A Full Circle of Blessings

Guatemala – Jan 2012

This is from Mark Richards (Hope Haven International Ministries) regarding the recent trip to Guatemala. Thanks to Kurt Klingelhoffer for leading this team, for all the team members who served, and for all who provided financially to make it happen.

Mother and 7 children get a new home thanks to the Alliance Christian Center and Gulf Coast Supply. Hope Haven Guatemala hosts a team from NorthEast Ohio so they can build 4 relief Homes.

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Dear friends,

Whether we are refurbishing or building wheelchairs, Hope Haven International always try’s to get the most “bang for the buck” in utilizing volunteers, community service workers, in-kind donations and complimentary shipping. We have developed into an organization that can do $1 worth of good for 10 cents. You only need to look at retail prices for complex rehab wheelchairs to see just how expensive they are and look at the Hope Haven Kidchair and its durability and features for one tenth the price. The Hope Haven KidChair can be set up in minutes for a child’s needs and the RH takes hours and not weeks or months to build and the quality of steel will out last the corrugated tin by 2 to 3 times and is safe for water collection.

Before I began bringing wheelchairs to Guatemala in the late 80′s I was involved in construction projects in Guatemala and learned just how complicated building was in Central America.

We have been working with Gulf Coast Supply’s “International Relief Home” in providing homes to poor families. I never would have imagined that in less than 8 hours you could have a sturdy insulated 2 room house built and dedicated.

We had the slabs pre done by locals and built 4 houses in 4 days. See the emotional words of the mother receiving a Relief Home last week.
There is a side story of a young neighbor boy we discovered when building this home that we never would have found had not the grandmother been holding him when we walked by. Elmer now has mobility and independence in his new Guatemalan made Hope Haven KidChair. Elmer’s story coming soon!

This video is less than 1 1/2 minutes but will bring you to tears!

Guatemala Mission Trip

Would you like to help us as we reach out to the poor in Guatemala?

On Tuesday, January 24^th, Kurt Klingelhofer a member of the Alliance Christian Center, will lead a team of men from various churches in the Greater Alliance Area on a Mission Trip to Guatemala.  They will be teaming up with Mark Richard from Hope Haven International.

 

The men will be involved in three projects in Guatemala: click on the links below for pictures.

1. Building pre-fabricated homes
* Concrete Slab * Putting the Walls Together * Framing Completed * Walls and Door

2. Constructing stoves for families
* Stove Kit * Completed Stove * Cooking Fire Before the Stove * Family Blessed with a New Stove

3. Distributing wheelchairs
* The Need * Wheelchair Assembly and Repair * Wheelchair Distribution

We’ve made a bottom line financial commitment to provide ten wheelchairs ($1000), two stoves ($280) and one home ($2000).  However, due to the number of skilled men we have participating, we would like to increase the number of homes being built to FOUR!

The need is great and the building kits are available. In order to do four homes, two stoves and distribute ten wheel chairs, a total of $9280 is needed.

To date, the Alliance Christian Center has raised $4041.  We are inviting you to join us financially to help us raise the additional $5239 to make this endeavor a reality.

Proverbs 19:17 says, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward for what he has done.

Contributions can be made out and sent to the Alliance Christian Center at 670 W. Main St., Alliance, OH  44601.  Write Guatemala in the memo.

Check out Hope Haven’s website to learn more about their work.

 

 

 

Looking Ahead

It’s good to remember. Years ago I ran across some magazines called the “Good Old Days.”  The magazine highlighted objects and happenings from the past.  Writers would submit stories about the glory of the simpler and somehow better, days gone by.

While I like the idea of simpler times, they weren’t always so much better. Cars were easier to fix, but they didn’t have A/C, power windows, etc.  And often our own memories will tend to soften past occurrences.  Even we, as Christians, tend to glorify the early church, until perhaps we notice the references to church leaders being stoned to death, beheaded, and persecution scattering the believers.  The fact of the matter is, times changes and as the saying goes, you can’’t go back.

But our goal isn’t to go backward but to go forward. The current times have unique issues and challenges.  I like the words of Paul when he says,  “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14).  Actually I believe better days are yet to come. New technology means more ways to get the word of God out, and more people coming to Christ.  And I look forward to Christ coming to receive a pure bride without spot or wrinkle.

When reminiscing with a friend about our past days of serving God together, one thing we realized was that we knew so little, and as a result we sought God about everything.  That is worth revisiting.  If there is anything we should go back to its shear dependence on God.

Amen?

Paul

TRANSITION

“This is the most exciting thing I have ever seen the Lord do.” That comment came from a member of our church in reference to the transition we are now undertaking.  What makes the above comment especially telling is that it comes from a seasoned saint who has seen numerous miraculous healings.  What transition am I referring to? The transition in leadership where I will take on a more outreach oriented role and the lead pastor role of the church will be taken up by Kirk Martin, who founded the Alliance Christian Center some 33 years ago.

Details of how this transition came about are described in a sermon I preached on Sunday Sept 11, 2011, entitled “How the Lord is Leading Us”. You can  listen to the sermon here

Although this may have come as a surprise to us in leadership, it was no surprise to the Lord…and although the Lord may be leading us in this direction, it is still up to us to walk it out, and that can be scary.  We read in the book of Acts how Barnabas and Paul were set apart by the Holy Spirit, but it was still up to them to get on a boat and go.  There was a lot of uncertainty there.  Paul may have alluded to his feelings when he described his plights to the Corinthian church:  “I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers” (2 Corinthians 11:26 NIV). But ultimately Paul had to trust in the Lord that sent him, and so must we.

As I have said before, I am not going anywhere, and I am here to help, in this transition, particularly those who are struggling with it.  So please contact me with your concerns.  Also, be advised that I and the others on the leadership team are committed to pray for Gods guidance as we make this transition, and you can help with that as well. So let us know what God is speaking to you.

These are exciting times, but they can be somewhat scary as well.  But as we enter into a new phase in the life of our church, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Amen?

Paul

 

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