We raised enough to raise the roof !

We raised enough to raise the roof of the orphan church in Malawi!

On May 12, Rev. Copeland NKhata prayed about the sudden loss of the roof to his church. He shared the need with others: "We are still holding together, though a few of our members are excessively shocked. Our services are badly affected, but we have hope that God will always protect his work."

Apparently, God told him to find a friend with a computer and email his friends outside of Africa. The email that reached Sarah Harrington, who passed it on to me, read as follows:

"Sad news: armed robbers have stolen the tent that we had used to roof our small church structure. The roof is now bare, and drizzle or sunshine affects our services. The matter is with the police. Please pray that God would bail us out of this mess."

The 'tent' he was referring to is the relatively expensive, waterproof, roof covering on wood and thatched built church of 150 Methodists (including 57 AIDS orphans) who worship together in a simple sanctuary of wooded planks and a dirt floor with sun or rain streaming in depending on whether it’s the dry or wet season in Malawi.

Rev. Nkhata is pastor of Mzuzu United Methodist Church and Director of the HopeHome program for AIDS orphans in Malawi. He emailed me what had happened in the church where I preached in just 3 months ago, and I agreed to pass the word to friends of Malawi that the church for orphans needed a new, waterproof roof. The original cost to construct and install was $1000. The estimate to replace was $1500.

Eleven friends of Malawi responded with gifts of $15 to $500 in a timely manner, and by Monday a total of $1,815 was received or pledged. I made a deposit to the WorldHope Corps account and wired Copeland $2,000—a little less than his annual church budget!! It will be enough to replace the roof and also provide food for some of the 57 AIDS orphans cared for by the congregation.

That’s how God answers prayer: by inspiring believers in God’s inclusive love and justice to hear the cries of orphans and windows in distress, and to respond with tangible acts of loving kindness to people they have never even met.

And that’s how WorldHope Corps works: by connecting available resources with qualified needs, facilitating specific ways to make a difference in the world.
Thank you for responding. Together, we raised the roof!

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