Visiting the Jamaica Girls’ Home
Despite civil unrest and violence in Jamaica, a team of four representatives from Children of Promise were able to visit the Jamaica Girls’ Home in Kingston, interview the girls, meet the staff and governing board, meet with Church of God leaders, and worship with the girls at Constant Springs Road Church of God, May 27 – 31.  The group consisted of former COP Co-coordinator, Dr. Brenda Maxfield, Bethany and Eric Ashabraner (COP volunteers from Indianapolis), and Dr. Paul Maxfield, executive director. 

The Jamaica Girls’ Home is operated by the Women of the Church of God of Jamaica.  Presently, eleven girls live at the home.  The girls come from disadvantaged and abusive home situations and are unable to be cared for by their families, for various reasons.  Some have lost their parents.  The group found the girls engaging, well-cared for, friendly, and grateful for the assistance they are receiving at the Home.    The staff and board of the Home are working diligently to minister to their needs, including dealing with the effects of their difficult childhood experiences.    Sponsors presently support the Girls’ Home at the rate of $30 per month. This helps to provide for their basic needs, as well as other needs that arise surrounding school or health issues.  Some girls attend public schools, and some attend Ardenne Secondary School, the Church of God school in Kingston.  If you would like to help support these girls, contact Vicky Creamer, at 1-800-848-2464, ext. 2206.

Visit Continues in Haiti
On June 1, the COP team left Jamaica and traveled on to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where they were met by Isaac Adrien, COP Director, and Phil Murphy, project leader for the construction of homes.  Destroyed buildings, piles of rubble, and enormous tent cities gave evidence of the destruction of the January 12 earthquake.  The team traveled on to the village of Callebasse, about 17 miles southeast of the capital.  This village is the home to both the House of Blessings orphanage and the community sponsorship program.  The group visited all the new homes constructed for the families of COP children following the earthquake, interviewed all the sponsored children, helped the children write their sponsors, photographed the children, and spent many hours talking and playing with the children.  We are happy to report that all the children whose homes were destroyed now have new homes, and those that were simply damaged, are being repaired.  In addition, some families are receiving cisterns, latrines, and household necessities such as beds and bedding, lost in the earthquake.  While the team was in Callebasse, several workcamp groups were also staying at the House of Blessings, working on constructing homes in the area through Church of God Ministries.  As a result of seeing the impact of the COP sponsorship program in the community, ten (10) of these workcampers sponsored new children in the community.  We thank God and these new sponsors for their love and compassion for the children of Callebasse.  COP now has 7 children sponsored at House of Blessings and 35 children sponsored in the community.  

    
Upcoming Events

North American Convention of the Church of God:  June 25-30, 2010, Anderson, Indiana.  Join us at the following events at Convention:
June 25 and 26:  Children of Promise Volunteer Conference (contact Linda Mason at 800-848-2462, ext. 2139 for registration information).  A two-day concentrated look at helping children in need by becoming a member of the volunteer network in your region.  Conference will be conducted in the newly expanded COP offices.
June 28 (Monday):   8:30 - 10:00 am - Transforming Lives Through Sponsorship (COP Conference)
June 28 (Monday):   1:00 - 3:00 pm - Journeys of the Heart - Real people will share about meeting their sponsored  children.  (COP Conference)
June 30 (Wed.):        1:00 – 4:00 p.m. -  OPEN HOUSE in our newly expanded offices - ALL WELCOME!     Use South Chestnut Street entrance of Church of God Ministries building.
 
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      Children of Promise      P. O. Box 2316, Anderson, IN 46018       www.echildrenofpromise.org         cop@echildrenofpromise.org