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Recent Posts :.Posted By Anji on January 26, 2010
Sears Family Ministry in Costa Rica from Perception Funding on Vimeo.
Take an inside look a Seth and Andrea’s life as missionaries in Costa Rica. If you would like to support Seth and Andrea or other CFCI missionaries, click here or leave a note of encouragement!
Posted By Anji on January 20, 2010
In response to the devastating earthquake and after shocks that hit Haiti last week, Christ For the City International (CFCI), is asking people for help by giving to relief aid and by assembling short-term teams to help with reconstruction efforts.
Give.
Through donations given, CFCI is sending immediate relief aid to Haiti through ministry partners that are in the country. CFCI will also be sending later relief aid to help with reconstruction projects in the country. Our Haitian ministry partners have loaded supplies on a Mission Aviation Fellowship plane and are working with a group of first responders in Haiti. You can donate by clicking here and specifying “Haiti Relief Fund.”
Go.
Based on our disaster recovery experience in El Salvador and Peru, there will be a real need of rebuilding 6 months from today. CFCI will be working with the Haitian churches and sending short-term teams to Haiti beginning in the summer months to help with reconstruction efforts. As of now, CFCI is sending missionaries to meet with ministry partners, assess the damage, and help the people of Haiti. After hearing their reports, CFCI will have more information to give to those groups interested in participating in short-term teams in Haiti. Helping Haitians help Haiti and developing local leadership through the Haitian church is in our DNA and will be a critical component of our rebuilding teams.
Our challenge to your church or group is two-fold:
(1) Commit to send a reconstruction team this summer. While we don’t have exact dates, costs, projects or logistics worked out now, Hebrews 11:8 says “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” So, by faith, commit to send a team and we’ll fill in the details as we get more information on how we can best help.
(2) While your congregation’s hearts are now tender for the people of Haiti; take up an offering or raise funds that you can put aside for your summer reconstruction team to use to buy supplies.
Groups interested in forming construction teams can contact Anji Stern: anji@cfci.org or (402) 592-8332.
Posted By Anji on January 19, 2010
Here is a quote for the week, “If we could point NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope back toward planet earth, we’d observe a steady flow of no less than two million people moving around God’s globe every year on what has come to be called “short-term missions” (Mission Make Magazine, 2009).
As one who sends mission teams out to work with CFCI missionaries this absolutely astounds me! I encourage you, don’t wait for your upcoming mission trip to share Jesus, be Jesus everyday to everyone. Be bold, be brave. Be a life abandoned to Him!
Posted By Anji on January 8, 2010
We had a great time at Urbana this year! We saw students impacted by the harsh reality of the world and by the love of God towards those who live in disparaging situations. We decided to engage college students by telling Helen’s story of hope and letting them write notes to other girls who are in the same circumstances. Helen’s story is as follows…
Click for Larger Picture
Meet Helen…
In her early teens she was trapped in drugs and prostitution with no way out. Life looked as bleak as it felt until she was rescued from the streets of Costa Rica. She spent 18 months at out RENACER rescue home. If you saw her today, you’d never know her past. Dozens of girls like Helen need to know that someone cares… Even that you care.
Over 300 students wrote notes. They wept. They Prayed. They wrote words of hope, love and encouragement in 6 different languages to the girls at RENACER. That’s not the end though… we are going to translate them into Spanish and send them to the girls of RENCAER. We’ll be posting their responses under “Helen’s Story” on this blog.
So, thank you to those who wrote notes to these girls. They will mean the world to them. I know they will. Keep checking back with us.
In Christ,
Anji for the Christ For the City International Team
Posted By Anji on January 7, 2010
Just a couple of days ago we got back from Urbana09. I would say that it was more than a conference… God changed lives there. We are so thankful that we were able to be apart of what God did there and what he is going to do in the lives of the students. If Michael, Yamid, Laura or Mary met you at Urbana, it was a pleasure! We loved talking to each and every one of you!
If you weren’t able to attend, let me fill you a little… Urbana is a mission conference held every 3 years where college students come from every walk of life to gather with one common goal: to change the world for God through missions. Students learn from some of the best teachers about missions, justice, poverty, business as missions, advocacy and the Word of God. Over 5 days, Dec 27-Dec 31, 2009, students eyes were opened, their lives transformed and a cry came forth to GO to the ends of the earth. Check out some pics by Wayne Yuan.
I’ll be filling you in a little more tomorrow about the impact that we saw happen first hand. Praise God!
Posted By Anji on November 24, 2009
Today I went around the Omaha office and asked everyone what they were thankful for. Here’s what they said….
1. That I can answer phone calls from wonderful people from around the world. ~Sandra, CFCI Office Assistant and Missionary to Latin America for 15 years. She has the best stories!
2. My family, good health and good memory- what a blessing! ~Pat, Our Wonderful Finance Assistant
3. I am thankful for Pat, my office help, and am thankful for all the donors and missionaries who are doing what I wish that I could do. I am thankful for my family. ~Marcia, CFCI’s Finance Director who keeps things running
4. For God’g grace every day and for being able to connect Christ’s followers and participating in their journey through Christ For the City International. ~ Michael, The Development Director who never ceases to amaze us with new ideas
5. For family coming to my house for Thanksgiving, for my son’s recovery from drug addiction, my daughter’s new job, my great husband and our Great God! ~ Jill, The Amazing Communications Director
6. For the missionaries that I am blessed to know, the amazing staff I am blessed to work with on a daily basis, the support of my family and Jesus- our God who became a man. ~ Anji, Short-term Teams Coordinator
7. All of the people who are asking about long and short-term mission service with CFCI. It is thrilling to see young people going into missions. ~Leah, Personnel Director and Missionary to Latin America for 18 years. She keeps send out all of our short-term and long-term missionaries… over 200 thus far.
May God bless you continually! And please feel free to share things that you are thankful for!
Posted By Anji on November 20, 2009
The Bendicion de Dios Community Before Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida struck El Salvador on November 8th. Its damage was immense, but hardly a blimp on our TV screens. Natural disasters strike all the time with little thought on our part… BUT when it hits people you know, people you work with, places you’ve been you pay attention. Such was Hurricane Ida…
In the dark Ida hit hard a slum neighborhood called Bendicion de Dios (Blessing of God). This is where Salvadorian CFCI missionaries are involved in Christian community development work. Twenty-somethings Alexis and Jamie, who themselves grew up and escaped poverty, are leading organizing efforts with four followers of Christ who live in Bendicion de Dios. Together they are working to bring the Gospel of Jesus and the love of Jesus to this marginalized squatters community.
So Ida sent a wall of water into Bendicion de Dios, killing 4 people and destroying many houses (a house defined as a 12×20 foot sheet metal shack, dirt floor, compete with no running water). And now, our CFCI missionaries are working on recovery efforts with the followers of Christ in this poor community.
Bendicion de Dios Community After Hurricane Ida
Step One. Bringing in water, rice and beans… still no electricity… cooking done over a fire of scrap wood… not a proper way to cook your rice and beans.
Step Two. Rebuild a dozen families shacks that washed away. Sheet metal and some wood framing are all that is needed.
Step Three. You.
Our Christ Followers on the ground in El Salvador need you… honestly; they need some of the resources you’ve been blessed with… so they can continue providing food and begin to rebuild their community… El Salvador is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and there is no money in any budget for relief… they can only rely on those brothers and sisters who the Lord has blessed with resources to carry their burden… that’s you if the Lord lays in on your heart.
Many of us need a goal, so for $600 we can supply sheet metal and wood framing for one house… If you can’t do a house, can you get a couple friends, your small group Bible study or Sunday school class to buy one? If that is too much, what ever you can give will bless the “Blessings of God” community. Please click here to donate.
This summer we’re organizing construction teams to head for El Salvador and help the community rebuild… if you’d like to be a part of a team, or have your church go, please email anji@cfci.org for details.
Posted By Anji on November 10, 2009
Just a few days ago, Hurricane Ida swept the Central America Atlantic coastline and leaving the people of these countries to clean up the aftermath. We heard from CFCI missionary Javier in El Salvador that many people are without food and shelter. Yesterday CFCI missionaries and a church went to give donations of food that they had received from friends and supporters to the Bendicion de Dios neighborhood. Javier said that there is still much to be done as people have lost their houses and need help to get sheets of metal (to remake the houses and roofs) and more food. Please pray for the people in El Salvador and the other Central American countries who were affected by Hurricane Ida. Also, if you would like to help make a donation, please click here.
Blessings,
Anji for the Christ For the City International Team
Posted By Anji on November 6, 2009
On Halloween, over 1,000 people came to Pastor Cuco’s church in Tijuana for 5 separate programs during the evening. Many people gave their lives to the Lord and there were 250 new visitors to church! Please pray for wisdom in the church as they disciple these new believers.
