(Continued from page 5)
died of AIDS and even her grandpar-
ents were dead. This girl has been in
different homes before coming to the
Center. Our dear Julia who is such a
help with the work of Hope Center, had
taken Maureen into her home along
with seven others. The illness of her
husband prevented her from sending
the three oldest girls to school, so
Maurice and Edith gladly took them
into Hope Center so their education
could continue.
On this subject, when Sally did the
end-of-the-year accounting, she found
that there are several sponsors who
have not been able to send their fees for
support of their orphan this past year. If
you find yourself in circumstances that
prevent you from continuing in spon-
sorship, please don’t hesitate to let us
know. Simply drop Sally or me a note
and we will gladly try to find someone
else to take on the responsibility. We
do understand that people sometimes
face hardships that keep them from fol-
lowing their hearts, and we don’t want
to put a burden on anyone. Surely God
will bring someone else to the child
who is able to care for him or her and,
hopefully, you would continue to write
to and pray for your child.
To see 215 orphans with sponsors
is unbelievable. Dear sponsors, you are
awesome people. I can see the win-
dows of Heaven are wide open!
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(Continued from page 4)
children’s choir for some time. The in-
termediate and secondary students are
attending school away from the home.
The featured child this month is
Denis Ogaro. This boy was born March
13, 1992, and joined us in February of
2005. Denis’ parents were killed in a
road accident, leaving him and his little
five-year-old brother Edwin with no
one to care for them. Pastor Moses
heard of the situation and discovered
that both boys were crying much of the
time with no hope for the future and no
one to soothe their grief.
He and Prisca brought
the boys into their home
and report the children
are now happy and the
crying is going away.
Recently, Denis’ little
brother was sponsored,
and Denis would be so
blessed to have a family
in America as well.
Denis is in the fifth
grade, so he could most
likely write letters to his
sponsor.
God has been so good to
keep this little family safe
through their difficult move,
and now he is caring for them
through famine. He has also
given them many brothers
and sisters here in America
who are sacrificing to help
them to have a future. We
(and they) are so grateful to
all of you for your generosity.
We could not carry out this
program without you.
?
Profiles of Progress
Helen White
Helen White is a farm wife from
Lake Ann, Michigan. In addition to
sponsoring a young boy from Hope
Center, Helen has taken the work with
the widows of Uganda very personally.
Being a grandmother herself, Helen is
burdened by the notion of these
poor women trying to care for
so many small children with
no resources.
At the first sponsor’s
group meeting in their
church, Helen brought a
large bag of handmade
kitchen items, which she of-
fered up for sale at the mea-
ger cost of fifty cents
apiece. She raised $22 for
the widows that evening.
When their church group had its annual
bazaar, Helen gathered cob corn and
set up a display with photos of some of
the widows and their families, netting
$40 from her efforts. She has also been
making beautiful cards with dried,
pressed flowers and leaves, selling
them and, you guessed it, donating the
proceeds to the widows.
Recently, Helen and the ladies of
Lake Ann Methodist Church were given
nearly eighteen bags of clothing, some
of it brand new, which had been col-
lected by group member Janette Cook.
Originally, they planned to launder it
all, divide it, and send it to our three pro-
jects. After examining the tremendous
cost of shipping and duty, they realized
the cost would be more than the items
were actually worth, so these women
came up with another solution. They
have decided to hold a rummage sale in
the spring to sell the clothing, sending
the proceeds, rather than the clothing.
Additionally, when they approached
their pastor with the idea, he sug-
gested they open the sale up and
ask for items from the whole
congregation!
The ladies have also
tossed around the idea of
having a community din-
ner; again, donating all pro-
ceeds. These same folks
meet every other week for
a “Growth Group,” each
reading the same book and
then sitting down to share
their ideas about the current
chapter. At these meetings, an offering
is taken for the widows of Uganda.
They have done this ever since Vicki
first visited them in April of 2005,
sending their collection once a month
to our treasurer.
By working together and donating
their time and energy, they have be-
come a tremendous resource for the
work, and a source of ideas that others
might incorporate.
Please send your ideas and a photo
of yourself to Vicki or Esther to be our
next guest in “Profiles of Progress.
?
Helen White and one
of her note cards
Denis Ogaro
