This week's presenter is Tammy Flowers who first worked with our group as an advocate for Rescue Readers in Ethiopia.  Tammy helped our club to previously sponsor a young woman in Ethiopia through the program, named Phionah. Phionah is now 16 or 17 years old now and is doing very well thanks to Tammy staying in touch with her. Tammy is now working with Children’s Hope Chest, and has helped us to connect with our current adoptee, Mercy, a teenager in Uganda. Tammy is joining us this week to update us on Mercy, whom she met with earlier this year during her travels to East Africa.

Mercy is a 16-year-old that the Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph, MO helps to support so she can become independent and earn her own way.  During our lunch meeting, we enjoyed a slide show of Mercy, her mother, and her village.  Tammy said she met Mercy when her bus picked her up on the way to their first visit. When she told Mercy she personally knew her sponsor, Mercy responded, "The Kiwanis".  When she found out that she had a large group of people caring for her from afar, she burst into tears. We are grateful to have the opportunity to help support this young lady and we look forward to hearing from Mercy throughout the coming months. It was a meaningful meeting that highlighted the international reach of our local Kiwanis club.