Mission
Michele Perry's Missionary Work in the Sudan Many who have attended our Annual Meetings and Spring Retreats have seen Diane Perry tirelessly selling Siwok Indian Crafts in support of her daughter Michele Perry's missionary efforts in the Sudan. The Bricks of Hope project is to help the at-risk and orphaned children at the Iris Ministries Children's Village in Yei, South Sudan. The Iris South Sudan Children's Village is now a family of over 90. They have outgrown their current rented facility and must move onto their newly acquired land as soon as the needed structures are built but no later than June of this year. As Michele says: "Ultimately, we are not just building very much needed physical structures, we are building hope. Hope is defined literally as confident expectation, trust, and reliance; to look for and leap up in expectation. So our bricks are not merely bricks of mud and clay, they are Bricks of Hope. The total cost of the structures is $400,000 and there is a matching grant to help us get there, but only if we are able to raise the other half of the funds. Please prayerfully consider investing in what God is doing here, and inviting others to do so as well. Your support is not simply a donation; it is a tangible investment in something lasting… Like buying a brick that will be used to provide places where our children will eat, sleep, learn, play and worship. Every brick that is bought not only builds a building; it builds hope into the heart of a generation." The ECW Board at their February 21st meeting voted to send in a donation to the Bricks of Hope in support of missionary, Michelle Perry, and we are urging local ECW's to support this effort as well. St. Mark's in Starke has also sent in a similar donation in recognition of three senior members of their congregation who will be honored during March for Women's History Month. Many of you picked up handouts at the meeting. If you were not there, below is a downloadable document which will tell you how to make a donation or pledge to this worthwhile cause. Please note, as indicated in Diane's note below, this worthy cause continues and still needs our support. It was also selected as one of the GMCC Recommendations for Local Option Distributions (MDG's) (2008)
Bricks of Hope.doc
BRICKS OF HOPE UPDATE FROM DIANE PERRY
My sincere thanks, on Milchele's behalf, for your support in the past. We are at 46.5% of our goal of 193,000 bricks or $400,000. We will continue to receive donations for Bricks of Hope until we get to goal. Funds will not be matched after May 15th unless the Lord leads someone to help us in that way.
Please continue to share with others about this ministry and their need for financial assistance to help them get on their new land and to meet their $7,000 monthly operations cost. Plans were to move onto their new land Dec, 2008. If you have ideas for fundraisers or questions, please let me know. I'm here to help on Michele's behalf. Thank you again for your prayers, interest, and support,
Diane
http://www.iris-sudan.org/
Thanks Diane for continuing to sell Siwok crafts at our Annual Spring Retreat 2009!
IRIS SUDAN UPDATE UPDATEFROM DIANE PERRY (MICHELE'S MOTHER)
(Thank you so much for your love and support. I just got back from Sudan. What a trip! Both stretching for me personally and wonderful at the same time. Please check out http://lovehasaface.blogspot.com. Michele posted a 7 minute video clip on my trip that really is quite a good update.
Prayers for Michele's health and travel mercies are always needed. She rides around Yei on the back of boda-bodas with very bad roads and now, with the rainy season, the risk and challenges in using that mode of transportation are even greater. Michele is just recovering from Malaria and is doing much better. . .Praise God!
Iris Ministries Sudan has three main projects for 2009:
1. Installation of solar light for Michele's house and eventually for some of the other structures on the compound.
2. A satellite dish for compound use that will provide for more efficient and dependable electronic communication capability with the outside world.
3. A new land cruiser vehicle suitable for outreaches in the bush. (There are no decent "used" vehicles. . .they are used until there is no life left in them in Sudan.)
Internet has become so difficult--the worst since Michele moved there in October 2006. It is very difficult to open and send messages. . .very time consuming and often with no results for the effort. Projects #1 and #2 will resolve that problem and provide a greater level of security for the Iris Family on their new, more remote location.
All of these are fairly high-ticket items: Solar light project estimated at $25,000; satellite dish estimated at $10,000-20,000; new outreach vehicle estimated at $75,000.
I will be starting the 2010 Entertainment Discount Book Fundraising Campaign for Iris Ministries Sudan Children's Village in early August for those of you that would like to buy one or more books. They make great gifts. I could use your help in selling these books too. . .we can take it nationwide for Iris Sudan if you are interested. . .involves only your time. I still have some Jacksonville Entertainment 2009 books available a 50% discount ($10) if there is any interest there. Any questions, please ask away. . .
Again, thank you so much for your love, prayers, and support.
Diane (for Michele)
MINISTRY Our Cuba Chair, Bettye Zworka wears 3 hats so to speak. At our Annual Spring Retreat, she reminds us of our Cuba Ministry, while holding up our Mile of Quarters Jar. We continue to pledge toward our goal of giving a mile of quarters, apx $16,000 to the Camp Weed Capital Campaign and we have given a little over $10,00 so far to that effort. Our newest ministry, is the selling of ECW bags to support our youth as we encourage their attendance at our meetings and retreats. We have pledged to pay the way of our college liaison Board Members to our meetings and retreats and we will use the proceeds from selling our ECW logo bags to do this as well as for other outreach. These bags have sold well at all our meetings and continued to sell well at our 2009 Spring Retreat. The red bags sold out and our new ones are black and white and several sizes are available. For more information, Email Bettye:
River Region Representative models one of the Large ECW Logo Bags. Thanks to Betty Tyson for selling these at both our Winter Meeting and Spring Retreat!
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