Greetings to My Children of the World Family and Friends,

I sincerely hope that this has been a wonderful year thus far for you and your family. I would like to take this time to update you on our year at Children of the World and ask for your help.

This year has been one of excitement, growth, changes, and promise. COTW will unite approximately 65 children with their forever families this year. It is

exciting to be able to actually watch families being formed! Our LORD just continues to bless us in so many ways!

As many of you know, our mission statement says and I have always believed that it is the birthright of every child to be in a loving and nurturing home. We continue to strive to be more than just an adoption agency; so for those children who will never experience the joy of a family, we provide relief services through water purification systems, food, clothing, education, eye exams and provision of sun and eye glasses, medicine, toys and facility renovations. Continuous relief efforts are such an important part of our mission.

We were preparing to travel to Chennai, India and install water purification systems for the children at Christ Faith Home when the Tsunami of December 24, 2004 devastated so much of south Asia and actually hit the city we were planning to visit – we knew that it was not a coincidence that He had called and prepared us for this task! Our scope was suddenly broadened to address the needs of the villages directly affected by the tsunami.

A couple of months after the tsunami we traveled to India as a team of 17. We were successful in providing for the needs of the children of Christ Faith Home by installing two reverse osmosis water purification systems, provide uniforms, clothing, and medicine. Teachers were contracted and hired to educate the women of the short stay home in Manapakkam which is a home for abused and homeless young women. Financial assistance was also provided to expand and improve the newborn unit at Christ Faith Home.

331 families who were directly affected by the tsunami are being continually supplied with food and provisions. To date we have provided 25 tons of food, metal storage containers, and fishing boats and nets. There was another village leader that walked for many miles to come meet us and asked if we could help his village purchase a boar water pump, which we gladly did. We will continue our efforts to purchase fishing boats and nets for these families as this will provide future earning potential for the villages. While visiting the tsunami affected villages an apparent lack of medical care was realized. Children of the World is blessed to report that we have built a new clinic that will open the doors this October 2006 to provide health care to over 1000 families!

These families continue to suffer from long term effects of the tsunami such as dysentery, malaria, hepatitis, typhoid fever, chicken pox, and other health related issues. We have committed to serve the immediate and future needs of the people of this area. Our goal is to be able to provide basic health care needs such as immunizations, medicines, education, eye exams and provision of sunglasses and eye glasses, and Bibles. We will also support the staff that will serve the clinic which will include one doctor, one nurse, and one administrator. We project that the clinic will need more staff to serve this area as word travels that we are there to help all people!

During our visit to India, we were privileged to visit the Tamil Leper Village. This was the first time western visitors reached out to help families. I wish I could express to you the joy in their faces when they realized our group was there to help! We were able to provide desperately needed aid in the form of food distribution, clothing, blankets, medicines, bandages multi-purpose metal containers, and a meeting tent. The only other request they had was to be able to see the movie The Passion of Christ projected on an outside wall at Easter and this was done for these beautiful people!

We have made a commitment to the Leper Village to renovate their clinic and provide hospital beds, medicine and other medical supplies, wheel chairs, education materials, eye exams and provision of sun glasses and eye glasses. We plan to also provide clean water for them by installing water purification systems. Leprosy is curable and we will be providing the appropriate medicines to cure them of this debilitating disease that has physically as well as socially effected them. We plan to evaluate the whole Leper Village this October 2006 when we travel to India. We could make such a huge difference in these peoples’ lives and help break the invisible chains that the stigma of leprosy carries!

We give thanks to God and we give Him all the glory as many people we came in contact with wanted to accept Christ after experiencing His love through this mission team and all the supporters of Children of the World!

Our annual trip to San Pedro de Pescador in Carmen, Mexico was in July. Our group included 22 missioners. We were able to install a new reverse osmosis water purification system that resolved the problem of calcium build up of the first system. We were able to upgrade the plumbing, electrical system and provide St. Peter the Fisherman orphanage with a new $4,ooo restaurant stove. The facility was given a face lift with new paint and a total campus clean up. The children learned a new talent and skill this year from one of our team members – twirling the baton! We also provided eye exams for the orphanage and home for the elderly and fitted them with much needed sunglasses and eyeglasses. In addition to facility renovations our group was able to spread the word of God through daily Bible school. We also provided the home for the elderly with clothes and eyeglass cases, taught them relaxation, strengthening and breathing exercises as well as gave them massage therapy. They loved the love and attention that was given to them!

For the first time, in our agency’s history, we were challenged with an overwhelming tragedy right here in the United States. Hurricane Katrina placed an unbelievable burden on many of our COTW families as well as our neighbors in Mississippi and Louisiana. As an agency we felt we must reach out to those in our own back yard while continuing our commitments in other countries. As you may well imagine this put a tremendous strain on both our relief funds and staff. Much time was given by COTW staff and volunteers traveling to theses areas providing water, food, clothes, baby formula and diapers. A church was even able to open its doors after Children of the World cleaned the debris filled building, provided the ministers with robes, hymn books, and Bibles.

It is my greatest desire to be able to maintain our current programs and to continue our necessary relief efforts. In order to address these growing needs and maintain a low administrative cost for adopting families, I am making a personal appeal to you to join me in our efforts. Now more than ever we need your help. Please help us by financially contributing to our “For His Children” 2006-07 campaign.

It is our goal and I believe a realistic one with your help, to continue our relief efforts in other countries as well as our neighbors here in the US. We also have future plans for installation of water purification systems in Costa Rica and on an orphanage in Mongolia.

To those of you who have shown your support through prayer and financial contributions, I cannot thank you enough! Your efforts have contributed tremendously to the agency’s success. For those interested, who have never considered COTW as part of your family’s annual gift program, I invite you to prayerfully consider making your donation today. COTW is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible and will be used for all the right reasons.

Again, I thank you and your family for your continued support. Please tell others about Children of the World and what we are all about! We would not be able to do what we do without your help!

For further information on how you can help, please download our Adoptive Families in Service brocure or contact our office at 251-990-3550.

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