Africa
We are responsible for the care of orphans and widows in the Mwanza area of Tanzania. All are HIV affected and some are infected. We have purchased eight cows, a bull, corn, beans rice and cassava for crops and a sewing machine to train widows in a trade. Forty churches have donated cowsheds and land on which the orphans can grow crops. These churches are providing care for those with HIV/AIDS and they help keep-up the huts and land of those who cannot work. We have provided land and buildings, a teacher and a nurse, bicycles and Bibles. The most unique and effective project we have is uniting orphans in the most dangerous circumstance with widows in the most desperate circumstance. This forms new family units. Then we help support these new families until they are able to stand on their own.
We are also teaching an HIV/AIDS prevention awareness program. We use traditional African Stories and proverbs, which were complied by: Verna Stanton, RN. of African Nazarene University, in Nairobi Kenya. We combine the stories and proverbs with scripture to encourage biblical values and behaviors.
When working in East Africa, our ministry has developed three different but blended parts. 1.) SEED Intl., that concentrates on HIV/AIDS issues and compassion. 2.) Nothing Is Impossible Ministries, developed by Rev. Christopher Lewis, that concentrates on crusade evangelism, church planting, leadership training and church growth. 3.) On Eagles Wings, founded by Hazel Bech, which concentrates on reconciliation, peace making, women’s issues and micro-financing. Together, we teach compassion evangelism and the Impact Plan for church growth, that was developed by Dr. Louie Bustle and the late Rev. Bruno Radi.
New ministry partners include Rev. Louis and Winnie Muvunyi. Winnie is the first female ordained Anglican in Rwanda, and she has developed the first pre-preschool in Rwanda. Louis is the youth vicar for the Anglican Cathedral in Kigali. In Burundi we work with World Outreach Initiatives. They have a reconciliation ministry whose focus is on political and military leaders, Radio Hope that carries Gods word into places people cannot go, and the Guilgal Center in Bujunbura. We have also worked with Helping Hands of Africa, the Compassionate Ministry Arm of the Church of the Nazarene in Africa. We would like to work in two new areas this year. Both are refuge camps, one is Mtabira and the other is Nyargusu. We also hope to go to Chennai, Madris in India to present a leadership conference for one thousand pastors that are involved with Harvest India.
Our vision for Mwanza is to have a town where all orphans and widows will be safe and treated with respect. We hope to build a ministry complex called Mercy Helping Hands Center. The goal is to rescue young women who have been forced by poverty into prostitution. The center will provide a pre-school as a safe place for their siblings and their children. It will be a vo-tech for the girls to learn a trade. And, we hope to be able to provide a vehicle for our ministry director in Tanzania, Rev. Erick Oguta.
When working in the USA, our goal is to enlist support for the project in Tanzania and to educate the people to the plight of the OVC and to the problems of HIV/AIDS in the third world. Our new pilot project is the collection of unused medications from long-term care facilities and shipping them to hospitals and clinics in developing world. We have successfully shipped to Papua New Guinea; Manzini, Swaziland, and Honduras. Last year I was able to deliver meds to Rwanda for distribution in the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Burundi.
Funding to date has been from private and church donations. Our most faithful sponser is Abundant Life Fellowship (Church of God) in Butte, MT. However, we have started to approach CORE (USAID), foundations and corporations for funding.
Current Needs:
- PRAYER.
- Funds for the preschool / Vo-Tech.
- Bibles for the new converts.
- Land for our new congregations that they may have property on which to build their church.
- Church buildings for our churches, that they may have a place to worship their God.
- God to call many to ministry and provide that they be trained to be willing and faithful servants.
- God to equip our training center.
- HIV/AIDS Training materials and teams.
- Please PRAY for the orphans and widows that God will keep them safe and provide nice shelter for some who do not have a home.
Thank You and Blessings,
Mark Redwine, DC. Executive Director.