CHRISTMAS WAS GREAT!

"Behold a virgin shall... bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel, which is translated God with us" Matthew 1:23
This Christmas God proved, He is with us!
Our plan was to have all our children from the sponsorship program and the children house come home for Christmas together with many other orphans, needy children and street children from our community.
However it turned out that things have changed economically and affected us much in our country. Prices on all commodities have been hiked to almost double.
We invited over 200 hundred children coming home for Christmas excluding the adults. But God stretched the funds to feed all the children and everyone who came home.
Every year we plan to have lunch with children who would have not enjoyed Christmas, to come and have it with us at our home. Many families in our community are so poor that they can't afford a good meal on Christmas day.
Traditionally in our country,Christmas means eating big and good meals and dressing nicely. I remember i put on my first shoes on Christmas day, i was 10 years. I have never forgotten that Christmas!
Children whose parents cannot afford good clothes and shoes, always spend Christmas day crying, for they feel marginalized.
What happens is that these children feel left out and they go to look for comfort and company from wrong places. In the end, on Christmas day, many children come home with broken heads and others so drunk. It's terrible seeing a 5 year old child drunk. And some young girls end up being raped and abused. We have found out that many young girls get pregnant during the Christmas season not excluding the risk of contracting AIDS and other diseases.
God gave me a heart for making sure that such children feel happy and are safe at Christmas. My desire is that these children will at least have a good meal on Christmas day. I thank God for all the friends that are so supportive in this vision.
This year's Christmas was one of those exciting moments, by 1:00 p.m, after service, our compound was already filled with children, as more and more came in one by one, so happy that they have people who care to have them enjoy their Christmas. It was my great joy to see children all around us and every where; in rooms, in the kitchen and compound.Some people from church helped prepare the meal. We prepared Matoke, potatoes, Rice, chapati,beef and chicken. And it was so delicious. The children ate to their fill. To my surprise the younger children ate two rounds. Each child took a coke (soda) and a cup of bushera (our local drink from sorghum).
We then put on music and children danced for the Lord. The youth played several activities that kept every body entertained. The children enjoyed taking pictures and sharing different stories of what the Lord has done. The kids enjoyed until late in the evening. It was fun!
As the kids were going back, one child asked me, "Pastor will we come back for Christmas next year? "Of course", i answered, "why not?"
I felt so bad for the children who were left behind.We could not invite more children than the funds available, so very many children were left out.
We pray that the Lord will provide more funds next time so that we will help more children.We also pray that the Lord will provide a vehicle that will help transport the children back and forth.
Thank you dear friends who contributed towards this Christmas lunch. You put a smile on the faces of many children. You made their day! May God bless you.
Happy New Year!

SPONSORSHIP END OF YEAR MEETING

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord." Psalms 127:2

Yesterday was an end of year meeting for all the sponsored children, their parents and the staff. This was organized mainly to evaluate the events of the year together with parents/caretakers and the children. We also wanted to give the children a happy ending of the year.
We talked about several things especially pertaining to the welfare of the children. We evaluated the academic performance of the children, their spiritual stand and the social stand.
The parents testified that there has been a great improvement on the lives of their children. The children have improved on their grades at school.
The staff said the input of the parents was equally important to realize the desired changes in the children, since they spend the most time with the children.
The parents accepted to take up responsibility to keep checking the children reports and home work assignments for better grades next year.
The parents also noted a big change with the children spiritually. Their children have changed in their behaviors and character. They know how to pray and recite scriptures. They are a testimony on the community. Our children have made an impact on other children. Step by step, we are transforming the community, as we touch the lives of these children one by one.
The parents gave us moving testimonies as they thanked the church and the sponsors for taking up their children. One by one, they reported how they had given up on educating their children because they lacked school fees. "Our children were chased from school every week", the parents said. Most of the children would keep changing schools due to defaulting. The few who would raise part of School fees would fail to buy books and pens.
It is a big testimony on the community now,to see these children going to a very good school,very smartly dressed and with shoes.
Thank you so much dear sponsors for making a difference in the lives of these children. Your gifts, support and love for these children is a great blessing to all of us.
The children were the most excited. They enjoyed lunch and fellowship with one another. They sung praises and testimonies.
Some of them had received Christmas gifts from sponsors and had good clothes and shoes.
However, we had gifts for all the children. We received Samaritan's purse Christmas gifts from our partner ministry at Africa Renewal Ministries and we distributed them to the children.
The gifts were not enough to give to all the children in the community, so we gave them only to the children in the program.
They were so excited to receive them, they could not wait to get home and open the boxes and see what was inside.
We are so grateful to every one who sent a gift to Samaritans' purse. It is amazing how your gifts end up in the hands of poor children in a village like ours, tens of thousands of miles away.
God bless you so much.
Merry Christmas!

KIDS BACK FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

Last week the Child Sponsorship children were so excited to come back home for holidays.
The children were so happy as they came to church one by one with their reports. Most of them performed very well and were promoted to higher classes, with a few who performed poorly. The survey showed that those who performed poorly was a result of poor conditions back home. Most of the children do not get lunch before they go back for afternoon sessions. Discussions are under way to see if we can revise our annual budget and include daily lunch for these children especially those who come from very poor homes.
The children told stories of their experience at school during the school term. Some were moving stories as children narrated how much they used to suffer before they got sponsors. Some said, each year they would go to a different school because they were chased away for failing to pay school fees. Most of them could not afford exercise books and so they could tear out papers from one book to be used for 8 subjects! Many were going to school with torn clothes and without shoes.
They are so grateful to their sponsors who have made a difference in their lives. To them it is a great joy and a divine opportunity for them to given a chance to go to school.
I was amazed to hear their stories! These children have big dreams, some of them want to become Teachers, Doctors, Nurses and Lawyers!
The Sponsorship program has helped to develop our children and our community. These children love the Lord and well behaved in the community. They are able to communicate in English.
We still have a big challenge of space. We need more land where we can build offices and a big ground for recreation, games and other activities, to develop them physically and socially.
This holiday is particularly exciting to the children because of Christmas. They always look to another Christmas, because traditionally it is a time to dressed differently and eat differently. To the families who can afford, on Christmas they change menu from red beans, greens and posho to beef, rice and Matoke. Many children put on shoes on Christmas. To those whose parents can't afford, they spend the day crying that they are not like the rest on Christmas.
Last year, with support from friends, we organized lunch for the orphans and the poor children from the community. It was a great time and so exciting for the children. Some testified that, that was the first time to test a soda(coke).
We are praying that God will provide for us again this year, so that we make a Christmas lunch for all the children.
To make a contribution to the Christmas lunch or buy clothes and shoes for children, please write to Whitney Smith at:whitney-123@hotmail.com