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Elvin’s Journey of Hope

Imagine you’re a four-year-old boy living in an ‘unrecognized country’ struggling to recover from the scars of war. This was life for Elvin in the Gjakova district of Kosova. Barely surviving, with little food, electricity, or funds, life was bleak, and hope seemed distant.

A Place Filled with Joy

Elvin’s world began to change when he found a haven at Cornerstone Kosova. Every Saturday, he eagerly attended, drawn to the love and care of the community. As he recalls, “I didn’t know much what we were doing when we were coming here, but my heart was getting filled with joy, and I couldn’t wait for the next Saturday to come!”

Discovering a Love That Transforms

Now 15, Elvin understands why he was so excited for those Saturdays. “The love of Jesus was feeding my heart and that was the reason I was thirsty to know more of Him. Each time [I came], I learned many new things that I didn’t learn from school or family…I learned about love and care! This year I am so overwhelmed with Jesus’ goodness and the people who love Him! They (Cornerstone Kosova) are helping me with school supplies, a new school bag, and are willing to invest in my future! This is really God and His love!”

Bringing Hope to the Forgotten

Elvin’s story is a beautiful example of how love and hope can transform lives, even in the most challenging circumstances. There are countless children like Elvin who are longing for help and hope. They’re waiting for someone to reach out with love, care, and the chance for a brighter future.

Lift Their Eyes to the Prince of Peace

Through the support of our programs like Cornerstone Kosova, children like Elvin are experiencing peace, joy, and the love of Jesus. As Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)

A New Story of Love

Elvin shares, “Everywhere around me at school, friends or relatives all talk about hatred and how we need to pay back everybody who treats us wrongly, but here I learned about love and care. I have lived with hatred, and it made me so angry; I didn’t have peace or any good friends. After I started to read my Bible and come to church, I started to see things differently. I learned that love can help me and my heart, and life started to change. Not only me, but friends around me can see it and they ask me questions. I wish everybody and all my friends find this love!”

A Brighter Future Awaits

As we reflect on Elvin’s story, we’re reminded of the incredible impact of love, support, and community. More children like Elvin are waiting for the chance to experience this transformation. Through your support, we can continue to offer children the resources and love they need to grow, thrive, and find hope.

If you feel moved to help these children experience the same transformation, your generosity will provide nutritious meals, education support, clean drinking water, and the love of a community that cares.

Picture of Nancy Hellmann

Nancy Hellmann

Nancy's relationship with Forward Edge began after Hurricane Katrina when her church served in the ninth ward of New Orleans. She has completed mission trips to Haiti three times, Uganda twice, Nicaragua once, and Oaxaca four times. After her first trip to Oaxaca, she became a child sponsor and loves going every year to visit the children she sponsors. In August 2022, she joined the staff of Forward Edge at the international headquarters. 
child discipleship

Faith, Family, and the Drumbeat of Ramadan

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.

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cuba

Children Step Up for Families

Tough Times It never ceases to amaze me the accomplishments children can achieve, but more importantly and impressively, their hearts behind it. The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, but one of the largest hurdles the families in our programs have had to face is watching the prices for their

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sellahomesaveachild

What is Sell a Home, Save a Child?

Have you come across Sell a Home, Save a Child and wondered what it is? Abbreviated SAHSAC, Sell a Home, Save a Child is a funding program for Forward Edge International. The premise is simple: sell homes and save children. Real Estate professionals can partner with Sell a Home, Save

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change lives

Micro-Loans Change Lives in Nicaragua

Most families living in extreme poverty have very little opportunity to grow economically. Even if the will and grit to persue entrepeneurship is there, the start-up funds are not. Micro-lending is an increasingly integral part of international community development. Individuals wanting to start a small business are able to borrow

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Transform a Child's Life Through Sponsorship

Hola (hello), my name is Coral

  • location

    Mexico

  • 17 yrs. old

    02-20-2008

Entered the program: March 2020

Coral lives with her parents and 2 siblings. Her parents have been married since 2006 and have been living in the Olimpo community for since 2012 in a small house on a piece of land they own. Her mother works as a teacher in a rural community and is away from home a lot, so the children are with their father only most of the time. Her father works from home doing odd jobs.

Her younger sister, Pamela, and younger brother, Jose, are also in the Trigo y Miel program.

Sponsorship Level What's this?

Three $38 sponsorships are needed to cover the complete holistic care of one child. Cover one, two, or three sponsorships.