Indi Kristjansson set to travel to Costa Rica

Indi will be leaving on Wednesday, February 29 for an 11 day trip to Costa Rica; he will be traveling with Darcey Dube of Kingdom Harvest Ministries. The purpose of the trip will be to participate in a regional conference, meet with regional directors and to minster in various places in the country. As he travels the country he will be able to gather firsthand information on the needs in Costa Rica and make vital contacts with those who need humanitarian aid.

Update on Romania container

The container we sent to Romania and was held up in customs due to medical equipment regulations has been re-routed to Moldova a small country to the north east of Romania and is expected to arrive on Monday February, 27. After a lot of paper work and many phone calls it seems to be near completion. It will be received in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova.

Wheel Chairs for Guatemala

A container was loaded today in Abbotsford bound for Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The main focus was the 175 wheelchairs including a number of electric scooters but it also contained school supplies, sewing machines and other humanitarian items.

Hope Haven Ministries from Surrey BC collect and refurbish wheelchairs to be donated to third world countries. Upon arriving in the country they pre-screen recipients to make sure they match up the right wheelchair to the person in need.

The container will leave the port of Vancouver in approximately one week and take about three weeks to arrive.

Container Troubles in Romania

A container that was sent on October 27, 2011 has been delayed due to custom regulations in Romania. It was to go to Crihalma (Brasov region) for Albert Enns. It arrived in early January and was due to clear customs by the 9th. However, upon arrival we were made aware of new import rules concerning medical equipment.

Two weeks ago we were given the choices to either destroy the equipment, have the container sent back to Canada or find another country to take the supplies. Given the cost of these choices we have decided to send it to Cahul in Moldova, a small country bordering Romania. Currently it is in the port city of Constanta, Romania and we are hoping that it will be released tomorrow, (February, 3).

This is an example of some of the many problems that can arise when shipping containers overseas. The cost is not limited to the shipment but can run thousands of dollars over in these cases. Please continue to pray that the doors will be open for this one to make it safely to a place it can be used. Our next container will also be sent to Romania, pray that it will not experience the troubles of our latest shipment.
constanta, port city of romania

Ministering in El Salvador

The team has been travelling throughout El Salvador and is set to return in the next few days. They have spent time speaking at various churches and seeing first hand some of the hard hit areas from the flooding in the past month. The container that was sent ahead of them was held up for a few days but has been released and is being distributed, the team is assisting in those efforts.

They had the opportunity to go to the Mayor’s office in the town of Jiquilisco, El Salvador and speak with the Mayor, the council and a number of city workers. Pastor Darcy Dube and pastor Douglas spoke with the Mayor who was very appreciative of the help that was given.

Team set to leave for El Salvador

Kingdom Harvest Ministries in connection with GEMS are taking a group of church leaders from Spanish congregations in the Lower Mainland BC to El Salvador on Monday November 21, 2011. The team will be assisting the distribution of a container filled with humanitarian aid that left the GEMS depot in Langley on the 1st of November and has recently arrived in the port city of Acajutla. This trip is in response to the recent crisis in El Salvador caused by the heavy rains and flooding.

The team will travel throughout El Salvador to minister in various cities as well as a three day visit in Guatemala.

They will return on December 4th, 2011 and we will post pictures and stories of the great things God is doing in this area.

Container Begins Journey to Uganda

On October 9, 2011 a ship set sail from the Port of Vancouver carrying with it a container to be delivered to Kampala Uganda. The materials on this shipment are for a very special purpose, to support the children of the Watoto Children’s Choir. The Choir tours throughout the world to raise awareness and funds to support orphan children in Africa.

The container was loaded at our Langley facility and is filled with rubber mats, clothing, filing cabinets, blankets, school supplies, medical equipment, sewing machines and other equipment. Many of these items were supplied by GEMS while others were brought in from Salmon Arm and Victoria. The container, which was generously donated by Big Steel Box Co., was filled by the men of Wagner Hills recovery home.
To learn more about the Watoto Children’s Choir and the work they are doing in Kampala Uganda visit their web site: Watoto Children’s Choir

Central America Devastated by Torrential Rain

The wrath of Mother Nature ripped through Central America in October, as torrential rains, landslides and flooding killed at least 105 people.
El Salvador and Guatemala were the hardest hit, while Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica suffered extensive damage to homes, roads and crops.

Regional meteorologists reported that as much as 120 centimeters (47 inches) of rain accumulated in the past week in some areas – three times the monthly average for the season. More than 700,000 people in Central America have been displaced by weather-related events so far in October.
tico times

The following link is for a Youtube video, unfortunately it is in Spanish but you can see what has happened and how devestated the region has become.

Central American Flooding Video

GEMS will respond to this humanitarian crisis but we need your help. There are immediate needs in this region and we are going to send several containers. Each container we send costs $10,000 and we want to raise enough to send two as soon as possible.

email GEMS

Global Emergency Missions Society
c/o Indridi Kristjánsson, Director
2870 Crossley Drive
Abbotsford, BC
V2T 5H3

Abbotsford Connect 2011

Abbotsford Connect 2011 was held on October 1st at the Seven Oaks Alliance Church in Abbotsford BC.

This event brought together governmental and community services to assist people who are homeless or living on the margins of our community. Many services were offered including public health care, dental and optical examination, and social and legal aid, haircuts, free food, clothing and shoes. A breakfast was served along with lunch and snacks throughout the day.

GEMS was also there in partnership with Jubilee ministries distributing clothes and shoes. Through events such as these we connect with people in various communities and help meet needs.

Container Sent to Zambia

A container destined for Zambia was loaded on September 24, 2011 and will depart the port of Vancouver on October 9, 2011. This shipment is a joint effort by the Seeds of Hope Children’s Ministry through GEMS and for Grace Academy. It will sail across the Pacific through Asia and land at Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania – which indecently means “harbour of peace”. From there it will be trucked to Lusaka, Zambia and then on to N’dola for unloading.

The 40 foot container, which was donated by Big Steel Box Company of Abbotsford, is filled with: educational supplies, clothing and building materials for the new facility and home for HIV infected children erected by the Grace Academy and will land there near the end of December 2011.

For more information please go to; www.seedsofhopecm.com/index.php

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