EXCITING INITIATIVES. It is tremendous to see and to hear about God speaking into the hearts of individuals and the spread of this inspiration to others. Outlined here are some examples of how God is challenging us as individuals at Dural to take action in mission for God.

MISSION TRIP TO NEPAL

In September 2008, I was privileged to be able to go to Nepal for 2 weeks to volunteer as a nurse/midwife to work in a Gynecological (Women’s Health) medical program in Besisahar, Nepal, a township west of Kathmandu.

These medical camps are arranged by a missionary group from within Nepal, International Nepal Fellowship, but include overseas volunteers who enable it to function. The local population hears about the camps through word of mouth or through the radio. When the local people hear about the camp they walk for days hoping to get treatment. They queue up and wait to be attended to, without complaint.

The area I went to does not normally have access to specialist surgery. The medical team and equipment are completely portable, usually in three Land Rovers and arrive in the location to set up for consulting and surgery. Different villages are visited each time depending on the area of need.

The INF medical camp I attended attracted 930 women, most as outpatients but, during the 10 days, 60 major operations were performed. Many of the operations performed were hysterectomies to repair problems from giving birth and for the removal of cysts and prolapses.

Much of the surgery we performed was necessary because the women in Nepal have to go straight out after having a child and go back to work– carry everything, do everything – there’s no after-birth care. Most patients had waited over 10 years for the treatment given at the camp by the medical team.

All went smoothly. We worked as a team of 16 volunteers, (gynaecologists, anesthetists, general doctors, and nurses from Australia and UK working together. There were also 8 Nepalis from the INF camp’s program, who were able to keep up the medical supplies needed by dealing with the washing, sterilizing, and maintenance. The INF camps programme is reliant on donations to keep the medical supplies and equipment available. All volunteers pay their own expenses.

We were definitely kept very busy for the 10 days. I was able to scrub and surgically assist in the theatre for the operations and work in the post operative ward. Other team members filled roles in the theatre, outpatients department or with post-operative care.

For me, it was an amazing experience. An experience like this is enriching personally more than words can explain. You just have to be there and be willing to assist. More details of the mission group can be found on the web at

www.inf.org or contacting me by email - lintonsbg@optusnet.com.au

Gil Linton

Return to PNG…

We headed back to PNG on the 30th December 2007 headed for a village called Kompiam in the Enga province, located in the high lands of PNG. The purpose of our trip was to help out at the Baptist union hospital and to see how God could combine our love and desire to serve Him with our occupation nursing.

We were working with an Australian family the Mills who are serving in PNG and have been for 8 years, running the hospital. We also worked with another Dr Jackie who has spent the past year in Kompian hospital. Our role was to help out and lend a hand where needed. We assisted the nurses on the ward with wound dressings, medications, observations and spent time trying to learn pigeon from them. We also had the opportunity to spend time in the operating theatre where we both got to be baby catchers in c- sections and Kate got to be the assistant surgeon on a c – section and toe amputation.

We went on an 8-hour hike to another village Murump where we spent a few nights. There we assisted Jackie with her medical research into malaria and TB and assessed patients as they have no doctor out in Murump. The hospital there was a small hut with 4 beds and a fire in the middle, very different from our multi million dollar hospitals back home! Assist

One thing we learnt was how powerful the power of prayer can be in a medical situation. One great example of this was a man on the ward with a tumour on his left leg that weighted 7kg. To remove the tumour he required a full leg amputation below the hip joint, in order to try and save his life or at least provide quality of life. Before the surgery we were told that this man would most probably bleed out and die and to be prepared. The Sunday before the operation Dr Mills told the church and asked them to pray for this operation and to ask people to donate blood. On the day of the operation the pastor of the hospital was present in the OR his sole job to pray. We prayed together with the patient before the operation like we always did and we all continued too during. The man survived! The next day he was asking for crutches so he could walk, something he hadn’t been able to do in months. We were all convinced the only reason that this man survived was because God showed up.

God was faithful to us during our entire trip giving us both good health and amazing people to work with and share our lives with. We would like to thank all those people who were praying for us while we were away your prayers were greatly appreciated and made a difference.

Rachel and Kate

INDIA

Marie Louise Fitzgerald has recently led a team of eight, including students and ex students from Pacific Hills High School to the OPERATION MOBILISATION (OM) INDIA centre at Hyderabad. OM is an inter-denominational Christian movement committed to partnership with Indian churches in sharing God’s love with the nation of India. OM India seeks to be culturally sensitive using innovative methods and programmes that meet local needs.

The team was involved in various activities at two OM India Good Shepherd Schools for Dalit Children. The word Dalit means crushed or broken and refers to the large section of Indian society, some 250-300 million people who were once known as untouchables, who live extremely marginalized lives throughout India. OM’s work in Hyderabad thru’ the Good Shepherd Schools is very, very impressive. Their vision is very radical. OM India, under national leadership, aims to alter the social order of Indian Society, including the Church, through the transformation of Dalit peoples by the means of providing Christian Education, and thus the gospel, to Dalit children. There are currently 67 Good Shepherd English Medium Schools offering access to Christian education to hundreds of children from the most oppressed section of Indian Society – the Dalit Community. This is provided without cost to these children who come from humble circumstances and would not normally have access to schooling, let alone an English medium school.

PACIFIC HILLS INDIA TEAM Members were involved in a wide range of activities in two Good Shepherd Schools, 2 churches (one Telegu the other English), two villages and a house church. All team members taught various classes, made resources for local teachers following their directions, requests and instructions, put on skits, ran an assembly, sang, taught dances, played many game and spoke with and listened to many, many children and adults. Much of this activity was impromptu or done with only a brief preparation – we did not very often know what would be required of us until it happened. The Team Members quickly learnt to work together, to support each other & to give it their very best shot. We prayed together daily and for each other and the people that we met throughout the day. We also had a team meeting each night. Different team members lead the meeting. We read scripture together, reflected on the day and prayed.

All team members involved themselves in the local culture as much as they were able. Every team member purchased and wore salwar kameez suits, ate Indian food, observed and fitted in with local customs as far as possible and generally experienced a very different style of living from that to which they were accustomed. Some team members were keen to learn & use Hindi and many Indian people enjoyed these exchanges. The team returned from India with a deeper understanding of the power of the gospel to transform, of the commitment of Indian Christians to see that transforming work continue and their desire to reap a harvest among the Dalit children. Similarly, the team members have a first hand understanding of the purpose of Mission and its place in God’s plans for His Creation.

Marie Louise Fitzgerald

BANGLADESH

Late in January my daughter Eliza and I joined a team from Carlingford Baptist Church on a short-term mission trip to visit the HELP Children’s Home in Bangladesh. The Home was started by David and Namita Halder, members of Carlingford Baptist Church, when they returned to their homeland and saw the plight of many street children. They started to take in children and rapidly their number grew to 129. Clearly unable to house so many children in their home in Dhaka, and with the help of many people in Australia, America and England, they purchased the 5 acres of land 26km north of Dhaka where 360 children now live.

Quite a number of children at the Home are orphans but many come from extremely poor one-parent families. Life in the home is one where the children are given three meals a day, plus morning and afternoon tea or tiffin as they call it. They go to school within the grounds and attend chapel at 7.30am and again at 5.30pm. There is over 50 staff employed as teachers, administrative staff, cooks and helpers.

Bangladesh is the 10th poorest third world nation in our world with a population of 144 million people living in cities, towns and small villages. It is approximately the size of Victoria. Bangladesh is a 98% Muslim nation. I have traveled to poor countries such as China and Egypt but I’ve never experienced such in-your-face widespread poverty as I witnessed in Dhaka and in some of the villages we traveled through. In many respects it was like visiting a galaxy ‘far far away’, it is so vastly different to our own reality here in Australia.

We engaged with the children through many activities and at night the team took turns in conducting chapel. Each morning we would wake to hear the sound of happy children getting about their daily business from the sweeping of paths before breakfast, hanging out their washing, and practicing on their traditional musical instruments such as the pan flute.

Towards 7.30am the children move towards chapel for morning devotions and to pray. Their hand clapping, traditional musical instruments plus keyboard and drums and singing of Bangla praise songs could be heard as we woke. There was so much joy in what they did that I was quite often overwhelmed. If I went out on my 6th floor balcony to watch them the children would see me and wave with a greeting of “good morning auntie!” that was so sincere. Breakfast and school follow chapel. School is five and a half days a week, with Friday being the only full day off. School resumes after lunch on Sundays.

To sum up I am totally in awe of the work of David and Namita Halder, they have truly taken up Christ’s great commission to take care of the widows and the poor with all its challenges and self-sacrifice. Their goal is to take in 1,000 children.

In the children who’s many lives have been a battle to survive (prior to coming to the Home) in the worst poverty and all that is associated with it, I found beauty, resoluteness, tenacity, resourcefulness and resilience. In our culture we would deem them poor beyond belief; however the children see it quite differently.

We were sad to leave but Eliza and I knew that it would not be our last trip to Bangladesh and the Home. We made many friends with the children, heard their stories (as much as they would share). We know that we are limited in our ability to do huge things for them, but I think Mother Theresa’s quote … “we cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love”… is appropriate.

To read a whole lot more of the work of the H.E.L.P (Health, Education, Leadership, Program) Bangladesh go to http://www.globalrecordings.net/article/447

Margaret Drummond

WATOTO - UGANDA

Out of the 2007 a Women’s Conference came a prompting to raise funds to help rehabilitate “the invisible children” of northern Uganda through the ministry of Watoto which has already established three villages around Kampala. In August 2007 Watoto saw this dream becoming a reality with the opening of their new Church plant in Gulu, northern Uganda. Simultaneously, they are working on acquiring land for the new Watoto Gulu Children’s Village (consisting of homes, schools and a clinic) and a ‘Reception/Rehabilitation Centre’. (see www.watoto.com)

So the women from Dural pooled their resources, talents and giftedness and released it all into God’s hands to do whatever He had planned. Wow! What a ride! It started in April and the team of helpers grew from about 23 to over 50 very enthusiastic women on a mission.

On Saturday night, July 21st, the Watoto Coffee & Dessert Fundraiser saw a crowd of around 140 people gather for an enjoyable God-blessed evening. The men and women who attended dug deep to raise the much-needed funds to give the “Invisible Children of Northern Uganda” hope and a future.

The team dreamed of building a house for the children. Some had already raised $9,400 earlier towards building a house. They happily added this resource to whatever was raised on the night. We thought we needed $19,000 to build a house but later we discovered that a house in this new project would cost $38,000 as there was infrastructure to be included in the costs.

After the Coffee and Dessert evening it appeared that an amazing total of $33,594.14 had been reached. We were overwhelmed and praised the Lord for His abundant blessing. This was far beyond anything we could have imagined. Little did we know that He had not finished the project yet! A few weeks later another donation came in for $5000 making the total 38,594.14!!! We could fund a house!

What an amazing God we serve and we give Him all the glory. He blessed Watoto and the Children of Uganda with the funds for a house and in His amazing way of doing things, He blessed us all along the way.

‘Marvellous Happenings: “I am beside you. Follow in all things My guiding. Marvels beyond all your imaginings are unfolding. I am your Guide. Joy in that thought. Your Guide and Your Friend. Remember that to Me a miracle is a natural happening.” (God Calling)

With God’s help….TOGETHER we CAN live and give the hope of Christ.

Elaine Abrahams