From the Field
Updates from Luke Society Ministries
Trujillo, Peru
Violence Stirs Community
Gang violence has continued to increase in Trujillo. Recently, four brothers were killed by gang members who were paid $42 for their actions. “We decided to counteract by presenting the Gospel of salvation in all sport areas around Trujillo,” said Bertha Aldave, wife of Luke Society Director, Felix Aldave.
Seventeen teams worked together in sporting areas, and more than 1,000 children and adults received the Lord. “The mothers, teenagers and children all worked alike, feeling the same passion to make the Message reach all, and that the name of our Lord be glorified,” said Bertha.
Jalapa, Mexico
Volunteer Needs Met
Every Saturday, the clinic opens its doors to children in the community. Luke Society Director, Dr. José Luis Guerrero, his wife, Laura, and the staff want to provide a safe environment for the children to play, sing songs and learn about healthy living. The Saturday program is expanding with additional volunteer staff. They now have the expertise of a nutritionist, a psychologist and another physician. Although these volunteers are not Christians, Dr. Guerrero is hoping to reach them. “Through this service, may the Lord touch their hearts, that they may commit their lives to Jesus,” he says.
Orissa, India
Hindus Fight Christian Evangelism
Tension continues to persist in areas surrounding Dr. Pushpa Rout’s ministry work. “The people who participated in Christian baptism belong to the lower Hindu caste,” says Pushpa. “Hence, the upper caste and fundamentalist groups are accusing Christians they are being lured to become Christian. Soon after the incidence, fundamentalist groups entered a church in Deogarh, beat the pastor, snatched about 1,000 Bibles and burned them shouting Hindu mythological slogans.” Despite Hindu discouragement and persecution from fundamentalist groups, Pushpa remains hopeful. “Many persecutions are going on in many places in Orissa as well as in India, and many lives are also coming to Christ,” she says.
Quibdó, Colombia
New Policies Make Life Harder
“The socio-economic conditions of the country, especially of Chocó, are deteriorating day by day,” says Luke Society Director, Dr. Ligia Camargo. “The government policy of raising taxes to fight guerillas is making basic food difficult to afford, impacting the food intake of the poorest people.” The government is also cutting jobs, so unemployment is increasing. “This is critical in Quibdó where about 90% of the population subsists under public employment. This will quickly make health conditions worse because it deprive many from access to health care providers,” says Ligia.
Quininde, Ecuador
Pastors Unite With Luke Society
In November, 2003, local pastors asked Luke Society staff to organize a youth retreat for teens in their churches. However, Luke Society Director, Dr. Yeny Agila was frustrated when the pastors did not promote the event. “When we asked what their plans would be for the youth after the retreat, they didn’t have a clear answer,” she said.
When the speaker of a seminar called “Paths of Holiness” asked Luke Society staff to coordinate an event in April, Dr. Agila wasn’t optimistic. “I must confess that I was a bit skeptical about the churches’ response,” she said. “However, the Lord has shown us that He is the One that moves the events. And behold, there they were, leaders from seven church denominations with their pastors for the whole 15 days! I am most moved by the way the Lord motivated His church into unity. The pastors maintained a humble disciple attitude and continued learning in a fresh and renewed way. We at the Luke Society feel very happy to have been used to provide an opportunity to get our leadership trained in better guiding and understanding the people of God!”
Encarnación, Paraguay
First Baby Delivered
The Luke Society Women’s Clinic delivered its first baby in February! A woman in a local church came to the clinic in need of a cesarean section delivery. “She fully trusted our health professional team, committing to the Lord this first step,” said Luke Society Director, Dr. Jorge Gomez-Frey. “Everything went well, and the baby was called Samuel. For us, it is a great achievement right on our first steps.”
Nairobi, Kenya
AIDS Awareness Through Music Video
Luke Society Director, Dr. Tom Olewe continues to find himself on the front lines in the war on AIDS. “Nobody in Kenya is doing a national abstinence program, so our proposed program is already attracting lots of interest,” says Dr. Olewe. In addition to his Volunteer Counseling and Testing program (VCT), which is available to students that want to be tested, he is putting together a pro-abstinence video. It is a collaboration of his A Million United Against AIDS project (AMUAA) with Jogg-C, a Swahili Christian music group. “Pray for us as we do the scripts for the video footage, for anointed message in the music, and for overwhelming impact as more youth choose abstinence through Jesus Christ,” Dr. Olewe says. The video will be called “Virusi.”