| New Zealand
”Seeing
With New Eyes – Women.” is the theme of this year's
Auckland Baptist Women's event on May 12th. We have an incredible
programme this year, with an afternoon including a fashion parade with
a biblical twist, an international bazaar fea- turing items from
Freeset, CJ Jewellery, Papua New Guinea and the BWUSWP's Pacific
flavoured cookbook, with an elegant celebration dinner before the
evening's three key note amazing speakers' says committee co-ordinator
Olwyn Dixon. In the after- noon we will be looking at women through new
eyes as a selection of women at different stages of their lives (a
teenager, a Baptist College Student and a retired missionary ) will all
speak about the passion of women, as they give us a window on their
world."Other speakers will include a woman explaining the com-
plexities of looking after a grandson with autism, a woman living with
cancer, what it is like as an immigrant woman, someone who has been on
a DO (Disciples Overseas) transend team, a Maori perspective, as well
as Olwyn speaking about the women of Papua New Guinea. The challenge is
for guests to look at the women of Auckland through God's
eyes.
West Papua
Communication
continues to be a little hindered in that email is rather hard for the
women to set up. Many of them have mobile phones but there are not many
with computers and access to the internet. Pray for Yatina Wenda who
will take over in December from Lena Kogoya as President of the Baptist
Women, and that she and her committee will know God's guidance and
experience His hand on their ministry for Him in West Papua. The women
continue to be very concerned for the young people who leave the
villages to go to school in the city and are exposed to drugs and
alcohol and diseases like TB and AIDS. Many parents have lost children
in these situations. Please pray for them. Pray too that the general
standard of health care in the village clinics will improve and that
there will be an adequate supply of medicines available. Pray for the
women who move to the towns and live in very poor conditions and
sometimes turn to prostitution to survive.
Papua New Guinea
We
praise God for the money that has been given for the birthing huts in
PNG – much of it has come from a group of women in America
and
from a deceased estate in Western Australia. The plan is to build a
total of one thousand huts across the country, and Kaa Simon (the
President of the PNG Baptist Women) is presently searching out
appropriate water tanks that will be attached to each hut, as the local
water supply in some areas is often difficult to access quickly. Please
pray for safety for the women of PNG. Many did not attend Day of Prayer
celebrations last year, as savage tribal fighting across the country
has made it unsafe to travel.
Fiji
A
few years, money from the Day of Prayer was raised for the
”Dorcas Project” – a sewing project in
Fiji. A
suitable building has been found and renovated and the whole project
will be dedicated early in May. The industrial sewing machine and the
woman to use it have been commissioned, several bolts of mate- rial
have been purchased, and even before the building has been dedicated
and opened, several orders have already come in for sheets, pillow
cases and bedroom curtains. As the business grows, more machines and
machinists will be employed to expand the production. Please pray for
this initiative to be used by God to spread the Gospel in Fiji and to
provide and income fo struggling families.Following the military coup
there last year, road blocks have become a way of life for the Fijians,
particularly in Suva, the capital. Tourism, almost the lifeblood of the
country, is suffering badly, with hundreds of people having lost their
jobs. Several western countries have suspended their financial aid to
Fiji caus- ing a severe economical depression there – even
the
civil servants have been forced to take a significant reduction in
income, while many families have no income at all and there is no
social securi- ty. For an up-to-date of what is happening there, you
can log on to www.fijilive.com or www.fijivillage.com On the good side,
cor- ruption in some higher places has been exposed and dealt with.
Please pray for the country, that infighting will cease, that peace
will be restored, and that the Christians there will have a positive
influence on the community at large.
For
your meditation (Unknown
source)
On
the evening of a young man's graduation, his rich father sat him down
for a heart-to-heart talk. The son was excited as he fully expected his
father to present him with his dream – a beautiful sports
car.
His father complimented him on his years of study and his ultimate
graduation. He made a point of telling his son that he loved him
deeply, then he handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box and said,
”Happy Graduation my son.” Disappointment flooded
the son
as he opened the box. Inside he found an expensive leather-bound Bible
engraved with his name. His disappointment turned to anger and the son
shouted at his father, ”With all your money, how could you
just
give me a Bible?” The son stormed out of the house leaving
the
Bible on an end table – he never returned to that house or
his
father.
Many
years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had
a beautiful home and wonderful family. He finally realized his father
was getting very old and told his family they were going to meet his
father. He had not seen his dad since graduation day, but before he
could complete the arrangements he received a call telling him his
father had passed away. All his father's possessions were willed to
him, as an only child, and he was advised to come home
immediately.
When
he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his
heart. He began to search his father's important papers and saw the
engraved Bible with his name – it was prominently displayed
on
the end table where he had left it so many years before. With tears in
his eyes he opened the Bible and began to read.
As
he read, memories of his childhood bounced across his mind and then as
he turned the page an envelope dropped out of the middle of the Bible.
The envelope had a car dealer's name embossed in the upper left corner.
This was the same dealer he had hoped to receive the sports car from
many years before. In the envelope was an invoice for the sports car he
had so desired, dated the day of his graduation with the words
”PAID IN FULL” stamped across the paper. The car
was still
in the garage waiting for him. How many times do we miss God's
blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?
May
you all experience God's richest blessings as you continue to worship
and serve Him wherever you are in the South West Pacific.
Together
in His ministry,
Lorraine Walker
President, Baptist Women's Union
of the South West Pacific.
http://swp.baptistchurch-online.com
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