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In every nation, great or small there are poor people. From time immemorial, the eradication of poverty has been on every responsible government’s “to-do list”. Yet, there are still poor people everywhere. People who can’t feed properly because they have no food, people who can’t afford decent clothes because they have no money, people who sleep on the streets, in the slums, and even in dirt, because there is no where to call home. It has always been so, but must it linger?

No matter what community, society or nation, poverty gnaws at a high percentage of children deprived of the right to live a decent normal life, like a tsunami consuming a small city. Even our Lord Jesus Himself mentioned in Matthew 26:11 “the poor, you will always have with you” however, He never forgot the poor and still remembers them even today. They are always on His mind.

Children are God’s most valuable asset, they are made in God’s image and likeness and created to glorify God but how does poverty bring God glory? How can these poor children serve God and praise Him when they can’t feed, clothe, sleep, even read? Life for them is parched and dry.

No wonder, when Jesus proclaimed His works in Matthew 11:2-5, He said; “the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” indicating to us that we must bring glad tiding of great joy to the poor through preaching the Word and also through meeting their physical needs. This is the way we can bring people out of the shackles of poverty. Our Lord Jesus did not ignore the poor, why then should we?

It is our every reasonable service to remember the poor and take care of them for in each child is a potential seed for greatness and every child is unique, with unique qualities, gifts and talents that the world needs which can shine forth if not limited by the confines of poverty. We are the hope that the poor have; no government can help them like we can, they need us because we have the power by the Spirit and the Word to change their state of existence.

Don’t fold your arms and watch poverty consume children in your community or society, do something to help them in the name of our Lord Jesus and see the power of God transform lives and nations in a supernatural manner. Partner with the InnerCity Mission of Christ Embassy today to arrest and deal with poverty squarely. Click on the comment link below to share your thoughts; we’d love to hear from you!
Remember every Child is your Child!

Tesiri

Tesiri Moweta is a writer and author committed to the InnerCity Mission; she writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

I remember when I was a child, my dad always dropped me at school every morning alongside with my sisters with his car and after the school bell rang for closing we return home surely to meet mummy’s meal prepared for us. The comfort and love of a home and family is so necessary for every child…but the case of six (6) years old Efe born by the refuse dump and eight (8) years old Michael tell a different story from mine.

The boys lived under the Opebi link bridge in Lagos, Nigeria with their mother Mrs. Rita Sunday who couldn’t afford to provide for her children the things they needed after the lost of her husband.”…..when I find rubber bottles in the dust bin I sell them, with the little money I get so my children can eat, some days there are no bottles to sell so we see no food to eat……”Mrs. Sunday said.

While other children had three nourishing square meals daily, the boys’ meals were leftovers from garbage. They lived on unclean water, slept on the bare floor in cold nights and while other little boys had legos and action figure toys to play with, Michael and Efe were left to the hill of refuse to find a trashed toy.

This was the everyday life Michael and Efe knew, until The innerCIty Mission of Christ Embassy through their powerful network of missionaries reached out to rescue these children from the dangers of street life.
Now the boys are in the ICM home where they have a warm, safe, and clean shelter to live comfortably in. After spending his first night in the ICM home, Michael said “… I slept on a soft bed”(Compared to the rocky bed he had known all his life). They are given nourishing meals with all the essential nutrients to grow big and strong. The boys attend The innerCIty Mission Nursery and Primary school where they have quality education. Their academic work is brilliant and their colleagues, friends and teachers always have a good remark on their behavior. The transformation in their lives is amazing as the word of God is taught them to renew their minds for hope to a bright future.

Wow! think about the children on the streets today hoping “one day all these suffering will be over….” ,or those who have grown up to become menace of the society.

Your partnership with The innerCIty Mission can surely make a difference in the life of another child just like it did in the life of Efe and Michael. Sponsor a child today and make the difference in humanity; Remember, every child is your child.

Broken and maimed, rejected and blind
Isolated by actions more than words
Fearful of all they’ve seen and heard
Faith has a voice, love has a touch
We must reach to embrace the hopeless outcast, watch them be healed
We must Reach Out, it’s not enough to pray at night
Hoping God will make everything go right
If we’re the body of Christ
We must touch the untouchables in this world

We must Reach Out
Take the victims in our arms
A touch is all that’s needed to heal their scars
We must touch the unclean, whether we like it or not
Coz Jesus in us, is all the hope they’ve got
If we really can do all things through Christ
Reach Out Now

The words of this song rang in our hearts as we visited the children and caregivers at The Family Institute for the disabled children in Agbado, Ogun State, Nigeria laden with food and sanitary supplies. Owned and managed by Reverend Okon Osuyak, a minister of God with a unique calling; this institution is home to fifty[50] children with special needs. These are children who had been abandoned by family members for one reason or another but top on the list is probably the stigma of having such children and of course poverty.

One of such children isolated by the actions of their loved ones is eleven[11] year old Thomas born blind, deaf, dumb and paralyzed from his waist down; he was brought to the institute by his mother in 2004 and has since been abandoned as she never came back to visit let alone claim him.

When was asked how he managed to run the institute, Reverend Okon’s simple answer was “by God’s grace”. According to him, it takes three[3] times as much as it takes to care for a normal child to care for a child with special needs. “It has been challenging” he added. He thanked Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and Partners of the InnerCity Mission for the timely visit and requested for assistance to upgrade their present structure and provide more sophisticated walking and mobility aids for the children.

You can be part of our Orphanage Support Program and be God’s helping hand to these forgotten ones. Follow this LINK to find out more and do leave your comments on this post.

Remember, every child is your child!

The story of Biodun Adekoya was a very sad one. According to her mother Mrs Adenike Adekoya, one fateful morning her husband left the house and since then he never returned. From then on she was saddled with the responsibility of catering for the five children. It was so bad  that she couldn’t feed them properly not to talk of sending them to school. So when a woman from Lagos approached her with an offer to take Biodun with her and enroll her in school, Biodun’s mother didn’t have to think twice before she gladly received it.

But unfortunately for Biodun, life became miserable as she was subjected to obnoxious labor and torment by her supposed savior.” Biodun’s mother was told her daughter was in a private school in Lagos but unknown to her, she was enrolled into the InnerCity Mission Academy a free, all-expense paid school. Though a bright student, Biodun was timid and her teachers observed that she often came to school with marks on her body from cruel beatings. The InnerCity Mission investigated and discovered the extent of abuse the little girl was subjected to and immediately contacted the mother who admitted to knowing about the abuse but said she was helpless to stop it because she wanted her daughter to get an education.

But we persisted and eventually, Mrs Adenike  travelled down to Lagos and working with our staff, Biodun was rescued from further abuse. Today, Biodun lives in the ICM Home, she has since gained admission into Secondary School and the little girl who was once very timid and detached from others is now a bubbly and inquisitive youngster.

“I am happy now! I have gained admission into secondary school and everything I need is being provided by the InnerCity Mission” says a completely restored Biodun. Mrs Adenike Adekoya has this to say “I bless God for Pastor Chris, I thank him for taking care of the less privileged children. May he grow from strength to strength and from grace to grace”.

Thank you dear partners for giving Biodun a new life and a bright future; we want to hear from you, do click on the comments button below and share your thoughts.

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Remember, Every Child is your Child!