POWERGRAMS

25 that will permanently take care of their educational needs. God appointed this family for these children's support." MCCH now serves more than 250 people weekly through the children's home and school, as well as various community programs. Through Hands of Hope, women in Luanda gather weekly to make handcrafted items like jewelry, purses and Nativity sets. Charlotte and others at MCCH sell the items in Montgomery, providing the women with extra money to help pay for food and necessities for their families. MCCH sponsors about 20 families in the Luanda community, paying for school fees and needed items. During the pandemic, it has provided food for additional families and now pays for school lunches for students at the academy and a nearby public primary school. After the pandemic ends, Owuor and other employees at the children's home plan to host Sunday afternoon church once again for the Luanda families. Steve said although Mescal's was originally Charlotte's dream, it has been a life-changing experience for him. "When you go there and see the poverty, you wonder how they live," he said. "You stop complaining about all the little things and realize what's really important. Just being a small part of all of this is humbling and has changed my life." Charlotte said the home and school have become an "oasis" in the midst of the community. "It has been the 'widow's mite' that has built Mescal's," she said. "Steve and I are just instruments. Nobody could do this without God. It's too big and too extensive, and too many lives have been touched." For more information about MCCH and the people it serves, visit mescalskids.org. By Carla Davis Top, Steve Robertson talks with three of the 35 children in orphanage. Middle, Charlotte Robertson with Ruth Owuor. Bottom, schoolchildren gather for daily bus ride.

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