For Richer or Poorer
I met Melkamfire four years ago when she was in college. Her mother was a recycler at the Kore garbage dump in Addis Ababa when we met, but due to a worsening lung condition, her mother’s employment at the dump soon had to end. Her mother began hawking produce on the...
A Girl with a Dream Come True
I am grateful to God that I can help our scholars and their families and see their priceless smiles. It makes me proud when they finish their studies and find jobs to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. Our scholars overcome many challenges...
Progressive People Unite!
I must confess that my children have accused me of being exactly like the people Progressive commercials make fun of—and I am guilty as charged. Sure, I was embarrassed when the commercials first came out. I was still printing directions for long roadtrips. But I have...
A Day Without Water
Can you imagine a day without water in your house, in your office, in your hotel, in your neighborhood? You could survive, no problem. One day goes by fast, and you could manage. But what about not having water every day? Or only having water twice a month? You could...
Two Peas in a Pod
Over time, every organization gets shaped by and resembles the people who contribute the most to it. Part of the reason I love International Samaritan so much is because of how much it resembles an 84-year-old woman who has been one of its most faithful...
Write It Down!
Then the LORD replied, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” Habakkuk 2:2Back in the spring of 2008, I was at a retreat with the leaders of Detroit’s United Way and we came up a “big, hairy audacious goal” to make...
A Parent’s Gift
“Finding time for myself was foolishness--an utterly unfamiliar, far-fetched idea!” said Sisay, a mother of one of our scholars at the closing ceremony of an intensive parenting course we held recently at our family life center. “It never crossed my mind!” Her...
A New Life in the New Year
By Mike Tenbusch | December 28, 2022 Daniel Castelanos has not had an easy life. He was abandoned at the dumpsite in Tegucigalpa when he was nine years old. For two years, he slept on a piece of cardboard in the dump and foraged through trash for food to eat each...
Christ the King!
By Mike Tenbusch | December 21, 2022 When our Board of Trustees voted last January to make “Water” one of our goals for the year, it was a “gulp” moment for us. We knew that we were going to be stretched and running hard all year long simply to raise the $2.4 million...
What Makes Christmas Special?
By Mike Tenbusch | December 16, 2022 We asked our scholars that question, and thought you might enjoy seeing some of their responses and favorite memories from Christmas... Thank you for being a part of their celebration. If you would like to make a final gift to our...
Confounding Women
By Mike Tenbusch | December 09, 2022 The safety and security of our team leaders have long been a concern of mine. They walk hand-in-hand with people living in some of the most difficult places on earth—and then make life-altering decisions to award holistic...
I Second that Emotion
By Mike Tenbusch | December 02, 2022 In a letter I mailed to your home last week, I talked about how often I find myself in tears in the course of our mission at International Samaritan. If you were wondering, “Has Mike just gotten soft?” I wish you had been at our...
