| Dear Friends and Partners of Arm of Hope, As we sit around the table celebrating this season of Thanksgiving, you come to my mind! In incredible ways beyond my imagination, God has provided over this past year, and He has done so through your obedience to His call. In a world with so many needs and requests, thank you for choosing Arm of Hope. The end of the year is coming, and I know Mike and I are thinking of ways to reduce our taxes for this year. If you are also thinking along those lines, here are some updates about Arm of Hope and some ways you can get involved.  The Trip Our team of 10 is finishing up our last minute activities before we fly on the 26th–sending visas, finishing up fundraising, and planning our teaching for camp. As you may have heard, the Covid vaccine is still required in Ghana, which has reduced the size of our team for this year. However, I did not increase the amount that each team member needs to raise, so we have a bit of a deficit for our camp. On Sunday, December 4, our camp team is holding a sub lunch fundraiser at Hope Community Church between 10 am and 12 pm. Everyone is welcome to stop in and grab a lunch to-go for a donation of any amount to our upcoming trip. Our team members will be packing the lunches of subs, snacks, apples, and a homemade cookie. We would love to have you pop in and show your support to our team while supplies last !  The Clinic Just two months ago, the vision for the new Arm of Hope Clinic was proposed, and in those few short weeks, over $100,000 has already been raised! It’s amazing to see how God is quickly and abundantly providing for His clinic! Our total goal to be raised for the clinic, equipment, and start-up is $350,000. We rejoice in what has already been given and look forward to breaking ground when our team is in Ghana for camp. This fund for the clinic will remain open until the full amount has been raised.  Sponsorship We are very grateful for the nearly 40 new sponsors who have joined the Arm of Hope family recently, but we still have another 100 children waiting for sponsorship. Every child who regularly attends Bible Club throughout the year is eligible for sponsorship, and more and more children keep attending each week! If you would like to add one more child to your family, the cost is just $30 per child. We also have several new college students who will be starting soon, and the cost per month for a college student is $130. The Development Fund I know the Development Fund may seem like the “boring fund,” but it is the backbone of the ministry. The Development Fund provides for the needs of our office and counseling center right in the heart of the Arm of Hope community. When you give to the Development Fund, you pay the utility bills and provide salaries for our accountant, social worker, and the seven former students of Arm of Hope who are employed there. I know it’s more “exciting” to give to the clinic right now, but we are also praying that God will continue to provide for this general fund that keeps our doors open in Ghana.  The Darko Family How incredibly blessed Arm of Hope is to be under the leadership and direction of our partner, Philip Darko. With inflation in Ghana up 36% and the Darko kids growing, they could really use an increase in support. When you provide for the Darko family, you support our Arm of Hope director in Ghana and his family to keep on in the work God has called them to do. They are dealing with many challenges in ministry, so what a blessing if finances isn’t one of them!To give, go to armofhopeinghana.org, and choose the appropriate fund from the giving menu, or you can always write a check to Arm of Hope, 1708 Ridge Road, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. All that to say, isn’t God great? In the past year, every single one of these needs have been covered. It’s becoming common for me to go to the mailbox and find checks for thousands of dollars. It warms my heart to hear of the love and care you have for your individual students. And the trip? Well, it’s going to be awesome! We are expecting 650 campers. How can that not be awesome? And I can’t even explain the clinic, except to say that when God is in it, it happens! None of this would be possible without you. It takes a village to care for a village, and your partnership is the biggest encouragement to me. With Unlimited Gratefulness, Cheryl Zimmerman Arm of Hope Director |
December 9th, 2022 at 3:09 PM
Praying for your trip..and am also happy for the Darko family..very committed. I also thank God for Arm of Hope USA ..the Lord be with you all