BRIGHT HOPE WORLD NEWSLETTER: AUTUMN 2013
From the Field Director
It takes more than a little courage to start a Christian school in a Pakistani community. This is the country where just a couple of weeks ago, close to 200 houses of Christians were burned down. Hundreds of people were made homeless, all on the basis of a rumour that someone has criticised someone important. Yes, it takes a lot of courage to live as a religious minority in a turbulent, violent country. And yet, our partners there face each day with vision, courage and tenacity. They also help young women from all communities develop sewing skills so they can become self-sufficient, they teach older men to read and in all of this are able to share quietly about relationship with God. Fraser and I have just returned from visiting our partners in Pakistan, it’s inspiring to hear their passion for their country and for their God.
After Pakistan I went over to Thailand, it’s very different from Pakistan in so many ways. I was able to spend a week in a village way up on the Myanmar border, building a preschool. I was with a team from a church in New Zealand. There we found a small community where few of the kids are able to read or go to school. But in the midst of that there is a great deal of faith and ambition to change things. It was a privilege to work alongside the team from Mount Albert Baptist and our partners from ITDP in Chiang Mai and help bring hope to the village of Krey Mo Kee.
I was again impacted the following week as I travelled to Yangon, Myanmar. Our partners Samuel and Mercy are an inspiration. They have 67 kids!! That in itself is inspiring. How much faith does it take to care for that many children? To feed them, send them to school, clothe them and prepare them for adulthood. It’s just so good. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard they are starting a kindergarten in a nearby village because there are so many needy families there. I had to see it, so off we went to the village. The village headman served us warm milk with a thick skin on the top and told us with tears the stories of desperate and deep poverty. He was so happy that Samuel and Mercy have come to help. They are making such a difference in so many lives. It’s such a privilege to partner with them.
Three very different places, many different circumstances, completely different partners, but one constant, a deep love for God and for their community. Inspired!
Kevin Honore
Christian homes burnt down in Lahore, Pakistan
Mt Albert Baptist team in Krey Mo Kee, Thailand
From the Executive Director - A Different Perspective on Poverty
About six months ago I read a fantastic book on what poverty really is and how careful we need to be in responding to it. The book is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. It begins by resetting the commonly accepted definition of poverty and aligning it instead to a biblical view of poverty. This view asserts that poverty is caused not simply by a lack of economic means and opportunities, but rather by relational breakdown.
Poverty comes when a person has dysfunctional relationships with God, with themselves, with others or with the rest of creation. Hence the poor, when they describe the effects of poverty, speak more of humiliation, fear and shame rather than a lack of resources. These are words that speak of damaged relationships and worldviews, not just a shortage of money.
Two things strike me about this simple notion: firstly, we are all victims of poverty to some degree and secondly, money is not going to solve these key relational issues.
Until we see our own brokenness and poverty (which is typically not economic) we will tend to be patronising and look down upon the materially poor. We will tend to act as if we are superior to those we seek to help, and in doing so we will further intensify the sense of shame and worthlessness that many in poverty experience.
The second issue is that we cannot allow money to be the focus in addressing poverty. Money doesn’t fix relationships and worldviews, and may make them worse. Money given at the wrong time or to the wrong people or for the wrong things can do immeasurable harm. The focus must be equally (if not primarily) on how the relational dysfunctions are going to be addressed; how people are going to begin to see the world and themselves differently and understand their value to God.
I am grateful to God that we have an amazing field team and exceptional partners who understand the complexity of poverty and how best to respond to it in a Godly way.
If you’re interested in this issue, there is a summary of When Helping Hurts available for download here.
Fraser Scott
Bright Hope World Videos
Bright Hope World has a number of videos about our partners that are available for download. This list is constantly being added to as we interview our partners and capture their stories.
All our videos are available for viewing at www.youtube.com/brighthopeworldnz.
If you would like to download a video, the easiest way to do so is via keepvid.com.
Copy the link for the video e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb-XQLXsI3s into the box at keepvid.com. It will probably ask to install and run Java software - this is safe! You will then get options for downloading the video - choose one of the MP4 links.
Please let us know if you need any help with this.
Prayer and Praise Points
- Pray for our partners and other Christians living in Pakistan
- Pray for the village of Krey Mo Kee and the work of ITDP as they seek to impact these villages in northern Thailand
- Pray for Samuel and Mercy, the 67 children they look after, and the new outreach into a nearby village in Myanmar
- Pray for Chrispin and Justine as they seek to establish Centre Amani
- Praise for the exciting results that have been achieved by “Foundations for Farming” training in Zambia and pray for similar results as this training is taken to our partners in Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan
New Partnership – Centre Amani – DR Congo (DRC04)
The dream is that Centre Amani ("Peace Centre") will be a safe space, a community centre, where children and young people in Bweremana, Democratic Republic of Congo, have the opportunity to consider and begin to fulfill their potential. The DRC has been devastated by war for a long period of time and it is hardly possible to imagine a more vulnerable bunch of children and families than those living in Bweremana.
There are 3 aspects to this partnership:
- Vulnerable children care : Where possible, foster families will be identified for orphans and these families will receive assistance in terms of school requirements and food.
- Creating the space : Centre Amani is on land about 55m by 30m, stretching from the main road down to the lake. The building on the land needs to be repaired. The intention is to develop a safe place for the children and the community to come together to develop the children.
- Activities : With a renovated building, a wide-range of activities will be possible. In addition to teaching new skills to the children, these activities would also generate income to help financially support the centre. Activities would include such things as; cultural dance instruction, chicken, rabbit and fish farms, flour grinding, onion, cabbage, maize and bean gardens, football and volleyball teams, a library, language instruction, vocational training (sewing, carpentry, electrical and plumbing), and a computer room/internet cafe.
For more information - click here.
Centre Amani, DRC
New Partnership – Eshel Garden – Kenya (KEN08)
Eshel Garden is a 'Foundations for Farming' demonstration garden where training seminars will be held to create awareness of improved farming methods in an effort to enhance food security and reduce poverty in this area of Kenya.
In September 2012 Bright Hope World sponsored three agricultural workers from Dove Africa to attend an intensive “Foundations for Farming” seminar in Zimbabwe. Following this training these three people were convinced about how beneficial and important this farming method is. “Foundations for Farming” conserves the environment, increases food production in quantity and quality, saves time and energy, realizes profits, and above all, glorifies God. They now desire to put this method into practice in several strategic locations and carry out training for farmers and communities in Kenya.
'Foundations for Farming' agricultural training has, in the last couple of years, revolutionised BHW’s Zambian partnerships. Following this training most of our partners are now getting a 500% increase in the amount of maize being harvested from their land – imagine what a difference this is making to their lives! This year we are looking to spread this training out to our Ugandan, Kenyan and South Sudanese partners.
For more information - click here.
Eshel Garden, Kenya
End of Financial Year
Following the end of the 2012/13 financial year on 31 March 2013, Bright Hope World will be sending out tax rebate receipts to all our New Zealand donors during the month of April. If you have changed your postal address in the last year we would appreciate you letting us know either by phone (03 341 0933) or email admin@brighthopeworld.com.
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