Postcard from Africa

On behalf of all of us at Helping Hands, I thank you for your support over the past year. May you have a wonderful Christmas season surrounded by family and friends.

As a reminder to you - we are able to care for this young boy from a small village in South Africa because of people like you. The words around the imprint of his little hands say "God made me special. No one else is just like me!" Thank you for making it possible for us to let him know this.

As you go into the new year I pray that, despite the world financial crisis, you will truly have a prosperous 2009. May you see God as the source of all things good in your life.
Visit our home page and click on the link to hear a short Christmas message from some of the children in our program.

With warm regards,
Michelle Tessendorf
www.HelpingHandsInAfrica.org

Postcard from Africa

As the United States celebrated Thanksgiving on the 27th of November, my thoughts turned to all the things we are thankful for here at Helping Hands. The "thankful list" is long, but today I would like to focus on one. I'm sure you will agree with me that the words "thank you" seem inadequate.

We are truly grateful for the premises into which we have recently moved. It has the most beautiful garden which makes a longstanding dream of mine come true! The children in the villages where we serve spend their days playing in the dirt. There are a few scattered thorn trees for shade, but not much else. Now, when they visit the Helping Hands Orphan Intervention Center, they can play on soft green grass and explore a garden filled with interesting plants, a small pond (fully stocked with tadpoles and frogs, eewww), soothing water features and secret nooks and crannies. The birds in the garden are spectacular. I'm thrilled that our Care Givers and staff can find peace and tranquility in the garden when they feel overwhelmed by the hardships and sorrows they face daily. The new offices and indoor space is wonderful. For all this we are very thankful. Every person who gave toward our House Project has made this possible. Thank you. You can still give toward this, simply click here and make your donation, marking it "House Project", or you can send a check to our office - see Contact Us page for postal details.

With warm regards,

Michelle Tessendorf

www.helpinghandsinafrica.org