Issue 13, June 2008 

Update on Famine in Haiti

We are grateful for all who have responded to the need for famine relief in Haiti.  Pastor Lesly Bertrand has reported to us how he has used the money that was sent:

Our first check was for $2,100 which he used as follows:

“I took the opportunity to distribute some food to five churches.  The way I did that was I gave the food to the pastors and then they distributed it to their members.  I distributed 50 bags of rice of 25 lbs. of each, 25 containers of vegetable oil of 5 gallons each and 40 bags of pinto beans.”

Our second check was for $1,023.83:

1- I bought, rice, Pinto beans, Lima beans, kitchen oil and spaghetti and distributed to 257 families in 20 different churches.

2- I bought seeds such as Pinto beans, Lima beans, corn and vegetable like tomato, egg plant, and green pepper, spinach and water melon seeds. I distributed them to 35 families in our churches with the conditions when the harvest is ready each family need to distribute some of their product to five other families who did not receive any seeds.

3- I bought food for the orphanage home and the food stuff that I bought can hold until the end of July.

Bro. Lesly continues in his letter to inform us that he has enough food for the 37 girls in the orphanage until July and then they will be out.  He has appealed to an organization called Food for the Poor for assistance.  However they will not be able to do anything before November because their warehouses were looted and they will need to secure additional food.  It takes $400 per month to provide support for the girls in the orphanage.  By the way, this orphanage was built with assistance from the Minnesota State Missionary Department.

The Board of LHI would like to solicit funds for August through November in the amount of $400 per month so that the needs of the orphanage can be met.  If help is not available, it will be necessary to close the orphanage and the girls sent to other homes.  We already have $260 raised toward this need of $1,600.  If you or your mission department can help, please send your gift to:  LHI – Haiti Relief, Box 100,000, Morrow, GA 30260.

Africa Trip

Joe Martin called several days ago and said that things went extremely well on his visit with Pastor Vince Finnegan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Rebekah Martin and Jim Mattison left last week to travel to Malawi where they met Dr. Joe.  After ministering to pastors and churches in Malawi and Mozambique, the team will travel on to Zambia for three days to meet with a group of pastors who are affiliated with several current ABC students.

From Zambia, they will fly on to Kenya for a week.  The team will be staying with the Onyango family in Nairobi.  Two ABC students have come from this family, Becky who graduated in 2006 and Anne Mbeke Fischhaber who graduated in 2007.  Another family member, Brenda, is trying to secure a visa to come for the next semester at ABC that begins in August.  The team will also visit Sammy Chacha, a 2007 graduate of ABC who lives in Kaimosi, Kenya.

Please continue to remember the team through the time of their return on July 9.

Africa Trip

Plans are being finalized for the trip to Africa this summer.  Joe Martin will be leaving on June 2 to travel to the Congo where he will meet Pastor Vince Finnegan.  They will minister to contacts there for a week.  Jim Mattison, Rebekah Martin, and Erica Fitzsimmons will then meet Joe in Malawi on June 9.  The team will spend three weeks in Malawi and Mozambique primarily teaching pastors on week days and holding services in the churches on Sundays.

The team will travel on to Zambia for three days to meet with a group of pastors who are affiliated with several current ABC students.

From Zambia, they will fly on to Kenya for a week.  The team will be staying with the Onyango Family in Nairobi.  Two ABC students have come from this family, Becky who graduated in 2006 and Anne Mbeke Fischhaber who graduated in 2007.  Another family member, Brenda, is trying to secure a visa to come for the next semester at ABC that begins in August.  The team will also visit Sammy Chacha, a 2007 graduate of ABC who lives in Kaimosi, Kenya.

There has been a sizeable increase in airline ticket prices since last year and with the additional stops, each team member is expected to raise $6,000.  We will appreciate any help you can provide toward this expense.  Also, please be in prayer for the final preparation as well as praying for the team while they are gone on this lengthy trip.

Mexico

Dean Moore spoke with Lupe Badillo recently. Her dental work has been completed. She is very grateful to those who provided funds for this work to be done. Things are going well with them. She continues with weekly Sunday school though the attendance is much lower than she would like. She is looking forward to the team’s visit this summer.

The Mexico ministry trip will take place July 20 to August 13. Four individuals will be leaving Oregon, IL the morning of the 30th to drive to the border. Those team members are Randy and Mariann Hall, Devon Buse and Judy Myers. All are members of the Oregon church. Rachel Carr and Amanda Homewood from the Lakeshore Bible church will join the team in Harlingen on August 1st and Randy and Rhonda Barton from the Cornerstone Church will fly into Harlingen to meet the team on August 2nd. Financial help with this trip is appreciated. With the rising cost of gasoline, we anticipate the travel expenses to be larger than in the past.

Mexico

The Mexico team will leave Oregon, IL on July 30 and return to Oregon the night of August 13.  Please remember this team as they travel and minister.  They will be conducting a Vacation Bible school in the mornings and then doing some needed work around the Badillo home in the afternoons. If anyone would like to provide money toward the paint and screen materials to fix the front gate and the doors and windows, please send your contributions to the General Conference. Thanks.

Silent Auctions

In several newsletter we have mentioned holding silent auctions to fund our mission trips and projects.  If case you haven’t participated in such an auction, we usually put bid sheets beside various items brought back from mission fields, such as carved elephants, giraffes, tigers, letter openers, and necklaces from Africa;  clay jars, jewelry, leather nesting boxes, and dolls from Peru;  as well as bottles of pure vanilla and other items from Mexico.  The bid sheet names the object and states a minimum bid.  Bidders are invited to list their name and the amount that they are willing to bid for any items they are interested in.  Others are encouraged to make higher bids.  A time is set for the end of the auction and whoever has the high bid pays for the item and takes the item(s) home.

Everyone has a good time and lots of money has been raised for our mission trips. If your church is willing to have an auction, please contact us and we will send items from several fields that can be auctioned.  Please send your requests to jmlhi@aol.com or Judy Myers, 6898 E. Brick Rd., Oregon, IL 61061.

Thanks to those churches that have held auctions already.