Todd Davis, center, describing
his trip to Zimbabwe.
On January 2, 2005, Villagers heard from Todd Davis, who
participated in a missions trip to Zimbabwe that included delivering
some supplies provided by Village. Mr. Davis, who is a member of
Broadneck Baptist Church of Annapolis, spoke eloquently of the deep
faith of Baptists in Zimbabwe despite the material deprivations in that
country.
Village re-affirmed its links to Baptists in Zimbabwe on May 2,
2004, when Rev. Dennis Dhlula and Mr. Elias Maponga visited. Please follow this link to see photos and
information about our continuing association with Zimbabwe.
Remember our friends in Zimbabwe and the Sanyati
hospital
in Zimbabwe during this time of turmoil in that country.
Shortages
are severe, jobs are ever more scarce, more people are trying to
protest
the Mugabe government's policies, the Mugabe government is cracking
down
on any kind of dissent, and as Champion Chesara put it, "When the
elephants
fight it's the grass that gets hurt."
If you wish to find out about what's going on in
Zimbabwe,
you can check www.zimbabwesituation.com
for a daily update of news articles.
Missions programs at Village range from local to
international.
If you would like to see some local mission service opportunities, PLEASE
FOLLOW THIS LINK.
| One ongoing
missions program at Village is Sandwich Sunday. On six
Sundays during the year, Villagers bring in or make sandwiches that are
then taken to Martha's Table,
a Washington, D.C., program to help feed
the homeless. |
 |
| Village recently
participated in a program called "Shoes for Orphan Soles,"
sponsored by Buckner Orphan Care. We collected new shoes (46
pairs) and socks, plus donations of about $250, to support this
ministry. In December, 2004, Linda Salmon traveled to Kenya to participate directly in this program. |
 |
 |
Village recently began
supporting, with prayers and financial contributions, Ms. Katherine
Cooper, a missionary with the Wycliffe Bible Translators. Katherine
recently visited Village, and eveyone was impressed with her dedication
and enthusiasm. She will be working in Cameroon, where her
studies in French will be put to good use. Village is delighted
to be part of Katherine's ministry. |
| Villagers enjoyed an opportunity to visit
with Ralph
and Tammy Stocks, missionaries to the Romany (gypsy) people in Hungary,
on March 23, 2003.
The Stocks' gave us an opportunity to feel
closer to the
work we have been partnering with in Gypsy settlements throughout
central
Europe, the Gypsy Smith School for Pastors, programs in the Ghandi
School
for Gypsies in Budapest, and the Ruth school in Bucharest, now
expanding
into several other cities. Current news
from the Ruth School To find out about the Ruth School, go to this website: http://www.projectruth.ro/ |
|
The Gypsy website is ready for your viewing. You may
access
it by going to http://www.GypsyMinistries.com.
On the home page there are three photos representing Gypsies of the
three
areas: Banjara, Dom and Romany. The photos first appear in black and
white
representing the three sub-sites. Clicking on any one of the photos
changes
them to appear in color as it accesses the sub-site of choice. However,
whenever you wish to access a particular sub-site directly, you may
simply
access it by NOT TYPING the "www." For example:
http://Banjara.GypsyMinistries.com
http://Dom.GypsyMinistries.com
http://RomanyMinistries.com
We hope you will enjoy exploring the
website
through its user-friendly menu!
Following are "notes from the field" from
missionaries
to the Gypsies.
2004 has been a
blessing year for us…
We thank God for
your partnership, prayers, and love.
Abraham was… blessed by the Lord in every way. Genesis 24:1
Tom
Eliff said, “In the biblical sense a ‘blessing’ is an act of God by
which He causes someone or something to supernaturally produce more
than would be naturally possible.”
Your prayers for us allow us to be a part of God’s mission…
… and accomplish more than is humanly possible! Amazing Grace!
Passing it on
to the Next Generation—George, Wilson, and
Anand sat in our living room last month, three sons of prominent
Banjara ministers, who are ready to do urban ministry among Banjara
professionals and students. Most of the
work of their fathers’ generation has been done in rural villages and
while their children were growing up, an explosion has taken place in
India’s cities. Earlier this year in a
strategy meeting, we were impressed with a vision of urban ministry and
started to pray. (See our Banjara Cities prayer guide)
We thank God for the blessing
passed down to the next generation of educated, city Banjara.
God’s Word in their Heart Language—George's father, Ananda Rao, has been a pastor for 20+ years working for Indian Evangelical Mission. Through God’s miracles and strong partnerships between CBF, Bible Society of India, and IEM, Ananda Rao will soon be released to work on the Lambadi (Banjara) translation of the Old Testament full time. Please pray for this work to be done quickly and accurately to complete the full Bible for the Banjara people. We recently bought the last 5,000 copies of the New Testament for Christmas distribution and the Bible Society will begin work to edit for a second edition. We thank God for the blessing gift of His written Word.
Banjara United Worship Services—You may not be able to fathom dancing in a Baptist Church, but T Thomas (primo Gypsy missionary) can tell you he saw it with his own eyes when 250 Urban Banjara gathered for 3 hours of singing, dancing, and worship! This was the first time our city Banjara ministries gathered together for worship and many non-believers heard the Gospel as T Thomas preached. We praise God for the blessing of a growing Banjara church in Hyderabad, India!
This
Christmas we thank you for your generosity in giving to CBF Global
Missions, a gift of blessing through which God works miracles of love.
Holiday Blessings,
James and Robbi Francovich
CBF Banjara Gypsy Team, India
Some of the CBF Missionaries working with the Gypsies:
  |
  Frank and Cindy Dawson |
  |
  Ralph and Tammy Stocks |
Updated 2 January, 2005
