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Free from the Ebola virus - but not from stigma
By Holly Beech, news@africanazarene.org | |
Clarence Labor and his family were quarantined at their home for 21 days after nine of their neighbors contracted Ebola in December. Though his family did not contract the virus, they are now seen as a threat and avoided by much of the community. The rope in the photo indicates the edge of the quarantine area. (Photo: Rev. Vidal Cole)
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FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE - In December, nine of the people in Nazarene Theological Institute student Clarence Labor's neighborhood contracted the Ebola virus. Seven of them died.
Labor and his fiance and children were quarantined for 21 days, not knowing if they too had Ebola. Thankfully, they all came through the quarantine period virus-free.
Even though they are healthy, the family is now treated differently by the rest of the community. People don't want to interact with them. Vendors don't want to sell them anything.
"Many people are afraid because they thought that after the quarantine we could still spread the virus to them," Labor said.
Before he was quarantined, Labor and his neighbors were friendly and shared with each other. Now people often avoid him. "Those are my saddest moments," he said.
"People used to talk to me. We used to do things together," he said. "Now they run away from me."
Labor said he has found comfort through his church, Faith Community Church of the Nazarene in Freetown. While he was quarantined, pastors and church members would bring him food, call him and pray for him and his family.
"Church, the fellowship, those are my happiest times," Labor said.
Rev. Vidal Cole, the district superintendent and pastor of Overcomers
Assembly Church of the Nazarene, said the 70 Nazarene churches in Sierra Leone are spreading the message that when individuals have survived Ebola or have made it through quarantine, they should be welcomed in and not treated as a threat.
This has caused new people to join the church, Cole said, because it's a place they feel welcome. Churches have even experienced revival in the midst of the crisis, he said, and attendance has gone up.
CHURCH RESPONDS TO ECONOMIC, SOCIAL CHALLENGES
The Nazarene Church has provided rice for hundreds of families. (Top): Children wash their hands at a tap bucket in Sierra Leone. (Photos: Africa West Field)
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Sierra Leone has had the highest number of Ebola cases, with more than 10,740 cases and 3,276 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The crisis has caused many schools, shops, businesses and mining operations to shut down, eliminating jobs and leaving several families with no income. "The economic crisis is getting harder every day," Cole said. "Our currency is declining. Prices of food commodities are going up seriously, so much that it's difficult for people to buy." In rural areas, farmers who have been quarantined often return home to find that their crops have been harvested and stolen, Cole said.
Nazarene churches have distributed rice to more than 700 families, supplied through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. They are also educating the community about Ebola and how it spreads. Each church has a tap bucket filled with chlorine water where members of the community come to wash their hands. "Every local church in this community, they are doing this kind of work and sending a very big message to the community around," Cole said. But there is not enough food to meet the demand. "No, it's never enough at all. Because this is what we eat every day, and here the families are large," Cole said. "It's normally a husband, wife, many children, brother, sister, cousin, father, mother, extended family." The Church in Sierra Leone is praying for an economic recovery and for the complete eradication of Ebola. WIFE OF NAZARENE PASTOR CONTRACTS EBOLA VIRUS Isatu Fullah, the wife of Nazarene Pastor James Fullah (both pictured above), has tested positive for Ebola and has been admitted into an Ebola center, Rev. Cole said on February 13. Mr. Fullah, the pastor of Amazing Grace Church of the Nazarene in Ogoo Farm outside Freetown, is in quarantine, along with the couple's five children and seven adult relatives. Pastors have set up an hourly prayer chain for the family, and Rev. Cole asks believers to join in prayer. "We continue to trust the Lord and hold out to him in faith for His divine intervention in this matter," he said. No member of the Nazarene Church in Sierra Leone has died from Ebola, Cole said. Click here for more stories and updates about the crisis from the Africa West Field.
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Malawi churches pool resources to support flood victims
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By Holly Beech, news@africanazarene.org
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Thousands of people in southern Malawi have had to flee their homes because of devastating floods. (Photos: Alex Mkandawire, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries)
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SOUTHERN MALAWI - In Malawi, where flooding has killed 104 people and displaced more than 230,000 others*, Nazarene churches are pulling together their resources to support members in need.
A Nazarene Compassionate Ministries team recently visited hard-hit areas in southern Malawi to distribute food and supplies and encourage churches.
During their visit, NCM country coordinators Rev. Wellington Obotte and Rev. Alex Mkandawire urged churches not to wait for international aid, but to take action and use what they had to help each other.
Moved by this message, members of the Nsanje Church of the Nazarene raised 7,000 Malawi Kwacha (roughly $16 U.S. dollars), and about a dozen people donated clothing, Mkandawire said. The church used these collections to support a local woman named Mrs. Martha Jeke, a widow and mother of four who had lost her crops in the flood, according to Lower Shire District Superintendent Rev. Gershom Kwerakwera.
The church also gave items - such as clothing, plates, cups and flour - to individuals at the Mota Camp, where more than 2,000 flood victims are living.
"The assistance was not enough, but philosophers once said, 'A piece of bread is better than none!'" Kwerakwera said. "Those who received these items were very happy. ... I am very glad that our people (are) able to assist each other during hard times like this in response to the word of God."
"We were really thrilled and impressed by the kind gesture. ... Once again I thank the Church for showing oneness and compassion to the needy." -Alex Mkandawire,
NCM country coordinator
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The Lizulu Church of the Nazarene also rallied to help, raising 10,000 Malawi Kwacha (about $23 U.S. dollars) and donating a new jacket, Mkandawire said. The funds were used to buy three cartons of soap for pastors and the jacket was given to a district superintendent, all of whom have been severely affected by the flooding.
"We were really thrilled and impressed by the kind gesture," Mkandawire said.
With the help of local pastors, the NCM team identified 500 vulnerable families in need of aid. During a recent distribution trip, the team was able to reach 418 of those families and give them each a blanket, some cooking oil, some dried fish and about a week's supply of flour, Mkandawire said in a report.
Another distribution trip is planned to reach the other 82 families, who were on the other side of the River Shire and could not be reached during the first trip.
The food won't last the families long, Mkandawire said, and flour and beans are scarce.
The team traveled to several places in southern Malawi where they saw an immense need for food, shelter and supplies. Those who received items from NCM lined up peacefully and were extremely grateful, Mkandawire said.
"In all these places there was peace and jubilation and praises to God and the church," he said. "According to Rev. Kwerakwera, the distribution has revived his churches and the district."
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Families in Malawi line up to receive aid from NCM.
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Mkandawire thanked supporters who have prayed for victims and given financially.
"Once again I thank the Church for showing oneness and compassion to the needy," he said.
"Continue praying for us. We still have many needs. ... The situation is really bad for our friends."
Shelter is the greatest need, he said. Victims also need mosquito nets, as the flooding increases their risk of malaria.
The crisis requires long-term plans for relief work, Mkandawire said. In Nsanje, for example, the farms and crops have been destroyed, which will affect food supplies for months to come.
NCM is also providing aid in Mozambique, where 50,000 people have had to flee their homes because of the flooding, and 3,600 cases of malaria have been reported at relief centers.*
*Statistics from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Click below to help fund Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' relief efforts:
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JESUS Film leads to changed life for Benin farmer
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Information from Diane Robbins, JESUS Film Harvest Partners
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"God is doing mighty things in Africa, and he is using the JESUS Film as one tool."
-Diane Robbins, JESUS Film Harvest Partners
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OUÉSSÉ, BENIN - In December, a farmer named Sévérin from the village of Agouagon, Benin, came to a JESUS Film event that changed his life.
After working abroad for 10 years, Sévérin, 36, came home to Benin to farm his family's land. But when he returned, he learned that his brother had sold most of the land to buy a motorcycle.
In anger, Sévérin vowed to confiscate the remaining land. He was surprised to find his brother there working, and the two got into a violent fight with a machete. The brother had to be taken to to the hospital.
A religious object believed to embody a powerful spirit and have magical powers.
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"Since that day, it was tearing the family apart," Sévérin said. "I have never found peace. I run from fetish to fetish to get peace.
"But now, through this Jesus Film, I found One who can give me that peace. Despite all (Jesus) has suffered, he always gives love and peace to all those who ask."
After watching the JESUS Film, Sévérin wrote a testimony saying he had decided to give his life to Christ and reconcile with his family.
The JESUS Film event took place over three days and reached 805 people. Fifty-four people decided to follow Jesus.
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Ebola outbreak: How you can help (continued)  |
Please join churches across West Africa in prayer for the eradication of Ebola and the economic recovery of hard-hit countries.
You may also give money for food and education materials for affected communities through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.
NEW CASES ARE DOWN BUT UNPREDICTABLE The spread of Ebola is largely slowing down, but Guinea saw a sharp week-to-week increases in the first week of February. Also, the government in Sierra Leone placed 700 properties on lock down February 13 in Aberdeen, a fishing and tourist district of Freetown, after a fisherman who had Ebola died, according to the AFP news agency. The government said it is on top of the situation and people should not panic, AFP reports. The following list shows the number of new confirmed cases each week in the three hardest-hit countries. |
Week
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Sierra Leone
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Guinea
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Liberia
| Dec. 22-28
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337
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114
| 31
| Dec. 29 - Jan. 4
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248
| 74
| 8
| Jan. 5-11
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184
| 42
| 8
| Jan. 12-18
| 117
| 20
| 8
| Jan. 19-25
| 65
| 30
| 4
| Jan. 26 - Feb. 1
| 80
| 39
| 5
| Feb. 2-8
| 76
| 65
| 3
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| Total cases since outbreak began*
| 10,934
| 3,044
| 8,881
| Total deaths
| 3,341
| 1,995
| 3,826
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*Confirmed, probable and suspected cases Source: World Health Organization, current as of Feb. 11
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Monrovia district praises God in the midst of sorrow
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Information and photo from Pastor Stephen C. Tarpeh
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Nazarene churches in the Monrovia district meet for the district assembly and NMI convention in January.
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MONROVIA, LIBERIA - Filled with grief and weary from the Ebola crisis, church members in Monrovia still came together to rejoice and comfort each other at the annual Nazarene Missions International convention January 22. They continued to meet over the next three days for the 20th annual Monrovia District Assembly.
District NMI President Elizabeth Johnson acknowledged Liberia's great hardship. More than 3,700 Liberians have died from Ebola, including three members of the Nazarene Church: Sister Victoria Jlay, Rev. Joe D. Sonkpah and Mrs. Hannah Sonkpah. The Sonkpahs leave behind four children and a grieving congregation. Church members Sargba Borkay and Moses Dorbor also passed away recently from other causes.
Amid the sadness, Mrs. Johnson thanked God for his mercy and loving-kindness. Believers truly lived out the theme of the assembly - "As Sorrowful, yet Rejoicing!" (2 Cor. 6:10) - as they filled the church with heartfelt songs of worship.
Pastor Stephen Tarpeh, guest preacher at the NMI convention, said the time of workshop was one of the most joy-filled that he had experienced. The spirit of love was alive from start to finish, he said. At Sunday's service, the Good News Church of the Nazarene was packed with double the normal attendance. Twenty-four local church members were baptized, and new pastors received their district license. Participants also heard district reports and held elections.
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PRAYER REQUESTS
- Please pray for Isatu Fullah, the wife of Nazarene Pastor James Fullah near Freetown, who has contracted Ebola. Pray for the couple, their five children and extended family, who are in quarantine.
- Pray for Christ to change lives and bring healing through the JESUS Film.
- Pray for flood victims who continue to face harsh conditions in Malawi and Mozambique.
- Pray for God's powerful presence at the Africa Regional Conference, March 8-13.
- Pray for the persecuted Church.
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ABOUT THE REGION
 The Nazarene Church is in 42 countries in Africa, with more than 600,000 members in six fields.
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