Pinewood Derby and Community BBQ

Greetings to Cornerstone family around the globe. We plan on using this blog, not only to post updates about our missionaries and travelling members and their families, but as a forum for keeping everyone informed about what is happening at home in Virgil. For example, last Sunday, June 10th, we held two major events following the morning worship service -- a miniature car race and a community BBQ. See three of the BBQ cooks in the photo above.


The miniature car race was called the "Annual Pinewood Derby" and the cars used in the race were designed and built by the children themselves when they met at Cornerstone once a week during the spring months. Chuck Wiens and Kevin Wall organized the preparation time and the race itself with a very helpful group of volunteers -- who helped the children with their project (meeting each Monday evening for several weeks) and the race itself.


On Sunday, three children tied for top honours -- having had the fastest cars. The winners for first place went to Shannon Loewen, Brendan Gillard and Jason Gillard. Congratulations! Due to security and privacy concerns, there will be no photo shown of the children.


Then, at the same time as the Pinewood Derby was going on, Cornerstone hosted a community BBQ. As you will see in the photos at the top and below, there was lots of cooks and, as you can imagine, the food was excellent. Unlike last year, when the temperature was bitter cold, this year the weather was just perfect. As a result, we had lots of people stop by from the neighbourhood to see what was going on.


A good time was had by everyone who attended and, at the end of the day, it was agreed that it had been a great way of reaching out into the local community.

[...]

Christine Wichert's Adventures in Africa

Photo: View from Mt. Songa

IN BUJUMBURA
I just had the great privilege of taking 4 of our Bible School students with me to visit Doug in Burundi and it was a fantastic time of fellowship and ministry. We arrived into Bujumbura on Friday, March 16 and our first team meeting with Doug was on the shores of Lake Tanganika under the tin roof of a gazebo during a torrential rain storm. Deafening, but very refreshing!

Photo:Team time at Doug & Deanna's House

We spent the first few days in Bujumbura and it was especially exciting to meet a dynamic young leader named Onesphore who heads up a ministry called Harvest for Christ, with the vision to raise up quality Christian leaders in the next generation through evangelism and discipleship. We had a couple of chances to share testimonies of Christ's work in our lives at that time, and it was encouraging to know that we are serving the same Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ - despite our vastly different cultural contexts.


IN GITEGA
On Tuesday, March 20, we headed into Gitega, the heart of the country,where Doug and Deanna spent their first 3 years. We had the chance to meet again a couple of days later to play Ultimate Frisbee with some of the youth, as well as watch some other young guys (that Doug had gotten to know) perform traditional Burundian drumming. It was really great to see the friendships that had developed in a relatively short time, and I was reminded of the importance of investing in the lives of others wherever we have opportunity. The impact on someone else's life could be immeasurable.


Photo: The guys joking around with Doug after the drumming performance.

During that time we were actually living and working at an orphanage just outside of Gitega that's run by Youth for Christ. This project is in it's earliest stages and they have 13 orphans currently, with the goal of being able to house 100, Lord willing. Now there are 3 buildings, but they hope to build about 30, including a school and a clinic in addition to more dormitories. We had the joy of playing with the kids quite a lot, but we also chipped in with one of their building projects and joined the local workers in lugging rocks and dumping them into the foundation trenches of their next building. It's all done by hand, of course, according to the strength of each one. I couldn't help but think of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem; restoration is a long slow process, but stone by stone the task will get accomplished if the workers are faithful to work.


Photo: Building the Kingdom, stone by stone

We left Gitega mid-morning on Friday, the 23, but before that we went on an early morning hike up Mount Songa, the highest peak in that area.(See photo top of page.)We joined together with some of the volunteers from the orphanage for the beautiful scenery, some breakfast, and a time of prayer for the needs of the people living and working below us. May God's Kingdom come and His will be done on earth - in Burundi (and Canada!) - as it is in Heaven.

IN KIRUNDO
So, on Friday we drove up to the northern province of Kirundo and on the way made a short rest stop at Mutaho, where the Cornerstone crew had spent some time last year(Feb./06). It was so encouraging to see the gifts that Cornerstone had brought to such a remote and impoverished area and to know that we can reach out to our neighbours around the world. Once in Kirundo, we spent a couple days working with the reforestation project that Brandon Thiessen is supervising and so he joined us for the weekend. Our main job was to hoe the seedlings that had been planted in the last couple years and I was thankful for all that farmwork in my younger years. (Thank-you Froese Farms!) It was actually a refreshing change from my usual work,and yet the locals couldn't stop laughing at us, presumably because they don't usually see "muzungus" doing manual labour. We decided we might as well join the fun and ended up laughing along with them.


Photo: Hoeing "101" with Brandon in Kirundo


IN KIGALI
From Kirundo, we headed up to Kigali, Rwanda on Tuesday, the 27th. Here, we spent some time learning about the history of the genocide in '94 and also some of the programs in place to restore peace and reconciliation in this broken land. It's hard to grasp the magnitude of the suffering in this whole region. It's also incredible to hear testimonies of those who have lost their whole families to the genocide and yet are able to say they've forgiven the killers. This kind of forgiveness is a total miracle and helps me to understand the depth of Christ's love for us, "...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us..." How can this be?


Photo:Widows and wives of men in prison because of the genocide join together

The 3rd World is another world, that's for sure, and it's hard to know where to begin making a dent in the mountain of need. My prayer for the students and myself before we went is that we would start to have a long-term vision of how to be involved, and I'm encouraged by the faithfulness of the Christian leaders we met at each stop. Like our stonework at the orphanage, may each one of us contribute according to our strength and ability, and step by step, stone by stone the work will get done to the glory of God.

[...]

Hello from The Klassens in Thailand

Photo # 1: Kevin Leading Worship With The Broadway Team

We are in the middle of hosting a team from B.C. right now and things are going very well. We have spent a lot of time in prayer and worship, including with the Broadway team, and we have shared some of the vision that God has given us for the Church in South Thailand.

We will finish a small building project tomorrow which is intended to help out three young boys who don't have very much. We have also had opportunities to reach out to the community with games, crafts and Bible stories.

Photo # 2: Watching the Songkraan Parade on April 13th

Photo # 3: More fun at Water Festival (in the truck of our friend Mos in black and red)

We enjoyed "Songkraan" together, which is a country wide water festival and a celebration of the Thai New Year. Amazingly, the water fight goes on for three days -- which was a lot of fun!

Photo # 4: A Neighbourhood Waterfight In Our Little Front Entrance

Please hold us in your prayers.

Kevin, Karlene, Tyler, Andrew and Jesse

Greetings From Kuwait

Greetings from the Sheane family in Kuwait. We miss all of you very much and wish we could get back to visit more often. We are all doing great. The girls are enjoying home school. Yesterday we were at the beach looking for shells and enjoying the nice breeze and 25 degree C weather. In another month or so it will get very hot again so we are making the most of every opportunity to get out these days.

Things at the church are going well. Easter is always a busy time for ministry. This year we will be having an Easter sunrise service and are expecting more than 2000 to be in attendance.

Naomi is continuing her Beth Moore women's bible study on Wednesday nights. The church service that we began on Sunday nights last year in our home has grown to the point that it has become it's own congregation and next month will start meeting in a new larger meeting hall.

A new pastor will be taking over the leadership of it so we are hoping in the next couple of months to move from where we are currently living to a different area of Kuwait and start another new Sunday evening service. This will mean that the church has 10 services a week!

I was at a conference in Bahrain recently with pastors from all across the Arabian Gulf and heard lots of exciting and encouraging stories of what God is doing in the region. God's word is getting out and lives are being changed. We feel so privileged to be part of what the Lord is doing in the heart of the 10/40 window.

Blessings to everyone at Cornerstone and may God continue to richly bless you all. You are in our hearts and prayers.

Steve, Naomi, Petra , Hillary and Amanda

Stephen Sheane
English Language Congregation
National Evangelical Church in Kuwait
PO Box 80 Safat 13001 Kuwait
011-965-240-7195
www.tlckuwait.com
_______________________________________________________________________
Greetings back to Steve, Naomi and the girls. Happy Easter from all of us at Cornerstone. Know that we think of you all often and miss you but we know that God is blessing the work you are doing. Keep sending us news and photos so that we will be able to keep track of your ministry. This weblog has essentially become an online newsletter. However, you can also print out the main newsletter. Simply follow the link from here to the website and you will find it in PDF format for printing. Wow! All the best. (sc)

The Power of Easter

Easter has always been a special time of year for Christians. What is it all about? Is it about chocolate? Is it about coloured eggs? Is it about bunnies? Or, is there something more?

True, there are chocolate bunnies and there are coloured eggs -- all part of a variety of ethnic traditions. But, most importantly, there is what Christians call the Miracle of Easter.

What is the miracle of Easter? It is the time of year we particularly remember that Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins and rose again four days later so that we might have eternal life. It is a very special story and we invite people to visit with us to find out more.

For those of you in His Service away from home and in far off countries, know that we are thinking about you at this time.

We have a busy weekend planned for Cornerstone. Here is some of what we are planning to do.

Good Friday: April 6, 10:30am, Worship & Communion Service.
Easter Egg Hunt: Saturday, April 7, 10:00am.
Easter Sunday: April 8, 9:00am, Fellowship, pastries & coffee.
Easter Sunday: April 8, 10:45am, Church Easter Celebration Service.

Easter is a special time. Everyone is welcome to visit with us. If you are in the Niagara-on-the-Lake and Virgil area, just come to the church and someone will meet you at the door.

For friends and relatives who are far away and reading this, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to send short or long notes about what you are doing. We can then share those with everyone around the globe. You can also send us photos so we can see what you are doing and we can watch your children grow.

Come join us as we look beyond the bunny...to the Miracle of Easter. For further information on the happenings at Cornerstone, just click on the website link.

Greetings from Christine Wichert

Greetings to everyone at Cornerstone!

Having this blog spot is a great idea and I'm thankful to be invited to share what the Lord's doing out here on the west coast.

As most of you know, I'm on full time staff at Capernwray Harbour Bible Centre. My responsibilities are varied during the Bible school (which runs from Sept-May). I'm basically a Bible teacher and an administrative assistant in planning and leading the Bible School program. This includes planning the yearly teaching curriculum as well as overseeing the students' written assignments and organizing the student body into smaller "home groups". These groups of about 12 students meet every couple of weeks in staff homes where we discuss the Gospel of John together. At different times the students are also asked to prepare individual Bible studies which they then share in their home groups.

This week was one of those times and so each student shared some of the lessons they
had learned while studying a different book in the Minor Prophets. It's so amazing to watch them learn and grow as they move from wondering where in the world the book of Hosea is to discovering God's radical and transforming love contained in its pages. These are some of my favourite times of the year. The photo below is of our group relaxing together last night as we made and ate sushi together.

There's nothing like good food and fellowship when it's shared because
of the Lord Jesus!



Note:
The next big adventure on my calendar is taking 4 students with me to Burundi/Rwanda during our Spring Break to meet up with Doug (Deanna will already be back in Ontario). We plan to arrive on March 16 and stay for 2 full weeks of travel and ministry which Doug has arranged. We're excited but nervous, so if you think of it, we'd really appreciate your prayers. Thanks a lot and I'll be sure to send an update next month.

E-mail: cwichert@capernwray.ca

Africa: Looking Back..

The ride home is a long one. With so many hours spent sitting in airplanes, breathing the recycled stale air, with muscles cramped from a lack of exercise, eating food from sterile little packages, with tiny utensils, while squeezed into undersized seats, rubbing shoulders with strangers, there is time to think.

While it is a long ride home, in other ways it seems too short. There should be galactic distances between the realities we have seen during our time in Africa and the realities we face as we arrive home. A few hours is not enough to gain the necessary distance between the tarps, tents, and squalor of the refugee camp and the opulence and wealth of our culture. An experience like this leaves a lasting impression and memories for those we left behind. Like the body's defence system that warns through pain, it is good to feel, to be aware -- that the pain is calling for change. A hand pulled back from the fire, a finger removed from the danger of the knife blade and a life changed is to live differently for the sake of part of the Body.

May God make us sensitive, not just to the suffering around us, but also to His desire to be involved.

Africa: Visit Coming to an End

It is hard to believe that the time is coming to an end.

This world is so different than ours- their is a challenge to living in this context. It is great to see that Doug and Deanna have found their place and that they are being used here to touch the lives of many people. Let's continue to pray for them.

The week has gone by quickly. It has been physically, mentally and emotionally taxing- but worth it all. There is so much to process. New relationships and bridges have been built. It is impressive to see how open and inviting the people have been. It will be good to see the fruit that comes from the investment that we, at Cornerstone, have made in these lives. May God bring a harvest.

I am more aware of the great blessing that it is to be a part of Cornerstone. God has blessed us as a church. It is great to be a part of such a caring and loving group of people. We have great opportunities to share this blessing with others-- and to encourage and support each other during challenging times. I have been praying for the church, and for those who are facing challenges during this time. May God's grace and goodness continue to carry us. Let's draw strength from Him and from the community.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Blessings.

Africa: Doug Hiebert's Reflections

It’s been a great time having the Eds here with us – a slice of Cornerstone. It’s been a powerful time of ministry – ministering to the refugees and with the pastors. And these people have ministered to us. It’s getting back to basics: just being there with the refugees was the biggest ministry. Can you imagine? So for any others from Cornerstone who wonder if they could have a role here, let me assure you that you could. Just coming and walking with people and listening to their stories is all it takes. How easy is that? And as for the pastors, we continue to receive positive feedback regarding the seminar together. They are looking forward to the next one!

So many of you have given to people and projects here. We are blessed and encouraged by you and your generosity. I remain convinced that God blesses those who give generously to the poor (Is. 58). And from what we hear, God IS blessing Cornerstone.

We’ve also been blessed by you through the Eds. Thanks for sending them our way. Today they leave but we look forward to seeing the Cornerstone gang in a very short while. See you soon!!

Doug and Deanna

Africa:Tues--Bujumbura Conference

February 20, 2007

This was our first full day in Bujumbura, Burundi. Bujumbura is located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and is much lower in elevation than the other places we have visited. As a result, it is very hot and humid. It certainly feels more like Africa. The streets are bustling with people- vehicles going in all directions, horns constantly blowing.

Where there are traffic signs they seem to be regarded as suggestions rather than directions to be obeyed. This, combined with the pedestrians, the bicycles and the overcrowded taxis, makes for some very entertaining activity. It is also good cause to pray for safety.

We arrived at the church where the conference was to be held by about 8:30 am. We met for prayer before the conference with the pastors. There were 30 churches represented at the conference. The sessions began with a devotional lead by one of the local pastors, and a few songs. The first session focussed on Unity. This theme is of special significance in a country where disunity has actually lead to violence.

It is amazing how something that is so close to the heart of God can be so far from reality in the church- the Body of Christ. I am thankful to God for his blessings and the unity that we have experienced at Cornerstone over the years.

There is a challenge of trying to translate ideas and concept into images and illustrations that they will understand. This is made more challenging by the fact that the flow of thought needs to be interrupted frequently to allow the translator to catch up. I am amazed at how God still ministers, in spite of these challenges and our shortcomings. God is good and demonstrates his love in so many ways.

In the evening, we were at Doug and Deanna’s for supper and to celebrate Brandon Thiessen’s birthday. It was good to meet some of the other people that are in the country working with other ministries. It is good to see that Doug and Deanna have a network of friends here. Maddy is very chatty and switches easily between French and English, according to whom she is speaking.

It was a very tiring day but God blessed. Please continue to pray for us as we will be involved in sessions again tomorrow. We are also praying for you at home. It is a difficult being so far from home when there are challenging things happening.

Africa: Mon--Kirundo to Bujumbura

February 19, 2007

Today we traveled from Kirundo, in Northern Burundi to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi and Doug and Deanna’s home. En-route we stopped in Mutaho. This is the small village that last year’s team visited. This is also the place where many are suffering from malnutrition.

It was heart-breaking to see the conditions. Many of the children were missing school because of sickness. It was obvious that even those that were present were suffering. We had purchased some biscuits to distribute during our visit, and they have planned another distribution at the end of February. This distribution will provide many families with food for a month and seeds for planting. Some families will be receiving hoes as well.

There is such a sense of helplessness. It seems to be an impossible situation, with so many interconnected issues. The lack of food, the deforestation, the malnutrition, the lack of education and the economic challenges are all interwoven into a complex set of issues. Where should relief work begin, how can we as a part of the body of Christ, with so many resources, help those who are suffering? What is God’s call on our lives, and what is God calling us to do?

These are questions that we will need to continue to wrestle with, trusting God to lead us and give us wisdom. It is so helpful to have Doug and Deanna on site, to guide and to make us aware of situations that we can get involved in. Let’s continue to be open to God’s leading as He calls us to use the resources He has entrusted to us in order to help others in need.

Africa:Sat&Sun--Refugee Camp

February 17 & 18, 2007

Our Blog posts have been somewhat spotty due to intermittent Internet access. It has been good to reconnect with Doug and spend time hearing about their ministry and for them to get caught up on life in Niagara.

Saturday we had the opportunity to visit the Refugee Camp where the families that we have supported live. The families are living in very difficult conditions. The homes consist of single room tarp covered huts. The single room is 5X10 feet with as many as 7 people living in the space. We also became aware of a number of widows and widowers. In addition to this there were cases where families were split up -- with one or the other spouse remaining behind in Tanzania. It is difficult to imagine the emotional stress that this would cause.

The Refugees told stories of being beaten, raped and having their property seized. In some cases they had documents but the soldiers would take them and tear them up. They were placed on busses and sent to Rwanda. They were settled into the extreme southern area of Rwanda -- close to the Burundi border. The government is providing land, with each family receiving about a hectare of land to plant crops. It was encouraging to see that cassava and some banana trees had been planted. We did notice that many of the cassava plants had “mosaic” disease.

The people were very grateful for our visit and were very appreciative of the support that Cornerstone had provided. It was an honour to be associated with Cornerstone and to know that we, together, could make a real difference in these people’s lives.

One man, Gerard, told us how he had been beaten and mistreated. He returned to Rwanda with two of his children while his wife and 7 other children are still in Tanzania. He hopes that someday they will all be re-united. In spite of all he has gone through, his words to us as we parted reflected the positive attitude of the people towards rebuilding their lives. He said: “The past is behind us, the future is ahead of us. With God’s grace, and with our hard work and determination we will make it."

Africa: Fri--1st Full Day in Kigali

Friday, February 16, 2007

1st full day in Kigali (see information on Kigali below.) The trip here was a long process. The first leg, is a seven hour flight to London. We arrived in London 10:15 a.m. and departed at 9 pm. We became very familiar with the glitz and glamour of the many Duty Free shops that populate the terminal. The consumer culture is alive and well in airports.

We flew overnight (again) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We began preparing for the time shift with meals being served in the middle of the night on both of the flights. By arrival our digestive systems were fully confused. While the terminal in Addis Ababa is a fairly new structure there is no doubt that you have now entered a different part of the world. Part of the evidence comes from the presence of Muslim prayer rooms in the airport terminals. There is something to be learned from their devotion to a religious system and the discipline they exhibit.

Kigali is a city that has experienced a major infusion of interest and investment from various nations and organizations. This is evidenced by the many white SUV’s bearing the logos of various organizations. Doug and Deanna, through their involvement with MCC, work with partner organizations in Kigali. One of these is the Friends Peace House (FPH). The FPH is the organization that coordinated the distribution of the supplies that were purchased from the funds that Cornerstone and others donated through our Rwanda Refugee Project.

The situation of the refugees is very disturbing. Many of them have been in exile in Tanzania for a long time, and were suddenly forced to leave their few possessions and re-settle in Rwanda. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, which makes the challenge of re-settlement even more difficult.

We are including some information on the Friends Peace House. It is good to know that we are a part of the Kingdom of God, and that he is able to use various parts of the Family to do His work.

Continue to pray for the opportunity to declare the Peace and Hope that is ours in Christ as we follow the distribution of the material goods with times of meeting for encouragement and teaching.


The Friends Peace House was founded in December 2000 by the Evangelical Friends Church of Rwanda. It currently has approximately twenty employees, twenty programmes, and is active in all five provinces of Rwanda. FPH celebrated its fifth anniversary during 2005. FPH has three primary goals: 1) to build a sustainable and durable peace in Rwanda; 2) to restore the relationships that were destroyed during the 1994 war and genocide to ensure peaceful coexistence; and 3) to reintegrate and rehabilitate the people who were harmed by the tragic events of this county’s past. The vision of FPH is a unified Rwandan society that has a vibrant culture of peace, which respects human rights, and which improves the living standards of all its members.

Africa Trip: Are we there yet?

The anticipation has been building. A steady stream of contacts with Doug in Burundi has helped to make the vision clearer. Today arrived with a Winter Storm Warning- making the departure more challenging. As we write this we are sitting in the Departure area at the Toronto Airport- after having the flight delayed 3 times they are now bringing in a new aircraft. Is this a good thing?

We will be arriving in London as some of your alarm clocks are awakening you to a new day (which might even be a snow day- for students and teachers). We will wait in London for some 12 hours and then depart for Addis Ababa. This will be our second night in the air. Sleep will be hard to find.

Once we arrive in Kigali we will wait for Doug to pick us up. (He has warned us that he might be "some late"- which could mean a number of things in Africa. On the last trip we saw a bumper sticker that said "In Africa we don't hurry- we're already late.") We will then get our first nights sleep in a bed since we left on Monday. We will head to the IDP camp for the first of the meetings early Friday morning.

Pray for us- for discernment, for protection, for clarity and creativity.

We will try to keep you posted as time and resources permit.

The 2Eds