Dear Charis Family,

I have held SO many babies this month!!  What a treat!  I always think it is hilarious and such a blessing to be visiting in a women's community development group and suddenly have an infant thrust into my arms. :-)  I have been ALL OVER the country this month, and am about to go back on the road again in a few days.  From the far reaches of South Ebony to waaaaaayyyy up in the mountains in the East, God is at work.  He sees ALL of the women of this place who are hidden behind veils and walls.  In some groups I visited, 100% of women had NO CLUE what kinds of food a pregnant woman should eat.  No idea what to do for a child who isn't breathing, besides bury them.  No hope for a woman who bleeds too much after delivery.  Even with recent positive reports in the international development sector, this land has a long way to go before women of every village know what their lives are worth, and how they can fight for health and hope in pregnancy and childbirth.  I feel incredibly honored to be among them, to speak their language, and to be able to teach them all I have learned and am still learning.

Tomorrow is the preparation day entering into a holiday week for nearly two billion people around the world.  As they remember a sacrifice provided by God to one of His children (their version of the story is a bit different, but the main point can still be realized through it), I would like to ask you to remember them before His throne.

Below, I have shared with you a poem written Anonymously by a young woman in this part of the world.  It is a devastating poem, but FULL of the realities I hear about and see every day here.  You might not like the poem.  You might not like that I shared it with you.  But, I think it is amazing! The bravery and articulation this woman has to explain how she is feeling--it is powerful and it is a GIFT to all of us.  May God answer her pleas! Women of this region are in such pain and they simultaneously cry out to God for mercy, yet also don't believe He loves or will answer them with any goodness in His heart.

Would you commit to pray daily, or even just weekly, for the women of this land?  Would you pray that God would "please come to their house"????

Love,
Elizabeth Carmichael

Our International Charis Family
Your stories from around the world touch us and we pray for your safety.
Thanks, Love and Blessings to every one of you!