India and Bangladesh

Our Eyewitness Trip to India and Bangladesh begins later today. Joining me on the team are Pastor Ed Rosenberry, Joyce Hornbaker, Denae Hornbaker, and Dan Forry. We will arrive in Kolkata, India on Thursday morning, the 11th and be in the Uluberia area (south of Kolkata) through the weekend visiting churches and schools. Uluberia is where our overseas CGGC ministry began in 1898. We then travel via overnight train next Monday night (the 15th) to northern part of West Bengal to the Malda district to visit more ministries. From there, we travel overland to cross the border into Bangladesh on November 17 and will be based at Bogra for the next several days. Bangladesh is our largest mission work with over 100 churches, many schools, and two excellent medical facilities. We begin our journey back home on Monday evening, the 22nd and arrive back in the States on the morning of the 23rd. Please pray for safe travel, good health, open minds, receptive hearts, and positive attitudes for our team. Also pray for our hosts who are always gracious and very hospitable. I know there is so much more they want us to see and experience than what our time will allow. Pray that we will make the most of our opportunity there.
Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org

Pastors Caleb & Christina Acosta now have a website for pictures and information about Hispanic ministries in the Churches of God. The site is http://cggc-latinoministries.blogspot.com. Be sure to bookmark that page and/or become a follower to keep informed about this growing ministry. The latest news is that they are now working with the Spanish-speaking community in Elizabethtown, PA through the invitation of Pastor Mark Yarger of the Elizabethtown First Church of God.

Tomas has regained hurricane strength and is moving quickly north. It has already passed southwestern Haiti and is near the far eastern part of Cuba this afternoon. The main threat from Tomas is expected to be heavy rainfall that could cause life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides over Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Rainfall amounts between 5 to 10 inches are expected in these countries, with rainfall amounts near 15 inches possible in isolated spots. We're already getting reports of flooding and downed trees in western Haiti. The Indian Head Church of God team (ARC) is scheduled to fly back to the States tomorrow (Saturday). Rain is still in the forecast for Port-au-Prince and Saint-Marc tomorrow, but the worst of the storm will be north and flights are still expected to go (at this time). Pray for our Project Help staff in Haiti as they assist the team in getting to the airport and fly home. A team from the Great Lakes Region (led by Pastor Dave Green) goes to Florida on Sunday and then flies on to Haiti on Monday, the 8th. Please pray for their safety in travel.

Mike, Natinha & Hannah Poe will be at Shippensburg First Church of God (ERC) this Sunday. Their support account is CC 2750.

The new completely revised 7th edition Operation World--the Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation is now available and on sale from CGGC Publications  This 978-page resource is loaded with clear, concise, accurate information on peoples, languages, religions, denominations, spiritual trends, and prayer needs--for every country in the world, from the largest to the smallest. Order your copy now for ONLY $14.99 plus shipping (Retail $24.99). Email Kris at publications@cggc.org.

Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org

News from Haiti

I just received this news tonight from Steve Mossburg, our Project Help Director in Haiti:

Things have gotten a little less complicated this week after the departure of our 14 person medical team on Saturday. Team leader Dr. John Judson was much impressed with our small little hospital and what we are attempting to do there. That is a great compliment because John has been involved in Haiti longer than anyone else I have run across. He first came here as a doctor in 1968 and has been involved ever since and has a long time connection to Hospital Albert Schwietzer where he served as director of surgery in the late 1990's.

John's team accomplished quite a few surgeries, ultrasounds and gynecological exams last week at our hospital. Our clinic treated about 300 plus patients in our cholera ward since Oct. 22nd. We hear that approximately 340 have died to date and 4,700 have been treated since the outbreak started two weeks ago. There have been several organizations doing awareness seminars and distributing clorox and disinfectants, Compassion International hosted such an event Saturday here at our Borel Conference Center.

The big news event this week, of course, is Tropical Storm Tomas which could turn into a hurricane and brush across south Haiti. This of course could be devastating with so many people living in refugee camps. So far Haiti has been pretty lucky in avoiding major hurricanes and the massive amounts of river flooding they often bring with them.

Even though we had 14 people leave on Saturday, we still have two other teams here this week. A six person team from Grace Covent out of Platt City Mo. arrived last Wednesday. They have been working in Haiti since 1995 and use our guesthouse facility at Pierre Payen. They usually bring two teams a year in April and October.
 
A  five person team from Indian Head Church of God in Pennsylvania along with our auditor Wayne Hlavecek from Springfield Mo. arrived on Saturday. The Indian Head team is working in the mountains putting a roof on their sister church at Targette. Logistically this is no small undertaking. This project originated back in 2006 when an Indian Head Church mission team led by then Pastor Ben Tobias came to visit their sister church. Though I was not working for PH-H at that time, I agreed to help lead their team up to Targette.

This mountain church probably ranks as the third remotest church we have out of 35 churches in Haiti. You can drive into the mountains as far as Gilbert where you have to walk on narrow mountain trails the next 2 hours. All supplies have to be carried in backpacks, or pack animals or be carried by people up to the village. The new church measures 34 x 60 and is made out of cement blocks all transported up by people and horses. The roof trusses which are welded steel  were carried up bar by bar along with a gas welder , a generator and a cut-off saw and manufactured on sight. The roof is comprised of 120 pieces of 12 foot metal roofing, also carried up by villagers, and will be screwed onto metal purlins welded onto the truss rafters.

The team went up yesterday to join up with the Haitian welding crew from our Borel work shop who have been in the mountains since last Thursday . I was in phone contact with team leader Stacy Dix this morning, and all the rafters were made and in place and purlins were welded on one side of the roof so they could start screwing down roofing today. So far the weather here in Haiti has been without rain for the last week and a half so we hope they finish and get back before tropical storm Tomas possibly brings rain.

Today I have been doing a listing of projects that need done by the remainder of this years and 2011 teams. I will be figuring up a materials list tomorrow so we can start buying materials for next weeks teams. I have also started resuming work with our Haitian workers here at Borel on some of the projects we were working on before I left I left in August.   In God's love , Steve      

Keep praying for the people of Haiti as they await the rains headed their way. Ask God to spare the country from another catastrophe. Give thanks for those who have been treated for cholera and for organizations working together for the benefit of the people. Remember to pray for our missionary staff and American teams serving there at this time.

Thanks so much!
 
Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director

Travels, Lausanne, and Haiti

Phyllis and I arrived home today after traveling 1,900 miles by car. Last weekend, we were in Maryland at the Germantown Church of God for a special missions emphasis which included an area missions dinner on Sunday night. On Monday night, I joined the team meeting of the Germantown group preparing to go to Haiti soon. Pastor Mark Hosler is leading the group November 15-22.

On Tuesday, we drove on to Boone, NC where we stayed with friends who grew up in our church in Mt.Carmel, IL in the early 1970's. He is now interim chief operating officer for Samaritan's Purse. Ron and Susan are special people! We enjoyed a private tour of the home office and operations on Wednesday. That night, we were in Hickory, NC renewing friendships with a couple who were teens in our youth group in the Chicago area in the late 1970's-early 1980's. Tim & Tracey have been blessed with four children, and we enjoyed spending time with their family and catching up with "old times."

It was on to Columbia, SC on Thursday in preparation for my D.Min class at Columbia International University. The class was "Major Issues in 21st Century Missions" and was held in conjunction with the Lausanne III Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. Two of our professors were in Cape Town and connected with us on Skype. Two other professors were with us in South Carolina and helped us process what we were seeing and hearing. Cape Town was such a monumental gathering for the sake of the kingdom that there were major cyber attacks on the Congress early in the week. Adjustments were made in linking up with sites around the world. While video for many of the sessions are now uploaded and ready for viewing at http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010/schedule.html, additional resources are still planned. Please pray for the 4,000+ delegates who came from 200 different nations that God will continue to pour out His Spirit on their commitment as the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.

Before we left Columbia, Phyllis and I took Josh & Patty Brickey and their two children out to dinner on Monday night. We were excited to meet this couple who are preparing to plant a church in NE Columbia next year. If you have friends or relatives in the Columbia, SC area, I know the Brickeys would love to meet them. Learn more at www.venuechurch.tv.

Steve & Shirley Mossburg arrived in Haiti last Saturday. Steve sent this report today:

Last Wednesday I got the news from Haiti that we would once again be involved in dealing with another disaster emergency--this time a cholera epidemic. Fortunately we had a medical team scheduled to arrive in Haiti on the same day we arrived, so we loaded them up with IV fluids and antibiotics for cholera. Starting last Friday, a cholera ward was set up at our Pierre Payen health clinic and, as of yesterday noon October 26, we had treated 112 cholera patients. Our medical surgical team has also been training our Haitian staff how to run the ultrasound equipment and been doing lots of ultrasounds a health procedure that has been lacking in Haiti  till now.  We also have a gynecologist on this team, and she is examining lots of patients. Our surgeons have also been busy in general and ortho surgeries. I have been between our two compounds as we prepare to start hosting work teams on Saturday, and Wayne Hlavaceck arrives to  work with our accountant doing an audit. We will also have two containers here in Haiti by Friday that will need cleared from customs.

One of the things that really bothered me was the death of a young 12 year old on Monday. She was referred to us from the Mission of Hope Hospital back towards Port-au-Prince. The young lady had fallen off a donkey about 2 weeks ago and had not improved. Our head surgeon did a quick exam and determined she had a broken or fractured femur and possibly a lacerated liver. Since she had survived two weeks, he felt the liver was not the issue and had scheduled her for an x-ray and ultrasound. When I left to eat lunch she was sitting in a wheelchair eating a cracker. 15 minutes  later someone came to tell me she was dead. I couldn't believe it, so I had to to go see for myself. Our surgeons later determined she had a blood clot that broke loose during her 45 minutes ambulance ride and this is what quickly took her life before they could start treating her. It only points out how fragile life is here in Haiti for the majority of those living in poverty.
Keep praying for the people of Haiti during this cholera outbreak. The spread of the disease seems to be diminishing. Pray for the USA medical team now there to assist during this crisis. Thanks!!
Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org

Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

Early reports of a cholera outbreak in Haiti were confirmed today by medical authorities. At least 140 persons have died and more than 1,000 have been hospitalized by the illness, which causes diarrhea, acute fever, and severe dehydration. Officials believe the outbreak was caused by people drinking infected water from the Artibonite river. The worst cases are around Saint-Marc. The young and the elderly are more vulnerable to the disease. With many Haitians still in refugee camps where the sanitary conditions are not very good, the disease can quickly spread.

Since Saint-Marc is the center of our ministry work in Haiti, we are obviously concerned. Precautions are being taken to protect persons in our contact area. I have been in contact with persons in Borel, and there is no indication of any cholera in the Borel area.

Dr. Ric Bonnel (who has been responsible for scheduling medical teams since the earthquake) writes: "Most cases of cholera do not cause severe disease, especially in otherwise healthy individuals. Most people recover fully with rehydration and do not need antibiotics." A medical team from the USA will be arriving at Pierre Payen tomorrow (Saturday) and will be prepared to assist patients who come their way. The team is taking special medical supplies in anticipation of the cholera outbreak spreading.

All teams scheduled to go to Haiti in the coming weeks have been informed of the situation and given instructions for taking extra precautions. Special attention is being given to food preparation, water sources, and cleanliness. Project Help Director Steve Mossburg also returns to Haiti tomorrow and will keep us posted about happenings on the ground there.

Please PRAY for the people of Haiti that the spread of this disease will end as quickly as it began. Pray for medical personnel, government officials and church leaders to have wisdom in assisting the people in their time of need. Pray for those who mourn and who are anxious about themselves and their loved ones. Give thanks for a loving, compassionate God who is at work through His people to bring healing and encouragement.
Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org

Lausanne III Congress in Cape Town, South Africa

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus! 

An historic gathering is about to take place! 4,000 delegates from 200 countries are arriving this weekend in Cape Town, South Africa for the Lausanne III Congress on World Evangelization. You can go to http://www.lausanne.org to learn more about the Lausanne Movement and this special event.

The opening ceremony begins this Sunday night, October 17 and continues through next Sunday night, October 24. Pray for unity to emerge as they seek God's direction for implementing effective strategies to address the challenges facing the global church.

As a part of my Doctor of Ministry studies, I'm blessed to be in a class (Major Issues in 21st Century Missions) in Columbia, SC  that will be linked up with sessions from Cape Town during the final weekend (next Friday-Monday).

Thanks for keeping this special week in your prayers.

Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus!

 Mike, Natinha, & Hannah Poe arrived in the States from Palmas, Brazil yesterday for a few months of deputation and vacation. This Sunday, October 17th, they will be at Carlisle First Church of God (Carlisle, PA) in the morning and at the Northwest District Missions Rally at Martinsburg, PA in the evening. Pray for the Poes during these weeks as they share how God is at work in their lives and ministry. 

Please join us in praying for Linda Barclay who suffered a massive stroke on Monday night. Linda retired in 2004 after many years in the CGGC office serving as missions department secretary (prior to Dee Callahan) and then as finance secretary. Pray for her husband, Gary, and their family during this time.

I will be speaking at Germantown Church of God (Cascade, MD) this Sunday morning for a special missions emphasis and then also at an area-wide missions dinner on Sunday night at Germantown. Missions Advancement Volunteers George & Martha Yerger as well as missionary candidate Thersa Snyder will also be participating on Sunday night.

Thanks for "your partnership in the gospel" (Phil 1:5) which continues to enlarge our opportunities to serve the God of all mission.

Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org

Assistant Director Search Announced

6 October 2010

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus! 

God has wonderfully blessed the growth of this ministry through the years. I marvel at the doors He has opened which have allowed us to learn more about what He is doing in the world and to be more engaged with other cultures for the sake of the gospel. While we rejoice in these expanding opportunities, I am aware of my own limitations in doing more while still maintaining a high standard for ministry.

Members of the CGGC Cross-Cultural Commission have been extremely supportive! For several years, they have expressed concerns about the future. How can we sustain our momentum while also improving the effectiveness of our current ministry? More specifically, how can we best facilitate a smooth leadership transition if/when I am no longer the Director?
   
In September, the CGGC Administrative Council authorized funding for a director-level staff person to assist the Cross-Cultural Ministries Director in overseeing and serving the needs of our expanding missions work. A preliminary job description has been posted at http://www.cggc.org/PDF%20Files/CCM/JOB%20DESCRIPTION.pdf
   
Persons wishing to be considered for the position are requested to send a résumé with a cover letter to Don Dennison, P.O. Box 926, Findlay, OH 45839 (or email attachment to missions@cggc.org no later than December 1st.
   
We hope to announce the selection at the March 15-16, 2011 CGGC Administrative Council meeting so that employment can begin by mid-2011. Please pray for God’s guidance in this selection process.
   
Our goal of “glorifying God by mobilizing churches to have a biblical vision of reproducing Christ’s followers in other cultures" remains the same. We want to do more, because the need has never been greater. We want to do better, because He is worthy of our best.
   
Thank you for the opportunity to serve. Thank you for your faithful, generous support of CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries.
Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org