We received great feedback on the new look and format of our newsletter. Thank you to those who took the time to respond. As we move forward into Spring 2007, we have decided to begin sending quarterly newsletters instead of monthly. We will be able to provide a more comprehensive overview of our projects, homes, and special interests. As always, as this endeavor unfolds, we will want to know from you, our donor, if a quarterly newsletter offers you the type of information you would like to see. Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to the impact we are going to make in the upcoming months!
Young Women Who Are the Casualties of the Civil War
Tourists go extra mile to do good More travelers are taking volunteer vacations. A new website aims to help them plan.
By Kimi Yoshino, Times Staff Writer
March 7, 2007
Blame Angelina and Brad and their do-gooding, orphanage-visiting ways. Or maybe it's all the hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes.
Whatever the reason, more tourists - such as college students on spring break, jet-setting luxury travelers, and retiring baby boomers - are using their vacations to volunteer.
"You always had some college kids who go with their church ministry and they build roofs somewhere, but now it's really something where the industry has taken notice," said Cathy Keefe, spokeswoman for the Travel Industry Assn. of America. "It's come a long way from the idea that it's all crunchy-granola people."
Recent surveys by online travel company Orbitz, competitor Travelocity, and the travel industry group all show increasing interest in volunteer vacations. An even stronger indicator of the interest, Keefe said, is that more travel agencies and tour companies are offering specific volunteer opportunities. In some cases, people can add a day to their trips to focus on a specific cause.
Baltimore resident Brian Pham, 21, ended up in Biloxi, roofing and framing homes for hurricane victims still stuck in trailers supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In June, he went on a vacation to New York, where he donated time at a day-care center, a home for the elderly, and a women's shelter. Now, he's in Louisiana for a month.
"I don't even know what words to describe it. Fulfillment, I guess," said Pham, who took time off from his family's real estate company to volunteer. "You just feel like you're doing so much to save the world."
And it's not just young idealists helping out. Richard Degnan, a senior executive for Williams-Sonoma Inc., took a four-week jaunt to Africa last year. On his trip, the 40-year-old San Francisco resident visited four countries and took two high-priced safaris. He also spent two days at three orphanages, where he played with children and dropped off suitcases full of clothes. It just didn't seem right, he said, to go to Africa and not do any volunteer work.
"I know this is going to sound a bit silly, but to be honest, I think it's because of people like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie," said Degnan, referring to the celebrity couple's globe-hopping visits to orphanages and refugee camps. "They've glamorized it."
The orphanages were not what he expected. They were clean and the kids seemed happy and well cared for. But the children were still needy. "They all craved physical attention - especially little kids want to be held, picked up," Degnan said. "There's just not enough people to give them enough attention. Now that I've done this once, wherever I go, I will always do this."
Melissa Thornley, 35, spent last Christmas break in Honduras, building homes for the poor. She caught a truck every day at 7 a.m. that took her into the mountains, where she worked four or five hours. "I was doing physical work, but in a way, it was relaxing," said Thornley. "I wanted it to feel like I was doing something good over the holidays."
"Vacation travel is all about recharging our batteries," said Randy Wagner, chief marketing officer for Orbitz. "The traditional way is to go to the beach, recharge, and you feel great. Now people are telling us that they feel just as great when they give back."
Unjin Lee recently returned from a trip to the Congo where she visited one of our orphanages, Mama Jeanne's. She wrote a brief article that illustrates her need to be involved with helping the poor and destitute people of Africa.
"In the new movie, Blood Diamond, there is a scene that keeps running through my mind. It is a scene between Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Danny Archer, and Maddy Bowen, played by Jennifer Connolly. The film is set in Sierra Leone, during the outbreak of civil war in the mid 90s. The conflict is rooted in the illegal extraction of diamonds and Danny Archer plays a diamond smuggler. Maddy Bowen is the idealistic American journalist who is trying to get the real story behind the diamond trade. Maddy is trying to convince Danny to help her and he almost falls for her beautiful face and charm, until he finds out that she is a journalist. He asks her, "How long have you been in Africa?" to which she replies, "Three months." He scoffs and says something like,"You Americans, you come with your miniature bottles of hand sanitizer and your month's supply of malaria medicine and you think you can save Africa."
I traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo for three weeks in October and November. Hand sanitizer? Check. Malaria medicine? Check. Save Africa? Of course not. I would never seek to be so presumptuous...would I? In the two months since I have been home from DR Congo, I have had sweeping moments of feeling like a failure, feeling like I let someone down. I have had dreams and nightmares of the women we met; happiness over my own comfort here at home now plagued by the extreme violence and distress I witnessed first-hand. These feelings have made me realize that a large part of me thought I would come home and make a difference for the women of the Congo. Not save them, but effect some sort of tangible change. When I meet with the friends and family members who gave me financial support, there was a part of me that wanted to tell them that we accomplished something, that there is a return on the investment they made. Let me say that none of my supporters have ever asked for anything "in return" and all have offered their continued support and desire to learn more about the situation in DR Congo. I realize these feelings and pressures of mine are self-imposed, and perhaps results of my Korean need to pay respect and my American need to give results.
When I feel close to being overwhelmed, I reflect back on the strength of the Congolese women. I realize that feeling guilt or despair are often luxuries that our Congolese sisters do not have. While I vacillate between my own guilt and desire to effect change, there are thousands of Congolese women getting up every morning and heading to their fields with the real threat of being gang raped before the day is over. While I ponder whether or not a speaking engagement or letter to a Congress person or Senator really makes a difference, there are thirteen-year-old Congolese girls being forced into sexual slavery. When I put off reading Human Rights Watch and International Rescue Committee Reports online, there are doctors, social workers, and teachers at HEAL Africa working tirelessly for the health and safety of hundreds of rape survivors who come by foot, bus, and plane to find shelter and shade.
I know there are different cycles of grief. Perhaps this guilt and despair is a part of that, but I finally feel ready to accept the invitation to move forward. This invitation was really extended to me upon arriving in the Congo. It was an invitation by these women to listen to their stories, to share in their suffering, to be their voice in places they are not heard, but also to receive their strength, their sisterhood, to enjoy their culture. This invitation was also extended to me by the many ex-pats and missionaries who have made their home in DR Congo and by the Congolese friends who have made their home in North America. All of these friends have invited me to share in what is now, "life after Congo." A life marked by seeing a people's resilience in the midst of atrocious suffering and a life marked by a level of love and hospitality that can only be experienced in Congo. It has taken me a while to accept this invitation, because with its acceptance comes commitment and longevity, two things I am just not good at. It is a commitment to not allow Congo to be my "hobby" but to integrate the advocacy for peace in DR Congo into my whole life. Really, it is an invitation to friendship, and who am I to say no to that?'
At three o'clock, as the bus pulled in with the Hero Holiday students, the contrast could not have been starker. Jumping on the bus, I announced the procedure: each student would walk into the dump, greet the residents there, and then after a time get one of the hot meals and give it to one of the poor. At first no one moved. Fear was in their eyes. Then, slowly, almost dream-like, they began to empty out of the bus. The smell was overpowering. Herding them on, the crowd headed straight down the road into billows of acrid smoke. It was ever so surreal - almost like going through a bombsite. No one spoke, and the only thing to be heard was the gagging and coughing of the group. Coming out of the smoke and adjusting our eyesight we began to see more of the makeshift shelters. By now many of the girls were crying; the boys were very silent and serious. This was so far out of a Canadian youth's comfort zone.
Suddenly, we were in the middle of the dump, and a hundred scavengers looked up at the descending group. They had been waiting patiently as they had been told food was coming at 4:00. Trying to encourage our would-be heroes, we pushed them forward to introduce themselves and ask the refugees their names. Slowly the team began to mingle. After about twenty minutes the mood began to brighten. The team was no longer so shocked and scared.
Now it was time for the feeding. About seventy-five men, women, and children lined up. The food was good, and they were so thankful. Twice we stopped to make sure we would have enough. And enough we had, to the last person and not a plate more. They ate perched on piles of garbage, almost reverently. When supper was finished they gathered for more celebration.
They asked us to sing a song, and we sang "O Canada." The youth remarked later that it had never meant so much to them as it did at that time. Then the refugees began to sing - the Dominican Republic national anthem, the Haitian national anthem, worship songs some of them had learned in church. They sang and danced and laughed with joy.
One of the mothers, whose son and daughter were on the trip, was still crying uncontrollably. I happened to look down at her feet, and noticed she was standing there in her little white ankle socks. I thought for a moment, "What is she doing - walking around in the dump in socks?" It suddenly hit me - she had given her shoes away! Then I looked towards the bus. A whole line of youth was waiting to get on. They were all shoeless, in their short white ankle socks. They had all given away their shoes. I thought, "Wow! These kids really are heroes!"
As a finale, the whole team enjoyed a river ride, with a sunset bonfire and a BBQ, before getting up early for their bit of 'holiday' part of the trip. We took them on an ocean catamaran and snorkeling tour - sunshine, blue water, and reef snorkeling. For many of the kids who had never been out of Canada, let alone experience a Caribbean catamaran sail, this was indeed 'The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'! Lunch was served on the beach, and everyone was sporting a good sunburn!
To watch a video about the Dominican Republic trip, click on the Hero Holidays Video link on this page.
Volunteering Can Change Your Life by Michelle Longstreet
In February, it will be nine years that I have been volunteering in "La Casa Cuna." I originally came down on several work teams through my church and fell in love with the children. At that time there was only "La Casa Matriz," now there are nine different homes. After the work team trips, I took a two-month leave from my job and volunteered in "La Casa Matriz." I fell even more in love with the children and the work that was being done here to care for them. I went back home and raised money and made arrangements to take a leave from my job for a year and never went back.
When someone told me he thought I would be here for five years I told him no way...one year and that was it. Well the one year has continued on for almost nine years now. I have a heart to love and care for these children. It is a blessing and a privilege in my life to have the opportunity to serve here. The kids bring so much joy to my life...I came to be a blessing in their lives, but they have blessed my life greatly.
Some of the challenges have been the language. I didn't know any Spanish before I came and have learned by listening and I have learned a lot from the children. I also teach the children English which they do really well at. The cultural differences; sometimes there are things I may do that are offensive because of the different cultures and I don't realize it. That can be difficult at times.
Having the children leave suddenly after caring for them for so long can be very hard as well. Sometimes it has been when I am not here that they leave and I don't get to say good-bye to them. When the children are about six years old they move to either "La Casa Leonel" or "Casa Matriz." That has always a difficult transition for the children and workers. Some of the children we have cared for most of their six years.
Even with the heartache and challenges, these children need people to love and care for them. To be examples of Christ love and introduce them to His salvation. To train them in the way they should go. So even if there is heartache I have to remember that they need someone to care for them...even if it is for a short time.
If anyone is thinking of volunteering in any of the homes short term or long, I think it would be something you would be grateful you did. To take the challenge and trust God to use you here in the lives of these children...you will be blessed and changed!!!
News and Stories from PIA Orphanages Around the World
Educating Orphans in Jesus' Name by Justin Welch
The child is usually forced to work all day for a payout of food so paltry it would be a stretch to call it a snack. Unless God intervenes through His people, he is without hope for a future. Most orphans are in such a struggle to survive that education is not even an option for them. These long days leave no room for learning even essentials such as reading.
Most of the children that come to Agape Children's Home have had no formal education prior to entering the Home. A nine-year-old child may be at the same learning level as a four-year-old: at the beginning. It is rare that relatives can even provide adequate food for an orphan, much less pay for school fees.
Last year we received 25 more children into the Agape Children's Home, bringing the total to 91 orphans in our care. A large number of Agape children attend a local private school, but some are not ready to take that step. That is why in 2006 we launched the Agape Academy - to provide high quality Christian education for the beloved children God placed in our care.
English is the national language, yet some kids who enter Agape Children's Home cannot even speak English. If left to this fate, their ability to function in society would be severely limited. But at the Agape Academy, we are teaching our kids these vital skills. Our Ghanaian teachers are adept at teaching English as a second language, and we have seen significant progress in the new children.
They are also teaching the Agape children math skills, and reading using the Phonics learning system. The kids are excited about reading! The Agape Children's Home has been blessed with a library of books, and the kids sit for hours reading together in groups, even outside of classroom hours.
The Agape Academy is currently teaching orphans in grades K-2 in the present facilities. This year we aim to break ground on a new building that will serve as a dedicated school for kids in grades K-6. As we are able to hire more teachers, the school will expand to include the surrounding community.
Only The Christians Are Helping Us! by Wesley Campbell
Heidi Baker, who has planted over 7000 churches and cares for more than 5000 orphans in Mozambique, was a guest speaker at Be A HERO's (our coalition partner) Eyes and Wings conference last month. On her first morning there, and as the details of the unfolding flooding crisis in Mozambique came forth, it became painfully evident what it means to care for the world's poor. Heidi recounted her call to Norberto, one of her staff members in Morrumbala:
"He just kept saying over and over, 'They are all dying! They are all dying!' as he relayed the horrors of the past days. The flooding over the last few weeks, caused by torrential rains, was greatly exacerbated after officials were forced to open the sluice gates of the Cahora Bassa dam. The flooding has destroyed the crops and an estimated 300,000 homes. Three hundred fifty of Iris' churches and children's homes are gone. Norberto wept on the phone as he described the unspeakably horrible conditions.
"The people have no houses, no shelter of any sort (not even a scrap of plastic), no food, drinkable water, or blankets. They have lost everything. They try to survive by eating roots, bugs, and leaves, but are starving. Many are naked, living like animals, in the mud, rain, and wind. Children cry all through the night in thunderstorms, and are sick, cold, and hungry. Two cyclones have further contributed to the devastation. Some people have not eaten for three weeks. Aid agencies seem to be unaware of them, and no help has been forthcoming apart from what Iris Ministries has provided so far. Refugees from Malawi are crossing the border to Mozambique in canoes, desperately seeking food which is nonexistent."
An immediate request for assistance was issued at the conference, and within a week BAH had secured funds to send four containers of food and sent out the first two teams totaling seven aid workers. More volunteers have come forth offering to assist in the relief effort. Over $40,000 was also donated by those in attendance at the conference and has already been sent for emergency food aid.
In another phone call, Norberto reiterated that NO AID has yet reached any of these people other than what Iris has been providing. Water has become a most pressing issue. They are surrounded by flood waters, but it is unsafe to drink. The only shred of good news is in the last week 10,000 people have accepted Jesus. They can see that it is the Christians who are the only ones coming to their aid, and they want the God of the Christians.
If you could contribute anything towards this emergency relief operation, please send it TODAY! Click here to donate now!
February Medical Mission Made a Great Difference by Jeremy Francis
February marked the latest and most successful free clinic at Centro Medico Bosco. The team of doctors from San Diego made their third trip down to the free clinic and brought another doctor and a medical student with them to experience the ministry for the first time. A pair of nurses also came down from Los Angeles to participate in the clinic.
The first two hours went by quickly and over two-thirds of the patients were treated. The children were given check-ups and dental health education. The team worked quickly and efficiently and was able to treat all of the patients before 1:00 PM.
"This clinic we were even more efficient and were able to spend more time with each patient while keeping the flow moving along well," said Jeremy Francis, PIA Latin America Field Director. "We saw a lot of cases of viral and bacterial throat infections and bronchitis. The timing of this clinic was perfect since there has been a local epidemic of throat problems."
The team felt satisfied with the work they accomplished and all of the children that they had helped. First-time visitors were very impressed and were already talking about making their return trip.
At the end of the day, the team got together for lunch at a local taco stand and discussed how to take the ministry of the clinic to the next step. Mobile clinics and an in-house pharmacy for antibiotics and vaccines are in the works. The team also scheduled the next clinic for March 31.
If you would like to plan a trip to the clinic, please contact Jeremy Francis at jfrancis@partnersinaction.org. If you would like to make a donation to help purchase antibiotics, vaccines, or other medical supplies, mark your donation "Tecate Clinic."
Coreen and I went to a local village the other day with Cristina, a coalition partner in our child sponsorship program, to visit a family in our program. It was one of those relatively standard days where we were following up on a family who was having some trouble.
When we arrived, and walked into the village, something seemed different to me. The streets were solid muck as usual, there was raw sewage running in little ditches dug in the dirt, children and farm animals running in the little dirt alleys - all of which I am used to after living here for so many years. When the family answered the gate, and we went in to their little yard, I was impressed at how clean (comparatively) their place was.
The only thing amiss was that the older brother of the family had just come home from prison. Although he is only 23 years old, his eyes looked sad and he seemed tired. I asked him why he had been in prison for almost 2 years and he told me that he had stolen a chicken. The answer hit my heart very heavily. Two years for stealing a chicken? And the conditions are unbelievable – something you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy.
It seemed like such an injustice to me and it was evident that this young man's soul had paid a very high price for stealing just to eat. Along with Cristina, we are working to help this family and hope to buy them a goat in the near future to help them provide consistent meals for their family. My heart was moved. I was refreshed in our resolve to help. There are so many people in need in this world. It is frustrating not being able to help more than we do, but we keep going, one day at a time.
Later that day, we went to a poor farm near the city where we live. Again, when I saw the conditions of how people are living, it was overwhelming. In the past, there have been poor farms in Romania where the poorest of the poor would go to work. Many of them would live there, working for food and shelter, for their entire lives. Now with the European Union on the scene, many of these farms have been sold and are no longer functioning; subsequently, there are hundreds of people without jobs still living on these farms. It is frustrating not being able to help more than we do, but we keep going, one day at a time.
Mothers all over the world have hopes and dreams for their children. In ordinary circumstances, such hopes and dreams often come true. However, that cannot be said of the child-mothers in Northern Uganda. They were recently children themselves, now child-mothers, created by an 18-year-old war between the President Museveni and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
These young mothers are the epitome of the human tragedy due to the war in Uganda. They are victims of the most vicious circumstances. They have been abducted from their communities, and many are forced to kill relatives or neighbors. They are often orphans, and are all victims of rape and torture. By some chance, they have escaped with their children from the LRA. These young women require great help to begin to integrate them into new communities, to move on with their lives, and to raise their children.
As for the children of these mothers, many of them are now orphans although some children may still have one parent living. The Home of Love in Uganda welcomes both mothers and children, the true casualties of the war, into the home. Children receive three meals a day, clothing, education, medical attention, and a good bed to sleep on in a loving and supportive home. Can you imagine being homeless and alone and then you are saved by God's hand and now you have what was once unthinkable? Presently, each home, or family, has approximately 20 children. If you would like to donate to the Home of Love, please click here.
Blame Angelina and Brad and their do-gooding, orphanage-visiting ways. Or maybe it's all the hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes.
Baltimore resident Brian Pham, 21, ended up in Biloxi, roofing and framing homes for hurricane victims still stuck in trailers supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"I know this is going to sound a bit silly, but to be honest, I think it's because of people like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie," said Degnan, referring to the celebrity couple's globe-hopping visits to orphanages and refugee camps. "They've glamorized it."
Unjin Lee recently returned from a trip to the Congo where she visited one of our orphanages, Mama Jeanne's. She wrote a brief article that illustrates her need to be involved with helping the poor and destitute people of Africa.
I traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo for three weeks in October and November. Hand sanitizer? Check. Malaria medicine? Check. Save Africa? Of course not. I would never seek to be so presumptuous...would I? In the two months since I have been home from DR Congo, I have had sweeping moments of feeling like a failure, feeling like I let someone down. I have had dreams and nightmares of the women we met; happiness over my own comfort here at home now plagued by the extreme violence and distress I witnessed first-hand. These feelings have made me realize that a large part of me thought I would come home and make a difference for the women of the Congo. Not save them, but effect some sort of tangible change. When I meet with the friends and family members who gave me financial support, there was a part of me that wanted to tell them that we accomplished something, that there is a return on the investment they made. Let me say that none of my supporters have ever asked for anything "in return" and all have offered their continued support and desire to learn more about the situation in DR Congo. I realize these feelings and pressures of mine are self-imposed, and perhaps results of my Korean need to pay respect and my American need to give results. 
When I feel close to being overwhelmed, I reflect back on the strength of the Congolese women. I realize that feeling guilt or despair are often luxuries that our Congolese sisters do not have. While I vacillate between my own guilt and desire to effect change, there are thousands of Congolese women getting up every morning and heading to their fields with the real threat of being gang raped before the day is over. While I ponder whether or not a speaking engagement or letter to a Congress person or Senator really makes a difference, there are thirteen-year-old Congolese girls being forced into sexual slavery. When I put off reading Human Rights Watch and International Rescue Committee Reports online, there are doctors, social workers, and teachers at HEAL Africa working tirelessly for the health and safety of hundreds of rape survivors who come by foot, bus, and plane to find shelter and shade. 
I know there are different cycles of grief. Perhaps this guilt and despair is a part of that, but I finally feel ready to accept the invitation to move forward. This invitation was really extended to me upon arriving in the Congo. It was an invitation by these women to listen to their stories, to share in their suffering, to be their voice in places they are not heard, but also to receive their strength, their sisterhood, to enjoy their culture. This invitation was also extended to me by the many ex-pats and missionaries who have made their home in DR Congo and by the Congolese friends who have made their home in North America. All of these friends have invited me to share in what is now, "life after Congo." A life marked by seeing a people's resilience in the midst of atrocious suffering and a life marked by a level of love and hospitality that can only be experienced in Congo. It has taken me a while to accept this invitation, because with its acceptance comes commitment and longevity, two things I am just not good at. It is a commitment to not allow Congo to be my "hobby" but to integrate the advocacy for peace in DR Congo into my whole life. Really, it is an invitation to friendship, and who am I to say no to that?'
At three o'clock, as the bus pulled in with the Hero Holiday students, the contrast could not have been starker. Jumping on the bus, I announced the procedure: each student would walk into the dump, greet the residents there, and then after a time get one of the hot meals and give it to one of the poor. At first no one moved. Fear was in their eyes. Then, slowly, almost dream-like, they began to empty out of the bus. The smell was overpowering. Herding them on, the crowd headed straight down the road into billows of acrid smoke. It was ever so surreal - almost like going through a bombsite. No one spoke, and the only thing to be heard was the gagging and coughing of the group. Coming out of the smoke and adjusting our eyesight we began to see more of the makeshift shelters. By now many of the girls were crying; the boys were very silent and serious. This was so far out of a Canadian youth's comfort zone.
Now it was time for the feeding. About seventy-five men, women, and children lined up. The food was good, and they were so thankful. Twice we stopped to make sure we would have enough. And enough we had, to the last person and not a plate more. They ate perched on piles of garbage, almost reverently. When supper was finished they gathered for more celebration. 
As a finale, the whole team enjoyed a river ride, with a sunset bonfire and a BBQ, before getting up early for their bit of 'holiday' part of the trip. We took them on an ocean catamaran and snorkeling tour - sunshine, blue water, and reef snorkeling. For many of the kids who had never been out of Canada, let alone experience a Caribbean catamaran sail, this was indeed 'The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'! Lunch was served on the beach, and everyone was sporting a good sunburn!
In February, it will be nine years that I have been volunteering in "La Casa Cuna." I originally came down on several work teams through my church and fell in love with the children. At that time there was only "La Casa Matriz," now there are nine different homes. After the work team trips, I took a two-month leave from my job and volunteered in "La Casa Matriz." I fell even more in love with the children and the work that was being done here to care for them. I went back home and raised money and made arrangements to take a leave from my job for a year and never went back. 
Having the children leave suddenly after caring for them for so long can be very hard as well. Sometimes it has been when I am not here that they leave and I don't get to say good-bye to them. When the children are about six years old they move to either "La Casa Leonel" or "Casa Matriz." That has always a difficult transition for the children and workers. Some of the children we have cared for most of their six years. 
The child is usually forced to work all day for a payout of food so paltry it would be a stretch to call it a snack. Unless God intervenes through His people, he is without hope for a future. Most orphans are in such a struggle to survive that education is not even an option for them. These long days leave no room for learning even essentials such as reading. 
Last year we received 25 more children into the Agape Children's Home, bringing the total to 91 orphans in our care. A large number of Agape children attend a local private school, but some are not ready to take that step. That is why in 2006 we launched the Agape Academy - to provide high quality Christian education for the beloved children God placed in our care. 
They are also teaching the Agape children math skills, and reading using the Phonics learning system. The kids are excited about reading! The Agape Children's Home has been blessed with a library of books, and the kids sit for hours reading together in groups, even outside of classroom hours.
Heidi Baker, who has planted over 7000 churches and cares for more than 5000 orphans in Mozambique, was a guest speaker at Be A HERO's (our coalition partner) Eyes and Wings conference last month. On her first morning there, and as the details of the unfolding flooding crisis in Mozambique came forth, it became painfully evident what it means to care for the world's poor. Heidi recounted her call to Norberto, one of her staff members in Morrumbala:
"The people have no houses, no shelter of any sort (not even a scrap of plastic), no food, drinkable water, or blankets. They have lost everything. They try to survive by eating roots, bugs, and leaves, but are starving. Many are naked, living like animals, in the mud, rain, and wind. Children cry all through the night in thunderstorms, and are sick, cold, and hungry. Two cyclones have further contributed to the devastation. Some people have not eaten for three weeks. Aid agencies seem to be unaware of them, and no help has been forthcoming apart from what Iris Ministries has provided so far. Refugees from Malawi are crossing the border to Mozambique in canoes, desperately seeking food which is nonexistent."
An immediate request for assistance was issued at the conference, and within a week BAH had secured funds to send four containers of food and sent out the first two teams totaling seven aid workers. More volunteers have come forth offering to assist in the relief effort. Over $40,000 was also donated by those in attendance at the conference and has already been sent for emergency food aid. 
February marked the latest and most successful free clinic at Centro Medico Bosco. The team of doctors from San Diego made their third trip down to the free clinic and brought another doctor and a medical student with them to experience the ministry for the first time. A pair of nurses also came down from Los Angeles to participate in the clinic.
The first two hours went by quickly and over two-thirds of the patients were treated. The children were given check-ups and dental health education. The team worked quickly and efficiently and was able to treat all of the patients before 1:00 PM.
The team felt satisfied with the work they accomplished and all of the children that they had helped. First-time visitors were very impressed and were already talking about making their return trip.
Coreen and I went to a local village the other day with Cristina, a coalition partner in our child sponsorship program, to visit a family in our program. It was one of those relatively standard days where we were following up on a family who was having some trouble. 
The only thing amiss was that the older brother of the family had just come home from prison. Although he is only 23 years old, his eyes looked sad and he seemed tired. I asked him why he had been in prison for almost 2 years and he told me that he had stolen a chicken. The answer hit my heart very heavily. Two years for stealing a chicken? And the conditions are unbelievable – something you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy.
It seemed like such an injustice to me and it was evident that this young man's soul had paid a very high price for stealing just to eat. Along with Cristina, we are working to help this family and hope to buy them a goat in the near future to help them provide consistent meals for their family. My heart was moved. I was refreshed in our resolve to help. There are so many people in need in this world. It is frustrating not being able to help more than we do, but we keep going, one day at a time.
Mothers all over the world have hopes and dreams for their children. In ordinary circumstances, such hopes and dreams often come true. However, that cannot be said of the child-mothers in Northern Uganda. They were recently children themselves, now child-mothers, created by an 18-year-old war between the President Museveni and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). 
As for the children of these mothers, many of them are now orphans although some children may still have one parent living. The Home of Love in Uganda welcomes both mothers and children, the true casualties of the war, into the home. Children receive three meals a day, clothing, education, medical attention, and a good bed to sleep on in a loving and supportive home. Can you imagine being homeless and alone and then you are saved by God's hand and now you have what was once unthinkable? Presently, each home, or family, has approximately 20 children. If you would like to donate to the Home of Love, 
