The story of one mom’s persistent strength and joy…
Most of us have heard the old proverb, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” I recently heard a twist on the saying by an Australian poet named Cameron Semmens: “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Give a woman...
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What the Numbers Actually Mean
Our new, hot off the press, 2019 Impact Report is finished! Numbers are important in impact reports. They show how many surgeries happened, what kind of medical care was given, how much funding was raised. However, it’s looking beyond the raw numbers that always gets me thinking. Let me explain. First, these aren’t just numbers – they’re lives. Each...
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When a little girl named Lonely became Miracle
It was a hot day in Malawi when I sat down with Lezita, a mother, and her daughter, Miracle. Lezita sat close to me and as she spoke, the people around us faded into the background. I’ve sat with many moms in other countries, and they seem to sense that I’m a mother too, even if I haven’t told...
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New Study Finds People with Disabilities Left Behind in Wake of Cyclone Idai
On March 15, 2019, Cyclone Idai’s torrential rains, winds, and mudslides killed more than 1,000 people and wiped out farmland and hundreds of thousands of homes in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi on rampage. In the days that followed, the UN estimated 1.85 million people urgently needed emergency humanitarian assistance – but these numbers only indicated those physically able to...
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An Invitation to Prayer
An Invitation to Prayer for Hope and Healing International We had a fittingly joyful and forward looking afternoon at the staff launch of Hope and Healing International last week. Our guest speaker, Lorna Dueck spoke of the need to undergird our work in prayer and excellence. I heard in her talk a call to a spiritual discipline – the...
Read moreA New Name for a New Era
Today, we officially become Hope and Healing International. On my way home recently, the song that came to my mind was an old hymn that some of you may know. It is named “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”. The refrain and one verse of that song is the following: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful...
Read moreForever Christian
As of April, cbm becomes Hope and Healing International. And our tagline becomes “formerly cbm, forever Christian”. Watch this video to hear Executive Director Ed Epp’s reflections on what ‘forever Christian’ means for Hope and Healing International
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What does it mean to value all people as Jesus does?
I’ve a friend who’s a professor of peace studies, a lawyer with a doctorate of law on human rights. We often get into discussions, even arguments on the way to interpret rights. First – I believe strongly in human rights. Our promise at Hope and Healing is to “value all as Jesus does”, which in my mind is stronger...
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The Miracle of School
My wife is a teacher, and today (in Canada) kids are going back to school. We sometimes take school for granted. Certainly most Canadian kids do. In my experience working internationally education is one of the key tools in breaking the cycle of poverty to whole communities. It is even more crucial in the cycle of poverty and disability....
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Fighting Injustice: Lessons from MLK
Last week was the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder. I am old enough to remember that day. I am fascinated by him but have marveled over the years at how his reputation has mellowed. Make no mistake, MLK was radical. He demanded society and individuals change. He may have done so in a non-violent way, but still,...
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