May Mission Month – Malawi and Mozambique Team Update
God is working powerfully through the Global Interaction team serving among the Yawo. Hear from Kath in Mozambique and Tim in Malawi in this team update. You could even watch it with your church or small group.
Find more team update videos here: www.globalinteraction.org.au/TeamUpdates
Source: BUV News
LIFE MATTERS is a resource designed to stimulate thinking and discussion around a mutual topic of interest, and allowing the Bible to speak into that discussion in an interesting and engaging way.
Why was Jesus in constant conflict with the authority structures of his day?
Graduating from high school to university is a major life transition. It can be challenging academically, with greater academic expectations, and socially, in finding new friends and fitting in. Christian Union (CU), part of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES), supports Christian students in university. It is an "inter-denominational Christian club on campus … dedicated to following Jesus Christ, sharing that with others and making solid friendships.”
Christian Union students
There are a variety of events run through the week. The smallest gatherings are Prayer TnT’s (Triplets and Training), which are designed for prayer, support and training to share the Gospel. There are weekly bible studies along with public bible talks, currently looking at the Book of Matthew. There are also runs weekly forums with topical issues such as faith and science or the historical Jesus. There are also weekend camps for each faculty group, which provide a great opportunity to meet people and hang out in a casual and fun environment. Coming up to Easter, the various Christian groups at Melbourne uni. collaborate to organise ‘J week.’ The week is done to spread the Easter story about Jesus’ death and resurrection and what that means for us today. It includes handing out hundreds of free hot cross buns!
Universities are predominantly secular institutions. Some Christians experience hostility from their classmates or tutors toward their beliefs. Often Christianity is not taken seriously as valid worldview. However, university can also be a pluralistic and open minded environment. Many are open to hearing a Christian perspective on life and seeing if there is truth in the story of Jesus. It is a formative time for students to think about their identity and what they believe. At Melbourne University there are a multitude of religious and philosophical groups. Interestingly, CU has a good relationship with the Secular Society, which enables the two groups to build dialogue and exchange ideas.
CJ noted that when she began university she remembers being "so welcomed and encouraged by a supportive community of Christians who also helped me learn and grow in my walk with God.” When she had an opportunity to assume a greater leadership role she "wanted to make new students feel as loved and encouraged as I did when I first joined.” For CJ, "It’s really exciting to be part of a loving family with a missional focus who support and spur each other on in their faith and who want to see more come to be part of God’s kingdom."
Spence, former treasurer of CU, said that CU "gave me support of friends and staff workers who encouraged and supported me and challenged me to grow in my faith. Having opportunities to lead other students in studying the bible and sharing my faith with people who did not believe in God was really rewarding."
Bryn noted that he before being involved with CU he was a “very weak Christian” and saw Christianity merely as a “heap of moral lessons.” Upon joining CU he was transformed: "I was shown the grace of God through Jesus Christ in such a clear and captivating way. Because of its great impact on my life as a young university student I knew I wanted to work in this very ministry, and help students struggling in their faith to see Christ crucified and reach out to those who don’t yet know him.” Bryn notes that everything is “accessible and understandable” to help non-Christians and others understand what the Gospel means without theological jargon. He is now one of the CU staff on campus.
CU camp
One of my earliest submissions to the BUV blog was an article about the Mustard organisation, which supports Christian student groups in high schools. Mustard was a significant influence upon myself and my Christian friends during high school and helped us to witness to our non-Christian friends. Christian Union was recommended by many of my friends at church and beach mission, so I thought I’d get involved. It has already been a great source of community, friendship and intellectual discussion. It is a great support be part of a Christian community on campus and have Christian events to go to.
To conclude with Bryn’s words, "we hope to reach out to the campus with the good news of Jesus Christ, inviting students to respond in faith to Jesus’ death for them. We hope to build up existing Christians, helping them to see and know God more deeply and to live for him more fully! We lastly want to send out Christians into the workplace, churches and rest of their lives to live for God in all things.”
For more information see: http://www.melbourne.cu.org.au
or https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/clubs/christian-union/
Source: BUV News
Graduating from high school to university is a major life transition. It can be challenging academically, with greater academic expectations, and socially, in finding new friends and fitting in. Christian Union (CU), part of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES), supports Christian students in university. It is an "inter-denominational Christian club on campus … dedicated to following Jesus Christ, sharing that with others and making solid friendships.”
Christian Union students
There are a variety of events run through the week. The smallest gatherings are Prayer TnT’s (Triplets and Training), which are designed for prayer, support and training to share the Gospel. There are weekly bible studies along with public bible talks, currently looking at the Book of Matthew. There are also runs weekly forums with topical issues such as faith and science or the historical Jesus. There are also weekend camps for each faculty group, which provide a great opportunity to meet people and hang out in a casual and fun environment. Coming up to Easter, the various Christian groups at Melbourne uni. collaborate to organise ‘J week.’ The week is done to spread the Easter story about Jesus’ death and resurrection and what that means for us today. It includes handing out hundreds of free hot cross buns!
Universities are predominantly secular institutions. Some Christians experience hostility from their classmates or tutors toward their beliefs. Often Christianity is not taken seriously as valid worldview. However, university can also be a pluralistic and open minded environment. Many are open to hearing a Christian perspective on life and seeing if there is truth in the story of Jesus. It is a formative time for students to think about their identity and what they believe. At Melbourne University there are a multitude of religious and philosophical groups. Interestingly, CU has a good relationship with the Secular Society, which enables the two groups to build dialogue and exchange ideas.
CJ noted that when she began university she remembers being "so welcomed and encouraged by a supportive community of Christians who also helped me learn and grow in my walk with God.” When she had an opportunity to assume a greater leadership role she "wanted to make new students feel as loved and encouraged as I did when I first joined.” For CJ, "It’s really exciting to be part of a loving family with a missional focus who support and spur each other on in their faith and who want to see more come to be part of God’s kingdom."
Spence, former treasurer of CU, said that CU "gave me support of friends and staff workers who encouraged and supported me and challenged me to grow in my faith. Having opportunities to lead other students in studying the bible and sharing my faith with people who did not believe in God was really rewarding."
Bryn noted that he before being involved with CU he was a “very weak Christian” and saw Christianity merely as a “heap of moral lessons.” Upon joining CU he was transformed: "I was shown the grace of God through Jesus Christ in such a clear and captivating way. Because of its great impact on my life as a young university student I knew I wanted to work in this very ministry, and help students struggling in their faith to see Christ crucified and reach out to those who don’t yet know him.” Bryn notes that everything is “accessible and understandable” to help non-Christians and others understand what the Gospel means without theological jargon. He is now one of the CU staff on campus.
CU camp
One of my earliest submissions to the BUV blog was an article about the Mustard organisation, which supports Christian student groups in high schools. Mustard was a significant influence upon myself and my Christian friends during high school and helped us to witness to our non-Christian friends. Christian Union was recommended by many of my friends at church and beach mission, so I thought I’d get involved. It has already been a great source of community, friendship and intellectual discussion. It is a great support be part of a Christian community on campus and have Christian events to go to.
To conclude with Bryn’s words, "we hope to reach out to the campus with the good news of Jesus Christ, inviting students to respond in faith to Jesus’ death for them. We hope to build up existing Christians, helping them to see and know God more deeply and to live for him more fully! We lastly want to send out Christians into the workplace, churches and rest of their lives to live for God in all things.”
For more information see: http://www.melbourne.cu.org.au
or https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/clubs/christian-union/
Our Global Interaction team in Cambodia is quickly growing! Hear Catherine share about how the team is building relationships with local Khmer people in this team update video. You might even want to play it in your church.
Find more team update videos here: www.globalinteraction.org.au/TeamUpdates
Jesus says there is only one way to enter into heaven
I met Phillip on the second day of a whirlwind trip to Kenya last year. Like his father before him, Phillip had grown up poor.
“Life was difficult,” he says, remembering his childhood. “Illness was common due to poor diet and bad hygiene. We could take days without food and going to school was a struggle.”
Due to his family’s poverty, Phillip was unable to finish his education. And, as a primary school dropout, his life’s course seemed set.
You see, poverty is generational in Phillip’s part of the world. And it’s a cycle which is incredibly hard to break.
“The only job I could get was a casual job at construction sites,” Phillip explains, “But they are hard to get and very low paying.”
When Phillip became a dad himself, he felt the burden of his poverty more than ever. With a young family to provide for, he had no other choice but to travel 300km from home to Garissa city in search of work.
“It was very uncomfortable to work far away from my family,” Phillip says. “I could imagine how my little son missed my presence. And my wife had to do all the jobs (at home), even the ones I am supposed to do.”
Sadly, this is not an uncommon story for poor families like Phillip’s. But even in Garissa, he had trouble finding regular employment. Every cent he earned was put towards his family’s survival.
“It was very hard for my family to cope in life,” Phillip says, “I could not meet the basic family needs.”
And then, in 2013 something happened which changed life for Phillip and his family… forever. His casual job had ended, and without any other work to keep him in Garissa, Phillip decided to come home.
“When I arrived,” he remembers, “I found an organisation had started constructing a project with the community. A sand dam at a nearby river!”
Sand dams are simple structures, built across seasonal, sandy rivers. They are designed to “catch” water-laden sand during the rainy season, so families can have a stable source of clean water all year round. (Families collect water by digging in the seemingly dry riverbed.) It is an incredibly smart and cost effective way to give whole communities a nearby water source.
With no other jobs available to him, Phillip decided to put his skills in construction to good use and join the project as a volunteer. And that’s how he connected with the organisation helping his community to build the sand dam, our Christian partner in the field, ADS Eastern.
With the help of ADS Eastern, Phillip received all sorts of training. From learning to breed indigenous goats with larger goats that produce more milk (which means more income), to agricultural training which has changed the way he farms.
“I used to… get a total of three bags in a season,” says Phillip. “(But) through these trainings I learnt that rains in our area are erratic and we need to grow drought tolerance seed.”
By diversifying his crop, and growing hardier drought resistant varieties, Phillip has multiplied his harvest to seven 90kg bags!
Today Phillip has a flourishing farm. He has earned enough to multiply 1 goat to 23 and he has even started keeping chickens.
“I have 20 chicken,” he says. “Keeping chicken has improved life in my family because (by selling them) they are quick cash to cater for basic need.”
But Phillip’s successes are not limited to his farm. Through his involvement on the sand dam project, he was also nominated to train as a sand dam artisan. And as a fully qualified artisan, Phillip now receives payment for the jobs he works on… which helped him build a new home for his family!
But what is even more impressive, is that through these sand dams, he has helped give more than 800 people in drought prone Kenya a reliable source of water. What an incredible multiplication of impact!
“I feel very happy,” he says, “I am honoured when I see people fetching water from the sand dams.”
Through Baptist World Aid’s annual Matching Grant Appeal, your gifts are matched with an Australian Government aid grant and are used to fund life-changing work like this possible.
By matching your gifts with the Australian Government aid grant, it can have up to six times the impact for poor families like Phillip’s. But best of all, your generosity helps dads like Phillip to multiply impact themselves.
“I am very happy,” Phillip says. “I do walk chest forward knowing that I can provide at least all the needs of my family as a true African man.”
Phillip no longer worries about his children having a childhood like his own… because he has made sure that his family’s story of poverty ends with him.
Help dads like Phillip break generational poverty. Give to Baptist World Aid’s Matching Grant Appeal today. baptistworldaid.org.au/matching-grant
I met Phillip on the second day of a whirlwind trip to Kenya last year. Like his father before him, Phillip had grown up poor.
“Life was difficult,” he says, remembering his childhood. “Illness was common due to poor diet and bad hygiene. We could take days without food and going to school was a struggle.”
Due to his family’s poverty, Phillip was unable to finish his education. And, as a primary school dropout, his life’s course seemed set.
You see, poverty is generational in Phillip’s part of the world. And it’s a cycle which is incredibly hard to break.
“The only job I could get was a casual job at construction sites,” Phillip explains, “But they are hard to get and very low paying.”
When Phillip became a dad himself, he felt the burden of his poverty more than ever. With a young family to provide for, he had no other choice but to travel 300km from home to Garissa city in search of work.
“It was very uncomfortable to work far away from my family,” Phillip says. “I could imagine how my little son missed my presence. And my wife had to do all the jobs (at home), even the ones I am supposed to do.”
Sadly, this is not an uncommon story for poor families like Phillip’s. But even in Garissa, he had trouble finding regular employment. Every cent he earned was put towards his family’s survival.
“It was very hard for my family to cope in life,” Phillip says, “I could not meet the basic family needs.”
And then, in 2013 something happened which changed life for Phillip and his family… forever. His casual job had ended, and without any other work to keep him in Garissa, Phillip decided to come home.
“When I arrived,” he remembers, “I found an organisation had started constructing a project with the community. A sand dam at a nearby river!”
Sand dams are simple structures, built across seasonal, sandy rivers. They are designed to “catch” water-laden sand during the rainy season, so families can have a stable source of clean water all year round. (Families collect water by digging in the seemingly dry riverbed.) It is an incredibly smart and cost effective way to give whole communities a nearby water source.
With no other jobs available to him, Phillip decided to put his skills in construction to good use and join the project as a volunteer. And that’s how he connected with the organisation helping his community to build the sand dam, our Christian partner in the field, ADS Eastern.
With the help of ADS Eastern, Phillip received all sorts of training. From learning to breed indigenous goats with larger goats that produce more milk (which means more income), to agricultural training which has changed the way he farms.
“I used to… get a total of three bags in a season,” says Phillip. “(But) through these trainings I learnt that rains in our area are erratic and we need to grow drought tolerance seed.”
By diversifying his crop, and growing hardier drought resistant varieties, Phillip has multiplied his harvest to seven 90kg bags!
Today Phillip has a flourishing farm. He has earned enough to multiply 1 goat to 23 and he has even started keeping chickens.
“I have 20 chicken,” he says. “Keeping chicken has improved life in my family because (by selling them) they are quick cash to cater for basic need.”
But Phillip’s successes are not limited to his farm. Through his involvement on the sand dam project, he was also nominated to train as a sand dam artisan. And as a fully qualified artisan, Phillip now receives payment for the jobs he works on… which helped him build a new home for his family!
But what is even more impressive, is that through these sand dams, he has helped give more than 800 people in drought prone Kenya a reliable source of water. What an incredible multiplication of impact!
“I feel very happy,” he says, “I am honoured when I see people fetching water from the sand dams.”
Through Baptist World Aid’s annual Matching Grant Appeal, your gifts are matched with an Australian Government aid grant and are used to fund life-changing work like this possible.
By matching your gifts with the Australian Government aid grant, it can have up to six times the impact for poor families like Phillip’s. But best of all, your generosity helps dads like Phillip to multiply impact themselves.
“I am very happy,” Phillip says. “I do walk chest forward knowing that I can provide at least all the needs of my family as a true African man.”
Phillip no longer worries about his children having a childhood like his own… because he has made sure that his family’s story of poverty ends with him.
Help dads like Phillip break generational poverty. Give to Baptist World Aid’s Matching Grant Appeal today. baptistworldaid.org.au/matching-grant
Source: BUV News