At Easter we celebrate Jesus’s resurrection which means death has been defeated and God is going to mend our broken world, making all things new. We herald that news by reaching out in the name of Christ to those who are suffering. That's where the Easter Sacrifical Offering (ESO) comes in. Through giving generously to ESO we link arms with brothers and sisters in other parts of the world and join them in ministries of mercy and relief. As we do so we demonstrate the unity of Christ’s body and proclaim the coming of his kingdom. Highlighted below is one of the projects we'll be supporting this year.

Folley Kesselle carefully penned his note of thanks and slid it into an envelope. Having just graduated from a Liberian university, he wanted to thank the people who had made it possible, the people who had prayed for him and given money to the orphan home for his support. He wanted to thank the people of Tenth.

When he was eleven, the First Liberian Civil War came to an end. Somehow the orphaned Folley found his way to Mother Comfort. She and her husband opened their home to war-traumatized children, embracing them in Jesus’ name.

For eight years, Tenth has partnered with Mother Comfort helping her provide food and education for the  fifty-eight children in her care. Twenty are now in high school. Donors have enabled another eight to enroll either at the university or at a vocational school studying trades such as auto mechanics. Folley is the first to graduate.

With Liberia still struggling to recover from war’s devastation, young people like Folley offer great hope. Because of the violence they witnessed, forty percent of Liberians struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. Many struggle with drugs and depression, but Folley found hope in Christ. Mother Comfort seeks to raise her children in the knowledge of the Lord, and Folley responded to a sermon Bruce McDowell preached while on a short-term trip in Liberia.

Since graduation, Folley has returned back to the home to help Mother Comfort. Her husband, who directed the school, recently died. Folley is now acting as the home’s administrator as well as  leading the choir.

Please read Folley’s note to you.
 

A portion of this year’s Easter Sacrificial Offering will support children from Mother Comfort’s Orphan Home. “May God bless you as you continue to help the orphaned and abandoned children of Liberia,” Folley writes. “Thank God, we made it.”