MOM WOULD NOT COME BACK (continued)

That night the lady took me home with her family. Her name is Christina Nugom and she works for the (Kids Alive) mission. She said she would keep me for just one night. If the other couple…did not want me, she would keep me and take care of me like a daughter. So that is how I became the daughter of Christina and Dan Nugom. I have three brothers and two sisters and they all had to find people to live with.”

That’s how Kids Alive® International works. We help indigenous people establish homes where a few orphans live as a family. That “family” has access to food, school and health care all provided by Kids Alive. Children bond with house parents who help them process what has happened in their lives, like Christina did for Lillian.

“My new mom said that many days I would go and look where my real mom was buried because I wanted her to come back. She told me my mom could not come back, that she was now in heaven. I didn’t know how to talk so my new mom spent a lot of time teaching me to talk.”

The need in Papua New Guinea is great because there are so many children, both orphans and children from the villages, who rely on Kids Alive to provide some of their basic needs. Missionary Shirley Killosky shares the realities of the work she is doing.

“(By comparison to some) our children look undernourished, poor and not very clean. We try to give at least one new outfit a year and soap as often as we can but we have so many that it is difficult to do. We also are only able to feed (the children from the village) twice a week. Inflation here is unreal and we have had to cut back on many things.”

Even still, the Lord is blessing the work that Shirley and her dedicated team are doing. In a recent update, Shirley shared the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.

“We have seen many changes in 2003. Most of our schools in other villages now have two teachers because of the large number of students. Many other villages are still asking us to come and start schools in their villages. The only thing stopping us is the funds. That is why you are so important to us. You are making many of these things possible with your faithful gifts of support.”

Your support for Kids Alive International is making a difference in the lives of children whose “mom could not come back.” Lillian’s life is a testimony that is echoed in every country your generosity reaches through Kids Alive® International.

*Medical Teams traveling intermittently to Papua New Guinea provide much-needed medical assistance.