Posted on

Surprised? Yes

award copy2.jpg

Greetings!

I was recently invited by the government of Belarus to attend a meeting in Washington D.C.
The Director of the Dept. of Humanitarian Affairs in Minsk flew in to talk with the 20 or so heads of organizations either providing or planning to provide aid to Belarus.
But I was shocked to be called up to the front — to receive one of three awards from the Belarusian government, saluting the groups that have served in Belarus the longest.
I was honored to receive the award in the name of every person who has ever given to New Thing.
Thank you for expressing such love, in such a real way, through your generous support.
(You can see the picture more clearly here, as well as a photo of the whole group.)
Much love,
Doug Brendel
Posted on

Thankful

image004

I’m grateful to be able to send a message to “The Great Kozovaya” in Minsk, letting her know that 16 people stepped forward to help us make the challenge goal — and we’ll be able to fund a year’s worth of medications and medical supplies for the disabled children at Osipovichi.

Thank you to all who gave so generously!
I hope you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
Much love,
Doug Brendel
Subscribe to the New Thing Blog
Donate online here
Sign up to auto-give monthly
Your Amazon purchase supports New Thing!
To send a check: New Thing, 403 Linebrook Rd., Ipswich MA 01938
Thanks again!
Posted on

Looking forward to Thanksgiving

IMG_2244 copy

Only 2 days to go!

I’m very much looking forward to sending a Thanksgiving Day message to “The Great Kozovaya,” telling her we’ve met the challenge and she can tell the disabled children at Osipovichi: “Meds are on the way!”

I hope you’ll be a part of this.

If you haven’t already contributed, please act now. (Every penny donated will go into Belarus, even after we’ve met the goal.)

And on Thanksgiving Day, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you made life a little bit more comfortable for children in need in a faraway place.

Thank you for journeying with us!

Much love,
Doug Brendel
Subscribe to the New Thing Blog
Donate online here
Sign up to auto-give monthly
Your Amazon purchase supports New Thing!
To send a check: New Thing, 403 Linebrook Rd., Ipswich MA 01938
Thanks again!
Posted on

“Mommy, I feel hot”

image057
A bit of Tylenol … that’s all it would take, to ease that child’s fever.
You go to the medicine cabinet, and 5 minutes later, your little one is smiling again.
Playing, laughing … happy.
It’s different for some children, though.
Like the disabled children in the state-run boarding school at Osipovichi, Belarus.
The official budget covers the special meds and supplies they need for their unique mental and physical conditions.
But not the basic “normal” stuff you find in your own bathroom:
No over-the-counter painkillers, no Band-Aids, no cotton balls.
Friends of New Thing rewrite the Osipovichi story.
As we prepare to celebrate our own Thanksgiving, we give the workers and children there something to be thankful for, too:
 
A full year’s worth of basic meds and medical supplies, for all the disabled children at Osipovichi.
It takes a total of $3,642.12.
But two of our friends have stepped up to offer this challenge:
 
If we can raise $1,642.12, they’ll give the remaining $2,000.
So I’m hoping for 30 friends to give a “Thanksgiving gift” of $54.74 today.
Or maybe you can be one of 17 friends giving $96.60.
But whatever gift you can give today, large or small, you’ll be doing a beautiful thing.

My prayer is that I can send a Thanksgiving Day message to “The Great Kozovaya,” the humble little woman who leads our “Response of the Heart” team in Belarus, and give her the good news for the workers and children at Osipovichi:
“Meds and supplies are on their way!”
Please let me hear from you ASAP. Thanks for journeying with us!
Much love,
Doug Brendel
P.S. You can meet the kids via our previous photo reports from Osipovichi here: