a note from the Browns

It is with much love and great thanksgiving that Julie and I send you this update. Because of your thoughts, prayers, and support we are able to be here. Your caring holds us up and carries us on. Thank you.

We returned to North Africa on July 22 and it has been a busy time. We have had innumerable opportunities to reach out in C.s love to the African refugees and migrants and others around us. Because of your caring and giving hundreds of folks have known the loving care and embrace of J. So much has happened in the past 3 months that it is hard to know where to start but well give it a try.

The biggest change has been that our daughter, Amelia, and her husband, Marc are here ministering with us. They are here until February getting overseas experience and lending us a huge helping hand. It is difficult for us to imagine what we did before without them. It is remarkable that Marc and Amelia would volunteer for 6 months to make a difference for the people of Africa. We are both amazed and inspired by their faith and their love. Amelia is fluent in French and is right in the middle of interviews and actions with the refugees and migrants. Marc is using his filming skills to produce documentaries of the situation and the work here along with helping with everything else. There are many stories that we could share about them too many to tell in this update here are a couple to give you and idea of the difference they are making:

We are daily interviewing individually refugees/migrants and their families. Over and again they share their lives and their suffering with us. A few weeks ago Sandra, a young woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo came and began to talk with Amelia. I was interviewing someone else but could see Amelia listening to and talking with Sandra. After a few minutes they both began to cry as they hugged each other. Sandra is 19 years old and is pregnant. She was attacked and raped by a group of bandits near the Algerian border. She doesnt know who is the father of the baby. We meet so many women who have been violated. It was a beautiful picture that day to see Amelia embracing Sandra holding her close with the love of C. and helping her to make it through. Because of your caring and giving we have been able to help her to have a place to stay and food to eat. She was able to talk to Amelia about her experience something that would have been very difficult for her to have done with me.

We recently participated in a conference here with an organization that represents chs from around the world. Thanks to Marc we had a wonderful dvd of our work and the situation here to present to them. It was very effective and had the delegates interested and asking many questions. Marc had taken hours and hours of film and transformed it into a 15 minute presentation that powerfully told the story. This will be a tool for us in the months to come. Most importantly, when our volunteer team of refugees/migrants saw the documentary they applauded and embraced Marc. Their approval meant so much because the documentary is telling their stories.

We continue to see 120 refugees/migrants a week (not counting the children). Because of your love, concern, and giving we are able to find a way to respond to some of the most critical needs. One of our most difficult tasks is to decide each week who we can help. What we can do with everyone is express to them the love of C. and help them to know that they are of value, are loved, and are not abandoned.

Their stories are overwhelming their lives are desperate. Since the month of May there have been 11 deaths in the local community alone 7 of those since our return. For a while it seemed that we were at a funeral each week. Among the dead were a 1 year old boy and a 12 year old girl. As Julie and I visited with the family of the young girl, Rebecca, I noticed some beautiful things. Julie sat on the floor with Brigitte, the mother, hugging her and weeping with her I sat with Nicolas, the father, as a young girl from this country knocked at the doorway and asked if Rebecca could come out and play (with my broken Arabic I went to her and explained what had happened) numerous women from this country came and also sat with Brigitte, weeping and consoling her. Throughout this scene beautiful music of faith was playing on a tape recorder. In the midst of the sadness of a preventable death the L. brought his love to all in many ways. It was our privilege to be there. Thank you for making it possible.

Just 3 nights ago we returned from a conference to find an e-mail from one of our African assistants that he was locked in a cyber caf in his neighborhood with 6 others 2 seriously wounded. They could not leave because there was a group of 50 young men from this country rampaging through the area with machetes and knives, attacking all people of color. Robberies and attacks are commonplace against Africans, but more so during Ramadan (the people are desperate to have money for the ending celebration). What was unusual was that there were so many involved. Most of the attackers were young men, with the adults of the neighborhood watching and the younger children joining in by throwing rocks and shouting insults. Several women were robbed and beaten in their apartments. After the mob had exhausted itself and dispersed our worker was able to get out and take 4 of the most seriously wounded to the hospital. The police, who were called as the attacks took place, came several hours later. Yesterday, Julie, Marc, Amelia, and I were able to visit the neighborhood, talk to many of the victims, and see the most seriously injured. Because of your caring and giving we were able to be there - expressing the love of C. and responding to urgent needs.

Since our return there are 2 new aspects of our ministry: 1) the refugees/migrants artist project and, 2) the music and drama team. We have identified 8 artists (painters, sculptors, women who do embroidery). Through your gifts we were able to purchase the materials they needed to do their work and the week of October 12 they did their first art exhibition. It was a great success. From the refugee/migrant community we have formed a music/drama group to tell the story of Africa. They have been practicing hard and presented their first performance October 13. It was a powerful program that moved the audience to tears. It is exciting to see how G. is moving among and inspiring these incredible people. It is our privilege to be a part.

We want to express our profound thanks to you for your thoughts, prayers, and gifts. It is simply because of you that this ministry is possible. You may be asking the question do my prayers and gifts really make a difference? The answer is yes! yes! yes! Without you the people do not feel the touch of C. and his love through our presence and projects. You are reaching across the sea to embrace the neglected, the forgotten, the hopeless with the eternal love of J.

So what can you do? Continue to:
- Care
- Pray
- Give

Romans 8:39, 'nothing will be able to separate us from the love of G. in C. J. our Lord'. We carry on knowing that nothing can separate us from His love and your love. The refugees/migrants live knowing that nothing can separate them from the love of G. expressed through you.

David and Julie Brown
(see below how you can contribute).

Project #81412 our medical response work (medicines, consultations, exams, operations).
Project #81413 humanitarian work (clothes, blankets, food, shelter).
Project #81414 university scholarship program (24 students will be helped this academic year).
Project #81415 micro enterprise empowerment program. Over 200 micro projects have been started among the refugee/migrant community thus far. Before this was included in the 81413 project but because of the importance and effectiveness of this effort we have separated it out to highlight it. These projects give an opportunity to the person to work and provide for themselves.

Here are some examples of the difference you can make:

$5 provides a blanket
$10 provides a coat
$15 provides a bible
$30 provides one month of food
$60 provides micro enterprise start up money
$50 provides one month of emergency housing
$15 provides a round of anti-biotics
$25 provides an echographie for a pregnant woman
$10 provides a chest x-ray to check for tuberculoses
You can give through the Atlanta office:
Attention: Becky Buice Green
POB 101699
Atlanta, Georgia 30392
You can give through Julie's sister, Jenny:
Jenny Willis
5009 Woodridge Lane
Birmingham, Alabama 35242
The pictures are: the first 1 is of an artist and his work, the 2nd is of the folks waiting to be seen, and the 3rd is of our team in the capital.

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