locations omitted for security reasons.
Read More
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A force for hope by Brad Crofford
Volunteers in Swaziland offer wholeness to hundreds living with HIV/AIDS.
Each year when the course starts again, the new group of students are strangers to each other. Sometimes the classroom is a place of tension, as the students are faced with different personalities and opinions. But over the year, the group bonds and develops unity.
One couple took the class together. They had struggled to get pregnant, having experienced at least one miscarriage. When the class studied the sacraments, they decided to anoint the couple and pray for a pregnancy.
The couple became pregnant. But near the end of the program, the wife, *Melissa, began to experience the signs of another miscarriage. She entered the hospital, and her pregnancy was in such danger the doctors suggested that she have an abortion to save her life. The other students were greatly concerned and disturbed. They all prayed fervently for Melissa, visited her and demonstrated their care in other ways.
The night she gave birth to a healthy baby, the whole class was on their knees praying.
Melissa’s mother was not a believer, but when she saw the group of students – who were not related to the family – coming to comfort her daughter, bringing practical items and driving her to medical check-ups, she said, “I have never seen anybody that can love my daughter the way I saw. If this is the way their God loves them, this God must be a very good and kind God.”
Melissa's mother is now a believer in Jesus.
Mark asks for prayer as they grow and develop the theological education program, and to also pray for the graduated students, who are scattered across the country, many involved in some form of Christian ministry.
*All names are changed and locations omitted for security reasons.
Read More
---------------------
A force for hope by Brad Crofford
Volunteers in Swaziland offer wholeness to hundreds living with HIV/AIDS.
The first thing you notice as you approach Swaziland is the hilly terrain. Shrouded in fog, the hills tower over the road. Along the roadway, cows graze and groups of people sit, waiting for public transit vans. Billboards advertise cell phone plans, restaurants, hotels … and HIV testing.
One such billboard shows two young people at a desk together poring over a book. “Are you really just study pals?” it reads. “Why not test together?”
The billboard touches on the realities Swaziland faces as the country with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in adults in the world. Although the rate has dropped slightly in recent years, more than one in four adults in Swaziland is living with HIV or AIDS, according to UNICEF estimates. Within a population of about 1.3 million people, more than 200,000 individuals are estimated to be HIV-positive.
The Beginning
One such billboard shows two young people at a desk together poring over a book. “Are you really just study pals?” it reads. “Why not test together?”
The billboard touches on the realities Swaziland faces as the country with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in adults in the world. Although the rate has dropped slightly in recent years, more than one in four adults in Swaziland is living with HIV or AIDS, according to UNICEF estimates. Within a population of about 1.3 million people, more than 200,000 individuals are estimated to be HIV-positive.
The Beginning
Years ago, when the country’s health crisis was coming to light, two women decided to take action. Evelyn Shongwe and Mary Magagula (photo right), both members of Sharpe Memorial Church of the Nazarene in Swaziland, began discussing plans for an HIV/AIDS ministry soon after Swaziland’s King Mswati III declared, in 1999, that HIV/AIDS was a national disaster.
“We thought, ‘As a church, we can’t stay quiet,’” Mary, a retired nurse, says. “‘We have to do something.’”
On monthly visits to a hospital near their church, Mary and Evelyn witnessed sick people who were turned away due to a shortage of beds and told they would need to be cared for at home. Unfortunately, many of the caregivers at home didn’t know how to provide the type of care that people living with HIV or AIDS needed.
In 2002, two years after the idea emerged, Evelyn and Mary launched the HIV/AIDS Taskforce. Trained volunteers from various communities, known as “supporters,” began to visit homes and identify people suffering from HIV/AIDS, as well as other terminal diseases, to provide practical, emotional, and spiritual care.
“We thought, ‘As a church, we can’t stay quiet,’” Mary, a retired nurse, says. “‘We have to do something.’”
On monthly visits to a hospital near their church, Mary and Evelyn witnessed sick people who were turned away due to a shortage of beds and told they would need to be cared for at home. Unfortunately, many of the caregivers at home didn’t know how to provide the type of care that people living with HIV or AIDS needed.
In 2002, two years after the idea emerged, Evelyn and Mary launched the HIV/AIDS Taskforce. Trained volunteers from various communities, known as “supporters,” began to visit homes and identify people suffering from HIV/AIDS, as well as other terminal diseases, to provide practical, emotional, and spiritual care.
According to Mary (photo left, on right), these visits are significant in light of the cultural stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, such as the belief that most people contract the virus through unfaithfulness or prostitution. Some people do not get tested because they believe the illness is caused by witchcraft or poisoning. Once tested, women are sometimes reluctant to divulge their status for fear of being turned away or abandoned.
“At the beginning, they were hiding their diseases,” Mary says. “If they keep hiding their status, they get so stressed.”
Through their regular visits, the taskforce supporters build relationships. They provide encouragement, support clients’ health by encouraging them to take their anti-retroviral medication (ARVs) on schedule, provide spiritual advice and counseling, and bring essentials for nutrition, such as canned fish, beans, cooking oil, corn flour, and nutritional supplements.
Thabo’s Story
Taskforce supporters also help others in the household who are indirectly affected by the disease.
“When we visit homesteads and find children who are not schooled because their parents are dead or because they are sick, we try to get them sponsorship,” Mary says.
Thabo* is one of the sponsored children. A soft-spoken teen, Thabo is in 8th grade at a local Nazarene high school. His favorite subject is agriculture, and he hopes to become a doctor some day. He is one of an estimated 73,000 children in Swaziland orphaned by AIDS, according to UNICEF estimates from 2013.
Though Thabo’s parents were HIV-positive, both died without telling him about their status—or his. Only after moving in with his grandparents was Thabo tested and found to be HIV-positive himself. Since then, the HIV/AIDS Taskforce has provided training to Thabo’s grandmother, helping her better care for Thabo and encourage him to take his medication on schedule.
ARVs can help patients live longer and better lives if taken properly. The Swazi government has provided ARVs to the public since 2004, making a formerly cost-prohibitive treatment more accessible. Not all patients follow the treatment closely enough for it to be effective, though. Some stop taking the medication due to the claims of faith healers. Others, like Thabo, don’t understand at first why they are the only person in a household taking the medication. Thabo didn’t take ARVs regularly until his grandmother received training and he could better understand the medication’s importance.
“We have patients discovered in 1999 who take ARVs and are still alive today,” Mary says.
With regular medication, support from his biological family at home and church family around the world, and hard work at school, there is now hope for Thabo to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor some day.
Cultivating Hope
“At the beginning, they were hiding their diseases,” Mary says. “If they keep hiding their status, they get so stressed.”
Through their regular visits, the taskforce supporters build relationships. They provide encouragement, support clients’ health by encouraging them to take their anti-retroviral medication (ARVs) on schedule, provide spiritual advice and counseling, and bring essentials for nutrition, such as canned fish, beans, cooking oil, corn flour, and nutritional supplements.
Thabo’s Story
Taskforce supporters also help others in the household who are indirectly affected by the disease.
“When we visit homesteads and find children who are not schooled because their parents are dead or because they are sick, we try to get them sponsorship,” Mary says.
Thabo* is one of the sponsored children. A soft-spoken teen, Thabo is in 8th grade at a local Nazarene high school. His favorite subject is agriculture, and he hopes to become a doctor some day. He is one of an estimated 73,000 children in Swaziland orphaned by AIDS, according to UNICEF estimates from 2013.
Though Thabo’s parents were HIV-positive, both died without telling him about their status—or his. Only after moving in with his grandparents was Thabo tested and found to be HIV-positive himself. Since then, the HIV/AIDS Taskforce has provided training to Thabo’s grandmother, helping her better care for Thabo and encourage him to take his medication on schedule.
ARVs can help patients live longer and better lives if taken properly. The Swazi government has provided ARVs to the public since 2004, making a formerly cost-prohibitive treatment more accessible. Not all patients follow the treatment closely enough for it to be effective, though. Some stop taking the medication due to the claims of faith healers. Others, like Thabo, don’t understand at first why they are the only person in a household taking the medication. Thabo didn’t take ARVs regularly until his grandmother received training and he could better understand the medication’s importance.
“We have patients discovered in 1999 who take ARVs and are still alive today,” Mary says.
With regular medication, support from his biological family at home and church family around the world, and hard work at school, there is now hope for Thabo to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor some day.
Cultivating Hope
Four support groups have now formed among some of the HIV/AID Taskforce’s clients. Beyond encouraging and spiritually supporting one another, the members of these support groups run gardens, from which the vegetables grown can help ensure a healthy diet, which is vital for those with HIV/AIDS, and can also be sold to help support members’ families.
Some of the groups also engage in other income-generating activities, like sewing and making jewelry, candles or soap. The groups schedule their own meetings—usually weekly—and support each other to build savings and provide credit, extending small loans to group members.
Members of the support group do not have to be HIV-positive themselves, though all have been impacted by the virus in some way.
Thoko* is HIV-positive and one of the Taskforce’s supporters. She is also a member of the Banqobi HIV/AIDS support group, which formed in 2007. Today, the group runs a large garden that grows a wide variety of crops, including maize, onion, lettuce, cabbage, beets, eggplant, carrots, pumpkin, watermelon, green peppers, and green beans.
“We are starting to be known in the community,” Thoko says with a smile. “Our dream is to become millionaires! Vegetables are becoming more expensive.”
The garden is thriving. Vegetables entered in 19 categories at a recent trade fair won the garden accolades and a gift card for 700 rand (about $55) from a local grocery store.
“We won because our vegetables were the best at the trade fair,” says Sindy* another HIV-positive supporter and support group member.
Alongside the vegetables in the garden, hope is growing, too.
Some of the groups also engage in other income-generating activities, like sewing and making jewelry, candles or soap. The groups schedule their own meetings—usually weekly—and support each other to build savings and provide credit, extending small loans to group members.
Members of the support group do not have to be HIV-positive themselves, though all have been impacted by the virus in some way.
Thoko* is HIV-positive and one of the Taskforce’s supporters. She is also a member of the Banqobi HIV/AIDS support group, which formed in 2007. Today, the group runs a large garden that grows a wide variety of crops, including maize, onion, lettuce, cabbage, beets, eggplant, carrots, pumpkin, watermelon, green peppers, and green beans.
“We are starting to be known in the community,” Thoko says with a smile. “Our dream is to become millionaires! Vegetables are becoming more expensive.”
The garden is thriving. Vegetables entered in 19 categories at a recent trade fair won the garden accolades and a gift card for 700 rand (about $55) from a local grocery store.
“We won because our vegetables were the best at the trade fair,” says Sindy* another HIV-positive supporter and support group member.
Alongside the vegetables in the garden, hope is growing, too.
“Yes, Jesus Loves Me”
On a cool September afternoon, Sindy, one of the Taskforce’s early supporters, visits a small, two-room house with Mary and Evelyn. Mary sits near the client, Thembi,* while Evelyn (right in photo left) presents a plastic bag filled with nutritious food. Thembi, a client since Sindy began visiting her in 2010, suffers from HIV, tuberculosis, and, more recently, a skin problem. Her caregiver shares Thembi’s health records with Mary, who is pleased to see that Thembi has been taking her medication faithfully.
“When you have tested [positive for HIV], they encourage you to take treatment and not wait until you are so weak,” Thembi says through a translator.
She speaks highly of the Taskforce, saying “[They] lifted my life, which was almost dead.” Her goals are to talk about God and preach the gospel of Jesus, talk to others about the virus, and visit people who are sick at their homes—the way the Taskforce has done for her.
After a song and prayer, the visitors pile into their pickup truck and follow a winding, dusty trail to a compound shared by three families.
At the next client’s home, the same procedure takes place: Evelyn delivers food, Mary examines the client’s health record, and Sindy talks to the client, Gugu*, who is an energetic and talkative storyteller, and whose facial expressions range from sadness to amusement as she responds to their questions with long stories. As she talks, the reasons for her dismay become clearer.
Gugu used to be a seamstress. The money she earned helped pay for school fees and food for her family. But as her illness worsened, she could no longer work. Because of this, only two of her three school-age children are attending school. The ARV treatment is helping, and she has regained her appetite, but her family still faces problems. They lack food. Because of the stigma around HIV/AIDS, some of the other people on the compound are afraid of Gugu and shame her. She wants her family to move elsewhere, but they can’t.
Like the first visit, this one ends with a prayer and a song. In the midst of her difficult circumstances, Gugu joins in singing these encouraging, simple words: “Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”
A Fuller Future
The HIV/AIDS Taskforce now serves more than 600 clients. The number fluctuates based on how well clients are doing.
“Some clients, when they are better, go and get a job and you don’t see them again,” Mary says. “But that is the goal for them. They move on with their life.”
The Taskforce faces some big challenges. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate remains high. Supporters are encouraged to have six clients, but they often take on more because multiple people are ill in the same household. Polygamy remains common in Swaziland, which continues the spread of HIV. All of this makes the supporters’ work emotionally challenging.
“To go every day, you get almost traumatized,” Evelyn says. “When you see someone’s life decline, you feel you didn’t do good.”
Evelyn says that having faith in God helps her keep perspective during difficult times.
There are many reasons for hope, though. Fewer children are now born HIV-positive, Evelyn reports. The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS has lessened over the years, and more people are talking openly about their status. Mary says this is because now more people understand now that “you can be born with it.”
Evelyn and Mary are actively mentoring about 40 trained supporters working in two of Swaziland’s four regions. Resources permitting, they would also like to mentor the approximately 40 trained supporters who live in the other two regions.
Although their work with the HIV/AIDS Taskforce is difficult at times, it is also spiritually and emotionally rewarding.
“It uplifts your faith when you assist someone, see them get better and better, go back to work, and help their family,” Evelyn says. “After you work, you feel peace in your heart.”[Brad Crofford is a volunteer for NCM Africa. He holds a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Oklahoma and bachelor degrees from Southern Nazarene University. He grew up in West Africa and Haiti as the son of Nazarene missionaries Greg and Amy Crofford.]
On a cool September afternoon, Sindy, one of the Taskforce’s early supporters, visits a small, two-room house with Mary and Evelyn. Mary sits near the client, Thembi,* while Evelyn (right in photo left) presents a plastic bag filled with nutritious food. Thembi, a client since Sindy began visiting her in 2010, suffers from HIV, tuberculosis, and, more recently, a skin problem. Her caregiver shares Thembi’s health records with Mary, who is pleased to see that Thembi has been taking her medication faithfully.
“When you have tested [positive for HIV], they encourage you to take treatment and not wait until you are so weak,” Thembi says through a translator.
She speaks highly of the Taskforce, saying “[They] lifted my life, which was almost dead.” Her goals are to talk about God and preach the gospel of Jesus, talk to others about the virus, and visit people who are sick at their homes—the way the Taskforce has done for her.
After a song and prayer, the visitors pile into their pickup truck and follow a winding, dusty trail to a compound shared by three families.
At the next client’s home, the same procedure takes place: Evelyn delivers food, Mary examines the client’s health record, and Sindy talks to the client, Gugu*, who is an energetic and talkative storyteller, and whose facial expressions range from sadness to amusement as she responds to their questions with long stories. As she talks, the reasons for her dismay become clearer.
Gugu used to be a seamstress. The money she earned helped pay for school fees and food for her family. But as her illness worsened, she could no longer work. Because of this, only two of her three school-age children are attending school. The ARV treatment is helping, and she has regained her appetite, but her family still faces problems. They lack food. Because of the stigma around HIV/AIDS, some of the other people on the compound are afraid of Gugu and shame her. She wants her family to move elsewhere, but they can’t.
Like the first visit, this one ends with a prayer and a song. In the midst of her difficult circumstances, Gugu joins in singing these encouraging, simple words: “Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”
A Fuller Future
The HIV/AIDS Taskforce now serves more than 600 clients. The number fluctuates based on how well clients are doing.
“Some clients, when they are better, go and get a job and you don’t see them again,” Mary says. “But that is the goal for them. They move on with their life.”
The Taskforce faces some big challenges. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate remains high. Supporters are encouraged to have six clients, but they often take on more because multiple people are ill in the same household. Polygamy remains common in Swaziland, which continues the spread of HIV. All of this makes the supporters’ work emotionally challenging.
“To go every day, you get almost traumatized,” Evelyn says. “When you see someone’s life decline, you feel you didn’t do good.”
Evelyn says that having faith in God helps her keep perspective during difficult times.
There are many reasons for hope, though. Fewer children are now born HIV-positive, Evelyn reports. The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS has lessened over the years, and more people are talking openly about their status. Mary says this is because now more people understand now that “you can be born with it.”
Evelyn and Mary are actively mentoring about 40 trained supporters working in two of Swaziland’s four regions. Resources permitting, they would also like to mentor the approximately 40 trained supporters who live in the other two regions.
Although their work with the HIV/AIDS Taskforce is difficult at times, it is also spiritually and emotionally rewarding.
“It uplifts your faith when you assist someone, see them get better and better, go back to work, and help their family,” Evelyn says. “After you work, you feel peace in your heart.”[Brad Crofford is a volunteer for NCM Africa. He holds a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Oklahoma and bachelor degrees from Southern Nazarene University. He grew up in West Africa and Haiti as the son of Nazarene missionaries Greg and Amy Crofford.]
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