Portugal's Passionate Powerlady

(Posted by Bud Reed)

I just got an email from Alexandra Borges in Lisbon. She is the journalist from Portugal whom I was able to meet during the September Rescue Mission in Ghana. She and her team filmed the rescues of Kweitey, Isaac and Ormond. Alex documented the entire rescue process from beginning to end: scouting for trafficked children, negotiations, the actual rescues, parental interviews, physical exams and the beginnings of rehabilitation and education. Her documentary was televised a couple of weeks ago and we at Touch A Life have been thrilled with the interest from the Portugal.




Alex is not moving on to her next film project just yet. Her email included a cope of the back cover of "Children Born of the Heart", a childrens’ book co-authored with Luis Figo. Figo is, in Alex' own words "World's best fuutbol player several times!"

I'm sharing some of her words:

This is the back page of our book who is going to be announced to the press 13 th December...as you can see in that back we say that all the money it will be delivered to touch a life kids to rescue slave children in Ghana...and get all your staff ready because next year we are going to do another report there and rescue 20 more children with this money because I want people to see that the money we asked is used for that...

I AM AMASED ABOUT WHAT LOVE CAN DO...I DID NOT KNOW THESE TWO PEOPLE THAT I CONTACT TO DO THE BOOK WITH ME BUT I TRUST THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE AND IN LESS THAN A MONTH WE DID THE ALL BOOK TOGETHER AND NOW IS READY TO GO TO THE SHOPS?!!!

Isn´t it incredible?!!!!

I am going to send you the all book although it is in Portuguese but is a lovely story for kids about adoption that is called "CHILDREN BORN IN THE HEARTS".

I LOVE AND TRUST YOU GUYS AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS CHANCE TO HELP.

Yes, Alex, that is INDEED Incredible…and so like God! Wow! What an amazing God we serve!

The book will be released just before Christmas in Portugal and will be published in Italy and Spain as well. Alex says all profits from the book will be used to free more Touch A Life Kids in Ghana. It explains the love and commitment of parents who adopt children…children of the heart. And Alex most assuredly has children on her heart--one especially: Kweitey. And Kweitey certainly returns her love. As a matter of fact, he's renamed himself! You guessed it: Alex…Alex Kweitey.


Alex plans to hook up with us and use the profits to rescue twenty more children in Ghana next year so we (that includes you) need to get on with the completion of Phase I of Golden Village so that these children will have a place to be housed and loved.


Pray concerning your donating to Touch A Life, and if you are led to help in the completion of Phase one and the beginning of Phase II, please send your gift to Touch A Life (a 501c3) 400 Fox Ridge Drive, Joplin, MO 64801.


The TAL website will soon have continual updates on the building process and more updated information of the projects going on in Vietnam and Cambodia. We will keep you more informed on the lives of Touch A Life Kids via the website more regularly in the near future. When we update, we’ll post it on the blog so that you can log on and check it out.

Thanks!

Bud Reed

Remember the Victims

My heart today is on the victims and innocent children that have been trafficked into the sex industry. I pray for a BAND OF BROTHERS to rise up and help us fight this horrible crime that is happening to these precious children.

Remembering the Victims:

"But this is a people robbed and plundered;
All of them are snared in holes,
And they are hidden in prison houses;
They are prey, and no one deliver;
For plunder, and no one says 'Restore!"
- Isaiah 42:22 -

"Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,
or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness."
- Leviticus 19:29 -

"They cast lots for My people and traded boys for prostitutes; they
sold girls for wine that they might drink."
- Joel 3:3 -

By you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.

Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness that
would not be found out.

You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
- Psalm 10 -

Happy Birthday to Ghana & George!

(POSTED BY BUD REED)

We Are Blessed! I just talked with George Achibra, director of Golden Village, our dream compound in Kete Krachi, Volta Region, Ghana, West Africa. Ghana is 50 years old this year...so is George...BUT TODAY IS GEORGE'S BIRTHDAY!!!



So I sang our US "Happy Birthday to You" song to him. Then together we sang the song we always sing to the children when we rescue them: "We are blessed, we are blessed. Evey day of our life we are blessed. When we get up in the morning, 'till we lay our heads to rest, we are blessed. We are blessed. We are blessed". I love that song. OUR KIDS love that song. As we sing it to them we can see the fear and dispair start to melt. They don't understand a word the first time they hear it but somehow the Spirit begins to soak the spirit of that song into their spirits.

Then George told me about how the children came to him this morning and laid their hands on his head and blessed his birthday. And WOW..Israel, who spoke no English two months ago READ PSALM 43:1-3 TO GEORGE!



(right, Isreal before rescue)

Oh, how I pray you catch just a glimpse of the joy that brings. Israel, angry, sad, bright, humble, wise 10 year old who's mom brought him from the Ada tribe near Accra to the wilderness of Volta Region to become a fisherman's slave on Lake Volta. Who now is free. Free to be a child. Free to learn. Free to play. Free to own and read the Bible.


Yea Israel. Yea George. YEA JESUS!

Kaelin McNew & Lindsey Moore--True Blessings

"When you walk with the Lord, You don’t get bored.
Sing Hallelujah, Amen! Yeah!"

The Gaithers were right when they wrote that song.

Recently, “Uncle Bud” was approached after Sunday School to be invited to the home of Brian and Valerie Moore. He was asked to share both supper and details of his recent trip to Ghana. He shared his stories with their children, Tylor, Kaelin and Lindsey.

The children were incredibly engaged in every detail and were intensely interested in what they could do to help children in Africa who had been sold into bondage to work long days in such dangerous conditions with very little food and the absence of love.

Before Bud left the Moore’s home, Kaelin and Lindsey asked him to leave some copies of a little handout we’d prepared about the three children rescued while Bud was in Kete Krachi, Ghana. The girls wanted to share it with some of their fifth grade classmates.

When Bud’s cell phone rang the next afternoon, a bright, excited voice greeted him, “Mr. Bud, this is Kaelin. Remember me?” (Now, Bud IS pretty old, but he hadn’t already forgotten Kaelin) He said, “Sure, what’s up?” Kailin answered, “ I went to my class at school and told them about the children in Africa and they told them they needed to give a dollar and I need some new brochures. Can you bring them?”

Wow! Just about the time you begin to wonder if people really care…

Then the phone rings again. “Bud, this is Lindsey. I need some more, too. I gave all mine away”.

Sunday, Bud took some more handouts and copies of the newsletter to church. Between services, he was at the front of the church visiting with a friend who is on the worship team when Lindsey and Kaelin walked up. Both girl's fists were full of dollar bills for their new friends in Africa! “Okay Bud”, they said, “where’s our stuff?”



Thank you Kaelin and Lindsey! You give a whole new meaning (the RIGHT kind of meaning) to “a fist full of dollars”. Thanks also to all your buddies in Neosho who care about the kids half a world away!

"Godwinks"

“Godwinks”. That’s what Pam calls it.

Pam and Bud were busy stuffing envelopes in the Touch A Life office. They were having their own “mini board meeting”, dreaming of ways TAL could extend love to more kids when Pam’s cell phone rang. It was Tommy Drinnen, the “Missionary Man” who’s in Feteh, Ghana, West Africa. He is in charge of Hope Christian Academy at Village of Hope. Eleven of our kids are there: the original seven plus the four Bud brought down from Kete Krachi during his recent trip.

“Mama Pam”, said Tommy, “Some students want to talk to you”.

With that, Pam and Bud were gifted with a chance to chat with Hagar, Sarah, Richard, Kojo and Kofi! They are a half-world away--yet, so close to our hearts. After only months of living in an atmosphere with Godly people loving, caring, healing and teaching them, these children have become…CHILDREN again!

Hagar--who had been so emotionally and physically wounded—is now a bright and cheerful young lady. She was so glad to talk to “Mama Pam”. And Kojo is still steadfast in wanted to become a driver for Village of Hope! (Do you suppose it’s because of the VOH driver who transported him and the other six from the hell they were living in to Village of Hope last December?)


What a miracle! Thank you, Lord, for allowing Touch a Life to do what you’ve allowed us to do!

And thank you, friends, for all your prayers and support!