Two thousand and twelve was an incredible year for World Help—365 days full of extraordinary opportunities to serve communities and restore hope for millions of impoverished people around the world.
I want to take a moment to celebrate what your generosity has been able to accomplish this past year and show you how your time, support, and prayers are truly making a difference that will last for eternity.
Behind every impact number, there’s always a face—a story of someone whose life will never be the same because of your decision to partner with us. Allow me to show you how you’re helping us change the world. Here is the impact you made in 2012:
CHILD SPONSORSHIP: Impact: 15,694 Children
Stella tragically lost both of her parents to AIDS when she was very young. But through the gift of sponsorship, Stella got the second chance she only dreamed of: a place to call home, and the opportunity for a brighter future. Stella just graduated from a World Help vocational school in Uganda with a diploma in Fashion Design. She plans to begin her own business designing formal dresses and bridal wear.
“I don’t know how I can thank World Help, but may the Almighty God bless you. I will always be your witness,” Stella said in a recent letter to her sponsor. Another life transformed by the gift of sponsorship.
CHURCH PLANTING: 13,759 New Church Plants | Impact: Over 1 Million People
Raj is a World Help church planter who lives in a district of rural India. His home is near a travel route where a caravan of gypsies passes through on a regular basis. Raj began building relationships with the caravan and was able to lead several of the gypsies to Christ. They have started meeting regularly as a church and are passionate about reaching the surrounding community for the Lord.
“Now I am regularly visiting them and started a fellowship in their tents. Some of them are getting ready for baptism. I thank the Lord for His wonderful work!” Raj told us in his last update. God is continuing to move in some of the most difficult areas of the world through the continued efforts of our dedicated team of church planters.
CAUSELIFE: 139 New Wells and Clean-Water Projects | Impact: 112,648 People
Santurnino is a Guatemalan man who has battled his entire life against the hazards of dirty drinking water. For as long as he has known, his only resource has been a murky stream just outside of his village. Yet this water was frequently the cause of sickness for Santurnino’s family . . . and his entire community. Today, his sons collect water for him from a causelife well in the heart of the village. The arrival of clean water will mean significant changes for this faithful man and his family—from better health, to more opportunities for work and education. It’s a change that will help lift Santurnino’s entire community out of poverty.
BIBLE DISTRIBUTION: 305,513 Copies of God’s Word | Impact: 1,527,365 People
Chang has dedicated his life to bringing the gift of God’s Word to thousands of people in northwestern China. It’s a dangerous job, but Chang understands that without the hope of God’s love, his people will never find true freedom. Even as a pastor, Chang never had a Bible of his own—he always gave his away to someone who needed it more. In our most recent shipment to Chang, we made sure that there was an extra copy, just for him. He couldn’t have been happier.
“Thank you so much for your gift, there is no way we can buy or get Bibles where I am and we treasure this gift that you have given.”
HUMANITARIAN AID: Impact: 4.6 Million People
The doors of Kelly’s House were opened this past summer in Zacapa, Guatemala. Inside this state-of-the-art facility, hundreds of babies with special needs will find the care and attention they so desperately need. The facility will be fully furnished with medical equipment given through our Humanitarian Aid program . . . vital resources in the fight to save lives and restore hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
OPERATION BABY RESCUE: Impact: 347 Children
Alejandra lives deep in the mountains of Guatemala cramped in a tiny home with thirteen other family members. Born with Down syndrome and various mental and physical disabilities, Alejandra’s needs are extensive. With very little to eat, Alejandra grew weaker by the day and developed a bad case of pneumonia. Our rescue team traveled for hours in the downpour to reach Alejandra’s village, finding sick and dying babies in several homes before reaching the tiny mud hut on the hill, intervening just in time. Through the around-the-clock care at our Baby Rescue Center in Guatemala and the partnership of Kelly’s House, Alejandra is expected to have a full recovery. Her parents are overjoyed for their daughter.
Together, you have helped us impact the lives of more than 7,240,000 men, women, and children in impoverished communities all over the world.
Your generosity has fed hungry refugee families in Syria, built homes for AIDS orphans in Uganda, and provided Bibles for Christ followers in Nepal.
And today, former child soldiers are smiling again; single moms are enjoying a newfound dignity as they walk across the graduation podium; a gathering of Chinese believers in an underground church are encouraging one another with treasured copies of God’s Word.
This is the impact that your gifts make. Lives are being changed, and hope is being renewed in some of the most oppressed corners of our world, in places where restoration seemed impossible.
And we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for investing in the lives of people and for joining us as we work to do something that will outlive us and last for eternity.
I can’t wait to see how we can continue to change the world together in 2013.
The best is yet to come!
