Elizabeth's Library headquarters is located on the central coast of California, which has faced numerous wildfires and house evacuations during August. Despite these additional challenges in this already challenging time, we rejoice at God's continued grace and mercy, and we joyfully share the good news ELI is experiencing at home and abroad in Africa!
Susu, Zambia
Pave the Way Update
In June's edition of Good News, ELI launched our Pave the Way campaign where supporters could purchase bricks that will literally pave the path to our new library building, and provide the funds needed ($5,000) to finish the construction. Many donors wanted to honor a special someone in their lives, and we are thrilled to announce that the entire amount has been funded. A BIG thank you to all who helped Pave the Way.
Mr. Kenneth, our ELI Director, reports that visitors from near and far villages continue to visit the Susu construction to see this amazing sight. It is a dream coming true for these remote villages, and the families that hope for more educational opportunities for their children. The windows are now installed, the plastering is complete, and very soon the laying of the floors will begin. Amazing!
One ELI Board member wrote:
“Upon seeing the construction of the walls for Susu Community Library, my first thought was the words to an old song," I know what it's like to build the walls around Jerusalem."
While the walls are to establish a library, they also represent walls that will protect a community, and that will safeguard their future by providing a means of education, community enrichment, economic development, family bonding through reading stories together, and a sense of pride as they participate and develop as a community.
California to Africa,
the 10,000 mile Journey Update
Our shipment via Amezam left California and is now on the way to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Our African ELI staff are eagerly awaiting the1,845 books, charts, educational games and toys that will be welcome additions to the libraries and mobile library programs. As a special addition to the regular library items, three hundred dresses and some lovely quilts donated by local seamstresses were also tucked into the book boxes; they will bring additional blessings to those in need.
The Susu Mobile Library program currently serves ten remote village schools. The new books will be very welcome, especially copies of the children's favorites. We asked the coordinator to tell us what were the most requested books. There were several, but we thought you might like to hear what was said about Mufaro's Beautiful Daughter:
"The children like this story very much because it teaches how people should live in the community. It also teaches how to treat others, how to answer familiar people or strangers, speaking to young or old, or those who look differently, how to treat people equally. It also teaches how to get advice from anyone and also to respect anyone known or unknown. It encourages those who have a poor reading culture to gain interest in reading books because there is knowledge behind reading books."
In village life, like anywhere, manners and etiquette are very important to culture. Reading a variety of books will help prepare these children for their future potential to be reached.
Introducing Ruth,
our newest baby goat born in Susu Village
A New kind of book:
Lexi is fourteen years old and lives on a farm in the Midwest. She loves to read missionary stories, and her parents encourage her to use her many skills to bless others. Through her talents with needle and thread, Lexi has been creating and sewing a "quiet book" to be placed in the Susu library.
Lexi has devoted months of hard work creating each hand made page of the book, which uses an interactive activity. This pre-school book will teach toddlers basic skills, such as counting or tying a shoe in a fun way, that every child needs to master. Very soon this Quiet Book will be enjoyed by children visiting the children's section in the new Susu Community Library. Thank you Lexi for this gift of love to Africa.
Elizabeth’s Library has many components, but the common denominator is the generous hearts of folks who choose to make a difference in the lives of others through giving. Because of you, there are thriving communities with new wells that provide clean water, vegetable gardens, goats, and orchards providing needed nutrition, Bibles, books, and educational resources to fill our libraries. This is good news indeed!