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ELWA Ministries Association USA P. O. Box 1 Warrenville, IL 60555 Contact Us Download printable brouchure HERE |
 The trip last week to Robinson, IL, with John Schindler was wonderful.
We ate Liberian food and enjoyed a fantastic time of fellowship with his cousins. What’s going on at ELWA, and how can you help? EMA equips ministries to carry out the Great Commission, making disciples. We do this by supporting four critical ministries at ELWA.
From EMA's President, Steve Ackley This week I’ll be in Indiana with my good friend John Schindler, visiting his cousins. John’s dad, Dr. Bob, founded ELWA Hospital, and my dad served as its administrator. Back then, we “ELWA boys” played every sport imaginable and a few you probably couldn’t imagine! Those memories remind me of what a special place ELWA has always been. But today, things at ELWA look very different in a word: crisis. ELWA Hospital remains a healthcare anchor in Liberia, yet its fragility and dependence on donor support are painfully clear. Without steady funding, critical services collapse, impacting children, expectant mothers, and the most vulnerable. Current Areas of Concern Over $5,000 in care is written off or discounted each month. Only about 45% of inpatients can fully pay their bills; the rest leave with unpaid balances. Cash flow shortages directly limit the purchase of essential supplies, including: Medical supplies Kitchen supplies Pharmaceuticals Environmental health needs Utilities (power) Malnutrition feeding program supplies Pediatric care items And that’s just a sample of the long list of urgent needs. Would you join us in prayer for God’s provision and lasting solutions for ELWA Hospital? Many of you have been touched by ELWA over the years. We’d love to hear your stories and encouragement as we walk through this together. With gratitude, Steve  Romans 15:13-Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This scripture is not a traditional Christmas verse, but it embodies all the attributes of Christmas. A time of Hope, that Christ’s return would be soon, the Joy of celebrating the birth of Christ, the peace that we have in Christ, and the Hope that Peace will reign on the earth. But most of all, it reminds us that all of this is possible because of our belief in Christ. A baby born for the purpose of dying for our sins so that one day we can spend eternity with Him. Merry Christmas everyone. May His Peace, which passes all understanding, be with you all this Christmas and in the year to come. Christmas is a time we give gifts as a reminder and celebration of how Christ gave his life so that we may live in eternity with him. As we move into the new year EMA has chosen to focus on the following three areas of Ministry in 2025. Education – Scholarships and teaching others have always been a part of what EMA does. Education has been one of the core ministries of EMA. Teach others how to operate and fix all aspects of the ministry: fixing radio equipment, fixing hospital equipment, providing clean water and electricity for the campus. None of this could happen without a basic education starting in elementary school and continuing through high school. Education also includes Christ-centered radio programs, which reach up-country. EMA annually supports the Education ministry at the level of $123,000. The largest portion of these funds go to scholarships at ELWA Academy. Healthcare – Liberia is the 9th poorest country in the world, and it is only about the size of the state of Tennessee in the US. There are only 2 hospitals in the country. People travel miles to ELWA Hospital to receive care. Often these individuals do not have the money to pay for the care they receive. The hospital benevolence program helps cover the cost for those who cannot pay. EMA also helps fund the malnutrition program for infants in distress and the medical outreaches which go into the remote areas in Liberia.EMA allocates $47,000 a year to the malnutrition, benevolence and medical outreach programs. Infrastructure – The houses and many of the buildings on campus are in need of repair. EMA is hoping to replace the building that houses the generators. The current building was constructed in the 1960s. Since then, the size of the hospital has more than doubled. ELWA added a dental clinic and the school expanded to include a high school. These improvements have increased the demand for power; therefore, generators have been added. The current building is too small, and it needs updating. ELWA has recently created a housing standard for every house on the compound. This list includes functioning windows with screens, functioning front and back doors, at least one light and one functioning outlet, as well as, hot and cold running water. These are basic needs, but many houses do not have even these items. The generator will cost $94,000.00. EMA is anticipating that the housing repairs will be around $68,000.00. As you prayerfully consider donating to these projects, just know that we appreciate each of you, and your love for Liberia. We cannot thank you enough for your willingness to give to our Medical Outreach fund. Because of your generosity, 86 lives are forever changed to the Glory of God. A Muslim Imam came to ELWA to be baptized this week. Meanu Kayea, an EMA board member, had the privilege of being there to witness this wonderful event. We have more good news. For those of you who felt led to give to the housing and building project, those efforts kicked off month. Although rain has been a factor we are excited that two houses are currently being renovated. During one of our medical outreaches this year a mother and her child were medivacked to ELWA hospital. The child was suffering from severe malnutrition. Providing life saving plumpynut, a peanut-based ready-to-use therapeutic food, is another ministry of EMA. Here is an update from Dr. Mikey our "boots on the ground" about the extreme need for plumpynut in Liberia.  There were 113 admissions to the inpatient feeding unit, primarily from the under five clinic. Once again finding sufficient space for all of the children remains a challenge, as does providing sufficient clinical coverage for this number of children, many of whom are extremely critical. Recruitment of more competent people to treat the most unstable children remains a high priority. The outpatient feeding unit treated 183 new children during April. 142 were discharged as cured, leaving 164 children currently undergoing treatment on the outpatient feeding program. This was the largest number of new children receiving plumpynut in the program’s history. " In theses photos a baby at ELWA hospital receiving plumpynut, and a two-year-old child suffering from malnutrition and other medical conditions in her mother's arms. Is malnutrition the ministry for you to get involved with? Please click the donate button below. To contribute to the malnutrition project choose; "ELWA Hospital & Other Medical Support" from the project list. Then choose or type in "ELWA Hospital Malnutrition Program." As we conclude 2023 and move into a new year, there are many issues on the world stage that cause deep concern for all of us. In our ministry in Liberia there is reason to rejoice. More of the kids that we have supported on scholarships have finished their schooling and training. Now they are getting jobs as nurses and technicians. The ELWA radio tower is now complete and broadcasting the gospel. New projects are taking shape. As we cast our vision onto the landscape of the new year, the Board envisions 3 new goals. We plan to expand our footprint in Liberia with new partners. We will complete the basketball court begun in late 2023. This new court enables an expansion of Meanu Kayea’s Youth Discipleship Ministry for the youth in Liberia. The ELWA Hospital will have the ability to serve the Paynesville community near to the ELWA campus with an ambulance. Finally, we continue to support our program called Students in Business through scholarships and investments in new businesses. The Board of ELWA Ministries wishes to thank all of our donors for your support over the past year. We could not function without your generosity. For the past year our total donation exceeded donations for the prior year by 40%. In addition to your support there are many little things that happen in a year’s time that make it possible for our ministry to succeed. So, again, the entire Board says: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! For the 2024 year our verse is: “Let us consider how to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage another.” (Hebrews 10:24). By encouraging each other, we will find new means of serving each other and serving the people of Liberia who need our help and support to strengthen their communities and their families. Ogden (Clip) Kniffin EMAUSA Founder and Board Chairman |
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ELWA Ministries Association USA