On Monday, HOW Magazine, a publication dedicated to providing graphic-design professionals with the essentials in their field, took the time to showcase our very special friend, board member, and Principle of Rule29 Design, Justin Ahrens.
In this featured interview, Justin is asked a myriad of questions ranging from his source of inspiration to his ability to maintain balance in his professional and personal life.
We became excited when HOW extended their interview with Justin to discuss his involvement with LIA!
Justin stated, “One of our missions at Rule29 is to be involved in our community. Both locally and globally when possible. Through a crazy chain of events I felt like Africa was somewhere we should go, and before I knew it I was visiting the slums. When I met LIA I fell in love with their model. They work to change communities with a sustainable wholistic approach.“
Justin has made a tremendous personal and professional investment in the work of LIA. He has seen and served in many of our the communities and was a key member of the “This Is My Home” documentary team in May of 2009. We are so grateful to Justin and the entire Rule29 team for their creativity, professionalism and overall heart for the mission and vision of LIA.
Justin and his crew will be heading back to Kenya shortly to begin work on another film, this time focusing on church-led micro-enterprise activities taking place in slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
To learn more, we encourage you to read Justin’s interview here.
Dr. Yared is our longest serving LIA staff member and a friend to many of us.
He is the LIA Ethiopia country director, serving with LIA since 2000 after many years of service in the medical field as a coordinator for Christian Children Fund in Ethiopia.
This past Sunday February 21st he celebrated his wedding to Ye Alemberhan, her name which means - “light of the world”.
Join us as we rejoice over what God has brought about.
Congratulations Yared and Ye Alemberhan we wish you both the best of luck and many blessings!
Fact: It is estimated that 1/5 of the 2.2 million Kenyans living with HIV reside in the Kibera slum. Poor nutrition and lacking sanitation practices and education has allowed for the spread of many other diseases as well.
Among this great need however, we believe there is a great hope and potential for change.
We are excited to share with you some of the recent health and economic initiatives at the beginning stages in this community, in partnership with the local churches of the area. Take a look at our most recent press release to learn more about the proposed plans for the future of this community.
This afternoon, a team of interns and leaders from Southeast Christian Church arrived in Nairobi, Kenya officially kicking off our 2010 Short-Term Mission Team year. We’re excited for another year of powerful partnerships between our communities in the states and our communities in Africa.
This team of future ministry leaders is made up of thirteen people, each withdiverse backgrounds and interests. Below is a video taken before they left as a means to ask for prayer during their travel and time in Kenya.
They will be serving in the community of Thika, just outside of Nairobi, working with our five partner churches in this area. During their stay the team will be visiting homes, encouraging church volunteers, loving on kids, and partnering with our local pastors to serve the needy in the community.
This team will be in Kenya February 15-24. Please keep them in your prayers. We will give you a full update upon their return.
Fact: The majority of dwellings in Kibera, the most populated slum south of the Sahara Desert, are rented on a room-to-room basis. The average home size in Kibera is 3 meters by 3 meters, with an average of five persons per dwelling.
The future of Sudan is uncertain as election is coming in April 2010 and Referendum in January 2011. As we look forward to the election in April, we are soliciting you, our partners, to pray for peace and stability in Africa’s largest (geographically speaking) country.
At the same time, we want to keep you informed with the details and information that are relevant to the situation in Sudan. In an article by BBC entitled Critical Year Ahead for Sudan Amid Fears of War, we are further reminded of the serious situation facing this vast country.
This article serves as a great introduction to some of the complexities facing Sudan throughout this election season. The war that pitted north against south Sudan had a death toll around 2 million people and another 4 million were forced into exile (internally displaced).
There are various opinions held regarding the impact that the election time will have on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Though some believe that this agreement will hold throughout the coming months there is also a great potential for disruption and tension to arise.
We encourage you to take a look at the article and follow the news regarding this monumental time in Sudan’s history.
LIA has ongoing wholistic community development activities in both north sudan and south sudan (See Rumbek in our Annual report, pg. 12)
Please continue to lift up our brothers and sisters in Sudan in prayer.
Pray for the stability of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, keeping Sudan on a road to development and a peaceful future.
We are so grateful for our broad and vast LIA community in which we can join together to pray and support the people of Sudan.
My thy Kingdom come, and thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
When you were ten years old, what did you like to do? How did you spend your time? I recently talked to one ten year old named Mason Reaser. She told me she likes to draw, write stories and play piano. Mason is in fifth grade and enjoys school as well.
But what surprised me about Mason was the amazing thing she did at her school for the Merkato community in Ethiopia.
She told me the story. Her dad showed her a video about where her mom visited in Ethiopia on a recent trip with Life in Abundance. Mason learned about the conditions of life in Ethiopia and she wanted to help. Her student government group each month sponsors a charity (usually local) to raise money or supplies for that cause. Mason wrote a letter to her principal about Merkato. She had learned one of the struggles in Merkato is keeping things clean, especially children. Her request to raise money for soap for the children in Merkato was approved!
During one week in January, Mason went to all of the classes in her school of 350 students (Meadowlane Elementary School, kindergarten through 6th grade, in Olathe, Kansas). She told about the need in Merkato and encouraged her classmates to bring in money. Mason said it was challenging because some of the younger kids had never heard of Ethiopia. But by the end of the week, everyone was involved.
Mason was proud to raise $340 for soap to be purchased for the Merkato community in partnership with Life in Abundance. She is testimony to the fact that advocacy can start at any age! Thank you Mason!
To find out some ideas of what you can do to advocate for those living among the impoverished communities in northeast Africa take a look at our get involved page. To learn more about the conditions as well as the work of LIA in the Merkato community, purchase your very own copy of our first ever documentary “This Is My Home”.
What are some creative ideas YOU have to advocate for injustice and serve your brothers and sisters around the world? We would love to hear!
The relative peace experienced in Sudan these last few years has been precious. Healing and development, though still at its infancy, is of great encouragement to the people of Sudan, and especially South Sudan.
LIA ’s ministry in South Sudan has been very well received, surpassing our expectations. Doors have opened and the favor of God has enabled great strides within such a short time. We are very thankful to God.
That said, we have the soon coming elections in April. This is a great opportunity for the Sudanese people to choose political leaders and we invite you to pray with us.
Pray with us that this will be a time of peace.
Pray that the election process will be free and fair.
Pray that we will come to greater heights post the election time.
Stand with the churches in prayer, holding up the precious people of this nation and the great hope they have for a peaceful and developing nation, which they can proudly call home.
Thank you for partnering with us, that they may have Life in its abundance.
Dr. Florence Muindi
President, LIA International
**We invite you to share your prayers and questions in the comment field for this crucial time in history for the Sudanese people.
The last of our church transformation stories from Ethiopia comes from Kara Kore Presbyterian, another church that is meeting the needs of the Addis Ababa community.
Kara Kore Presbyterian Church Community: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Having been a partner church with us since July 2006, Kara Kore Presbyterian has been able to reach their community using health education, access to organized saving and credit associations, and awareness teachings on micro finance, and sanitation.
Education: The initial schooling provided through the church began in 2000 as an informal school seeking to teach the English and Amharic alphabets to more than 30 children. This school has since evolved to provide formal education to over 338 vulnerable children coming from families experiencing extreme poverty. This system allows children to receive an education while protecting them from having to look for low level work which could lead to exploitation because of their age and situation.
Social Services:
The church has also been able to provide for those that have been ostracized by their community due to diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Through the church many have been able to receive supplementary food, house rent coverage, and medication. Micro-Enterprise:
Consistent with other churches, a volunteer with experience in entrepreneurship offers training sessions to prepare beneficiaries for effective loan usage and management. Businesses that have been generated through these loans include: injera making, poultry selling, and sewing.
As we conclude our series regarding the transformation taking place through the work of some of our partnered churches in Ethiopia, it is our hope that the stories have been both encouraging and inspiring offering a glimpse into the work you have helped empower.
Life in Abundance International works with seven nations of Africa, partnering with churches for Wholistic Community Transformation.
In this featured interview, Justin is asked a myriad of questions ranging from his source of inspiration to his ability to maintain balance in his professional and personal life.
Dr. Yared is our longest serving LIA staff member and a friend to many of us.
At the same time, we want to keep you informed with the details and information that are relevant to the situation in Sudan. In an article by BBC entitled 
But what surprised me about Mason was the amazing thing she did at her school for the Merkato community in Ethiopia.
The relative peace experienced in Sudan these last few years has been precious. Healing and development, though still at its infancy, is of great encouragement to the people of Sudan, and especially South Sudan.
Pray with us that this will be a time of peace. 
Stand with the churches in prayer, holding up the precious people of this nation and the great hope they have for a peaceful and developing nation, which they can proudly call home.
Kara Kore Presbyterian Church
The initial schooling provided through the church began in 2000 as an informal school seeking to teach the English and Amharic alphabets to more than 30 children. This school has since evolved to provide formal education to over 338 vulnerable children coming from families experiencing extreme poverty. This system allows children to receive an education while protecting them from having to look for low level work which could lead to exploitation because of their age and situation.
