Rich In Generosity

Each year one of the highlights of our trip is to visit the small village of Chicoman just outside the walls of the Oasis. This year's experience was extra special because for the first time we got to take some of the girls from the Oasis with us. There were two requirements for the girls to be able to come with us: firstly they had to be 15 or over and secondly they had to be a level 4 - the highest level on a scale that the staff here use to encourage good behavior. Chicoman is a small village of only a few hundred people who live in extreme poverty. Our normal trips involve handing out candy, toothbrushes, toothpaste and tracts - we are always greeted with friendly smiles and are starting to get to know several of the families that live there. Earlier on in the week the girls had taken part in a service project which involved filling colorful gift bags with some basic necessities, candy, toys, tracts and a hand written note. We took these bags with us to Chicoman and the girls were able to hand them out to families there. The girls at the Oasis, although they have very little by US standards have become accustomed to receiving from teams that come down here. It was overwhelming to see how they were so excited to now be able to turn that around and now give to others. This is an intentional philosophy that the director here has adopted to encourage the girls to look beyond the walls of the Oasis and impact the community around them. It was truly amazing to see how the generosity of New Hope Church and many other teams is now being passed on through the girls to others in need - that, dear friends is what being "Rich in Generosity" is all about!