What a remarkable year! God has been so faithful to Children’s HopeChest in 2017. Because of God’s provision–and our donors, sponsors, community leaders, churches and prayer partners–we’ve been able to accomplish numerous important milestones. It is good to remember milestones, as Samuel did in 1 Samuel 7:12 by erecting an Ebenezer, meaning “stone of help” to remind anyone who sees the Ebenezer of the Lord’s power and protection.
A huge blessing has been the continuing and unwavering faithfulness of our sponsors. As of the beginning of 2018, we surpassed 10,859 sponsored children! The commitment of sponsors is so inspiring and is what fuels our ability to create sustainable transformation. We were blown away by the mountain of mail that we sent between sponsored children and their sponsors. Let’s break new records this year!
Additionally we added 12 new community partners and launched 11 CarePoints. Swaziland celebrated 10 years of ministry in partnership with Adventures In Missions (AIM), and during November, we celebrated 5 years of ministry in Guatemala!
We celebrated many creative income-generating activities (IGAs) that were launched and flourished in 2017. The Peanut Butter House, the Mushroom House, and the Aluminum Saucepan Project in Uganda; weaving, water kiosk markets, coffee making and grain milling operations in Ethiopia; poultry, bakery, and carpentry projects in Guatemala; tailoring and agricultural projects in Swaziland to name just a few! These IGAs are a tremendous accomplishment toward our vision of individuals and communities achieving self-sustainability—the only way to truly reduce poverty in the developing world.
It’s amazing to see the creativity and innovation these communities have — once they have been provided hope.
Let’s not forget our Lord’s provision of committed and caring staff around the world. We have a remarkable team here in the US who works tirelessly to fulfill our vision and mission on a daily basis.
I am so grateful for God’s provision–2017 has indeed been a fantastic year of blessings and impact.
I invite you to join us in praying for 2018, and should you wish to join us on a Vision Trip, sponsor a child, attend an “Evening of Hope,” or support us through our Invest In Hope program, we would be grateful. God’s blessings to you and your family this New Year!
