First Outreach: Christmas Day 2024

Dr. Eddie Herd, MD

Director of Early Lift Corp, a 501c3 ministry to mothers and families of prematurely born babies in Africa

Aloha from Florida on a cold( relatively ) 39-degree January day,

I am staring out the window at palm trees in our yard here, but my mind has found the image of how you and I wear many different hats each day and week. Some of the hats bring a big measure of responsibility, some bring leadership needs, and some bring awakening to the truth of how dependent we are on others to move past what may look like a roadblock, large, small, or chronic.

Can I tell you about my awakening in early January 2025?

A hat I started wearing in 2024 is as developer and director of the not-for-profit 501c3 organization Early Lift.  With much background and setup work done, Christmas Day was our first outreach day to 5 mothers residing with their prematurely born infants in hospital Kigali, Rwanda, central Africa. It was a blessed day of being Jesus in the form of sharing hope, healing, and support by meeting basic needs of food and clothing, transporting family members to visit with baby and mom at the hospital, assisting with payment of medical bills that will be needed to be paid for baby to be discharged from the hospital, praying with families, singing together and providing bibles.  On the day celebrated as the Birth of Jesus, we let these mothers and family members know that they and their needs are not forgotten by others… by God himself!

Since that day, we have been able to pay the hospital bill required to release to the mother the body of her very prematurely born baby who died in hospital, assist with that baby's funeral costs, and then be present with the family for babies funeral service.  We have been able to support the daily needs of a family whose mother nearly died of high blood pressure from pregnancy disease and who is now recovered enough to walk the hospital hallway and be close to discharge home to her healthy baby.

So my awakening started last week when, in Rwanda, my co-founder and country leader, Dr. Patrick Twagirimana, and I had our weekly Zoom meeting.  Why didn’t I  plan further for the ongoing needs of the ministry in terms of cost in dollars?  It should have been obvious, right?  It's good that I am married to Belinda, who can think critically about finances while walking out the compassion ministry God gavee us. Out current needs are:

1. Prayer, Prayer, Prayer!!!

2. To have a person with fundraising experience join out team...know anyone?

3. Raise $1000-$1500/ month to fund follow up needs of our recent Christmas Day outreach to 5 premature babies, moms and their at home families.

4. To have a Rwandan teach our outreach families how to work together in starting their own small business

5. Raise several thousand dollars needed to buy a sweig machine and supplies for outreach famiklies to learn how to make their own clothig for themselves and to sell as a business.

6. That time spent witih each Christmas Day outreach familyb and Early Lift team members will open eyes, minds, hearts and spirits to the call of Jesus.

PFi person with fundraising experience to join our team…know of anat time spent with each outreach family and the Early Lift team members will open eyes and hearts to the call of following Jesus.

Blessings,

Dr. Eddie and Belinda