Consider ESL

I have just completed a 12 hour training course in English as a Second Language (ESL) through the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC). I will now be matched with a group of students. Working with refugees has given me a passion for ESL. The GPLC offers conversational English courses for adults whose native language is not English.

The need for ESL programs to help U.S. students achieve educational proficiency standards in school is evident from the 2000 census, which found that close to 1 in 5 United States citizens spoke a language other than English at home. While this does not imply that those people do not also speak English, the census also found that roughly 10% spoke English either less than fluently or not at all.

ESL programs for adults are becoming widely available. It gives us a opportunity to be a friend while sharing an important gift. Consider how ESL will equip us to meet our new neighbors' felt needs:

• for improvement in their English language skills
• for connection with members of the community
• for acceptance and affirmation
• for assistance in understanding the American culture & environment

In so doing, we will break down barriers, be bearers of good news, and build stronger integrated communities. We will also be a living example of the unity of Christ's Body.

Stay off the paved road… -craig

Why a Well?

The human body is 70% water. A 3% loss of water can reduce a person’s work ability by 20%. For your average 60lb school-age child, that amounts to a standard nalgene-bottle full of water. Under exertion, the human body can sweat twice that in an hour. Now imagine sub-Saharan Africa, 90 to 110 degree heat depending on the season and a 2 mile hike to get water... one way. The average size jerry can used to carry water is 5 gallons, which weights a whopping 40lbs. Now imagine that you are a 7-year old girl. And you make this trek 3 times every day.

Each year 3.4 million people, mostly children, die from water-related diseases; that is one person every eight seconds. In Africa alone, 85 percent of all illness in children under 5 are caused by waterborne diseases. No matter the country or continent, water is the most precious gift.

Each well becomes a beacon of hope in the midst of desperation. It not only brings clean water to thirsty mouths but also brings the Living Water to thirsty souls.

stay off the paved road... -craig


"When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never forsake them." -Isaiah 41:7

Next Africa Mission 2008 Meeting

A Meeting for all interested participants will be Sunday September 9 at 4:00 PM. The meeting will take place at Crossroads Church of Pittsburgh located at 49512 Clairton Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15236.

Save The Children

Following is a disturbing story that I discovered recently. I have also included information from World Vision and UNICEF that is equally disturbing.

Evans Antoine wakes at 7 a.m. and dusts himself off from his night on the floor. While other children in his middle-class neighborhood overlooking the Haitian capital head to school, the 15-year-old puts on toeless sneakers and gets to work washing dishes, scrubbing floors and running errands at the market. He also works in the yard and sometimes wields a scythe in the family's fields.

There is little reward for his toil, except for food and a roof over his head. And often, the quality of his work isn't good enough; his caretakers sometimes hit him with a switch or slap him on the back of the scalp. Once they tied his hands and put a bag over his head before beating him with a stick. This has been his life for the past three years.

WORLD VISION also reports that children from impoverished Cambodian communities --especially girls --are often torn from their families by devious human traffickers who promise them good jobs. Instead they are forced into virtual slavery as prostitutes, street beggars, or laborers. Even those who are reunited with their families remain in danger, as poverty can force them back into demeaning work.

UNICEF estimates that two children per minute … between 1 and 2 million children annually … are trafficked for the purpose of forced labor or sexual exploitation, creating a 10-12 billion dollar business. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that In 2006 14,500 – 17,500 persons were trafficked into the United States..

If you want to stand against injustice, exploitation, and slavery, this would be the place to start.

Help Save The Children! --craig

visit:

Justice for Children International

Invisible Children

Stir

East Africa Mission 2008

We continue to pray and seek the Lord concerning the work and ministry areas of East Africa Mission 2008. Please pray with us but also consider your possible involvement by either going or supporting the mission financially. The photograph is the 2007 church project site. Our purpose is to be holistic in our approach to ministry and missions. As a result, we will give attention to overall community development. Possible Project areas include;

1) Outreach and church planting (Kenya and Sudan)

2) Church Community Building Project (Kenya)

3) Abstinence Education and HIV awareness (Kenya)

4) Drilling a well/water project (Kenya)

5) Orphanage support (Kenya)

6) Sudan ministry project assessment (Sudan)

7) Children's immunization (Kenya)

8) Bible Training/ Literacy (Kenya, Sudan)

The number of individuals commited to go is already larger than any team we have taken in the past. Those who will be traveling to Sudan will leave in advance of the rest of the team and then travel back to Kenya when the team arrives in Nairobi. If you would like to receive more information about the trip, please contact us as crossroadspittsburgh@msn.com. We also have a Mission Manual that we will send to you in a PDF format. We will be sharing information in the near future about how you can support the trip financially.

In the next several blogs I will be highlighting each of the above areas. In the meantime...

...stay off the paved road -craig

Sons of Korah

While You Are Considering Africa Mission 2008

Africa Mission 2008 (Mtg. time change to 10:00 am)

God has blessed tremendously as we have been faithful to take the Gospel to the nations. I first traveled to Africa in 2001 and have made 5 subsequent trips. The work of God through our team members has been awesome to watch. God always brings the right people together for the mission. Several years ago, I stood before a large group of people at a missions gathering and stated that "everyone in this room should travel to Africa at least once." One of the reasons for making that statement is because once you make the journey you will NEVER be the same. I know that this statement could also be echoed by all of the team members that have traveled with us. I have shared at length about our January 2007 trip.

We also have the privilege of traveling back to East Africa in the summer of 2008. We want to begin sharing information now. Therefore, we will gather for a Africa Mission 2008 information sharing meeting on Saturday, August 18 at 9:00 am. The meeting is open to all. Perhaps you have sensed a moving of God's Spirit to be involved in missions. Maybe you have always wanted to go to Africa a but have not had the opportunity. It could be that you just have a general interest but need to learn more. This is the exact reason why we are having the meeting almost one year in advance. Consider this post an invitation to join us on the 18th.

stay off the paved road... -craig

Announcing

Africa Mission 2008

Information Meeting

August 18, 2007 at 10:00 AM

Crossroads Church of Pittsburgh

Call for Details 412-915-0434

...and surely I am with you

always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20