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Operation Christmas Child |
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Knit One, Save One: A Campaign to Save Millions of Babies |
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Written by b2
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Saturday, 01 November 2008 |
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Can something as simple as a knit or crochet cap help save a baby’s life?
In many poor countries, the answer is yes. Four million newborns die each year within the first month of life – half within the first 24 hours after being born. But a package of simple health measures provided to mothers and babies worldwide could prevent 60 percent of these deaths. The missing ingredients to save most babies’ lives include antibiotics to fight infection, immunizations against tetanus, training for skilled birth attendants, and education about breastfeeding and basic care such as keeping the baby warm. This is where your cap comes in!
These babies need more than caps – they need your voice too. The United States can lead the way in saving young lives by increasing funding for critical health measures for mothers and children in developing countries. To do this, we need your help.
Download instructions for making a cap HERE , and learn more about helping children at: http://www.savethechildren.org |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 01 November 2008 )
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Written by wezlo
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Thursday, 16 October 2008 |
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The call to prayer came from one of members who is a student at Eastern University. Please read this and prayer for peace in India - pray also that Christians in Orissa follow the example of Jesus and refrain from seeking revenge. Grace must prevail if the cycle of violence is to end. Read this article for more information. The Assassination which set off this current violence has been linked to a terrorist with Maoist ties.
This is a request for prayer for YWAM missionaries and their churches in Orissa, India. The request came from Mable Hurst, an associate of HCJB Global. Please read and make this a matter of urgent prayer.
Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India.
We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the continuous threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work. But none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage.... And it seems to be totally under the radar of the Western Media.
Let me explain. A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and 'reconverting' people back to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown assailants in Central Orissa last weekend. Immediately the Christians were blamed. The cry rose up...'Kill the Christians!' And the horror began.... In the past 4 days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many dozens of Christian tribals have been slaughtered. For no other reason than they bare the name of Christ.
Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News India Directors spread across 14 Dream Centers in Orissa... they are right in the middle of all this chaos. In Tihidi, just after the police came to offer protection, a group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to kill our staff and destroy the home. They were not allowed to get in, but they did a lot of damage to our Dream Center by throwing rocks and bricks and smashing our gate, etc. They have promised to come back and 'finish the job.' Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way with doors and windows shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of desperately calling on the Lord in prayer. More police have come to offer protection. In Kalahandi, the police and some local sympathizers got to our dream center and gave our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time to even grab a change of clothes or any personal belonging. As they fled, the bloodthirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We would have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace. In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian homes and missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them away by saying that there were no Christians in this area. So they left. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.
All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff huddled inside and police outside. The fanatics are circling outside waiting for a chance to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholic orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a computer teacher in the house and burned them to death. Many believers have been killed and hacked into pieces and left on the road.... even women and children. At another orphanage run by another organization, when this began, the Director and his wife jumped on their motorbike and simply fled, leaving all the children and staff behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to said: 'We stay with our kids.... we live together or die together, but we will never abandon what God has called us to do.' More than 5000 Christian families have had their homes burned or destroyed. They have fled into the jungles and are living in great fear waiting for the authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no peace is foreseen.
This will continue for another 10 days.... supposedly the 14 day mourning period for the slain Hindu priest. Many more Christians will die and their houses destroyed. Many more churches will be smashed down. The Federal government is trying to restore order and perhaps things will calm down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God can calm this storm. None of us know the meaning of persecution. But now our kids and staff know what that means. So many of our kids coming from Hindu backgrounds are confused and totally bewildered at what is happening around them. So many of their guardians have fled into the jungles and are unable to come and get them during these trying times. Through all this, I am more determined than ever to continue with our goal: the transformation of a community by transforming its children. Orissa will be saved... that is our heart's cry. If we can take these thousands of throw-away children and help them to become disciples of Jesus, they will transform an entire region. It is a long-term goal, but it is strategic thinking in terms of the Great Commission.
What can you do? First, please uphold all this in fervent prayer. Second, pass this e-mail on to as many friends as you can. We must get the word out and increase our prayer base for this is spiritual warfare at its most basic meaning. We are literally fighting the devil in order to live for His Kingdom. The next 10 days are crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade across Orissa.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it on and help us to get as many people to partner with us on this cutting edge effort to fulfill His mandate: Go and make disciples of all nations....
Prayer works!
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 October 2008 )
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