Material Aid Shipments
Overseas Material Aid: Helping Ministries in a
For churches and individuals that want to help an indigenous ministry in a practical way, Intercede International has a solution: the Overseas Material Aid program (OMA). OMA is all about sending shipments of needed goods and equipment to national missionaries in other countries. “OMA was a program that was started to help some of our partnering mission agencies with material aid, with goods that they can use among their people--to help them in their daily lives,” explains Richard Krawczyk, Superintendent of the OMA program. “Like bicycles, a vehicle or computers--anything that would bring them up-to- date in today’s modern society.” “Overseas Material Aid was started because we saw the need for people to have a personal connection with giving,” observes Intercede President James Eagles. “Most of us can give our finances, but for a lot of folks, being able to have that personal connection, to make something or give something that they owned to help someone in another country far away, especially to children or families that are destitute, brings a lot of satisfaction here and a wonderful sense of being loved by the people over there.” The OMA program started officially in 2002 with the first shipment going to Voice of Salvation and the Ebenezer Life Centre in The OMA program has an ongoing need for the finances to provide the organizational labour, preparation and shipping of these 40-foot sea containers. The average container when filled can weigh as much as 15 tonnes or more and hold more than 4,000 cubic feet of goods. The average full cost to prepare and ship such a container anywhere in the world is about $7,000. Some indigenous ministries have a wide-ranging ‘wish list” of items whereas others need only a narrow category filled–such as medical equipment. OMA also needs more volunteers (especially from the Krawczyk reports that God has blessed OMA in special ways. Recently, one truck company was transporting goods for OMA. Krawczyk found out that the driver and his boss were Christians. The driver offered to give the MIssion a discount, and after talking to his boss, waived the entire $800 charge.
Certain items are not cost-justified for sending out in a shipping container. Clothing is very inexpensive in many countries and often sensitivities to cultural demands prevent North American-style clothing from being worn. Before it is sent out, clothing must be fumigated and that incurs extra cost. So clothing, although sometimes sent for special situations, is normally not encouraged. Another thing we discourage with a few exceptions is Christian newspapers or magazines. Most are filled with contemporary western articles and advertising. An additional caution is not to send any equipment item that is more than 10 years old or that would be impossible to service overseas. We try to send things that have intrinsic value and that are difficult to obtain in target countries. Here is a list of the main items we are looking for:
Individuals, church groups, schools or businesses interested in taking part in the OMA program may contact Mr. Richard Krawczyk at the INTERCEDE office. Phone: 1-800-871-0882 ^ |
In response to the urgent need for earthquake relief in Haiti, Intercede is preparing a shipping container of much needed medical goods. We need funds to send the container, as well as the goods listed below. Financial Gifts to Haiti Container should be designated as follows: 002OMA-02-103 comment line: “Haiti Container” 002OMA
The container for the Philippines arrived in Manila last July, and has been divided up among three groups in that region: Grace Evangelical Mission, Student Missionary Outreach and Smoky Mountain Ministries. Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously!
 Rev. Arnold Quinsay, leader of GEM, wrote, “More than 20 pastors and local congregations, including other contacts, from Metro Manila and several provinces in Luzon and Visayas islands were the beneficiaries. Everyone appreciated the goodness of the Lord and the kindness of His people in Canada. To God be the glory!“Our sincerest gratitude to Intercede International Office through your Overseas Material Aid Program. Our special thanks to all the officers and personnel for being channels of blessing to the needy brothers and sisters in the Lord in the Philippines.
“Our sincerest gratitude to our generous Canadian brethren for sharing their goods. You don’t know us personally, yet you thoughtfully love us. You have encouraged us as well.”
Thank you!
The attached photo shows GEM missionaries and helpers unloading boxes from the OMA container.
002OMA
With gladness and praises to the Lord the Sudan container finally arrived at Labone in Southern Sudan . The delay was due to the problems in Kenya with the political unrest which shut down the port of Mombasa for several months and delayed the moving of the container by six months. When things calmed down the container was able to be moved through Kenya to Southern Sudan,with some difficulty. The raining season had just come to an end and caused mud which made moving the container a bit challenging. The container was received with joy. Most of the goods on it were what they needed and were asking for. The tractor was immediately put to work to plough the fields and plant crops it was even used to clear a run way for planes to land carrying doctors to that region.The medical goods were received with much gratitude and given to a local clinic to be used to help the whole community around them. 002OMA
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
