1st February, 2009
SUN-UP TO SUNDOWN FAST ON SUNDAY FOR ZIMBABWE MILLIONS FACING STARVATION.
See this urgent video message from Kumi Naido in South Africa.
31st
January, 2009
WHY ONE TAXI DRIVER GOES WHERE EVEN ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD
Our taxi driver friend in Lima, Peru is Juan,
who regularly visits the poor in a distant village, and after midnight
takes food, coffee and prayer to people in the darkest streets of
Lima. Some say that this is crazy but Juan says that Jesus has
done even more crazy things for him like saving him from certain death
at least 20 times over the years, and then he tells the story of how
after prayer God healed him of hernia and prostate problems
without surgery or pills, which he had no money for anyway. Juan says
he goes where no-one else goes because the people he finds there
have never heard that Christ died for them so they can know
God's forgiveness and love. Catch a Lima taxi and if the
driver is singing to God instead of cursing the traffic - that must be
Juan.
30th
January, 2009
THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD
We have found lots of free audio Bibles, Christian and Classic audio books and mp3 worship songs for you to enjoy at Audio Treasure.
Registration is open for 3rd session of the Lubumbashi School of Mission in DR Congo, in four centres. Contact Pastor Jules Wazeng to enrol.
For
$20 you can sponsor all the travel, food, accommodation and notebook
for one of one hundred pastors to come to a much needed conference
amongst all the intense persecution in Orissa, India. In Berahampur, February 10-13. Contact Pastor Missal
29th
January, 2009
FOR EVERYONE WHO THOUGHT THEY COULD NOTHING IN KUWAIT
The
oil wealth may be visible in Kuwait but people like the street cleaners
are so poor they don't get to see any of it. Winter temperatures get
down to 3ºC and street people shiver. This is where Operation Hope
steps in. Started in 2005 by an American lady this mercy mission is now
run by many local people who collect coats, gloves and long underwear
and then drive around the city looking to bless the poor workers they
find.
28th
January, 2009
THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD
Doctor Luis Paz in Arecibo, Puerto Rico combines medicine with a Bible teaching and healing ministry. You are welcome to get in touch or visit Luis's excellent website
In Moquegua, Peru Anamaria Velasquez
who is 49, is looking for help to open a shelter for the many young
abandoned pregnant girls to give them a better way forward than
abortion or adoption.
If people in your church are losing their jobs, overtime or bonuses and the recession is beginning to bite, this article in English will be very helpful to you.
27th
January, 2009
IF YOU CAN'T GO YOURSELF THEN FOR GOD'S SAKE SEND SOMEONE ELSE
Oswald Smith's
famous words from 50 years ago still echo down the ages as today we
welcomed news and photos of a new church just opening in voodoo and
poverty stricken Haiti, the work of Johnny Auguste's DCI School of Mission there, and Felly from Togo has sent us photos of a second free School of Mission that he has just opened in Kinshasa, Congo. You can see photos of both by clicking here.
Many of us in DCI have never been able to travel far, or stay for very
long, so we are continually grateful for this God-given way for us to
share our faith, train new leaders and to open churches that bless the
poor by sending and equipping others who are better gifted than we are
to do the job.
26th
January, 2009
IN A RECESSION WE NEED THE SHELTER OF THE MOST HIGH
In a recession a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but the promises of Psalm 91
are for the man or the woman who dwells in the shelter of the Most
High. It will not come near you and even if it does in verse 14 there
is a promise of rescue and an answer to prayer for the man or woman who
loves the Lord. Like our friend and supporter Rocío in Peru who has been blessed with a promotion and a pay rise. Like our partner John in Liberia
who lost his job and with 65% unemployment the outlook for his family
of 11 at home, mainly adopted orphans, was bleak. After prayer he
was given some land, his church stepped in and we are helping him with
seeds and tools. If anything happens to you don't worry, don't be
frightened by the TV news and don't be alone, tell people who will
pray with you. Earn all you can, don't buy things you don't
need, save all you can and go God's way of giving all you can,
avoiding debt like the plague and trusting God instead to receive what
you need, when you need it. For those who have cast their bread upon
the waters in the past according to Ecclesiastes 11,
1-2, by giving to seven and even eight, don't be surprised if this year
it all comes back to you after many days away as promised with God's
interest on top, because He is faithful.
25th
January, 2009
IVORY
COAST EMERGES FROM WAR CRISIS
Our School of Mission and Banking for the Poor partner, Mah Malachie in remote Danane - Ivory Coast where life
got really bad says that things are starting to return to
normal. Many people who suffered the worst of the war have turned to
the Lord and even ex-fighters are thirsty for God's word. He
says thank you to all the DCI family who upheld his people in their
prayers and to tell you that they never once lacked
food like so many others because Christ helped them miraculously day by
day. Here are Mah's photos of the first graduation ceremony and his
newly opened second free School of Mission in Abidjan, the capital.
24th
January, 2009
ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds and six
pence, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual
expenditure twenty pounds and six pence, result misery. So said Mr
Micawber in Charles Dickens classic book, David Copperfield, and he is
still right, isn't he ?
23rd
January, 2009
THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD
The Preparation of the African Missionary is a unique free 11 lesson course
written for us by the Nairobi - Kenya EAPTC School of Mission.
If you are an immigrant or a young person in Portugal Redner de
Souza Teixeira of
Comunidade Parelela in Faro can arrange free professional advice for you.
From Venezuela, Miguel Zabala, 58, invites
you to his pages which have many beautiful photos of his work with the peoples on the Orinoco and other rivers.
22nd
January, 2009
THOUSANDS DEAD IN MUGABE'S ZIMBABWE
One of Zimbabwe's senior church leaders
whose name we dare not publish for his own safety has written to tell
us that there is far more happening than is ever reported on
our TV news. He reports that only the banks are open, schools
and hospitals are closed and police no longer attend a crime. Pastors
are harassed and badly abused for speaking the truth and thousands have
already lost their lives to widespread cholera, starvation and lack of
medicine. He asks us to pray for Zimbabwe
believing that God will yet
come to the rescue. Another Christian man FH has e-mailed from Harare
to urge believers all over the world to play their
part because only prayer will release the desperately
needed changes. We cannot tell you his address but you can write to
both men through
our office.
21st
January, 2009
CUBA
PASTORS EXCHANGE OWN HOME FOR
UNDEVELOPED LAND TO WELCOME NEW PEOPLE
Last year we met Ranledis and Maria from Camaguey in Cuba. We followed them
through severe hurricanes
and helped them to start a free School
of Mission and to hold a
first-ever Christmas Party for the Poor for
hundreds of needy people.
Faced with problem of accommodating everyone who wants to follow Christ
Ranledis and Maria jumped at an offer to exchange their own home for
some undeveloped land out of town. Click here to see all the
photos.
There is a challenge ahead but see all the children and older
people already enjoying themselves, worshipping, eating and being
blessed. We expect that before long this land will become a base for
training leaders and a model
to bless all of Cuba.
20th
January, 2009
BEAUTY IN
THE MIDDLE OF MISERY: ORISSA
Last year there was a never-ending flood of bad
news from Orissa
in India and not a lot has changed, but in it all our friend Pastor AM has
married his beautiful bride M in a lovely Indian ceremony that you can see here.
We can't tell you their names because of the violence in Orissa but
together they will be serving the persecuted churches, training new
leaders and visiting the refugee camps.
19th
January, 2009
LONG
LINES OF REFUGEE CHILDREN: ORISSA
Our
partner in South India, Pastor Daniel has taken time to
tell us about the children from Christian families that he has seen in
the Orissa refugee camps. Each one has
lost everything and they stay in the camps because they are too
frightened to go home. Daniel has many Mercy
Homes for abandoned children and he is asking for our help
to take some of these children in.
17th
January, 2009
AROUND
THE WORLD IN EIGHTY FAITHS
Catch it if you can. In some parts of the world you can click
here to see this brilliant BBC TV series on your PC.
Go to Episodes. Watch Anglican vicar Peter Owen Jones travel the world
for a year to investigate 80 different faiths. Not to be missed. The
BBC also has a web page that explains the major
religions of the world.
16th
January, 2009
WHO SHALL WE CHOOSE TO BELIEVE ?
THE
PRESS OR THE PROPHET ?
Our friend and online pastor in Honduras is Pastor Ana Avilez
who also has a very sensitive and well respected prophetic side to her
ministry. Occasionally Ana sends us a very timely word, often without
knowing what is happening on this side of the world. This week, quite
unexpectedly Ana e-mailed to say she felt she had received a scripture
for us from the Lord, from Leviticus 26, 9-13:
"I
will look on you with favour and make you fruitful and increase your
numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating
last years harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for
the new. I will put my dwelling place among you and will not abhor you.
I will walk among you and be your God and you will be my people. I am
the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no
longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke and
enabled you to walk with heads held high."
Then Pastor Ana
added this prophetic word, which we welcome and would now like to pass
on you, so that by faith and patience you too may inherit the promises.
"I
am the God who gives increase, I am the God who multiplies. Do not look
with your natural eyes at what is going on around but walk in
my supernatural promises for I have promised to bless
those
who favour my just cause. I shall take care of my plantation. You shall
see the harvest I am about to cause. Trust me with all of your heart
and your soul shall praise me for all the things that shall
happen
and for all the protection I have commanded on behalf of your
people. Go onwards, no matter what you see or hear, trust in
my
promises, believe with all your heart and do not pay close attention to
all the tribulation that the world shall suffer. I am with you and I
shall surely care for those who love and care for the souls of the poor
and the least in the world. Your offspring shall inherit what you have
done and shall do in my holy name. Open heavens are upon you. I shall
open unto you my good treasure to give rain on your land in my season
and to bless all the work of your hands. You shall lend unto many
nations and you shall not borrow." May it be so for all who believe.
15th
January, 2009
ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY: CHILE
It was 50 years ago that George Verwer opened Operation
Mobilisation, a ministry that today has over 4000 people
serving in 106 nations and on board the Doulos and Logos ships. George
is a world famous author, visionary and passionate communicator, the
kind of man you wish would live forever. For one day only, the 11th of
February at 12 midday, George is in Valparaiso-Chile and if you live
anywhere near, you need to be there: Iglesia AdD, Blanco 1180. Our
editor in Chile, Silvia de Yáñez will tell you
more. Tel. 32.2492671. Don't miss this one opportunity. There are lots
of free things on George's website.
14th
January, 2009
BEAUTIFUL
GRADUATION IN PAKISTAN
Our partner in Pakistan, Pastor Sarwar Masih
has sent us a beautiful set of photos from the graduation
ceremony of the Kasur and Sultan K DCI based Schools of
Mission, two of six
similar training centres that Sarwar has opened in the north
of Pakistan. Click here to see the display. On
10th January 22 men and women received their
certificates in an atmosphere of prayer and worship followed by a great
celebration, and all will now follow their calling.
13th
January, 2009
SPANISH MEDICAL TEAM LEAVE TRAIL OF
HEALING AND HAPPINESS IN BURKINA FASO
Doctor
Angel and his nurse-wife Abigail, their two daughters Keila and Loida
along with an EMSI medical team of 52 men and
women from teens to 60 year old's are home in Barcelona, Spain
after 10 incredible days in Burkina Faso,
West Africa where they shared the gospel with over 5000 people and
welcomed 300 of them as new followers of Jesus. With the help of 110
local volunteers they removed 50 cataracts from blind eyes,
fitted
20 deaf children with hi-tech hearing aids gave free medical care, and
midwifery to 300 poor people every day. They even visited an
indescribably bad prison, and spoke frequently on the TV and radio,
sharing their faith and professional expertise. If you read Spanish here is the full story and photos,
video will soon follow. The DCI Trust has been been proud to support
this mission and will do so again in the future.
12th
January, 2009
THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD
Take
this free Leadership Training Manual
in Evangelism, Preaching and Church Leadership as downloaded by 22,000
churches in Asia, Africa, The Pacific, Eastern Europe and Israel.
Highly recommended.
Wise people will make SMART GOALS in 2009 that are Specific,
Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic and Time-based. Read the full explanation here -
free.
Our highly esteemed partner is Pakistan, Pastor
Sarwar Masih is holding a convention for some of his DCI
based Schools of Mission this week and
will open another new free
School of Mission in Kasur,
one of Pakistan's oldest
cities. We wish Sarwar and all his students God's very best
for 2009.
9th January, 2009
HUNDREDS
CELEBRATE IN LIRA - UGANDA
Our first Christmas
Parties with the Poor began in Lira
in the war years and made the national press right away. This year the
guest of honour and after lunch speaker was a severely disabled man who
lives on a home-made trolley, and whose faith in God moved the whole
gathering. You can meet him by clicking here, but you might be
shocked. Since these celebrations first started and changed the image
of the church, over 30 new churches for the poor have opened under the
leadership of our friend George
Purkweri.
8th January, 2009
BELARUS
GIVES RARE PERMISSION TO EXPLAIN CHRISTMAS
There are a lot of things that believers cannot do in
Belarus, which is Europe's last
dictatorship and often the source of bad
news
about churches, believers and pastors. Amazingly our partners there who
we cannot name for their own safety, received official permission to
explain and celebrate Christmas in four children's homes. They received
a tremendous welcome from hundreds of very excited young people as you
can see by clicking here. We support
believers by a special Belarus language edition
of these pages.
7th January, 2009
ORGANISER
PAYS HIGH PRICE FOR FIRST EVER
PARTY
WITH THE POOR IN IQUITOS AMAZON
Click here to see and join in with the
first ever Christmas Party with the Poor near
Iquitos
in the Peruvian Amazon when hundreds of people who struggle to survive
each day could not believe that the welcome, the food, the service with
a smile and the music, drama and the prayer for them was for real, but
it was. Our colleague Rolando Camazas then went on
to San Lorenzo, normally 48 hours
away on the river to open a second free School
of Mission.
He went to pray for a family who were desperately ill with dengue
fever but was bitten himself and caught dengue.
After prayer
and with some help Rolando has made it back home but remains
very
unwell with high fever, pain and nausea.
6th January, 2009
HIDDEN LADIES AND CHILDREN
FIND HOPE AND FAITH IN NEW YEAR PARTY
In
a remote part of West Africa where Christians are a tiny minority and
where it is not popular to be a believer, lives Pastor Matilda with her
eight children, five of whom belonged to her assistant who was murdered
a while ago. Matilda could not do a Christmas
Party with the Poor
but last Sunday she quietly welcomed 60 people. After lots of talking
seven ladies who live very hidden lives decided to risk following
Jesus, and everyone enjoyed good food and took home gifts of oil and
soap.
5th January, 2009
CHRISTMAS
IN THE SHADOW OF MOUNT EVEREST
Not far from Mount Everest our partner in
Nepal,
Pastor Prem spent his Christmas taking a
party to celebrate God's gift of Jesus
to 300 poor people in Nawalparasi. All the 100 street children who came
received a gift of warm clothes and later the celebration continued
down the road in Chitwan with something very special for widows and
later on, prisoners. Prem said afterwards that they could feel the
glory of God as they made Christmas special for the poor of Nepal.
Click
here to see the photos, then press Slideshow.
4th
January, 2009
NEW YEAR, NEW SERIOUSNESS GRIPS HAITI
Over in
Haiti which is the western world's most
destitute nation, our partner
Johnny Auguste faces the new year gripped with
some serious determination. For a start he plans to purchase some land
for a
DCI Centre but he is not asking for $1
towards it. Johnny quoted St. Paul to me saying that no-one knows a man
like the spirit in him, and then said "then it must also be true that
no one knows a country like the people who live there and they are the
best people to change the nation." Johnny recalled that last year he
helped them, and helped them and helped them but very little changed.
Now with plans for one centre in Camp Perin and 13 more like it
something must change.
3rd
January, 2009
MAN
OF THE MONTH: JANUARY 2009
This month we welcome and honour Abimelekh from Papua. At 50 he is an
age when men
start to fondly think about retiring, but not this man. For
many years he's been a pastor to the Aboy tribe in Bintang mountains
and he is always going deeper into the huge jungle to
reach more people. Many say that it is time to stop because he is
getting old but Abimelekh replies that he will stop when Christ stops
and comes back. Till then if every tribe is to have people standing
before God's throne as Revelation says, "someone has to go
or it can never
happen.”
2nd
January, 2009
ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER
Why
is listening is so difficult ? I'll tell you why. It's because
you move away from being the centre of attention and you
inviting someone else into that space. When someone listens to us with
real concentration and expresses sincere care for our struggles and our
pains, we feel that something very deep is happening to us. Slowly our
fears melt away, our tensions dissolve and anxieties retreat. Listening
is so simple to do and it's a gift with tremendous healing
power that we can offer to others. Edited from the book "Compassion."
LAUGHTER
AND TEARS AT
CUBA'S
FIRST PARTY WITH THE POOR
Our friends and organisers in Camaguey - Cuba, Ranledis
and María were very excited hours after the event and told
how poor people wept openly at the party.
Many children came to a first celebration and then in a second event
the guests of honour were the widows, the elderly, orphans, the town
alcoholics and AIDS victims who no-one wants around, in fact everyone
they could find who had nothing to celebrate, 590 people altogether.
The believers served them with a welcoming smile, hugged them, wept
with them and in the end everyone had a day that they will never
forget. Click here to see more and press
Slideshow.
31st
December, 2008
INNOCENCE
AND DARKNESS ON LIMA'S STREETS
Our friend Juan the taxi driver in Lima
- Peru
spent his Christmas with people at the two extremes of life. First of
all Juan and his family put on a party with music and gifts in the
forgotten village of Picapiedras to the delight of many poor children
and their mothers. Click on the image and press Slideshow to see more.
And then in the middle of the winter night Juan risked his life by
going into one of Lima's darkest corners to visit a group of gay men.
He takes them food, coffee, hope and prayer every so often. One young
man, Ivan, dressed as a woman and selling himself to maintain his
family, parents and brothers asked Juan to pray for him and Juan told
me that right there on the street corner he prayed with Ivan in the
power of the name of Jesus and gave him hope of forgiveness
and
change.
29th
December, 2008
TWICE AS
MANY GUESTS AS EXPECTED
AT
INDONESIA PARTY WITH THE POOR
To spend his Christmas
with the poor our partner in Banten,
Indonesia
Pastor Yoppi
invited drunkards, prostitutes, people practicing
occultism for money and many weak, sick people and jobless
adults. He expected maybe 250 people but on the day 244 adults
and 203 children turned up and renjoyed a party that was full of joy,
dance, drama, singing
and then tears as people saw how meaningless their lives had become
without God and asked for His forgiveness. As Yoppi
says for
those that met Jesus there was no greater
Christmas gift. Click on the photo and press Slideshow to see more.
28th
December, 2008
AS AN ATHEIST
I
TRULY BELIEVE AFRICA NEEDS GOD
The distinguished correspondent of London newspaper The
Times, Matthew Parris
believes that missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's
biggest problem which he defines as the crushing passivity of the
people's mindset. In his own words Parris also confesses that his
recent visit to Malawi, "refreshed another belief: one I've been trying
to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid
since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs,
stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing
belief that there is no God. Now as a confirmed atheist, I've become
convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes
in Africa." You must read this remarkable article, just click here. Thanks
to F. John for alerting us to this literary gem.
27th
December, 2008
THE
HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE: PAKISTAN
That's what Pastor Sarwar, our partner in Lahore
- Pakistan said after holding a Christmas Party
with the Poor.
Click on the image and press Slideshow to see the event. Sarwar told
them the Christmas story and then three different singers led in
worship which had everyone clapping and dancing. Everyone ate till they
could eat no more and later all 300 widows, orphans, elderly
people and poor children received gifts of warm winter
clothes.
They said that nobody had ever given them gifts before but this
Christmas every one went home with beautiful clothes. Two hundred and
thirty five men and women also decided to follow Jesus forever and
received God's own beautiful gift of salvation.
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in your news here
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world.
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Click here
for Banking for the Poor projects
Click here
for projects to help orphans and the poor
Click here
to see some of the people in the DCI family
Les
and Pilar
Who are we ?
Click here to see our Vision and Values statement. Click here to see an illustration of what we do, more or less.
Click here to see our statement of faith
Click
here (soon) to see the Wikipedia article on our work, reserached and
written independently of ourselves as part of academic studies for the
prestigious Fuller Seminary in the USA.
HOW YOU CAN HELP US
How
to join us?
Click
here for a special page
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Les
Norman is a writer, an editor and the publisher of these
pages that call attention to the lost, the last and the least of the
world. Since 1977 he has been following the call of Christ. He is
married
to Pilar and they have three children.
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