ADRA

She wanted me to meet one of the students. I knew that this must be something special she wanted me to experience. I did not need a second invitation. At 3:30, I pointed the old Land Cruiser into the wall-to-wall traffic and fought my way to the district where the school was located.

Schools #29 and #116 are located next to each other and work with the deaf and the blind, respectively. The four-story gray building with cement-brick walls resembled a prison rather than a school. I walked up those uneven concrete steps to the third floor to the classroom that had been assigned to our project. As I stepped into the classroom, all 20 students touched their foreheads, then put their fists to their chests and pointed their open palms toward me in greeting from their silent worlds. A smile was evident on each face. Private conversations took place in sign language between the students as we waited for the teachers. Just a week ago, these children lived in isolated worlds; now they had been brought together and given a sign language to communicate with each other.

I made a little speech in English that was translated into Mongolian by Battsetseg and then into Mongolian sign language by one of the teachers. I challenged the students to make the best of the rest of their life’s journey now that they could communicate. We gave each one a certificate, and I shook each precious hand that is now being put to such valuable use in communicating. I took a photo of the group, each student holding their certificate with one hand and pointing their other hand with loose fingers to the ceiling and wobbling it back and forth, which is sign language for clapping and joy. They were so proud of those certificates.

Battsetseg then asked them who the best student had been. The students all pointed to a thin, pale, and emaciated man about 30 years of age. Was this the student she wanted me to meet? Tsendjav’s story unfolded as I spoke to his parents alone afterward. He was one of triplets that his parents were so proud of. While still a baby, he was given an antibiotic for an infection. His parents claimed that it made him deaf. For 30 years these respectable parents—the father is a Mongolian language professor at the University of Mongolia, and the mother is a teacher at an elite school—hid this child from every visitor to avoid the embarrassment of anyone knowing that they had a child with a disability. Every time anyone knocked at the door, they would hold their index finger across their lips, and he would go scampering to the bedroom and remain out of sight and quiet till the visitors had left. Not a single person ever knew that they had another son who was deaf. They loved him, but they did not know how to communicate with him. The only sign he knew was the index finger across the lips.

One week ago, the parents, who had heard about the ADRA sign language course, plucked up enough courage for the first time in 30 years to take Tsendjav out of their apartment. The first day in class, he would not lift his head and made no sign of taking anything in.

But I saw him this afternoon, just five days later. He was at the center of many conversations. This week he learned all 35 letters of the Mongolian alphabet for the first time in his life. He could not even count when he came on Monday. Oh, the joy of his parents as they clutched the precious 600-word sign language dictionary, their key to communication with their son. Soon we hope to have a new 3,000-word dictionary in their hands. Tsendjav came up and shook my hand, gave me a rose, and pulled my head toward his so he could press his cheek against mine as a sign of respect and thankfulness. I had a lump in my throat, and my eyes misted over. This was a child who had been brought out into the light for the first time in his lifetime. How many more are still hidden?

The parents thanked us over and over. The father is going to give us a list of 3,000 of the most actively used words in Mongolian so we can corroborate our list with his. I challenged him to become the first professor of sign language in Mongolia.

We are at SMP4 Junior High School, and 545 students are lined up in the school yard listening to speeches from ADRA, a representative of the district education department, and their headmaster, Mr. Zainun Zakaria.

The headmaster delivers a powerful motivational speech to his students, urging them to be strong. They are survivors and should not let the tsunami ruin their lives. They need to look forward and rebuild their future through education. He reminds them of the two bombs that destroyed Japan at the end of World War II. The students should look to the Japanese to see how successfully they rebuilt their country after their disaster. It was through education and determination that Japan rebuilt a strong economy.

He wants his students to get on with life. He believes that through school the children can return to some sort of normality in the midst of personal tragedy. They have this opportunity because of the work ADRA is doing in his school. He expresses his gratefulness for the many NGOs and in particular ADRA. He urges his students to learn from ADRA and the other NGOs that have come from the other side of the world. He tells them that they are important. The world cares about them and their future. In return, they must do well in school and rebuild their lives.

These are strong words for children who have recently survived earthquakes and a tsunami. After the formalities, the children receive their new bags. I catch up with Mr. Zakaria. He shares that he has worked 34 years as the headmaster of this school. He pulls up his trousers to show me the marks, scars, and discoloration on his legs. “Tsunami—tsunami,” he proclaims. I quickly get a translator so I can understand what he wants to tell me.

On December 26, 2004, Mr. Zakaria had attended teacher training at the school and was on his way home. As he got to the bridge in town, the earth shook. He quickly jumped out of his car and lay on the ground, holding his arms around his head. When the large earthquake stopped, he hurried back to his house to make sure his wife and daughter were fine. Confirming that his family was all right, he went to the mosque to gather information and see if someone needed help. Not many people were in the mosque, so he returned home. On the way, he met people screaming about the rising water levels.

He ran to find his daughter and tell her to go to her grandmother, who lived farther down the coast. The daughter, like any teenager, wanted to change her clothes and pack a bag. Both Mr. Zakaria and his wife urged her to leave on her motorbike. Finally, she obeyed her parents and drove off. His wife ran over to the neighbor’s two-story house, bringing a small bag of documents. Mr. Zakaria watched his family leave. The water level was rising; by now it had reached the side of his house.

He got on a motorcycle and tried to drive off, but the bike stalled because the water level was too high. Everything happened so fast. Suddenly he found the water carrying him away. He tried to grab hold of something, anything. He grabbed on to a jeep. The car was tossed around, and he was back in the water. Struggling, he tried to grab hold of a building, but the current was too powerful and he was swept away. After an hour of struggling, he was finally able to grab the roots of a Beringin tree. As he pulled himself up onto the tree, he found that he was not alone. Also clinging to the Beringin tree were a civet with three of her kittens, two mice, and a chicken.

For hours, they clung to the tree, not seeing any other living being. The water was filled with dead people. It was pulling back to the sea at a stronger and faster pace than it had come in. All Mr. Zakaria could do was sit and wait. The sun was scorching hot and burning him, but he thought only of his wife and daughter. Where were they? What was happening to them?

After four hours, he decided to try to reach a patch of dry land that he saw in the distance. He removed his shirt and trousers. He tied his trousers around his waist and his shirt around his head. He knew that his clothes would slow him down. He estimated that it would take about 15 minutes to swim to land, but the current was strong and he was weak. He swam from branch to branch. He found a board and pushed it ahead a bit and then swam to it. While he was trying to swim, he was afraid that another wave would come.

 At some point, he realized that he had lost his clothes. He felt pain in his leg and saw that it was cut in many places. Finally, after an hour and a half, his feet touched dry land. Mr. Zakaria was tired and worn-out, but determined to find out what had happened to his family. He staggered to his relative’s house, which was situated in an area that was unaffected. There he was able to rest for some time and eat some food. His thoughts were with his daughter and his wife. He was particularly concerned for his daughter; had she done as he had told her? If so, he knew that there was little chance that she had survived, as her grandmother’s house was close to the waterfront.

Regaining some strength, he started his search. He walked around the city and saw destruction and dead people. He ended up at the mosque, and there he finally met his daughter and wife. It was around 4:00 p.m.; he had seen them last at 8:30 a.m. For once, he was glad that his daughter had done what she thought was best and had not followed his directions. Had she obeyed him, she would not be alive.

Mr. Zakaria still smiles; he knows that he is lucky and is grateful that his family is safe. All the material positions they have are the daughter’s motorbike and the small bag his wife took. However, this is not important; they have each other.

After hearing his story, I understand that his strong speech to his students was not out of insensitivity to the children’s experience, but out of care and to motivate them to continue life. Seeing the work ADRA is doing to rehabilitate the children’s school and give them back a future, I too smile with Mr. Zakaria and promise that ADRA will not forget him or his school.

" 'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid…’ ” Leviticus 26:6 (NIV)

A couple months ago, I returned from a trip to East Africa, including southern Sudan. Sudan is the largest country in Africa, but has been in a state of war for approximately thirty years. The results of this long-term conflict have been tremendous.

The infrastructure—including roads, schools, health facilities, and much more—is in shambles. One particularly bad 10-mile stretch of road took us 1.5 hours to travel! To get to ADRA’s projects, we, like ADRA South Sudan staff, had to fly in on a United Nations single-engine plane that lands on dirt strips.

The poor transportation and communication in southern Sudan make this area extremely difficult to work in. On top of this, there is the constant threat of ongoing conflict. At all times you must carry a “quick run” survival kit containing enough water for four days.

Despite these conditions, ADRA is carrying out a tremendous work in southern Sudan. Education projects are supporting schools that have no supplies. A guinea worm eradication project is helping to eliminate this painful, but rectifiable, disease. Women’s groups are learning literacy and numeracy skills and starting their own business to create income for their families.

One school that stands out in my mind is the Affa Displaced Primary School. It’s a school that ADRA is supporting with supplies and teacher training. The children who are students there were forced to flee their homes farther north due to fighting. Many of their stories are very saddening.

The future in this region depends heavily on the peace process that is ongoing. I hope you’ll join me in praying for the safety of ADRA staff working in this dangerous environment, the continued community involvement and support of ADRA’s projects, and especially for peace in southern Sudan.

“And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” ~Nehemiah 12:43 (NIV)

After packing the essentials for a four-day visit to the village of Donomade, I met Irene, a field worker for one of ADRA Togo’s women’s empowerment projects who lives in Donomade during the week.

When we arrived that afternoon, ADRA’s AIDS Prevention Program team began by giving questionnaires and doing informal discussion groups with villagers and showing a film about signs of AIDS, transmission, and prevention. “Now we know how to protect ourselves,” said Bosi Rosa after the presentation. “I will start telling my children about AIDS and how they can prevent it.” Dovi, a petite little girl with a stack of schoolbooks resting on her head commented, “What I learned about AIDS makes me sure I want to avoid it.”

When I stepped out of Irene’s hut at 7 a.m. the next morning, a large circle of villagers was gathered around. ADRA’s life-skills classes, covering topics like women and children’s rights, health, sanitation, nutrition, family relationships, family planning, and methods of income generation, begin very early as its often the only time when women are free.

ADRA reaches youth through weekly presentations at primary schools. Out of 32 students, only eight were girls. This is not surprising in Togo, where there are nearly twice as many illiterate females as males. Early pregnancy and marriage are two factors that cause many Togolese girls to drop out of school. “My dream is to be a journalist. I want to stay in school and finish my education,” said 15-year-old Kristine. “Today I learned that I need to avoid early marriage and pregnancy to complete school.”

On the trip back to Lome, Irene and I passed barefoot school children on the narrow footpaths, waving as we drove by. We saw women walking with heavy loads of firewood balanced on their heads and men riding bicycles with towering sacks of corn tied to the back. These are everyday sights in Togo, and it’s easy to pass them by without noticing. Yet within each person, there are needs and a story. My week in Donomade gave me insight into some of those stories, and encouraged me as I saw the rejoicing of the women and children—like Bisi, Dovi, and Kristine—as ADRA brought empowerment to their life and hope to their future.

"You are the light of the world" Matthew 5:14 (NIV)

ADRA has been drilling wells in Somalia since 1992. Water is extremely rare, with water points being 70 to 100 km (43 to 62 miles) apart. People and their livestock have to walk two to three days to get water. The countryside has no lakes or rivers, and rain falls only about twice a year. Otherwise the climate is hot and dry year-round with temperatures averaging 40º C (104º F) in the shade.

Drilling wells is a real challenge. Boreholes have to be around 200 meters (656 feet) deep. To drill that deep we need from 80 to 100 thousand liters (21 to 26 thousand gallons) of water. Tanker trucks bring water from the nearest source located about seven hours one way over heavy sand and sharp rocks.

Sheik Mahmoud Diblawe from the Datable clan visited our office in Mogadishu. He wanted to thank ADRA for helping his people and to assure us of safety under his protection. Our drilling team and equipment were guarded by 50 armed militiamen with six technical cars, each mounted with a heavy machine gun.

I recalled his friendly welcome during our survey trip two years before. As we talked, I had mentioned that I was also a religious man, a Christian sheik—adding that we all pray to the same God. Impressed, he asked if I could dig a well for his village. He added, "Because of the remoteness of our area, no international organization has ever made an effort to come here."

Due to lack of funds, I could promise only to do my best. As we left, he asked for my business card. I wondered about this request since his area has no post office or telephone. "I have kept your business card in my Koran," he said. "Every day when I read it and pray, I include ADRA in my prayers. `If this man is a true sheik,' I told myself, `he will keep his promise. One day he will return.' Now I realize that you are a true sheik, and I thank ADRA for what has been done for my people!"

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” ~ Psalm 103: 2, 3 (NIV)

It was a bright, sunny Togolese national holiday morning as I walked out of my apartment to go to the villages for one of our project visits. Kofi, the driver, Mawunyo, the project coordinator, and I were on our way to the village of Donomade. I wanted to know if Donomade had any spectacular meaning. Yes, it had! And that was, “the village is so far that a sick person can never get there.” Upon our arrival in the village we saw a group of women under a big tree involved in a health training session facilitated by Chantal, the ADRA agent for this village. Their faces beamed with joy as they welcomed us, shaking our hands warmly. They quickly realized that I did not speak the local language because I did not know how to respond very well to the local greeting.

Suddenly, a mentally challenged man with a broad, genuine smile interrupted the meeting and started questioning why some people were speaking in English. He seemed curious and wanted to be my friend.

The shock of the day came when, on saying good bye to the community members, the man came close to me, and as he held my hand to say goodbye, he gently lifted it to his cracked lips and kissed the back of my hand. I reassured him that I cared about him, too. As we drove back to the city of Lome, his parting words filled my mind as I was reminded of my new buddy in the village.

I learned lessons from this precious child of God. We each desire to be loved. Thank God that His love is unconditional at all times, and when we need His attention He is always there. More so, He is the great physician who not only heals physical diseases, but the spiritual, too. And in Donomade, “where sick people cannot reach,” there was a mentally challenged child of God. I’m thankful that God can always reach Donomade, regardless of the distance. And as God’s arms and hands, ADRA is reaching out to people, even in villages considered too far. I love being part of the ADRA family!

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (RSV)

Ella, a 13-year-old girl in the village where I work, had just finished primary school and had gotten her certificate (after passing the test). But her mother did not want her to continue her studies. The little girl, who was very unhappy about this, told me about it and pleaded with me to help her convince her mother to let her continue school. I went to their home and spoke to her mother about it; but her mother did not agree and would not be convinced. She responded, “I do not want her to continue her studies. The purpose of a girl is to work in the kitchen, on the farm, and to have babies. Me, I didn’t go to school but I eat and do everything just like those who have been to school.”

The situation was tense but we did not give up. I tried all the different means to bring her to reason. One evening after dinner when the three of us were all in the same room, I started to tell a story, a story about a woman doctor who had saved the people of her village from a terrible disease. The mother listened attentively without saying anything. However, the next day she came to me and asked if I thought that one day her daughter would be able to become a government official. I said “Yes, but only if she continues her studies.” With that dream, her mother was convinced.

One week before school started, all was ready for the girl to start school. Her mother came to visit me and excitedly reminded me, “My girl is going to school.”

ADRA strongly believes in empowering young people to reach their dreams. And education is a necessary tool to breaking the poverty cycle. I’m reminded how rewarding this work is every time little Ella happily thanks me—and ADRA—for our help

“Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands.” Job 4:3 (NIV)

The view from the top of Mt. Muhavura, an inactive volcano in Western Uganda, is overwhelmingly green. It is a jungle of intertwining trees, hillsides covered with swaying banana plants, and a valley blanketed with the delicate hue of tomato vines, cabbages, onions and potatoes. But the tiny pygmy huts that are scattered throughout the region are largely invisible.

Walls of mud and roofs of palm fronds give shelter to one of the most marginalized groups in Uganda. In 1991, the Batwa Pygmies were evicted from their forest home in order to create Mgahinga National park, one of the few remaining habitats of the mountain gorilla.

Without land, the Pygmies have been forced to become squatters. They have no permanent home, no gardens to grow food and for many, they have no hope. Standing next to the huts, the children’s eyes are large with sorrow and hunger. Their bare feet are cracked, their bellies distended from malnutrition. Their clothing is colorless and filled with tears.

But ADRA Uganda has been making a difference by building the Mabuyemeru Primary school. Now Pygmy students have a place to sleep, access to clean water, regular meals, school uniforms and, most importantly, a life-changing education. In a district where the illiteracy rate is 67 percent, the Pygmy children are learning how to read and write. They are also gaining skills like tailoring, weaving, and farm maintenance.

In the past, Pygmies were so discriminated against that their children could not attend local schools. But at Mabuyemeru, Pygmy children stay in the same dormitory as non-Pygmy children. They share clothes, school supplies, and dreams for a better future.

Alice Nyamihanda is fourteen years old and the first in her village to finish primary school. Her shy smile belies a determined spirit. Alice dreams of graduating from secondary school. Right now, she is halfway through.

ADRA is giving Alice and many children like her a priceless gift—a chance for a better tomorrow. “Please tell ADRA to continue their compassion for the destitute,” said the leader of the Kanyabukung Pygmy community. “Please tell ADRA that they give us hope.”

“. . . we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” Psalm 66:12 (NIV)

It was the worst flooding in Hanoi since 1984. The water crept up the steps leading to the ADRA office. This had happened before, but the water had never come through the doors. As the rain continued, we were alarmed to see it inching under the doorways despite our best efforts. We moved computer equipment and file drawers from the floor to tops of desks and tables.

Later, one of the men brought used bricks and buckets of red clay to build barriers at each of the four doorways. Now it was possible to use buckets to remove water without it immediately returning. The rain slowed, and then stopped. There was concern that, if another storm came very soon, it would be worse. By evening, the office was nearly cleaned up, but outside the water still lapped just below the porch floor.

The light rain predicted for Saturday began on schedule, but it increased about 5 AM. At the office, water poured over the "mud/brick dams" that had been built. Closed doors slowed the flow, but water gurgled up through the floor drains of the bathrooms and leaked through gaps between floor tiles. We emptied lower shelves. Just before the water reached it, the bed in the guest room was raised onto a couple chairs.

With the water rising, about 35 people moved office items to the second floor. The rain continued, off and on, throughout the day. While lighter than during the night, it was enough to keep the water about the same height. By late afternoon, boats had ferried many things to a new location.

We have decided to stay, at least for the moment, in the new location. According to the "authorities," there could be additional flooding this year. We are not prepared to go through this "moving experience" again anytime soon. While still anything but organized, our office is beginning to take shape again.

As we provide aid in the future, we will be able to better understand the feelings of helplessness and loss when flooding strikes.

“So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.” ~ Job 5:16

“The first thing they did was shoot my husband,” she (pictured below) said, looking down at the mat as I gripped my pen a little tighter. Her eyes met mine and I could see they were full of tears. I glanced around the hut, where 20 women sat detailing their lives before and after arriving at this refugee camp in West Darfur, Sudan. As the stories poured out they were similar in their tragedy—full of pain, murder, rape, and pillaging.

My tears started to make it difficult to write. I thought about my closet full of clothes and shoes, the half empty water bottle I threw away, and the comfortable bed I would be sleeping in that night.

The dust blew in my already irritated eyes as I rode in the back of the pickup to the ADRA compound. We were quiet and absorbed in our thoughts, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task—1.2 million displaced people with similar stories and lacking basic necessities like food and water. “How can man be so cruel” I thought? “Where is God?”

“Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of these, you did it unto me.” The words rang through my head. As our brothers and sisters in Sudan call out to God for help, ADRA responds. It is here in the midst of the largest humanitarian aid crisis in the world—building latrines in the hot sand, digging wells for water, and giving friendly smiles—ADRA is bringing hope to those who are without, bringing aid to the least of these.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (I Corinthians 6: 19 20, NIV)

I arrived at Ajakuac Payam on graduation day for 43 Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) volunteers and supervisors who completed ADRA’s three-day workshop in Twic County, Bahr El Ghazal. Walking to our vehicle, an elderly man came beside me, chatting away in the Dinka Language. I could not understand a word, so I smiled. He continued chatting away and held my hand. I called one teacher who could speak both English and Arabic who translated, “I am impressed because this young lady knows ‘the pen’ well. Because she knows ‘the pen’ well, I am willing to marry her and pay her parents 50 head of cattle just for her pen and 100 head of cattle for her to be my wife.”

I was greatly impressed! Not because a man in Ajakuac Payam was willing to pay 150 heads of cattle for a bride price; but because I realized that ADRA South Sudan’s hard work to promote girl’s education was paying off.

Community members in Twic County are pastoralist, and value cattle very much. Here, wealth is measured by the number of cattle one has and the number of wives one can afford to marry. Happy is the man who has many daughters, for his kraal will always be full of cattle.

The fact that girls in this community are sold off for a bride price at a very tender age, poses a great challenge in the area of girl’s education. ADRA South Sudan, through community mobilizations, workshops, and meetings has been encouraging the community to send girls to school since 1998. Statistics throughout south Sudan shows that only 26% of the pupils enrolled in school are girls in spite of the fact that female’s make up over 60% of the total population of south Sudan. Retention of girls in school is also a great challenge.

The fact that the old man was willing to pay 50 herds of cattle just for ‘the pen’ (equivalent to USD $10,000 encouraged me that the community is gradually changing and placing a high value on girl’s education.

ADRA believes in the importance and value of girls and women and works to uncover that value in societies where it has been clouded. And just like Christ, ADRA believes every man, woman and child has inherent value. I’m glad ADRA is able to show God’s loving face in societies where some genders or ethnic groups have never had their value affirmed. And just as a valued bride is bought with a great price, it reminds me that God bought us with a great price because He, too, values us so intensely.

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. ~Deuteronomy 10:18 (RSV)

Continued from the last devotional…

Synopsis so far: Evelyne Nielsen’s husband, Bent, served as the country director of ADRA Burundi until he was murdered in 1998. With the desire to carry on the work of her husband, Evelyne took over as country director until June 2001 when she moved to continue ADRA’s work in Tunisia.

Now, after more than 25 years in Africa, I am discovering a new culture in a new country: Tunisia. Here, again, I am bringing ADRA’s mission of love and respect for everyone without consideration of race, gender or religion. My brightest experience after nearly five months in Tunisia, is of participating in Aïd el Fetr, a celebration on behalf of elderly people at the end of Ramadan. ADRA Netherlands sent funding for ADRA Tunisia to be a part of bringing joy to elderly people who were isolated and forgotten during the festival. It was thrilling to see elderly men and women in their traditional clothes moving in rhythm to the religious songs—songs sung for the glory of God by a traditional band, a Souleimia. They also received warm clothes to help them fight the cold of winter.

I will never exchange my place for another one. To work in the ADRA network means to be part of the long chain of solidarity all over the world between people of good heart and good will. It means expressing God’s love to people, who are suffering in their soul and in their flesh. That love is expressed through projects where they are involved right from the beginning—for their own development and the development of ADRA itself—and through projects where everyone—the community and ADRA teams—are learning together in friendship and humility.

“…The LORD, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry…” ~Psalms 146 6 - 7 (NIV)

Recently, I visited Camp Ded Madi Okollo in Arua, Uganda, and met with a small group of refugees that had lived there for the past five to six months. This was their third camp and most had been refugees for at least 10 years.

The life of a refugee is a challenging one. The food rations which are per person, per month, are 26 lbs. of maize flour, 4 lbs. of beans, and 0.6 liters of cooking oil. There are no supplemental foods for babies. There are two working boreholes for a camp of more than 7,000 people. To get to the borehole water, you have to walk nearly a mile each day. Usually, it’s the women who bare this task.

Imagine all your possessions fitting in a small shelter structure with a “United Nations” tarp over the top and thatch walls at each end. A family of 10 might live in a shelter like this. All your worldly possessions were probably lost in your last move. You are faced with limited rations and water and are located in an area without employment opportunities or schools and with limited medical facilities. The only way to earn a living is by selling your meager rations. These are conditions most of us cannot even fathom.

Compare this with your life. How many cars do you own? How many square feet is your home? How much junk do you have stored in your garage that has not seen the light of day since your last move? Think of the health care that is a short distance away.

How do people become refugees? It is usually associated with violence, and/or freedom of expression. For most of us who live in societies where we are not subject to threats, conflict or acts of violence and who can express ourselves pretty much as we please, these situations are remote. Yet in parts of the world they are common daily experiences.

On June 20th of this month, the world commemorates World Refugee Day. I’m reminded of the small group of men and women I met at Camp Ded Madi Okollo. What should our response be as Christians? It is easy to say we should feed the hungry, clothe the naked and aid the sick, but it is probably a different story to stand up and fight for just treatment of people. It requires activism on our part. I believe that Christ calls us not to be “couch potato” Christians, but activist Christians who get involved in helping support those who are in situations—like refugees from Sudan living in a camp—where our voices might be the only ones supporting them.

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6 7 (RSV)

From the blue-tiled splendors of Tamerlane’s Samarkand to the holy city of Bukhara, boasting a mosque for each day of the year, Uzbekistan, lays claim to a breathtaking architectural legacy. Bound by sand and snow, these fertile oases attracted the greatest travelers and conquerors in history along the fragile threads of the Silk Road. This is our new home.

As soon as we arrived here, we began working to get ADRA accredited in Uzbekistan. This has taken much patience and persistence. Finally, the United Nations finally granted ADRA bona fide status to cross boarder operations from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan. This status helped ADRA obtain its accreditation, and in March 2002 ADRA Uzbekistan became official!

When we think about our challenges here, the most amazing and comforting fact is to see and feel God’s guidance all the way. It is awesome how things happen when we make ourselves available to God. Doors open before us. The right people step into our lives. Again, on God’s schedule, not ours. Sometimes the task before us is difficult or the needed information isn’t shared or isn’t clear, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of frustration. This happens especially when you look to all ‘you’ are doing. That’s the point! The little secret I’ve learned to avoid frustration is to make sure we are doing all we can, but then to look to Jesus and trust it all to Him. As we act in faith, reaching out to the needy ones all around us, the Holy Spirit, the mighty angels, and all the powers of Heaven are there to assist us. We look forward to seeing ADRA make a difference in this country.

ADRA Uzbekistan, currently a small team of four people, is contacting the government, NGOs, public institutions, and communities to assess the needs of the country. On a recent meeting with the Minister of Public Education, ADRA received strong support to implement educational programs such as vocational training for vulnerable children and a tobacco awareness programs at the schools. We are working hard on these possibilities. In addition, we hope to assist many in Northern Afghanistan and soon eight containers of winter clothing for distribution.

There is a work to be done in this country! We know that with God’s guidance, our best efforts, love, and donor’s compassion, we will make it happen! This is just the start of an exciting journey…

“You will be secure, because there is hope.” Job 11:18 (NIV)

At the birth of their fifth child, Byambaa’s husband walked out. With no work skills or education, she had little hope of finding a job to support her family. For a short time her two daughters, Doya and Densmaa, attended ADRA’s tutoring center. This school was the only chance for them to learn to read and write. However, Byambaa didn’t have the money for even simple things like a pen and a notebook. She could barely scrape together a few dollars to pay the rent of her small one-room house and perhaps purchase a small amount of water for drinking, cooking, and washing.

Doya and Densmaa really wanted to go back to school. Returning to life on the streets meant begging for money and digging through trash bins for food or something to sell.

One day, Byambaa walked into the ADRA Mongolia office with an idea for a small business venture. She had done her research and already had customers waiting, but she needed a loan of $20 USD for one month.

This seemed an impossible amount for Byambaa to pay back. What would happen to her motivation if she failed?

We settled on $10 USD, with more time to pay it back, if needed. She accepted the money with a broad smile and profuse thanks. Promising to return it in one month, she left the office clutching her future.

Three weeks later I visited Byambaa’s small one-room home. She sat in front of a small wood stove. Looking up at me, a grin spread from ear to ear. Her home was spotless despite the torn and ragged flooring. Excitement rippled through her. She quickly recounted how she had taken the $10 USD and bought empty glass bottles from restaurants and private homes. She then took them to the factories and sold them back at a higher price, making a little money on each bottle.

Byambaa had made $80 USD. She could now buy food, wood for heating, and clean water. When school starts next year, Doya and Densmaa will be enrolled.

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:16, KJV)

When I went to pick up the children registered for our summer camp, I was surprised to see only one child, Ankhbayar, and his mother waiting for me. I was expecting 15 children. Confused, I visited the homes of the other registered children to find out what was going on. It was there I learned that when the other children found out Ankhbayar had been selected for the camp, they thought the project was only for “problem” children.

I quickly explained the goal of our camp and, by the end of the visits, all the original participants agreed to come to the camp.

On the first day, Ankhbayar was so happy. However, he started arguing and having many problems with his friends and the staff. During the hike on the fourth, fifth, and sixth day of the camp, I talked with him and listened to him carefully. Through tears he admitted, “People think I’m always naughty and make problems all the time. My parents are divorced. My father has a very bad reputation. Everybody looks at me like I am a stranger.”

This was the turning point for Ankhbayar as he was so happy that someone had listened to him. He set a goal to change himself and we saw big improvements in his behavior after this.

At the end of the camp he was quite tearful. He told me his mother would like to meet with me. When we met, I told her about his successful participation at our camp. Ankhbayar looked very proud.

At a one-month follow-up meeting, the deputy director of Ankhbayar’s school said, “I heard many good stories about your camp, especially about Ankhbayar. He is now a better student.”

At that moment I was really proud and impressed with the work I am able to do through ADRA, as our team had taught young people how to live a better way. Just as Christ didn’t turn the children away, ADRA, too, holds out its arms to children to bring healing, compassion and growth to their lives.

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction . . .” James 1:27

It is very small. Just twelve feet square, having three rooms and a path to an outdoor toilet. There is no stove to cook on or table on which to prepare food. The only furniture is a hint of a bed—a sheet of corrugated cardboard leaning against the wall.

The lady of the house is Maria. She has three children—Hilda, 16, Louis Henrique, 9 and Cindy Carolina, 4. Maria’s mother, Victoria, lives there, too. She is 69. The years rest heavily on her wrinkled but smiling face.

Not long before my visit, Walter Britton, ADRA Honduras country director, had found them huddled between two shacks. He had no money in the ADRA budget to help, but decided on his own to raise the money required to construct this small house. After leveling the ground on a rather steep hillside, they poured the concrete floor, laid up the block walls, and poured bond posts and beams in the corners and along the wall top. Then attached a simple corrugated metal roof. Finally Maria and her family had a home.

When we arrived at her home, I had already eaten most of my sack lunch but had a packet of m&m’s, a package of cookies, and a sack of individually wrapped chocolates with me. I handed it to the grandmother to share with the little family. Victoria and Louis smiled at the small gesture as though it was a real treasure. That was reward enough for me.

Our group was silent as we drove to the airport on our way to the comfort of our own homes, which suddenly seemed too large, and our ‘needs’ much less.

I remind myself that seven out of 10 people on this planet live in sub-standard housing, most of which would make Maria’s small shelter seem like a mansion. I’m also reminded that, “Love to God is shown by how we treat others,” (1 John 4:20) and that “ If a man…loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)

The standard of living usually decreases when one works as a volunteer in a developing country. Having running water or hot water is not a given when living in one room with the bathroom in the backyard. There might not be any decent cooking facilities. Telephone lines, including cell phones and e-mail, might be far away. Electricity is definitely not available 24 hours a day.

However, consider one of my days. A large number of people are gathered at the temple ground. They have elected eight to a “Village Development Committee.” Now they will identify types of problems and determine solutions. They need rice for planting new crops because flooding wiped out their last crop. The roads are in bad shape, especially during the rainy season. The school needs more teachers. Health problems include respiratory infections and diarrhea. With a central role in this process, ADRA provides facilitators, advisors, and funding.

That afternoon I visit another village. Once a month ADRA distributes food in cooperation with the World Food Program. I give soy/corn powder to pregnant women and children under five years old. Other ADRA workers and village volunteers hand out oil, sugar, and rice to replace crops destroyed in last year’s flood.

At the health center, a group of traditional birth attendants (TBA), trained by ADRA in safe delivery methods, are gathered for their monthly meeting. Most women deliver their babies at home under the care of a TBA. TBAs are highly respected in their communities, and the skill is often passed from mother to daughters.

I am saddened to see the unequal distribution of resources in this world. Developed countries struggle with illnesses and deaths related to lifestyle while developing countries struggle with illnesses and deaths related to lack of clean water, basic health care, and food.

Since my arrival, my days have been filled with new, exciting, and meaningful experiences. Moving across cultures is not always easy. The “rules” are different, and adjustments are many. However, I find that I thrive on meeting new people, learning about a new culture and language, and helping people that are less fortunate than I am.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans . . ." (James 1:27, NIV)

Over the eight years that I have worked in Lithuania and the 26 years that I have lived, I have never received such fulfillment and joy as I have these last two Christmases.

During the summer of 2001, I received a letter from ADRA Germany asking about the conditions of the orphanages in Lithuania. I made a few phone calls and visited a number of orphanages. What I found was heart breaking! I found that many of the orphanages in Lithuania don't have enough money to pay workers, to feed and clothe the children, for medicines, or to pay utilities.

I sent back a report to ADRA Germany and they responded and told me that they wanted to send 900 Christmas gifts for the children.

This summer I received another letter from ADRA Germany saying that 2001’s project was such a success, they wanted to do it again. Their goal this year was 1,500 packages. Finally the day before the truck arrived I saw the faxed paperwork and realized that I needed to do some more calling because they didn’t send 1,500 Christmas packages, but 2,460 packages!

I cannot explain the joy and happiness that was on the face of each child when they received their packages. For most of them, these were the only gifts they received. One orphanage director told us, that day she had been praying that God would send someone to help and we showed up.

The above text from the epistle of James is a text that I encourage all who read this to try. God has a thousand ways to reach hearts! These children need a friend and that is what ADRA Lithuania is trying to become.

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Eph 5:20 (KJV)

The roads in city were well-marked and well-maintained. But we were heading out of the city to a little town called Zapallal, Peru. It was the home of 13-year-old Ronald. The roads quickly turned bumpy and dust billowed behind us as we drove up the steep incline to his home. As we stepped inside and greeted his family, his story unfolded…

For almost two years, Ronald had slept in parks and stole from people to survive. Not a typical life for someone just 10 years old, but quite normal for him and the thousands of other street kids in Lima, Peru who have a poor family life or have become too much of an economic burden for their parents.

Not only was it a hard life, but a lonely one as well, and Ronald missed his family. By chance, he stumbled into the town center one day where ADRA staff were meeting with kids. They had come to extend friendship, let them draw and talk. Ronald soon found the family he had been missing.

ADRA quickly put its arms around him. They found his mother and enrolled mother and child in workshops that help restore family values and teach skills to help families live together peacefully. Then, when Ronald was about to be reintegrated back into his home, ADRA also provided his mother with a loan for a small business to help ease the economic burden of having another child back in the home.

ADRA Peru staff have worked long, hard, and compassionately with Ronald and his family and the love, respect and appreciation the family feels for ADRA is apparent in the warmth of their eyes and embrace.

As the mother, child, and ADRA staff shared Ronald’s story there was much thanksgiving for what ADRA had done in their lives. Ronald’s mother has used the ADRA loan to open a tamale shop and his brother sells paintings to help support this newly-reunited family.

As my visit came to an end, I bought one of his brother’s painting, to support the family, and to remember my visit. I hope to frame it and put it in my office someday so that all the ADRA staff and visitors can read the words, “Thanks for working with my family” penned to ADRA at the bottom of the painting by his brother.

As I sat in their home, listening to their giving of thanks to ADRA, I was reminded that their thanks is meant to be extended to a much larger circle of people than just me. For instance, all the ADRA staff who had worked so hard to plan, coordinate and implement the street kid program in Peru. And you. However you support ADRA—either through prayers or financial gifts—you should knows those words were penned to you as well. And most importantly, God. For the leadership, guidance and blessings he bestows on ADRA’s ministry in Peru and around the globe.

So as this holiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated by our nation, I share the story of the painting with penned thanks from Ronald’s family. Thanks for being a reason there is thanks giving in ADRA’s world.

“Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;… I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’…And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25: 34, 36, 40 (RSV)

It was another sunny day in Mongolia, despite being well below freezing. Llewellyn Juby, the ADRA Mongolia country director; Tuul, the Project Manager; and I were on our way to the Maandt Mental Hospital.

As we pulled up to the dilapidated buildings, I felt hesitant. We never knew exactly what or who we’d find at Maandt. A local newspaper had recently reported that over the last two years, of the 150 people who had been sent to Maandt,108 have died.

Our first stop was our kindergarten where twelve children attend—children who had been discarded by society due to extreme poverty, physical deformities, or epilepsy. To supplement the meager diet of the mental hospital, our teachers provided children with multi-vitamins. The walls were brightly papered with students’ work. There were pink animals shaped from play-dough by the window. The teacher, Tserentdolgor, was in the middle of teaching numbers to the younger students, and the assistant was teaching the Cyrillic alphabet to the older students. The horrors of the mental hospital seemed far away.

The teacher showed us individual student’s work, the children sang for us, and then one of the older students read to us. They were very enthusiastic about the teaching materials that Tuul had prepared—resources and toys created out of things that we would throw away in my home of Australia.

Bracing ourselves for what we would find, we went to the mental hospital wards. About fifty people were crowded into a small room. Despite it being winter, windows were broken, and the inmates were barely clothed. As we distributed warm clothes, people desperately called out our names, reaching for the donated clothing.

Our kindergarten project is continuing to work through the administration of the hospital and the Ministry of Health. It seems such a slow and wearying process at times. Yet we are here as development workers, trying to work through institutions and set structures. It is easy to be discouraged, and many of us lose sleep wondering what more we can do.

Fortunately, many positive things have happened in the hospital to improve the conditions and treatment of patients since ADRA starting working there in August. The staff is also becoming very positive about the kindergarten, and starting to realize the potential of the children. Nurses are now taking a personal interest in the children and are requesting training from ADRA staff.

Please continue to pray for ADRA Mongolia and the people we work with. The international motto for ADRA is ‘to change the world…one life at a time.’ Who knew that it would start with mine?

To be continued… Visit this site again to hear the story of Tsogoo, one of Mongolia’s “invisible” children.

There was one sheikh and Mosque speaker in Baqim, who was against the midwife training ADRA, was conducting. He told the people the training was dangerous for the girls and that it was against their habits, customs and the Islamic religion. He refused to let his family receive services from the trainers and trainees.

After months of midwife training, the trainers were called for a home delivery. They went to the house and delivered the baby, providing all the services the mother needed. The new mother happened to be the sheikh’s niece. Sometime afterwards, the Sheikh attended a meeting in the training center with the government health director.

When the meeting was over, he asked the trainers if he could see the training material. He was given the training posters and curriculum and all other information he requested. The sheikh apologized and agreed that the girls should participate in the ADRA training program.

The sheikh started speaking in the mosque about the advantages of the ADRA Midwife Training Center and how ADRA is helping the district by teaching the girls and helping the people in the areas of reproductive health services.

One of the Community Midwife trainees shared with me how taking the ADRA Midwife Training had impacted and changed her life for the better, she said: Before I attended this training I was very shy, I could not talk to other people. I started the training, but my family and some of my neighbors were against me. After a while I was able to share some health education with a family member who was a very heavy smoker and had had a small baby, which was malnourished. I asked her to breast-feed the baby and stop smoking. I told her about the risks to her baby and herself if she continued smoking. She listened to me and told her sisters and others, they too stopped smoking and started asking me for advice. They also started taking better care of their children. Now my neighbors come to me for medications or counseling, they trust me and encourage me.

I could not believe myself after the training, I felt like I was dreaming. I can’t believe that I can talk with others, and give counseling to them for family planning. The difference between how I was then and how I am now and the confidence I have gained, is because of the training I received.