Have you ever become good friends with a taxi driver? When Mike and I lived in Kenya, Stephen became “our” taxi driver — taking us to and from the...
Heartbeat
The monthly newsletter of Free Methodist World Missions
Power and Potential in Community
Picture a circle of young Togolese women. They are gathered for the Thrive/Wunders training. Yvonne, the Thrive Kenya leader conducting the...
Realities Girls Face
The story we encountered was difficult. A student named Yanza raised her hand and shared how an older man had solicited her friends for sex in...
Thriving from East to West…Africa
Thrive Kenya leaders Yvonne Mtafuta and Lillian Kanji were excited, eager and a bit nervous in the weeks leading up to their first international mission trip. They had the opportunity to travel to West Africa where they would share about Thrive with the FMC in Lomé, Togo. Yvonne and Lillian loved the experience of “international travel.” Flying for the first time is always exciting – right? But there was so much more that made this trip an unforgettable experience for them and others!
She Didn’t Know
Irene knew she wanted to go to university to pursue a teaching degree after graduating from high school. What she didn’t know was where she would get the funds. A year after finishing high school, she met and married her husband, and over the next 10 years, they had three children. Still, Irene’s desire to go to university remained.
Yvonne’s Story
While at school, her dad’s words of abuse often rang in her ears, and she struggled to focus on learning due to her lack of sleep. Yvonne was an ICCM-sponsored child. She was thankful for the opportunity to go to school and prayed for her sponsors every day, and she knew they were praying for her.
Still Thriving
In 2015 a group of young women came together to form the Thrive Ladies discipleship group. Their original purpose was to encourage one another and carry each other’s burdens. As they grew, their vision also grew. They became advocates for those younger than themselves, providing a safe place for girls to share about their challenges. The Thrive Ladies participated in several training programs to educate and equip themselves to effectively minister to others.
Created in His Image
In the imago Dei, the image of God, this was how God created us, male and female. Transformational churches around the world are reaching out to men, women, boys and girls in their communities with the good news that all are created in the imago Dei.
So what does this look like in practical terms? For SEED Livelihood Network, the Set Free Movement and International Child Care Ministries (ICCM), it means we work for equity for all people. Many times, and in many places, this means intervening for disadvantaged women and girls.
Following Shiprah and Puah
Before Moses and Aaron, there were Shiphrah and Puah, two midwives who stood up to the most powerful leader in the world at the time (Exodus 1). Pharaoh isn’t named. The author draws the contrast between the powerful and the powerless: a powerful tyrant against the poor oppressed, one elite man against two marginalized women.
Without Shiphrah and Puah, there would have been no Exodus. Moses would have been killed at birth. The Israelites would have continued in slavery. These midwives stood up to power, injustice and slavery. In contrast to Pharaoh, they brought new, miraculous life into the world. They were original abolitionists. They helped create new futures.
