Keys To Global Impact

One of the keys to making a global impact is the expansion of Community Health Evangelism (CHE pronouced chay) ministries worldwide. One method where leaders are trained is through the CHE Internships. They are trained to be consultants who train and equip missionaries, churches, and non-profit organizations to implement CHE in their communities worldwide.

In 2002,an internship program was began for the purpose of training and equipping these leaders. Since 2002, 141 people from 58 different countries have graduated from the course. This year, another 16 will gather in Cebu on August 1 for the seven-week program.

Pray with us that God will use this internship to equip these emerging leaders for the work He is calling them to do around the world.

Mobilizing the African Church to Save Children

Infant mortality around the world has dropped nearly 30 percent during the past two decades. But that improvement in child survival is far smaller in West Africa. Fourteen of the 25 countries with the worst infant mortality rates are in West Africa. In Togo, one in ten will die before the age of five. In Liberia, this statistic is one in five. In Sierra Leone, one in four. The numbers are not much better in most of West Africa.

The majority of these child and infant deaths can be prevented through clean water, nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation. These are needs to which the church can respond through Community Health Evangelism (CHE) ministries. The goal is to mobilize the church in Togo to minister to this need while sharing the message of eternal salvation through faith in Christ. At this upcoming conference there will be more than 300 pastors in Togo, casting a vision for what the church can do. Followup training will be offered to those who are interested. The goal of this effort is to help 25 villages out of poverty and plant ten new churches.

Cultural Lesson on Mother-in-law/daughter-in-law Relationships.

When a girl marries, she goes to her husband’s house and lives under the authority of her mother-in-law. In essence, s daughter-in-law often becomes a servant to the husband’s family. When we mentioned the need for rest during pregnancy and postpartum, the comment was always, “If your mother-in-law allows it.” Yet, the women who facilitated the lesson talked of women preparing to become mothers-in-law, and cultivating the ground, preparing to receive a daughter-in-law and allowing those things that will help the daughter-in-law be the best she cam be. This was a Believer, and those principles are not the usual cultural ones.
These comments came during a Woman Cycle of Life Workshop held internationally.

Some Beliefs are Healthful and Some Not So Much

The Women’s Cycle of Life Conference was attended by twelve women who work with other women in different parts of Albania and Macedonia and will pass on all that they learned in the conference, plus more, provided in the CD of the lessons and the DVD of a pregnancy movie. Each day began with worship and a lesson on Great Women of the Bible, then lessons on the many other Women’s Cycle of Life topics: puberty, conception, pregnancy related lessons, breastfeeding, postpartum care, infant care, menopause, etc. Five lessons a day. Each lesson was taught in the adult participatory style that Community Health Evangelism (CHE) uses, drawing out from participants all that they know, and adding to that. The women shared some of the Albanian beliefs surrounding pregnancy . I always find it interesting to learn what is passed from mother to daughter in different parts of the world. Some beliefs are healthful and truthful, some not so much. One of the more interesting ones here was the belief that a baby born at 8 months gestation will die and one born at 7 months gestation will live. We had quite a discussion about that. Many of the lessons began with a drama and each participant had opportunity to exhibit their dramatic skills.

A Quiet Revolution

“A Woman’s Cycle of Life” and “CHE Perinatal Support” are comprehensive training programs developed by LifeWind staff members. Charleen McWilliam is our specialist in these programs that address physical and mental health for women of all ages, with particular emphasis on pre-natal and post-natal care. They are making a direct and dramatic impact on the survival of infants and their mothers.

The role of women in bringing positive change to communities can hardly be overstated. Women make up seventy percent of the most financially needy adults in the developing world. Cultural traditions often leave them doing most of the work but receiving little in return.

In a country I cannot name for security reasons, the cultural pattern dictates that when a woman is married, she goes to live with her husband’s family. The new daughter-in-law becomes a virtual slave to her mother-in-law, who of course learned this pattern herself as a victim of a cultural system that institutionalizes bitter acrimony between generations.

However, women participating in the women’s seminar were amazed to discover the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi in the Bible. They were in awe of the mutual respect Ruth and Naomi had for each other, and the way that Naomi focused on helping Ruth develop to her greatest potential.

God’s Word transcends cultures and brings hope and a new vision for life to people everywhere—especially those who are most disadvantaged. When it is integrated with practical training that prevents disease and saves lives, a quiet revolution starts to take place.