orphan’s promise newsletter | March 2018
giving hope. promising love.
before
after
warm a child by Drew Friedrich, Director of Marketing, Orphan’s Promise
Imagine being a young Ukrainian or Moldovan parent with three small children, trying to feed your family and make ends meet, knowing all the while that you can’t buy them the boots, coats, or hats they desperately need as the temperatures drop. The feelings of desperation would be unbearable and—to make matters worse—you know there’s no hope of change. This is your lot in life. It’s how you grew up, and it will be how your children grow up—struggling under the burden of extreme poverty, with no way out. These are the kinds of situations we witness every single day at Orphan’s Promise. We hear about parents who long to give their children the lives they only ever dreamed of, but who are held back by circumstances beyond their control. Lack of education, insufficient job opportunities, and unchanging cultural conditions keep many families struggling to rise above the poverty line, with devastating results for generations of children.
Children in Gypsy communities throughout Ukraine and Eastern Europe are wildly underprepared for the harsh winters they
face each year.
As a friend of Orphan’s Promise, every day your giving impacts thousands of children in these desperate situations. You offer hope to the hopeless when you make the choice to invest in the lives of orphaned and at-risk children. Together we feed the hungry, heal the brokenhearted, and clothe the naked. Children in Gypsy communities throughout Ukraine and Eastern Europe are wildly underprepared for the harsh winters they face each year. There are no department stores or malls nearby where Gypsy families can purchase warm new winter clothing—even if they could afford to, which they cannot. Young children trudge through snow in sub-zero temperatures, wearing hand-me-down clothing that doesn’t fit properly and shoes that are often two sizes too small and full of holes. Warmth and safety are a luxury these precious children cannot afford, and without any help, they face a harsh future with no hope of change.
Orphan’s Promise donors are a very special group of people. You continue to amaze us with your generosity and willingness to step in and help children who are in need. Last year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—Giving Tuesday— our donors stepped up to the plate and gave more than $20,000 toward our Warm-A-Child campaign, ensuring that young children in Ukraine and Eastern Europe wouldn’t have to face another winter unprepared. We’ve been able to help more than 300 children this winter, trading sandals for warm, waterproof winter boots and providing jackets that are exactly the right size for kids who have never owned anything brand new in their lives. As we deliver this winter clothing to these precious children, we’re also delivering hope. It’s such an incredible feeling to see a child receive hope in the tangible form of a warm winter hat. One of the young girls who came to our Warm-AChild distribution walked through snow in only an old, worn pair of sweatpants and a tank-top shirt. She didn’t even own a jacket! Our hearts were overcome with emotion as we found her a jacket of her very own and placed brand-new boots on her feet that were just the right size. It was as if we’d placed a glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot. The smile on her face is something we will remember for a very long time.
Last year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving— Giving Tuesday— our donors stepped up to the plate and gave more than $20,000 toward our Warm-A-Child campaign.
These children, and thousands of others like them around the world, will long remember your generosity. They will never forget the moment they learned someone on the other side of the world was willing to sacrificially give of their own abundance so that children they’d never met might have a better life. You are doing the work of the Father when you invest in these children’s lives. Whether you give $20 per month or $20,000 per month, you are making an investment that will pay dividends you may never get to see on this side of Heaven, but far surpasses any monetary return you could ever hope to receive.
Thank you for your generosity and your belief in the work of Orphan’s Promise. Wherever we go, we take your love, your prayers, and your generosity with us. We cannot do what we do without you and we recognize the tremendous sacrifice you make to be part of helping us change the world one child at a time. Together we’re giving hope and promising love to more than 100,000 children a year, and we know God has more in store for us. We’re honored to stand with you every step of the way.
giving hope. promising love.
’ Through stories like the one in this newsletter, I hope you see what a difference you are making. I am often overwhelmed when I consider how you give so generously to Orphan’s Promise. When God first placed the dream for this organization in my heart many years ago, I had no idea what it would become, but He continues to plant seeds of that dream in the hearts of incredible people like you as well, and the work continues to multiply. Thank you for your support. You are truly special. Until Every Child Knows Love, Terry Meeuwsen orphanspromise.org
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Orphan’s Promise, a children’s ministry of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., serves orphans and other vulnerable children around the world, taking them from at-risk to thriving through the transforming power of God’s love. CBN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your contributions to our ministry are tax-deductible.