Mar 20 2013

Trip to the Dominican Republic: ‘This is like coming home’

Posted on March 20, 2013 by admin

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

Photo credits for this report go to the CFCA Dominican Republic staff and to Bob Hentzen.

For me it is always a joy to travel with people who deeply believe in CFCA and deeply love their sponsored friends and their friends’ families.

From north to south in the Dominican Republic, CFCA sponsors on this trip were fortunate to visit each of their sponsored friends in their homes. A good number of these sponsors have helped our CFCA preachers at weekend church presentations.

Others have organized CFCA Sponsorship Sundays at their church or have shared the work of CFCA in their own communities.

Trip participants from this group continued this magnificent outreach by requesting more than 60 folders with family profiles and photos of children, youth and aging friends waiting to be sponsored.

They will take the folders home with them in hopes of finding sponsors for the young and old who are on our waiting list.

A bit of background

CFCA has been working in the Dominican Republic since 1982. CFCA currently serves 5,945 sponsored friends and 105 scholarship students, with 1,117 individuals waiting for sponsorship. Read more

Share this post:

Mar 18 2013

23 quick tips to cut international travel costs

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA)

Alison, a CFCA sponsored youth, and Felix, brother of a CFCA sponsored child, perform a dance to welcome sponsors on a CFCA awareness trip to Bolivia.

Interested in traveling internationally, but unsure how much it will cost? With a little planning and budgeting, the costs may not be as formidable as you think.

CFCA’s awareness trip coordinators Karen Allemang, Stacy King and Erika McDonnell provide 23 helpful tips for reducing overall travel costs:

Disclaimer: Saving a few dollars here and there is not worth risking your personal safety. Please use common sense when planning personal travel and make safe choices.

Research lodging options

Look into whether it is less expensive to join a package tour, stay at an all-inclusive resort, or plan your own adventure (reserving your own transportation to your destination, in-country transportation, lodging and activities). You might be surprised at the price difference, depending on the type of trip you are considering.

Consider staying at a local bed and breakfast, hostel or small family-run hotel. They are usually less expensive and will give you a local taste of the country plus recommendations on what to do in the area.

Explore affordable entertainment options and activities.

†Borrow travel books from the library about your destination. A lot of museums offer free entry once a month. Take these days into consideration while planning.

If you qualify for a student or senior discount, make the best use of it! Many hotels, parks, museums and transportation services offer these types of discounts.

Share this post:

Mar 8 2013

Trip to Kenya: ‘Becoming an instrument of peace’

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

Heartfelt greetings from Kenya.

I am very grateful to the Kansas City awareness trip team and the staff in Kenya for all of their preparation for this journey.

Photo credits for this report go to Regina Mburu, CFCA communications liaison for Africa. Regina was with the group for the entire trip. Don’t miss her latest blog post, which features her reflection about her visit to Madagascar.

The estimated 2012 population in Kenya topped 43 million, with more than 3 million living in Nairobi, the capital and largest city. Read more

Share this post:

Nov 5 2012

‘Inspired by our CFCA sponsored friends and their families in India’

Posted on November 5, 2012 by admin

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“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.

Photo credits go to Sreekanth Gundoji, CFCA communications liaison, for India.

After a few days at CFCA headquarters in Kansas City, I entered this trip energized and grateful for CFCA board members, co-workers and family.

We are inspired by our CFCA sponsored friends and their families in India. It is a privilege to spend these days with them.

Since 1988, the CFCA presence in India has grown to include 29,315 sponsored children and youth, 860 sponsored aging friends and 1,114 families on our waiting list. Read more

Share this post:

Sep 15 2012

Joy accompanies visitors on a trip to Bolivia

Posted on September 15, 2012 by admin

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“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.

It’s a joy to communicate with you from Bolivia.

In this multicultural country of more than 10 million people, many are said to survive on less than $1 a day.

At CFCA, we’ve had the privilege of walking with the Bolivians since 1988. In Bolivia, CFCA currently serves 10,182 sponsored children, 824 sponsored aging friends and 917 families on our waiting list. CFCA scholars play an important role in every project. Read more

Share this post:

Aug 27 2012

Bob’s notes from Honduras: ‘Welcome to my world’

Posted on August 27, 2012 by admin

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“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.

It’s a joy to send you this message of solidarity and love from our CFCA sponsored friends and their families in Honduras.

Since its humble beginning in 1982, CFCA-Honduras has grown to include 16,088 children and 1,698 aging friends; all in four projects and 60 subprojects.†Currently, 1,955 individuals are on our waiting list in Honduras. Read more

Share this post: