A Project Life Advocate Story
Every CRI relationship starts somewhere. For Sue, it started with a trip.
“In the early 2000’s, I joined a short-term mission trip to Dondo, Mozambique with Children’s Relief International. As an elementary educator, I imagined my focus would be on the little ones we met, but I was captivated by the Project Life program.
The women and men who serve in Project Life are called Caregivers. Their attitude of compassion, dedication, and grace was unlike anything I’d seen in the States. Sure, we have systems in place that care for the sick and elderly, but stateside Caregivers don’t walk miles to pray with their patients or consider evangelism as one of their key roles.
I was able to visit Mozambique six times. Each trip offered different ministry experiences, but one that stuck with me was serving in Project Life’s Soup Solution program. We went into the packed hospital wards and served bowls of hot soup to patients lying on stained, thin mattresses. It was jarring to know that they would have nothing to eat that day if CRI’s Caregivers weren’t there to serve them. But I remember feeling God’s presence in the room as we held their hand or touched their shoulder as we prayed over them.
The prayer relationship that develops when you commit to supporting work like Project Life is life-changing. Because I visited Dondo so often, I was greeted by acquaintances who encouraged us by saying we had been in their prayers. And I could honestly say that I had been praying for them every day and night.
Being involved in Project Life helps me remember that ministry around the world goes beyond my comfortable pew at church. Through Project Life, I’m reminded how blessed our lives are—to live where we live and have what we have. Giving from that blessing becomes a natural response of praise.”