Posts Tagged ‘Baptist Global Response’

« Older Entries

‘I can’t wait to see what God has for me next!’

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Here’s a testimony about BGR’s In-Home Care Kit project from Judy Piette of Eagles Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Ga.:

I have an awesome story to tell of God’s faithfulness to answer sincere prayer.

I read the book “The Hole in our Gospel” by Richard Stearns, who is the president of the Christian relief organization, World Vision. The book describes terrible world problems such as poverty, illiteracy, and diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. It challenges us as Christians to commit to do something to help.

Judy Piette and her daughters, Leda (left) and Lela, pose with contents for In-Home Care Kits packed by their church, Eagles Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Ga.

Judy Piette and her daughters, Leda (left) and Lela, pose with contents for In-Home Care Kits packed by their church, Eagles Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Ga.

So I prayed and asked God what He wanted me to do. The part in the book that most touched me was the HIV/AIDS victims in Africa. The statistics are staggering, but the story of children caring for their dying parents broke my heart! I have been called upon four times in my life to help someone die. Even with my medical training, modern conveniences, help from Hospice, and support I needed, it was still a VERY difficult thing to do.

I just imagined these children in such poor conditions trying to care for their dying loved ones and I wept and wept. I then sincerely begged God to show me how I could help a dying AIDS patient in Africa. I promised God that I would do anything and to please show me what to do and how to do it.

Three days later, I was stopped by our children’s minister at church. She said, “Judy, I know that you have done recreation in VBS for years, but I was praying and really felt led to ask you to do the missions study this year.” I accepted and she gave me the Missions Rotation Leaders Guide. When I got home, the first thing I did was look in the back of the book to see what the mission project would be. Imagine my shock when I read, “Partner with Baptist Global Response in the In-Home Care Kit Project. It is a compilation of medical and hygiene supplies provided to caregivers who are taking care of terminally ill patients.” AIDS patients in Africa!!!

As I said at the VBS Family Night, “You can’t make this stuff up!” God directly and quickly answered my prayer. I had a joy and excitement to tell the children to bring in their money for the kits. I have purchased and packed and prayed for each of the 11 kits, and I have shared this story many times. I turned in the kits on 8/3, but I will continue to pray for the people who will receive the kits and that the kits will bring help, hope, and the message of salvation to many.

I can’t wait to see what God has for me next!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in In-Home Care Kits | No Comments »

3 million homeless in Pakistan

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Lori Funderburk, BGR’s international prayer strategist, writes:

The worst flooding in Pakistan’s history has carried away the lives of over 1,600 people.  The disaster caused by the monsoon rains has affected more than 20 million people, leaving at least 3 million homeless.  The country’s agricultural sector has suffered losses amounting to nearly $3 billion and UN officials say nearly $500 million will be needed for eliminating the aftermath of this calamity.

The greatest concern right now is that people’s supplies of drinking water have been contaminated by the flood waters.  Risks are mounting of outbreaks of various infections.  BGR personnel are on the ground in Islamabad, assessing how the immediate needs of the people can be met.

Pray for the people of Pakistan.  For many of them, things will get worse before they get better.  Pray for our national partners to have the energy they need and to get needed rest.  Pray that we will be able to effectively get help to many who need it.

You can help by giving to the Pakistan Disaster Response Fund.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Pakistan, disaster relief, flood | No Comments »

Pakistan prayer alert

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

This request from Lori Funderburk, BGR’s international prayer strategist:

In the past ten days, Pakistan has been hit by the largest flood in a century. [photos]  Nearly 12 million people have been affected by the flood. Over 1,500 people have died and another 1,500 are still missing. Government reports that more than half a million homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.  Many towns and villages are isolated because of the destruction of the bridges over the rivers.  A full assessment will not be easy or quick.

Because of your gifts to the World Hunger Fund, BGR partners were able to act immediately to send assistance.  Thousands of people are being fed each day in areas of Pakistan that are some of the most devastated and difficult to access. Please pray for the health and safety of our partners.  Pray for smooth coordination between partners and communities.

Gifts to the World Hunger Fund help our ministry partners respond quickly to disasters such as this. For information about donating, click here.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Pakistan, World Hunger Fund, disaster relief, flood | No Comments »

Crisis response in Afghanistan

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Life was hard enough in the remote villages of central and northern Afghanistan before a magnitude 5.3 earthquake killed at least 10 people and destroyed or damaged some 2,000 houses on April 18.

But the World Hunger Fund is making a difference even in this isolated area, says Francis Horton, who with his wife, Angie, directs BGR’s work in Central and South Asia.

“I was in this part of Afghanistan about one month ago and the needs under normal circumstances are great,” Horton says. “When something like this happens, it can be devastating to families.”

An initial emergency distribution of $30,000 has been released from the World Hunger Fund for relief supplies, Horton said. BGR partners are mobilizing emergency flour, rice, beans, and cooking oil for approximately 7,200 people – directly assisting 1,200 affected families at a cost of $25 per family.

“This help will reach into very remote areas,” Horton says. “Thank you to all who have donated to the World Hunger Fund that makes it possible to immediately connect people in need with people who care.”

—–
You can help people in need after disasters like this by donating to BGR’s Disaster Response Fund or the World Hunger Fund.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Afghanistan, earthquake | No Comments »

Four new medical teams headed to Haiti

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Southern Baptist medical units from Kentucky and Mississippi will leave for Port-Au-Prince Jan. 30, while Florida and South Carolina medical units will fly out Wednesday, Feb. 3. The teams will have 10 members each – including doctors, nurses, chaplains and disaster relief experts.

The teams from Kentucky and Mississippi were in a position to lead the effort because they were “on call” in the Baptist Global Response disaster relief rotation, explained Jim Brown, BGR’s U.S. director. Florida and South Carolina were able to quickly provide follow up assistance because they were on call the previous month.

Both Kentucky and Mississippi provided leaders for the joint assessment team – Coy Webb from Kentucky and Don Gann from Mississippi – that returned from Haiti Jan. 25.

Medical teams from Arkansas and North Carolina recently completed ministry stints in Haiti and returned home.

Chaplains were added as an integral part of response teams because the joint assessment team saw the need to provide care for survivors, the volunteer team itself, and for Haitian care givers, Brown noted.

Transportation directly into Port-Au-Prince continues to be an obstacle. The airport still has only one operational runway, which military and private aircraft must use to both land and take off. Commercial airline flights still are prohibited. These initial four medical teams will be traveling to Port-au-Prince through the Dominican Republic, Brown added.  Southern Baptist personnel in the Dominican Republic, working in partnership with BGR, are helping facilitate and organize the volunteers’ travel into Haiti.

–––
With reporting from Baptist Press

Tags: , ,
Posted in Haiti, In-Home Care Kits, World Hunger Fund, disaster relief, earthquake | No Comments »

New Haiti prayer points

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

A prayer alert issued this morning urges intercession for relief workers on the ground in Haiti, as well as the people of Haiti themselves.

“Pray … for the IMB missionaries who have been in Haiti ministering in very difficult circumstances. Ask God to strengthen them and help them to deal with the extremely sad situations they are witnessing,” the alert said. “Pray for the five IMB missionaries who had served in Haiti for many years and the grief they are experiencing from losing close friends. Continue to pray for the Haitian people as they come to grips with lost loved ones and a difficult future.”

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Haiti, disaster relief, earthquake, prayer | No Comments »

Major aftershock hits Haiti

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

The five-member BGR assessment team is on the ground in Haiti, driving toward Port-au-Prince. They are accompanied by Mark Rutledge, who has 26 years of experience serving as an International Mission Board worker in Haiti. The team will be connecting with Haitian Baptist leaders, surveying earthquake damage, and delivering relief supplies.

A strong aftershock measuring 6.1 in magnitude struck Port-au-Prince at 6:03 a.m., Jan. 20, according to news reports. The shock sent people scrambling for open ground as buildings damaged by last week’s quake shuddered and rubble began falling to the ground. Eyewitnesses said people already traumatized by the horrors of the past week cried and screamed at the new tremor. More than 40 significant aftershocks have hit since the Jan. 12 quake.

Members of the assessment team reported they did not feel the aftershock at their base in the Dominican Republic. However, Steve Leach, a member of Round Grove Baptist Church in Miller, Mo., who operates an independent hospital in northwest Haiti, reported the aftershock “brought down some of the damaged buildings that were still standing and will keep anyone from going back to what buildings are still standing for many days to come.  With so many severe aftershocks over the last week and now another new quake, who knows when people who have a place to go will feel safe to return there.”

Leach said about 1,200 refugees have come to the hospital for treatment and they have been sending trucks into the capital to look for survivors with family who live near the hospital.

“We live in a place that is about as far from the capital as you can get and still be in Haiti and yet we have watched these very poor people trying desperately to figure out a way to get their family members out here so they can take care of them,” Leach said. “The truck drivers are less and less willing to [drive into the city] as the situation in Port deteriorates.”

Relief efforts are struggling to get essential relief supplies to hundreds of thousands of desperate people, but destroyed infrastructure and disorganization are hampering the effort. Officials are concerned that the desperation people feel will boil over into violence. Looters by the hundreds have been fighting each other with broken bottles, clubs and other weapons over whatever goods they can still find in damaged stores.

“Pray specifically for God to give those in control wisdom to direct the relief effort,” Leach said.

—–
To donate to Haiti relief, click here.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Haiti, disaster relief, earthquake | No Comments »

Fighting hunger in Chad

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

The fundamental problems in Chad are poor healthcare, poverty, malnutrition, lack of understanding of basic sanitary practices and physical basis of disease. Without intervention, the people will continue in a state of poor physical health and malnutrition.

BGR partners are beginning a project that will provide training for gardening. The initial food plants are perennials so seed is bought only once and will provide plants that will last from five to seven years. The goal is for Chadians to grow, obtain and utilize food in a healthy manner. Classes will also include water conservation, composting, and hygiene.

Will you pray for this project as it begins? Ask God to give wisdom to those who are initiating it.

Keep up to date on projects like this with a subscription to BGR to GO. You can subscribe on the BGR home page.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Agriculture, Chad, hunger relief | No Comments »

A Foundation for Kingdom Studies…

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

The idea or concept of the Kingdom of God in the Bible originates in the heart of God. God has no beginning and has no end. He has always been: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. From the creation of the angels, who were the first subjects of His Kingdom, to the creation of heaven, earth and man, and ultimately the coming of the new heaven and earth, God’s Kingdom is one of the scarlet threads that run as a theme of the whole of history.

The word “kingdom” comes from the Hebrew ‘basileia’, a noun, denoting “sovereignty, royal power, dominion; the territory or people over whom a king rules. Thus the Kingdom of God is the sphere of God’s rule and sphere in which, at any given time, His rule is acknowledged.”

According to Conner in his classic work ‘Christian Doctrine’, there are five stages of Biblical thought and development:

1. The universal sovereignty of God. God is creator of all and sovereign to all. He is sovereign over creation and particularly mankind. There is only one true God and He is sovereign over the entire universe. He reigns supremely over all nations and all individuals and each is subject to Him and His judgment. There is nothing or no one that is exempt from His sovereign rule.

2. The theocratic Kingdom of Israel. God selected Abraham, entered into a covenant relationship with he and his descendants and promised to give them a land as well as make them a great nation which in turn would be a blessing to the whole world. God chose and had a purpose for the people of Israel to be His chosen, peculiar people.

3. The spiritual Kingdom founded by Jesus. God promised David that a descendant of his would reign on the throne forever. He fulfilled this promise in the person of Jesus Christ even though He was not recognized by his chosen people Israel. Jesus, in establishing His spiritual Kingdom, gave relevance and fulfillment to the theocracy of the Old Testament. Jesus came to earth as the “Savior-King”. He initiated the Kingdom of God on earth ushering in a reign of peace and righteousness not understood by the world. In His Kingdom, He saves men from sin and reconciles them to God as well as to one another.

4. His Kingdom as a progressive power in the world. The Kingdom has come in power with Jesus. However, as the mustard seed must develop so must the Kingdom of God in this world. This is accomplished primarily through the preaching and demonstration of the good news of the Kingdom.

5. The eternal Kingdom of God. The final stage of the Kingdom is the eternal Kingdom. It is to be finally established at the second coming of the King, Jesus Christ. It will consummate all of history and usher in God’s planned rule since the beginning of time.

So, our journey this coming year, walking through the Bible and looking at the theme of God’s Kingdom, will hopefully be a discovery of the foundational story of God’s Word: His Kingdom coming and His will being done.

Blessings….

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Jeff Palmer, Kingdom Communities, Kingdom of God | No Comments »

In-Home Care Kits arriving in Johannesburg

Monday, November 30th, 2009

The first container of BGR In-Home Care Kits will be arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa, this week. They have been pre-cleared but the Health department wants to inspect some of the items before the buckets can be distributed.

Please pray that this inspection will happen quickly and that the Health Department will be satisfied so that all items can enter the country. Many hurting people are waiting.

Tags: ,
Posted in In-Home Care Kits | No Comments »

« Older Entries