Sharing God’s Love in Practical Ways                                 April 2008

We hope you’ve had a great April. Spring is in full bloom on campus. You can read summaries of the articles in this month’s Journal below. To download a complete version of the SIFAT Journal, click here or go to our news page.

A Chance to Make a Difference – Today almost 30,000 children under the age of five will die of mostly preventable causes. More than 70 percent of the planet does not have clean drinking water or sanitation. While statistics can be overwhelming, there are solutions that can change this– one community at a time! Our Fall Practicum will teach community leaders self-help skills in the context of Christian community development. You can be a part making a difference in our world by providing full or partial scholarships for our students. Contact Kathy Bryson (brysonk@sifat.org) for information about donating scholarships or finding other ways you can get involved with the Practicum.

Reflection on a Deaf Teen Retreat – A group of deaf teens from Dallas, Texas, participated in a SIFAT retreat. These students were given an opportunity to learn about other cultures and themselves during their time on campus. Tom Hudspeth, pastor of deaf ministries at Lovers Lane UMC, wrote a reflection about his experience after participating in the slum experience in our Global Village.

Learn & Serve Update – Spaces are still available in our Elementary Learn & Serve session (June 29-July 2). The cost is $150 per person. Weeks 1,4 and 9 are already full! Limited space remains during the other weeks. If your youth group is interested in coming, please register soon. Individuals are also welcome to participate. Learn about the elementary session and how to register on the Learn & Serve site. Contact Learn & Serve director Jamie (waldhourj@sifat.org) if you have questions or need more information.

Sarah Trust Fund Update – We have almost reached $130,000. Remember, our goal is $200,000 by November 2008. Please consider giving to this trust fund, so that SIFAT can continue sharing God’s love in practical ways in future generations. SIFAT Remembers: Two Groups that SIFAT Targets – This month, SIFAT cofounder Ken Corson remembers his home in Sapecho, Bolivia, and how living with the poor helped his family understand being poor. He explains the term “mid-pew America” and how SIFAT wants to be a bridge between the First and Two-thirds Worlds to empower Christians to help one another.

Practicum Alumni Visit – Jhony Bandela, of Hydrabad, India, graduated from the Practicum in 2006. After returning to India, he realized these were classes his wife, Prasuna Gajula, needed to attend. Prasuna graduated last year, and she returned to India prepared to implement what they learned in Grace & Truth Ministries. Prasuna and Jhony returned to the United States this year to visit churches supporting them and to share the new expansion of Grace & Truth Ministries.

Claude Hurtt Joins Staff – If you have called the SIFAT accounting office recently, you may have spoken with Claude Hurtt, our new accountant. Claude has taken the place of Scotty Turner, who returned to Florida with his wife Jane to be closer to his father. We wish Scotty and Jane the best, and we welcome Claude. If you have need to contact Claude, feel free to e-mail him (hurttc@sifat.org).

From the Desk of Tom Corson – Tom returned from a trip to the Holy Lands. In this month’s column, he shares how being in the Holy Land, where he encountered the effects of civil unrest and tourism, is vastly different than being His Holy Lands. Tom challenges us to no build stone temples in memory of Jesus’ life, but rather, to make our own bodies His temple where we get involved and act out His command of loving our neighbor.

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