Gabriel Barau and the unfinished School of Missions

Government officials came to Gabriel over the weekend and told him to start building a wall immediately, or they would take 2/3 of the land he has bought for Missionary Crusader's Ministries' needs. We MUST help him as we are able.

Gabriel Barau of Missionary Crusaders Ministries in Nigeria has sent Christian Aid an urgent plea for help. Muslim authorities have threatened to seize a piece of property bought by MCM for a school of missions and discipleship.

However, due to lack of funding, the school of missions building has remained uncompleted for several years.

Gabriel was recently visited by the land commissioner, who informed him that the state will seize this land unless he builds a wall around the property, which will serve to lay claim to it and silence authorities.

A wall is urgently needed. Each foot costs $15.

MCM has worked to share the gospel with Nigeria's unreached people groups since 1983. To date, the ministry's biggest threat is Islam. In May, Nigerians elected a Muslim president. Muslim leaders now govern the state where Gabriel works.

Please help Gabriel protect his property from Muslim occupation.

For more information, contact Rae Burnett at rae@christianaid.org, or contribute to this need online now.

Christians survey earthquake damage.

Charlottesville, VA - Aug. 20, 2007 - An earthquake of 8.0 magnitude occurred in Peru on August 15. It was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the South American country in the last century. Officials say at least 510 persons were killed and 1,600 injured in the quake. Additionally, it left tens of thousands of people homeless and forced to sleep outside.

There are ministries supported by Christian Aid located nearby and they are able to reach the areas affected by the earthquake with help. Your prayers and help are needed. As these ministries receive funds sent from Christian Aid, they will provide supplies to those who are not receiving help from other sources.

Most buildings were completely leveled, and some have just a wall or two standing.

One of the ministries has several workers living right in the area. They lost their homes and belongings. These workers, many of the Christians in the community, and others are in need of water, food, clothing, and blankets. Temporary shelters need to be constructed, and help will be needed to rebuild ministry houses and meeting halls.

Please send what you can to help indigenous Christian ministries recoup, rebuild and help those affected by this devastating earthquake. Click here...

Charlottesville, VA - August 6, 2007 - Sometimes big disasters in poorer countries are not mentioned very much in national newspapers or television and radio news broadcasts.

Nevertheless you might have seen or heard a report about the floods in South Asia in recent weeks. Some of the countries hit were Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

In Pakistan rains have been very heavy, dams have broken, and 19 cities have been flooded and destroyed. Nearly one million people are homeless.

Monsoons and cyclones have ravaged India. In Bihar 7 million are homeless. In Assam State another 3 million are homeless and nearly 2 million acres of valuable farmland were submerged. Read more.

To help native missionaries bring aid and Christian care to people suffering from recent floods in South Asia, click here...

Charlottesville, VA - May 11, 2007 - Gabriel Barau, an indigenous ministry leader working for the Lord in one of the most difficult places in Nigeria, sent this plea:

    	We had a serious 
    disaster caused by a 
    violent wind storm. It 
    devastated the entire 
    community, leaving half the 
    people without a home.
    	One mission building, 
    housing eight missionaries 
    and the school for the Koma 
    children were blown down by 
    the night-time disaster. 
        We are asking our 
    friends and partners to 
    earnestly pray to God to send help for us.   
        We need immediate assistance.
        Beloved, the rains are already falling, and 
    we need to build something immediately to shelter the 
    missionaries. They have no place else to stay. The 
    field leader told us it will cost nothing less than $2600 
    to rebuild one large house.
	    Other missionaries need to replace what 
    was lost in this disaster. This will cost another $600.  
    And we want to help the new believers, too. Some of 
    them lost everything and are helpless.  They need our 
    assistance just to get back on their feet.
	    We appeal to you all to respond in love 
    and compassion to help us get things done quickly.  
	    Please help NOW.  God bless you.
				
		    Gabriel Barau

TIME IS RUNNING OUT. The damage was widespread and devastating. The rainy season is just now beginning.

Christian believers and native missionaries working with Gabriel in the area where the storm hit, need shelter. $15,000 is needed to repair and reconstruct the ministry house, school building, several out houses, and other homes that were destroyed.

Christian Aid's President, Axel Lanausse, says, "I personally visited this very same field, just a few years ago. I slept in one of those multi-use buildings. The field is located in an isolated and remote area, extremely far away from the ministry base. I know how important these buildings are to the ministry."

This disaster has affected the ability of these MCM workers to continue the task that the Lord has given them to do. Contributions received in the next few days will be sent to help them to recover quickly and to resume their work of reaching the unreached.

Gabriel has faithfully served the Lord for over 20 years with Missionary Crusaders Ministries in Nigeria. (photo: The remains of one of many buildings torn up from the ground and turned upside-down.)

Right now, native missionaries from MCM are serving in the northern and central parts of eastern Nigeria with the Verre, Kona, Minda, Dirim, Jibu, and Fulani people groups. These people groups all in many ways remain removed from the rest of the world. They live in isolation among the hills or other remote areas; some are even nomadic.

The most effective work of MCM has been among the Koma people, a group the ministry discovered and where the storm happened. Not even the government officials knew of their existence. MCM has planted over 40 churches among them. Some of the new believers attend a school of missions, where they receive training in discipleship and evangelism before returning to their people to spread the gospel.

Prayer and support are urgently needed to help these suffering native missionaries. To contribute, click here...