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Liz's Emails

Liz Kooistra talks about what she will be doing in Hong Kong at 'Mother's Choice' an orphanage and home for teenage mothers from March 2006.

What Liz will be doing

As you may or may not have heard I heading to Hong Kong next year and I thought I would take this time to tell you guys what I will be up to during my time over there and different ways in which your support would be appreciated.

I will be heading off to Hong Kong at the begining on March 2006 and working with an organisation called 'Mothers Choice' for 12 months. Mothers Choice was originally set up as home for pregnant teenagers but because so many of the teenagers decided to put their babies up for adoption the organisation has branched out into an orphanage as well. The organisation now provides services in 4 different areas. The baby care unit provides a home and care for the newborns through to a year old (this is the part of the organisation where I will spend a lot of my time). After the children turn one they enter the foster program (if they havent already been adopted). This foster program is much like the New Zealand system for fostering. Unfortunately there are a large number of IHC orphans, and it is near impossible for these children to be adopted or fostered out. To face this Mothers Choice set up the Wee Care Unit. The Wee Care Unit is an orphange for the IHC children who are not yet adopted (this is where I will spend a lot of my time as well). Of course they still provide a home for pregnant teenagers as well (because of my youth work background I will most likely spend plenty of time here too). I will be returning to New Zealand at the end of Feb 2007 (assuming I don't extend my visa).

So that is the plan so far! To help me get there I ask for your support in one or two ways. First and foremost I need serious prayer! I am not only heading to a foriegn country for a year, but I am going alone and I know no one there so it is going to be a huge shock to my system! I also would appreciate prayer that I will find a church and settle in quickly as I dont think I will survive very long without it! And of course I need prayer for the finances to get there in the first place. Which brings me to the second way you can help.

Mothers Choice provdes me a roof over my head and a small food allowance but other than that I need to support myself. The Hong Kong government requires that I have an additional US$250 a month to support myself. So with that on top of air fares (assuming I get the cheap fares). I am looking at close to NZ$8000. Which seems like a big amount at the moment but I know that with God anything is possible! If you are able to donate at all to my Hong Kong fund (or know of anyone else who can) it would be much appreciated.

So thats Liz's big 2006 plan! It should be an exciting as well as scary time!Thanks for taking the time to read this email.

God Bless

Liz Kooistra

Darkness cannot run out darkness, only light can do that.
Hate cannot run out hate, only love can do that.
-Martin Luther King Jr

If you would like to support Liz in her trip to Hong Kong, please contact the Presbyterian Youth Ministry Office