February 2020 Mission Newsletter

Meet Mama from Gambia .... YES this is his name ... we've seen his passport!!  Mama is from Gambia, is 20 & omeless!       Mama's parents were killed when he was 9, Mama left Gambia on his trip to Sicily when he was 13, he travelled to Mali with a friend and from then on he was on his own! It took a year to get from Gambia to Libya across the Sahara desert, a year in Libya before getting the boat to Sicily. Im writing this thinking of my own kids and what they were doing at 9 - 13 years of age, its unimaginable what this young man has gone through! Mama arrived in Sicily, went through the  processing centre to a refugee camp and eventually got his documents.  Documents gave him an opportunity to go to Malta and he got a job in hotel. Then 3 years later and the documents expired, he had to give up his hotel job & self sufficient life to return to Palermo to get renewed documents - a system that takes time, lost his job, no money, no home ... tried to take his life that's where my friend Guilia found him by chance in hospital bought him to Gospel Hope centre,    Mama is a muslim but loves the Christian music we play and Deane prayed for him last week, then last might before he left he asked us to pray for him!    Mama has now been coming every night for a month, please pray for him! Missionaries Visit  Was great to catch up with Josh, Ben & Andrew again from Catania - they were here overnight to walk & talk to Refugees & Migrants in the streets of Palermo - they do the same sort of evangelism in Catania but dont have a centre. Casa dei Diritti Visit Visited this Refugee Centre that mainly help Refugees with documents & repatriation back to their country - but its not an easy job or quick system! - good contacts and gave us a good idea of how "things work" here in Sicily! New language school We are really enjoying school - YES its difficult and sometimes we have no idea what is being said  but "piano - piano" slowly, slowly as the Sicilians say!! Its also a great place to meet heaps of refugees and the teachers are SO passionate about helping! Currently we are doing 4 mornings a week 9am - 12.30pm! until the end of May.   Sometimes the teachers need a "little help" !!!  February Visitors to GH Centre GH Foodbags, GH Clothing & GH Hot Meals   All 3 of these things have gone really well this month, we are stocking up  the Food cupboard most weeks.  We have also been given contact details for the EU food bank, a branch located locally here in Palermo, please pray that we will be able to get resources from here to assist more people. Winter Clothing is diminishing, lots of new people in & out of the Centre throughout February.  This is great because Im hanging out to remove the last of the winter clothes so I can display summer clothes!!! Hot meals are going down a treat - we are buying on a Monday and the fridge is empty on a Friday - we are giving away 12 - 15 hot meals each week.

NZ Visitors Just Arrived   Pastor Russell and Liz from NZ have just arrived in Palermo for a week. Great to see them and it will be a fun week with lots of laughs and a huge encouragement for all the people that will visit the Centre over the week they are here. Follow GOSPEL HOPE CENTRE on Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/Gospel-Hope-350731998928916/     Please pray for:- Continued Good health Italian School & retention of language New contacts  & visitors to Gospel Hope Centre throughout February. The new young couples & their babies we have met Resources to be available from the EU food-bank Centre here in Palermo. Social Media contacts Deane encourages weekly with verses & scriptures Gift & Precious that asked to come study Christianity Explored LH - LifeHope churchplant in Palermo - JD & Annette Gilmore.      Thankful for:- New people to the Centre this month NZ friends visited & their encouragement Donations for Bibles Continued Prayer & Financial support from so many of you THANK YOU! Regular financial support at 89% We are currently at 89% of our 2020 budget Would you consider donating regular or one-off gifts to our personal budget? https://sim.org.nz/give/   D & S Grainger # 040640 Email Us Blog Support Facebook