Friends. I’m asking if you might be willing to help with a wonderful project about to get underway in Cali, Colombia.
In October/November last year, I took with me to Cali my friend Thanney Pyper, an excellent builder, to renovate a house in a desperately poor and dangerous part of the city, for use by an amazing lady, Dr Ana Bustos, who has a wonderful heart for the countless street kids in the city. Sadly, the house was in such poor condition (about to collapse, literally), that Thanney could only condemn it.
He felt he’d failed: until God gave him a vision he’d never have believed possible: to go back to Cali three times this year, and build something that will more than double the number of children that Ana had hoped for. Instead of 150 kids, she’ll be able to take 350, to get them off the streets, out of the hands of the drug dealers, to protect them from addiction, to clothe them, have showers and loos for them, to educate them in a trade or skill (everything from sewing to computers to – essential now in Colombia if you want a ‘life’ – learn English, and to teach them about Jesus), and to accommodate a large number, especially the most threatened kids.
Next Tuesday, 14 March, Thanney and I go to Cali, for him to begin the task, with the help of some local guys to do the labouring. Thanney believes that, with God’s help, and the help of his people, that he will hand Ana the keys to a purpose built home by the end of the third visit, in mid-November. He’s costed it out in total, and per trip: £55,300 total, £17,500 this trip, £22,750 second trip, £15,050 third trip. This trips total works out that to save the life of – and give a future to – 350 kids, it’s £130 per child, with gift aid (£158 without). That’s relatively little to give a child safety, and hope.
This trip will be to get the structure of the building in place, and teach some local guys to do other construction, before the next trip in July or August. A short Powerpoint slideshow (the link is below) describes the cost, and shows the conditions the kids live in.
If you’re able to help, it would be amazing. If you pay tax, the money can go through my Stewardship account in order to reclaim the gift aid: other ways, if you don’t pay tax, are below. The bare minimum to make the first week ‘viable’ is £5,000: it would be wnderful to know that we can go with that amount in the ‘kitty’ to bless not only the kids, but to make Ana Bustos deliriously happy….
Thank you, bless you, and, if you can’t help, would you pray, please? Thank you for whatever you can do. If you can help, can you let me know, please? And let me know how much? Bless you!
With love and thanks,
Paul
www.stewardship.org.uk account: Paul Bennison Healing Ministries Worldwide, number 20028331
Halifax, Sort Code: 11-08-75 Account No: 00256003 P A Bennison
Paypal: paul@paulbennison.com
