God’s way is perfect.  All the Lord’s promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalm 18:30

Dear Sponsors and Supporters,

In the midst of so much uncertainty and turmoil, it is wonderful to continue to let the Scripture remind us of the goodness and kindness of our great God! 

We have witnessed His faithfulness in mighty ways for over a decade of TLC ministry, and we are confident that this testimony will remain true in the days ahead.

I wanted to take this opportunity to update our supporters as concerns surrounding COVID-19 continue to grow in the US and the threat of the virus is now becoming a reality in Ethiopia. 

Many of you pray daily for your sponsored child, our TLC staff and ministry.  I hope that this email will serve to direct your prayers for our Ethiopian brothers and sisters during this time.

Monday I received an email from TLC founder/director, Ayele, who had this to say about the current situation in Ethiopia.

     It seems that the whole world is in lockdown. 

     In Ethiopia, it has been 2 weeks since all       schools and Universities have closed.  All federal offices have also ordered to close and halt social movements.  All religious gatherings are currently prohibited as well.

     After TLC staff educated guardians and parents about COVID-19 and created some general hygiene awareness about coronavirus, we have closed our weekly Bible classes and large gatherings at the TLC compound.

     This week we have finished distributing 26kg of wheat to each family.  Everyone seems to be in fear and waiting to see what will happen. 

     Since there is a massive shortage of face masks and hand sanitizer, we are diligently washing our hands hoping to prevent the spread of the virus.  I am giving all TLC staff leave, and we will alternate days in the office so that only one person is here per day.

     Although this pandemic is bringing a direct negative impact on all of our programs and ministry, God the Creator is kind in ALL things.  Fear you not, therefore. 

     The Lord that has made the heaven and the earth by His great power and stretched out arm, there is NOTHING too hard for Him.  Your God is working something that pleases Him.

As you may imagine, the realities of coronavirus in Ethiopia are much different than in our Western world.  Social distancing is impossible when a family of 5 lives in an 8 x 10 room within a compound of many other families.  Medical care is already unavailable to most, while respiratory issues are common due to constant exposure to burning trash and other air pollutants. Food resources are already scarce for most of our TLC families, and there is no federal government assistance waiting in the wings.

So, what then, can we do when staring into what is a seemingly hopeless situation?  Cry out to Him, who is our refuge and strength.  Our very present help in times of trouble. 

- Please pray for God’s protection over the lives of these who are so precious to Him, but maybe unseen by much of the world.
 
- Pray that the seeds of faith and encouragement planted over the life of TLC’s ministry would bear fruit as TLC students, guardians and staff have the opportunity to offer the hope of Christ to their neighbors during such a fearful time.

- Pray the comfort and peace of the Holy Spirit would dwell among the church in Ethiopia and that with great boldness and courage the Good News of Jesus would be proclaimed.
 
We are so thankful for each of your continued prayers and support.  We are aware that in the coming days our work and ministry to TLC children will continue to develop and change.  We are asking the Spirit to direct our efforts and help us discern what the next right steps are as we seek to care for these precious ones.

May the Lord bless and keep you; may the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;  may the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.  Now and forevermore.
 
 

Anna Worley Stateside Director TrueLight Childcare Project 662.212.3090

This summer, a team of TLC staff and volunteers traveled to Addis for TLC’s 2nd annual youth camp! Russ Cooper, Financial Director for TLC’s parent organization Indigenous Outreach International, was on our team, and he shares here about his experience as a TLC sponsor:

I honestly don’t remember when I started sponsoring Seyed through TLC, but I think it was about 8 or 9 years ago. I remember hearing about this boy who had run away from his Muslim father and lived on the streets of Addis Ababa alone at the age of 12, and my heart was moved. When my family began sponsoring him, he was little more than a name and a picture—just another sad story among so many. We put his picture on our refrigerator and prayed for him when we thought about it, which honestly was not a lot. 

Because of my work with IOI, I have the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia at least once every 2 years, so I soon had the opportunity to meet Seyed in person. He led me into the small room he shared with his family and showed me the poster on the wall that he was using to learn English. He pointed to a picture of a pig and said, “pij.” I corrected him on the pronunciation, and we shared our first laugh together when I imitated the sound a pig makes. 

I have seen Seyed a few times over the years, and have taken the opportunity every Christmas to make sure he had shoes and a uniform for school. My love for him has grown, and I was so proud when Ayele shared with me that he felt called to pursue ministry after he finishes school. He graduated from high school last year, and passed the national exam to get into college and study accounting. He has now finished his first year of college and is helping Ayele as much as he can with the younger children in the TLC project.

I recently went back to Ethiopia to help with the 2nd annual TLC youth camp. I was excited at the prospect of seeing Seyed and was happy to learn that he would be a small group leader at camp. It gave me so much joy to watch him as a leader, hear him share his testimony, and see the respect the other kids have for him. We shared many more laughs as he tried to teach me some Amharic words and corrected my pronunciation. He has grown into an amazing man of God, and I am so humbled that I have had the opportunity to invest in his life for these past few years. The thing that blessed me the most, though, was when he introduced me to his friends and said, “This is Russ. He is my father.” 

I can’t believe that only cost me $35 a month . . . I can’t think of a better investment!

In July, a team of volunteers traveled to Addis for two weeks to work with the TrueLight Childcare Project. Katelyn Summerford is a student at Mississippi State University and spent her time in Addis leading lessons for the TLC kids and visiting homes to collect updates for their sponsors. Katelyn shares about her experience:

As I prepared for my trip to Ethiopia, I honestly did not know what to expect. It was a new place I had never been before, and I knew very little about their culture. I had no idea if the Ethiopian people would accept me, if I would like the food, and my biggest concern was if I was going to be able to drink all the coffee I was going to be offered. I was definitely not a coffee drinker before I visited Ethiopia. All those fears were a thing of the past as soon as I stepped out of the van at TLC to spend the day playing games with the children, leading lessons, and helping with art projects. The children were so excited to see us, and I received tons of hugs before I even got to the door of the compound.

One child jumped in my arms as soon as I got out of the van and would not get down for most of the day. She did not know who I was, and I definitely had no idea who she was. However, even through the language barrier, we were able to connect through a greater familial love. I later learned that her name was Chrisina, and she needed a sponsor. I knew that I wanted to sponsor a child, and after meeting Chrisina, I knew this was the child I was meant to sponsor!

The people of Ethiopia all acted just as Chrisina did. They were all so welcoming and allowed us into their homes as if we were their close friends. They fed us more than I was ever able to eat, and the amount of coffee I was served was unimaginable. I did learn to love the coffee, and the food was the best!

I am forever grateful for the opportunity I was given to meet the people in Ethiopia. They are now like brothers and sisters, and I feel as though Ethiopia is my second home. I could never repay them for the blessings I received from them while visiting. I love them all so very much, and I cannot wait to see my Ethiopian family again!

TLC is incredibly blessed to have long-time sponsors who have supported our ministry since it's small beginnings. Over the years, as inflation has affected the cost of goods and services in Ethiopia, we have increased new sponsorship giving levels.

Currently new child sponsors are giving $35 per month. We are asking those whose sponsorship is less than $35 per month to consider giving a few more dollars with your monthly support to help us maintain our currently level of ministry and care to the TLC children. We understand that this additional giving may not be possible for everyone, and it will in no way affect your ability to continue sponsoring your TLC child at whatever level you are able to give.
 
If you are able to increase your giving, you may do so by copying the following into an email to annaworley@ioiusa.org:
 
“I authorize the increase of my monthly giving to the amount of $_____.”

We praise God for His continued provision and for the miraculous ways He has used our sponsors sacrificial giving to change the lives of so many children and families in Ethiopia.

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PRE-ORDER CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

Every year the TLC children decorate beautiful Christmas ornaments to brighten your tree. You can claim your ornaments ($25 each) early this year by pre-ordering here.

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