Sometimes it's the Little Things

Eva is one of the lovely ladies in our fruit drying project. We've told you about her before. She's the one with 2 young children and husband who walked out on them.

Eva is a pleasant presence in our house as she carries in baskets of heavy mangos, bananas or pineapples. She washes, slices, dries, packages and sells fruit with the energy and commitment of a mom who knows she's making a big difference in the way the future will play out for those 2 little ones she loves so much. Eva also makes us laugh, which is a nice plus since we share kitchen space at this point in the project's life.

At Christmas we decided that Eva needed a simple mobile phone. For work, you know? Also, for life outside of work. The project could afford to buy her one so we bought one and then started her off with the gift of a phone card to get her going with minutes.

Eva's parents live far from our town. I'm not exactly sure how she did it but Eva got a number for a neighbor at home who had a phone and arranged to call her Mother and Father on Christmas Day.

It was the first time Eva had spoken to her parents in over 5 years.

I almost fell over when I heard that.

Byron asked her if she cried.

She smiled really big, nodded her head, and said, "Yes."

A $35 mobile phone and a little bit of credit? That's all it took to be a blessing? This tiny gift made the most precious difference to Eva.

Sometimes it's the little things.

Endless Thanks

Recent news said that 22,000 state employees in California are to be laid off. Another 200,000 are to have their salaries reduced. Pretty sobering news and we know it reflects the challenging times so many of our friends all over the globe are facing.

In these days of financial uncertainty, we want you to know how much we appreciate the gifts of support that keep Wild Hope in operation. We don't take it for granted that people partner with us in these efforts here and we count each and every gift as a blessing.

Our 2 families, the Russells and the Bordens, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

75 Maasai women and their families thank you for the opportunity they have to participate in a fair trade project that provides so much for them.

The ladies of our new venture, the dry fruit project, thank you. Eva's husband left her with 2 kids and nothing besides. She was holding down a full time job to pay for rent and groceries and everything else--but it only paid $25 a month. It's no wonder she sings hymns while she slices fruit as she earns her first decent paycheck.

The young men on our soccer team thank you. As they help host the teams visiting from other countries for the tournament during August, they are thankful that Wild Hope was able to sponsor this event. As they look forward to the skill enhancing English Club coming their way later this month, they are thankful that Wild Hope wants to see them grow in all areas of life.

Mr. Edward, who just finished paying off his first micro-loan (never missing a payment!) thanks you for the chance to open a little shop that supplements his meager income at the wonderful children's center where he teaches. He is excited to have a new, larger loan out now to expand his business.

There are other stories too. Lives have been impacted by the redeeming and persistent love of God and, as a team, we get to watch all of this in awe.

So thank you, thank you, thank you.

We appreciate you.

(We really do!)

Wild Hope and Wild Romance (!)

This post is just to celebrate LOVE :-)

We mentioned last time that the Russells and Bordens would be making a quick trip to Zanzibar to share in the wedding of Jeremy Stephenson and Kendra Woods.

It was such a nice celebration and we wanted to say how honored our team felt to play a special role in their lives. Peter has really enjoyed his mentoring relationship with Jeremy and he did a wonderful job officiating the ceremony. Byron and Lisa enjoyed the many dates they had with J&K in the months leading up to the wedding. It was fun to share in their journey of growth as they prepared to join their lives. Tammy assisted with many wedding details that day, and made sure the ladies entered to the processional at just the right time. It was all so beautiful!

Congratulations, Jeremy and Kendra! We love you!


(Heather Borden and Sianna Russell with the lovely bride.)