Mercy Orphanage.

For some time now my Etsy shop, bird from a wire, has been helping to support an orphanage, Mercy Orphanage, in India. They now have a new website and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share with everyone who they are and what their mission is. First, my involvement came about through my father's connection to the orphanage. He met Connie Meyer- Schultz, a supporter who's amazing story you can read about on the site, through my grandmother who lived in the same tiny town in upper Minnesota. He immediately took the entire cause to heart as well and has done a lot of work on behalf of the orphanage's children. Last summer I had the chance to meet two of the people responsible for the children at the orphanage and my view of what I can do to help others changed. For a while I had been praying to God to use me. More specifically to use my talents to help others. I figured God had blessed me for a reason and I wanted to share my blessings with others. It wasn't long after I started my Etsy shop and prayed that prayer that an answer came. I met Raj and his wife Juwonya and had the chance to see the wonderful impact that these two dedicated christian people were able to have in the lives of others. They not only minister to the hearts of these children but are dedicated to giving them a nurturing, and protected place to live. They feed and care for them, they are seeing to their educations so that these children are able to carve a better place for themselves, and they are giving them hope by teaching them the gospel. Raj shared stories of finding street children and bringing them home, of church's that are being persecuted, of a culture where trafficking of homeless children can be expected. I heard how mothers, dying from AIDs would bring them their children, and how they took each one. As a mother that just breaks my heart and yet I rejoice that there were people like this, and a place like this, to bring them. They are also reaching out to widow, lepers, and the handicapped. I believe whole heartedly in the good that the staff of this orphanage is doing and I LOVE that the money I send them goes 100% to their mission. It is literally food for the mouths of these children and a roof over their heads. The orphanage has decided to create a second location to house it's growing population. Much of the money that my Etsy site has donated is going to this project. So thank you thank you thank you to each and every one of you who has purchased from me for allowing me to make this difference. In fact, the site is doing so well that last month I was able to give much more than the tithe amount as a donation. My heart can not thank you enough!
If you would like more information about this mission, please check out their new site at http://www.bludomain72.com/~mer/. Please take the time to look at the slideshow and if you feel led to support or encourage this ministry somehow- THANK YOU!!!

Sorry for the fuzzy photo. I tried to lift a photo from Mercy's site but it's a flash thing and I'm fairly technologically illiterate. :)