ERDO BLOG...

We at ERDO are united with many across the world in our sorrow for the loss of a dear friend and mentor, Rev. Dr. Ken Birch.  Many miles separate Canada from Africa and in particular the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya where Ken opened so many doors for ERDO’s ministry. We share a strong bond and a genuine fellowship with our program partners and the rest of the Africa Team.  This is the legacy of ‘Papa Ken’.  He has been responsible to bring the Congo to Canada and into the hearts and minds of people all across this country.  And he has brought many Canadians to the Congo, giving us the opportunity to embrace our brothers and sisters there.  Because of Ken Birch we have learned about the uniqueness of our program partners like Pastor Raha in DRC and John Ogonda in Kenya and we have been motivated to support their vision to reach their communities with the good news of Jesus Christ.  There is no doubt that Ken will be missed by all of us.  

But we do not sorrow as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  Our sorrow is surpassed by the living hope that we share through our common, confident faith in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.  “Yes, my soul, finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him.  Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  (Psalm 62:5-6)  We all hold fast to this truth as the family gathers for a service of Thanksgiving and Celebration of the life and leadership of Ken.  Together we will be praying steadfastly for Ken’s wife Shirley Birch and their children and grandchildren.

There is no greater reward for a man of God and a spiritual father like Ken Birch than to know that the people whom he has brought to Christ choose to follow Christ unreservedly.  The greatest thanks for a life well-lived will be that continuous, living testament, written on our hearts, as we remain dedicated and fruitful in building the Church of Jesus Christ.  In the words of the Apostle Paul, “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”   (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)

Sincerely,

David Adcock, Kelvin Honsinger

On Behalf of the team at Emergency Relief and Development Overseas (ERDO)

Vancouver, BC to Portland, OR an area of over 500 kms

This is the flood that never ends.  Raining when it should have been sunny, our summer hot season was the soggiest on memory.  Flooding began in the North two months ago, and the water run-off of endless tropical storms has accumulated in the Central Plains, pushing south through the only exit it has–Bangkok. How much water? Imagine a lake 75% the size of Lake Ontario draining through your home town.

For our family so far it’s been an inconvenience.  We prepared our home for flooding and stored precious photographs;  our three kids are at home since school is closed for at least three weeks (or so they say); we’ve stocked up on basic food and supplies, but still we are not wet.  For hundreds of our church members this is not the case. For millions of other Thai, they are out of home, without work and faced with the task of rebuilding once water is completely drained in December. Countless homes with their contents are under water.  We’ve listened to stories from Pastors of flooded churches in Central Thailand and Greater Bangkok. All were under water.  Church members either survive by living on the second floor of their home while waiting for help or are relocated to other provinces to wait. Lots of water means no work. No work means no food.

Lots of water also means not enough water–drinking water that is.  The primary needs here right now is lack of clean, drinkable water, food and boats to get these valuable necessities to stranded people.  Fortunately, we can help some.  Our experience over the last three years with providing clean water means that Imagine Thailand is now installing water stations at over 22 church locations in Greater Bangkok.  The systems can use the city water sources, clean the water and community members can take it away in plastic bags.

Thank you for your support and prayers.
 
Peter and Cavelle Dove (workers with ERDO, Imagine Thailand and the larger team of workers in Thailand.)

Flood water on highway in Bangkok, Thailand

Thanksgiving is a time when many Canadians thank God for all of the abundance in their lives. Abundance means different things to different people, but if we did a poll we’d probably find the majority of Canadians link Thanksgiving with a time to give thanks for food, family and financial means.
As I pause to say thank you, I think about a variety of things that I am so grateful for. I am grateful:

• That over the past six months as we’ve talked about the relentless drought and food crisis in the Horn of Africa and Uganda, people have generously provided emergency food for others in need. Through matched funding $1,175,000 in food aid (corn, beans, oil and salt) is reaching the Horn of Africa and helping save lives of people otherwise facing starvation.
• That when the people of Japan were struck by a massive earthquake and tidal wave in March, individual Canadians and churches coast to coast opened their hearts and blessed families with emergency food, water and other necessities. We were also so thankful to find excellent Christian partners to work with us on the ground and reach 260 of the most vulnerable families quickly.
• That in Bangladesh, during early 2011 we had the resources to provide families with warm blankets during an unseasonable and dangerous cold wave, and in August were able to assist families impacted by massive flooding.
• That 6,400 children are linked with Canadian sponsors through ERDO’s ChildCARE Plus program. It makes me so happy to think of the transformation they are going through by having access to school, nutritious food and other essentials of life. I am a sponsor too, and have seen what a difference it makes.

Through 2011, Canadians have responded so generously to the biblical call to give. Thank you! This year alone, ERDO’s work will positively impact over 1.5 million people. I’ve only mentioned a few ways that you have helped us to make a difference; there are surely many more. Thank you for all you have done in the lives of children and families through your generosity. Check out the rest of our site or contact us for more information about ERDO’s work around the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!
David

There are some images that stay with you for a lifetime.

This week one of my colleagues who is just back from Kenya told me a story that is haunting me and inspiring me in new ways. When I asked him what the most stark image of the Horn of Africa drought and food crisis was that he’d seen, Mark told me about a man who had just come out of the bush after four days of trekking in search of food. The man was exhausted, clearly malnourished, and in clear need of care.

Mark said to me that the look of the man was similar to those terrible images of human suffering as photos emerged from WW2 concentration camps - he was stick thin, with very little mass. The life literally looked like it had been sucked out of him - and yet he’d persisted in his journey.

I tried to imagine what it would be like to walk a mile alongside this man.  Did he leave his family behind to search for food - to search for hope?  Did his family even survive the past few days and weeks?  If I was him, would I survive a journey like this?  This man is an image and an inspiration for me - a representation of the mass exodus of food seeking people because of the drought in the Horn of Africa.

When I hear that what once was a village in Kenya is now housing over 380,000 people with another 10,000 arriving every week I know that there are men, women and children in need of care. They are not merely images, but people with faces, names and birthdays.

It distresses me to think that so many children might be at risk of dying from the consequences of malnutrition. I am inspired to do all that I can to help, and I pray that Canadians would walk with me in taking these images of suffering and providing the care needed in this dark time.

Converted text message from David Adcock, CEO  – June 10, 2011

I’m enroute home from South Africa through London and on to Toronto. Before I left Africa, I visited another ERDO in-school feeding program which also reaches out to city children.  The facility is called the “Newman School”.

At the school, the same images stand out as in my previous two weeks of seeing ERDO programs:  smiling faces, quizzical looks, lots of laughter, butting in line and children acting like children.  They don’t express their actions through a lens of poverty – they just act out what is the very nature of childlikeness.

Going right from the school to the airport felt surreal. I had a ticket to leave the poverty I saw while others did not.  Where was the justice?

I know that come Monday, I’ll be returning from the front-lines of the people we serve, to behind a desk in Mississauga – still connected, yet at such a physical distance from where we are making a difference.

When I arrive back to Canada, and I get caught up in the Toronto airport bustle, my thoughts might wander to how long the walk is in Pearson to where my bags will arrive – or even if my bags will arrive.  I’ll get pulled back into thinking thoughts about things that are not that critical compared to some of the issues others are facing.

My struggle will be staying completely connected with what I saw, the children and families I met, and giving them a voice here in Canada.

I’ll share more stories and some photos soon onwww.erdo.caand on our Facebook page.  Until then, David.

I am not a gardener, but even I have heard about the “Don’t plant before May 24th” maxim. Those who live in Canada, particularly the southern portion, have grown up knowing this was the “safe” date for planting. It’s tempting when the weather turns warmer and signs of spring are everywhere to take a risk and put in the annuals. One cold night and the beautiful display is grey mush.

In Uganda, all farming knowledge is communicated orally. When the moon looks like this, you plant, and when the wind blows from that direction, you harvest. The information, passed through the generations, has been the foundation of farming wisdom for years.

Until recently. In the last several years, climate change has caused the weather to be erratic, and the farmers are confused. They have faced drought, torrential rains leading to flash flooding, soil erosion and more drought. There are times when the flooding is due to water overflow from neighbouring countries. This uncertainty has left whole communities wondering when to plant and harvest, how to maintain their crops and how to feed their families when the end result is little or no yield.

Since 2004, ERDO has partnered with the Pentecostal Assemblies of God-Uganda (PAG) through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) to reach out to these vulnerable people. Over twenty thousand households have received immediate help during times of crisis.

But what about the long term? In an innovative project under the direction of Pastor Samuel Ocung, National Development Coordinator for PAG, the church is reaching out to the community to involve them in the process of identifying the problems, and together identifying solutions.

The Participatory Evaluation Process (PEP) involves envisioning through study together of Bible passages. The church is challenged to see the bigger picture, and to understand what it means to be “salt and light” (Matt. 5:13-16) in their community. Participants are challenged to apply the lessons of this familiar passage to their lives. They are invited to give their input concerning the many problems they are facing, and to understand the impact these issues will have on their lives in the next several years. Through the efforts of the PAG the church has become a leader for change in Uganda. Communities are working together to find new answers to the poverty and environmental issues they face.

There is a strong educational component, as families learn new skills of drought adaptation. Farmers have started growing green vegetables and forming nursery beds to protect against drought. They are learning how to bud and graft fruit trees for future crops. Lemon and orange seeds are carefully harvested and the soil prepared for nursery seedlings.

Poverty brings a cycle of hopelessness and shortsightenedness. If I am hungry, I can’t think beyond my next meal. If my children are starving, I can’t plan beyond meeting their needs. With that cycle being broken with help from ERDO and matched funding through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and with the encouragement of the church leaders in Uganda, whole communities are beginning to plan for the future. Fruit trees and other crops take time to mature, but bring tremendous outcomes in yield and environmental benefits. A new unity has developed as communities realize they need to work together to reap the benefits.

Through your support, ERDO is making a difference in the lives of the hungry in Uganda. Find out more about ERDO’s food relief programs and how you can be a part of the solution.

Kelvin Honsinger, ERDO’s Director of International Programs, has been on the ground heading up ERDO’s relief efforts for those affected by flooding in Pakistan. Here are some additional reflections from his blog:

September 8, 2010 - Wednesday brings very early start so we can travel by road 2 hours north west of Islamabad to participate in food distribution at 4 sites x 250 families each.  Each family comprised of 8 people average so this effort provides for 8,000 people. We speed along a modern highway that belies the primitive, rural communities that we will visit.  First stop is Mardan where ILAP’s base  of operations is situated in a rented house.  Toilet break, a cup of cold water to abate the 34 celsius heat, then a security briefing by staff, and we wait for the pre-arranged police escort.  This district has been shaken by a suicide bomber attack on the local police station just two days earlier.  Tensions are high, measured as level 4 security today.

It is good to reach the tent camps and be with the people.  Intent gazes from the men.  Shrouded women.  Curious, bashful children surround us.  Peaceful mood. High hopes.  Gestures of gratitude abound as the friends from Canada are introduced.  Formalities begin with the lady Minister of Social Welfare who has come to share her people’s joy that food has arrived.  Massive flooding in Pakistan means vast needs for basic necessities just for survival. Faced with the fierce urgency of now. Dark clouds over the future as people attempt to recover, clutching their few possessions, talk of rebuilding.  This calls for a “mighty flood of justice, a torrent of doing good.” (Amos 5:24).  We must be here.  There seems to be a lack of international concern but ERDO is here doing good, partnering with other Canadian Foodgrains Bank members to hold up the arms of local organizations.  Together caring for 12,200 families at these and other sites.

Proud to be Canadian, honestly.  Privileged to represent our donors; pray for a rising tide of generosity. I am touched by the presence of Jesus in the touches of people, young and old, who reach out to me to say ‘thank you’ for what you have done. Remember, He said, “I was hungry and you fed me!”

September 9, 2010 - Too risky for outsiders to be on local roads so we hunker down.  An hour passes before we can proceed; waiting exhausts me as much as the mere five hours of sleep last night.  Still our visit is worthwhile as we witness provision of food kits, wheat flour and rice to 200 families.  This is a congested, seething urban neighbourhood.  We scrape through narrow streets.  Unpredictable crowds of people form a gauntlet through which we must pass to reach the gates of the compound where ILAP staff have organized the piles of food.  Commend them for making order rout of the chaos.  Pray for good will to prevail over the dusty chaos of bodies pressing against the gates to be admitted for their share.  I am more aware than ever that this is a mission of mercy and grace.  Angels attend. Amazing grace!

As time passes, we must not forget the people of Pakistan. As an approved charity, all donations to ERDO’s Pakistan relief efforts are being matched by the Canadian government 1:1 until October 3, 2010. Give Now and help provide much needed relief!

ERDO’s Director of International Programs, Kelvin Honsinger, is currently on the ground in Pakistan providing leadership to our relief efforts there. In the small amount of downtime he has, Kel has written down some initial thoughts on his experience so far:

September 4, 2010 - Expecting an eventful week! In a place that has certain perils, where the message of Christ is refuted if not refused. And a place where devastating floods and human need invites the all those who choose to do good.

September 5, 2010 - Welcome to a first experience on Etihad Air. So good. 12 hrs direct to Abu Dhabi and then 3.5 into Islamabad. Without apology a ‘travel safe’ prayer from the Koran is posted on the in-flight TV. Thoughtful of them; but as for me, “under His wings I am safely abiding”. Like the hound of heaven, those hymns are chasing me across the night sky. Right into the sanctuary of Psalm 90 - “He will cover you with his feathers, he will shelter you under his wings, his faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (v.4)

September 7, 2010 - I am quickly immersed in a day of meetings, first with ILAP staff, other international guests involved in flood relief and recovery and a high level meeting with the World Food Program. (I will comment more later on the massive security effort designed to protect staff at WFP. A recent bombing killed several staff and force them to new headquarters.) Their motto is too true: ‘Fighting Against Hunger”. We plan our rest of week itinerary and make arrangements to travel to the food distribution sites located out on the frontier (literally what was Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province until recently renamed). Only the name has been changed. The harsh reality of extremist threats is still the same. As we meet, word reaches us of another suicide bomb inflicted on a local police station. The target is in Nowshara where we will go on Wednesday.

Please check back for additional updates on all that ERDO is doing to assist in the crisis in Pakistan.

How long does it take you to spend $1?
By the time I drive to the office in the morning, I have managed to do this many times over. A cup of coffee, some breakfast food, and certainly the gas I use for the trip all reveal how quickly a dollar can be spent.

While a dollar may pass by easily for us, it has incredible power to impact change in the lives of millions of people around the world. Give Every Day is a new campaign designed to challenge us to think about what it really means to be Christian stewards. ERDO, in partnership with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, is asking what we could accomplish with a lifestyle of generous giving.

The goal is ambitious - if every adult member of the PAOC committed to giving just $1 a day, we would raise $60 million a year. I don’t need to tell you the kind of difference that money could make in the lives of the children, women and men that ERDO works with in the world’s poorest regions. What’s important is not whether or not we can spare a dollar, but rather what our responsibility is to care for those in need.

Please take a few minutes and visit the Give Every Day site, or donate now. I believe you will be as encouraged and inspired as I am as to what we could accomplish with such a simple act.

When you wake up tomorrow, why not reflect on your daily activities and consider how quickly you are able to spend a dollar. Then think of how that same dollar could provide a child with wholesome food, a solid education and hope for their future.

With that in mind, can we really afford not to give?

As the G8/G20 summit rapidly approaches, I find myself considering the state of the world today. Many of you will have seen the horrific sink hole in downtown Guatemala. Many others are following the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa or the political unrest in Thailand. Haiti, while slipping from the front page news, continues to struggle to recover from the recent earthquake.

When I think of all of the crisis occurring around the world today, I wonder - how should the Church respond to global suffering?

At ERDO, we simplify our mission as this - Wherever there is poverty, hunger, disaster and injustice, ERDO is there, working with you to do good.

For me, this leads to another question - what does it mean to “do good”? Note that it does not say “hope for good” or “believe that good will prevail.” To do good implies action. As the Scriptures remind us in James, “Those who listen to the word and do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like” (James 1:23-24).

ERDO is called by the belief that to follow Christ means to be active in the world. But the sheer volume of suffering around the world can be overwhelming. It is easy to feel powerless to do anything in the face of injustice, hunger and poverty. The good news is that we do not act alone. We make it a priority at ERDO to partner with those on the ground in areas of crisis. Not only this, but as in every area of our lives, the Lord is our true source of strength. Together, we can do much.

Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing my thoughts on ERDO’s commitment to the areas of Food Relief, Crisis Response, Child Sponsorship and Development. With your help, we are confronting global suffering through these key areas. I invite you to join the conversation and partner with us as we strive to do good in the world.

I leave you with a final thought from James - “I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18b). How are you showing your faith to a world in need?