Mercy House Global: 2022 Impact Report

GROWING HOPE 2022 impact report

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

core focus

OUR PURPOSE

To

OUR NICHE

Immeasurable

Our world is guilty of a short attention span. We rush to respond to crisis, and then we often move on… and it’s no wonder because our world is in constant crisis.

At Mercy House Global, we stay. We are called to the Bible’s three most vulnerable people groups: orphans, widows, and refugees. When others move on, we dig deep.

Your incredible support has made this possible. The maternal healthcare work and artisan development among orphans and widows in Kenya is long-term. Our refugee ministry in Houston’s diverse community is extensive.

This commitment to our mission is thriving. Despite the challenges we face in this postpandemic economic climate, we are forging ahead in hope.

we stay. we dig deep.

This year, Mercy House Global has:

✚ Celebrated six new babies in Kenya at Rehema House in the first six months of the year

✚ Welcomed six new pregnant teens in the last six months of 2022

✚ Raised more than $100,000 for ministry partners in Ukraine

✚ Lost our USA home base (offices and warehouse) of six years and signed a lease for a new and improved space for the next three years

✚ Hired three additional newly-arrived refugees from Afghanistan as artisans in Houston and provided work for additional Afghan women through Fair Trade Friday

✚ Trained the 16 women artisans of Have Hope in Kenya to become basket weavers

✚ Hosted quarterly empowerment lunches in Houston for refugee women from ten countries

✚ Started weekly English classes in a refugee apartment complex

✚ Supported a new artisan group called Forged in Hope as a part of a commitment to provide ongoing work for 17 new Kenyan artisans from Karama Collection (who had to close their doors earlier this year)

✚ Implemented EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) among USA staff

✚ Experienced first year of declining sales

Despite so many hardships in the past couple of years, you can see that God has a good plan for this ministry. We are more focused, more prepared, more enthusiastic, and more determined to continue this Gospel-driven work among the vulnerable.

We stay. We fight. We trust God for the impossible.

JESUS CAME FOR ALL.

Six Empty Beds

As 2022 wraps up our twelfth year of ministry, one thing is clear—every empty bed at Rehema House in Kenya means a couple of things.

1. A mom and baby met another milestone and moved from one bed to another—either to the transition home which represents progress or back home with their family which signifies transformation.

2. It represents hope for another pregnant teen and her child for an opportunity for healing and empowerment.

Faith was 14 years old and 4 months preg

when she filled an empty bed at Rehema House in November 2022. Her file number is 72. Maryanne, number 73, was 16 years old and had her baby during Christmas week. Fourteenyear-old Prinah was five months pregnant when she became the 74th pregnant teen to become a resident at Rehema House in Kenya in November 2022.

These three precious teenagers moved into their new home and joined the beautiful sisterhood of second chances. They represent the countless number of pregnant teens needing help.

Every girl welcomed home and every baby born serves as a reminder of how much God cares for each of us. They stand as a testimony of how far Jesus went for one.

J esus came for all.

J esus goes after the one.

At Mercy House Global, we don’t count success by the hundreds. We number them one by one. “To live without hope is to cease to live.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

THIS YEAR WE HAD SIX EMPTY BEDS. WE ENDED THE YEAR FILLING EACH ONE.

STAND AGAINST THE ENEMY

Ukraine

During the third staff meeting of 2022, the Mercy House Global team had a family meeting of sorts to discuss continuing to step into the chaos and crisis unfolding around the globe— from teen girls in need in Kenya to an untold number of Afghan refugees in Houston to those fleeing war in Ukraine. Collectively, the team expressed one desire: to follow Jesus wherever He might lead, no matter the cost.

Sports Catalyst, a long-time global leader and Mercy House Global partner, directly aided thousands of Ukrainian people fleeing the country due to war. Our partnership with them was an intentional decision of obedience.

“

As we were starting our online fundraiser in our app, the floor beneath us shifted and we began to fall. Our guests from Ukraine immediately began to pray loudly and rebuke the enemy... it became instantly clear that this was a spiritual attack“ Kristen Welch, MHG Founder, explained.

After getting to safety, the group was able to begin a live feed within ten minutes of the incident. The $20,000 goal initially set eventually reached over REACHED OVER $100,000!

In partnership with Sports Catalyst, please take a look at this report and the massive impact these funds created. CLICK

OUR NEW home base

Sometimes you fall down, because there is something down there that you are supposed to find.

On March 4, 2022, structural engineers reported that it was unsafe to continue working at the “big red barn” Mercy House Global called home for six years.

On the day of our Ukraine fundraiser, the upstairs floor we were standing on at our US location in Magnolia, TX, began to collapse beneath us. In a matter of seconds, the second story floor in the corner of our building had dropped 4-6 inches.

Suddenly, we faced the shocking loss of our offices and warehouse space. This unexpected situation cost Mercy House Global over $100,000 in business income loss.

A testimony, written by Hafsa

A TEEN GRADUATE FROM REHEMA HOUSE

A young Muslim pregnant girl, without consent dropped out of school.

My life was but an empty dream.

When my spirit was slowly dying, the mercies of God came upon me.

Rehema Foundation came to my rescue and gave life to my bones. Joy enkindled my heart; I felt a relief for my troubled mind.

Receiving Jesus as my Savior, I became a Christian.

Knowing God has given me the essence of faith—faith that has kept me believing and living in God’s grace.

Thank you for taking me to vocational training. You gave life to my feet.

That has helped me find my way.

I am a proud chef and will continue serving God through my services.

Being a teen mom, you taught me, watched me learn and grow.

Your teachings have and will not go in vain; I will always treasure them in my heart.

At 26 years old, I am still under Rehema’s umbrella. Isn’t it God?

Thank you Rehema family. My daughter and I don’t take it for granted.

You have made me appreciate the importance of integrity and honor, made me respect myself and treat others with respect.

I have been judged by my accomplishment and character.

Most of all, you have made a difference; I don’t just make a living, you have made lives.

Today, I am able to handle what life holds in store.

God bless Rehema, where dignity of all life is valued.

Miujiza

She tugged slightly on the thread and gathered the woven fabric under her fingers. With a critical eye, she leaned back to give her creation a better look. A smile formed at the corner of her mouth. It was good.

This artisan weaver of Miujiza sat at a large wooden loom in a light,filled room located in a slum in the heart of Kenya in September 2022. Every thread represented something, a pain from the past, a dream for the future, the even and intentional tangle of threads woven together to make something new and beautiful.

Our team, visiting from the USA, followed the path to the weaver’s home and sat in awe at the unbelievable transformation since becoming a Mercy House Global artisan four years ago.

Her daughter is a successful college student. Her granddaughter was born at Rehema House six years ago. They are all thriving.

The light radiating from this home, this woman, her family—it was blinding. God weaves stories of hope and hopelessness together to show us where we have been and where He can take us.

Just a few hours earlier, we had visited a grandmother to a different Rehema resident. We had to feel our way in the dark as we stood shoulder-to-shoulder in an 8’ × 8’ airless room. The hopelessness was oppressive.

We quietly listened to the heartbreak. The tears that silently fell on behalf of this precious grandmother in the darkness of the room couldn’t be seen, but they were present on each face that bore witness. Grief filled the room.

“Even in the midst of his darkest season, Job knew that the apparent absence of God was not a sign of his disfavor—or even worse—that He was somehow unjust. Job knew his own heart, he trusted God’s, and he believed everything would work out in the end. He couldn’t explain why bad things were happening or how a good God would allow them. But in the dark, he trusted what he learned in the light,” Chris Tiegreen wrote.

What that heavy room needed most was the light that only hope could bring because as Desmond Tutu explained “hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” We prayed over the sweet grandma and asked God for her miracle.

Four years ago, we left home visits like this feeling hopeless. Today, after years of development and progress, we have beautiful light-filled stories and programs for desperate women. And these two grandmothers with the same—but different stories—would soon be co-workers.

Two women. Two stories. Hope and hopelessness. One God weaving them together because “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

Basket Weaving

Have Hope began in Kenya as a community outreach ministry of Mercy House Global. Twenty women in the Kariobangi slum have been meeting for Bible study since 2010. With a need to improve their lives, they began making paper bead jewelry as a way to receive sustainable income for themselves and their families.

They called their group “Have Hope“ because they did not have any, but they desired to change their hopeless situations. These women love learning new skills. It is beautiful and humbling to work alongside them and watch them

Through a desire to become more sustainable and provide consistent work, Have Hope, began training in 2022 to become a basket-weaving group. Sisal is a natural resource grown across Kenya and basket weaving is an age-old tradition. This exciting endeavor requires training and time, but we are excited that the women are halfway through the process. Becoming a basketweaving group means that the women of Have Hope have learned another trade to be able to have dignified work and earn sustainable wages for themselves and their families.

ARTISAN SPOTLIGHT Forged in Hope

Forged in Hope, formerly of Karama Collection, is a new Mercy House Global artisan group from Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. We are excited to partner with this talented family of artisans and step into a place of empowerment after they lost their business covering as a result of Covid-19. We believe God created this intersection of opportunity for a new season of dignified job creation for twenty artisans in Kenya. We see His redemption in every forged-

in kenya

In September, Rehema House hosted our USA team who filmed, edited, and produced a beautiful 90-minute film featuring the incredible transformation of the teen moms and empowered artisans. The event, with pre-fundraising and matching grants and donations, raised more than $500,000! It’s been a challenging year of growth and financial downturn for Mercy House, and these funds help offset loss and fund critical ministry programs.

CLICK TO WATCH THE VIDEO

SLOW GROWTH deep roots

When our team prayerfully chose the word GROW as a theme for 2022, we didn’t plan for growing pains! At Mercy House Global, we have made it our mission to respond to vulnerable families in crisis. Rather than provide temporary relief, we intentionally stay and develop deeper roots. It’s as challenging as it is beautiful.

Growth comes in all forms and you’ve read about the massive impact Mercy House Global is having in Kenya and around the world, but even growth can expose weaknesses.

The year 2022 has been a year of shoring up weak areas in organizational structure, programs, and daily operations. The USA team is in a two-year process of implementing EOS, an entrepreneur operating system, clarifying our brand, and becoming a healthier ministry.

With this implementation, restructuring was necessary to combine some roles and add new ones. In this process, it confirmed to CEO and co-founder, Terrell Welch, that it was time for him to transition to employment outside of the organization. He will remain a board member and support his wife, Kristen Welch, in her new role as Visionary (CEO). Mercy House Global celebrates Terrell’s enormous contribution over the past eight years as he led the organization to a $5+ million non-profit. He is excited to be joining the efforts of Sports Catalyst to focus on their work in Ukraine.

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

financial review

2021 2020

PUBLIC SUPPORT AND REVENUE

Contributions $1,358,552 $1,183,697

Contributions w/donor restrictions $539,022 $0

Gross Profit Artisan Sales $3,238,288 $2,661,035

Other Receipts and Support $5,935 $110,219

TOTAL REVENUE $5,141,797 $3,954,951

EXPENSES

Program Services

Rehema House $918,695 $795,223

Subscription Clubs $1,805,272 $1,400,803

Retail Store Expenses $1,672,595 $1,261,146

Management and General $226,809 $199,921

Fundraising Expenses $67,289 $56,920

TOTAL EXPENSES $4,690,660 $3,714,013

Change in Net Assets $451,137 $240,938 Net Assets Beginning of Year $880,678 $639,740 NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR $1,331,815 $880,678

*All financial data taken from Form 990 and CPA prepared Financial Review (2020 & 2021)

2022 financial statements are not available until filed with IRS after the end of the current calendar year

2015-2021 Form 990 is available at https://www.irs.gov

Legal Name: Mercy Maternity House, Inc. DBA: Mercy House Global EIN: 27-3196267