2010 Ministry Report by Mission Without Borders International

mission without borders report NOURISHED BY THE WORD

mission without borders report

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

, NOURISHED BY PRESIDENT THE WORD S MESSAGE

© MWBI 2010 Editing and coordination: Sreyleak Kaysarn-Hem • Design and graphic production: Hans Krogh • Photo editing: Line M. Christiansen Krogh • Photos: MWBI Archives • All articles/stories are written by MWBI team.

OURISHED BYALBANIA THE WORDBOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA ALBANIA MOLDOVA BOSNIA AND ROMANIA HERZEGOVINA UKRAINE BULGARIA MINISTRY MOLDOVA ENHANCEMENTS ROMANIA MWBI UKRAINE STRUCTURE MINIST

The Mission’s Jubilee Year is truly a time for thanksgiving and a time for rededication to the task which God has committed to our trust.

The question has been asked, “Why have you decided to print and distribute 1 million Bibles during the Mission’s Jubilee Year? Why haven’t you rather concentrated on helping the poor and needy with physical and material help?” There are a number of reasons for our decision. - Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God,” (Matt. 4:4 Amplified version). - In Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) God said, “My word shall not return unto me empty, but shall accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” - The Mission was founded 50 years ago to distribute God’s Word in communist lands to the poor and needy who were being denied the Word of God. Before the Iron and Bamboo Curtains came down, the Mission smuggled millions of Bibles, New Testaments and Gospels into these oppressed countries. While our MWB workers experienced Communism at its height and saw persecution at its worst, we also saw hearts touched, Church doors opened and believers spreading their arms wide to welcome young and old, rich and poor, to listen to the Word of God and share in the joy they’ve found in the Bible. Now, 50 years on, we believe it is time to celebrate what God has helped us to achieve over the years. Time to make known to a million more people that God loves and cares for each of them- time for every man, woman and child in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, the Ukraine and China to know for themselves the joy and comfort of owning their very own Bible. The need is as great today as ever before. It is true that in most of these former Communist countries Bibles are available at a price. But the reality is that

very few people can afford to feed themselves, let alone buy a Bible. If our vision to “Reach People for Christ” is going to be successful, it can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit working through God’s revelation, the Bible. Of all the doctrines connected with the Christian faith, none is more important than the one that has to do with the basis of our religious knowledge. For anyone who professes the Christian faith, the root question is: From where did I get my knowledge on which my faith is based? The answers to this question are varied, of course, but for the Christian at least it always comes full circle to the Bible. When all has been said and done, the only true and dependable source for Christianity, lies in the book we call the Bible. But can we trust the Bible? Is the Bible infallible? Charles Spurgeon’s incisive question, as he faced the theological liberalism of his day about the Bible and its infallibility, is as relevant today as it was in his day. “If this Book be not infallible, where shall we find infallibility?” Let me review three options that have been promoted over the years. Firstly, some claim that reason is infallible. But as a created being, dependent totally upon God for the exercise of our reasoning faculty, we cannot claim to be infallible. In addition, man’s mind has been damaged and darkened through the Fall of man. He sees only in part and even then the truth is often distorted or even denied. No, reason can never be the infallible judge of what is right and true and good. Secondly, others have claimed that the Church is

infallible. But the Church is made up of sinners – justified and forgiven, it is true – but still in the body, awaiting the final redemption that will set them free from all present limitations. History shows us that even those who claimed the ability to speak infallibly were wrong, or spoke either in contradiction of the Scriptures or by way of addition to them. Thirdly, the true Church has always claimed that the Bible is infallible. Among the world’s literature the Bible is a unique production. It was and is Godbreathed as emphasized by the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Here, Paul refers to the quality and purpose of the writings that make up the Bible. God breathed or exhaled it. That’s how close the relationship is between the sacred writings and the divine Author. It is for this reason that we, as a Mission, lay so much emphasis on the Bible. God has revealed Himself to us through His Word and it is only through His Word that we will be able to accomplish our Godgiven vision to “Reach People for Christ.” On behalf of our International Board, I want to thank everyone who has contributed to our vision.

W. A. Temlett MWBI President/Chairman

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Not by Bread Alone As we at Mission Without Borders this year joyfully look back on fifty years of ministry, we naturally see a great variety of ministry activities having been carried out. This is natural as our outreach activities have changed over time according to the environment we have been serving. However, despite the changes we have seen in external environments (i.e. the political changes that have taken place in Eastern Europe over the past decades), we believe that the internal needs of Man

always remains the same. That is why our commitment to God’s Word as the central nerve in our outreach activities has never changed. Nor will it. As we share with you some of the ministry highlights from this past year, we do that boldly under the theme, “Nourished by the Word.” We want to share with you some activity highlights and factual information – but perhaps more important – we want to share with you some testimo-

nies confirming how the Word of God has touched persons and been the core factor in changing lives from being that of hopelessness, brokenness, emptiness and loneliness to being ones of restoration, hope , joy and purposefulness. We pray that you will be blessed and nourished by the testimonies!

THE WORD IN HARD PLACES: “I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but be courageous-I have overcome the world!" ( John 16:33) Pages 40, 41, 50, 51.

PLANTING THE WORD: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Pages 24, 25, 32, 33.

MWB REPORT | 2010 |

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

COMFORTED BY THE WORD: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:3-4) Pages 16, 17, 52, 53.

PEOPLE OF THE WORD: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) Pages 10, 11.

STRENGTHENED BY THE WORD: “No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39) Pages 34, 35.

TRANSFORMED BY THE WORD: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Pages 8, 9, 18, 19, 42, 43.

GROWING IN THE WORD: “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19) Pages 26, 27, 48, 49.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Highlights from Albania

MWB AlbaFor the first time, ally purchaloc nia staff planned, buted 4500 tri dis d an sed, packed Love parcels Operation Christmas categories, all to needy people of erly and eld the n, re including child ilies. poverty-stricken fam

Our massive dis tributions and clo thing actions involved whole co mmunities in th e greater Durres area, for example , benefitting the very poor of the ex-chemical plant area, the be ach community children, the Ha ndicap Children’s School, the Children’s Day Ce nters, etc.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 6

9- the celeactivities organized during 200 Out of all the Christian outreach et theaters, etc., pupp , 1st) e (Jun Day ’s dren bration of Women’s Day, of Chil enof God stands out. This joyous and the Christmas party with Assembly each and evangelizing outr stian Chri t rtan impo an tertaining activity was march of symbolically concluded with the event in the city. The event was t indeed! even ue uniq er-a rds the city cent more than 300 participants towa

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

ditions) of copies (4 e 0 00 0, 0 1 freely apers were Si Jeni newsp nia as well as to in Alba distributed neighboing groups in ak pe -s an ni ba Al Macedonia, es such as ring countri ece, Italy ell as to Gre Kosovo as w ngelistic va e Si Jeniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s . UK e th d an e muchmessages ar articles and of all ages. by readers appreciated

274 families rece ived emotional, spiritual, material an d educational as sistance through our Fam ily to Family spon sorship program.

MWBA cooperated with the Albanian Evangelical Alliance to respond to the flood emergencies in the North Western part of the country. MWB provided items and goods that were distributed through the network of evangelical churches of the area. The load delivered consisted of: new/ used clothing, mattresses, fleece blankets, sets of dishes, incontinence towels, new shoes, boxes of bed-linen, dried fruits, sport shoes, hygienic paper, etc.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

No Longer Days of This is the testimony of a F2F teenager, Marsela Murati (15) who tells how her life changed when she and the other members of her family came to know Jesus Christ:

TRANSFORMED BY THE WORD

Before we knew Him we lived in a world of darkness, stress, problems, suffering, nightmares and tears. Our lives were difficult and meaningless to such an extent that I did not want to live anymore. The problems we were facing were economical and spiritual.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 8

We, my brother and I, were desperate. Every day our parents were fighting about something. Poverty grew worse and added to this situation. This caused us much suffering until one day, quite unexpectedly, we heard about Jesus and his life. Through our coordinator, we learned more and more about God. Then, we decided to go to church and see what it was like there. When we heard the pastor preaching the word of God, we felt that our wounded hearts were finding some comfort. Afterwards, we decided to go to church more often. Attending regularly, we came to meet many brothers and sisters in faith, some of whom came from different countries of the world. It was like a window that was opened to us. After all this, our life started to make a little sense, but it only made real sense when we learned to pray.

Since the day we learned about Jesus, my family has received great blessings that make our life easier. We try to live a different life; we have more confidence and feel more prepared to face the problems and above all, we have the trust that He will give us all the strength we need. We speak with Him through prayer and find the answers in the Bible. We We started to pray that our sorrow came to an end. We wanted our life to be different; we wished our parents had a job; children act as mediators between our parents; we try to tell them that there is a different way of dealing with problems. we wanted no more conflicts in our family. We wanted to have some peace. We really got an answer to our prayers and we reali- That is why Jesus has such a special place in our hearts because He brought many changes in our family life. zed that God really exists- that He is alive and is thinking of us. When I think back, I realize that Mission without Borders came in our lives as a blessing, bringing a big difference. We are very happy that the Mission helped to calm down our tormented souls and meets some of our basic needs for food, clothes and other necessary things. It is so nice to spend time with the Mission coordinator and its other employees at our place. Everything the Mission has brought us has been welcomed and the words are not enough to express our gratitude. Above all, we are grateful because through the mission, we came to know God.

Our days are no longer days of horror, nightmares and tears. I feel happy that we found our spiritual missing shelter; that we found a tent to avoid being soaked by the rain, that we found food to satiate. We found our Shepherd who knows how to care for His sheep. Jesus Christ is our Lord. He is God of the whole world. He is faithful to all of us. I believe this because our Lord is great, strong and powerful. Nothing is impossible for Him. He is true, good, fair, worthy of praise and able to protect all those who need Him.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Horror, Nightmares and Tears

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Queuing for Water

PEOPLE OF THE WORD

Dila Zmajli (49) is one of the most active volunteers in the Family to Family (F2F) program in Albania. She is a blessing to all of us: to the F2F families, the Mission’ staff, the local church and the community. Dila is married and has five children. She works as a kindergarten teacher in Fllaka, a rural area of Durres. Her family moved down there eight years ago from a northern Albanian town in search of a better life like tens of thousands of other families. What they found was another very harsh reality and another disappointment. Life was not easier at all, especially for newcomers. There was no electricity or running water. The socio-economic level of the area was very low and the opportunity to find employment was almost zero. Fifteen years ago, she had accepted Jesus as her Lord and personal Savior. Dila began to attend the local church, the ”Assembly of God” in Durres and prayed continuously that she could feel love for the people and the village where God had sent them. In the entire village, there was only one well where women and children could get water from. Queuing for water at the well, she began to share the word of God with the women and girls. Every day she tried to tell them how much God loved them all. Looking at their faces full of sadness, pain and despair, she decided to find out more about them. And when she learned that most of the women and girls were lost, discouraged and victims of domestic violence from their husbands and fathers, she decided to pray for them so that God could change their lives. Several months later, the “Assembly of God” started ministry in Fllake. Dila helped in church planting process. The pastor of the church appointed Dila as coordinator in the area where she works very diligently to share the Word with women, teenagers and children, and planting the seed of Christian love to them. Fllake is included in Mission Without Borders F2F program and we found her involved in giving spiritual support to “our” families.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 10

“In these years, we have seen the wonders of God and how God has changed so many people’s lives. I lead Bible studies and prayer meetings with the sisters and children. The Mission’s program was a response to our prayers for these families that are striving for survival. Mission Without Borders has not only been a help but a great bles-

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

at the Well sing; together we could minister to more women and children who have now started to come to the understanding God. It is so amazing that the F2F Program provides spiritual and physical food, and leads to the connection with the local churches,â&#x20AC;? Dila says.

conduct the ongoing visits to the F2F families, spending time with them. They advise, give support and pray together with the families. Their prayers include the entire village, with the hope that all its inhabitants will get to know our Lord Jesus Christ one day.

The Mission coordinator in this rural area, Arjana Spahija, and Dila

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

DEAR FRIENDS, It is natural to ask ourselves year after year, “Why are we still here?” What motivated Mission Without Borders in Albania continue its ministry in 2009 despite a year of grave political tensions in the country after the general elections, the aggravated economic and social situations, the deep global crisis, and despite pressure and general despair?

MANAGER´S GREETINGS

The answer also comes naturally: because every year, we see how many lives we have impacted, we see how much we have directly or indirectly affected communities, and how we are enabled to be a voice for those who do not have a voice or a voice for those who cannot be heard. In 2009, we saw the fruits of our work in the F2F families whom we patiently introduced and educated with Christian values and aim each year, to bring them one step nearer to knowing the Lord. We provided school materials to the children, offered them the opportunities to attend summer camps and Christmas parties and thus, aimed to keep them out of the streets and to avoid to school abandonment. In addition to this, the elderly are provided with hot meals daily and the local churches find in us a stable and reliable partner. Thousands of beneficiaries and others have been blessed by our ministry in one way or another. 2009 was a year of fulfillment. By the Lord’s grace, everything went well, not just generally speaking, but every program, project and activity achieved its planned and desired parameters. We offered an intensified presence that was felt in the communities we worked with. That is what we would like to do in the coming year as well: continue like this, be present and share much more than clothing, food and other material items. Above all, we would share our valuesthe Bible’s principles which remain the source of our inspiration, dedication and success. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” ( John 15:16).

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 12

Sincerely, Monika Qerimi Office Manager MWB Albania

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Albania Vermosh Valbonë

LEGEND:

Theth

Koplik

Dr in

Koman 6

Shkodër

Rubik

Lezhë

Each colored dot on the map represents where our various projects are implemented.

Mat

Gjiri i Drinit

Milot

Laç

Pukë

Muhur

Ulëz

Burrel

Klos

Krujë

Durrës

Kavajë Rrogozhinë

Peqin 19

Cërrik

Lushnjë Kuçovë Roskovec

Fier

31 Vjo së

S tr

Vlorë

Patos

Pogradec 23

Gramsh 22

Moglicë

Ura Vajgurore

Berat

Ballsh

29 30

Palasë

tr an

Deti Jon

Voskopojë

Bilisht

Korçë

Miras

Dardhë

Çorovodë Qesarat

Villahinë

Kotë Orikum 32 Dukat i Ri

Maliq

ll vo

Vithkuq

Poliçan

Selenicë

Shëngjini

Lin

Përrenjas

Llixhat e Elbasani

Devo ll

mbin

Librazhd

in mb ku Sh

Elbasan

±abzun

(Tirana)

Divjakë

Krastë

TIRANË

Shijak

Sazan

Bulqizë

Mat

16 Vorë

ku Sh

Peshkopi

11 10

ADRIATIC SEA

Zall-Reç Krej Lurë

Rrëshen

Ishëm

Gostil

Kurbnesh

Kukës

Fushë-Arrëz

Drini i ZI

Velipojë Shëngjin

Shëmri

Poshqesh

Ungrej

Krumë

Liqeni i Fierzes

Iballë

Ura e Shtrejtë

Zogaj

Breglumë Fierzë

Lotaj

Child Care Family Care F2F Communities Summer Camp sites Community Centres

Tropojë

Bajram Curri

Bogë

Tepelenë

Këlcyrë ë Vjos

Sarandë

Kosinë

Leskovik

Poliçan

Gjirokastër

Kardhiq

Borsh Lukovë

Ersekë

Përmet

Kuç

Libohovë

Delvinë

Jorgucat

Finiq 35 0 km

Çukë Xarrë

45 km

Konispol

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Highlights from Bosnia-

In December of the 2009, several areas of Bosnia an d Herzegovina have been affecte d with heavy floods. Mission Witho ut Borders reacted instantly an d drove material aid to peop le who lived in these areas. 30 families have been helped with ite ms such as blankets, food, shoe s, clothes and hygiene articles during these hard circumstance s

The Soup Kitchen at Glamoc and the Zenica COM Center served daily hot meals and offered fellowship to 120 beneficiaries, most of them elderly, who have no other means of support except their meager state pensions.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 14

The Family to Family program expanded to Trebinje, a town in the Srpska Republika entity. Eleven destitute families are newly enrolled.

r pubmoney fo s donated er rd o ), B rd t a ithou p Forw Mission W jed (A Ste nes in Bosnia rak napri o azi K g a g m in n sh li stia four only Chri re issued one of the vina. 300 copies a ing to ss le go a real b and Herze This magazine is e. k li a s n r. ea stia times a y d non-Chri stians an both Chri

Throughout the coldest months of year, Operation Winter Rescue campaign is a real rescue to man y in the cold places where temp eratures reach several degrees belo w zero. Through this campaign, beneficiaries from the Commun ity Centres, Families in Crisis, and F2F program, etc. have benefitte d from it. 3030 kg of new, qualitati ve and warm items were delivered to 1000 people and were a big bles sing at the right time.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

-Herzegovina Mission W ithout Bo rd supporte d the Bra ers nkovac Evang eli in organiz cal Church ing their 25th anniversa ry celeb rations, an evang elis which als tic initiative o include d a concert of spiritu al songs being held

More than 100 Bosnian families received multi-faceted help through MWB’s family sponsorship program (F2F).

Together with our partnering local churc hes, direct aid was channeled to families from our Family in Crisis proje ct during fire and food scarcity emergencies.

100 children from our F2F and Family in Crisis programs enjoyed restful da ys at Mission Without Borders’ summer camps arranged on Boracko Lake

activities MWB BH had several teenagers d with the children an , called mp Ca the who attended nized in ga or t, jec pro s the 5 Plu al loc church. conjunction with the 10 parents d an The 40 children t learned en ev the d who attende te Af rwards, about “courage.” sandwiches me refreshments, so served. re we and juice years, MWB BH This year, as previous tion Christmas era Op 00 distributed 25 and needy at r Love parcels to the poo e. im ast Christm

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

COMFORTED BY THE WORD

She Chose Truth, Love Dragan Sunjic is the fifth child out of five. He has three older brothers and one sister. He was born and raised in a village 20 km from Mostar. When Dragan completed primary school, his parents enrolled him in high school in Sarajevo. Since they were a very poor family, Dragan was accommodated in a public boarding school. He shared accommodation, and all the problems that came with it, with the other children who lived there. Dragan’s parents hoped that he would finish high school in the usual time of three years and get a much-needed job. However that didn’t happen. Dragan didn’t pass his exams in the third year and needed to enrol in the same class again. Dragan’s father didn’t let him to do that. He sent Dragan to another town to work in a stonemason’s workshop and to learn a trade. Dragan obeyed his father despite his wish to stay and finish high school. When Dragan received his first salary, he paid a school fee to take the exams, passed all of them successfully and got a diploma. In 1992, the war started in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was only nineteen years old, free, felt patriotic about his country and wanted to defend it. He reported to the Croatian Defence Council and became a proud soldier. He was a brave young man who fought on many battlefields all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. When the war ended, he got a job and married Marijela. Dragan’s father owned a piece of land and allowed Dragan and Marijela to build their own house on it. They completed the ground floor of the house and took a loan from a bank and bought building material for the first floor. They did most of the construction work alone but they were happy. They lived in harmony and love. They had three healthy and wonderful children, made plans and dreamed about their future. But their happiness was suddenly interrupted. Dragan was arrested and charged on suspicion of war crimes. He was charged with something he didn’t do. A scapegoat was needed and Dragan fitted the bill. He didn’t have friends in “high places” that could stand up for him and protect him. Several years ago, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison. It was a shock for the whole family. Dragan’s

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 16

case went to the Court of Appeals and was accepted. The sentence was cancelled and a new trial is scheduled in the forthcoming days. Marijela got married when she was 19 years old. She was young, in love, with the whole life in front of her. Marijela and Dragan were partners in everything and grew together. She couldn’t even imagine the terrible things that would happen to them. In one moment- their lives went downhill and various difficulties followed. She didn’t know that she had such a strong inner strength to remain stable and firm in her beliefs, choices and love. She knew that she wasn’t wrong about her decisions and feelings. Even today, she firmly believes that justice will win. She is not alone, Jesus Christ is with her. She let Him help her with her burdens. She opened her heart to Him and put all her trust into His hands. She felt abandoned by all her friends, relatives, acquaintances- by all those who made promises but didn’t keep them. Marijela was full of bitterness and felt anger towards all those who deceived her. Her heart was hurt.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

and Honesty However, before negative feelings took over her heart completely, she invited Jesus Christ in and let him help her. Through His words she found herself. Today her heart is pure; she doesn’t feel bitterness and can look straight into everybody’s eyes. The question is – can they look into her eyes? They asked her to betray her husband, to sacrifice him for “a higher purpose” and in return, they would provide everything for her. Even though she knew that it was going to be a thorny path, she chose truth, love and honesty. She knows that she will be faced with many challenges. She believes that justice and love will win- however difficult it may be. She gathers additional strength from visits to her husband. Together with her children she goes to see the love of her life; she spends some moments with him and watches him playing with their children. Quite often they talk over the phone, share thoughts and nice wishes, and strengthen one another. It helps them to get through the day bravely and to overcome the challenges they face.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

TRANSFORMED BY THE WORD

The Men from Slavko Kurtinovic (58), Mihajlo Babicic (69) and Ivo Grubesic (75) are three elderly men who come to the Community Center (COM) in Zenica every day. When they started to visit this center, it was just their pure need for a food as all three of them are faced with extreme poverty and hard living conditions. Slavko is homeless and has no place to stay and sleep. He is divorced and his ex-wife and son went to live in the USA. He has no contact with them whatsoever. Having no means to provide for a warm daily meal for himself, he has always shown great respect and thankfulness for it. He would come to eat, almost like he is ashamed from some reason, and then he would leave. He never talked much or showed initiative to share anything with anyone. It was visible that this man is suffering and that his wounds are deep. This changed after he started to attend the church meetings. He also participated in the morning prayers at the Center and as carefully listened when the Word was read. Slavko began to open up. He felt accepted by people and by God, as he says. He said that he could not be immune to the love he felt and care he experienced during the fellowship at the Center. He is encouraged and strengthened by every word written in the Bible. His wish to confirm his faith by getting baptized was fulfilled in the spring 2009.

Ivo Grubesic Like him, Mihajlo was also introverted, quiet and shy when he would come to the Center for a meal a couple of years ago. Mihajlo lives in a one-room apartment with his ex-wife and mentally-disabled son. He used to be bitter and full of anger and hate, blaming all and everyone for his struggles and hard life. He could not accept the fact that he is helpless and not able to provide for his family and himself. Mihajlo started to change his attitude after many conversations with the volunteers. They explained to Mihajlo that Jesus loves him and that He is the only one who can comfort him. Mihajlo realized that in Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes, he is special, worthy and he found all he has been lacking for all of his life in Him. Reading the Mihajlo Babicic

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 18

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Zenica Bible is his favourite activity and attending the Bible study means a lot to him. Mihajlo got saved and found new life in Him, a life in which he enjoys in its fullness knowing that his Father cares and loves him. Ivo lives with his wife in a small apartment. Ivo never had any children. He is the kind of a man who is polite with everyone but would never talk more than polite phrases like, “I am fine, thank you,” when he is asked how he has been doing. On one particular day at the Center, volunteers have been talking about the power of God and His almighty nature when suddenly, Ivo stood up and said: “If God is so almighty and knows all, then He should help me to find my missing sister so I can know what happened with her!” The silence in the room prevailed for a few minutes. No one knew that Ivo’s sister has been missing from home for some time as he had not talked about it. A volunteer suggested a joint prayer for Ivo’s sister to be found and it was visible that Ivo was touched by it. A day after this, Ivo came and said that he was contacted by the local police soon after he left the Center, and that they found the body of his sister in a river. From that moment on, Ivo started to attend church service every Sunday and he became involved in the Bible study group. Ivo started to believe that God is almighty and that He does miracles. He has his own testimony of this that he gladly shares with others. He got baptized and in this act, he professes as an affirmation of his beliefs, his own free choice. God’s love touches people’s hearts at the COM Center in Zenica; they feel accepted, welcomed, loved, appreciated, respected…Some of them have never experienced these feelings in their lives. But lives are changed now as Slavko, Mihajlo and Ivo found rest in their lives by coming to Jesus who said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28).

Slavko Kurtinovic 19

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Bosnia BELOVED FRIENDS,

MANAGER´S GREETINGS

I cannot express my great joy on becoming a part of the MWBI family last year. It was my privilege during 2009 to be part of a mission that succeeded in facilitating visible acts of human compassion by improving the quality of life of underprivileged communities. MWB Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a good steward of the temporal blessings provided by the Lord, always having a strong emphasis on the fact that the people we serve are God’s creation and that only spiritual satisfaction can lead to overall contentment. We extended our Family to Family (F2F) work to one more city and have engaged two more coordinators to ensure the quality of the existing F2F program. Despite the recession, we enrolled 60 more poverty-stricken families into our various project. The world’s crisis has not hindered us in improving the quality of food and the facilities for social activities in our two feeding centers, testifying to the supreme power of Jesus as the King of the Earth. With the increased involvement of local churches, we held a number of events for children and young people to nurture the growth of the seeds sown in their lives. Our Christ-inspired social engagement, priorities and beliefs have also been recognized and affirmed by the critical eye of various media. As Christians we serve all despite different ethical and moral considerations and beliefs, and together with the local churches, aim to reveal the love of God and His desire to be loved by the people He created. We hope to demonstrate and implement innovative programs to eliminate poverty and disease. We will also provide education in order to empower the poorest, the marginalized and to families facing crises so that they may become self-reliant.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 20

Sincerely, Dalibor Kojic National Manager, Bosnia and Herzegovina

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

and Herzegovina Sa

CROATIA

Novi Grad

Banja Luka

Bosanska Krupa Donji Kamengrad Luπci Palanka

Ripa{

Velagi‹i

Smolijana

Kulen Vakuf

Bosanski Petrovac

Klju{

U na

Bara‹i

Drvar

Jelah

Klupe

Tesli‹ Pribini Banja Vru‹ica

Maslovare

Travnik

Turbe

∏ipovo Donji Vakuf

Medena Seliπta

Crni Lug

Glamo{

Kupres

Priluka

Livno

Gornji Vakuf ∏uica

Buπko Blato

Prisoje

Tar{in

Jablanicko Jezero

Ostrozac Jablanica

Tomislavgrad Mesihovina

Split

LEGEND:

Gorica

Child Care Church Care Family Care F2F Communities Community Centres

Vis

∏iroki Brijeg

Bradina

Jasensani

Goranci

Grude

Sokolac Podromanija

Viπegrad

Ustikolina

Dobro Polje Kalinovik Obalj Luka N Ulog eretva

Mostar

Dobrun

Pale

Jahorina

Peru‹ac Jezero

Gora≠de na

Ustipra{a

Lim

Uvac Rudo

[ajni{e

Fo{a

Brod Tjentiste

Kosman

[elebi‹i

[emerno

Kifino Selo Nevesinje

Vitina Ljubuπki

Medjugorje

Capljina

Gacko

Radimlje Po{itelj Stolac

Korita

Berkovi‹i

Plana

Peljeπac

Neum

Kor{ula

ADRIATIC SEA

Han Pijesak

SARAJEVO

Ilid≠a Krupac

Konjic

Bra{ Hvar

Srednje Breza Ilijas Vogoπ‹a

Bratunac

Srebrenica

Olovo

Bogodol

[itluk Posuπje

Kiseljak

Prozor

Duvno

Podhum

Had≠ici

Kreπevo

Mili‹i

Vlasenica

Kakanj

Visoko

Fojnica

Vrb a

D. Kazanci

Bugojno Blagaj

Busova{a

Kozluk

Zvornik

Kladanj

Vareπ

Bosansko Grahovo

Glavi{ice

Caparde

Banovi‹i

Kamenica

Zenica

Vitez Kaonik

Tuzla

Drina

±ep{e Nemila

Janja

Priboj

±ivinice

Zavidovi‹i

Jajce

Lopare

Maglaj

Sava

Ugljevik

Gra{anica

Blatnica

Kn≠evo Barevo

Mrkonji‹ Grad

Kaldrma

CROATIA

Bo{ac

[a}avica

Crljivika

Trubar

Kotor Varoπ

Vrhpolje

bas Vr

a Un

Vrto{e

Sanski Most

[elinac Donji

Bijeljina

[eli‹

Biha‹

∏pionica

Doboj n Bos

Ostro≠ac Brekovica

Prnjavor

Bosanska Ra{a

va Sa

Br{ko

Kotorsko

Laktaπi Klaπnice

Kozarac

Otoka

Cazin

Tr≠ac

Prijedor

Una

Lon{ari

Grada{ac

Podnovlje

Oraπje

Drina

Pe‹igrad

Gornji Podgradci

∏amac

Novo Selo Od≠ac Derventa Modri{a

Kobaπ

Srbac

Novi Grad

S av a

Drin

Vrnogra{

Bosanska Dubica

Bosanski Samac

Neretva

lika Kladuπa

Bosanska Kostajnica

Bosanska Gradiska

av a

Una

Dr i

CROATIA

VOJVODINA

0 km

45 km

Mljet

Ljubinje Hutovo Veli{ani

CROATIA

Hum

Dubrovnik

Bile‹a Bile{ko Jezero

MONTENEGRO

Trebinje

Podgorica 21

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Highlights from

Special Projects fulfill ment doubled this yea r, providing instant ass istance to people suc h as 29 year old single mo m, Tsvetanka Filipo va (firewood) and family as well as 61-year old Kirkor Gyuleser (he ating/medication), wit h dire/acute needs to enable them to hand le lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardships.

Bulgaria organized two national summer camps in partnership with the local churches. One hundred youngsters, coming from orphanages as well as disadvantaged families enjoyed making new friends, having fun and participating in all the activities that summer camps are known for!

Easter and Christmas celebrations were organized for 3 COM centers and Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Homes in Razliv and Roman. The participants enjoyed these events, which included puppet shows and presents.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 22

2 New COM Cente rs were opened this year. 7 centers total he lped ca. 170 persons, an d served over 31,500 meals to the needy

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Bulgaria

This year, MWB adopted the Integration of the Handicapped Project as part of its ministry activities. Eleven Clubs for the Handicapped receive support from MWB around the Sofia area. There, beneficiaries ages 40-90 years enjoy fellowship, attend computer classes and participate in Bible lessons held on the premises.

2000 Operation Christmas Love parcels filled with foodstuff and simple necessiti es distributed brought joy to poverty-stricken people at the advent of the Christmas season.

from a Yordanova Elderly Vasilk st her lo r te ar qu sy Dupnitsa Gyp reshold e. At the th fir a in e m ho elter sh no e had of winter sh were arce savings nds and all her sc fu e provided th r he gone. Donors of on ti onstruc for the rec se ha of and the purc little house the winter. firewood for

ed and disadvantag s provided poor nd fu ip sh ian ist lar ho Kr d Sc an a Nikolova (cello) eir youths like Bojen continue with th to s tie ni rtu po needs. al ion at Ivanov the op uc pay for other ed as ll we as ng oli scho

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

PLANTING THE WORD

Precious Opportunities

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 24

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The main task of every church and every Christian is to spread the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not having anything to share about the subject of their faith and hope would mean they are void of life and meaning. Since its founding, the church in Krupnik village has not ceased in accomplishing its mission with immediate results or oftentimes concealed outcomes. One of the signs for this is its growth in size and service attendance. The church nowadays is a stable congregation with a clear vision of the future and established position in the local community. Mission without Borders had a significant role in this direction by supporting major charity campaigns in Krupnik and Simitly municipality. Over the past year of cooperation, we managed to offer aid to local kindergartens, schools, medical centers and other social institutions in Simitly region. All of this contributed for the significant change in the attitude of the local community towards the church. People were able to see we were not a closed

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

”We are praying and looking forward to the first fruits of this ministry for the glory of the Lord.” Pastor Emil Metodiev

and isolated community but rather recognized us as people whose living faith in Jesus Christ motivates us to respond to others’ pain, suffering and needs. A most precious opportunity along with the vast charity actions among families and institutions was the chance to share my faith. I had previous contacts with institutions and people knew me personally and also as an evangelical pastor. However, humanitarian aid deliveries with Christian literature provided (tracks, books, New Testaments and Children Bibles) were a setting for conversations and people often asked about faith and God. Due to the increased interest, we had Christian meetings and discussions in Simitly municipality, Krupnik School and with individual families. A new door for the Gospel opened at Krupnik School and the Day Centre for the Elderly where we had our recent aid deliveries. We are praying and looking forward to the first fruits of this ministry for the glory of the Lord.”

Pastor Emil Metodiev, Evangelical Baptist Church, Krupnik village

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Through Prayer and

GROWING I N THE WORD

Thursday afternoon. Together with Sarkis and Marina Ovanesyan I arrived at the apartment of “lelya Danche” as they all called our host Yordanka Hubenova (87). Twice a month on Thursdays a group of elderly handicapped gather to listen to a Bible lesson. In Yordanka’s living room there were already two ladies. The rest arrived shortly afterwards.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 26

This I learnt was the smallest group included in the Christian meetings schedule of MWB’s Clubs for the Handicapped project. Three years ago Pastor Vasil Vasilev and Sarkis Ovanesyan started the outreach ministry in one of the local Handicap clubs. Apart from the regular activities, members were invited to a Bible lesson. People were a bit prejudiced in the beginning but they gradually opened up and many joined the group of attendees. However the chairwoman of the local handicap association was skeptical and even hostile at times. While people were showing a growing interest for the Bible lessons she couldn’t put up with the idea that material support is only offered along with the meetings. The woman took all efforts to ruin the work and she thought she succeeded when Sarkis was told they were no longer allowed to hold their meetings in the club. Yordanka then opened her heart and home. Initially it was two family couples and Yordanka attending the regular Christian meetings. By word of mouth, new people heard and came. On the day of my visit having greeted everyone Sarkis opened with a prayer and announced the topic of the reading. He read from Matthew 6:25-34. Do not worry, but seek God’s kingdom first and His righteousness and all of these will be added to you. With interesting stories and relevant examples, Sarkis was explaining the meaning of Jesus’ words. Skillfully with his questions he urged people to consider their own lives. Sarkis’ open attitude and preaching allows the sharing of personal thoughts and experiences. Georgi eagerly shared his own reflections. In the conversation, various questions arose. Sarkis managed to keep to the topic and encouraged people to apply this in their everyday lives. He also shared a personal testimony of God’s provision in his family. As Christians we should trust God with all

our hearts and leave no space for anxiety to take over our thoughts. Sarkis finished praying that the Lord would help all to apply His Word in their lives, to seek His kingdom and His righteousness and to never doubt God’s faithfulness and perfect provision. The spiritual ministry was followed by a time for fellowship. In the warm atmosphere in the circle of friends people’s souls are nurtured. Treats were served. In the meantime, Marina Ovanesyan gave every attendee a copy of the quarterly devotional book. This small book makes a great difference. It encourages people to read their Bibles every day and gives them hope and wisdom for the circumstances they face. Sitting together, having treats, I had the chance to meet Yana Deleva (72). It appeared this was her second time in the meetings. She had one advantage – she lives just next doors. However she wasn’t able to come due to her work schedule. Yana was born in a village but early in her childhood her family moved to Sofia. She has two children and four grandchildren but lives alone as she is divorced. All her life she worked in retails as a shop assistant, the last fifteen years after retiring in a grocery shop. I asked her whether she liked the meetings. “Yes, I liked the Bible lesson from the very first time I came to this group. It was just the early afternoon

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Fellowship hour that kept me away because I worked. Now I quit this job and I will come to the meetings.” “How do you find the lesson?” was my next question. Yana explained: “Here I listen to Bible passages and the speaker is so skilled in his commentary. He uses common language and real examples to help us realize the meaning. I learnt that Christian principles are quite applicable in the various situations I find myself in.” Yana shared what happened to her once. She has always tried to be an honest person. One day a client forgot his wallet at the counter desk in her store. There were documents and a good amount of money. She didn’t really know what to do especially when the manager told her she must be crazy to consider the option of returning the lost wallet. The next day the man returned. Having assured herself that this was the same person owner of the wallet Yana gave it back to him. “I would never take anything that is not mine. I was a bit disappointed though because he never turned back to thank me.” I was interested to hear her opinion about faith in God. Yana said: “I have been through a lot of hardship in my life. I know the Lord has always been with me. Whenever I feel down and lonely I know He is there to listen to my prayer. I go to the church and light a candle and I leave with peace in my soul. You know, I think faith changes you on the inside and gives you peace

that makes you so different than others. My grandson often says to me that when we spend time together, he leaves peaceful and optimistic.” In a traditionally Orthodox Christian country like Bulgaria, Evangelical churches are treated with mistrust and skepticism. However through commitment to acts of Christian kindness all prejudice has gradually been defeated. “We were able to earn those people’s trust and they now call us friends. They welcome us dearly and cherish the time for fellowship before and after the lesson. In the conversations and prayers their soul’s hurt is relieved through compassion and advice shared.” (Marina Ovanesyan) I cannot help but mention an interesting fact. All meeting attendees were reached through the Christian ministry. The sound teaching of God’s Word brings them together. Through prayer and fellowship, their faith is nurtured as the Word and the Holy Spirit do the rest in their hearts. “Meeting after meeting we are able to see the change in those people’s hearts. Once a firm atheist, Yordanka now believes in God and says she prays in the morning and before going to bed,” said coordinator Marina Ovanesyan.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

“O Lord, God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” Psalm 89:8

DEAR FRIENDS,

MANAGER´S GREETINGS

We thank the Lord that in spite of the many difficulties, we could once again witness God’s blessing, mercy and guidance revealed. It is a privilege to be workers at His field. Yes, the work is the Lord’s and not ours and this is the guarantee for its success and continual. The Lord Jesus pointed out that we should first seek His kingdom and His righteousness and all else will be added to us (Matt. 6:33). We are glad that Mission without Borders reached its jubilee, namely due to the Word of God which is central in our work. It is the driving force and the prerequisite for success in any undertaking. During this past year MWB Bulgaria continued to pursue its main goal – the sharing of God’s Word with anyone, any time and any place. Thanks to the Lord, we not only managed to continue running projects but we also expanded our work. The Community centers offered daily care for the beneficiaries’ bodies and souls. This year, we opened two new centers where the ministry progressed and we already have wonderful outcomes of eternal value. This is a proof that in time of economic crisis, the conditions for the advancing of God’s Word are even more favorable. Through the Community centre program, our partnering churches have succeeded in practically revealing God’s love and care for all humans and especially those in need. Apart from providing nutrition, one of our centers organized a computer course. The training also offers a friendly atmosphere, enabling our partners to reach of people for Christ. A new initiative for the Mission was the Integration of the Handicapped project. At its core, this is an evangelism project, offering weekly Bible lessons to 350 attendees at 11 clubs for the handicapped. It is exciting to see the Lord working in the hearts of former communists and people deprived of the chance to hear God’s Word earlier in their lives. The computer training provided to groups of handicapped beneficiaries served for the building of relationships and the sharing of God’s Word. With the help of church volunteers, MWB organized summer camps for children from institutions and socially-disadvantaged families. These camps offered us the unique opportunity to impact the lives of children and teenagers. Many heard the Word of God and the message of salvation in Christ for the first time and we had the privilege to witness God changing children’s hearts. Most importantly the time at camp served to convince homes’ directors and staff in the necessity of God and His Word in the lives of the children. The Gifts-in-Kind delivered by Mission without Borders during 2009 brought relief to many living in poverty. One of the GIK campaigns served to open doors for the sharing of God’s Word in a public school with 340 pupils. Operation Christmas Love was a great blessing and a chance to show God’s faithfulness and compassion to those in need. The Christian literature included in OCL parcels testified to the reason for our charity and directed people’s attention to God. Our plans for 2010 are related with the launching of the F2F program. We would like to support young family couples experiencing specific hardship in the material as well as the spiritual and emotional areas of their lives. We will channel our efforts towards creating conditions for development and building of capacity for self-sustainability.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 28

Sarkis Ovanesyan Field Country Manager MWB Bulgaria

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Bulgaria LEGEND: F2F Communities Summer Camp sites Community Centres

nu be

ube Da n

Gomotartsi

Vidin

ROMANIA Butan

Isk≤r

Elin Pelin

Ikhtiman

Yarlovo

Dupnista

Gyueshevo

Kocherinovo

Yakoruda

Razlog

Simitli

Bansko

Dobrinishte

Strum

Breznitsa

Sandanski Petrich

Melnik Marikostinovo Kulata

Strelcha

Kaloyanovo

Dospat

Me s ta

Veliki Preslav

Ivanski

Omurtag

Smyadovo

Devnya

D≤lgopol

Grozd'ovo Kam ch

Batak Khvoyna

Borino

Varna Galata

Staro Oryakhovo

BLACK

Byala

Most

Madan

Ardino

K≤rdzhali

Zlatograd

Podkova

Topolovgrad Ustrem

Simeonovgrad

Kharmanli

Karnobat

Aytos Vetren

Kameno

Burgas

Neseb≤r Akheloy

Nos Emine

Pomorie

SEA

Burgaski Zaliv

Sozopol

Zornitsa

Grudovo

Boyanovo

Bolyarovo

Indzhe Voyvoda

Primorsko Tsarevo

Zvezdets

Akhtopol Gramatikovo Veleka Malko T≤rnovo

Rezovo

Radovets

Lyubimets

Levka

Svilengrad

0 km

60 km

d Ar a

Yazovir Studen Kladenets

Momchilgrad

Nedelino

GREECE

Ma ritsa

Knizhovnik

Komuniga

Rudozem

Straldzha

Goritsa

Lozarevo

Elkhovo

Polski Gradets

Dimitrovgrad Glavan

Khaskovo

Chepelare

Radnevo

G≤l≤bovo

L≤ki

Smolyan

Sungurlare

Tenevo

Chirpan P≤rvomay

Krumovgrad

Nos

iya

Dolni Chiflik

D≤skotna Lyulyakovo uda a Kamchiy

Yambol

Nova Zagora

Syuyutliyka

Asenovgrad

Peshtera

Zhelyu Voyvoda

Brezovo

Plovdiv

Stamboliyski

Gradets

Sliven

Nikolaevo

Yagoda

Rakovski

Tsarimir

S≤edinenie

Kazanl≤k Tundzh a

B≤lgare

Asparukhovo

Kotel

Tv≤rditsa

Kavarna

Obrochishte

Balchik

Provadiya

a Kam chiy a

V≤rbitsa

Elena

Tryavna

Stara Zagora

Devin

Ribnovo

Gotse Delchev

Yazovir Dimitrov

Krichim

Velingrad

T≤zha

Aleksandrovo

Belovo Maritsa

Yazovir Batak

Karlovo

Khisarya

Pazardzhik

Belitsa

Kresna

Sevlievo

Kamburovo

Shabla

Aksakovo

zha Tund

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Rozino

Dolno Levski

Rila

Blagoevgrad

Klisura

Sopot

Panagyurishte

Kostenets

Gorna Oryakhovitsa Lyaskovets Dryanovo

V≤lchidol

Shumen

T≤rgovishte

Veliko T≤rnovo

Dobrich

Izgrev

Novi Pazar

dzha Tun

Boboshevo

Zlatitsa

Samokov r Isk≤

Sushitsa

Kamen

General-Toshevo

Yasenkovo

Popovo

Rositsa

Gabrovo

a Stryam

Kyustendil

Sashevo

Razgrad

Tsar Kaloyan

Polikrayshte

(Lovetch)

Troyan

Topoln it s

Yazovir Isk≤r

Stru ma

Mirkovo a

Me st a

Zemen

Dolno Kamartsi

(Sofia)

Lovech

Teteven

Etropole

Levski Pavlikeni

Vrabevo

Novi-Isk≤r

Svishtov

Byala

Pordim

Ug≤rchin

Yablanitsa

Oresh

Kardam Karapelit

Dve Mogili

SOFIYA

Pernik

Mezdra

Tervel Vetovo

Gorno Ablanovo

Pleven

Dolni D≤bnik Gorni D≤bnik

Kubrat

Rositsa

Sredishte

Dulovo

Go ly a m

Breznik

Belene

Os ≤m

Lukovit

Botevgrad

Kostinbrod

Gulyantsi

Stavertsi

Yantra

Vratsa

Slivnitsa Tr≤n

Banitsa

Zverino Tserovo Svoge

Sk≤t

Cherven Bryag

Berkovitsa

Dragoman

F.Y.R.O.M*

Borovan

Krivodol

Knezha Byala Slatina

Ruse

Ard a

Montana

Godech

Alfatar Bisertsi

Pirgovo

Nikopol

Cherkovitsa

Isk ≤

Vladimirovo

Chiprovtsi

Dunav

a os t Og

Mikhaylovo

Belotintsi

SERBIA

Oryakhovo Miziya

V≤lchedr≤m

V it

Rasovo

Brusartsi

Lom

Kozloduy

Vit

Drenovets

Belogradchik

Silistra

Staro Selo Slivo Pole

Lom

V≤cha

Dimovo

Duna

Tutrakan

Dunavtsi

Kula

ska

Du n a v

Fakiy

Bregovo

Ivaylovgrad

TURKEY european part

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Highlights from

ged and imMWB Moldova arran seminars for plemented training achers from te ol 250 Sunday Scho across the s on ati min various deno tian Input staff country. Our Chris covering ion conducted sess s hing metac te as ch subjects su proach,drama, hods, pedagogical ap c. ria teaching mate l, et The new CRI in Community program, in cooperation with the local churches, was launched with the intent of mitigating the negative effects on children whose parents emigrated abroad in search of jobs.

ovan families 352 needy and impoverished Mold Family to our ugh thro e tanc assis ided are prov ed various offer are lies fami The Family program. hygiene parcels, forms of help including food and rtunities to emotional support as well as oppo . ects proj cy participate in self-sufficien

7000 OCL parcels with much-needed foodstuff, chocolates and household items were distributed to families and the elderly, as well as to nee dy members of various organizations/in stitutions.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 30

5359 children in 48 Moldovan Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Homes are sponsored through MWBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CRI program.

Beneficiaries of all ages enjoy wa rm meals and daily fellowsh ip at one of the fou r Community Centers that MWB suppor t in Moldova. The COM ce nters combined provide more than 37,00 0 meals annuall y, engaging 25 volunteers an d staff members .

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Moldova participated 100 children More than 1 s Clubs. istian 5 Day hr C s B’ W M in truths, hing Biblical Besides teac als of this foremost go one of the lations ster good re club is to fo achers/ te ir e hildren, th c e th g on am ays club and the 5 D Home staff am te .

Vocational/Educational students at Ghidighici Farms learn to cultivate crops and raise various livestock. The fruits of their production and hard work are then channeled back to the Children’s Homes with the deliveries of vegetables, oils, honey and meat.

More than 500 ch ildren from instit utions had the op and learn about Mo portunity to visit ldovan history an places of interests d culture through nical Gardens, mu our Dreambus pr seums, the zoo an oject. The Botad amusement park s were all part of the program.

In total, more than 8000 children saw puppet performances such as “The Most Important Guest”, “Be a Good Example” and shows related to the Easter celebration. The newly starte d Mechanics Wo rkshop at Ghidigh Center teaches stu ici dents about the basics of car repa and body parts. irs 28 students comp rise the first crop dents for this Vo of stucational/Educatio nal initiative.

Mission Without Borders provided emergency assistance and sustenance to the 40 families who became homeless after a gas explosion rocked their apartment complex in the town of Soroca in Northeastern Moldova.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Planting God’s Word

PLANTING THE WORD

The 5 Days Club is a project which covers all the spiritual and educational needs of the children by introducing them to God and teaching them to make good choices for their lives. The 5 Days Club comprises of Bible lessons, fun games, children’s songs and various interesting activities. One of the goals intended by 5 Days Club is to create a strong friendship between the 5 Days Club team, the children and teachers of the Homes we support. During 2009, Mission Without Borders in Moldova spent a week, a period of 5 days, conducting the club where 1102 children participated. The children were very receptive and prompt during the lessons. Their interest was well noticed when they asked various questions from the previous Bible story and they answered them immediately. Some of them were very involved in every activity of 5 Days Club sessions and in the end they impressed the Christian Input team by reciting by heart all Bible verses they had learned during the week. The theme discussed during 5 Days club in 2009 was ‘the Heroes of the Faith’. The lessons contained a story of a Bible hero, Bible verse and truth which went alongside that with a life story of a missionary or Christian who experienced the life of faith. The Bible lessons of 5 Days Club were as follows:

1. Never Give Up – David and Goliath 2. People’s Submission to God – Daniel in lion’s den 3. Obedience to parents, teachers and God – Jonah 4. Humbleness and choosing friends – Samson 5. People’s Redemption and Love towards Neighbors – Cain and Abel The spiritual goal of these lessons was to acquaint the children and the teachers with a loving and righteous God. The educational goals were to rise the children’s self – esteem and to cultivate in the children respect, patience and love towards people around them. The content of every lesson

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 32

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

During the 5 Days Club from 5 Days Club was chosen and elaborated very carefully. The Home Administrations and teachers asked for the 5 Days Club curriculum which they could use during their educational lessons and during evening discussions before the children went to bed. The children learned Christian action songs. They liked acting very much. The kids even sang from the bottom of their hearts and enjoyed every moment during the 5 Days Club. The Music Teachers were impressed by the musicality of the Christian songs for the children and asked for the CD of all the songs used during the 5 Days Clubs. “The children’s songs you used during these days touched the hearts of the children in our Homes because they hum them the whole day after your activities. I also was inspired by that music and I would like to have the songs and their verses. They will be very useful during my music lessons and even during other extra-curricular activities,” expressed Mrs. Viorelia Donici, a music teacher in Chisinau. The children listened with deep interest as the CI team shared the story about Christians living the life of faith. Hearing the moving stories and the difficulties they were faced with, but still standing tall while passing through them, the children found themselves relating to those examples. When the CI team performed the Bible stories, the kids all watched intently and were moved. “I was very impressed of the stories I heard today during 5 Days Club. I liked

the Bible story and also I was amazed by the living faith example of Gospel Bill. I had a similar situation as he had. Now, I understand that God worked in my life in that situation. I was able to face it just because I was supported and cared by His endless love towards me,” expressed Victoria Bodrovici, a 9th grade pupil in a Chisinau Home. The children are handed story books for children at the end of the 5Days Club sessions. They enjoyed reading them and finding out about people who may be faced the same life situations like theirs and how the book character asked help from God and He immediately sent His support. The children also ask for Bibles because they want to read it more and find out the answers to their questions. The more they study the Bible, the more they want to live according to God’s Word. “The time you spent with our children has a positive effect in the educational process of our School. The children very much like the theatre, especially as they befriended with the ‘fourth’ member of the team, the puppet Nichita. They impatiently waited for his appearance on the stage and listen to his adventures. I am very grateful that these lessons were filled with educational moments and I see that they are more careful with each other. They always discuss what they have seen during the lessons. They even come to me and share their thoughts towards the lessons’ topics and stories. The 5 Days Club team has high theatrical and scenic capacities. May God’s blessings be with you every day,” Mrs. Maria Rotaru, the vice director of the Chisinau Home expressed.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

God Prepared Us for

STRENGTHENED B Y THE WORD

Poverty never comes alone. It drags in to people’s lives lots of problems and trials, just not giving them the chance to enjoy their lives peacefully. Postica family members are not strangers of such life situations and trials. This family was tempted many times and the problems went into their lives in various shapes and every time, one bigger than the other.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 34

The Postica family lives in Cricova Borough. The family comprises of 12 members. The family is enrolled in Mission Without Border’s Family to Family Programme. It is a simple and modest family, with diligent parents who work hard in order to supply the daily needs for their children “who are the joy of their lives” as the father, Efim, put it. The mother, Svetlana, is a housekeeper and she works hard in the greenhouse which was offered to the family via a Special Project. The father works periodically in constructions. The children are a great help to their parents in gardening activities in their greenhouse. The Postica family has a very sad past that at first sight make someone think that fate was too cruel to them. Only God knows why they passed through those difficulties. Being a large family, they did not have enough room in their tiny two-rooms flat. In those circumstances, several years ago, they decided to sell it and buy an old house that would be larger and have enough places for everyone. They managed to sell their flat and very soon bought the old house they live in at the present time. Somebody heard about the fact that they sold the flat and thinking that they still have the money, arranged to ransack the house. So, they broke into the Postica’s house. They mistreated the children and the mother. Mrs. Svetlana (the mother) was cut many times with a knife in the presence of their children. The thieves left behind them a destroyed family. That night was a nightmare for the Posticas. Those heartless people left that poor house a more-dead than alive father who was lying motionless on the floor, an emotionally-collapsed mother and trembling and scared children. They were very affected by that misfortune and for a long time, could not forget those horrified moments when they saw death with their own eyes.

“The doctors were amazed by the fact of how quickly I recovered and then, I understood that it was God’s hand. He knew that my family needed me and He healed me as soon as possible. He prepared us for our future life,” Mrs. Postica confessed. After that terrible situation, the family received emotional, spiritual and material support which was needed in order to heal the children’s emotional estate, to recuperate mother’s and father’s health condition and to improve family’s spiritual state. Staff of Mission Without Borders motivated and encouraged them to continue to be strong no matter what happen in their life.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Our Future Life Not long after that frightful experience, life prepared a new, great and bitter strike which changed the life of the entire family in a single day. On the 26th of May, 2009, the father had left to go to work on a building site in Chisinau. Some of the children had gone to school where they were celebrating the last day of school. The mother was at home with the younger children when the terrible drama unfolded. A powerful fire burnt down the house and destroyed the life savings of the entire Postica family. The fire left the family without a roof over their heads. Due to strong winds, as well as the fact that the firemen had difficulties getting to the site, the fire spread with an uncommon rapidity and destroyed everything in its sight. At the same time, some of the neighbours ran to the house to try to put the fire out by pouring water on it from baskets. However, their efforts were in vain. The temperature made it impossible to get close to the fire. The fire had swallowed just about everything they had in the house by the time the father heard about it. They tried to find the cause of the fire, but they still have not found anything to indicate the source. Humbled by the result of the fire, the parents realised that they could not save anything they had built up during their hardworking lives. Their house was reduced to ashes. All the furniture was completely burnt along with bedclothes, beds, the gas stove, the washing machine and the carpets, which were also reduced to ashes. They lost all their clothes and even the few toys the children had burnt to ashes. Only the blackened walls remained. When human life is haunted by countless trials, when sorrows seem to come one after the other, all these things make people think that they could never experience anything worse. The circumstances in which the Posticas found

â&#x20AC;&#x153;God healed me as soon as possible.â&#x20AC;? Svetlana Postica

themselves did not lead the parents to wallow in their sorrows. As soon as trouble arrived, they asked for help from the authorities. They were given a small amount of money from the local authorities, but they need much more help in order to carry out the repair work and purchase the most necessary items to allow them to live in their own house during the harsh, winter months to come. Mission Without Borders offered the family beds, clothes for all family members, food and hygiene items. The family was astonished to see how promptly they received support from MWB. When the parents saw the truck close to their gates they remained speechless and tears ran down on their cheeks. The mother could not stop praising the Lord through tears and thanking Him for the mercy and love He showed towards them in those hard times. They could not believe that God so quickly answered their prayers. They did not have any place to go to bed. That it is why the children were taken by families in the village for a while. But that night, the family had the chance to be together again and rest their bodies after those difficult moments in their lives. They lived from the food and meals given by the villagers, but they were very happy to receive a gas stove and food products because this support allowed them to not depend on any one. The children were provided with school supplies and clothes in order to continue their studies and not miss school during the recovery period. Mission Without Borders in Moldova also offered spiritual and emotional support. Our F2F Coordinator prayed with them and encouraged them to give their burdens to Jesus and He, in His love towards humankind will take them in His arms and will help them out of their problems. Nothing is too big for God.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

DEAR FRIENDS,

Another year has passed and God in His mercy gave us the opportunity to be partners with Him in this wonderful ministry of Mission Without Borders. 2009 was a difficult year for Moldova and its habitants. It was marked by various major disagreements in the political area, by stringent problems and large holes in economy and also by severe summer droughts and challenges during the winter season. In working shoulder to shoulder with our committed sponsors, affiliates and partners, we are enabled to be safe isle for the people in need throughout the country.

MANAGER´S GREETINGS

We can strongly say that our Almighty God was good with us in 2009 and offered us the necessary tools and means to continue the ministry activities of MWB in Moldova and be a good support to our children in Homes and COM centers as well as to the poor and needy families in F2F Communities.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 36

MWB continued to strengthen the partnership with the Local Churches. We launched a new project, CRI in Community, which supports children whose parents are gone abroad. Our timely support motivated and inspired Local Church Administrations to work more intensively and heartily for enlarging His Kingdom. Therefore, in 2009, five CRI in COM projects were established in partnership with five Local Churches and 434 children have been enrolled into this CRI Program Sponsorship. The most impressive fact was that their sponsors have visited some of them already. This year, important support was offered to the Local Churches through the Christian Input seminars organized for the benefit of the Sunday Schools teachers throughout the country. The seminars were held successfully and the Sunday School teachers were amazed to learn new and interesting ways of spreading out God’s Word to the children. We believe that through unity, cooperation and dedication of all MWB colleagues, we will manage to achieve the goal to which we are called: “Reaching People for Christ!”

Respectfully,

John Groza Country Manager MWB Moldova

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Moldova

LEGEND: CRI and CRH Homes F2F Communities Summer Camp sites Vocational Training Centres Community Centres

Each colored dot on the map represents where our various projects are implemented.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Highlights from After 20 years of effectively ministering to neglected and abandoned in Romanian institutions, the Child Rescue International (CRI) program now receives less focus. We now support 79 CRI Homes, with 1494 sponsored children, as compared to 234 Homes sponsored, with 45,000 children receiving help when the program was first established in 1990 in Romania.

The Family to Family program offers famil ies spiritual, emotional, educational and mate rial Support to the 308 families, residing in 81 communities throughout Romania that are enrolled.

Our radio program, with a range of topics such as teen issues, co mmunication, God, the Bible, etc. are heard by more than 40,000 listener s.

The 5 Community Centers provide meals and a place for social gathering to 185 beneficiaries. MWB and local church partners serve up more than 50,000 warm meals to the poor.

This year, Mission Wi thout Borders organ ized 835 Christian Input meetings in the various Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ho mes. The majority of the children (more than 7000) have att ended these fun and educational sessions.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 38

Approximately 3500 persons, including children and adults are enrolled in our popular Bible Correspondence course.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Romania

p er cam 00 summ ere chil0 1 e h t w Out of f them to es, 819 o rtunity o p p o e attende h t mp. a d c a h t a o dren wh carefree days ssions, un, amp se enjoy f ed 12 c mpsites. iz n a g r t ca MWB o differen using 8

Mission Without Borders in Rom ania donated 2 trucks filled with different GIK med ical items to the County Hospital in Sibiu. We prov ided bandages, crutches, walk-frames, medical clothing, wheelchairs, medical gloves, and othe r hospital supplies.

rly were among those who Needy families and the elde ies of 7000 much-needed ver deli Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s benefitted from MW me OCL parcels at Christmasti

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

The Word of God Works

THE WORD IN HARD PLACES

Iasi town is situated in the North-Eastern part of Romania and it has always been a region with strong religious dominance from the Orthodox Church. People here are not very open to the Word of God. Over the years, Mission Without Borders encountered huge difficulties in spreading the Word in this special area. We were accused of proselytism, leading people astray, sectarianism and many other things. There were situations when at Christian Input sessions, we gave out Christian leaflets and audio cassettes and after we left, the Orthodox priest told the children to throw them all in the garbage bin. Some of the Home staff confiscated them simply because “they are not good.” All these prove that this part of Romania is also strongly influenced by the Orthodox Church. Still, in this area, there are also Neo-protestant churches: Pentecostals, Baptists, Brethren, Adventists and also other denominations like the Calvinists. All of them receive the same opposition from the Orthodox Church, which is the religion among the majority of Romanians. Although this is a hard place to do evangelization, the Word of

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 40

God does miracles. It has the power to transform the hardest hearts and to bring out into the light the people who are held by the power of darkness. Because MWB’s coordinator and the volunteers from different churches we collaborate with were forbidden to enter into any of the Homes in Iasi (if they were to do Christian Input), they thought of other solutions. So, starting quite a long time ago, they met with the children in parks, in churches, in cafeterias or at any public place and there have long discussions about God, His Son Jesus who came to earth to die for our sins, and His Word. Also, the children asked for advice on different subjects they were confronted with because they trust our coordinator and volunteers and enjoy their presence and friendship. Some of the directors of the Homes are aware that we are doing this outside the perimeter of their unit and are not happy about it. They advised the children to not attend these meetings anymore. However, the children continued to choose to participate in these meetings. Even more, some of them started to attend the Sunday Church services and have been touched by God and said that they want to change their lives for Christ. Others have already received the Lord Jesus into their hearts and will soon get baptized. We are very thankful to see the wonderful way God answers prayers and that many abandoned children have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and come to know Him as their Father who will never forsake them.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Miracles

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

God Always Keeps His Prom Although in the activity of spreading the Gospel there are instant results, most of the time, the results appear only after a long time. The most important thing is that God always keeps His promise and He allows us to see the results which never cease to appear.

TRANSFORMED BY THE WORD

In Suceava (cluster 21), the Christian Input sessions/lessons which take place in the Homes are done on a regular basis. Every weekend, we go to a different Home in order to tell the children the Good News, to teach them Christian songs and to have talks on different subjects. In one of these Homes, there were two children who did not want to attend, but very rarely. Their names are George Alexescu and Ichim Solomon. There were a few times when they participated to the Christian Input lessons, but with time, they stopped coming. Many times, before the lessons started, the coordinator, Ovidiu Gavrilovici, went to their room (which they shared) to invite them to take part in the CI activity. Most of the time, their answer was NO. Sometimes, they even uttered bad words from under the blanket in which they were hiding. Like many other children in our world, these two boys, were “problem children.” They were the kind of the children that you did not want in your summer camp because their simple presence generated tension and fights, but even so, many a time they were on our summer camp list, given to us by the Director of the Home. Time passed by and I had no news about them. But, one day I was together with my wife in a care; we had parked in a parking lot close to the edge of the road/highway. Very suddenly, a car appeared and parked just in front of us and the two young men I was telling you about came out. I saw them running with their hands stretched towards me. At first, I thought they will ask me for favors, so my instinct was to protect myself from them. But when they reached me, I was flabbergasted to hear them say to me, “The Peace of the Lord be with you, Mr. Ovidiu. We are now Christians, we received Jesus Christ into our hearts and this changed our lives for the good. We had to move to a different Home in another part of the country and there we started to go to Church. We remembered how you

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 42

invited us so many times to participate in the Christian Input activity. Now, we do this ourselves. We are now the ones who invite the non-believers to Christ. Thank you, Mr. Ovidiu, for being patient with us! Thank you.” And then, they motioned to the driver of the car by pointing to Mr. Ovidiu: “This is the man who shared the Gospel with us. He was the first one who told us about God’s plan of salvation for us.” I confess that in my mind many times I thought that these two boys would be the last ones to repent, but on the day I met them, I had the proof that God can do anything. This is the reason why we should tell anyone about God and His sacrifice. Ovidiu Gavrilovici, coordinator for cluster 21

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

mise

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

DEAR FRIENDS,

Year after year, God is adding more and more encouragement to those enrolled in His ministry, by showing His mercy upon the beneficiaries and leading them to eternal Salvation.

MANAGER´S GREETINGS

It is a gift that we, as servants of God, are to tell about and help them to find the way to it. This is why we’re so thankful for all the support we’ve received from our donors, whose contributions have made our work possible. We are not speaking here about human effort or struggle but rather, about a godly love that binds all the hands together, aiming to share with the poor and the orphaned, His Love. We really want to address our greetings, our thankfulness and our appreciation to all of our faithful donors with the wish that someday, the Lord Himself, will entirely reward all the love they have shown. It has been a year of privileges, of abundant blessings- to watch the miracles of God with our own eyes, and for the underprivileged- to have the wonderful chance to hear, to read and receive the Word of God and to experience His love. In 2010, we aim to reach out to different categories of beneficiaries. We hope to put emphasis on the family’s restoration through the knowledge of the Bible. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. In times of crisis, He has always provided care to the widows and the orphans (Psalms 68:5-6). With this in mind, we will try to help as many families as possible to rebuild their spiritual and material values, under this concept of love and care. Our prayer is that God will soften more hearts so that they may share with those in need and that He will empower and give us the wisdom to serve in this ministry.

Sincerely Yours,

Eugen Macavei Country Manager MWB Romania

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 44

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Romania LEGEND: CRI and CRH Homes F2F Communities Summer Camp sites Community Centres

UKRAINE BOTOÇANI MARAMURES

SATU MARE

Each colored dot on the map represents where our various projects are implemented.

SUCEAVA

MOLDOVA BISTRIflA-NÅSÅUD

BIHOR

IAÇI

SÅLAJ

NEAMfl

HUNGARY MUREÇ

CLUJ

HARGHITA

ALBA

ARAD

SIBIU BRAÇOV

TIMIÇ

BACÅU

COVASNA VRANCEA

HUNEDOARA

CARAÇSEVERIN

VÎLCEA

GALAflI

ARGEÇ PRAHOVA

BUZÅU

GORJ

BRÅILA TULCEA

DÎMBOVIflA

SERBIA

VASLUI

IALOMIflA

MEHEDINflI

BUCUREÇTI

DOLJ

BLACK

(Bucharest)

CÅLÅRAÇI OLT

TELEORMAN

GIURGIU Ruse

0 km

BULGARIA

CONSTANflA

SEA

78 km

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Highlights from Ukra

From Nov. 2009-Jan . 2010, Operation Winter Rescue (OWR) delivered warmth to the most vulnerable groups of children, needy families and elderly in the form of shoes, clothing and firewoo d to help withstand the colde st period of the year. OWR as sisted some 120 poor families an d nearly 4000 children in CRI Hom es with these life-preserving ite ms.

Christs years, at Like previou Christon ti Opera mastime, 7000 led with fil ls e rc CL) pa mas Love (O s and m usehold ite foodstuff, ho ributed st di teas were s/ e at ol c ho c n and milies, childre parto needy fa to nabling them on. as individuals- e se e joys of th take in the

More than 4000 children particip ated in our popular Bible Co rrespondence Co urses in 2009. Children love to receive th ese booklets which are chock-f ull of interesting study themes, games, puzz les and more.

s and projects. enhanced the ongoing program In 2009, Special Projects greatly lies and in fami F2F fulfilled in CRI Homes, A total of 181 Special Projects were which tools ries/ hine mac of s hase purc ded the COM Centers. Typical Sps inclu tock lives as well as es ide for themselv enabled families to monetarily prov ding farms. intended for the start-up of bree

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 46

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

ine

MWB’s weekly Christian Radio programs were broadcasted to the 5 regions of Western Ukraine. More than 400,000 people gathered round to hear these programs which covered a variety of interesting topics including the basics of Christianity and issues relevant to every day life. A total of 263 programs were aired.

430 impove rished families in th e Sarny and Rivne regi ons tern Ukrain of wese receive d much-need ed assistance thro ugh our fa mily sponsorshi p program this year.

Borders In June 2009, Mission Without stian Camp Chri ys 4-da a d nize orga ine Ukra workers staff e Hom CRI specifically for 50 es. People of from 10 different Children’s Hom grounds different regions and religious back campgathered together on the beautiful grounds for fun and fellowship.

Through MWB’s Christian Theatre project, Bible stories and dr ama that comm unicated the message of God’s love were perform ed for the benefit of more th an 8000 viewers of all ages. A total of 50 perfo rmances were pu t on.

ternatioRescue In xpanded The Child s ha e program tern nal (CRI) t of Wes ew distric Children’s n e n o into w with 7 ne result, CRI Ukraine, a s A . d nal, rolle Homes en s spiritual, emotio e td is vi s o s r a p l now ateria nal and m dren residing o ti a c u d e chil ca. 5000 ance to tions. tu ti s in in

from CRI orphanages and More than 1000 children spent care-free days Family to Family (F2F) families summer camps. The B’s MW at xing rela recreating and gs, participated in son g san , children learned about God with their peers fun had and s vitie acti ts arts and craf . and camp counselors

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Singing for the Glory

GROWING I N THE WORD

Mission Without Borders in Ukraine is proud of its branch office, located in the North-Western Ukrainian town of Sarny (Chornobyl zone#2). There is a famous Vocational Training Center there, known for its free courses offered to lots of young girls and boys from large, needy families in Sarny area. The courses are computer basics, sewing and cooking. After completing the course of choice, each student (who passed graduation exams, of course) gets a state-approved diploma and is then able to find a job or open a small business on his/her own. In this way, young people can provide for themselves and their families.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 48

However, because we are a Christian Mission, we provide the above-mentioned courses in combination with Christian Input sessions. All Sarny students liked the idea of organizing a choir to learn music basics, such as theory and sing songs of praise. If you happen to be at the Sarny Vocational Center on Tuesday or Thursday, between 17:00-19:00 PM, you can hear many young voices singing in the choir. Before they start each rehearsal, they have a 15-30 minutes Bible study, during which students are introduced to the world of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Word and His principles for life.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

of God After the choir has become proficient in singing the songs, they then visit the local churches in and around Sarny. There are lots of small and middle-sized Protestant churches in Sarny province. Many of the students, after completing a course in the Center or having participated in the choir decide to attend the closest local church and continue growing in Word. We are happy to have this opportunity to offer material and spiritual support to people of all ages- to children, youth and elderly people. Now, there is a new group of forty (40) students at the Sarny Vocational Center who also wish to sing in the choir, and they regularly have their rehearsals in the sewing course room. Soon, they will be ready to go out and sing for the joy of many in a church and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Freedom for the Prisoners

THE WORD IN HARD PLACES

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, verses 16-18, we read that Jesus: “… went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to… proclaim freedom for the prisoners…” (NIV) Now, the local believers in the North-Western town of Kuznetsovsk continue the ministry of Jesus – they go and proclaim freedom to the prisoners: freedom from sin – this spiritual prison, which is more horrible than a physical prison. There is the prison in the village of Ivanchi, near Kuznetsovsk, for about 680, mostly young men who serve their different terms of punishment for their various crimes. Now, there are at least 30 prisoners there who were set free by Jesus from the spiritual prison. While in a physical prison, they repented before the Lord and were set free from the bondage of sin. Every Sunday morning, they gather to a specially-allocated prison room to listen to God’s Word and to grow in faith. Fifteen of them received water baptism last summer. One of them is Adam Orlyk, a young man of 34, whose photo you can see. He found Jesus in prison and his life has since changed. He started singing “a new song” (he has good musical ears) and even tried preaching. Recently, his term of imprisonment was over and he gladly joined the local church in the Sarny area. One Sunday, our F2F coordinator Sergiy Soroka visited the prison to distribute Bibles and participate in the Communion Service. He shared, that “…it was a very special meeting with special moments! I like this ministry and going there often with brothers from Kuznetsovsk. I’m glad, that we, as Mission Without Borders, also partly participate and support this ministry. Earlier we had provided for dry soup for the prison kitchen and given some adult clothing. Now I’ve been delighted to bring a

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 50

few dozen of standard Bibles for the guys. Everybody was glad to receive his copy of the Word!”

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Now, there is a “church meeting” in the prison every night, from 7:00 till 8:30 P.M., attended and conducted by those faithful fifteen Christians. They like being in fellowship with the Lord and each other, around His Living Word!

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Life is Vulnerable Tetyana Lazaret and the child she carried in her womb died on July 19, 2009. Sergiy Lazaret became a widower with five children. The pain of losing his wife was so great that he couldn’t bear telling his children of their mother’s death. “For many months, I told the children that their mother was still in the hospital,” Sergiy confesses.

COMFORTED BY THE WORD

It was especially difficult to tell the oldest girl this. Maryna is eight years old and every day she asked for her mother. Daddy Sergiy couldn’t bring himself to tell her the devastating news. “A few months ago, she got to know the truth and as a result, became very depressed,” the father says sadly. Sergiy thinks that the greatest challenge of being a single-father is the feeling of having lost half of himself. It is difficult to go on without his wife. But worse still was also losing the baby that they had so much anticipated. The five children who lost their mother are 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 years of age. Despite the bereavement, the children are a big help at home. They have different chores and six-year-old Vadym carries in the firewood and does the washing in the house. The Lazaret family is also cared for by Sergiy’s parents, who live across the street as well as by his sister-in-law. However, without work and the means to provide for five small children, the economic situation for this family is extremely difficult. While Tetyana lived, no one from the Lazaret family attended church, except for Sergiy’s parents. When Mission Without Borders came and offered emotional support and assistance, Sergiy started to read the Bible. Every time the Mission’s coordinators visited, they noticed change in Sergiy. The Bible had become an important source comfort and encouragement in his life. Now, prayer is a vital part of their family life and the children are enthusiastic to hear their father read stories from the Bible. Even Sergiy has a favourite story.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 52

“I love the story about Samson and the children love to hear about the Christmas story,” he shares. “The Bible has become so precious to me and the children, and because of it we find the true meaning of life,” he continues. Grandmother Eva (72) and Grandfather Ivan (85) are pleased to see their son praying and reading the Bible. As devout believers, they have been responsible for distributing Bibles to all of their neighbours.

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

“We received these Bibles from our church; the Bible is our favourite book in the world, it is food for our souls,” this elderly couple explains. Sergiy hopes that he will be able to provide for his five children and to give

them a good future. Hope is slowly returning to this family. The grandmother frequently visits her grandchildren, bakes bread for them and reads to them from the Bible. They enjoy this very much. However, every one looks forward to meeting mamma Tetyana in heaven one day.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

DEAR FRIENDS,

MANAGER´S GREETINGS

Although Ukraine has become more democratic in some aspects, it is clear that the nation – compared with many others in Europe and the world – lags socially and economically in living standards. Statistics say that in 2009, our economy shrank by up to 15 percent, one of the worst in Europe. No new jobs were created. Unemployment increased. Five to seven million Ukrainians left the country in search of a better life abroad. Despite many efforts done by Kiev officials, we are still not part of the European Community and is struggling and fighting with the economic, moral and demographic crises, poverty, corruption, lawlessness, bureaucracy, etc.

MWB REPORT | 2010 | 54

Amidst the economic crisis, the Children’s Homes, poor and large families, along with elderly people looked forward to getting support from NGOs like Mission Without Borders. As earlier, we supported the needy materially, educationally and emotionally. In all of our charity programs, we aim to reach souls for Christ. I’m happy to mention the progress we made in the Summer Camp project; through it, 1021 CRI and F2F children attended camps in 2009. Our unique 4-days Christian Camp for CRI Home staff is something we are also proud of. The Bible Correspondence Course proved to be growing evangelistic tool. By the end of 2009, the project reached more than 4,000 children. The project is based on doing personal studies from the Bible and helps beneficiaries grow in their personal relationships with Jesus. The Operation Christmas Love project allowed for 7000 food parcels to be distributed to the needy and brought them the joy of Christmas. Puppet theatre for the children and a few evangelistic events for adults, helped to communicate why Jesus came to this world! Operation Winter Rescue assisted some 120 poor families and nearly 4000 CRI children with warm clothing, shoes and heating materials like coal and wood. As always, the programs and projects were greatly facilitated by our large Gift-in-Kind deliveries. 41 truckloads were gladly received by 50 CRI Homes, 430 F2F families and 3 Community Centers. All the above-mentioned were possible due to the assistance provided by our local church volunteers- the close cooperation with them is a vital part of our everyday activity. In all our matters, we refer to God for His counsel, guidance and direction.

Respectfully,

Mykola Bogdanets Country Manager MWB Ukraine

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Ukraine Sarny

Novovolyns'k Luts'k

Rivne

Kiev

LEGEND:

Zhytomyr

CRI F2F Communities Summer Camp sites Vocational Training Centres Community Centres

Khmel'nyts'kyy

Ternopil

Each colored dot on the map represents where our various projects are implemented.

135 km

Mys

eD anube

0 km

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

Special Projects

MWB REPORT | 2010 |

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

SPECIAL PROJECTS are meant to further enhance our existing program work in a concrete way. They address and fulfil a specific, urgent need

or responds to a need of investment connected to the walk towards sustainability. Some examples of Special

Projects are the purchases of greenhouses and livestock that will assist poor families to become self-sufficient and selfsustaining, or the finan-

cing of a much needed renovation of toilets or the purchase of an industrial washing machine for a Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

GIK (Gifts-in-Kind)

MWB REPORT | 2010 |

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

LARGE, MATERIAL GIFT ACQUISITIONS

Mission Without Bordersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

material, foodstuff, etc. are

material outreach in its field

shipped through our central

and donations from corpora-

countries. High quality and

warehouse in Rotterdam and

tions and other businesses

high grade items such as

further to final destinations

strengthen the backbone of

new clothing, shoes, hygiene

in the field.

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

The Worldwide Mission MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS AUSTRALIA

Postal address: PO Box 7533 Silverwater NSW 1811 Street address: 10 Stubbs Street Auburn NSW 2144 Tel: +61 2 9647 2022 Fax: +61 2 9647 1899 www.mwb.org.au

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS/MISSION SANS FRONTIERES

Postal address: 200 - 2306 McCallum Road, Abbotsford BC V2S 3P4 Canada Street address: 200 - 2306 McCallum Road, Abbotsford BC V2S 3P4 Canada

STICHTING ZENDING OVER GRENZEN

Postal address: P.O. Box 1222, 1300 BE Almere, The Netherlands Street address: Omroepweg 10, 1 324 KV Almere, The Netherlands Tel: +31 36 5363615 Fax: +31 36 5364151

MISJON UTEN GRENSER

PRO ADELPHOS

Postal address: Moen 9, 3948 Porsgrunn Norway

Postal address: Stiftung Pro Adelphos Palmstrasse 16 CH-8400 Winterthur Switzerland

Street address: Moen 9, 3948 Porsgrunn Norway Tel: +47 35 569 110 Fax: +47 35 569 111 www.misjonutengrenser.no

MISSIE OVER GRENZEN VZW

Postal address: Maria-Theresiastraat 114, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium Street address: Maria-Theresiastraat 114, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium Tel: +32 16 204007 Fax: +32 16 202675

Tel: +1 (604) 855 9126 Fax: +1 (604) 855 9136

MISSION OHNE GRENZEN E. V.

Postal address: Postfach 1304, D-35203 Biedenkopf, Germany Street address: Marburger Str. 30, D-35216 BiedenkopfEckelshausen, Germany

www.missieovergrenzen.be

Tel: +49 6461 9546 0 Fax: +49 6461 9546 11

Street adress: Stiftung Pro Adelphos Palmstrasse 16 CH-8400 Winterthur Switzerland Tel: +41 52 233 59 00 Fax: +41 52 233 59 07

www.zendingovergrenzen.nl www.proadelphos.ch

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS

Postal address: Mission Without Borders NZ P.O. Box 56264 Dominion Road Auckland 1446 NEW ZEALAND Street address: First Floor Unit 7, Ambury Court 1 Porters Avenue Eden Terrace Auckland New Zealand

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS (South Africa)

Postal address: P.O. Box 46287, Orange Grove, Johannesburg, 2119 S. Street address: 229 Louis Botha Avenue, Orange Grove, Johannesburg, 2119 S.Africa Tel: +27 12 345 4784 (Pretoria)

Postal address: 175 Tower Bridge Road London SE1 2AG UK Street address: 175 Tower Bridge Road London SE1 2AG UK Tel: +44 20 7940 1370 Fax: +44 20 7403 7348

www.mog-biedenkopf.de

Tel: +64 9 309 6969 Fax: +64 9 309 6968 www.mwb.org.nz

MWB REPORT | 2010 |

Postal address: P.O. Box 6008 Camarillo, CA 93011, USA Street address: 711 Daily Drive Suite 120 Camarillo, California 93010 USA Tel: +1 (805) 987 8880 Fax: +1 (805) 484 8378 www.mwb.org

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS

Fax: +27 11 485 3528 www.mwb-sa.org

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS INC.

www.mwbuk.org

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

Without Borders Family

UNITED KINGDOM

NORWAY

THE NETHERLANDS

GERMANY

BELGIUM SWITZERLAND UKRAINE MOLDOVA ROMANIA

CANADA USA

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ALBANIA BULGARIA

AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND

SOUTH AFRICA

, PRESIDENT S MESSAGE

NOURISHED BY THE WORD

MWB International Board Members

Rudolf Luthi Management Consultant Winterthur, SWITZERLAND

MWB REPORT | 2010 |

Reverend Harry Graham

Philip Schmidt

Clarey Rudd

Chief Executive Officer MWBI London, UNITED KINGDOM

Retired Auditor Benoni, SOUTH AFRICA

Director/Owner, Bank of Books Ventura, California, USA

UT O H

BORDER

RC HRIST

MI S

SI O

ALBANIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BULGARIA MOLDOVA ROMANIA UKRAINE MINISTRY ENHANCEMENTS MWBI STRUCTURE

196O•2O1O Reverend W.A. Temlett

President/Chairman MWBI Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA

LL EO Y R P E AC H I N G

SI O MI S

196O•2O1O FA

L P

LL O E Y R P E AC H I N G http://www.mwbi.org