Mountain
of Glory Church in Marikebuni, Kenya received the 100
Christmas Dollies gift in 2013 after Pr Njuguna applied what he learned in
the Entrepreneurship Series by planting tomatoes on church land (last year he
planted peppers and this year he planted okra). Your gift afforded windows for
the church he built using profits from planting.
Join with Victory Christian Center in building their church structure, one that is impervious to termites.
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Grace
Abundance Church in Watamu, Kenya received the 100
Christmas Dollies gift in 2014 after Pr Owino applied what he learned in
the Entrepreneurship Series both in focusing his church strategy and in teaching
his church members about farming to support the purchase of church land. Your
gift afforded a portion in the purchase of that land.
Throughout this year, Surprised by Hope has been watching
for pastors who meet our criteria for the next 100 Christmas Dolly gift. First,
we desire someone who has applied what he or she learned from any of the
Surprised by Hope teaching ministry lessons. Second, we have a heart for
pastors and desire that our gift have a lasting impact on the church. Third, we
see evidence that the pastor and his or her church members have made
significant efforts to meet their own needs and therefore our contribution
would be only a minority portion.
I’m happy to announce the 100 Christmas Dollies 2015 gift
recipient, Victory Christian Center and Pr Patrick Opio. Mud huts with grass
roofs sprinkle the landscape in Barrio, a small village waaay outside Lira town
in Uganda. This is where Pr Patrick first invited Surprised by Hope to teach
about proposal
writing and where we began watching his life change. Because of his
application of that teaching, he secured a government contract for seedlings for
which he started a small
tree nursery, and he continues to receive contract requests. Later we added
entrepreneurship
teachings and showed you the small
school he started by making his own bricks for construction. This year Pr
Patrick added a piggery and a dairy cow (her name is Coffee) to his income
generating projects and is well on his way to adding a poultry keeping project.
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| Coffee took Pr Patrick for a 30 minute walk before he was able to return to our meeting. |
Pr Patrick is using his additional income, along with
engaging the community, to construct a permanent brick church structure to
replace the one that was eaten by termites (shown below). This past Sunday, church and
community members came together to contribute all that is needed to prepare the
land area and construct the foundation for the church. Surprised by Hope will come alongside Victory Christian Center
and Pr Patrick to take the church through the next phase of construction.
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| This church collapsed after being eaten by termites. |
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| The location for the new church is just across the path from the old church. This ground is rock whereas the former was sand. Yes, building his house upon the rock! This week (Nov 1) the land is being cleared and the foundation constructed. |
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| Church members, young and old, help lay the foundation by moving bricks, hauling water, and carrying sand, as the bricklayer does his work. |
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| The foundation is prepared with bricks left over. |
Join with Victory Christian Center in building their church structure, one that is impervious to termites.
Sponsor
dolly boys and girls as a Christmas gift for children living in remote Barrio,
Lira, Uganda and we will use your sponsorship money as to purchase the
materials needed to bring Victory Christian Center to the next phase of
construction. Join with us in this Christmas gift giving tradition as a great
way to have a long term impact on the global church.
1. Select your favorite dolly (more dollies are arriving soon).
2. Click here to make your tax-deductible donation using PayPal or your credit card. You do not need a PayPal account to give.
3. Or, mail your gift to:
Surprised by Hope
464 Adaway SE
Ada, MI 49301