30th May, 2009

THE WORLD AS NEAR
AS YOUR FINGERTIPS

If you want to get started in mission on the Internet or with mobiles this international panel of speakers will give their expertise and experience to bible colleges, conferences, churches and missions. Some will talk to you over the phone or Skype. You can request a speaker to visit or if you know how to use the web for mission then you can also apply to join the panel.




29th May, 2009
 


DON'T BE STOPPED AT FIFTY

Last month we answered the question What shall we do with our lives between ages 60 and 80? but now there is a new question: What shall we do with ourselves at 50 as redundancy and early retirement bite and church only allows people our age to make the coffee? Ouch! Intriguingly Numbers 8.25 ESV gives the idea that at age 50 the Levites would withdraw from normal duties and work no more. Instead they were told to serve by keeping guard. So actually there is nothing new about a change of life for the better at 50. Keeping guard speaks of a watchman's role of having eyes and ears open; an intercessor's role in prayer; a governing role in evaluation and decision making; a protecting role in bringing wisdom from the school of life to emerging young leaders, and so on. In DCI we love our 50 and 60 year olds and the young leaders would be lost without them.




28th May, 2009

OUR WORLD OF FREE
OR LOW COST TRAINING

Our partner in Lima, Peru, Juan has a free School of Mission open in Picapiedras. Juan says they are on Lesson 10 and that everyone listens carefully with their eyes wide open as they hear for the first time what God is saying to them.

Pastor Dave Broos in Bandung, Indonesia wants us to know that he has started a School of Mission as well and they have the lessons online as well. 

Our partner in Haiti, Johnny August, leaves for Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic this week to open the first free School of Mission. Photos soon.




27th May, 2009

THE DO'S AND DON'TS
OF INTERNET FUND-RAISING 2/3

If you ask for a hand-out don't be surprised if people walk by you. Luke 16.22 says that the time came when the beggar died, which is something that needs to happen again in the Internet shops around the world. Don't ask for a hand-out because next month you will be just as poor again and still begging. Think about applying for a hand-up, that is finding capital to make money long-term through work.This will take you out of poverty and into prosperity, that is having enough for yourself and plenty to give to others. More in the Money Forum. 
See part 1




26th May, 2009

FIRST PHOTOS OF UGANDA PLANTATION

DCI Business for Mission creates funds in the developing world for the developing world. Led by our partner Jonathan, plantations are already producing cash crops for food and for sale in Burkina Faso, Liberia, and now Uganda where George Purkweri made a good start this last week by planting bananas, ground nuts, pineapples, fruit trees, cassava, mangoes, oranges, avocado and papaya in the first stage of developing 100 hectares of good land. Indonesia follows soon with crops, lobsters and fish farms. See the photos here.




25th May, 2009



FREE DISTANCE LEARNING UNIVERSITY COURSE

If you live in the UK or Europe, the prestigious University of Wales are offering their Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers course for free, yes free, with regular start dates and first class personal tutor support. Use the code LAMP99 to apply online here 




23rd May, 2009

Tambo Peru

TOP OF THE WORLD FOR A CHANGE

Some of our people take God's love into really dismal places; for me I think seeing thousands of families living like animals on Smokey Mountain in the Philippines was the worst and the squalid, barren refugee camps in Uganda were nearly as bad. But just sometimes we get to see God's creation at its best. Rolando is back from Tambo, up in the Huanuco Andes of Peru where the people made him very welcome and cooked their special soup for him. See the photos.




22nd May, 2009

ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER

Like most people I have a way of reading the Bible, although what happens is that the Bible reads me and speaks to me about what it finds. On Monday I read a bit of history from Genesis to Job; on Tuesdays I read about Jesus from Matthew to Acts; on Wednesdays I get into wisdom and worship from Psalms to Song; on Thursdays I go for everything that John wrote; on Fridays I read the news before it happens from the prophecy books of Isaiah to Malachi and on Saturdays I read some of Paul's and James' letters. But today it was Psalm 119, just the longest chapter in the Bible. I did it but I was a bit late for breakfast !




21st May, 2009

THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD

Rodrigo Sanchez of Mission Africa in Chile has a staff of 70. In Kenya they are supporting 3 churches and building an orphanage for a contact they met on this page. Rodrigo wants to extend the work to other African countries.
 
João Batista dos Santos from Brazil has opened a base en Kathmandu, Nepal to train leaders and helps pastors in two Bhutan refugee camps. Joao is in Brazil right now, see his web page - and he is happy to speak tell you more.

One of our great partners in DR Congo, Jules Wazeng in Lubumbashi, says that his School of Mission has 68 students who come four times a week for four hours of studies and things are going their way.




19th May, 2009
 




PASTOR OR POLITICIAN
WHO HAS THE MOST INFLUENCE ?

A senator was pondering how to influence people the most, whether as a politician who is able to introduce laws that can help millions of people, or as a pastor who continues to offer hope and consolation to people in their daily struggle? The answer is not about who can most influence others. What matters is our vocation or our call. To what or to whom are we called ? When we make the effect of our work the measure of our sense of self, we end up very vulnerable.  Both the political and the pastoral life can be valid responses to a call and both can be ways to serve and to have power. The final issue is not the visible result of our work but our obedience to God's will, never forgetting that God's will is always an expression of God's love.
By Henri Nouwen, from The Diary of His Final Year.




18th May, 2009





THE DO'S AND DON'TS
OF INTERNET FUND-RAISING 1 of 3

If someone from another country, a man that you had never seen before knocked on your door and without any explanation asked you for money, and probably quite a lot of it, what would you say to him ? Correct! So rule number one is to find out who you are writing to, greet them courteously and introduce yourself properly. Then ask for permission to make an application and if the answer is yes, ask what information they would like to know.
More in the Money Forum.




16th May, 2009

FOURTEEN HOUR WALK FOR NOTHING

I know that it is not a good photo taken at nightfall in Euthini District in remote Malawi. The children of these two ladies were sick so the Mum's left home at 3 in the morning and walked 7 hours to the nearest clinic only to find that it had no pills of any kind. So they walked 7 more hours to return home with only sweet cane to chew for food. Next day they did it all over again. The DCI Fund is working with local people to build a new simple clinic which will be sustained by local industry, and we welcome your enquiries to support this major project to save many lives, especially those of children with malaria.




15th May, 2009

Huancayo - Peru

BUILDING BEGINS FOR CHURCHES AND LEADERS IN PERU

Our good friend Rolando Canazas in Peru has been busy. He is part of the group in Huanuco who are doing a new translation of the Bible into Quechua for the notorious coca growing district of Huallaga and he is looking forward to taking the School of Mission to the churches up there. Back home in Huancayo, the church there has started the construction of a beautiful new building and Rolando is in the 3rd week of teaching the School of Mission lessons to 50 church leaders all of whom say they are ready to do what they are learning - see the photos. Last month this tireless man opened a new work in Orcotuna-Concepcion . . in fact he never stops.




14th May, 2009

RARE PHOTOS FROM DEEP INSIDE MYANMAR

Believers can face a hard time in Myanmar, formerly Burma, so no names or locations but click on this link to see some happy village people enjoying learning God's word last week. Three of them decided to follow Jesus and were quietly baptised. Is this lovely news from our partner Bk.




13th May, 2009



LIBERIA'S CHURCHES FLYING AGAIN

Our new friend in Liberia senior pastor and writer Charles Johnson who has followed Jesus for a long lifetime e-mailed us some more good news, "Our Liberian churches are moving once again like birds flying, not just flapping their wings as was the case during the war years. When peace was restored churches from overseas came as partners with us to hold seminars and mass miracle meetings where the Holy Spirit worked like blazing fire breathing new divine life into believers, healing and leading many people into the way of Salvation. Had it not been for these churches coming to us then our stagnant local churches, lacking in spirit and vision, could have perished if they had stopped moving."




12th May, 2009

BASEBALL MEETS CHURCH IN CUBA

In Camaguey, Cuba our sports enthusiast friend Ranledis who has a DCI School of Mission there, is playing baseball with the a crowd of young people who would never normally go near church but he gets to give them a micro-message about God's love and pray for them before every game. Ranledis also turns out dozens of meals every week for neglected elderly people and children. Click here to see the baseball photos, then press slideshow.

11th May, 2009

ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER

What do you mean that science has buried God ? C.S. Lewis that said, "Men became scientific because they expected law in nature, and they expected law in nature because they believed in a law-giver," and it was the father of modern science Francis Bacon,1561-1626, who taught that God has provided us with two books - the book of nature and the Bible, and that to be properly educated one should study both.

10th May, 2009

FAITH AND HARD WORK OF ONE MAN
EDUCATES FIVE THOUSAND POOR CHILDREN

Our partner since 1984 in one of the world's poorest countries Burkina Faso, Philippe Ouedraogo of AEAD, now has the astonishing number of 5035 children in 70 village or bush schools. That's what anyone would call nation-building. And he still finds time to lead a growing church, train leaders and be a channel for development for thousands of really poor people. So if your church or school wants to sponsor a school or a child in Burkina Faso, write to Philippe.




9th May, 2009

PAKISTAN SECURITY CLAMPDOWN
CUTS OFF GRADUATION

Quetta is in turbulent north-west Pakistan on the border with Iran and troubled Afghanistan with the Taleban and their Al-Qaeda militants never far away. Our partner Pastor Sarwar has three DCI style Schools of Mission right there and other fast growing Schools in Lahore, Kasure,  Raiwind and Sultan Kay all turning out the men and women of peace that Jesus talks about. Just lately Sarwar couldn't get through to Quetta for the graduation of 12 students because of the ever present terrorist threat

7th May, 2009

  THE LEADER'S
  REFLECTION

A professor stood before his philosophy class and in silence he picked up a very large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.  The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "Yes." The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things, your family, your children, your faith, your health, your friends, your call and your favourite passions. The things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your house, your car.  The sand is everything else. It's the small stuff but if you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your peace and well-being. Play with your children, have those medical checkups, take your partner out, make time to be alone with God, have a holiday because there will always be time to clean the house and wash the car. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities, the rest is just sand and you build your house on it at your own very great risk.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with a friend." (Anon, with thanks to Karen Clarke at VW)

More Leader's Reflections




6th May, 2009

LOOKING FOR CHRISTIAN WORK ?

Here's the list of global employment opportunities from Oscar, the UK's number one information site for people in mission. In English.




5th May, 2009



CREATION TO CHRIST VIDEO ON CD

First see this video from the Hope Project which is a most beautiful presentation of God's story from creation to the resurrection in simple easy to see and hear English or Spanish. The CD costs just $15. Now, if you are in missions or are a pastor or Christian worker go to Roofbreakers and apply for a free interactive CD ROM for teaching English which includes the full Hope film. Our thanks to Brigada for the news and to Roofbreakers for their generosity.




4th May, 2009


SECRET POLICE RAID TASHKENT HOME
FINE THREE AND DEPORT ONE.

Can you believe that after Uzbekistan secret police raided a Tashkent believer's home three men were each fined more than eight year's wages, had their Bibles and Christian songs confiscated and one Kazakh man with legal papers was put over the border without money. More from Forum 18 Norway.




3rd May, 2009

WHERE A CHILDREN'S PARTY CAN BRING JAIL OR WORSE

It's an innocent and very happy Easter party for poor slum children but these children are in South East Asia where it would only take one complaint to cause religious violence or bring the police to the door. Click here to see the photos. But as our partner says, "If we refuse to welcome kids how can they know Jesus? Now they can all say why Jesus came to the world. A seed of faith has been planted and it will our prayers and yours causes that seed to grow."




2nd May, 2009

NO NAMES, NO LOCATIONS - IT'S BELARUS

Europe's last dictatorship is Belarus which has a reputation for giving some pastors, believers and churches a hard time. So for security reasons no names, no locations but these neglected children had a fantastic time over Easter. They heard about God's love, enjoyed a party and got some presents. We are proud to have helped to make this possible. Click here to see some lovely photos.




1st May, 2009



THE WORLD'S NOTICE BOARD

Kingdom Life in Ghana has begun a DCI School of Mission in Kumasi and Samuel Adu-Gyamfi is the leader to contact.

Etnopedia has 2,500 profiles from a Christian perspective of unreached peoples in eleven European and Asian languages, you can more Wikipedia style.

To hear good preaching in English by very well known pastor, David Shearman of the Christian Centre, Nottingham click here  to download free podcasts.

Click here to send in your news or story

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE SOME OF OUR PHOTOS?

Click to see our Picassa Albums from around the world.
Choose one and then click Slideshow to see the display.

Click here for Schools of Mission around the world
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 to see a forthcoming Wikipedia article on our work, researched and written independently of ourselves as part of academic studies requested by 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, guest speaker, the 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.

Find out more here
To enquire about a visit to your church, group or conference click here.