This message and pictures comes from our missionary in the Middle East. Much like Nashville in May, the areas surrounding them have been devastated by floods…but the damage is much, much worse. If you would like to help, please contact the Missions Committee at woodmonthillsmissions@gmail.com.
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.
Brethren, we have urgent request to join us help heavy rain and flood affected human brethren in Pakistan. Recently there was heavy rainfall for more then continuous 72 hours and it poured 430 ml and still raining and rain expected in days to come in the next province to Punjab. There main cities Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshehra, Swat, Shangla and Charsada. The rain overflew of river brought a severe kind of flood which swept away hundreds of villages, their houses, crops, bridges and roads. More than 23 hundred people have been died; they drowned in deep water waves. This heavy rain falls broke 80 years back record. More than hundred thousands people have been affected. They lost their homes and every thing which was in their homes, now they are without shelter, food and daily needs.
First of all we want you to pray for those who lost their love ones and for those who lost everything they had. Also there is a strong heavy rain storm in Punjab specially Multan district (Shantinagar and chak 33). They also affected badly, rainwater in their homes and they are stuck to move on. Govt. is trying its best to help many but there are so many people who have not been reached yet. They need food, shelter, clothes and food items such as sugar, wheat flour, cooking oil, groceries and many other things of daily needs.
I sent Brother _____ and another person to go at all affected places and they have a survey. So they came back with many pictures of the affected people. There are many Christian villages also who have been affected by this severe disaster. So we have decided to work on again to help some of them as we had been doing in past to fight against that disaster and provide food, clothes and daily needs and help some financially to set up their lives where ever it is possible. We have already started collecting food material, clothes and other daily needs from our friends, neighbors and going door to door in our locality requesting for relief material and cash if possible.
Dear brethren, many are encouraging and doing favor to help. We humbly make a strong request to share with us in our efforts to help most of the affected people and our brethren in Shantinagar, chak33, Multan. Though we can not help all but we shall do as much as we can. God will surely reward us in Heaven for this act of kindness.
Soon we plan to reach those who are waiting for help from any one. Also pray for us that may God help us provide much material to take.
Hope to hear from soon and also pray for us that God give us good health, strength and power to fight against the great disaster.
In Christ,
August 5, 2010
Tags: Middle East
You don’t have to give blood on a mission trip, but it helps!
Who would have thought that volunteering to serve on a surgical mission trip would include donating blood to the patients? And who would have thought that a surgeon would have donated blood to the patient he was soon going to save with a surgical intervention? Answer: probably nobody would have thought it.
That is exactly what occurred during an HTI surgical mission trip to Guatemala during the week of April 17 – 24. A team of 40 surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other caregivers arrived at Clinica Ezell in Montellano to begin serving the 73 patients who would receive surgical care during the week. Sunday, April 18, started off with a bang – literally – with a 5.6 earthquake that shook the buildings for approximately 15 seconds. Piece of cake!
During Sunday afternoon, the surgeons completed exams on the patients scheduled for surgery that day. One of the patients was a woman (let’s call her Quiche/Can for part Quiche and part American) who had 9 children and badly needed a hysterectomy. She was taken to the OR around 4:00 p.m. and was admitted to post-op recovery around 7:00 p.m. Surgery was a success.
Quiche/Can was a member of the Quiche tribe and did not speak Spanish. To communicate with her required someone who could speak both Quiche and Spanish – not too easy to find at times. Then an interpreter who could speak Spanish and English was required. Also, not too easy to find at times. Thank goodness for our team members who can speak Spanish. I can speak some Spanish – Taco Bell, Cozymels, etc.
A bit more about the Quiche tribe: the people believe that ‘hospitals will kill them’ if they go there and that their organs will be retrieved and sold. Special care is necessary to ensure that we do not harm their image of us as we care for them. They have sought our care long enough that they trust us.
As Monday came and went Quiche/Can did not progress satisfactorily. She would try to get up and walk but would always faint and was very weak. Her blood levels were appropriate that day for someone who had just had surgery. She was alert and did not complain of much pain and had no other unusual symptoms. Early on Tuesday, her condition was much the same, but during the afternoon hours, her blood level started to drop. By early evening, the surgeons had to make a decision because of her continued drop in blood levels: they could either send her to a hospital or transfuse her and take her back to surgery at Clinica Ezell. She refused to go to a hospital.
The call went out to find any of us who had O+ blood type: seven of us were found who either knew we had O+ or thought we did. At 11:30 p.m., the O team was notified to stop and have blood specimen drawn to confirm blood type. At 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 21, those members who had O+ started the donating process. The first one to donate blood was a young man from Texas; the second person to donate was the surgeon who would be operating on Quiche/Can. He willingly gave his blood even though he would have to immediately get up and head to OR. We heard him comment that he would really need some fluids and food to be ready to go.
And so the blood donated by Americans went directly and immediately to Quiche/Can so she could tolerate surgery. Around 3:30 a.m., Quiche/Can was taken to surgery where surgeons found a bleeding vessel that had deposited 1200 ml of blood in her abdomen. They were able to save 500 ml of her own blood through a rigged up cell-saver process and transfuse it directly back to her. And Americans gave her three more units. Quiche/Can lives today! Team members agreed that she would probably get right up and start shopping with all that American blood in her.
And so ends one story in the on-going stories about mission work. You can’t forget the faces of the people you serve; you can’t forget the fact that if you had not been there to serve, the people would not have received care; you can’t forget the fact that Jesus calls us to serve others even when we are tired and promises rest later; and you can’t forget the fact that Jesus gave His blood for us.
Tags: Guatemala
Woodmont Hills Family of God’s own Earl Lavender will be involved with Abilene Christian University Summer Seminar in Missions, hosted by the Halbert Institute for Missions, May 13-15, 2010. More information available here.
Tags: Missiology
On Wednesday evening, March 31, at 6:30pm in the Great Hall, the Missions Committee will be presenting a detailed report of the Grace Homes in India. Today, 135 children are supported by members and friends of Woodmont Hills. As you can imagine, this is a huge responsibility and effort. Every day is presented with its own set of challenges. The main focus of the Grace Homes is to provide food, shelter, and safety for these children. In addition to providing these very basic needs, each child is being taught the Word of God and is receiving an education.
This information session on March 31 is to update those that currently support Grace Home kids, previous sponsors and anyone who is interested in hearing more about this orphanage.
We hope to see you there. You will be amazed at the good things going on inside the Grace Homes. You too can be a part of something great. All we ask for right now is 1 hour of your time. You won’t regret it!
May the Peace of the Lord be with you.
Peggy Atchley (peggyatc at bellsouth.net)
on behalf of the Mission Committee
Tags: India
Consider this:
There are 1 million orphans in Ukraine & Russia
6 in 10 will end up homeless & jobless
4 in 10 will end up addicted to drugs or alcohol
1 in 10 will commit suicide
As Christians, we are called to help the fatherless. YouthReach is a Christian non-profit that works to combat this epidemic problem through mentoring programs, youth centers, and Bible camps. Woodmont Hills members Anita & James Hutcheson and Rose Dallas are part of a YouthReach team that will be going to Novosibirsk, Russia, this summer to put on a camp for orphans. You can follow their team on Facebook here. There will be Bible studies, clubs, games, crafts and other fun stuff that will help these kids grow closer to God. The orphans also connect with Russian mentors who have committed to be role models for these kids year-round.
If you would like to find out more about this unique ministry, YouthReach is hosting 2 luncheons in Nashville. The first is a business-oriented luncheon on Wednesday, March 24, at noon at Lipscomb’s Shamblin Theater. The second is a family luncheon on Saturday, March 27, at noon at Otter Creek Church of Christ. To find out more click here.
www.youthreach.org
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Anita & James with Nastia at camp in 2009
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Rose with Dima at camp in 2008
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Galina, a Russian mentor, helps Nastia read her Bible
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Dima and Diana are orphans in Novosibirsk
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Masha
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Vitale with his puppet at camp in 2009
Tags: Russia
Join the group and follow the daily updates.
Tags: Russia
This story appears in this month’s Live Upside Down newsletter. We focus on the Tamar Ministry, an outreach we have been able to support through the generosity shown on Mission Sunday. The Tamar Ministry exists to rescue women from sex trafficking in India. It provides medical treatment, vocational training, safe-houses, childcare, and most importantly, exposure to the Gospel. You can watch a video about this ministry by clicking on this link: Watch Video
Below is an incredible story from P.D.,who heads up the ministry, about how 4 young ladies were saved from a life of prostitution through a daring rescue by 2 very brave women posing as drug dealers. This took place just a little over a month ago. It may read like a Hollywood script, but this is very real. This is the Gospel message lived out. It is an amazing story of courage, compassion, and faith in God in a very dangerous situation. Take a moment to praise God for this amazing ministry and pray for its continued success in bringing broken lives out of the darkness and into His light.
Note: The names of cities and the last names of the women have been omitted for security reasons.
This story takes place among the central suburbs of a large city in India. The area is primarily occupied by slums with a majority of the population being daily wage laborers. The area is regarded as one among the red light areas of this city and has earned notoriety for being the worst areas in the city. We had this area in our ground work and we studied that it has many brokers who work cohesively with the local mafia. These brokers primarily operate in the area and carry out human trafficking. On a monthly basis they pay out extortion money to the local mafia goons.
[Read more →]
Tags: India
Health Talents is in need of nurses, RN’s, and LPN’s to go on some upcoming medical mission trips to Guatemala. The trips are April 17-24th and June 5-12th. Both include general surgery and the April trip includes GYN surgery. Please contact Pat Dwyer at 615-831-2605 for info or contact Rick Harper at HTIRick@aol.com.
Tags: Guatemala
For those of you who are interested in joining us on the El Salvador Mission June 19-26, please mark your calendar for an informational meeting Sunday February 21, 2010. To accommodate those who would be coming from Bowling Green, KY we will meet at 2:30PM at our home. For potential first timers we hope to give you a good feel for the trip and answer any questions you have.
So to summarize:
Meet:
Liesa and Ted MacDonald
2043 B Castleman Drive
Nashville, TN 37215
We live in the Green Hills area just south of the Green Hills Mall
February 21, 2010
2:30 PM
Please see the updated attachment of the trip. We’ve made some important changes and recommendations on raising support. Hope to see you at our place.
Ted
Ted S. MacDonald, CPA, CMPE
Chief Executive Officer
Amputee Associates, LLC
tedmacdonald@comcast.net
(615) 476-8229 mobile
(615) 214-5333 fax
Information Guide
1. Date. June 19th-26th (Saturday to Saturday).
2. We fly from Nashville to San Salvador, El Salvador. We then travel by private bus to San Miguel about a 3 hour trip.
3. We stay at the Tropico Inn in San Miguel. The hotel is air conditioned, generally has hot water for showers and a swimming pool. We usually put two in a room.
4. We ask each person to raise their travel fund. It includes air fare and hotel. This year the target minimum is $700. However, we would like all everyone to try and raise $1,000. The deadline to raise this money will be April 15th. You are also encouraged to send in the money ASAP even if it’s piecemeal. It helps the churches cash flow.
5. The hotel has always offered a buffet breakfast with the room cost. Some years they have offered a limited dinner menu. You will want to bring some money for incidentals, gift purchases and any meals not paid by the hotel or the local church. $50-$100 is generally enough.
6. Checks for the trip should be made payable to Woodmont Hills Church. You can mail it to my address at 2043 B Castleman Drive, Nashville, TN 37215. Or hand deliver to Allan Hicks or Ted MacDonald.
7. Woodmont Hills will designate funds to help with building projects, feeding the poor, orphans, disaster relief, bus trips, etc.
8. What to bring? Summer clothes (both work, nice casual for church, travel clothes), sunscreen, any medicines you personally need, some snacks to hold you over or if some meals don’t suit your pallet. .
9. Wendy’s, Burger King and Pizza Hut are close to the hotel. We recommend you don’t eat the vegetables, but some have eaten freely and not gotten sick. Bottled water is available for purchase in both the communities we devote significant time. Hand sanitizer is a good thing to bring along also.
10. We recommend one large suitcase and a carryon.
11. Weather and temperatures. It is the rainy season and it’s close to the equator. So it’s hot. Generally in the mid-90s at sea level and humid. However, we will visit the church in Santiago de Maria several times. It’s in the mountains and the temperature is very pleasant. Some may want to bring a lite rain jacket.
12. Culturally, the Salvadoran women wear dresses for almost every occasion and the men wear pants. We have not had a problem with guys wearing long shorts for work or women coolots. For worship and evening gatherings we try to follow their cultural lead.
13. Any shots necessary? No.
14. Healthcare. We are fortunate that Efrain wife’s is the equivalent of a CRNA, so she is well connected to the local medical community. When needed we’ve gotten very good and timely healthcare.
15. You will need a passport. Make sure that it will be current during the time of the trip. We strongly recommend you obtain a passport now if you don’t have one. It takes as long as 3-4 months to get renewals or new passports.
16. We will do some things together and some things we will split up. There is physical work each year for those interested. We’ve made improvements to church buildings, built floors for the poor, dug a foundation for a church building and built a house for a poor family.
17. We’ve visited and fed the poor, the orphans, rural churches, feed communities in the name of the Lord and local church, provided relief for hurricane victims, and worked extensively with the young people of the local churches. We’ve fellowshipped in many ways including soccer games with the local teens, trip to the Pacific Ocean, devotionals, pizza parties, etc.
18. Spanish is not required to visit El Salvador as several on the trip will have a base knowledge of the language. If you want to learn Spanish for the trip, resources like Rosetta Stone or Berlitz can be helpful. A simple phrasebook containing conversational basics will be sufficient.
19. This year we are looking for people to commit by April 15, 2010. Maybe some tax refunds can help support a trip.
20. We encourage adults to take this trip (age 18 & over). We make exceptions for teens if a parent comes with them.
Tags: El Salvador
January 2010
Email James Hutcheson with your stories at woodmonthillsmissions@gmail.com and if you’d like to be added to the email list please contact mmoseley@woodmont.org
Read about James Hutcheson, Eric Masih, Howard Newsom for the Mission Committee, Mission Spotlight: Nicaragua, Mission Updates (India, Guatemala, El Salvador, Russia, Maine)
Tags: Live Upside Down
