Portion for Orphans Newsletter

March 10, 2004

Dear Friends and Family ~

I hope that you are all doing well, I miss you guys a lot and look forward to seeing you again. So many of you come to my mind daily. It's nice to have such a great circle of friends and support.

I'm sorry I have not been able to write to you all more often. I know that many of you are very interested in how things are going here. I've received lots of questions so I'll try and answer a few of them in this email.
The weather is nice. It's warm and probably like Florida in the summer but not quite so humid. But, the culture is different so they wear mainly pants, skirts and flip flops, if they wear shoes at all.

The children... we are really becoming close now. I'm learning more about them and they also are learning about me, my strengths, weaknesses, interests, family, beliefs and the songs that I like, just anything I can think of to help them learn and grow. It is often impossible for me to imagine having been born to their mother instead of my own, or in their country, rather than ours. Some have been abandoned, some left as orphans due to AIDS, some children of women that are one of many wives of a man who gives no support. It's just unbelieveable how many problems you find in a country like this. It's so corrupt. What's beautiful to me is that because of Carol, these children are being taught to read and are being given guidance and direction for their lives.

The money raised from the Hope Run is being used now in so many ways to run the center. Most importantly, it provides a good meal for 300 children 6 days a week and it is helping to pay staff salaries that sometimes go unpaid. We've been able to bring in two new people to teach skills such as sewing and furniture/woodwork. We are bringing in people for repairs and improvements, on the kitchen for example. It has allowed Carol to breath a little and to know that when she has to run errands for all the children that she has gas money and will not have to borrow it. I'm doing my best to record how all of the money is being used so that you will know that it's really been helpful.

So far, we have not started using the money from the Spaghetti Lunch. We have, however, been really thinking and praying about how it can be used most effectively. I will let you all know as soon as we decide and until then, your prayers would be much appreciated.

I would like to write more but I am out of time. Thank you all so much for your encouragement and prayers.

~Sally