From Here to There: Feeding the Neighbors ...who exactly is your neighbor?

Good Morning Sweet Friends,

Hope the beginning of this Christmas season is finds you well and remembering what Christmas is truly about. Yesterday I went to the school down the road that Sarah and David are trying to supply food to. (This was the school I wrote about before I left this time and asked if any of you would want to help). Now that I have walked on the soil and entered into the dung walled classrooms, I have a better idea of what is going on over there and the needs they have. So, for those of you who expressed interest in helping, this letter is for you.

First, let me add words to the attached pictures of this school. This is a government funded school, which for them basically means the government pays the salaries of the few teachers that are there. Other than that, they have tried to raise funds to build buildings and buy desks and chairs (which you can see from the pictures is not that successful). Most families with money will send their kids to boarding schools, so government schools are filled with the poorest of the poor families. Sarah and I walked the campus: stones laid on top of each other with dung stuffed between the rocks to hold them in place, most of the classrooms had no chairs or desks. The teacher escorting us told us the kids sit on the floor on papaya leaves. The roofs are tin scrap pieces (so extremely loud when it rains) and leak when it rains; therefore, washing out the dung from the walls and creating quite a mess. There are 280 students who attend the school, but there is never perfect attendance. Again, being a poverty stricken school, when it rains, the kids stay home to help on the farm (bc it’s easier to dig after rainfall) and so many of them were missing yesterday when we visited. I’d say ¼ of the kids were at school without shoes and some without uniforms. Uniforms are a big deal here because it’s your identity of where you go to school. The headmistress even said, “If one of our students is hit by a taxi on the way home, because of their uniform they will know who to inform so the parent or guardian will know their child is dead”. Sobering facts. The kids are SO sweet and yet come from awful homes. The headmistress told us of one of her students that morning was afraid to come to school because her dad had thrown out her uniform with his girlfriends clothes the night before. This family consists of the drunken father , his 4 children and his random “ladies of the evening” that come every night to their one roomed hut. Food and clothing come second to his drinking habits. Another boy was laying on the grass when we arrived. As we walked by the teacher pushed his leg and the boy sat up; glassy eyes, sweat dripping down his head from an obvious fever and he could barely move he was so weak. The boy has malaria but no one at home takes care of him, so he’d rather come and lay in the shade of the tree of the school yard. Another student entered the teachers room when we were there and suddenly all the teachers gathered around this student. Sarah translated for me: the boy had a HUGE gash in his leg from hitting himself with a machete while he was gardening, but with no care giver, he was unable to go to the hospital to have the gash taken care of. Sarah and I gave some money and told the teacher to take the boy quickly to the clinic. I could go on, but that gives a brief picture of what I saw yesterday.

The teachers gathered the kids and then had Sarah and I come and speak to them. Both of us were able to talk to them about Jesus: how Jesus has a special place in his heart for the little children, how Jesus is their constant provider, care taker, and friend. How they can talk to Jesus anytime they want about anything. In these moments you realize: Jesus is truly all you need. When you have NOTHING: Jesus sustains. Jesus provides. Jesus loves. Jesus cares. I sat there telling them about Jesus, challenging my faith…what if that was ME. Would the message I was saying be enough? Yet, these sweet kids were filled with Joy and hope. The faith of a child…

Sarah and David are so passionate about helping this neighborhood. Again, $2000 would feed these kids one meal a day for a year. (A meal that most of them go without, daily!) Food, shelter, and clothing, the 3 basic necessities, most of these kids are lacking. So, here I am again faced with the question, “What can I do?”. What can WE do? I would love to bless this school and these sweet little ones.

There are a few different ways to give. It’s hard because this ministry is outside Cornerstone, but Tim (the founder of Cornerstone) is willing to give David and Sarah the money sent in. It just takes a bit more “work”. So, if you are interested in helping, please follow the procedure Tim has put in place so that we make sure the money gets to the right place and doesn’t frustrated the organization in the process. The other option would be wiring the money or a direct deposit, this wouldn’t allow for a tax write off, but would get the money to where it needs to go without a long process. Again, no pressure to help, but if your heart is moved, any amount would help these kids and allow you to be a tangible way of helping a community and allowing David and Sarah to be a witness of Jesus love.

· On donations - send a check payable to International Foundation and posted to:

International Foundation
PO Box 23813
Washington, DC 20026-3813

It needs to contain a note that it is for Cornerstone Development Africa. Send an email to Tim at cstone@imul.com letting him know you have sent in something that helps to ensure it is put on the right account.

· Wired or direct deposit…send me an email and we’ll make it happen.

I’m praying we can really help this community. Thanks for joining me in this desire

The School House: