Though most businesses are being impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, one Northwest business is keeping morale high and not letting up their commitment to giving back and serving others.
Josh Bayles, branch manager at Capstone Home Loans in Lynnwood, Washington, says he’s grateful to be working during this time when so many have lost jobs and livelihoods, and that the mortgage industry is doing well right now.
“Our whole team is working overtime, lowering rates through refinances, and helping clients purchase homes,” he said.
In addition to supporting multiple local charities such as the Everett Gospel Mission and Olive Crest, through their employee-funded Community Chest Fund, Capstone is also a faithful annual sponsor and supporter of World Concern’s Free Them 5k.
Capstone Home Loans staff and their families have joined and supported World Concern’s Free Them 5k for years. This year’s virtual event is no different. They’ve set a goal to protect 100 children from trafficking!
“We have a special heart for World Concern and for this cause—helping rescue kids from trafficking,” said Josh. Capstone formed their own team for the 2020 Free Them 5k and set a goal to protect 100 children from trafficking, exploitation, and harm, through their team’s fundraising efforts.
This year, for the 2021 Free Them 5k, Capstone sponsored the first match, April 16-18, doubling the impact of every donation participants raised up to $2,500!
As some are pulling back from giving during this time of uncertainty, Josh says they’re committed to keeping the spirit of generosity and helping others going.
“My partners and I are men of faith and we trust God with our finances. We want to give our ‘first fruits’ back to Him from our business income and net profits,” he explains. “We have an extra responsibility and privilege to share what we’ve been given with those in need, and we’re grateful our business enables us to do that.”
To sign up for the 2021 Virtual Free Them 5k and join the fight against child trafficking, visit www.freethem5k.org.
We have some exciting news to share! Read this special announcement from Jacinta Tegman, former President of World Concern, and CEO of CRISTA Ministries, World Concern’s parent organization.
For the past 15 months, we at World Concern have been prayerfully seeking a new president, as I’ve taken on a broader role within the ministry (more on that in a moment). Today, I’m thrilled to share with you that after an extensive search and interviews with many wonderful candidates, God has shown us who that leader is—and he was right in our midst.
Nick Archer, who has served as World Concern’s vice president for the past three years and has been part of the World Concern family for 22 years, will now lead the ministry as president.
During my time as president, Nick and I developed an amazing partnership, and I could not be more excited and blessed to hand the reins of leadership to Nick. There is no one I trust more to lead World Concern into the bright future that is ahead for this organization.
Nick’s passion for the work of World Concern is evident in his interactions with the precious people we serve, like these ladies in Dak Euy, Laos.
With more than 40 years of experience in the ministry of humanitarian aid and development, Nick is well known and respected in this industry. He is a humble, brilliant leader, but most importantly, he is a follower of Jesus who is unswervingly committed to seeing the gospel reach into and touch lives in the hardest, most remote corners of our world. Nick and his wife Lisa have two grown children and are the proud grandparents of three precious grandchildren. As you get to know Nick’s heart for the poor and forgotten, you’ll see he embodies the mission and vision of World Concern in every way.
I’ll be honest, we are facing uncertain times, and our organization is not immune to the physical, spiritual, and economic impacts of this global crisis. But I am one hundred percent convinced that Nick is God’s man for this hour. And it’s with full confidence in our Lord’s sovereignty that I enthusiastically pass the baton to him.
I told you earlier that I have stepped into a new role, but I’m still very much a part of the World Concern family. Earlier in 2019, I accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer of CRISTA Ministries. With an incredible 70-year history of ministry, CRISTA has provided a strong foundation of support to World Concern since its inception 65 years ago.
I look forward to seeing God’s good plans for World Concern come to fruition. And with Nick at the helm and your loyal support, I know we will see many lives transformed in remote villages and communities around the world.
This article contains advertorial content provided by World Concern for promotional purposes.
We’re all painfully aware of the impact the COVID-19 crisis has had on families, jobs, small businesses, the economy, and nearly every aspect of our lives. The long-term impact and ripple effect of the pandemic could be devastating for years.
The impact is even greater on the world’s poorest families and on those whose lives are already a struggle.
For us, grocery stores have remained open and the supply chain functioning. Not so in the developing world. Imagine if your only source of income and food was a market where you could sell a goat or other livestock to pay for necessities like food, water, and medicine. At the height of the pandemic, local markets shut down in an effort to stop the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.
“People are not scared of the virus, they’re scared of not having food,” explained one World Concern program manager.
Now imagine you’re in this situation and you hear of a way to earn money in a city across the border. Someone told you there are jobs there. Your teenage daughter is healthy and strong and can make the journey. So you let her go… not knowing she’ll be sold as a slave into the sex industry.
Or, imagine a wealthier family offers to take your little girl into their home and pay for her living expenses if she’ll marry their son.
With schools closed in some of the poorest places, young boys are put to work to help support their families, and young girls are being married off. Girls who are in school are six times less likely to be married before their 18th birthday. The pandemic shut schools down across the globe. Sadly, many of those girls will not be returning to the classroom when schools reopen.
People who are hungry will do desperate things.
A crisis like this one that destroys already fragile economies and infrastructures puts those who are vulnerable to crimes like human trafficking, child marriage, abuse and exploitation, at even greater risk.
World Concern’s model of community empowerment is effective in a crisis like this, as we’re able to incorporate COVID-19 messages and hygiene promotion within our community-based programs, such as care groups, nutrition programs, savings groups, and child protection programs.
Our long-term village development work is also proving to be vital in sustaining families and communities during this unique crisis. As families have learned to diversify their livelihoods and sources of income in preparation for crises, and to grow their own vegetables and sustainable crops, they are better able to survive.
Parents who have received vital training and information on the dangers of trafficking and the harmful effects of child marriage are able to lean on that knowledge now more than ever, and avoid these risks, even in desperate times like this.
All the work that has been done—and is being done—in remote villages, crowded urban slums, and hard places beyond the end of the road, with the help of our supporters, is proving powerful and effective through crisis.
If you’re interested in helping protect the most vulnerable girls and boys from the increased danger they now face with COVID-19 and economic impacts in their communities, consider walking or running on May 8 in the 2021 Virtual Free Them 5k to stop child trafficking. Sign up here: www.freethem5k.org
Sharing the gospel is difficult among the Morans – young men in Northern Kenya who live outside their villages in order to guard them. But when they were given solar audio Bibles, they were happy to listen to them.
Lpenesi never heard the Word of God or anything about Jesus until the Moran’s sports evangelism event when he gave his life to Christ.
A unique and powerful way to share about the Lord is through solar-powered audio Bibles. These allow people to hear the Word of God in their own language, regardless of their ability to read. A solar audio Bible brings God’s Word to people in the poorest, most remote places in the world, like the Samburu region where the Morans live.
Recently, the Morans came to a day of competitions, games, and delicious food. When the sun went down, ninety young men watched “The Jesus Film.” And many prayed to accept Christ as their personal Savior. They each received an audio Bible.
Letitiya loves listening to the audio Bible while herding livestock.
Toima says the contents of the audio Bible are good for the heart. He plans to share the Bible with his family when he gets married.
Imagine the life-changing impact the gospel has for a Moran. A personal relationship with the Lord changes everything for them. Suddenly they have something to rely on that is greater than themselves. There is someone with them when they’re all alone. And they have an eternity with Jesus to look forward to. The truth sets them free and fills them with joy. You can see it on their faces!
Audio Bibles are one of the many life-changing gifts in the Global Gift Guide! Click here to give one and change a life today.
“But God” … two words that even COVID-19 can’t defy.
When news headlines get worse by the hour. When it feels like an invisible enemy is stalking us. When we are forced to live in isolation. That’s when the words “But God” can break the grip of fear and set us free to look up and see the One who fights our battles for us.
Whenever people in the Bible faced impossible situations, they were reminded that nothing is impossible with God. One of those times was in 2 Chronicles 20 when Jerusalem was besieged by enemies and King Jehoshaphat cried out to God for deliverance. God answered through his prophet and said, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
The battle we face now is a threatening virus that makes us afraid. And it’s okay to be afraid. Nobody wants to get sick, or worse. It’s normal to protect ourselves and those we love. God knows how we feel.
That’s why World Concern is taking precautionary measures to stay healthy, keep COVID-19 from spreading, and protect the most vulnerable among us.
It’s what we’ve always done in the remote places where we work. In the same way that we train villagers in the prevention of malaria, parasites, and water-borne diseases, we are training them in ways to prevent COVID-19. We take this threat very seriously. And we are doing everything we can to strengthen the health of these precious communities.
We care about your health, too. We are praying for you! Please continue to pray for us and those we serve.
You can’t travel to Fatimah’s (*her name has been changed for security reasons) country, but your prayers and your gifts can change her life.
That’s a miracle. And you can bet that Fatimah needs a miracle right now.
Fatimah’s husband died because of a war that she and her four children still live in. Her city is in rubble, and her family in constant danger. It has gone on for so long that she’s never quite sure who she can trust.
War does that to communities. It isolates. It devastates. It fosters fear.
It’s not just the fighting and destruction. It’s the lack of food and water. When there is not enough to go around, everyone does whatever they can to feed their own children. It’s a natural response as a parent.
Imagine how you would feel if your children were starving and you had nothing to give them. Just like Fatimah, you would search every day for help. You would go outside, even if it wasn’t safe, and you would beg for food and water.
Fatimah and her children have been barely surviving for a long time. She needs someone to help her. Someone she can trust. She needs to know she’s seen and loved.
Fortunately, caring people delivered food to Fatimah’s family. They promised to come back with more, and they did. And they’ve continued to help her.
These trustworthy people were able to deliver food to Fatimah and other needy families because of gifts from people like you. Your gift has restored Fatimah’s hope.
Just $10 provides enough food to feed a starving child for an entire month where Fatimah lives. And now, because of special matching grants, $10 will feed two children for an entire month.
Will you provide the miracle a mother like Fatimah is praying for today? Click here to give.
What is the best gift you’ve ever received? A gift that really amazed you and made you so happy you grinned for days?
The best gift Peng ever received is something most of us wouldn’t even consider a gift. It’s something we take for granted because it’s there every day, every time we need it.
Peng’s best gift is clean water.
Peng’s filthy water is purified by a water filter that takes out 99% of the contaminants it contains and makes it taste great!
January 12, 2010, is a day Haitians will never forget
“I heard a noise like a storm,” recalls Efanor Nore, World Concern Haiti Country Representative. He was driving with several other people through Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince when the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit on January 12, 2010. The road buckled in front of him and another car smashed into the broken concrete.
A road that buckled during the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Photo taken by Efanor Nore, just hours after the earthquake struck Port-au-Prince.
World Concern Haiti Country Representative Efanor Nore snapped this photo of a building in Port-au-Prince just minutes before the earthquake struck on Jan. 12, 2010. The building completely collapsed, killing hundreds inside.
He’d snapped a photo of a large white building in the city just minutes before the earthquake, not knowing it might be the last photo of the building standing.
“This building totally collapsed after,” he said, “We couldn’t even imagine how many people died in there.”
Efanor spent the next 17 hours trying to get to his family’s home in Petit Goave, just south of the city, but the roads were blocked and he had to sleep in his car. Not knowing if his family had survived, Efanor spent the night praying. “I talked to God in my heart and said, ‘Give me strength … If I am still alive, I will serve the Lord,” he prayed.
“I saw many people—women, girls, boys, and men—coming out into the street and seeking a place to rest. They were covered with dust from concrete. When they saw our car, they asked us to take them to the hospital. I felt really powerless, then I cried,” he remembers.
“When I arrived at Leogane, where the epicenter was located … a woman lay down on the ground in the middle of the street, screaming and weeping. All the communication was cut around 2 to 3 minutes later.
“It was a nightmare.”
Buildings and homes crumbled in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, killing an estimated 300,000 people.
Port-au-Prince was in ruins. Cinder block buildings crumbled into dust. While there is no official death toll, the Haitian government estimates more than 300,000 people died in the earthquake.
World Concern’s Response
No World Concern staff were lost or injured in the quake, and the Port-au-Prince office sustained minimal damage. Sleeping in tents on the rooftop for fear of aftershocks, the staff went to work immediately, distributing emergency supplies—bottled water, food, and tarps—to families in need. Over the following weeks and months, World Concern implemented a large-scale response that assisted tens of thousands of people who were affected by the disaster. A massive outpouring of generosity from donors helped meet immediate needs for shelter, water, medical care, and income, as well as plan a long-term response. It was evident it would take years to rebuild Haiti.
World Concern staff assess damage and assist survivors in the days following the devastating earthquake that shook Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 12, 2010.
A woman receives bottled water and emergency supplies from World Concern just days after the devastating earthquake.
In the months after the quake, transitional shelters were provided to families who lost their homes, and cash grants were given to families and business owners to restart businesses that were lost, among other activities.
Since 2010, World Concern has helped numerous communities prepare for disasters in Haiti, equipping families and communities to be more resilient in the face of recurring disasters, particularly hurricanes and storms. The goal is to bring the government’s disaster plans that are in place down to individual families, where training and equipping are needed most.
“Community members have to own the process,” explains World Concern Deputy Director of Disaster Response, Maggie Konstanski. “At World Concern, we don’t see disaster as a one-time event, but always aim to leave a community more resilient and protected than before.
“When communities are truly equipped with early warning systems, trained on how to use them, and they’re owned at the community level, and an effective, safe plan is in place, it does save lives,” she says. “The community wants to protect and save themselves. We’re giving them the knowledge and tools to protect themselves.”
Is there hope to rebuild Haiti?
Despite efforts from the Haitian community, aid organizations, and the government, the unique and extensive challenges in Haiti have prolonged and even crippled rebuilding efforts. Efanor believes only about 3% of buildings in Port-au-Prince have been rebuilt in 10 years. And an estimated 38,000 people still live in tents and makeshift camps that were set up after the quake.
Corruption, gang violence, political crisis, and drugs have left the city in a state of ruin he believes is even worse than 2010.
“Gangsters occupy many places downtown. Many areas are very high risk and not accessible. Even after the earthquake people were able to operate. Now … it’s not safe at all. Most people have fled downtown– no one would want to live there. All the businesses have moved out,” he said.
This photo, taken in 2010, shows how badly Haiti’s Presidential Palace was damaged in the earthquake. Plans will soon be unveiled to rebuild the palace.
But as this Sunday’s 10th anniversary of the earthquake approaches, Haiti’s president plans to unveil plans on Friday to rebuild the presidential palace that was destroyed in the earthquake. The lot where the palace once stood has remained vacant since about 2012 when the damaged building was finally demolished.
“(The design) takes into account the history and culture of Haiti,” said Efanor, who believes, “It will be a wonderful building that will remind us of the capital city of Haiti.”
Is there hope for Haiti? Efanor believes so.
“Haiti is really resilient. Even at this time of political crisis … Haitians still have hope,” he said. “They think a new day will come where people around the world will use the example of what Haiti has faced over the past 100 years of suffering to learn … The time of Haiti will come,” he said. “We continue to be an example—positively. We face more than any civilization has faced in the past. We hope to use our past experience to move forward.
“Haitians want peace. And we want solidarity. And Haitians love God. We want people to keep loving God in spite of problems, disasters, in spite of poverty, we thank God – the creator of the universe, who has a plan for the world.”
World Concern Haiti Country Representative Efanor Nore is shown in 2010 sitting near a church that was destroyed in the earthquake.
Places like Kenya and Somalia have been devastated by extreme weather in the past few years. Not only do families live in ongoing drought, but more recently, flooding has decimated the sparse conditions that remained in Somalia.
World Concern snapshots of 2019 could fill a book. You gave so much, and we are so thankful for you! Enjoy these photos that show a few of the many ways you transformed the lives of children, women, and men who live in poverty beyond the end of the road.
Young women are learning skills in tailoring, a marketable skill!
Your gifts resulted in 8,717 lives being reconciled to Christ
You brought Bibles to men and women who have never read the Word of God before!
Honoring our friend and country director of Bangladesh
After 25 years of service in the country of Bangladesh, our beloved country director Prodip went home to be with the Lord this fall. We miss him greatly.
We want to thank you for giving generously this year! Because of you, practical needs were met for families, and that was life changing. Meeting those needs opened the hearts of men, women and children to hear about the love of Christ and receive His grace. That transformed everything for them—both now, and for eternity.
