50 Boy and Girl Dollies to Finish Mountain of Glory Church

The current church structure is that of sticks.

On Christmas Day I will attend a church building dedication ceremony in Marikebuni, Kenya. This church building is the result, as proclaimed by Pastor Ephantus, of applying the lessons learned in the entrepreneurship series of workshops Surprised by Hope delivered in Malindi just over a year ago.

Pastor Ephantus sought and received a government grant to plant tomatoes on church land as a means to generate income. Pastor promised the Lord that he would use the income from this crop to replace the current stick structure with the more secure stone bricks. Though he didn’t initially make the connection, I pointed out that Pastor was literally giving the first fruits from his crop as an offering to God.

Tomatoes packed to bring to market.

Pastor Ephantus didn’t take the project lightly. He used every opportunity to train the youth in the church about planting, caring for, harvesting, and selling tomatoes. Further, as a result of his reputation and relationships in Malindi town, Pastor had more buyers than he had tomatoes and took every opportunity to tell them about the favor of the Lord. As planned, every shilling earned from that crop is being reinvested in that church structure.

The church building dedication is exactly that. It’s the fulfillment of a promise to the Lord and a promise from the Lord.

Stone bricks ready for building.

“May the God of peace…equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:21).

Our goal is two-fold.

First, we hope to find a home for 50 dolly boys and girls by December 20, that’s just over a month from now. You can choose the specific dolly who is calling your name and that dolly will be placed in a forever home with one of the children from the Mountain of Glory church on Christmas day. I will send you a picture of your dear child with his or her new dolly.

Second, the funds raised from your sponsorship will be used to purchase and install windows and a door in the newly constructed church structure. And if you feel so inclined, you might wish to give an additional gift specifically for the purpose of pouring a cement floor or perhaps purchasing chairs for the congregation to sit comfortably.

If you would like to help, click here and make your tax deductible donation now. We can make a difference!

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50 Pair of Shoes to Build Victory Primary School

On Friday, December 6 I will be the guest of honor at Victory Nursery & Primary School in Barrio, Lira. I’m asked to prepare a speech about the importance of education for the caregivers of those children not yet attending school.

This is the three-room school currently in use.
Reaching our 50 Shoe goal will add one more classroom
for the students graduating to Primary 1 next year.

The Spirit brought to mind the story of the shoes that I’ve shared with you so many times. Those tiny shoes from Max’s kindergarten parent introduction meeting almost 18 years ago. The principal talked about how each little life represented by a different pair of shoes is not as easy as we might suppose. Around the world tiny shoes have life stories that we can hardly fathom. While we must leave these little lives in the hands of our Father, we can make a difference on his behalf.

This end of year celebration is designed to be a fundraiser for that school. They’ve grown so much and done so well, but the graduating class of pre-schoolers (there are three levels of preschool) need a first grade classroom to move into. Will you help change the path of these children by giving them a pair of little shoes and giving the school a new classroom?

Our goal is to raise funds for 50 pairs of shoes by December 1, that’s just two weeks from now. You can sponsor a pair of shoes for $25 – these will be brand new black school-required sensible shoes. The money remaining after purchasing shoes for the school children will be used to help build their classroom.

If you would like to help, click here and make your tax deductible donation now. We can make a difference!

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