Can You Help Little James Owori?

Pastor Ruth of Smile Africa Ministries is at it again. She found little James Owori—or should I say they found her. His little feet are twisted and he will need to go for therapy once a week and also have his feet in casts to straighten them.

Recently Pastor Ruth took another child who is a bit older than James—in eight months of treatments she is now able to stand. Here’s what Pastor Ruth wrote about James:

“James Owori is one and half months old. His mother is 20yrs old. She is a single mother and has headed a family of four as a child headed family since their parents died when they where young. She told me that she thought marriage would solve her problems but instead the man she trusted got her pregnant and left immediately when he noticed that she was pregnant, adding more responsibility to this girl. It broke her heart when she gave birth and realized that her baby was disabled. It was when she heard the testimony of Auma the girl who got surgery recently,that she gained hope that God might have a way to save her baby from being disabled.She visited Auma's home and that is where she got directions to reach Smile Africa.”

Can you help little James have a normal life? For a donation of $20 you can pay for one treatment. If enough people send $20 we can give little James the gift of using his feet and legs. Please send $20 to:

Hope 4 Women International

P.O. Box 74010

Phoenix, AZ 85087

Or contact Rachel@h4wi.org

My Mom

My mom was one of my heroes. I remember as a child wishing I could stay home all day and do whatever I wanted--just like my mom:) I didn't know she had to do dishes, wash clothes and cook for her family of seven kids. I thought she just wrote stories on her typewriter all day.

She was a great story teller--we questioned the accuracy of her stories but they were always interesting. I wanted to be a writer just like my mom. She died before I was published but her fingerprints are all over the book I wrote with my brother Tom.

Her mother died when Mom was 14 and her father wasn't poor and indulged her and her younger brother. Her two older sisters were married at the time. Mom secretly took flying lessons when she was 17 and one day invited her dad to go to the airport with her for a "surprise". It was the day she took her solo flight:) I wonder how surprised her dad was! She received her pilot's license in 1940 at the age of 18 and begged her dad to allow her to go for her commercial pilot's license but family members intervened saying that that was no profession for a young lady--so with that dream aside she went on other adventures--a motorcycle trip to Texas--Once she settled down with my dad and they formed a family of seven kids her adventures mostly took place on the typewriter.

I always thought being a mother wasn't really what she had in mind for her life and was disappointed for her sometimes but she was a great mom and her "free spirit" remained within her and her need to "soar" was instilled in all of us.

She passed on her love of the Lord, her love of life and great sense of adventure and I'll always be grateful. Because of our faith in Jesus Christ I believe we will meet again in Heaven and I know she is there now on the greatest adventure that none of us can even imagine.

I love you Mom. Save a place for me:) I'll be there soon.

Sponsored Women of Uganda Receive English Participation Certificates

Under Hope 4 Women's Sponsorship program women are being trained to read and write in English along with their business skills training, spiritual guidance and life enrichment classes.

Bonnie, from Wisconsin just spent three months in Uganda teaching English to women. Each participant in the program received a certificate.

With Bonnie back in the States a Ugandan woman has taken over the English class and the women are enjoying it thoroughly!

Here's what Pastor Ruth of Smile Africa Ministries writes:

Here are pictures of the Certificate Awards for the sponsored women as well as the second class.There was great joy and ululations as the ladies proudly received their certificates.The ladies expressed great confidence and satisfaction for what God has done for them through H4Women.

Sabina and Catharine's statements caught my heart the most.

Catherine said, "God is so great,people study and get Certificates from within Uganda,but ours have come all the way from America." She exclaimed: "God is no respecter of persons,He has loved us the widows with a great love."

Then Sabina spoke next. She said: "Pastor Ruth i am going to frame my Certificate and when i die, my Certificate should be placed on my coffin for every mourner to know that i achieved a certificate in my lifetime. May the Lord bless Rachel and all the people who have supported us to achieve an education."

Okay. THAT makes me cry when I think of how a certificate can bring such dignity to a woman in Uganda. There are many more Catherine's and Sabina's waiting for you to sponsor them. For more information please contact lisa@h4wi.org

On My Father's Side

Lisa Witham Foerster--Director of Women Sponsorship

Hope 4 Women International is proud to introduce Lisa Witham Foerster as our new director of women sponsorship! She comes to us with a great background in business, management and leadership skills.

Her role? Her biggest challenge will be to keep me organizedJ With her attention to detail and ability to problem solve we are looking forward to keeping our personal touch with those who are passionate about empowering women around the world.

Here is what the sponsorship program is doing in Uganda:

For $36 a month you can send a Ugandan woman through our business training course and put her on the path to owning her own business. Your donation is tax-deductible and you will receive information and a photograph of the woman who is benefiting from your monthly gift.

Sponsor a woman in the Smile Africa Program and here is what she receives:

Garden seeds and a hoe to jump-start her on feeding her family.

a strengths test to see in which business God has gifted her

a 40-session mission character class which leads her through the Biblical

principles of business

a code of ethics contract

classes in English, reading, writing and math

classes in money management, saving, banking

a graduation certificate once she has completed all the classes and has

completed her apprenticeship

seed money in their bank account to start her on her way to self-sufficiency mentoring and monitoring by our Ugandan partner Smile Africa

induction into the Women's Hall of Dignity when she has successfully completed one year in business

Lisa has just added twenty-one widows from India

In India many of the older widows are forced to live with their families—placing a financial and emotional burden on already stressed, poverty-stricken families. Your financial support will allow our ministry partners to supply her with rice, lentils, wheat, fruit, milk and medical treatment. This will take the financial burden off of her family and they will treat her with dignity instead of scorning and sometimes abusing her for being a drain on their limited resources.

Meet Shanti Kamal Prasad

Shanti Kamal Prasad is an 81 year old widow. She has four sons and two daughters. She lives with her youngest son and his family. Shanti enjoys listening to sermons, going on picnics, and visiting the sick and disabled.

For just over one dollar per day ($36 a month) You can give this precious widow daily sustenance along with her dignity.

Thank you for caring about widows.

To learn more about sponsoring a widow please contact Lisa@h4wi.org

Here are a couple of links for you

My friend Bonnie has been in Uganda since January --teaching women English--her blog is http://teachinguganda.blogspot.com/

My friend Linda is in Malawi for three months working on a rape crisis center. You can follow her at http://underatreeinternational.blogspot.com/

Klove's Amy Baumann interviewed me for Dress a Girl Around the World. You can listen at

http://www.klove.com/redir.asp?/listen/?href=/broadcast/stream.aspx?href=/audio/podcasts/klovenews_podcast4677_20100226.wma&title=K-LOVE+Podcast&author=K-LOVE+Radio&onespeed=True

Have you got a story about women helping women? I'd love to see it. Contact me rachel@h4wi.org

Rose's Surgery a Success!!

Pastor Ruth took Rose to Kampala as her surgery was more complicated than was first thought. She checked in to the hospital and spent a day or two getting ready and finally the doctors removed her 2.2-pound non-cancerous tumor!! She has already taken tea and will be given mashed potatoes for her first meal.

When she woke up from the surgery Pastor Ruth was by her side and said: “That thing is gone! They have removed it!”

A very emotional Rose replied: “People have been laughing at me but God has remembered a poor woman like me.”

Pastor Ruth said she was reflecting upon how this surgery came to pass. When I was there in November Rose arrived at Smile Africa and Ruth wanted to take her picture but the batteries in her camera were dead. I was on the bus ready to leave and Ruth asked if I could step off the bus for just a moment to take Rose’s picture which I did. I went home and forgot about Rose until my doctor told me I might have a small goiter. It was then I remembered Rose and asked Pastor Ruth more questions.

Scroll down to read the background on Rose.

Then I appealed to all of you and you responded generously. I sent the money to Pastor Ruth and the process began. Because the surgery was so involved and had to be done in Kampala we are still running about $1500 short. The tumor was actually pushing against Rose’s wind pipe and cutting off her air. They said if she didn’t have the surgery she would suffocate so I told Ruth we would step forward in faith and Rose should have this surgery to save her life.

Rose’s seven children are blessed and grateful to all of you for saving her life.

If you would like to contribute to this deficit please send a check to Hope 4 Kids International and put “Rose’s surgery” in the memo.

Hope 4 Kids/Hope 4 women

P.O. box 74010

Phx, AZ 85087

Or go directly online and donate: http://www.hope4kidsinternational.org/donation-cart

Check the Hope 4 Women box and email Lisa to let her know you want your h4wi donation to go toward Rose’s surgery Lisa@h4wi.org