| Love for God and others is the foundation of our faith and the fuel for our ministry. We share the Good News that our joy might be complete (1 John 1:4) and the Lord might be glorified (1 Corinthians 10:31). We serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2), so in spite of obstacles and closed doors, we continue to trust Him; dwelling in the place where He has placed us, cultivating faithfulness that we might be useful for His kingdom on earth (Psalm 37:3). Looking back, we can see how our carefully laid plans for a March shipment would have ended badly had the Lord not protected us, honoring our fervent prayers for direction (Proverbs 16:9). Our storage units were full. Immaculate, our Kenyan project manager, was set to arrive in the US on March 23 to help oversee the loading of over 500 boxes, stuffed with almost 50,000 articles, into the container we planned to purchase, load, and ship before the end of March. Blessedly, the COVID warnings alerted us of the impending shutdown in time to postpone Immaculate’s trip and defer purchase of the container. Had we moved forward, Immaculate would have spent her month in the US sheltering in place and we would have incurred over $5,000 in fees as the container sat waiting for Kenya to open its ports. We are grateful for thwarted plans, for we know the Lord’s timing is perfect (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and His plans are for our welfare (Jeremiah 29:11-12). As the shutdown in Kenya drags on, the conditions become more dire. With massive job loss, 36% of Kenyans cannot pay their rent or provide for their families. Depression, suicide, divorce, and abuse are rampant. Since COVID cases are increasing daily, no end to the shelter-in-place orders is in sight. How we wish we could do more, but we press on, doing what we can, rejoicing in the opportunities we have to serve. Roselyne, our project overseer in the Western Region, has been busy buying chickens and cows to help provide the recipients a means of support. These small gifts can improve the financial status of an entire family, so we are grateful for Roselyne’s faithful ministry and her helper, Brian Moi, who is shown below delivering chickens. |
Other Activities at Serving in Jesus’ Name in August
- Construction of the library on the grounds of the Lumino School for Disabled Children will begin in September.
- We selected a water catchment system at the Manyasa Primary School as our next project. This school, which currently has no water on the property, serves 700 children in the Ndalu Village in Kakamega Western Region of Kenya.
- We are filling shopping carts to take advantage of the Walmart Back to School Sales. With pencils and markers at 24/$1 and crayons at 24/25¢, we are able to send school supplies to the thousands of children in the primary schools we recently added to our network. This is a special joy since these facilities often break a pencil into three pieces to give each child something to write with.
- No word on the availability of batteries for the solar energy company we contracted with to provide solar energy at the Magodo Orphanage in the slums of Nairobi.
- We are continuing to consider the feasibility of joining our ministry partners in Appalachia for our annual outreach.
We are grateful for the privilege of continuing the work the Lord has put before us to do and for each of you who support us in so many ways.
Blessings,
Kathy Carlin, Executive Director
