Sending you greetings over the festive season
Dear APCF Friends and Supporters—we hope you have had a good year and a great and blessed Christmas. APCF and our ten orphans homes have had a good year, but with some challenges both past and present. Travel to the various Asian countries has been quite restricted for the past two years, but is now easing up—which will allow Molly and me to begin visiting the homes in Indonesia, India and Nepal again in early 2023.
All of the five countries our homes are in
(PHILIPPINES, INDONESIA, INDIA, NEPAL AND MYANAMR)
were effected dramatically by Covid lockdowns, business and school closures, and other related restrictions—but that is now moving back to normal. The most open of the five countries our homes are in is the Philippines—where we live and have three children’s homes. The home Molly and I live at (with 50 children) now has 17 children in college—and plans to bring in more orphans in 2023. This is our hope, prayer, and goal—to bring in more children into most of the homes—with some sad exceptions to be discussed below. And, we would like to add two or three new homes in 2023—probably in the Philippines and Indonesia (which are the most open to Christian orphans homes).
CHALLENGES WE ARE FACING IN 2023
FINANCIAL: One of the biggest challenges we are now facing is the exploding prices of everything in the five countries we are in—especially food and fuel. Food prices are up over 50% and fuel prices even more. So, even if financial support to the homes remains constant, the cost of living is soaring—putting serious financial stress on all of the homes. And as global financial problems grow, financial giving to virtually all charitable institutions is declining. At several of the homes, we are growing as much food as possible (including fruit, vegetables, fish, pigs, cows and rice) to supplement food budgets, and one of the homes has a rice processing and distribution operation.
HOMES IN INDIA: As we have shared with APCF friends and supporters, a few years ago the government of India moved to shut down virtually all of the Christian orphanages—throwing close to a million children onto the streets where they could beg, starve, or be sex trafficked. They shut down our largest home with 183 children about two years ago, coming in on a Sunday night and demanding that all the children be gone by 9 AM the following Monday morning.
But we saw this tragedy coming and had made legal moves to convert to “a boarding school”. Orphanages are regulated by seven very hostile government agencies, wherein a boarding school is regulated only by the Department of Education. But, the boarding school must have a school building and all the necessary amenities. That building is now almost complete and 100 children are now back in the home—with a goal of 200 or more in coming months. The children who have now returned are happy and flourishing in their new life.
IN NEPAL: Like India, Nepal has a Fundamentalist Hindu government which hates Christians and has closed most of the Christian orphanages in that country. Our home has had two thirds of our children removed. The staff continues to remain in contact with and provide some support and encouragement to the children, but the circumstances are very difficult.
IN MYANMAR: The circumstances in this country, plagued by a bloody military coup in February 2021 are very difficult. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by the military—especially Christians—and bombs, shootings, and explosions are going on all around our children’s home. There is great danger in just going out for food or medical supplies, and the 18 children have been hiding (trapped) in the house—with very thin walls—for almost 2 years. They are being home schooled, study their Bibles, sing a lot and are in good spirits in spite of their extreme danger and very difficult circumstances.
Please pray for them!
OUR GOALS AND VISION FOR 2023 AND BEYOND
APCF wants to increase our outreach to hurting orphans in 2023 and beyond. The children who are living on the streets, who are starving, being severely abused, or sex trafficked desperately need help—a home, protection, loving care, and the love of a family around them. In short, they need a life.
Sadly, we cannot help them all, but we will help the ones we can—and hopefully in increasing numbers in the years to come.
And you—our friends, supporters, encouragers—are what is making it possible to help more and more of these children. Your prayers, encouragement, and financial help have been instrumental in everything Molly and I and APCF have been able to accomplish over the past 16 years. Without you, we could not be doing what we are doing out here. Thankyou from the bottom of our hearts. We love you all and wish you an incredibly blessed Christmas season.
Merry Christmas and the very best for 2023
Don and Molly and the APCF Board and Staff
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the donations, support and willingness to help the children.