Mission International                                             
 
 
View Online •  [April [2021]
 
 
 
Freedom!
 
Freedom is a word we love to use to describe our western civilisation.  We all remember Braveheart’s Mel Gibson as William Wallace yelling “They can take our lives, but they will never take our freedom”.  Freedom is important to us, no matter where we live.  Now as Lockdown  rules are being relaxed we are no doubt looking forward to the freedoms we took very much for granted not so long ago.   Freedom of speech is also an area which concerns us all, will we be able to be free to communicate with others as we have been used to, or is this about to be curtailed also?   

Many of our Mission International partners have not enjoyed the freedoms we have in the UK.  In one Islamic country where MI has a partner a family member has been jailed for 25 years and fined $1000 for allegedly burning a page of the Koran, when in fact he was burning old receipts in his shop yard, but as a Christian in that environment, his pleas were ignored.  He is currently about 10 years into his sentence.
In another country our partner, a Christian pastor, is forbidden from preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to any of the Islamic community that he lives amongst. His freedoms are curtailed also. 

Whether in Myanmar, where a Military Coup has removed the democratically elected government, or in Malawi, where Covid police brutally enforce lockdown, or in India where the extreme Hindus are brutalising and killing Christians, or in Pakistan where enslaved Christian brick factory workers are held for generations until the exorbitant interest is paid on small emergency loans, then we can see that our freedom is to be valued and encouraged.

As Christians the ultimate freedom; freedom from sin, is the Good News we proclaim.  Our Saviour Jesus Christ has made it possible for those who turn to Him to have their sins forgiven and their eternity secured.  The ultimate fellon; death, has been subdued and freedom has been won for those who turn to Christ.  We similarly to William Wallace can declare “You can take my life, but you can’t take my freedom”!
Romans 8:38-39 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hugh Henderson MBE
CEO Mission International
 
 
 
  HC  
The Hope Centre Burundi
 
During 2006 Hugh Henderson met Pastor Leonard Tuyishimire who had rescued around 40 orphan or lost children due to the war which was taking place in Burundi at that time.  He was unmarried when he gathered the children and so his wife to be, Jolene, was very brave to join him in looking after these children even when they as yet had no children of their own.
Hugh was astonished and challenged when he saw the conditions in which the children and Pastor Leonard were living.  A small house with little or no comforts in a very poor neighbourhood.   Pastor Leonard would go out begging every day to try to gather food and other essentials to try to help the ‘family’ survive. 
The Hope Centre turned out to be the first building project for Mission International, after the new organisation was set up in 2006.  Friends and family sent in funds and with the amazing help of the Carr family, who left their home and lives in Scotland, went out to Burundi to build the homes which are now the Hope Centre, in Gatumba, Burundi.

Recent Flooding:
We have recently received reports from our Burundi partner Rema Burundi to say that Gatumba, the township that the Hope Centre is located, has experienced severe flooding.  Gatumba sits close to the shores of Lake Tanganyika and when water levels are high, is subject to flooding from time to time, however the flood water levels are much higher than usual and so many people have had to be evacuated from their homes.   
When the Hope Centre was built it was feared that flooding may affect the homes and so the ground level was raised by about 2 metres to try to protect the new homes.  This has worked and to date no water has entered the Hope Centre homes, however since the local area is pretty much all under water it makes access to the homes almost impossible.
As a result of this it has been necessary to move all of the children out of the Hope Centre for a period of time until the waters subside. 
There is a cost to this safety measure since accommodation costs and school transport costs will need to be put in place to make sure the children are kept safe during the period when they are unable to enter the Hope Centre.  
It is expected that the Hope Centre will be vacated for a period of at least 3 months, increasing costs for rent, food and transport to get kids to school.  If you can help with this then you can donate on-line here.
 
 
Gatumba 
 
The mud streets in Gatumba are flooded releasing sewage from the many pit latrines used in these simple homes. Children playing in the contaminated water filled streets is very dangerous and is likely to cause diseases like cholera.
 

 

 
Hope Centre
 
Water flooded the low lying land adjacent to the Hope Centre (seen in the distance) thankfully the water has not risen so far as to damage the homes, but it makes access impossible, therefore the inhabitants have had to be evacuated.
 
 
  PRAY  
Please pray with us!
 
Hope Centre:
Please pray for the Hope Centre.   It has been a very challenging time for them.  Their normal routines have been interrupted, some of the children have been sent to stay with families in the church and that has caused them some issues, remembering that these are often severely traumatised children, orphaned or lost during the way years. To donate click here.

Malawi:
Farmers in Malawi can’t afford fertilisers for their crops.  The knock on effect of that is that there will be poor harvests and a rise in the cost of food across the country.  Those already struggling due to hunger as a result of the pandemic are likely to be further challenged.  The on-going strict enforced lockdown also makes it difficult for people to shop for food and for traders to do business creating a financial crisis across the country. To donate click here.

Mozambique:
Like Malawi, Mozambique is experiencing a period of severe hunger brought about by severe weather and by the effects of lockdown.  In addition to this parts of the country have become the target of Islamist extremists and so areas of the country find themselves subject to attacks in city and rural areas. Our Mozambique partners are connected to our Malawi Partners and so support for both countries is distributed where the needs arise. To donate click here

Kenya:

For more than a year Mission International has been supporting 26 families via our Kenya partner.   The village of Kandaria lies on the shores of Lake Victoria and has been flooded due to rising lake levels recently.   The residents of Kandaria are simple farmers and their only source of income, their land and animals, have been flooded leaving them homeless and hungry.  Thanks to MI donors there has been funds to feed these families every month since March 2020.  Please pray that the floods subside and that the families can return home and begin the work of rebuilding again.  To donate click here. 

Tanzania:
We are thankful to God for a recent successful trust application which has provided funds for the digging of 5 village water wells in rural Tanzania.  Funds will be used to bring clean, safe and plentiful water to villages who have suffered by having to cary water vey long distances and at times can only locate polluted water sources. Please pray that the Lord continues to provide for more clean water in more villages in Tanzania. To donate click here.  

Myanmar:
Myanmar is suffering greatly at present, due to a Military Coup which came into force on 1st February 202, the military taking power from a democratically elected government.   The country has been subject to night-time arrests, killings and beatings by military empower thugs and had seen unprecedented peaceful demonstrations by the people of Myanmar.  Some church leaders have been arrested and many people, including Christian believers, live in fear of what might happen to them.   Some have left the country as refugees to the countries bordering Myanmar (except China which appears to condone and support the Coup).  Please pray that the government will be reinstated soon and that those affected will be released from prison.  To donate click here

Bangladesh:
A recent successful application to a trust has made it possible for Mission International to support an income generating project in the Hill Track area of Bangladesh. The very poor local inhabitants will be able to develop their bush covered land and grow cash crops and therefore improve their income such that they can send their children to school and cover family medical costs etc.  Please pray for the on-going work of outreach in this part of the world and for the pastors and leaders who daily travel on foot into very remote areas to communicate the Gospel. To donate click here

India:
Recent news broadcasts shown the severe difficulties experiences due to Covid-19 in India.  Reports from MI partners in India are heartbreaking as many people have died due to the effects of the virus and there is little help to be found anywhere.  Please pray for our partners there, one of which has reported 23 pastors dying of Covid related issues in a four-day period.  Feeding the hungry and finding ways to alleviate the effects of the virus are crucial for so many.  To donate click here

Pakistan:
The challenges encountered by Christian believers in Pakistan can be severe.   One area that MI is focussing with our partner there is the feeding of very poor enslaved brick factory workers.  These people are indentured into slavery after having acquired a loan to pay for hospital fees or some other emergency.   The loan sharks get their money back by making them work long hours in brick factories, but instead of the loans being reduced daily/weekly/monthly, as repayments are made; the interest rates keep going up and the debts reneger paid off, even being handed down from generation to generation.   Mission International’s Mighty Meals program feeds these families when funds are available. Please pray that Pakistan will recognise in law the rights of Christians and outlaw the interest that loan sharks charge to the vulnerable and the poor.  To donate click here


 
 
The Hope Centre in happier times!

1. One of the Hope Centre homes.
2. Hope Centre 10th anniversary celebration.
3. One of the orphans now graduating. 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
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