CWS Pakistan/Afghanistan director Marvin Parvez (l) and John McCullough with a Pakistani Army officer at Maira Camp, where some of those displaced by the October earthquake are staying, and site where CWS has helped to provide supplies. Photo: CWS

Renewing Hope

In fact, while much remains to be accomplished, I believe there's a renewal happening around our world today: A renewal of hope. It's happening in Aceh province, Indonesia -- in areas ravaged by the December 2004 tsunami. One year later, I have a renewed admiration for the tenacity and talent of our on-the-ground staff and the work they're doing, which you can read about in this issue of SERVICE. The extent and excitement of the rebuilding effort is also captured in a brand new video/DVD, Turning the Tide: After the Tsunami, available from your Church World Service regional office.

In Pakistan, as CWS continues to address survival needs of quake-affected families, we are simultaneously mounting reconstruction plans, working with families and communities to prepare for their future. Some of the survivors are learning carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work -- skills that will be essential for the rebuilding process. And, with these small steps, both vision and hope -- essential to the long-term recovery -- are beginning to exist again.

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many people affected by the disaster continue to undergo deep struggles. There remains a lot of frustration -- and anger. Nevertheless, thanks to the prayers and support of so many, renewal is also beginning to take place along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. May this year be a time of renewed hope -- and of hope fulfilled for all whose lives have been put asunder.

As we look for and celebrate the renewal of hope, of spirit, that is taking place today, we're saddened that the suffering continues for the people of the Darfur region of Sudan. CWS is in the forefront of advocacy efforts in the U.S. and across the globe to influence the Sudanese government to end the genocide, and let the more than two million displaced people return to rebuild their homes and their agrarian lives.

Not only is it a new year, friends, but it's our 60th year of ministry, of providing help and hope to those whose way is hard. We celebrate our birthday with humility and a sense of awe that our founders had an idea of how complex and challenging our world would become in six short decades -- and created an agency dynamic enough and flexible enough to meet the challenges of a new millennium.

We couldn't do it without your prayerful and powerful support. Thank you.

God's grace and peace,

Rev. John L. McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service