Website and infrastructure

The Kingdom Assignment presented several challenges - simply giving $100 to a charity seemed like an easy way out when I could extend myself to make things LOTS better. Don't get me wrong, many charities need $100, it makes so much difference (ref: LL, JJ) .. but in my heart I knew I had to do something else. There had to be an element where I was able to liberate others to do more.. God really challenged me to work at this project.

With the initial $100 I purchased the norandachurch.com.au domain, and in my evenings set up this website. Some of the men at church have used the profits to help pay for IT hardware, networking and internet connectivity - saving much needed cash for other more important things. We have started collecting the stories and inspriation of the Kingdom Assignment - to show other men what you can do with a bit of thought and some good old sweat!

But $100 wasn't going to last long, so I arranged to buy some second hand servers at a good price (from friend at church's business). After reformatting (provided free through my company) got to see the management (of a neighbour's business) who were amenable to the project and agreed to purchase the second hand servers (to solve their problems) at a fraction of their true value (but at a modest pofit for KA). Although I had to dip into my own pocket to finance the project, we'd end up with some surplus to finance ongoing internet and IT costs.

And with some of the other money - we purchased a colour laser printer for the church office (2300 DL), helped 2 other community organisations set up their websites Riverside (Perth) Swim Club and Allstrokes Swimming Academy and we're planning more.. (we still have $84 left).

What an inspiration! Praise God .(PT).

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Soft drinks and further small projects

BP too her $100 and purchased cans of cold drinks which are for sale to the various groups using the church permises. With the first proceeds going to finance more cans, BP has set up an ongoing facility to support various small ministries in and around the church.

Note: * Noranda Church of Christ supports Challenge Newspaper in other ways too!

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COCOA Church Of Christ Overseas Aid

I gave God’s money to a charity that works in Africa and India and the Pacific Islands called COCOA (http://www.gmp.org.au/COCOA.html) . I gave the $100 to buy a box of chickens which could give eggs for breakfast for a family each day. The money also went to buying maize meals for a family for about a month. I thought it was a good decision to give the $100 to this organisation because the people will know that Christians care about them and that God loves them.

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Pakistan Evangelism

Last year in 2008, I was in my French class at school and my teacher had just come back from a missionary trip to Pakistan. He told us all about it and how he had to have body guards take him around and also how he was in constant danger (being around armed extremists). He told the class about how he and some friends had set up a church and there were thousands of people turning up- so many that they were spilling onto the streets. At the back of the church there was a Christian school, too. The whole mission had begun and is still running because of his and the other people’s efforts and donations. So when Pastor Eion came to our house and told Isaac and I (Josh already knew) about the Kingdom Assignment, I was really happy to take it up. So a week or so later, I took the $100 to the certain teacher and obtained a receipt afterwards. The money will go to the mission that is running in Pakistan to help people who know nothing about Jesus, become Christians (extending God’s Kingdom).

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Chennai Orphanage

For the Kingdom Assignment, I decided to give the one hundred dollars to an orphanage in India, about an hour out of Chennai.  Early in 2009, I had the opportunity to visit this orphanage and see the effects the money could make.  To put it into perspective, about 70 Australian cents could by a large meal for lunch. This money could provide the orphanage with numerous ways of help, including buying furniture, food, clean water, resources (books, etc.) . The 50 or so boys all come from extremely poor families in rural parts of South India, who have lost at least one parent.  The boys, aged between four and sixteen, are all passionate about cricket, and play once a week in a paddock at the back of the orphanage. The children sleep in two large rooms, one for the older boys and one for the younger ones, on concrete floors with thin straw mats.  In each of the each of the rooms their are shelves of similar size to a school locker, in which all of the orphans belongings are kept. The children were delighted when my family and I gave them two small chocolates and a souvenir (a koala). It can show us how privileged we are in  Australia to have the luxurious lives we live. The orphans have very few choices in their daily lives; they have no choice of what they eat, wear, when they do chores and homework and when they get up or go to bed.  I believe the Kingdom Assignment could really impact the children's lives as they are brought up in a Christian home in a hindu nation.

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Put simply, the results for our kingdom assignment speak for themselves..

Dear Brethren,

“I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – Philippians 4:18-20.

Thank you very much for the gift that you sent and today Sunday 21st March 2009 we drove to Penhalonga 17km away from here to present the gifts to the church that meets there. We apologize in that due to circumstances beyond our control we could not do it earlier. The following is a list and cost of items that we delivered to this congregation:

We also distributed 20 x 20kg bags of Mealie Meal (donated by others).

I think you will appreciate to know that these beneficiaries are displaced former farm workers who now have lost their only livelihood as they do not have any source of income. A total of 44 people received the food which include nine families. After receiving the groceries they sang a Chorus in the local language “Tinotenda Jesu” which means “Thank You Jesus” and prayers to thank the Lord were said. See the rest of the story in the pictures attached.

May I also mention that several volunteers provided the transport to carry the food and the people that went to Penhalonga.

Let me thank you once again for the money that you donated which was used to purchase the food. If you need the official receipts issued when the food was bought we can try and fax/scan them to you.  Hebrews 6:10, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

In His Service,
Minister and Elder.
7th Avenue / Jubilee Street Church of Christ
P. O. Box 4030, Mutare, Zimbabwe, Africa

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