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Muramvya Community Church Complete

The church we planted in 2008 at Murumvya, Burundi is now complete.. The long process of acquiring land and government permits to construct the church is now over.  

Robert Gubala and Mark Maynard

The church was constructed with under the supervision of my African son, Robert Gabula, howFar's Construction Superintendent. Robert has built churches and schools across eastern Africa for howFar Ministries, The How Far Foundation, and Crimson Foundation for Education.

We affectionately call him Bob the Builder!

Mark Maynard Preaching at Murumvya, Burundi

The church was dedicated in August of the year by howFar Founder and Missionary Mark Maynard, Pastor Renovaunt who, and Gene Mason.

Mark Maynard and Gene Mason pray for new believers.

Two young men respond to the gospel after Mark Maynard preaches from Romans 10:13. "Whoever will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved."

The church reaches Batwa Pygmies who until we engaged them where listed as a 1.2 by The Joshua Project on the Progress Scale. A 1.2 describes a people group as: Evangelicals greater than 0.01%, but less than or equal to 2%. Professing Christians less than or equal to 5%.

Joshua Project Progress Scale

The Joshua Project Progress Scale is an estimate of the progress of church planting among a people group or country. The Progress Scale is derived from values for Percent Evangelical and Percent Christian Adherent. However, for a few hundred people groups the Joshua Project Scale settings have been manually assigned, and are not derived from religion percentages.

Stage	Level	Level Description
Unreached / Least-Reached Less than 2% Evangelicals and Less than 5% Christian Adherents	1.1	Very few, if any, known Evangelicals. Professing Christians less than or equal to 5%.
	1.2	Evangelicals greater than 0.01%, but less than or equal to 2%. Professing Christians less than or equal to 5%.
Formative / Nominal Church Less than 2% Evangelicals and Greater than 5% Christian Adherents	2.1	Very few, if any, known Evangelicals. Professing Christians greater than 5%.
	2.2	Evangelicals greater than 0.01%, but less than or equal to 2%. Professing Christians greater than 5%.
Significant / Established Church Greater than 2% Evangelicals	3.1	Evangelicals greater than 2%, but less than or equal to 5%.
	3.2	Evangelicals greater than 5%.

Just five years after we began our work among the Twa they are listed as an 3.2, the highest level on the Progress Scale.

We are thanking God for the work He has done amoung the Batwa people group and for those of you who haven given financially to give this beautiful gift to God's chosen at Muramvya, Burundi.

About Burundi

Small, poor, densely populated, and landlocked, Burundi lies just south of the Equator in central Africa. From the capital, Bujumbura, on Lake Tanganyika, a great escarpment rises to fertile highlands. Agriculture employs 90 percent of the people, with most being subsistence farmers. Since independence in 1962, Burundi has been plagued by ethnic conflict between the majority Hutus and the Tutsis, who tend to dominate the government and army—but are only 14 percent of the population. A 2003 cease-fire and new government offer hope for peace. Source: National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:

7,795,000

Capital:

Bujumbura; 378,000

Area:

27,834 square kilometers (10,747 square miles) Slghtly smaller then the State of Maryland.

Language:

Kirundi, French, Swahili

Religion:

Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Muslim, Protestant

Currency:

Burundi franc

Life Expectancy:

43

GDP per Capita:

U.S. $500

Literacy Percent:

52

Humanitarian Aid Projects at The How Far Foundation

Take a look at the humanitarian aid work howFar is doing in sub Saharan Africa.

Donate today!

Fundraiser Nets $10,000 for Congo Humanitarian Aid

I want to give a special thanks to everyone that participated in our 1st Annual How Far Foundation Fundraiser held in Ohio. This event was able to raise just over $10,000 that will shortly be on its way to The Democratic Republic of Congo to provide desperately needed beds, medical supplies and food for the following:

"The howFar Orphanage which houses 120 children age 5 to 10 who have lost their parents in the war. The home offers a place of safety for children who would otherwise be on the street. 

The howFar Abused Women's Center which counsels and trains women who have been raped by soldiers. The North Kivu region, where the HowFar Compound sits, currently has the highest reported instances of rape in the entire world.

The howFar Widows Center which trains and counsels women who have lost their husbands in the war."

Special thanks go to Jerry and Rick Kolar and their K & K Portage market for catering the event, to Jay Drake and Andrea & Mark Orchard for proving the wonderful music, to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the autographed Dion Waiters basketball and to all the people who traveled from near and far to make this such a successful event. 

Jim & Gail Kelly and Mark & Renee Maynard at How Far Fundraiser

And of course to Mark and Renee Maynard for their love, commitment and inspiration for founding and leading howFar.

We want to make this event bigger so if you are interested in helping with next year’s event and didn’t get on the sign-up sheet please let me know. Also, I am leading a trip to Africa early next summer so if you are interested in the “adventure of a lifetime” and didn’t get on that sign-up sheet, let me know so I can keep you in the loop as we begin to plan the dates, costs and itinerary.

Jim Kelly - howFar Board of Directors

Donate to howFar Orphanage - DR Congo

One hundred twenty children who have lost their parents in the war in northeastern DR Congo need your help!

 Print your cards and send your donation today! howFar will you go?

How Far Foundation, Inc. 4295 Suwanee Mill Drive, Buford, Georgia 30518

howFar Expands Work Amoung Refugees In Congo

The How Far Foundation, Inc. has expanded its humanitarian aid activities in Goma, DR Congo. Three new initiatives are in response to the escalating turbulence in the region caused by M23 Rebel activity. 

howFar Orphanage houses 120 children age 5 to 10 who have lost their parents in the war. The home offers a place of safety for children who would otherwise be on the street.

Right now children are sleeping 6 to a blanket or old mattress! We are raising funds to equip the new orphanage with bedding.

The staff at howFar Orphanage provides one large meal per day...it's more than many people in the area get.

howFar Abused Women's Center counsels and trains women who have been raped by  soldiers. The North Kivu region, where the howFar Compound sits, currently has the highest reported instances of rape in the entire world.

"Official UN figures also show that recorded cases of sexual violence in North Kivu soared from 4,689 cases in 2011 to 7,075 in 2012. Many more cases remain unreported." http://allafrica.com/stories/201307310087.html

Women who have been raped are customarily shunned by their families and are forced onto the streets.

The howFar Center for Abused Women provides and place of safety and job training as a seamstress.

howFar Widows Center trains and counsels women who have lost their husbands in the war. 

To donate to any of these projects go to www.howFar.org.  100% of your tax deductible donation goes directly to DR Congo!

howFar will you go?

July 2013 Congo Mission

How Far Foundation and howFar Ministries will dispatch a team of eight from Atlanta on July 17 to work in refugee camps near Goma in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Batwa Pygmy villagers from Mudja, located adjacent to the How Far Foundation Compound and Medical Clinic, have been displaced by recent activity by M23 Rebels.

We visited Mugunga III Refugee Camp in April - Goma, DR Congo

Approximately 1200 people from Mudja are living in a small camp with little food and no medical care.

According to the International Internal Displacement Monitoring Center nearly 2.5 million people have been displaced due to the ongoing clashes between government forces and M23 Rebels.

http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/drcongo

The team, led by howFar Founder Mark Maynard, will distribute supplemental food packs, medicines to treat Malaria, Typhoid and Cholera. The team will also distribute adjustable Hemisphere eyeglasses from the company Adlens to those in need.

http://www.adlens.com/products/hemisphere/

The team will also provide counseling to women who have been raped or abused by soldiers.