Why power outages make me thankful...

It's hot today. We're in the middle of summer and if I'm not sitting in front of my fan--or even better in front of an air-con--I'm sweating. And I hate sweating.

The power has been off a lot lately. The last outage lasted from about five this morning until eleven. Even in opening all the windows I couldn't escape the heat and my frozen stuff in my freezer started to sweat as much as I was.

On top of that, our water has started shutting off about five each evening which means you have to plan to wash dishes early and take afternoon showers.

But power outages always get me thinking:

About all the women and children who walk a mile each way to get water to cook and bath.

About the women who cook all their meals over a fire every day.

About the women and kids who work in the hot sun in the fields to provide food for their families.

About the kids who walk several miles to school every day in the hot sun.

About the smiles of those we built houses for--small, one room, no electricity or running water.

About how much I have to be thankful for.

The needs that we see everyday around us are the reasons we started The ECHO Project. If you haven't checked out what The ECHO Project has done this year, please do. Through many generous donations, we have been able to help with education needs, housing needs, micro loans for business, medical needs, and much more.

DECEMBER:

This month, we were able to buy school supplies--a big thanks to all the kids at The Fellowship in Katy, Texas--that will be distributed next month to kids in need. We are also in the process of setting up a store for David, our main evangelist, to enable him to be self-supporting.

THE SAFARI SHOP:

One of the new ways we are raising money for The ECHO Project is through a brand new on-line shop. We are selling stunning photographs of African Wildlife and from other places around the world that include wall art, bags, clothes, iPod covers, mouse pads, photo cards, and much much more. We'll have lots of new items available weekly. You can also make requests for specific items not yet available. The best part is that 100% of all profits will go directly to The ECHO Project.

You can check out some of the products below or visit the site here!

make custom gifts at Zazzle

May we all be truly thankful for the blessings in our lives this Christmas season.

In Him,

Lisa

Hope for the Homeless Video Update

Thank you so much to all of you who have helped with this project both financially and prayerfully. It was a week of hard work, but lives were changed! Here is a video recapping the highlights of the week. Some of the footage moved me to tears as it is hard to imagine people living in such difficult conditions.



If you have a small group, ladies class, or children's program and would like a simple way to get involved while making a big difference, we'd love to hear from you! Please check out the "Get Involved" page on The ECHO Project website or shoot me an email.

Be blessed,

Lisa

Hope for the Homeless

We are so grateful to those who donated toward this project. Last week, Scott took a team and worked to build four houses for those who were living in terrible conditions. We will be sharing a moving video in the next few days to share what God did through this project.

Blessings,

Lisa

How to host an ECHO Project FUNdraiser!

Want to change a life?

You can!

Are you a part of a small group, ladies group, or life group?

Are you a part of a children’s ministry, youth group, college class, or sorority?

Would you like to make a real difference in the lives of individuals?

All it takes is three easy steps.

1. HOST AN ECHO PARTY: Start with your small groups, collage group, or Sunday school class. If you're a youth or children's leader, plan a mission’s month for kids.

2. SHARE THE POSSIBILITIES: We've got you covered! Both our Adult Fundraising Kit and Children’s Fundraising Kit--for only a $20 donation to cover costs--includes a study guide, discussion questions, a DVD, and everything you need to highlight specific needs in Mozambique and how you can make a difference. Then you can help raise money for The ECHO Project by selling earrings and bracelets--made by a young Mozambican in our micro loan program—along with 2012 calendars, and stunning photo note cards.

3. CHANGE A LIFE: All donations from your fundraising will go directly to make a difference in the lives of people here in Africa. The ECHO Project strives to help in the areas of Education, Compassion, Health, and Opportunity.

Check out our website to find out more about what we are doing. The “Get Involved” page has more information about the Fundraising Kits. Then let us know if you would like to join in and be a part of a project that can change the world, one person at a time!

Thanks!

An ECHO Project Success Story!

If you would have told me a couple years ago that I would be be involved in starting up a non-profit, I probably would have run the other way. It simply wasn't something I saw myself tackling. Funny how God has a way of taking us in directions we would never imagine going on our own.

Over the weekend, I sat watching Emily show me what her daughter Rosie had been learning, and I realized that this is why we started The ECHO Project. We want to make a difference in the lives of individuals. Rosie is one whose life has been changed through those who are helping us make a difference.

Rosie stopped talking at about 18 months. After several years of trying to get a diagnosis, we finally found out that Rosie most likely had contracted encephalitis about that same time. This left her unable to speak. Her needs were communicated through screaming or tugging on her mother.

The biggest problem was that there really aren't any resources available for situations like this where we live in Mozambique and the situation continued to become more and more frustrating. Then about two years ago, someone told me about a DVD program that teaches sign language to children and offered to buy it for Rosie. It seemed like the answer we were searching for. At first, Rosie's parents thought the idea was crazy and that it wouldn't work. You have to realize that we don't know of anyone here who speaks sign language and likely they have never heard about it.

But I convinced them to give it a try--and the results have been amazing. Not only can Rosie now communicate with her parents via simple sign language, but she wants to learn more. This year, realizing how well her mother Emily was doing teaching her and how much she was learning, I told her that The ECHO Project would sponsor Rosie (now seven) to help her with her schooling. Again, I've been blown away with how well both Emily and Rosie have done.

We bought simple workbooks, primarily pre-school and Kindergarten. Emily combines the sign language with the workbooks, so Rosie can sign the words that she is learning. She is now writing words, spelling, learning math, and can even speak some words. It's an exciting story that's only just begun for this sweet young girl.

Be a blessing today!

Lisa

UPDATE: Homes for the Homeless

The response to the need to build houses for four elderly individuals who are homeless (See our recent post) has been overwhelming and exciting! Praise God! Within a couple days, we already have the four committed sponsors we needed along with several more groups and individuals wanting to get involved.

Thank you!

We will keep you updated with the building of these houses in the next few weeks through The ECHO Project blog, website, and our Face Book page. For those of you still wanting to give, we have a number of other projects including the January distribution of school supply packets for those in need, seed money for our microloan program, and the ongoing distribution of vitamins and basic health medications in the villages we work with. All donations go directly to help those we work with.

Blessings,

The ECHO Project Team

Opportunity to get involved: Homes for the homeless

There is a great need a couple hours north of us where half a dozen elderly people are living under trees because they don't have homes. Mel and Mandy, two single women from England who are considering working with us, are currently helping to provide simple structures for these individuals who truly are the poorest of the poor.

Scott would like to take several of our disciples later this month to help build four of these homes. For only $175 you can sponsor one of these homes. This money includes all of the materials, labor, and food for the workers.

Please consider giving toward this project or asking your Sunday School class or small group to get involved and sponsor one of these homes!

For information on how to donate, click on this "website link." Once on The ECHO Project website (Donation page) there is instructions on how to either send in a donation via Pay Pal (including credit cards) and where to mail a check.

Thank you!

The ECHO Project team

Cause of the Month!

A big thank you to The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch and Kosmos Coffee in Katy, Texas for highlighting the needs of The ECHO Project as its “cause of the month.”

If you’d like to learn about ways for your church to get involved, please email us!