Thursday, May 08, 2008

May 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

At noon I watched my friend Patti, give lunch (cat food on the tip of a toothpick), to a baby robin that was orphaned after its nest was displaced. The baby bird is only a few days old but opened wide its mouth to receive nourishment from its substitute mother. I’m reminded of Matthew 10: 29, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And yet, not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father.” I’m always amazed at how God’s provisions are in place long before we become aware of them.

We were able to send out over 5,000 pounds of sorted medical supplies and equipment to ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa) for a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. Many thanks to Linda, Ellie and Susan who spent a week with us in March sorting mountains of medical supplies in hopes of finding ministries that could use them. Your labor was not “in vain” for the Lord.

We were also able to assemble about 200 “personal care” packs which were donated to a ministry in Haiti. Each pack contained a comb, toothbrush, bar of soap and a comb. What a delight to share them with visiting missionaries.

Two containers are in the works for Togo and Ethiopia. Both will have single beds that can be made into bunks. Keith was able to obtain about 200 beds at our local college JMU (James Madison University) and got permission to load the beds into a container there at the university eliminating the need to move them twice. Another 100 beds were obtained from University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Some of our medical supplies are being taken into Kenya by a local physician . Many short dated supplies can not be shipped so it is always a blessing to know that they can be carried into the country and used immediately.

Charlie and I were blessed to visit Operation Blessing in Virginia Beach. We have been supplying them with used clothing for Chile. We box our clothing and were told that they preferred them boxed instead of baled because of rodents that like to nest in baled clothing. With the boxes it is easy to tell if there has been rodent activity just by looking at box.


Charlie and I will be hitting the road a lot this month. We will be with Suzy, Andy, and Tim in New York over Mother’s Day. Tim will be having hernia surgery May 12th so we will be on hand to help them. Charlie is a veteran of hernia surgeries. It seems to be an occupational hazard of those in warehousing. Tim is the warehouse manager for the Bronx area for World Vision. I know they would appreciate your prayers for his quick recovery.


May 16 through 23rd we will be making our annual pilgrimage to Savannah, Georgia. We always look forward to going “home” and being able to see and worship with so many of you. Our scheduling is being handled by the Missions Office at Savannah Christian Church or feel free to contact us personally on Charlie’s cell phone (540-255-1811). It is always our delight to see as many of you as possible and be able to thank you personally for your prayers and support of this ministry.


Shortly after getting back to Virginia we will be welcoming our Canadians for a 3 week visit. We are so excited to see how much Emma has grown and developed. Poppa has already purchased a child’s swing and red wagon for her entertainment.

We will be able to get the whole family together in New York in early June. Thank you for your generous support that will allow us to make these trips possible despite the increased cost of fuel. Once again God has amazed us with His provision long before we asked. Isaiah 65:24 “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

Looking forward to seeing many of you this month. Again, thank you for being an answer to our prayers.

Blessings,


Charlie and Kathy

0 comments: