Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Increase the impact of your giving.
North Texas Giving Day is a special day set aside for people to come together and support North Texas non-profits. It is about strengthening old relationships and building new ones to make a positive difference.
But what makes this day really special is that every gift of $25 or more made that day through NorthTexasGivingDay.org helps our chances of winning prizes given throughout the day, ranging from $500 to $5,000. Not only does this maximize your giving, it provides the extra funding we need to engage more local churches in life-changing, cross-cultural missions. With your help, we WILL reach our fundraising goal on North Texas Giving Day!
|
Schedule your donation today.
Complete the donation form by clicking the link below and your donation will be processed on North Texas Giving Day, September 22nd! Please be sure to enter “Restore Hope” as the Organization Name when you complete the form. Thank you for your generosity!
To schedule your donation, please click HERE! |
Chip in for a great cause!
Please join us Monday, April 8, for our annual Holes for Hope Golf Tournament, again this year at Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfield, Texas. We will have a great day of golf to support the global efforts of Restore Hope. By playing with us, you are making a difference in the lives of others around the world!
The cost is just $150 per person and includes:
- Light breakfast and prizes* beginning at 8:00 am;
- Shotgun Start at 9:00 am;
- Four-Person Scramble;
- Lunch and prizes after play.
Additional activities include a putting contest, a hole-in-one contest and team prizes.
Sponsorship packages are also available to provide you added recognition and business opportunities at the event. Contact Emily King for more information.
Registration is now open; SIGN UP TODAY!
Interface 2017 | Event Details + Registration
Tickets for Interface 2017 are now available! Please click here for event details, information on the featured speakers and topics, and to reserve your spot by registering for this event.
WHAT: Interface is a round table style forum for ministers of missions, pastors, and church missions leaders. You will find yourself face-to-face with a community of colleagues who speak your language and deal with the same issues you are facing as a missions leader for your church. Share knowledge, experience, heart, and resources. Interface 2017 will feature great speakers, dialogue, and practical help from several experts and practitioners.
WHEN: Monday, August 28th, 2017 from 8:00am – 5:45pm
WHERE: Arlington, Texas
We look forward to seeing you there!
Competition for a great cause!
Please join us Monday, April 10, for our annual Holes for Hope Golf Tournament, this year again at Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfield, Texas. We will have a great day of golf to support the global efforts of Restore Hope. By playing with us, you are making a difference in the lives of others around the world!
The cost is just $150 per person and includes:
- Light breakfast and prizes* beginning at 8:30 am;
- Shotgun Start at 10:00 am;
- Four-Person Scramble;
- Lunch and prizes after play.
Additional activities include a putting contest, a hole-in-one contest and team prizes.
Sponsorship packages are also available to provide you added recognition and business opportunities at the event. Contact Emily King for more information.
Registration is now open; SIGN UP TODAY!
Following several short-term trips, Becky and Tom Brockelman, cross-cultural workers from First Baptist McKinney, Texas, arrived in Sierra Leone on November 10, 2010, to live full-time. They were looking forward to answering God’s call on their lives to be the hands and feet of Christ in Freetown. They had only been there a few weeks when one of the Bible College interns they were working with told them about a young street boy in Waterloo who was suffering from a chronic skin disease. The interns thought that the Brockelmans could help.
And, on January 15, 2011, Tom met that 10-year-old boy named Bo.
The Brockelmans actually ended up helping three other boys in addition to Bo, getting them into a clinic for treatment. The other three recovered from their various ailments and were released, but Bo’s skin condition had not improved.
That’s when they said to each other, “No one would try any harder than we would.”
The Brockelmans proceeded to get a one-year guardianship for Bo so that they could seek additional treatment for him. In December 2011, they brought him to Children’s Medical Center in Texas where doctors were finally able to prescribe a treatment to offer Bo relief.
As Bo had captured their hearts, they then extended their one-year guardianship into a guardianship until he was age 18. In 2014, they decided to pursue adoption.
Then came Ebola, and all the justices were leaving the country. Plans for adoption were temporarily put on hold.
The adoption was ultimately finalized in 2015, and Bo officially became a part of the Brockelman family. In January 2016, they learned about an option for Bo to get his U.S. citizenship. The Brockelmans began that process on March 1. Four months later, they got word that they had 12 days to tie up any loose ends in Sierra Leone and book travel to the U.S. for Bo to be sworn in.
There was a flurry of activity, but Bo Brockelman was sworn in at a private ceremony as a U.S. citizen on July 20.
All three Brockelmans will soon be heading back to Sierra Leone. We know they are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for them next!
We are blessed to have your support and to partner with individuals and organizations all over the world to advance the gospel of Christ. Today we come to you on behalf of our brethren in Nicaragua who are suffering from the effects of the recent tropical storm.
This is a call to action in a part of the world that may never reach your television screens or social media feeds but one where Restore Hope and its partners have been engaged in planting churches and changing lives.
My wife Alma and I live in Rosita and work among the Miskito, Mayangna and Mestizo peoples of Nicaragua along the Prinzapolka River, considered the most impoverished region of the country. The villagers in this area are primarily farmers. The tropical storm caused extreme flooding resulting in dislocation of families and the loss of their harvests and most personal items. The mayor of Alamikanban, the principal town, reported that 7,214 people have been directly affected, and 10,885 have been indirectly affected by these floods. Disease and malnourishment are increasing daily as the vulnerable families struggle to survive.
Restore Hope is mobilizing resources and partners to ensure access to the following:
- Nutritious food;
- Clean water;
- Basic clothing;
- Emergency medical attention;
- Tools and seeds for replanting;
- Community leader training on disaster prevention, response
and resilience.
Our faith goal is to raise $80,000 to ensure these needs are met. This is approximately $110 per family served. Amazingly, we can provide six months of food for just $30 per family.
Jesus said, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me. (Matt. 25:40)” We ask you to partner with us in serving the least of these in Nicaragua. Click here to give a financial contribution to the emergency relief fund.
Thank you for your generosity towards these families who have found themselves in crisis. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus here in Central Nicaragua.
Blessings,
Loyd Miguel
Missionary Coordinator – Nicaragua
Restore Hope
The world is rapidly changing. So is the face of missions.
You are invited to a very meaningful dialogue on September 15 and 16 that will help you think about best approaches to the lost world.
It’s time to register for INTERFACE! If you have never attended,
let me explain …
INTERFACE is a best practices forum for ministers of missions, pastors and church missions leaders. You will find yourself face-to-face with a community of colleagues who speak your language and deal with the same issues you are facing as a missions leader for your church. Share knowledge, experience, heart and resources. Forum discussions are shaped by participating ministers of missions who are leading churches in strategic missions engagement.
This year’s agenda is in the making.
But it’s not too late for you to submit the topic you want to discuss.
For event information and registration, click here.
We look forward to you joining us. Welcome to the table.
Change a Life . . . Change the World
Children are the hope of families, communities and nations. And, within the heart of every child, God has instilled the power to dream. But those dreams are often clouded by the ash and rubble of war, oppressive, urban poverty or the battering of illness and disease. Particularly vulnerable are those who are orphaned. With no mother or father to speak on their behalf, the orphan’s worth is often disregarded by the community.
Through Restore Hope, you can sponsor an orphan and bring hope, open doors and turn dreams into realities that change a life and a world . . . one child at a time.
It’s as easy as 1–2–3.
For just $1.23 a day, you can help a child achieve their potential through spiritual, relational, academic and whole-life support.
- Food Supplementation – Orphans in the program receive a monthly food supplement of rice, oil, protein and vegetables to share with their caregiver family.
- Educational Opportunity – Sponsorship provides tuition, school uniforms, books, fees, supplies and backpacks for each child.
- Medical Care – Local Orphan Sponsorship Coordinators oversee local orphan communities, identifying and addressing medical issues as they arise.
- Life Support – Each child in the program also receives items that dramatically improve their quality of life such as mattresses, mosquito nets, hygiene products, clothing and lamp oil.
- Spiritual Nurture – Because the sponsorship program is implemented by local church pastors and believers, the orphans become a part of the faith community, and the caregiver family is served through the hands of that church. Sponsor dollars also provide a Bible for each child.
Beyond the practical is the relational.
We have seen the bond between the sponsor and orphan transcend cultural and distance barriers. As a sponsor, you will have the opportunity to share reciprocal letters, photos, love and encouragement to a child who is eager to reciprocate that love. And, as a part of the larger sponsorship community, the children have the opportunity to attend camps, special events and celebrations. Simply put, the orphan goes from despair and loneliness to being a part of a new family of community.
Your personal investment can bring new hope today. Learn more about how you can be an Orphan Sponsor.
I want to share some stories in the next few months that will give you a glimpse at the front-lines work of God through Restore Hope and our amazing partners. We hope these reports will warm your heart as you consider how your partnership is affecting the lives of others across the world. So, please enjoy reading the first of these three reports.
Cindy Wiles
Restore Hope is committed to collaborative partnerships that
create collective impact. Together, we succeed.
Marla – BGCT
My passion is helping people who are forgotten. As a Disaster Recovery Specialist with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, I am able to live out my passion for both immediate and long-term recovery. Once the media loses sight of a disaster, the world assumes recovery has occurred. But in 
reality, many victims of disaster have no savings, no insurance, no guidance. Many are poor, disabled and lonely. When Ebola struck West Africa, we worked in close partnership with Restore Hope. Among other things, Restore Hope had boots on the ground. We had the ability to locate food that could be donated from various organizations in our network and funds for shipping relief supplies. Together, Texas Baptist Disaster Recovery and Restore Hope supplied food to Ebola-stricken families in containment, communities suffering from food shortages, the caregiver families of Restore Hope’s sponsorship and interim care programs and the children orphaned by Ebola, many of them Ebola survivors themselves. We were really excited to help. Together in 2016, we will continue to care for Ebola orphans through Restore Hope’s Hope Center Interim Care Center. Disaster is not over until it’s over. And, we will be there until it is.
Tesfaye: Bethel Holistic Ministries
In Africa, we have a saying,“if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, travel together.”
The community of Korah surrounds the huge Koshe garbage dump in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is situated between a leper colony and a Tuberculosis hospital. I was raised in that dump. My parents were lepers. As a child, I foraged for food in this dump to sustain my family. I learned to fight. Only the 
strongest children were assured a meal. One day I was hit by a garbage truck as it was backing up. I suffered a large cut on my mouth that got infected. The infection grew worse and worse. It was extremely painful and unsightly. A young, American volunteer came to the dump, and he was very concerned for me. He told me he knew someone who could help. He connected me to a sponsor in the USA who paid for my medical care and supported me to go to school. That man stood by me all the way through college. I graduated with an engineering degree. But God had other plans for me. God called me to stay in Korah, to give other children the same opportunity I received. I now work as the Director of Bethel Holistic Ministries advocating for children and disabled people who have no voice. By partnering with child, family and orphan sponsorship organizations, my staff of social workers and I are able to offer hope, development and life to families like mine. As an adult, I was given a chance to go to America and meet my sponsor. I assumed he was a very wealthy man. I was humbled to find that he was a disabled, American veteran who lived in a trailer home. He gave up a significant portion of his own income to sponsor me. I am becoming a local partner with Restore Hope’s Orphan Sponsorship Program. Together we will transform the lives of Ethiopian orphans.
Aminata is one of the 60 children who have been cared for by Restore Hope’s Interim Care Center for Ebola Orphans and Survivors at the Hope Center in Jui, Sierra Leone. She has been at the center for six months. While all the children at the center are orphaned by Ebola, 11 of the children are themselves, Ebola survivors. Aminata is one of those 11. Aminata was very tearful as she recounted her challenging experiences. Please read her testimony below.
“Before Ebola came to Sierra Leone, I lived with my family in the village of Rogbangba. I lived with my mother and father and my sister. I loved attending school and was in Class 4. My older sister who was 14 got the Ebola first. She came home sick and all of our family was exposed to the virus. Everyone was afraid. My father got the Ebola next. My sister and my father both died quickly. My mother was very frightened. Everyone was afraid to be taken to the Ebola treatment center because those who go never come back. And so she took me with her and we ran away from the village so no one could find us and send us to the Ebola center. But it was too late. The Ebola had gotten my mother. She became very sick, and she died. My grandparents also got it from her, and they died. Everyone in my family died. I was alone and I was so sad and scared. I had nowhere to go. The only thing I could think to do was to go back to my village. I was going from house to house begging for food — but everyone was afraid of me, and they yelled at me and drove me away from their houses. An old man felt sorry for me and he took me into his house. He was not related to me, but I called him my stepfather. He would go away from the house and leave me in the house alone. So, I was alone most of those days. But I had not escaped the virus. I soon became very sick with fever and with terrible pain in my stomach. Then came the vomiting and the blood. I became sicker and sicker. I became so sick I could not even move. Someone called the emergency Ebola number 117, and the emergency men came to take me to the Ebola treatment center in Hastings.
By the time the workers got to me, I was so sick and lifeless they thought I was dead. So they prepared to bury me. They sprayed my body, face and head with bleach. I was unable to respond. They put me in a body bag and zipped it up. They were taking me to bury me in the Ebola grave with the other dead. But the bleach made me cough and they heard me. So they unzipped the bag and transported me to Hastings to the Ebola treatment center. I was placed in a room with 20 other Ebola patients. The room was full of sickness and bleach. One by one, each person was taken out in a body bag. I was laying helpless, waiting to die too. The pain was so strong and my eyes were burning so bad from the bleach they had sprayed in my eyes.
Every person in the room died. All twenty of them. I was number 21. The pain in my stomach was unbearable. I was so weak and frightened. I still have very bad dreams, and it makes me cry and scream in the night. I still cannot see well out of my right eye. Only small-small (very little).
I stayed in the Ebola center for five months. Many people around me were dying. After the third month, my body began to feel better except I still had the bad pain in my stomach. I was very weak and thin, so they kept me there two more months. When they thought I was strong enough, they took me back to my village. I began looking for other members of my family like my uncle, but none of them had survived. They were all dead. Our family house was empty. No one would come near it. People were so afraid of catching the Ebola. The people feared me. If I came near their house asking for food they yelled at me, threatened me and drove me away. No one would talk to me. They ran from me. Even the old man drove me away from his house. I was so sad and lonely. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I ran back to the house where my family had lived, and I locked myself in and I cried and cried. I was all alone and no one could care for me because they were afraid of me.
After some time of keeping to myself and trying to get food for survival, a man from our village who worked for Child Welfare came and found me. He, too, was an Ebola survivor. He had heard about me and wanted to help me. He came and found me and put me in his car. He drove me to the Child Welfare office and they told him to take me straight to the ICC at Hope Center. Again, I was so scared. I began to cry. I did not know what ICC was. I thought it might be like other orphanages I had heard of where children are taken so that they can be sold as slaves. So, when we got to Hope Center, I refused to get out of the car because I was sure things were only going to get worse. I screamed and cried, holding on to the car. Finally, the children came out. They were all together, and they did not seem to be afraid. And they were not afraid of me because many of them were also survivors of Ebola.
At Hope Center, I get good school. The matrons and caregivers take good care of me. They encourage me and feed me good food. The pain in my stomach has gotten better, but it still hurts some, and my body has grown strong and healthy again. We play. We sing. We study. We learn about God. We are happy together
They said that when I arrived here I was like a mad person. I had lost my mind. But now I am happy. I still sometimes wake up crying in the night. And I scream out in my sleep. But the caregivers and the matrons are here for me. Now I feel safe. The Child Welfare took me to Waterloo to tell my story on the radio because they are trying to help our people understand the hardships we survivors have gone through and how we feel.
I do not know what will happen to me when I leave ICC. They say I may have to go back to my village. The old man in my village has tried to help me now that I am well. He took me to a doctor in Freetown about my eyes, but he does not have the money to pay for the medical treatment. They say it is not good for a young girl to live with an older man alone, so I am not sure what is going to happen to me. But Mama Cindy Wiles and Daddy Wiles are going to sponsor me. So, I know someone will care about me.
I would like to grow up to be the president of Sierra Leone because if I was president, children in this nation would not have to suffer. So many children in this country are suffering. I would help those who are suffering. Because I have been through death and I know how it feels to suffer.”
I pray that you get a glimpse of just how devastating this global health crisis has been in the lives or Sierra Leoneans and just how important your interventions have been. I do not know where this girl would be if it were not God using you to provide a place of healing and a path for the future. Thank you . . . thank you.
Cindy Wiles
Executive Director
Aminata's story is shared with her permission.
