Riley Family Update
The last year and a half has been a whirlwind of trials for our family.
The trials started in October 16, 2022 when I had a stroke. This stroke took me off the field for 10 and a half months. I was in the United States, recovering with Grace and Christian, while Melanie was in Liberia with Annie, Abigail, Abraham, Tommy and Don. Melanie was not able to travel because Annie, Abigail and Abraham did not have American visas.
I returned to Liberia in July, 2023, thinking I would only be in the country for a couple of weeks, and then my three Liberian children would have visas and we would all go back to the States to fundraise for the mission. Much to our surprise, the trip ended up being about three months long and we only got two of the three visas we were going for. Those visas required my two children to travel to America before the end of December. Our hearts were devastated with the thought of the family being forced to separate again.
In December, I gave Melanie a hug and said goodbye to her, Annie, Abraham, Tommy and Don as they got on the airplane and flew off. I didn't know when I would be able to see her and the children again. Grace, Abigail and I returned to the hotel, with hearts completely shattered. In order to reunite our family we had to go through the process of re-adopting Abigail and then applying for a new American visa. That task felt like a dreadful mountain that was too high to climb.
I went to bed and woke up the next morning, started to drive back home to Gbarnga when I learned that my wife had had a heart attack in Brussels. Don (my deaf son) was left alone in the international airport with Annie and Abraham (who had never been in a foreign country) while Tommy went with Melanie to the hospital. My wife would not be with us today had it not been for the two people that stood in line behind her. They administered CPR and got her heart beating again. I wish I could say thank you to those men, but I don't even know their names. When I received the news that Annie, Abraham and Don were left alone in the airport, I frantically bought a ticket and arrived in Brussels in the middle of the night. I was so thankful that God protected my children from unforeseen danger.
Grace and Abigail stayed with Suzie in Liberian (a missionary partner, and close friend).
We were in Brussels for about a week when Melanie was finally able to travel. We decided I would travel with her to America and help her get settled. I was able to help her get through her initial medical appointments before returning to Liberia on January 22, 2024.
Since returning to Liberia, I have been a full time Dad and the country director of Hope for Home Ministries. My wife's health continues to improve in the States and we are close to being finished with re-adopting Abigail.
With our recent health complications, I recognize the need to decentralize leadership within Hope for Home Ministry, Liberia.
-- Don Riley --
Jesus Loves Me Clinic
Because the extreme poverty rate in Liberia is so high, many women have to choose between not feeding their children for 2 or 3 days so they have enough money to get the sick child medical help, or watching their sick child suffer and continuing to feed their families. There is usually never a good outcome no matter what they chose. The corruption rate in the medical world is very high in Liberia too. When the woman and her children do make it to a medical clinic they are faced with extra fees that they cannot afford from the Drs, many of whom are not trained or are very poorly trained. The women know that more times than not, even when they do take their children to receive medical attention, the child will die because of lack of medical knowledge, empathy and compassion.
We are working to be different. The Jesus Loves Me Paediatric Children’s Clinic aims to show the love of Jesus from the moment you step foot into the building, until when you leave and beyond. We believe that it is useless to provide even the best medical care and treat the body physically if the opportunity is missed to minister to the human soul. When patients come to Jesus Loves Me - they don’t only receive compassion, care and help from trained medical staff, that won’t take bribes and be corrupt, they also receive a gospel message, they are prayed for and they are given an opportunity to know Christ. Notes about their spiritual status are marked on their medical chart so the next time they come, we can continue as able alongside them.
The clinic is called Jesus Loves Me because that is the message we want everyone to know! Imagine a Muslim or a witch Dr needing medical help and they are directed by the community to Jesus Loves Me!
Jesus Loves Me Children’s Clinic is almost completely free to the public. They pay a standard, doable registration fee and the mission covers the rest of the medical fees. Currently we are operating out of a 2 room clinic, but we are in the process of building a 60 inpatient bed clinic to grow into the rapidly increasing patient load. On an average month we freely treat an average of 1,200 to 1,500 children.
-- Suzie McLay --
His Safe Haven
Our outreach ministry is growing! The outreach program is set up for families who are looking after children with special needs in their homes, to come and join in therapy sessions twice a week. We now have 11 Moms / caregivers bringing their children with special needs to therapy! We are loving watching the caregivers grow in confidence in regards to caring for their children, we are loving watching their children learn new things and explore the world around them and we love watching the HSH children and Moms come alongside the outreach families. It is an amazing ministry and we are so thankful for what God is doing in the lives of everyone involved!
We need your help though, as the program continues to grow, the expenses grow. Sponsorship for an outreach family is $80USD a month. This covers the cost of feeding the families one meal when they come, it provides transport for the families to come visit us and it helps put food and other supplies into the homes of these families so they can continue to care for and look after these children in their own homes.
If you would like more information on sponsoring a family, or if you have questions - please contact Suzie McLay at susan@hopeforhome.org
Wednesday mornings we have started a movie morning for the children! They absolutely love it! It has become an avenue for the Moms to have a morning to catch up on work around the house or just relax if needed, and they know their children are being cared for. Nemo and Madagascar have been huge hits so far! We love seeing when the children laugh and what pieces of the movies capture their attention :)
We highly value and appreciate the love and care this young man has for our autistic teenage boys. Joseph works tirelessly every single day with Papee and John (pictured on either side of him) to give them a calm and stable environment that they can thrive in. When Papee needs a time out, Joseph quietly takes him by the hand and walks around outside with him. When John needs somewhere to get rid of energy, Jospeh takes him to a quiet place, puts some music on and dances with him. When Sylvester needs a safe place to relax, Joseph takes him and calmly talks him through things. Jospeh has such a rapport with the boys, they adore and respond to him and we are so thankful for his servants heart and willingness to calmly walk life alongside these boys.
We are also very thankful for the continued dedication and hard working attitude that Ma Gormah brings to HSH. Ma Gormah helps the Moms by washing the clothes for the children. Everyday she collects water from the well and hand washes the clothes that need washed. When she isn’t washing the clothes, she is stopping by the therapy hall to say hello and spend time with the children and the Moms. We are incredibly thankful for the work that she is doing to serve His Safe Haven.
-- Suzie McLay --
Fairview Missionary School
Let me introduce myself and describe how a teacher in Northern Indiana gets connected to a mission in Liberia! Tracey Newell (me) has been working with the Hope for Home Ministry for a little under a year now. I recently retired from a 33-year career in education; this included a range from middle school, elementary school, and kindergarten. Joan Riley, Don Riley’s mother, started collecting supplies and asked for volunteers to help pack materials to start a library for a school in Denta town, Liberia. My heart has followed many missionaries over the years. Many of those missions we (my husband Greg and I) are still connected in prayer. Greg and I attended a missionary church in Littleton, Colorado, and worked with the mission’s director from that church. Upon our move to Angola, Indiana, Fairview Missionary became our new church family, and when I heard about the mission in Liberia, it piqued my interest. Soon after my volunteer work with Joan, Don Riley came to the church with Dr. Mikey from ELWA. They began working together to grow the Jesus Loves Me Clinic into a hospital. They both stood on stage and described the mission field, and its needs. The Holy Spirit was speaking to me. In a triangle of decisions, retiring, becoming snowbirds in Florida, and God’s mission for me ( a story for another time) became evident that I needed the Lord’s direction. Graciously, the Lord provides and all three were accomplished. I’m inviting you to explore the beautiful but raw world of this Hope for Home mission with me. Please keep us all in your prayers daily! God hears us, and he loves that you have a heart for all his people.
-- Tracy Newell --
