The 2022 goals for World Relief Rwanda include increasing the reach of our work by launching a new Church Empowerment Zone (CEZ) in a southern province called Gisagara. We also plan to expand our family strengthening programming to include all of our CEZs in Rwanda and to launch our pilot program focusing on Disability Inclusion in two CEZs. We appreciate your ongoing support as we follow the leading of the Lord in what He is doing in Rwanda.

Please Pray

… that the work in the CEZ’s will prosper and spread throughout the country.

Donat was a lonely widower struggling to raise his children when he was invited to join a World Relief Savings for Life (SFL) group. Though initially skeptical, he was pleased by his profits and decided to also join an Agriculture for Life (AFL) group. 

Using the skills he learned in AFL, combined with a loan from his SLF cohort, he planted 500 fruit trees, which produced enough profit for him to repay his loan plus buy more land and more trees. 

Step by step the Lord has covered his days of sorrow with as many days of His joy as Donat realizes new ways he can care for his family as a single father.

Please Pray

… for the groups in the Church Empowerment Zones, that they would continue to elicit the transformation of the members and their communities.

International Needs Uganda (INUG) has many programs that bring joy to Buikwe. Through the sponsorship program, the staff have seen joy on the face of a grandmother who heard her grandchild would be attending school for the first time. She is absolutely beaming with joy because a faithful person in Canada has chosen to sponsor her grandchild. When that child walks onto campus for the first time, the staff witness the student’s face brighten with joy. They can now run, play, and learn with their peers for the first time. This also brings great joy to the staff to know that these children are provided a nutritious meal, tuition, books, and medical care.

Please Pray

… that more children will experience the joy of being released from the cycle of poverty.

At a Hope Mission Summer Day Club, engagement was limited for 3 new-Canadian sisters until a hula hoop came out. This simple toy became the door to joy as the sisters quickly caught on and were smiling and laughing with the other kids, surrounded by cheering, clapping and laughter that included everyone.

“Weeping may endure for the night – but JOY comes in the Morning.” - Psalm 30:5

At the Pregnancy Care Centre, we see joy when emotional healing comes following a pregnancy trauma. 

In schools, Joy = Breakfast! A healthy start to the day served by caring staff and CrossRoads volunteers provides both the mind and heart with what students need to learn well in class.

At the Outreach Centre, we believe joy is living in the fullness of who you were created to be. It is our aim to walk alongside clients as they journey to a place where they can experience this authentic joy.

Please Pray

… that JOY would be abundant in our partners and throughout their spheres of influence.

Moving into 2022, under new Executive Director Ian Wheeliker, the Outreach Centre will focus on team building, while continuing to develop partnerships and community, and provide concrete support to families and individuals.

Looking forward the Pregnancy Care Centre presses on to equip and empower individuals and families seeking pregnancy related resources. In the coming year they are looking forward to purchasing a maternity home in Olds, as well as identifying a location for their Stettler Centre. They will also work towards strengthening programs, partnerships and staff.

Hope Mission is looking forward to nurturing and strengthening existing relationships and connections with kids and families. They are hopeful that access to schools for afterschool programs will be restored, allowing for new and deeper connections with children and youth.

Please Pray

… wisdom for the leadership, expanded access and programs, abundant resources and favour.

At Haiti ARISE, we definitely see joy in the faces of kids in the Children’s Village. The orphans and abandoned children coming in are finding a home; a family to grow in. Their joy is very apparent. We see it on their faces as they run and play and feel at home. We have four families in the Children’s Village now with 26 kids and four couples. 

After the earthquake and hurricane Grace in August, Pastor Purnell lost his house – it was totally flattened. He didn’t know where/how/when he would have a place for his family. Soon after the destruction, we started building a house for him. He called to say “I have peace now, I have joy. God has placed you in our lives, in our path, so that today you can come alongside me.”

Please Pray

… that joy would be immeasurable in Haiti as children and families are rescued.

During 2022, Haiti ARISE is hoping to accomplish three main things. 

We would like to be able to build 200 homes this year in the southern communities in response to the most recent hurricane. We plan to complete the high school and Children’s Village quadplex buildings. Finally, we hope to begin the foundation for our main church in Grand Goave.

Please Pray

… that Haiti Arise would realize all their dreams and more in 2022.

Little 10-year-old Sylvia from Rwanda was abandoned by her mother, unknown by her earthly father, and is being raised by her disabled grandmother, who struggles to provide for Sylvia’s needs. Fortunately, they live in a World Relief Church Empowerment Zone, where local churches have undergone child protection training. Recently, nine members from Sylvia’s church decided to use that training to reach out in love to children like Sylvia. The nine members donated ten cents per month to buy a chicken for each vulnerable child. Sylvia can now provide food for herself and grandmother, and can sell the extra eggs to help pay for her schooling too. “I thank God who is a Father to the fatherless,” says this strong young girl.

Please Pray

… that more church members will be trained and that their love will be put into action.

The ministry of Haiti ARISE is love in action, being Jesus’ hands and feet to help people experience His love. 

Through our church plants we bring people together to learn to care for each other. We have nine church plants throughout Haiti, 26 rescued children and multiple houses built. Also, through our on-site medical clinic our patients find good care that is motivated by love. They can feel the difference from other hospitals or clinics.

There are many humanitarian organizations doing good in Haiti. They may give without love, but because we love, we give. People see that difference. 

Please Pray

… that the love of Jesus will be like a river flowing out from those whom Haiti Arise serves.

International Needs Uganda (INUG) strives to share the love of Jesus Christ with the people they serve in Buikwe. This is the most important aspect of all the work they do. When it comes to the primary and secondary school, Reverend Justus, the Director, knows that many of the students have come from very difficult life circumstances; situations in which they have not felt valued or loved. That is why, no matter his deadline, he will bend down to the children and ask, “How are you?” when crossing the campus. Some of these children have never had such a greeting. This is a small but powerful way to show his love, and the love of Jesus to the children.

Please Pray

…for the INUG staff to be beacons of light and love in every interaction they have with a student.

At Hope Mission: “Love is coming alongside a student and being present with them; to laugh, share time together, listen to their struggles/ challenges, help with homework or celebrate wins.”

At Outreach Centre: “We show love when we treat people with the respect due to them as children of God - everyone who walks through our doors or calls in to our agency is worthy of that.”

At Pregnancy Care Centre: “We believe that to be loved is the greatest human desire. We show this to our clients by praying for them before we even meet or know of them. We believe in divine appointments and demonstrate love in practical ways, and through the giving of time, words of encouragement, and relationship.”

At CrossRoads we collect food and clothing donations year-round for families in our schools that are experiencing challenges. In this way we show love in practical and meaningful ways.

Please Pray

… that LOVE would continue to be shown throughout our community in prayer, respect, time and the meeting of practical needs.

With the Buikwe Senior Secondary School (BSSS) boy’s dormitory completed in 2021, the next need identified at BSSS was for staff accommodation. Work has commenced to convert the old boy’s dormitory into staff quarters. The existing structure will be partitioned into six units, each containing a bedroom, seating area and bathroom. This will allow staff to be closer to the students for after-school supervision and assistance; as well it will provide a greater level of security for them all. 

Housing teachers on-campus will save money as INUG currently pays rent in town for teacher accommodation, as is required by the government.

Once this is complete, CrossRoads will continue to support INUG as they provide educational opportunities in Buikwe. This upcoming work will be guided by the latest INUG 5 Year Strategic Plan which will be finalized in early 2022.

Please Pray

… for Justus, his board and staff that they will have God’s wisdom while preparing the Strategic Plan.

International Needs Uganda (INUG) values education. CrossRoads Church has long been investing in the Buikwe Senior Secondary School through projects such as the library, science lab and dormitories. When our last team visited the girls in their newly constructed dorm, they clearly noticed the peace of the Lord in that place. It is spacious, bright, and provides a safe, peaceful environment for the students to study, pray, and grow. Although we have not yet seen it first hand, we know that the recently completed boys dormitory will be the same.

Currently staff accommodations are under construction on campus. Having staff on-site will provide additional security for the students, thus expanding the peace the students experience.

Please Pray

… for the students as they return to class in January, that they will make up lost time, and find success as they sit their exams.

2021 was a full year for Haiti ARISE, even though we were unable to host teams. We held our annual pastors and leaders conferences, as well as a series of small business training seminars for our church and youth. 

We completed construction of our elementary cafeteria and staff office building, and started the construction of the high school building. Expansion of the Children’s Village continued. We installed solar power throughout our main and south campuses to provide reliable power for our technical school, medical clinic, cafeteria and Children’s Village. 

We’ve hired a new director for the tech school who is expanding the vision for the school. The tech school kitchen and cafeteria is up and operating, serving our staff and students daily. 

We continue to respond to those impacted by the earthquake and hurricane. Praise be to God for His provision!

Please Pray

… give thanks for the amazing progress despite the challenges in Haiti, and the opportunities to share God’s love with the people.

If you look over the headlines for Haiti this past year, you would be unlikely to put Peace and Haiti into the same sentence. There is a lot of unrest and political upheaval following the assassination of the President; gang activity and kidnappings are on the rise. They suffered two back-to-back natural disasters on top of Covid. 

So, where can we find peace in Haiti? Peace is found in the pockets of believers who know that no matter what is going on in the government, or in the world, peace can be found in the Church, in their faith community and support for each other. 

Natural disasters bring many people to the brink of hopelessness and fill them with fear. They have lost their homes. They are in the rain, out in the open, exposed. When Haiti ARISE goes into the communities, they provide emergency care, support and Godly encouragement.  Perhaps even, they will provide a permanent home for a family.  This generates a prevailing sense of peace.

Please Pray

… for the pockets of believers that they would be fountains of peace that would flow over the land and that Godly leaders would rise up.

During 2021, World Relief Rwanda (WRR) played a pivotal role at the national level. They organized and facilitated national level faith leader meetings to promote the inclusion and importance of faith leaders in Rwanda’s COVID-19 response.

World Relief has been contacted by multiple denominations to provide their transformative training to churches in Rwanda, with a desire to multiply the success of the Church Empowerment Zones.

In Nyamasheke the team continued to strengthen and increase church networks in our 3 new sectors.  200 additional Savings For Life groups were started as well as many Agriculture for Life groups. Countless outreach volunteers were also trained, all seeking to tangibly touch the lives of the vulnerable in their communities. 

Please Pray

… give thanks for the impact that WRR has had in bringing unity to Rwanda through their efforts to include all faith leaders in decision-making at a national level, and in the communities they serve.

Daniel and Adeline of Rwanda lived in a tiny rented house which they paid for by subsistence farming. Newly married with a tiny baby, their relationship trembled under the weight of Daniel’s grief over his recent loss of his only parent and extreme poverty. The struggle was too much for Adeline and so she left Daniel and the baby and moved back to her childhood home. Even though the couple had not been active in the local church, the members there had witnessed their pain and resolved to build them a house of their own. 

The members were inspired and equipped to do this through World Relief’s Outreach training. As a result of experiencing this tangible show of sacrificial love, Daniel and Adeline were reunited and have discovered peace together as they pursue life in community with the church members.

Please Pray

… that more church members will be trained as Families for Life Outreach volunteers and thus many families will experience peace at home.

A big win for us in 2021 at Outreach is that despite many challenges and restrictions, we continued to offer life enhancing services. Julietta’s Place remained full with vulnerable moms & kids; we are so proud of these women and children who have come through this last year with strength and resiliency.

At the Pregnancy Care Centre this past year we have focused on strengthening our satellite centers in Drumheller, Olds, Rocky Mountain House and Stettler. We have seen how technology has been a life raft allowing our clients, staff and volunteers to stay connected.

Hope Mission celebrates our adaptability in 2021 to meet the needs we saw in our community. In responding to food scarcity, we were able to mobilize and provide food hampers and frozen meals to homes in need; we moved to online times of crafts and connection and outdoor day clubs in the summer.

Please Pray

… give thanks for the creativity, adaptability and resiliency of our partners and their clients.

At the Outreach Centre peace is helping clients heal from trauma and seeing them experience healthy, happy relationships and communities. 

At the Pregnancy Care Centre our goal is to help our clients find their way through the shock, disbelief and isolation brought on by an unplanned pregnancy; to help them reach a place where they are in control and at peace with their decisions. The specific Post Abortion Recovery Experience provides women with a pathway to a place of peace with God, herself and her past.

In a chaotic and unpredictable world, Hope Mission is deliberate in creating an environment at their Kids Clubs that is relaxed, fun and accepting; kids visibly unwind and settle in. Hope Mission provides an atmosphere that is centered in Jesus’ love and peace.

School staff work towards creating an environment that brings peace and stability in the life of a child who may not experience it elsewhere.

Please Pray

… that PEACE will reign in the hearts and minds of our partners and those they serve; that they would run and not grow weary.

2021 was a year of success for INUG! Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, programming continued to support students and vulnerable families.  Looking specifically at the Buikwe Senior Secondary School, the boy’s dormitory was completed on schedule. In early 2020, the last Short Term Outreach team from CrossRoads had the pleasure of seeing the foundation laid and speaking with the excited boys about the project. Many of the boys expressed thanks to God for answering their prayers for the new dorm. 

God was also glorified on April 21st, 2021 when the grand opening ceremony of the dormitory took place. Although CrossRoads couldn’t be in attendance, there were many community members, INUG staff and dignitaries on hand for the unveiling of the building and a new plaque thanking God and acknowledging the special friendship between INUG and CrossRoads Church.

Please Pray

… give thanks for the provision of a safe place for the students to live, and continued support for the vulnerable.

International Needs Uganda (INUG) is providing hope through education. In Buikwe, one of the poorest regions of the country, there are many children without the opportunity to attend school. Reasons for this are varied: lack of tuition funds, distance to travel, responsibilities at home, and more. Receiving an education opens the door to a broader future – strong competition for jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities, and even access to Universities. This is a hope for a future that they did not have before. 

There are many success stories, such as the eight INUG staff members who were once sponsored children, and are now teaching younger sponsored children; another has graduated from university and now teaches at the prestigious Kings College in the capital.

Please Pray

… that more children will be sponsored and given the hope that education provides.

In everything Haiti ARISE does, the gospel is central, providing hope for a stronger future. In a practical way, we’re helping ignite hope in young people through providing education and giving them opportunities to dream of a better future. 

We have over 600 kids in elementary and high school as well as 250 in our trade school learning practical skills like construction, plumbing, computers and sewing. For a student coming into the technical college, hope looks like this: they come with little to no skills. Learning a trade gives them the opportunity to have their own business and provide for themselves and a family.

Please Pray

… hope will be ignited in the students through education.

“The heart’s desire and calling of Haiti ARISE is to raise up Godly leaders in Haiti so THEY can in turn change their families, communities and country; to share the gospel and for a strong hope for the future to be established. In everything we do, we want to meet the needs of the whole person: spirit, soul, mind and body. 

We are also working towards sustainability by training up Haitians to grab the vision, and carry Haiti ARISE forward. We want Haiti to ARISE!

Ultimately, we want Haitians to be helping Haitians – and they are! Due to the pandemic and unrest, we have been unable to host missionary teams. While this has made us sad, it has opened tremendous opportunity for our Haitian staff and workers to rise up and take more initiative; to have more buy-in. It has been really exciting to see that happen.” 

- Co-Founder, Lisa Honorat

Please Pray

… a blessing upon the believers, that they would be salt and light in their communities, bringing lasting transformation.

Father Longin, a Catholic priest, joined other church leaders in forming a World Relief Church Empowerment Zone. One of their first acts together was to pool resources among themselves through a Savings For Life (SFL) group account. When Father Longin’s own father passed away, his ministry colleagues– from many other Christian traditions and denominations– came to visit and grieve with him, bringing a financial love offering to him from their SFL benevolent fund. This example of church unity overcoming cultural and historic hostilities, gives Rwandan pastors and their communities much hope for the future.

Please Pray

… Pastors and church members in the Church Empowerment Zones will continue to overcome cultural and historical barriers to bring hope and healing.

World Relief Rwanda recognizes and celebrates that God’s instrument in the lives of vulnerable people is the Church. Individuals, families and communities are changed for the better when the Church is unified and its members come together across the barriers of culture, distance, language, and heritage. Even history is changed through the unified work of the Church. What World Relief Rwanda does well is to call and equip Rwandan churches to join in this mission of unity for the sake of moving forward together toward healing and wholeness throughout their country.

Please Pray

… that the Church would continue to be the instrument of unity that brings healing and wholeness in Rwanda and the world.

For an adult or child who has experienced or witnessed domestic violence, or been affected by suicide, hope for a future brighter than their yesterdays can be found through the skilled and compassionate therapy provided at the Outreach and Dragonfly Centres.

Hope is one of the greatest gifts we can give; it can empower a person to press on and not give up. Hope comes when someone believes in you and stands by your side. Hope is Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre.

In times of financial need and stress Hope Mission’s meal and food hamper delivery program has been a gift of hope to those who are struggling. Spending time on doorsteps allows for conversation, relationship building and times of prayer.

In schools, staff do much more than teach curriculum – they provide hope. To give a child encouragement and build resiliency in students is to give hope for a brighter tomorrow. 

Please Pray:

… within our city there are many needs - pray that hope shines brightly in those touched by our partners.

The Outreach Centre provides a broad scope of services and supports under one roof for all those impacted by suicide, domestic violence, homelessness and financial poverty. We provide individual and group counselling, education programs, art and play therapy for children and youth, and safe housing for women and children.

Unique to the Pregnancy Care Centre is client experience. They tell us it feels different than any other place they have been. What they are experiencing is God’s love and acceptance through the staff and volunteers, even if they don’t know it.

We strive to serve, strengthen and uplift families. Our core strength at Hope Mission is that we are able to quickly adapt to the needs that we see in the community and mobilize our team to meet those needs. All of our programs are provided at no cost, which removes barriers for many, and is a huge blessing to those we serve.

International Needs Uganda (INUG) specializes in the progress of the whole child; they emphasize holistic development in the areas of social responsibility, mental, physical and spiritual development. The driving premise is that it is the child that acts as an agent of change when he/she goes back to the family. What the children learn in school blossoms in the family.

Part of them putting strong focus on the child has been seen through their child sponsorship program. Once a child is identified as vulnerable, he/she is matched with a sponsor, and caring and competent social workers get to know the child. They spend time with the family to assess and understand the dynamics at home which allows INUG as a whole team (teachers, social workers, medical team, etc) to better serve the child and their family. Sponsorship funding is critical to this success.

Please Pray

… that the children of Buikwe will continue to be the agents of change in their community.

Uganda (Buikwe) - International Needs Uganda supports projects and programs that equip children and communities to overcome the grip of poverty and chart their own paths. They believe that education transforms an individual’s life, family, community, and nation.

Rwanda (Nyamasheke) - World Relief Rwanda empowers the local church to reach out to the most vulnerable. Their aim is to nurture communities with thriving relationships, strengthened families, economical sustainability, spiritual richness and good health.

Haiti (Grand Goave) - Haiti ARISE is determined to raise up Godly leaders through education to strengthen their families, neighbours and country. They also bring relief to poverty, stimulate the economy and preach the Good News so that lives will be saved for a strong future for Haiti.

Central Alberta - Through our local partners at Hope Mission, the Outreach Centre, Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre and schools, we care for the spiritual and practical needs of vulnerable youth and single parents in our community.

The past year has been another difficult one. As we highlight the incredible work of our local and global partners, we acknowledge it’s been hard for them as well. Each country and partner have been impacted by the pandemic, coupled with other trials. Here in our community we know of those already vulnerable experiencing further financial challenges, job loss and personal pain; seen globally as well. In Uganda, the students are longing to return to their classrooms, but the schools have still not re-opened. In Rwanda, few of the churches have re-opened, leaving the pastors and those they care for suffering financially without income. In Haiti, the entire country is still reeling from the political, economic and physical damages brought on by the events of 2021.

And yet God is working through his people, in every part of the globe. Never forget! God is on the move and he will continue to raise up and sustain his faithful.

In the following pages we share our partners wins in 2021 and dreams for 2022; also, their view of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. Enjoy a short story and prayer each day. May you be inspired and motivated to engage in this campaign by the giving of your financial support and prayers so our partners will be encouraged and enabled to accomplish all they dream for in 2022.

On behalf of Laurie Whitaker - Local Initiatives Director, and our Global Compassion Committee, thank you.

Tracy Minke
Pastor of Outreach Missions