A few things she learned on her trip - "... we learned that 50,000 people live in slum. That's about twice the population of our home town of Elizabethtown, PA but just a fraction of the land size. In the slum, people are literally living on top of each other. Many people sleep side by side in little make shift homes made of scraps, just striving to meet the bare necessities of life. Second, we sensed the hopelessness. There were people everywhere. People that God made in His image. People trapped by the bumps and hard knocks of war, poverty, broken families, sin, and lack of opportunity."
"Opportunity is something we take for granted here in America, but is often not an option to a person living in the slum. Bettering one's life may be an impossibility without outside help. Safety is always an issue, because the slums are where nearly all of the criminals reside. Diseases are common, because there is no money to register for public health assistance. Many children are on their own with no place to call home and no one to care for them. Jobs are not easily accessible because of lack of education. Education is not easily accessible because there is no money for a uniform or school supplies. And the cycle continues..."
"So, if we asked you if you were rich, what would you say? Normally we would say "of course not" and start to identify the issues in our lives: loss of job, high car payment, the price of gas, rising food costs, private education fees, etc. But we'd challenge any of you to visit a slum and then come back and say, "I'm not rich." The truth is, no matter what we are going through here, we are quite rich. Instead of comparing ourselves to our elite neighbors, we should be comparing ourselves to those in poverty. You see, if you eat every day, have a bed to lay your head on at night, own a pair of shoes and have a family, you are INDEED RICH!!"
"Our family is proposing a challenge to you. Would you join us in sponsoring one or more children in the slum of Accra, Ghana? For $100 you can provide a child with everything needed to receive health care and education for an entire school year. Philip has given us an itemized list with exact costs of uniforms, fees, books, schools supplies, etc. Every dollar that you give will go directly to your sponsored child. You may be the first person to ever really show love to a child in need and it only involves an amount of money that you casually spend on a regular basis..."
"Are you willing to give up something you WANT this month to provide a child with something he or she NEEDS? Would you be willing to brainstorm with your family and figure out a way that you could save or sacrifice this month to share $100 with someone much less fortunate than yourself? Maybe you could skip eating out this month. Maybe you could give up the money you've been saving for that latest gadget you've been dying to buy. Maybe your kids could get involved and do some chores or sell the forgotten toys in the back of their closets. Maybe you could give up a trip to an amusement park or a visit to the movies. Whatever it is, it would definitely be a small sacrifice to you compared to the huge difference it would make in the life of a child who has nothing."
If God calls you to join us in this ministry, here's what you need to do:
1. Send your tax deductible gift by August 1 along with your name and address to:
Hope Community Church, 1806 Harrisburg Avenue, Mount Joy, PA 17552.
2. Pray, pray, pray with us that God will work mightily in the hearts of His people so that many kids will have the opportunity to be sponsored.
3. If you are able to give at least $100, watch your mail. We will send you a photo of your child so that you can pray for him or her by name over the entire next year. Imagine the impact your prayers could make in the eternity of a child! Because meeting physical needs is temporal, but introducing a child to Jesus lasts forever.
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