Cross International

God’s love, transforming deepest need into thriving joy

She Almost Died. Look at Her Now!

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Back in 2017, we met a starving Guatemalan baby named Jairling. Thanks to intervention by concerned Christians, look at what God has done!

Jairling’s healthy smile betrays no hint of the trauma that almost snuffed out her life. You’d never guess she was conceived through rape, or that she spent her first 20 days of life wasting away because her then-13-year-old mother, Claudia, was unable to produce breastmilk.

Another teen in Claudia’s shoes might have simply given up, but Claudia prayed to God for help, and the Lord showed up in a big way, sending our local partner – Hope of Life – to the rescue.  Jairling was taken to a hospital and nursed back to health.

We were thrilled to reunite with Jairling a year later and find her enjoying herself at Hope of Life’s playground and melting hearts with her chubby cheeks and bright eyes. This is a miracle of love — a miracle that happens when Christians come together to live like Christ and extend His mercy to those in need.

Claudia & Jairling the day after their emergency arrival at Hope of Life.

Claudia still has a lot of healing to do, but the good news is that she’ll be able to work through her trauma in a safe place, living with her grandparents as she continues to receive support and comfort from Hope of Life.

We wish all the best for Jairling and Claudia, and are confident we’ll encounter many more transformation stories like theirs as Cross International continues working alongside Hope of Life and other overseas ministries striving to rescue babies and mothers. That doesn’t just mean feeding the hungry. It means ministering to bodies and souls in Jesus’ name and fighting for them to truly thrive.

This work saves lives. That energizes us! And we hope it energizes you too. If you’re not already involved, I urge you to click here to learn what you can make possible. These families need all the love, prayer and support they can get!

Cyclone Idai took their homes. God’s people will rebuild!

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Our friends in Malawi report that the situation continues to worsen for the many families who lost their homes to Cyclone Idai.

U.S. media only briefly covered the news, but the crisis is enormous — and isn’t over yet. In one torrential blast, the storm displaced over 19,000 Malawian families. What made the event especially devastating was not just the strength of the winds, but also the preceding heavy rains that had saturated the land, guaranteeing severe floods.

The Ambuya Development Center, our ministry partner in Malawi, has identified 335 houses that were destroyed just in the four local communities it serves. Together we plan to start building new houses for the families, who in most if not all cases were already struggling to make ends meet before the cyclone swept away everything they had.

Construction plans have already been drafted, and we’re going to work with Ambuya to do as much as we can to make this vision a reality and restore these families’ lives in Jesus’ name.

Thank you for making a hope-restoring gift now to our sisters and brothers in need!

Now thousands of families are not only homeless but also in danger of deadly outbreaks such as malaria and cholera. But the good news is that our local partner is not just standing idle.

Fighting for His Life

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Hector Ariel Collado is one of the kindest, most helpful teenagers you’ll ever meet. He’s also very ambitious.

When he’s not doing his part to welcome — and ease the fears of — new kids entering the Arms of Love homes in Jinotepe, he’s resolving conflicts or helping the kitchen staff or teaching himself to play Ed Sheeran songs. Hector loves soccer, he’s passionate about learning, and his dream is to get a business degree and become the future director of the orphanage.

That’s the Hector everyone at Arms of Love adores … and hopes to see again.
Right now, Hector needs prayer – and for God to grant a miracle.

In 2016, Hector was diagnosed with leukemia.  Even then, you could find him consoling and reassuring the other sick children at the hospital. Hector really is a spiritual superstar — and we really want to see him beat this awful disease.

Right now, he particularly needs our prayers because in addition to enduring numerous chemo treatments, therapy, a relapse, and the need for a bone marrow transplant, he has also had to deal with a devastating blow in his person life. He learned that the political unrest that has gripped Nicaragua since April of last year claimed the life of his older brother.

Please pray for Hector. He is sick, hurting, heartbroken and in need of a miracle. We believe that God sees his tears, and we are thankful that the Arms of Love staff are doing a tremendous job of loving and caring for Hector and all the other abused, neglected and abandoned children the Lord has brought to their doorstep.

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Help Children With Disabilities

The UN estimates that between 93 and 150 million children worldwide live with a disability. In developing countries, these children are often unable to attend school, play outside or access specialized resources. Negative stigma or superstition among their parents, neighbors and community leaders often reinforce these barriers.

This year, we’re providing $60,000 worth of medical equipment to Kupenda for the Children in Kenya. This is a very remote location, and your gift will help cover the shipping costs to this very worthy medical outreach.

This gift will benefit: Kenya

Recommended Gift

  • $243 would provide a wheelchair to a remote facility
  • $950 would provide 60 pairs of youth crutches to a remote facility
  • $2,430 would provide 10 wheelchairs to a remote facility

Heal the Sick

In developed countries, basic medical supplies such as gauze, wraps, bandages, and syringes are commonplace. Unfortunately, that is often not the case in the developing world. Christian doctors and volunteers in developing countries frequently run low on these supplies, and they also lack the funds to keep large inventories on hand.

This year, we’re providing $84 million worth of medicines and medical supplies. Your gift will help cover the shipping costs to medical outreaches in some of the most remote areas of the globe

This gift will benefit: Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kenya

Recommended Gift

  • $866 provides $100,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies
  • $4,328 provides $500,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies
  • $8,656 provides $1 million worth of medicines and medical supplies

Build a Family a Home

A gift of a safe, secure home is tangible affirmation of God’s love for a desperate family — it brings hope, health, stability and opportunity. Most poor families must settle for much less. Mired in poverty, they are forced to live in unsafe shacks fashioned from mud and thatch.

You can provide the life-changing gift of a safe, storm-resistant new home with Cross partners Ambuya Development Center in Malawi and Hope of Life in Guatemala. A new home will ease the family’s burdens, protect them from the wind and rain, and help them achieve their dreams.

This gift will benefit: Guatemala, Malawi

Recommended Gift

  • $1,881 will install an eco-stove, for safe, economical and healthy cooking
  • $8,900 will finance the construction of a safe, sturdy concrete- block home

Education

The gift of an education is an investment that reaps long-term dividends for a child’s future. By opening doors for the children of the poor to enroll in Christian schools and get the same educational opportunities as their more economically well-off peers, you are giving not just a hand-out but a “hand-up.”

Your gift will fund Christian education to nurture vulnerable children mentally and spiritually — for thriving futures that will transform hopeless places.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Ecuador, Uganda

Recommended Gift

  • $515 provides Christian primary school scholarships to 10 children
  • $1,030 provides Christian primary school scholarships for 20 children
  • $1,240 provides one week of Vacation Bible School for 100 children
  • $3,300 provides one year of vocational school scholarships for 60 girls
  • $3,660 enables 30 adults to attend a Christian adult literacy program

Rescue Women and Children in Crisis

Through emergency child rescue services, vocational training, anti-trafficking programs and Bible literacy classes, Cross International is helping vulnerable women and children reclaim their lives. Inspired by Jesus’ love, we work shoulder to shoulder with our in-country partners, empowering them to create change that lasts so that those who need help will eventually be able to stand confidently on their own. Be a part of this good news and make a life-saving gift part of your holidays.

Your gift will help protect victims of gender-based violence and also help save marginalized women and children from harm.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua

Recommended Gift

  • $891 supports a family rescued from trafficking or abuse for 3 months
  • $1,782 supports a family rescued from trafficking or abuse for 6 months
  • $3,564 supports a family rescued from trafficking or abuse for one year

Provide Clean, Safe Water

Our ministry partner, the Kachere Development Center, has an ambitious plan to install 20 wells, providing 5,160 adults and 8,414 children with clean water. Our goal is to finance the drilling and installation of one well – part of an entire community water system, which includes training to maintain the well, and sanitation and hygiene training for improved health.

One borehole can provide 2,800 gallons of safe, life-sustaining water every day. Help us bring clean, safe water to one of these villages today — in a way that will last for generations.

This gift will benefit: Zambia

Recommended Gift

  • $3,105 will train the community for water care system and use
  • $10,755 will finance the cost of drilling the well
  • $18,975 will finance the cost of installing a community water system

Give Tools for Sustainable Farming

One of nine people worldwide survive on less than $1.90 a day. Without training and supplies to grow moneymaking crops and breed profitable livestock, poor farmers stay locked in the cycle of poverty.

By supporting this fund, you’ll help families break free of poverty — transforming lives for generations. When families get the training and tools they need, it means bountiful harvests and small animals that produce income for a sustainable business model.

This gift will benefit: Guatemala, Nicaragua

Recommended Gift

  • $495 provides training, tools and assistance for one farming family
  • $990 helps provide training, tools and assistance for 2 farming families
  • $1,840 will provide 10 goats for children to raise for breeding
  • $8,500 provides a family with a chicken coop, 40 hens & feed, plus small business & animal husbandry training. Creates $1.20 family income/day – a 60% increase!

Feed Hungry Children

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 811 million in the world suffer from under-nourishment. By providing the gift of food, you will save the lives of thousands of hungry children and their families in developing countries.

Your gift will provide meals for ministry partners such as Divine Shelter Schools in Haiti and Hope of Life in Guatemala. A generous donation during this season of giving will change lives forever.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Malawi

Recommended Gift

  • $146 will feed 10 children for a month
  • $292 will feed 20 children for a month
  • $584 will feed 40 children for a month
  • $2,336 will feed 160 children for a month
  • $4,672 will feed 320 children for a month
  • $9,334 will feed 640 children for a month

Most Urgent Needs

Inspired by the love of Jesus, we work shoulder to shoulder with local leaders overseas, equipping families with the resources they need to thrive – basics like food, clean water and healthcare, as well as longer-term community transformation projects that will ensure lasting change.

By giving to our Thriving Kids Initiative, you’re not only meeting children’s Most Urgent Needs, you’re also helping lift their families – even entire communities – out of poverty.

This gift will benefit: Africa, The Caribbean, Central America, South America

Recommended Gift

  • $1,000 helps lift 9 kids out of poverty
  • $2,500 helps lift 23 kids out of poverty
  • $5,000 helps lift 46 kids out of poverty
  • $10,000 helps lift 92 kids out of poverty
  • $20,000 helps lift 184 kids out of poverty

Feed Hungry Children

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 811 million in the world suffer from under-nourishment. By providing the gift of food, you will save the lives of thousands of hungry children and their families in developing countries like Haiti, Malawi, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Your gift will support the provision of meals and other basic services that are essential for survival. A generous donation during this season of giving will change lives forever.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Malawi

Recommended Gift
$1,000 will feed 30 children for a month | $5,000 will feed 80 children for a month | $10,000 will feed 92 children for a month | $20,000 will feed 184 children for a month

Donate to Cross International’s Thriving Kids Initiative