Make a Difference and Become a Marketplace Partner by Christa Drent
A few days ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with one of our most involved and dedicated donors. Rick Ueable is not just a donor; he is also the Director of African Affairs here at Partners in Action. He has been actively involved in the creation of the system we have in Africa, as well as the overall management of what goes on there, for many years now.
Rick and his business partner, Ken Clark, started giving to PIA because they were, and still are, convinced that PIA is serving people in a very unique way. After investigating further and deciding to make a large personal financial commitment of his own, Rick wanted his personal principles translated to his business.
"It was important to me to take the vision of PIA and my commitment to that vision and share it with our 350 employees. It started by talking with the management team (45+ people) and giving them updates two times per year on what Chad Barnett and I were doing in Africa. This message was shared with all the managers, and they were so moved by the updates that they asked how they could get involved. Now there is interest with the hourly employees as well. Many of these are making a little over minimum wage and contribute to this cause because they believe in helping others."
Rick was setting an example for his staff by sharing what PIA is doing and incentivising them to contribute by creating an aggressive matching funds program.
For every $1 the employee contributes to PIA African aid programs, Foods 2000 donates $3. This is a very aggressive plan. Many of those donating can't contribute much; this plan helps the employee leverage their money. For example, every $15/month, when leveraging that with this matching funds plan, can support one child at $60/month, which would cover housing, food, education, and basic medical care. This is really exciting...especially for our hourly associates.
I asked Rick why he chose PIA as the recipient of his donations and time. His responded, "As an American businessman, I have become jaded by stories about US non-profits misusing funds. I think it's easy to become confused and unsure about the right places to invest money to get the best return. I have been fortunate to have developed a personal relationship with Curt Cluff, the founder of Partners in Action, and was able to see his vision and heart. He gives so much...time, personal money, and Christian leadership. I felt that by joining forces with PIA and working with Curt, we could expand the reach of PIA and do it more efficiently than I could with any other non-profit."
Rick had a lot to say about the life-changing experiences he has had in Africa. I didn't originally plan on putting so much quoted material in this article, but so much of what he said was just plain quotable.
The following paragraphs are things that Rick said when asked about his life-changing experiences and what he would want to leave with the reader.
"When I started this, my attitude was based on my real-world experience as a businessman. I get up every morning to slay the dragon...I want to check stuff off my list...do what needs to be done and go on to the next challenge."
"I can remember the very first time I flew to Ethiopia. So naively, even at 48 years old, I arrived at the Addis Ababa airport thinking...we're going to fix this. As soon as we left the airport, we went up to the top of a high rise...which in Ethiopia is about twelve or thirteen stories high. We were looking down on one square block, in which I was informed there were 10,000 people living. I looked at that, and I wanted so badly to go back to the airport and get out of there because I know that I was in way over my head. That was a very humbling experience. At that moment, I was touched by God, who gave me the humbleness to realize that this can only be done one child at a time. Nobody is going to come in and just fix this. You can make an impact, but you have to start with one. Once I was able to grasp that, I was much more effective in every way."
"These children in Africa and other parts of the world that we see struggling so mightily are no different than your children and grandchildren that you see and have relationships with every day. These children have the same fears, the same hopes, same anxieties, same hunger, desire to laugh, feel the very same pain that your children and grandchildren feel; the only difference is that they are out of sight and, therefore, out of mind. To me, that is a tragedy because I know when I compare these children to my own children and grandchildren, I can't accept, in my own mind, my grandchildren living in the conditions and with the fear, pain, and suffering that these hundreds of thousands of African children live in everyday. When I relate their pain and suffering to my children or grandchildren going through this, it brings it home to me and makes me remember how vital this work is."
"Because Africa is so far away physically, I think it is hard to comprehend that when you write a check, that is having an impact on human life. I see life-change created by people willing to take a step of faith to help a child and make that contribution. As a donor, you are helping to give hope (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) in a sometimes hopeless-looking world."
I hope that this article moves some of you to do big things for the children. Thank you, Rick, for all that you do. Much of this work wouldn't be possible without you. Your dedication and involvement is such a blessing to us here at Partners in Action, and I know that it is a blessing to the children in Africa as well.
Our family is passionate about supporting orphans. We have always cared for children in some form – from our own four, to about two dozen foster children, then nine years as part-time volunteer youth pastors. Of course, we had heard of the orphan situation, particularly in Africa, but that seemed so distant and, besides, we're one little family so what could we do to make a difference anyways? But then we heard Wesley Campbell quoting grim statistics complete with heartbreaking photos. We thought that it was time to do our little bit so we signed up for the requisite child sponsorship – one child.
But those photos: the stories of the children from the book "Be A Hero – the Battle for Mercy and Social Justice," the daily newspaper articles, the clips on TV...all bothered us. If we, in the most wealthy part of the world, can't do more than $33.00 per month then something is wrong somewhere.
We own a small construction company with five employees, framing houses. It's always provided for us but there never has been much excess. We're just ordinary people. Five of us in a small one-bathroom house in the older section of town. We felt like God was challenging us to do something outrageous – sponsor ten children. Ten full sponsorships. So we went out on a limb and did it. The astonishing thing was that it didn't seem to make any difference in our budget. We still had enough.
Then we thought we heard the Lord tell us to sponsor 50 children. That seemed ridiculous. But we did it. A strange thing happened – our little construction company began making a lot more money than it ever had, getting really good contracts. And the absurd idea of doubling the number of children we were supporting started floating around.
We had not, by our own works, raised the money for the 50, so why would it be up to us to come up with the funds for 100? It was God's favour and blessing that provided. Now we are at 104.
The money has always been there, every month. We don't know how. But when the end of the month comes, there is enough. The staff at Be A Hero made us an album of all of "our" children. I don't look at it often because it makes me cry. Such sad stories; so many children. But I do think of those children when I'm shopping or looking at home decorating magazines. Do I really need that cute pair of sandals? Do we really need a bigger house? We don't eat out much, and we don't take luxurious vacations. But what if those were my children? I wouldn't choose a vacation over feeding or clothing them. I wouldn't allow them to be sold as sex slaves or live in the dump.
Only the child sponsorship people at Be A Hero know that we support orphans. Our family doesn't know, our friends don't know. But those children know that someone cares about them. Cares enough to walk by faith and trust God that He will supply for their needs. God may not speak to you to support 100 children. But I challenge you to ask Him how many He does want you to support. His answer may shock you.
I hope that some day we can support thousands of children. I have no idea how. But I do know that many children's lives could be saved if we in North America would love enough to make some small sacrifices to rescue them.
Lindsey Ricci is on a long-term mission trip and teaches in Bulembu, Swaziland. She is energetic, committed, and loves the children. Below is an update from her:
How crazy is it that we are already coming into June, and half the year is gone! It has really flown by. May was a good month. We finished our first school term on April 27 and then had a two-week school break until May 14. My parents and my boyfriend arrived in Bulembu just before the end of term, and the four of us set off on our road-trip adventure of South Africa. We had a wonderful holiday driving across the country along the coastline from Durban to Capetown. What a stunning country!
I mentioned in my last update that fifteen new students were brought into the school at the end of term (from the new foster homes). We welcomed four of these children into my class. They are truly precious kids, but they don't speak English, so this has been my newest challenge! Our curriculum is American and written entirely in English, so they really are not able to do it at this time. The first week back to school was very difficult because of this language barrier and the stress of having four students added to an already highly demanding class. But, praise God, our school staff has been growing as well, and several new Swazi people have been hired. So this week my five little ESL kids have started spending much of the day learning English with our Siswati teacher. This has been a huge blessing, and has freed me to spend more time working on specific skills with smaller groups of students.
It seems the seasons are changing and we are now moving into winter. It is cold! We have been making good use of our fireplace and thermals! We are really blessed to have a hot shower and warm blankets, because those are luxuries that many people in the village do not have. Today we made loads of vegetable soup to pass out after church, along with 200 blankets, for the people in the community. It was really wonderful to be a part of that.
We have just started a women's Beth Moore bible study today at my house. I will be facilitating the group, so please keep me in your prayers about this one as it is far out of my comfort zone to be leading a group of women like this. We just felt that it was so necessary that we study the word together because that is something that has been lacking in our lives the past few months. And somehow God has placed me in this role of facilitator. Praise God, it's all about Him and nothing to do with me!
It has been so cool to see God push me beyond my comforts and work through me in the things I am doing here, because I absolutely cannot do this work in Bulembu without His spirit increasing my patience, love, gentleness, and compassion. This is truly beyond me and completely in His power.
Please continue to pray for the missionaries here - for our spiritual and physical protection, for unity as we serve and live together, for wisdom as we make decisions regarding our lives and the lives of our students and others in the community. Please pray for the people of Bulembu and that lives really would be changed, reformed, and healed in this place. Please also pray for continued financial support for our school as we grow in number (materials/curriculum for students, Swazi staff salaries, school expansion, etc). Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!!
If you are interested in supporting the Valley of Hope Mission School through sponsoring a child or making a general donation, please contact me at LindseyNicoleRicci@gmail.com.
Spread of AIDS in Africa Is Outpacing Treatment
by Craig Timberg of the Washington Post
AIDS is a fact of life for Africans, much like having a McDonalds every three blocks in the United States. Although the percentage of those getting vaccinated is rising, the percentage of those getting infected is also on the rise and outpacing treatment. This has had an impact on the orphanages we support. We have many more children who are losing parents and family members to AIDS. The infection rate has also had a dramatic affect on adolescents: if you are a South African who is 15, you have a 50% chance of contracting AIDS in your lifetime.
Amid the morning bustle of Johannesburg Hospital's AIDS clinic, Francois Venter darts from room to room, poking his head inside and asking both doctor and patient, "Are you okay?"
More and more, they are. The clinic he helps oversee is one of the continent's best at distributing antiretroviral drugs. The waiting room fills each day with more than 100 patients whose full faces contradict the stereotype of hollow-cheeked Africans with AIDS.
But beyond the walls of this hospital, Venter says, doctors are not winning - and probably cannot win - the war against the epidemic, because it is spreading far more quickly than doctors are treating its victims. Even as billions of dollars are spent expanding access to antiretroviral drugs, the goal of controlling AIDS in Africa remains remote.
"At the moment, I just see a never-ending sea of disaster," said Venter, 37, the dark-haired, long-limbed president of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society.
Underlying his frustration are grim statistics: For every South African who started taking antiretroviral drugs last year, five others contracted HIV, the same ratio as on the continent as a whole, U.N. reports say. A South African turning 15 today has a nearly 50 percent chance of contracting the virus in his or her lifetime, research shows.
The problem is not the medicine, which is among the most powerful in the world. In places such as the United States and Europe, where prevention programs were already succeeding against much smaller epidemics, the arrival of antiretroviral drugs was a turning point in the battle against AIDS.
But in sub-Saharan Africa, prevention programs have mostly failed to curb the behavior - especially the habit of maintaining several sexual partners at a time - that drives the epidemic, research indicates. So while antiretroviral drugs have prolonged and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Africans, millions more are being newly infected with a disease that is still incurable and, for most, terminal.
In South Africa, AIDS deaths are projected to increase at least through 2025 despite steadily improving access to antiretrovirals, according to the Actuarial Society of South Africa. The prognosis on the rest of the continent is at least as bleak.
Global health officials and AIDS activists once predicted that expanding treatment would bolster prevention efforts by encouraging more openness about the disease and making it easier to educate people on how to protect themselves from HIV. But among African countries with the most serious AIDS epidemics, the only one to report a recent drop in HIV rates is Zimbabwe, which has one of the region's smallest treatment programs.
In neighboring South Africa, attention has shifted from attempting to prevent new infections to treating existing ones, said Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala, an anthropologist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a director of one of South Africa's largest AIDS organizations. In meetings, she said, maybe ten minutes is spent discussing prevention for every hour focused on treatment.
"The whole way of thinking is toward treatment," Leclerc-Madlala said. "But it doesn't solve the problem."
Venter was a doctor in training at Johannesburg Hospital, a vast, hilltop government facility, when he saw a hemophiliac patient receive antiretroviral drugs through a feeding tube as he lay, nearly lifeless, on a bed. A few weeks later, walking unassisted, the man was discharged. "It was phenomenal," Venter recalled of his first encounter with the medicines that prevent HIV from reproducing. "It was nothing short of a miracle."
The year was 1997, and antiretrovirals were already becoming widely available in wealthy nations. With the drugs, all but the most seriously ill AIDS patients were able to restore their immune systems, control opportunistic infections, regain lost weight, and return to work. But in those early years, the medicine cost thousands of dollars annually for each patient. Faced with millions of infected people, the South African government balked at paying the bill. And President Thabo Mbeki controversially questioned the drugs' safety and effectiveness.
Venter, though, was a believer. Through clinical trials and an informal smuggling ring run by AIDS activists, the hospital was able to keep several hundred patients alive. Some of those also paid for their own pills, often the cheapest, most toxic combinations available.
"I'd say to patients, 'How much can you afford?'" Venter recalled. Based on the answer, he would reply: "This is what I can give you. It's not very good, but it'll buy you a couple months."
That's how Ingrid Moloi - weighing 86 pounds, with night sweats, tuberculosis, and meningitis - started on antiretroviral drugs in March 2002.
International pressure on pharmaceutical companies had by then begun to bring down the prices of antiretrovirals, but a standard three-drug combination still cost $100 a month, more than double what Moloi earned caring for AIDS orphans for a charity group. A friend paid the bill, allowing Moloi, now 33, to begin a painful recovery that featured severe headaches and sores on her legs.
Five years into what she jokingly calls her "marriage" to the medicine she takes twice each day, Moloi has a round face, swept-back hair and a plump body twice its previous size.
"Really, the results are fantastic," Moloi said on a recent visit to Venter's clinic. "I should have died a long time ago."
Such results spurred a wave of optimism about treatment that eventually swept away political resistance to a mass rollout of antiretrovirals in Africa. President Bush gave the effort a powerful boost in January 2003 by vowing to spend $15 billion to fight AIDS over the next five years. The South African government announced its own treatment program that August. And that Dec. 1, on World AIDS Day, the United Nations announced a goal of putting 3 million people on antiretroviral drugs by the end of 2005.
With international money flowing in, Johannesburg Hospital slashed the waiting lists at its AIDS clinic, added new patients and hired more staff.
The plastic chairs in its waiting room, which has roughly the capacity and institutional ambience of a small bus station, filled up every morning but were virtually empty by noon because of the availability of doctors and drugs. New patients were typically prescribed antiretrovirals in a couple of weeks. The on-site pharmacy distributed the medicine in less time than it took to have a pizza delivered.
The government did little to publicize treatment programs; three times as many South Africans died last year of complications from the disease as started taking antiretroviral drugs. But a recent episode of the soap opera "Isidingo" featured a woman with AIDS whose boyfriend flew to London in search of a rare new antiretroviral, which on the show was called "V." It saved her life.
The next morning, several patients at the clinic asked their doctors for "V." Venter assured one of them, a woman in her 30s wearing a yellow tracksuit, that she could get "V" - actually the relatively new antiretroviral tenofovir - but cautioned: "You only really need it if you're having side effects. If your treatment's working, your treatment's working."
Yet despite the speed with which antiretrovirals became more available, Venter said he never saw signs that treatment was contributing to a decline in new infections. As the drugs began to work, appetites for both food and sex returned. A startling proportion of the women - Venter estimated 5 to 10 percent - became pregnant, which he took as evidence that the clinic's efforts to distribute condoms were not working.
National prevention programs, which have emphasized condom use and HIV testing but rarely featured frank discussions of the dangers of multiple sex partners, have done no better, Venter said. Health officials have also shown little enthusiasm for expanding access to circumcision, despite research showing that it can dramatically slow the pace of new infections.
"South Africa has had huge money poured into it for prevention and done diddly squat," he said.
Moloi had her own frustrations. The roster of orphans whose care she oversaw continued to grow - it numbers 450 now - in an indication that AIDS deaths were not slowing. And as orphans reached their mid-teens, Moloi saw them adopting the same sexual behaviors that had led many of their parents to contract HIV.
Boys generally kept several girlfriends, and girls often had two or more boyfriends, she said. They used condoms inconsistently, if at all.
"People are not abstaining. People are not using condoms," Moloi said. "People say it's boring."
She recalled spotting the swollen belly on a petite 16-year-old orphan who only two years earlier had lost her own mother, probably to AIDS. During a visit to the girl's home, Moloi administered a pregnancy test. It was positive. She learned from a neighbor that the girl had two boyfriends. Moloi urged her to take an HIV test. She refused. "They are breaking my heart," Moloi said. "I see AIDS. I'm not seeing life."
Despite the growing availability of antiretroviral drugs, waiting lists in South Africa and other African countries often run into months. Because of heavy stigma, many of those with AIDS die without acknowledging they have the disease. And others living beyond the reach of the best health facilities struggle to find doctors who have access to antiretrovirals.
The international aid group Doctors Without Borders reported last month that severe shortages of doctors and nurses threaten to stall the rollout of AIDS treatment programs in southern Africa, home to the world's most severe epidemics.
Keeping patients on the medicine, which generally must be taken twice a day for the rest of their lives, has proved more daunting than health officials once predicted. The World Health Organization reported in April that 1.3 million Africans were taking antiretrovirals, an increase from 100,000 just three years earlier. But most programs lack the ability to track how many of their patients continue taking the medicine.
Boston University epidemiologist Christopher J. Gill studied African treatment programs that did monitor the outcomes of all of their patients, a group that encompassed 66,753 people in 13 countries. Gill found that 40 percent of the patients could not be accounted for after two years, meaning that they had stopped taking their medicine, transferred to another program or died.
Johannesburg Hospital, with resources unimaginable in most of the continent, is doing much better.
Yet Venter has come to regard using antiretrovirals to fight an AIDS epidemic as akin to using chemotherapy and surgery to fight lung cancer. It would cost less, and save many more lives, to find some way to curb smoking.
At best, he estimates, South Africa's medical system might find a way to reach about half of those who need antiretrovirals, instead of the 20 percent receiving them now. "On the public health level, it's not going to make much of a difference," he said. "I don't think we're going to treat ourselves out of this epidemic. . . . No way."
An Update on the Mojo Meal Program
by Chad Barnett
Mojo is a town outside of the capitol city, Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. We have a project there that is run by the Mojo Meserete Kristos Church ("Mojo"). This was one of our first model projects in Africa, and Mojo takes their role as the church very seriously. Through this project, we sponsor just over fifty children on a monthly basis. The assistance generally includes oil, water, soap, wheat, and teff (teff is an indigenous grain used to make injera which is a spongy bread-like substance they use in almost every meal.) In addition to this monthly assistance, we provide free education for over 100 children.
Last year, the Mojo Meal Program was established and through your sacrificial giving, we currently provide lunch to ten children. These ten children now are able to attend school (eight are girls, ages 5 to 8, and two are boys, ages 6 and 8). Our Director, who lives in Ethiopia, also provides them with bread and tea for breakfast. It sounds simple, but by you giving up one meal a month, you provide ten children with lunch, breakfast, education, and their parents the ability to work.
Thank you to those of you who support the Meal Program. I know you don't do it for the accolades, but we can't convey how much this simple act helps the children. If you are interested in learning more about the Meal Program, please contact Chad Barnett at 480-882-0800.
New Hope Centre Swaziland Makes Strides with School Construction
Before the bulldozers
A drop in the bucket. A spit in the ocean. One grain of sand on the beach. The news from Africa is so bleak that thinking about doing anything to help seems like an exercise in frustration, if not futility. But United Church folks from coast to coast made a statement of hope and not despair when they resoundingly supported the Beads of Hope campaign.
We're making our own little contribution to the declaration of hope for Africa. Dr. Elizabeth Hynd has established the New Hope Centre in Swaziland. The Centre has been built as a home for sixty AIDS orphans, Dr. Hynd's children, who are all given the surname "Abraham." For these are indeed the children of Abraham, children rescued to be given a hope and a future. And a home.
The bulldozers do their work
According to the United Nations, twenty-five percent of the present adult population of Swaziland will have died by 2010. The adult population: the mothers and fathers, the nurses and merchants, the police officers and dentists, the schoolteachers and bus drivers. Dr. Hynd is rescuing a remnant, children who are given a home, a family, schooling, and health care, and who then in return will be a blessing to their homeland and its people. Elizabeth Hynd has a lifelong commitment to Swaziland and its people as the daughter of medical missionaries; now in his eighties, her father is the only physician serving a large population at the mission clinic.
Construction begins
The New Hope Centre was built to accommodate sixty children. Currently, two of the bedrooms are being used as classrooms. And that's where Pelham Community Church comes in. We have committed to raising the funds to build a preschool and a primary school and that will free up the room in the house that is needed for the family to grow. The children are brought into the home in groups of five or six, giving them time to settle in and be at home. But bringing in more kids gets stalled when the Big Boys room has been staked out as a classroom for twenty-five preschoolers and the Big Girls room is at capacity as a one-room primary schoolhouse. It's one of the most appealing things about this project: by building two schools we simultaneously create a space for twenty-four more children to find a permanent, loving home. And it is only going to cost one hundred thousand dollars.
Construction
Only one hundred thousand dollars! At times it seems like an enormous, if not impossible, sum of money for one fairly small congregation to take on as a project. But put it in perspective. Think of those twenty-four kids, call it twenty-five and divide that into a hundred thousand. Now we see the cost of a permanent loving home for a child is four thousand dollars - what many families spend on vacations in a year. A hundred thousand dollars buys, they tell me, one, only one, luxury automobile.
Picture Gallery of Recent Trip to East Africa
by Chad Barnett
I recently returned from a visit to our orphanages in East Africa. As always, the minute I get home, I want to go back. The kids are so full of love and life, and it is so wonderful to see that we are making a difference. For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit Africa, please send us your pictures so we can share them with everyone! Thank you for your support!
Two young volunteers at The Shepherd's Fold Alliance (TSFA). TSFA means "hope" in Amharic.
Children praying at
Suubi Child Development Center.
This is Brian at Anchorage Children's Ministry showing off his entertaining personality.
This is a school supply room where they keep items for the children.
Children learning how to count in English
in Mojo, Ethiopia.
This family receives support from The Shepherd's Fold Alliance. Six people live in this
one-room home.
These children are supported through the Kotebe project through an Evangelical church.
This is Ezra who runs the Suubi Children's Development Center.
Here is the headmaster at Destiny in Uganda teaching the children math. I should have stayed for the whole class!
Children from Hope for the Hopeless
enjoying a rare treat.
A glimpse of a church service.
This is Lilah who is one of our success stories.
We helped her to start her own
micro-business last year.
Music Inspired by God by Hope for the Nation’s Romania
Now here's a most intriguing case of East meets West (viz. Eastern Europe/Western Canada), the result of young families Lang and Biech moving from Abbotsford, BC, to engage in missions work in the town of Navodari, Romania. Steve Lang and Mark Biech, who make up the vocal duo Lu-mi-nos, would regularly lead worship in a small local house group, aided by Romanian friends. Worship would rise up spontaneously; "Steve would sing out something that he needed to say to God, or Mark would start singing a prayer that was deep within his spirit. The two of us would start to echo each other or sing two songs simultaneously and before we knew it, a new song was being written from the Lord."
Take off Your Shoes captures some of this spontaneous worship, albeit in a rustic Eastern European studio setting, and I must say, the quality of both individual songs and overall sound captured is of surprisingly impressive standard. Eight simple melodies, with occasional added verse, and all purely focused on Jesus, are unhurriedly and most effectively delivered, (most tracks last six minutes or more), as musicians are carried along in a sensitive wave of adoration (in their home-worship times, "hours would often pass and we would still not have finished the same song!"). These songs are indeed Spirit-led, each piece further enhanced by wonderful (layered) vocal harmonies from Mark, Steve, and daughter Stephanie Lang, and by utterly stunning lead guitar solos from Daris Mangal and Tudor Toropoc.
The totally impromptu 'Take me away' is the most ethereal and breathtaking piece on the set, with its haunting guitar supplications and rise in emotional intensity; while the simple, closing 'Jesus' carries Eastern Orthodox chant-like tones overlying a striking contemporary rock rhythm.
Inspiring sounds that are thoughtful, heartfelt, and innovative. The cover picture too holds a similar intrigue and charm to the music it represents, depicting the main entrance to a 14th-century Lutheran church in Brasov, Transylvania. Why not take off your shoes and enter in - without a doubt you'll find yourself standing on holy ground.
Please click here to listen to a sample of the music.
Mark and Coreen Biech and their team of wonderful volunteers just finished rehabbing a home for a family. They are the Extreme Makeover of Romania. The pictures are amazing! We hope you think so too.
Hello Everyone! Well, we did another one! The team from Lion of Judah in Victoria, Canada, was here two weeks ago and did a magnificent job with our latest Home Makeover. We chose a family in the village of Budila with four children all living in one room. The father, Constantin, was a former soccer player for Romania. There have been so many changes in Romania in the past decade, and most Romanians have just not been able to keep up. This Home Makeover is life changing for this family. We are so pleased at the outcome! On to the photos!
It's a Full House at the ARK Children's Home
by the Allan Family
Another young girl has just arrived into our care at ARK Children's Home in Ecuador. She'll probably be placed with her grandma, but that makes ten new arrivals in two months and another one due to arrive today or tomorrow. We have to investigate their cases to find whether or not the children have someone to return to, and so we are never quite sure how long a child will be with us. Sometimes we think it will be short term, but then the kids stay permanently. Other times, we can see there's no family and suddenly someone will appear on the scene to take care of the child.
Nevertheless, the more children we have, the higher our costs go. New children are especially expensive because they often come sick and malnourished. A sponsorship helps with all of that. Please be patient with us though because we cannot promise that the children will be permanent. If someone leaves, we can provide another child. Go ahead and sponsor one of the new children. Contact us if you're interested in a sponsorship!
Dennis Unrau, who lives and manages Hogar de Amor in Colima, Mexico, recently wrote us about a blessed marriage that occurred in Colima. It reinforces our faith that the power of God can change lives!
We give thanks to God for the marriage that we celebrated a few days ago of Gabriel and Norma. We have shared a little before of how we received Norma's children into the orphanage after she fled with them to Colima from another state and an abusive marriage situation. Norma later became a Christian after being invited repeatedly to come to church by her children. In time, she began to help cook at the orphanage when we had teams here, and then a number of years ago, came on staff at the Casa Cuna. A while later, her children came from the other homes where they were living and lived in with their mother here at the Casa Cuna. Norma has now married a fine Christian man and they are in the process of buying a small home and will be moving into it this coming weekend. Norma will continue to work in the Casa Cuna during the week days. We thank the Lord for what He has done in this family and how that they can once again be together as a complete family, now under the leadership of Christ.
This is a great moment in Cristina's life, and in the life of the Children's Home. We have our first high school graduate. We have had some of our children over the past years acquire a technical trade, but Cristina is the first who has pursued her academic education and completed high school. Not only will she receive her diploma, but she has achieved very good grades with an average of 87% over the past three years.
Cris arrived at the home seven years ago along with her younger sister and two younger brothers. She remembers feeling sad much of the time when she first arrived, but as she adapted to the routine of the home she settled in and began to enjoy being here. After several years her parents were free to reclaim their children, and the younger children went back to live with them. Cris chose to remain in the home and continue her studies.
She is very content and happy to be in the home and plans to continue her education. She is applying to be accepted in the university to study a four year course in computer software programming. Cris feels like her life has turned around. She is happy with the changes she has experienced. She has matured and knows there is hope for a promising future ahead of her. When we asked Cris if she wanted to say anything by means of this newsletter, she wanted to convey the following: "Many, many thanks! God sees your hearts, and may He bless you with a double portion (of what you have given me)."
We would also like to acknowledge the hard work and diligence of two other young ladies. Veronica and Luz have completed their hairdressing course. They are now capable stylists, manicurists, and beauticians. I'm sure that we will be able to put their skills to work over and over and over again...it seems that by the time you get everybody's hair cut around here, it's time to start all over again! We bless these young ladies for their perseverance in going after the training needed to pursue their career choice.
Jesus Loves the Little Children Making a Stand at the X-Men Summer Camp 2007 by Rachel Sanchez
About one thousand participants from various denominations and institutions participated in X-MEN Summer Camp 2007 in the Philippines facilitated by the Community Baptist Church. The Camp was based on the real-life X-Men comic book characters. Interestingly, the word "X-Men" actually stands for something: X=Unknown Things in Life, M=Meaning of Life, E=Living the Extraordinary Life, and N=New Challenges. Due to the theme of "Making a Stand" and knowing the background of the organizers and facilitators, Jesus Loves the Little Children (JLLC) did not hesitate to send fifteen children believing that God would touch and positively transform their lives.
The objective of the 3-day summer camp was three-fold: to develop camaraderie among children, to help them learn how to deal with their painful past and gain a better perspective in life with the goal of learning to forgive and forget, and to enable the children to know God in a more biblical way. There were facilitators who even came from different places around the world to reach out to the children and youth to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to have deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The children were grouped together into 4 groups: Wolverine, Archangel, Cyclops, and Storm (just like the X-Men characters). The next few days were filled with games, prayer, and lots of laughter and smiles. At the end of each day, a church service was conducted preaching the Word and sharing the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was also a water baptism ceremony and it was a solemn, yet happy and momentous event for the newly born babes. As the last day was about to end, it was very sad to watch the children bid farewell to his/her new friends and mentors. It was truly one of the most memorable experiences the children will never forget.
JLLC children thank the Lord for all the sponsors and donors who gave them the opportunity to be part of this wonderful and meaningful event and they are looking forward to Summer Camp 2008.
Amy Ueker is currently in the Philippines working with the House of Jubilee. Her experience thus far has had a profound impact on her life. Below is her lastest update:
Hi from Davao, Philippines! I am so thankful for your many prayers while I have been at House of Jubilee (HOJ). As I am getting more settled into life here, I am being channeled into a focus on ministering to the people right in the surrounding community, which I believe is the Lord's leading. Praise the Lord for the deepening of relationships. God is allowing me to learn lessons through circumstances in a way that goes much deeper than medical internship training and can be seen in a little girl's life.
Princess Nina is a two-year-old girl who is part of the feeding program sponsorship here at HOJ. I get to see her just about every day when she comes to the clinic at HOJ to receive natural medicinal drops. Nina is malnourished, so we are helping her gain weight and improve her health. This is an opportunity for us to reach out to the family; they are still relatively new. Nina's mother, Chona, is involved in gambling. I'm not sure why, maybe she's trying to get money for food for her family. Gambling is a common problem here.
The family had a bit of a scare last week when Nina became ill to the point she needed hospitalization. She became dehydrated and very weak. We are now providing extra nutrition for Nina in hopes of preventing this from happening again. Please pray for Chona and husband Edwin to take to heart the seriousness of the situation, and their responsibility in it, and not just depend on our provision as an easy solution. I can see how God is at work in Chona's heart.
At one point praying with her last week, she had tears streaming down her face. Even though it was scary to see Nina get so sick, during that week I had many opportunities to show God's love and compassion to the family. I have been learning so much and being challenged to grow in my trust in the Lord. Lately I have been reminded of my need to seek God's strength and His compassion...because if it's not coming from Him, it will quickly run dry.
Because of all the things I am learning right now regarding not just missions, but also in my relationship with God, I decided it is a priority to spend more time here. I will be staying two more months, until July 28. It has been amazing to see how the Lord is providing for my needs while I am here, and I am just continuing to seek His provision for extending my stay here.
Lastly, I will be flying out from the Philippines on May 19 to head to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I will be there for two weeks for a field visit with World Team. It will be my first time meeting the World Team field directors and other missionaries in Cambodia. I am trusting the Lord to use this opportunity for further confirmation that He is leading me to minister to the Vietnamese refugees in Cambodia with World Team. Your prayers mean so much to me. I have enjoyed every little note, email, card, and package I receive from home. You've encouraged me so much; they remind me that your prayers are with me. Thank you for supporting me and standing with me as I desire to follow the Lord's leading.
A few days ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with one of our most involved and dedicated donors. Rick Ueable is not just a donor; he is also the Director of African Affairs here at Partners in Action. He has been actively involved in the creation of the system we have in Africa, as well as the overall management of what goes on there, for many years now.
Rick was setting an example for his staff by sharing what PIA is doing and incentivising them to contribute by creating an aggressive matching funds program.
Rick had a lot to say about the life-changing experiences he has had in Africa. I didn't originally plan on putting so much quoted material in this article, but so much of what he said was just plain quotable.
"These children in Africa and other parts of the world that we see struggling so mightily are no different than your children and grandchildren that you see and have relationships with every day. These children have the same fears, the same hopes, same anxieties, same hunger, desire to laugh, feel the very same pain that your children and grandchildren feel; the only difference is that they are out of sight and, therefore, out of mind. To me, that is a tragedy because I know when I compare these children to my own children and grandchildren, I can't accept, in my own mind, my grandchildren living in the conditions and with the fear, pain, and suffering that these hundreds of thousands of African children live in everyday. When I relate their pain and suffering to my children or grandchildren going through this, it brings it home to me and makes me remember how vital this work is."
"Because Africa is so far away physically, I think it is hard to comprehend that when you write a check, that is having an impact on human life. I see life-change created by people willing to take a step of faith to help a child and make that contribution. As a donor, you are helping to give hope (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) in a sometimes hopeless-looking world."
Our family is passionate about supporting orphans. We have always cared for children in some form – from our own four, to about two dozen foster children, then nine years as part-time volunteer youth pastors. Of course, we had heard of the orphan situation, particularly in Africa, but that seemed so distant and, besides, we're one little family so what could we do to make a difference anyways? But then we heard Wesley Campbell quoting grim statistics complete with heartbreaking photos. We thought that it was time to do our little bit so we signed up for the requisite child sponsorship – one child. 
We own a small construction company with five employees, framing houses. It's always provided for us but there never has been much excess. We're just ordinary people. Five of us in a small one-bathroom house in the older section of town. We felt like God was challenging us to do something outrageous – sponsor ten children. Ten full sponsorships. So we went out on a limb and did it. The astonishing thing was that it didn't seem to make any difference in our budget. We still had enough. 
We had not, by our own works, raised the money for the 50, so why would it be up to us to come up with the funds for 100? It was God's favour and blessing that provided. Now we are at 104. 
Only the child sponsorship people at Be A Hero know that we support orphans. Our family doesn't know, our friends don't know. But those children know that someone cares about them. Cares enough to walk by faith and trust God that He will supply for their needs. God may not speak to you to support 100 children. But I challenge you to ask Him how many He does want you to support. His answer may shock you. 
I mentioned in my last update that fifteen new students were brought into the school at the end of term (from the new foster homes). We welcomed four of these children into my class. They are truly precious kids, but they don't speak English, so this has been my newest challenge! Our curriculum is American and written entirely in English, so they really are not able to do it at this time. The first week back to school was very difficult because of this language barrier and the stress of having four students added to an already highly demanding class. But, praise God, our school staff has been growing as well, and several new Swazi people have been hired. So this week my five little ESL kids have started spending much of the day learning English with our Siswati teacher. This has been a huge blessing, and has freed me to spend more time working on specific skills with smaller groups of students. 
AIDS is a fact of life for Africans, much like having a McDonalds every three blocks in the United States. Although the percentage of those getting vaccinated is rising, the percentage of those getting infected is also on the rise and outpacing treatment. This has had an impact on the orphanages we support. We have many more children who are losing parents and family members to AIDS. The infection rate has also had a dramatic affect on adolescents: if you are a South African who is 15, you have a 50% chance of contracting AIDS in your lifetime. 
But beyond the walls of this hospital, Venter says, doctors are not winning - and probably cannot win - the war against the epidemic, because it is spreading far more quickly than doctors are treating its victims. Even as billions of dollars are spent expanding access to antiretroviral drugs, the goal of controlling AIDS in Africa remains remote.
Global health officials and AIDS activists once predicted that expanding treatment would bolster prevention efforts by encouraging more openness about the disease and making it easier to educate people on how to protect themselves from HIV. But among African countries with the most serious AIDS epidemics, the only one to report a recent drop in HIV rates is Zimbabwe, which has one of the region's smallest treatment programs.
International pressure on pharmaceutical companies had by then begun to bring down the prices of antiretrovirals, but a standard three-drug combination still cost $100 a month, more than double what Moloi earned caring for AIDS orphans for a charity group. A friend paid the bill, allowing Moloi, now 33, to begin a painful recovery that featured severe headaches and sores on her legs.
"South Africa has had huge money poured into it for prevention and done diddly squat," he said.
Mojo is a town outside of the capitol city, Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. We have a project there that is run by the Mojo Meserete Kristos Church ("Mojo"). This was one of our first model projects in Africa, and Mojo takes their role as the church very seriously. Through this project, we sponsor just over fifty children on a monthly basis. The assistance generally includes oil, water, soap, wheat, and teff (teff is an indigenous grain used to make injera which is a spongy bread-like substance they use in almost every meal.) In addition to this monthly assistance, we provide free education for over 100 children.
Last year, the Mojo Meal Program was established and through your sacrificial giving, we currently provide lunch to ten children. These ten children now are able to attend school (eight are girls, ages 5 to 8, and two are boys, ages 6 and 8). Our Director, who lives in Ethiopia, also provides them with bread and tea for breakfast. It sounds simple, but by you giving up one meal a month, you provide ten children with lunch, breakfast, education, and their parents the ability to work.
Two young volunteers at The Shepherd's Fold Alliance (TSFA). TSFA means "hope" in Amharic.
Children praying at
This is Brian at Anchorage Children's Ministry showing off his entertaining personality.
This is a school supply room where they keep items for the children.
Children learning how to count in English
This family receives support from The Shepherd's Fold Alliance. Six people live in this
These children are supported through the Kotebe project through an Evangelical church.
This is Ezra who runs the Suubi Children's Development Center.
Here is the headmaster at Destiny in Uganda teaching the children math. I should have stayed for the whole class!
Children from Hope for the Hopeless
A glimpse of a church service.
This is Lilah who is one of our success stories.
Now here's a most intriguing case of East meets West (viz. Eastern Europe/Western Canada), the result of young families Lang and Biech moving from Abbotsford, BC, to engage in missions work in the town of Navodari, Romania. Steve Lang and Mark Biech, who make up the vocal duo Lu-mi-nos, would regularly lead worship in a small local house group, aided by Romanian friends. Worship would rise up spontaneously; "Steve would sing out something that he needed to say to God, or Mark would start singing a prayer that was deep within his spirit. The two of us would start to echo each other or sing two songs simultaneously and before we knew it, a new song was being written from the Lord." 
Another young girl has just arrived into our care at ARK Children's Home in Ecuador. She'll probably be placed with her grandma, but that makes ten new arrivals in two months and another one due to arrive today or tomorrow. We have to investigate their cases to find whether or not the children have someone to return to, and so we are never quite sure how long a child will be with us. Sometimes we think it will be short term, but then the kids stay permanently. Other times, we can see there's no family and suddenly someone will appear on the scene to take care of the child. 
Nevertheless, the more children we have, the higher our costs go. New children are especially expensive because they often come sick and malnourished. A sponsorship helps with all of that. Please be patient with us though because we cannot promise that the children will be permanent. If someone leaves, we can provide another child. Go ahead and sponsor one of the new children. Contact us if you're interested in a sponsorship! 
Dennis Unrau, who lives and manages Hogar de Amor in Colima, Mexico, recently wrote us about a blessed marriage that occurred in Colima. It reinforces our faith that the power of God can change lives!
This is a great moment in Cristina's life, and in the life of the Children's Home. We have our first high school graduate. We have had some of our children over the past years acquire a technical trade, but Cristina is the first who has pursued her academic education and completed high school. Not only will she receive her diploma, but she has achieved very good grades with an average of 87% over the past three years. 
About one thousand participants from various denominations and institutions participated in X-MEN Summer Camp 2007 in the Philippines facilitated by the Community Baptist Church. The Camp was based on the real-life X-Men comic book characters. Interestingly, the word "X-Men" actually stands for something: X=Unknown Things in Life, M=Meaning of Life, E=Living the Extraordinary Life, and N=New Challenges. Due to the theme of "Making a Stand" and knowing the background of the organizers and facilitators, Jesus Loves the Little Children (JLLC) did not hesitate to send fifteen children believing that God would touch and positively transform their lives. 
The objective of the 3-day summer camp was three-fold: to develop camaraderie among children, to help them learn how to deal with their painful past and gain a better perspective in life with the goal of learning to forgive and forget, and to enable the children to know God in a more biblical way. There were facilitators who even came from different places around the world to reach out to the children and youth to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to have deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ. 
The children were grouped together into 4 groups: Wolverine, Archangel, Cyclops, and Storm (just like the X-Men characters). The next few days were filled with games, prayer, and lots of laughter and smiles. At the end of each day, a church service was conducted preaching the Word and sharing the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was also a water baptism ceremony and it was a solemn, yet happy and momentous event for the newly born babes. As the last day was about to end, it was very sad to watch the children bid farewell to his/her new friends and mentors. It was truly one of the most memorable experiences the children will never forget. 
Amy Ueker is currently in the Philippines working with the House of Jubilee. Her experience thus far has had a profound impact on her life. Below is her lastest update:
At one point praying with her last week, she had tears streaming down her face. Even though it was scary to see Nina get so sick, during that week I had many opportunities to show God's love and compassion to the family. I have been learning so much and being challenged to grow in my trust in the Lord. Lately I have been reminded of my need to seek God's strength and His compassion...because if it's not coming from Him, it will quickly run dry. 
