Luke 2:8-14 New International Version (NIV)

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Blessings to all our friends and family.

Orest & Grace

Driving in Poor Countries

Interesting story from the BBC News below.

 We find driving in Niger, especially Maradi, to be quite stressful. Certainly not because of speed. We see the problem as bad conditioned vehicles and bad drivers. As is typical, in countries like this, you have to be ever vigilant because you have something coming at you in every direction, whether it be vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians or animals. The majority of the tractor trailers on the road would be in the scrap heap in North America. A lot of cars are those that cannot be sold in North America or Europe, so they get shipped to Africa. Of course, lack of financial resources results in garbage vehicles on the road. A large number of people on motorcycles drive without lights. Why? So it will not wear down the battery??? Also, extremely limited use of helmets (because of heat and cost). Then you have people walking on the roads at night wearing dark clothing. This can be very difficult when combined with dust and smoke at night. This is why we severely restrict any night time driving.
Poverty is a killer. Not only in terms of hunger and disease but also because of other factors such as not being able to afford proper vehicles, safety equipment or proper driver instruction.

-Orest

Here is the BBC story and link to the online story:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46486231#_=_

Road accidents biggest killer of young people - WHO

·        7 December 2018

Road injuries are now the biggest killer of children and young adults worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The organisation published figures that also reveal Africa has the worst rate of road traffic deaths in the world.
Its report says many African and South American countries still do not have sufficient speed limit laws.
But it also highlights that global road death rates relative to the size of the world's population are stabilising.
Car accidents are now the leading global cause of death amongst children and young adults aged five to 29 years old, the report says.
It contends that says more people die from road-related injuries than from HIV/Aids, tuberculosis or diarrhoeal diseases.
"These deaths are an unacceptable price to pay for mobility," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general.
"There is no excuse for inaction. This is a problem with proven solutions."

'No limits'
The WHO report says that at 26.6 deaths per 100,000 people, Africa's road fatality rate is nearly three times that of Europe, which has the lowest globally.
It says nearly half of the 54 countries in Africa have no speed laws or speed limits in place.
Botswana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon have all seen death rates increase. Egypt, Angola, Burkina Faso and Burundi are among those that have seen a reduction.
Africa also has the highest rate of pedestrian and cyclist mortality.

Rises - and falls

According to the latest data, about 1.35 million people were killed in car accidents around the world in 2016, up slightly from previous years.
The risk of road deaths is said to be three times higher in low-income countries.
South-East Asia trails Africa as the second-most dangerous region, followed by the eastern Mediterranean.
But despite an increase in the number of deaths, the WHO says the global death rate from road accidents has stabilised in recent years.
The WHO attributes this to increased safety efforts in middle- and high-income countries. These include the development of safer infrastructure like cycling lanes, and "better" legislation on speeding, seat belts and vehicle standards.
Europe, the Americas and the Western Pacific have all seen a drop in road traffic death rates.

Ministry Needs

Hello everyone.

This is the season for Christmas Gift Catalogues.  While we cannot afford to produce a gift catalogue we would like to present to you our ministry needs.

The first thing of need is prayer warriors.  Our ministry in Niger desperately needs prayer support. 

Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

If you would like to receive our newsletter with prayer requests, via email, please send a request to:  grace.pelech@sim.org

On the financial side, we have a budgeted need of $500.00 CDN per month for ministry costs.  Contributions can be made monthly or in one lump sum.  Please state that your contributions are to our ministry account.

To summarize, these costs go towards supporting the following Bible based ministries:

·       Hausa Literacy

·       English language ministry

·       Computer literacy

·       Youth art class

·       Kids club

·       Community outreach

Some of the specific costs that need to be covered in these ministries include:

·       Rent

·       Supplies (printing, paper, pens, markers, computer supplies, etc.)

·       Security

·       Replacement of stolen chairs

·       Utilities

·       Internet

·       Translation services

·       Travel

If you would like to help us in these ministries, please contact SIM Canada at:

SIM Canada

10 Huntingdale Blvd.

Scarborough, ON., M1W 2S5

1-800-294-6918

Please request that donations go to the ministry account of:

Orest and Grace Pelech

Missionary # 030699

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

May God bless you,

Orest and Grace Pelech

Obsession

Cease being obsessed with self, and instead, be obsessed with Jesus.

Jesus is the definer of our eternal lives.  He is the definer of our earthly lives.  Place no other in the center of your life.

The passage below speaks for itself.  It needs no human commentary or emphasis.  It just needs us to fully see, appreciate, and revel in the glory and the beauty of Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

-Orest

Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

December 8, 2018

Hospitable Hearts

My hope, as we enter the Christmas season is that we remember that this is a time to focus on the fact that Jesus came into this world for all of us.  This is a time to remember a great historical event and a momentous occasion of love from our heavenly Father. 

This is an epic happening that we need to recognize in a true reverent fashion as befits the Giver.  For those of us who have welcomed Him into our lives, may we ever be cognizant of His Holy Spirit presence within us, and thusly present ourselves as worthy of His precious gift.

Today we read a devotional from Chris Tiegreen that I found very inspirational.  I have included a portion below:

“Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

-        Revelation 3:20

This verse is often used to pose Jesus’ invitation of salvation to the unbeliever.  But Jesus is speaking to those who already know Him, and there are profound implications for us.  Jesus is clear that He is interested in more than your initial salvation experience.  He does not want only to be followed and obeyed.  He wants to be savored and enjoyed.  In the dining room of our life, He wants the lengthy, personal fellowship of the common meal, not the brief acknowledgement before it.  When Jesus enters in, it is for intimate union.

Jesus invites Himself into our churches and our hearts, and most of us have probably given a formal RSVP, allowing Him in.  But perhaps we have not thought much deeper than that.  When a visitor is coming to our home, we hope to make it as warm and inviting as possible, if, in fact, we want him to stay.  We’ll go to great lengths to give another person the pleasure of our hospitality.  Will we do so for Jesus?  When He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to hear His voice and open the door, will He find that the atmosphere within has been prepared for Him coming?  Will He find welcome there?

From – The One Year at His Feet Devotional – by Chris Tiegreen.

December 6 devotional.

May God richly bless you

Orest

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)

7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Please see our earlier posting about ministry needs.

Blessing to all