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When a Sponsored Child Gives Back

by AsiaBlogPhilippines

Achiever. Leader. Teachable. Dependable. These are the qualities that define an 18-year-old ICCM scholar, Sheila May Bayanban.

She has been sponsored for 11 straight years, and while being a sponsored child she has become a role model to the younger generation in their hostel in Saloy, Calinan, Philippines.

 

She expresses how thankful she is for International Child Care Ministries and her sponsor for being a great help in her life for 11 years.

Without them, she would not be able to study in high school because of financial constraints.

In return, Sheila has been a good steward of God’s blessings.

 

Since 7th grade, she has always been one of the Top 10 in her class.

She is also a leader in the hostel and at school.

The young achiever shares how the training and the rules in the hostel has molded her to be self-controlled, disciplined, and confident.

She willingly observed the rules because she knew that they help her grow and become better.

 

Being one of the eldest occupants in the hostel, she is also one of the facilitators.

Sheila advises from her own experience that once you are a leader, you need to be patient and understanding.

You also need to act first so that others will follow.

How she has dealt with the children in the hostel has taught her to adjust and be confident in dealing with her classmates at school.

 

 

Above all, she never forgets to acknowledge God for being the source of knowledge and wisdom, and for touching her sponsor’s heart.

 

 

$1/day can change a child’s life forever.

sponsor a child today.

 

How I was Impacted by ICCM Sponsorship

by AfricaBlogRwanda

Alice Bland is one of the people who influenced my life. She made an incredible investment in my childhood through ICCM sponsorship. I am who I am today or will be in the future because of sponsorship.

How splendid to have received my sponsor’s first photo together with her husband Charles! Our relationship was founded on encouraging words and praying for one another.

In this photo I am holding the rabbit we purchased with a gift of money she sent. This photo of my family includes my father, Elie, my mother, Therese and my siblings, Bernardin and Alvera.

I remember how Alice was saddened by the death of my brother. Later we, as a family, mourned hearing in her letter of family deaths. I treasure these letters and photos received from Alice. My dad kept them safe and transferred them to me after my wedding. I, too, will transfer them with clear explanations to my children as a precious inheritance. May our Lord’s blessings be upon the next generations of Alice Blands who are influencing children and changing the world through sponsorship.

P.S. This would be a great time to take a few minutes and write to your sponsored child. They prize a letter or photo from their sponsor! Enclose a letter with your next check or click here to write your child  through the website. Thank you!

graduates smiling

Schools for the Fulani – What’s the Story?

by AfricaBlogNigeria

Our story of ICCM schools for Fulani children first began in Elaite, a small town in Kogi State overlooking Emiworo Village more than 10 years ago!

I’ll never forget these words from the first Fulani man we met, a true ‘man of peace’, Chief Bature. “My grandfather cheated my father when he gave him cows and wives but wouldn’t send him to school. And my father cheated me. He gave me cows and wives, but not an education. I don’t want to cheat my children that way. Please, won’t you open a school for my children?”

And that was when the Free Methodist Church and International Child Care Ministries stepped in with full support, sponsoring hundreds of Fulani children and opening four schools for them in three states, blessing these children, their parents and entire communities with not only the highest standard of education but also with the Good News of Jesus Christ, Who loves them, Who died for them and Who gives them eternal
life with Him in Heaven.

Today, the story continues! All four of the ICCM schools continue to provide an excellent Christian education to Fulani children! There are definitely challenges. More ICCM sponsors are needed, but there are great victories too. In July, Bright Hope Christian Academy, Emiworo, graduated the first class of students with all students writing and passing their college entrance exams!

It all began with, “Please open a school for my children!”

International Child Care Ministries and Schools for Africa, a Global Partner of Free
Methodist World Missions, are planting seeds of peace and the Gospel among the
Fulani people through education, healthcare and more. This is work God loves, and His
promise is for us and for the Fulani.

“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18, NIV).

Written by Phyllis Sortor, retired ICCM National Coordinator

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Light and Life for María

by AmericasBlogParaguay

ICCM sponsorship has truly brought light and life to 14-year-old María in Paraguay! Today her beautiful smile and outgoing spirit give testimony to the marvelous ministry of our Free Methodist Light and Life Children’s Home and Light and Life Christian School in the city of Encarnación.

Abandoned by their father at an early age, María and her three siblings found themselves in a desperate downward spiral. Their mother, who was suffering from lung cancer, had made the difficult decision to move to Argentina to find better work in order to support the family. María and her three siblings (2 brothers, 1 sister) were left in the care of their grandmother, who found it impossible to provide for their needs. Light and Life Children’s Home opened their doors and hearts to the children, forever changing the course of their childhood and future.

The Lord, in His loving care for this dear family, quickly provided sponsors and the children were immediately enrolled in nearby Free Methodist Light and Life Christian School. They began to enjoy and deeply appreciate all that sponsorship offers. The physical, cognitive, emotional/social, and spiritual well-being of each child became a priority.

Many positive influences helped each one move from darkness to light and from despair to life. Character building classes at school, a loving Christ-centered environment in their new home and caring Sunday school teachers at church, who took a personal interest in their growth and development, all helped lead María and her siblings to faith in Jesus, which has made all the difference.

María’s transformation is remarkable! No longer painfully shy, fearful or insecure, she is now a confident, happy, active 6th grader. A good student, she has a knack for sports and enjoys music. María’s thankful heart for what God has done, and is doing, in her life leads her to enthusiastically bring friends to church so they too, can meet Jesus.

In October 2016, María’s 32-year-old mother succumbed to lung cancer in Argentina. The news of her death deeply affected María, who is the eldest. Through it all, María’s testimony is a beautiful one: “God gives me the strength I need each day to move forward. He has great plans for my life! Jeremiah 29:11 tells me so!”

Recently, Pastor Luz, Director of Light and Life Children’s Home, took María to visit some of her relatives. Upon seeing the changes in María, the whole family decided to follow Jesus as well and experience His transformation for themselves.

The small seed of sponsorship is bearing great fruit in the lives of María, her siblings, and many other children in Paraguay and around the world.

Nicole - Worship

Good News from Chile

by AmericasBlogChile

Nicole is a beautiful 14-year-old girl. Her father (pictured here with Nicole) is Chilean of Spanish descent, and her mother is a native south Chile. Nicole lives with her parents. She divides her time between her studies and helping on the family farm.

When Nicole was born, the family had many economic and developmental needs. Her parents were very young.

After they began attending the Free Methodist Church, Nicole and her sisters became part of the ICCM program. As sponsored children, they received Bible teaching at school. Nicole shared the gospel with her parents through a Wordless Book bracelet. Today they attend church. Nicole is a children’s Sunday school teacher.

Nicole’s parents were trained in a special program the church had developed, to teach about the care of water consumption. Nicole´s mother learned how to make jams and preserves through another church program. Today they work as a family harvesting different crops which they take to the village to sell. They have a much better house now. With much effort, they are even able to pay the university fees of Nicole’s sister. In the community, they are an example of how the gospel can transform lives and open a world of possibilities using the resources that God has given them, as in this case their plot of land.

Nicole doesn’t know what she wants to study yet, but she wants to help people. It’s relevant to note the majority of children in this area yearn to overcome poverty and their current conditions, becoming a support for the good of the family.

Nicole´s family and all the ICCM sponsored children appreciate the support and the work that the church is developing for their good.