DIRKS UPDATE

For five years, Nathan and Taryn Dirks served as Mennonite Church Canada workers in Gaborone, Botswana, nurturing relationships with young people through a variety of efforts ranging from prison ministry to sports. Their term has ended, and they have now returned to Canada with their young son, Malakai. Thank God for the dedication of Nathan and Taryn, and pray for God’s blessing as they discern what the future holds. 

(from PrayerNet, July/August 2017)

BARKMAN UPDATE

It looks like I missed posting this notice of Christina and Darnell Barkman's Update from July.   I found it when I went to post a more recent update which I just received yesterday.  I'll post that one tomorrow. 


The Barkmans have sent the following update:  Greetings, friends and family! Attached you'll find our latest newsletter ... and Peace Church's most recent Weekly Prayer Bulletin that Kathleen Limayo, Peace Church member and staff, has been putting together. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we serve in the Philippines! 

With love,

the Barkmans

The newsletter and the prayer bulletin have been posted to our website at

http://women.mennonitechurch.ca/barkman

Women Walking Together in Faith - July 2017 - "Letting all our gifts bloom"

The latest of our bi-monthly articles in the Canadian Mennonite was written by Ev Buhr. Ev has been the Alberta Rep on our executive for many years and is the office administrator at First Mennonite Church in Edmonton. She enjoys letting her gifts bloom through music and children's stories during worship.  

In her article she asks:  "How often do we hold back for fear of other people's inadequacies being heightened? How often do we minimize our efforts so the person praising us still feels worthy? How do we deal with an expression that seems to stem from jealousy or seems to be fishing for a compliment in return? How do we let our gifts bloom so others can bloom as well?"

You can read her article HERE.

Crisis in DRC ~ Prayer Request

I received the information below from the President of Mennonite Women Canada, Shirley Redekop. Her counterpart, Adolphine Tshiama, National President of the women's organization for Mennonite Church of Congo, wrote the following letter to Africa Inter Mennonite Mission (AIMM) sharing her grief and sadness at the violence which has affected many families. She herself has lost a number of her family to the violence.  

Adolphine Tshiama writes:  

"It is with great sadness that I share this sad news. When my husband was still alive, he purchased agricultural land on the road leading to Ndjoko Punda, 65 kms from Tshikapa at the village of Inga which is inhabited by the Chokwe ethnic group.

After his death, the land was divided in two, one part for me and one for the members of his family. My young brother decided to go live on my land in order to farm it and to help me as well as make a living for his family. In the troubles (the violence, sometimes between ethnic groups, currently happening in the Kasai region of the DRC) he was attacked by some Chokwe, and in that attack lost his 23 year old son, who left behind a widow and two children.

On Friday June 16, 2017 their farm was attacked a second time. My brother was killed and dismembered, his wife and his two daughters along with his son's widow were all killed. The two children of his son have disappeared and have not been found up to today.

I ask you to pray for me, placing me in the hands of the Lord. I am going through a difficult time." 

Rod Hollinger-Janzen, AIMM staff, encourages us to:

* Pray for Adolphine and her family, that the Lord would comfort and strengthen them
* Pray for the two children, traumatized and in grief, wherever they are, that the Lord would protect them and bring healing
* Pray for all families living in the Kasai who have experienced loss and grief
* Pray for an end to violence and hostility in the Kasai region
* Pray that the church might continue to play its role as the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus who gave his life to bring an end to hostility and to reconcile all things to himself

(Information from an email received from Shirley Redekop)