On 8/11/2020, Danea Gail (from Mercy House Global), spoke to the Magnolia Rotary Club about what her organization is, what they do, and how to help them in their efforts. The story of Mercy House Global actually started with Kristen Welch and Maureen Owino. Pictured above from left to right is Oliver and Maureen Owino.
 
Danea showed a video clip explaining a little bit about what Mercy House Global is and does.
 
After the film, Danea told everyone that Mercy House Global grew out of a personal relationship between Kristen Welch and Maureen Owino when Kristen traveled to Kenya, Africa, in March 2010 with Compassion International, the world’s largest child sponsorship program.
 

While in Kenya, Kristen met Maureen, one of Compassion’s leadership graduates and a former sponsored child herself. Maureen is married and speaks 5 languages. She married Oliver in 2014 & welcomed a beautiful son, Amaziah, in 2015. Maureen traveled to the United States in the summer of 2010 on behalf of Compassion International to speak to thousands of students at Student Life Camps. Her moving life story led to the sponsorship of more than a thousand impoverished children.

She has since become a very dear “daughter” of the Welch family. Just weeks after returning from Africa, Kristen emailed Maureen and asked if she knew of any ministries reaching out or offering an alternative to the young girls having backstreet abortions. She didn’t know of any.

Maureen partnered with Terrell (Kristen's husband) and Kristen to pray specifically about these precious girls. Four months later, God spoke to Maureen’s heart and birthed a vision to help these girls. When Maureen emailed Kristen with this news, both knew that God was beginning a good work. The Welch family lives in America and mobilize people to give with the help of supportive friends, family and blog readers. Maureen is in Kenya with the language, education, leadership skills and the heart to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

In the summer of 2010, The Mercy Maternity House was formed to support the work Maureen does. Maureen is the full-time Executive Director of Rehema House (word for mercy in Swahili) in Kenya.While she works in Africa, with her husband Oliver, the Welch family raises money and awareness while supporting Maureen and her staff. A photo of the Rehema House can be seen below:

Danea then told everyone that the efforts begun in 2010 has now grown into an organization that has connections in 45 countries. One of the ways that Mercy House Global helps young impoverished & abused girls is by providing housing, medical and counseling care until they are able to provide for themselves. To this end, they also taught girls how to make products that could be sold to help support themselves and others. However, because the market for their products is not always available where they live, the products are sent to the United States and other countries where there is a market for them.

Danea then told everyone about the Big Red Barn located on 5814 FM 1488, Magnolia Texas 77354 where they take the products and package them for both sales at that location and to be sent out to subscribers who take their products on a quarterly basis. More than 5,000 packages of products have been shipped from that location so far. The products arrive on a subscriber's doorstep containing handcrafted heirlooms from around the world along with a small photographic journal to personally invite you into a life-changing story of how these heirlooms have changed the world – and continue to, in your hands and life – complete with quotes, tear-out printables, and an inspiring visual story.

Danea explained that since Mercy House Global is a non-profit and they use volunteers to do all the packaging and shipping, 100% of profits go to funding the homes for the girls in places like Kenya. Danea also explained that they can always use volunteers (every day of the week except on Sunday), sponsors, and shoppers who want to help out. To find out more about ways to help, Danea suggested going to their website at https://mercyhouseglobal.org/. Danea also told everyone that their online store can be found at: shop.mercyhouseglobal.org.
 
When asked about how COVID-19 has impacted their efforts, Danea stated that in some countries strict laws had been put in place to prevent any product from being shipped outside of that country's boarders. However, some of those restrictions have been lifted recently and products are beginning to ship again.
 
Real Provencher told Danea about our club's work in Sierra Leone to help women in similar situations and suggested that maybe Rotary and Mercy House might team up to allow the girls and women in Sierra Leone a way to sell their products. Real and Danea agree it would be a good idea. Real agreed to provide Danea with contact at all the Rotary Clubs in Montgomery County.
 
Danea also told everyone that anyone interested in volunteering some time could speak with Jennifer Schoelpple who oversees their volunteer programs. It was also suggested that some of our Interact high school kids might also be interested in volunteering their time. Although they used to use about 20-25 people a day to package the products, with COVID-19 and social distancing, there would only be room for 10-12 volunteers in the Big Red Barn area.
 
A photo of those in attendance at today's meeting can be seen below. Renea is the lady in the third row and second from the left.
 
 
 
 
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