Dear friends of Rwandan children,
In July 2015 we shared the story of Alfred, a young man whose life has been changed by CPAJ. Recently, an Outreach team visited the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda and CPAJ in Kigali. We were amazed at its leadership and its ministry to others, like Alfred, all over the country. We saw firsthand its impact on street children in particular. There are currently 40 residents at this center.
Read MoreDear Partners and Friends of Tumaini Ministry and the Riamukurwe Parish,
We know Tumaini and Huruma children are a part of your prayers. Please keep praying for and supporting the 208 children currently residing there. Ken Cornelison, from Laguna Presbyterian Church, and I visited the Tumaini and Huruma children this month. It is hard for me to describe the joy we saw on the faces of both the children and the dedicated staff and board members!
Read MoreWiggly, giggly and mesmerized by the foreign visitors to their classroom in Erbil, Iraq, these precious little four and five year-olds seemed very typical for their age. But they were not. When our small Outreach Foundation team visited them in March, it had been about eight months since they and their families had run for their lives as ISIS marched upon their villages in the Nineveh Plain. 200,000 of these Assyrian Christians fled from their small, once peaceful enclaves: Bartella, Bashiqa, Batnaya, Karamlis. They found haven in safer towns deeper in the Kurdish-controlled areas of Northern Iraq and the big city of Erbil. Their young priests like Father Yacoub, whom you see here, shepherded and encouraged them along the road. And now those young priests, with no resources, work hard to create some sense of normalcy for these traumatized families. They have started a few kindergartens/preschools in which to nurture these tender young lives.
Read MoreDear Friends,
We bless and greet you all with joy in the Lord. Among many joys we have received is the first light rain, which we trust is the beginning of a good and blessed rainy season and an answer to one of our prayers for Zimbabwe. Much of the country is experiencing severe power cuts. No power for 18 hours per day is common, and a regular water supply remains an illusion. But we must remind ourselves we are still better off than millions of people in the world. Praise God for what we do have.
Read MoreA team from The Outreach Foundation led by Rev. Bill Warlick, Southern Africa mission staff, and Ebralie Mwizerwa, projects coordinator, visited Namumu Orphanage in Siavonga, Zambia in May. Here is their report:
After arriving at Namumu we met with Phanuel L. Simamba (director) and Zenzo Sidembo (accountant). We brought boxes of rice donated by “Stop Hunger Now” and shipped by Alliance for Children Everywhere to the Crisis Nurseries in Lusaka.
Read MoreDear Friends of Rwandan Children,
It has always been a blessing for us at Outreach to bring you stories of lives changed by your generosity. Alfred is one of hundreds rescued by the Presbyterian Street Children’s Ministry in Kigali. As you read his story, think about thousands of others with similar stories. The plight of children in Rwanda and other poor nations compels us to act and not wait.
Read MoreThe Crisis Nurseries in Lusaka, Zambia are a partnership between Christian Alliance for Children in Zambia, Alliance for Children Everywhere and The Outreach Foundation. The House of Moses Preemie center has been named after Bill and Nancy Warlick. A team from Outreach led by Rev. Bill Warlick and Projects Coordinator Ebralie Mwizerwa visited both homes in May 2015.
Read MoreDear Friends and Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We had an extraordinary month of May. I want you to know what you have been a part of, because it is very clear to me that you are present in all of our engagements with our brothers and sisters in Russia.
Read MoreDear Friends of Tete Province,
My wife Elizabeth, current Chairman of the Board of The Outreach Foundation Tom McDow, and I returned Thursday from leading a trip to Tete Province, Mozambique sponsored by The Outreach Foundation. Our team of nine came from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. We were joined by Nedson Zulu and Sebber Banda once we arrived in Blantyre, Malawi.
Read MoreDear Friends of Home of Hope,
Knock, Knock
No, it’s not one of those jokes, but it’s what we hear nearly every day at our gates, morning, afternoon, and sometimes at night. A person or persons knocking on our gates asking us for help: for food, water, clothes, shoes, medicine; to go to the hospital or clinic; to pay for school fees, rent, or an I.D to get a job; for transportation, soap, a blanket; to learn dressmaking in order to be self-supportive; for someone to talk to.
Read MoreA three hour drive north of Erbil, not far from Dohuk, is a camp set up for some of the 23,000 Yazidis who had been driven from the city of Sinjar, north of Mosul, by ISIS. You can all probably remember the scenes (like the one to the left) of these beleaguered souls – almost 50,000 of them – who had sought refuge at the top of a mountain last August awaiting rescue. Several thousand men had been killed and young girls were taken as sex slaves...it is a staggeringly evil story.
Read MoreDear Friends,
Laughing. Singing. Chasing a musical choo-choo train. From the outside looking in, you would never know that the energetic toddlers and preschoolers at the Bill and Bette Bryant Crisis Nursery are currently under the 24/7 care of their teachers, housemothers, and caregivers as they hopefully await reunification with their family or permanent placement with a forever family.
Read MoreDear Friends of Home of Hope,
How rapidly this current year has already progressed. The fullness of the Christmas blessings you showered upon Home of Hope is still lingering, but the work of the current year is also moving along at a good pace.
A new group of 30 women started dressmaking training in January. A mixture of young and older women, they train on Thursdays. Some of the young women have completed their schooling but cannot find jobs and are hoping to equip themselves through dressmaking skills to be self-employed.
Read MoreDear Friends,
Happy New Year! We would like to share the following story from Lauren, one of the volunteers at Crisis Nurseries:
A Happy Start
January 7, 2015 was an exciting day for me! When I was volunteering at House of Moses earlier this year, Dennis, a special young baby, captured my heart. He had various health and development complications and at seven months old was the size of a three month old and constantly in and out of the hospital. He was underweight and had to be force fed due to lack of appetite. Dennis has now been reunited with his mother for a few months, and I did not think I would ever see him again.
Read MoreDear Friends and Partners,
Greetings from Zambia. Sherri and I are so grateful for the individuals and congregations which support our mission service here in Zambia. It is quite encouraging to have people behind us. I am writing now in order to share about a possible scholarship opportunity for a Presbyterian student where I teach and train pastors for ministry at Justo Mwale Theological University College. Many thanks for those who are already supporting students here at Justo Mwale. Your investment is definitely making a difference in the lives of congregations.
Read MoreDear Friends and Partners,
As you reflect on this year’s Thanksgiving, just imagine a cluster of young children – some as young as three – trudging barefoot to the Kamwenge Secondary and Vocational School (KSVS) grounds. They are barely clothed in tattered and dirt-crusted rags. They stare dully at the clean and neat high school students in the compound. This picture of children is in great contrast to the bright-eyed, eager students now fortunate enough to attend Good Shepherd Primary School thanks to your generosity.
Read MoreDear Friends and Family,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ! After many weeks on the road, I am finally able to pause and reconnect. I have a lot of catching up to do. Our summer was intense to say the least. All three of us were in Russia for the month of July so that we could support the many groups that visited in spite of the media coverage of the Ukrainian crisis.
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Dear Friends of Home of Hope,
Isn’t it just amazing to think that we are once again knocking on the door of the Christmas season? It’s such a wonderful time of expectation and preparation as we rejoice together and acknowledge his coming to earth to dwell with us, his children. How blessed we are to know him as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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