A Week in Ministry

Hello,

I wanted to share my week, last week, in pictures with you. These are in addition to what was posted in the blog post Visiting Day. Early in the week, we distributed some seeds and fertilizers to people who could not plant this year because of one reason or the other. Some of the families are looking after orphans and some are not, but the needs are more than the people can bear so we had to do something to help them.

Little boy holds tight to the donated seeds. From Last Week

Mama & family accept seeds for planting. From Last Week

I also shared an especially exciting day with a church I started way back in 1997. Initially, it started as a Sunday School and I am so glad to see that it has grown to become a big church! What a blessing.

Wearing some of the medals. From Last Week

Lastly, we celebrated the wins of medals by our college athletes by having Holy Communion. Imagine. These students won in every sport in which they participated, volleyball, athletics, archery. You name the sport; they won a medal! The only games in which they did not win, were longs tennis and scrabble. These were games in which they didn't compete.

Holy Communion From Last Week

In short, that was my week. Praise God with us for the glorious week!

Jonah

***If you can help with seed planting & harvest; buying food for the widows or the school needs, please email us at (contact information in side bar at right).

Visiting Day

Hello,

One of our girls that we supported to go to high school is doing very well. The school had a visiting day early this week and I was able to get to talk one on one with her.

From Visiting Day

She is so excited to be in school and she gives all the credit to God. I was so much touched to see her longing to meet anyone to visit her, but she had none. What a joy it was when she saw me coming. She was very excited and she shared with me some of the challenges she had after joining the high school where she boards.

Of course she needs many things. But the most pressing right now, is a change of clothes, other toiletries and even text books. I was told she is doing very well and she was among the top students in her class. Please continue to pray for and her needs. I would like to visit her again this week and be able to take to her some of the pressing needs. I hope I can get them.

From Visiting Day

In the pictures you can see the total number of students at the school. In one of the pictures you see a child with her mother who visited her. But Chepkemoi had none. She was glad to join with the rest in the enjoying the spirit of the day by taking pictures. You can see Chepkemoi (in photo below) near a visitor's helicopter. The helicopter belongs to a senior leader in the government. What a joy this was.

From Visiting Day

Thanks again and praise God for this JEWEL OF HOPE!
Pastor Jonah

Click here more photos

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Our Sufficiency is in Him: Planting 2009

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency [is] of God. 2 Corinthians 3:5

Hello,

Farming is going on right now, all the farms have been made ready for another planting season.

The rains are starting again and we are praying that we get enough as we have had a dry season. This weather for us is sometimes what we call winter & it is extremely cold right now.

Preparing the land - From Planting 2009

We are trying as much as we can to reach more people to help them in in farming by buying seeds and fertilizer so they can plant crops and harvest them for food. We still have to the middle of April to reach more farmers with the seeds and fertilizers they need.

Preparing the land - From Planting 2009

We are trying to do this because we cannot distribute food again to them next year. We want them to have enough for their families and even some left over to sell so that they can pay for their basic needs like other foods (sugar, flour, greens, oil), school tuition, candles, etc. With the famine in the land we really need outside help from mighty men and women of faith. If you can help at all please let me know. I would be so blessed to hear from you.

Seed & Fertilizer for distribution - From Planting 2009

Otherwise we are grateful to God for the rain. The famine here has been covering the whole country and so we are blessed by God with rain so that Kericho could continue to plant and harvest if we have seeds and fertilizer. No matter how much land we may have, we can do nothing unless God provides the seeds and the fertilizer, the fertile grounds, the rains to water the soil, the sun to nourish and grow the seeds and the labour to bring in the harvest when it is ready. We are relying on God for all our blessings.

God Bless
Pastor Jonah

Relief Work in the Village

Hello,

These are some pictures of the relief work that has been going on here in the village. We are trying as much as we can to provide a balanced diet to families as they cope with so many needs.

From Relief in the Village - Part 3

From Relief in the Village - Part 3

There are indeed lots of needs here and we do hope that we can meet them, one at a time as we transverse the community and find those with the greatest needs.

From Relief in the Village - Part 3

From Relief in the Village - Part 3

In the pictures you can see the students that we helped last week. They are coming from the river as they learn to live outside the school community. One thing I have learned is that they are doing very well in school.

From Relief in the Village - Part 3

Praise God for that!

Otherwise have a great day!
God Bless you all and thanks again for your support.

Pastor Jonah

The Maasai & the Famine

Hello,

These are few pictures of the Maasai people that I got from a friend.

From Maasai Fight Famine

From Maasai Fight Famine

The Maasai have found ways to stay above the famine by using blood as one of their foods.

From Maasai Fight Famine

I guess this is the best way for them to run away from the food crisis hitting the country of Kenya. But I guess with all the problems with pests, raw blood might not be so good to eat.

Second Day of Relief in the Village

Hello,

My second day of giving relief was very touching this morning. A woman named Ruth had her prayer requests for that day answered. I was really amazed when I heard that. In His Word (Bible) we hear every time that He has good plans for us and I understood that specially today.

I hope you can zoom in on the woman in the picture.

From Relief Continues in the Village

She is sick, broke and has debt. But she was glad to see me going to her home and giving her what she was praying for that very hour, WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE FOR THAT DAY.

She has grown up children (teenagers). One is even joining high school this year but I foresee hardship in raising funds for studies as well as food for the family. This is a hard life for her. But with God she can look forth and say `` I praised God when I saw you coming, as I knew God sent you``.

Please pray for Ruth:

- to be healed. she has a swelling in her leg.
- thirst to know more about God.
- the need for her to look unto God for her basic and other needs.
- support for her to visit a doctor.
- the continued provision of food. (we can help farm a few crops as well in her small garden).

I want to end this email but I don't have words to express my thanks to you for your financial and prayer support. Pray for us as we zero in to see those who really need the relief food as for sure we can't feed everyone in the village. But i know we can help those who are sick, old, disabled, widows and those really needy cases.

That is why we deliver the relief food right to their doorsteps, measured correctly according to the families they have.




Thanks again and God Bless
Jonah

Asante (Swahili for Thank You)

hello,

From Relief

it is with great excitement that we write this email.
thank you so much for the gift of food, (unga (flour) wheat flour, sugar, and oil.

From Relief

we want to send our thanks to all of you who participated in this. you became a blessing to us this afternoon. May God really bless you.

From Relief

we are students at Kenya Highlands Bible College. we live outside the school due to tuition problems as we come from not so strong families financially. but we thank God we can study here. otherwise God Bless. this is truly a blessing

***those are the words of the students that i was asked to deliver to u for the gift of food which you made possible. these students usually go without lunch and this is the exam week. what a joy this is to provide a weeks supply of food for them. look at the prayers

From Relief

and the excitement at the same time.

From Relief

food relief continues tomorrow, more into the village. we are going to buy 3 90 Kg. bags of corn. i will write more.

God Bless
Jonah

Click the link to see all the photos http://picasaweb.google.ca/kerichojoy120/Relief?feat=directlink

Reflections

Hello,

I hope u are doing great.

I just wanted to tell you that we had the burial of my grandmother a week ago and it is now a time of reflection on the times that we had together. I have now accepted that she died.

From Pastor Jonah's Grandma's Funeral

The week of the burial my mind was still hovering here and there. But I'm glad that now I have accepted that she has died and I hope to meet her in heaven someday.

I am writing this to thank you for your prayers. Without them I could not do much as u know I was vested with lots of work during this time of mourning. We had to look for microphones, battery to power it, tables, etc. it was time consuming but we are glad God came and helped us. So many people came and joined us too; villagers and many friends from far and near.

From Pastor Jonah's Grandma's Funeral

Please continue to pray for us as we come to terms to the reality of her death as we really loved her for the 120 or so years she lived here.

From Pastor Jonah's Grandma's Funeral

Because He lives
Jonah

Praising God for Education Needs Met - Repost

February 22, 2009

Students are still in need of school fees and other school necessities. We need to hear from you if you are able to assist these students to get another year of education.

Original posted February 8, 2009

This is an update on the post "Getting Back to School", dated January 9, 2009. Please continue to pray that these scholarships would be received soon and that the additional need for supplies, bedding, etc. would be met.

For Beatrice - Already admitted to Secondary Girls School. School fees to be paid by scholarship.

Spent on her expenses kshs 2900 as follows:
- school uniform:- skirts kshs 1000
- sweater,socks and blouse kshs 1050
- utensils and pens kshs.220
- fare and lunch kshs. 400
- other kshs. 230
Other expenses met by friend, relative and well wishers.

For Moureen - Has joined Secondary school and been recommended for scholarship.

Used 300 Kenyan shillings on her expenses.
Other outstanding needs are a mattress,blanket, bed sheets and miscellaneous for total cost kshs3800. she will be a day scholar until we get funds to meet these expenses. Other expenses met by relatives and well wishers.

The other child Chelangat has changed schools and we are waiting for a vacancy.

This child is a total orphan and has no adult to assist so the expenses are high. this may cost kshs 8500. Pray much pray for this child.

Note: The two scholarship orphans are attending school free after making arrangements with the head teachers until we get funds. We rely on scholarships from NGOS and hope this (funding approval) will soon go through.

God bless you.

Reflection & Planning

This week has been quite busy for me and my colleagues. We were all able to attend a small bonding and goal oriented meeting. We were to sit together and evaluate what we did together in the past year and what we are to do in this year 2009.

Every year we re-evaluate and recheck our goals and programs to see that we can achieve them. Some of the goals that we had last year were not achieved mostly because the plans that we had were ran over by the (high) inflation rates that we had in my country.

One thing that I learned is that everyone is a leader in whatever point of life or place we are in. That is the greatest of lessons that I learned throughout this period.
We did also learn some fire drills and it was fun though a bit scary too.

But I guess this was helpful as we have experienced a lot of fire disasters lately.

It is my prayer that most of the goals that we have set for this year can be achieved with God's help. Please continue praying for us.

Jonah