How to Have a Really Great Summer

When I was ten years old the world was a different place.  Snow banks were much higher, and thunderstorms much louder.  And prices were slightly less than today.  I could get an 8-track tape for a couple bucks, a candy bar for about a quarter, and a gallon of gas for 50 cents (though my dad was paying, so I didn’t really care). 

My, how times have changed.  But for those we serve in Congo, Uganda, and Ghana, some things never change.  Generations come and go in the village with little progress. Parents die of disease and war, children struggle without proper care or an opportunity for education.  To these, the cost of a candy bar at any price is out of reach.  The main concerns of life are summed up in the need for water, a simple meal, family relationships and good health.  But none of these are a given.  Nine-month-old baby Lesa died of malaria because her mom didn’t have the funds or the knowledge to seek timely treatment. Seven-year-old Florence is an albino child who is discriminated against in her community and school because people are uneducated regarding her condition.  At ECM, we hear stories everyday of children unable to attend school; children who lack proper medical care and good nutrition; children who live without hope.

But there is hope!  Four-year-old Henry was found wandering in a village in Ghana, with no memory of his parents and no reason to live.  Henry was brought to ECM’s Haven of Hope Academy, where his smile quickly won over his caregivers, and his perseverance led to academic success.  Thanks to a caring sponsor, Henry is now a hard working eight-year-old boy who respects others, studies in school, and recites Bible verses in church!   In Uganda, four-year-old Angolere watched helplessly as first his mother and then his aunt died while caring for him.  ECM stepped in to take him off the street and into boarding school, where he could be loved and cared for.

Typically, summertime at ECM is marked by fewer and smaller donations.  The need to bring hope to the forgotten children of Africa, however, does not lessen.  Won’t you help meet this need with a special gift this summer?  Your financial support will help to ensure that children like Henry and Angolere continue to live in hope, and that the countless children we encounter everyday without hope, can find hope in Jesus and in the loving arms of His followers.  To make a gift today, simply follow this link to give online, or click here to print a donation form.  Your partnership in bringing the Gospel of Jesus to the forgotten children of Africa is a great blessing!