Friday, August 21, 2009

Innocent of Uganda




I’d like you to meet Innocent. He was born with Hydrocephalus, a condition that is sometimes known as water on the brain. He has an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cavities of his brain. He has an abnormally large head, excluding his face because the pressure of the fluid cause his skull bones—which have yet to fuse—to bulge outward at their juncture points.

If left untreated Innocent’s head may continue to enlarge and could lead to convulsions, mental disability and even death.

When Innocent was born and his mother saw his enlarged head she asked, “How can I take care of a baby with such a large head?” A few days later she ran away, leaving her baby with his father.

Innocent’s father has done his best to care for him but he has no money to pay for Innocent’s treatment. There is a hospital in Uganda that treats cases such as this. For a one-time enrollment fee of $500 they will drain the fluid and continue to treat Innocent for the rest of his life.

We have a choice. We can look the other way and let nature take its course or we can dig into our pockets and choose to save the life of this child.

Monday, August 3, 2009

My Friend Louaine



My friend Louaine is a talented artist who lives near Forest City, Iowa. She donated two paintings and a painted clay pot to our Hope 4 Women Art Show that will be held in the Phoenix area on October 24th.

Louaine and I have been friends for thirty-six years. We lived in Iowa and were pregnant with our daughters at the same time. We both wanted to name our daughters "Jennifer" and argued over who would use the name. I was due five weeks ahead of Louaine and thought that would give me the edge until Louaine said, "I don't care if you do name her Jennifer--I'm still going to name mine Jennifer." I gave in and named my daughter Lisa Marie. The funny thing was in those days we didn't find out the sex of the baby ahead of time but we were both convinced we were having girls. She had her Jennifer and we were delighted with our baby girls and had a great time dressing them up in frilly dresses. We loved to take them shopping, to Bible studies and out to lunch.

During this season my brother Tom Eggum lived in Lake Mills, Iowa--birthplace to Hope 4 Kids International. A group of local businessmen joined together forming “Forever Triumphant Foundation” and sent Tom out to preach the gospel throughout the country and to smuggle Bibles into Russia.
Thirty-six years later—the name has changed to Hope 4 Kids International and we are based in the Phoenix area—but the message remains the same—to reach out to the suffering with the love of Christ.

Louaine and her husband Loren have faithfully supported the efforts of Hope 4 Kids since conception. Louaine traveled with us to Uganda on two occasions. She is pictured above with just a few of those who fell in love with her. She and Loren sponsor orphans through Hope 4 Kids International and have liberally donated toward a number of our programs.


I'm so grateful for Louaine. Sometimes we can go for a year or so without seeing one another and we pick up as though we had never been apart. I thank God for her and treasure her friendship. I'm so proud of her and her artistic talent and honored that she contributed so generously to our Hope 4 Women Art Show.

For more information on donating or attending this fabulous art show which to date has over 20 artists committed to partnering with us, contact Rachel@h4ki.org.
We have paintings, drawings, enlarged professional photographs, and jewelry, as well as crafts created by the women of Uganda. All proceeds go to Hope 4 Women International which is a division of Hope 4 Kids Internationl.

Hope 4 Women strives to assist women who are sick, needy, rejected and voiceless—with no regard to race or religion. God loves these precious ladies and has a specific plan for their lives. We empower women living in poverty by providing job training to develop the skills needed to support themselves and their family.