Afghanistan (MNN) — You've heard the quote from St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary." That's what one organization is doing in Afghanistan, using medicine to help them 'preach' the Gospel. It's working not only there, but in other areas of the world as well.
CURE International begin ministry in 1998, says Founder and CEO Doctor Scott Harrison, to help a great need around the world: disabled children. "The disabled child has been neglected and there's about 350-million of these children around the world, 140 million are the number who can be cured and so we feel this is almost an unreached people group the we can reach."
According to Harrison, the on-going care they give lends to evangelism. "You may do one operation which makes a dramatic difference in their life, but you have to continue to follow them because they're growing children and that gives you an opportunity to get to know them, have them trust you and that's a very effective platform for introducing the Gospel."
While providing medical care is important to CURE, so is the Gospel. Harrison says, "50 percent of what we do is the medical care and 50-percent of what we do is the spiritual ministry. And, we work very hard to keep those two things evenly balanced."
However, when they recently opened hospitals in Afghanistan, they had to be a little "Saint Francis Assisi" like. "It doesn't take very long before they are really just curious as to why we as Christians are there. It does fit what they've been told Christians are like. And, if we are asked about anything person of ourselves, including our faith, that we're allowed to give answers."
While CURE's ministry in Afghanistan is going well, Harrison says they need full-time volunteers. He says short-term needs are being met. "We're desperately looking right now for someone with a financial background who can help us in the hospital. So, we need personnel people, not just medical, but anybody who could work in our hospital in other areas."
Your gift of $250 can help fund a person's hospital care for one day, while also allowing CURE to share the Gospel with them. Go to CUREinternational.org to give or to volunteer.
