I remember being asked more than a year ago, when I first became The Forsaken Children (TFC) Board of Directors Chair, to write a blog post to introduce myself and share some insight into the world of the TFC board. Man, a year can fly by without a blink sometimes, and I apparently let it happen in regards to this blog post. Will you please forgive me, and let me apply the all too frequently used phrase, "better late than never"? So without further delay, let me introduce myself. Hi, I am the TFC Board of Directors Chair. My name is Heather. I am a simple t-shirt and blue jeans type gal who fell in love with this ministry and the people it serves after obediently pursuing a short term mission trip to Ethiopia with my church in 2010. I have a heart for missions both at home and abroad, and a desire for Jesus to be shared boldly while social justice is pursued. I am wife to a Jesus loving big-kid who keeps me on my toes and often makes me laugh, mom to a 2 year old mini-me version of my husband with another kiddo "on the way" and two furbabies at home. I am a nurse by trade, oldest sister of three girls, and a nerd at heart. Nice to meet you.
A lot has happened since I first stepped into the role of Chairman for the TFC Board in January 2015.
To name a short few:
- board member additions and roll-offs (check out the Staff and Board Members page to meet all the new faces)
- new board member training
- 2nd annual Run Your Street Virtual 5K with more than 200 participants (June 2015)
- official purchase and move to the new and permanent ministry site for our Ethiopian team, Onesimus (August 2015)
- annual Lasting Hope Gala (September 2015)
- Board Vision Trip to Ethiopia (October 2015)
- increase in the number of children being sent to school (85 additional students for the 2015-2016 school year)
- and more!
[Some of our Ethiopian Team and leadership; Joe Bridges, Field Director; and part of the TFC Board in Ethiopia at the Drop-In Center during the Board Vision Trip (October 2015)
If you were a part of our adventure in 2015, thank you! We could NOT have done it without you! We look forward to continuing our partnership together for the sake of the forsaken children this year!
If you're new to the TFC family or have been away for awhile, we welcome you and invite you to join us this year as we work to RESCUE children off the streets of Ethiopia, RESTORE them to family and school, and REBUILD lasting hope through Christ's love and education. We pray with expectation that 2016 will prove to be an even more eventful year. I look forward to sharing it with you!
We have recently updated our website (do you like?!) and are continuing to make tweaks and additions to content posted on the site. It's a great place to learn more about The Forsaken Children, what we do, how we do it, and ways you can help! In addition, we love sharing real stories about the street children our Ethiopian team is able to minister to thanks to the awesomeness of our donors! You do NOT want to miss it!
I invite you to be a part of this journey! Check back regularly for new content on the website and look forward to our monthly blog posts on several topics ranging from board updates, cooking in Ethiopia, reasons kiddos end up on the streets, donor spotlights, prayer requests and updates, and more!
I leave you with one of my favorite quotes these days in light of watching kiddo friendly movies with my son . . . words of wisdom from Dr. Seuss . . .
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
Anything But Board, Heather McGugan, TFC Board Chair