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Message From Sarah
Day 17 of Lent Event, Monday March 8th, was International
Women’s Day - a day to recognise the social, political and economic
achievements of women. As the founder of Lent Event, I was invited
to address local community leaders on ‘Empowering Women to End
Poverty by 2015’.
As much I wanted to celebrate advances in the status of women, I
felt called to remind ourselves that of the world's 1.3 billion
poor people, it is estimated that nearly 70 per cent are women.
Between 75 and 80 per cent of the world's 27 million refugees are
women and children. I felt called to ask, “Can we truly celebrate
improvements in women’s status when women continue to suffer
disproportionately from extreme poverty?”
I went on to challenge those in attendance to reflect on our
connection to our brothers and sisters living in poverty and to
invite them to reduce their discretionary spending in order to
redirect resources to those in greater need. People responded very
positively to the message and affirmed the idea of ‘doing life more
fairly.’
Monday’s experiences galvanised my belief that Lent Event has
the potential to be a global movement that opens the hearts and
lives of the world’s privileged people calling us to love our
neighbours as ourselves. Please join me in praying for the future
of Lent Event, and for the opening up of this God- inspired
initiative.
Prayer of the
Day
Wednesday, March
10th
Luke
13:1-9
I come to confess to you Maker
of Heaven and Earth.
I confess that part of me
assumes that people live in poverty
because of their own
mistakes.
I confess that part of me that
prefers to turn away from the suffering I see
all too
frequently.
I confess that I assume that
money given to aid and development
in other
countries
will be wasted or make no
worthwhile difference.
I confess the darker parts of
me that don’t really care.
I confess how I’ve become used
to switching off in the face
of extreme
poverty.
I confess that looking after
myself and my family feels enough for me
to worry about.
I confess the resentment
within me towards those who seem needy.
I confess. As an act of
repentance, I seek to turn around, to change
direction,
so that you may show me a
better way.
My way of doing life is
killing the planet, its peoples and me.
You alone are light and hope
for all creation and for me. Amen.
Overcome the Mid-Lenten
Slump
It is often said that Wednesday is a ‘hump day,’ that
metaphorical hill in the middle of the week which must be overcome
to encounter Thursday and most importantly Friday, the day
preluding the glorious weekend.
As Lent Event participants, we are reaching the mid-point of the
Lenten season. So let us ask, “Are we tired and unenthused? Have we
lost our vision? Have we reached a mid-Lenten slump?”
I suspect many of us are experiencing this slump, or are about
to do so.
In Luke 4:1-13 (our first Lent Event 2010
Bible Study) we read about the 40 days Jesus spent in the
desert, without food, being tempted by the devil. Does Luke tell us
that Jesus faced each of those days with quiet calm reflection and
steady resolve? That each moment in the wilderness was one of
spiritual enlightenment? Not likely. Jesus was human like we
are.
Yet, having encountered this trial, Jesus’ defeat of the devil
appears even more triumphant and God’s message is written deeper
into our hearts– that he is, and will remain, triumphant.
Likewise, we should not see our own mid-Lenten slump as a defeat
but as an opportunity to make God’s work in us even more
triumphant. God who enabled Jesus is our helper too.
Why not stop right now and reflect, as Jesus did, on God’s word
and think about what God is calling you to this Lent. How does God
want you to change? What is his next step for you?
May the slump resolve in triumph.
Coordinator
Encouragement
The Lent Event team wishes to say a giant thank you to our
Coordinators currently working hard to make Lent Event 2010 a
success.
After overcoming the frantic rush to get your faith community
prepared to undertake Lent Event, we hope that you are now taking
some time to rest and reflect on God’s message for you. May you be
rejuvenated and renewed.
For those who may unsure of what comes next, don’t forget there
is an activity timeline on page 12 of your Coordinator’s Guide
which can also be viewed on the Lent Event
website.
The next major reminder about wrapping up Lent Event’s 2010
needs to be shared with your faith community on March 28 and April
4. This can be found in the Coordinator’s
Guide or viewed below:
Press Release
4
Thank you for your participation in Lent Event.
Every dollar you have saved will help fund life changing
development projects.
Please bring your donations on (insert date) and be part of
our Lent Event closureservice. If you need another donation
envelope please contact (insert coordinator’s name). If you will
not be here for the closure service, please remember to bring in
your contribution ASAP. The sooner we send our money in, the sooner
we make a differenceto our brothers and sisters in Christ who are
going without essential food, water, education, health care and
employment.
Thank you for all your hard work. Please be aware that a member
of the Lent Event team is only a phone call or an email away, if
you need support or ideas to help you.
Project Update
Through supporting the Water, Sanitation, and Education project,
Lent Event participants have helped change the lives of many
communities in Papua New Guinea. Lelehudi is one such
community.
Sarah is twelve years old and lives with her parents and three
older siblings near Lelehudi in rural Papua New Guinea. She enjoys
going to school and seeing her friends.
Sarah and her siblings took it in turn to make the three hour
walk to the nearest water source to Lelehudi. Not only did this
take a significant amount of time, but with so much energy expended
on walking to and from the river with containers of water, there
was little energy left for anything else, let alone school.
UnitingWorld, working with the United Church in Papua New Guinea
and the European Union, have installed a gravity scheme that pipes
the water down from the clean water source through taps.
The project has been a success. No longer required to spend her
day collecting water, Sarah now attends school in Lelehudi. Her
mother now uses her time to work with other mothers in her village
and grow crops to sell at the market. Having ready access to water
has allowed Sarah’s family and other families in the community to
spend time getting an education and generating an income. Income
generation is especially important in rural communities where cash
is scarce, but is still needed for medical and education
costs.
By helping supply the community of Lelehudi with the equipment
to access water, Lent Event participants have helped UnitingWorld
and the United Church of Papua New Guinea to ensure that Sarah and
her community have the opportunity to build a brighter happier
future.
Lent Event
works in partnership with UnitingWorld. Their vision is to empower
Australian church communities to be effective global partners and
to be meaningfully engaged with a specific overseas partner. To
begin a discussion as to how your church might be intentionally
engaged please contact Community Relationship Manager, Rob
Lutton.
UnitingWord
has also recently released a DVD on their project in South India,
featuring the Adivasi people, whom Lent Event participants support.
For more information on how you can get a copy, contact Tom Ganderton.
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