Oasis International

Report from Jos, Nigeria

This is the latest report on the situation in Jos from our Managing Director in Nigeria, Craig Ewoldt.  Please pray for peace and the safety of all Oasis employess in this troubled city.

 

This past month in Jos has been challenging. The festivities and joy of Christmas Eve were interrupted by several bombs in public areas which killed and maimed over one hundred innocent people. Jos has been unsettled since with incidents and threats of violence and retaliation.
 
But there are also reports of peacemakers—among others, a Muslim youth leader who has turned from violence to promoting peace, and an Assemblies of God pastor who has been working with both Christian and Muslim youth. During this most recent crisis, it is reported that his church was surrounded by youth to protect it from a mob that wanted to burn it—Muslim youth that he had befriended and mentored that told the mob they could not burn this church.
 
We ate lunch this Saturday with Professor Danny McCain and Mary his wife. He told of meetings he has participated in with hundreds of youth leaders, both Muslim and Christian in local theaters to train and promote for peace, ending in commitments by these youth to work for peace. And these youth were out in front a week or two ago as Christian and Muslim youth were ready to fight. Danny reported that the next day, many of them came back with thanks for the training—“Many of us would have been dead this morning if you hadn’t worked with us.” I wish that BBC, VOA and other media would begin to report these efforts.
 
We just unpacked a book today entitled Apocalypse Later, Why the Gospel of PEACE Must Trump the POLITICS of Prophesy in the Middle East by Abdu H. Murray, a Muslim background believer. What he describes is very close to what we are experiencing here. And he echoes what we have been considering here in Jos—the Gospel of Jesus Christ is really the answer if we are to have peace. He revived the old quote, “No Jesus, no peace; know Jesus, know peace.” Not trite, often not tried, but true.
 
Hillcrest School has not reopened from Christmas break, and will be closed for another week, but for a different reason. The Nigerian government is using school campuses around the country to register voters for the upcoming elections in April. Hillcrest will reopen next week, and Beth will be able to resume her teaching.
 
On Saturday we attended the funeral of Anne Burke, an SIM missionary in Jos and a friend of ours. She was 58, and died suddenly of an aortic aneurism. We will miss her. The funeral was a wonderful testimony to her life and also of the mission and Christian community here. Peter and Anne were planning to go home to Australia today (Monday) to visit their family. It is a reminder of our own mortality.
 
Throughout the crisis, the Oasis Bookshop remained open, but at reduced hours. This is possible because we are in a more secure area of Jos. We are thankful that we have been able to continue to minister though literature during the latest crisis. It seems to be calming down, but even today we received reports of more incidents over the weekend. These continued crises are polarizing Jos into Christian and Muslim areas—regrettably with “no go zones” where it is unsafe for each group to go.
 
So how can you pray for us?
 
Thanksgiving for the peace efforts that are being made in Jos.
Thanksgiving for the safety of our community, staff and facilities during the recent crisis.
Thankfulness that we were able to continue to minister during this period.
For Jos—peace, justice and reconciliation. If anyone has been brought to justice for the thousands of killings in Jos crises, we are unaware of it.
For Nigeria and the upcoming elections, that they would be fair and peaceful.
For Beth and Hillcrest, that they would be able to complete the year without further disruptions.
For Craig and Oasis—we need more low cost Bibles quickly. Please pray that there would be no further delays in shipping them.
Please pray for Peter Burke on the sudden loss of his wife Anne.
 
We are thankful as we remember that you regularly pray for us and support us.
 
Serving together,
 
Craig and Beth

When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself – A Book Review

Everyone serving in a nonprofit organization that serves the economically poor should read Steve Corbett  and Brian Fikkert’s book When Helping Hurts .  Both authors are experts in helping the poor, and they provide readers information and advice for immediate application.  With a solid biblical exegesis, their philosophical explanations on poverty partnered with principles to help the poor and strategic tips combine to make an excellent read.

Corbett and Fikkert argue that many well-intentioned people hurt the economically poor without knowing it.  However, they demonstrate that there are effective ways to minister to the poor without hurting anyone, including the helper.  The authors support their argument with experience and expertise in the area of assisting the poor, giving readers valuable ministry advice.

The book is conversationally written, providing in-depth principles to implement.  Each page provides wisdom and therefore, should be carefully read and digested.  I poured through every page eager to learn something new.  The following are two specific areas, which really stirred my soul.

In Part One, the authors lay the foundational groundwork to understanding the key issues around this idea of hurting the poor.  They examine Scripture and true biblical definitions of poverty to get at the core of how poverty is perpetuated.  I expected to see more statistics and cultural or sociological reasons behind poverty but what I found was very different.  Instead, I found that my definition of poverty was altogether wrong.  I was convicted that some of my beliefs about the poor need to change – in knowledge, in finances, in relationships, and so on.  Fikkert and Corbett call it a “god-complex” and they explain:

“The way we act toward the economically poor often communicates-albeit unintentionally- that we are superior and they are inferior.  In the process we hurt the poor and ourselves.  And here is the clincher: this dynamic is likely to be particularly strong whenever middle-to-upper class, North American Christians try to help the poor….” (Pg. 65). 

As I read the book, I identified feelings of superiority within myself.  I was previously unaware of the conflicts such feelings create when serving the poor. Having this new knowledge equips me to better prepare my heart and my mind before entering into any new charitable project.

Oasis International is intentional in its methods as it seeks to encourage a budding and growing church in Africa by providing affordable Christian resources.  Oasis’ walks alongside the African Church to help them create a sustainable Christian book industry, confident that Africans have the intelligence, the finances, and leadership capabilities to maintain it.

In reading this book, I came to understand with greater completeness the purpose of Oasis International--to provide books and Bibles to underserved regions of the English-speaking world where poverty is pervasive. Their mission includes helping the Africans develop and own a sustainable business model that provides long-lasting spiritual resources through Christian literature and Bibles.  Corbett and Fikkert talk about “Finding your Niche” means focusing on either relief, rehabilitation, or development.  Oasis focuses on the toughest aspect of poverty-alleviation: development.  I witnessed Oasis’ dedication to their mission and their commitment to development.  Their professionalism and passion for helping their brothers and sisters in Christ is truly an inspiration.  Through their groundbreaking development work in African communities, hope has been realized.  As they continue to seek further development opportunities in Africa may the LORD bless them with their endeavors.

Nicole Powers was our communications and development intern this past fall. We encouraged her to read When Helping Hurts  at the beginning of her time with us. She read the book and gave us permission to post her review on our blog.