Imagine...

Imagine someone coming to your house and demanding you give up your 13-year-old daughter in marriage to someone you hardly know. To resist is to dishonor the family name, but to give in is to condemn your little girl to possible abuse and a lifetime of sorrow.

Or what would you do if you learned that your neighbor’s 12-year-old child was going to be sold into a brothel to help support the family?

These are not hypothetical situations. They are happening today in two of the countries where CrossWorld is working. In the first case the daughter was “rescued” by a quickly arranged engagement to a local man, thus allowing her to stay in her family home for a few more years, and for the family to save face. In the latter, the Christian worker who learned of the plight of this child was faced with 36 other similar cases at the same time, and was struggling to know how to respond to the overwhelming need around her.

While we here in Canada live fairly “insulated” lives to the kinds of things I just described, our workers around the world are faced with many excruciating situations involving brokenness and sin, situations that most of us can barely imagine possible. May we not forget how the rest of the world is living. May God help you to understand what He wants you to do about it.

Problem --Gaining Access In Order to Take the Gospel

There are now 69 countries in the world that will not allow entrance in the traditional way it has been done for centuries - as a religious worker of missionary. CrossWorld is actively seeking new, legitimate means of entering into some of the least-reached places on earth, so that we can continue doing what we've been doing for the past 76 years - making disciples, preparing leaders and starting new communities of believers.

One Creative Solution
One of our appointees is going to a difficult place. How will he justify his entrance into that place? How about this cool opportunity that he just found out about...On Thursday I was contacted by a competitor to my present employer with a job offer. I explained that after I left them, I would be moving overseas. Then they asked if I would be open to working remotely from Western Asia! I would work as a consultant on a per project basis in a self-employed position. This seems to be an answer to our long term prayer request for a consultant or field position! Much would have to be worked out, but the level of interest from this company was definitely an encouragement that a position might develop.

Right now we need people with secular job skills (computer, art, engineering, physio, agriculture... the sky is the limit!), to help us form teams in places where there is little or no witness of Jesus. If you or someone you know is interested in helping us, would you please let us know? A one or two-year placement would be a great way to join in Gospel advance!

Haiti's Hope

Ciliana was born to parents, both of whom died of AIDS. In her first two weeks of life, Ciliana’s mother, in her AIDS dementia tried several times to kill her. Ciliana survived and was brought to the House of Hope, a ministry home for sick children, staffed by Jenny, one of our CrossWorld missionaries. There was great concern that Ciliana herself would not survive because of the AIDS. For the past year tests have shown the presence of AIDS antibodies in her blood, but a recent test revealed that the antibodies were gone and that she is completely clear of any indication of the disease.

Ciliana is just one more example of what God is doing in this fallen world through people like Jenny and those who make it possible for her to minister cross-culturally. He does it one person at a time, using people just like you. If you’d like to know more about how you can get involved in what God is doing around the world through CrossWorld, give us a call.