Togo - children in school

Feeding the Hungry in Togo

by AfricaBlogTogo

Elisha (pronounced El-ēsha) is a young woman being used by the Lord to bring relief to children in the Adidogome neighborhood of Lome in Togo. At church, Elisha noticed many of the younger children often cried and disturbed their mothers because they were hungry. She talked to her dad, Superintendent Rev. Fosseh Takpale, who is also ICCM National Church leader of Togo, about this situation.

Dosseh encouraged Elisha to share her vision of how to help in a letter to people in and outside the church. After Elisha did that, people began to give money. With the help of Cecille and Christel, two women from the church, Elisha prepares food each week for 20+ children. They usually serve rice with either chicken, fish or beans. Sometimes they enjoy their more traditional food of Akume (made from corn paste) and fish.

Elisha, who is 12, says, “I love kids. … I want to give a chance for poor children to enjoy good food. It is a way also to bring unbelieving children into the church.” Elisha, an ICCM sponsored child, plans to keep this ministry going for as long as the Lord provides. She hopes when these children grow up and become parents, they too will support this kind of ministry.

(This original story can be found in the Missions Alive! study of West Africa 2015-2016. Learn more about this children’s study program at fmwm.org/childrens-resources.)

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Against All Odds!

by AmericasBlogNicaragua

I’ll never forget meeting Jenny Orozco. With a twinkle in her eye, a happy smile, and a contagious laugh, she made even a visitor feel welcome and immediately at home. As we wove through Managua, Nicaragua, rush-hour traffic heading toward a section of town called René Polanco, I sensed her love for this place and for the children and families who walk these streets.

It’s not easy growing up immersed in an environment of violence, addiction, abuse, and poverty. Jenny and her (late) husband Pastor Luis Ampie longed for something better for their then 5-year-old daughter, Josseling, and her generation. So they dared to dream big. They dared to envision the presence of a safe haven in an unsafe neighborhood, an oasis in the desert, a light in the darkness.

In 2004, against all odds, Jenny and Luis founded The Messiah Free Methodist School. I say “against all odds,” because all they had at the time was a physical school building, lovingly built by generous VISA teams. No experience or training in the field of education. No curriculum, no teachers, no resources. Just an absolute conviction that God wanted them to make a mighty impact in the community through Christian education. They fully believed God would make a way for them to provide excellence in academics and Christian development. The school began with 120 children.

Two years later, in 2006, ICCM teamed up with The Messiah Free Methodist School in ministering to the needs of students. Josseling was the first of 50 children sponsored. Over the years, many lives have been forever touched by the program.

ICCM National Coordinator Jenny recently explained, “ICCM plays a vital role in helping our children and youth reach their potential. The program helps us focus not only on intellectual growth but physical, social/emotional and spiritual, as well. Sponsorship has made it possible for many to complete primary and secondary education. After graduating, several are going on to university to become change-makers in their communities and society.”

If you would have asked me in 2003, “Is it possible to open the school in such a short time?,” I would have said, “Absolutely not!” But God had other plans. Jenny was right in tune with those plans and today she joyfully leads a team of educators in ministering to the needs of 450 students in grades Pre-K through 12th. Jenny returned to school and earned a Master of Education degree. Thanks to sponsorship through ICCM, boys and girls are not only surviving but now thriving in their community in Managua, Nicaragua.

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Sheltering Arms

by AmericasBlogColombia

The acronym “TLC” is often used in place of the words “tender, loving care”. About 14 girls, ranging in age from 5 to 17, are in the sheltering arms of the Free Methodist Church in Bogotá, Colombia, and most directly being nourished and protected by a woman they all call Mama Ruth. Through her, they receive the TLC they desperately need.

When I was young and came down with the flu, I wanted my mama more than ever. When she held me close and stroked my hair after a bout of vomiting when she offered me a cup of cold water to drink and a cool washcloth on my hot forehead, I knew I was loved and cherished. I was safe in my mother’s arms.

I witnessed an act of love and beauty as I watched Mama Ruth blow on spoonfuls of hot chicken soup to feed one of her girls. She was helping her to regain strength after two days of the flu. It was a priceless moment of TLC.

During our 2014 Freedom Sunday focus, we called this home “Findesin,” which is actually the name of the foundation run by the church in Bogotá. They call this girl’s home “Panal de Vida,” or, when using English, “The Beehive.” ICCM is one of several partners standing alongside the church for the essential and expensive work of sheltering at-risk girls. The girls’ mothers cannot care for them for a variety of reasons, and the girls are fatherless. These girls are experiencing safety, community, family and the love of Christ in this home. They were made for love, and they respond beautifully to the loving community into which they’ve come.

ICCM National Coordinator for Colombia, Dolly Johanna Mora, assists with all aspects of financial management of the home, and with facilitating the girls’ letter-writing to their sponsors. She is pictured here along with Mama Ruth’s daughter Johanna and Dolly’s daughter Lina Gabriela and me. We have decided not to share photos of the girls to be especially careful of their protection.

Every year on Mother’s Day I miss my mom and my mother-in-law. Mother’s Day is sentimental and wonderful for many; for many others, it is a painful day, a time of acknowledging losses. Thanks to the FMC in Colombia and many caring sponsors and donors, 14 girls in Bogotá are receiving a mother’s love and protection at Panal de Vida on Mother’s Day and every day.

Thank you for standing alongside ICCM in this and our five other anti-trafficking initiatives. They all continue; they all need our support long after their moment in the Freedom Sunday spotlight has ended. To continue to sustain support for this project and our other intensive efforts at protecting the most vulnerable children from those who would exploit them, donate to ICCM anti-trafficking initiatives.

I begin with thanksgiving, thanking God that I was raised in a Christian home with two good parents and was introduced to God at a young age. I don’t remember a specific day when I first accepted Christ, but it was probably in one of our camps when I was 12 years old that I fully understood the gift of salvation. I grew up as a PK (a pastor’s kid). Growing up, I watched my parents undergo a lot of sacrifices and hardship in their ministry; God was real and was doing something real in their lives. I was challenged and inspired to taste and see, so I become a pastor like them. My papa died when I was 14. I am sure he’s proud of us for the legacy that continues in me and now in my brother. Being a PK has given me the privilege to avail ICCM sponsorship and scholarship. ICCM has afforded me an opportunity to be who I am. My life has been changed and helped through ICCM. I’m so happy I’ve been able to give back as one of the staff in an ICCM project, the Door of Hope. What I do is amazingly challenging yet rewarding. Being a Project Director was really a huge responsibility for me and at the same time, I am a part-time Assistant in the National Office. My first thought was not to accept that job, but God assured me, “I can do all things THROUGH HIM who will strengthen me.” Indeed a challenge was given and accepted. There may be some hard times but there’s also great joy in serving God by engaging in the lives of the children. I also learned to improve my communication and leadership skills every day with everyone I meet. I learned to be a cheerleader, an encourager, and a listener. I love the fact that I did it! Thank God! It was far from my personality — I was a shy and a silent one. He is really a God of Transformation. What I like most being part of this is all the people I work with and the friendships I have developed. The atmosphere of working together is one factor that encourages me, and to have that heart and vision to help these young ones succeed. Being here year after year was a humbling experience with the best and expanding friendships. The respect and trust have always had an indescribable and positive effect on me. What I am most grateful for is to be one of the workers here in ICCM. I am proud of it. Most of all I am so blessed and thankful for the guidance of all the people I look up to, my mentors and co-workers. Their availability and support has truly made a huge difference and made me feel not alone. Thank you ICCM Family, for the gift of being there, for the trust given to me. I thank God every day for these wonderful experiences I have and will be ahead. There will be millions of more children to be touched and changed and shared God’s love through ICCM. Cheers!! Blessings. Note: Nova wrote this two years ago. On Dec. 6, 2015, she tragically died in a fire. She is missed throughout the Philippines and by all of us who knew and loved her. She was an amazing and gifted young woman. Nova is pictured at left with a sponsored child and at right, second from the right, with her ICCM co-workers in Door of Hope, Davao City

“I’m Nova Havana Nuez and this is my Success Story”

Et Addis Ababa

Changing Futures in Addis Abada

by AfricaBlogEthiopia

The streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, teem with children. They shine shoes, sell gum, and do whatever they can to survive. Unfortunately, these kids are vulnerable to traffickers.

Child slavery is big business in Ethiopia, where almost 400,000 people, mostly women, and children, are held against their will and forced to work in ways they do not choose, for no pay or extremely low pay. Often children or teens from impoverished rural areas go to the city to find work but end up being tricked or lured into forced labor.

For several years, Amanuel Light & Life Free Methodist Church in Meganagna, a sub-city of Addis, has been supporting 50 orphans and impoverished children in their neighborhood. Many of these kids have lost one or both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. Compassionate church members have volunteered their time every Saturday to run a program with tutoring, games, singing, and lunch. They have done what they could to pay school fees for the children since the greatest safeguard for children is to be in school and be preparing for a better future.

The pastor, Superintendent Mekebib, has asked ICCM for help, as the needs are overwhelming. ICCM’s 2016 Freedom Sunday project will partner with this church. Sponsoring these children will give them the benefit of education, meals, after-school tutoring, child development activities and access to medical care. They and their families and church members will also learn about trafficking and will be empowered against exploiters.

ICCM’s Freedom Sunday offering will provide funds to staff the project and purchase necessary equipment. The ripple effect of this intervention will benefit the children, their families, their church and their community.

We are honored to be a part of the Set Free Movement, joining forces with others to blow the whistle on human trafficking and do all we can to prevent it. We encourage churches to observe Freedom Sunday to expose this evil and join in prayerful community action to combat it in all its forms. ICCM is committed to the holistic development of children, strengthening them and their families and preventing them from being easy prey.

To learn more about this project, watch “The Addis Project” on our website. For a powerful music video, see “Prayer of the Children” on our website.

To sponsor one of these children or receive a Church Action Kit to present this project at your church, please call 800- 342-5531 ext. 502

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Brook Hills FMC – Liberia Connection

by AfricaBlogLiberia

In February, Brooke Hills Free Methodist Church (BHFMC), Wellsburg, WV, took another bold step in their growing partnership with the Free Methodist Church in Liberia, Africa. Pastor Bryce Grieco and two leaders from BHFMC accompanied Africa Area Director, Mike Reynen, and Liberian National Mission District Leader, Rev. Rufus Kahn, to a newly formed school in Grand Bassa County. While at Zuezohn School the team was able to register 30 children for ICCM sponsorship.

Judy Ennis, a recently retired school teacher, taking part in her first ever foreign mission opportunity, explained the local church’s excitement about the Connected Community with Liberia. “There is something both beautiful and practical about being in on the ground floor of ICCM child sponsorship in the nation of Liberia.”

The faith family of BHFMC is committed to sponsoring all 30 children and hope to add more in the future. Zuezohn School was chosen by the Free Methodist Mission District Board of Administration as the school most in need of ICCM sponsorship. All involved believe connecting with ICCM will only strengthen and grow the school and the Free Methodist Church presence in the community by providing funds for teachers, food, supplies and uniforms for the children.

Mike Rice, Global Impact Director at BHFMC, was truly impressed to witness the interest and excitement created within the village of Try and See during the two days of ICCM registration. When given opportunity, many parents shared how they believed this connection between ICCM, Brooke Hills, and the Free Methodist World Mission Church in Liberia would change the lives of their children in addition to raise the overall morale in their remote jungle village.

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Ready, Set, Go!

by AmericasArgentinaBlog

The Gunny Sack Race had begun! Six teams with 75 kids of all ages. Little Andrea didn’t stand a chance—except that she did! For a 3-foot-tall girl, the bag reached up past her shoulders, causing her to fall time after time. Even before tears of frustration could form, 12-year-old Daniela was right there hopping happily alongside Andrea, showing her how to make it to the orange cone and back. Andrea´s initial look of fear and insecurity turned into great joy and a sense of accomplishment!

As I observed this small but significant show of kindness, I realized it tells the story of the big picture in Carmen de Areco. Whether it´s the Gunny Sack Race, the Hoola Hoop Sprint, or life itself, in this beautiful program, everybody counts.

In the course of three days, Dr. Linda Adams and I witnessed and experienced a tremendous outpouring of genuine love, acceptance, helpfulness, and generosity, not just among the pastors and leaders, but among the teens and children themselves.

The reality of Carmen de Areco is not starvation or abject material poverty, but rather an utterly devastating social and spiritual poverty that is desperately waiting to be addressed. Drug addiction among boys and alcoholism among girls begins as early as ages 8-10. Abuse and abandonment are rampant. Fear, insecurity, and hopelessness abound.

Enter Pastors Ricardo Guerrero and María Elena Salas. Twenty years’ worth of tangible, radical, healthy love have transformed one generation and is now transforming the next.

Coming alongside children, teens and their families, “Tata” and “Mama” (as Ricardo and María Elena are affectionately called) are helping individuals and in turn their whole community move from darkness to light. Over the years, they have welcomed many at-risk teens into their home to live. Some of these sponsored kids are now grown, married, and raising healthy families of their own.

The weekend program teaches kids practical skills like how to make empanadas and bread. Every year or two, the group takes a trip far outside the city limits for the first time in kids’ lives, fostering bigger dreams in these young hearts and minds. The program provides healthy activities, celebrations, instruction and practice in the performing arts, sports, and homework help. It encourages children and teens to develop and use their talents and abilities. This holistic approach is being used by God to rescue, heal and empower these young people. It’s beautiful to see!

ICCM sponsors provide financial resources for this authentic, contagious love that is transforming one child at a time, one generation after another. Thank you!

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The Gift that Kept on Giving

by Blog

A highlight of one of my visits to Rwanda was to attend the celebration that accompanied the giving of the 32nd and 33rd cows in Binogo, the “great grand-calves” of some of the original 10 cows ICCM gave that region in 2001. A local committee decides which family will be the next recipient; they spend a year helping to care for the calf, learning animal husbandry. On the big day, families pledge loyalty to one another as they ceremoniously give and receive this life-giving gift. Village children who used to suffer from Kwashiorkor are now healthy—the cows’ milk and the fertilized gardens improve the kids’ diet. A local government official thanked ICCM for our investment, saying that their new program copies ours.

For $400 you can provide a high-quality cow of a breed that will flourish in Rwanda. This program also offers training and annual veterinary checkups. Mark your gift, “GIVE A COW—RWANDA.“

ICCM Animal Projects – Rwanda from Int'l Child Care Ministries on Vimeo.

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“Amizero” Means Hope

by AfricaBlogRwanda

In Rwandan culture, children with mental disabilities are stigmatized. This program for special kids is one of a very few aimed at bringing out the best in mentally challenged children and teens. Their parents are supported and equipped for their care; students learn life skills and vocational skills (the young man pictured below sewed the shirt he is wearing), and all experience the love of God through caring equipped and devoted staff.

In addition to sponsoring the kids, we want to provide physical therapy equipment, beds, and a van. To donate to this unique project in Rwanda, mark your donation “AMIZERO.”