Dear Arm of Hope Friends and Partners,
What an amazing month it has been for Arm of Hope! We have seen God begin to provide for the vision He has put before us as we head into 2020. We celebrated His goodness at our 4th annual banquet on October 19 with over 250 people in attendance. As we listened to the remarkable testimonies of lives being changed in Ghana, it was evident that this ministry belongs to God. What a privilege it is to play a small part in all He is doing in the hearts of the children of Arm of Hope!
As we look into the new year, there are several things Philip Darko and our leadership team believe God is leading us into. The first is to honor God with our new building. Our new Arm of Hope headquarters, library, and computer lab is paid for, fully completed, and being put to use right now! The only thing we need is BOOKS TO FILL OUR LIBRARY SHELVES! Thanks to all of you who donated used books to this cause. Next week we are shipping 25 tubs of books to Ghana. I cannot wait to see these books in the hands of the precious children of this community who have never before entered a library!
Our second priority is to MAINTIAN AND STAFF OUR NEW BUILDING so it can be used to its full potential. New for this year will be utility and water bills, as well as fees for regular maintenance. We will also be hiring our Arm of Hope young adults to work in our computer lab and library and to be security for our building.
As we announced at the banquet, Marigold Cobbina, our assistant social worker, has come to the States to complete her masters degree. In fact, Marigold was at our banquet, so many of you were able to meet her! Philip is currently in the process of HIRING A FEMALE SOCIAL WORKER to bring on staff with Arm of Hope who will work closely with our young girls.
Lastly, our Arm of Hope leadership team feels that now is the time to begin the process of BECOMING AN INDEPENDENT NON-PROFIT. We are thankful to Hope Community Church for allowing us to operate under their non-profit status for the past 8 years, but Arm of Hope has grown so much and there will be multiple benefits to becoming independent as a ministry. Among these are the simplicity of having our growing financial status separate from the church and willingness of other organizations to support Arm of Hope when it is officially a non-profit instead of being tied to a church. Over the new year, we will be working closely with an accountant to work through the pile of paperwork needed to meet this goal.
If you would like to invest in God’s plans for Arm of Hope in 2020, YOU CAN GIVE by writing a check to Hope Community Church, 1806 Harrisburg Avenue, Mount Joy, PA and clearly labeling it for Arm of Hope-Development Fund, or you can give online at armofhopeinghana.org and choose the giving option “Arm of Hope-Development Fund”. Thank you in advance for your ongoing encouragement and your partnership with Arm of Hope. The fact that Arm of Hope is growing and thriving is directly tied to your ongoing prayers and support.
With Gratitude,
Mike and Cheryl Zimmerman (Co-Directors of Arm of Hope)