January 2020 Mission Newsletter

This is the new look for GOSPEL HOPE as we have had some comments on local Refugee websites that we are narrow minded and racist because we have a Centre for Africans only.   Everyone has always been welcome all nationalities & people, so now we have made the sign all inclusive

Hadim Touray from Gambia Hadim has returned from Germany, unable to work there because his new visa only allows him to work in Sicily.   Hadim has asked if he can join us at Gospel Hope and help with reaching & sharing about Jesus with refugees he knows and meets daily.  This is an answer to prayer for us, we have a helper who, having left school at the age of 9 with no education can speak his local Gambian dialect, English, French, German and Italian!!  Please pray for Hadim as a new christian converting from Islam and we are thankful he wants to read & learn more form the bible and grow in his faith.  (Deane wants you to know the phone has a good dictionary!!) First Bible Study in 2020 We had a great turn out - all the old regulars from before Christmas came and enjoyed a study starting in Romans!  Wednesday 1.30pm, most of them arrived at 4pm!! THEN these guys turned up two days later out of the blue for the next study!! GH - pre-loved clothing We have been amazed by the generosity of many Italians in our apartment building, we have had nearly 80 bags of clothing donated!  Hadim & I sorted more clothing when we opened again in January, we removed lots of the summer clothing and only sorted and displayed winter clothing. New language school We started back at language school early in January - a new school but another great place to meet more Italians and more Refugees/migrants.  The language learning is going well, it is great to only have 6 in our current class -  the teachers are passionate & so helpful. We do 3 mornings a week at the moment, it may increase in February to 5 mornings but we are finding 3 mornings enough!!   We each now need to find an Italian who would be willing to sit down for 1/2 an hour a couple of times a week so we can practice what we've learned and correct pronunciation ! Visitors to GH Centre throughout January.   We have had people from many countries - from Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco,Tunisia, Guinea, Gambia and we had a local Sicilian lady come and ask for money (which we dont give) but we were able to give her Italian tracts and food for her children. 'Dinghy disease' - the serious injury only female migrants suffer from - Cheap dinghies lead to burns Dr Bartolo said he started seeing the "dinghy disease" in 2013 when traffickers stopped using large old boats and began to use "large Chinese dinghies without a hull" instead. These boats were cheaper and could be "stuffed with hundreds of people,'' the former doctor said. ''Only women are affected because the men sit on the tubes and the women with children sit in the bottom. It is there that a deathly and highly corrosive mixture of fuel and sea water soaks the clothing and leads to tremendous burns on the women within only a few hours," he stressed. When the journey lasts a long time, fuel needs to be poured several times into the outboard motors and waves from rough seas get inside the dinghy. "The skin burns are very serious!  "The mixture is corrosive, their skin gets dehydrated, problems result including cardiac ones," he warned. "And when these women manage to survive, they must be hospitalized at the Palermo burns center to be treated. In any case, they remain scarred for life."    I'm sure many of us don't even think of all the side effects of this treacherous journey!! GH - Foodbags We have purchased a set of 4 cupboards and "refined" the food we give out.  Instead of specific bags we now bag up as people come in.  We purchased 20kg of rice, which Hadim made up into 1kg bags - we also bought more food items that are easy for homeless people - ie: they dont have to carry a large bag, or we dont give them cans of food which they cant open or we dont give them things that need cokking - all so basic but not easy for homeless people to achieve.

GH - Hot Meals Available We have been thinking how we could effectively provide hot meals for refugees over winter.   We were recently donated a fridge/freezer so we decided to purchase a microwave also. We go down to the markets and purchase ready cooked African meals on a Monday and return to GH Centre - divide the food into "meal "size containers - usually its rice of some type, meat and then either soup or stew (which we keep refrigerated separately so the meal doesn't go soggy!)  It has been a great way to minister and help our regulars, they come for bible study or to visit and its great to be able to provide them with a hot meal either to eat at the Centre or take home! Food Expenses & Bibles     If you would like to contribute directly to the food we purchase for the foodbags and meals  as mentioned above, or for the purchase of bibles please contact us for details  email us on :- graingers5@gmail.com Arabic Bible & Tracts Donated   These two muslim men, language is Arabic arrived at the Centre just as we were closing one day.  They spoke Italian and Hadim was able to interpret between them and Deane. They spent 1.5 hours talking about religion and Christianity. It was amazing because two hours before they came in, Marco our friend from the Children's Ministry around the road had come and dropped off a box of Arabic tracts & Bibles which we were able to give to them.   Follow GOSPEL HOPE CENTRE on Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/Gospel-Hope-350731998928916/     Please pray for:-   Hadim & Temple that are asking about baptism God will draw more people to the Centre People who have received food, clothing with tracts that God will speak to them The men will be changed by God's word through the study on Romans Continued Health That the 80 men will be challenged & encouraged with material sent on Social media.     Thankful for:-   Many new visitors to Gospel Hope Centre In January Hadim has joined GH to help daily &  is translating for French speaking visitors Hot meals for homeless people visiting  Residency Permits New Street Contacts 4 men attended 1st & 2nd bible study on Romans. New Language school that helps us towards credits for 2nd residency permit Enjoyable holidays with our mums Encouragement from missionary visitors.