Hope for “Dependents”

The life of a pastor in Uganda is an eye opener. We’ve been in Lira, northern Uganda.

We arrived to find the pastor hosting us in mourning. He just learned his 6 year old “daughter” died. She drowned. Digging deeper, we learned it was actually his brother’s daughter. Culturally, he considers his niece his own child. That’s important because his brother and his wife are both “sick” (meaning they have AIDS). The pastor embraces that their children will one day be with him in his home – his children.

We had only a short time with the pastor before he left to prepare for the burial ceremony. In that short time at his home, we found he now has 22 children he’s caring for. 7 are his biological children. The rest are “dependants.” These are orphans from relatives or nearby friends. The burden of care has fallen to the pastor, and they are family. He does all he can for them. This is the way – reality.

Hearing this, we surveyed other church leaders in the room. Each one cares for dependants in their homes. One man has no biological children with his wife. They have 5 dependants.

Here’s the problem…

There are too many dependants who have no one like the pastor or other leaders in the room. This extended family system is beyond saturated. Consequently, children suffer and die.

This is where you all come into play, GO family. We work with churches to expand their capacity to care for the children at the bottom – the ones with no support network. We don’t take the dependents from the pastor’s house. In this cultural fabric, they should be with him. Rather, we help the local church reach those who have no one to be dependent upon.

In Lira, the church has started its ministry to these hurting children. The first 20 girls arrived in care in June. Malnourished, sickly, scared, they arrived alive. Praise God. The local church body has poured love into these girls in a simple and safe environment. The children go to school, many for the first time. That’s not easy. For example, a 9 year old girl is enrolled in what we’d call kindergarten. It’s not easy. But it’s good.

Local church leaders are spending time with the children, each day. It’s not just the children and the mommas, alone. That’s the beauty of the local church. This is an extended family that has grown.

One church leader, Tomali Okao, is in her 60s. Her husband was murdered by the Amin regime, and she raised 7 of her own children and the dependents God placed in her care. Tomali now embraces these children as her own. She bought 20 small pine tree saplings and planted them with the children behind their homes to grow with them. Tomali has hope for the kids, offers great wisdom to them, and shows her love in practical ways. Tomali and many others now have more dependents, more family members. They just need a little help to carry this burden. GO family, you’re providing that modest help.

And look what can happen… Here are a couple of clips of the girls at Lira, just 2+ months since they arrived filthy, hurting, and malnourished.

Don’t get me wrong. There are and will be many challenges with these girls. But Jesus is much bigger than our circumstances, and He provides many, like Tomali, to stand lovingly in the gap.

Just take a minute to celebrate this scene. The girls just got home from school. They’re playing. They’re laughing.

God is good.

Faithfully yours,

Joe

Just another day in Haiti.

Looking forward to it

We never presume upon God, but do you ever have the feeling that He is going to move in a big way? Not because He has to, but just because He does. That’s who He is: alive, one the move, and at work all around us.

I’m heading to Haiti today with fourteen others from six states and all four time zones. The youngest on the team is 17; the oldest in their 70’s. In fact, one us was born in every decade between the 1930s and the 1990s. Most have not been to Haiti. Most have not loved on orphans for a weekend or experienced the riches of God amidst great poverty. That’s about to change. God is on the move!

I have the same feeling around this year’s BIG Event on September 25th. God is on the move! He’s bringing the heart of Third World orphan care to hundreds at the Uptown Theater in KC. (Click here for more BIG Event info). Whether in Haiti, Uganda, or KC, you’re invited to do God’s work by caring for His kids. It’s a privilege, and we’re looking forward to it!

Welcoming More Children

Pastor Moise Vaval, Live from Haiti:

This week, we welcome 20 more children into the village. All of them missing a mother or father; only three of them have parents but are among the neediest. They are coming from a very difficult area: Delmas. These children are very vulnerable; of course, some of them will stay here only for a period of time (while their families continue to rebuild their lives).

April Newsletter

Global Update from Joe Knittig

God continues to move here and there to rouse us to action; to move His local church around the world to care for the neediest children. Let us give you a quick rundown of some of the activity you’ve launched through GO Project around the world.

Haiti:

In May, we will send out our next update on our Relief and Redevelopment effort. The hard work continues on that front. Today, we have 2,317 children in care in 85 homes in 26 villages throughout the country. And, we are growing. Our Relief and Redevelopment plan to launch 10 new villages in 2010 is looking like we may have undershot the Lord. 10 villages is beginning to look like 12-14 new villages. The situation and work in Haiti is dynamic; the God stories there coming daily. Please stay tuned to our blog.

Uganda:

This is an exciting time for our work in Uganda. In May, we expect to add 48 new children in Kyotera – the homes are done, outfitted, and ready to go to life. These children will have 48 new mates very soon! Here are some of the kids, the biggest kid being our own Mike Fox.

In Lira and Kabale, the unenviable job of canvassing communities to “select” those children of greatest need has been complete. Our first homes are now done, and the children will be moving in as early as tomorrow!!!

Here are some Lira and Kabale pics from March, as these villages stir to life.

We hammer home that GO Project catalyzes “local-church based care” for orphaned and abandoned children. Truly, that is a term of art. We’d love you to see how our local church partner in Uganda applies this vision, and disciples its leaders and church members into what this means and the unique nature of this model. Click here for the opening section of one of our local church partner’s training manual.

Please pray for the children coming into their new homes. The Lord is transforming their little lives.

Malawi:

One of our key partners on the Pothawira project is Colonial Presbyterian Church. Colonial is sponsoring this village, and recently sent church leadership to visit the site – and, more importantly, to encourage and thank Peter and Emma Maseko for their commitment and sacrifice in leading this project.

We’d like to share some photos from Colonial’s March visit…

This is a photo from inside the nearly complete church/school. The church sanctuary is 10,000 square feet. The school wrapped around the sanctuary is large enough to scale to 1,000 students!

The next photo shows the children’s homes raising from the ground at Pothawira. This is a duplex – 2 homes. Each of these wonderful homes costs just $5,000, and will house 10 children and a momma.

Of course, these works don’t just fall into place and happen. People make them happen; people there on the ground who

fight against the evil of poverty’s perverted tide; people with dreams bigger than themselves, hearts courageous enough to follow them, bodies rough enough to withstand the pain, and vision clear enough to see God’s Hand and smile in His peace. It’s the people who matter most. Them. And you.

All is on schedule for the dedication of the church and children’s village the first week in June. Join us in praying for a glorious new beginning for many in Malawi – from the bottom up.

Our Leaders - Peter Emma and Alpha Maseko

Working Hard in Malawi

Philippines:

We love to see new wine poured into new wineskins. And here we see it in Asia.

Mark and Mimi Comfort own Cruise Holidays in KC (www.cruiseholidayskc.com). They take great personal joy in bringing joy to others through travel and adventure. If you know them, you know they work from love and not the almighty dollar. The Comforts tied this joy and their business to another passion: kids. They’ve used their business to fund our first 3 children’s homes in Malaybalay, Mindinao, Philippines. A family – the Drayer family – joined in to fund #4. God blessed this work in a mighty way.

Thanks for taking a risk for children and establishing a GO Project beachhead in the Philippines. Let’s see where God takes this!

GO Family, God is using you to bring transformation around the world – in the lives of children and in your own lives. Thank you.

Linked-In Thru Him

Yesterday, Adrien and I went to Lincoln, Nebraska to meet with some of our die hard GO Project friends. The Lord rattled me pretty good.

Listen to this…

In 2008, I got a random call from a woman in Lincoln, Nebraska – Susan Browne. Susan heard of C3 through someone who heard from someone else, etc… The Brownes, adoptive parents, have a heart for orphans. Susan said that her family and some friends wanted to get involved in C3. After a couple of conversations, I agreed to come to Lincoln for an intro meeting with Susan and several other ladies. Fox and I drove up. I remember that we made that trip about a week after going to Gonaives, Haiti.

We met at Susan’s church, Lincoln Berean; walked into a conference room; and greeted a group of ladies. One of the women, Kristin Heaton, had a balled-up Kleenex in her hand and puffy red eyes. The whole crew had been crying before we arrived.

Mike and I got to talking; Kristin got to crying. We’d stop. Start again. More tears. (Fox has been known to make women cry, but for me, this was highly unusual.) We really couldn’t get into the meat of what we wanted to say. So we stopped the group and turned to Kristin.

“Are you okay?”

“No. My heart is broken right now and I just can’t stop crying.” Kristin explained why. She and her husband were in the 2nd year of the adoption process for a little girl, Bettania, and it was going nowhere. Even more painful in the moment, they had another young girl, Dieunette, at their home on a medical visa – they sponsored her so she could have brain surgery. All had gone well. God had knitted this little one into the Heaton family. Here’s the problem: their time had seemingly come to an end. The next week, the Heatons had to part ways with Dieunette and their hearts ached at the thought. As we started to talk of the global orphan pandemic, Kristin had specific little ones wrenching her emotions. She couldn’t see past the pain. None of us could after we heard.

We asked Kristin, “Where is this child from?” “Haiti.” “Haiti? Are you kidding?” (Kristin didn’t know of our work in Haiti.) I pressed, “Where in Haiti?” “It’s not a place most people have heard of.” “Where?” “Gonaives,” she replied.

“Gonaives? (I can’t believe this!!!) What if I told you Mike and I were just there last week?”

You could have heard a pin drop. This was one of those God-orchestrated moments where everyone knew to just chill out and soak it in. God is at work in and around us, all the time – and sometimes he shouts a real-time reminder.

Well, the Heatons courageously shepherded Dieunette to Haiti and kissed her “goodbye.”

Over time, Dieunette’s mother couldn’t care for the child. Dieunette was in danger. Upon referral to social services, Dieunette was placed in an orphanage. The Heatons, still embroiled in Adoption #1, began to fight through Adoption #2 – both long shots. The Heatons also joined with gusto what has become a growing and passionate group in Lincoln – The Nebraska Global Orphan Project – battling with us to bring more children into care.

The struggle to adopt Bettania and Dieunette raged on for 2 more years. Nothing. The girls were in an orphanage in Port au Prince, with no end to the adoption in sight.

On January 9, Kristin sent some family and friends an update that the adoptions were going nowhere. She and Scott were losing hope. Here were Kristin’s closing words: “I have to figure out how to live with all of this which I’m not doing very well with at the moment. Hope it get’s easier but I just don’t know how it can. For now I will peel myself off of the floor put one foot in front of the other and try and find joy in each day.”

On January 12, Haiti shook.

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One facet of GO Project’s relief effort in Haiti has been to deliver food, water, and supplies to other orphanages in Haiti that collapsed during the quake and had no resource pipeline. There are so, so many in this category. We’ve gotten to the ones that the Lord put in our path.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, we got an email from Dan Southerland, a pastor and friend in Kansas City. CNN ran a report of a collapsed orphanage in PaP with scant and soon-to-be gone food and water for 151 children. A friend of Dan’s let him know, and Dan, in turn, let us know. Dan was able to track down contact information for the orphanage, and Moise got the address: Publin 4 (behind the local of djoumbala), Rue Lamothe, impasse Petion 2. Moise and I had phone numbers for 3 ladies at the location: Jamie, Ali, and Margarette St. Fleur. We got hold of Margarette. She confirmed the problem. She had some food, but no water. Margaret believed this was a short term problem, but needed water, especially, right away. So we delivered water and supplies to Margarette at the orphanage, and encouraged her. We left and moved on to the next location.

That was that.

Honestly, I haven’t given that place, Bresma Orphanage, another thought. Until yesterday…

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Back to yesterday in Lincoln. Like I said, we met our GO Project friends there for a meeting. But no Kristin and Scott. I asked Susan about them. Susan: “Haven’t you heard about the girls?”

Kristin and Scott are rather busy these days. The girls are home with them! Susan went on to explain God’s amazing provision. After the quake, the Heatons had no idea what happened to the girls or the orphanage they were in. They stayed glued to CNN to follow every detail of coverage, hoping to glean some information about the state of Port au Prince and all there. To their shock and amazement, they learned the fate of the girls through a CNN story of a ruined orphanage with a dwindling food and water supply and no help. While the orphanage was down, the kids were alive. Susan explained the miracles… The Heatons learned the girls survived from a CNN story. Unknown people in PaP responded with food and water. Many of the children were flown to the United States. Adoptions pending for years were completed. Bettania and Dieunette – home.

I heard this and thought, “Hey, I know this story.” “Susan, what was the name of that orphanage?” “Bresma. It’s run by a couple of young ladies named Jamie and Ali.” Yep, I know this story!

God allowed me to share with Susan and the group our little slice of this story – we had the privilege of being some of the unknown others.

God gave us another moment – another reminder.

Scott and Kristin, the Lord’s got His hand on you all. He always has. And GO Family, we’re more connected by God than we can possibly imagine.

Lord, You are trustworthy – no matter what.

Faithfully yours,

Joe

P.S.: I’d love to have a statistician run the odds on these circumstances and call it chance.

Renise Matters

Hello, GO Family. Many of you have been faithfully reading this blog since Jan. 12. You’ve become attached to these children, like Renise.

On Saturday, March 20, Renise gave birth to her little daughter, Kimberly. We’ve been mum about the events surrounding that day, and the amazing God story that continues to unfold. During a dicey time of uncertainty for us (not for God), we needed to just be quiet.

Now we’re sending a full Renise update that Trace penned.

In the year before the earthquake, this little girl was sold into slavery by her parents; was sent back to her parents only to have her mother die in her arms; lived with her mother’s corpse; went back to her owners where she was sexually assaulted by 2 men at gunpoint; got fired from her slave work unworthy of even that; and was turned to the streets with a troubled pregnancy that would have taken her life. The earthquake freed Renise. Since January 12, she’s found a new hope in a most miraculous chain of events and the deep, daring love of others.

Guess where she’s at today? School. Her first day.

Hope. Love. Redemption. If you sometimes think these are words of mere bloated inspiration tossed about by preachers and politicians, consider Renise. The same God in her life is at work in yours. He can be trusted, even when the chips are down and we can’t understand.

Enjoy… CLICK HERE>> to read Renise’s story.

So There’s a Mom, a Goat Farmer, and a Pastor…

So There’s This Mom, a Goat Farmer, and a Pastor…

“I am the vine, you are the branches.  If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

Some of my favorite stories are those that obliterate our secret doubts.  These stories branch off in so many wild God directions.  Let me spot a few in this blog.  Here’s the first installment…  It’s about a mom, a goat farmer, and a pastor.

Cynthia Lewis – Pharmaceutical Sales (2007).

She’s 4 foot something of pure energy.  Works at Pfizer.  Sharp.  Gunner.  Athlete.  A get it done lady.

In January 2007, Cynthia and husband, Adrien, go to Haiti.  They leave the worries of life behind to go and “help orphans.”  Many of you know the drill.  God turns the tables.  They meet children with no material possessions or parents, overflowing with love and joy.  The givers receive.  Hearts warm.  Change stirs.

What now?

There has to be something really BIG God’s asking of her to help rescue orphans around the world.

She prays.  Indeed, there is something pounding on her, but not what she expects.  Cynthia’s convicted that she needs to be at home with her and Adrien’s two little ones, not bull charging at Pfizer.  Leave a career?  Stay at home?  Our world regards this giant assignment as little, not big.  What the heck?

So many moms at home feel overwhelmed, unplugged, and unusable by God.  That’s a lonely place to be.  It sure doesn’t feel like a big, sexy assignment – and certainly doesn’t address Cynthia’s heart burden for the children she’d met.

Still, she listens.  She enlists as stay-at-home mom.

Cynthia Lewis – Humbled Mom (2008).

About a year later, God opens a door for Cynthia and Adrien to give their testimony at Christ Lutheran Church in Overland Park.  Adrien gets sick.  Cynthia goes solo.  No longer busting to sell and without a “here’s how I made it” story in the bag, a humbled mom openly shares her heart – for what it’s worth.

A week later, a man named Kevin McElyea shows up at our office.  He’s an engineer and entrepreneurial goat farmer (if there’s such a thing, Kevin ).  He heard this lady testify about how God used orphans to change her heart.  Gripped, God prompts him to action.  He learns more.  And his family funds a children’s home in Haiti.  (By the way, as I write, Kevin’s in Haiti with GO Project to help launch a new ag development program.)

Kevin McElyea – Goat Farmer.

Kevin engages his mom and her small group from Long Hollow Church in Nashville, TN.  The small group pitches in to help support the home with the McElyea family.  Cathie Simpson at GO Project sends a “thank you” card to the small group’s church.  The card hits the pastor’s secretary’s desk.  She’s not sure who The Global Orphan Project is.  She takes the card into a church leadership meeting; a meeting where the pastor’s exhorting Long Hollow to MOVE to address the problem of orphaned and abandoned kids in this world.  But how he wants to know?  Secretary plops the card on the table.  Church leadership scrambles to the computer and looks up the website.  The next Monday, Long Hollow sends 2 pastors to Kansas City to talk global orphan care.

Long Hollow – Church of Action.

Long Hollow sponsors a village in Jeremie, Haiti:  a huge village.  Soon, 300 kids will have homes and 700 a shot at school and a hot meal every day.  There’s more.  This church is infected.  They’re partnering with Isabelle Redford (age eight) to sponsor another village in Port au Prince.  100 more children in homes; 300 more in school.

But wait, there’s more…  Long Hollow’s planning villages 3 and 4 this year with GO Project:  1 in Africa; 1 in Asia.  And the church is stoking the fire in other churches.  Another Nashville church is taking a village, and a church in Louisiana.

All totaled-up:  we’re talking about 800 orphaned/abandoned children from crud to homes and 2,000 kids in school – and just getting started.

Humbled Mom ? Goat Farmer ?  Church of Action ? Thousands of Children.

Don’t believe the hype of the world; stop looking for the big, sexy thing; and give yourself a break from feeling insignificant.

Walk closely with Christ.  Plug in.  Stay connected.  And watch the fruit burst to life all around you.

A lot of you have Cynthia stories, and don’t even know it this side of Glory.  Be encouraged.

Now go out and play.  It’s great outside.

Faithfully yours,

Joe

Slice of Life

I’ve gone like a rabbit to hole on this blog. Sorry. Great to be back.

I just went to have a physical. First one since high school!

On the drive home from the doc, I’m wondering what else is going on right now? Yeah, there’s a lot of hurt and fear right now in Haiti. But look around.

Rogelin’s hanging out. Another team just arrived. He’s seen a lot of people come and go. He loves it. All the kids there do. But Rogelin’s got a different look on life, so he doesn’t get too high; pretty darn solid. He’s probably thinking about starting school. He’s definitely wondering whether he’ll get to see his sister. That’s dominating his mind. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Rogelin, in Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Miami, a team of lawyers with hearts undeserving of all your bad lawyer jokes are working through creative ways to re-unite Rogelin and his sister. God’s going to finish that story and is at work, now, on Rogelin’s case even as Rogelin thinks about whether it’s dinner time.

Renise is holding her baby wondering what’s next. But right this minute, she’s more at peace than she’s ever been. She’s safe. (More on that entire story next week – unbelievable)

Calix is loading his children into a truck, heading for their new home. He’s sweating and his heart’s pounding. What a ride. The earth shook. Walls fell. They starved. They pleaded to the Almighty. God provided. He sustained them. And now He’s starting them anew. Truth be told, Calix has mixed feelings right now. He’s happy and he’s scared. He’s turning that over to Jesus. Truck should be pulling out in about 30 minutes. Here we go!

And 4 hours north in Gonaives, our wonderful partner, El Shaddai, is still working through the basics of caring for 255 new children at 3 different local churches. 255 tooth brushes. 255 sheets. 255 bars of soap. 255 sets of clothes. 255 bowls, plates, forks, spoons. 255 children! Amidst this, the cooks there scramble to feed – 255 meals tonight! (255 more in the morning).

Right now, in the south, there’s a party being planned. C3 Global in Haiti opens a new store; a bizhub. Part Kinkos, part Office Max. Tomorrow’s the grand opening. Rob Boyer’s there smiling huge (way to go, Boyer). Yaniq, one of the employees, plans to sing praises to God at the ceremony tomorrow. She’s going through the song in her head, mouthing the words. Smiling. Today’s a day of a new kind of business.

And scattered throughout Haiti, contractors are working and people are meeting to make 10 new villages in 2010 reality. They’ll work into the night. This is their life. Work. That’s a BEAUTIFUL word – not a pain.

And a world away, in Lira, Uganda, workers have spent the day laying brick after brick after brick. Four homes, a kitchen, latrines. Kids are coming in 2 weeks. The committee finished “selecting” the first 20 children – a miserable lottery, because some kids won’t “win” this round.  We have more to do, and we will…God willing. The same noble work in Kabale, Uganda.

And in Kyotera, Uganda, where more than half the population of women has been desimated by AIDS, workers moved in brand new beds. 48 children who once had nowhere to sleep will curl up in soft beds – soon.

In Malawi, 10,000 villagers in Daniel Village near Pathawira marvel as the landscape changes. What a sight. A church, a school, a place for the children they’ve had to painfully step over. They’ve heard lots of promises. Today, sure enough, they see Peter Maseko’s men busting their butts turning that vast expanse into a place of transformation. No more “maybe one day.” It’s here. All this through that humble little church of Peter’s!

Spring is here.

Thanks for your passion and energy. Stay tuned.

Pastor Calix’s Move

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