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October 2016 Prayer Letter

October 2016 Prayer Letter

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September/October 2016

            The Kuwaa Mission would like to thank our many supporters – individuals, couples, families and congregations for your prayers and financial contributions.  We would like to take this opportunity to suggest other ways you can assist the Kuwaa Mission and the Kuwaa people.

            We are so grateful for the efforts of those who represent the Kuwaa Mission to their congregations.  Congregational representatives tell the story of the Kuwaa Mission to their fellow members and encourage special offerings and events to raise money for specific projects such as a well or children’s bible school.  If you would like to help us with this, please contact our board member Karen Voris at Karen.Voris@kuwaamission.org   As a congregational representative, you could inform your members of these other ways to help:

            If you have insurance through Thrivent, you can help the Kuwaa people by choosing the Kuwaa Mission for their Thrivent Choice dollars program.  Thrivent has provided over 300 million dollars to charities since 2010.  Go to this website: https://www.thrivent.com/making-a-difference/living-generously/thrivent-choice/ and choose the “Kuwaa Mission” to help us receive these funds through Thrivent.

           Another opportunity to assist the Kuwaa Mission is every time you do your online shopping with Amazon.   For eligible purchases, the Kuwaa Mission receives .05% of your payment.  You order through smile.amazon.com – same products and prices  – but we get a small portion as a donation from Amazon.  For more information, and to register the Kuwaa Mission as your charity, please go to this website: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/ch/about

Our “Kondesu Clinic” that we constructed two years ago is fully functional and supported by the Liberian Ministry of Health.  Due to funding problems from the national ministry, as is typical of all Liberian Ministries from the national government, the clinic does not receive supplies and medicines as frequently as needed.  Please help us buy supplies and medicines in Liberia to take to the clinic please mark your gift “Clinic Supplies”.  Our website: www.kuwaamission.org has all the information as to where to send your support.   Thank you!

          We covet your prayers!  Please pray for the Kuwaa Mission  – that our work with the Kuwaa people continues in Liberia with safe travel and sufficient travel funding.  Please pray for healing for Rev. Richard Thompson, a founding member of the Kuwaa Mission.  Please pray for the Kuwaa people and all the citizens of Liberia that they continue to be free of Ebola and that they receive increased resources for clean water and medical care.  Please pray that the Living Water, Jesus Christ, is accepted into their lives and hearts.

            We thank God for you – for your heartfelt prayers and generous support.

            Jenny Cosgrove for the Kuwaa Mission

 Your contributions to The Kuwaa Mission are tax-deductible.  We are a 501c3 non-profit organization.  Our Tax ID number is 27-5458111

Donations can be given in two ways:

1.   Make out check to: The Kuwaa Mission  (send to Bethany Lutheran Church (see below))

2.   Go to the Kuwaa Mission Website at www.kuwaamission.org:  use PayPal to make a one time or automatic monthly donation

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The Kuwaa Mission:  c/o Bethany Lutheran Church,  1340 8th Street,  Slidell, LA 70458 www.bethanyslidell.org

 

How much do you like your coffee?

While I really enjoy my cup of coffee in the morning I can honestly say I have never bought a cup at one of the many drive thru coffee shops.  They seem to sprout like rabbits, especially here in Anchorage, AK.  Therefore I can also say that I don’t really know how much one costs.  I am willing to bet that many people buy more than one per day.

Assuming that one costs $2.00 (and I bet it’s more than that) buying one cup a day for just the normal work week the cost is $10.  Projecting that over a 50 week year (I’ll give you a break for vacation) you’ve spent $500 just for coffee!!  We have well over 100 individual donors and if everyone spent that much for coffee the cost would be $50,000!! Just think how many people could have life saving clean water for $50,000.

Historically over the past 7 years a typical well for us to install in remote tropical Liberia is in the vicinity of $9000 depending on transportation which is our single largest expense.  The population of most of the villages we are working in is in the 500-700 range.  $50,000 would then give life giving water via nearly 6 wells to an average of 600 people per town or a total of 3,600 people.  For just one year this is 1,314,000 servings of clean potable, and palatable, water.  Or just over $0.03 per serving.  WHAT IS YOUR WATER BILL??

I’m not asking you give up your coffee but I do ask you to consider how far your donation to providing clean water goes.  We have NO overhead, all our income goes directly to supporting our programs in Liberia.  Please prayerfully consider making a donation to help us provide this life saving water.

Thank you,

Stan Olsen

CEO Kuwaa Mission

Thank You to WaterHope!

The Kuwaa Mission just received word that we have been approved by Water Hope to receive a grant to install three wells this year.  This is great news and the first grant that we have been approved for.  Water Hope is an organization that not only funds work done by other NGO’s but also does their own work internationally providing safe drinking water.

We are very proud and thankful for this grant and hope to partner with Water Hope in years to come.  Please check out their website at www.waterhope.org.

Greetings From Liberia!

On Saturday, October 8, there is an opportunity for the world-wide Lutheran church.  The Mission EinWelt (Mission One World) of the German church is sponsoring a virtual church gathering featuring Lutheran leaders from all over the world.

The Lutheran Church in Liberia is one of two churches from the continent of Africa who are presenting at this event. The event runs all day and can be accessed on the internet.

From the Lutheran Church in Liberia,  participants will be Rev. D. Jensen Seyenkulo,  Bishop of the LCL;  Rev. Xaster Yarkpazuo,  Pastor of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Monrovia (where I serve as Associate Pastor),  and Rev. Oretha Miller Davis, Senior Pastor of the St. Matthew’s Lutheran Parish,  Monrovia.

I invite you to get a group together and participate in this event—-or participate in it yourself.  It promises to be a great worship experience and a chance to learn and engage with Lutherans from other contexts.

Here is the website.  It will tell you what time the events of the virtual church festival are happening in your area of the world.

www.churchfestival.org

Blessings on your work–and on your weekend!

Rev. Linda Johnson Seyenkulo
ELCA Missionary
Curriculum Developer/Trainer
Louis T. Bowers Lay Leaders and Ministers Training Center
Associate Pastor, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
Totota,Liberia and Monrovia, Liberia

August 2016 Prayer Letter

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August 2016

As the summer draws to a close we at the Kuwaa Mission hope that you had an enjoyable summer and were able to spend some quality family time and enjoy God’s great outdoors.

The Board of the Kuwaa Mission greatly appreciates all the support that we have received over the past year.  July marked the beginning of a new fiscal year for us and as a result of matching funds from employers we start this year on a very sound fiscal footing.  As you consider your financial gifts to the Kuwaa Mission please check with your employer to see if they have matching funds program.  We are a 501c3 organization with the IRS and can provide you, or your employer, with any information required.  This program makes a huge difference in the amount of work we are able to do to serve the Kuwaa people.

I also ask each of you to consider being a “Mission Member” in your congregation.  As a “Mission Member” we ask you to carry the Kuwaa Mission program directly and frequently to your congregation by speaking about the work we have accomplished, our financial needs, and the programming we have planned for upcoming seasons.  We will provide you with brochures, videos, fundraising ideas and all the prayer support one could ask for.  We do receive good congregational support from congregations across the US but we need to increase this support base.  While we realize that much of our individual support comes through the local congregation we also have a line item in our budget for “congregational support” and we are looking to increase our financial support here as well.  As a “Mission Member” we also ask you to visit other congregations in your geographical area and spread the word about the Kuwaa Mission.  There are many congregations that have a mission program, or would like to start one, and just need a bit of direction.  Every new congregation that supports our work is a valuable member of our team.  Please contact our congregational coordinator: Karen Voris at kvoris@kuwaamission.org and we will work with you to serve the Kuwaa people.

Many, if not most, of you receiving this newsletter use “Facebook”.  Please consider passing on the work of the Kuwaa Mission to your “friends”.  The Kuwaa Mission website receives many “hits” and the more “hits” we receive the more support we will receive, both financial and prayer support.

This coming work season in Liberia I will be travelling into the Kuwaa area with the Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Liberia, Rev. Dr. Daniel Jensen Seyenkulo, and meeting with the Kuwaa tribal leaders and the local commissioner to thank them for the support we have been given and to work with them to increase the support base with the people.  Rev. Seyenkulo is one of the founders of the Kuwaa Mission and it is through our excellent relationship with the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) that we have been able to reach out to so many Liberians.  Bishop Seyenkulo thanked me today for all the support we have been able to provide to the Kuwaa people working with and through the LCL. It is because of people like you that we have accomplished so much.

 Thank you again for your support and please contact Karen Voris for additional information on how you can become a “Mission Member”.

Stan Olsen, CEO Kuwaa Mission

 Your contributions to The Kuwaa Mission are tax-deductible.  We are a 501c3 non-profit organization.  Our Tax ID number is 27-5458111

Donations can be given in two ways:

1.   Make out check to: The Kuwaa Mission  (send to Bethany Lutheran Church (see below))

2.   Go to the Kuwaa Mission Website at www.kuwaamission.org:  use PayPal to make a one time or automatic monthly donation

PDF Versions

MS Word Versions

Unsubscribe – Edit your subscription

The Kuwaa Mission:  c/o Bethany Lutheran Church,  1340 8th Street,  Slidell, LA 70458 www.bethanyslidell.org