What an incredible summer we have experienced together. From birthday parties, to Vacation Bible School, to safaris and picnics, you have all been such an integral part of giving our very best to the children at Acres of Love. You have also been an answer to our constant prayer for workers, servants, leaders who are called to care for these children. As you have now seen firsthand, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” How exciting that many of you are already busy working on raising funds and awareness in your community; inviting those in your life to partner with us to extend the mission of Acres of Love, and hopefully support the rescuing and restoration of many more orphaned children in the process. For the gifts you have shared over the months, for the investment you are currently making, and for the commitments you will keep in the future, we extend our deepest gratitude. Because of your heart, and your contributions, we are able to foster hope and wholeness to the next generation of South Africa

In His Service,

Upon returning from their recent trip to Acres of Love, two of our volunteers came to me with a deep desire to bless our children over the Christmas season. This initial discussion has now led to extensive planning, all for the purpose of making Christmas as special as it can be for the kids at Acres....to make them feel as special as they truly are.

There will be a small team traveling to Johannesburg specifically for Christmas. There are so many great plans that are already underway. Small groups and Bible studies here in Southern California have taken on the challenge of providing at least two Christmas gifts for every child at Acres of Love. We will bring these gifts with us, wrap them, and then deliver them to the individual homes. Our goal is to have every Acres Forever Home decorated with a tree, ornaments, garlands, and lights by Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve, we plan to visit all 11 Forever Homes. We will bring cookies, stories, holiday songs, and then a stocking for each child in that house. Each stocking with have a child’s name it and will be full of little gifts....we will give these to the house parents to put out after the children have gone to sleep. This way all the children will have a small surprise on Christmas morning, a tangible reminder that they have been remembered this year.

If you would like to be involved in contributing to this holiday mission, contact Beth Gillig for donation and funding needs.

On Monday, October 30th, at El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel we are hosting the First Annual Acres of Love 100 Hole Marathon Golf Tournament. This event challenges 40 golfers to golf 100 holes in just one day. Pledge partners commit to support a certain golfer per hole and in so doing, each golfer has the ability to raise significant funds for Acres of Love. The proceeds from the event will help us in ramping up to support the rapid growth that is occurring – we expect to open another 3-4 homes in 2007 that will allow for another 25-35 children to be rescued.

If you would like to support a golfer for this event, contact Paul Danchik at paul@acresoflove.org for more information. If you would like to donate your time at the event, we will definitely need the help of several volunteers throughout the day. Contact Beth Gillig at beth@acresoflove.org if you would like to be involved.