In This Issue: Realities of Relief Work, and Why Americans Are Like That
- BOOK: Famines & Face Packs: The Reality of Relief Work
- Books from World Vision
- BOOKLET: Why Are Americans Like That
- ON-LINE CLASS: Encountering the World of Islam
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!
Resource Reviews, edited by Marti Smith, are published once a month.
BOOK: Famines & Face Packs: The Reality of Relief Work
From: SIM – Serving in Mission
Famines & Face Packs:The Realities of Relief Work
By Emma Stratton
Emma was just an ordinary student when she first visited Bangladesh – and what she saw there transformed her life. Longing to start a career in relief work, she was sent out to Sudan by Tearfund, where she worked distributing seeds and tools to farmers. But then disaster struck – she developed epilepsy and her career seemed over. Determined to continue, this book tells of her battle with her condition, her time rebuilding houses in Kosovo and installing bathrooms in Serbia, the problems of facing up to her own feelings about those she was sent to help, and how she coped with extremes of weather, strange diets, and being away from her family. Humour and humanity shine through in this lively account of life in some of the most difficult areas of the world. Emma covers it all – the highs, the lows, the anguish, and the things that stretched her faith and strengthened it.
Carlisle, UK: Authentic Media, 2003, 176 pages. Currently out of stock at SIM, but available from Amazon.com
Books from World Vision
From: World Vision
EDITOR’S NOTE: Want to dive into some of today’s serious issues and wonder who to trust? We recommend World Vision. In addition to a far-reaching international ministry, they publish and distribute books on mission trends, poverty and advocacy, missionary care, strategy, theology, urban ministry, women in missions, and more. Here are some of the current titles.
NEW BOOKS
Attacking Poverty in the Developing World: Christian Practitioners and Academics in Collaboration
Edited by Judith M. Dean, Julie Schaffner, and Stephen L. S. Smith
2005, 288 pages, US$13.59
Inheriting the Earth: Poor Communities and Environmental Renewal
Edited by Don Brandt
2004, 176 pages, US$11.99
Urban Ministry in a New Millennium
By David Claerbaut
2005, 304 pages, US$11.99
BOOKS ON SALE (50% off original price)
Calloused Hands, Courageous Souls:Holistic Spirituality of Development and Mission
By Robert J. Suderman
1999, 144 pages, US$6.98
Deliver Us From Evil:An Uneasy Frontier in Christian Mission
Edited by A. Scott Moreau, Tokunboh Adeyemo, David G. Burnett, Bryant L. Myers, and Hwa Yung
2002, 368 pages, US$17.48
Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Lessons from Practitioners
Edited by Mark Janz and Joann Slead
2000, 288 pages, US$12.46
To read detailed descriptions, request a catalog, or place an order, visit World Vision Resources, or phone 800.777.7752 (toll-free in the U.S.) or 909.463.2998 (internationally).
BOOKLET: Why Are Americans Like That?
Why Are Americans Like That? A Visitor’s Guide to American Cultural Values and Expectations
By Stan Nussbaum
“The better you understand Americans and their cultural values, the better chance you have of adjusting well, avoiding embarrassment, making friends, and succeeding in your study or getting a good job. This book will introduce you to American values by explaining 100 common American sayings and why we say them,” reads the preface of this small book.
“The aim of this book is not to try to convince you that our proverbs or our cultural values are better than yours. Like any other culture, ours has plenty of weaknesses and plenty of strengths. This book aims to describe our culture clearly so you can understand it. Then you can decide for yourself what you think of it and what to do about it.”
Why Are Americans Like That? is intended either as a gift book to be given to international friends or as a textbook for an intermediate ESL class where the students want to learn something about American culture as well as about the English language. It is written in simple English, with explanations of more difficult words provided at the bottom of each page. “There is nothing in the book that promotes or even explains Christianity,” says the author. “The witness potential is built into the 60 ‘Ask an American’ questions that are sprinkled through the book, designed to promote conversations between local people and American friends or visitors. These questions are about cultural values, but some of them create great openings for natural, non-preachy witness.”
Colorado Springs, Colorado: Enculturation Books, 2005, 98 pages. Order here.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This resource would be helpful not only for those working with international students in America, but also for Americans teaching English overseas, even in restrictive settings. Some readers may recognize “The Ten Commandments of American Culture” from the first chapter (which is posted on the web site) or have seen the previous version of this material, published by Global Mapping as The ABC’s of American Culture.
ON-LINE CLASS: Encountering the World of Islam
From: Ethel Swartley, Caleb Project
Caleb Project announces EWI Online, the distance-learning version of our popular course, Encountering the World of Islam.
In 12 weeks, EWI Online guides students on a journey into the lives of Muslims around the world and in their neighborhood. Students learn about Muhammad and the history of Islam, gain insight into today’s conflicts, discover the frustrations and desires of Muslims, and learn how to pray for and befriend them. EWI Online provides a positive, balanced, and biblical perspective on God’s heart for Muslims, and equips Christians to reach out to them in Jesus’ love.
EWI Online requirements include: textbook readings, listening to downloadable lectures, weekly online discussions with a course mentor and other students, meeting with a Muslim and visiting a local Islamic center, four quizzes, one paper, and a Concert of Prayer. Students complete one lesson each week and earn a certificate of completion by the end of the course.
If you or someone you know would be interested in EWI Online, please visit Encountering Islam or contact us for registration information.
Winter classes begin January 2, 2006!
EDITOR’S NOTE: Readers, if you’ll write us about other missions courses and distance training opportunities of which you are aware, we will pass them along!
Questions? Problems? Submissions? Contact publisher/managing editor Marti Smith.