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  • November 19, 2013

    Hooshga’s First Adventure: India 2013

    The Hooshga Project had its first launching in India, where hundreds of slum children poured out of overstuffed, flatbed trucks to a ministry center near the slums. Canvas stretching up from the wood slat sides kept the one hundred heads on each truck somewhat shielded from the debris and hot sun. Each child climbed out of the over crowded vehicle beaming with a smile. They were eager to encounter the Jesus that had sent this team of fifteen Americans from Kingsville, Maryland on June 20th, 2013 to help participate in the summer VBS program. Pastor Greg and his team from Grace Community Church, home to President Dan Dubell, were pioneering the distribution of Hooshga.

    Amongst those on the team was the Grohman Family: Chris and Melissa and their children, Jamie, Molly and Maddy. Devastated by the loss of their adopted sister Libby, each arrived with a new song in their hearts and a turtle in their hands. Hooshga, The Good News Turtle, resembled their baby sister’s prized stuffed animal. They were ready to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the children of this poverty stricken region, giving each a string bag filled with a plush turtle and picture Bible, featuring Hooshga. Libby’s favorite past time had been to flip through the pages of her story Bible while she sat in her wheelchair holding her turtle. They were about to witness hundreds of children impacted by the legacy of their three-year-old sister.

    Three hundred Hooshga packages were donated, creating an excitement across the group. The children were proud to wear their Hooshga backpacks to school that week. The team was moved in their spirits as they witnessed the slum areas that these children lived in, with homes made from tin and cardboard no bigger than what the average American would label their “mud room”.

    The team from Grace Community returned to the States with new vision. Chris and Melissa’s heart continue to expand for children in need, coming from a long history of foster care. They have chosen to sponsor two Indian children monthly from the slum they visited. Molly was inspired to become a social worker in order to help children in difficult circumstances. And as a result, a desire was birthed in Maddy to return and work with the ministry center and slum community when she is older.

    Hooshga’s first trip proved more successful than anticipated, as word returned that not only is the picture Bible affective with the children, but is also a vital tool in sharing Christ with their illiterate parents. Mission IC Orphans plans to return to India in the future to distribute more Hooshga packages, realizing that over half of the children within that slum area are still in need of a picture Bible and stuffed animal.

  • November 19, 2013
    Hooshga Ethiopia 2

    Hooshga Ministers to Orphaned and Economically Vulnerable Children in Ethiopia

    Hooshga made the long journey into the arms of children in Ethiopia, a country in East Africa. Christie, a member of Christ Fellowship Church, contacted IC Orphans with the hope of bringing Hooshga on the medical mission she was participating in with the One Child Campaign and Childrens’ HopeChest. The goal of these vision trips is to “create a united effort to give voice to orphans, widows, and the destitute through holistic and sustainable means” (www.onechildcampaign.com). Each trip varies, depending upon the individuals that register to participate and the unique skills they posses. Seeing the value in ministering an evangelism tool that is both cross-cultural and interactive, Christie reached out to IC Orphans. She was granted her request through the gifting of forty-five Hooshga Care packages to be sent to a children’s drop in center which hosted a medical clinic.

    Ethiopia has an estimated five million orphans, with only about one percent of those children being adoptable. IC Orphans was eager to participate in this opportunity to send the love of Jesus to orphaned and economically vulnerable children. The feedback received from the people on this medical team was overwhelming. Candy, a pastor’s wife, said, “the children were captivated by the reading—even without the story book.” The Scriptural content provided as a tool to the leaders, used in accompaniment with the picture Bible, was penetrating the hearts of the listeners. Christie shared that “one of the local members who works regularly with the children really liked it and is interested in having more brought to the children if possible.”