jamesgarland

This is my current support letter serving as my bio until July 1st

Hello Family & Friends,

What would you guess would hold the title as the number one killer of children under the age of five? Some good guesses would include: water born diseases, diarrhea, or malnutrition... but The simple answer is: Acute respiratory infections caused by breathing the smoke from indoor cooking fires. Can you believe that? When I learned about this, I found it quite shocking! Smoke and fumes from indoor cooking fires kill more than 2 million children a year in the developing world. MIT engineer Amy Smith explores simple solutions: Watch her 15min clip on Ted.com here http://on.ted.com/8LUh to get a better idea. If you can't watch the clip now, bookmark it and watch it when you have time. This clip has been an effective catalyst in getting me motivated to be part of a solution. You can help me combat these preventable conditions. Read on.

I am writing you to let you know about a wonderful opportunity for you to partner with me and really make a difference. I am joining up with a team in the next few weeks that has for the past 2 years traveled to Guatemala on a humanitarian / mission trip. We partner with Hands for Peacemaking, a Christian relief and development organization. In July I will be going along with an diverse team of 10 people from the Puget Sound ( greater Seattle area) to Nuevo Santiago Esperanza Maya, a remote village in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala. I am writing to ask if you would be willing to help support our efforts. Last year a team from Sumner Presbyterian Church worked together with the village elders in El Corozo, Guatemala to install simple and environmentally friendly Onil wood burning stoves in almost every family home. They installed a total of 70 stoves. Those stoves replaced open fires burning on the floors inside homes. By venting fumes & smoke out of homes, and burning wood at more efficient temperatures we greatly reduce the amount of wood burned. We also reduce the time families spend gathering and chopping firewood, freeing up time for women and children to learn to read and write. In short, the stoves really change, save and improve lives. That reality is especially meaningful for those past team members who have gotten to know these people personally. We hope you will want to change, save and improve lives for the families in yet another village this year.

Nuevo Santiago Esperanza Maya has about 110 families. Our team has made the commitment to raise enough money to purchase and install at least 70 stoves for the village, and if the money for additional stoves is provided we will install those as well. Each stove is made locally and costs about $150 and $50 for a year of follow-up support that Hands for Peacemaking provides. Follow up care insures the stoves are being used properly and are in working order. We are also raising money to purchase Spanish language illustrated children’s bibles for all 110 families in the village. Each bible costs about $11. For most of the families, this will be the only book in the home. For those families that are Christian, this should be an especially precious gift. Even non-Christian families in past trips have also received illustrated Bibles with gratitude. Because books are so rare in the village, we are confident that they will be treasured and help facilitate and encourage literacy.

Paperless online donations can be sent via our team website. www.altruisinternational.org You can also find more information, meet this years team members (including me) see pictures from previous trips. I hope you will find the time and energy to support this relief effort with your thoughts prayers and finances as you are able. Also when you use our convenient paperless donation options on our team website please remember to send me a note so I can thank you!

Grace & Peace,Jim Garland

Feel free to forward this opportunity to impact the lives of so many by simply forwarding this message to your compassionate circle of friends. Tweet this public Facebook Note http://www.facebook.com/jamesgarland33?v=app_2347471856 and encourage your family and friends to re-tweet and share this message as well. Together we can make a huge impact!