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The hands of Jesus… in a world that hurts. LOBETHAL ACTION WEEKEND. 3 – 5 September 2010. Jambo ! My name is Jonathan Krause. I’m the Communications Manager for Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS).
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The hands of Jesus… in a world that hurts LOBETHAL ACTION WEEKEND 3 – 5 September 2010
Jambo! My name is Jonathan Krause. I’m the Communications Manager for Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS). I’d like to share with you the exciting things that happened during the ALWS weekend that was held in Lobethal in September 2010!
The weekend started with Friday Friends where over 50 children took part in activities to help them learn about refugees and people in need!
The children learnt about how fortunate we are to have clean drinking water.
“Many children in Africa can only drink water that’s contaminated with animal poo, dirt, and disease.”
“Did you know that to give every person clean water and sanitation would cost $14 billion. Our world spends this much on Coca-Cola every 3 months!”
“To feed every child in the world who is hungry costs less than the value of food Australians throw away each year.”
The children then learnt about how unequal our world is through a special game.
Children were then able to choose to do different African themed activities such as drum making and pretending to be a Flamingo!
The older children from the JELLY group even slept in the church in cardboard boxes! This was just a small reminder of what it’s really like to be a refugee with no home or proper shelter.
The SHWALLY youth group really took up the challenge by organising a refugee camp out. Unfortunately the rain made it impossible to sleep outside, however they made the most of it while learning about what it’s really like living in a refugee camp.
Even the food was rationed with each person receiving a small bowl of rice.
Thomas and Harrison enjoying their rice…in traditional African bowls?!
A challenging part of the night was listening to refugee, David Jok, talk about his amazing experiences escaping violence and suffering in Sudan!
A highlight of the weekend was the African Dinner on Saturday night! We shared together wonderful African food and music while learning abut the needs of refugees in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.
…and the company was even better!
During the evening we shared together stories of people in refugee camps and the work of ALWS. “Right now there are 65,000 people at Kakuma Refugee Camp. Each one of those people has a story to tell that will break your heart. They've fled from war and poverty and loss. It's almost impossible for us to understand. When you talk to people they matter-of-factly share horrors that are almost unbelievable to those of us living safely in the west.”
“I remember one lady, Modesta, whose husband and child were murdered by her own father, because they happened to be the 'wrong' tribe. You could see the suffering breaking her heart, but somehow she clung to her faith in God and looked in hope to the future.”
“Another lady, Maburuku, lost everything fleeing Somalia, yet she was prepared to take in three children who had been orphaned by the war. She had nothing, but gave everything.”
“We have an extraordinary privilege to stand alongside such brave caring people. We have much to learn from their faith and generosity. And when they say thank you for our support - as they do all the time - it is incredibly humbling.”
“It was a fantastic weekend of being reminded of the blessings God has poured out on us here in Australia and how we can help those in need. But, thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. • Your congregation can also be involved in organising an awareness day or weekend. It’s a fun and easy way to: • raise awareness • enjoy tasty and different food • build community • involve people who may not yet be ready to come along to church!”
“So, why not give it a go! Please contact Jen at ALWS for more information.” 1300 763 407 or alws@alws.org.au
Ahsante Sana (Thank you very much)
