I am writing to tell you to save the date for INTERFACE 2016. If you are new to the Restore Hope network, I’ll give you a brief description of this event. INTERFACE is a forum for pastors, mission ministers and missions leadership from local churches. It is a time to come together to discuss issues and practices that affect us all in our mission ministries. INTERFACE allows you to be exposed to some of the great ideas and practices of others, as well as giving you the opportunity to discuss issues that are of interest to you. The agenda for the event is shaped by the attendees so that we are sure to make time for the issues that are concerning you.
We have historically covered all kinds of topics and issues such as strategies, funding, crisis management, avoiding dependency, volunteer preparation, long-term worker training/preparation, team issues and more.
You have an opportunity to shape the agenda for our meeting in September. One way you can help shape the conversation is by emailing Kameryn L’Ecuyer with your response to this question:
If you could choose one issue that you would like to openly discuss with other church missions leaders, what would that issue be?
(Please feel free to elaborate.)
We value your input as it affects our planning for this event.
Save the Date:
September 15-16, 2016 in Arlington, Texas
(Affinity groups meet on the evening of the 15th / INTERFACE forum on the 16th)
Be on the lookout for more information and the INTERFACE registration email this summer, or follow us on social media to receive additional updates.
The Miguel family, Loyd and Alma and their daughter Lya, live in the mountain village of Rosita, in the middle of the Nicaraguan rainforest. Loyd and Alma give strategic direction for partnership ministries among the indigenous people of Nicaragua. Loyd grew up in the area and speaks three languages. His unique understanding of the needs of these indigenous peoples enables him to build relationships with the people in the region and provide leadership training. Alma, with her joy of life, is a blessing to everyone as she directs medical ministries and partnership teams. They are expecting their second daughter soon!
In December, we were blessed to take in our second group of 30 children orphaned by Ebola at the Hope Center in Sierra Leone, West Africa. In addition to shelter and care, each child receives daily academic instruction, healthcare and counseling. We were able to provide them with some basic clothing and personal hygiene items upon arrival, but additional items are needed. Here’s your chance to help!
Each child needs three church outfits and two casual/play outfits. Click here to see the specific sizes needed for each child.
Please let us know how many church or play outfits you plan to bring. New or gently used items are requested. Also, be sure to provide us with your name and email address so that we can share with you about the impact you’re having in the lives of these children.
Please deliver all clothing to the Restore Hope office by March 7th when a small team will be going to Sierra Leone. Thank you for your help!
Restore Hope
301 S. Center Street, Suite 325
Arlington, TX 76010
Join us for our annual Holes for Hope Golf Tournament at Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfield, Texas, benefiting the global efforts of Restore Hope. The format is a Four-Man Scramble with a Shotgun Start. Mark your calendar, gather your team and get ready to have a good time for a great cause!
While shopping for the people you love, please remember the orphans of Hope Center who lost their parents to the Ebola Virus epidemic. Together our gifts can make a difference. Through the loving staff and ministries at Hope Center, 30 Ebola orphans receive food, education, counseling, recreation, spiritual nurture and a safe place to call “home” for this healing season.
This year our focus for #GivingTuesday is the 2016 support of The Hope Center Interim Care Center.
Jesus came as the greatest Christmas gift of all time! We are joining Him in His compassion for the poor, the fatherless, the orphan and the vulnerable by blessing those who care for vulnerable children in Sierra Leone. This project focuses on “caregivers”.
Caregivers are individuals who have accepted responsibility for vulnerable children. The Restore Hope caregiver community is made up of families who have taken in:
Orphans from our Orphan Sponsorship Program. (290)
Girls from the Link House – Ebola orphans or girls rescued from trafficking, abandonment, abuse or the streets. (22+)
Boys from the Hillman House – Ebola orphans or boys rescued from trafficking, abandonment, abuse or the streets. (20+)
Boys and girls from the Hope Center Interim Care Facility – Orphans from the Ebola Virus Disease. (30+)
Caregivers in our programs all live in the poverty context. They are for the most part, low-skilled, uneducated, sometimes elderly (such as a grandmother) and most often caring for a large family (estimated family unit size = 8). They currently live in an economy devastated by the worst-ever Ebola Epidemic.
There are two typical types of placement – kinship care (child is placed with an extended family member) or foster care (child is placed in a home with someone in the community who is qualified and willing to care for them). Children victimized by Ebola are the hardest to place because of the superstitions in the animistic culture and fear of disease exposure. Many Sierra Leoneans believe these children are cursed and are unwilling to bring the curse into their household.
Our goal is to bless those who are caring for our kids! Each bucket will contain items that meet human needs, supplement family health, promote learning, provide spiritual nurture and bring joy!
Please work with your team to collect the following items for EACH bucket:
Children’s Toys (Ages 4-16)(Must fit in 5 gallon bucket).
Prayer Note (Handwritten or typed; will be given to caregiver).
Scripture Decoration (Handmade or Purchased).
$50 Donation to cover the bulk purchases of the following items listed below.
Restore Hope will bulk purchase the following items:
Water Filter Kit.
Multivitamins for children and adults.
5 Gallon Buckets
Mark your calendars for Sunday, December 6 at Noon! Bring your team and join the blessing party as we eat lunch and pack boxes for overseas shipment. Restore Hope will provide all packing supplies.
Location:
Family Life Center Gymnasium First Baptist Church of Arlington 300 S. Center Street, Arlington
If you are unable to join Restore Hope on December 6, you can still sponsor a Blessings Bucket by giving now
Thank you for being a blessing to those who are caring for our kids!
Your blessing bucket will be a surprise they will never forget!
Restore Hope needs your help! In an effort to plan ministry activities for post-Ebola recovery, we have surveyed 11 communities in Sierra Leone about the effects of the Ebola Virus on their lives, households, and communities. Through this process, we’ve received nearly 1,800 completed survey forms. Now we need some helping hands to get the data entered for analysis and planning purposes.
Here’s your chance! Sunday, October 18th at 12:30pm, we’re hosting a “Data Day” and we would love for you to join us at 301 S. Center St., Suite 120. We’ll provide FREE PIZZA for lunch. We ask that each volunteer bring a laptop or tablet to use for the data entry. It is also helpful if you have basic familiarity with Microsoft Excel. We will provide the files and an orientation to the process.
As our staff has been entering data, we’ve seen that this is a great opportunity to pray for these families by name and to more fully understand the challenges they face in bouncing back from this historic Ebola outbreak.
If you are interested in joining us, please register here.
When: Sunday, October 18, 12:30-2:30pm
Where: 301 S. Center St., Suite 120, Arlington, TX 76010
What: Data Day! Registering post-Ebola recovery survey data from Sierra Leone, praying over the families, and Free Pizza!
How: Must be willing to bring a laptop or tablet; must register online by filling out the registration form; contact Anna Goetz at anna.goetz@restorehopetoday.org or call 817-276-6494 for more information.
On July 1, 2014, Restore Hope and Kinexxus merged into one organization after several years of close collaboration. The new Restore Hope now offers an expanded array of service to its partner churches and to communities across the world through its three service divisions – Church Mobilization, Community Development/Relief and Business Services. While continuing to provide consultation, training, networking and resources to churches involved in cross-cultural ministry, we can also assist global churches in implementing sustainable development initiatives that result in transformed lives, reliable infrastructure, social responsibility and capacity for continued development. The new Restore Hope has a holistic gospel approach summed up in our vision statement –
…restoring hope to communities and individuals across the world through Christ-centered church-based proclamation and service…
We aim to implement a holistic gospel through which physical, spiritual, social and economic needs of vulnerable communities are met. Through collaborative efforts with churches, community leaders and other organizations, we mobilize North American and global churches to go to the ends of the earth among the poor, the hurting and the hopeless. God is good! He is working all over the world and we are blessed to join Him in His purposes. restoring hope to communities and individuals across the world through Christ-centered church-based proclamation and service.
Competition for a great cause! We’ll have a full day of fun prepared for every golfer. Here are some of the highlights!
Free Lunch at 11:00 am
Shotgun start at 12:00 pm
4 Person Scramble
Longest Drive contest
Closest to the Pin contests
Average “Joe” games
Goody bags
Great prizes and more!
Join us in as we take part in a day filled with fun and great golf! Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
Visit our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages to stay up to date on the latest developments. Also, to learn more about this beautiful course, visit the Sugar Tree website.
Sierra Leone is engulfed in a historic Ebola virus outbreak that is causing unprecedented death and panic. It is threatening to destroy many gains that have been made since the country’s civil war. As the number of confirmed Ebola cases continued to rise this week, Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma declared a state of emergency. Public health officials fear the worst and have warned it may take six months to get the spread of the virus under control. Health workers are rapidly exhausting their energies and supplies. Confusion and fear have led to violent attacks against medical clinics. Skepticism of government warnings is contributing to non-compliance with recommended prevention and treatment measures.
What are the people of God to do in the midst of such chaos? What is the church’s responsibility?
In Numbers 21, God instructs Moses to have victims of snake bites look up to a bronze serpent and be healed. John 3:14-15 says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.” In the midst of darkness and despair, we are to point to the cross. We are to be Jesus’ emissaries bringing healing and hope. We are to stand tall for we have a Spirit of power. We are to pray fervently to God, our Healer – Jehovah Rapha – who alone is able to stop the spread of the Ebola virus.
In response to the current crisis, we are working with trusted church leaders and community partners in Sierra Leone to provide sanitation supplies, Ebola sensitization, and emergency medical relief. We have already issued radio announcements and distributed Ebola prevention and awareness materials. Above all, we continue to seek heavenly wisdom for our personnel, resources, and ministry activities. Our work in Sierra Leone touches the most vulnerable-widows, orphans, and extremely poor families. These precious ones need our prayers, our support, and our help.
Contribute medical and relief supplies to aid in our Ebola Response. Please click on the following link to download and view a list of relief supply materials that are needed[Ebola Response Supply Request].
Join us in praying for the people being affected by this horrible disease without a cure. Visit our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages to stay up to date on the latest developments.
The headlines are clear… war… famine… disease… tragedy. The results can be devastating. The losses are catastrophic and many are left feeling hopeless. Is there anything that can be done?
We realize that we may not be able to prevent all tragedy, but together we can help to minimize its effects. We can help survivors. We can care. We can act. We can restore hope.
Believing that every individual is created by God with innate value, RESTORE HOPE and its partners invest in the human potential. Through partnerships with local communities and organizations, RESTORE HOPE equips and empowers local people to address the challenges they face in their lives. Utilizing sustainable and reproducible methods and by encouraging local ownership, we provide knowledge and skills to equip local groups to resolve their own challenges and plan for a healthy and stable future.
The wounds of a bloody civil war have begun to heal. In the years since violence has subsided, the enemy is no longer a gun clad rebel terrorizing remote villages and urban centers. The subtle enemy is a lingering post war trauma and depleted spirits which tell this battered nation that things can never really change. With an economy that has never healed, a lack of basic infrastructure, and the ever present threat to life and health that results from diseases like Ebola, malaria, cholera and typhoid – Sierra Leone lives in a state of lingering trauma where the weak and vulnerable are often left defenseless. Many orphaned, lost or abandoned children are forced to survive on the streets where they are victimized by the heartless for personal gain. Many are simply alone when no family remains to care for them. For widows and vulnerable children, survival requires sacrifice of body, health and dreams. Maintaining a spirit of optimism is an ever present challenge.
UNICEF estimates there are over 340,000 orphans in Sierra Leone, a country with a landmass the size of South Carolina. Many of Sierra Leone’s war orphans are now bearing their own children. Many of those children are born to unmarried women who participate in transactional sex in order to eat or pay school fees. Many children are forced by poverty out of school and into the workforce in areas where unemployment rates can be as high as 90%. A life of begging, child servitude, human trafficking, crime or prostitution is a dark reality for some of Sierra Leone’s lost children. A lack of opportunity is the reality for most.
Hope for the Future
Passionate to make a difference in the lives of children, the partners of RESTORE HOPE united with the understanding that helping someone today will only truly help if it helps them to create a better tomorrow. Seeking long-term solutions beyond short-term aid, we are working to holistically address the needs of abandoned, orphaned, disadvantaged and abused children through various ministries to include sponsorship, education, medical and dental care, interim protective care and family placement.
In partnership with Love One Another Children’s Ministries of Sierra Leone, RESTORE HOPE has established an interim care home for boys ages 4-12 in Bo where boys rescued from crisis scenarios receive protective care and assessment while awaiting a permanent home. Hillman House for boys is a special place where boys escape the fear of trafficking, abuse and the streets to reside in a safe haven under the loving guidance and nurture of house-parents who seek justice and a healthy future for victimized children.
Since 2010, Hillman House has created a respite where boys can thrive. In this growing place, our boys get a second chance at childhood. They learn the value of loving other people and loving themselves. They discover their own voice to speak and to sing. Hope replaces fear and darkness. Laughter replaces tears. They play hard and study hard. They go to school. They experiment with technology. They learn the value of work, discipline and respect. Hillman boys are nurtured toward a bright future where opportunity is real and tomorrow is full of hope.
Our dream? That you will join us in offering this same hope to girls. They, too, were meant to sing! Help us provide the 2015 financial support for Restore Hope’s Link House for girls. Your partnership can make a world of difference!
Missional maturity for the local church is a process. We help the local-church develop and implement cross-cultural training in the church, sending church structure and processes, on-field strategy development, member care, and more.
OPERATIONS
Yes, you can! Churches can send their workers to the mission field by utilizing our array of services including financial management and accounting services, contracting, contingency management, and logistics.
We want to join you in taking the whole Gospel to the whole world!
The Miguel family, Loyd and Alma and their daughter Lya, live in the mountain village of Rosita, in the middle of the Nicaraguan rainforest. Loyd and Alma give strategic direction for partnership ministries among the indigenous people of Nicaragua. Loyd grew up in the area and speaks three languages. His unique understanding of the needs of these indigenous peoples enables him to build relationships with the people in the region and provide leadership training. Alma, with her joy of life, is a blessing to everyone as she directs medical ministries and partnership teams. They are expecting their second daughter soon!
change. With an economy that has never healed, a lack of basic infrastructure, and the ever present threat to life and health that results from diseases like Ebola, malaria, cholera and typhoid – Sierra Leone lives in a state of lingering trauma where the weak and vulnerable are often left defenseless. Many orphaned, lost or abandoned children are forced to survive on the streets where they are victimized by the heartless for personal gain. Many are simply alone when no family remains to care for them. For widows and vulnerable children, survival requires sacrifice of body, health and dreams. Maintaining a spirit of optimism is an ever present challenge.
In partnership with Love One Another Children’s Ministries of Sierra Leone, RESTORE HOPE has established an interim care home for boys ages 4-12 in Bo where boys rescued from crisis scenarios receive protective care and assessment while awaiting a permanent home. Hillman House for boys is a special place where boys escape the fear of trafficking, abuse and the streets to reside in a safe haven under the loving guidance and nurture of house-parents who seek justice and a healthy future for victimized children.
Our dream? That you will join us in offering this same hope to girls. They, too, were meant to sing! Help us provide the 2015 financial support for Restore Hope’s Link House for girls. Your partnership can make a world of difference!
