Children’s Relief International

I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him. The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.  Job 29:12–13.

Chica sang today. She sang songs of praise and thanksgiving to God because in the midst of her poverty He has met her needs. Chica has outlived her husband and all seven of her children. She is elderly and cannot work. She has no one to care for her—except God and His people. Today Chica felt God’s love as she was handed the keys to a brand new house. She will always have a place to call home in this life and the next. Thank you to our generous donors who made this gift possible. Today you made the widow’s heart sing!

To donate a home for a widow visit our Green Door Blog to read about our future home recipients. Then go to our Donate page and click on Other Ways to Give to donate.

Dear friends of CRI and the Ray of Light Project,

On the morning of the 29th a fire swept through much of the Cessito’s home. The roof, office, all the computers, books, printers and modems were burned and destroyed. With the rainy season coming, they fear their will be more damaged due to the missing roof and no way to protect the inside of their home.

The Cessito’s have been part of the CRI family for 11 years. Their loss and heartache is ours too.
We would like to raise $10,000 to help. Please consider a gift to the Cessito’s to restore their home and replace items that were destroyed.

To give a gift via credit card, go to our donate page.

Under Give to our Projects you can choose Emergency Fund – Cessito’s Fire Repair. (All gifts are tax deductible)

Read about Real Life in Mozambique from a visiting missionary to our Ray of Light Project, Lou Peryea.

Last year at the Women’s Conference I became friendly with Addelina.  Approaching 40 years of age, she looks and acts like a silly twenty-something.  The Conference was like a giant slumber party for several hundred women, and she bounced from group to group, joking around at appropriate, and not always appropriate, times.  Later I found out her age, that she had 3 children and that she had AIDS.

Several years ago, Addelina was a pre-school teacher, then she became an Activista in Project Life, and when she could no longer do that work well, she began to sell beans in the market. Last September, as I hugged my very thin friend good-bye, I gave her the yellow sun hat that I wore.

Now I’m back in Mozambique. When I saw my silly friend at a Baby Dedication a few weeks ago we embraced warmly.  I was struck at how bony her body had become over the past year.  With smiles and laughter she said she was fine.  The next week I saw Addelina near the clinic and she had an open wound on her toe and several written prescriptions in her hand. She assured me she would take care of herself and be fine. Days later she was walking on the sandy roads with a pronounced limp and a homemade bandage on her toe.

No, the prescriptions had not been filled.  The reason, of course, was money.  How much?  Well, in American dollars the cost would be about $1.50.  To Addelina, the 45 metacash was well beyond her reach. I haven’t seen her since, but I pray that the money we easily and quickly gave her provided the necessary healing to her toe.  Having AIDS complicates healing significantly.  The fact that she wears flip-flops all day and walks on sandy dirt roads for miles between home and job adds more complications.

The people here in Mozambique are often teetering on the edge. One small illness or injury can have a dramatic impact on their lives and often ends in death. In spite of their circumstances my friends in Mozambique know how to find joy in life. They have learned to give thanks in all circumstances.

Keep Addelina, Mozambique and the Ray of Light project in your prayers, and click here to see How You Can Help.

A visiting missionary to our Ray of Light Project in Mozambique, Lou Peryea, shares her experience at our Tessa Grace Nutrition Center. This is Lou’s third year to join us in Mozambique to care for the poor.

The Nutrition Center has been my project focus this year.  What a remarkable place!  2 women and 1 Brazilian nurse see 80 moms and serve 100 children weekly, teaching good health habits and providing either formula or supplemental food to children 0-24 months old.  Home visits are made weekly hoping to find adequate hygiene habits to promote good health.

There is a nervous joy as we get ready to graduate a significant number of babies out of the program.  Toddlers with chubby thighs and cheeks are ready, with the grace of God,  to thrive on their own.  The flip side of that coin are the children who are chronically ill.  Francisco and John Paul are not related, however one is nine months and the other ten months.  Neither child has hit the 10lb mark yet.  We still have work to do.

Last year I  took part in a funeral for one of the women involved in our program. I witnessed the purchase of her casket, waited outside the morgue as her body was cleaned, and stood respectfully during the graveside service.  I also got to transport her tiny twin daughters, who were just several weeks old at the time, back to their father after the funeral service.  It was a sad time.  But today I saw those same two  little girls, having been nourished for the past year by the Nutrition Center, healthy and happy.  Being raised by Grandma, one was chatty and both were alert and engaging.  These lives are an affirmation of the work being done here.

If you would like to help our efforts at the Tessa Grace Nutrition Center, click here to learn How You Can Help.

Do you remember the one million meals donated by the Wooddale church in Minnesota? (If not, click here.) Well, those meals are still changing lives. In Dondo, Mozambique the crops have suffered from lack of rain. That means the people are suffering from lack of food. Without the compassionate gererosity demonstrated by our friends in Minnesota, many would be without food this season.

Recently these meals touched the lives of a special group of people. At the church plant in Mafarinha 68 men and women waited in line—all of them were blind. Many had no idea what to expect, so they arrived without bags or boxes to transport their food home. As names were called, those who had bags shared with those who didn’t, and all received their portion.

Kathy Knight, one of CRI’s missionaries to Mozambique described the day.

I watched as their faces beamed with the light of joy even though their eyes could not see their providers. Their hearts rejoicing at the fact that the devil had lost again and they would indeed have meals for another month. They responded with singing and one elderly woman got up and did her best to dance for the King of blessing.

If you would like to become a part of God’s work in Mozambique visit our How You Can Help page.

“He looked like a typical eight-year-old. But he wasn’t typical, nor was he eight. He actually was 15. It was hard to believe this small boy was a young man, but AIDS is not kind to a growing body.”

Pam Johnson, missionary to Mozambique, described Domingos this way after meeting him for the first time. Often orphans are left without anything but the AIDS virus. Domingos is no exception. He and his grandmother live in a dilapidated hut. Each day Domingos scrounges for food while his grandmother tends a small crop of rice. Their only goal in life is to survive.

But thankfully we can help! Domingos and his grandmother will be the first recipients of our newly designed Green Door home. These cement homes are small but sufficient. They are made possible through donors like you who want to make a difference. Each home costs $1350 to build.

Click here to learn How You Can Help.

Neither the hot sun beating down nor the downpour of rain could discourage this determined group from completing the task at hand.  Activistas and participants in Project Life toiled all day to plant a lettuce garden. Why didn’t they wait for cooler weather or at least until it stopped raining?

They knew their labor would not be in vain. When they grew weary, the pastor read from Malachi 3:9-12. Loosely paraphrased, those verses teach us that if you offer all to the Lord, the Lord will bless your effort and protect it. They offered their all to God, and the results of their effort did not disappoint.

Imagine their excitement as they watched the fruits of their labor grow. After several weeks, each participating Project Life family had enough to satisfy their own needs.  The ladies even sold some at the local market.  The children at El Shaddai and the pre-schools had lettuce with their porridge, and still there was more!

Project Life was created to help AIDS widows and their children. These families’ lives are dominated by this disease and the poverty that accompanies it. Our ministry volunteers conduct Bible studies, offer prayer, and provide for specific needs like hospital transportation of fixing a leaky roof. This program also cares for those in their last stages of life helping with bedding, companionship and prayer. If you would like to take part in this life-giving ministry, please visit our website under How You Can Help.