Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Orphans....EVICTED!

Ok - I kinda need you to "get this"...whoever you are.  Please share on facebook and retweet on Twitter.  PLEASE (humbly begging).  We have a crisis.

Like you, I am tired of (me) being in the business of crisis aversion....but this seems to be our track for the time.  Just when we think we are about to get ahead of the curve and course about a reasonable ebb and flow of receiving/giving....something bigger than us falls into the middle of the plate and shatters it into bits.

Here is the short nitty gritty.  Our partner and orphanage director in Zimbabwe has been using 3 houses in Zim as orphanage homes for almost 6 years.  In all of this time they have never had to pay rent.  That's right....kind generous people who didn't need the houses (and couldn't really sell them for much)...just decided to let Fatima use them until further notice.  Well.....further notice is now.  Fatima CAN continue to use these 3 houses and the 4th house that she is using as a "transitional" home right now for some of the older kids.....BUT....she must start paying rent.  And well, she was supposed to start paying rent in May.  She hasn't.  If she doesn't (and how can she?)..... then they have to all vacate and go....nowhere.

So, to add to the expenses of food, electricity, water, school fees, clothing, etc.....there is now the added monthly expense of rent.  We (BFGO) would be honored to cover this for them (worthy, beautiful, precious, deserving children).... but we do not have the funds.  We were aiming for being able to pay for food and school fees for the entire year....but obviously without a roof....we can do nothing.  I am going to copy and paste the email exchange between Fatima and myself.  I asked her what she needs right away....(if) there was anything at all...since the next round of school fees are not due until September).

In OTHER news....we have been communicating with the IRS and I think we are getting so so close to good news (and praying for it!)

We are so grateful for our monthly donors....and we do not want to ask you for more...so that is not what this is about.  If you have never given to Beautiful Feet GO OR if you could help us spread the word we would be forever grateful.  There are 55+ incredibly hopeful and loving children (orphans) on the other side of the world that we are praying will not lose the only home they know.  You can be a blessing!  Please help if you can.  We are so humbly grateful!

{email from Fatima}  -----I had specifically asked her in a previous email what their greatest needs are besides school fees.

Dear Precious Melissa,

Thank you for the exciting news that you want to visit the children once more. You are more than welcome. The best time to do this visit would be the 1st of December up to the time when you want to leave. This will give children a nice break especially after a hectic week of exams. Let me know about your schedule for the intended visits.

We desperately need GOD's intervention regarding finances to settle our rentals and water and electricity.  we have gone for two months without paying rentals and if GOD does not intervene we can be evicted. The rentals payable for four properties are US$ 2300 per month and we would need about US$ 2 500 to settle our water and electricity bills[ these have gone unpaid for sometime now] but the normal for all our properties would be us$ 500.

we thank GOD for a gift from Larissa. she informed me and Phillip that she had collected a few laptops that she could give to someone coming to Zimbabwe. Please could you bring them for us? these will go a long way by assisting the various units to do a continous update of the children's bio data.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU OUR CHAMPION.

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

fatima for all





PLEASE VISIT OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO MAKE DONATIONS.  www.beautifulfeetgo.org

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Updates and Needs

Hi friends,

Thank you for regularly visiting our blog and our facebook page.  Believe it or not we are blessed just by you showing up here and there.  Knowing that there are peeps who care about this ministry and the kiddos being served just helps us to keep moving on.  So, thank you!

You might recall that last month we were so incredibly blessed to send the balance of the school fees that were due right then.  At that same time the truck being used in Zim to carry out the ministry errands/deliveries broke down.  After discussion, we permitted the organization leader in Zim to use money from those funds to fix the truck.  The truck is repaired now, thank God!  So, yesterday we were able to wire $1,400 more to cover the school fees.  Some of that money will also be used to pay the driver who was kind enough to drive me all over Zim while I was there recently.  ALSO, approx $200 will be used to pay for Pastor Phillip to take some exams that he needs to take in order to try to come to the USA for some further education.  You may recall that Pastor Phillip is an adult orphan.  He lost his parents when he was young, as they died in a car accident.  He is a very special man and an INCREDIBLE PREACHER!  I wish I could hear him preach every week....the special messages that God placed on his heart and spoke out of Phillips mouth while I was there were fresh and new and inspiring.  I am praying that he will get to share the word of God to many many many more in his lifetime.

The director there is sending me acquittals this week so that we can log her expenditures.  I am forever grateful to have a partner there who is leading with the Spirit of the Lord and who accounts for every penny.  It is her relentless pursuit of Christ and devotion to His ministry in loving these orphans, and accountability to us that keeps this process fun, hopeful and worth every tear.

Beautiful Feet Global Outreach needs many many many many more financial partners.  We would love to find at least 75 more people who are willing to donate $25 per month to continue to feed the children, send them to school, provide their food, clothing and shelter....and pay for those unexpected things like broken-down trucks.  Please consider.

Also please pray for the ministry director in Zim, Fatima.  She fell very ill with an infected boil.  She is feeling much better.  Fever is gone, but the boil is still opened and it is hurting her.

As always, please visit our official website to learn more about us and to set up donations.  Thank you so much and God bless every sweet soul that lands on this page.  www.beautifulfeetgo.org

Photos of our sweet Fatima!