Impact Christmas with the New International Teams Christmas Catalogue

The beginning of this year’s Christmas season has given the program staff of International Teams Canada a new reason to celebrate: the launch of the Christmas Catalogue, a brand new initiative designed to provide an opportunity for ITCA supporters and weary Christmas shoppers to purchase more meaningful Christmas gifts.

Neil Ostrander, CEO of International Teams Canada, says that the story of how Sharon's family transformed their Christmas traditions really touched the hearts of staff at the national office. “Her personal testimony of what it means to give a more meaningful gift – including doing the research and finding that perfect charitable cause that connects with each family member – helped inspire us to do likewise. I'm following Sharon's lead this Christmas and I encourage everyone else to do so as well.”

The catalogue, officially launched in the middle of November, contains over 100 unique items specially selected by program leaders to make a lasting impact by providing education, healthcare, food, clean water, or vocational opportunities to widows, orphans, and refugees around the globe. Gifts are available from each of the twelve Impact programs, and include everything from ice cream for street kids in Iraq and sewing training for widows in the Philippines, to milk and bread for orphans in Kenya-Nyahururu, medical insurance for refugees in Rwanda, and Bibles for pastors in Sudan.

Marcee Groen, the Co-Director of International Programs, believes the magic in the Christmas Catalogue is the insight it provides into what is really happening around the world. “It shows the practical, hands-on activity that is taking place and will increase understanding of what International Teams is doing. With increased support, program leaders will be able to keep their projects and initiatives strong and consistent. The items I really love are the ones that build micro-enterprises or supplement the incomes of workers in the countries. By purchasing a sewing machine and materials for a woman, we increase their income and their dignity. Providing food and nutrition for students is fantastic too. It's such a simple way to increase a child's chances at academic success while promoting good health at the same time.”

Brett Ostrander, Host Country Program Leader in the Philippines, says the variety of items and the wide range of price points will allow people to engage specifically with their passions this Christmas. “People can pick items closest to what’s in their hearts, or to the heart of the person receiving the gift. The whole idea is very simple, yet very powerful! Small regular donations to something like the catalogue are a really great way to engage with a program’s key focus, opening doors that might otherwise remain closed.”

To make a purchase from the catalogue, visit www.iteams.ca/catalogue or click the link below. Simply add one or more items to your cart, click checkout, and check your inbox for a confirmation email and the opportunity to send a Christmas e-card to friends and family.

Check out the Christmas Catalogue!

Facebook available for free on mobile phones in much of the developing world

Just came across this...
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=391295167130

Looks like a list of about 50 countries in the developing world that now have Facebook for free on mobile phones (ie. no data charges). 

Should be interesting to see how this impacts many of the people we work with.  Now people with almost nothing who live in squatter communities in the Philippines can access facebook on their cell phones.

May also open up new avenues for ministry in those countries too.

Interesting stuff to be praying about.


Steve.

Steve's Update

What an exciting several months we have had.

In the office, I'm continuing to work on various computer-related projects for the office.  We've been improving our email systems. We're in the process of re-shaping various online systems as we seek to stay relevant to the next generation in a world of social media.  We're excited by the possibilities this brings in terms of education, giving, communication, and mobilization in this generation. We're also updating various internal systems, and working on various other projects to better enable our staff and missionaries to serve in the areas God has called them.

Outside the office, much has been happening too.  Grace and I have been seeking ways to be relevant in the community God has placed us.  We are so excited by the opportunities in our neighborhood.  It's quite the international mission field.

We've been connecting with internationals, at-risk families, single parents, and various others that God has placed in our lives. There are several that are now showing an interest in coming to our church and/or life group. 

At the same time, God has been hard at work in our lives, teaching, stretching, molding us into his image.  That's a hard thing at times! Working through our brokenness is humbling, painful, and sometimes lonely.  But it's often in the brokenness that God is able to do incredible things.  It's often there that we see Him glorified.

Thanks so much for your prayer and support of our family. You are all such an important part of what we do.  Please continue to pray:

• protection - we have an enemy seeking to steal, kill, and destroy. Pray for our whole family.
• wisdom in the work Steve is doing at the office
• guidance and opportunities in the ministry we have in our community

Thanks so much!

Steve.

Deep Thoughts

Last Friday, we did a spring cleaning at the office -- cleaning windows, lights, etc., as well as going through our storage room -- organizing, and getting rid of stuff we don't need anymore.

One of the things we've had there for years is a bunch of boxes of t-shirts that someone gave us to pass on to the less fortunate around the world.  We have over the years sent these sorts of things with missionaries and short term teams to distribute to people they're working with.  And the poorest of the poor out there are often happy to receive a new shirt, even if it has some odd thing printed on it. 

So why not these?  Well the shirts were advertising flea medication for dogs.  The sorts of people who are happy to wear strange shirts are usually also the same people who cannot afford medicine for themselves and/or their children, let alone an animal.  The shirt would be a constant reminder of how poor they are, and how rich we are.

It got me thinking about how privileged we are here in Canada. We buy the "export quality", or grade-A products from other countries, and leave the bruised, low-quality stuff for the locals.  We want to pay less, and get more. And we really don't want to know how businesses manage to deliver on that.  We complain about how bad our health care is, even though we have it far better than over 80% of the world. We expect nothing but the best, and call it charity when we give our junk away.

Yes, I'm generalizing here.  Some are certainly worse than others.  Some are incredibly generous.  Some are committed to buying fair-trade.  And finding good ways to use things we no longer need is a good thing.  But our western society seems to have pretty high expectations of what we "deserve", while hardly even thinking about how we impact the majority of the world who has so much less.  I know I'm more guilty of this than I would like to admit.

The divide is huge. The needs are many.  And not just financial. Poverty has many forms. Spiritual. Moral. Physical. Emotional. Relational. Visible and invisible. Our own western society is just as needy as any other. We have much to give. How much more do we have to learn?

Grace's Space

Right now, life is pretty..um..abundant. Jesus said that He came so that we might have life and have it abundantly. I think it's safe to say that we are experiencing that abundance right now in all areas of our life except perhaps for sleep. Sleep seems to be the one thing that we could always use more of around here.

Some wise people have said that before God calls you into something new, you first have to be called out of where you are. That phrase could probably be used to sum up our fall journey. Over the course of a month or so, I was catapulted out of my church bubble and into the real world. Before, the majority of my relationship time was spent with friends from within the church. Now, most of my friendships are with people in my community. Some of these relationships have been in process for several years, while others are brand new.

Three years ago, my kids and I followed a young mom through our complex so we could meet her baby. About two weeks ago, she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. Yesterday we started shopping for her wedding dress. May I say how much I love looking for wedding dresses?

Yesterday we had an impromptu dinner party with our neighbors. We were celebrating one month of them being in Canada. Although this is a brand spanking new friendship, I think we have shared more meals with them in the past month than with any of our other friends. Over the past several months, having people over for dinner has become a constant. I think we're averaging about once a week, but I'm not quite sure. Either way, I am having a lot of fun feeding both new and old friends. Our home is becoming a safe welcoming place for people to drop in and be fed. Unfortunately, I'm still working on the clean part.

After attending a birth in November, I stepped out in faith and registered for a doula training course. Although this has been the next step in my long-term plans, I was scared. Much of the process calls for me to step out of my comfort zone, something that has been becoming smaller and smaller over the last couple of years. My wonderful husband really came alongside me to help this happen. He's arranged childcare for when I had a birth, went with me to Toronto for the training, encouraged me when I was discouraged, prayed for me often and has just generally been wonderful. I attended my first birth as a doula in March and am currently on call for the next. After the March birth, I have become much more confident in many areas of my life, including driving. I have two years in which to complete the certification requirements which include attending 3 births. In November, I worried about how I would get my births in, but now it looks like I may have all three by fall. That boggles my mind! God is good!

As my life picks up speed, I'm struggling to maintain balance. Please pray for me that I will develop good habits, especially around rest and nutrition. As I have added more children to my life, finding and maintaining a quiet place has been challenging. After sustaining a head trauma this fall, my headaches/migraines have become more frequent. I would greatly appreciate prayer for physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Kids Corner

As winter turns to spring, we are seeing our kids grow and flower just like my garden. They are continuing to grow both physically and as people. As a result, we are learning to pray and lean on God much more!

Aris will be 7 next month! Wow! She continues to enjoy school, especially geometry and science. She will be participating in her very first science fair today. After much thought, Aris decided to do an experiment. Although we helped, she demonstrated great initiative and independence. Aris continues to make new friends both at school and at home. She is very compassionate and friendly. Unfortunately, Aris has been struggling physically, emotionally and scholastically the last several months. Please pray for complete healing for our lovely little girl.

Zane is currently upside down. At almost 5, he is a little monkey. Even in his sleep we find him experimenting with new ways of experiencing the world (sideways, upside down, etc). Zane mostly enjoys school and is excited to be reading and writing "just" like his big sister. He is also very proud of having his art work on the bulletin board at home. He has a new best friend, our new neighbor, whom he enjoys loving on. He is also enjoying riding his new bike and is looking forward to participating in this year's Ride for Refuge. Please pray for Zane as he continues to learn moderation, self-control and obedience.

Our baby is now 2 years old! Kian turned two at the end of February. Bit by bit, he is becoming a big boy. His favorite things include climbing, running (typically away from Mommy), chocolate and zerberts. Although he is very spirited, he is also very sweet with the best giggles. Kian is beginning to speak in sentences and is increasingly independent as he tries to be just like his siblings. He is also determined to be toilet-trained. So far we haven't had any success, unless peeing in the tub counts, but Kian has decided that he wants to use the toilet. We're just following his lead. Please pray for Kian as he learns patience and obedience.

A Strong Sense of Place

Enoka Dumo (50) was born to Sudanese parents in the Adjumani refugee camp in northern Uganda during the war. When Enoka's children grew up, they applied for refugee status in Australia and escaped the camp. Enoka, however, turned down the offer. He believes he is called to lead his people.

Enoka is the national leader of Impact Southern Sudan and the Director of SERM, an International Teams partner organization that equips and trains pastors. International Teams provided SERM with bicycles that they use to deliver the gospel to neighbouring villages and tribes. In addition, with the help of International Teams, Enoka is building schools for his people in Kajo Keji, Southern Sudan.

In thousands of villages across Africa, children fortunate enough to afford uniforms attend mud-walled schools with straw roofs. Every year during the rainy season the entire structure is weakened or often washed away and must be rebuilt.

With the help of International Teams, Enoka is rebuilding schools out of solid brick with galvanized steel roofs.

The government and local leaders have even started to take notice. Nevertheless, in spite of being a respected elder in his community, every weekend Enoka crosses the border back into Uganda to his home in the Adjumani refugee camp. Enoka's strong sense of place and commitment to his people keeps him in Kajo Keji and Adjumani building schools, preaching the gospel and leading his people.

You can help Enoka build schools in Southern Sudan. To donate to this great program, go to https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/donate.aspx?EventID=26061&LangPref=en-CA.

International Teams Intern: 'It's a Great Life'

"Being an intern with International Teams has changed me in a million ways," said Intern, Julia Clark. "I'm more thankful for the great way that I was raised. I see things that I took for granted. I have more of a desire to get involved with God's kingdom work globally."

Julia has worked with refugees in Kenya since 2006 as part of a multi-national team composed of Canadian, Kenyan, Filipina, Nigerian, and American workers.

Julia's team conducts literacy, ESL, Bible studies and sewing classes. They offer counseling, organize community development projects and advocate on behalf of refugees, primarily women and children. They raise money for student scholarships, uniforms, books and lunches. The team serves refugees from Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Congo and the Great Lakes region of eastern Africa.

"I feel very blessed to be able to work as an intern in Kenya. To go where God leads is the beginning of a great adventure and the best place you could be in. I'm a relational person so working in Kenya and meeting people--it's a great life."