November 2014…..what an exciting month!

Another 5 acres of land purchased!
Unexpected training in trauma healing
600+ children reached with the gospel!
Over 2000 children gospel extravaganza participation!

Yes, weâ€™ve had a very full month in November; schools are out on break which meant hundreds of children at the center daily. We are grateful to God who has seen us through without major emergencies! Now, kindly allow us to share how the various events above unfolded.

By God’s grace, the additional Hope Anew land in Saikeri.

God’s Provision

We received a gift of $20,000 from friends of our family and ministry to use in the area of the greatest need. About the time the donation came, we had been praying for provision of funds to purchase a piece of land adjacent to the four acres Hope Anew already owns. This is because part of the vision and mission of Hope Anew is to establish a camp site, a farm and later a school for the needy children we serve. For this reason, we knew that we would need much more than the four acres but did not have the funds. This donation was therefore, very timely. Now, Hope Anew owns 9 acres of land! This addition means that we can now roll out the next two phases of our vision, namely the camp site, farm and further down the road, a school. However for this to happen, we will need to fence the land to keep out cattle and other wild animals such as zebras, giraffes and predators (how do you explain to a parent that their child was eaten by a hyena??!!). We also need to sink a bore hole because none of the other projects will be possible without water. Please, kindly pray about these needs and where possible, consider giving a donation as you are able.

Mark is putting in beacons for the newly acquired property.

The trainer of the workshop is taking us through each lesson.

The Bible Society of Kenya (BSK) is dedicated to translating the Scriptures in the 53 languages of all tribal and ethnic groups living within Kenya. They also produce materials and provide training in various areas on how to use God’s Word for the practical issues in our lives. One such training is called Trauma Healing for Children.This curriculum was developed for those who minister to children who have experienced a range of traumatic events in their lives such as war, tribal violence, abuse, neglect, etc.We were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves taking part in a training session over a period of three days. We had not planned for the workshop, but God arranged for one of the representatives of BSK, who is a pastor, to come and train us how to counsel children using these materials and we came away feeling that we had gained valuable skills that we can put to use with the children who attend Hope Anew Child Friendly Space.

Edwin and Chris found themselves bound together as they took part in an object lesson designed to show us how unforgiveness and bitterness towards those who have hurt us binds us to them like an unwanted weight that we carry around. Only through forgiveness and if possible, restoration of relationship, can bring about release from bondage.

Kelvin, Mark and Chris standing in front of the tents and seating for the Universal Child Day event.

Universal Child Day

November 20^th,was the Universal Child Day, our friends from GOAL Kenya decided to sponsor the event at our centre by providing four big tents, four hundred chairs, food and refreshments. Initially, we were a bit apprehensive about the idea of 600 children at the center at once. How would they all fit? What would they be doing for several hours? How will we manage crowd control? You can imagine our angst! Gratefully, God reminded us that it was an opportunity for children to hear His wonderful plan for them through Jesus Christ, so we prepared to make a clear gospel presentation at the event.
Six hundred plus children turned up! The children participated in fun activities such as games, songs, dance, puppet show and skits which were presented by our staff and other volunteers. God’s word was presented and He was lifted up before the children.

Maureen, Kelvin and Edwin presented a health teaching warning about the dangers of taking medicine not prescribed to you. The skit performed was about a disobedient young boy who takes medicine that does not belong to him and the subsequent consequences.

A very creative mime was performed with the actors portraying a young person held captive by sin and the devil and the freedom that Christ brings.

In one of the skits performed at the event, the actors were portraying an abuse and neglect situation which may lead children to rebellion and a downward spiral into all kinds of antisocial activities inluding crime.

Game time favorite of musical chairs!

Praise & Prayer

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:15 NIV

Continued spiritual growth for children who have made a profession of faith. Here is a list to pray about taken from the book of Colossians:

That they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom.
Pray that they will walk worthily of the Lord to please Him in all areas.
That they would be strengthened in power, according to the might of His glory
Pray that they would be rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith.

Funds for fencing and digging a bole hole.
Ask God to provide for His work at Hope Anew. There is a need for our general operating fund to increase.
Pray for the spiritual and physical safety of our families.

Two Thousand Children in Gospel Extravaganza!

Also in the same month, Bible Society Of Kenya invited Hope Anew to participate in their year end Bible Eagle Club event. Two thousand children from various backgrounds were invited and almost 1000 additional children showed up! The children participated in Bible lessons, scripture memory competition, fun activities such as bouncing castles and a climbing tower,games and dancing were also held.

Kimberly and Kelvin assisted in teaching a group of children during the lesson time. Specifically, they are teaching about sin and the need for a Savior.

Answered Prayer!

With an attendance just under 3,000, the Fun Day was a success! At Hope Anew, we were relieved to have transported 61 children to and from the event safely. One interesting note is that the materials used for teaching the Bible messages to the children, were the Program of Pastoral Instruction (PPI) lessons. If you will recall, these were the lessons that were prepared in April when Kimberly joined a team of other children’s workers to put together Bible curriculum to be placed in all of the public schools in Kenya. At this time, they have been printed and distributed to select schools as a trial run before the new school year in January, where they will then be launched throughout the country. It was exciting to see them being used at this outreach, another answer to our prayers!

Children enjoying their lunch. The PPI books are lying next to them.

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