I know, I’ve asked you to do this once before; but, this is the reality of Rachel’s Home.

The measles outbreak at Rachel’s Home is a serious problem. These children are under-nourished and they have compromised immune systems.  There is no way to isolate a sick child from the rest of children. The situation is further aggravated by the food-shortage that Rachel’s Home is facing.

We’re looking forward to summer vacations and summer picnics and barbeques. They are are headed into winter. The flu bug last fall was for them, late winter and early spring. This time they still have the long hard winter ahead of them.

So, what can we do? The problems are so big and we are so small.

God wants us to pray; but, he also wants us to act. He wants us to reach out and help them through the crisis. How? We can make sure that they have the resources that they need to cope until they can get back on their feet. Once we have done this, we can look to the future to see how we can better equip them to prevent or at least manage events like this. This is what we’re doing at Rachel’s Home. We are helping 43 children survive.

We are doing this by providing Godwill & Hilda with the tools that they need.

• We are supplying bread.
• We are supplying peanut butter.
• We are supplying milk.
• We are supplying multi-vitamins.
• We are also supplementing their food supply in other ways

God has blessed us with a comfortable life, a life of abundance, a life of privilege.

It’s a huge responsibility.

Let’s make sure we live up to it. Let’s make sure we give these kids a fighting chance!

The Penny Project

There is a great need here at Rachel’s Home. We are experiencing an outbreak of measles. Although our children have been immunized we are still seeing new cases. We need prayers as many children in Lesotho have died as a result of measles.

No one has died at Rachel’s Home. Eight of our children have contracted measles. Five have recovered; but, three are very ill and one remains in hospital. In the morning we will take another child to hospital. We cannot take the child tonight because it is very late and we don’t have transport.

We need your prayers as this is getting out of hand. The sick children need to be separated; but, we don’t have a room for them.

Please trust with us and may the Lord Bless you as you serve Him.
Hilda

A note from Elsie

This problem is not confined to Rachel’s Home, or even to Lesotho. The measles outbreak is affecting the whole of Southern Africa.

Please pray for the children

Rachel’s Children Home would like to thank you very much for all that you have done for the orphans, and workers. We are very grateful to have you as a partner and we wish you all the best in 2010. May the Lord keep you and bless you as you serve Him. You really have changed lives here and all the children here at Rachel’s are very grateful and looking forward to life. We had a very different Christmas here and the children enjoyed their gifts, and thank you very much for all the gifts including Godwill’s and mine. We had a lot of food and everyone enjoyed a very special Christmas.

I hope you also had a good time during the holidays.

Thank you for all that you are doing

 Hilda

The Penny Project

Merry Christmas

Again this year, we are providing the children at Rachel’s Home with a little gift bag. Many thanks to Joanne and her group in Pretoria, South Africa for their efforts in putting these gift bags together for us.

The four children who wrote their Grade 7 entrance exams passed. They will be starting High School next semester. Many thanks to the teachers of Forest Heights Collegiate who paid for the study materials for these students. Education is a vital step in lifting the children of Rachel’s Home out of poverty.

 Thank you very much for all that you are doing for us.I am doing better now; thought I am faced with a lot of work here at the orphanage. We have received the furniture. We are very grateful to have this furniture and our class rooms looks different. The children are very happy with their new furniture.

Please give our love to everyone.

Hilda

The Story of Furniture

We had intended to completely outfit the classrooms that we constructed. However, with the food crisis looming, we diverted our remaining resources to vitamins and other emergency supplies. In late October, we received a large donation, the result of a work-day fund-raiser, from the youth ministry at Central. We also received word of a furniture plant, in South Africa, that was closing its doors on October 31st. Elsie had to move very quickly to purchase what was needed.  The funds from the youth project, completely financed the purchase of the furniture.  On October 30th, the furniture was delivered to the school at Rachel’s Home.

We have many more challenges ahead; but, the school is now properly outfitted. When you’re doing his will, the Lord does provide.

 The Penny Project Committee

Please remember Hilda in your prayers.

The Penny Project

Next I want you to imagine that there is an identical room across the hall.

Welcome to Rachel’s Home.

When we think of a flu bug, we imagine someone resting quietly in bed. Imagine sharing that bed with two other sick children.  Imagine sharing that room with 21 other sick children.

Just try to imagine it. I can’t. Even though I’ve been there; even though I’ve met the children and I’ve seen the rooms it is difficult for me to comprehend what it must be like when a flu outbreak runs through there.

It’s not difficult for me to comprehend how it happens. 43 under-nourished children, some of whom are HIV positive, all of whom have compromised immune systems, living in such tight quarters. In such an environment, an outbreak is virtually impossible to stop. More than that, in such an environment, the dangers of a so called “flu bug” are amplified many times.

So, what can we do? The problems are so big and we are so small.

God wants us to pray; but, he also wants us to act. He wants us to reach out and help them through the crisis. How? We can make sure that they have the resources that they need to cope until they can get back on their feet. Once we have done this, we can look to the future to see how we can better equip them to prevent or at least manage events like this. This is what we’re doing at Rachel’s Home. We are helping 43 children survive.

 We are doing this by providing Godwill & Hilda with the tools that they need.

•  We are supplying bread.
• We are supplying peanut butter.
• We are supplying milk.
• We are supplying multi-vitamins.

 God has blessed us with a comfortable life, a life of abundance, a life of privilege.

 It’s a huge responsibility.

Let’s make sure we live up to it. Let’s make sure we give these kids a fighting chance!

The Penny Project