In Today's Hotline:
--Sierra Leone: A Better Place to Learn
--Afghanistan: Helping Families Come Home
--New Resource: UMCOR's 2007 Calendar is Here!
José arrived in the US from Peru when he was just three years old. He came with his family, who for years pursued permanent residency status in the US. When his parents finally received it, he was already 21 and no longer eligible to be part of his family's application. By this time in his life, José had already completed high school, married Jean, a US citizen, and was supporting his wife's college education through his job. About a year after they married and not long after Jean became pregnant, José received a letter denying him his recent application for permanent residency and a notice of deportation. He packed his bags and returned to a country he had not known since he was three. Without José's support, Jean dropped out of school, gave birth to her daughter, and suffered severe depression because of her situation.
Jean learned of the Justice for Our Neighbors clinic in Des Moines and met with Rose Mraz, a JFON attorney. She helped Jean prepare the immigration paperwork to bring José back to the US. Two long years later he is now back in Iowa with his family, Jean is back in school and José is securing his green card.
JFON is an important ministry in the lives of people who have few advocates. Your gifts make a difference! Give to UMCOR Advance #901285, Justice for Our Neighbors.
SIERRA LEONE: A BETTER PLACE TO LEARN
UMCOR is joining with The United Methodist Church in Germany to refurbish two United Methodist schools in Sierra Leone. The schools, known for their quality education in their districts, were severely damaged from the war and years of abuse. By providing the materials needed and using local workers, the project was able to provide some income for skilled workers in the community as well. The students are back in their new and refurbished classrooms and are thankful for a clean and safe place to learn. Your gifts to International Disaster Response UMCOR Advance #982450 support important projects like these around the world.
AFGHANISTAN: HELPING FAMILIES COME HOME
UMCOR Afghanistan has already completed several successful programs that help refugees return to their homes in Afghanistan. The integrated returns programs help these families reconstruct their homes, reestablish livelihoods and rebuild community infrastructure like wells and sanitation systems.
Well over 2,000 families have been helped through these programs since 2002. UMCOR Afghanistan just commenced a new program that will provide similar assistance to another 517 families. You can help these families rebuild their lives by giving to UMCOR Advance #602225, Afghanistan Emergency.
NEW RESOURCE: UMCOR'S 2007 CALENDAR IS HERE!
UMCOR's 2007 calendar, Questions of Crisis: Answers of Hope, shows how hope can break through even the darkest of hours and provide people in crisis what they need to restore their lives. Each month you'll be greeted with a story of how UMCOR offers the power of hope to people in difficult situations.
You can order your calendar now, while supplies last. Call 800-554-8583 x101 or go to www.umcorcalendar.org to order.
UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. You can also give online by clicking on any of the "Give Now" links. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.
BE SURE TO RECEIVE OUR HOTLINE EMAILS. MAKE UMCOR YOUR BUDDY! Some Internet Service Providers like AOL, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Juno use email filtering software that allows you to add email addresses to a "buddy," "trusted," "safe," or approved list. Please add umcor@gbgm-umc.org to your list so that our messages don't end up in "junk mail" or the "trash."
mail filtering software that allows you to add email addresses to a "buddy," "trusted," "safe," or approved list. Please add umcor@gbgm-umc.org to your list so that our messages don't end up in "junk mail" or the "trash."
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
