Dear Friends

Dear Friends,

If you are a regular reader of this blog, then we share a few things in common. Likely, we share a friendship with Bud and Mandy Jackson and are very interested in their ministry. I am sure that we also share a common love for people, an interest in HIV/AIDS, a love for orphans and widows, and we are probably very interested in God's response to this world of His.

Buddy sharing his heart

Buddy has invited me to periodically post glimpses into the world in which he ministers. As a pastor who was convicted by Scripture to become involved in the things that God values, I took a trip with seven others in March of 2011 to Zimbabwe. Our team from East Troy Bible Church, the Chapel in Marlboro and Antioch Evangelical Free Church saw first hand the ministry, the people and the heart of Bud and Mandy's mission in Zimbabwe.

Maybe these entries will give you a deeper appreciation for Bud and Mandy's journey of ministry. But more importantly, will encourage you to do more than read a blog. Hopefully, you too will visit Zimbabwe and see for yourself all the good things God is doing within the devastation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Zimbabwe. Hopefully, you will pray more earnestly for Bud and Mandy. Certainly, you will be convicted as I was to be involved in acting positively for the cause of the orphan and the widow.

Please pray for the Jacksons. Mandy will be travelling on the 9th of April (her birthday) back to Zimbabwe. Pray that her travel is safe, the packing gets done, the last minute details accomplished and for a good reunion with Bud!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Ron Christiansen

AWANA Day at Chironga

"ANESU Situation Report ... three months in"

ANESU Status Report

ZimPact 2011

The ZimPact 2011 team from East Troy, leaves today for Zimbabwe.

I will be at the airport to meet them at mid-day on Sunday, to begin a two-week itinerary in and around Harare and out into the tribal Northeast of Zimbabwe.

The team will be impacted powerfully at every level. Please pray for us and with us as we meet hurting people and connect with those of the household of faith in Zimbabwe who are responding to the hurt.

Please click on the ZimPact 2011 link at the top of the column to the right, or copy and paste http://zimpact.blogspot.com/ to your browser to follow the progress of the team. This excellent Blog is already well underway. We invite you to join the "Home Team" as they support the ZimPact 2011 team with their prayers and interest.

Bud Jackson
Team Leader
ANESU Partnership

"Rising to The Challenge From an Agricultural Point of View"

ANESU is grateful for the excellent working relationship already in place with Foundations for Farming. This is an agriculturally based response initiative that shares the vision ANESU has of engaging the Church in Zimbabwe in a redemptive response in answer to the felt need of marginalized and disenfranchised Zimbabweans.

Brian Oldrieve, the founding director of Foundations for Farming is a long-time friend of ANESU’s director, Bud Jackson. Both Brian and Bud worked together in a church planting context in the 1990’s, at a time when Brian was a leading Christian commercial farmer in a community where a new church was being formed.

Clearly, God has used this authentic servant of His in a powerful way thus far. God continues to bless the vision that he gave to Brian some years ago. This is especially evident in the aftermath of a recent call to prayer that was initiated in Zimbabwe through the auspices of Trumpet Call for Transformation, a partnership between the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and Foundations for Farming.

Since then even a number of government departments have indicated a desire for Foundations for Farming to be included in their agenda.

Clearly, God is at work in this nation.

Please watch and listen to this interview, and hear the testimony of this remarkable servant of Christ as he shares his vision for Zimbabwe.

ANESU team member, Julie Vanzevern, is engaged with Foundation for Farming in a medical and natural medicinal herb-based response. The expansion and broader application of this program is part of the on-going strategy of ANESU in Zimbabwe.

One to one with Brian Oldreive from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

"Lausane Report 2010"

The ANESU Partnership in Zimbabwe stands solidly behind these official statements that came out of the recently released “Cape Town Commitment”. The document is a product of the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelism in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2010.

HIV-AIDS is a major crisis in many nations. Millions are infected with HIV, including many in our churches, and millions of children are orphaned by AIDS. God is calling us to show his deep love and compassion to all those infected and affected and to make every effort to save lives. We believe that the teachings and example of Jesus, as well as the transforming power of his cross and resurrection, are central to the holistic gospel response to HIV-AIDS that our world so urgently needs.

We long that all pastors should set an example of sexual chastity and faithfulness, as Paul commanded, and teach clearly and often that marriage is the exclusive place for sexual union. This is needed not only because it is the clear teaching of the Bible, but also because the prevalence of multiple sexual partnerships outside marriage is a major factor in the rapid spread of HIV-AIDS in the most affected countries.

We reject and denounce all condemnation, hostility, stigma, and discrimination against those with HIV-AIDS. Such things are a sin and a disgrace within the body of Christ. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory; we have been saved only by grace, and we should be slow to judge, quick to restore and forgive. We also recognize with grief and compassion that very many people who contract HIV-AIDS do so through no fault of their own, and often through caring for others.

Let us, as the Church worldwide, rise to this challenge in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us stand together with our brothers and sisters in areas hardest hit by HIV- AIDS, through practical support, compassionate care (including care of widows and orphans), social and political advocacy, education programmes (particularly those that empower women), and effective prevention strategies appropriate to the local context. We commit ourselves to such urgent and prophetic action as part of the integral mission of the Church.


Bud Jackson
Director
ANESU PARTNERSHIP

"Heart Impressions from South Ridge"

We invite you to listen to this short clip, where members of the team that visited us in Zimbabwe in January share their hearts in the aftermath of what turned out to be a wonderful Providentially ordained experience.

Zimbabwe Recap from Ben Stapley on Vimeo.

"January 2011 Up-Date"

This up-date from Mandy, still in Canada ... awaiting her South African passport. Her application was submitted in August. Please pray with us that the passport will be to hand soon.


Jackson's Journey Jan 2011-A

"Hakuna Wakaita Sa Jesu!"

Listen the school children in Zimbabwe sing, "There's no one like Jesus! I ran and ran, I turned and turned, I searched and searched ... there's no-one!"

This took place at an impromptu encounter on the part of the South Ridge team from New Jersey with rural school children in the tribal Northeast of Zimbabwe.

"ANESU Partnership" Our Vision

ANESU Partnership _Blog Post_

"December 2010 Up-Date"

December Newsletter 2010

"Introducing The South Ridge ZimVision Team"

SRCC

"Frontline Report" (December 2010)

CORRECTION:

Julie VanZevern's grandchild soon to arrive and require surgical attention is a grandson, not a granddaughter, as was indicated in this report.


Frontline Report

"World AIDS Day"

It's WORLD AIDS DAY today.

Thank you for caring …

Thank you for sharing …

Thank you for praying.

Let's rise above the malaise of compassion fatigue and give a thought to the 35 million people who are living with HIV/AIDS today worldwide.

Statistics vary because so many population groups, particularly in Southern Africa, live in areas where stigma keeps many silent and where no accurate records are kept. Please take any statistic you read as a conservative estimate of the horrible reality.

As you notice the levelling off in the increase factor in some instances, remember the tragic damage to families (particularly children) and communities that's been left behind.



An estimated 23 million people died of AIDS between 1990 and 2007. In 2007 alone, more than 2 million people died from AIDS-related causes.
Source: 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary, page 18.
(www.UNAIDS.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

72% of the world’s AIDS-related deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, where 4-10% of the world's population lives.
Source: 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary, pages 5 & 18.
(www.UNAIDS.org/en’KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

In 2007, 1,000 new children (the majority, newborns) were infected with HIV each day.
Source: 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary, page 8
(www.UNAIDS.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

Every two minutes, a child under the age of 15 years dies of an AIDS-related illness.
Every minute, 14 seconds, a child is orphaned by AIDS.
Every minute, another child becomes HIV positive.
Source: UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2008, page 129
(www.unicef.org/publications/index_42623.html)
2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, Executive Summary, Page 9
(www.UNAIDS.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Default.asp)

Of the estimated 2 million HIV-infected children under the age of 15 years, 87% of them live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 22.1 milllion HV-positive people, 67% of the worldwide HIV-positive population.
Source: as above, pages 4,5& 9.

Only 20% of children with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Source: As above, page 4.
www.WHO.org

"November 2010 Up-Date"

November Newsletter 2010

"Discipling for Development"

Discipling for Development is a key focus of the ministry of The Navigators in the African countries where they work (Burkina Faso, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda. The Navigators has no work in Zimbabwe).

Discipling for Development is a strategy The Navigators utilizes to impact poor, rural communities with a holistic Gospel.

Edward Mupada, Uganda country director for The Navigators, has said, “… I realized that we were on a new and exciting dispensation in the advancement of the Gospel. But how could we be relevant in a situation where unemployment levels are over 40% and many live in abject poverty?

“In November 2007 I attended the Discipling for Development training in Mbale, Uganda. I saw rural communities being transformed by the Gospel and livelihoods of people improving as they used local resources. The poor are given life skills and the Gospel is flowing freely through relational networks, impacting families and neighboring communities. I praise God for a new approach in discipleship that helps us reach the whole person and whole communities!”

The main focus of the work is among the rural poor in Africa. In countries where the church is well established, the Discipling for Development team enters into partnerships with in-country organizations that share our vision and commitment. They call these partnerships Discipling for Development mentoring projects. In these situations our mentors don’t live in the country where the training takes place; instead, they travel to the country about three times a year to train and coach indigenous missionaries and pastors. In countries (or people groups) where the church isn’t adequately established, The Navigators sends mentors to live among the people and implement the Discipling for Development process.

This approach is in line with the vision and strategy of the Zimbabwe ANESU Partnership. We invite you to watch this video clip, “What is Africa Yearning For?”, and rejoice in the good work being done through The Navigators in Africa, and pray that we too, might be effective in assisting the Church in Zimbabwe to meet the challenge Zimbabwe’s people face.

We believe that our relationship with Foundations in Farming (http://www.foundationsforfarming.org/) will greatly enhance this strategy, as we bring it to bear in Zimbabwe.