"How Can We Help?"

People ask us quite often, "Is there some way we can help the work there at ABC?"  We'd like to address this to all our blog followers just to keep in the back of your minds.  Of course, we're trying to tackle a fairly substantial and important library project and yes, there are always ongoing maitenance and grounds issues.  But there is one overriding need here that we'd like everyone to keep in prayer and it's the most important thing going on here.......the ABC students. 

Last week we received an email from the ABC administration informing us that a number of students were in financial trouble.  Tuition is completely out of reach for most students apart from the intervention of relatives and help from people overseas willing to sponsor students.  The email we received was a "desperate plea" on behalf of students in need.  I asked for a list of students and what their specific needs were and I received back a spread sheet listing 152 students (about 60% of the student body) with needs ranging from 60,000 Kwacha (about $240) to 376,000 Kwacha (about $1500).  Some of these students have been carrying over balances from one semester to the next.   You can't imagine how difficult it is to have to tell a student to leave campus until they can find the funds. 

Of course, right now the global economy is having a rough season.  I've heard the saying, "When America gets a cold, the rest of the world gets the flu."  It should actually say, "When America gets a cold, the rest of the Western world gets the flu, and the Third world world gets pneumonia."  When you think of ABC please remember these students and remember that they are "Mission #1" for us and the reason God sent us here. 

Beyond praying, if you'd like to help contribute you can pray about doing what a couple families did recently.  Instead of Christmas or birthday presents, give someone a gift that says, "In honor of your big event I helped a college student in Malawi, Africa finish their Christian education."  You can do this simply by sending us an email saying, "I've put "X" ammount in your ABC account to help out students there".