ZimPact Project

"God-incidences"

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:57:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Today is the first day in Zimbabwe that we had consistent internet connection. It is very refreshing to be able to reconnect with you and begin to share the stories of our trip. Because we are getting a late start, the stories will continue after we get back. In the coming weeks, you will read perspectives from each of our team members as they recount their experiences in Zimbabwe.

So, as we begin the story, I would like to recount my experiences while travelling to Zimbabwe.

Our team flew out of Chicago on Saturday, March 19 to connect to our Ethiopian Air flight at Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. While in the airport, I needed to mail some letters, but soon found out that was impossible. I asked a gentleman if he knew where I could mail my letters, and he immediately offered to mail them personally. I expressed my gratitude, but noticed in his face that something was wrong. I told him that I would pray for him. A few minutes later I walked by him again and asked if there was anything specific I could pray about. He shared a number of difficulties in his life including a heart attack the week before. He told me that he was a Christian and was seeking wisdom from the Lord. I knelt beside him and we prayed together. It was a great experience of a "God-incidence."

As I returned to my seat in the terminal I met a young Christian couple on their way to Ethiopia to adopt a child with HIV/AIDS. They were convicted in their heart that adopting this child would express the love and truth of Christ to this little boy - a boy who had been abandoned like trash to die. What a great testimony of Christian love! We also prayed together and prayed that God would claim that little child for Himself.

The team boarded the flight and I sat next to an African man from the C.A.R. He was on his way home to see his father. He too was a Christian. He shared his testimony with me and told of the amazing way that God revealed Himself. We had a sweet fellowship and we prayed together about his visit with his father.

Later in the 12 hour flight, I met a pastor on his way with a team from Sovereign Grace church. He and his team had assembled a medical clinic mission to a village in Ethiopia. We shared so much in common for the lost and hurting people of the world. We stood with two others from our team in the galley and prayed for one another and the ministries ahead. Interestingly, he knew Ben, a friend from college who served in his church. What a small world!

Within the hour I met another man who was travelling with another team to Ethiopia. He was bringing 800 lbs of diapers and boxes of other goodies for an orphan home. He and his team were going to work for a couple of weeks to assist their needs in Ethiopia. Not surprisingly, we shared a great time of prayer, standing in the galley in front of the whole plane.

After boarding our flight to Zimbabwe, I sat next to a young and sharp business man from China. He was a director for his company's Africa initiatives and was on his way to Zimbabwe to explore new work. He shared that he had been invited into a church fellowship while in the UK and was blessed by their free kindness, ESL classes and hospitality. He enjoyed the atmosphere of the worship services and enjoyed reading the Bible. His favorite book was Ephesians. I told him that it was certainly one of mine too and that I would pray for his business and safety. We shared e-mails so that we could continue to connect. He invited me to look him up in Beijing if I ever visited.

All of these experiences were just the prelude to our many experiences in Zimbabwe.

I hope you will be able to follow along and read the stories in the coming days as the team writes.

Please continue to pray for us. We experienced an accident tonight in an 8 lane unlit intersection that was missing traffic signals. Our host Bud Jackson handled the situation with class. Pray for our safety and fruitfulness as our adventure unfolds. Pray also for our host Bud, who is leading us through this tour of God's work in Zimbabwe.

May the Lord bless you today.

Pastor Ron

We Are Off

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:49:00 +0000

Today marks the beginning of our journey. We left East Troy Bible Church at 7:00 p.m. and joined two other team members in Chicago. Friends and family from East Troy met together for a send off prayer. It was a great blessing to know that our church family supports, prays and misses us. Here are a couple of pictures of that moment of prayer. Even little Libby joined in with her angel wings.

On Saturday, we will leave from O'hare at 6:00 a.m. to Dulles International in Washington D.C. Then we board and Ethiopian Airways flight to Addis Ababa for a 12:45 hour flight. The flight to Zimbabwe will take around 4:30 hours. We will arrive in Zimbabwe at 12:45 on Sunday afternoon which will be around 5:45 am in Wisconsin.

Customs will be a challenge because we are bringing in about 720 lbs of luggage and all of our other stuff. We will be quite a sight. Please continue to pray for us over these next two weeks. You can see our initial prayer requests on the right. Hopefully we will be able to update this blog during our stay. You will get to hear from other team members too.

Thanks again! May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Many Thanks to Our Home Team

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:31:00 +0000

We are so blessed to have a church family who support us. We are going to Zimbabwe with the eager prayers and support of so many. We cherish their prayers for us and our families back home.

Our Home Team gives us great courage!

Thank You!

Here are some more pictures of those great people!

First Aid 4 AIDS - Reach4Life

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:12:00 +0000

Reach4Life

Reach4Life is an HIV training program in the local schools that utilizes the New Testament. The New Testament training book was designed and launched in 2004. The little orange book, which has since become a global icon in HIV prevention, contains the whole New Testament plus 265 pages of material geared at revolutionizing young people’s sexual attitudes. The ultimate message of Reach4Life is a gospel message; producing safe lifestyle parameters by means of changed lives, calling young people to a relationship with Christ. This new relationship with Jesus Christ will sustain their commitment to chastity, and provide a solid foundation for wise lifestyle choices. Governments and school systems have requested this discipleship ministry to enter the public schools.

Each copy of the book cost $10.00. The East Troy Bible Church has just begun raising funds for this ministry through the Truth Project Mens Study. So far, 60 children will be exposed to the truth of HIV. More importantly, they will learn about HIV of the soul and learn how to be healed through the forgiving work of Christ.

Watch the following videos to get an understanding of the power of the Reach 4 Life ministry.

First Aid 4 AIDS - Hands of Hope & Hands of Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Here are some basic facts about HIV/AIDS in Africa.

HIV/AIDS is the greatest humanitarian emergency in the history of the human family. Almost 40 million people are infected with the virus. For every 2 people that go onto ARV’s there are 5 new infections.
One person dies of HIV/AIDS EVERY 12 SECONDS .
It is forecast that about 70 million people will die by 2020.
15.2 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS – 11.4 million in Africa
Nearly 90% of AIDS cases occur among people between 20-40 years of age, depriving children of love and nurture
By 2010, it is estimated that 20.2 million children will be orphaned and over 40 million children made vulnerable by AIDS
In 2008, 22.4 million people were living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa
1.4 million died in 2008 in Sub-Saharan Africa

Hands of Hope and Hands of Mercy are two orphan solutions to the HIV crisis. Both ministries have common roots but use different approaches. They are staffed with caring people who desire to not only provide safe living environments for orphan children, but provide the knowledge and love of the gospel of Christ. These ministries provide food, shelter, clothing, scholarships, hospice, and gospel discipleship for children who have lost parents to HIV and who may have HIV themselves.

Both of these are interesting ministries. We will go to learn and hear their stories. We invite you to learn with us and follow the blog to see more of these two wonderful ministries. Check out their websites listed below or in the "links" column.

http://www.hohafrica.org/

http://www.handsofmercy.org.uk/

An Astonishing Reality

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:38:00 +0000

The Dark Reality: The life expectancy of a woman in Zimbabwe is 33 years old.

A Gleam of Hope: God is bringing a solution through His church to this disaster!

ZimbabweImpactBrochure-2

TEAM - The Seventh Door

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:29:00 +0000

We are travelling at the invitation of TEAM to discover how we can

support our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe.

First Aid 4 AIDS - Karanda Mission Hospital

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Imagine that your child has the flu, but you have no where to take her. What if you didn't have a doctor or a pharmacist? But what about something more serious like cancer? What if no treatments were available? What would you do?

Well, this is the situation faced by most of the world today. Few people have access to modern medicine. Many medical solutions may be equated to bad veterinary medicine in the States. Often people resort to the local witch doctor or shaman. These village medical solutions can be harmful and sometimes make the disease worse. Further, they involve spiritualistic and animistic beliefs that trap people in the bondage of fear.

Dr. Roland Stephens

However, in Zimbabwe there is a beacon of hope... the Karanda Mission Hospital. Karanda Mission Hospital has been in existence for almost 50 years. It has survived war and economic disaster. Karanda serves 75,000 patients annually. The hospital offers inpatient and outpatient care complete with a full range of surgical services. Karanda is staffed with both foreign and national doctors, nurses and staff. It is a training institution for national nurses. It runs home-based care and nutritional training services for patients. It also has a chaplaincy staff that ministers to the spiritual need of every patient through prayer and gospel discipleship. Karanda staff estimate that more than 50% of it’s patients are HIV positive. Karanda Mission Hospital is on the front lines of this battle for the hearts, minds, and health of the people of Zimbabwe.

Our team will be visiting Karanda, hearing their story and seeing the breadth of their ministry. We will find out if our church and partners can encourage the ministry in Karanda.

View Larger Map

Home Team

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:03:00 +0000

Here are some pictures from Sunday's "Hot in Africa but Chili in Wisconsin" Chili Throw Down. Many Restaurants donated the food. You can see the list on the right under "ZimPact 2011 Partners." The pictures on the left are of some of the people that came. They are part of our "Home Team."

Behind every mission team is a great support team. Our journey to Africa would be impossible without the team at home supporting us in prayer and in gifts. It is impossible to calculate the longterm benefit of this "Home Team" for the trip and beyond.

Often, short term missions trips are centered around one-time projects. A team will go for a week or so and put up a building or run a children's program. But when the couple of weeks are over, the mission work is over. Our Zimbabwe trip is different.

Our trip is a "Vision Trip." We are going to Zimbabwe to build relationships with people and understand their needs. We are building relationships with people who are in need of encouragement. When the team returns to the States, we will begin new projects for our churches to support. The "mission" part of the trip actually begins after the team gets home from Zimbabwe.

So, our Home Team is really important. Not only did our Home Team send us with prayers and gifts, but our Home Team will be part of a larger ministry team later.

We are so thankful for the support and gifts given by so many to send us, and we look forward to sharing new ways to partner with Zimbabwe Christians in their effort to share Christ's love.

The Momentum of HIV/AIDS

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:04:00 +0000

Here is an illustration of the effect HIV/AIDS is having in the continent of Africa.

First Aid 4 AIDS - Foundations for Farming

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Imagine what life might be like without work or food while at the same time be challenged by the fatigue of chronic illness. Sometimes we experience one or two of these problems at a time, but rarely do we experience all three. If we do, we experience a deep physical, emotional and spiritual lethargy in our lives. Along with illness and the burn of hunger comes insomnia, family issues, irritation and stress.

One of the ways to help a situation like this is to bring relief to one of the problems. Presently, there isn't a cure for HIV/AIDS and sustainable employment is scarce in Zimbabwe. However, food and nutrition can be addressed. Further, the hunger in the soul for God can be met.

Nutrition and full stomachs are two aspects of healthy living that we take for granted. But for a person with HIV, nutrition or the lack of it is the difference between life and death.

Foundations for Farming is an initiative aimed to bring transformation to individuals, communities and nations through faithful and productive use of the land. The outcome of HIV is poor nutrition and nutrition is a key ingredient to the health of an HIV patient. Foundations for Farming is an agricultural teaching tool used by churches and missions to train people in successful and sustainable farming. The organization not only enables people to sustain their families with a good crop, but gives them the hope-seeds of the gospel. This is an active discipleship ministry that uses farming techniques to teach spiritual principles. As people learn to farm they learn to follow Christ. As their gardens are transformed into harvest, their lives, homes, and communities are transformed by Jesus Christ.

Foundations for Farming is one of the "partnership" ideas that we are investigating. Maybe God will equip us to help the African Church feed both the body and the soul.

First Aid 4 AIDS - The Zimbabwean Church

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:52:00 +0000

Imagine if half of the people in your community were sick and dying without hope. Further imagine that 90% of your community was unemployed. How would your community or neighborhood make a difference? The best resource for this kind of situation would be a church. The church is local, regional and international. The church has a network of resources at its disposal. The church is instructed to be compassionate and caring. The church is instructed to act upon a high moral standard and ethics. The church has a transformational message that brings hope not just to the body but the soul.

The Church in Zimbabwe is the key piece in HIV/AIDS intervention in Zimbabwe. It is local and has the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Without the participation and ownership of the local church, the HIV crisis will continue to destroy Zimbabwe. Any outside efforts will be weak unless the national church leads this effort. Zimbabwean churches are filled with people carrying HIV and are located in communities devastated by the disease. The followers of Jesus Christ in Zimbabwe are beginning to understand their role as caretakers of people and ambassadors of the gospel.

If this struggle were happening in one of our communities, we would be devastated. The church in our community would be overwhelmed and would need help to provide resources. So too is the church in Zimbabwe. It needs access to resources so that it can do the job it has been called to do. Our team is going to learn if we can be one of their resources for encouragement, help and prayer.

Partnerships Bring Help

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:13:00 +0000

Because the need is so great in Zimbabwe, one organization cannot possibly undertake the task of meeting it. The effort to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Zimbabwe is an international one. However, the group that is moving to the center stage in this struggle is the African Church. The local Zimbabwean church has the capacity to deliver personal and long-term care to the sufferers of this difficult disease.

Surrounding the African church is a group of mission organizations, health-care providers, nutritional and agricultural mentors, teachers, and advocates in Zimbabwe called the ANESU Partnership. The ANESU Partnership is a network of people sponsored by The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) who are committed to assist the Zimbabwean church in their task.

Another important component of this mission effort is an alliance of churches around the world that are joining with the Zimbabwean church by becoming advocates and prayer partners. This loose group of churches, called the ZITA Alliance, are seeking ways to connect to the Zimbabwean church and the ANESU Partnership in order to help and assist in the effort.

Our trip to Zimbabwe in a couple of weeks is an attempt to assist the Zimbabwean church in their difficult work of meeting needs. Below is a picture of our team. (Top Left: Pastor Ron Christiansen, Karen Sautbine, Jessie Eickman, Jim Young. Bottom Left: Olen Johnson, Dave Nelson, Sarah Gustafson, Bruce Stiver)

East Troy Bible Church Team
Also Represented: The Chapel in Marlboro, OH
Antioch Evangelical Free Church, OH

http://www.teamworld.org/serve/7-open-doors/44-hivaids-zimbabwe.html

http://hivaidsafrica.blogspot.com/

8 People Travel to Zimbabwe

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Christiansen) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:53:00 +0000

ZimPact 2011 Vision Trip

March 18 - April 3

On March 18th, 6 people from the East Troy Bible Church, 1 person from The Chapel in Marlboro, and 1 person from Antioch EFC will travel to the African nation, Zimbabwe.

Our goal for the 2011 Zimbabwe Vision Trip is to assess how we can partner with the Zimbabwean Church to aid in their efforts to be salt and light to their communities affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

1. To See – to witness the devastation of disease and poverty.

2. To Touch – to visit and fellowship with people in crisis.

3. To Feel – to experience the heart of mercy for people.

4. To Grow – in our spiritual wisdom and understanding of Christ.

5. To Pray – to visit with God and understand His perspective on the lost, the least, the lonely, and the littlest.

6. To Enjoy – to worship, pray and minister with the African church in new and fresh ways.

7. To Trust – to refresh our confidence in God’s good provision.

8. To Challenge – to stretch our imagination of our role in our world, region, town, and family.

There is a frantic global effort to address HIV AIDS. But any efforts to eradicate AIDS will only prolong the inevitable - death - not just death but spiritual death - separation from the Life Giver. ARVs, money, orphanages, nutrition are all an effort to bring a slice of heaven to earth so that people will want to join God in His kingdom. If they never experience a little heaven in the middle of the curse, they will never thirst for heaven, but instead some other vain thing or idol.

Our job is to get back down to the level of the curse and look at it, see it, smell it, taste it and grieve over it. In the midst of the grief, we can bring the glory and hope of Jesus Christ by caring, listening and comforting. We bear the image of God. We bear His Word. We bear the Spirit of God. We bear the hope of Eternity. We bear the name above all names - Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors, His priesthood, His body, His bride, His family, His rulers, His hands and His voice.

Scenes from the Zimbabwean Landscape