HADIJAH’S STORY
REHEMA
HOUSE
She continued, “But Rehema House
rekindled my hope. I met girls who had
already given birth and those who were
expecting as I was. This encouraged me
since I knew I was not alone. God has
changed me. I gave my life to Christ a few
months ago. I have learned to read the
Bible and to pray for myself and others.”
Hadijah became a mother to a perfect son.
“Counseling has helped me focus on my
future. The best experience was when I was
taken to the hospital to have my baby; I
gave birth to a bouncing baby boy whom I
love so much.”
But her story—your story—doesn’t end
there because God writes the most
glorious stories.
I HAD LOST ALL HOPE
These are the first words, Hadijah,
the 33rd resident of Rehema House,
began to start her testimony.
She was 15, unmarried, and pregnant.
She had tried everything to end her
pregnancy, including asking a friend to
jump on her swollen belly to end her
family’s shame.
But you rescued her.
Because of your support, we stepped
into her story and her story became
your story.
On the day of her rescue, Hadijah’s mother,
a devout Muslim, mostly listened and
nodded her head. She communicated
silently with her daughter with a nudge
every now and then. She hung her head in
shame when she spoke of how challenging
it was to provide for her family.
You have never seen such hopelessness.
But when she spoke these words, after
hearing of what we were willing to offer
her daughter, my blood ran cold.
“Rescue me, too.”
It was more than a statement. It was a
question.
“Rescue me, too?”
Close your eyes, can you see her clawing
her way up the dirt hill to her small,
oppressive hut, and to the other children
in her home. Can you see her going from
neighbor to neighbor asking for their dirty
laundry, trying to do anything to find work.
Can you imagine what it must have been
like to convert to the Muslim faith for her
husband only to have him leave the family?
Can you sense the shame a pregnant
daughter brought on her head? Can you
erase the memory of rescuing a daughter
but leaving a mother behind?
But God. Only God. He was working and
writing a new story.
Five months after Hadijah entered Rehema
House, her mother, along with many other
guardians came for a week-long parent
training that you provided (the course
offers counseling, Bible study, business
training, anger management classes and so
much more).
Hadijah’s mother dropped to her knees
during worship and raised her shaking
hands to Heaven.
She decided to follow Jesus. And He
rescued her, too.
Because of you.
“I know who God is in my life now.”
Hadijah, 15 years old
In the early days of Mercy House Global, someone asked, “How will you
know you are successful?” Our founder, Kristen Welch answered, “We
were successful the first time a baby was born that would have been
aborted.”
In 2016 you welcomed 7 more pregnant teen girls who’ve recently been
rescued to Rehema House. That’s 32 girls and their babies since 2010!
STREET HOPE
The Rehema House team has served a group
of mothers for nearly a year now along side
the local Catholic church. And slowly, one by
one, these desperate women, some HIV+, some
addicts, all homeless, have become desperate
for something more– something that looks a lot
like hope.
These precious women, tossed aside by the
world, are becoming artisans. This new Fair
Trade Friday group, aptly named Street Hope,
consists of 12 street mothers, who have learned
a skill and who are faithfully working because of
your generosity.
The mothers of Street Hope receive a monthly
salary (that is more dependent on their effort
than product outcome) that goes directly
towards paying for living expenses and in
exchange, they create fair trade items for Mercy
House Global. You are making a difference for
once homeless mothers who now have homes,
safer places to keep watch over their babies at
night, and the ability to live with purpose and
dignity.
EMPOWERING FAMILIES
Women in poverty don’t need a handout.
They need a partner who will invest in
them-so they can invest in the future.
When we walked through the door, we
barely recognized the women.
It had been less than a year since we had
visited this group in the slum when poverty
was still dictating their future. They had
named themselves Have Hope and that’s
exactly what they needed. Hope.
So standing in the doorway 11 months later,
the bright smiles and colorful clothes made
us squint. They were the result of a joy
makeover and the hope was blinding.
These ladies have been meeting together
for encouragement and Bible Study since
you helped us start Mercy House Global
in 2010, but have only been a Fair Trade
Friday group for a year. The result of
having steady income is stunning. Not only
are they able to feed their kids and send
them to school, they are moving out of the
slum, starting businesses and leading their
community.
These women aren’t just artisans. They
are entrepreneurs. They have formed a
Merry-Go-Round (Women’s Savings Club)
with the money they make from Fair Trade
Friday, where they contribute weekly and
share the investment.
And just three months ago, the group
bought a motorcycle to start their own
taxi business. Maybe we need to say that
again, the group bought a motorcycle to
start their own taxi business. Their bold
initiative reminded us that women in
poverty don’t want a handout, they want
a job. Your generosity provides the kind of
empowerment that leaves us speechless.
tell her the words she is sewing. tell her.
and so they read the words to her. over her.
TREASURED.
LOVED.
REDEEMED.
BEAUTIFUL.
REASSURED.
SAVED.
COMFORTED.
HOPEFUL.
BUSINESS TRAINING
RESCUED.
TRANSFORMED.
CHERISHED.
This year you provided basic business training for Faith
from Have Hope, two leaders from Caring for Korah,
a ministry that you support in Ethiopia that provides
for child sponsorship and artisan empowerment. You
also sent Maurine and Oliver, Rehema House Directors,
to follow up training on how to teach this curriculum
themselves. In November, you provided the same training
for 12 nonprofit leaders in the U.S. who are working
around the world.
YOU TOLD HER “SHE IS PRICELESS”
An angry girl sold as a commodity, but
now rescued sits sewing words all day
long about how God sees her? How you
see her? Priceless.
God who created her. She is priceless like
a treasured pearl. She isn’t a commodity
to be bought and sold, but she has been
paid for by the precious blood of Jesus.
“Tell her this is how God feels about her.”
Tell her she is priceless. It’s the goal of
the dozens and dozens of ministries we
work with who work to remind women
of this truth.
She put her hands over her face and
smiled.
They are the same words God whispers
over us in our darkest, loneliest
moments, “Beloved, you are mine. I see
you. I have not forgotten.”
Every woman everywhere deserves to
know that she is loved and valued by the
In May of 2016, Mercy House launched
“She Is Priceless” an initiative to come
alongside other nonprofits and raise
funds to continue life sustaining work.
You responded and gave over $35,000
joyously shouting to these women, “You
are Priceless.”
WATER
In 2015, Mercy House Global
humbly approached you with
the need for a water well for
Rehema House, our maternity
homes in Kenya. Mercy House
spends over $2,000 per month
just to provide water for the girls
and babies living in Rehema
House. You responded and
funded phase I (a geological
survey) and phase II (drilling the
well) of this project.
In mid 2016, on the side of a
dormant, dead volcano in Kenya,
we found life. With an estimated
50,000 – 100,000 gallons per
day, drill operators struck fresh,
clean, life giving water.
Miraculously, by late 2016 phase III
(water towers, transformer, pumps
and piping) was funded through
an amazing church partnership.
In spite of the long and tedious
permitting process, your well
should be completely operational
in mid 2017.
In the meantime we are funding
phase IV, which includes free
water for nearby impoverished
residents and monetizing the sell
of water to wealthy neighbors
and municipalities for long term
sustainability.
You saw a reservoir of opportunity
and dove in!
RETAIL STORE
FAIR TRADE FRIDAY
2016 saw many exciting
changes for Mercy House.
The popularity of Fair
Trade Friday, the monthly
subscription club that helps
women around the world,
continued to rise. With your
support, Fair Trade Friday
is now helping 45 artisan
groups in 25 countries. In
July, Terrell and Kristen
Welch traveled to Haiti to
meet 5 groups empowering
women on the ground.
We met Stephanie who takes the same clay consumed
in parts of Haiti to stave off hunger pains of children and
transforms it into beautiful pottery. She works with a group
that employs 200 Haitians all with the end goal of keeping
families together and preventing kids from becoming
orphans. We were privileged to introduce you to Stephanie
at our Gala at The Barn in September.
In September, Mercy House announced
the move to a larger facility aptly
named, “The Big Red Barn.” Your
encouragement, faithfulness and support
have taken Mercy House Global from a
garage in 2010 to a 5600 square foot
barn with a new retail store to teach
our community about the power of
redeemed consumerism - using your
purchasing power to change the world
and spread the gospel.
On November 5th, you and 400 of our
closest friends showed up to celebrate
gospel centered empowerment at the
opening of the Mercy House Global
Market. Our God is Big!
SYMPOSIUM
Thanks to your generosity, Mercy
House Global was able to bring
together 30 nonprofit leaders
helping women in the U.S. and
around the world. In late November,
these leaders gathered together in
Galveston, Texas for encouragement,
prayer, and training.
FINANCIALS
Statement of Profit and Loss*
2015
2014
PUBLIC SUPPORT & REVENUE
Contributions
Gross Profit Artisan Partners
Interest Income
$506,904
$633,163
$186
$461,882
$192,335
$122
Total Revenue
$1,140,253
$654,339
EXPENSES
Program Services
Management and General
Fundraising
Total Expenses
$999,579
$24,459
$13,169
$1,037,207
$698,115
$6,339
$0
$704,454
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets Beginning of year
Net Assets End of Year
$103,046
$259,360
$362,406
$50,115
$309,475
$259,360
*all financial data taken from Form 990 and CPA prepared compilation for
1/1/15 – 12/31/15. 2016 Financial statements are not available until filed with
the IRS five months after the end of the calendar year.
2015 Form 990 is available at mercyhousegloblal.org
THANK YOU!
These are the only words that adequately express our
appreciation.
Your love, your heart for the oppressed, your generosity and
partnership are the hallmark of the work at Mercy House
Global. I wish I had the ability to have coffee with each of you
and express our thanks and the hundreds of ways that lives are
being impacted through you.
God’s faithfulness to Mercy House Global is a testament to his
faithfulness in each of our lives. I have seen hope restored in
young pregnant moms and dignity reignited in artisans around
the globe.
God is good. He is using you to accomplish much!
Thank you,
Kristen & Terrell Welch
mercyhouseglobal.org