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.

August 2016 Prayer Letter

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

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

July 2016 Prayer Letter

July 2016

THE KUWAA MISSION – KIDS4KUWAA PROJECT

Fall will soon be upon us and many Sunday Schools and Christian Schools will be selecting some of the missions that they will pray for and support this coming school year. If you are looking for a children’s mission project, Kids4Kuwaa in Liberia would be an excellent choice to consider and pray about. They need our prayers and support.

Consider that half the children in Liberia die before they reach the age of 10. Many die due to childhood and tropical diseases along with malnutrition. Children must pay to go to school and they must have uniforms or they cannot attend. They need school supplies. Their desks are often just wooden planks. Kuwaa children live in remote villages. Only a very few are on the motor road so there is limited schooling and even more limited medical facilities and help.

These factors are currently being addressed by the Kuwaa Mission. We and our supporters have built a clinic in Kondesu which is staffed by a nurse that attended nursing school with our scholarship help. We currently have helped to build and repair bridges that allow for easier transportation by motor bike or by foot to the farthest villages. We are currently seeking information from the Dept of Education in Liberia so that we can assist the teachers to get better training with workshops we can provide.

Kids4Kuwaa was the idea of a young Lutheran girl in Alaska who had a heart for these very children. She collected “noisy” offerings in her church services in little tin pails. Since then the Kuwaa Mission has promoted Kids4Kuwaa within Sunday Schools and Christian Schools.The Liberian children deserve to live longer, be healthy, and a quality education. They are the future leaders of the Lutheran church and Liberia.

To assist you with this project, we have a children’s Liberian Coloring book for you to photocopy and colorful bookmarks for the children. Please contact us if you would like to have any or both of these items for your mission project this coming school year.

Diane Stelling

dstelling@kuwaamission.org

Kuwaa Mission Board Member