Helping families affected by Cyclone Thane in India
Some of the damage after Cyclone Thane in India.
Cyclone Thane hit southern India last December, damaging houses and uprooting trees and electricity poles. Forty families in the CFCA project in Chennai were affected by the damage.
Sreekanth Gundoji, CFCA communications liaison in India, recently traveled with CFCA staff members from the Chennai project to see how CFCA is helping these families rebuild after the cyclone. This is his report.
When I visited families in the CFCA sponsorship program who were affected by the cyclone, I observed that most of the families don’t have concrete houses.
Their houses are in the urban slums of Pondicherry. Read more
January 25, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
What do sponsored children want to know in letters?
CFCA sponsored children from Colombia talk about letters and what they want to hear from sponsors.
Jackelin
Jackelin, 11
“I would like it if they told me about their family, friends and their cat. Also I would like them to tell me about where they live, how the city and country are.
“I would like to personally know and thank them for all the things they have given me. I would also like them to send me lots of pictures.”
Kevin
David, 7
“I want to know what my sponsor eats, and if they eat what they like. I would also like him to tell me where he lives and to send a photo.”
Kevin, 7
“… if there are robbers where my sponsor lives and if his work is going well.”
Jennifer, 9
“I would like to know how my sponsor’s family and children are doing and whether he has all he needs. I would like for my sponsor always to support me in everything I do, and am grateful that he gives me much love. I work very hard and send him lots of hugs and kisses.”
Wendy
Wendy, 7
“I would like them to tell me how they are doing, if they live with the family and for them to send me a photo.”
Katherine, 16
“I would like to know how their whole family is doing, and how he is doing since I last heard from him, how it’s been going in the [U.S.] Air Force, what has happened in his life since he last wrote.
“Also, what food he likes, if he is sick or well, his birthday so I can send a card and a happy birthday greeting, how old he is, if he lives with his children, if his wife is still alive, if he is a grandfather, if he still has his dogs.
“I’d like to know if he has received the letters I sent with thanks for his support and help. But the most important for me is to know how he is.”
Related links:
5 great letter-writing ideas for your sponsored friend
January 24, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 3 comments
How to make ticucos from Honduras (recipe)
Ticucos from Honduras.
CFCA serves more than 17,000 sponsored children and elderly in Honduras. Our staff members there sent us this beautiful recipe for ticucos!
This recipe serves approximately 6 people. See the full recipe
January 23, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
May we pray for you?
Edwin and Natali pray together in El Salvador. Both are sponsored through CFCA.
Sponsored children and aging friends around the world pray for their sponsors. At CFCA offices we pray for you, too.
Every day, in the morning and just before lunch, a bell rings at our CFCA headquarters in Kansas City.
The bell signals a call to pray, and a group of staff members puts aside work for a few minutes to gather in prayer for CFCA sponsors, sponsored friends and others in our community.
If you have an intention you’d like us to pray for, we’d be honored to include it in our prayers.
Simply enter your request at www.hopeforafamily.org/pray. Note: These prayers are offered in our chapel and are not shared publicly.
Thank you for being a part of our worldwide community of compassion and hope.
P.S. We have a weekly Prayer Partners email that features prayer requests for the CFCA community around the world. If you’re interested in praying with us, please go to this page to sign up: http://www.cfcausa.org/GetInvolved/StayConnected.aspx
January 20, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
Can you join us for the world premiere of ‘Rise and Dream’?
Great news for all who are interested in our upcoming documentary film, “Rise and Dream!”
We recently learned that “Rise and Dream” is an official selection in the 2012 Thin Line Film Fest, an international documentary film festival, which will run from Feb. 10 to Feb. 20 in Denton, Texas.
This will be our world premiere – the first time the film will be shown to the public!
If you live in or near the Denton or Dallas/Fort Worth areas or are in the mood for a road trip, please come and see the movie! We know you’ll love the film, and we’re hoping for a packed house to show support for the film and for CFCA.
Rise and Dream will be showing at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Campus Theatre, located one block west of the downtown square: 214 West Hickory St., Denton, Texas 76201. Seating is limited, so we encourage you to get tickets soon. Read more
January 19, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
We found sponsors for more than 8,000 kids!
We did it!!
More than 8,000 children have been sponsored through the “8,000 miles for 8,000 kids” effort inspired by Walk2gether, the 8,000-mile solidarity walk through Latin America led by CFCA President and Co-founder Bob Hentzen.
Related news report: ’8,000 miles for 8,000 kids’ meet goal
We cannot thank everyone enough for all the help we received in making this possible. This was a labor of love for so many people, and we deeply appreciate your support.
As Bob says, “For each of you who walked with us in fact or in prayer, this continues to be an exciting and humbling journey into the lives of our sponsored friends, their families and our CFCA colleagues.”
Thank you, CFCA community!
January 18, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 6 comments
Natural home remedies for winter, flu season: Honduras
Clockwise, from top left, are eucalyptus leaves, orange leaves, anise seeds and ginger root. Maria, grandmother of three CFCA sponsored children in Honduras, uses all these items for her natural home remedies.
In our ongoing series about natural home remedies used by sponsored friends and their families, we look to Honduras.
Maria is caretaker of three CFCA sponsored children in Honduras. She has a vast knowledge of herbal remedies intended to alleviate discomfort from common ailments such as coughs, colds, fever and nausea.
Her practice does not discourage her neighbors from visiting doctors or hospitals. However, because of her vast knowledge in herbal remedies, neighbors prefer going to her first for a quick diagnosis and affordable treatment.
(Read more about how she uses herbal remedies to help her community.)
Here are some herbal remedies Maria recommends during the winter and flu season. Read more
January 17, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
8 games played by sponsored children in Chile
By Shanxi Omoniyi, CFCA web editor and writer
If you sponsor a child, have you ever wondered what kinds of games sponsored children play?
Despite the challenges of poverty, kids in developing countries often find joy in playing with whatever they have available. Many of these games don’t require a lot of items, but they keep children entertained for hours!
On a recent mission awareness trip to Chile, sponsors got to observe – and participate in – games popular among sponsored children. I was honored to be part of the trip.
We hope you enjoy learning and watching these games as much as we enjoyed playing them! Watch the games in action
January 16, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 3 comments
Guatemala trip displays ‘harmony amidst challenges’ of poverty
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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.
What a joy for Cristina and me to share this sacred time with 36 sponsors, their sponsored friends and families, and a great group of CFCA co-workers.
This New Year’s group of sponsors includes a good number of children and young people. They found a Guatemala in great need, but in the happy time of coffee harvest.
Students in Guatemala will be out of school until mid-January; coffee harvest involves the entire family.
[Related link: Read our story about families harvesting coffee in Guatemala.]
A new president, new congressional representatives and new mayors will take office on Jan. 15.
This is also the time of the “safra” – the burning, cutting and hauling of sugar cane. The air is filled with the distinct odor and falling ash of the cane. It is impressive to think that every stalk must be hand-cut by campesinos, darkened by the coastal sun and carbon, and cut and stacked. They are paid for by the ton. Read more
January 14, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
2011 CFCA blog numbers in review
Thanks to WordPress for preparing a 2011 annual report for our CFCA blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 82,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it.
In 2011, there were 237 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 639 posts. There were 580 pictures uploaded. That’s about 2 pictures per day.
We appreciate all our blog visitors and subscribers for giving us such great readership in 2011!
January 13, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
