One Birr    By:  Steven Sharp The woman was insistent.   "Give me one Birr," she said.  I felt around in my pockets and had no change.  I was just getting close to my truck, and I thought there would maybe be some coins there that I could give her.   "Give me one Birr." "I don't have a Birr, but hold on, let me check.  Maybe there is something here, just a minute..." "Give me one Birr." It was kind of unusual, the way she was going on.  Many times beggars in Addis will invoke the names of different saints or angels in the Orthodox tradition- "for the sake of Michael..." or "for the sake of Gabriel..."  But this woman was straight and direct in her appeal; no angels, no references to Mary, nothing but the urgent repeated request.  And also the amount was specific, one Birr.  Nothing more, nothing less. When I got to the truck and was searching around for something to give this woman, I discovered that the single piece of change I had in the entire truck was a ten-cent coin.     "Here.  I have ten cents!"  I said triumphantly, holding out the coin to her. "No.  Give me one Birr." There is kind of a one-bird-in-the-hand-is-worth-two-in-the-bush idea with beggars, and so I still half expected her to take it as I explained to her that I truly had nothing more.  But she resolutely refused to have anything to do with my ten cents.   What I generally do is check in my pockets for change, and if any is there, I give it freely.  If there isn't any there, I don't get my wallet out to thumb through it in search of small change.  I explain that I don't have any coins, and will see them another time.  But whether I give or not, I greet them, smile at them, ask how they are doing and generally treat them like a human being.  And so, whatever is in my pockets, is theirs.  It's not really a system, it's not a sophisticated or philosophical answer to poverty, it's just what I do.   In this case, however, my normal way of explaining politely that ten cents was all I had.  "No, give me one Birr," she kept saying. Something in her insistence and specificity touched me, and so I went against my normal practice, got my wallet out, and began to thumb through it.  I had no single Birr notes; the smaller one there was a five Birr.  Now coins are a completely normal thing to give in an encounter like this one, a single Birr note is more than adequate but still above and beyond in some sense of the exchange.  A five Birr note therefore is verging on the ridiculous.  To put this into perspective and give a sense of the perception, one Birr is approximately 5 cents USD, five Birr, a quarter.  I took out the five Birr and give it to her, explaining that I wanted to give her a special blessing and that Jesus loves her.  Her face completely lit up with joy as she took it from me;  this gigantic windfall of a quarter which had made her day.   In your prayers, please continue to remember those suffering from severe famine in the Horn of Africa.  It's hard to know how to pray in the face of such a giant crisis, but I am just praying for rain, that God would work through the many organizations that are getting aid to people, helping them to go above and beyond, and also for a special blessing on our Nazarene efforts that God would work through us to bring spiritual and physical food to those who need it so desperately.  You serve the greatest Father of all time, who wants to give you more than coins or even the single Birr you are asking for or even the five Birr that is nearly beyond your imagination.  Ask for it, be insistent, be specific, and when it comes, reach out your hand and take it, no matter what the society around you has conditioned you to think is reasonable. Prayer Requests & Praises -Faustina Salifu (Pastor Mathias' wife) and her daughters, Rebecca and Charity, had severe cases of malaria.  The girls are doing better, but Faustina is still very ill.   -Family of Irene Thomas who passed away after a prolonged illness.   -The family of Rev. George Hess who passed away in Johannesburg, South Africa. -Prayer as the new year begins and the Africa Region moves towards the Celebrating Holiness Initiative. -Prayer over the Horn of Africa, as well as the famine relief personnel and those making their way to the refugee encampments.  Merry Christmas from the Chambo Family 36 Hour Famine     By:  Theola Phiri God has put a single word, "Hunger," on the heart of local NMI leader and Maraisburg Church of the Nazarene Pastor Kenneth Phiri.  Typically, there is a monthly emphasis on "radio broadcast," "schools," or "evangelism."  This year, however, the Johannesburg-based church is concentrated on Hunger.  Earlier this year, the congregation was challenged to give food to those in their community who needed it.  Each family got 1 of a 2-part grocery list.  A single family could complete the list, or a few families could combine in providing the items on their list.It covered the basics that most households in South Africa would need on a regular basis.  To date, the church has helped 7 households over a 6 month time period.   The church was already properly geared toward helping relieve hunger when the call for help in the Horn of Africa was shared.  The congregation was therefore ready, and eager to respond.  The members were challenged to participate in a 36-hour famine.  They would give up all foods for a day and a half.  During that time, they would pray for those effected by the famine and those working to assist in the relief efforts. The families were encouraged to calculate how much they would have spent on food over the time they were fasting, and then donate that amount towards a special offering for the Horn of Africa Famine Fund.   Immediately after a sermon of "Love in Action," based on the scripture found in John 15:9-17, an elderly couple stood up and said that because of health reasons, they could not do the fast.  However, they would be giving their offering immediately.  Before the service ended, another couple signed a cheque for R1,000 ($140USD) toward this special offering.  The congregation then went on to fast, pray, and continue collecting items for their grocery bags.  In the end, the special offering collected R4,000 (a little over $500USD) for the people in the Horn. This small church, with an average attendance of 50, is choosing to make an impact and the effects are being felt throughout the world.   365M By:  Roland Tedder I was born on August 25, 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa but I wouldn't feel a major connection with Africa until 12 years later when our family moved back to South Africa after spending ten years in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.  After we Author, Roland Tedder, in a Maasai hut in Kenya. moved back, I felt a connect with the land of my birth and half of my citizenship like never before, even during our two family vacations there.  The call into missions I had two years prior at a General Assembly in San Antonia, Texas was part of what cemented this love of Africa. When I left Africa after graduating high school, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I returned to where I had left my heart.  I went to Northwest Nazarene University for college and then headed to Nazarene Theological Seminary for graduate school.  When I heard about a missionary apprenticeship program (365M) starting at the school, I was immediately interested in going back to Africa.  The program developed its Africa chapter and God led me to Ongata Rongai, Kenya at Africa Nazarene University. Local Maasai men who greeted the group, including Roland, to their settlement. This year, I am working in the Religion Department as a teaching assistant, which has provided me with many opportunities to teach and interact with students.  Every one of these interactions has been a learning experience for me and hopefully, for them as well.  In addition to class work, I have experienced several churches around the Ongata Ronai and Nairobi area.  One of the highlights of my time away from campus was a trip to Entoroto, Kenya.  Entoroto is a Maasai settlement 80 kilometers from Narok in West-Central Kenya.  I went with the NCM coordinator for the field, a team from Canada, and an amazing navigator of Kenyan roads. The people there live relatively similar to how they have for hundreds of years, but one significant difference in their lives has been Christ.  It is incredible to see such an untouched people group living for Jesus.  I left there understanding more about what it means for the Kingdom of God to take root across the tribes and nations of our world; I left thankful for the work the Church of the Nazarene is doing to impact God's kingdom. New Year  By:  Brittany Leslie People have asked me over the last few years how I came up with my children's names.  The names we chose, which would be considered... unique even in our home culture, seem to often raise a response from people. My reply is usually something along the lines of, "Well, in my former life before I was a missionary, I..."  My former life. I started saying it when my first was born, when my husband and I were just starting out our life as parents, just starting out our lives working for the Church of the Nazarene, just starting out as missionaries.  I had no idea then how appropriate those words were.   I set foot on American soil this month for the first time in nearly 3 years.  Some things are the exact same.  I was able to drive myself easily from the airport to our destination.  Certain restaurants are still as divine as I remembered.  But some things are completely different. Friends have had children and I'm meeting walking, talking pre-schoolers, not babies, for the first time.  Buildings have changed.  Stores have opened and prices have changed. I'm nearly three years older.  I'm a 'marinating' mother of three children- not yet seasoned, but much better off than I was three years ago.  But most importantly, I'm a more aware person.  Three years of living so far from family, so far from my home culture, so far from all that I know has taught me that God is truly a good and beautiful God.  This time of year, there's always anticipation, change, and resolutions for new beginnings.  My small family is gearing up for new experiences as a young family traveling and touring America on Home Assignment.  But we're thrilled to be part of the Africa Region as the regional family is looking forward to new initiatives, new roles and promises of blessings from the Father.  Soon, very soon, the continent of Africa will be looking towards Holiness and what that looks like in person. I'm thrilled to know that even as my family is far away, even as we're making a new way, with new routines and new friends, we're still connected and we're still tied in to this new era that the Lord has in store for the Church in Africa.