Check this out!

As well as being an outstanding photographer, Ron Storer is a very dear friend to Damion and I. Many thanks to Ron for featuring us in a spot on his blog :) Click here to read Ron's blog post on Wells of Life! And be sure to check back, he is always featuring encouraging and thoughtful tidbits on his blog.
Thanks Ron! Love ya!

World Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe--April 27th

The church leaders of Zimbabwe have collectively shared that they believe that they are on the verge of a genocide. They have called out to the world to stand with them in prayer on this Sunday, April 27th. Here is the link to learn more about it.

If you have ever prayed a prayer, please say one on this day as Zimbabwe is descending into utter madness and a clear human rights disaster. The goal is to have "a continual, strong stream of prayer and supplication flow up to the Lord on behalf of all the people on this Day of Prayer, exhorting His divine intervention throughout the nation."

As you may already know, the media is not reporting the extent of the atrocities that are happening now. Here is a link to a very honest and disturbing letter forwarded to me. It is written by a man in Zimbabwe (whose name has been removed for security reasons) and clearly spells out the danger and chaos that they are facing now: houses being plowed and burned down, thousands of people sleeping homeless outside, no media allowed to document this destruction, organized torture tactics being spread throughout the county to discourage those who would vote or did vote for the opposition government. After reading it, I believe your heart will moved to do something!

First, one of the most powerful things that you can do is join us in prayer on Sunday, April 27th, World Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe

Secondly, remember that just $10 will feed one "family" (made up of mostly orphans and widows) for one month and you can fill that need. %100 of your money will be used to supply food to a hungry family.

To fill the need by making a tax deductible donation, please contact me at julie@hiscreations.com

Most sincerely,
Julie

Food Distribution Update

Hi Friends,
Some of you may have been wondering about the status of our Food Distribution from the March donations. I am blessed and excited to tell you that the funds have been received in Zimbabwe and have been divided and distributed to three of the most needy areas of Zimbabwe. The food distribution was planned to begin this week and should already be in progress! We are anticipating the results and finding out how many people received food through this widespread distribution! I will continue to post updates as I receive more information.

I was stirred by a question that I was asked this weekend and I wanted to share the answer with you. The question was essentially this "How do I know that 100% of my donation is truly being used for it's intended purpose?" This is such a important question and one that I've given a lot of thought to over the last few months. You will actually see the answers in video interviews that I did of my Zim friends because I asked them the same question! The answer to this question is multi-faceted:

1) I personally know the people who are distributing the resource. It is a goal of Wells of Life to only donate to established programs with whom we have had a long-standing relationship. I know it must seem ambiguous because I purposefully don't include their names on this blog and that is only to protect them.

2) The programs that we are donating to are church based. This means that those to whom we are giving the resource to are leaders who care deeply about their people and their country. Not only are they accountable to others, but feel a deeper sense of conviction to be accountable to God for their actions.

3) Accurate Reporting. It is a goal of Wells of Life to only donate to programs who can meet specific criteria in terms of reporting. We are asking for specific information from each of these distributors in order to confirm the success of the distribution of resources. We also have the privilege of knowing many people who travel to Zimbabwe and even have the possibility of traveling their ourselves (although not this year) to follow up on the progress. With the record of names kept from the distribution, we will eventually have opportunity to meet some of those to whom food has been distributed and to discuss the actual process with them and find out how they benefited. This will also allow us to track other, more specific needs in the area of widows, orphans, and perhaps an educational program to benefit the orphans.

We know that your donation is a precious investment and we are taking every step that we know of to be sure that your donation makes it to the intended destination! We take your investment as seriously as you do.

Remember, just $10 will feed one "family" (made up of mostly orphans and widows) for one month.

To fill the need, please contact me at julie@hiscreations.com

Most sincerely,
Julie

March Donations for Food!

Here is the blog post copied from our photography blog, but with updated numbers!!!


I was truly shocked and amazed at the generosity that poured out after our plea for help to buy food for our friends and their families in Zimabwe. (Click here to read the post)

With donations still arriving, our friends have donated an amazing $6,780!!! Their generosity will feed approximately 670 families and the orphans that they care for, for one month!!!

Here’s how their gift will be carried out practically. Teams will travel to Botswana to purchase the food. Upon bringing the food into Zimbabwe, one representative from each family will come to receive it. These representatives are required to sign their names and register to receive the food (to prevent duplication). Then, they will pass through the line to receive essentials such as (1) 60 lb bag of solid kernel corn (to be ground into corn meal), beans, sugar, tea, and perhaps soap, candles, and matches if they are available.

We are truly humbled and so grateful to be able to give this gift on behalf of our friends who have opened their hearts to give so much.

Remember, if you want to change someone's life, it's not too late to help! Just contact me at julie@hiscreations.com or leave a comment and I will send you more info on how to make a tax-deductible donation, of which %100 will be given to the intended destination.

Also, please continue to check out www.wellsoflife.com as we are working on a program which, in the near future, will allow our friends to help feed and care for the orphaned children of Zimbabwe through a one-time donation or monthly donations.

Greatly blessed, Julie

Giving Back

Wow, I just finished watching Idol Gives Back (thanks to the wonders of TiVo!) and I find it so amazing how they accurately represent the growing crisis of orphans from the AIDS virus. The stories that they showed touched my heart and just gave a small glimpse of the reality that many people around the world face. I think one star said it best when she stated that she wished every American could come to Africa to see the truth about how grateful we should all be!

It is estimated that more than 15 million children under 18 have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. More than 12 million of these children live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

You see, since writing the previous posts about feeding "families," I realized that most people here in America might be picturing a mom, a dad, and 2.5 children. But the truth is that most of these families consist of a few options:
1) Poor widowed grandmas who have no means of supporting themselves, surrounded by knee-high children..their grandchildren, all that remains of their sons and daughters that have died of AIDS.
2) Families of siblings of whom both parents have died. The eldest sibling might be responsible for taking care of three or four other children. Sometimes the oldest child might be 15, 12, or even 10--with the weight of the world on their shoulders or
3) The families might consist of moms and dads who care for their own children as well as those of family members, neighbors, or friends who have also died. As we speak, my friend Peter in Zimbabwe is currently caring for 13 children; his own children and his brother's children. And yet, there is not even enough food to feed a small family.

Just $10 will feed one "family" (made up of mostly orphans and widows) for one month

To fill the need, please contact me at julie@hiscreations.com

Let's make a difference,
Julie

Schools in Zimbabwe

To keep track of the situation in Zimbabwe, I often read daily news articles on websites such as www.allafrica.com and www.zimbabwesituation.com

Today I came across this heartbreaking article entitled "Demolishing Zimbabwe's Education System Teacher by Teacher." As a teacher myself, it is a difficult article to read as you are listening to the children's hope fly away.... (You will have to scroll down on the page from the link until you get to the correct article.)

The Miniature Earth

Take a look at this thought provoking video. Thanks to Rick Rosen for sharing!