Tanzania / Dar es Salaam / Morogoro

Dar es Salaam

Gary and Renee arrived in Dar es Salaam Wednesday, Nov 3rd at 6:45 p.m. and Alex was there waiting with a sign.



road to Morogoro



We then started the 4 hour ride to Morogoro. The traffic was very congested, causing a lot of pollution. It took 2.5 hours just to get out of the city. The ride in the dark, passing trucks on blind curves, just before the crest of the hill, would have been scary, but we were too tired to worry.  However, we did pray!

Alex was a warm and loving host. We checked into the hotel, which was new and very clean, and had air conditioning, but the electricity was off. Thankfully, we had electricity for most of our stay!  After a cold shower and a sound sleep, we started

the day Thursday by visiting Morogoro pre-school project.

The children ages 2-7 looked really good. It was a encouraging to see them sing and eat lunch. The children 7 and older meet at the pre-school after school for tutoring and Bible. These children start 1st grade at 7 yrs. old.

 

We also met Alex’s family.  He lives right next to the church where the pre-school and church are. Hilda, his wife is very pregnant – due on Nov 15th. She shyly admitted that she hopes for a girl, but will be happy with either. This will be their 4th biological child and 7th child including the 3 they've adopted. They live in a very small home that is the same as the homes the children live in – very African.

Alex and his family has lived in this neighborhood for 10 years. Even

after several attempts to kill him and his family with knives, he refuses to leave. He has told the Muslims that he will stay even if they kill his family because he loves them and wants to teach them about Jesus. The community now accepts him and allows their children to be taught the Gospel in his pre-school and learning center.

Following the pre-school and community visit, we went to the Hotel so that Renee could train some of the staff. Five of us had lunch and talked through many of the details. We did not finish after three hours so we planned to meet again on Saturday afternoon, which worked well because they looked overwhelmed and Renee was tired.

Friday morning Alex was about an hour late picking us up because a 20-year-old mother of one of the children had died.  We then went to meet the 300 children at Chamwino, and made three home visits as planned. The children were being fed a porridge and were being taught ABC’s and numbers. They are mostly children of street kids and very needy. The parents don’t value school at all and would rather have the kids wander or work.

  

Construction has begun on a building, with walls about 4-5 feet tall so far, for the children to meet in.

Right now they meet outside in the hot sun at Rehema Kagombe’s house. She is an older muslim convert who is truly dedicated to these children.

After lunch, Alex surprised us with a plan to go to the Mikumi Game Preserve about an hour out of Morogoro. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, baboons, water buffalo, wart hog, impalas, gazelles, and really enjoyed spending time with Alex and Emmanuel.

Inuka, a night school for older youth ages 15-21, will most likely be discontinued due to lack of positive results.  Alex is praying about this and believes the funds will be more useful with the younger ones. They used to live in an office building at the edge of town and Alex fed them. He no longer has the funding to provide food or shelter. Girls get hungry enough to prostitute themselves for a meal and boys steal to eat.

There are many ways you can help. Just one is to make a pledge of $15 per month to feed one orphan.  One $15 pledge will feed an orphan every day for a whole month. Won't you join us in keeping these precious ones alive and healthy?



http://www.foodfororphans.org/

719-591-7777

White House Presents Lifetime Achievement Award

PRESS RELEASE:
November 17, 2010


Food for Orphans, an international non-profit, has announced that their President and Founder, Gary VanDyke, has received the “President’s Call to Service Award” from President Barack Obama for his outstanding volunteer service. This award from the White House is the highest Presidential Volunteer Service Award and requires the recipient to have contributed at least 4,000 hours of volunteer service.

Upon receiving the honor, Mr. VanDyke said, “To receive this award is more than a blessing to me. Starting Food for Orphans has been a joy every day and it is inspiring to see its growth and watch as thousands of Americans step up and help us save the lives of orphans around the world.”

Mr. VanDyke then announced Food for Orphans’ new initiative, the Student Advisory Council (SAC). The SAC will engage thousands of volunteer high school students in every state in the US in a custom curriculum designed to develop the next generation of philanthropists. According to Mr. VanDyke, “We expect many of our students to also qualify and receive Volunteer Service Awards based on their own volunteer service to feed orphans internationally.”

In his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush issued a challenge to all Americans to make time to help their neighbors, communities, and Nation through service. He called on each person to answer his call to service and help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation created the President's Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

Food for Orphans is recognized as one of the world’s leaders in feeding orphans. Their mission statement is:

 “To supply at least one nutritious meal per day to as many orphans as possible”

The organization funds orphan feeding programs primarily in third-world countries, ensures that donations are used wisely, and confirms that each orphan is cared for and loved. Funded by donations from donors across America and around the world, last year, 86% of all Food for Orphans’ donations went to its Program Services.

Contact:

Gary VanDyke, CEO
Food for Orphans
3710 Sinton Rd. suite 170
Colorado Springs, Co 80907
http://www.foodfororphans.org/
info@foodfororphans.org

The OmegaChild Project

 

The OmegaChild Project's purpose is to encourage US adoptions.

Food for Orphans will give a monthly stipend to the adopting family to help defray the cost of their new family member. This stipend is offered without regard to the adoptive child or the adoptive family’s race, nationality, religion, or economic status. Food for Orphans asks for nothing from the family in return.

The OmegaChild Project will also link the family receiving the grant and the church sponsoring the grant. Every effort will be made to connect the sponsoring church and the adopting family as close to the church location as possible.

You can make The OmegaChild Project possible for a family near your church for as little as $50.00 per month or $600.00 per year.

Gifts to support The OmegaChild Project can be sent directly through the

Food for Orphans website at http://foodfororphans.org/

The OmegaChild Project

WE'RE LISTENING ...

Food for Orphans is interested in your ideas.

We want you to put your collective heads together

to share your ideas with us and other students around the nation.

We're looking for fresh ideas to help discover new ways to feed as many orphans as we can every day.



Being part of the Student Advisory Council has many benefits.

• Experience. As a member of the SAC, you will get the opportunity to work with a successful international charity. This is experience that will be helpful on your college admissions portfolio and resume.
• Collaboration with other students around the nation. The SAC gives you the opportunity to meet other students around the nation and share ideas, insights and inspirations.
• Education. As a member of the SAC, you will have th chance to learn about philanthropy, leadership and business management. You have the opportunity to be mentored by the Food for Orphans' dedicated and passionate staff.
• Certificate of Achievement. After your year of service to the SAC, you will receive a Certificate of Achievement from Food for Orphans that can be included in your college admissions portfolio and resume.
• Letter from the President of the United States of America honoring your work with Food for Orphans after 100 volunteer hours.

So, whaddya say? Are you interested? Already have ideas?

Are you IN?

We will be starting the program very soon

so keep a watch on our blog or check it out on our website.

We can't wait for you to get started!!

http://www.foodfororphans.org/



Construction Team Needed

Venezuela

Our orphanage in Venezuela needs some construction teams to come and help finish the orphanage and campground projects. 

No Pay.

Great Fellowship.

Great Food.

Any Takers???

About 10 people are needed for the construction team.
A date hasn't been set.

So hurry to get in line and get your name on the list!

Contact Gary VanDyke at CEO@foodfororphans.org for the most current information.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

This is a blog (posted with permission) by one of the attending families of our Dominican Republic mission trip with Steven Baldwin and his family.

August 9 – August 13, 2010

Our family mission trip this year was to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We traveled with a ministry called Food for Orphans, with whom we have recently partnered. During this trip we visited 4 different orphanages and the garbage dump city, being ambassadors of God’s love to the poor orphans.

My husband Tom and I had spent quite a bit of time preparing our children (Parker - 9 yrs, Amy - 11 yrs, and Shannon - 13 yrs) for this trip, telling them to the best of our ability what they could expect, and explaining what it meant to have HIV/AIDS. We had been praying together as a family and knew that the Lord had special ministry for each of them.

Christy & Child

You see, each one of our kids have lost a parent. My daughter Amy had lost her dad to cancer two hours after she was born, and Tom’s children, Parker and Shannon, had lost their mother during the birth of Parker. God has wonderfully blended our families together and we know without a doubt that our children’s testimony is their ministry.

Tom and Child

I have seen extreme poverty in several countries, but it never gets any easier to take in. The orphanages each had their specialty: abandoned children of prostitutes, girls home, boys home, and the hardest of all, the AIDS home. After arriving and seeing the great need, I almost felt foolish that we had brought so many toys but so few practical items. But the Lord reminded me that the poor would be with us always (Matthew 26:11), and that the children needed fun too.

Amy and Child

I was so proud of Parker, Amy, and Shannon. They played with the children, served them meals, comforted them and loved them. We showered these terribly impoverished kids with God’s love, food, and as many toys, crafts, stuffed animals and gifts we could cram in our suitcases!

Parker and Child

We came home broken-hearted for the children all over the world who have never known the love of an earthly father or mother. Yes, God had circumcised our hearts just as we had prayed. He has broken our hearts for the things that break His heart. We are committed to making a difference in the lives of orphans and are willing to follow as the Lord leads us to be advocates on their behalf.

Shannon and Child

God is a Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5) and He uses us in their lives as extensions of His love; all of us, not just adults. What a wonderful and humbling honor! If you have never ministered with children you are missing out. No one can minister to kids like other kids. Children add qualities of innocence, purity, and transparency to every mission, and they can easily hear the Father’s voice because they believe they can. We have so much to learn from our children!

Dump Orphans

If you have never taken your kids on a mission trip or done outreach in your community as a family, I encourage you to jump in and get involved. There are opportunities to serve someone at every turn. Teach your children that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, (Matthew 20:28) then SHOW them. This lesson will increase their faith exponentially as they see the Father work through them, and they learn that they are in fact valuable tools in advancing His kingdom on the earth.

If you are interested in learning more about our family’s testimony, please see Amazon.com for “Under the Shadow of the Almighty.”

If you would like to learn more about the ministry of Food for Orphans, visit their website at http://www.foodfororphans.org/.

Until All Have Heard,

Cristy

http://frontlinekids.net/blog/

Psalms 82:3-4

"Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Deliver the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked."

The current population of the United States is just a little over 300 million. 

The current population of Russia is 141 million

• It is estimated there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide (recent UNICEF report).
• Every day 5,760 more children become orphans
• 2,102,400 more children become orphans every year in Africa alone
• Every 15 seconds, another child in Africa becomes an AIDS orphan
• There are an estimated 14 million AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• A number higher than the total of every under-eighteen year old in Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland combined)
• This figure is estimated to reach 18 million orphans in Africa alone by the end of 2010
• 8 out of 10 children orphaned by AIDS lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but ...

 

• Each year 14,505,000 children grow up as orphans and age out of the system by age sixteen
• Each day 38,493 orphans age out
• Every 2.2 seconds another orphan ages out with no family to belong to and no place to call home
• In some parts of the world studies have shown that 10-15% of these children commit suicide before they reach age eighteen!

 THIS IS A REMINDER

TO PRAY ...

TO GIVE ...

TO ADVOCATE ...

In a perfect world, there would be no need for orphanages. Obviously, these statistics illustrate that we do not live in a perfect world.  As we see the overwhelming need, how dowe bring solutions to the roots of the issues. How do we make a difference? How do we stop the cycles that turn innocent children into orphans?

It's very difficult to REALLY THINK ABOUT THESE STATISTICS. 

But we must allow ourselves to become personally involved. These are real children. These children need advocates. They need men and women willing to make a difference. People willing to stand in the gap and act on their behalf.

Go to www.foodfororphans.org and make your advocacy known by making a monthly pledge of $15 to feed at least one orphan every day of every month of every year.

It's the least you could do for the least of these.

**********************

Sources: www.hfgf.org/statistics.pdf ;www.unaids.org/epi/2005 ; 

UNICEF’s Childhood Under Threat: the State of the World’s Children, 2005 ; www.unicef.org/uniteforchildren/;  

http://skywardjourney.wordpress.com/orphan-statistics/

 

Leaving for the Dominican Republic in only a few weeks!

 

The excitement is increasing as we finalize our plans to travel to the Dominican Republic with Stephen Baldwin and his family. We have several families going and are anxious to take off.

We covet your prayers as we complete our plans and as we travel. We are anxious to see the orphans again and see what new things we can do for them there.

For more information on this mission trip and other places we support go to our new website at www.foodfororphans.org.

Join us in prayer and in feeding these precious children.

To donate funds to help our team on this trip to the Dominican Republic or to help feed an orphan click here: Donate Now

When a Sparrow Falls From a Tree

Have you ever considered that if the all-powerful God notices when a sparrow falls from a tree, He must know when a child becomes an orphan? Why, then, are there so many orphans? And why don't we see each of them being cared for?

 
Honestly, I'd be lying if I said this thought never perplexes me.

In Matthew 25: 34-35, Jesus tells us about a day when the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink."

Could it be that God is asking us to see His image in those who suffer injustice and suffering? Could it be that God hides Himself in the stigma of the "unlovable"?

The King responds, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one for the least of these, you did for me."

Wow! This passage captures the very heart of God, the heart that longs for us to look into the eyes of the one who is hurting -- the broken -- and see the face of Christ. As we minister to the scarred individual, we are reaching out and touching Christ Himself.

Herein lies the challenge. Will you look into the face of the orphan, the sick, the stranger and the poor? Will  you look past their agonies and stigma? Will you look past all their hardness, deception and grief? Will you resist blaming or lecturing them about solutions to their problems? Will you look with eyes free of judgment, fear and disgust? Will you just gaze into their eyes and seek to absorb just a piece of their suffering into your own body? Will you purpose to see in them the face of the One who took all your inadequacies and nailed them to a tree?

Oh, the debt of love we owe!

Maybe orphan care is less about orphans and more about God crushing our very hearts. maybe it's less a matter of rescuing children from neglect and more a matter of rescuing us from the mire of self-absorption. Maybe it's not about just looking at a broken life, but  more about being broken as we see the face of Jesus.

You may ask, "How do I get the chance to see Jesus in the face of one so needy?" 

I challenge you to investigate the possibility of becoming  involved in one of our mission trips or pledge to give $15 a month to provide nutritious meals every day to one orphan ... every month. Allow God to work through your life and provide nourishment for a confused and hurting child. It is my prayer that God will challenge your heart to answer His call to become involved with Food for Orphans.

Go to our new website, www.foodfororphans.org and make your commitment now.

Naw Lah Lah Pho's Story

Naw Lah Lah Pho arrived at Grace Home from a village called Thayagon near Toungoo Myanmar.

Her father died when she was two years old and her mother suffered from mental illness. The mother abandoned the children and they lived with the grandfather for a short time. A Christian worker in the area knew of the situation and suggested that Lah Lah Pho come to Grace Home.

She was immediately taken in by the other children and has grown up in this environment. Lah Lah Pho has shown a love for the younger children and upon graduation from 10th grade has been taken on as an associate staff member, in training.

Last time we were in Myanmar for a week of staff training she attended every day and has become a wonderful role model for the children at Grace School. She has the heart of an evangelist. At school she told her friends about Jesus' love and is encouraging them to seek the Lord.

Now she thanks God for every situation and especially for the staff and workers at Grace Home that have been her family.

If you want to help orphaned children like Lah Lah Pho, log on to www.foodfororphans.org and make your pledge.

Every Minute of Every Day in the USA

$848,555 is spent on advertising
$665,905 is spent on legal gambling ...
$199,701 is speng on alcohol ...
$ 72,300 is spent on hair care ...
$ 66,590 is spent on bottled water ...
$ 60,882 is spent by cheerleaders on their sport ...
$ 34,246 is spent on cosmetics ...
$ 28,538 is spent on flowers ...
$ 28,538 is spent on perfume ...
$ 19,205 is spent on Prozac ...
$   1,902 is spent to purchase butterflies ...


2,137 pounds of popcorn is consumed ...
21,000 pizzas are purchased ...
1,000 cell phones are sold ...

AND -

30 more children become orphaned 

Only $15 a month will feed an orphan every day.

$ .50 a day or less than 4/100 of a penny per minute.

Pocket change CAN save a life.

What do you have in YOUR pocket?

http://www.foodfororphans.org/

Tony and AJ

Brothers Tony and AJ are the best of friends.

They can't afford not to be since their parents died three years ago.

When their mother got sick, neighbors carried her away to a far off clinic. The boys came to visit her one morning and were told she had died. 

That's all.

Not,

"we're here to help you"

or

"come with us and we'll care for you"

or

"we'll take you to a foster home"

They were given no help at all.

Now the two boys live alone, barely surviving.

Their relatives were supportive at first, but eventually focused on their own lives.

Their uncle lives just across the road, but rarely helps them. Sometimes the boys go days without food.


Stories like these are stories we hear all the time when we talk with our orphanages. We would like to help ALL the orphans, but our donations only go so far.

You can help with a donation of on $15 each month. $15 will feed one orphan every day for a month. Won't you pledge to help just one little boy like Tony or AJ?


$15 is all it takes...the cost of eating one meal at a restaurant.


Visit http://www.foodfororphans.org/ or call 719-591-7777 and make your donation now.

Travel to Dominican Republic with Stephen Baldwin!!

This is a Special Invitation

from actor

Stephen Baldwin

“I and my family are planning to visit the Food for Orphans projects in the Dominican Republic … and I want you to join us. It’s going to be a lot of fun. There are only 20 spots left ... so sign-up now!”

The trip planned to the Dominican Republic is for Aug 9 – 13.

Cost: $865.00 plus airfare (Ground package covers double occupancy hotel room, all meals, bottled water, in-country transportation, translator, tours & museum fees, special dinner for orphans, and travel insurance.)

Itinerary:

• Aug 9: Travel to DR
• Aug 10: Visit orphanages; visit home for abandoned children of prostitutes, serve a special dinner to AIDS orphans
• Aug 11: Visit orphanages, visit children living at city dump, basketball with teen boy orphans
• Aug 12: Sightseeing, visit to very old fort, tour museum, shopping, free time
• Aug 13: Fly home

 Deadlines:

• May 30: A non-refundable $200 deposit per person must be received
• June 10: Air fare must be paid-in-full (However, you may make your own flight arrangements.)
• July 9: The remainder of the ground package must be paid-in-full

There’s not much time left, so RSVP immediately by calling 719-591-7777 or email info@foodfororphans.org.

You won’t find a more loved child anywhere in the world than
 Esmeralda. 

Many of you have been praying for this abandoned child who was left to die. This is an update to our post on December 10, 2009.

Review:

Esmeralda was conceived as the result of a brutal rape. Her pregnant mother tried to kill her by drinking a bottle of aspirin. Born blind with only one fourth of a brain, Esmeralda was given no hope. The doctors gave up on her, saying that she would be dead in less than one year ... and her mother abandoned her.

Last year, Esmeralda was in poor health. Taken off of life support, she was released by the doctors to go home to die. When we saw her in February, she was so frail and weak, we felt like she only had hours to live.

Update:

When the doctors removed all medicine and all life support, by a miracle, she did not die. This little girl, now 5 years old, became a fighter. She started to improve immediately, and Esmeralda is now recovering.

Today Casa Luz is her home again. The orphans, workers and volunteers are taking care of her with as much pampering as possible.

Continue to pray for Esmeralda … her fight is not yet over. Neither is her future.

If you would like to contribute toward Esmeralda's care, go to http://www.foodfororphans.org/ and make an online donation or call 719-591-7777 and talk to Gary.