The Cycle of Poverty CAN be Broken! #GiveABackpack

Too many #children in Eastern Europe are living in #poverty, and whose parents struggle to cover their basic needs, let alone support them in getting an #education. By giving them a #backpack full of #school supply basics, we can increase their #life chances and hopefully help them break out of the poverty cycle. Follow the link in our bio. #backtoschool2018 #backtoschoolwithheart #ukraine #moldova #romania #bulgaria #albania #bosniaherzegovina #charity #nonprofit #faith #hope #love #christian #schoolsupplies #help #support #dosomething #easterneurope #instapic #picoftheday #donate

A post shared by Mission Without Borders Canada (@mwb_canada) on Aug 13, 2018 at 12:23pm PDT

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Delivering Christmas Love in Moldova! #OCL2016

It is now 26 degrees F outside and I haven't unpacked my gloves or hat yet! They're in a box..somewhere..anyhow it's COLD. Thankfully it will warm up slightly this weekend. I am just glad we aren't being hit with the arctic blast like the plains and midwest! It WAS snowing in Moldova while the first of the Operation Christmas Love parcels were being delivered.

Speaking of Operation Christmas Love, last night I was able to forward another $53 to Mission Without Borders, bringing the total to $328! We are just $72 short of the goal of $400. BUT there is plenty of time left! Keep using the Amazon.com and Booking.com links on this blog for your shopping and travel needs and I'll keep you updated.

Read the Facebook post below about how your giving is changing lives in Moldova!

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How much should I give? A thought for Tuesday from C.S. Lewis

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity






This is one of my favorite quotes. I think it's thoroughly biblical as well. No rules or percentages. Just give more than you can spare (and be honest, we all have a LOT to spare- whether it is time, love, money, or abilities). We all have a LOT to give. And that's my simple challenge for this Thanksgiving/ Christmas season. Find something you are passionate about. Pray about it. Give until it hurts.

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Missions Monday: Street Mercy in Chisinau

I will never forget the week I was able to spend in Moldova in 2010.  I took the night train from Bucharest to Chisinau (a 13 hour trip that I somehow convinced myself would be exciting!).  That was the longest night of my life.  I had no Kindle Fire or laptop.  Even though I had a "private compartment", it wasn't really very private.  I learned the that there is truth behind the idiom "bored to tears".  Live and learn (and never take an overnight train by yourself!)

I will always remember the old woman who was begging daily outside the hotel.  She appeared physically able.  I gave her a little money for food but she spoke Russian and was unresponsive to my pidgin Romanian.  You never know what to do in such situations.  Am I being scammed?  But what if she is truly indigent?  Should I give money?  Maybe bring some food?  Thankfully, Mission Without Borders has a Street Mercy team in Chisinau.  In partnership with a local evangelical church, a hot meal is provided 5 days a week for people who may not have anywhere else to turn.







You can read more in this Facebook post from Mission Without Borders (Canadian office).  By the way, today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.  If you have a roof over your head and have eaten (or could have eaten) a hot meal today, you have a lot to be thankful for.  We all do.

Don't be "creeped" out! Reach out instead! Operation Christmas Love 2016

OCL Ukraine 2015 from MWBI on Vimeo.




Everybody hates the Christmas creep- that merchandising phenomenon that keeps pushing Christmas earlier and earlier every year. Personally,I don't mind it at all but I don't intend this post to irritate those of you that do. But, when you are caring for the needs of hundreds of families and supporting thousands of children, as Mission Without Borders is doing throughout Eastern Europe, you do have to start early. So for this Missions Monday post, I want to share a bit about what Operation Christmas Love is and how we can be involved.

What is Operation Christmas Love?

Christmas tree by Igor from Moldova

Operation Christmas Love is a special project of Mission Without Borders in which over 30,000 parcels are delivered to needy families in Eastern Europe to share the love of Christ and meet critical physical needs.  

What are in the parcels?  

Operation Christmas Love parcels are "filled with  basic ingredients such as oil, grains, wheat, pasta, rice, canned fish and meat, tea, coffee and sweets."  They also include Christian literature and the message of the true meaning of Christmas.

The parcels are locally sourced whenever possible- making them cost effective and beneficial for the local economies in these struggling nations.

These parcels are distributed through local churches who identify the neediest families and elderly and hand deliver parcels and share Christ's love during the Christmas season.  Parcels are delivered throughout the month of December.  But preparation and fundraising starts now!

What is the cost?

Each large parcel costs about $40 each but donations are accepted for any amount!  Any amount given will help provide desperately needy families with food, warmth, and, most importantly, HOPE.

Where can I sign up?

Donations are accepted online! Just click here!    

If you are outside the US, you can find your national Mission Without Borders office here!

Thank you from Moldova (Igor)!

Whether you donate $5 or $500, please consider how you can help the least of these enjoy the Christmas season and learn about the love of Jesus- the reason for the season!

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Time is running out! #giveabackpack

This is the final week of the #giveabackpack campaign from Mission Without Borders. If you haven't done so yet, won't you give a backpack to a needy child for just $25?

Want to do more? There are hundreds of families needing sponsors. Local churches identify needy families and Mission Without Borders assists them on the road to dignity and self sufficiency.  Family and child sponsorships start at just $25 a month!

When I visit Albania next January I hope to be able to visit Mission Without Borders Albania in Durres, a seaside town just 30 minutes from Tirana by bus.

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Thank You! #giveabackpack

Winner of the $25 Walmart gift card will be announced soon! More great giveaways are on the way soon as well as...Christmas??? Stay tuned! Meanwhile there's still time to help children who are heading back to school!

  Check it out at at their website!

(128 days until Albania!)

Thank you from the field from MWBI on Vimeo.

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Operation Winter Rescue 2016

Operation Winter Rescue Ukraine 2012 from MWBI on Vimeo.

Winter has come!  Overnight the temperatures dropped over 20 degrees and there is a light cover of snow outside.  Tonight the cold will dip to 14!  Brr!  I'll be safely inside at work (where else) but the rush of cold air when the door opens at night takes your breath away.  I don't mind the cold weather when I can easily get warmed up easily (just turn up the heat).

Unfortunately, for many families in eastern Europe this isn't an option.  If they do have gas heat it is unaffordable to really "warm up" the home.  Many, especially outside of major cities, still rely on wood stoves for heat.  Keeping a wood stove going is a everyday battle- finding wood, chopping into usable pieces, or purchasing wood from others.  There really aren't other options.  It's a never ending battle to try to stay warm.

Every year Mission Without Borders raises funds to help poor families, the elderly, and children's homes stay warm during the coldest months of the year.  Working with local churches, the needy are identified and helped on a personal level. A donation of any size will help keep the poorest warm and healthy through the cold winter months.

Thanks to your purchasing from Amazon and affiliate links on this blog, $75 has been forwarded to this important effort!  Thanks!

$75 US Dollars provides 4 months of heating for a family

$705 will heat a Children's Home in Ukraine caring for 200 children for 1 month!

(xe.com was used to convert currencies)

"Stanisław Masłowski (1853-1926) Ukrainian Winter Landscape, 1876-1878, watercolour,10,5 x29,3 cm

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Missions Monday: Ukraine Refugees

Refugees Ukraine, May 2015 (US version) from MWBI on Vimeo.









More than 800.000 people have fled Ukraine seeking refuge from the brutal civil war.  To date there are over 2 million Ukrainian refugees (including  internally displaced persons).   Such numbers have not been seen in Europe since the height of the Bosnian conflict.  Not to mention the more than 6.500 killed in the conflict as of June, 2015.

If you're like me, numbers alone are abstract.  Stalin is often misquoted as saying "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic." Whether he actually said this or not,  statistics can overwhelm, depress, and eventually numb the soul.

Since the goal here is to neither overwhelm, depress, or numb, let's keep the focus small.  No one can help millions of people (okay Bill Gates maybe but most of us can't).  We most certainly can't stop a war with Russian backed rebels.  But we can change one life..maybe one whole family.  

"The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic." 

There are short and long term needs that must be addressed.  Mission Without Borders Ukraine is based in Rivne where over 2000 refugees have fled.  Over 300 have fled to Sarny.  MWB is assisting these families with food, clothing, furniture, and-just as importantly- encouragement.

They are helping on the frontlines as well.  In June, Mission Without Borders delivered a 15 ton truck of essentials to needy families in Slovyansk.  "Items included basic essentials such as clothing, shoes, nappies, bedding and bottled water."  They have even worked with local Ukrainian churches in collecting food and clothing for families in the east. 

So what can we do?  Pray for peace and justice in Ukraine.  Peace so that families can rebuild and prosper.  Justice so that those guilty of atrocities and terror may be caught and punished.

Help.  Maybe you can send $5.  Maybe you can sponsor a child in Ukraine.  What about a whole family?  Ukraine needs our help in very practical gifts- food, water, shelter, encouragement.  Most of all there needs to be forgiveness and reconciliation with God and with others.  Mission Without Borders is assisting families every day- working with local churches to identify and meet the physical and spiritual needs of children, families,and the elderly.  

Be a part of the change you want to see in the world.

The US office can be reached at 800-245-9191 for credit card donations.  Or you can give (and learn more!) online at www.mwb.org If you are not in the US, you can find your national Mission Without Borders office at www.mwbi.org.

Missions Monday: Mission Without Borders Community Centers

Poverty does not spare anyone, it poisons people’s life without giving any hope that there will ever be a brighter...
Posted by Mission Without Borders Australia on Sunday, May 31, 2015

News from Bulgaria

BULGARIA: The poorest country in the EU. It's not often you get to hear about Bulgaria in the NZ media, but here's a...
Posted by Mission Without Borders NZ on Monday, May 4, 2015

Dana: Mission Without Borders Community Center in Moldova

Remember the video from the community center in Cantemir, Moldova (click to view)? Mission Without Borders Australia just shared a  follow up story. For those in the US, the website is www.mwb.org.  Here's how the community center and church in Cantemir is changing one young girls life!

Dana is a 12 year old girl that came to the Soup Kitchen Project in Cantemir, Moldova for the first time four months...
Posted by Mission Without Borders Australia on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Impressions of Summer Camp..

Last year 945 children were able to attend summer camp in Ukraine because generous people and wonderful volunteers stepped up to give disadvantaged children a week they'll never forget!  There's still time to help!  Camps run through the end of the summer.  You can donate online in the US here!

Have a great weekend!

Impressions of Summer Camp - by the children..."I think the puppet show is the best. I never knew you can laugh so much...
Posted by Mission Without Borders Australia on Thursday, May 21, 2015

Family Sponsorhip in Moldova: The Chivu family

One of the benefits of the Family to Family sponsorship program is that you are paired with a real family who desire to be self sufficient.  Once basic needs are met, Mission Without Borders coordinators talk with families and find ways to help them move toward the goal of independence. Once such family was the Chivu family (name changed)..

Original post from March 2014:

Chickens to be exact.  I was so excited last week to get a letter from my friends in Moldova. They are in the family to family sponsorship program with Mission Without Borders.  This program is designed to meet physical and spiritual needs while helping families become self sufficient.  The great news is that they received a gift of chickens!  Not just a few either.  They now have a flock of 40 hens and a supply of grain for food. These chickens will do what chickens do- lay eggs for nutritious and protein rich breakfasts for the children.  Extra eggs can be sold for income.  They can be bred and chicks sold as well!  It's a great start to being able to provide for themselves.  A mini farm also benefits the whole community- providing healthy food and increasing trade in a stagnant economy.

In the letter, Mr C said that his daughter loves feeding and watering the chickens.

I hope that this will be the start of a new beginning for this family.  The mother is working abroad to provide income right now.  I'm praying that this small step will eventually enable her to be able to come home permanently.  Anyhow it was a great way to start the week.  Sometimes it can be easy to think that the small things you do have little or no impact.  It's always a blessing to get a glimpse into how families are being changed- one family at a time.

"Thriving Not Just Surviving" Family Sponsorship in Ukraine

In 2014, Ukraine's inflation rate was 25% over the entire year.  However, due to the unstable economy, this can vary wildly month to month.  For example in January of this year, inflation grew at a  rate of over 28%!  In February, this increased to 35.5%.   

Mission Without Border's work in Ukraine is centered in some of the poorer oblasts in the west with headquarters in the city of Rivne.  Many of the family sponsorships are located in these regions or a little north near Sarny.  Child Sponsorship work is widespread in state homes throughout western Ukraine.

Today I want to focus on one family in Ukraine.  The Roman family (name changed) is a family with 4 children in one house.  The father, Peter, is a mechanic but due to the deteriorating economy can only find work as a night watchman.  The pay is minimum wage (about $107 a month).  The mother stays at home with the younger children.  They have a small yard where they plant vegetables and raise pigs.  MWB sponsors have provided the family with monthly essential supplies as well as mattresses for the children.  This winter they were able to heat their home with peat blocks brought by the mission.  Even with the state benefit provided for the younger children, they would not have been able to have a heated home without help!

By the water well, by Konstiantyn Trutovsky  a Ukrainian realist painter

The family lives in a crumbling three room house.  They purchased this house 13 years ago with the dream of renovating it.  The plaster walls are crumbling.  Water is drawn from an outdoor well and the toilet is outside.  Sadly, the last 13 years have not been good to Ukraine's economy or to the Roman's.  The house has not been renovated due to the expensive building materials.  Thankfully one of their sponsors has stepped in and has offered to help them buy concrete blocks, building supplies, and insulation.  Peter has poured a new foundation and  the rebuilding work will begin this spring!

Many more families in Ukraine are languishing under a depressed economy and the effects of war.  Family sponsors are matched to individual families who need a hand up.  Maybe you would like to be a helping hand to a family in Ukraine.  Help them reach their dreams of a warm home, healthy kids, safety, and an education.  Be the rung in the ladder that they can grasp onto and lift themselves out of poverty.

If you are not able to help financially, there are many ways to help.  Pray for peace in Ukraine!  Pray for the innocent families who are suffering due to the war and its aftermath.  Spread the word about Ukraine and the needs of people there.   

Seeds of Hope in Ukraine: The Yushchuk family. Mission without Borders

Meet the Yushchuk family. They are in the family sponsorship program of Mission Without Borders. A few years ago they were also beneficiaries of the Seeds of Hope program. Life in Ukraine has been difficult lately and I can only hope that the family was spared the worst effects of the Russian aggression in the east.

According to a 2014 study, the diet of young children in Ukraine is generally unbalanced. Iron deficiency among young children is estimated at 40-50%.  80-90% have a significant lack of vitamin C in their diet and 40-80% have vitamin B deficiency. Iron and vitamins B and C are easily obtained in fresh vegetables and beans. Fresh vegetables are needed  not just for food security and economic growth. They are critical for health and development of young children.

Pray for the children of Ukraine.  If you are able would you be able to donate $24 to provide a Seeds of Hope box?  Maybe you are able to help support a child or family throughout the year.  Any amount will help.  As you can see from the video, the families are willing to work hard, they just need good tools and seeds.  If you aren't able to give, maybe share this program on social media.  Families do graduate from the Family to Family program.  Whenever possible, the program is geared toward self-sufficiency and independence from aid.

"Seeds of Life!"

Bukurie is a widow whose husband passed away 10 years ago.  She was only 26 and was left with 4 children in rural Albania.  Every morning the children walked 3 miles to school- often on empty stomachs.  Although she receives a small state benefit for the children it provides little.  Food prices increase erratically while benefits remain stagnant.  She admits "I tried to provide food for them every day.  But often we just eat bread."

Mission Without Borders was able to provide Bukurie with Seeds of Hope- a large variety of high quality vegetable seeds- a few years ago.  She was also given needed tools to plant and tend the seeds,  a water pump and hose.  Two of her children are old enough to assist with the gardening and harvest.

"We had a very busy summer.  We worked a lot and now the result is a great one!"  The children now have fresh vegetables and food for the winter.  The harvest was bountiful and she plans on selling some of the excess to provide for the families needs.

Now she has flour for bread every day.  Now she can buy school supplies for her children.  From deprivation and despair- to hope.  This is what the Seeds of Hope and family sponsorship is all about.

"You may call them Seeds of Hope, but for me these are Seeds of Life!"

$25 will provide a large box of seeds for one family!

$117 will provide all the hand gardening tools that a family needs to maintain a good sized garden

Maybe your church group or club can sponsor an entire mini-farm for a needy family.  Multi- season seeds, tools and a greenhouse costs $3339 (as of last year).

These hands-up programs enable families to work, earn their own living, and maintain dignity while moving forward into self sufficiency and out of poverty.

Sources: Mission Without Borders summer newsletter, MWB Australia

Tomorrow..meet Bukurie and see the results!

Missions Monday: Crisis in Ukraine

War is hell.  And not just on the front lines.  Innocent women, families, and children always suffer during wars.  And the Ukraine crisis is no different.  To date, over 5,400 people have been killed. 263 of these were civilians killed in populated areas in a one week period! (BBC News).  Somewhere around a million people have become refugees- either internally displaced or fleeing to Russia (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).  

"Some 2000 refugees have come to Rivne where MWB Ukraine is based and another 300 to the Sarny area". (Mission Without Borders Newsletter).  The mission has delivered aid (food clothing, Christian literature, etc) to these displaced families.  Last fall, the Mission (assisted by local churches) was able to deliver 800 tons of relief to the East- including food, clothes, shoes, and material to rebuild damaged houses, schools, and hospitals.



Even in the western areas of Ukraine, families are feeling the effects of war and poverty.  The U family from Sarny has recently been enrolled in the Family to Family sponsorship last year after the mother dies after a difficult birth.  The father quit his job to care for his family of 7 children and receives just $248 a month in benefits.  Even in "normal" times, this is not nearly enough to raise a large family on.  Due to the war, food and daily supplies are hard to come by and the prices may spike without notice.  The F2F program ensures that the family receives a regular supply of food and hygiene items.  Clothing, blankets, and nappies are also provided.  Thanks to donors, the children were recently given new beds!  All of this is a lifeline of hope to the U family and provides stability during uncertain times.


After WW2,  Americans, Canadians, and others sent parcels of food to Britain to help those families struggling in the after effects of war and deprivation.  Today, we have the same opportunity to assist families in Ukraine (and throughout Eastern Europe!).  A family can be sponsored for $100 a month.  Is this something your family or church group could do?  Partial sponsorships are available for $25 a month.  You will be paired with a real, live family that needs a lifeline of hope as they move toward self sufficiency.  More information can be found here as well.

Pray for peace and justice in Ukraine.  Those responsible for unwarranted death and destruction must be brought to justice.  Pray for the innocent families suffering due to war.

#GivingTuesday Warm Hands and Warm Hearts.

Last month my gas and electric bill skyrocketed to over $70!  I can hear many of you chuckle.  I am blessed with a small apartment and I turn the heat down when at work. We (at least in the US) are also blessed with low utility costs (relatively speaking of course).  

I can't imagine what I would do if my heater went out!  Snuggle under a pile of blankets but sooner or later, I have to get up and work, cook, and do errands.  I enjoy cold weather and snow- but I especially like coming in out of the cold into a warm house.

Last January, I received a newsletter from Mission Without Borders telling stories of extreme cold in Ukraine and throughout Eastern Europe.  Living in extreme cold is not impossible but you have to be prepared!  For many families, this means purchasing firewood for a small brick stoves.  Not the most efficient form of heat but you make do with what you have.  A winter's worth of wood costs about $169.  Sounds pretty cheap doesn't it?  Unless you subsist on a pension or make $13 a week, like Petru.

Petru is a father of 4 in Moldova.  Raised in a children's home, he has (and is) overcoming disability (he has been deaf since birth), come to know Christ through the local church, and has a loving wife and family.  He is a hard worker, hauling goods in a horse drawn carriage.

Operation Winter Rescue assists families like Petru's get through the winter with firewood, warm clothes and water proof boots. Sometimes a better solution is a new stove.   $352 can purchase a cast iron stove which is 33% more efficient and will benefit families for years to come.

Many families are struggling with cold weather and need assistance, both here and abroad.  On this Giving Tuesday, let's not forget this essential need- warmth.  And think about how we can help those who may need a little help during these difficult months.

If you're able to help families struggling in Eastern Europe, you can visit the mission website. Operation Winter Rescue is an "above and beyond" effort which assists families who are not currently enrolled in assistance programs but need help to make it through the winter.  So every gift helps!

And please stop praying for snow.  You know who you are!

Investing in eternity

(Written Sunday night, 11/23)

Sunday nights are a bummer.  I don't know why exactly.  I think that going from the church service, (with all the praise, Scripture, exhortation, and communion) back home, then to work creates an emotional let down of sorts.  The normal grind of life is just that normal, often boring, sometimes very frustrating.  In general, life in a cursed world is always an exercise in frustration (to a greater or lesser degree).  Even during the best of times, we know deep down that both the emotions and reality are transitory.  Good or bad, "this too shall pass"

The only things that will last are investments in eternity- in the lives of real people by reaching them with real the real hope of the Gospel and with what they need for daily and long term survival.

“God has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Everyone wants to do something that will outlive him/her.  That's why millionaires give donations to hospitals or museums to have a wing named after them.   While you or I may not be able to fund the World Food Programme or start a Gates Foundation, there are ways that we can "outlive ourselves". By making strategic gifts to "help people help themselves" together we can create a better future not just for the here and now but for generations to come. 

A few ideas...

Mothercare parcel. $32.

Mission Without Borders MotherCare program (click for a quick video) provides medical advice, "reusable nappies, ointments, baby clothes, nutritious food supplements and feminine hygiene goods" as well as a place to discuss concerns and support each other in a gospel-centered environment.   Food and clothing for the new mother and baby may be provided as well.

 Seeds of Hope.  $24.

Thousands of poor families across Eastern Europe receive high quality seeds and training to grow their own gardens.  By growing their own food, families become more self sufficient and can sell excess produce for income.  The seeds are given to the neediest of families, many who are dependent on their own food production for survival.

"The vegetables provided such a good yield that we had enough for the summer and autumn.  We even have potatoes for the entire winter..this was an enormous help to our family.”

                                                                                                  Mrs. F  

"Because of their deep poverty, so many families across Eastern Europe suffer hopelessness as well as hunger. They are under constant stress with no work, no money and no future. That's why our 'Seeds of Hope' boxes are crucial – they grow food and they help families plant their way out of poverty to have a hopeful, sustainable future."  

                                                                                                   David Hardisty, MWB UK

Pig.  $96

"It's more than just a pig! Giving a pig means you're giving families and orphanages the opportunity to develop skills in animal husbandry; to gain an income by selling the piglets and to have essential food".

          

Other gifts can be viewed/purchased at the 

Mission Without Borders website.  

Canadian website 

UK website

or call 800-245-9191 (US only)

Whatever you choose to do or give this holiday season, consider this:  Many gifts get put in the closet, regifted. or broken within a few months.  Give of yourself and invest in something that will last a lifetime (or generations!)

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

― C.S. Lewis