" title="Flood Blog – Current impact opportunities, stories of impact and classifieds."> Flood Blog – Current impact opportunities, stories of impact and classifieds.

A testimony written by Andie, a volunteer that helped distribute gifts from the Giving Tree on Christmas Eve:

 

This past 2011 summer, we sent our first Human Rights team to Malawi to work together with staff from Flood Malawi and students of African Bible College (ABC) to hold a human rights conference in the village of Kudoko. The conference was to educate the people of Kudoko of their rights and that there are resources and help available. George Phiri is on staff at Flood Malawi and helped organize the human rights conference.

Here is an update of the continued human rights work happening from Flood Malawi written by George…

HUMAN RIGHTS SEMINARS THAT TOOK PLACE KAMBIYA CCAP CHURCH

Flood church in Malawi in conjunction with its sister church in San Diego conducted human rights seminars at Kudoko village in July 2011. The seminars were designed to enlighten the villagers on issue of Human Rights especially in the  following topics; Does God care about Human Rights, Gender, Child Rights, and Access to Justice.

During these seminars over four hundred people, men and women, boys and girls were in attendance. It was also interesting to see that, apart from the people we had officially invited, people from nearby villages came to join the seminars as well.

There was also a pastor from a Presbyterian church that had heard about the seminars from the chiefs of Kudoko village. At the end of the seminars, the pastor could not hide his excitement and came forward to invite the team and I to come to his church, five minutes away from Kudoko, and do similar seminars. It is because of this that the Flood Malawi Human Rights team planned for a one day human rights seminar at Kambiya CCAP Church.

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, we held the one-day seminar at Kambiya CCAP Church. We had approximately 140 people in attendance.

The seminars were brilliantly facilitated by Mphatso, Joshua, Ethel, Wezzie, Kondwani, Luwani, Sera, Gladys, Timothy (ABC students who also come to Flood Church), Mafunase and George (Flood Staff) and Colin Pfaff (Flood Church member). Also joining us were two members from the Police Victim Support Unit.

The same topics taught at Kudoko were taught at Kambiya CCAP Church: Does God care about human rights, gender, child rights, access to justice and chaing of justice (primary justice)? 

The seminar was very successful! It created an environment where students had an opportunity to communicate issues of human rights abuse happening in Malawi and interaction among the Malawi Human Rights team. It was also a learning process for the team because we learned a lot about the different forms of abuse happening in homes to kids, women, and young men that we didn’t know about before. Men and women also testified about the forms of abuse that they are encountering in their own communities. The seminars also created an environment for villagers to debate among themselves specifically on gender and child rights.

The seminar was such a success, the pastor and chiefs of the surrounding area invited us again and said that the time was not enough to tackle all the issues that arose and had more questions that needed answers.

After the seminar, the Flood Malawi Human Rights team sat down and thought about what can be done to educate more people on human rights issues. In the future, we want the seminars to happen every three months in villages considering that people in the village would not understand issues of their rights thoroughly when taught only once. They need to be exposed to their rights more and more. Also, the seminars should also be introduced in secondary schools (high schools). Statistics show that above 70% of students in high schools do not know about their rights and yet they are being prepared to lead the nation.  Human Rights clubs would be initiated in high schools starting with those in Lilongwe.

On behalf of Flood Malawi Human Rights Team,
George Phiri

A few weeks back Donald Miller came to speak at our church about living a better story. I have finished reading his book titled A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.  It basically chronicles his experience of “editing” his life and living a better story.

I wanted to explore what I can do to “edit” my own life and I came across Live58.org.  It is an organization that brings people together in the fight to help end global poverty.  I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was this bad (global poverty).  Live58 enables people to have access to reputable organizations that fight the issues.

I have started a group called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, after Millers book.

One of the organizations that Flood is involved in is Plant with Purpose.  PWP helps create economic opportunity through environmental restoration (they help create sustainable lives and jobs by helping the environment).  Doesn’t get any better than that does it?  They currently have a project that involves getting fuel efficient stoves to families in impoverished areas and I have set an easy goal to raise $200 for them.

I’d like to see if any of you would be interested in joining me in exploring some of these issues.  Please click the link below and join my group, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

http://my.live58.org/momentum/team/625

I have committed $20/month to the Fuel Efficient Stoves program and hope to get a few others to join me.  I know its not much but it can add up.  After that, I plan on choosing another project to help fund and see where it goes from there. Even if you don’t want to give financially please also join the group.

I would love to see us build a group around awareness of global poverty.  Maybe it could turn into something where we meet once a month and discuss issues to see what we can do to make a difference!  I am excited about this and want anyone to join in, who knows where it could take us.

Also, feel free to email me at marktigchelaar@gmail.com

WANDERLUST- COTN Uganda Benefit Show

Come out and support Children of the Nations

Thursday, November 3rd at 7:30pm

Claire De Lune in North Park! 

We are working to raise money for COTN Uganda, specifically focusing on getting children sponsored as well as funding a new playground. Come and be a part of something bigger and help transform children’s lives through this night! For 10 bucks you get to see Tyson Motsenbocker and Mike Edel perform along with FREE coffee and tea! Come hangout!

To see the official flyer: click here!

For more information:

Contact Alyiepenn@diveintoflood.com

Dear all,

As pre-text to this report, I want to say thank you to all of you who have been patient in the process of launching COTN Haiti and have continued to pray with us and for us as we undertake this very big, yet very worthy venture. I truly believe in this project and believe that God is behind it because I have seen his hand on it. When I took on this task I knew the difficulty of working in Haiti. I also knew how important it was to do this and how much Haiti needs organizations with the vision and goals of COTN. When we speak Malou is often reminding me of the time and great effort that it took to launch COTN DR so many years ago, and reminding me that God is in control of this situation. So it is with this that we continue to push on.

COTN Haiti Quarterly Report

Victories/Praises:

1) Families:
-We have been able to rent houses for all of the families that we support who were without housing. With the inclusion of these six families we are happy to report that all of the families have safe and comfortable housing.
-As of this week we have assisted all of the families with scholarships for fees, tuition, books and uniforms so that all of the children are able to attend school this year.
-Daniel Vallon has continued to do an outstanding job working with the families and gone above and beyond expectations to show love and care to the families.
- We have completed the design and proposal and are in the final stages of approval and implementation for a comprehensive holistic program for ministry to the families over the next two years with will include scholarships for the children, housing assistance, medical care, and micro loan program and continued spiritual support.

2) Haitian Board:
-We have elected and ratified our Haitian Board of directors and been able to have a few meeting with the board.
-Our first few meetings have been very productive and beneficial and COTN Haiti has already benefited greatly from the wisdom and expertise of board President Thony Lewis and the other Haitian board members who have begun to help shape the vision and goals of COTN Haiti.

3) COTN Office and Base:
-COTN Haiti has fully established a base and office of operations in Gressier Haiti about 40 miles outside of Port au Prince.
-COTN Haiti has hired a base cook and cleaning lady and full time guard to help take care of the facilities and to assist staff and teams.
-Base is comfortable and safe and will be a great place to host venture teams in the near future.

4) Village Partnership Program:
-This week we are finishing up the final proposal for a two phase Village Partnership Program that will begin in the next month or two. We are very excited about this program and we feel it will be a great foundation for our long term goals and vision for Haiti.
-The first Phase is to begin to work in surrounding villages through a mobile Village Partnership Program focusing on working with children and communities on health, nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation training, and education, mobile medical clinics, small scale community improvement projects, bible teaching with children and their families and feedings to children who are not receiving proper daily nutrition.
-Phase two will begin when we are able to get official recognition from the government in order to buy land and begin to build a permanent VPP school and program.

5) Venture Teams:
-We have a base established and accommodations for Venture Teams to begin to come to Haiti for after the new year.
-This week we are finalizing ideas and opportunities for Venture teams activities in Haiti in the coming months.
-Venture Team opportunities for the time being will focus on helping support the Mobile VPP program through mobile medical clinics, VBS programs with children, and trainings. –Opportunities will also be available to work with the children of the 12 families COTN Haiti supports.
-Those interested in sending teams to Haiti should work with the international office to plan upcoming trip as soon as possible.

6) Feasibility Study/ Plan:
-We have been able to update and significantly expand the Feasibility report and have adjusted our long term and short term plans.
-This work has gone a long way in help COTN to understand the many complex situations and challenges in Haiti and to shape and mold strategies that will lead to effective Christ-centered long term impact in the lives of Kids in Haiti.

7) Container of Food and Other Goods Delivered:
-With the help of another organization here in Haiti we were able to receive a large shipment of COTN food packs. We were able to distribute this food to over 12 orphanages in the region that were in great need of the food.
-One orphanage in particular that is lass then a mile from the COTN base called Children of Hope had completely ran out of food and we were able to distribute several hundred pounds of food to assist them. Jean Marc who runs the orphanage was very surprised at how the COTN food packs put much needed weight on the kids and fattened up their cheeks. It made me very very happy as there is nothing more beautiful to me then chubby cheeks on children in a place like Haiti.
-Other goods have been recieved such blankets, tioletries, tarps and other goods that COTN Haiti has been been able to distribute to the families and to other organizations in need.

Challenges and Goals Moving Forward:

1) Official Government Recognition and Status:
-One of the most difficult and confusing parts of operating in Haiti as an organization is gaining legal recognition and tax status. It has been known to take organizations years to achieve this. This is required to buy land and vehicles in the name of the organization and is required for all organizations wishing to work long term in Haiti. We have had support from friends of COTN Haiti that have helped us along in the confusing process to collect all of the needed paperwork and documentation and to navigate all of these requirements. We are in the thick of completing program plans, official documents, translating documents, filling out paperwork, registering with the tax office, having board members complete background checks, and even going to DC getting papers signed off from the Haitian Embassy in Washington D.C.
-We are praying that we will be finished with this process in the next two months so that we can begin to import shipments and containers for free and buy land in order to move forward with development plan.

2) Land Purchase and Development:
-We have explored several great pieces of land for both a permanent ministry and base site and Village Partnership Program sites, and plan to move forward with these plans when we receive the legal ability to buy land.

3) Staff Hiring and Development:
-Over the next few months we will be hiring new staff to help lead the upcoming programs with the 12 Families and the VPP program and we need prayer for wisdom and favor that God would bring us Haitians who love him and love his people and will be able to help us begin effective programs in villages.

4) Fund Raising:
- God has really blessed COTN Haiti with an out pouring of support and financial partnership that have helped get things off the ground and allowed funds to in order to begin this process, but the long term plans of establishing permanent VPP schools and a base for ministry in Haiti will likely cost well over a million dollars to complete and therefor we really need to double our fund raising efforts in order to be able to move forward with the plans of fully establishing COTN Haiti.

Once again thank you all for all of your support and hard work,

Brian Perry
International Start-up Coordinator/Consultant-Haiti
Children of the Nations International
COTNI.org 

Another home ready for move in!

I (Lisa) had a feeling that this trip down to TJ would be a special one, and the day did not disappoint.  I don’t quite know what it was that made the day so great, though:  Was it a well rounded (sorry Maiko) discussion on the intricacies of pizza?  Was it the cool cloud cover that gave way to the sunshine just as we arrived? Was it the refreshing breeze and near-ideal building conditions? Was it the 16 builders? Was it satisfaction of seeing the walls standing on the foundation we poured just a month ago?  Was it the pleasure of being involved in the limitless reach of God’s provisional hand? Was it the delight that the children had as they shared in the labor?  Will these musings ever end?

I think it was all these things.  As a recap, the day went a little something like this:  Marc made sure to brief us before we even arrived on site, so we could get right to work upon arrival.  And good thing we did, because 16 people putting two layers of stucco on a double-slab home was a BIG job! Everyone got right to work with sifting and mixing and hawking and stuccoing, and we quickly made our way around the home.  Even while we were solving riddles and talking as if we were a book-club, no one fell off the sheer rock cliff, and we quickly reached a mid-afternoon pausing point.  Over lunches, people talked of sports and poverty.  We were reminded once again of the rich blessings we enjoy north of the border, and the blessing of being involved in alleviating daily differences for the families Amor has partnered with.

This family was particularly incredible to partner with.  Yudith, 11 was so proud of her bedroom, consisting of a bed frame, a deflated air mattress, and a handful of belongings.  What her room had plenty of was shade, and she was quick to invite us to store our water and backpacks in there as well. She’s quite the little hostess!  Sebastian, 8,  Eduardo, 10, and Yudith were all quick to grab shovels and trowels and bring their home to completion.  You could see the pride of having a new home written clearly across their faces, as well as on the walls in the fresh cement!  Their parents even caught the get-things-done bug and constructed a table and repaired the roof while we were there. Working alongside a working family encouraged me that our gifts of time, money, and walls would be appreciated and taken care of long after we drove off.

The afternoon saw another layer of stucco as well as two doors and knobs with keys added to the home.  The door crew awesomely put a round peg in a square hole, figuratively speaking, and Marc made us think that he could read Spanish directions, though it turns out that the pictures had a lot to do with his success!  Delicious tacos proceeded a ridiculously short border wait, but you didn’t hear us complaining!  Instead, we were working out the tension in our muscles and already talking about our next trip.  Deep sighs of satisfaction were heard as we left one another and headed back to our own four walls.

Please join us on our next trip, 10/15!  You can sign up at the welcome tent the next two Sundays, or email tjhousebuilding@diveintoflood.com with any questions.   Click photo for full size.

Join Plant With Purpose, as they celebrate the life changing work, to empower the rural poor and share in the knowledge of God’s love and grace. They are holding an event on October 8th at 6:00pm, in the Paradise Ballroom at Paradise Point in Mission Bay!

Come out and support!

For more information contact: kate@plantwithpurpose.org or call 858-274-3718, visit www.plantwithpurpose.org/gala

“This is an update from Katie Clarke, a Flood member who just began teaching at African Bible College in Malawi! Katie asked us to partner with her in prayer in Malawi as they go through a huge transitioning stage. A third grader named, Alicia Ligomeka, passed away from Malaria a couple of days ago. It is a comfort to know that she had accepted Christ and is in peace with our heavenly father. The impact of her death not only hit her mother, but her third grade class,school, teacher and Katie herself. We ask for specific prayer with the emotional, physical and mental state of the school, kids and most importantly her mother, allowing them to mourn and grieve during this time. Keep them in your prayers as people attend her funeral and allow God to bring his comfort and love to them and glorify himself in everything!

We are finally ready to open our doors and “meet the neighbors” The best news is, you’re all invited! Come and see our new office and find out what COTN is doing in the San Diego area. We’d love to meet you and your friends.

See the facebook invitation here –> http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206966712690187

CHILDREN OF THE NATIONS OPEN HOUSE
Friday, September 30th 4-8pm

5745 Kearny Villa Rd Ste 102
San Diego, CA 92123

Make an impact this summer at Flood!

Use your passions and skills to serve our church family on Sundays:

FloodKids
Have a passion for kids? Have a background in child development? Or have a servant’s heart and are willing to be equipped in this area of ministry? If so, Flood Kids, our Children’s Ministry  (0-5th grade), would love to hear from you! To start the process in how you can plant seeds of God’s love in the hearts and minds of the next generation contact Abby or Jenny below. Note: Application and interview are required for new volunteers prior to the trainings.

Fall Flood Kids Trainings (for new and current volunteers)
Elementary Flood Kids – September 4 – 1:30pm – 3:30pm,
RSVP: AbbyNguyen@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Baby Flood Kids – September 18 – 1:30pm – 3:30pm*
Toddler Flood Kids – September 25 – 1:30pm – 3:30pm*
Preschooler Flood Kids – October 2 – 1:30pm – 3:30pm*
*RSVP to JennyLeboffe@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Connections Team
How to Serve: Help create a welcoming environment at Flood and great first impressions for newcomers through our greeting team, cafe team, crew dinner team, welcome tent team or newcomer’s parties.
Contact: KairaVerhoff@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Dance Impact Team
How to Serve: This team performs dances on Sundays as well as at events in the community. We hold separate auditions throughout the year for each performance.
Contact: MindiHopper@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Prayer Team
How to Serve: If you are interested in providing prayer support for those who come forward for prayer at our Sunday gatherings, come to the next counselor orientation in July to explore this role and ministry area.
Contact: PrayerCounseling@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Parking Team
How to Serve: Help welcome people to Flood by directing them where to park while summer construction is happening.
Contact: EricLehman@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Security Team
How to Serve: The Security Team is looking for people passionate about providing a safe environment for the men, women, and children at Flood to worship God. You are asked to serve during one gathering a month and take part in quarterly trainings.
Contact: EricLehman@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Setup Team
How to Serve: Help create the space where church happens. The set up team is looking for people to serve once or twice a month at 7am on Sunday mornings.
Contact: ScottMcGhee@DIVEintoFLOOD.com

Tear Down Team
How to Serve: Help tear down church during OR after the 8pm gathering two Sundays a month.
Contact: ScottMcGhee@DIVEintoFLOOD.com