EFCA’s Mark Lewis says, “As you can imagine, all of that water in such a short time, it caught a lot of people by surprise.”

Most of the flood water has receded, leaving behind death and destruction.

(Photo courtesy of EFCA)

BBC News says 13 people have died and over 100,000 homes damaged.

“The result has been just devastating,” Lewis says, “There’s over 40,000 families that have been affected by the flood. From what we’re hearing — the data that we’re getting reported and from our conversations with families that we’ve been working with — probably upwards of three-quarters of these families are not covered by flood insurance. And that’s not a result of them being irresponsible, it’s just that they live in areas that have never ever flooded.”

Perhaps in these areas, the devastation is felt the most. You cannot prepare for something you never expect to happen.

Lewis said they spoke to one family who said in eight minutes, water had entered their house and risen to their knees. Many families left their houses with little more than the clothes on their back, just to escape with their lives.

According to Lewis, the recovery could take three to four years. The damage, he explains, is similar to what was brought by hurricane Katrina.

Overwhelmed: people and the local Church

Every person affected in the flooding has their own story. With that story, they have their own pre-existing struggles and challenges which make the flood even more devastating. It’s important to remember that with any disaster, real people are affected.

One man, Lewis shares, has stage four leukemia. He has no idea where to start. He can’t do the cleaning up by himself, and everyone he knows has been hit by the flood as well.

(Photo courtesy of Coast Guard News via Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/LB5oje)

A local pastor spent days cleaning his own home. When he returned to the church, he was stunned to find that nearly a third of the congregation had been flooded. He, too, is at a loss for how to begin.

As Lewis puts it, “With so many people affected in your [church] body, how does the church reach out even to the people who are in the church?”

The general sentiment in the community is people are overwhelmed and feel alone.

“At the same point in time, there are many people who are super grateful to the Lord for His provision and His salvation. There are people who went through some traumatic experiences of being rescued, and they’re thankful to be alive.”

With a long-term recovery in view, Louisiana needs outside resources to begin reversing some of the devastation.

“There’s a huge need for the Church to come and stand alongside other believers who have been flooded, but also to reach out to the community at the same time.”

Pray, give, go for Louisiana

There are multiple ways for the Church to get involved with relief efforts.

Number one, Lewis says, is to pray:

“Pray for these families who have been affected and are just in that state of being overwhelmed, that they would experience a sense of peace from the Lord, and just a sense of assurance that amidst this sense of overwhelm-ness, God is bigger.”

You can give to relief efforts. EFCA has a fund. Click here if you’d like to contribute.

There are also opportunities for you to go and serve. Click here for more information.

Neighbors are helping neighbors, and volunteers are going out to help those most in need. Many of these volunteers are Christians who desire to share the hope they have.

Lewis says already, people are asking why others are helping them. He says it’s a platform to share the Truth and talk about Jesus.

“We are ambassadors of Christ, and we’re here because He loves you and He wants to have a relationship with you.”

Pray, too, that despite the challenges ahead, many will come to know Jesus in Louisiana.

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

From a freakish mid-winter heatwave, blizzards, and tornadoes, to Winter Storm Goliath, the aftermath is just beginning to unfold. In the Midwest, cleanup has just begun as the swollen Mississippi River continues to push downstream.

Flooding has touched or will touch at least 13 states and is expected to continue for weeks as the waters make their way south. Mark Lewis coordinates Disaster Response for ReachGlobal, an arm of the Evangelical Free Church of America.

He explains the scope of the problem: Winter Storm Goliath displaced thousands in Missouri, southern Illinois, eastern Oklahoma, and Arkansas. ”They’re starting to now get into the clean-up mode, recovery mode, as some of the waters have receded; and yet, further downstream, there are areas that are just preparing and still sandbagging.”

In fact, as Urbana 15 was taking place in St. Louis, MO, other communities just outside the urban area were frantically trying to minimize water damage. “In Franklin County, one of our churches, the community that it serves, the crest was three feet higher than anything previously recorded. That’s immense, from an historic flood standpoint.” Lewis notes that “especially in poorer areas, many people cannot afford flood insurance, so these kinds of floods can be especially devastating.

“There aren’t the financial resources to recover physically.”

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

Three feet higher than a previous recorded flood may not sound all that bad. However, Lewis says, “In some of the locations, the homes are being flooded up to the rooftop level. That’s everything in your house being underwater for some period of hours or days.”

If you’ve never survived a flood, here’s what happens: ”It doesn’t take water very long to just soak in and ruin everything. Even when you just have just two or three feet of water in your home, it’s going to destroy all your furniture; walls are going to need to be ripped out, electrical wiring.”

What’s more, it’s January. Flooding that hit the Midwest hit in December. Although there were a few days of warmer-than-normal temperatures, the freeze has hit now. “You get concerns with foundations and differential settlement with freezing and thawing that’s introduced, so it just adds another dimension.”

Trying to dry out in damp, wet conditions and limited sun drags out the recovery process, as opposed to a summer flood, notes Lewis. At least in the summer, “You can get drying weather and warm temperatures in which to work.”

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

In the Midwest, people are starting to try to figure out how bad the damage is. Lewis says some of their partner churches have been rolling up their sleeves and digging in. They’re doing everything from sandbagging in areas with rising water to dragging out inventory from stores, to helping the homeowner sort through what’s salvageable.

“The opportunity to be a blessing and to be of service to one another, and to work side-by-side with people from all walks of life and all different cultural backgrounds, to reach out and care for those that have a need: that, in-and-of itself, is an incredibly blessing and healing process.”

ReachGlobal is still figuring out what their response will be, but in the meantime, Lewis is asking you to pray that the local churches would “reach out to share the love of Christ, to tangibly demonstrate the Gospel, and to see real transformation happen as relationships are built.” They’ll be organizing teams to help for the short-term emergency and the long-term one, years down the line. To that end, “be praying, especially for one-on-one conversations that represent hope, healing, light, and truth. That really becomes the most transformational thing–from the initial days of cleanup, through the long process of rebuilding.”

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

Nepal (EFCA) — When the Church responds to crises in love, even to those who despise, oppress or oppose, God opens doors.

“For fifteen years, since we started the church on this property, we have had opposition from the community,“ said one Nepali pastor. “They have thrown stones at our house and church. While building the church building, I was taken in by the police.”

Yet, the earthquake and this church’s response, one of love and care for the community, has started a change.

Immediately after the quake, no one wanted to be inside their block home with all of the after shocks, so the church offered what it had to the community: a safe open space. “We had over 70 families living in the church yard. We still have a few, including our family. We shared our food, and as we got access to relief supplies, gave them to the people living with us.” he continued. One family that had been leading community opposition came and stayed on the property. “We are starting to be accepted by our neighbors,“ the pastor concluded.

In another town, the church also experienced persecution. Last Christmas, people came to the church with torches to burn it. After prayer, through conversation and with pleading, the crowd relented. After the earthquake, the church responded with relief supplies like food, oil, and tarps. This pastor said, “Now neighbors say, ‘Church is our friend. When we had need after the earthquake, you helped us.’”

Disciple-making is a process. Sometimes it starts with stone clearing: removing barriers, obstacles, and stereotypes that preclude people’s willingness to hear and experience good news and God’s incomparable love and grace.

Pray for continued openness, as the churches of Nepal continue to reach out to their neighbors and ask the Lord who He might have in their lives, using believers as stone clearers for them.

Learn more about ReachGlobal’s Nepal earthquake response. To date, God’s people have given over $230,000 (90%) towards the initial response goal of $250,000 to help Nepal, but there’s more to do. Consider helping these and other Nepali churches reach out to their community.

Hurricane Joaquin, a category 4 cyclone, was churning in the Atlantic, and almost every forecast model had it making landfall with significant impact to Staten Island. It was just three years ago, on October 29, 2012, that one of the largest storms to ever hit the East Coast, Hurricane Sandy, made landfall and wiped away their homes and impacted them forever.

(Photo courtesy Evangelical Free Church of America)

One of these survivors had just moved back in to his house, another was about to move back, and yet another was just about to get started on rebuilding her new home. They were not ready for another storm like Sandy, not yet, and maybe not ever. So they prayed.

They prayed first that the storm would move out to sea and not make landfall anywhere on the East Coast. They prayed for the hearts of those sitting around that table,and they prayed for God to give comfort to so many that were still reeling from Sandy.

God answered those prayers as Joaquin made its way out to sea..

It’s been three long years since Hurricane Sandy–three years of waiting for help, working on their homes, and seeing progress made slowly but surely. But as one homeowner, George, said, “We’re still not home, and I guess we’re getting tired now, kind of burned out.”

Most of the aid organizations have left Staten Island. ReachGlobal is one of the few still there, helping to bring hope to these survivors: hope that they will soon be able to return to their homes, and hope that there are still people out there that have not forgotten them.

ReachGlobal Crisis Response met George and Pat in June of 2014. George was working on putting dry wells in their yard before he started on rebuilding the house so that when it rained, the newly-repaired house wouldn’t flood. Since Hurricane Sandy, the yard flooded each time it rained. He needed help hauling rocks to the yard, so volunteers hauled approximately 40 tons of rocks in 5 gallon buckets into the yard for the entire summer of 2014.

Now when it rains, the yard no longer floods, and the house is being rebuilt one day at a time.

This year they have seen walls go up, painting done, a new roof, new doors, porches built, floors tiled, and kitchen cabinets put in. They are “very thankful for all the help, and [they’re] looking forward to having all those hundreds of volunteers over for dinner when [they’re] done.”

But so many people have not had any help at all yet. Just a week ago we met Daryl and his wife. Like George, Daryl has been working on his house with no outside help since the storm. They were amazed that three years after the storm there are still people that have not forgotten them. As they showed us around their home, they told us about the 13 feet of water that pushed them to the second level of their home where they rode the storm out.

Daryl showed us the skylight that was their emergency escape route to the roof where they were rescued by boat. He remembered as if it was yesterday. They showed us the work that they have done and the work that is left to do in their home, and we were blessed to have the privilege of praying with them for a quick return to the home they love so much.

Five days later, there was a team of seven people hanging sheet rock in their house! A supplier had just delivered a load of sheet rock, insulation, lumber, and other materials that were funded by another faith-based aid organization. He said he was a little numb and overwhelmed by the speed in which the help came to them. To us, we knew it was God. He provides just when we need it. And to Him be all the glory.

You can be a part of giving people hope after crises such as Hurricane Sandy. Your help has impact for the Kingdom of God.

(Photo Credit ReachGlobal)

Turkey (EFCA) — As temperatures drop, new needs arise for refugees in Turkey. Especially now, in the middle of winter, being a refugee is literally a cold reality. In the area of the Syrian-Turkish border, overnight temperatures for the past several nights have been in the low thirties.

But the response to this refugee crisis is being felt in tangible ways. A coalition of ReachGlobal donors and partners in this region recently reported the delivery of over 30,000 pounds of food, tens of thousands of garments including winter pajamas, hats and coats, and thousands of household items including blankets, heaters, and soap to several thousands of families.

These families are living under tarps, in tents, abandoned buildings, and vacant homes generously offered by towns people. Some are crowded into tenements and others are in government-run camps. The circumstances are similar in southeastern Turkey, but also across Jordan and Lebanon. Having had the privilege of visiting with a few of these refugee families, many have had horrible experiences in fleeing and deal with fear, loss, and despair, while searching for hope, relationship, stability.

It’s a strategic opportunity for the Church.

One ministry partner shared, “There is no better way to express gratitude for faithful saints who have partnered with us in ministering to the refugees from Iraq and Syria and who are now living in the southeastern part of Turkey. Your generosity has opened many doors for the believers here in Turkey to share gospel truth with these refugees, but also with many government officials in the region.”

At the same time Christians are helping meet real physical needs as well. Helping refugees in one city opened the door for Christian workers to lay hands and pray for the town’s ailing mayor. In another city, officials were so thankful for the assistance, they convened and hosted a meal for our partners. This is a big step on historically hard ground.

The number of refugees in Turkey is estimated to be 1.5 million, with another 2 million in Jordan and Lebanon.

The long-term goal

In the fall of 2014, ReachGlobal set a 3-year goal of raising $250,000 to help the refugees escaping the conflict surrounding Syria, with a vision to tangibly minister Christ’s love among the refugees, building relationships, multiplying disciples, and planting churches, so that as the refugee community either returns to their homeland or disperses to other parts of the world, a mature church with trained leaders will also go.

ReachGlobal celebrates that thus far, over $60,000 has been given. Thank you for your generous response, and you can continue to engage in these ways:

Pray

For a cessation of the violence in Syria and Iraq; for the Holy Spirit to open doors to the Good News, and for the Church in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon to be a tangible express of grace for these displaced peoples. Praise that several churches have already expressed interest in sending short term teams to Jordan this fall. Pray for more churches to send teams in 2016 and 2017.

Go

Send a team to Jordan to work with refugees. Serve as a window of grace and hope.

Partner

ReachGlobal continues to seek churches that would consider making the above vision a strategic focus for 2015-17. Several churches have expressed interest in sending short-term teams to Jordan this fall.

Give

Click here to help meet immediate needs and long term disciple-making impacts for “Refugees in Crisis.”

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

USA (MNN) — Colorado’s deluge is being classified as a ‘1,000-year event’ (meaning there’s a 0.1 percent chance that a similar flood could happen in a given year).

The rainfall has simply been astonishing – upwards of 12 inches in less than 24 hours in some locations near Boulder. Devastating flooding resulted in some areas, and in others, the disaster approached historical proportions of 200 times the normal precipitation amounts.

Essentially, the weather experts say that two circular weather patterns converged just long enough to draw in moisture from the coast of Mexico and the leftovers of tropical cyclone Lorena. As the moisture pushed up against the Front Range it had trouble getting over it, so it dumped right where it was.

Mark Lewis, Reach Global’s crisis response director (Evangelical Free Church of America) says the news they’re getting from churches in the area is not good. Many local churches in the Front Range region are experiencing flooding. In some areas, “It’s hard to get out. Many roads are impassable because of the flooding waters and many bridges washed out.”

Road and bridge damage was extreme in the worst hit areas, with entire roadbeds washed away and bridges missing. Lewis explains, “I’ve had a lot of conversation with our church leadership team in Estes Park, Colorado. That town had been isolated and in fact, about 17 miles of road has been washed out.” Air rescue operations are underway, the scope of which hasn’t been seen since Hurricane Katrina efforts.

A Reach Global crisis response team is in Colorado assessing what outside resources will

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

be needed to come alongside their sister churches. Lewis notes, “I really do sense that from the many churches I’ve talked with in the last 48 hours, most all are engaging in some form in the community.” Local churches are mobilized and ready to respond to their neighbors as the water recedes.

Pastor Jess Mahon, (Rocky Mountain EFC) spoke with Lewis over the weekend. “‘Mark, right now we are just staggering as we see this enormous impact and the overwhelming need.’ ” Lewis says the scope of the damage is mind-boggling. “They’re realizing that is going to have really significant, long term effects.”

He added, “They characterize the area as mud, water, mudslides, roads washed out. There are areas where they haven’t been able to hear from some of their church members because of the isolated conditions that they get out of the main town.”

Estes Park usually gets about five inches of rain per year but they received 18 inches in four days last week, resulting in roads being washed out, and portions of the town being inundated. Small communities around them are completely gone. Every business, school and home has been affected. His church members took in 200 kids who had to be evacuated from a nearby YMCA camp.

“How will we be able to care for all those that have been impacted?” Pastor Jess’ pastor’s heart wants to be in the forefront of the crisis, encouraging his church members and reaching out to the community, but instead, he finds himself on the forefront of prayer and trusting God’s goodness. The reality, says Lewis, is, “We expect resources to be stretched very thin. Our churches in this region are very missional. They are very focused on outreach into the community and they are well-networked in support of one another.”

Certainly, significant financial resources will be needed for local EFCA churches to meet the needs in their communities, but, says Lewis, “From people to longer term staff, we’re short. Financially: the coffers are empty. Equipment: we really are coming before the Father on our knees with open hands and being committed.”

Lewis shares that the network of churches began responding when Pastor Jess made use of the only mode of communication he had left: the internet. “Others are already out helping with cleanup efforts. Some of the other churches looking at providing food and immediate relief needs.”

With roads cut off, teachers can’t get to school, business people can’t get to their jobs, their tourism industry flounders. He said, “The ripple effect will go on for years as people try to rebuild and deal with the financial calamity”.

Lewis says one of the ways Reach Global can help is by empowering the local church. “The greatest need is going to be financial resources that we can put in the hands of the local church to allow the local church to accomplish the ministry that they know best.”

There will be needs for big equipment, manpower and more in the days ahead. Until then, pray for wisdom as the pastors and the body of believers reach out to their communities with the love of Christ. Pray for churches to work in unity to bear a bold witness for Jesus Christ.

The rainfall has simply been astonishing–upwards of 12 inches in less than 24 hours in some locations near Boulder. Devastating flooding resulted in some areas, and in others, the disaster approached historical proportions of 200 times the normal precipitation amounts.

Essentially, the weather experts say that two circular weather patterns converged just long enough to draw in moisture from the coast of Mexico and the leftovers of tropical cyclone Lorena. As the moisture pushed up against the Front Range, it had trouble getting over it so it dumped right where it was.

Mark Lewis, Reach Global crisis response director (Evangelical Free Church of America), says the news they're getting from churches in the area is not good. Many local churches in the Front Range region are experiencing flooding. In some areas, "It's hard to get out. Many roads are impassable because of the flooding waters and many bridges washed out."

Road and bridge damage was extreme in the worst hit areas, with entire roadbeds washed away and bridges missing. Lewis explains, "I've had a lot of conversations with our church leadership team in Estes Park, Colorado. That town had been isolated, and in fact, about 17 miles of road have been washed out." Air rescue operations are underway, the scope of which hasn't been seen since Hurricane Katrina efforts.

A Reach Global crisis response team is in Colorado assessing what outside resources will be needed to come alongside their sister churches. Lewis notes, "I really do sense that from the many churches I've talked with in the last 48 hours, most all are engaging in some form in the community." Local churches are mobilized and ready to respond to their neighbors as the water recedes.

Pastor Jess Mahon (Rocky Mountain EFC) spoke with Lewis over the weekend. "Mark, right now we are just staggering as we see this enormous impact and the overwhelming need."

Lewis says the scope of the damage is mind-boggling. "They're realizing that is going to have really significant, long-term effects." He adds, "They characterize the area as mud, water, mudslides, roads washed out. There are areas where they haven't been able to hear from some of their church members because of the isolated conditions that they get out of the main town."

Estes Park usually gets about five inches of rain per year, but they received 18 inches in four days last week, resulting in roads being washed out and portions of the town being inundated. Small communities around them are completely gone. Every business, school, and home has been affected. Mahon's church members took in 200 kids who had to be evacuated from a nearby YMCA camp.

"How will we be able to care for all those that have been impacted?" Pastor Jess' pastor's heart wants to be in the forefront of the crisis, encouraging his church members and reaching out to the community, but instead, he finds himself on the forefront of prayer and trusting God's goodness. The reality, says Lewis, is, "We expect resources to be stretched very thin. Our churches in this region are very missional. They are very focused on outreach into the community and they are well-networked in support of one another."

Certainly, significant financial resources will be needed for local EFCA churches to meet the needs in their communities, but, says Lewis, "From people to longer-term staff, we're short. Financially: the coffers are empty. Equipment: we really are coming before the Father on our knees with open hands and being committed."

Lewis shares that the network of churches began responding when Pastor Jess made use of the only mode of communication he had left: the internet. "Others are already out helping with cleanup efforts. Some of the other churches looking at providing food and immediate relief needs."

With roads cut off, teachers can't get to school, business people can't get to their jobs, and the tourism industry flounders. Lewis says, "The ripple effect will go on for years as people try to rebuild and deal with the financial calamity".

One of the ways ReachGlobal can help is by empowering the local church, says Lewis. "The greatest need is going to be financial resources that we can put in the hands of the local church to allow the local church to accomplish the ministry that they know best."

There will be needs for big equipment, manpower, and more in the days ahead. Until then, pray for wisdom as pastors and the body of believers reach out to their communities with the love of Christ. Pray for churches to work in unity to bear a bold witness for Jesus Christ.

According to a federal task force study, it’s possible that a family reunion is on board. The panel released a report this week that noted the possibility that climate change could worsen the effects of hurricanes.

It included 69 recommendations for rebuilding storm-damaged areas and for reducing the impact of future severe storms. Among those recommendations was a warning that the coastline should prepare for rising seas. The report included new building standards, better planning tools and a more advanced electrical grid.

That’s all well and good, but for survivors of Sandy’s rampage, basic recovery from the Oct. 29, 2012, disaster will take years. Reach Global, the humanitarian wing of the Evangelical Free Church of America, began an immediate response.

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

Now, 10 months later, they’re still helping out. According to Reach Global, homeowners who have had their homes inspected have been told that they need to raise the level of sand in their crawl space. Failure to do so would mean a dramatic rise in insurance rates.

This is only one in a list of compliance issues for homeowners but it’s a daunting task to think of moving mountains of sand by themselves. Members of the Beacon Evangelical Free Church stepped in to help. What follows is a post from their blog:

One homeowner, Bill, recovering from recent knee surgery, knew that he wouldn’t be able to crawl around for days under the house with bucket after bucket of sand.

Enter our summer youth teams – practically designed to spend day after day moving literally tons of sand into what they affectionately called the “Hobbit Hole.”

(Photo courtesy EFCA)

The teens were amazed and excited that Bill would come and shovel sand with them for hours. They were blessed to have him join their prayer circle in the afternoons and they couldn’t wait to tell about the lunches he made for them or the beach that he took them to after a hard day’s work. Bill also talked about the blessing these teens had been to him.

The other part of their team started the week helping to get things in order at a campground and later in the week ended up moving sand over at Don’s home. His house was built higher off the ground but he also needed more sand moved.

The piles became an endless round of loading and emptying wheel barrows, and over their last three days the team figured they moved about 49 tons of sand under Don’s place.

More homeowners need sand under their homes and many need some extra manpower to get it there. Unfortunately, there are no teams signed up to work in New Jersey between August 18th and October 12th. Pray that God will allow the coordination of teams with jobs to best utilize their skills and that the crisis response ministry would be effective in ministering to those around Beacon EFC.

Anything that isn’t finished before the end of summer will have to wait until fall teams start coming. To send a team, check out the Reach Global website!

According to a federal task force study, it's possible that a family reunion is on board. The panel released a report this week that noted the possibility that climate change could worsen the effects of hurricanes.

It included 69 recommendations for rebuilding storm-damaged areas and for reducing the impact of future severe storms. Among those recommendations was a warning that the coastline should prepare for rising seas. The report included new building standards, better planning tools, and a more advanced electrical grid.

That's all well and good, but for survivors of Sandy's rampage, basic recovery from the Oct. 29, 2012, disaster will take years. ReachGlobal, the humanitarian wing of the Evangelical Free Church of America, began an immediate response.

Now, 10 months later, they're still helping out. According to ReachGlobal, homeowners who have had their homes inspected have been told that they need to raise the level of sand in their crawl space. Failure to do so would mean a dramatic rise in insurance rates.

This is only one in a list of compliance issues for homeowners, but it's a daunting task to think of moving mountains of sand by themselves. Members of the Beacon Evangelical Free Church stepped in to help. What follows is a post from their blog:

One homeowner, Bill, recovering from recent knee surgery, knew that he wouldn't be able to crawl around for days under the house with bucket after bucket of sand.

Enter our summer youth teams: practically designed to spend day after day moving literally tons of sand into what they affectionately called the "Hobbit Hole."

The teens were amazed and excited that Bill would come and shovel sand with them for hours. They were blessed to have him join their prayer circle in the afternoons, and they couldn't wait to tell about the lunches he made for them or the beach that he took them to after a hard day's work. Bill also talked about the blessing these teens had been to him.

The other part of their team started the week helping to get things in order at a campground and later in the week ended up moving sand over at Don's home. His house was built higher off the ground but he also needed more sand moved.

The piles became an endless round of loading and emptying wheel barrows, and over their last three days the team figured they moved about 49 tons of sand under Don's place.

More homeowners need sand under their homes, and many need some extra manpower to get it there. Unfortunately, there are no teams signed up to work in New Jersey between August 18 and October 12. Pray that God will allow the coordination of teams with jobs to best
utilize their skills and that the crisis response ministry would be
effective in ministering to those around Beacon EFC.

Anything that isn't finished before the end of summer will have to wait until fall teams start coming. To send a team, check out the ReachGlobal Web site.

Evangelical Free Church of America's ReachGlobal is helping to combat the crisis.

"Every week, almost every day," said EFCA missionary surgeon Jim Brown in a December 2012 article published in The Atlantic, "we have someone in here draining stool from an abdominal incision, or a ureter tied off, or the wrong operation done somewhere else…And very often they die."

Brown is the associate director of the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons' (PAACS) largest surgical residency program, located at the 270-bed Mbingo Hospital in northwest Cameroon. Mbingo is one of 10 PAACS Training Centers; each one is located at a rural Christian hospital and has a board-certified general surgeon serving as the program director.

So far, 28 students have graduated from PAACS's residency program. All are continuing their work in Africa in underserved communities.

"It's about that Christian heart," Brown told Brian Till with The Atlantic, "It's about choosing to live sacrificially and not moving somewhere where you can make a buck.

"The Christian part of the name is non-negotiable. We could not do this without His strength. A lot of the time, it's brutal down there."

Brown trains Mbingo's current surgical residents, each of the 10 hailing from an African background: four from Cameroon, four from the DR Congo, one from Liberia, and another from Uganda.

"I have to stay focused on them, and training them well," said Brown in the article, referring to his students. "There's a million and one things I can get distracted by, and destroyed by, but if I stay focused on them and their training…that's how I can deal with everything else."

Pray that God would call more surgeons to meet the need in Africa.

EFCA's medical ministry includes telling people about Jesus.

Elsewhere in Cameroon, ReachGlobal partners with Medical Centers of West Africa (MCWA) to reach one of the least-reached people groups in Africa: the Fulani.

Traditionally, the Fulani are nomadic cattle herders. But they've started settling closer to villages to get medical care for their families and veterinary care for their animals. EFCA ReachGlobal and MCWA use the 100-bed Hôpital de Meskine as a launch pad for ministry that extends to local villages and beyond.

In order to share the Gospel with the Fulani, ReachGlobal pairs evangelism and church planting with medical ministry, literacy ministry, and development ministry.

Click here to learn more about their work in Cameroon.

Pray that the Gospel would spread through EFCA partnerships and programs. You can get involved with ReachGlobal Africa by clicking here.