SPRING HILL, Tenn (BNc) – The Spring Meadows congregation participated in the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive with our local post office.

Members Kelly Estabrooks and Teri Moore led in the effort.  Over 125 joyful members were a part of the huge effort visiting every house in the Spring Hill postal area, sorting and helping to put up the food.

Men, women and children as young as three were a part of the huge undertaking.

The food was all weighed and the total weight exceeded 6 tons.  In fact 13,100 pounds of food was collected which the church will distribute to those in need in the Spring Hill region.

The Stamp Out Hunger campaign is sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

MT. JULIET, Tenn., (BNc) – The recent Nashville flood has left many homeless and hurting.  Many are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Are you able to help?  The Mt. Juliet Church of Christ is organizing relief to those who have been affected.  We are dedicated to helping financially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.  Many millions of dollars are needed to rebuild lives. But just as the church in Jerusalem needed extra help from other congregations so long ago, we need your help.  Can you be a Macedonian church (2 Corinthians 8:1-2) for a congregation here in Tennessee?

Under the oversight of our elders, needs will be evaluated and funds distributed by elderships of congregations in the communities where the funds will be dispersed.  The goal is to rebuild hope by ultimately leading people closer to God and his church.

Some Facts About the Flood.

• 17 inches of rain in two days
• 22 deaths
• 53 counties declared disaster areas
• reported to be the most devastating non-hurricane water event in American history
• houses outside of the 100- and 500-year flood plain were flooded
• thousands rescued by boat

The Plan.

If thousands of Christians across the land can offer a hand up, many will benefit and God will be glorified! We need your partnership and your generous gift.  If everyone gave 10 dollars, most gave 20, several gave 100, and a few more gave a thousand, think of the good that could be done! What if every church sent 10 dollars, most sent 20, several sent 100, and a few more sent thousands? How many lives could be touched?

Not a handout, but a Hand Up!

“Two are better than one,…For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

If you are interested in learning more about this work, including ways you can contribute or volunteer, please visit the Give A Hand Up website.

JUDSONIA, Ark. (BNc) – Our early planning is paying off exceptionally well. Every container has arrived smoothly and food has been distributed without problems. Thanks to the cooperation and planning of Rang Hee, Erin Long and Counterpart International and thanks to the efforts of USAID and others involved in the government, we have had no problems with Haitian Customs.

It is the careful planning, immediate cooperation and close organization that has allowed us to see the the Lord’s Church glorified. We received this note from Pacius: “Erin Long (Counterpart) was great by helping me to get the paper quickly. People in the Customs office were so helpful to us last week. They told us what to do to get the Container out.”

Within the last seven days we have loaded and shipped seven containers with 291,500 pounds of food and relief supplies for distribution in Haiti.

We are receiving a number of reports that are providing us the means to communicate to the government how effective our distribution system is in Haiti. It is significant to point out that we are getting food delivered and distributed to areas where many of the big organizations have never touched. This is due to the fantastic cooperation and planning of our Haitian brethren.

Listen to this comment, “I lost my wife, I lost my house, I lost everything. But I find a new Family in you, because you have done a lot for me and many people in Haiti. I am happy to load this Container to help our brethren, our friends and so many others, in Port-au-Prince. You are in the States and also you are in Haiti — because in every devotion I ask for a special prayer for you. You are first in our minds.”

Thank you for your involvement in the Haiti Relief efforts. You have made it possible for the Lord’s compassion to be known by thousands!

IVANO-FRANKIVSK, Ukraine (BNc) – One congregation does its benevolent work by the bucketful.

The Judsonia, Ark., church, together with other congregations, is involved in benevolent aid to Sudan, Ukraine, Nigeria, India, Honduras and a number of other nations. With the shipments of aid, they include “family buckets,” five-gallon plastic buckets filled with a variety of household items.

The brainchild of Kathy Cadden in Columbus, MS., the buckets are contributed by numerous congregations in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and Missouri.

“These have really been an excellent way of getting urgently needed commodities to those in great need,” said John Kachelman, Jr., preacher with the Judsonia congregation.

Recently, Ivan and Sveta Skoleba from Ivano-Frankivsk reported the following story:

“We were distributing humanitarian aid and a young man came to us. He was from Iraq and came to Ukraine to get an education and then got married in Ivano-Frankivsk. His name is Mohammed. He and his wife are poor and could not afford to buy a stroller for their child. When he found out we were giving away things free of charge he asked us for a stroller and a bucket. I told him that aid had come from American believers. We talked at length with Mohammed and I told him that the churches of Christ help different people, no matter who they are or where they are from. He asked me to thank believers from America who had collected buckets and clothes.

“The next day he came back radiant with joy and said that he was astonished to see so many valuable things for their home that they found in the bucket: dishes, soaps, tooth paste, dish washing detergents, towels and even a cheese grater. He said that he and his wife could only dream about such things but they did not have money to buy them. We talked about God with him and he asked for a Bible.”

“The Lord works through humanitarian aid, creating different situations to share the Gospel even with Muslims,” said Skoleba.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BNc) – The earthquake that hit Haiti Jan. 12 took more than 230,000 lives, injured approximately 300,000 and left an estimated one million people homeless.

An update from Roberta Edwards, of the Son-Light Orphanage in Haiti, appeared in an email Feb. 24 from the Estes church in Henderson, Tenn.

Edwards reported, “Things are very hard in Haiti. Those that had jobs have lost them. Those that are working are not getting paid. Medical needs are growing as infections and sickness grow from overcrowded tent camps. Aftershocks have been hitting pretty regularly the last 24 hours. The kids are having a difficult time sleeping. We continue to pray and reassure.”

“But we have been able to share over 100,000 lbs of food with 11 churches of Christ and many other local groups. We have received 48 tents and a handful of tarps that were also shared. We have been able to help hundreds in mini medical clinics that have been held by the groups from Estes. We are expecting two containers this week with food and supplies. We have 5000-6400 tents coming in Fri. or Sat. The tents were collected through a joint effort with CRF, Harding University and Manna Global. To date since the earthquake we have had 21 baptisms. Last Sunday night we had 300+ folks attend service,” said Edwards.

Jesse Robertson, an Estes deacon in charge of logistics, said, “From the beginning it has been clear that all of our donors were concerned about emergency food and medical care. That has been our primary focus so far.”

However, focus is shifting to more permanent needs, such as housing and equipment for job creation. The Estes congregation is asking for ideas on how to fulfill these needs.

If you would like to help, you can contact them by email or call 731-989-7990.

SUMMERDALE, Ala. (BNc) — Ralph Adams, elder for eight years at the Summerdale church, Summerdale, Ala., is a maker of baby blankets.

“I heard Jerry Davidson say he needed baby blankets for Guyana. My wife had crocheted for years, and I asked Jerry if he needed cloth blankets and he said he did. I knew that was something I could do. I came from a family of four boys and our mother always sewed,” stated Adams.

He buys good quality sheets at yard sales for $2-3 dollars each, or at stores with good discounts. People also give him material they aren’t going to use. One bedroom is so full of material that they can’t use the bed, he said. Adams cuts the material into strips 4″ x 39″ and alternating prints, or prints with solids, sews them together for his finished blankets, 36″ x 42″ or 42″ x 48.”

“They don’t have to be exact, and all the same size,” Adams stated.

Sometimes he cuts out rectangles 5 ½” x 7 ½” and sews them together, so all the blankets won’t look the same.

When asked what kind of machine he has, he quickly replied, “Oh, I have five machines.”

Adams has two set up in the kitchen, one on the table and the other in a cabinet close by. On one he sews the strips together, and the other has double needles to double stitch the blankets.

“I saw something one time that had double stitching and thought that would look good on the blankets,” Adams said.

Freddie and Ralph Adams met in December 1952, when both of them worked at NASA in Huntsville, Ala. He recalled how his boss told him to go down the hall and invite the girls to the Christmas party, and to bring their husbands. He did, and one girl spoke up and said, “She doesn’t have a husband,” referring to Freddie. Ralph said, “I responded by saying, ‘I’ll take care of her,’ and I’ve been taking care of her ever since.” They were married the following year on June 14, fifty-eight years ago. Adams and his wife have four children, two boys, two girls, and seven grandchildren.

When asked how they came to live in Summerdale, Ala., Ralph, who will be 79 on March 30, related how they always enjoyed going to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach on vacation. It seemed natural for them to retire in that area.

Ralph quickly admits that Freddie helps him with the blankets by giving advice on which colors look best together, or which color to use to line the blanket, and he does the sewing. He said if he gets up early before Freddie, he sews for thirty minutes or an hour. In the late afternoon he sews again, “a little bit each day.”

“I can make a blanket a day if I really want to,” Adams said.

When asked how many he has made in all, he replied, “I gave Jerry 45 the other day, and I’ve sent 63-64 already.” He said he sends some every four to six months.
Adams has been sewing the blankets for two or three years. Each blanket has an iron-on label with “Church of Christ, God loves you and so do we.”

Ralph and Freddie Adams have never been to Guyana. They have never seen a baby wrapped in a blanket that Ralph has sewn. Their undying love for the Lord, and the Amerindian babies in the Guyana villages urges them to press on. They heard of the need. They accepted the challenge and said, “Lord, here am I. I can do this, and I will.”

May their example encourage us to look for opportunities to use our talents and abilities for the Lord, and to say “Here am I, Lord. Send me.”

GENEVA, Ala., (BNc) – Six ladies in three different parts of the country, who may never meet this side of heaven, all share common goals.

“It’s wonderful. I don’t want to quit. My favorite pasttime is making dresses,” says Lona Cantrell, pictured.

All the ladies are using what they have, not what they wish they had, to make little dresses, or outfits, for the children in the Amerindian villages of Guyana. Lona Cantrell holds the record of the most dresses made thus far.

“I have made over 350,” she said. “I cut out 6-7 at a time and sew 2-3 dresses a day. Every other Wednesday I take in a new batch of dresses and hang them up in the back of the church building for others to see, hoping it will encourage them.”

When asked what sizes she made, she replied, “from newborn to size 14.” She started her mission work of making the little dresses in 2007. She has also sent six dresses to Thailand and 20-24 to Honduras.

Lona is a member of the Earlyville congregation, out from McMinnville, Tenn. The ladies at Earlyville sew every Wednesday. They make teddy bears, stamp a face on them and stuff them. These are then given to the Sheriff’s Department, nursing home, doctors’ offices and dental offices to be given away. On the back of each special gift is a tag stating the item was made by the ladies of the Earlyville church. Along with the little dresses and the teddy bears, the ladies also quilt and give them to newly-married couples in the congregation or people whose homes have burned.

Lona has been married for 42 years to her beloved Charles. They married in November and she was baptized on Christmas eve.

Jerry O. Davidson, missionary to the Amerindians, said at one time he picked up 60 dresses that Lona had made. He says when he goes on his mission trips to Guyana, “the ladies of the church get together after services and match the dresses with children in the village according to size.”

From the hills of Tennessee to the northern part of Alabama, we found Betty Smith, Ernestine Raulston and Faye Arnold, who also make dresses for the children in the villages of Guyana. Their ages range from retirement to the 80’s, and their sentiment is the same. Betty Smith and Ernestine Raulston worship at the Bridgeport, Ala., church.

Betty said, “I’m glad to do it. It was something I could do. I didn’t have to buy any material, and I’m thankful I’m still able to do that much.”

Joni O’Neal, wife of missionary to India and Guyana, John O’Neal, told the ladies of this great need one day in their Bible class. The saying, “It only takes a spark to get a fire burning,” is true. Immediately these ladies knew they could do this. They had material that they had kept for years, and the idea took off.

At the nearby Dorans Cove church, Bridgeport, Ala., Faye Arnold said, “You wouldn’t believe the material I have. I’m gonna try to make some of the little dresses.”

She chose size 1 for her endeavor, and with her love of sewing she made a little dress and has plans to make more. When asked what she thought of the dress she had made, she said, “Just as cute as it can be!”

Not only are the children of Guyana receiving a blessing from the little dresses, but Ernestine Raulston, a retired school teacher, is also teaching her 13-year-old granddaughter how to sew.

Ernestine said, “I enjoy helping someone else. To bring a smile to those children’s faces is great.”

She said the ladies who are sewing are considering setting up an assembly line with the help of more ladies.

Moving on down in the state of Alabama, we find two ladies who wish to remain anonymous. Both are members of the Eastern Shore church, Daphne, Ala. They bought some 99¢ patterns on sale at a local fabric store, and using material they had on hand, their dreams soon became a reality. They have already sent 22 dresses to the children. Each dress has a label in the back that says, “Church of Christ. God loves you and so do we.” Their dresses are from size 3-8. One lady said that she believes their efforts help to break the ice for campaigners who go into the country to teach the gospel.

Frances Davidson, wife of missionary Jerry Davidson, said, “It isn’t like these dresses will be used by one child and then discarded. They are passed down to other children, so several of the children will get to use each dress.”

May the examples of these fine Christians inspire us all to reach out to the less fortunate, using our talents to the glory of God.

Lord, here am I. Send me.

by John L. Kachelman, Jr.

JUDSONIA, Ark. (BNc) — The old spiritual songs about one not having “time to die” certainly applies to events from the past two weeks. During this time we have been going non-stop in fifteen different directions.

Obviously Haiti has consumed an enormous amount of each day as communications have been non-stop. But during this time we also loaded containers for Ukraine and Tajikistan!

We have three collection sites at this point: Henderson, Tenn., Columbus, Miss., and Judsonia, Ark.

We have delayed the actual transport of relief commodities into Haiti until we have absolute assurance that the items will not be left stranded but will quickly be distributed. We had to establish a command and control of order, and our military has done a fantastic job getting the Port-au-Prince airport functioning. Now we are able to begin helping with integrity the distribution of food. I know this has seemed so long and the suffering has been so severe, but without a secure distribution all would have been lost.

The assessment team from the US Department of State has been in the Dominican Republic and setting up the transportation from that side into Haiti. We just about have everything in place.

The Judsonia congregation has been receiving generous financial donations to assist with the Haitian relief efforts. We are using these funds to purchase items of food and other essential products. A full accounting will be rendered to all donors regardless of the amount contributed.

Our concerns can be summarized with these points:

• Utilize every dollar donated to its maximum ability. Why purchase and spend for items when they can be donated? We can safely say that 100% of every dollar received will go directly to the relief efforts. We have opened a checking account specifically for the Haitian Relief efforts in order to keep these funds separate.

• Give glory to God and exercise His Church in its mission. We plan to use local congregations in Haiti to distribute commodities and for follow-up operations.

• Join with available resources to secure success. Specifically, we want to utilize our connections with the US Military in distribution. This will be done for security and the safety of our brethren. We have seen amazing results in some of our previous operations because our military troops were a critical component.

• Present a total transparency in the handling of funds. We feel the great obligation of the stewardship of this operation. Every donor will receive regular reports. We will utilize email to provide these updates. (Please send an email address to John Kachelman for updates). We would ask that you share reports with others who are concerned about this effort.

Thank you for your fellowship in this great effort. May God be glorified!

OLINDA, Brazil (BNc) –

Executive Director Maciel Viera emailed BNc yesterday that on Jan. 15 the Olinda Rights Council for Children and Adolescents granted the Mannah Chidren’s Home its registration, which now permits it to receive and care for needy children.

“We have already finished the first house and have a family ready, Miguel and Ednea, living in the house, as they wait for the first children to be received,” wrote Maciel.

A second house will be finished in March, and houseparents have already been hired for it, he said.

The city of Olinda is in the Recife metropolitan area, in the state of Pernambuco.

The home’s website lists three area congregations that contribute regularly to its efforts.

Mannah Children’s Home is the second in Brazil, directed by churches of Christ, to begin operations.

The Lar Cristão Children’s Home operates in Sao Paulo state. Another is being prepared in the city of Belo Horizonte.

UPDATE: Lar Maná changed to Mannah on consultation with Maciel.

Today, Richard and I took a turn around the city. Not very long but very sad. People are doing their best to leave the city and go out to the country. Wounded are on the side of the road not far from the dead. People are begging every motorist to please give them a free ride “somewhere.” They don’t care where you are going, they just want to get out of town.

I spoke with the preacher in Citie Soliel today. The church building is destroyed. Members of the church are sleeping in a field. I gave them one of our carport tents that Global Manna donated. It is 12 x 20 and should provide cover for many. We hope to bring food to them tomorrow at the latest. The preacher is trying to help with logistics so that we can deliver the food safely and efficiently.

My girls bagged 800 lbs. of rice today and put it in bags to be distributed. They are putting soap, combs, shoes, matches and a few other odds and ins to help those in need. We will send these out tomorrow, I can only pray.