Forty-year-old Jesula was a homeless woman who slept each night at a church in Delmas, Haiti. She became pregnant by a man who abandoned her before her son’s birth, and she could not even afford to visit a doctor because she had no money.

Jesula felt desperate about her situation, but she could not find a way out. During the day, she wandered the streets of Delmas or visited old friends in the hope of getting something to eat. Usually she was disappointed in her search. In the evenings, she would head for the New Jerusalem Church where she slept using a pew as a bed and rags for blankets.

Having no one to turn to, Jesula grew more concerned for herself and her soon-to-be-born child. In her situation of hardship, she felt she was going to lose her mind.

While staying at New Jerusalem Church one night, Jesula heard about the Child Survival Program.

Some mothers came to the church to pray that night, and they began sharing powerful testimonies about the program and how it was helpful beyond their expectations.

The next morning, Jesula rushed to the Child Survival Program office. She was now in her seventh month of pregnancy.

Jusula’s story of struggle captured the staff members’ attention. Within a few days she was registered into the program, because the staff believed it was the only way to save her and the baby.

Jesula was not a Christian yet, but she was convinced that God heard her cry and in His grace, He made a way for her. Jesula felt she was at the beginning of a wonderful journey.

“I wanted a father that would care for me and for the baby in my womb. The Child Survival Program staff has played such a role perfectly.”

The Survival Program staff found a place to shelter Jesula. She received home visits and regular medical checkups. She also had the privilege of visiting a doctor on a regular basis prior to childbirth. Thanks to this assistance, Jesula had a successful childbirth.

Through the Child Survival Program, Jesula learned how to read and write. She attends a cooking class and hopes to use this skill in the future to earn money.

Jesula feels that her mind and spirit are uplifted through the Bible stories she learns, as well as the songs they sing during meetings with the mothers, learning about good manners and other cultural and social activities the program holds every year both for the children and their caregivers.

Through the teachings of the Bible, Jesula accepted Jesus in her life as her personal Savior and commits herself to attending church services and living a Christ-like life. She realizes that the Child Survival Program gave her the most precious treasure in life, eternal security and happiness in Jesus Christ.

A few months after his birth, Jesula’s son Slenth suffered from malnutrition. Again to Jesula’s astonishment, she was asked to bring him every morning to the Child Survival Program center for appropriate nutrition. Jesula also received dry food to take home, including rice, oil, milk, spaghetti and sugar.

Slenth is now two years old and is in good health. Jesula hopes to be able to send him to school next year.

“Really, I don’t know what I would do without the assistance of such a program. My life would have been a mess and my child being sick would not have made it.”

Today, Child Survival Program coordinator Elsie feels satisfied about the physical progress that Slenth has made. Elsie also is impressed by Jesula’s discipline and brilliant mind to learn new skills that help her to be a very good mother for her child. Elsie shares,

“Like Jesula and Slenth’s story, there are many other uplifting testimonies of mothers out there about the survival of their children through the Child Survival Program, and I think this is what gives a real sense of purpose to the work we are doing and also encourages us to keep going.”

After the January 2010 earthquake, Jesula had to go back to sleep at the church, because the home she lived in was severely damaged.

Since she was in the program, she received a wood frame, corrugated iron sheets and nails to build a temporary shelter where she now lives with her child.

Jesula gives high priority to activities with the Child Survival Program.

She tells everyone that through the program she receives all she needs for her child despite the absence of his father.

A Child Survival Program staff member says of Jesula:

“If there is one mother you can expect to see in the Child Survival Program meetings, it is Jesula.

She attends every activity, even the class we have for the little children. She loves to draw with her son when he needs help.”

Jesula believes the Child Survival Program is making a difference in this big neighborhood of about 10,000 inhabitants, where children are mostly vulnerable to diseases like diarrhea, fever and malnutrition and where mothers lack education of all kinds.

“I will never have enough words to express my gratitude to the church here, the Child Survival Program staff and the donor of the program. I consider myself a rags-to-riches lady just because of their love put in action. God has used the Child Survival Program to save my child and my life and to give us hope for the future.”

Ever since the Child Survival Program arrived in the area, there have not been any death reports of young children because mothers receive a solid education and know how to raise their children.

Many mothers now testify to the benefits of the Child Survival Program in their lives, the lives of their children, and their families. With the new skills they have acquired, they exert a positive influence on other mothers in the area who cannot be part of the Child Survival Program.

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What’s the best or most memorable piece of advice your mom ever gave you?

How different is the advice you received from the advice children receive in the developing world?

Which bits of advice do you like best, find the funniest or think are most relevant? As parents, do you think you’ll adopt any of this wisdom and share it with your children?

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This Sunday is Mother’s Day (in the U.S.), and the mothers of our Child Survival Program have a message to share with you.

You are the reason our lives are changed. We thank God for giving you as helpers. Now, our faith in God is increased. And we are hopeful of a bright future for our children.

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Losing a child and seeing your little one suffer are two of the most painful things a mom can face in life. This is why we are working with churches to provide care for mothers and babies through our Child Survival Program (CSP).

Pastor David Platt and a team from The Church at Brook Hills spent time with a group of Child Survival Program participants in India. The church team was particularly touched by the story of Bhanna, a woman who experienced the heartache of miscarriage and then the joy of motherhood after the intervention of our CSP workers. Pastor Platt relates this story,

“Bhanna began to weep as she described her despair. But it all changed when she was given the chance to be a part of the CSP. After getting pregnant again, she was introduced to the Child Survival Program and the case workers from the local church began to visit her, pray for her and give her encouragement. Bhanna received good education on prenatal care, how to eat nutritious meals, gather information on how to take care of the baby properly once it was born, and most importantly Bhanna heard about Christ.”

Read the entire post from The Global Initiative

Bhanna’s story wasn’t the only one to stir the hearts of the Brook Hills team. Another mother was told her baby probably wouldn’t live. But God had other plans. Pastor Platt goes on to share about this mom,

“She was pregnant, and various signs in her pregnancy indicated either that her baby would not live or that her baby would need extensive medical treatment. Consequently, two different hospitals in her area turned her away when she visited them. They said that her baby would require too much care, and they would not be able to help her. The Child Survival Program coordinators stepped in, offered her the help she needed, and not long thereafter this precious mom gave birth to a healthy baby girl…a baby girl that is alive and thriving today.”

See a video and read the rest of this story from The Global Initiative.

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The first place we visited on that trip in 2008 was a Child Survival Program (CSP) at Jezreel Student Center. Following the presentation of the program’s facilities and a discussion of the benefits the moms and babies receive, we had the opportunity to do a home visit. It was this home visit that broke Gloria’s heart for the Child Survival Program.

Perhaps it was my ability to see this young girl’s plight through the eyes of my wife, but for the first time I was truly struck by a young mother’s vulnerability and helplessness.

The young mother’s name was Katherine, and she lived in a small plywood hovel that was just to the side of her mother’s home. Plywood and tin, and not enough of either to actually keep the elements out.

In fact, we were told that Katherine would sleep in the small twin bed with her baby and her brother, who was mute. She seemed sad and lonely, but she shared through the interpreter what Compassion meant to her and how her life was already changing because of the Child Survival Program.

Since then, I have thought many times about this young mother and her situation. In fact, it is the one story that I tell about the Child Survival Program.

The only protection for a young and vulnerable woman and her baby was an old piece of plywood that she would pull in front of the opening of her tiny shack. The holes in the walls and roof meant that it rained as hard inside her house as outside. The dirt floor would quickly become nothing but mud, which made the exposed wire from the stolen electricity to run the one light bulb that much more dangerous. She would make candles in order to afford enough food for her and her baby, but if she could not make and sell candles, they would not eat.

On this trip, we had planned to visit a CSP center for our new friends from Oklahoma and Texas, businessmen mostly, plus one gentlemen named Ray who has a ministry to executives.

As we drove to the Child Survival Program, something seemed familiar. As we pulled up on the street outside the church, I knew that I was at Jezreel Student Center again. I was instantly on spiritual alert.

The night before, we had prayed that God would do with us what He would. That we would be open and available to what He wanted to do for us … to break our hearts on this trip.

Honestly, I believe I was expecting great things for our guests, but assumed as a co-host on the trip that I was going to be too busy “hosting” to be moved. Boy was I wrong!

As the CSP presentation carried on I wondered about Katherine, but was soon caught up in the presentation by the pastor, the staff and a drama presented by some of the moms.

Then it was time for our home visit. As we walked toward the house we were to call on, I wanted to ask the pastor if she knew of the woman who lived down a small alley in a tiny house … but I realized that would describe most of the women in this barrio.

Soon, however, I realized that we were heading in the same direction as my last visit. In fact, we turned down the same alley. Walked down the same treacherous trail with broken concrete and water-damaged pathway.

We turned to the right and we came face-to-face with Katherine’s house.

“God, what are you doing?”

Well, we actually walked right past Katherine’s house to a close neighbor for our home visit.

“Whew! I thought you were really going to mess with my heart, God. That was close.”

We had a nice visit with the mother and her two beautiful children. At the end of our visit, they asked if I remembered Santa (the older daughter of the mother we were visiting). Apparently, Santa remembered me from out last visit.

After our visit, I asked if we could walk down the hill to Katherine’s house and see if she was home. She was.

In meeting Katherine the second time, God wrecked me.

Katherine was changed. Her countenance was brighter and she was more open. She had learned valuable skills from being a part of the Child Survival Program, and she was now making and selling jewelry in order to support her family.

Although her countenance had changed, her living conditions had not.

The shack with the dirt floor in which she lived looked no more protective than it had before. She had painted a window on her plywood door, but the door still provided no more protection than when I was there last.

My translator told me that Katherine’s daughter, Villeny, had done her last CSP weigh-in and was moving from the Child Survival Program into our Child Sponsorship Program the following week.

“Is that it God? Is that why you brought me to back to the epicenter of my broken heart for CSP?”

Somehow, Gloria and I feel a very special connection to this family and have a desire to see this family through. And now we have the opportunity to do just that. To be a part of Villeny’s life through her participation in our Child Sponsorship Program, and Lord willing, through the Leadership Development Program.

Katherine is not yet a believer, and I cherish the opportunity to pour into this small family with my wife as their sponsors.

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Remember when you answer each day’s HIV/AIDS question correctly, you are eligible to win a free CD – your choice of either Portable Sounds by tobyMac or Beyond Measure by Jeremy Camp. We’ll randomly choose a winner each day from the correct answers.

The answer to Friday’s question is 1,000.

During 2007, an average of 1,000 children worldwide became infected each day with HIV, the vast majority of them newborns. Many people living in poverty are never tested and are unaware of their HIV positive status, thus increasing the rate of transmission. An important focus of our AIDS Initiative is the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

Source: 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary, pg.8

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Amber Van Schooneveld

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In August 2007, Proverbs 31 had joined on as a Compassion representative to speak on behalf of poor children all over the world. And so, Compassion had invited me and other Proverbs 31 ministry staff and speakers to experience firsthand the work Compassion is doing in Ecuador.

To say that this trip was a life-changing experience is an understatement. The people I met deeply touched my heart and I will never be the same.

In the Otavalo mountains of Ecuador I was surrounded by beautiful little girls, dressed in their finest handmade dresses, but out of the corner of my eye I couldn’t help but notice a young man on crutches.

He was all alone. I felt God telling me to go over to him. I left the brightly dressed little girls and walked over.

We had an immediate connection. I discovered through my broken Spanish that his name was Hydro. He grabbed my hand and led me into his mountaintop church.

We laughed and smiled a lot. He gently nudged when it was time to stand and when it was time to sit. He knew the ropes and he was my guide in his church, and I was thankful for it.

He asked to use my camera; I watched as he carefully and joyfully took pictures of those he knew in his church.

I later had lunch with Mercedes, Hydro’s mother (Mercedes means mercy in Spanish). Through a translator and many tears, I discovered this very small woman frequently carried her son for miles into town on her back year after year, only to have doctors turn them away because they were unable to afford the doctors’ fees.

Mercedes told me that some people in her village didn’t understand why she bothered taking Hydro so far to the doctor so many times, only to be turned away. They didn’t think it would help.

But I knew why. As a mother I would have done the same.

I would have walked as far, and I would have lovingly endured the weight on my back. I have two boys, and they mean the world to me – a child’s weight is never too heavy for a mother to carry if she thinks there is the tiniest bit of hope for her child.

Compassion heard of Hydro’s medical difficulties and paid for his operation and bought him his first set of crutches. Now he can get around on his own.

Mercedes was so thankful to Compassion that she would go and clean the local child development center. This was her small way of saying thank you for all that Compassion had done.

Because of her hard work and her understanding of how Compassion works in her area, Mercedes was made the director of the center.

I love Mercedes’ story of persistence, and I love what Compassion showed me that day – there is hope, and help and love in the most out-of-reach places. If you keep trying, and keep believing, and you keep praying, your weight will be lifted, and help will come in the form of Compassion.

“She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20 (NIV)

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With Mother’s Day coming up, I’ve been reflecting on how much this question really matters. It’s not that a mother’s name is particularly important unto itself; it’s more that the name embodies a woman, a woman with a unique story, a woman who no matter what story she lives every day is deeply connected with her children (and maybe even children that she has not physically given birth to).

My mother’s name is Margaret.

I won’t tell you her middle name, because to put it mildly, it’s not her favorite. It’s beautiful though, and it reflects perfectly this remarkable woman who I have been privileged to call “Mom” my whole life.

My husband has lost two moms to cancer. His biological mom, Kay, died when he was 14 years old, and his second mom, Viola, died almost two years ago while I was pregnant with Edison.

I didn’t get a chance to know Kay, but I’ve seen her reflected on my husband’s face. I’ve heard stories about her and I know she loved well. She left an undeniable mark on my husband and his sisters just as Viola did, just as my own mom continues to leave on me.

There are times in my life I will never forget because of who my mom is, and because of how she loves me. She is a constant creative, loving and very wise influence on my life, and I continue to learn so much from her.

Even now as I watch her take care of her mother through some incredibly difficult circumstances, she shows me another beautiful facet of Love.

It might sound weird after what you have just read . . . but, I always struggle with Mother’s Day.

How in the world do I condense what my mom meant to me, and has meant over the years, into one day? How do I respect and honor her story as a woman, her life adventure of love? Is it even possible?

In 1914, a joint resolution from Congress, signed by President Wilson, established a national holiday in the U.S. Every year on the second Sunday in May, we honor our mothers.

This sounds fabulous, doesn’t it? A special day just for mothers, a day when moms around the country get breakfast in bed, hand-designed cards, maybe even spa treatments to thank them for living their story as a woman with grace and dignity and love.

To me, as a mom of a 14-month-old and a step-mom of an 11-year-old, it sounds pretty good. But I wonder how much of this day actually takes away from all the other days of the year.

Husbands, fathers and maybe even brothers or sisters run around trying to help children find ways to express their love on this special day and it becomes more about pressure to perform on a special day rather than a daily expression of love. Is this really what mothers want?

I ask this question mostly because I read recently that Mother’s Day is the second largest gift-giving holiday in America. That’s right, only Christmas is bigger from a retail perspective. I read that in the U.S. we will spend more than $14 billion this year to tell our mothers how much they mean to us.

On one level I think about that and go yes, moms are that important. Then on another level I wonder is this really the best way to honor my mom? Or are there thousands of little ways I can honor her every day, that in the long run will help her understand better just how much God has done through her in my life?

So this Mother’s Day as you think about the women in your life, think about how to tell them every day what a difference their story is making.

You might even send these special moms a link to the following slide show and ask them to honor these women by making a donation every month to support mothers around the world who have never even heard of Mother’s Day.

By doing this, the love you have experienced through your mother and the other moms in your life multiplies exponentially around the world. You and your mom continue to be a reflection of God’s life-giving miracle every day of every year.

Blessings, and have a happy Mother’s Day every day of the year.

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