Where Two Paths Converge

The March 1 issue of The National Post featured an article written by TWG member Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese, with her husband, journalist Thom Froese, also a TWG member.

This article is an articulate commentary on the issue of maternal mortality in the developing world (i.e., women and children dying unnecessarily due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth), which Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged to make a key issue of the G8 summit in Canada in June. Jean is a Canadian obstetrician/gynecologist who founded a charity called Save the Mothers, an innovative program to create grassroots social change in developing countries to reduce preventable deaths. Through creating a Masters level  program in public health, Jean is teaching journalists, teachers, politicians and other graduates to become influential advocates who will work to generate the multi-faceted societal changes required.

She and Thom live in Uganda much of the year with their three children, and in summers return to Hamilton, Ont., where Jean is a professor at McMaster University and is also the director of the International Women’s Health Program at McMaster. In 2009, Jean was presented with the prestigious Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

On International Women’s Day on March 9, Jean received more national media coverage when she was interviewed from Uganda on the CBC Radio program The Current.

Jean is the author of the book Where Have All the Mothers Gone? Stories of courage and hope during childbirth among the world’s poorest women. Thom Froese’s recent book is titled Ninety-Nine Windows: Reflections of a Reporter from Arabia to Africa to other roads less travelled.

TWG member Patricia Paddey was published in The National Post’s blog The Holy Post on February 12. Her article was titled “Christians doing great work in Haiti.” Thanks to Patricia for mentioning The Word Guild several times in that article.

We're very please to learn that The Word Guild's Authors Blog has been nominated in both the Religion, Spirituality, & Philosophy and the Writing & Literature categories of the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards!

Please visit our blog, http://twgauthors.blogspot.com. It has over 30 contributors, all of whom are Canadian authors who are Christian.

From Eleanor Shepherd, whose husband Glen was recently in Haiti delivering medicine and supplies as well as volunteer medical personnel:

Every Friday in my regular early morning prayer time, I pray for several countries specifically. One of them is Haiti.

On the morning of January 8th, I felt particularly burdened as I prayed for that country. Usually, I use the Scriptures as a guide when I pray. That Friday morning, as I prayed for Haiti the verse that I read was from Acts 4. The Contemporary English Version says in verse 30, “Show your mighty power, as we heal people and work miracles and wonders in the name of your holy Servant Jesus.”

I found it a beautiful image but had no idea how significant it would be just a few days later, after the earthquake hit on Tuesday, January 12th. Does that mean that I think God orchestrated the earthquake that caused so much pain, suffering and grief for the people of Haiti, so that these gracious deeds could be done?

Read the rest of this blog, posted at http://twgauthors.blogspot.com/

From Wendy E. Nelles:

I was so moved and inspired after finding out what Yvonne Martin's family had written about her, that I sent an email message to dozens of my friends and colleagues, including publication editors, journalists, musicians and church pastors, and I posted the words on my social networking site, urging readers to pass it on. I have received many positive responses, thanking me for informing them about the poignant and inspiring words. Here is what I sent:

Yvonne Martin, a retired nurse from Elmira, Ont. was the first Canadian reported killed in Haiti by the earthquake last week. She had landed 90 minutes earlier for her fourth medical mission to Haiti. There has been a lot of newspaper and TV coverage about her, including a great editorial in the Kitchener Waterloo Record newspaper which I also encourage you to read at http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/659623.

Sara, a member of The Word Guild, was at the funeral visitation last night. These are the words the family is sharing in a card for all who come. The words are very inspiring. I thought you would appreciate seeing this. Pass it on to your friends and family.

"Remember this. She was naturally a good woman and on her own she did great things. But that's not where it ended for her. She was a woman of faith and she measured herself by God's standards. She served not out of her own goodness but because she was empowered by Christ. Her faith sustained her daily. Her faith was alive, tangible, active. And she reached out to others with the hope that they too would experience the transformational Christ… Remember her. Be inspired. Pick up your hammer or your stethoscope, kneel, and make yourself useful."

As Sara added so well, "May this be said of all of us at the end of our lives, and in the meantime, may we all pick up the tools at our disposal, kneel, and make ourselves useful."

Canadian Author and Speaker Donna Carter, her husband Randy and their 21-year-old daughter Kendall were in Haiti when the earthquake hit.

The following are excerpts from a letter to their friends..

Randy and I are overwhelmed with gratitude for the love, concern and prayers of our friends. All through our ordeal, there was never a moment when we did not feel cushioned by God’s presence and peace. We knew we were being carried by your prayers.

Our American Airlines flight touched down in Port au Prince, Haiti late Tuesday afternoon. As soon as the seatbelt sign went out, we stood and gathered our belongings and I said to our team, “Let the adventure begin!” I had no idea…

Because Compassion Canada’s president, Barry Slauenwhite, was traveling with us, the Haitian Compassion office had arranged a diplomatic arrival for us. That meant that while other passengers stood in customs lines and fought through the normal chaos of a third world airport, we relaxed on leather sofas in an air conditioned lounge and waited for these things to be done for us. The process took quite a while and by the time we boarded the bus the Haitian office had arranged for our transportation to the Hotel Montana, the other passengers aboard our flight had left the airport.

Randy and I had been to Haiti previously, and we were excited about sharing the unique experiences of this country that God has tethered to our hearts. Our team commented on the sights and sounds of Port au Prince as we navigated the narrow, congested streets; like the pigs foraging on the roadside. The next thing I remember is seeing pedestrians on the road staggering, trees swaying ,and dust billowing. My first thought was that a windstorm had suddenly swept in, but then concrete walls on either side of the road started heaving and waving. A woman fell on the road in front of our bus and not a second later a wall came down on her. Frantic people ran into the streets which quickly become almost impassible. Torn power lines hung down into the street and chaos reigned.

(more…)

In coming months,we'll be posting news about new books and other publications, blogs, speaking engagements, book signings, jobs, and whatever else is happening in our lives.

Right now, many of us are preoccupied with trying to do what we can to help the country of Haiti. So we thought we would let you know what our writers and editors are doing to help the people of Haiti.

We hope you'll come back often.

The Word Guild leadership team.