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Teléfora was drowning. You helped rescue her

Kelsey Campbell
Jun 22, 2020

To this day, near the deadly shoals of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, stand several life-saving stations from the 19th century. A life-saving station was used as a way to patrol the waters for shipwrecks, especially during storms. Brave men known as surfmen would keep a sharp eye out for people who needed to be rescued from sinking or toppled ships.

You’re a lot like one of those surfmen stationed at a life-saving station. You’re always looking for the opportunity to help save lives. And you do it every time you give to someone in need.

Over the past few months, generous donors like you have helped rescue countless people worldwide who were drowning in deep poverty made worse by the coronavirus pandemic. Without help, many of these people may not have been able to survive. Watch the video below to see a few of the ways you and your World Help family have made a difference.

In 1899, one surfman named Rasmus Midgett, who was stationed at the Gull Shoals Life-Saving Station, single-handedly rescued 10 victims after a hurricane wrecked their ship. 

How did he manage this all by himself?

Without even the safety of a boat, he kept swimming out to sea and back in to shore, bringing in those people who were drowning. One by one. And he didn’t stop until all 10 were safe.

Much like Rasmus, you have helped save as many lives as possible … one at a time. You’ve helped rescue people like Teléfora.

Teléfora is in her 70s, and she doesn’t have any family around to help take care of her. She has to try to survive on her own, so she hunts through the local market’s garbage to try to find something to eat.

When the pandemic hit Nicaragua, she had no choice but to keep digging through the trash. “Despite the risk she runs in the streets of contracting COVID-19,” our partner said, “she continues to go out. If she stayed at home, she would starve.” Then, generous people like you provided food bags for her community.

When she saw our partner coming to her door carrying a bag of food, she broke into the brightest smile!

Now Teléfora can stay safe at home and still have food to eat. She has been rescued from the storm of this pandemic! And she’s not the only one. Here are just a few more ways you and other donors recently helped people struggling to survive during the pandemic:

• Provided food for 60 families in Burundi … and 21 of those people accepted Christ!

• Made sure 1,000 families in Zimbabwe received critical aid

• Helped ship containers of healthy meals to impoverished nations in Latin America

• Provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to many people worldwide working on the front lines of this pandemic

• And so much more!

Thank you for all you’ve done to help people in need. Please continue to pray for those who are still barely holding their heads above water as this pandemic threatens their lives and livelihoods. And please give again if you are able.

Thanks to a new matching gift pledged by World Help Board members, every dollar you give will be matched up to $300,000. So, you can help rescue 2X as many people with lifesaving aid like food, clean water, medical care, hygiene kits, and more. You’ll also help World Help erase a projected budget shortfall caused by canceled events meant to fundraise for needs around the globe.

The rescue mission isn’t done yet. Like Rasmus, that legendary surfman, we need to keep pressing forward and helping save as many lives as possible. But we can’t do it without YOUR help.

Ramus didn’t let the threat of the pounding waves keep him from swimming out and saving a life. Instead he kept going back. Again. And again. And again.

Will YOU help rescue another person living in desperate poverty today and bring hope during this global pandemic?

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