In June our team of 12 went to Kenya to build a school in Suna, Metagori with the secondary objective of purchasing cows for 20 of the most poverty stricken widows in attendance at the Suna Gospel Church. We were delighted at the progress that was made on the school, but we still have much to do. We need people and churches to get involved. We need to raise $12,000 to finish this remaining construction of the building and to fully furnish the school with desks and chairs, chalkboards and windows. If you would like to help us by "adopting a classroom" you or your church can complete the construction of one entire classroom including fully furnishing it by donating $1,500.00. Of course all donations of any size are welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Widows: When we were in Kenya, we quickly realized the extreme hardships caused by the poverty of the local widows. We are working to assist 60 widows in the community of Suna and we are focusing on helping the most extreme hardships first, that is, by assisting 20 widows and stabilizing their situations first before helping the remaining 40 widows. These widows are raising their orphaned grandchildren. The parents of these children have died from HIV/Aids and the widows have taken it upon themselves to raise these children, yet are struggling to do so. With livestock such as chickens and cows, they are equipped to start a flock helping them to feed their children; with a cow they can garden and sell extra milk to pay for the tuition at the local school. By purchasing a hen and a rooster, you are enabling a widow to start a much needed flock to help her support her orphaned grandchildren. A rooster and a hen costs just $8.00. The cost to purchase a single cow is just $100.00. The widows in Suna need our help in order to produce young people who are physically strong and have the opportunity for an education. Because Suna is a desolate area, unfortunately the awesome organization, Heifer International, isn't close enough to help provide the much needed support. The great news is, that with your help, HOPE can assist the widows. To donate go to: www.HopeUnites.org/Kenya

or mail in a contribution to: HOPE Unites, PO Box 511, Dansville, NY 14437. Attach a note or specify in the memo section of your check , telling us how you’d like us to apply your donation.

www.HopeUnites.net is our fundraising webstore. We offer mission trekking and travel gear. By shopping through HOPE you allow us to continue our efforts and help us to support the many that we are providing aid to. Not only will you help others, you will find that we offer many products without the large mark-ups. We know that you will find the variety of products impressive as well as extremely useful. We offer many outdoor, electronic, clothing, tool, survival, luggage, first aid kits, batteries, and food products as well as gathering many downloadable documents for interstate to international travel. If you have a product that you would like us to consider listing on our site, please contact us. We also offer travel agency services online at: http://www.hopeunites.org/VoyagesofHOPETravel.html and of course you can always call our offices for your travel needs. Thank you in advance for your support & your efforts to help us assist others!

Your tax free donation is greatly appreciated. HOPE is a 501 C3 non-profit organization that is working in impoverished areas throughout the world and we invite you to help us in our endeavors. You will receive a donation receipt at the end of the year detailing the amount of your donations to HOPE.

You may make your donation by check or credit card. You may also join our HOPE Community subscribing monthly to support HOPE. You may do this online by clicking on the “Donate to HOPE link on the front page of www.HopeUnites.org or mail your contribution to: HOPE Unites, PO Box 511, Dansville, NY 14437.

If you would like to volunteer, we welcome you to do so, you may log onto our website and read about opportunities throughout the world.

Donate your car, boat, motorcycle, van, jet ski, motorcycles, motor homes, buses, and planes, they do not have to run, you just have to have a clear title. When you donate, 80% of the proceeds will help support our work.

Have your title available when you call and be sure to give them our name: Humanity Outreach Partners Enterprises: Hope Unites

GoodSearch is an Internet search engine with a simple concept and unique social mission. GoodSearch enables you to help fund HOPE Unites through the simple act of searching the Internet.

It's simple. You use GoodSearch.com like any other search engine but each time you use them money is generated to support HOPE Unites. Go to www.GoodSearch.com and where it says, “I’m Supporting” type in: Humanity Outreach Partners Enterprises: HOPE Unites (Cortland, NY) and we get a penny every time you search the internet!

On the banks of the Zambezi River, where the occasional herd of elephants wander, lies the Children of Zion Village. Home to 55 children, most of them orphaned by AIDS, Children of Zion is a place of safety and love for children whose lives have been filled with turmoil—but most of all it is a place they call home. Located in Namibia, South-West Africa, Children of Zion seeks to enable the children to become world-changers by raising them in a loving Christian atmosphere, giving them education, vocational training, and opportunities for higher education. A unique aspect is that the home is set on a farm—with horses, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, cats, dogs, and a large garden to tend to, the children learn responsibility and accountability for their actions through daily chores.

HOPE missionary, Sarah Haver, went on staff with Children of Zion in January 2006, after learning of the home’s struggles with their horse program. Along with teaching first and second grades, she helps the children to care for and train their fourteen horses, and gives them daily riding lessons. She has seen miracles happen through the animals—abandoned children, some of them former slaves or HIV positive, have learned to trust and love the gentle animals, and have gained confidence in caring for and learning to ride and control them. The children adore their horses and ride every chance they get—their joy can be seen in a smile as they go over that first jump, or heard in their laughter as they swim the horses in the Zambezi River or gallop through the bush. Horses are unparalleled in their healing and therapeutic nature—this can be seen every day at Children of Zion!

The highlight of the children’s month (possibly even their year) was in June, when HOPE Unites, President and Co-Founder, Gael Orr made a visit to the home, teaching about horse training and acting as the guest judge to the first annual horse show! All wearing special shirts donated by HOPE Unites, the kids proudly (and nervously!) strutted their stuff in the arena, showing the great riding they’d been working so hard at! It brought tears to everyone’s eyes to see how confident and happy they were, and at the end of the day there were horse show ribbons hanging from every kid/horse/wall!

Unfortunately, while the kids riding is going well, the program is struggling financially as the horses are extremely expensive to feed and care for. Veterinary emergencies are frequent, and the horses continue to die because of the lack of medicines and veterinary care, devastating the children. The home also has very little access to proper riding equipment, which can also be quite expensive.

Trinity’s HOPE was developed through a desire to involve individuals, families, and churches in the lives of these children, and to let them “adopt a rider” and help to support the program that has such a positive affect on their lives. For $25 a month, each sponsor will receive a packet with information, with pictures and even a letter from the child. Quarterly newsletters will keep sponsors updated, and semi-annual letters from the child will give a personal touch. Correspondence is encouraged! Funds will be used for horse feed, veterinary care and medicines, necessary equipment for the child, and a new horse fund. Go to www.trinityshope.org for more information or go to: www.HopeUnites.org and click on the Trinity’s HOPE link. Article by Sarah Haver

Trinity’s HOPE is a joint effort between Trinity Stables and HOPE Unites. Trinity’s HOPE was started by Career Missionary, Sarah Haver (above). You may read her bio on the HOPE website by clicking on the Career Missionaries Link. For more about Christian Horse farm, Trinity Stables go to: www.TrinityStables.com

Congrats to Sandy and Paul on their marriage! Sandy Rowland Binotto is a native of Charles Town, WV. Sandy has two sons, Michael and Wesley. She Chairs the Volunteers in Mission Program of the Baltimore/Washington Conference.

She counts it a privilege to have been able to travel to as many places as she has and to share the Love of Christ and help those in need. Her list includes: Nigeria, West Africa, Kosovo, Bosnia, Germany, Israel, Puerto Rico and many places in the US doing Disaster Relief.

She has completed two terms as an Individual Volunteer to Puerto Rico and Bosnia. While there she started a support group for the widowed women from the war and taught English as well as working with children.

HOPE Unites is now the coordinating agency for Western New York’s United Methodist Volunteer’s In Mission program (UMVIM-WNY). The churches of WNY met at their annual conference and decided to outsource its mission program coordination to the HOPE Agency. We are excited about this opportunity and for this new partnership.

Greetings once again! Spring is finally here in New York. We have many letters and articles to share with you in this issue.

This is a letter from one of our workers in Mississippi. Maiben has been working with a Hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort in D’Iberville. Notice how enthusiastic Maiben is to be doing this kind of work!

We are continuing to work on all kinds of projects. We have put two roofs on houses in the last two weeks. For all of you that have not tried it, it is the kind of job that lets you know that studying in school is not nearly as hard as it seems at the time. We had people that knew what they were doing and a lot of people that had a very willing heart and were able to learn. Roofing, sheet rock, insulation and other task take a big heart and a willing attitude. We are doing work in areas where no one will go because it is too far to drive. God sets no limits on help and I see no reason we should not help everyone we can. With Gods help, all things are possible.

The free clinic in D’Iberville has only a few weeks left in the present location. They will have to move out of the building they are in. We have been blessed with a double wide trailer to move them in, but need help with the money in order to get it moved to its new location. If any of you feel led to help with this project, please let me know. We could really use the help and the FREE clinic is a great project and is needed by this community. While we call it a FREE clinic, we all know it takes a lot of money to keep it running. Any amount would be appreciated.

We are trying to build a dorm for volunteers to sleep in. The building will be used by the church when we leave and will be a permanent building for many years to come. The cost is $20,000. We have some of the funds, but need help with the rest. More volunteers would come if we had a better place for them to stay. If you cannot come yourself, maybe you could lend a hand financially.

This disaster is a long way from over. Some people are still in tents. Some are packed in trailers like sardines. Everyone here could use your help in some way.

I learned this past week that there are three P’s in missionary work. The three are the Player, the Prayer, and the Payer. Which one are you? Everyone could do at least one of these, some can do all three. We need your help. Please check your heart and become an active part of this relief effort.

Donations Your tax free donation is greatly appreciated. HOPE is a non-profit organization that is working in impoverished areas throughout the world and we invite you to help us in our endeavors. Currently we focusing on hurricane relief efforts in Biloxi, MS and New Orleans, LA . We need your financial contribution to help us in our efforts. If you would like to make a donation, you may do so online at: www.HopeUnites.org or you may send a check made out to: HOPE, 5776 Joy Rd., Conesus, NY 14435. If you would like to volunteer, we welcome you to do so, you may log onto our website and read about opportunities in the South and throughout the world.

Here is another enthusiastic letter sent to us by a missionary helping with Hurricane Katrina victims. This one was sent by Amanda Young.

Recently, I had the amazing privilege of going to New Orleans, Louisiana to help with hurricane relief. While I was there, I realized a few things about me, God’s will for my life, and about the people of New Orleans. This is a very hurting city, and it is in desperate need of some tender loving care.

One of the biggest things that I realized while I was in New Orleans was that God was always present in our lives, our actions, and in the lives of the people of this city. He showed us that His mercies really are new every morning and that all things are possible when He is in control. I think the illustration that proves this statement the best is the following story. There was a lady who came through the food distribution line, (this is the line where people come to get food for their families). I had a chance to talk with this lady for a few minutes. She was telling my coworker and I that she and her fiancé had bought a house on the lake only three weeks before the hurricanes hit. They never left their home,instead, they spent one day in the attic, and two on the roof. After that, they spent two days in the superdome, and said that everything you heard on the news was true. When they were let out of the superdome, this lady went to live with her brother and his wife, and two small children. Their house caught on fire, and the mom died in the fire. Now she and her brother and his children are living in her son’s house, trying to put their lives back together again. She was out buying beds for these two little boys the day she came through our line. She told me that despite how much she had lost, it was all going to be okay because she knew that God was going to take care of them.

Another thing that I realized while in New Orleans was that it’s not about me, it’s about spreading God’s word to other people who need Him just as much if not more than I do. I always knew that it wasn’t about me, but it never actually sank in until my trip to New Orleans, when I came to the realization of how vulnerable these people are, and how willing they are to really listen to the Good News of God’s grace and mercy. There aren’t a lot of people in the United States who are that willing to hear about Christ and what He did for us. I was in a total state of awe when I realized this.

While I was there, I had the chance to attend a bible study and mid-week services both at the church we were staying at and at the church who headed up the relief efforts in New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina. If I would have taken nothing with me when I left to return home, I would have taken this one thing with me. The gentleman who taught the bible study (his name was Mike) talked to us about obedience. The thing he told us that stuck with me was that we should obey God out of our love for Him, not out of obligation to Him. I had never realized that before, so I was excited to hear it. The mid-week services were good as well, although I can’t remember just one thing sticking out in my head or my heart, I do remember just being enveloped by God’s presence all week long, no matter where I was or what I was doing.

The vision for rebuilding New Orleans is called NOAH. It stands for New Orleans Anchor of Hope. The overall idea is that while New Orleans is being rebuilt, it should be rebuilt on Christ who is the Anchor, and that the only way that can happen is if we as Christians step up to the plate and tell our stories and keep people coming back.

The volunteers are starting to dwindle down now, with the holidays and from being burnt out, as well as from just not getting the word out. There are thousands of people who still need assistance from the services that are being provided, but that can only happen if there are enough people to serve them; they need between forty and fifty volunteers to make things run smoothly. While I was there in early November, we figured that we were still feeding about five thousand people a day, between six locations.

People are still just beginning to come back to the city, and most of them have nothing, except what they left the city with. These people will also need assistance until they can get back on their feet. The churches have already vowed to be there as long as there is a need to serve meals and hand out food boxes to people.

I also saw things in New Orleans that are etched in my memory forever. One of the pictures that are forever in my heart is something that I saw while we were touring the Ninth Ward. As I was walking along, I saw someone’s CD collection lying on their front lawn. It had such an impact on me because I know how much music is a part of my life, and I don’t know what I would do without it. However, on the other hand I was thinking how do I hold such a material possession so close to my heart while most of the people of this city are coming home to find that they have nothing left? Another thing I saw in that city were cars buried by houses and trees and cars that were abandoned in the median of the road completely submerged in the flood, and although the water was gone, you could still see the lines and the damage from the water.

Some of the questions that came up on the trip, especially while touring the Ninth Ward were food for thought. One of them was what would you be thinking if you were on the roof of your house waiting for someone to come rescue you? I couldn’t even begin to imagine what the people of New Orleans must have been thinking, or feeling, or even doing. They must have been wondering if they would be rescued in time. Another question was how will they all feel when they are finally allowed to come back (the Ninth Ward was still shut down), and they see their houses ruined and their belongings either gone or totally ruined? I have lived in the same small town my entire life, and can not even imagine having to start over again after something like this.

It’s only been since going to New Orleans that I have finally started to respect my home. I realize how blessed I am to live where I live. I don’t have to worry about natural disasters in upstate New York, just lots of snow, which is easy to handle compared to what these people have gone through. I am incredibly blessed to be home, but I am even more fortunate to have been part and to continue to be part of something greater than I can ever imagine, that is God’s amazing plan, not only for my life, but for the lives of everyone I touched in New Orleans.

Here’s a transcript of a piece that was featured on the Channel 10 News in Rochester, NY.

Group of Edison Tech students and teachers heading to Gulf Coast to help with rebuilding efforts

2/28/06

They’re about to embark on a lesson you can't learn in the classroom. 22 students from Edison technical high school are heading to the gulf coast region Thursday to help in the rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina. NEWS 10NBC joined the team of construction students Tuesday at Edison Tech, as they got ready to leave Thursday. “I'm sleeping on the bus. I'm sleeping on the plane, so when we get there, I'll be hyped up,” said student Juan Gonzalez.

In Mr. Wild's construction class it's all the talk but when Gael Orr from hope unites takes over the talk ends. “I want to talk to you guys about what you're going to be facing while you're down there.”

Down there is Biloxi, Mississippi. Six months after Hurricane Katrina, it's still a disaster zone. But after a year and a half of training at Edison Tech the students can build walls and foundations and frame houses. “They could insulate an entire house or the electrical kids could rough in the wiring for an entire house,” said Wild.

“My anticipation is that they'll be able to do about 3 times the amount of work that a normal team would be able to do,” said Orr.

Electrical student Manny Hernandez will be turning on the lights for people in Mississippi. “It'll feel good to be able to bring light to somebody house you know what I mean, so at night they won't be in the dark.”

Classmates Juan Gonzalez and Jason Douglas will construct homes. “I like doing this stuff. Construction and helping out people,” said Gonzalez.

“I want to build the new roofs and stuff like that,” said Douglas.

Each student knows they’ll also be building a personal legacy of help. “Boy they're really touched when they see they see that they've made a difference in someone's life,” said Wild.

“You just won't feel the same after seeing something like that. Personally seeing it, not just on TV because it's a lot different,” said Hernandez.

The group also includes 10 teachers, some of whom are driving down with all the tools. The students will be in Biloxi for 10 days, working through Hope Unites, nonprofit organizing rebuilding trips in the Gulf Coast.

The students and staff raised $24,000.00 through donations over the past few weeks to pay for the trip

Here’s another on that was featured on Rochester’s News 13!

Kyle Clark (Rochester, NY) 02/02/06 - Two dozen Edison Tech students are headed for the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast in March.

Volunteer coordinators have never had trouble lining up youth groups to help disaster victims, but here, the need is for skilled craftspeople, which is what makes the Edison Tech group unique.

Students will use the skills they learned through carpentry shop to build homes for Hurricane Katrina victims in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Student Justin Baker said, "I’ve gone through three years in the carpentry class. We work our way up. We learn what we’ve got to do. We got a good teacher, so we expect to show what we can do."

Shop teacher Ben Wild said, "Apparently, they still have somewhere in the neighborhood of 27,000 homes down there that still need work. So there's plenty for us to do."

The Edison students are prepared and qualified to take the lead on construction projects. They’re armed with experience and a passion to make a difference.

Student Lashonda Morgan said, "If this happened to us, I would want them to help us out too. So, I know that it's going to be stressful, but it's a once in a lifetime experience."

Akeem Johnson said, "At first, I kind of blew it off, but then I said, ’This could be my chance to help somebody out.’ "

Each day, Edison students train for real-life construction jobs for after high school. In this case, real-life called early and they're ready.

Their trip is being arranged through a local non-profit organization called "Hope Unites."

Gael Orr of the organization said, "The people that are going through the Hope organization all have a desire to serve and reach out and help other people."

On March 8, HOPE sent out an invitation to churches in Rochester, NY to attend an informational meeting about an upcoming project in August. Listen to what HOPE is planning for the inner city…

On Monday, March 27, at the Marriott Ballroom, Gael Orr is going to present Rochester churches with the opportunity to help feed 10,000 families (approx. 50,000 people) in one day! Gael said in her invitation “We wish to use Christ’s example of meeting people’s physical needs, feeding the multitudes, while evangelizing to their spirit with the gospel.”

HOPE is inviting area churches to help with this goal, and perhaps bring families back to church.

Gael said that this project was inspired by The Goodness Project, and organization that HOPE worked with in Biloxi, Miss. That helped feed 40,000 people ravaged by Katrina.

Here’s a transcript of a piece that was featured on the Channel 10 News in Rochester, NY.

Group of Edison Tech students and teachers heading to Gulf Coast to help with rebuilding efforts

Hurricane Katrina More Pictures