Tag Archives: friends

This is a guest blog post by John and Kathleen Goldingay, who sent this to their congregation, friends, and family.

John and Kathleen Goldingay invite you to join in a fast for Darfur, to back up prayer for its people. We want to make a clamor that heaven cannot miss in urging God to take action to end the wrong done to this people. The fast will involve eating only what the refugees eat, for 24 hours each week, and praying.

You can find info on the typical Darfur rations and on the official fast at 100 Day Fast for Darfur. For ourselves we are making it a fast associated with prayer for Darfur. The heart of the prayer will be praying the Old Testament prayers in Lamentations and Psalms on behalf of the Darfuri people.

We’ll begin the fast on the evening of Thursday April 11 at 6 p.m. At the end of that 24-hour period, at 6 p.m. on Friday April 12, we’ll have a half-hour meeting for prayer at which we’ll begin reading Lamentations.  The meeting will be at St Barnabas Church, 1062 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena (the church parking lot is at the back, entered from the alley), and all are welcome to attend.

John and Kathleen will follow this pattern in their own life each subsequent Thursday/Friday. We won’t meet with people each week, but it will be great if you are able to join us in fasting and prayer at a distance. We’ll continue until July 4-5th (you may adapt things for Independence-tide!).

As these weeks draw to an end, we invite people to a celebratory breaking of the fast with a barbecue on the evening of Friday July 5th at 6 p.m., at our house, 111 South Orange Grove Bvd. (We’re beginning a week later than the official fast and stopping a week before it ends.) There’s no need to say that you are coming or not coming for the initial evening—just show up. But if you’re coming for the break-fast, let us know!

Here are the prayers for each week. Of course they don’t exactly fit the circumstances of the Darfuri people. For instance, some speak of sin, when the plight of the Darfuri issues from the sin of others not from their own sin. So those elements in the prayers we could use to acknowledge our sin as nations who have let this event happen and let the situation persist.

April 12 Lamentations 1 
April 19 Lamentations 2
April 26 Lamentations 3
May 3 Lamentations 4
May 10 Lamentations 5
May 17 Psalms 3 and 4
May 24 Psalms 5 and 6
May 31 Psalms 9 and 10
June 7 Psalms 12 and 13
June 14 Psalms 16 and 17
June 21 Psalms 22 and 23
June 28 Psalms 25 and 26
July 5 Psalms 27 and 28

John Goldingay and Kathleen Scott Goldingay

Learn How i-ACT Works

I’m big on creating goals, but I’ve never been big on creating New Year’s resolutions. I guess I feel like if you really want to accomplish something you should start right now, don’t wait for a new year. However, this year our team has really made an effort to create timelines, long-term goals, and fundraising plans for our various projects. I think mostly this is because of the amazing team we have built – a few of us paid but many more volunteers – who are all committed to seeing our projects become successful (and who help us stay organized!).

Our model is simple but our avenues tend to be bold. We don’t always wait for the grant to be awarded or for the perfect time to take a trip to visit our refugee friends. We just do it. And this year, you will see our team forge ahead and hit key milestones for a few of our projects. Here’s a sneak peak (of just a few of our programs):

Little Ripples

First Little Ripples Center to Open: We start the pilot phase with 351 Little Ripples (children ages 3 to 5) in refugee camp Goz Amer. We have assembled an amazing team of Expert Teacher Advisors who will train and guide refugee teachers in the creation and implementation of a new innovate program that not only teaches the foundations of reading and writing, but focuses on peace-building and trauma recovery. We hope to continue to launch Little Ripples Centers until more than 8,000 students are touched. Long term goal? This program becomes a model that can be applied in emergency situations throughout the world.

Darfur United

First Darfur United Soccer Academy Launched: Last year we helped Darfur United participate in the Viva World Cup in Iraqi Kurdistan, an almost impossible feat when we first discussed it. Surely this year we can reach our goal of launching the first Academy. We have the blueprint for skills & drills, health and hygiene, and a league. We have interested soccer coaches to train refugees. We even have consistent equipment and jersey donations rolling in. We are on the right track. Long term goal? To build a comprehensive program for boys and girls in every Darfuri refugee camp that leads to having both a men’s and women’s teams who play with a unique Darfuri style.

Right to Education Mobile Human Rights Library

Recreate the Right to Education Mobile Human Rights Library: The library in Camp Djabal was unfortunately destroyed in a fire. We must recreate it and also continue to supplement the library in Camp Goz Amer. So far, this is an all volunteer project supported by communities and individuals. Long term goal? Keep it stocked, bring new material, and just imagine an actual human rights library for every camp!

100 Day Fast for Darfur

 
This is just a taste of what is to come in 2013. Sign up for email updates, follow us on Facebook and twitter to stay connected and watch our progress, and hold us to our New Year’s resolutions.

A few other projects to keep your eye on: Pazocalo: Peace Public Square, Act for Sudan, Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools

1. Only the refugees are always here.

Thousands of staff working for humanitarian agencies and the UN Refugee Agency have come and gone through the camps. Not one remains that is still around from my first trip in 2005. The refugees, they’re still here, only more of them.

2. Life can get harder, and families can get stronger.

Guisma’s mother, Achta, received me with warmth and affection. She sat with me and had her children come greet me, all of them smiling. She gave me a gift for Katie-Jay. There was a group of women sitting on other mats at her home, and more were coming with food. Achta’s mother died last week, and they were mourning in community.

3. I don’t want to hear this again: “They’re better than they were before they came here.”

That’s not necessarily true because you can’t measure freedom. Besides that, “before” should not be the standard by which we measure.

4. From a distance, even the desert is beautiful, rich, and inviting.

Walking next to those that live there gives you a less romantic perspective, but it might still be beautiful, rich, and inviting.

5. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona divides the universe.

6. Ideas, concepts, and plans can be very exciting.

Meeting the actual little ripples that are the motivation and reason for all the work makes it all not be work anymore.

7. I don’t always care what studies say.

Eastern Chad is a rough, harsh environment. It’s hot, dusty, and I am always thirsty. I don’t care how many studies say it’s bad for you, I love and miss my DIET soda with lots of ice (coke or pepsi, does not matter). If there was one of those 7-11 soda and ice machines out in the refugee camps, my work rate might double during the trips, and I’d be so much more happy.

8. It is invaluable to be able to wake up every morning knowing you are doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

9. If Umda Tarbosh lived in my neighborhood, we would be friends.

And I would take him out for burgers or tacos as often as possible, so I could hear more of his stories and how he sees the world.

10. Beautiful is beautiful.