Hi All
We spent part of the day with leaders of HIV-Aids support groups which were initiated by the Mercy ministry of Christian Life Assembly of Kigali  the local church we are working with.  I am humbled. Rwanda continues to have a strong stigma against those who suffer with the disease and it takes a highly committed church to be upfront about this and a brave person to attend let alone lead a neighbourhood group. They were singing when we arrived. If I had a coffee in my hand I could have  been convinced that I was in Heaven.

The group leaders  were upbeat and feeling good about their situation which they attribute to a couple of things: group support and faith in Christ. Their faith is simple: Before they committed to following Christ they were despondent and now they are not. I think we in the west may be making Christianity  too complicated.

Yesterday we visited the group home that Urban Bridge funding initiated and supports – powerful . Wait till you see the video and photos Jordan captured!

For the past 2 years Urban Bridge Church has taken one Sunday away from our regular service to participate in something we care a great deal about: The AIDS Walk for Life.

This year Urban Bridge Church will once again be sponsoring the event as a community, but we wanted to go above that and participate in raising funds as individuals from Urban Bridge Church.

If you are interested in joining the Urban Bridge Church team (there is still time) in raising individual pledges, or you would like to sponsor our team, please click here

There are also plenty of opportunities to volunteer for the event, and if you would like to do so please contact Pascal at pascalbelzile@gmail.com

Even if you can’t volunteer or sponsor us, please join us in the Walk for Life on September 20, 2009 at 11am. The 5km event begins at Churchill Square.

Stories of Mercy

Here is a thank you from Taanis, a resident of Kairos House for whom the Urban Bridge community purchased a set of new dentures to help restore “her smile”.

Click here to read the thank you letter in PDF format.

Click here to read more about Kairos House and our involvement there.

“Life here on the ship is going well. I’ve been learning how to be in community, since there isn’t a whole lot of space on the ship, I’m constantly surrounded by people. The African people aren’t at all like we are either.. they don’t want their “own space” or alone time. They thrive on being around others and belonging to a group. That’s different for me, but really good to learn from.
I’ve been sick the last week or so. Fevers/chills/nausea/runny nose.. and now an ear infection. I picked up some sort of nasty bug. So far I’ve been able to keep working as the worst of it was on my days off. But I’m really praying that I get better cause it’s frustrating to feel sick all the time.
Yesterday there was another screening day for possible surgeries. The sad part is that we have very limited space in the OR schedule so most people were turned away. They were only expecting a couple hundred people to come out, but over 1000 showed up! So it was a sad thing. There’s such a great need, it’s heart wrenching.
I’m over halfway through my time here! Hard to believe… I’m excited to bring back pictures and stories of some of the patients here. Thank you for your prayers and support. Hope things are well back home.”
Esti

Esther, who attends UBC, is off putting her nursing skills to work on a Mercy Ship. Here is her latest update…

“Hard to believe that I’ve been here for almost a month! I know I know.. everyone told me that time would fly by… It’s going really great. Meeting some amazing people and patients. Seeing God’s healing hand on physical and spiritual lives. The people here are so hungry for God’s presence and truth in their lives, it’s refreshing to see! And I’m even getting my African dance on… ha ha.
God Bless,
Esti”

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Esther Blumer is leaving soon to serve on a Mercy Ship in Africa, an amazing ministry that provides medical care. To learn more see
http://www.mercyships.org/home

To make a donation sponsoring Esther, use this link: https://secure.mercyships.org/webinfo/staffsupport
Though it says to use the last name, there is an error. If you want to choose to sponsor Esther, select “Esther Blumer”—using her first name and then follow instructions to make a donation.

The Great Giveaway is our way of putting mercy ministry in the hands of every Christ-follower – not just in the hands of a select few “in leadership”.

We believe we are all called to follow the missional example of Christ, and to live out mercy wherever we live.

The Great Giveaway is a way to give flight to the mercy ideas of you and your smaller group. Over the past couple of years, we have built up a dedicated pool of funds just for mercy ministry, and we need your help to know how best to spend those dollars. If you or your smaller group are aware of a need, or can dream up a way to serve your community (be it a literal, physical neighborhood, your workplace or anywhere else you have connection), we want to support your vision financially.

The process is simple. Download the attached form, tell us the need, the cost and when you need the money. That’s it. That’s The Great Giveaway, and it can’t happen without YOUR vision.

What will you give away?

mercy-give-away-request-form

PS >> Watch here for Great Giveaway Videos as we capture the “giveaways” with our “Flip” cameras.

Thanks to all of you who came out to take a stand against HIV/AIDS at the 2008 AIDS Walk for Life. A large group for our church helped boost the already-large crowd for this great event.

In case you missed it, or just want revisit the memories, here are some photos from the day.

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Urban Bridge is taking to the streets this Sunday in support of those affected by HIV/AIDS in Edmonton.

The Scotiabank AIDS Walk For Life takes place this Sunday, IN PLACE OF OUR REGULAR CHURCH GATHERING. The walk starts at 1 PM at City Hall with registration starting at 11 AM. You must arrive and register to walk sometime before 1 PM. If you are volunteering, you may need to arrive earlier. If you have not signed up to volunteer yet and would like to, contact Misty (of HIV Edmonton) at misty.b@hivedmonton.com.

We believe there are many ways to worship God, and that showing others the love of Christ is one of the best. That is what we will be doing and we bring the presence of Christ, through our lives and our service, to the heart of the city at this weekend’s AIDS Walk for Life.

Get all the details on the Edmonton walk here >> http://www.aidswalkforlife.ca/Edmonton.htm

Here are some photos from last year’s incredible walk.

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The AIDS Walk is coming up again this fall and HIV Edmonton could use your help.

Here is the official request from HIV Edmonton Operations Coordinator, Misty Bjerky.

Good Afternoon,

Next week there are many opportunities for volunteers to help HIV Edmonton prepare for the 2008 Scotiabank AIDS Walk for LIfe.

Among the current available tasks are:

Contacting Previous Walkers
Preparing Sponsorship Packages
Preparing Partnership Packages
Preparing Team Captain packages

If you are able to help, even an hour here or there works wonders, please contact me either via this email address or by phone at (780) 488-5742 x 222 or (780) 965-7910. Right now the schedule is open for Tuesday to Friday, contact me soon so get your preferred time slot.

I look forward to hearing from you and working with you next week.

Thanks for volunteering!

Misty Bjerky
Operations Coordinator

HIV Edmonton