Update

Update

The Latest News from Victorious Faith Refuge Home and Esther's Hope

September 10, 2008

Dear Friends,

I wanted to send along some photos of Emmanuel – the boy who’s legs were corrected with surgery by Mercy Ships. The cast is now off of the second leg. They keep a bandage on it for added strength until his leg gets stronger on it’s own. The two photos with this message were emailed by Pastor Andrew. We also found a number of articles on the internet about Emmanuel’s operation, written by Mercy Ships staff, so I’ll also include the links for anyone who cares to explore. There are some minor inaccuracies in the stories, but the are well worth reading.

All is well with the refuge home. The children are doing well. Prices for rice have come down some, but are still higher than they were last year.

In our last update we told you how expensive it is to send children to a public school in Liberia. The refuge home had several children who needed to be enrolled in a public school. We were able to send $270 dollars toward school expenses (above and beyond our normal monthly support). Thank you to all who helped by praying and giving.

The big news this week is that Pastor Andrew has applied for a permit to run a government approved school. Of course, the Refuge Home has always held classes for the children, but the school was not sanctioned by the Liberian government. There are requirements that have to be met and fees (about $800) that have to be paid, but he has gotten the preliminary approval to begin with this school year. He said that in addition to the children of the refuge home, 15 other students from the community have registered children to attend. The other children will pay some tuition, but it will be much lower than normal because the school is in its first year. Pastor Andrew has had to hire two additional teachers and he and his wife, Swenah, are teaching more classes to accommodate the increased class sizes.

Pastor Andrew was also told by another government agency that oversees orphanages, that he must build a separate building/dorm so that they can house the girls in one and the boys in the other. Somehow he was able to do it (I believe he had to borrow $600) so that is settled.

Thank you to all who have helped and are committed to supporting the work of Victorious Faith Refuge Home in Liberia. What a difference you are making – a life changing, life saving difference.

Finally, I’m never sure who is actually receiving this email. I’m always concerned that we may be getting filtered out. If you received this message, would you please just click your “Reply” button so I know. (Last time I asked for a reply, I only got two. I know more are receiving this update than that, so help me out, please.) Thanks again.

Blessings,

Pastor Bill

Here is Emmanuel – no longer needing crutches.