President House welcomed guest Sue Wheeler to the meeting. She and her husband Joe Wheeler traveled to Korah, Ethiopia on a mission trip in 2014. The area of Korah has a population of around 350,000 people who have been neglected by the government. The families live off the takings of a large dump.
The conditions are unthinkable in the poorest of conditions in the United States. The people are living in squalor.
While at Korah, Sue and Joe taught Bible School to students in a school under the Out of the Ashes organization. The groups’ primary purpose is to reduce the suffering of orphans and vulnerable children of Korah by helping them break the cycle of poverty.
They want to empower and build the children’s character through the love of Jesus Christ while caring for their basic needs and educating them so they can one day become productive members of society and positively impact their community.
The group has a website https://www.outoftheash.org. Opportunities for sponsorship include education, room and board, medical care, supplementary food, clothing, counseling, life skills, and economic developments. If you are interested you can learn more about the organization by visiting the website.
Sue shared many pictures of the children they worked with while on their nine day trip. The children looked happy and healthy and are being nurtured by this program. A volunteer in our community made over 150 dresses for the Wheelers to take to the school for the girls. Joe and Sue each took 150 pounds of luggage to Korah. They returned with 38 pounds. They gave everything they could give away to the children. Sue’s presentation was heartfelt. It was well received by the members. Many people may have made personal decisions to donate to the school.
The minutes of the August meeting were read by Marguerite Shaner and approved. The treasurer’s report was given by Ruth Cleveland and will be filed for audit.
Marguerite Shaner reported on an upcoming trip to Wheeling, WV from December 13th-15th. The trip includes a holiday dinner show, Oglebay Park Festival of Lights, Colonel Oglebay’s Mansion Museum, the Eckhart House Victorian Tour &Tea, The Glass Museum & Artisan Center, the Kruger Street Toy &
Train Museum and more. For information and reservations, contact Marguerite at
570-265-5960 or by email at [email protected]. The trip price is $369.
Upcoming events are Lunch at Jones Diner on October 13th at 1:00 p.m. We will order off the menu which has a daily special. On December 8th we will have our Christmas Banquet at a location to be determined.
There were no birthdays or anniversaries this month. Winners of the 50/50 drawing were Pat Wachtendorf and June Sallsgiver.
Closing comments included a story by George Smith who reminded us of the importance of humor in our lives. Tom House also shared a humorous email.
Please consider joining our group. For more information, please contact Tom House at 570-265-6360.