"a flea can bite the bottom of the Pope in Rome"

You will probably have heard of the 9 year old schoolgirl who started a blog about school dinners called 'NeverSeconds: One primary school pupil's daily dose of school dinners'. . It was very simply comments and a photo about her daily intake at midday. and a very fair assessment 




Then Jamie Oliver commented and people started sending in photos of their school dinners and she started raising funds for a school feeding programme, Mary's Meals in Malawi  and so it grew.....

But then she was banned from taking photos of her school meals and the Twittersphere and Blogosphere took on the council. The council backed down and it was all reported in the National press.  At the time of writing her blog has had nearly 5 million hits and rising fast.  Its a real demonstration of the power of social media (and of course local and national press)


All I could think of was the words from the musical 'Les Miserables' sung by little Gavroche:  "a flea can bite the bottom of the Pope in Rome"






you can read all the words to the song here

GAVROCHE
They laugh at me, these fellas,
Just because I am small
They laugh at me because I'm not hundred feet tall!
I tell 'em there's a lot to learn down here on the ground
The world is big, but little people turn it around!

A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care!
A sparrow in a hut
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome!

Goliath was a bruiser who was tall as the sky.
But David threw a right and gave him one in the eye.
I never read the Bible but I know that it's true
It only goes to show what little people can do!

ALL
A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care!
A sparrow in a hut
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome!

GAVROCHE
So listen here professor,
With your head in the cloud.
It's often kind of useful
To get lost in the crowd.
So keep your universities
I don't give a damn
For better or for worse it is
The way that I am!

Be careful where you go
'Cos little people grow...

And little people know
When little people fight
We may look easy pickings but we got some bite!
So never kick a dog because he's just a pup
You better run for cover when the pup grows up!

And we'll fight like twenty armies
And we won't give up

ALL
A worm can roll a stone
A bee can sting a bear
A fly can fly around Versailles
'Cos flies don't care!
A sparrow in a hut
Can make a happy home
A flea can bite the bottom
Of the Pope in Rome!

well done little one.....  don't lose your bite.....
 

The Christmas Story: Good News of Great Joy

I offer two little films from New Zealand which re-tell the Christmas narrative. I feel they capture the spirit of Christmas beautifully, with genuine charm and gentle faith.........   
 

Good News of Great Joy (2011) 

 

The prequel to our film, The Christmas Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWq60oyrHVQ as told by the kids of St Paul's Church Auckland. Anyone is welcome to show this film publicly, but not change it in any way, nor make money out of it. Except for Joe. You can buy his music here: http://les-enfants.bandcamp.com/

The Christmas Story (2010)

 The Christmas Story' (2010), as told by the children of St Paul's Church, Auckland, New Zealand. Anyone is welcome to show this film publicly, but not change it in any way, nor make money out of it. Except for Joe.  Good News of Great Joy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttInl1ewJVo

Creating Social Capital

This is my version of a painting of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, by Sieger Koder the German painter-priest. It is based on the famous sunday school passage and the little boy who provides for 5000 plus:

Matthew 14:16-18 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" ¹⁷And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." ¹⁸And He said, "Bring them here to Me."

Read the complete account in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6.

This is a story of a miracle. Some would say a parable. But it illustrates a principle of provision - of taking the little we have and using it and somehow in the process there is multiplication. Maybe by example as others also shared what they had brought with them. More likely by the unexpected, the miraculous, by divine intervention.

This is really odd math: 5+2 = 5000 + 12 ! A lot of people fed and a lot of leftovers (one basket per disciple) Each one with more than they started with...

The story has inspired many in different ways - Just 2 examples: eDevotions for Growing Christians and a clever New Zealand website of resources for evangelism called simply 5loaves2fishes

To me it says something about the creation of social capital and the power of participation. How the resources of the crowd can be utilised once they are realeased. About how weare not alone and must always expect the unexpected. God will provide

For some reason it reminds me of the 5 Venn principles of CMS (maybe its just the number 5 thats the link) I've added my 'commentary' on the principles (in brackets and italics) from the story.

The five founding principles of John Venn, in founding the Society for Missions to Africa and the East (later to become CMS) in 1799 were:

1. Follow God’s leading; (doing just as Jesus instructed)
2. Begin on a small scale; (just 5 loaves and 2 fish is a small beginning!)
3. Put money in second place because money follows ministry; let prayer, study and mutual converse precede its collection; (they prayed and talked and collected - not money - just 5loaves&2fish)
4. Success depends on sending people of the highest calibre; (The disciples were high calibre - in God's eyes)
5. Depend wholly upon the Spirit of God. (which is what they did...then the miracle happened)

Women in Afghanistan

This excellent little cameo of rural empowerment was posted on Facebook by Claire in Afghanistan.

Considering our Medair value of dignity, I wanted to empower the women to describe their lives to me and highlight topics of their own choice. What is closest to their hearts? What consumes most of their time? So I provided some paper, pencils and modeling clay and they led the way.

There were a lot of smiles and giggles. It was a bit of an experiment as these women were illiterate and the majority had never held a pencil before. But they were really excited to have a go and some asked their children to help them. The modeling clay was more familiar as every day they use their hands to make bread and so they could shape the clay easily.

For more information, please visit www.medair.org

Turning Point - Kenya

Jon and Jo are from our church,  Christchurch Woking  (CCW).  They are also linked to CMS through the Salt Programme.   They are with us this weekend reporting on their work in Kibera with Turning Point Trust. 

TPT works in Kibera, the biggest slum in Kenya, 'home' for more than a million people tightly packed in 3 square kilometres. They run 2 centres in Masumau and Kianda, helping to improve the quality of life for families there. It is child-focused community development.  As well as 2 centres in Kibera itself, there are Micro-Finance projects to help families start up small buinesses and a 30 acre Farm Project in Kinangop, 120km northwest of Kibera, to rehabilitatea dozen  single mamas and their many children and to help them with a new life out of the slum.  As Jon said  'It is easy getting them out of Kibera, but it's hard getting Kibera out of them'.

Graceworks is sending a team to work there again this summer running the summer camp for 121 chldren in a boarding school for 2 weeks.  It is being hosted by 'Em', also from CCW who is a volunteer working for TPT. And my son Andy is part of the team.

Have a look at the video materials on the Turning Point website on Kibera,  Camps  and Farm 

and also a video my son Jonny made of one of an earlier camp Project Kenya 2007

I have visited the project a couple of times and met up again earlier this year in Nairobi. It's a great project and Jon&Jo are doing a  fantastic job. 

Go Goa go

The 'Goa Team' 

We took the 'India Team' to LHR4 to fly off to Goa for a 3 week summer project.   

They are part of Graceworks and their summer misison projects.  They will be working with Martin and Beena who run Bethesda Life centre ministres. I visited earlier in the year as you may have read on a previous blog.   

My daughter Jo is part of the team, returning for a 2nd year running. She was really looking forward to working in the boys home again.  Pictures   of the kids adorn her bedroom wall. 

They seem to have spend the past I-don't-know-how-many-months fundraising and completed the task on Wednesday with a pub-quiz style event at church which raised £600. 

The connection with CMS is that all the leaders have done the orientation and training module that CMS runs for short term teams. I was also involved in the oprientation weekend running the Bafa Bafa cross cultural experience simulation game. Lots of fun. 

Go Goa go ! 

We give to You - downloadable

Patrick, a colleague of mine has helped to launch a new song - 'we give to you'  in aid of a CMS Project in Philippines - Jigsaw Ministries 

The Story Behind the Song: 

A little over a year ago a group of us decided to combine our love of music and our passion for mission and create a worship song. Stephen Sim from Singapore wrote the melody and the rest of us recorded our parts individually, just on our computers at home; then we mailed or emailed the tracks to each other and mixed them. We’re really happy with the result and we hope you will be, too.

For a small donation (£1 recommended) you can download the mp3 and score of “We Give to You.” All proceeds will go to Jigsaw Kids Ministries in the Philippines, which aims to share the love of Jesus with Manila’s thousands of homeless children.

Please send this link to your friends: www.cms-uk.org/song
The more downloads (and donations) we get, the longer we can keep this worthwhile project going.

Patrick 

Satvana - a home in Pune

Satvana Home started in 2005. Dr Lalita Edwards had been working in the HIV/Aids field particularly with children at risk. Initially she was doing casework in Mumbai and alter focused on Pune.

According to Lalita, India has 19lakh (1.9million) women who are living with Aids. 90% are married and living in a monogamous relationship. ‘India is about to be hit by the worst epidemic in the world'

 
She started opening up her own home, initially to 6 girls, high risk children from traumatised backgrounds, some on Anti-retroviral treatment.

Satvana currently has 25 children staying with 2 more on the way. Many are orphans, but some with a living parent or relatives are able to go ‘home’ twice a year, although I suspect they find more of a home with Dr Lalita that they do elsewhere There was a great atmosphere when we visited, a positive caring environment where children can grow and learn and have a sense of hope.

She uses a building belonging to a church, which is rented, The children can attend the church and the local schools. Satvana only has only one full time staff member plus Lalita herself and a social worker, Shamil. Also some voluntary help.

But together they make a small army

Bethesda Life Centres Goa

Bethesda Life Centres GoaMartin and Beena set up the ministry in Goa in 98 not long after their marriage.Martin spent time in Papua New Guinea for 3 years and they were also in Hillsong Australia as a couple for a year after their marriage.
Her father VA Thampy started the New India Church of God’ www.nicog.orgin Kerala in the 1970s. There are now more than 2000 churches over India as well as Nepal Dubai. They also run Children’s homes and schools, refuges for women as well as 11 missionary training schools. The model is sending out mobile teams. This is not so much a denomination but a mission movement ‘Christ for the Nations’ 

'ONE ACT OF KINDNESS'

Meena’s Father VA Thampy He was converted aged 19 in a remote village in Kerala from a Greek orthodox background. He became passionate about sharing the gospel even preaching from the top of Palm tree, using a home made megaphone (I’ll write that one up later) The story is told in a book by Brendan McCauley ‘India – one act of Kindness’ (Tate Publishing 2004).

DANIEL’S AND REBECCA'S ENCLAVE

I spent the day visiting the various projects: ‘Daniel’s Enclave’ home for 58 boys (where 2 of my children Andy and Jo have worked on summer programmes) I had kids climbing all over me and we even celebrated Jo’s birthday with chai and cake and banana chips.

The girls home ‘Rebecca’s Enclave’ is home to 36 girls. When we visited they were playing a version of HopscotchThey are also renovating a 3rd home which will they have bought to relieve the pressure on Daniel’s enclave Plan to take e in another 15 who need admission70& of the children are without parents, children of aids victims HIV+ve children are refereed elsewhere The others are mainly children of sex workers plus some leprosy background children

They also work with women to help them return to their villages.
Martin and beena have established a newtwork of support from churches in Woking,  Gretton and York a charity in UK exists to support wwwJames1v27foundation.org.uk
 

Girls from our church were also spending time there as part of as gap year travelling in Asia. Our church youth ministry 'Graceworks'  sends teams each year to work with them, to both encourage and are themselves encouraged by the experience. They appreciate short term volunteers but they also need trained people who can take responsibility and bear some of the burden for the work.

Goa has a colonial feel to it. The Portuguese colony with a strong Catholic influence . The relaxed, easy pace of life attracts tourists It is particularly famous for its beaches and now it seems for the casinos. I stayed at the Mandovi Hotel on Panaji, near the water front. A number of floating casinos blared out dance music. The Indian-Portuguese mix is reflected both in the food and in the churches. Here the twain shall meet.

BIBLE SCHOOL

I also visiting the bible school run by Manoj, Registrar and Ligi, academic dean. It started in 1997 as a missionary training centre They run a 2 year residential programme with a one year practical internship. To ‘train and send’ This might be to work with children, schools, street kids, church planting, training centres, mobile evangelistic teams

Around 20 students from Orissa, West Bengal, Kerala, Kanata, Tamil Nadu, Andréa Pradesh Manipur and Myanmar.  I shared my own journey in a mixture of Hindi/Urdu and English, as well as some Biblical principle of mission and some of the changes and challenges in the mission scene. The students were enthusiastic and welcoming, We then had a quick lunch before dashing off to the airport to pick up my flight to Chennai. A great way to spend a morning.