Kim Loney: Celebrating 20+ Years of Service

Many people know Kim Loney, here in Canada and around the world. Kim comes from a “ministry family” and her parents Claude and Marion have been a  positive influence in my life. I remember well hearing the news that Claude had passed suddenly from this life to the presence of the Lord. His funeral, July 1996 was a wonderful tribute to a Godly man, his family and his legacy.

Marion too has made a big impact in my journey! She’s been a personal councilor, a friend, a teacher, a retreat speaker and a person who cares for the people on my team. Like her parents, Kim has made a big impact on me and on IT Canada. She brings experience from life and mission from many countries, along with her studies and research through several institutions. In short, I trust her instincts and decisions.

Many serving in mission will tell the story of being “recruited” by Kim Loney.  And by the way, it was Kim who invited Yvonne and me to “come and see” her work in Europe. That first trip led to new vision, a new set of decisions and 20 years later, we are leading the people of IT together.  

They can Take My Home, But they Can't take my Future!

They can Take My Home, But they Can't take my Future!: " by Jen Kamari

That is the slogan on the banner outside the UNHCR office here in Kigali, commemorating World Refugee Day... which is TODAY!

A day to bring awareness to the world of the plight of over 43 million people who have been forcefully displaced for their home .. as the UNHCR puts it (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)

What is a refugee?

A refugee is a person - man, woman, or child - who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence.

We have been to church this morning, been out for brunch at a local coffee shop when on the way home I saw this banner flying, and decided that I needed to write and do my part to bring awareness - but more so to share about our ministry in the Kiziba Refugee Camp here in Rwanda.

My first trip into the Kiziba refugee camp was in April 2003 and we have been going there ever since. In my first visit I listened to the pastors plead with me, to help them learn the Word of God so that someday when they were able to return to their homeland and villages, they would be more learned and able to better bring people to Christ.

Kiziba is home to 20,000 refugees - mostly Congolese. They have been in this camp for over 10 years now, just waiting, hoping, praying that the unrest in Eastern Congo would 'disappear' so they could return home. They live everyday in hope...

In the meantime, I think some incredible things have happened in the camp which we and International Teams have been privileged to be part of.

We have intentionally trained pastors and key church leaders for the past four years and will continue to. The 15 denominations have come together to form a ministerial to work together in ministry in the camp. A HUGE answer to our prayers ... they have understood that they can do more together than individually! (Me walking with some pastors and key leaders in the camp.)

Because the pastors and key leaders came together, the youth have also come together. About three years ago they came to us, speaking of their passion to evangelize and be Jesus hands and feet in the camp... would we fund their projects. NOPE!... but we trained them to develop small business plans challenging them to think how they could tap into the camp economy. They have done that and it's been SO fun to see them realize they didn't need a hand-out, they needed someone to come alongside them and help them.

(Some key youth leaders in the camp.)

They are charging cell phones! (We / International Teams got them a generator and some power bars) Before they would walk 2 hours ONE WAY to charge their phone!

They opened a haircutting salon... or saloon as they call it :-) (We got them equipment)

They realized that when they went to share the Good News of the Gospel in the camp, the people could not hear them because they were SO hungry... so they planted a garden. From the money they earned from the cell phone charging and the hair salon, they bought THEIR OWN seeds and even hired people to work the land!! SWEET!

We just learned last week that they have harvested 400 kg of cabbage, 300kg onions, 250 kg potatoes - ALOT!! and gave the food to the poorest in the camp.

With the money they make, they also pay the rent, buy fuel for the generator AND they have fixed up a couple very dilapidated homes occupied by widows.

PAST cool I tell you!!!

Last year we learned that the education in the camp has changed drastically. LONG story... but the short of it, if a child doesn't pass the National Exam for Grade 6, the UN is finished to pay for their schooling. A kid could have passed grade 6 in school and just not passed the national exam... they are REALLY hard. Done school at 12 years old! (Pray for Prince, he is preparing to write his in October.)

Serge and I were moved by this. Without education, how can one break the cycle of poverty and destitution that they are in? So, we decided we needed to do something about it.

This is our second year to sponsor 19 students in the Kiziba Refugee camp. Not many when you consider the hundreds that are not sponsored BUT these are 19 of the brightest students in the camp who are not on the streets and hence are not being subject to prostitution, drugs. They have a chance, they have hope...

I feel like what I have written really doesn't capture it all... but trust me, God is at work in the camp and we are blessed to be part of it.

If you want to check out more on what the UN says about refugees in Rwanda, check out this link. http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e45c576

I trust that you are moved to be thankful to God for your home, your family, your future... pray for the refugees in our world today, pray for us as we minister to refugees in Rwanda.

Should you want to give financially towards the ministry in Kiziba Camp, go to http://www.iteams.ca/impact_rwanda.php

"

A Time of Transition for the London Urban Network

A Time of Transition for the London Urban Network: "
LONDON, ONTARIO - The London Urban Network may be undergoing some changes at the end of May but much of the work begun by Dave Henderson and his colleagues will continue in 2010 and beyond..


As Dave and Allie Henderson make plans to move to Vancouver for Allie’s medical school residency, Dave says he is sad to leave the work in London but is also encouraged by what God has done in such a short time. He considers himself privileged to see how Christians all over the city are reaching out to bring Christ’s love to refugees who face loneliness, poverty, and injustice.

“The idea behind this initiative was always that I would work myself out of a job as churches took on the role of community transformation. I don’t think any of us expected the work to last only 2 years and there is still much to be done, but fortunately most of the work that has been started can continue.”

Founded in 2008 as a partnership between North Park Community Church and International Teams Canada, the goal of the Network has been to serve, support, and encourage churches as they reach out to the refugee and low-income communities around them. Many of the activities started in partnership with local churches will continue in 2010, like the unique Huron Street Cultural Market, and the youth soccer and the Wednesday night kids’ program run by Stoney Creek Church and Knollwood Church. A number of churches in the Limberlost area (Gateway, the Meeting House Home Church, and Trinity Presbyterian) hope to continue to work together with the Limberlost Chaplaincy. London will also be a host city for the Ride for Refuge later this year.

Dave initially became more involved in the London community when he started volunteering with youth programs at the Life Resource Centre, and says he is excited to see that work continue to grow and evolve. “My volunteer work gave me something practical to do, and it ended up making a huge difference in my faith. I learned a lot about Jesus and love and judgment through doing this, so I’m excited when I see other people or churches in London catch that and take it on and get excited about it. Often it changes them as much as it changes the refugees.”

What’s next for Dave? He says he will be looking for a job in Vancouver once he and Allie are settled there. It is obviously a bittersweet transition and Dave expects to miss his daily interactions with the diverse group of refugees in London. “I’m going to miss being surrounded by people from all around the globe, being exposed to new people and new cultures. Every day I’ve seen and worked with and talked with people from Congo, Burma, Iraq, Sudan, and all over the world.”

"

Birthdays and Courage

Yvonne and I had a great time with Gerry Fowler, family, friends and Gerry's church community called Bethel Chapel ... all located in beautiful Sault Ste Marie. Gerry is a very capable board chair, friend and all-around travelling buddy. As I joked with his friends, "I've shared a room with Gerry and heard him snore on several continents and in many languages!" Let me dare to say that we make a great team as board chair and CEO and I look forward to more years working together.

Gerry invests in the lives of people, families and his community. His birthday celebration was filled with the love of family and friends, and that was a simple but profound tribute to Gerry's investment strategy. Yvonne and I had some great conversations but none more meaningful than our conversations (over two days) with Debbie and Dave Yule. They have a deep faith and great courage as they face Debbie's cancer along with the barrage of appointments, treatments, life-altering changes and the ever-present fear that Dave could become a single parent!

People question faith when they see us in the normal stuff of life. People doubt the love of God in the midst of tough circumstances on a personal or global scale. But it is difficult to doubt the courage found in faith that you encounter in the presence of Debbie and Dave. To be clear, they do not think of themselves as special, or so-called saints. No, they see themselves as ordinary people who do not seek to stand out in any way. But somewhere along this journey, a local community rallied with prayer and action, and then a larger community joined in. Now they journey together loving, supporting and learning through challenges of life and a life-threatening disease.

From a distance, many of us join this journey by praying. You can too! Check out their Facebook group for updates.  Please Pray for Debbie.

A New Idea

A Reflective post by my son Brett ... from his blog "Life in Manila" 

A New Idea: "Yesterday I was in class and we did this Bible reflection thing called 'Lectio Divina.' After relaxing ourselves and our minds, our teacher read a paraphrased version of Genesis 1:1-6, then paused, then read it again. After the second reading we were to write what stuck out, or was special to us, or really anything. I am ADHD, which means I don't sit still, I have a hard time paying attention to a speaker, and the 'H' stands for hyperactive which speaks for itself. For me to calm my brain down and meditate is border line impossible. But I gave it my best, because I know the importance of slowing everything down and just focusing on God. I did ok, but I think I would have needed a much longer amount of time.

One thing that blew me away was my classmate's reflections. A Korean classmate humbled me with an amazing insight and beautiful poem. I am actually going to try and post it here because it was so wonderful. But after listening, suddenly I had an idea to write a series of reflections on the glory of God. I want to take some of my favorite passages and write about how it displays the glory of God. Sometimes we can get lost in the Bible, and without some important insights, we can be misguided, so I hope to take some not-so-common verses as well and maybe even try some of the challenging passages and expand them and show how glorious God is.

So here we go, I hope you can join me in constantly being stunned and in awe and wonder of God, and how truly wonderful He is:

His Glory Reflection Series - Part 1

'Look! The Lord is coming! He leaves His throne in heaven and tramples the heights of the earth. The mountains melt beneath His feet and flow into the valleys like wax in a fire, like water pouring down a hill.' Micah 1:3-4

Maybe you have tried to read the books of the prophets and read a passage like this and wondered what on earth God was doing? I would call this a stereotypical view of God, He is off in heaven holding His lightning bolts waiting for us to sin, and then fry our butts when we sin. Now, when I read this it makes me excited, and I begin to grasp a little more of the seemingly endless torrent of His glory.

What's important is to know why the author used this metaphor. At this time the Israelites were in a wonderful time of blessing. They were living it up, and people were getting rich, and in turn more were getting poor. If you read the book of Micah you can't miss the theme of justice. Micah's words are powerful, I like to call him the 'drop kick prophet,' because every time he spoke it was like a drop kick in the chest for the people he was talking to! Here is an example:

'Should you no know justice, you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; who eat my people's flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?' Micah 3:1-3

Wow, imagine if you are the one he was saying that to. But Micah was burning from the inside out because of the injustice his nation was committing. They were in a wonderful time of blessing, but instead of living virtuous lives, they were like dogs fighting for all they could get. They cheated the poor, forgot the laws God had set before them, and choose to worship other Gods.

I get excited about God when I read the first verse I wrote because God was angry about the injustice. Imagine what it means for the poor to hear that God cares and sees injustice? Think of the picture that Micah is painting - a giant god coming down from heaven and smashing through the mountains and making them crumble like nothing. Micah was disgusted, and God had had enough! The chosen people of God had forgotten their purpose, they were to be the priestly nation, demonstrating the ways of God to the world, but instead they got entitlement mixed up with responsibility and lost sight of it all.

God's glory jumps off the pages because the one who made everything, I mean think about it - everything you have ever seen, person ever talked to, thing ever touched was spoken into existence by Him, and He cares and is even angered over the injustice He sees? Wow!!!!

Tonight I was speaking with a 9 year old boy in a squatter area. His dad pulled up in a pedicab(a bike with a side car on it used to take passengers around) extremely drunk. He hobbled over to me, sat down, looked at his son, the boy I was talking to and said the boy was bad. I wanted to drop kick him right then and there. I know him, and he has been a drunk for a long time, beat his wife till she left him, and he embarrasses his family waddling around drunk everyday and never provides for them. Go to any squatter area in the Philippines and he is a dime a dozen - but why? The easy thing to do would be to drop kick him, but the reality there is a lot more to this story. But the bottom line is injustice. It's having a life time of dignity stripped away from you, every chance to lead to an endless road of turns that will never get a person anywhere. It's a government who has got entitlement mixed up with responsibility. It's leaders who forget justice and love personal gain. Seems though Micah penned this down about 2700 years ago, but still the same thing is going on.

I celebrate God because He did not forget the people at the bottom! Those whose voices went unheard, were heard and God cared then, and He cares today, and the same way He burned with anger then He burns today! But where are the Micah's to call out the mutilators of flesh and declare that justice be upheld? Where are the intelligent, educated, and connected Issiah's elegantly rebuking a nation and guiding back to God? Where are the men and women who like Micah are seemingly burning from the inside with disgust? Where are the Amos' coming from the farms but willing to call out all those above him for their injustice?

I celebrate God because He uses people like these incredible men, to fearlessly preach to the nation what no one wanted to hear! Gods glory becomes tangible in these verses because He cares and when I see the poorest of the poor I know that even if no one looks twice my God sees them sitting there and has not forgotten. I see Gods glory in these verses because every time you have to look into the eyes of a child who has no hope, I know the one who breathed life into them truly cares about them!

I celebrate God in all His glory!

"

How Great Leaders Inspire Action: Simon Sinek @ TED