Dear Friends,
In 2023, our prayer for the ministry is, as it has been from its inception, for the Lord to give us “one pure and holy passion” to serve and follow Him in everything we do. Our truest desire is to use what the Lord provides to bring Him glory and to further His kingdom on earth. Our singular goal is to share the Good News of the abundant life Jesus came to give to all who will put their faith in Him. As we carry out our vision, we are blessed by being able to bring joy to the children and their caretakers.
Our dear friend, Pam Lawrence, is stepping off the Board. Pam has been a part of the ministry since we packed our first shipment in 2016, so we are grateful that she is not leaving us altogether. Pam will remain on the Prayer Team and as a faithful partner with us. She has a true servant spirit, which she is using to the fullest in several ministries at Berea Baptist Church and Precious to God.
We are excited to welcome Dale Mise and Anita Zimmerman to the Board. Each brings a long history of service in their churches as well as with local and international Christian organizations. Dale has served on over three dozen mission trips to twenty countries on six continents. Anita and her husband, Tom, have also actively supported ministries around the world and traveled on mission trips, including a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, which is where Immaculate lives. Tom and Anita were deeply touched by the spirit of the Kenyan people and came away with a true love for the country.
Due to a long layover in India, our container did not arrive in Kenya in January. Immaculate, however, spent much of the month preparing for its arrival. In our February newsletter, we look forward to sharing photos of the adventures related to getting the container through inspection and port processing, as well as its transport to Immaculate’s home near Nairobi.
Hurray, the sheep are having babies! In June, we purchased a male and female sheep for the households of four severely-disabled children. These children, “extension” students of the Don Bosco Orphanage in Kakamega, Kenya, are visited weekly by Walter, a compassionate teacher at the school. With Walter’s oversight, the sheep are thriving and several of the ewes have had lambs.
Inspired by a vision to transform the lives of the children of the village of Soy in the Rift Valley, Pauline Akhama and Jonah Korir started the Great Hope Academy in 2015. With no town nearby, the 520 children (ages 4-13) attending Great Hope previously had no chance for a quality education. Although the region is impoverished, Pauline and Jonah have managed, with donations from the residents and churches in the area, to establish the school and provide the children with free education along with meals. The creative staff painted letters, numbers, and pictures on the iron-sheeted classrooms to add color and interest while creating a fun way for the little ones to learn to read.
In January, Serving in Jesus’ Name built a latrine and a rainwater catchment system on Great Hope’s grounds. Upon seeing the completed latrine with its five stalls, Pauline could not contain her joy! She praised the Lord for answering their prayers for additional stalls to augment the three that previously served the boys, girls, and staff.
Once the container is safely on Immaculate’s property, she and the Board will work together to plan our facility visits in 2023. Our goal is to develop deeper relationships with the 17 orphanages and 8 privately-funded schools in our network. Working with the pastors of the churches associated with these facilities, we want to ensure the Bibles and other spiritual materials in the shipment are distributed most effectively and to determine how we can best support other faith-building activities for the children.
As always, we are grateful that our work goes on, and we send our thanks to each of you who pray for our ministry, donate items, provide financial support, and give time to help with our work. We are grateful for all those who enable us to continue sowing seeds of life in 2022 (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Blessings,
Kathy Carlin, Executive Director
