CMF missionaries Scott and Annelle Price are seeing hearts open to the gospel in Tanzania because of a simple $10 gift: a life-saving mosquito bed net. As one older man told them: “I thought malaria was from a curse. I didn’t know there was something we could do to not get it.” Thanks to gifts of the treated nets from hundred of supporters, many people in Tanzania have been blessed and encouraged to know that they are not forgotten and that someone cares about them.

In Africa, malaria is a curse, but a preventable and curable one. A child in Africa dies of malaria every 30 seconds. It is a serious threat to life, health and wealth in the developing world. Treated bed nets are a simple, cost-effective solution to the problem of malaria. A Kenyan government study found that for every 1,000 nets used, the lives of seven children were saved. The treated nets kill the mosquitoes before they can find their targets. The greater number of bed nets, the greater the number of mosquitoes eliminated.

Each $10 net covers one bed, but in most homes, several sleep in one bed, so one net can help many members of a family. If many homes in a community receive these nets, incidences of malaria can be reduced by huge percentages, and hundreds of lives will be spared.

For more information about CMF’s “Take a Bite Out of Malaria” project, go here.

The leader of CMF’s team in a large city in a populous Asian country was recently reflecting on the growth of the team’s ministry to the urban poor during the past year. “A year ago we were pleading daily for contacts, ways into communities, and knowledge on how to expand and connect with peoples lives,” he wrote. “Today we find ourselves and our team overwhelmed with opportunities to speak truth into peoples lives.”

The team of two families and two singles, along with several national partners, currently work with the children in two migrant schools. Through those programs they are able to share with 600 kids a month. This year they will facilitate 60 scholarships for some of the neediest families and connect with them through home visits.

“Not only are we are partnering with various organizations and business in the city to reach out to those in need, but our team members also work with, train, and teach in five different Christian groups around the city,” he concluded.

Church planters from many different tribal groups are being trained at our training center near Arusha. These students are provided with instruction in the Bible, Community Health Evangelism (CHE), agriculture, and literacy to prepare families for the church-planting task ahead of them. Our current church planter training cycle is in its second phase with graduation on December 4. Representing 5 tribes, there are 14 students and 17 children staying at the mission center.

Since our Tanzania team has focused on working among the unreached tribes through national church planter training, when added to the work of others, the number of unreached people groups in Tanzania has dropped from 38 to 35.

Three American churches sent short-term work groups to assist with the building project at the Northside Christian Church (Iglesia Cristiana del Norte) in Mexico City between September 26 and Oct. 31. As a result, there has been major advancement on the project as the Mexican-led church prepares to celebrate its 14^th anniversary.

The first work group came from the Tomoka Christian Church of Ormond Beach, Florida. Before they arrived, only a few partial walls and the main auditorium floor had been completed. The team went to work on the bathrooms, with the goal of pouring the floor. Due to the sheer amount of preparatory work that was needed, however, the floor-pouring had to be delayed. The team did get almost all of the prep work done for the bathroom floor, poured several columns and put in a retaining wall in the parking area. They also took down a tree that was in the way of the building’s new second floor.

The second work team came from Whitewater Christian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio. They arrived just in time to finish the preparation for the bathroom floor and pour it. The team members also served in the homework and English clubs at the Eagles Church and laid sod at team members’ Casey and Terri Hancock’s home.

The third team, from Willamette Christian Church of West Linn, Oregon, cut and built supports for the wooden forms that would be used to pour the second floor. Some of these supports were 10 feet high. This complicated and time-consuming process also involved tying rebar to reinforce certain areas of the floor. The team also cut down 11 trees, cut and put up many plywood forms and painted the large metal columns.

A Mexican crew completed the actual pouring after the teams had to leave. It will be dry in about two weeks, and then the supports can be taken down. In the meantime, the crew is beginning lay the brick for the second-floor walls.

None of this would have been possible without the work of the tireless volunteers, according to CMF missionary Steve Carpenter. “None of our teams complained about anything,” he wrote. “And in fact, they kept asking me for more work to do when the job they were doing was done. But that’s the spirit of a team that’s here to serve.”

Northside Christian Church met in a home for many years before buying property for a building a couple years ago. They have been building it in phases with the help of short-term teams ever since. To see photos of the work progress please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/sknbcarp

CMF is passionate about church planting. What we are even more passionate about is planted churches planting churches! While I was in Ethiopia recently, I attended a meeting of the church leaders for both the Oromo and the Gumuz. I asked, “There are 35 churches among the Oromo, right?” based upon the last numbers I had received. “No,” they replied, “there are 54.” They then began to share about the different “zone” churches and their daughter churches. In addition to these 54 churches among the Oromo, there are 18 churches that have been planted among the Gumuz. Praise the Lord!

David Giles, Director of Church Planting Ministries
11/5/09