ADRA : Adventist Development & Relief Agency International

A story is told of a general who was preparing his troops for one more battle. Although the soldiers were weary and hungry, the general asked them to give him just “one more battle and the victory is yours.” Predictably, the troops rallied around the general and they won the battle. Would you, then, consider the general a leader? Yes, of course.

In a different account, ADRA workers were struggling to convince men to visit their health clinic. Husbands accompanied their wives, but they would stop short of entering the clinic. Instead, the men gathered outside to wait. One day, clinic worker approached them and told them how to stay healthy. If you consider this action, would you say it was an act of leadership? Absolutely.

Leadership at all levels is an interesting concept, because within our circles of influence, which generally include home, church, and our every day social interactions, we are often looked to for guidance in such mundane things like our negotiation skills; but people also want to see how we stand up for what is right. Then, why not try being a leader at work?

In November 2005, the management and leadership world mourned the loss of Peter F. Drucker. When he began teaching in 1937, he quickly became a controversial figure, considered a fanatic by some and ahead of his time by others. However, as I read the words of tribute to him—“What a powerful soul!” and “…his leadership and his guidance have been among my life’s greatest blessings”—I realize what a wonderful leader and gentleman he must have been. And when I consider my own life, I wonder: What words of tribute will others have for me? Did I ever bother to observe what changes needed to happen around me? Did I speak out for the underserved? Did I denounce an injustice? Did I guide and inspire others? However, there is still time to do so.

I hope this issue inspires you into action. Look around and take a small initial step; leadership takes time and commitment. But more importantly, leadership takes willingness. Your leadership journey begins today.

A group of Australian optometrists had volunteered their time and come to Mongolia in July 2005.  They visited 22 schools in a two-week period, examining the eyes of over 4,000 children and adults.  Although they brought suitcases full of glasses, it was not possible to have the correct eyeglasses for all. 

Today I visited a school to give sixteen students their glasses.   The excitement was evident on the happy faces.  They all seemed to echo the sentiments of someone who said, “We were sure that the Australians living so far away would not remember their promise.  We are so happy.”   

They could hardly contain their immense joy at being able to see properly once again.  I went home filled with that wonderful feeling that comes with helping someone.   Today these students also helped me see properly once again.

Apart from that, ADRA had since 2002 also granted the blind farmers small scheme loans up to the tune of 27.6 million cedis to expand their agricultural activities.
 
Mr. Anthony Manooh, Technical Co-ordinator of Agriculture and Natural Resource Management of ADRA who presented the items expressed satisfaction at the performance of the farmers in soya bean cultivation, cashew planting and dry season gardening.
 
He challenged other physically challenged persons in society to take a leaf from the activities of the Karni blind farmers to engage themselves in productive ventures that would render them independent in society.
 
Mr. Manooh promised to offer them all the assistance they needed to harness their potentials to live comfortable and respectable lives in society.
 
Mr. Sampson Bediako Fordjour, Field Project Officer at Wa promised to supply them with grafted mango seedlings to add to other farming activities they were engaged in.
 
He called for regular meetings among them so as to come out with suggestions that could be useful for their development. ADRA also organised a three-day capacity building workshop for the farmers to equip them with technical skills and enhance modern ways of agriculture to improve on production.
 
The ADRA officials also educated them on the need to use improved seeds and prepare the land in line with modern trends that would increase field.
 
The participants were also taken through savings, record-keeping and the use of organic manure to improve yield and reduce cost of production.
 
© 2005 Copyright Ghana News Agency (GNA)

This article does not necessarily reflect the views of ADRA International

Green hills surrounded us and seemed to swallow up the road ahead. On each side, woman worked the fields either by hand with a small pick, or a plough pulled behind oxen. Little circular mud huts with thatched roofs dotted the landscape. We were on a 13-hour journey from Guinea Conakry to the far province of Siguiri.

It takes a little over 13 hours to arrive in the dusty village of Bambala. As we entered the village, population 686, children, women, and men surrounded us all talking the local dialect or French. The village was typical. Circular mud huts with thatched roofs were crowded up against each other with no apparent rhyme or reason for the way they are located in the village. The day is hot, and the sun showers its hot rays down mercilessly on us. Many of the women are dressed in colorful robes. We are led to the town square, which is a place where there are a couple large shade-providing mango trees. There we find the chief of the village, ministry of health service providers, ADRA health volunteers, ADRA health promoters, and the village men, woman, and lots of children.

For the next hour the community health volunteers proudly shows all they have learned during the past five years with ADRA. Their knowledge of primary health and nutrition is impressive. They show us with pride their “doctor’s emergency kit.” It is limited to basic supplies such as gloves, plastic towels, and sterilization solution. These few items, however, save lives. They showed us a book that had a pictorial report of the health status of the village. We could see by the pictures how many babies died each month and also how many babies were improving. All too soon the ceremony was over. As we left the village, the chiefwho had been very silentwalked over to ADRA’s country director for Guinea, Sharon Pittman. He said, “mama we are very sad, very sad.” He continued, “We are sad because ADRA is leaving us.”

ADRA’s health program in Guinea terminates on September 30, 2005. The chief said, “Before ADRA came to our village so many of our babies and children died. Now that ADRA has come we are healthier, happier, and our children are surviving.” I look into the eyes of the chief and could see such sincerity and love. I look around again at the children and know that many were alive and well because of the knowledge ADRA had given to this village in the heart of Guinea. Pittman said, “Even though ADRA is leaving, the knowledge you have gained will stay with you. Let’s pray also that the new project is approved.” The Chief smiled and said, “We will pray for ADRA every day.”

Later in solemn ceremony with the Governor of the State (Prefecture) it was so impressive to hear the outstanding confirmation of this political leader. He said, “You have come and made a difference in our area. The results of OUR program are outstanding. We look forward to working and cooperating with you on a new five year project. Please send our thanks to Washington as well.”

By Anthony Stahl, bureau chief for program management, ADRA International

" '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…

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)

People with leprosy have been outcasts for centuries. Shunned by society, they have huddled together on the edges of communities. They have not been able to enjoy what many of us take for granted—protection from rain and snow, privacy, or health care.

While on a trip to visit projects in Asia, we spent a day at the Khohana Leprosy Community, located near Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. ADRA and other organizations have provided a variety of activities over the years, including a school, technical college, and a home for elderly lepers. Currently, fifteen university students from Japan are constructing two houses in Khohana Leprosy Community. While visiting the construction site, I discovered the meaning of labor when I carried a cane “doko” of bricks on my head and learned how to lay the bricks as part of the walls of the new homes.

Then I met a grandmother named Phema Gyaljin Lama. The building project took on a whole new urgency. She is one of 70 people still living in a multiple level barracks built for lepers in 1857. That’s right—145 years ago. At one time, hundreds of people were crammed into the structure. Picture a whole family forced to live in a space no larger than a closet with a low ceiling. When electricity was introduced to the community, wires were laid along the floors and walls with no protection.

Phema Gyaljin Lama had lived nearly her entire life in this aged building. I looked at the external factors and saw the limitations, but to her it was a home filled with memories. Smiles wreathed her face as she described the house to which she and her grandchildren would be moving. For the first time in her life she would live in a house--one to which I had added bricks just moments before. While the house would be small by many people’s standards, the two bedrooms, kitchen, and outdoor toilet was a dream come true for this grandmother. Luxury for her would be the outdoor water faucet that would be shared between three houses.

As I pondered this grandmother’s joyous anticipation of a new dwelling, my heart broke as I realized that funds are yet to be found for the remaining 25 homes needed to completely empty that ancient, crumbling barracks.

Before dawn one morning, I got up to see the sunrise. As the rays of morning light transformed the inky black night, I was reminded that ADRA’s work is like a ray of light as it encourages hope and change in people who live in the inky black night of poverty and pain.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24(NIV)

Although we know the Earth is round, with no edges, when visiting Mongolia last March I felt I had reached the edge of the world.

Mongolia resembles no other country. North of China, this massive land is twice the size of Texas. Mongolia has 2.7 million inhabitants—one-third live in the capital city, two-thirds are nomads in the mountain area. Never before had I experienced such bitter, dry, cold weather. Even my camera froze one morning. We had to place a small heater under our car engine before it would start.

In the capital city, Ulaanbaatar, I met disabled children ADRA rescued from a hospital where they had been dying in terrible conditions. They are now in a colorful room surrounded with toys and enjoying healthy meals. I visited carpenter Oldokh’s workshop, who proudly displayed the ger door he just finished, thanks to an ADRA project providing micro-credit loans for the ultra poor. A dentist, storekeeper and hairdresser also benefited from such loans. I also met 20 ultra-poor former dropout students whom ADRA is providing school fees, a uniform, and one meal a day.

500 miles further west, nestled in the coldest mountains of western Mongolia, I met Galsandoj Dolgorjav, Governor of Telmen Soum. When walking through his office I noticed framed pictures of a bridge, hospital, schools and a bio-intensive farm—all that ADRA helped to build and run.

These are only a few of the many projects ADRA is implementing in Mongolia with the help of its more than 100 staff members who bravely face the glacial cold each day. At the projects in western Mongolia the working conditions are so harsh, ADRA changes staff team every two weeks. This was quite opposite of another edge of the world—Burkina Faso—where I worked for ADRA for six years. There, the temperature could reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit, and we had no electricity for fans to cool us down!

We hear a lot about the many projects ADRA implements around the world. But they wouldn’t be possible or successful without the thousands of ADRA volunteers and staff members who work hard, often in harsh condition and risking their lives, to save and improve the life of others. Staff who “… work at it with all [their] heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Staff who believe “…you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

“The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow…” Psalms 146:9 (NIV)

On May 6, 2003, a humanitarian convoy loaded with 1,895 hygienic kits reached the city of Tel Afar located in Northern Iraq. The over 350,000 people in the city, had been living in utter poverty and face major problems such as lack of sanitation, water (they only get it every four or five days), and medicines. Additionally, over 80% percent of the people are jobless and most of the shops and businesses are closed.

ADRA is helping the most needy and vulnerable families of this community by distributing hundreds of hygienic kits every day.

I met her the next day, as an ADRA Assessment Team visited the poor families in Tel Afar while organizing the distribution of its humanitarian aid. She was our first encounter. Her name is Mrs. Semse Sayit. She’s a poor widow living with her four children (between ages 10-12) in a tiny house with an improvised roof. Their father died of lung cancer in 1991. So, for more than 12 years, Semse has struggled to raise and feed her three daughters. She received no government support and survived on the aid received from the city council and from holiday gifts from generous neighbors. Her family has absolutely nothing but a poor shelter.

I remember Semse and her daughters because they were the first Iraqi family to receive humanitarian aid from ADRA. She showed up with a daughter at the distribution point yesterday and profusely thanked ADRA for their assistance.

When I think of the many poor families in Tel Afar, and the villages around Iraq who desperately await help, I think of her. Her story of pain and struggle is an urgent plea to the world to help Iraqis in any way they can. But her story is also one that gives me courage as I think of how God eased her pain and struggle through the help ADRA brought to her, her children and many others in that region.

"They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work." Nehemiah 2:18 (NIV)

The dream of a lifetime was realized when I traveled with my husband to visit ADRA projects in Africa. Rwanda is lush and green, with crops growing on every available piece of land—even the small mountains are terraced!

After a long, winding, and scary drive one morning, we arrived at Mugonero Hospital, beautifully situated above Lake Kivu. To the right of the hospital stand guest rooms with a hospital chapel in front and doctors’ residences to the side. The entire campus looks out over an incredible view.

But I learned a hard lesson about outward appearances.

As I walked, I came to a brick and iron fence. The simple sign proclaimed, “Innocent victims of April 1994 Genocide.” Thousands of bodies are buried in a mass grave—mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents had been robbed of their chance to live.

A little while later I walked into the hospital chapel. Five simple wood coffins are the only furniture in the building. Each is filled with partial remains of some of the thousands of people who lost their lives in a mass slaughter in this very church on a Saturday afternoon.

Gutted, the walls and ceilings of the guest rooms still display the scars of bullets and machetes. The rage fueling the genocide scarred the hospital, too. Windows and doors were broken, with most electrical wiring and plumbing ripped out.

As I ached inside and tears flowed out of my eyes, I gave thanks for those who have gone above the call of duty to restore healing in this beautiful, yet grief-laden area. In 1996 a team of volunteers from Canada spent six weeks putting the building back in working order. Patients have been cared for since then. Regular staff training and improvements continue due to the dedicated efforts of Dr. Gerson Araujo and his wife Arleide.

While the memories of war are still very evident, I see love in action.

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. (Matthew 15: 29-30, NIV)

At the leprosy commune in Khokana, Nepal many eyes are blind, inflamed and infected. Eyelids are devoid of reflex. A special eye team has come with an aircraft specially fitted to perform eye surgery and diagnostic procedures.

The surgeon, a compassionate gentleman from Great Britain, carefully and gently looks into each eye of the patient, as some two hundred wait their turn. Some are told nothing can be done, the damage is beyond repair. For others, simple care and a little bottle of "Liquid Tears" would be enough to lubricate their eyes and maintain vision. If only we could put forward a hand, and do it again, like our Lord.

Anxiously one patient pushes forward and, with obvious despair, shows us his rotting, aching tooth and pleads for relief. But our time has gone and the team must move on.

We reach our vehicle and a mother pulls us to the hut nearby. On a mat is a girl of about 12 years of age near death. The eye team examines her and recommends she be transferred to a hospital immediately.

Although at the end of a long day, we drive to the hospital. Quickly the doctor starts an IV and drug treatment. The diagnosis: Typhoid fever. Leaving the young girl in capable hands we head home.

But what about the man with tooth pain? We can't leave him. We started back to the commune and found him huddled in a corner. He seems bewildered that we remember him and returned so late at night. The tooth is extracted, and pain killing tables take their effect. He can sleep tonight. A welcome smile is good any time, but especially from a man who'd been in agony with a rotting tooth. We rejoice knowing that "The Lord has done it again."

Two days later the medical director of ORBIS rang our ADRA office to say they are willing to send a team of doctors to the commune to help. It is a miracle. "Thank you, Lord, for doing it again."

Our girl at the hospital is showing signs of improvement. Her mother grabs our hands as we leave the bedside and breaks down with emotion. Her face radiates joy and thankfulness. "You have done it again, Lord."

It only takes a willing servant and miracles can be seen. "Do it again, Lord." Many more need to see your healing hand. Let your miracles of mercy never end.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow and death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

We were on our way to Tipo, a distant Cambodian village where security had not always been the best. Issuing all the needed security clearances, the District Leader assured me that the Khmer Rouge had not been in the area for a long time. Nevertheless, I felt uneasy and irritated with our police escort who went ahead, rather than accompany us.

When we arrived in Tipo, the local clinic workers already had distributed vitamin A. After discussion, the ADRA team decided to distribute vitamin A at nearby Samroung Village, the poorest village in the area. Then the local health worker asked us to check a few people. As the examinations began, I took the opportunity to explain to the villagers that vitamin 'A' helps overcome night blindness, prevents childhood blindness, and protects against diarrhea and respiratory disease.

As I was teaching, I noticed something strange. The people were too silent, listening too intently. That had never happened before. Cambodians keep up a running commentary among themselves whenever any of us teach. This time no one talked about my white skin or my "beautiful" nose. "Lord," I asked silently, "Is there a special reason why these people need to hear my health information?"

When I finished, they stood unmoving and still silent.

Seeing some men in the group smoking, I jumped into one my favorite topics. When I finished that lesson, my team members said, "Cheryl, there's not enough time to go to Samroung Village. Let's just go to a small village on the way back."

At the next village the people swarmed around us, chattering among themselves like every other normal group of Cambodian villagers.

We finished that trip and continued our normal ADRA routines. Some time later, one of the health team workers rushed up. "Cheryl!" she exclaimed. "Remember our trip to Tipo? That same day the Khmer Rouge attacked Samroung Village and killed two people." She paused briefly, "The only reason we didn't go that day was because you taught too long."

Realization came as a whisper, and a sense of awe filled me.

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.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

Several associates and I drove to the remote village of Ak Shirak at an elevation of 10,400 feet in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan, to do field research on a proposed program to improve the health care for mothers and children in that impoverished area.

Without our four-wheel drive vehicle the trip would have been impossible. We climbed through 32 hairpin turns toward a 13,260-foot pass. From there the road deteriorated. Cut from the mountainside, it was little wider than our vehicle.

Fording each of four streams, we plowed ice with the bumper. We crossed five dry glacial riverbeds. Each time our translator walked ahead to find a way through the two-foot ridges of gravel. Blowing snow made the road edge difficult to see. It took three hours and ten minutes to drive the 56 miles separating the last two villages.

If grass grew on the moon, even sparsely, it would look like the valley of Ak Shirak. The people had no gardens, the weather being too cold and the soil too poor to grow anything but grass. Even grass doesn't do very well! The inhabitants raise sheep and yaks, and eat mainly mutton, coarse bread, yak butter, currants, and other wild berries.

When we arrived, the people welcomed us and shared what they had. That night rolled up in blankets on the floor of an earthen-walled home I didn’t sleep well. The floor was too hard, my feet were too cold, and my digestive system was rebelling.

Disturbing questions penetrated my mind like the cold pushing through the wall. How could they live in such a bleak and barren land? What difference could I make?

Given the harsh environment, I expected the people to be miserable complainers. However, they seemed happy and content, showing their quick smiles and gracious hospitality. They spoke with pride of the 60-student village school.

ADRA is sensitive to each constituency's individual needs. We accept community members as partners and work with them to make that home a healthier, happier place.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)

Recently I had the amazing opportunity to visit the country of Myanmar (Burma). Myanmar is unique in that the lower part of the country around the capital, Yangon, is wet. The upper part of the county, around Bagan, is desert and referred to as the dry-zone.

Life is tough in the dry-zone of Myanmar. Every day community members walk miles to collect water for that day’s use. They asked ADRA to help them find water and to dig wells near their villages so they can use the time spent getting water on other vital tasks such as gathering firewood for cooking and finding food for their families. ADRA is now partnering with them to bring clean water to their communities.

Others, laboring feverishly over hot open fires to make Jaggary (sugar lumps), asked ADRA to supply them with energy-saving stoves to help them increase their production of jaggary. This provides them with increased income and, in turn, a better way of life.

Day in and day out the people living in the dry-zone region toil and struggle to survive. They labor for pennies a day to try and make ends meet and usually the ends don’t meet.

My visit was a great inspiration to me as I witnessed the impact ADRA is making and has made in many villages. I felt blessed and honored to visit with the people of Myanmar and to learn that ADRA is making a difference in their lives.

Please pray for the people in Myanmar in their daily struggle to survive. Please pray, too, for ADRA and its staff as they continue to work in this country.