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Nelson is nine years old. He lives with both parents, but they are not able to provide enough food for all four of their children and themselves. The HUGS feeding program has been providing Nelson with two meals every day for many months, but now we would like to help even more by asking you to consider sponsoring him. Your support will not only continue feeding him, but it will also provide him with clothing, medical care, and school fees, so he will be sure to receive all that he needs to thrive. This will also help Nelson’s parents by alleviating some of their financial burden. We greatly appreciate your consideration of sponsorship for Nelson.
This is Pauline. She is eight years old and comes from a large family. Her parents both do temp work to care for their own children and some of their nieces and nephews. She obviously adopted their generous and sweet hearts because Pauline wants to be a nurse when she grows up. We want to help her achieve that goal by getting her a sponsor, which will guarantee her food, medical care, and education so that she can thrive. She’s a bright girl and a very good student. We expect great things from her. Thank you for considering Pauline. Your support will open up her future to a world of possibilities!
My Short Career in Real Estate
We just sold our house in Nebraska, so I was reminiscing with our kids about when I was a real estate agent. John and I were young and broke, and God came through for us in a big way. You may find this story encouraging, especially if you’re struggling financially right now like so many people.
Most of you know that John and I were married and baptized on the same day in 1996, but what you may not know is that I was also a brand new real estate agent and quite the go-getter. Every morning I would make one hundred cold calls, where I would introduce myself and ask if the person on the other end of the line might want to sell his house. Of those hundred calls, only three people on average would say something like, “Why, yes! How did you know?” and I would set up an appointment to discuss the details of putting his house on the market. Of those three appointments, two people typically said they weren’t quite ready, and just one ended up in a listing. The other ninety-seven people I had bothered that morning would either politely decline, hang up on me, or hurl an unimaginative insult. I got comfortable with rejection.
My broker offered bonuses for recruiting new agents who produced income for our office. Since I was full of energy and hope and had several listings on the market, it made sense to take a break from all those calls one week and add recruiting to my tool belt. So, I went to the local real estate school and stood outside, waiting for class to be dismissed so I could intercept any bright-eyed potential agent who didn’t already have a broker. I was new and hadn’t made much money yet and may have gotten a little ahead of myself. The first and last girl I drafted never made me a dime, but she did impact my life in a way that money can’t buy. I will call her Pamela.
Hadji and the Great Rift Valley
Did you know that the continent of Africa is actively splitting into two pieces? It’s true. It’s in the process of breaking into separate tectonic plates at a rate of approximately eight millimeters per year or so, according to the people who study that sort of thing. The Great Rift Valley, as the dividing line is called, runs directly down the length of Malawi. It’s quite fascinating if you’re a nerdy scientific type, but for those of you who are just here for the stories, I’m going to tell you how this has to do with the fact that Hadji, one of the kids in our program, wants to be a tailor.
The Egyptians in northern Africa have been cultivating the flax plant to weave linen for thousands of years. (Yes, the seeds they put in your breakfast muffin are also used to make clothes.) Fabric production on the continent has flourished over the generations, and traders have systematically made their way down the waterways of the Great Rift Valley, peddling the bright panels of fabric that are so popular in Malawi today. (I just seriously condensed thousands of years of history for you so you can sound smart to your friends but not have to read a lot. You’re quite welcome.)