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ELWA Ministries Association USA P. O. Box 1 Warrenville, IL 60555 Contact Us Download printable brouchure HERE |
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Meet Meanu Kaeya  Meanu Kayea (right) and his brothers Last month we shared about our Basketball Court & Youth Discipleship fundraising campaign. Meet Meanu Kayea. . The Youth Sports Program at ELWA had a huge impact on his life 40 years ago. Meanu’s passion is to see this program continue to impact and shape children’s lives today. Meanu's dad was an ELWA radio host who passed away when Meanu was only 5 years old. As a hurting kid growing up in Liberia, the Youth Sports Program at ELWA changed his life. Monday nights were open gym nights for volleyball and Wednesday nights were prayer gatherings. Friday nights were basketball nights and baseball and softball games filled Saturdays. When Meanu showed up each evening, he played with kids from the community. Three ELWA missionary men, affectionately called Uncle Pete Ackley, Uncle Elsworth Balzer, and Uncle Bill Thompson, played crucial roles in Meanu's life. Throughout this ministry, Meanu and his friends were exposed to more than just sports – Jesus was at the center of all of it. The kids shared prayer requests at the Wednesday night prayer gatherings, watched God answer prayers and learned the value of praying for others. But it wasn't just at prayer nights that Jesus came up in conversation. When Meanu wanted to join the baseball team, Uncle Pete challenged Meanu to recite a Bible verse and share it with the team. And it was about more than volleyball, baseball, or basketball. The kids learned how to be the best teammate on and off the field through learning scripture. As Meanu grew up, God provided the opportunity for Meanu to come to the States for high school and college. Meanu grew spiritually while attending Judson College: he played on their soccer team, went on their mission trips, and worked at Riverwoods Christian Camp as a counselor. Meanu later moved to North Carolina to play on the Charlotte Eagles Soccer team. He is currently the Director of the Recreation Soccer Programs for the Charlotte Soccer Academy and continues to enjoy mentoring young people. Meanu is ready to bring back this experience for other kids in Liberia. And it's needed more than ever. Since the civil war ended in Liberia 20 years ago, many impoverished young people have resorted to stealing and joining street gangs. But you can change that.
This is where the Basketball Court & Youth Discipleship Program comes in. Our goal is to raise $50,000. With this program, the young people of Liberia will find a safe place to gather and build community while playing basketball, volleyball, and kickball as well as participate in regular Bible study. Our $50,000 goal will cover the construction costs of the multi-sport court and all essential equipment and cover maintenance staff compensation for the first year. Construction begins THIS October, and we hope to open the court in November to the kids! This is where you come in. Whether you give $50 or $5,000, every little bit helps. You can make your financial gift online or by check. Thank you for your generosity!
Meet the McKnight Family This month, we would like to introduce you to Gary & Elizabeth McKnight. Did you know the African church is the largest growing church in the world? However, there is a severe shortage of trained pastors. This is where the McKnights come in. Gary and Elizabeth move to Liberia this August to serve at ESWA (Evangelical Seminary of West Africa). They will live on the ELWA compound, in the old Schindler house, which was just remodeled. Gary & Elizabeth are eager and passionate to train pastors at the seminary. Not only that, they hope to use their home to strengthen relationships with the ESWA students. They look forward to times of meaningful conversations, meals, and fellowship in their new home. We are thankful to provide housing for families like the McKnights. So we launched our "Missionary Housing" campaign. Our goal is to raise $40,000 to support and care for more families like the McKnights. Also, we have some exciting news! Any financial gift given to our "Missionary Housing Campaign" will be a MATCHED donation. If you would like to support more missionaries like the McKnights with missionary housing, please click "Give Now" button below. You can give one-time or recurring. Basketball Court & Youth Discipleship Update We are excited to share the "Basketball Court & Youth Discipleship" fundraising campaign is now underway! Meanu Kayea, who grew up on the ELWA compound and who's dad was an integral part of ELWA, has a passion for sports ministry and building a new basketball court, as an outreach to the community. In June, we met with contractors, scoped out locations, and researched available supplies. We plan to build one regulation-size court with 6 hoops that will accommodate two 75% basketball courts! Our current plan is to have the courts ready to use this year. We are excited about the impact of this ministry for the youth of Liberia. It is difficult to share the life-changing words of Christ with people when they do not have a Bible in the language they speak every day. John-Mark and Sara Sheppard are SIM mission workers in northern Liberia. Since 2013, they have lived among the Manya people, who are predominantly Muslim, with the goal of giving them the message of the gospel in the language of their heart. Over the course of the Sheppard’s most recent term they achieved a milestone in this undertaking – completion of the translation of the New Testament into the Manya language. Now, for the first time, nearly 200,000 Manya people in Northern Liberia and southeast Guinea have a New Testament Bible in their language. The Gospel has come to the Manya people. Completing the Manya New Testament is a major achievement, but much more work remains. Even during home assignments, John-Mark meets remotely with a translator to draft portions of the Old Testament. Initially, they are creating a series of Manya language Bible story books and recordings that convey the message of God’s love and redemption, from creation to Christ. The recordings are already broadcast over ELWA radio in Monrovia. As a sister organization to SIM and ELWA Ministries Liberia, ELWA Ministries Association USA (EMAUSA) partners with SIM in spreading the Gospel in word and deed in Liberia. EMAUSA’s leadership team had a recent video Zoom call with Nicholas Piaget and we shared our hearts for the mission in Liberia. Together we identified many important projects that EMAUSA could support with fundraising efforts in the U.S. to support these initiatives.
Missionary HousingOne great need expressed by Nicholas is for missionary housing. There are several needed ELWA missionaries who are scheduled to join ELWA staff, but at this time there is no housing available for them. Several houses that were built in the 1950s have fallen into disrepair. These homes must be renovated to accommodate these missionaries. Nicholas Piaget asked EMAUSA to assist in raising funds to rebuild these homes. ELWA Missionary Housing Repairs: $40,000 needed Basketball CourtEMAUSA had plans to renovate the gym but an inspection report showed that the structure was not safe enough to pursue that project. Alternatively we have developed a plan to build an outdoor basketball court for the sports ministry. ELWA/SIM has designated a plot of land on the High School grounds for an outdoor basketball court. The much bigger project to build an all-new gym may still be developed in the future. See a report from Meanu Kayea below for more details about how the basketball court will be used. New Outdoor Basketball Court: $25,000 needed ICM Church RoofEMAUSA would also like to continue to support the building of the International Church of Monrovia (ICM) on ELWA Campus. The foundation, walls and roof girders are completed but there is still much to be done including completing the roof. International Church of Monrovia on ELWA Campus “Raise the Roof “Fundraiser: $30,000 needed ScholarshipsLiberian children continue to receive an education as a result of EMAUSA's support. Scholarships: $36,000 needed for the 2023-24 school year  Nicolas Piaget joined the SIM Liberia team in May 2018. When he first came to Liberia, Nicolas filled a much-needed role in IT for ELWA and SIM administration. In 2021, he was appointed Deputy Director and in late 2022 became the Liberia Country Director. He is joined by his wife Melvina and their four young boys. Melvina is a dentist and works part time at Trinity Dental Clinic on the ELWA Campus and serves on the management team. Please pray for the Piagets and the SIM team as we all transition to new roles and leadership. You can learn more about Nicolas and Melvina's motivation to serve the Lord cross-culturally here: https://famillepiaget.ch/en/pages/pourquoi-partir.html#pourquoi-partir
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