Dear Friends,
The year began with anticipation of the container we packed in November arriving in Mombasa, Kenya, in mid-January. When we received multiple notifications of the ship’s delayed arrival, however, and read news reports of the Houthi terrorists attacking container ships in the Red Sea, we naturally felt concern. The Bible’s promise that “God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28) quieted our fears, but we were greatly relieved when the ship docked in Mombasa on 2/12.
We received reports that the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) training we sponsored in November is bearing abundant fruit. The attendees have established ten Good News Clubs (GNC) and three school ministries, and the teachers are meeting regularly for prayer. The container includes many boxes of supplies, Bibles, Sunday school kits, plus TVs and DVD/CD players to help equip the teachers for these Bible clubs.
In 2024, we look forward to expanding the number of Bible clubs in Western Kenya. We plan to host the Discipling Children training course in April for the 20 teachers who completed the Evangelizing Children training in 2023. We are also working with CEF to host the Evangelizing Children course in November for 20 more teachers. In addition, we are making plans to send several teams of teenagers from Western Kenya to Nairobi for 10 days of Christian Youth in Action training on how to conduct 5-Day Clubs. These summer Bible clubs are for younger children and are led by a teacher and 3-4 teens. For six weeks, each team conducts three 90-minute clubs a day for 5 days. They may meet in a park in the morning, a school yard in the afternoon, and a home in the evening – wherever children are. The following week, the team moves to another region to conduct clubs for 3 new groups of children.
This month, we received almost 500 new sundresses from Dress A Girl Northern New England. The delivery also included hundreds of baby hats, blankets, and menstrual kits, along with little dolls the ladies created to go with each dress. We so appreciate the kindness of these dedicated sewers who donate their time, talent, and resources to bless children they will never meet.
The Kenyan Project Team continued to distribute the remaining Bibles and other items from the container that arrived in Kenya in January 2023.
As always, we are grateful for each of you who make it possible for us to continue the ministry of Serving in Jesus’ Name by your prayers, financial support, donated items, and help with sorting and packing. Thank you!!!
Blessings,
Kathy Carlin, Executive Director
