Fall in Love as you Serve-Gogo Grandmothers

Falling in love through service is an incredible experience. When your heart is moved by an unmet need and you know that you are being called to participate in fulfilling that need, an instantaneous thing happens in your heart-you fall in love with the people you are serving. TRUE greatness in this world comes through serving others. True love also comes when you give 100% to another person and that happens through serving one another.

Look at these faces and read the “Did you know” facts that accompany each photo….. These are the faces of the new people I love…I have never met them but my heart is drawn towards them all because I have taken the risk of joining in, making myself vulnerable and jumping into serving these beautiful women and children that live in Malawi, Africa.

Ten days ago, I attended a Gogo Grandmothers retreat held at Mariner’s Church in Orange County. This 10^th annual Gogo Grandmothers retreat was a glorious day spent renewing our hearts and reaffirming our commitment for the continued work being accomplished in Malawi. I am privileged to be a board member for the SAFE /Gogo Grandmothers ministry and have loved every minute of my time serving with the other members of the board. (SAFE stands for Sub-Saharan Family Enrichment) We serve a mighty God who moves in mighty ways!

Gogo Grandmothers provides for the orphans of AIDS in Malawi, Africa by assisting the grandmothers who care for them. In America, and across the world, individuals and Gogo Grandmothers groups (often uniting women who are grandmothers themselves) gather monthly to pray and carry out fund-raising projects that provide what poor “gogos” in Malawi need to raise the orphans whose parents have died due to the ravages of AIDS in their country. In Africa, the “gogos” (grandmothers) who receive assistance in the villages gather monthly to be encouraged, to hear God’s Word, pray and to learn how to care for their grandchildren and other orphaned children in their villages.

Join me in learning more about the Gogo grandmothers organization. As you look at these pictures and read these facts…maybe you will “Fall in Love” as I have and want to join in serving these orphans and widows. For more information go to www.gogograndmothers.com, and join us on Facebook-Gogo Grandmothers or instagram-gogograndmothers.Fact #1: Did you know that…In 2015, the World Bank determined that the poorest country in the world is…Malawi?

 Fact #2: Did you know that…in Malawi, with a population of 16.5 million people, there are over one million orphaned children?

Fact #3 Did you know that…in Malawi, the official languages are English and Chichewa?

Fact #4 Did you know that…..in Malawi, the chichewa word for “grandparent” is GOGO?

Fact #5 Did you know that…most of the Gogo grandmothers survive by subsistence farming and they are truly the poorest of the poor? Fact #6 Did you know that…because the people are so warm and cheerful, Malawi is nicknamed the “Warm Heart of Africa”? Fact #7 Did you know that…1 in 5 Malawians live in extreme poverty (less than US 20 cents per day) and cannot afford to feed themselves?…46% of children are “stunted” in growth because they do not have enough food! Fact #8 Did you know that…when you “sponsor” a Gogo, you get to provide the basics of life not only for her, but also for her orphaned grandchildren (often 3 or more)?

We will have access to a fantastic documentary film in a few short weeks and I will post the link for you to watch. In the meantime, check out the website, keep in touch through Facebook and instagram and ask any questions you have, here on our blog. I would love to have many of you who feel the heart tug join me as we “Fall in love” through serving. You can pray for the Gogo Grandmothers routs in America and for the Gogoas and the staff working for the ministry in Malawi. You can sponsor a Gogo or give a one time donation to the Joseph Project.

Join me in serving and you too will Fall in Love as you Serve!