We have much to be grateful for... and looking ahead, a lot to look forward to! Do you know how you can take your ministry to the next level in 2012? Check out this timeline to learn more.

Cyclone Funso's projected path as of 5pm January 24th may avoid areas our programs serve. Image courtesy of the Pacific Disaster Center's Global Hazard Atlas.

UPDATE: Cyclone Funso's path is taking it out to sea. Praise God with us that our friends in Mozambique and Swaziland were spared more storms.

When it rains, it pours. And that’s definitely happening in Mozambique and Swaziland. Less than a week after Tropical Storm Dando made landfall and ruined both church buildings and homes in the communities we serve, now Cyclone Funso is threatening.

Today it strengthened to a Category 4 storm with winds over 130 mph. Thankfully, it seems to be drifting along the Mozambique Channel and has not veered inland.

We are praying Cyclone Funso continues on its projected path and skirts past Mozambique and Swaziland. Still, bands of intense storms are raking across southern Africa. Even Bulawayo, Zimbabwe is getting large amounts of rain. (You can see the general location of our projects in the white dots on the image above.)

As the ground is already saturated from Tropical Storm Dando, the aftereffects of Funso can still cause major damage. Please join us in praying for the safety of the children and staff in Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, especially those who may be staying under damaged roofs.

The weather reports show another round of storms brewing behind Cyclone Funso -- please pray with us that those storms also miss these beleagured countries. But if they don't, we pray that God will be making a way for those in the storm's path to find shelter and hope. And may His church continue to move to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters around the world.

You can help Mission of Mercy respond to crises like cyclones and floods with a donation to the Children’s Crisis Fund. In the past, funds have been used to rebuild homes, provide medical treatment, and allow the staff to meet the most pressing needs in a community. Thank you for your continued support of our friends and the children they serve!

Fernando, a Mission of Mercy sponsored child, was inside his home when it collapsed but escaped without major injury.Friends, we are so thankful to tell you that the children and staff at our Xai-Xai program were not injured in Tropical Storm Dando.

We do know, however, that many of the children's homes were severely damaged. Many homes in Xai-Xai are built of reeds and thatch and could not withstand the wind and rain.

The lightweight nature of the materials was also a bit of a blessing for children like Fernando pictured at left, who was inside his home when it collapsed. Thankfully he escaped with little more than a few scratches.

As you can see, much needs to be done to help rebuild the Xai-Xai community. You can help by making a donation to the Children's Crisis Fund, which is available for children whose homes were destroyed. As we reported earlier, we are also raising funds to repair the roof of the Xai-Xai project's building (which also acts a church).

We appreciate your prayers and support for the residents of Xai-Xai. These difficult times also provide an opportunity for the love of Christ to become tangible for those who have so little. Thank you for all you do.  

Weather as of 1pm MST, January 17. Image Courtesy of TerraMetrics via Weather Underground.We are asking for your urgent prayers for the children we serve in Mozambique, as they recover from the effects Tropical Storm Dando.

With forceful winds and heavy rain, Dando wreaked havoc in Mozambique, and in Xai-Xai (pronounced shy-shy) in particular. Today we received reports that the roof of the building that served as the project and church was ripped off.

The staff in Mozambique are in the process of checking on the children registered in our programs. As always, please know that if your sponsored child was directly affected, we will contact you personally; however, given the general state of things this may take some time.

If you would like to make a donation to help Xai-Xai rebuild, or to help the children and their families repair homes that were damaged, please consider making a gift to the Children’s Crisis Fund. Mission of Mercy relies on the CCF to respond and rebuild in situations like these.

Thankfully, Tropical Storm Dando has slowly lost intensity after making landfall, but is still dumping rain in Mozambique and Swaziland. Please pray for the children whose homes may have been damaged. May the Lord be their protection and keep them dry. And may His church rise up beyond the building itself and continue to serve this community.

In the aftermath of the recent flooding in southern Honduras, information about our children and projects has slowly started to trickle in.

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Honduras, and a large portion of Central America, has been receiving heavy rains as part of a slow moving storm. The heavy rains have caused severe flooding throughout the region. 

Our projects in southern Honduras, near Choluteca, have especially been affected. The Choluteca River has already overflowed and it is expected to rain for another 28 hours. The city of Choluteca is on alert for mudslides and continued flooding.

The flooding has ruined all of the crops in the area, which is the poorest in Honduras. As most of the residents in the area are subsistence farmers, this loss of income is devastating.  

So far, approximately 30 of our children and their families have been affected and are taking shelter in schools and churches that have been set up as refugee centers. As this storm continues, we are expecting the loss of more homes as many of our children live along the Choluteca River.

Our staff in Honduras is working hard to get us more information as soon as they can. As we receive updates, we will share them with you here. If your sponsored child is affected, we will personally contact you with the information. 

There is an urgent need for food, water, and clothing. We are sending funds to cover these immediate needs and to help our children and their families recover from this crisis. If you would like to help, please consider giving to our Children's Crisis Fund.

Please keep our children, their families, and the staff in Honduras in your prayers!

Hurricane Irene's location as of 9 am, Tuesday August 23, churning more than 50 miles north of the coast. Image courtesy of Stormpulse.com; to track the storm's path and progress, click on the image.Thank you for praying for our programs in the DR and Haiti! We just received word that our projects in both countries sustained minimal damage. Praise God!

Although Irene had been upgraded to a category two hurricane, the storm's path took it north of the coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Many Mission of Mercy projects are located in this northern region and closed temporarily to allow families to ride out the storm together.

Our prayers for the communities' safety were answered! The staff is still checking with families and community members, but it appears that no major damage occurred.

If you sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic or Haiti, please note that we will only contact you if we are notified that your sponsored child has been affected.

In the event of natural disasters or disease outbreaks, Mission of Mercy relies on our Children's Crisis Fund to respond. To ensure we continue to have has the funds available to help the children and their families in times of hardship, please consider a donation to the Children's Crisis Fund. To read how the Children's Crisis Fund met needs in the past, click here.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Child sponsorship can help alleviate the difficult choices some parents feel they have to make... but for some children, intervention must occur much earlier.

To learn more about how Mission of Mercy helps even the smallest children in need, you can visit baby Elaine in the New Life Home.

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How does Mission of Mercy intervene on behalf of children who are orphaned and left with few resources for their own care?

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What role does water play in God's work? He has used it from the beginning of time, and He is using it still. What does that mean for your sponsored child?

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Yesterday Dr. Beyda met a boy who proves that chronic hunger has life-long consequences. More thoughts from the Medical Mercy team, and more reasons to fight to change the life of a child.

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Last week we shared several stories about the Children’s Crisis Fund and how it can save the lives of children. This next story begins with a familiar situation – a child who is rushed to the hospital with an injury – but the saving that occurs at the story’s end is dramatically different...

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Maidali was in trouble at school and at home. Why was this little girl so disobedient? Could anything help her? The project staff found a solution...

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His knees tucked underneath him, the little boy pulled himself along the floor with his hands, trying in vain to reach a soccer ball across the room.
 
His mother’s question was simple: Can you help a disabled child?

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For Edmond, the difference between life and death cost less than a dollar. Read what happened when a sponsored child contracted cholera, and how even a small gift can make the biggest difference.

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Dr. Beyda gives us another update as he wraps up his emergency assessment trip in Haiti. What does he see when he steps outside our projects? Are all our efforts making a difference?

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Sometimes, all it takes is a headline and our minds race to the worst possible thing. So when a crisis hits, how do you know if your sponsored child is okay? The Sponsor's Journal has your answer...

Standing in the midst of a cholera treatment center, we received some unexpected encouragement from Doctors Without Borders today...

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Jack sends us another dispatch from northern Haiti, where cholera continues to spread. Yet now, thanks to the time he spent in a little community south of Limbe, cholera has a face.

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Jack Eans, our Vice President for International Child Ministries, is back on the ground in Haiti, helping to evaluate the situation at our projects. He sends us this report, which gives us all the more reason to pray.

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