Word & Deed North America

Word & Deed Launches new website!

2010-12-14T23:05:00.002-05:00

While we wait for google search to get caught up with our new home....

Click here to reach our new website.

Join a Word & Deed Business Group!

2010-12-01T08:55:00.004-05:00

Business Groups are meeting in the Hamilton/Norwich Ontario area and two new groups are starting in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area (early December, 2010). For more information or to join a group call 877.375.9673 (Canada) or 866.391.5728 (USA).

2010 Dinner Tour

2010-11-04T15:13:00.003-05:00

As explained below, Carlos Coffin, Word & Deed Project Director in Nicaragua, will be our keynote speaker for US portion of the 2010 fall dinner tour.

Wednesday, November 17, Pompton Plains, New Jersey
Location: Christian Health Care Center, 301 Sicomac Avenue Wyckoff, NJ (Use Mountain Ave Entrance)
Doors Open: 6:30 pm
Dinner Served: 7:00 pm
For tickets, please call Mary at (973) 706-8454

Friday, November 19, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Location: Bethany United Reformed Church, 5401 Byron Center Ave. SW, Wyoming, MI.
Doors Open: 6:00 pm
Dinner Served: 6:30 pm
For tickets please call Heidi at 866.391.5728.

Four Dinners featuring Carlos Coffin a great success!

2010-11-02T08:50:00.007-05:00

The recent dinner tour featuring keynote Carlos Coffin from Nicaragua was richly blessed by the Lord. Efforts are now underway to have Carlos come and speak for two dinners in the USA (Pompton Plains, NJ and Grand Rapids, MI) since the ambassador from Nigeria to Canada, the original keynote speaker, had to cancel due to emergency meetings in Nigeria. Carlos meets with US embassy officials on Wednesday to request a visa for a brief visit. Please pray that the Lord will open doors for Carlos to come to speak in the USA.

Carlos Coffin oversees projects in Nicaragua. He was recently invited by Word & Deed to Canada (and now the USA) to give a powerpoint presentation about his work and that of his team in Nicaragua.

Below are some pictures of the recent dinners.

The Fall Tour is upon us!

2010-10-12T08:22:00.007-05:00

The Dinner Fall Tour is upon us with Carlos Coffin of Nicaragua speaking at 4 dinners (October) and the Nigerian ambasassador to Canada speaking at 2 dinners (November). All the Lord willing.

For Google Maps directions, click on the address below.

Friday, October 15, Surrey, British Colombia. ** this dinner is full **
Location: Cloverdale Canadian Reformed Church, 17473 60 Avenue, Surrey, BC.
Doors Open: 6:00 pm
Dinner Served: 6:30 pm

Saturday, October 16, Chilliwack, British Colombia.
Location: Chilliwack Alliance Church, 8700 Young Road, Chilliwack BC
Doors Open: 5:30 pm
Dinner Served: 6:00 pm

Friday , October 22, Jordan, Ontario
Location: Heritage Christian School, 2850 4th Av, Jordan, Ontario
Doors Open: 6:00 pm
Dinner Served: 6:30 pm

Saturday, October 23, Hamilton, Ontario ** this dinner is full **
Location: Rehoboth Christian School,198 Inksetter Road, Copetown, Ontario
Doors Open: 5:30 pm
Dinner Served: 6:00 pm

Other stops on this tour:

Sunday, October 17: Lynden, Washington URC
Monday, October 18: Neerlandia, Alberta (Neerlandia Canadian Reformed Church @ 8pm)
Tuesday, October 19: Edmonton Parkland Immanuel Christian School (11am)
Wednesday, October 20: Monarch, Alberta (Monarch Free Reformed Church; 7:30 pm)

November tour with Professor Iyorwuese Hagher, the Nigerian Ambassador to Canada ...

Wednesday, November 17, Pompton Plains, New Jersey
Location: Christian Health Care Center, 301 Sicomac Avenue Wyckoff, NJ (Use Mountain Ave Entrance)
Doors Open: 6:30 pm
Dinner Served: 7:00 pm

Friday, November 19, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Location: Bethany United Reformed Church, 5401 Byron Center Ave. SW, Wyoming, MI.
Doors Open: 6:00 pm
Dinner Served: 6:30 pm

Home Run!

2010-09-16T11:07:00.005-05:00

After successful softball tournaments in Lethbridge (Alberta) and Grand Rapids (Michigan), Chilliwack (BC) had their first annual tournament and raised over $15,000 with 15 teams for orphan care in Malawi! Congratulations to the organizers and all who took part! Below find some pictures of the tournament and click here for more details on the event itself. This Saturday, there will be a softball tournament in Calgary (click here) and next Saturday in Schererville, Indiana (click here for more details). All the Lord willing.

John Calvin Phase 2 Fully Funded!

2010-07-23T09:51:00.002-05:00

The John Calvin Christian School (Barranquilla, Colombia) phase 2 has now been fully funded at $276,000. The Lord is good!
Students have moved into phase 1 and construction for phase 2 is underway.

Please click here to view the most recent pictures and watch the building go up.

Announcement - Intent to Merge

2010-07-09T08:48:00.004-05:00

Coram Deo International Aid (CDIA)
and
Word & Deed Ministries
announce their intention to merge

At the initiative of Coram Deo International Aid (CDIA) and with thanksgiving to the Lord, the respective boards of CDIA and Word & Deed Ministries announce our intent to merge subject to approval by the CDIA membership. Given the similarity of our mission and mandate, the overlap of our respective supporters, the need of CDIA for administrative services given her growth over the past few years and the 16 years of experience Word & Deed has to date, the intent to merge is believed to reflect both practical wisdom and an encouraging degree of unity among our supporting churches and denominations as we together, in a diaconal capacity, strive to extend the Kingdom of God in the developing world.

Our intent to merge has resulted from several meetings between ad-hoc committees representing each board over the past year and the hope is that final approval for the merger will be given by each board and their respective memberships by the end of 2010 with CDIA fully merged into Word & Deed Ministries by the end of 2011. CDIA would cease to exist as a separate charity and continue on as the Adoration Project Team overseeing Adoration Christian Centre in Haiti as part of Word & Deed Ministries. Adoration Christian Centre, will continue to be managed by our field workers, Randy & Karen Lodder and Kim Gringhuis.

Both boards wish to emphasize that the merger will not reduce the involvement of current CDIA volunteers and supporters. Both organizations have developed a culture of enthusiastic involvement and support and the success of the merger depends on this continuing under the indispensable blessing of the Lord. May we together be instruments in His hands to the salvation of sinners and the strengthening of His church both in Haiti and in the many other countries Word & Deed has the privilege of working.

Inquiries can be directed to CDIA at info@cdiacanada.com or Word & Deed at publicrelations@wordanddeed.org

Sumba: Raising a Generation to Worship the Lamb

2010-06-12T09:18:00.001-05:00

By Rev. Mark Kelderman

The Lord carries on His work throughout the nations and to various people, including the small island of Sumba, Indonesia. This work dates back to 1998 when the local people asked if money could be supplied for a well to drill for water. The only water supply was an old polluted well from a nearby riverbed. When the HRC (Heritage Reformed Congregations) disaster fund provided the funds, Bill and Marion Sommer felt called to travel to Sumba and ensure that the project would actually be accomplished. Bill felt that if we were going to help the people with water they should help them in learning to work and to build things as well.

By 2000, the well was drilled, but much to the surprise of the Sommers, the Lord had other plans for them. While the well was being dug, Marion was caring for sick children and others in the community. Before they knew it, children who were ready to die were being left at their door step. Seeing a great need among this people who lived in this remote area, they decided to stay and minister. When Mrs. Sommer returned home the first time to give a report on the well project, the Lord inclined someone to give enough money to begin a children’s home to care for the growing number of children they were receiving. By 2002, the first part of the children’s home had been built and opened, large enough to hold 30 children. By 2007, this work had grown and a large addition was added. They can now accommodate 110 children. At present, 71 children live in the home.

The children of the home and school

As these children grew, they were also schooled in the children’s home. It was not possible to return them to the local school because they would have immediately been reintroduced to their pagan ideas and religion. Therefore, a school building was built and finished in 2009. The school building has seven classrooms and a library. This project, with God’s blessing, could help transform this area which is now infested with animistic and heathen ideas, into a place where God is feared and worshiped. We believe that as these children and young men and women eventually return to their local community, they will begin to influence and affect the local way of life.

Children learn to sing praises to the one from whom all blessings flow.

The school’s effects have been noticed by government officials as well. There are five-year-old children from the home who can read, while in the local community some of the children who attend the local schools cannot even read by the time they are in fifth grade. However, there is great need at present to find qualified teachers. Please make this a matter of your prayers. In addition to the instruction given at the school, there is also Christian instruction taking place daily at the children’s home and through a Sunday school program. This program is held in a nearby church which was built by the Sommers for the local people. About 150-200 children attend. Additionally, the Word of God is brought to various churches in the surrounding communities at churches which Bill has helped re-establish.

Helpers at the home and school

We are thankful for the help and support which so many people have given for this work and are especially thankful to Word & Deed for their interest and initial support of the Christian school. The Lord has wonderfully upheld the Sommers in this work, and yet we realize that they are becoming older and there will be need for others to eventually take their place. To that end, we continue to ask the Lord to provide assistants to shoulder this burden for some time to come. We realize that this work lies ultimately in the hands of our sovereign God and that He is accomplishing His purpose also among this people so that there will be surrounding the throne of the Lamb, children, young people, and older ones from Sumba who will worship the Lamb eternally.

Rev. Mark Kelderman is pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Burgessville, Ontario. The consistory there oversees the work done by the Sommers in Sumba.

Pengharapan (Hope) Children’s Home in TanaMbanas
Needed: $50, 000 to cover 50% of the costs

The objectives of the Pengharapan Children’s Home are as follows:

Provide a home for children who are abandoned to die (75 children currently/17 staff)
Provide daily meals for orphans
The children will receive daily Bible instruction and attend worship services each Sunday.
School age children will go to school
All children will be involved in helping at the home and in the community
Seek local community and church involvement and support for the home
Seek options to reduce the foreign portion of the cost of the home and possible local family care for abandoned children.

Haiti: Restoration

2010-06-12T08:53:00.003-05:00

By Hanna Luong

When the last issue of Word & Deed magazine was being produced, many of the details concerning the earthquake in Haiti were still blurry. The numbers of the dead and wounded were educated guesses, and relief efforts were still in the planning stages.

By now, many of the details regarding the earthquake of early 2010 have been confirmed. In March, the official figures from the Haitian Government’s Directorate of Civil Protection estimated that 222,517 were killed in the earthquake, and that another 310,928 were wounded. In a UN update posted on March 4, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) was estimated at 1.3 million. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, saw 50,000 people huddled under tents and make-shift shelters on the Petionville Golf Club fairways. Without a doubt, one of the most pressing concerns for Haitians is the need for shelter, especially with the rainy season (May through July) bearing down upon them, bringing with it the possibility of flooding, landslides and disease.

Each week families listen to a message from God's Word before the food is distributed.

Nobody needed statistics to know that on January 12, Haiti was suffering, and donors were not slow in responding to the Haitian plight. As a result of the generosity of various churches, schools, and individuals, Word & Deed was able to declare $414,760.33 to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for the government fund matching program. All donations that were made to Word & Deed before February 28 were doubled! Although the funds that the government supplied were deposited into the “Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund” to be administered separately, all the donations made directly to Word & Deed are being used at our own discretion. Since the deadline, we have received an additional $112,735.14, and this total continues to rise.

A portion of this funding has been used to respond to the immediate need for food and shelter. In light of recent talks of a merger between Word & Deed and Coram Deo International Aid (CDIA), we have been partnering with this fellow Reformed relief organization in the development of two projects. For 10 weeks (March – May), a Food Distribution project has been providing nutritious food staples to 500 families (approximately 2000 people) in the Cabaret region of Haiti. A weekly cost of $5000 provided each family with rice, corn meal, beans, oil, tomato paste, sardines, spaghetti noodles and Maggi.

Student volunteers levelling the ground for the lean-to, where the temporary classrooms will be built.

Also in partnership with CDIA, Word & Deed has funded the building of a temporary relief station. Adoration Christian Centre will serve as a medical clinic, school building, church building, soup kitchen, water treatment center and residence for the staff of the center. This temporary location is expected to be used until September 2011 when, Lord willing, more permanent facilities will be in place. Aside from acting as a relief station for Haitians, the construction of this shelter has provided an opportunity for local Haitian contractors and workers to become agents in their own recovery, and to begin restoring their dignity as image-bearers of God.

Now that the initial shock is starting to wear off, and Haitians are beginning to adapt to a “new normal,” the focus of Word & Deed is shifting as well. Initial relief efforts are giving way to plans for longer-term infrastructure development. On the weekend of April 22-24, Bernie Pennings and Rick Postma met with representatives of CDIA and mission representatives from the OPC and PCA in Greenville, South Carolina. The objective of the meeting was to review plans for infrastructure development in Haiti, and to review how this development will conform to Biblical principles for aid. It is our hope and prayer that, in partnership with other Reformed relief organizations, Word & Deed will be able to transform your generous contributions into a long-term mission in Haiti that will address both the physical and spiritual needs of the Haitians.

A student receiving food for her family.

Many of the relief agencies in Haiti have a similar vision. Phrases such as “a new Haiti,” “build Haiti back better” and “national renewal” capture the spirit of many of the organizations that are passionate about bringing Haiti new hope. With over $5 billion pledged at the Donors’ Conference for Haiti relief held on March 31 at the UN headquarters in New York, and over 150 countries and international organizations represented, it would seem that there are many reasons to believe that Haiti will at last receive the new beginning that she has desperately needed for such a long time. And perhaps Ban Ki-moon is right to say that renewal, not restoration, should be the goal as we seek to address the problem of Haiti’s crumbling infrastructure. However, it is only the restoration of a broken relationship with God that can give Haitians a hope that will not waver - come earthquakes, or floods, or hurricanes.

Hanna Luong is the Administrative Assistant at Word & Deed Canada.

Recent Fundraisers

2010-06-07T15:08:00.011-05:00

The recent softball tournament in Lethbridge, Alberta raised $14,200 for the John Calvin Christian School in a very cold and wet Alberta. Click here to read more. A warm thank you to all who took part in this tournament (note that there is a Calgary tournament scheduled for September 18. Click here to find out more).

While showers and thunderstorms threatened, the riders at the 4th annual Niagara bike-a-thon enjoyed a beautiful day once again. There were 355 riders and close to $51,000 has been raised for the Nakekela HIV/AIDS clinic in South Africa. Word & Deed extends a hearty thank you to the legions of bikers, volunteers and donors. See you next year, on Saturday, June 4, the Lord willing!

Getting ready to depart from Fort Erie.

One of the rest stops along the way (water!)

Roger & Linda enjoy a well deserved break with Niagara Falls in the background (half way!)

Brian was kept busy with lots of disabled bikes and riders who couldn't quite make it all the way (including me, alas)

Now that is riding in comfort!

Once again a wonderful BBQ awaited us at the end of the ride!

Our very own Hanna!

See our Facebook group for more pictures (and please join if you haven't already)!

Guatemala - Hurricane and Volcano

2010-06-02T16:16:00.007-05:00

Pastor Ken Herfst reports that the recent eruption of volcano Pacaya has left much of the country covered in ash. Then Hurricane Agatha battered parts of the country in a similar way to Hurricane Stan in 2005. Pastor Ken was scheduled to return to Guatemala on Thursday (June 3) but his flight has been delayed until next Tuesday at the earliest (June 8). We hope to have a clearer picture of how various projects have been affected then as well as the needs of people in the region. Brian Dennett of AMG Guatemala (La Palabra Christian School and the Radio project in Cubulco) reports no injuries or damages to AMG projects but expects to be very involved in recovery efforts as does Saq B'e.

A car remains buried near the area where 11 people died when a landslide destroyed their home on the northern outskirts of Guatemala City on May 31, 2010. (JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Projects Affected:
1) Restoration House (home for those recovering from additions) in Champerico on the Pacific Coast. Battered by waves with quite a few houses seriously damaged. Communication remains very difficult.

2)Ruth Association. Access to the remote villages involved with this project (Bible studies for women) have been cut off by numerous mud slides. This project is carried out in partnership with the Canadian Reformed World Relief Foundation.

3) Xe Abaj agricultural project. The crops have experienced some damage.

4) Cubulco - Radio project with AMG Guatemala (Free Reformed Missions active in this area). A bridge built by Pastor Ken Herfst approximately 15 years ago was severely damaged while four people were walking on it killing all four.

Pastor Ken Herfst hopes to provide a firsthand update next week when he arrives in western Guatemala, the Lord willing. Here are a series of pictures from the Boston Globe (click on pictures)

Bike-a-thon coming up!!

2010-05-19T12:56:00.004-05:00

The Niagara lake to lake bike-a-thon is just 2 weeks away. Join us on June 5, 2010. Help us break last year's record of 390 riders and over $50,000 raised and bring hope into the lives of AIDS patients in South Africa.

Click here for more details and a video of last year's bike-a-thon (but note below).

** Special Note **

You have 3 shuttle options:

-E-mail Mark Fintelman maffam@live.ca if you want to go to MacFarland Park and unload your bikes by 8:30 a.m. Park your car there. We will shuttle you and your bike to your preferred starting point. When you finish, you load your bikes back into your vehicles and leave at your convenience.

-E-mail Henk Vrugteveen henk@oxfordpallet.com to load your bikes and catch the bus if you are coming from Oxford County.

-Make your own arrangements to transport your cyclists and vehicles to suit your schedule.

Spring 2010 Magazine

2010-05-11T20:12:00.001-05:00

Take a look at the Spring issue of Word & Deed magazine. Just click on the picture and follow the links.

Partnering with Word & Deed (Part 2)

2010-05-11T19:07:00.003-05:00

By Rick Postma

Part 1 of this article was published in the winter issue and explained that Word & Deed should not be viewed as a funding pipeline, that we emphasize indigenous partner development, and concluded with a description of the application process which a prospective partner would need to follow. In part 2, we continue the discussion.

AMG Guatemala representatives and the board of La Palabra Christian School

What other things should prospective partners know about?
Some further questions that are considered for project proposals are:
Is the proposed project sustainable and scalable? In other words, can the community take over the project in the future? Does the project address the needs of a significant number of the needy in the area of concern, or just a few?
Is there an exit strategy? How is dependency being avoided? Projects need to provide a helping hand while not becoming a crutch for life.
Is the project making use of existing positive societal structures and traditions? If a community has a tradition where relatives take in orphans, for example, then solutions need to make use of it.
Have the local people played a pivotal role in coming up with the proposed solution? There are many “white elephants” in the developing world – buildings and projects which were put in place with the best intentions but failed to include input from the local people. A large empty fish processing plant beside a lake in Africa is but one example.

The Specific Case of Orphanages
Word & Deed’s 15 years of experience has led to some important lessons. One of them is in the area of orphanages. While we have supported a number of orphanages in the past, we have generally moved away from them as they have a number of serious challenges: 1) On a per orphan basis, they are very high cost. This means it is difficult to move this project to the local community over time. They have sustainability and dependency issues. 2) The number of children supported is quite small. 3) The environment tends to be westernized, making it difficult for orphans to re-enter their native communities when they become adults.
Instead, we have moved to community-based orphan care in a large way. In Malawi we support over 5,500 orphans this way. The orphans are raised by relatives, in most cases, who are supplemented with a little extra food and fertilizer so they can raise the orphan(s) with their own children in a natural environment. The orphans are then brought together several times a week for a nutritious meal and Bible-based teaching from an elder of the local church or by a teacher hired by the local orphan committee. Approximately 750 of the orphans receive the full program described here (this is the orphan sponsorship program – see box). Others are moved on to it over time as the capacity of the local orphan care committee is increased to handle the full program.
Sometimes an orphanage is the only answer. This can occur when the community is simply unwilling to look after its orphans. The sad reality is that in some places of the world, unwanted children are simply left out in the open to die from exposure. The child in question may be a twin and only one child is wanted by the parents (sometimes due to superstition) or the child may have some defect. In these cases, a community-based solution may simply not be an option.

Other Challenges:
The devil is a superb tactician. The Bible warns us of this. He is continually at work, “seeking whom he may devour,” often when and where we least expect it. Being a creature, he learns from his mistakes and we can expect that he is a more sophisticated threat today than he has been in the past. This is true both in North America and in the developing world – he just uses different tactics.
In the developing world, challenges include ancestral worship, witch doctor practices, animism, and fatalism (the idea that there is nothing a person can do to change his situation). The result is often syncretism, where Christian beliefs are mixed with all the others. Confusion ensues, both in the understanding of Christianity as well as in how daily life is lived out.
Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8) appears to have had ulterior motives in joining the Christian church. Sadly, there are many with the same motives who appeal for funding, often very convincingly. Reports are sent showing progress towards stated goals, but meanwhile, the funds are being siphoned off. Sometimes the employed method is obvious, at other times it is subtle. The need for close monitoring is an unfortunate reality. Both reports (written and financial) as well as project visits with interviews of the beneficiaries, and reviews of “the books” are necessary. Some are caught early on while others can slip through the net for some time. Thankfully, these kinds of partners are a small minority.

What about Government funding?
We are very reluctant to pursue government funding for several reasons.
1) Government funding usually comes with requirements that, if accepted by Word & Deed, would result in the contravention of our mission and mandate. Since we insist on the Gospel being central to each project, we are very concerned that government funding will push our organization into a secular mindset. Sadly, this has happened to many (not all) organizations which started with a solid biblical foundation. We are willing to stay relatively small, if necessary, for the sake of obedience to God’s Word.
2) Other organizations who have received government funding tell us that a full-time person is needed to act as liaison with the government. Countless forms and reports need to be sent even for relatively small projects.
3) Governments change the rules. Major changes have recently been made in the European Union that have had a drastic impact on charities there who rely on government funding. We don’t want to experience the same thing.
If we can include government funding in such a way that our mission and mandate are not contravened and where other reasonable limits are not exceeded, we will consider doing so. Our approach is to test the waters every few years to see if this can be achieved.
Much more can be said about the intricate relationship between Word & Deed and her partners. Some of these will be covered from time to time in future issues. Meanwhile, pray that Satan’s strategies will be defeated, that sinners will be converted, God’s people strengthened and His Kingdom extended. Hallelujah.

Rick Postma is the Director of Public Relations for Word & Deed Ministries.

Trip to Nigeria

2010-04-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

Bernie Pennings left for Nigeria two weeks ago. His flight home via Amsterdam has been delayed due to the volcano in Iceland.

Please pray for a safe and timely trip home and for continued blessing on his monitoring trip as he visits with Daniel Pever, the director of Faith And Freedom Ministies, which oversees Word & Deed sponsored projects in Nigeria. Word & Deed sponsors two Christian Schools in Nigeria with well over a 1,800 children in total. Both schools are currently having 4 classrooms added at a cost of $89,000 (total). Operating costs with the exception of furniture are covered by student fees paid by parents. Directly below are some pictures taken in the last two weeks.

Director Daniel Pever with some of the students

The schools have gained a reputation for high moral and academic standards leading to an explosion in enrollment.

Bernie Pennings with the board of Faith And Freedom Ministry

Students at Koti-Yough Christian School

Please pray for the board, staff and students involved in this important work.

Haiti - relief efforts

2010-03-24T11:19:00.008-05:00

In partnership with Coram Deo International Aid, Word & Deed is funding 50% of two projects in Haiti.

Project 1: Food Distribution ($50,000 project)
Provide a food package to 250 families for 10 weeks (an estimated 2,000 people).
Each package contains: beans, rice, corn meal, spaghetti noodles, sardines, maggi

Beneficiaries: Families in the Cabaret area including members of the local PCA church and the local refugee camp.
Duration: 10 weeks, March - May

Project 2: Temporary Adoration Christian Center ($50,000 project)
The multi-purpose facility will provide: School program, medical care, food distribution, water treatment, residence for staff (security)

Includes: 31x50 coverall tent with foundation and floor, cistern, toilets, tables and benches, kitchen, secure depot for storing food (as well as supplies and tools), generator, propane tanks

Container:
In partnership with CDIA, Word & Deed was able to send a truckload of blankets and clothing to Haiti. The large back room at the office was completely emptied out!

Additional projects will be undertaken in the future.

Please pray for the Lord's blessing on the above projects, on the workers and on the people of Haiti.

Seminary Visits

2010-03-02T09:17:00.014-05:00

Word & Deed's Rick Postma had the privilege of speaking at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (PRTS) in Grand Rapids and at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana recently on the topic "A Biblical View of Poverty". Pictures are shown below as well as recommendations from Dr. Jerry Bilkes of PRTS and from Dr. Nelson Kloosterman of Mid-America. Rick hopes to take the presentation to additional seminaries, colleges and, in modified form, high schools.

Below Rick is addressing the faculty and students at Mid-America.

Rick in conversation with Dr. Nelson Kloosterman.

Below is Puritan Theological Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids (unfortunately no pictures were taken during the presentation).

'Rick Postma's "A Biblical View of Poverty" is an extraordinary, mind-bending, and heart-stirring presentation on the church's calling with respect to global poverty. Thoroughly biblical, and unabashedly confessional, this compelling, one of a kind lecture emerges from years of thoughtful study as well as wide-ranging, hands-on experience. Hamstrung by the cacophony of approaches and cynicism of many, the church needs the panorama of biblical truth to see things holistically, not just for those in the two-thirds world but also for ourselves - and this Rick postma does grippingly in 90 minutes. For church leaders, seminary students, and ordinary Christians seeking a biblical view of poverty and the calling of mercy, I know nothing quite like it.'
Dr. Jerry Bilkes,
Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology
Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

'Audiences of various ages and interests will find Rick Postma's introduction to Word and Deed Ministries to be instructive and motivational. Churches and schools will be introduced to a clearly biblical and Reformed understanding--and practice--of poverty relief. It begins with asking the right questions, and then searching for the right answers with those receiving such relief, in order to place Christian benevolence in service to human growth rather than further dependence. Warmly recommended!'

Nelson D. Kloosterman

Professor of Ethics and New Testament Studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary

Executive Director

Worldview Resources International

John Calvin Christian School

2010-02-22T11:54:00.002-05:00

The John Calvin Christian School in Barranquilla, Colombia building project recently completed phase 1 and will begin phase 2 soon. We thank the Lord for the progress being made in this project.

For pictures, project description and how you can help, please click here.

Haiti - Update 4

2010-01-28T16:11:00.004-05:00

As time goes on, the response to the disaster in Haiti does not get any easier. Even watching the news you will quickly get the sense that the rescue phase is coming to an end and the next phase of relief is becoming the focus. During this second phase of the relief effort, some of the issues that figure prominently are:

1. Security – is it safe to begin distribution of goods
2. Capacity – determine what can be done, by whom, in what locations and develop a broad plan
3. Logistics – where can necessities be obtained and how will they get to the areas needed
4. Communications – develop communication with other aid agencies to ensure that duplication of services does not occur, that all affected areas are reached, and that supply chains can be maintained.

Other factors to be considered include relocations, rebuilding, restructuring, longer-term clean up, and reassessment of all available resources. After several months, longer term activities can be planned and carried out.

Given the recent announcement from Haiti that 400,000 people will be relocated outside the city of Port au Prince, there are a number of considerations that the people in the field will need to make about services, location, and beneficiaries. Uncertainty pervades every aspect of the planning process at this point.

All of our potential partners are requesting patience especially when considering longer term relief and rebuilding as they continue to struggle with the disaster. Many employees have been affected with personal family losses as well as the destruction of their personal possessions. These partners have assured us they will keep us informed as to how we can best be of assistance to them both as immediate supply lines are secured and for longer term relief.

Bernie Pennings continues to serve on a joint disaster relief committee with Coram Deo International Aid (CDIA) which is attempting some small scale relief efforts focusing on families of children in the school and the immediate school community. We are continuing our discussions with several other potential partners to determine the best way to cooperate to ensure that the needs of the people in Haiti are addressed and that resources are used wisely. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, the personnel on the ground charged with the responsibility of assessing and identifying needs, and with all those involved in the rescue, recovery, and rebuilding of that country.

Haiti - Update 3

2010-01-21T11:19:00.005-05:00

Word & Deed is working with several organizations to plan and bring relief to the needy there. The organizations include Word and Deed Holland (Woord en Daad) who have a great deal of infrastructure in Haiti as well as Coram Deo International AID (CDIA). Gridlock in Port-au-Prince (both airport and harbor) has made this a much slower process than most other disaster recoveries. Meanwhile pray for a blessing on the relief efforts, for those who are mourning loved ones, for the recovery of the injured and for the safety of all concerned. Pray as well that this very terrible catastrophe may mark the new birth of many precious souls, including rescuers, and along with it, the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God.

Word & Deed Project Direct Bernie Pennings is involved in daily conference calls to plan relief efforts with our partners. Bernie has been involved in disaster relief planning and projects for over twelve years.

Meanwhile, several schools have had fundraisers and numerous churches are having collections for recovery efforts. Thank you.

We were sad to note another earthquake in Haiti recently. The post below this one describes what happens to people after an earthquake, a fairly significant follow-on earthquake in addition to deaths and injuries only multiplies the fear and confusion and makes the rescue effort all the more difficult. Pray for them.

Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-15T11:34:00.013-05:00

Page down for more entries.

Canadian members of the Coram Deo International Aid team, with the exception of Randy Lodder who stayed behind to help, have been evacuated from Haiti and arrived in Montreal early this morning. John Kottelenberg, one of the directors who was in Haiti when the earthquake struck, was interviewed on CBC this morning. We thank the Lord that they are home.

Haiti in turmoil: Countries like the US and Canada along with the UN are struggling to bring initial aid into Haiti. The airport is limited in size, lacking proper equipment to unload airplanes (it took 6 hours to unload just one yesterday) and is having control tower issues. Thousands of bodies have been buried, but thousands remain and the risk of disease, killing far more, is very real.

Word & Deed is in contact with our partner organizations and engaging in conference calls on how to proceed. Any proposals will be carefully reviewed albeit with the need for speed kept in mind. Donations should be designated as "Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief". Checks should be written to "Word & Deed". For our office mailing addresses, please click on "Contact Us" at the upper right.

Funds donated in response to disasters are large. People are motivated to give generously. Too often, the funds are not used at all or end up in the wrong hands. We are committed to avoiding this as our response to the Tsunami (villages rebuilt in cooperation with Word & Deed Holland), Hurricane Stan(food and medicines distributed, homes rebuilt, water systems fixed), Hurricane Felix (food distributed, wells cleansed, homes rebuilt) all indicate. The gridlock in Haiti means that for now we wait.

Word & Deed's position on the donation matching program of the Canadian Government:
While we are looking into getting matching funds, we believe the possibility of getting them, given our mission and mandate together with program requirements, is quite low.

What happens when a disaster strikes?

Searching: people, understandably, frantically look for their loved ones. Are they safe? Are they injured?
Fear: powerful after shocks, unstable buildings, result in people sleeping in the streets. People feel shock, trauma and many are in mourning.
Urgent Physical needs: the need for safe water (water purification tablets for example) and food quickly becomes a major concern if not alleviated. As the days pass, panic sets in.
Serious Injuries: With an estimated 50,000 dead, the number of injured must be several times that number. Reports indicate that hospitals have collapsed. People are being treated in the streets if and when doctors and medicines can be found.
Disease: Diseases quickly break out due to the unburied bodies. Sometime more die due to disease than due to the original disaster itself.
Lawlessness: Local police and soldiers may have been killed or injured themselves. They too are struggling to find and help family members. The result is that looting and other forms of lawlessness rises very quickly
Gridlock: The airport at Port-au-Prince is practically incapacitated. The control tower isn't functioning properly. Even when the planes get on the ground it is taking a long time to get them unloaded. Then there is the "last mile" challenge. How to get the aid to the final destination with broken infrastructure. Then there is the handout itself with frantic people trying to get relief for themselves and their families. Thousands are trying to get out.
Anger: Why isn't anyone helping us? Aid convoys start being attacked. This is already beginning to happen. Aid distributors are being urged to make sure they have security with them.

The 3 phases of Aid (from the Chalmers Center - abridged)

Relief: Providing emergency aid that is immediate and temporary. Relief is appropriate when the recipients are incapable of helping themselves.

Rehabilitation: Restoring people and communities to their pre-crisis conditions. Rehabilitation is appropriate when people can participate in their own recovery from a crisis.

Development: Development is appropriate when people are able to participate in improving their lives beyond their long-standing levels of poverty.

Massive Earthquake strikes Haiti

2010-01-12T21:54:00.022-05:00

At approximately 4:45 pm Tuesday, January 12, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck the Port-au-Prince area. Numerous buildings are down including homes, at least one hospital and schools.

Multiple after-shocks have been experienced and continue to pose a major risk. Many are reported dead and many more wounded.

Word & Deed expects to support disaster relief project(s) in Haiti very soon. Donations should be designated as "Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief". Checks should be written to "Word & Deed". For our office mailing addresses, please click on "Contact Us" at the upper right. A Canadian government matching funds offer is being investigated - a major concern is with respect to "strings attached".

Pictures taken from web ...

Looting has already started and lawlessness is feared.

Please pray for the people of Haiti.

We are in communication with Woord en Daad (The Netherlands) concerning relief plans via two of their partners: AMG Haiti and Parole et Action.

We will also be considering relief needs from Coram Deo International (CDIA). CDIA is an organization we have been in discussions with recently and has suffered the complete collapse of its school building near Port-au-Prince. Thankfully, we are informed that staff, students and 2 visiting board delegates from Canada are safe. **Update ** We are now informed that one teacher is dead and others are missing. Please pray for the families involved.

Once the immediate relief needs - rescue, medical aid and basic life necessities - are identified among our potential partners, we will take decisive action with longer term relief efforts being looked at and evaluated after the basic rescue is completed.

Pictures and interview with Jason Krul of the Heritage Reformed Churches, who lives with his wife in Haiti and works for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). Click here. (Once there, page down. When finished, click on back arrow to return here).

Emails from Randy and Karen Lodder (CDIA) .....

Wednesday morning (January 13):

Good Morning

Feel free to pass this along...

We are still ok. We slept the night in the driveway with some of our Haitian workers, Kim, John and Jim and our neighbours. We were sleeping inside but the tremors were to strong still and so we evacuated the house and slept on the driveway. We probably got about 2 hours of sleep or so. And now we are trying to figure out an action plan. , What to do, how can we help, how do we be safe? Food? Water? it's devastating, full buildings collapsed to nothing, so many lives lost... we cannot begin to comprehend...we still haven't heard from some people....

please keep praying... we'll stay in touch as we can.

Love,

Randy, Karen & Maia Joy <><

Tuesday Evening (January 12):
"Good Evening All,

We just wanted to let you all know that, by the grace of God, our lives have been spared. An earthquake hit Haiti just before 5 this evening. Randy, Maia and I were at the school along with our two visitors, John Kottelenberg and Jim Kamstra, as well as a bunch of our secondary students and the school collapsed right before our eyes. It was the scariest moment of our lives. As far as we know no one is trapped in the school. Kim is safe as well.

There is much devastation here and many unknowns, please keep praying for Haiti and her people."

Partnering with Word & Deed (Part 1)

2010-01-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

By Rick Postma

You will likely not be surprised to learn that funding applications come to Word & Deed on a regular basis. Requests originate all over the world and come from churches or organizations that have either found us on the internet or have heard of us by word-of-mouth. Sadly, we have no choice but to turn down the vast majority of these applications due to limited resources of finances and time. In order for a request to be approved, it needs to be investigated. When it involves a new partner, a trip to the country in question is usually required. Furthermore, our commitment to existing partners and projects, as well as the realistic constraints of our support base limit how much we can do. The purpose of this two-part article is to answer a number of questions typical of prospective partners and supporters. Given space constraints, the answers are brief – each one could serve as the basis of an article on its own.

Is Word & Deed simply a funding organization?
To see Word & Deed as a funding pipeline, able to be turned on and off at will, is a very common misconception. In the first place, charity tax law (especially strong in Canada) requires active oversight of any projects funded by donors who receive a donation receipt. This translates into regular written and financial reports as well as regular visits to review the project in the field. New partners are often required to provide quarterly reports, while established partners provide semi-annual reports. Countries are usually visited once per year and sometimes twice yearly depending on the needs. Regular communication via email and voice over Skype (internet) also takes place. In addition, goals are set for each project on a yearly basis and written up in a project agreement which is signed both by Word & Deed and the developing world partner in question. Finally, reports are required indicating how well each goal is being achieved through the year. Word & Deed Board requirements as well as lessons learned in the “school of hard knocks” over the last 15 years also mean that Word & Deed is by no means a passive partner in any project.

Word & Deed emphasizes Partner Development. What does this mean?
Word & Deed places a great deal of emphasis on partner development. As much as possible, projects are to be run by local Christians rather than people from the Western World. Where “Western” people are involved, their mandate is to work themselves out of a job. There are countless “white elephant” projects in the developing world which were built by a group of people who came in for 5 or 10 years, put together a project and then left, having failed to include the local people. Not having a sense of ownership, the locals allowed the project to fall apart. Word & Deed projects sometimes take a little longer, but they are driven by indigenous Christians who know the needs of their community, speak the language, and understand the culture. If our goal is to move the people of the developing world to self-sufficiency, then our methodology had better reflect that. This means that we are very careful about sending work teams to the developing world. The first question we need to answer is what is in the best interest of the people there? In most cases the answer is that they do the work even if it takes a little longer.

How does the application process work?
Partner and project applications which come from missions in our supporting community or from Reformed or Presbyterian churches in the developing world are given a close look. Various questions need to be considered: Does the partner agree with our mission and mandate? Is the teaching of God’s Word a central part of the project? Is the Church present either in the form of a Mission of one of our supporting churches, or in the form of a locally instituted church? (Word & Deed does not function as the Church.) Are we in a position to make regular trips to the country in question, and does the size of the project(s) warrant trips there? Do commitments to other partners and available funding allow us to take on the project in question at this time? By funding this partner/project, have we kept to our guideline of no more than 30% of overall funds going to any one country? If these and more questions are answered affirmatively based on an initial assessment, then the prospective applicant is asked to do the following:

1) Fill out a partnership application form
This application ensures that our mission and mandates are in agreement. Word & Deed also requires that a partner board be set up with an executive and that all finances are handled using at least two signatures. The partnership application is reviewed by the Word & Deed Projects Sub-Committee. If approved, the partner is then asked to submit a project proposal. (No funds are forthcoming until a project proposal is completed and approved.)

2) Fill out a project application

a. First a brief two-page project proposal
Some of the questions addressed in this brief proposal include: What is the problem being addressed by the project? How many people will be impacted? How is the Word foundational to the project? What is the estimated cost? Have other solutions been considered?
Word & Deed staff reviews the brief overview to see if it meets our guidelines and has a good chance of being approved. If so, the partner is asked to make a detailed project proposal.

b. Detailed Project Proposal
Questions answered in summary form in the brief project proposal need to be answered in more depth in the detailed project proposal. Additional questions also need to be addressed whether in written form or in discussions: Is the project sustainable? Is there an exit strategy? How is the project avoiding dependency?

Part 2 of this article will appear in the spring issue and will deal with government funding as well as a number of additional items that prospective partners should keep in mind when applying to Word & Deed.

Word & Deed Emphasizes:

Gospel Focus

Targeting Self-sufficiency (teach them to fish)

Run by local Christians

Serving God

Bridging Communities

Renewing Lives

Rick Postma is the Director of Public Relations for Word & Deed Ministries.

Philippines

2010-01-10T13:54:00.001-05:00

Many of you have read or heard about the floods in the Philippines. Word & Deed is partnering with Woord en Daad (Word & Deed Holland) to support a project with AMG Philippines that will bring food and clothing to 4,700 families. Donations for this project should be designated as "Philippines Flood Recovery".

Giving at Christmas

2009-12-14T12:04:00.009-05:00

As we enter the Christmas season and look back with thankfulness on the amazing gift that God the Father gave to sinners -His own precious Son - many of us look around to see what we can share with those less fortunate than ourselves. Below is a list for your consideration. You can donate online (click on your country's flag on the right of this blog) or you can send a check (click on "contact us" on the right to get the mailing address). In either case, please specify what you would like your donation to be allocated to.

1. A Package of books for Pastors in Malawi
For your donation of $40, Pastors attending the Logos Ministries seminars in 2010 will receive a package of books including a Bible and several other books that will have a significant impact on their meager libraries. Specify "Logos Ministries Book Package" along with your gift. To read more about Logos Ministries, click here.

2. Bundles of Love
Word & Deed sponsor children receive a gift at Christmas using this program ($18). Or, if you aren't already, why not bring hope into the life of a child this Christmas by sponsoring one? Click Here.

3. Orphan Group Sponsorship in Malawi
Why not sponsor a group of orphans in Malawi? Click here to find out more.

4. Cleanse a well
Your donation of $50 funds the cleansing of a well contaminated by Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua.

5. Sponsor a Family in Colombia
For a period of 3 months and at a cost of $250 per family, this project provides the essentials needed by families who have hit rock bottom and have nowhere to turn. They are given a weekly package of food and personal hygiene products and are also required to attend a weekly workshop where they hear the Gospel and receive Bible based instruction on overcoming the challenges in their lives. The Helping Hands Project is designed to provide assistance to 160 families in both Bogota and Cartagena.

To read more about this project as well as others in Colombia, please click here.

Gulfport Alumni Invited to Dedication Ceremony

2009-12-04T10:04:00.001-05:00

Many of us look back with great fondness on our trip (or trips!) to Gulfport. Even though the context of the trip was both sad and tragic, the opportunity to help victims of the hurricane in the name of Christ as well as to forge friendships was a very special one.

Lisa Ladner, the project manager for the Gulfport Katrina recovery projects, has called to ask me to invite you to the official opening of their new church building on January 17, 2010.

Click here to find out more details. If you decide to go, make sure you register at the bottom of the web page.

While there is room for some RV hookups at Camp Hope, there are no other accommodations there. Lodging information is included on the website.

Upcoming Dinners

2009-10-21T09:21:00.008-05:00

The Word & Deed fall dinner tour features four dinners with keynote speaker, Rev. Ken Herfst, a missionary in Guatemala and three dinners featuring Missy Christie de Acosta who oversees projects in Colombia. You can still reserve a seat but time is running out. Please call 866.391.5728 (USA) or 877.375.9673 (Canada).

November 27, 2009: London, Ontario--Missy Christie de Acosta
Doors open at 6:30 pm, Dinner starts at 7:00 pm
West Park Church. 955 Gainsborough Rd. London, ON
For directions, click here. Then click on "Get Directions", at upper left.

Fall 2009 Magazine

2009-10-20T20:20:00.003-05:00

Take a look at the Fall issue of Word & Deed magazine. Just click on the picture and follow the links.

Flooding in the Philippines

2009-10-09T12:47:00.006-05:00

Typhoon Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana) hit the central part of Luzon island, including Metro Manila on September 26, 2009, and induced the heaviest rains in more than 40 years. The rains are so heavy that at least three dams were forced to release water (to preserve the integrity of the structures, according to officials) that further quickened the rise of flood levels. Huge portions of the metropolis as well as Rizal, Laguna, and Bulacan provinces were soon submerged and people were caught totally unaware. Thousands of vehicles and commuters were stranded in the highways. River systems like the Marikina swelled quickly and carried houses and people and everything else.

Donations for this project should be designated as "Philippines Flood Recovery". You can donate online by selecting your country's flag on the right or click on "Contact Us", above right, to find our office addresses.

John Calvin Christian School Project in Colombia Begins!

2009-08-27T10:59:00.007-05:00

Please join in thanking the Lord that He has provided the $346,000 required to begin phase 1 of the John Calvin Christian School project in Barranquilla, Colombia.

We are now raising funds for phase 2 ($287,500), which is scheduled to begin next summer (2010).

Click here to view a presentation on the John Calvin Christian School (including descriptions, funding goals etc.). This presentation will be updated with pictures as the project progresses. The below picture shows part of the existing structure being torn down to make way for the new structure.

Home Run!

2009-07-03T14:07:00.003-05:00

The recent Alberta softball tournament raised over $28,000!!

Congratulations to all the organizers, teams, volunteers and sponsors. The funds will make a significant contribution to the John Calvin School building in Colombia. May the Lord use this project to glorify His Name in Colombia.

Click here to see a slideshow of the tournament. If you have pictures, please send them to publicrelations@wordanddeed.org.

Bike-a-thon video clip and Ecuador update

2009-06-30T16:17:00.003-05:00

See a video clip of the Niagara Bike-a-thon by clicking here. Press pause on the video and wait a few seconds if it freezes while you are playing it.

Fred Jonkman tells us about a recent journey to an indigenous church in Ecuador to provide a Sunday School workshop. Click here.

Niagara Bike-a-thon 2009

2009-06-18T12:21:00.009-05:00

With over 390 riders and numerous volunteers, the Niagara bike-a-thon "river of orange" was once again a huge success. The t-shirts brought lots of attention, questions and even a few donations from tourists. So far, donations received are close to $47,000 with pending donations expected to raise the total to close to $50,000. Word & Deed extends a hearty thank you to the organizers, volunteers, participants and donors. Many thanks as well to the Niagara Water Technologies (Culligan Water) for their generous donation of water bottles again this year. Proceeds were for the Nakakela HIV/AIDS Hospice in South Africa. Click here to read the latest updates from Sonja Miskin.

Summer 2009 Magazine

2009-06-13T15:51:00.003-05:00

Take a look at the Summer issue of Word & Deed magazine. Just click on the picture and follow the links.

Events

2009-06-08T05:30:00.001-05:00

Business Group Meetings in British Colombia
Meetings for Chilliwack and Abbotsford/Langley are scheduled for June 11 and June 15 respectively. Click here for more details.

Lake-to-Lake (Niagara) Bike-a-thon - a huge success!
On a beautiful June day, over 390 riders raised over $49,000 for the Nakekela Clinic in South Africa. The organizing committee did a masterful job. Word & Deed thanks all the many volunteers who made the day a huge success. We hope to have some video clips available in a few days. Those still collecting money please forward your donations to Word & Deed using the address found by clicking "contact us" on the upper right of this web page.

Softball Tournament in Alberta
On June 20, the Lord willing, the Alberta Softball Tournament will take place. There is still time to join or form a team. Please click here for details.

Updates from South Africa

2009-05-06T14:35:00.002-05:00

Click here to read two recent updates from South Africa.

Congratulations!

2009-04-20T07:31:00.008-05:00

Ninety-two students from Rehoboth Christian School, Oxford Reformed Christian School and Jordan Christian School (all in south western Ontario) took part in a 24 hour hunger awareness campaign to raise funds for John Calvin Christian School in Barranquilla, Colombia. Well over $14,000 was raised to pay for the salaries of two of the teachers there!

Word & Deed extends a hearty thank you to all the participating students, Rehoboth student council for organizing the activities, the team of chaperones who sacrificed a lot of sleep and to all the generous donors.

Two teachers also played a pivotol role - Mr. Dick Naves as even organizer, and Mrs. Sarah Vlietstra - thanks very much both of you!

Cazuca, Colombia - note from a student

2009-04-14T14:44:00.003-05:00

Jessica Marcela Gómez Naranjo(sponsor student at Altos de Cazuca School)

11th Grade

I have lived in the neighborhood El Arroyo for seven years now. Few days ago, a landslide took place around my block. Many houses were destroyed and the authorities requested me and my family to leave. We had to leave as soon as they asked us to; we had to take out all our belongings at 1:00 a.m. and we had to sleep on the street that night. The following day, we moved into another house located in the same neighborhood, we left our things there and sleep in an improvised shelter with many more people, while the relocation problem is solved.

Thank God we have received many blessings. I want to thank CDA (Word & Deed's partner) for being with us during these hard times, for all your help and support and for all the assistance they have provided us with. At this moment, thank God, my family and I are very good and we are closer than ever as a family!

I never thought we would receive so much support and solidarity. To me, it is very rewarding to know that my family and I are not alone.

On behalf of my family, I want to thank you with all my heart!

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU!

Spring Magazine

2009-04-07T10:49:00.004-05:00

Take a look at the most recent magazine! Click on the picture above to read articles.

Colombia - collapsing homes

2009-04-02T09:12:00.009-05:00

Over 47 homes have collapsed near the CDA Christian school in the Internally Displaced People (IDP) Zone of Altos de Cazuca just outside Bogota, Colombia. There are another 140 homes at risk. A number of the families affected have sponsor children in our school (jointly supported with Word and Deed Holland). Word & Deed North America has sent $10,000 in emergency funding to purchase beds, blankets, tents, food, personal care products as well as health care (a health brigade is also being organized).

The cause of the multiple dwelling collapse was apparently the cumulative affect of rain water, ground water and sewage slowly undermining the homes, perched on steep hills and cliffs, and causing them to collapse down the hillside.

Please pray for the families and the CDA workers. If you can support this recovery effort please send donations with "Cazuca Recovery Project" on the memo line or donate by clicking on your country's flag on the right of the screen.

Click here to find out more about our projects in Colombia.

Below is a picture taken near the school in February.

Upcoming Events

2009-03-06T09:46:00.003-05:00

For more details click on "Upcoming Fund-Raising Events" to the right of the screen.

Choir Concert - Friday, April 24th, 8pm
The 130 Voice Hosanna Choir presents in Grand Rapids, Michigan along with the Heritage Voices Choir.

Choir Concert - Friday, May 1, 8pm
The Heritage Voices Choir presents in Hamilton, Ontario along with the Hosanna Choir.

55 KM Bike-a-thon - Saturday, June 6, 10am
The third annual Niagara bike-a-thon.

Baseball Tournaments - being planned for Lethbridge, Alberta and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Bringing Hope to Myanmar

2009-02-05T18:45:00.006-05:00

United Reformed Churches in Myanmar By Dr. Moses Ngunhlei Thang

Galilee Church Members

On behalf of the United Reformed Churches in Myanmar, on the far side of the sea, I bring you very warm greetings in the name of our common Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My name is Moses Ngunhlei Thang. Among other things, I am president of the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches Fellowship in Myanmar. This fellowship was organized on September 24, 2005, with ten Reformed and Presbyterian denominations.

Church Board Members

Galilee Church plot of land dedication

The two first missionaries with Galilee church building

If you read the accompanying fact box about our churches, you will notice that we established a seminary in 2002. A church was built beside it. In February 2005, both of the buildings were burnt down in a fire caused by an electrical fault. There was no one inside the buildings when they were on fire, but of course everything in the buildings was lost. The church members have been worshiping at the pastor's house since then.

By the grace of the Lord the wind blew toward a big pond on the other side of the road and it prevented the fire from hitting the surrounding houses. We were then given permission to build on the two plots again, and started reconstruction work with our limited resources. It was while the building was under construction that the cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, and the whole building swayed.

Galilee Kindergarten

Kindergarten Children

And now through the contributions from our churches members and some friends, the reconstruction work has been started. We are indebted to all friends who have helped us in this project through gifts, prayer supports, and with down payments. God willing, the first phase of the project will be completed by the end of November 2008.

When Nargis hit Myanmar, all 60 families from the four churches in Yangon classis suffered a lot. But with help from friends (including you) the relief committee was able to make a relief distribution three times. That helped make our lives easier in the midst of difficulties. The Galilee church building, the North Okkla church building, and some of the houses of our churches’ members were reconstructed. The Covenant Theological Seminary kitchen and dormitory is also reconstructed.Dormitory and kitchen reconstructed

Grace Orphanage Home

In spite of these blessings, there are things for which we still need your prayer and financial support (Editor’s note: Word & Deed is in the process of financially supporting these projects):

1. Grace Mission Center (to complete the center, which was damaged by Nargis)Grace Mission Reconstruction

2. Galilee tube-well (for purified drinking water project)
3. Kathahniyin drinking water (Ayerawaddy Division, Delta Region)

We are in the care of His grace.

Deacons with relief distribution

Church family in their home

Relief to a blind family in their rebuilt house

Dr. Moses Ngunhlei Thang is the pastor at Grace United Reformed Church in Yangon, and chairman of the Interim Committee of the United Reformed Churches in Myanmar.

The United Reformed Churches in Myanmar

Pastor Moses began the Urban and Rural Ministry among Slums in April 1993 to reach the ‘unreached’ and plant the Reformed Churches in Myanmar

The denomination now has a membership of about 1500 believers in 20 churches and three preaching stations.

There are 18 pastors.

The first Synod assembly was held in March 1995.

The church adheres to the infallible, inspired Word of God and the Three Forms of Unity.

The URCM has four mission fields within Myanmar.

They operate several children’s homes, sheltering a total of 62 children.

Publishes a quarterly magazine, Thutak Muril (The Outlook).

Established Covenant Theological Seminary in 2002 in Yangon, Myanmar with 23 students.

Atheist declares that Africa needs God

2008-12-29T18:56:00.003-05:00

Matthew Parris, an atheist, recently returned from Africa and writes:

...[As] a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

He implies that the west cannot help Africa without using the only means of changing man's heart - the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ - to which we can only say, "Amen".

Read the whole article.

Bundles of Love

2008-11-25T11:11:00.007-05:00

If we think back to our childhood at Christmas, most of us knew we were going to receive a gift because Mom and Dad had gone shopping. The gifts were then wrapped, and we had to wait to open them. This is a reality for most North American children. However, this is not the case for most children living in developing countries. These children have very little idea of the joy and meaning of Christmas.

The sponsorship program helps children receive physical and spiritual help. During Christmas time in the Christian schools, children hear the gospel news of the birth of Jesus Christ-God’s gift to sinners. The children in the program also receive a Bundle of Love. These bundles contain things that the children are in need of. This could mean new school uniform, new shoes, or something else they may need for the coming school year. The bundles also include a toy that is fitting for the child’s age and situation. Things that we take for granted, to these children, are gifts they could never imagine!

By giving a Bundle of Love you are, in a very simple way, teaching the children about love expressed through gift giving.

Bundles of Love are $18(CND & US)

Will you join us in showing God’s love to these special children?

Project Descriptions

2008-11-24T11:12:00.001-05:00

Project descriptions for each country Word & Deed is partnering in can be found by clicking on the country you are interested in below:

Latin America:
Colombia
Ecuador
Guatemala
Nicaragua

Africa:
Malawi
Nigeria
South Africa

Use the drop down box on the right to read articles and updates on projects in each country.

Manuel Kamnkhwani 2008 tour highlights

2008-11-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

Now including pictures from the dinner in Pompton Plains, NJ.
Please click here for information on remaining events in the tour.

Fall 2008 Magazine

2008-11-13T10:03:00.000-05:00

The Fall 2008 Magazine is now online, take a look by clicking on the following link:
Fall Magazine

Update

2008-10-08T08:39:00.005-05:00

A bridge is inaugurated in Guatemala (click the back arrow to return here).

The Auction in Grand Rapids was very successful, raising $16,000 for the Maranatha School in Nicaragua. The Lord is good!

Thursday, October 9, marks the opening evening of a five dinner Word & Deed dinner tour featuring Manuel Kamnkhwani, project director in Malawi.

The dinners will be in:
Copetown, Ontario - October 9
Jordan, Ontario - October 11
Chilliwack, BC - October 17
Grand Rapids, MI - October 28
Pompton Plains, New Jersey - November 7
London, Ontario - November 12

Click here for more information on the dinners.

Presentations by Manuel Kamnkhwani will also be made at:
Calgary United Reformed Church, AB - October 15 (7:30 pm)
Anaheim United Reformed Church, CA - October 19 (am)
Chino United Reformed Church, CA - October 19 (pm)
Escondido Presbyterian Church in America, CA - October 26 (am)
Escondido United Reformed Church, CA - October 26 (pm)
Chatham Free Reformed Church - November 1(7pm)

With more locations to come ...

All the Lord willing.

Cyclone Nargisin Myanmar/Burma: Repression & Relief

2008-09-11T09:27:00.003-05:00

By Rick Postma

What is the difference between a cyclone, a typhoon and a hurricane?

While these terms are often used interchangeably, a cyclone usually refers to a storm originating in the southern Pacific. Typhoons, on the other hand, normally originate in the western Pacific and hurricanes in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific oceans.

As I wrote this article, the eyes of the world were bedazzled by the opening program of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The recent massive earthquake in China and devastating cyclone Nargis, which tore through nearby Myanmar (Burma), were already receding memories. While the repressive regimes in both countries have come under criticism from the Western world and the United Nations, they have learned to simply wait it out.

Admittedly, China was quick to open her doors to a large flow of international aid. But the military government in Myanmar did all it could to keep supplies from reaching victims of the cyclone. The U.S. Aircraft Carrier Essex, equipped with helicopters, tons of water and food, and a host of willing helpers, waited for three weeks off the coast of Myanmar for approval that never came. The same story was played out again and again. It is estimated that 140,000 people died and two million people were seriously impacted by the cyclone. After allowing limited aid into their country, Myanmar’s leaders now claim no more aid is needed.

We are therefore thankful to report that we have established contact with Rev. Moses Thang of the United Reformed Churches (URC) of Myanmar. The URC of Myanmar consists of 2000 members in 20 churches. This denomination does not have official church relations with the United Reformed Churches of North America, but did attempt to send a delegate to 2007 Synod in Chicago. At that time, the delegate’s visa application was denied. These churches are able to function with little interference from the government and Word & Deed was given permission to include their names in our updates. At the time of this article $5,000 in funding has been sent with more planned for the near future. We are, however, taking a careful, step-by-step approach. Communication continues to be slow, at least from a western perspective.

The URC of Myanmar has established an Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Committee with Rev. Moses as the chairman. Two other pastors, three elders, and one deacon comprise the committee, with three different churches represented. We are very pleased to see this and can tell from the communications that have been received that these brothers have responded to the disaster in a very organized and prudent fashion.

The money is being used to repair homes, churches and wells. Other funds have been used to provide food, water, and medical supplies. A major project (approximately $60,000) Word & Deed is considering, is the need to rebuild a church-seminary facility which was completely destroyed by the cyclone. Additional funds for wells and home repairs are also needed. Representatives from the United Reformed Churches in North America and the Reformed Church of New Zealand have visited the churches in Myanmar over the past four years and are able to give a positive recommendation on their behalf.

Pray for the churches in Myanmar as the members rebuild their homes, lives, and churches. Pray that their efforts to minister to the needs of their neighbors, which they need to do carefully given the repressive government of Myanmar, will also be blessed to the salvation of sinners. While we witness from afar yet another horrible consequence of our rebellion against God, may He mercifully use it to bring eternal hope to millions of children of Adam and Eve in Myanmar.

Rick Postma is the director of public relations for Word & Deed Ministries.

Upcoming Events

2008-09-02T15:40:00.002-05:00

See the Fund-Raising webpage for information on the latest events.

Or you can click on the below links.

The Fall Dinner Tour in 5 North American Cities highlighting our projects in Malawi.

The Grand Rapids, MI, Auction with proceeds for Maranatha School in Nicaragua.

Niagara Business Group Chapter Launch

2008-07-18T15:09:00.014-05:00

The Niagara Business Group chapter was launched recently in a very rustic setting.

There was a noon session (above) and an evening session with over 24 businesses in attendance. A number couldn't make it that day and hope to join the near future. The group pledged $45,000 to the John Calvin Christian School project in Colombia. Two other business groups (Hamilton South & Calgary) have also chosen to support this project.

Below are some pictures. Links for further information are found at the bottom of this post (page down).

Here are the members who came for the evening session.

Lawrence and Sharon, members of the group, very kinded hosted our sessions in their rustic barn.

The Niagara Business chapter is the 7th Word & Deed business group to form.

A heartfelt thank you to all those who helped coordinate the launch (John & Jacqueline, Jake, Lawrence & Sharon) and to all the people who took time out of very busy schedules to attend.

Click here to read more about Word & Deed Business Groups

Click here to read more about John Calvin Christian School

Click the "back arrow" on your browser to return here once you have read the article(s).

Recent Updates

2008-07-15T13:12:00.003-05:00

Welcome! Please note that this website is really a series of blogs, one for each country supported by Word & Deed. Blogs for various countries can be selected by clicking the drop down menu on the right or by clicking on the underlined phrases below.

Visit the Malawi blog to see some pictures of the girls who are currently there on short term mission trip and follow the link to their blog. There are also pictures and updates concerning several building projects there. (Click on "Malawi Blog" above).

Visit the Guatemala blog to see pictures of the recent Guatemala Mission team as well as several updates.

The Summer issue of the magazine is now online.

Burma / Myanmar update

2008-07-11T06:54:00.003-05:00

We are now in contact with a group of Reformed churches in Myanmar (Burma). We are in the process of sending some initial funds for home reconstruction, church reconstruction and a well which needs to be redug.

One major project under consideration is the reconstruction of a seminary (also used as a church).

Until we better understand more about the security of posting information about churches in Myanmar on the web, we will need to be a little vague in these updates.

Calgary Baseball Tournament - Grand Slam!

2008-06-24T12:14:00.009-05:00

The Word & Deed organizing committee in Calgary hit a grand slam on Saturday and hosted a fund raiser that brought together 9 enthusiastic teams for a great day of baseball.

The weather was beautiful, the games were fun, and all together a total of $17,800 was raised for the John Calvin School in Colombia - Congratulations! This total significantly exceeded the goal of $6,000.

There was a wonderful opportunity for inter-denominational fellowship with teams from a number of Reformed persuasions including: Calgary Canadian Reformed, Calgary Free Reformed, Calgary United Reformed, Calgary/Lethbridge Netherlands Rerformed, Fort Macleod Heritage Reformed, Lethbridge United Reformed, Monarch Free Reformed (2 teams), St. Albert Canadian Reformed (Edmonton area).

Barry & Don behind the barbecue

A great big thank you to :
+ The Calgary organizing committee who did a great deal of work to make this happen.
+ The many volunteers who joined the committee in making it all happen (umpires, cooks, tent and children super slide rental and setup, cleanup crew)
+ The 9 teams, some of whom came from as far away as Edmonton and Lethbridge.
+ The donors who generously supported the various teams.
+ The Canadian Reformed Church of Calgary who generously allowed us to use their field, kitchen and bathroom facilities.

It was a fun day for the children as well!

We are also thankful to report that there were no injuries. May the Lord bless the funds raised for the benefit of many precious children in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Rick Postma

Baseball Tournament - Calgary

2008-06-13T10:30:00.001-05:00

The Calgary Word & Deed ambassador team is organizing a baseball tournament ...

When: Saturday, June 21, from 10pm - 4pm, the Lord willing.
Where: Calgary Canadian Reformed Church
Goal: to raise $6,000 for the John Calvin School in Barranquilla, Colombia

Teams have been invited from as far south as Lethbridge and as far north as Edmonton. So far there are 6 - 8 teams.

It will be a family-friendly fun tournament with ages 9 and up participating. Each team must raise a minimum of $500 in pledges as an entry fee. We are planning to have a loonie/toonie BBQ and offer some games on the side to keep little ones busy. Some prizes will be offered for the individual who raises the most in pledges, for the most creative ball cap, and for the winning team.

We hope you can send a team! Please email publicrelations@wordanddeed.org in order to find out more details on how to register your team.

Niagara Bike-a-thon

2008-06-09T08:54:00.006-05:00

The weather was wonderful, the views gorgeous, the volunteers exceptional and the riders enthusiastic, energetic and .... successful! Our final count was 323 riders and a total of $51,000 raised for the Nakekela HIV/AIDS step-down clinic in South Africa. Wow! The Lord is good.

Word & Deed would like to thank the organizing committee, the many volunteers (bus drivers, water bottle stand helpers, cooks), the riders, the donors and the many companies and individuals who donated food for the barbecue, 3 bikes as prizes for those who raised the most money and the mountains of water bottles - thanks to the Langendoens of Culligan Niagara Water Technologies Inc. (very much needed on a warm day!).

The Lord was gracious and there were no injuries - there were a few blown tires and a few people that had to take a rest before continuing on.

Riders came from far and wide. I'd like to make special mention of the school buses which traveled from Burgessville bringing an estimated 100 riders. Thanks Henk Vrugteveen, bus drivers and riders!

Above: The bike-a-thon organizing committee together with the Miskins, the winners of the bike prizes and Rick Postma of Word & Deed.

Click here for lots of pictures and the rest of the story!

Niagara Bike-a-thon - today is the day!

2008-06-04T13:44:00.005-05:00

The day has finally arrived and it looks like a beautiful day for a 52 km bike ride down the Niagara Park Way (the "down" part by way of encouragement).

We are expecting 400 riders!

For smooth registration, please be prepared - read and follow all information in your registration package.

Make sure that your money is collected beforehand and sealed in your package envelope
Complete all information on the front of the envelope
Are you entering the draw for a free bike?

Those cycling the full 52km will meet and register at Mather Arch Park in Fort Erie. Registration will be open at 10am for as long as it takes to process you all.

To get to Mather Arch Park Take the QEW to Fort Erie
exit at Central Ave. and take Central Ave. south to Lakeshore Road
Turn let on Lakeshore and the first thing you come to is Mather Circle. We'll be there.

Those cycling the shorter 22km route will now be able to register directly at King's Bridge Park in Chippawa. Registration in Chippawa will begin at 11am. There is ample parking for your vehicles there.

Exit the QEW at McLeod Rd. in Niagara Falls, and travel East to the Falls
McLeod Rd. wil become Marineland Parkway, and then Portage Rd.
Keep on until you get to Chippawa, then turn Left on to Macklem Street.
Macklem will almost immediately become Niagara Parkway.
King's Bridge Park is the right hand (river) side

Yes, after the picnic, the shuttle buses will take drivers back to King's Bridge park in Chippawa as well as Mather Arch Park in Fort Erie. From there you can drive back to MacFarland Park to pick up your bikes and families.

We look forward to seeing you!

Cyclone Nargis - 22,980 deaths and climbing

2008-05-08T09:48:00.017-05:00

With an estimated 23,000 people dead and fears that the number could rise to 100,000 with a further 1.5 million at risk, the world's eyes are fixed on the repressive government of Burma (Mynamar). While UN emergency relief was recently given permission to land, the supplies have now been seized by authorities there. The United States continues to be on standby with planes full of relief supplies.

Word & Deed has been in touch with various Christian organizations to see if we can partner with them in bringing much needed relief and development to the victims of this horrible disaster. One potential partner involves Woord en Daad and Zoa Refugee Care (both in the Netherlands).

All aid however is contingent on the cooperation of the Burmese government. There is also serious concern about how funds may be handled in Burma. We will want to ensure that the funds go directly to the team in Rangoon rather than through the government which is notoriously corrupt.

A further complicating issue are the sanctions put in place through the UN on the country of Burma. This may restrict the types of aid that can go to Burma. We expect to get clarification on this in the near future.

Above is a map showing the impact areas of the cyclone.

The immediate needs are food, clean water and shelter. The threat of water borne disease could result in further dramatic rise in the death toll.

Word & Deed invites you to donate but asks that you designate your donation for disaster relief (do not specify which disaster). While we fully expect that world pressure will force the government of Burma to cooperate with international aid efforts, we cannot support the idea of simply handing funds to the Burmese government. We will only partner with a reliable, Christian organization with people who will actually oversee the project directly in Burma. In the unlikely event that we are unable to meet these criteria in Burma, the funds will be used for other disaster relief projects - both existing and new. One example is the ongoing recovery efforts in Nicaragua (Hurricane Felix).

Pray that the Lord will use the disaster to break open the country of Burma to the Gospel and that the attempts to bring relief into this devastated country will be successful.

Please check back regularly, we hope to provide updates on how you can help in the near future.

New Updates

2008-04-09T10:55:00.003-05:00

Take a look at these blogs, recent updates have been posted!

Focus on Guatemala
Focus on Sponsorship

Spring issue of the Magazine

2008-04-09T09:02:00.006-05:00

The articles from the Spring 2008 issue of the magazine can now be read online, also included are the Youth Page and IMPACT questions. To view, click on the image below.

Upcoming Fund-Raising Events

2008-02-29T11:00:00.009-05:00

Bike-a-thon, Saturday June 7th, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.
Join us for a bike trip along the beautiful Niagara Parkway Trail.

Help us break last year's record of 225 participants! A great way to spend the day with the family. All participants will be asked to meet at Mather Arch Park in Fort Erie (click on the link below). A minimum donation of $50 per person or $100 per family is requested.
Proceeds for the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Hospice in South Africa.

Click here for map and look for Mather Circle just below the Peace Bridge

Winter Issue of the Magazine

2008-01-29T10:37:00.000-05:00

Various articles from the Winter 2007 issue of the magazine can now be read online. To do so, click on the image below.

Giving back at Christmas

2007-11-28T12:11:00.001-05:00

As we enter the Christmas season and look back with thankfulness on the amazing gift that God the Father gave to sinners -His own precious Son - many of us look around to see what we can share with those less fortunate than ourselves. Below is a list for your consideration. You can donate online (click on your country's flag on the right of this blog) or you can send a check (click on "contact us" on the right to get the mailing address). In either case, please specify what you would like your donation to be allocated to.

1. Hurricane Felix recovery (Puertos Cabezas region, Nicaragua)
The team in Nicaragua has been busy providing food and clean water. Much needs to be done yet to clear up the devastation and to help the people recover. See numerous posts below this one for more information (page down).

a) Mosquito Nets ($12 each /900 needed)
* reduce impact of disease laden insects
b) Axes ($13 each / 150 needed)
c) Machetes ($4 each / 150 needed)
d) Files for sharpening ($2 each / 150 needed)

2. Hurricane Felix Rebuilding (Puertos Cabezas region, Nicaragua)
The eye of the hurricane passed over the community of Dakura wiping out the majority of the homes. Word & Deed is raising funds to supply wood for the 100 families there so they can rebuild their homes.

Wood (beams, corner pieces, flooring etc.) for 100 families to rebuild their homes ($300 per family)

3. Bundles of Love
The sponsor children in Colombia receive a gift at Christmas using this program ($18). Or, if you aren't already, why not bring hope into the life of a child this Christmas by sponsoring one? Click Here

4. Orphan Group Sponsorship in Malawi
Why not sponsor a group of orphans in Malawi? Click here to find out more.

Trip to Nicaragua

2007-11-01T15:34:00.000-05:00

An Update from Rev. Eric Pennings of MINTS (Miami Internatial Seminary) who just returned from a trip to Nicaragua with Bernie Pennings (Word & Deed).

When we arrived in Puerto Cabezas, we were met by the students who had been coordinating the relief efforts provided by funds raised by supporters. Throughout the four days we met with the team members for several hours each day for a total of well over 12 hours. We also had an opportunity to visit some of the affected areas. I’ll report briefly now, in anticipation of a full newsletter at the end of the trip. Here is an outline of some highlights:

We visited 8 communities in the “plains” around Puerto Cabezas. There we heard reports of

o 6 hours at the “heart” of the storm on September 3, to which are added 12 hours of heavy rains after and before

o Many injuries from fallen trees and flying debris (including sheets of zinc that whirled through the air like helicopter blades)

o Houses damaged, mostly the roofs blown off

o Community buildings (churches, schools, etc) with heavy damage

o Animals (including cattle!) carried away from the villages by the winds. Wild animals from the jungles coming into the villages to look for food

o Wells were contaminated. The relief team made up of MINTS students purchased three pumps and other supplies to do a “well-cleaning” and training the residents in continual water treatment maintenance

o Crops destroyed. No likelihood of harvest for at least one harvest season, possibly more

We visited one of 13 communities along the northern coastal region. We went to Dákura by motor boat along the shore line about 1 ½ hours north of Puerto Cabezas. There we found all of the above but in extremes:

o Dákura had 400 houses, literally all of which were completely destroyed. The residents have used fallen trees and limbs to make makeshift shelters and have been provided plastic by various government related agencies to cover the roofs. But the heavy November winds will undoubtedly blow those “tarps” away in several weeks.

o The school and three churches completely destroyed.

o Thirteen people were killed in this community alone, 8 of which were family members of one of the MINTS students who is a pastor. He was in Dákura at the time of the hurricane and buried his family members before returning to Puerto Cabezas.

o They are about 500 metres from the ocean. Waves and water came through the village as high as the neck, washing away everything in sight.

o Many Bibles, books were damaged and/or washed away as well as their clothes.

o Some have started rebuilding their homes with whatever materials they could find. It was encouraging to see the initiative some were taking. Others are very depressed and have no idea how to proceed from here.

o The soil has been contaminated by the salt water that came in from the ocean during the hurricane.

Bernie and I had an opportunity to visit two churches on Sunday. I was asked to preach. One of the churches was an “open air” preaching service on the cement floor of what was once a church building. All that was left of that church was a simple pulpit and some wooden benches. It was an evening service, and there was no electricity during the first half of the service for lights. I used a flashlight to read the scriptures and follow my notes as good as I possibly could.

The highlight of the trip was the final meeting in which the team members of the relief project formally became a board of directors for a newly organized local relief organization under the supervision of the MINTS Study Centre which is part of the Assembly of Christian Churches. Formal contracts were signed. One of the students was asked to serve as a full time director of the newly formed agency.

Please pray for further plans and for the need for funding to provide relief in the projects that will be administered by this newly formed committee made up of MINTS students and funded and administered by Word and Deed.

The next issue of the Word & Deed magazine will have a full report. Page down from this post to see other updates on Hurricane Felix Relief work (including pictures and introductions to the team on the ground in Nicaragua).

Rev. Eric Pennings

Reasons for thanksgiving and prayer

2007-10-22T15:05:00.001-05:00

The fund-raising dinner tour involving Rev. Arthur Miskin and his wife, Dr. Sonja Miskin, with stops in 3 Canadian and 2 American cities, has exceeded $176,000. The Lord has blessed this tour far beyond our expectations. May His Name be praised!

Meanwhile, projects in Colombia, Nigeria and Malawi as well as relief efforts in Nicaragua (Hurricane Felix) continue to need funding. Pray that the Lord will supply all that is needed for these projects as well.

Please pray for the Miskins as they return to South Africa today and take up their work there once again.

Pray also for Bernie Pennings of Word & deed as well as Rev. Eric Pennings of MINTS (Miami International Seminary - a ministry of the United Reformed Churches) as they visit the victims of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua and review the relief efforts that have been carried out by local pastors (see stories below in this blog for further details).

Felix Update Sept. 30

2007-10-01T08:27:00.001-05:00

Hurricane Felix Relief Update September 30, 2007

On the 18^th of September Pastors Santiago Curbelo and Joseph Lacayo distributed 61 packets in thirteen communities in the northern shore of the affected area. The packets were distributed to pastors and needy families of these communities as follows:

Community	Beneficiaries		Total packets	Observation
Community	Pastors	Needy Families	Total packets	Observation
Dakura	5	20	25	Community destroyed badly
Pahra	2	0	2	Difficult road access
Awastara	4	0	4	Priority to pastors
10 communities of Sandy Bay	20	10	30	Communities destroyed
Total	31	30	61	13 communities serviced

During that same week, 24 packets were distributed to the most needy pastors and elderly that live in the city of Puerto Cabezas.

On Monday, September 24, Pastor Joseph Lacayo went with fifteen packets to distribute them to pastors and needy families in the communities of Tuapi and Krikira.

The details are shown in the following chart.

Community	Beneficiaries		Total packets	Observation
Community	Pastors	Needy Families	Total packets	Observation
Puerto Cabezas	16	8	24
Tuapi	5	1	6	Community destroyed badly
Krukira	5	4	9	Difficult road access
Total	26	13	39	3 communities serviced

In summary, with this initial relief, the Disaster Relief Program of SETIMN-MINTS / WORD & DEED assisted:

- 57 pastors

- 43 needy families that are not pastors

- 16 communities were serviced

Each person that received their packed was very thankful to the personnel and the program and expressed that this packet was particularly special because the content was more comprehensive in comparison to other donations they had received. At the same time, they requested that the assistance not be limited only to this relief project, because the needs are very great.

Felix Update Sept. 30 - More Pictures

2007-10-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Below: A pastor beside his heavily damaged church

An elderly lady with her packet of food in the community of de Tuapi

Below: Distribution of food packets in Dakura

Distribution of food packets in Sandy Bay

Hurricane Felix Update Sept. 25

2007-09-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Felix Disaster Relief Update – September 25, 2007

Update on First Project – The relief team has had to make some adaptations to the pump system they will be using for the well-cleaning project for which they need to wait for parts. This has caused a further delay in that part of the project. However some volunteers went ahead with the distribution of the first group of food packets instead of waiting for the pumps. The distribution of the food of the first project was done this past week, and is complete. It went very well, and the volunteers report much encouragement and gratitude on the part of the recipients in the first 13 communities.

Initiating the Second Project - Volunteers in the Christian community in Puerto Cabezas are spending time these next few days in putting together 200 more packets of emergency supplies similar to the packets of the first round of food distribution in the remaining 22 communities. Some of the supplies (e.g. mosquito nets, lanterns, boots) are not available in Puerto Cabezas in the quantities (and the bulk price) that they need, so they are arranging for those supplies to be sent in from Managua. But there is a lot of enthusiasm and community effort amongst those who are putting the food packets together.

Calgary Bike/Walk-a-thon a great success!

2007-09-24T14:20:00.001-05:00

Members from five churches in the Calgary area as well as a number of young riders from Monarch in southern Alberta, combined to raise over $11,600 for Christian Education in Nigeria this past Saturday, September 22, 2007.

Congratulations to all the organizers, riders, walkers and sponsors!

I'm told the day was beautiful, the trails were great, the burgers were delicious and everyone had a wonderful time.

May this love offering be used by the Lord to the benefit of the students attending the Word & Deed Christian schools in Nigeria. May they learn to develop the talents the Lord has given them and, most importantly, may they also come to know the Lord and be filled with the marvellous hope of eternal life with Him.

Word & Deed would like to thank everyone who participated. See you all next year!

Introducing Members of the Felix Response Team

2007-09-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

When a disaster strikes, our response is only as good as the men we have on the ground. Word & Deed, together with MINTS, is very blessed to have six gifted men on the Hurricane disaster response team in

Nicaragua

. They need our prayers as they, together with others, work long hours to help the many victims of the storm.

The Hurricane Felix response is being coordinated through the local MINTS Study Centre in

Nicaragua

which is known as SETIMN-MINTS where:

SETIMN = Interdemoninational Theological Seminary of Miskitia-Nicaragua

MINTS = Miami International Seminary

Pastor Héctor Willians: He is the older gentleman in the above picture, the one in the green shirt. He is the Director of SETIMN-MINTS. He is serving as the Resource person of the disaster relief program. He is widely known in the Miskito indigenous community and considered to be one of their most respected community leaders. He knows key community leaders and has contact with government officials. He is also serving as the pastor of mother church of the Assembly of Christian Churches in Puerto Cabezas of which Carlos is a member. He was in his home village of Dakur when the Hurricane struck. Tragically, eight members of his family lost their lives in the storm and he conducted their funerals before joining the rest of the response team.

Carlos Coffin: He is the younger man in the above picture, the one in the white shirt. He is the secretary of the board of SETIMN-MINTS. He is serving as the Coordinator of the disaster relief program. Carlos is student of MINTS and a key leader in the “mother church” of the Asamblea de Iglesias Cristianas (Assembly of Christian Churches) which has 12 daughter churches in the Puerto Cabezas area. The church he attends is the supervising church of SETIMN-MINTS. In May, 2007 Carlos received a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. He is currently employed as an administrator in the public school system in Puerto Cabezas.

Pastor Jonatan Radiz (above): He is a student of MINTS and the pastor of a church in Puerto Cabezas area. He is on the board of SETIMN-MINTS. He is serving as an assistant to the coordinator of the disaster relief program.

Pastor Joseph Lacayo (above far right) – A student of MINTS and pastor of the Church of God in Puerto Cabezas. He is one of the three team members who will be doing the “well-cleaning” project in the affected communities. He has been helping out with the project “full time” since the first day.

Pastor Santiago Curbelo (above far left) – A student of APOYO and pastor of one of the AIC churches with which Hector is serving as pastor of the “mother church”. He is one of the three team members who will be doing the “well-cleaning” project in the affected communities. He has been helping out with the project “full time” since the first day.

APOYO – APOYO is a partner training ministry MINTS is working with among the Miskito population. They provide informal studies through seminars for church leaders. It is through their invitation that Rev. Eric Pennings was able to introduce MINTS as a formal leadership training program of studies.

Pastor Nieves Benjamin (no picture) – A student of APOYO and pastor of one of the AIC churches with which Hector is serving as pastor of the “mother church”. He is one of the three team members who will be doing the “well-cleaning” project in the affected communities. He has had other commitments during the first three weeks, so he has not been as involved so far. However he has committed himself to be part of the “well-cleaning” team.

Hurricane Felix Update - September 21

2007-09-22T10:23:00.001-05:00

Hurricane Felix Disaster Relief Update – September 21, 2007

We are thankful that the pumps finally arrived after a lengthy delay in shipment from Managua, the capital City of Nicaragua. Yesterday the three team members who will be doing the well-cleaning project did a “training run” on a couple of wells in Pto Cabezas that were contaminated. They plan to leave today for the 13 affected communities originally identified as most needing the relief. Please pray for safety in the travel, effectiveness in the cleaning of the well, and a blessing for the services of worship that they will be conducting each evening during what is expected to be an 18-day trip.

Hurricane Felix Update

2007-09-19T08:21:00.001-05:00

Hurricane Felix Disaster Relief Update – September 19, 2007

Delays Result in Adjusted Plan – Carlos Coffin, local relief coordinator, reports that the pumps have still not arrived in Pto Cabezas from Managua. If the pumps do not come in today, he will take the time to travel to Managua personally in order to oversee the order and expedite the shipment of them. The well-cleaning is a critical part of the relief plan. However, the food has been packaged and the communities are in need of the supplies, so they have decided not to wait for the pumps. They have sent a team into the thirteen communities targeted for the initial project and are distributing the food already. Meanwhile they are putting the “second round” of food packages together for the remaining communities that are in need. Carlos reports that in addition to providing the necessary relief for the affected area, many of the volunteers find their effort helps them in dealing with the grief resulting from the "shock" of the effects of the hurricane (loss of friends, family members and material goods, etc).

Community Effort – As soon as the pumps arrive, the plan is to start going through the communities in the cleaning of the wells. The “well-cleaning team” plans to function as coordinators in the cleaning of each well and in the digging of new ones (should we eventually move into that phase). They plan to solicit volunteers in each community to help them with the task. They believe that each community that receives aid should be involved personally as much as possible so that they will have a sense of pride in the completed project. They believe that these projects can help to build community spirit as a side-benefit to clean water and food distribution.

Hurricane Felix Update

2007-09-17T13:32:00.000-05:00

Using expertise gained through bringing relief to victims of the Tsunami (India and Sri Lanka) as well as victims of Hurricane Stan and other disasters, Bernie Pennings has been heavily involved in overseeing Word and Deed's relief efforts in Nicaragua in partnership with MINTS (Miami International Seminary). The highest priority following a disaster, according to Bernie, is clean water followed by food. Bernie has been working closely with Rev. Eric Pennings of MINTS (Miami International Seminary) to bring food and clean water to victims of Hurricane Felix via students enrolled in the MINTS program in Nicaragua. Rev. Eric Pennings, who is fluent in Spanish and just recently returned to Canada from a trip to Nicaragua, provides another update on the work below - $23,000 has been sent to Nicaragua in two weeks with more likely in the near future with the hope that churches and individuals will respond with loving generosity as they have for previous disasters.

Rick Postma

Hurricane Felix Disaster Relief Update – September 17, 2007

First Project of Emergency Phase Ready to Go - This morning the local relief coordinator reported that everything is prepared for the first project of the emergency phase. The only thing they are waiting for is the three pumps which are expected to come in today from Managua (the capital of Nicaragua). When the pumps come in, the three volunteers will initiate the first project. They have a government sponsored engineer who will train the three volunteers in the specific details of the pumps. The community wells currently are contaminated with debris, dead animals, etc. The pumps will be used to "drain" the contaminated water. When the wells fill up, they will be treated with the appropriate chemicals. Each of the community wells services a group of 10-20 families. The three volunteers have an appointment with a government official of the Ministry of Health who will be training them in how to treat the water. These three volunteers will in turn be training community leaders of each group of families as to exactly how to treat the wells on a regular basis. They will be left with the instructions and the treatment products.

Second Project of Emergency Phase Being Planned – An additional $13,000 has been wired to Nicaragua for a total of $23,000 so far. The local relief coordinator reports that there are others who have volunteered to duplicate the first project. There are about 35 communities that need to receive the same "relief project". In the second project, the additional volunteers will travel by land to the communities with 200 packets as with the first project. They will distribute them to the pastors of the affected communities and have the pastors distribute the food in each packet through the deacons of their local churches. They believe they can reach each of the other 35 communities with the prepared packets of food within ten days. The “well-cleaning” crew will follow up in these communities after they have come back from their first project.

Rev. Eric Pennings

Hurricane Felix Update

2007-09-17T07:46:00.001-05:00

Hurricane Felix Disaster Relief Update – September 15, 2007

The following is a part of a verbal (phone) report I received from the relief coordinator in Nicaragua:

The Emergency Phase – The disaster relief team is in the middle of preparations for the first project in the “emergency phase” of disaster relief which is a project to provide food and clean water to 13 Miskito communities. If all goes according to schedule, the three volunteers will leave on Tuesday, September 18 to the thirteen communities that are furthest out and least likely to get immediate aid. These communities are accessible only (or most easily … all are accessible by foot path too) by boat, for which reason they will be renting a boat with a motor. One of the volunteers (a pastor) is familiar with boats and motors. Actually, most of the community is familiar with boats since it is a major means of transportation to the outlying communities.

Volunteers – Today they have a team of 15-20 adults, mostly MINTS students and their families, working on putting the food packets together today at Rev. Hector Willians’ house. Children, youth, etc are all helping out. It’s a marvellous display of how members of different church communities can work together in a common ministry project directed by MINTS students.

Rising Costs of Goods - Yesterday they sent groups of volunteers into town with a “shopping list”. Some things they are “dickering” with yet to get a good price, but the prices of all goods have gone up 20-30% since Hurricane Felix came ashore. For example, purchasing a quantity of 100 lanterns, 100 mosquito nets, 100 sheets, etc. for each of the 100 initial emergency packets that they are putting together.

Rev. Eric Pennings

Hurricane Felix Relief Update (Nicaragua)

2007-09-14T13:52:00.000-05:00

On Thursday Rev. Hector Williams, a Miskito indigenous pastor and director of the Study Centre for the local Miami International Seminary (MINTS), returned to Puerto Cabezas from his “home village” of Dákura. He reports that eight of his family members were killed in his village. Three others, including the pastor of a Moravian church, were also killed. He reports that every building (house, church, school, etc) in his village was either damaged or destroyed. Other Miskito villages were similarly affected. Six MINTS students have formed a temporary “relief committee” to respond to the disaster. Emergency funds provided by Word & Deed have been sent to initiate a “first phase” disaster recovery plan in which 13 Miskito communities will be provided with basic food. Materials have also been purchased to provide clean water in the community wells of these same communities. The team plans to do an 18 day tour of the communities by boat, providing the emergency relief. By day they will be distributing the food and cleaning the wells from the contaminated water supplies. In the evenings they plan to have services of worship in the same communities. Please pray for the safety of the “relief team” members and for the name of Christ to be proclaimed in Word and Deed.

Rev. Eric Pennings
Miami International Seminary (MINTS)
Central American Regional Coordinator

Emergency Assistance Needed for victims of Hurricane Felix

2007-09-11T12:04:00.000-05:00

Word and Deed Ministries Partners with Miami International Seminary After Hurricane Felix

On Monday, September 3, Hurricane Felix came ashore on the Eastern Coast of Southern Honduras and Northern Nicaragua as a (most powerfully registered) category five hurricane. These shores are the home of the indigenous Miskito population of about 150,000, living mostly in very basic wooden homes built off the ground with zinc roofs.

The hurricane already has caused 100 deaths. Another 120 people are missing. Latest reports indicate nearly 10,000 homes have been destroyed and another 9,000 partially destroyed. An estimated 50,000 people have lost everything they own. Thousands of acres of agricultural product have been lost in the affected area. People from 52 locations near the coast are currently staying in 101 shelters.

Rev. Eric Pennings, a missionary with the United Reformed Churches of North America, has been travelling to this area providing a ministry of leadership development among church leaders as the Central American Regional Coordinator for Miami International Seminary (MINTS). The main MINTS Study Centres in this area is located in Puerto Cabezas, home to about 30,000 residents, with a surrounding area population of an additional 30,000, representing about 12,000 homes, almost all of which were either damaged or destroyed by the hurricane. He had just been there for a week in August, visiting with pastors in homes and preaching and teaching in churches that only two weeks later were damaged or destroyed.

One of the courses that he taught was a course on "Worldview" for which he gave an eight hour conference. A primary focus of the course presented a challenge for Christians to make a difference in society particularly through a "wholistic" ministry of Word and Deed. Little did the students know that within weeks, the destruction of Hurricane Felix would provide an opportunity to put the course into practice.

Word and Deed Ministries, a distinctively Reformed Christian relief agency, has agreed to partner with MINTS in providing disaster relief through the local churches with which Rev. Pennings is training pastors in the Puerto Cabezas area. With the contacts provided by Rev. Pennings and the distinguished record of relief projects coordinated by Word and Deed, we hope to provide relief to the affected area.

We would ask you to prayerfully consider joining us in our resolve to help the churches in the affected communities demonstrate the love of Christ by providing short-term (initially) and long-term relief as the Lord provides the means. An emergency transfer of $10,000 has already been sent. These funds are being used by local pastors well known to MINTS to prepare 100 packets of emergency food supplies, each of which will provide the basic needs of one extended family for one week. The funds will also be used to purchase pumps and transportation so that the community wells in thirteen affected communities can be purified. As funds are raised, many more food packages and other emergency supplies will be provided to more families and communities.

You can donate online by selecting the appropriate link below:

Donate to Word and Deed USA

Donate to Word and Deed Canada

Churches and individuals may make donation cheques out to "Word & Deed" which should be designated "Hurricane Felix Relief Fund". These funds can be sent either to the US or Canadian office of Word and Deed:

WORD AND DEED - CANADA
Word & Deed Ministries
P.O. Box 20100
St. Thomas, On
N5P 4H4
Phone: 519-633-2333
Toll -Free: 1-877-375-9673
Fax: 519-633-7181
E-mail: office@wordanddeed.org

WORD AND DEED - USA
Word & Deed Ministries
C/O Mrs. H. Pronk
P. O. Box 157
Hudsonville, MI
49426 USA
Phone: 616-896-3160
Toll-Free: 1-866-391-5728
Fax: 616-896-9219
E-mail: usoffice@wordanddeed

Bulletin Announcement
Hurricane Felix Disaster Relief - Word and Deed Ministries and Miami International Seminary (MINTS) are partnering in providing disaster relief to the victims and affected communities of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua. Two weeks before the hurricane, Rev. Eric Pennings, Central American Regional Coordinator for MINTS, taught several courses to pastors of churches that have since been either damaged or destroyed. Emergeny funds have already been sent to Nicaragua to provide food and clean water to some communities. A relief fund is being administered through Word and Deed. For more information about sending a gift, please contact your deacons or office@wordanddeed.org or mailto:ericp@mints.edu.

Welcome to Word & Deed Ministries!

2007-03-28T11:01:00.004-05:00

Welcome! We are delighted to have you visit our website. After having a look around, please don't hesitate to contact us with any further questions.

Word & Deed has made innovative use of blogs to provide up to date information on our partners and projects. Not all partners and projects are represented here yet but we hope to have them all in place soon. The dates on the posts are not necessarily reflective of when the entries were written but rather serve as a means of arranging the material.

Under "Links to Projects" (on the right) you will be able to find out more about our projects in the various countries. Use the back arrow on your browser to return to this website.

Below is a brief introduction to Word & Deed North America.

Our Mission

To address the spiritual and physical needs of people in the developing world in accordance with biblical principles.

Our Strategy

To communicate the predicament of the suffering in the developing world to the people of North America such that they are given the opportunity to respond to their needs in love motivated by thankfulness for God’s grace in their lives.

To partner with Christian Organizations in the developing world on a wide variety of projects including child sponsorship, Christian Education, orphan care, disaster relief and vocational training, while providing reliable monitoring and timely updates to all supporters.

Our Methods

A focus on empowering each needy person to eventually provide for themselves in recognition of the dignity they have as God’s image bearers, having been made both to work and to worship.

An insistence on the Gospel being central to each ordinary project.

A careful use of field trips, interviews, correspondence, and application procedures to ensure that potential partners (churches and missions) and projects make responsible use of the funds provided and are motivated by a love for God and their neighbor.

Consistent monitoring and supervision of ongoing projects

To mobilize and education churches of North America through timely updates in the form of presentations, quarterly magazines, church bulletins, Emails and website articles in order to raise awareness of the plight of the needy.

What is emphasized at Word & Deed

Gospel focus (concern for man’s eternal destiny and the extension of the Kingdom of God)

Targeting self-sufficiency – “teach them to fish” (pouring in money only trains dependence)

Reliance on indigenous partner organizations in the developing world (rather than sending people from North America)

Contact Us

2006-11-09T15:57:00.002-05:00

Office Locations

OFFICE CANADA

Mailing Address:
Word & Deed Ministries
P.O. Box 20100
St. Thomas, On
N5P 4H4

Physical Address:
39993 Talbot Line
Talbotville, Ontario
N0L 2K0

Phone: 519-633-2333
Toll -Free: 1-877-375-9673
Fax: 519-633-7181
E-mail: office@wordanddeed.org

OFFICE USA

Word & Deed Ministries
C/O Mrs. H. Pronk
P. O. Box 157
Hudsonville, MI
49426 USA

Phone: 616-896-3160
Toll-Free: 1-866-391-5728
Fax: 616-896-9219
E-mail: usoffice@wordanddeed.org