Arrived at the Brussels Airport 2am Lancaster County time, 8am Brussels time with Liz Hess’ pictures for Guinea-Bissau in hand! Thankfully, they let me carry  them on the plane.  They have some cozy seats in the airport so I’m parked outside of the ubiquitous Starbucks catching up on work.  This may be the last time I have strong wireless for sometime.  In a few hours I will board a flight to Bajul, Gambia with arrival time around 1pm your time, 6pm Gambian time.  I hope to catch up with Fred  on The Get Up and Go Show before my flight and then I’ll talk to you live from West Africa hopefully later today!  Now off to find something to eat.  I’ll think I’ll head back to the small food market near my gate for some cheese.  (Only in a European airport would you find a store that sells super strong sumptuous stinky cheese!  Just my speed 🙂

WJTL is partnering with Eastern Mennonite Mission to build an elementary school for at least 300 children in Guinea-Bissau.  Providing a durable, permanent school building is the first step in addressing the village’s educational needs, boosting children’s self-esteem, combating poverty, and sharing the love of Christ.  $20  provides one sack of cement for the floor, $50 provides windows and doors, & $100 helps provide a corrugated metal roof.  Our goal is to raise 5-thousand dollars to help build the school.  The villagers will provide labor for the basic construction & some of the funds through the sale of their cashews.  Click here to visit EMM.org and be a part of this exciting project!  WJTL & EMM:  Together with Christ Transforming the World.

Last month WJTL asked you to partner with us in raising money to build 12 houses for families in Haiti who were displaced by the earthquake earlier this year. We are happy to tell you we have reached our goal…and blew past it! We’re now at 17 houses!!

We heard stories about how you raised money via bake sales, rallied your Bible Study group…some of you even raised money during recess!

On behalf of Food for the Poor and those in Haiti who’ve been impacted and blessed by your generosity, WJTL wants to say a sincere “THANK YOU!”

Lisa Landis and I went to the Liz Hess Gallery in downtown Lancaster today for the unveiling of her new series. Although Liz is primarily known for her red umbrellas, this time around she sat aside her trademark for a new approach of the gospel by using images the people of Guinea-Bissau can relate to. The paintings are being packed up after this weekend is over and our very own Lisa Landis will be transporting them on her upcoming trip to Africa with Eastern Mennonite Missions.

If you missed the paintings at the April 2010 First Friday, you can visit Liz’s website, or see the video here:

Source: HCJB Global (written by Ralph Kurtenbach)

The people of Chile are putting their lives back together after an 8.8-strength earthquake struck near Concepción early Saturday, Feb. 27.

From the capital city of Santiago, Radio Armonía program host María Soledad is helping many Chileans to do so as the HCJB Global radio partner broadcasts via 35 affiliates across Chile.

Throughout the week María Soledad kept listeners up-to-date, encouraging them from the Scriptures. “In some sectors electricity is being restored—in cities like Concepción, Talcahuano, San Pedro de la Paz. Today I was asked about [the sector of] Michaigue,” she said on a program monitored in Ecuador.

A caller named Marina, her faith intact but emotions edgy, was overcome with emotion upon reaching Soledad. “How long have you been listening?” the program host asked as the two friends chatted on-air. “Just since this morning, we’ve been here without electricity, listening to the radio.”

Another caller, Pastor Alejandro Cabezas, experienced a few difficulties with highway travel to Concepción, but said the highway is generally clear and the weather is good. Moved by the enormity of the situation, his voice broke as he described the difficulties of people. “Some people are quite desperate,” he said.

Chileans continue experiencing dozens of aftershocks each day, keeping many in a state of uncertainty. Even as the tremors continue rattling people’s emotions, Radio Armonía is promoting an aid campaign launched by the Salvation Army. The “Embracing Chile” campaign solicits cash, nonperishable foods, milk and disposable diapers from the radio network’s listeners.

Since 1931, HCJB Global’s passion has been to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Using mass media, healthcare and education, and working with partners around the world, HCJB Global has ministries in more than 100 countries. Together with local partners, the ministry airs the gospel in more than 120 languages and dialects. Thousands of listeners and healthcare patients are meeting Jesus. Local believers are being trained as missionaries, pastors, broadcasters and healthcare providers.

I invite you to join me via the airwaves as I take the Get Up & Go Show to West Africa with Eastern Mennonite Missions April 13-20, 2010.  I’m excited to bring you pictures, interviews, & videos of the groundbreaking work EMM is doing in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

In 2005, EMM began work in West Africa, where numerous fellowship groups of believers are emerging in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. In this mission-to-world context, EMM workers are involved in evangelism, discipling, church planting, leadership development, and community development that has economic, educational, and medical aspects.

One of the EMM projects in Catel, Guinea-Bissau is construction of an elementary school building.  There are at least 300 elementary age school children in the village of Catel.  Many of them do not attend school and almost none of them are literate.  The lack of education for the children further reinforces the low self-esteem and poverty mentality of the villagers. This project is an important step in village development.

At present the school campus includes two structures.

One is made of palm fronds and needs to be rebuilt every year after the rainy season.

The other building is two rooms made of mud bricks and plastered with cement and it has a corrugated tin roof.  The villagers themselves have built this building but to this point construction has not been completed.  Part of the reason why the school functions at a very inefficient level is because of the lack of a permanent building.

WJTL & EMM will be looking for your help in raising money to erect a 4-room classroom school including a small school office room.   This is an exciting opportunity to reach out to the people of Catel, Guinea-Bissau and I can’t wait to tell you more!

While I am broadcasting from Guinea-Bissau EMM will also be unveiling the African artwork of Liz Hess.   Lancaster artist Liz Hess has created African images that tell the story of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt, on a journey, finally arriving  in the promised land.  Guinea-Bissau is a story sharing culture that will finally-thanks to EMM and Lancaster artist Liz Hess- be able to better comprehend the biblical stories by viewing pictures of people who look like them.  We will bring you coverage of the local Lancaster unveiling of Liz’s artwork as well as the unveiling in Africa.

Samaritan’s Purse has emergency workers and supplies on the way to southern Chile, where a massive earthquake struck before dawn Saturday and triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean as far away as Hawaii.

Our disaster response team based in neighboring Bolivia is bringing truckloads of food and blankets. We are working with evangelical church partners in the affected areas to assess the needs and determine the locations where we can help.

The earthquake was measured at a magnitude of 8.8 and centered just off the coast near Concepcion, the second largest city in Chile. Major damage was reported 200 miles away in the capital city of Santiago. It hit at 3:34 a.m. local time Saturday, February 27 (1:34 a.m. Eastern Time), while many people were asleep in their homes.

Chile has a history of devastating earthquakes, including the most powerful one ever measured, a 1960 quake that measured 9.5 and killed several thousand people. (By comparison, the earthquake that killed over 230,000 people in Haiti Jan. 12 measured 7.0. Each increase of one point represents 32 times more intensity.)

Please pray for the people of Chile and our local church partners.

This just in from our friends at Esbenshades….