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November 2001
Dear Friends,
We hope that you have had a happy Thanksgiving! We are doing
well. Robert and Frances are growing up fast and recently had
great fun planting our garden. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time
to reflect on our blessings. We are especially thankful for time
Elizabeth and the children had with her parents (Bill and Nancy
Warlick) in Zimbabwe this September.
Sometimes the Lord’s blessings can be taken for granted.
The following situations have caused us to reflect on our many
blessings. One night a neighbor of ours went into labor. She was
told to get to the hospital right away for a possible caesarean
section, yet she had to wait hours until transportation could
be arranged because her family had no car and there was no public
transportation available. A friend from a remote village trying
to get a college education in the capital city lives in a crowded
one-room apartment in a dirty part of town. Church colleagues
live and work in villages with no electricity or running water.
These realities and others make us thankful for the ability to
get medical care when we need it, for reliable transportation,
spacious shelter, lights, running water, and sanitation. And even
more so, for a heavenly Father who loves us no matter who we are
or where we live. God’s love and salvation are available
to all—a free gift not contingent on possessions or position
in society!
We are blessed to serve in Madagascar with dedicated church colleagues.
We would like to highlight an exciting ministry of the Church
of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM). Unlike most of Africa, Madagascar
has a very low HIV infection rate. Current estimates show the
HIV infection rate under 1 percent. If all parts of society are
not mobilized soon, however, the rate will mushroom. About 10
years ago, South Africa’s infection rate was under 1 percent,
and now it is 20 percent.
This past July, FJKM formed a 20-member task force to design
an AIDS program for the church. Task force members include church
doctors, development workers, pastors, and representatives from
the church’s seminary, revival movement, scouts, and youth
programs, as well as the church media. Some have prior experience
working with AIDS programs, and others bring knowledge of their
work in the church. Elizabeth is very privileged to be a part
of this group.
In October, FJKM held a four-day seminar funded by the United
Nations to determine the overall objectives and strategies of
the church’s AIDS program. Attendees included the task force
members and about 20 others. All FJKM’s departments and programs
were represented, including the evangelism department, women of
the church, men of the church, and the Sunday school program.
There were pastors from "red zone" regions, where AIDS
is over 1 percent. It was a wonderful four days during which church
leaders expressed the need for the church to involve itself in
the fight against AIDS and share God’s healing message of
redemptive love; to help families regain dignity and be strong
units; to promote abstinence and fidelity as positive and attainable
lifestyles in contrast to the secular community, which promotes
condom use. The conference theme was Esther 8:6, "How can
I bear to see disaster fall on my people?" Those gathered
agreed that the Malagasy church must speak out and act to help
save the Malagasy people from the disaster that is AIDS.
The task force is now drafting a proposal for a three-year AIDS
program that will involve all aspects of the church, reaching
out through its four seminaries, 317 schools, and over 4000 churches.
Prayer requests:
Peace in Christ,
Dan, Elizabeth, Robert, & Frances Turk
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 42
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