In the extremely poor village of Kijabe, Kenya, there lives a crippled widow named Mary. After her husband died of AIDS a few years ago, she struggled to find food.
While she suffers from HIV, too, Mary’s greatest challenge is a nerve problem in her legs. She has to use crutches to walk and can’t move very far. Most of the day, the pain keeps her seated, so she spends hours reading her Bible while her children are at school.
Mary’s two young children, Robert and Elizabeth, were getting a meal every day through Forward Edge’s feeding program at the local primary school. Every once in a while, there were enough leftovers to bring some home for Mary.
Most days, though, Mary went hungry. She had become stick thin and constantly worried where she’d find her next meal.
Then came the pandemic. Quarantine measures forced our program to pivot from its normal food service at schools to delivering food packages to homes. That’s how we discovered Mary. God used the pandemic to bring us to her.
Immediately, our staff made sure Mary had consistent, nutritious meals. In time, they were even able to build the family a new home and buy Mary a new stove.
Today, months later, Mary’s anxiety is gone. She’s much healthier, has regained lost weight, and is happy again. She even has the strength to go sit outside her home and bask in the sun.
God reached out to Mary with His tangible love not just in spite of this horrible pandemic, but through it. A sweet reminder that no matter what hardships you face, God will work through them.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
-Romans 8:28
A special message from our Program Directors in Mexico, Victor and Lety Velasco: Hola and Feliz Navidad from Forward Edge and our program down here in Oaxaca, Mexico. We want to tell you a story of the impact you’re making. One of the first families to join our program 10
Have you had to cancel or postpone a trip to serve in another country this year? Have you considered repurposing your investment rather than losing it or delaying the opportunity? 1. Repurpose your plan Is there a way to take the plans you have already made and modify them using
What does it look like to follow Jesus in a culture where most of your community—and even your own family—follows a different faith? In Kosova, where Ramadan is a time of fasting and nightly celebration, young believers often feel the tension deeply.
This blog, written by our Kosova program directors Nora and Metush, shares the powerful story of Ymer—a boy learning to hold onto Jesus in the middle of cultural and spiritual pressure.
The past two years have been particularly hard for children in Uganda. Schools remained shut through most of the pandemic. Light a Candle, our program there, worked tirelessly to help these children succeed in their education despite the seemingly impossible situation. Despite school closures, children have remained committed to pursuing
16 yrs. old
Entered the program: September 2023
Era lives with her mother and two sisters in her grandparents’ home. The house was built many years ago and is in fair condition. Era’s father passed away in 2022, leaving the family with no means of support so they had to move in with their grandparents. They live on government assistance which basically is only enough to cover utilities for 2 weeks. Era's mother struggles to provide for the family on her own; housework falls largely to Era and her older sister and they often lack food. Life is very difficult for them.
Era's sister, Ema, is also in the Corner Stone program.
Plus bonus group fundraising ideas!
