Friday, July 13th PIN (People in Need) ministry
This morning we got to go along with Petros who heads up the PIN ministry at the International Evangelical Church. He shared with us a little about what they do on a daily basis and what needs they meet in the community around the church. We found out that as housing and food continues to go up in price, they are not able to help in as many ways as they have in the past. It is a very impactful ministry. Those needing help find out about the program from others on the street he said and they come in and are personally screened to see if their needs meet the qualifications that are in place. He said he gets to personally meet with each person and hear their stories. Many people here we have found just need someone to listen to them, so this is a huge encouragement to them before any services or resources are even given out. PIN ministires help several women in a coffee roasting business and try to also provide the material or financial resources for others who are wanting to start a business in order to provide for their families. He then took us to 3 homes of people they are currently helping. This was a different side of Addis than we have been exposed to up until now. We were not able to take pictures, but the first house we visited was in a “nicer” slum area. The mom was a believer in her mid 40’s and had to choose a year ago between keeping the baby she was pregnant with and her oldest daughter or her new husband (in the Ethiopian culture step children are not desired, so in this case the babies father said you either leave your daughter or I leave, she chose her children). She is in very bad health and extremely underweight. Her little 14 month old was napping on a small mat on the floor in their 1 room small house. She needs medical help but the government says that it would cost to much to provide the service that she needs. Heart breaking situation! The 2nd house we visited is a lady with 2 children and is caring for her niece. Her son has HIV. They are orthodox, but recently a local protestant church has been ministering to them. Our prayer is that the truth of the gospel will be accepted by this family. The 3rd house we visited was near the city dump and had a horrible smell which Petros said is always this way. She has an 8 year old son and she is very sick. She has liver problems and they are surprised she is still alive. Back in the early 90s during the communist reign she lost part of her leg in a bombing. Her father was one of the leading men in the army at the time. He was killed and her mother is still alive but she doesn’t have the funds to travel to where she is. She was in VERY bad health and was just another heart breaking situation. We were able to talk with each family a little and pray with them. Kristen and I both said afterwards that its so difficult b/c it’s hard to know what to say in these situations. Nothing you can say will help. It is just heartbreaking and extremely difficult to comprehend. At the last house Jacob started feeling bad again (I think more from having an upset tummy and the bad smell). So I stayed outside with the kids most of the time. I was glad we all got to see these living experiences. Laura just mentioned to me just now as I was typing that she was glad we got to see these houses even though it was very sad to see. It has been amazing to see Laura in this environment and her heart for the people we come in contact with. I am thankful for days like today to remind us that we have been blessed beyond what we deserve and that we should be thankful that we have food on the table, a roof over our heads and a health family, and that there are people in this world who have true “needs” not just “wants” in order to live day to day.
I was just reading in a devotional from www.biblegateway.com – Investigating Faith with Lee Strobel – July 11, that “a person’s coming to Christ is like a chain with many links…. There are many influences and conversations that precede a person’s decision to convert to Christ. We don’t know if we might be the first link at times, a middle link, or occasionally the last link. God has not called (us) to only be the last link. He has called (us) to be faithful and to love all people.”
Some of them are: Panax ginseng Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) L-arginine Yohimbe Pinus pinaster. davidfraymusic.com tadalafil free Magnesium helps to control blood sugar level and blood pressure regulation free sample levitra for healthy erections. Touch base with a healthcare software development firm levitra prices http://davidfraymusic.com/project/david-fray-to-release-new-schubert-album-fantaisie/ to develop ambulatory healthcare system. There are number of people who viagra shop have already tried it have got impressed by its result.
As we experienced today providing a physical need & love to them by listening to their stories might just be one of the links that a person needs to come to a saving faith in Christ. My prayer is that PIN ministry at SIM will continue to grow and the volunteers they need to reach more of their community will increase in the upcoming months and that they will get to share the love of Christ with those who are in desperate situations.
Tonight Falk & Kristen will teach our last session at the young adults bible study. They have really enjoyed this relaxed teaching environment!!