Mid-day of Prayer for Lauren

We have received email and messages from Cambodia, Ethiopia, England, Ireland, Brazil and across the USA as people have been lifting up prayers for Lauren for the past 13 hours.

It is so encouraging to hear from brothers and sisters around the world who are united in prayer for one little girl in Jackson, Tennessee.

"LORD, may you hear the prayers of your children. Although we speak in many languages we speak with one heart in one Body and pray that would would be glorified as your mercy flows from the Throne of Grace."

Day of Prayer for Lauren

Many of you know Lauren personally and you know of her struggles with CP. She is scheduled for major surgery on June 16 for double hip replacement and reformation of both femur bones.

Our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia have set aside Thursday, May 29 as a special day of prayer and fasting for Lauren.

We invite you to join us in prayer.

The Video is Finished!!!

Sanctuary Village from Patrick Beard on Vimeo.

Big thanks to Julian Williamson from Bluesland Films for all his hard work on this project!

Sanctuary Village Logo

The Logo is Finished! Next comes the video -- keep watching the website and blog for it.
Now all we need is $1.5 million, a good piece of land and seven years... LORD willing.

Sanctuary Village is our vision to raise up 300 Ethiopian ministers over seven years in an agrarian community where theology, agriculture, basic health care and vocational trades are taught and practiced through a lifestyle of prayer, mercy ministry, study and labor.

The campus of Sanctuary Village will include homes for families, elderly, disabled and singles. Plans include a minor medical clinic, pharmacy, store, primary school, meeting hall, sports field and cafe that will be located in the public areas. Micro-farming, animal husbandry, well drilling and home building will be taught and practiced on the campus in the vocational/farming area. Both short and long term residents would live in the Village.

Theological training programs would be offered in residential and commuting programs. Classes will be taught in ten terms of two intensive weeks over three years. Residential students will have schedules that vary with the growing seasons, but will include daily prayers, vocation and mercy ministry.

During their time on campus residential students will be pared into teams of five in preparation for replication of the ministry on a small scale within existing villages. Ideally each team will have a preacher, educator, administrator, medical tech and an agriculture/vocation tech. These teams would serve as a group of elders for new churches.

Maraki Merigold Hickey is born!

Ben and Pepo are parents!

Negash is a grandfather!

Maraki Merigold Hickey was born on April 10 at 8:45am Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
She was 3.5 kg and 52 cm long. She got a 9-10 on the "baby scale". She was delivered by C-section.

Elevate Ethiopia

A special blog has been established for our child sponsorship program that is being coordinated by Arlene Norton. She has posted videos of her recent visit with some of the families we help to support.

http://www.elevateethiopia.blogspot.com/

Upcomming Events

IOI Jackson Awareness Banquet — May 1 & 2
Woodland Baptist Church, Jackson, Tennessee
at 6:30 each evening — Choose the night that is best for you.
Space is limited! Call Tina Varughese (731)616-3589 for reservations

Robin Mark — August 1 at TLC Church Cordova, TN
More information at www.ioiusa.org or (731)664-9960
Robin Mark — September 4 in Jackson, TN at 7:00
More information at www.ioiusa.org or (731)664-9960

Tangible Ministry to Families

by Stephen Kennedy
Missions Coordinator
Eden Maseresha has been supported through the True Light Childcare Project (formerly Repi Childcare) for the past few months. Eden, like three of the other supported children, lived in a home that was recently bulldozed down by the government. The reason for this tragic occurrence was the severe poverty that these families live in. Buying land in Ethiopia is very difficult and takes a lot of time and money. If they do not have the money to rent or to buy land from the government, many will build what they call “moon houses”. These houses are built overnight in areas of land which are condemned by the government (such as by the garbage dump or by a river bed). Eden’s family lived in one of these moon houses. Since they were there illegally, their home was finally pushed over.
Because of the lack of money, many families who go through losing their house in this way often go and build another moon house out of trash and wait for it to be demolished as well. Supporters in the States heard of these four families losing their homes and donated $75 USD for each family so that they can establish a more permanent home and not live is this cycle of fear. This money was sent to Ethiopia and Eden’s family, as well as the other three, will be getting aid from the church in a tangible demonstration of the love of Christ. This is what we do: demonstrate in deed and truth the love that our Lord has shown us.

Missionary Profile

Kifle Sheferawe

Evangelism/ Prayer
Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
Member Yehiwot Birhan Church

Speaks Amharic

When Kifle was younger he suffered from a severe sickness. This affliction caused Kifle to be unable to walk or care for himself in the most basic ways. Doctors were unable to find a treatment, so for four years Kifle suffered in this way. One day a believer came by to see Kifle and shared the gospel with him and then prayed for his healing. That day Kifle not only received physical healing but also faith in Christ Jesus. After his conversion, some of Kifle’s family and neighbors came to faith in Christ as well, but his father still remains very opposed to the gospel. This healing bore great testimony because Kifle’s family had tried everything they could. A great deal of money was spent on doctors and witchcraft with no results. Kifle said that the worst part was that “they were waiting on my death every day”.
In spite of the obvious work of the Lord, Kifle’s father despised the change that he saw in those who had become believers. Kifle’s father threw him out of their home before Kifle regained his strength and told him that he had to find his own place to live. Kifle still prays for his father’s salvation to this day.
A Christian family took Kifle in, and for the next few years he was living with different Christian families and growing in his walk with Christ. During this time he saw his fathers hard heart become even harder and all of the family suffered.
Kifle began doing ministry and was recognized by his local church as doing good work. Because of the financial difficulties in Ethiopia, they were unable to help with his practical needs. In November of 2002 Kifle became part of IOI and receives support so that he can do the ministry that he is called to without having to worry about his daily bread. Out of his support Kifle also supports his mother and family because his father is away for now and does not take care of his wife and children.
We recently received a letter from Kifle which was very encouraging. He said that the work in the church is going well and that he is seeing much fruit. The main difficulty is that he is practically unable to have any real relationship with his birth family. In this letter Kifle said that the family he now has with the other IOI missionaries and with his supporters is far greater than the blood family that he has lost. Kifle has never seen his supporters, but he has seen their tangible display of love to him, so he sees them as dear family members in Christ. What a joy to see the words of our Lord fulfilled as those who have lost mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters for the sake of Christ are given more in return.
Please pray for the blessings of the Lord on our brother’s work and that he might see his blood family become spiritual family.
By Stephen Kennedy
Missions Coordinator

Daughter Born

On January 25th Fekadu Assefa and his wife Dagim welcomed their daughter Yamlak as a gift from the Lord. Yamlak is healthy and a beautiful little girl. Fekadu told us that Yamlak means “belongs to the Lord” and together with his name (as the family name) her full name will mean “through the will (or providence) of God”.
Fekadu and Dagim were married in January 2007. Fekadu has been a dear friend and fellow laborer in the ministry for several years. The hope of Fekadu and his family is that they can help establish Sanctuary Village so that the church can be built up in Christ through good teaching and discipleship

Pray for Plans

by Patrick Beard
Executive Director

Man makes his plans, but God orders our days. Often times it is an exercise in futility to make plans. However, we do have many things on the schedule, and only time will tell what is from God.
We have banquets, mission trips, presentations and fundraisers planned for the coming months. In the midst of all the ministry duties we also have some big family events planned for the near future.
Stephen and Shelley expect their baby to be born around May 30th. Stephen is still in the process of raising his support so that he can work with IOI full-time. His needs will be even greater as his wife leaves her full-time nursing position to be a full-time mommy.
My daughter Lauren is scheduled for surgery on June 16th. It is hoped that this surgery will correct the malformation in her hips. The recovery should take six weeks, and the whole family is anxious about the dangers involved.
With all these plans and responsibilities Stephen and I could use all the prayer you could offer. Thank you in advance for your prayer support!

Come See the Harvest

By Stephen Kennedy
Missions Coordinator
There are many things that you should know about as supporters, but the medium is limited. So much has been going on in Ethiopia over the past few months. The childcare sponsorships have rendered amazing testimonies. The church has been growing like wildfire. Wells are being dug. Widows are receiving housing. Orphans are placed into homes and schools. The gospel is being proclaimed in the highways and byways. Brothers and sisters have experienced great joy and some great sorrow. There is a dream of sanctuary village that may be coming to pass soon. This is only the beginning.
Good news from a distant land does bring joy to the heart, but I cannot tell you how that joy pales in comparison to embracing these dear ones in person. As the church we rejoice to learn of Christ, but what we long for is to touch Him and to see Him face to face. We at IOI have seen how good it is to tell you about the work going on in Ethiopia, but when we see supporters observe the work first-hand, there is something deeper that takes place which pictures and stories cannot tell. I am a testimony of this. I went to Ethiopia over four years ago simply wanting to see what foreign missions looked like on the ground. There was no thought in my mind that such a love and passion for this work and these brothers and sisters would be born in my breast.
Truly not all are called to go and some are hindered, but for those who can and long to, this call goes out. Come and see the harvest. Their faces are beautiful. Their voices are many.
Over the next few months and years there will be more and more opportunities to go and see, so consider this possibility. Come for a short trip to embrace our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia.