New Year and New (Baby!) Additions

CGI has gained some new faces in recent weeks!

We’re excited to announce three births we’ve been celebrating with our CGI Cambodia staff. Our Kien Svay Kids Coordinator, Srey Leak, gave birth to her first baby boy in December. He is beautiful and healthy and we’re praising God for his safe arrival. Srey Leak is a critical piece of our ministry in Cambodia, and faithfully teaches impoverished children in the Kien Svay province each week. These kids are excelling in school, playing fun games and learning about Jesus thanks to her!

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Our Director of Operations in Cambodia, Alan and Katy Beringer, welcomed their second son last week! His name is Elim, and joins big brother Jonah to make them a family of four. Elim was born in the U.S. while the Beringers are home on furlough, and their family is happy and healthy and enjoying this new addition to their family.

Elim

 

Kristen Baynai, our byTavi Volunteer Coordinator, also welcomed her first baby with her husband Jeremy in the Fall. Baby Spencer is pictured below. We’re on cuteness overload here at CGI!

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We’re happy for the New Year and new little faces! Please join us in thanking God for these new lives.

Meet Lindsey Green!

Lindsey Green

Lindsey Green

Lindsey Green has recently become part of the CGI team! We were able to chat with her about her passions and how God is using her to battle against poverty and human trafficking. Read about Lindsey’s journey to making a difference and be inspired!

How did you first become passionate about CGI’s ministry?

Six years ago I was invited to attend a human trafficking awareness event where my friend was speaking. Her passion for human trafficking and heart for the people of Cambodia opened my eyes to the injustice happening to millions of women around the world. I could not get the stories she shared out of my head, the darkness was overwhelming and God began working in my heart to do something. I have been involved with CGI from the beginning by volunteering at events, traveling to Cambodia, interning and now working a part-time position.

What are some of the ways you get to use your gifts to help CGI?

Before starting at CGI I worked in the bridal and boutique industry where I developed a passion for fashion. I was able to learn about current trends, sizing and styling outfits. Working at CGI allows me to combine my passion for fashion and ending injustice. I hope to use these gifts to help CGI connect with retail centers and expand the byTavi and Imprint line. Upon graduating in December my degree will be in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and Pre-Theology. The communications and promotional skills I have learned are useful in representing CGI at events and through daily conversation.

What’s your favorite part about your new role?

Connecting with our event hosts and volunteers. I love our product! So it has been fun to share it and the stories behind it with others and see them get equally as excited about it.Through forming these relationships I discover each person’s passion for ending injustice. It is so encouraging to work with people who are equally as passionate about this ministry.

What advice do you have for people who want to get involved, but don’t know where to start?

If you want to get involved but don’t know where to start, examine the gifts God has given you. I guarantee CGI has a way for you to use them! If you like to share stories, host your own trunk show or present to your bible study. If you have a knack for organization, become an in-office volunteer. There are many more ways to get involved. Jump in and be prepared for the journey God will take you on. I never imagined I would have the opportunity to work for CGI but God made a clear path. You just have to be willing to follow.

Prayers for the Beringers

The Beringers

The Beringers

Alan and Katy Berginer and their son Jonah will be returning this week to the US. Their furlough will extend through February as they visit with supporters, friends and family and also welcome their second son! They’ve shared with us a few prayer requests:

-Prayers for the CGI staff in Cambodia

-Prayers for safe travels back to the US

-Prayers that Jonah would sleep well on the flights

-Health and rest for their family

-Connecting well with family and friends

Thanks for lifting them up during this transition!

NACC Comes to Indy

Nicole Krajewski

Nicole Krajewski

The North American Christian Convention (NACC) will be held July 8-11, and this year, it will be held right here in Indy!

The convention will be downtown at the Convention Center and will feature 4 days of exciting speakers, workshops, exhibits and resources. Our very own Nicole Krajewski, CGI’s designer, will be one of the featured speakers at the Ladies’ Luncheon on July 10.

CGI will have an amazing booth that showcases our byTavi and Imprint products, gives folks a sample of the lime sorbet being served at our restaurants in Cambodia and gives people a little taste of the “CGI Experience!” Come out and say hello, and be encouraged by a network of believers! We’d love to see you there.

Register today

Staff Corner: Documentaries Worth Watching

HalftheSkyHave you seen any documentaries lately that spoke to you? At CGI, we love documentaries because they are REAL. Real life for real people facing real struggles…that often stirs something very real inside of us.

 

We’ve compiled a list of the ones that have opened our eyes further to the plight of the developing world and the vulnerable, inspiring us to act on the injustices we see.

 

 

Worth Watching:

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls

Blood Brother

Baht

Live 58

Half the Sky

Girl Rising

Which documentaries have inspired YOU? We’d love to hear.

 

Moody Pastor’s Conference

Booth at Moody's Pastor's Conference

Booth at Moody’s Pastor’s Conference

Last week, CGI staff piled into a rental car–which turned out to be just a little too small!–to travel to Chicago for Moody Bible Institute’s Pastor’s Conference. It was a great opportunity to meet hundreds of pastors that lead church nationwide and get them excited about the work CGI is doing to combat poverty and trafficking in Cambodia.

CGI’s heart is to engage people here in the U.S. to make a positive impact for those in Cambodia. We want to do that through God’s people–congregations and individuals across the country. At the conference, we provided resources to these pastors to do just that. We showed them how to connect with CGI to learn about how mission and then engage.

But this opportunity isn’t just for pastors! We invite YOU to be part of the solution as well. You can play a vital role in empowering the poor, protecting the innocent and sharing the Gospel. Discover creative ways others have done this on our “Do Something” page on our website.

By Whitney Vance

Staff Corner: Our Top Reading Picks

whenhelpinghurtsAs an organization, one of the ways we grow and learn is by reading. We love taking in new information from books and articles that relate to aspects of our ministry, then applying it to the way we approach things.

We’ve compiled a list of books that have been inspiring resources to us as we navigate issues like poverty, trafficking, relationships, vocational training and spiritual formation. Below is our list of recent favorites.

                                         

When Helping Hurts (Corbett/Fikkert)

The Hole in Our Gospel (Stearns)

Terrify No More (Haugen)

The Spirituality of Fundraising (Nouwen)

Half the Sky (Kristof/WuDunn)

The Poor Will Be Glad (Greer/Smith)

Toxic Charity (Lupton)

Which books have inspired you lately? We’d love to hear!