Wouldn't you know it? It just had to happen, a frisky little Brahma calf fell into our septic trench. The little fellow wasn't hurt- they are as nimble as goats, but he could not get out on his own. The two cattlemen pulled him out bottom first as mama looks on. It was a good end to a misty and rainy morning.

Rivera Blog

Rivera Missionary Page

Hello everyone!!! I cannot believe that it has been almost a month that we have been back in Namibia. The time seems to go by faster everyday. They do say time flies when you are having fun. Yes we are having fun.

It is 7:17pm on Saturday evening for us and we have had another full day. We are finding out that working in fulltime ministry means that we do not have regular working hours. Yes we have office hours from 9:00am to 5:00pm but that is only our office hours.

Our morning starts out with personal devotions and time with our Lord. We treasure our time in the morning with Him. We then pray with each other and have some breakfast and then it is off to work.

No two days are the same here. For example on Wednesday we were working in the office and we had someone pull up to the entrance. We were not expecting anyone so I went to see who was visiting us. It was a friend of ours (Gerrard) who works with Samaritan’s Purse. He is the country coordinator for Operation Christmas Child and is responsible for receiving all the shoe boxes that get delivered to children in Namibia.

We have 40 foot shipping containers on our property that they use to store the shoe boxes until they can be delivered to the children. Whenever Gerrard shows up I know he needs to get to the shoe boxes. Getting to the boxes is no small task though. To protect the boxes we have to weld the shipping containers closed that they are stored in. So to get into the container we need to grind off the bars.

Well when Gerrard got out of his car we greeted each other and got caught up on how each of our families were doing. I shared about our visit to the States and he shared all about the events that happened while we were gone. After getting caught up he informed me that there was another container arriving at 2:00pm, It was now 11:30am, and he needed help to unload the boxes from the truck and put them into the shipping container on our property.

I then made several calls and found six young men that I have worked with in the past to help us. I then went to pick them up at noon. Then I had to get the grinder, extension cords, and the welder so we could weld the container closed.

By 1:00pm I had the men and equipment we needed for the job and was heading over to the containers. When I get there Gerrard informed me that the truck with the boxes was running late and tells me that the truck will not arrive until around 7:00pm. It is now only 2:00pm.
I then take the six young men back to their homes and tell them I will pick them up at 6:45pm. I then go back to the office and work till 5:00pm and then go home to eat dinner, peanut butter and jelly because Catherine is at our weekly Bible study.

At 6:30pm I leave to go get the young men and we head back to the containers. We get there by 7:00pm and the guys are looking for the truck. Gerrard arrives and tells us the truck is running late and tells us it will be another hour. At 9:30pm the truck finally arrives. As it pulls up we see that the boxes are on a flat bed truck and the truck is full of boxes.

Each box is about 2 feet by 2 feet square and has approximately 10 shoe boxes inside. Each box ways between 25 to 40 pounds and did I tell you that there were over 400 boxes that had to be unloaded from the truck and loaded into the empty container?

The good thing is that is was late and it had cooled off quite a bit so it was not as hot. In less that one hour we had unloaded the truck and loaded them into the container and welded it shut. I was so tired and sore. My body was reminding me that I am not 20 years old anymore but I had kept up with the young men. I think they were surprised that I was able to keep up with them.
I then took the young men to their homes and then headed back to our house. I got home at 11:30pm. I crawled into bed and was up early the next morning to see what new adventures that day would bring.

I am learning how to be flexible and to be patient and you that know me know how much I dislike when things do not happen as planned. The time we had to wait though was time to speak into the lives of the six young men and to encourage them. God's timing is always better than my timing.

Each day is different and I have learned to make my plans in pencil because God often edits my plans to coordinate with His. I do love His sense of humor. Seriously though I love how He is helping me to become more like Him. The more He is in me the more these young men get to experience Him.

Thank you for your prayers and your support. You are with us each day and are making a difference in our lives and in the lives of so many here.

Duran’s Blog

Duran’s Missionary Page

Allen Allnoch is a Shepherd’s Staff missionary and a fantastic writer. Allen’s home is in Bluffton, SC, and his mission field is in South Africa. Check out his blog.

In preparing lessons for our after-school children’s programs this week, I’ve had to grapple with an extremely troubling issue: human trafficking. As the soccer World Cup approaches in June, we’re trying to make children and teenagers aware that traffickers are expected to descend on Cape Town in large numbers.

The depth of evil associated with this issue is astonishing. I was shocked to read that today, despite more than a dozen international conventions banning slavery in the past century and a half, there are more slaves than at any point in human history. Children are lured away from their homes (or off the streets for those who have no homes), with the promise of a better life. People of all ages are bought and sold as if they are nothing more than cattle. Kids as young as 3 and 4 are exploited sexually , offered up for prostitution and for pornographic purposes. The list of atrocities is long and painful to confront.

The problem is especially acute in South Africa, where there are an estimated 38,000 children trapped in the sex trade. According to a January 18 article in Time magazine, “More than 500 mostly small-scale trafficking syndicates … collude with South African partners, including recruiters and corrupt police officials, to enslave local victims.”  For the four-week period of the World Cup, Cape Town public schools will be closed, meaning more children will be on the streets and vulnerable to those who would seek to take advantage of them.

I can’t comprehend the hardness of heart that would compel a person to treat a child, or person of any age, in this way. If you don’t believe Satan is real, then just google human trafficking and read some of the horror stories. Only a supernatural force of evil could influence people to sink to such depths.

But there is hope in the One who has already overcome the devil and all the havoc he has wreaked on the world. God is a God of justice and He “works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed” (Psalm 103:6). He has made it clear in Scripture that He loves children and all who are oppressed, and that there is misery in store for those who mistreat children:

Jesus “called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said … if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18: 2-3, 6).

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul rhetorically asked in Romans 8:31. Still, these little ones need your prayers, as do teenagers and others who are vulnerable to those who would exploit them. For more insight into South Africa’s human trafficking crisis, see http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1952335,00.html. For more information on the issue in general, see http://www.justiceacts.org.

Allen’s Blog

Allen’s Missionary Page

This is a little boy I met in an orphanage. He has a mental disability he weighs not much more than twenty pounds, and he is nine years old. --Aaron Mondok

Aaron posted this picture on his Facebook account today. He wrote yesterday in his update to us that he met this little guy and that he planned on seeing as much of his new friend as possible.

Aaron has always had a tender spot in his heart for the marginalized and less fortunate. To be honest with you, I never thought much about those with disabilities until we adopted Allie. She has opened a whole new world to us. I spend time and hang out with disabled kids every chance I get at her school new. Something drastic happened in my life that has brought about a change of heart. But that isn't the case with Aaron. He has always been naturally tender. On the mission field, in urban ministry, or in children's ministry at our local church, he has always both given and lived the gospel around little kids. If a child is the under dog of the group, Aaron makes the kid king of the world.

Pray with us for this little guy. If you look closely at his hand, its deformed because he continually sucks it. That could be due to a combination of under nourishment coupled with his attempt to self-soothe.

I just received this email from Aaron. He arrived in Haiti yesterday with his team from Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale.

It's only been two days, but it feels like it's been much longer. As team leader I've been able to connect with a couple Haitian
pastors. They find work project for the team.

Yesterday we began to dig up the ground where a house once stood, and
today part of my team began to build a new foundation for a new
house in its place. It’s cool to be working alongside the Haitian
people to rebuild their community.

Today the other half of my team, including myself, lead a VBS at a
local school. We talked about heaven and how one day God's children
will wear crowns and will reign with Christ. Then we made each child a
balloon hat to remind them of their future with Christ.

Later on today we visited an orphanage. I think I will be spending
alot of time there. There I met a little boy. He looked like he was
about two or three years old. He has a mental disability and sits in a
crib and sucks his fingers all day. His hand is raw from how much he
sucks on it. He looks like he weighs about twenty pounds. The sad
thing I learned later about him is that he isn't only two or three years old, but nine. It would blow your mind if you saw his picture, but due to our limited Internet, uploading a photo could knock out our connection for 24 hrs.

Aaron's Missionary Page

While the week of teaching is still fresh in my mind and heart, I wanted to take a few minutes to post a brief report. Like last year, I was energized and filled up each day as the students soaked in the teaching of Choose to Wait. Most of them have heard some sort of teaching about Love and Sex, but ALL of them commented that THIS was different. It was my joy to present to them God's design for love, marriage and sex.

We had some lively discussions, fun role-plays and dramas, and a few somber moments where I could sense the Holy Spirit was gently healing past wounds. Some had father wounds, others mother wounds, still others - relationship wounds. Their enthusiasm and interaction made it a pleasure for me.

Several of these students are fresh out of High School and yet are so eager to strengthen their relationship with God and build their faith by submitting to the DTS (Discipleship Training School) training. It was inspiring to be with them, not just for the class time, but for tea time, meals and one-on-one visits. This week I met some GREAT young people (from Namibia, USA, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and England) and count it a privilege to have participated in their overall training. I have a deep respect for the staff of YWAM and the work they are doing with young people. The Spirit of the Lord was definitely at work in the hearts and minds of each one.

Once again, He proved His faithfulness. Thank you for your prayers.

Duran Blog

Duran Missionary Page

New photos uploaded today! Added to album: South Africa Jan/Feb 2010

Melanie's blog

Melanie's missionary page

You may not have noticed, but Uganda has been in the international headlines the past several days. We have had a tremendous amount of rain over the past several weeks that has caused mudslides in the lower east region of the country in the district of Bududa. Bududa is located in the foothills of Mount Elgon which is situated on the border between Uganda and Kenya. Several days ago mudslides wiped out two villages. The death toll is nearing 100 people and there are over 250 still missing.

Please pray for the recovery, provision and comfort for those who have lost loved ones and in many cases all that they owned. We, like many of you, are experiencing unusual weather for this time of the year. December through March is supposed to be our dry season. We have had an unseasonably cool dry season and it has been accompanied by days of rain showers.

We have been told by the meteorologists that the unusual weather patterns in Europe have caused the weather pattern from northern Africa to slide down into our region, thus causing the rains. They are predicting that we will have much higher than normal rain levels and to expect this weather pattern to continue through June. In some areas of Uganda the rains are much needed and long over due, but in other areas such as Bududa it can be devastating. Here is a link http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/712052 to a story that may give you some insight not only to the horrific tragedy but also to issues related culturally that may be contributing to and possibly making events like these more frequent and even more devastating.

Well the rains have also stopped for the most part the excavation of the MAF aircraft hanger. George estimates that they have only been able to work about one day in the past three weeks. There is at least a good week or more of excavation work needed before foundations can begin. The construction site is now fondly referred to as Lake George. They have also discovered that the water table has risen drastically and is only about twelve inches below grade, so extra measure are going to have to be implemented to allow for the digging and installation of the building foundations. Please keep George and the workers in your prayers.

Fellman's Blog

Fellman's Missionary Page

A week from Sunday, March 14th is the Global Day of Prayer for Burma and we wanted to invite you all to participate and remember Burma and its people in a special way.  This day of prayer is initiated by a group called Christians Concerned for Burma and we want to support their effort.  The problems in Burma have proven beyond the wisdom of people and governments around the world but nothing is greater than God.  May our united prayers bring positive change.  For more information and to download their booklet for the occasion, go to www.prayforburma.org. 

To give a quick guide to some of the issues here in the US, in Thailand and in Burma, we have made this list below.  We hope you will join us and Christians around the world in prayer.

In Christ,

Duane & Marcia Binkley

Global Day of Prayer for Burma

Prayer Points

1.  Refugee camps

• That donations for food supplies and shelter will be sufficient.
• That the Lord will lead each family to the right decision about whether they should opt for resettlement or not.
• That those remaining in the camps may be allowed more freedom of movement.
• That children and youth will have a future.

2.  Inside Burma

• That the government will allow more freedom.
• That the soldiers will recognize the ethnic people as friends and family and not the enemy.
• For safety and survival for the hundreds of thousands living in hiding trying to keep out of site of the soldiers.
• That the elections to be held in Burma will bring real change and improvement to the country.

3.  Chin in Malaysia and India

• That the Burma government will stop persecuting the Chin driving them to leave their homes.
• That they won’t be subjected to violence, jail or trafficking in Malaysia and India.
• That they can find enough work and food to survive.

4.  Karen and Chin being resettled in the US

• That new jobs can be found and old jobs retained.
• For cultural and language adjustment.
• That kids in school can be free from violence.
• That drinking and domestic troubles can be reduced.
• That young people will stay in school and that high school grads can find ways to attend college.
• For training of the leadership in the Karen churches and for the Karen Baptist Churches in USA as it gets established.

Sharon's Missionary Page

I just got back from another amazing adventure here in Peru up to a small town about 4 hours outside the city of Lima called Canta.The weekend was especially great being that a small group of men serving here within the Calvary Chapel Bible College took a weekend trip up into the Andes Mnts for a men's retreat.

"How" and "who" found this place, is still the greater mystery after coming down off the mountain. Apparently"someone" within the Calvary community back in Lima found this place a few years back, and had recommended it for weekend get-a-ways. It wasn't bad besides the fact it was at 8,800 feet and nothing was there besides a small mountain farming community that owned WAY to many donkeys.

Kid you not, I think I saw more donkeys in this small village than the entire country of Peru combined. Needless to say, the trip went well, and a few brothers in Christ are now stronger than before setting out up the mountain.

Click HERE to see the photos

Kevin's Blog

Kevin's Missionary Page