Smiletrain – Facial Reconstruction
A few months ago we saw an advertisement in a Manila newspaper about FREE Cleft pallet operations in Manila for the poor. We investigated, and whilst new completely free, we did find a world wide NGO who does the said operations just on the other side of Manila.
We began to take a small muslim boy, Mohummad through the process of tests and screenings in order for him to get a hair lip fixed. Below is a photo of him before and after…major improvement. With the success of this operation it opens the door for us to facilitate for what might potentially be dozens of similar operations, as there are numerous cases like this in our slum alone. It’s great when you find a system that works, as everything is not always as it is promoted to be.
Check out “Smiletrain” on the net, they look like they do a great job.
The Mission to Mindanao…SERIOUS CHALLENGE…
Hi there to all
I have just returned rom a visit to Mindanao, which began in a small coastal place called Kari Hatag. Tropical paradise, no roads, you have to get there by a small local style boat, stunning little place. I was there to check on a small sponsorship program that we have going there for 16 students. Our two local pastors, Pastor Rolly and Sharon have done a great job at running the program, reporting on all of the finances and using it as a means to evangelise and encourage the families in their faith. They have done a great job.
We then went down to Kabacan (half way bewteen Davao and Cotabato City, to finalise the planning of three Evangelistic Healing Meetings. Again we have been blessed with a great pastor down there, Pastor Dela Cruz. A man with a good heart. I liked him the first time I met him, which was maybe 6months ago, some people just stand out of the pack. So we began planning to have some meetings with an International Evangelist, Australian, Eddie Coe.
The meetings will take place early in december. In a 80% pure Muslim community. We are not sure if any Muslims will attend the meetings, but we are praying for that. But just being in an area dominated by the Islamic faith makes everything differant. The whole feel of the place is just differant, heavy and a bit uncomfortable (hard to explain). Once you start talking about reaching the Muslims you begin to hear all of the horror stories of beheadings and beatings. Numerous stories revolve around Muslim people who became christians, but did so in secret, but if they were found out, they were beheaded by their own community – no matter who they were. Stories about all of the white missionaries, who in an effort to reach the Muslim would come and give things (example computers to schools, sponsorship, medicines) in an effort to breach the gap and reach out to the Muslim communities. But they are only welcomed into those communities when they “give” and when they “don’t” ever mention Jesus Christ or christianity. If they don’t “give”, they won’t even get into the community, and even if they do “give”, but then go on to share Jesus, they are finished in that community, one srtike and you are out. The odd white guy who was by himself, who may of recieved a serious beating or even been beheaded himself. So the Muslims have really set up fear based methods of protecting their own.
I suppose we in the west have never had a reason to fear Muslims as we have never really had extremists living in our countries, but for the local Pastors and christians in Mindanao they have lived with this style of relegion for many, many years. Their view on reaching the Muslims, is very simple – YOU ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE TO GIVE, once you are dead, you are dead, you can’t reach anyone for Christ.
We say fear is a spirit and can be broken and overcome through prayer and faith – which is true, but breaking fear still would not keep you alive, it would give you the boldness to enter into to a situation that you would never of gone into, which might perhaps put you into a situation where you need something miraculous to happen.
I suppose the basic summary for reaching the Muslims is – “do what the Lord tells you to do” (a good standard for every area of our lives). If we go in with good intentions and false bravado, we ill probably fail. But if the Lord sends us with His Word and His Power, then that’s a differant story. One of the greatest challenges for modern christianity is “Nothing Jesus Christ did failed, He never attempted anything, He came up with no good ideas – He did what He saw His Father do, He operated completely in the power of the Holy Spirit, He was always successful”…we seem to come up with all these good ideas, raise funds for this and that, use medicines when He used Miracles…but we don’t have anywhere near the success that He had and still has today. We all need to be challenged to get back to prayer and then simply hear and obey. Is reaching the Muslims ith the message of Jesus a good idea…yes, but it needs to be much more than that if it is going to be successful.
But none the less we are looking forward to some great meetings and expecting God to do some great things amongst the locals. Please pray for the success of these meetings.
