Prayer Needs
Here’s the latest news from David and Sandy Echols January-March 2011
Hello again, If there is one thing we’ve learned about Namibia in 2011, it’s that the first time you see anyone in the new year (even if you’re a month into it) you have to greet them with an enthusiastic “Happy New Year.” So, Happy New Year everyone! Now, to catch you up on what has happened over the last few months:
November—What a busy & exciting month! Time to wrap up the school year & get ready for Community Hope School’s annual Christmas program. Sandy taught dance classes to prepare the kids for the show (see the dances at davidandsandy.org/Videos.htm). When the night came the kids were all ready & looking great in their costumes; the community came out to see their performance; and that night our students shared the gospel message with the people of Katutura. December— School holiday! We had the month off from school & Sandy’s parents got to come up from South Africa for a visit. We enjoyed our first Christmas back in Africa with a good mix of American & Namibian traditions (we had turkey, followed by homemade ice cream).
Pray for the second grade, as Sandy is teaching many of their classes. Pray for spiritual growth in David’s Discipleship classes (grades 5, 6 & 7). Pray for wisdom and direction as we start looking into future opportunities for more ministry in Namibia.
Coming Up
January 17— - School begins
April 16— - Visit from Mark Fisher (Pikes Peak Christian Church, CO)
January— School has begun again! David is serving as administrative director & teaching part-time; Sandy is teaching a full load (and still carrying some administrative roles). So far it looks to be a good year at CHS! This is a very brief overview of the past three months. For more, visit our website and blog regularly. Go to http://davidandsandy.org. With His Love,
David and Sandy Echols Global Impact Ministries Missionaries to Namibia
See our Magazine! We put together a magazine reliving 2010. It can be seen on the home page of our website or in our library (davidandsandy.org/ Library.htm)
ROTTEN TEETH & CORNEAL TRANSPLANTS There are certain things that come with working at a school. We have to hand out detention slips AND have "parent" teacher conferences. We teach kids to read. We teach kids to wash their hands. We hold kids when they cry and we laugh with them when they act silly. There are other things too; things a school would not normally take care of. This is because Community Hope School is more than a school, it is a ministry. We have children that come to school with severe issues. Kids that need more love and attention than one could imagine. Kids that are abused, neglected and seemingly unable to listen to or respond to authority. We struggle daily with kids who want to see how far they can push.
used to be. Today we are taking him to the dentist. There is a boy who is slowly losing his eyesight. He needs a corneal transplant if there is any hope of him retaining any of his eyesight. As I type this David is on his way to the Ophthalmologist with Ricardo. Hopefully he will get his new eye soon! Having to do all these things is teaching me the heart that God has for us. We like, children, come to Him broken, hungry and ready to test the limits. Yet He loves us, and has given His all to see us saved. To give us a hope. The sermon in church last Sunday had three points. God loves you. God is with you. God will never leave you. Always remember that. God loves you, is with you and will never leave you! -SE
Then there are the medical issues. Our kids come to school hungry. We have a new student this year who is so skinny it looks painful. Yesterday one of the boys came to school complaining of tooth ache; when I looked in his mouth I saw a black crumbled hole where his tooth
Support Progress Last month we announced that our support had dropped below our minimum need. We had a supporter increase what they were already giving to help cover the need. Thank you so much! The support we get each month fluctuates a bit. Some months we get more, others less, but God always provides. We still need some help getting to our full budget (explained below). If you are not already, please consider joining us as a financial partner. If you would like to help us reach our goal of $3,000 monthly, please return the included response card or contact us at support@davidandsandy.org. Budget Personal (including food, housing, etc)……….$1,450 Ministry………………$1,100 Benefits (Health Insurance, Savings)………………….$300 Administration……….$150 Total Monthly Need $3,000 -Current Monthly Raised $2,500
Above: Mario and Ricardo
Check out our website: www.davidandsandy.org
Total Remaining Need $500