Dear Co Workers ,

Recently, I was visiting Japanese Well, a very poor border village close to the jungles of Myanmar (Burma). I was sitting cross-legged in the simple thatched hut of one of our sponsored local Teachers. Ruth had a captivating smile on her face as she talked animatedly about the children who were already registering to come to our new school just 100 metres up the road, on a dusty plot of land next to a bush church. Presently, the old church could only take 25 students, but with 3 classrooms planned, Ruth was already in her mind, increasing that number to 60, even tho there were insufficient Teachers and the funds still had to be raised for Project “Bush School” and the Construction could not start until the rainy season had finished in November.

I smiled wryly as I realized the hurdles yet to be overcome, and yet I was struck again by Ruth’s enthusiasm and the long term impact of offering education to children who would otherwise have none.. Would there be a future Village Leader, or a Doctor, or a Nurse, or maybe a future President, emerge from this inconspicuous school on the edge of nowhere!!! I don’t really know, but I do know this, the need is great and the opportunity to make a few dollars go a long way, couldn’t be ignored.

Somehow we have to get involved.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the rights that must be realized for children to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse. It reflects a new vision of the child. The Convention has firmly endorsed the “ right of every child to education that develops the childs’ personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities” The problem is, these village children can’t read yet, so they don’t know that this right exists for their benefit.

Thruout the world, terrorism , wars , earthquakes , floods , fires and disasters present a real challenge to our Mercy Team workers. The difficulty always remains that when the Crisis Relief effort is over , families are often left with long term needs and underlying poverty . Such as in Banda Aceh, where Mercy Teams International has just completed a village pre-school Centre in Garut Village. Children suffer the most in a crisis as well as those refugees who are internationally displaced persons , who have no real voice to speak out about injustice and oppression . Without rights , housing , clothing or food , many need medical help and others simply lack the resources or education to get a job .

Mercy Teams International is a champion of holistic ministry thru its Teams that are working in 8 countries around the South East Asian region.. Many Teams are still in the pioneering stage and require flexible passionate workers who practice radical discipleship and can demonstrate love and compassion to the destitute or poor .

If you are interested in either supporting MTI financially as a donor or if you would like to join MTI as a worker and use the unique gifts and skills that God has placed in your life to serve others , we would like to hear from you .

Dave and Dawn Greenfield