Happy New Year! I trust this is the beginning of a year of blessings and God’s goodness in your life.
As I write, I am listening to classrooms of children as our preschool students and all of our sponsored students have returned to school today for their second term of studies. We thank God for the privilege we have to invest in these children and help them prepare for bright futures.
The Christmas season always provides us extra opportunities to proclaim Christ with those around us through giving, ministering, and Christmas programs. In addition to many gifts given from sponsors for specific children, we were able to provide, rent, mattresses, and food to many of our neighbors and those in our community with special needs. The Sunday before Christmas, one of our partner churches of 8 years was able to reopen for the first time since closed for due to Covid nearly 2 years ago. It was a joy to be with them in that service.
This past month has given us added opportunities to meet some special needs in children’s care. I would ask your prayers for Manzi, a baby of 18 months with severe malnutrition due to ongoing illness that is confounding doctors. Manzi is now in his third hospital. He has spent 8 weeks in three hospitals, none of which have been able to the primary cause of his illness. In mid-December, we were contacted to help in the case of an abandoned child, Ezra. When we met Ezra, his mother had been contacted and asked me to take the child. When Ezra’s father saw that his mother was pregnant with her second child, he was bewildered. The family already was in dire poverty with not enough to eat, no way to pay the rent, and no extended family support. He demanded that Ezra’s mother abort the baby. When she did not, he left. Homeless, hungry, with nowhere to turn and no help she knew of, she took Ezra to his father. A few days later, Ezra was found in the bush abandoned. Since then, Ezra has received hospital treatment for malnutrition. We have provided housing for Ezra and his mother as well as food and essentials. We plan to assist her in gaining employment to aid her in raising her children.
I thank God for each of these opportunities to show His love and help others in need. I am thankful for you, as you enable us to meet the needs presented to us here.
God bless you!
No comments yet.