Many of you may have read our first post of where ButterPear, the name, all started. Well we are here today to introduce you to our friend Winston!
Winston is our friend who brought Becky butter pears while she was staying in Ganta, Liberia this last January. While spending time with Winston, Becky learned more of his passions, his dreams, and his callings in life. Winston is a vocational classroom teacher at Ganta United Methodist Mission station. He is one of a kind when it comes to someone with a HUGE heart. During the Ebola outbreak Winston and his wife took in ELEVEN children to care for. He also spends his weekends teaching at his church and making soap with people with disabilities to sell so they can also make a living. Winston has dedicated his life to serving and helping people despite having the means to do so! So our first person we'd like to reach out to and support with our proceeds is Winston and his family of 19 people! We've seen the work Winston is doing for others, now we want to do something for him!
Here is Winstons message to us;
"Thanks be to God that I am back on message and thank to you my friend Becky for trying every effort to get me. If you will like to share my story: my name is N. Winston Guanu, I am a church planter and a classroom teacher, and also a university student. I have six children with one in the university, they are four boys and two girls. My number of children increased doing the deadly Ebola crisis in Liberia, my home country, when I added eleven Ebola orphans and making the number of my children seventeen. I live in a family home which can not now accommodate me and my children. I am presently working on a home project which is very slow to do because of high cost of living and high school fees for my kids and I, the building contains four bed rooms and other facilities. I planted a church in a religiously challenge village in which I am pastoring, my challenges with the ministry now are the purchase of land space which cost $850. Per lot and we have engaged four lots which is an acre of land with total cost of $3500., Such will help in the support of the other challenge which is school for the Church to help in the process of the children's education which is also the concern of us as Christian educators. Thank you for butter pear, and thank for other connections."
We'd like to update you to let you know we have helped Winston build a home that now can accommodate ALL 17 of his children, Winston and his wife! In addition to the commitment to help support his children's education needs! They have been HUGE community partners and are reaching all of the communities children who may not have family to reach out to. We love Winston and continue to support his good work in ButterPears program!