Open My Eyes

2 comments Written on May 1st, 2013     
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By JoEllen Reaves, Covenant missionary to Mexico

Yuridia has her eyes checked

Yuridia has her eyes checked

“Open my eyes Lord, I want to see Jesus. To reach out and touch Him, to say that I love Him.”

A few weeks ago we concluded a mission trip with a group from North Park University (NPU) in Chicago, IL.

It was a health screening ministry. We host quite a few mission groups that are interested in doing community health screenings and theyare always very rewarding. The majority of the time, what we see are anemia (in both children and adults), LOTS of cavities, high blood pressure, and high glucose levels. These conditions are important and do need follow up care.

However, every once in a while something really unusual happens and that is what occurred the week that the mission group from NPU was in Oaxaca, Mexico.

My job for the week was to enter all the data from the health screenings into the computer so that there could be followup. Not very glamorous, but needed. As I sat at the computer one morning watching the various health screening stations around me (height and weight, blood pressure, anemia testing, glucose testing, etc.), a Oaxacan came up to me and said that we had to make sure that we saw a little girl that had just come into the building.

This little girl, along with her father, and the pastor of the church the girl attended, had walked two hours and then taken a bus for another 12 hours because they had heard that a health team was going to be in town. What made this 10-year-old girl unusual?  Since the age of five, Maria Yuridia has basically been blind in one eye and had limited sight in the other. She had been to the doctor, but no one could figure out what was wrong with her eyes.

Covenant missionary, Doctor Cindy Hoover, had just received a new ophthalmoscope, with help from a supporting church, and this was the first mission trip where she was using it. When Cindy looked into Maria Yuridia’s eye, she saw a large mass that could have been anything from a tumor to a cataract. Cindy called the pastor over and together they called a Christian organization in Oaxaca named “Manos de Ayuda” (Hands of Help). They work out of a hospital in the city of Oaxaca where people can get medical care at a reduced costs.

An appointment was made immediately with an eye specialist and before leaving, the mission team, the Oaxacan Covenant missionaries, and the pastor of the church where we were working, prayed with Yuridia and her father. She was then in God’s hands.

At the eye appointment, the ophthalmologist discovered that Yuridia had cataracts in both of her eyes, with the one cataract in one of her eyes so thick, it was causing her blindness. Further tests confirmed this diagnosis. Because of her age and the severity of the cataracts, it was decided that Yuridia needed immediate surgery. Manos de Ayuda offered the surgery at a reduced cost and it was scheduled for the end of March. The doctor warned that although there was hope, Yuridia might not regain sight in the eye most severely affected because the optic nerve in that eye might have atrophied.

Meanwhile, back at the health clinic, we continued discussing Maria Yuridia, and the visiting NPU team offered to help pay for the surgery. God was working in everyone’s heart on that day.

Maria Yuridia and her father returned to the city of Oaxaca at the end of March for the first surgery. It was done with no complications and by that evening, she had regained some of the vision in the most severely affected eye.

She now has hope for a better future—one that will include being able to see Jesus in the world around her. Everyone involved was grateful to be able to be part of God’s plan for Maria Yuridia’s life.




Fresh Ideas for Engaging Your Church in Mission

Post a Comment » Written on March 21st, 2013     
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By Kim Crawford
We hear great ideas about mission engagement from churches, missionaries, and pastors. We thought we would pass some of these ideas along to you!
  • Update your missions display – Do you have a bulletin board for missionary and mission updates? Recruit someone in your church who likes to decorate, design or do crafts to bring new life to this area. This picture is an idea for a missionary display that uses a world map glued to painting canvases and a picture frame hanger. Creative!
  • Pray the way others pray – Ask your missionaries how believers pray where they serve. Do they clasp their hands? Kneel on the floor? Stand and raise their hands to God? Pray aloud in unison? Then invite the congregation to do the same posture or style the next time you pray for that area of the world during worship.
  • Invite Missionaries to join the life of your church – If you are planning to have a missionary visit your church think of the various ways they can join the on-going life of your congregation in addition to, or instead of, regular Sunday scheduling. Can they speak at youth group night? Join a men’s breakfast? Share during staff meeting? Attend a home Bible study? Visit church members in a senior residence? We have heard that natural these connection points can be more beneficial for everyone involved.

If you would like to get more ideas or information on missionaries in your area, contact Covenant World Mission at 773.784.3000 or email world.mission(at)covchurch.org




Praying for the World

Post a Comment » Written on January 16th, 2013     
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As we begin the new year, perhaps you are wondering how you can pray for the world and Covenant missionaries in 2013. We have several resources that might be helpful to you.

Covenant Missionary Prayer Calendar – This is a  convenient daily guide to pray for Covenant missionaries and the countries in which they serve. Each day includes information on Covenant missionaries, as well as where and how they serve. The new edition is released every year at the Annual Meeting in June, but is available for ordering throughout the year. The prayer calendar can be ordered from the Covenant Online Bookstore.

Praying for Missionaries Bookmark – Find out how you can pray for missionaries,their families, and their daily needs, which is one way you can partner and participate in their ministries. All missionaries desire to be in the center of God’s will for their lives, to carry out an effective ministry, to relate well to people from the adopted culture, to care for family and fellow missionaries, and to remain healthy – bot physically and emotionally. You can download this bookmark from the Covenant website or order copies at the Covenant Online Bookstore.

Prayer for the World Bookmark – We pray so that all people may know God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. This bookmark/insert focuses on praying for people, daily needs, and crises around the world. It can be downloaded from the Covenant website or ordered at the Online Covenant Bookstore.

Praise and Prayer Requests List – This weekly prayer list includes current requests from missionaries and ministry partners around the world. You can subscribe and receive this prayer list via email from Covenant World Mission.




Covenant World Mission Workshops at Midwinter Conference 2013

Post a Comment » Written on January 8th, 2013     
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We are really excited to see many of you at the Covenant Midwinter Conference that will take place in early February in San Diego. Here are a few workshops related to World Mission which you might consider attending. We hope to see you there!

005 | Preaching a “Glocal” Vision
To be the church in the age of globalization requires us to re-frame our understanding and practice of mission. More specifically, it requires us to understand the relationship between global and local mission. The question for this workshop is, “How does this new understanding of a “glocal” vision inform our preaching?”

Al Tizon, associate professor of holistic ministry – Palmer Theological Seminary

110 | Peace & Justice in the Holy Land: Christians Seeking Reconciliation at the Heart of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has raged for more than half a century. Historical narratives of deep pain and suffering continue to play out in the region today. This workshop will focus on the history of Christian engagement in the Holy Land and the role of Christ followers in pursuit of reconciliation and justice. Learn about organizations and individuals working to make a positive difference in the Holy Land while seeking to discern how God might be calling all of us to be advocates of peace and justice in the midst of conflict.

Mae Cannon, senior director of advocacy & outreach
Gary Burge, professor of New Testament – Wheaton College

111 | Serving Globally at Home
The shrinking of our planet and the emergence of relational highways provides local churches with unprecedented potential for global impact; beginning with Pastor Chamron Phal’s inspiring story of survival in the killing fields of Cambodia, and his subsequent ministry sharing the Gospel and planting churches in his homeland, including among his former Khmer Rouge communist soldiers. In this workshop we will demonstrate how a church (of any size) can connect with and support Kingdom ministry in another part of the world.

Linnea Carnes, retired Covenant pastor
Allan Serrano, senior pastor – Evangelical Missionary Covenant Church
Chamron Phal, associate pastor – First Covenant Church




Working Together in Japan

1 Comment » Written on August 3rd, 2012     
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By Jay Haworth, Covenant missionary to Japan

On June 24, a group of 10 young adults from two campuses of the Newsong Church in Southern California came to assist the Japan Covenant Church in disaster relief efforts. I joined the team for a few days to help with transportation and was deeply touched by their enthusiasm and faith. What prompts young professionals to take personal vacation time, pay their own way to travel to a foreign country and do something they’ve never done before for people who don’t even speak their language? The concept of “surrender to God and faith that He will provide” was clearly evident in the team as they sought to serve. What a foundation for ministry! Continue Reading »




God’s Faithfulness – Mekong Valley Foods

Post a Comment » Written on June 25th, 2012     
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By Kim Crawford, associate director of mission mobilization and connection

Three years ago at CHIC 2009 students and leaders gave generously to help support the work of Ruthie and Peter Dutton and Mekong Valley Foods in Chiang Khong, Thailand. Continue Reading »




Camp Ministry in Russia

Post a Comment » Written on May 18th, 2012     
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In the summer of 2011, many Covenant Camps’ offering went to support ministry to children and youth in Russia, specifically through camp and sports. Covenant missionary, Leonid Regheta, has worked alongside Russians and Swedish missionaries committed to evangelism, discipleship and leadership development through sports. Raising funds through Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) camps was a great help to provide resources and materials needed to carry on ministry in Russia. Continue Reading »




Praying for the World Together

Post a Comment » Written on May 18th, 2012     
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Prayer is an essential part of walking with Jesus Christ as individuals and communities spend time in God’s presence. Prayer is an essential part of ministry that reaches into our neighborhoods and around our world. Prayer is an essential part of ministry that reaches into our neighborhoods and around our world. “Jesus emphasized the importance of prayer as He taught His disciples. When Jesus saw the multitudes in need, for instance, He did not tell His disciples to go out and meet all of those needs. Instead, He told them to call on the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest (Matthew 9:36-38).” (Paul Borthwick, A Mind for Missions)“ Continue Reading »




Teaching in Congo

1 Comment » Written on May 4th, 2012     
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Covenant missionary to the Czech Republic, Fred Prudek, was just in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), teaching at the seminary there. Sounds like he had a wonderful trip! Continue Reading »




World Mission Resources

Post a Comment » Written on March 6th, 2012     
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There are several Covenant World Mission resources we think will be useful to you and/or your church. All these materials can be found on the Covenant World Mission webpages. Follow the links to learn more about them.

Prayer for the World. We can participate in God’s work in the world through prayer. We pray so that all people may know God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. This bookmark focuses on praying for people, daily needs, and crises around the world. Continue Reading »