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Message from Sarah
Hi again brothers and sisters in
Christ,
 Often when I do a children’s
address, I remind the children that they have millions of brothers
and sisters around the world. On Sunday June 6, at West Epping UC,
Bishop Levee Kadenge, of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe,
addressed three diverse congregations, rejoicing that we are all
brothers and sisters and praising God for bringing children from
every nation together in one place - in Australia. We were reminded
of the great blessing that is ours - to worship, witness and serve
alongside people of many cultures and backgrounds. Our
many-cultured context here in Australia helps us grow in our
understanding of God’s vision of a world reconciled to God and to
each other.
I hope and pray that you continue to
be inspired and activated to work towards God’s dream for peace and
justice to reign across the earth. As the Bishop reminded us, none
of us are appendices to the gospel. Rather, we are all
disciples and have every authority from God to go out and embrace
what is in front of us. We are all called to be bearers of good
news, particularly to our brothers and sisters who are very
poor.
May God encourage you and refresh you
with this Lent Event update.
Photograph: Bishop Levee Kadenge and Sarah
White.
Reminder for Coordinators: End of Financial
Year
Thank you to all those who have done such fantastic work helping
to coordinate Lent Event in their faith communities this year.
Just a reminder that the end of the
financial year is fast approaching and that you should contact
UnitingWorld concerning any outstanding donations within the next
week in order to ensure that you can be provided with a receipt for
your records.
The
Significance of Community: Lent Event Mini-Events
By Nikki Reardon
As a writer and (let’s be honest) a
bit of a nerd I spend a fair amount of time surfing the
internet.
It was during a recent
internet-surfing session, while hunting for information about
sacred archaeological sites (a historically-minded nerd) that I
came across the website ‘The
Footsteps of Jesus’ which outlines the journey of Jesus Christ
throughout the course of his three-year ministry.
“Were these the only places that he
visited?” was the question that popped into my mind upon viewing
the site’s interactive map.
The map presented on the site was a
reminder that while later disciples went across the globe to spread
the Good News, Jesus first established the foundations for
Christian evangelism in a relatively small region; in Israel, on
the West Bank, specifically in the province of Galilee. Yet his
lack of international travel did not appear to stop his message
from being heard. No, by ensuring those around him were firmly
established in their faith and understanding of God’s mission, he
certified that God’s message would be spread to every
continent.
Christ’s journey is a reminder to us
all that the first step in being good news to the poor can occur in
our own communities. We can function as agents of change in our
local communities where we will likely find connection and support
from others.
In recognition of this, the Lent
Event team is beginning to put together a number of ‘mini-events’
to be held throughout the year with the aim of increasing community
awareness of the issues faced by those who endure the tragedy of
extreme poverty.
Lent Event hopes that these mini-events will increase your
congregation or small group’s participation in the community by
providing you with innovative, active platforms to introduce
Christ’s message.
The team at Lent Event would love to hear your thoughts on the
concept of holding mini-events and any suggestions you might have.
Please feel free to contact us either by phone on 1300 536 838 or
by email at info@lentevent.com
Project Update: Solomon Islands Health
Outreach
 This article was written by UnitingWorld Pacific
Programs Coordinator, Bryan Cussen, upon returning from his recent
trip to the Solomon Islands where he was blessed to witness the aid
provided by the mobile health clinics, which Lent Event supports,
to the local people.
Little Anna ran down the path from
the community hall into the village with her father’s words echoing
in her ears: “Go and tell your mother and the elders that the
hospital people are here!” As the four year old flew, her hair
streaming behind her, her face was set on her vital mission.
Soon the sound of the conch shell blowing out over the village
showed that Anna had fulfilled the mission well. The sound
told everyone that the health clinic from the Helena Goldie
Hospital had arrived and the medical staff were ready to see
everyone.
We were in the Western Province of
the Solomon Islands on the island of Saika. A dozen staff from the
hospital were on the final leg of their first tour of the local
islands for 2010. Twice a month, for trips of four days, teams from
the hospital load supplies into a motorised canoe and travel from
island to island. Each team consists of a doctor, medical students,
nurses, a health educator, a dentist and pharmacist. Many of the
islands have no permanent clinic so this is the only time their
villagers receive medical care. Although the hospital is accessible
by boat, there is a wariness about going there as people feel that
a hospital is a place where people die.
UnitingWorld funds these health
outreach clinics each year and I was there to see them first
hand. As the staff were setting up, a trickle of mothers and
babies began to emerge from the bush at the edge of the village and
up the path to the community hall. Soon a steady stream of
villagers had followed and the large balcony of the hall was
crowded with people being attended to – babies being weighed,
toddlers being immunised, old folk having their chests listened to,
pregnant women being checked and advised. Everyone was all in
together, little groups back to back, side by side – no concern for
privacy here, it’s just part of being a village community.
And no sense of crush or rush, there seemed plenty of time, people
chatted on the grass below the balcony as they waited and
examinations proceeded with a gentle buzz.
 On each tour of the
islands, a team sees around 500 people. As well as people
coming to see the team at the village hall, clinic, church or
sometimes just under the trees, the doctor goes into the village to
see anyone sick at home and people who are terminally ill. Dr Jenny
from the U.K. leads one of the teams. She says that the
medical complaints tend to be a mixture of chronic and acute health
problems with malaria and other tropical infections being common.
Patients often default from treatment because they run out of
medication especially if there’s no local clinic or it is difficult
to reach. Injuries often go long untreated or are treated
inadequately with “custom” medicine. The dentist extracts
teeth and gives education to the villagers most of whom do not use
a toothbrush. The health educator gives talks on topics like
nutrition, sexual health, contraception, and ante-natal care.
An eye nurse screens for diabetic eye disease, trachoma and
cataracts needing surgery. Sometimes the team comes across
someone who needs more urgent care. On this tour they discovered a
boy who had been suffering severe abdominal pain for seven days. He
was taken to the hospital and went straight to the operating
theatre for a successful appendectomy.
Work continues until everyone is
seen. Then the team packs up and goes on to the next village or, if
it is getting late, they have a meal with the villagers before
collapsing into makeshift beds, usually on the floor where the
clinic has been held. What a privilege to see the clinic
unfold and be surrounded by such dedication, compassion, skill and
stamina.
Photographs
of tour provided curtesy of UnitingWorld. Photograph 1: Medical
Student, Nav, examining a child. Photograph 2: The touring
team.
Prayer Points
Prayers for the Solomon Islands
- Pray for our brothers and sisters in the
Solomon Islands who cannot access basic necessities such as
healthcare due to the remoteness of their
villages.
- Pray for the expectant mothers - that the
staff of the Helena Goldie Clinic can aid them in the healthy
delivery of their child.
- Pray that the remote clinics continue in
their success, providing antenatal and postnatal care and education
to ensure the the healthy growth of the village newborns and to
reduce the terrible mortality rate encountered in the
country.
- Pray that throughout all elements of this
project God's work may be done.
Prayers for Zimbabwe
- Pray for those infected by cholera and
for those mourning loved ones that have died from the
disease.
- Pray for an end to the food crisis and for
the millions struggling to survive.
- Pray for the government so that the
country's many social and economic problems can be
addressed.
- Pray for UnitingWorld and other agencies to
continue to provide help to those in most
need.
- Pray for the work of Bishop Kadenge and for
other church leaders and for the safety of their staff and
families.
- Pray for unity, wisdom and strength for
churches as they seek to hear God’s voice for the country and for
themselves as an organisation.
- Pray for the Christians in Zimbabwe to
demonstrate the hope they have in Christ by being honest, generous
and inclusive.
- Pray that the international community will
stand in solidarity with Zimbabwe and respond with open hands
and open hearts.
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