Christmas is one week away! We are so grateful to all of our supporters who have donated so far! Don’t be left out! Help us by giving away a Christmas present! Click here or email info@rightsteps.org for more information.

God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

II Corinthians 9:8

On Tuesday morning, we announced our Christmas Campaign, and we’ve already had such an overwhelming response! So far, we will be able to provide fuel for the generator for one month, three cows, four pigs, 100 chickens, and sixty sets of clothing/shoes.

Please help us continue to supply the children at Susana Homes with Christmas gifts that will last all year long! For more information, click here or email us at info@rightsteps.org!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Merry Christmas from Susana Homes!

Not sure what to put on your Christmas list this year? Or do you need a gift idea for a loved one? Consider putting Susana Homes on your gift list!

Every year we are honored by those who choose to give a Christmas present away to one of our children at Susana Homes. Your support has enabled this ministry to continue, and we are grateful for every dollar. Not only does your money go to feed, clothe and educate our children, but they are also encouraged when they see that it is coming from their “American parents” overseas. This year, we are hoping to make it easier than ever for you to give a Christmas present to Susana Homes.

Here’s how:

First choose the amount you want to donate from the list below.

• $25—This amount will supply one child at Susana Homes with clothes and shoes. Often our children are wearing their school uniforms, but they also need “everyday” clothes to attend church services and non-school events.

• $50—This amount will buy 25 chickens for Susana Homes. Not only are chicken eggs a source of nutrition for our children, but they are also a source of income. Susana Homes will sell the surplus eggs in the market. They will also raise chickens to sell.

• $100—This amount will buy one goat, which could feed the entire Susana Homes population for four days.

• $200—This amount will buy one pig, which could feed the entire Susana Homes population for up to one month.

• $500—This amount will buy one cow, which could feed the entire Susana Homes population for up to two months.

• $1,000—This amount will pay for one month’s diesel bill at Susana Homes. The diesel fuels the generator, thereby providing fresh, clean  water through the water pump, not to mention lights and electricity for the home and school.

Next, print and fill out the form below, and include it with your donation. Mail to: Right Steps, Inc., 45 Technology Parkway South, Suite 200, Norcross, GA 30092. (If you bank online, just make sure to include our address in your payee information, and then send an email to info@rightsteps.org to let us know your gift selection.) You can also fax your form to 678-336-5049 if you are paying with a credit or debit card.

After that, contact us at info@rightsteps.org, and we’ll send you a custom-designed greeting card for your gift recipient. That way you can let them know that you gave their Christmas present away!

Dr. Chi Ekwenye Hendricks was recently featured on Family Life Radio’s website. Click here to read her inspiring interview with Lorri Allen!

There is joy in heaven when a RECEIVER becomes a GIVER! In this picture, Sister Eunice, a recipient of Auntie Kay’s Soup Kitchen, chooses to spend her day holding Susana Homes’ babies. About 2 years ago, when Kay Price, our medical missionary from Lexington, KY was running one of her numerous clinics at Susana Homes, I flippantly told her Sister Eunice and others of her patients would be a lot healthier, and she would not have to “waste” the medication if they had enough food to eat on a daily basis. I did not mean to start another program, but looks like I did, (HA!). Nevertheless, Auntie Kay thought about what I had just said, in jest, and decided it was very true. And so was born “Auntie Kay’s Soup Kitchen”. Kay and her husband and daughter have since made available money for these destitute and childless widows to be fed and on a daily basis. Every Sunday afternoon, these women (and one man) receive a package of uncooked food items, enough to last till next Sunday. In Sister Eunice’s case, she does have one son, but who is dependent on her because he chose to sell himself to alcohol. Sister Eunice is like one of the 10 that Jesus helped—she came back to say “Thank You” and we do truly appreciate her spirit of gratitude.

 As the economy continues to worsen, many more in our villages and churches become in need of this kind of help. We can help more of them, with your help. If you would like to donate to Auntie Kay’s Soup Kitchen, please contact info@rightsteps.org and let us know your donation is strictly for this soup kitchen.

Our feature child this week is JOY. Remember Joy? I believe it would be 3 years this August since Joy came to live at Susana Homes. Having been bounced from home to home as a housemaid, Joy made the big league—she was on her way to the Cameroons—when her mother panicked, realizing that this time she may never see Joy again. So she runs to report at Susana Homes.  

So I asked brother Prince to go quickly and to bring Joy. He did and her father was mad as can be. He said we should pay back the money he had accepted from the dealer, if we must have Joy. We did, and so Joy was bought back and now she is ours, HA! Joy is at least 15, bright in school, but had never stayed in school long enough for anybody to known just how academically gifted she is. Right Steps Christian Schools is ours and we can use it to our benefit. So we placed Joy in 2^nd grade, then 3^rd. In September of 2010, we placed her in 4^th and she beat everybody in that class. This past January we placed her in 5^th and she still beat everybody. This April, we have placed her in 6^th and she is the 3^rd best in that class. We have provided her with extra tutorials and we think she will be able to go to 7^th grade come September of 2011. In 7^th grade, she will not look so out of place and we believe her self-esteem and confidence will be much better as a secondary school student than a primary school one. 

Joy is indeed a joy and even though she is the new kid on the block and gets left with all the dirty dishes, she does the dishes with joy and she has managed to hold her own in a home with 70 other siblings! Joy has come a long way and certainly still has a long way to go. But with your love and support, I have no doubt that she will get to reach her God-given potentials. Please drop Joy a note this week and let her know you are thinking of her.

When Val is mad, beware!

Val just turned 3 in April. But like all children her age and around the world, sometime she is mad and wants to be by herself. Our children encompass the gamut of emotions that children are known to possess. We thank God for this and we consider Val’s “madness” in this picture a glory moment. We are OK with our goods and bads, just like others who live in regular families! Our family may not look like other people’s families, but it is our family and we love it. And we are glad you are part of our family!

Many children in developing countries will live and died without ever getting dental care. In the picture to the left, one of our dear volunteers, Auntie Kay, who wears many hats at Susana Homes, took 2 days off serious stuff, to make sure that our oral care was up to date. We truly live on a piece of God’s kingdom here on earth!  

This week, we introduce “Uncle Ken” to you. We think Ken is about 4, but we are not sure. Ken’s father had brought him to Susana Homes 3 years ago, this June. Ken was in a bad shape, wasted, and failing to thrive. From what his father said, his mother had been sick—with swollen extremities, or perhaps just simply swollen all over. And among the Igbos, being swollen like that is a very bad thing. The swelling had started even before Ken was born and had gotten worse after he was born. And so Ken never really got any nutrition from this mother. 

However, Ken’s case was made worse when his mother was taken to the native doctor place and the “doctor” had given his father a list of things to bring so that he would ward off the evil spirit that was making the mother swell like that. Ken’s father did not have the money (and it was a lot of money! He showed us the list and it had things like crocodile tongue, monkey skull etc.). When his father could not afford the “doctor’s” bill, Ken’s grandparents took him from his dying mother and deposited him with his father—refusing to take care of him, if his father will not take care of their daughter!

Of course his father could not take care of him. He could not afford baby formula, and Ken had other medical complications. So we inherited Ken. It has been a struggle helping Ken thrive like he should. He remained poorly in health for a long time, but has finally turned the corner, we think, for a healthier childhood. We do not know what God has planned for Ken, or if his father will ever be able to take him home. His mother has since died—the witch doctor could not ward off the evil, apparently. However and whatever may be, we are just so thankful Ken did not become a statistic. He did not become one of the under fives that swell up Africa’s under five mortality rate. Looks like we won this one and we are immensely thankful to God, and to you for helping us help Ken. Please drop a note for Ken this week. Simply comment on this post, and Auntie Teacher will be glad to read this note to Ken.

There was joy in heaven last Sunday as two new sisters were added to the church at Susana Homes. Our two young sisters in the Lord are students of the Right Steps Christian Schools at Susana Homes. They are boarding students and have been with us since September of last year. We rejoice with them and with the heavenly hosts and we give thanks for the work that the evangelists on the premises do with these young people. These two students are also recipients of the CROSS Scholarship program. We fervently pray that they will continue to grow in stature and in spirit and in favor with God and man. Congratulations Chinweoke (L) and Honor (R).