Greetings!

Recently I saw a study that said that genetics play a role in determining whether or not gratitude comes easily for people. The same study also indicated that the brains of grateful people may be different from those of ungrateful or less grateful people. 

While these findings may very well be true, it's also true that feelings of envy, materialism, and pessimism steal our thankfulness. When we let these perspectives creep in, we can easily lose appreciation for our many blessings, and become cynical about the world we live in. 

That's why it's so important to exercise the "gratitude muscle" in our brains! Like any normal muscle, when not used it atrophies! The longer you go without being thankful, the more difficult it is to actually be thankful.

As we finish up 2021, then, instead of worrying about how many miles you ran on your treadmill, make sure you take time every day to express your thankfulness to God and to others.  That kind of exercise will improve your mental health and help you to tackle life's difficulties in the right frame of mind.  

Rarely do we hear a testimony from one of our ECM kids which doesn't ooze with thankfulness.  I hope that you (and I) can say the same thing about our testimonies! After all, we have much to be thankful for, when we move beyond the superficial troubles many of us face.

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for today?
Executive Director
Owor Valentino (26) got a late start to school and dropped out many times due to lack of funds. When he tried to go back again he felt discouraged because he was much older than all his classmates. ECM came along and encouraged him to finish his studies and pursue computer repair and maintenance as he had some phone repair skills.

By the grace of God, Owor finished school and now has work as a repair man! He is so happy and grateful for the work the Lord is doing in him through ECM and his sponsors! He didn't think he would have a bright future but now he is full of hope!
The lock downs in Uganda have not only left many households poorer than ever, but have also instilled a sense of anxiety and hopelessness in families.

Lotukei Eric’s family is one of those who were affected by the lock down. Eric's mother is a peasant farmer and his father is a cameraman but their meager income was not enough to sustain their large family during the rough time.

“The situation was not good at all. We had no money to buy food. My father was home and there was nothing much to harvest either. It wasn't until Every Child Ministries intervened that rejuvenated us to live through the hard times” says Eric.

In recent months ECM has reached out to more than 200 beneficiaries with food relief in all our Hope Centers. Phillip Dengel, father to Eric, praised ECM for standing and supporting the family, “We now have a medical doctor in the making. We are grateful for the opportunity offered to support my son through his education to this far and of course the food relief. May the Almighty Lord bless you.”
  • Praise that our Share the Hope Banquet on November 13th went very well! Despite our last minute venue change, God provided a great new location for us! We had about 150 people attend and raised $40, 241 as well as $17,000 in pledges, marketplace sales, and auction items!! Also, 9 new children were sponsored! Thank you to those who came and those who donated. It was a great even!

  • Pray as Grace Chapel in Valparaiso, IN welcomes Mark to speak on November 21st at 10:00 am. Pray that those that are not familiar with ECM would feel called to partner with us in the work. Pray for Mark as he shares stories of the lives being changed through partnership.

  • Pray for our missionaries who will remain overseas during the holidays. The holidays can sometimes be a hard time as our missionaries miss their own families that are miles away! Pray that they would remain encouraged during this time and would feel loved and validated in the important work they are doing.
Join us in celebrating that our Shoe Drive Fundraiser was extremely successful! We had an original goal of 3,000 pairs of shoes but, when we surpassed that goal with still about a week left of our fundraiser, we decided to trust God and boldly upped our goal to 4,000 pairs!

People from all over donated to help us reach our goal. Businesses hosted collection boxes for us. Churches and school groups collected in their communities. Volunteers spent many, many hours sorting, counting, and bagging shoes. It was truly a team effort and we loved seeing so many people join together to partner with ECM during this fundraiser!

We have not yet had the time to count and bag all the shoes, however, we have already surpassed our 4,000 pair goal! We will let know know our final count once they are all bagged!
Above you've seen some of the ways you've helped. Now, won't you pray about the opportunity to help this or another child who is in need of sponsorship? Simply contact our office for more information, or visit our website to search for one of many other children needing sponsorship.
$37/month
Sharifah was born with albinism, and sadly, was abandoned by her father when she was born. In many places throughout Uganda, albinism is thought to mean one is cursed. Sharifah lives alone with her mother in the slums of Katwe. Because Sharifah’s mother had nowhere to go when her husband kicked her out, a friend took them in, but they are all majorly struggling to survive, renting this one room house together.

Her mother’s friend is a tailor, so she is trying to also learn tailoring so that she can have a way to provide for Sharifah. Sharifah’s mother is Muslim but thankfully, she is welcoming of her child being involved in a Christian program. Could you please prayerfully consider supporting Sharifah to go to school, so that she can have a way to learn about Jesus and be educated, while her single mother is learning how to make a living?

Kamwokya (Uganda)