| Apart from an abiding faith in Jesus Christ and daily dependence on Him, we at Serving in Jesus’ Name could accomplish nothing of eternal value (John 15:5). As we look back on what the Lord accomplished through us in 2020, we echo the words of the Psalmist, “Not to us, Oh Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory” (Psalm 115:1). We approach 2021 with excited expectation, praying that we might find favor in God’s sight, that He may be with us, guiding us as we carry the Good News and love of God to those He chooses for us to serve (Exodus 33:13). 1 Samuel 12:16 says, “Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord is going to do before your eyes.” When the pandemic hit in early 2020, we were forced to stand, to wait for the virus to fade away and the world to reopen. The months dragged on and storage costs mounted, but one glorious day in October, teams of volunteers packed the 40’ container to capacity, and we sent it on its way to Kenya. Our work in the US of collecting, sorting, packing, and transporting this shipment is complete, and the roadblocks of closed ports, new regulations on packing, lack of containers to purchase, and increased fees and restrictions at the port of entry are behind us. The container arrived in early December and our Kenyan volunteers are distributing the items across the 20 facilities and the villages in our network. This job will take many months as we seek ways to use these treasures from America to brighten the recipients’ lives, glorify God, and draw these precious children and adults ever closer to Him. |
Serving in Jesus Name Year in Review
- Shared the Word of God at every opportunity, in every venue, by Far exceeding our goal of collecting 1300 devotionals and journals for the children in the original 13 facilities we serve.
- Purchasing Bibles for Kenya and for OneVoice Ministry to distribute to high school students in the US.
- Sending materials to 750 Haitian school children to make “Salvation by the Color” bracelets.
- Painting Scripture on the inside and outside walls of everything we build.
- Filling every donated picture frame with the Word of God.
- Sharing the Good News as our volunteers hand out the items we send.
- Extended our network from 1200 orphans and schoolchildren to over 6,000.
- Shipped 75,000 items in October including clothes, shoes, books, school supplies, linens, housewares, toys, sporting equipment, decorative items, sewing machines, fabric, crafts, and much more.
- Built and restored facilities
- Latrines at St. Paul’s Primary School
- Water catchment systems at St Paul’s, Manyasa Primary School, Nangili Primary School, and Nangili Secondary School
- A new classroom at the Mirembre Primary School
- A library at the Lumino School for Disabled Children
- Standalone kitchens at the ACK Kongoni Orphange, Ivugui Orphanage, and Nangili Primary School
- Expanded our tent-making initiative by
- Continuing to give sewing machines and fabric to the facilities
- Giving cows and chickens to numerous single mothers to help enable them to support themselves
- Extended financial and other assistance locally to those the Lord puts in our path
We are grateful for each of you who have supported SIJN this year; thank you for all you have done to enable us to carry out this work of love. We pray the Lord blesses you, keeps you, and cause His face to shine upon you. May He be gracious to you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).
Blessings,
Kathy Carlin, Executive Director
