2011 - Around the CLC World

The year begins with floods affecting our work in both Colombia and Australia. In South America we are able to help out with relief supplies. Free books are made available by several publishers.
CLC Romania reports that in two years they have been able to double the number of titles they have in print – and plan several new publications in 2011.
Despite the CLC sign being forcibly removed from the property in Nairobi, Kenya, a man just walks in from the street seeking help and the team are able to share the living Jesus with him.

CLC Chile chooses the John Piper book Brothers, We are not Professionals as their book of the year and seeks to promote it especially with pastors.
Life continues to be extremely difficult in Central Asia as our teams seem to deal with one difficulty after another. But they continue to reach out to people in need.
New Zealand becomes the most recent country to suffer a huge earthquake. National Director Stewart Rowe was in Christchurch at the time of the quake.

CLC USA publishes their second book by pastor Alyn Waller entitled Hope for the Journey and are delighted when 2,000 copies sell over the first weekend.
Cote d’Ivoire suffers significant civil disturbances after the elections with many losing their lives. Business is badly affected but Daniel Yeo is still able to make a trip to the north of the country with books and Bibles.
On Friday the 11th at 1500hrs a massive earthquake and tsunami devastates north east Japan. Thousands of lives are lost. CLC is relatively unaffected and is able to channel help to others.

CLC UK celebrates the move of the Inverness shop to a new location and Dr Helen Roseveare speaks at the ceremony.
CLC Asia meets together for a Regional Conference in Manila hosted by CLC Philippines.
The Bible Society reports that Bibles entering Malaysia are stamped with the words “for Christians only” in a clear breach of religious freedom.
The CLC Bible Companion leaves the printers in China ….

The bookshop may be small but the need is great. CLC Mozambique opens its second bookshop in the city of Beira, in collaboration with AIM.
CLC Italy suffers an armed robbery in Naples. This is a reminder of the danger sometimes involved. Please continue to pray for our staff and our shops.
CLC Uruguay receives their biggest ever shipment of books from the USA. Lots of hard work is involved moving the books around and checking all the orders – but it is very satisfying!

CLC Hungary opens its third shop - in Debrecen, a well known university city.
CLC/ELS India opens its 18th branch in Vizag, a coastal city between Chennai and Calcutta.
In Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, a thief is caught stealing in the shop. After talking to the manager he prays the sinner’s prayer and apologises to the staff.

CLC French West Africa – Burkina Faso, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire – meet together for their bi-annual conference. Due to the troubles in Cote d’Ivoire it was decided to bring the whole team for a time of restoration and encouragement.
CLC Barbados continues to pray for a plot of land, situated alongside their current property, which would enable them to build a new bookshop. It seemed a government department would lease it as a car park but… nothing happened.

CLC London moves back to the area of St Paul’s Cathedral where the bookshop was located originally. The new shop is in a much better commercial area.
The Americas and Caribbean Regional Conference takes place in Quito, Ecuador. All the South American countries have great plans for growth.
CLC Canada is able to help supply Bibles to refugees from Cote d’Ivoire in Ghana. 532 Bibles are given away.

CLC/ELS India opens another shop – no. 19! The new shop is in Ooty, a well known hill station (close to where Benny Gnanamanickam, retired former CLC Asia Director, lives!).
CLC Canada takes over a shop on the south shore of Montreal.
CLC Myanmar moves into a brand new shop – well, the old one that has finally been re-built after nearly 3 years under re-construction!
A lady visits CLC Wagga Wagga, Australia, to buy her very first Bible shortly after her daughter dies in a traffic accident.

CLC Antigua celebrates 50 years of ministry in the capital, St John’s. Thank you Lord!
CLC New Zealand throws out some “old” tracts and gives them to a prison ministry. Some time later they discover that the Lord has used one of them to bring a prisoner to Christ. You never know …
Our workers travel many thousands of miles each year to make good Christian books and Bibles “available”. We thank the Lord for his protection over Manolo Dias from CLC Sevilla, Spain during an accident. The van was a total write-off but Manolo walked away unharmed.

Is this a first for CLC? For a few days our website servers suffered an ongoing cyber attack. It caused significant disruption but thankfully no lasting damage. Cristi Cotovan had various sleepless nights repelling the attack!
CLC Kenya opens a bookshop in the western university town of Kakamega with good support from local churches.
CLC Poland holds a “C.S.Lewis birthday party” to celebrate and promote his writings to a new generation of readers.
CLC Chiang Mai, Thailand, prepares food to be shipped down to Bangkok to people in the areas badly affected by floods.
CLC Portugal celebrates their 25th anniversary.

One a month! CLC Kenya opens another shop – this time in Eldoret, near the border with Uganda.
CLC Colombia buys a warehouse in Miami, USA as a distribution point for their publications.
CLC Fiji is handed over to a local church ministry in order to maintain its long-term future.