November 2024

This Sunday, November 17, is the eighth World Day of the Poor, as declared by Pope Francis. The 2024 theme, "The prayer of the poor rises up to God," encourages us to make the prayer of the poor our own.

As we approach this World Day of the Poor, we invite you to support the ministry of Unbound, a faith-based ministry walking with the poor and the marginalized since 1981. We do, and we have found it very rewarding.

Somewhere in the world a child is waiting for you. Somewhere, a senior citizen with limited means is hoping for your assistance. We live in a world filled with big problems and complex challenges; it sometimes seems overwhelming. But through Unbound, each of us can do one big thing for one person at a time.

Since 1981, Unbound, a highly-rated charity grounded in the Gospel call to care for the poor, has provided assistance to more than one million individuals living in poverty throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Working in 17 countries, Unbound currently supports more than a quarter-million sponsored children, youth, and elders.

Unbound works primarily through individual sponsorships – not just financial support but personal connection. We have written before about Evelyn, our sponsored child in Guatemala, who will celebrate her 15^th birthday next month. Because of our sponsorship, Evelyn is still in school, unlike many poor children in Guatemala, who are forced to drop out due to school costs.

Through Unbound, we make a difference not only in her life, but also in the life of her family and community. You can make such a difference, too. Throughout the world, Unbound has children and elders who have been screened and approved, waiting for sponsors. Currently, the average wait time before a child receives a sponsor is nearly a year.

Please follow this link to learn more about how you can help. In honor of the World Day of the Poor, a generous Unbound donor has agreed to donate $100 to the Unbound Scholarship Program for every new sponsorship started through November 22.

Please prayerfully consider this opportunity. Somewhere in the world, a child is waiting for your help.

--by Bill

We sold our house last Friday. The closing was the final action we had to take to complete the move to the senior living community, “The Villa”, which we have already grown to love. We are settling in quite nicely and don’t want to move again.

Evelyn does not have that choice. She, her 2 sisters, and parents live in Guatemala on the side of a mountain. Their home is made of mud bricks and tin and a dirt floor. Their village has no electricity nor running water. Their father works in agriculture; that means he weeds by hand the rows between coffee and corn plants.

The highlight of our 2019 Unbound pilgrimage to meet Evelyn and her family was the day we spent with our sponsored family. We returned deeply heartened that the family loves their community and have hope to rise out of poverty, because Evelyn receives medical and educational support from Unbound.

Evelyn’s family is one of the thousands of families in Guatemala and 17 countries around the world that Unbound supports. Generally, they are families who love their community, their language, their culture, and don’t want to move. They don’t want to come to the United States. We respect their wishes by simply helping to provide basic needs and fulfill their inherent potential.

Recently Bill and I were recognized for 30 years’ giving hope to Asian, African, and Latin American families in poverty. I was first involved with Unbound, 1994-2004,* giving talks throughout the U.S. to raise awareness of poverty and opportunities for support through Unbound. This month they invited us to be pilot members of the Ambassador Coalition Team to help increase the invitations for sponsorships.

During this initiative, we are asking you, will you join us today and walk with a family on their path out of poverty? 

by Jan

*Known as the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, 1981-2014