A glance of Nice View Academy...

This is a short video of some moments I captured while walking around the compound at Nice View Academy.

Where, oh where are the rains?

I was saddened to learn the meat from the mother sheep that died was not fit for human consumption as it died out of human view. One day we'll have the funds to provide the children with meat, but that day will have to wait.

We did, however, get some food staples to Mercy last week. Notice how the children crowd around the truck? What an encouragement for them to see they have not been forgotten. They are receiving the staple items like beans, maize etc. But we were told the children are not eating sukamawiki (spinach-like vegetable), tomatoes or potatoes because the price is too high.

We wonder here "why don't they plant?" No constant rains have come and people are afraid to plant because if it doesn't continue to rain then the seeds are ruined. These are the times we want to be there and have the resources to help plan for planting and getting water to the shamba's (gardens).

Presently we are trying to keep the kids fed - no extra funds for petrol (to run the pump to water the shamba), no extra funds for more seed, no extra funds for items like meat/potatoes/tomatoes etc, no extra funds to get us back to our children in Kenya.

Please consider becoming a monthly donor to help these beautiful children in Kenya.

A part of everyday life...

Today was a mixed day of emotions. I received three letters from Nice View Academy - these were from students who wrote their sponsors here in the US.

Some of their questions made me laugh - "What is chiropractic?" "What is scissors?"

Some made me proud - "When we closed schools I helped my parents by washing utensils and cleaning the house." "I was number fifteen in exams." "I wish you to come and share the mangoes next term with you."

Some encouraged me - "I pray God to bring for you love and happiness." "I pray in Christ for you." "Even my mum is a widow. Widows and widowers they just pray to God."

But what hit me the most in these letters is the way the children tell their sponsors about their everyday life. They tell you of not working, starving, having no parents between normal, child-like questions/statements: (you can click on the letter for a larger image)

"There is no one is working. I am in standard seven."

"Only that my aunt she is not fine because we are starving and we don't have food. What kind of a game do you like?"

"I was number fifteen in exam. I have some more problems that I want to help me because I don't have parents and stay with my brothers. Now I am in class five."

Going without food and/or parents is an everyday occurrence for these children and their parents or guardians are without work. They speak of starving like we speak of running out of gas - needless to say I was in tears while reading these letters.

With your help Saved By God's Grace is working to bring hope through Jesus Christ to these children and show His love for them through meeting their basic needs.

Please prayerfully consider how you can help.

Sheep, lamb, kid? What do they call it?

As most things in Kenya go I am still getting information about food prices...so I will wait on that posting until I get a more complete picture. Now...

I never grew up on a farm so this is foreign to me. I'd look at a goat/sheep/hen as a pet and be very sad if it died. But in Kenya there are no pets - if you are struggling to feed yourself and your family you certainly aren't' going to spend money on food for an animal.

Pauline and Gideon from Nice View Academy had won a sheep a couple of months ago at a church raffle. They were surprised and happy to find out that the sheep was pregnant. But then one day it was missing. I asked Pauline how they go about finding it - I told her how here in the States we put up posters with a picture and our phone number to get back our missing pet. There they just ask around and tell people what the sheep looks like, plus with it being pregnant it was a little easier. After a couple of days someone found it and returned it!

I found out this week that the sheep was tied to a tree to keep it in the compound, struggled against the rope and died :( Here is the lamb that Mutie (the night watchman at Nice View) is holding.

But they did say that the lamb is beginning to eat grass and growing bigger. They are hoping to get an offspring from this one to replace the mother. I haven't found out yet if they were able to use the meat from the mother or what. What a treat that would have been if possible.

Nice View Academy is not able to purchase meat for the children because of the expense, so I'll try to find out if the children were able to eat the meat.

This is another area that Saved By God's Grace is working to help the orphanages become self-sustaining. Getting chickens or goats or cows where they can use them for milk, eggs etc. Planting veggies, beans, maize etc. Giving them a helping hand (see video)...please join us in this mission.

Thanks for stopping by and remember to check out the website www.SavedByGodsGrace.org!

You can make a difference!

Before I get into the news about the food issue I'd like to update you on Anastacia and her doctors appointment on April 17. (Here is Anastacia with some items we purchased during our last trip of 2008)

This is part of an email I received from Pauline -

"I met with Anastacia today and took her for treatment. She was found to have malaria, and an allergy of the eyes .She was prescribed for eyes drops, malaria drugs and some ointment which i bought for her. She was asked to see the doctor again on 2.5.09"

We thank God that through funding from you we were able to get treatment and the medicine she needed. This is a typical situation that Saved By God's Grace supports.

We are focused on helping the children and adults at Nice View Academy/Orphanage, Mercy Child Foundation and Eldama Ravine Children's Village, the three orphanages God has brought before us, but we need your help.

Recently in the BBC News - "maize prices have increased by up to 130% in parts of the country since last year." We can not lose focus now, although many here in the States are feeling the squeeze of financial issues, assistance is available (churches, government programs, food banks etc.). There are no food banks, no welfare, no food stamps available for our Kenyan friends and family.

The food crisis is a world-wide problem - "There are over 850 million hungry people in the world in 2009." "One in seven people on earth goes hungry every day, and when we talk about going hungry every day, we are talking about real pain and anguish and suffering that goes with that hunger." (source: Talk Radio News Service)

One may wonder, what can I do? Become a monthly supporter, have a car wash, host a bake sale...there are many ways of helping. Tell people about this ministry, drive people to the website www.SavedByGodsGrace.org - God will move hearts.

To help make the statistics about people not numbers, here is an email I received today from Pauline:

Dear sister,

This is a photo i took the kids of Nice view today as they are on tuition.They are quite happy that they can be in school to learn and take at least lunch before going home. most families are going without lunch nowadays for they can only afford one meal a day

Admire their happy faces and God bless you for putting smiless on their faces

Be blessed
Dada (sister in Swahili)

Now the one in seven people has a face - these children are eating at least one meal a day thanks to the efforts of supporters to Saved By God's Grace. A big thank you!

"..he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously—take God seriously." (Micah 6:8 The Message)

Tomorrow's blog will have some prices of staple items that are purchased in Tala where Nice View Academy is located, giving you a picture of the costs associated with feeding the children.

Now what?

This past weekend we sent Nice View Academy/Orphanage, Mercy Child Foundation and Eldama Ravine Children's Village funds to pay for food, school fees, back salaries and building a chicken coop (among a couple of other items). Doing so prevented us from purchasing our return tickets back to Kenya. We agonized and prayed over this, but in the end it was no decision...the kids must eat...our tickets to be back on-site have to wait.

I say this not as a guilt trip but as a way of letting you know what is happening. Our hearts are always in Kenya because God has called us there and we (Chuck and I) would love to be there 11 months out of the year but funding and fundraising are always issues.

Building a foundation for Saved By God's Grace is part of having us be the hands and feet of Jesus in Kenya while also providing for the children's basic needs. We trust God to always be faithful and provide but we also know we are directed to tell others about this ministry and He will move hearts and bring providence through those whose hearts He touches. We look for His providence through you so we can carry His love to the kids in Kenya.

As the Apostle James says:

"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" (James 2:14-17 The Message)

Please consider what you can do to help the least of our brothers and sisters and their children.

$40 = helping a child

Following is a portion of a letter from Torongo Girls High School we received via email from Eldama Ravine. It is in regards to a student, Lydia, who lives at Eldama Ravine Children's Village and is in Form 2 (10th grade) at the school. (you can click on the letter for a larger image)

(Remember the dates are in day/month/year format)

As you can see they not only sent test results, which were on a separate letter - Lydia is ranked 4th out of 51 in her class! We are very proud of her effort. But the school is also encouraging parents, or Eldama Ravine Children's Village house mom and dad in this case, to ensure they are assisting with family chores along with studying.

Then at the end of the letter they mention school fees. There is no free education in Kenya (although the government would like everyone to believe there is). They state that if school fees are not cleared before school begins the student will not be allowed into school.

Her fees for the semester are 5000 KSH which comes out to about $63 USD. And this is only one child out of the 371 we currently help at Eldama Ravine Children's Village, Mercy Child Foundation and Nice View Academy/Orphanage.

Helping to pay for school fees is one area where Saved By God's Grace is trying to help, but without funding we are not able to pay school fees, buy food, supply medical attention and many other everyday needs.


We ask that you prayerfully consider setting up a recurring monthly donation (one goal we have is to have 1000 people be monthly donors at $40/month). That would enable us to provide school fees, making sure water is available, medical treatment is given, uniforms are purchased, food is bought and stored, emergency situations could be handled in a timely manner, projects (like a new kitchen for Mercy Child Foundation) could be budgeted for and many other daily necessities could be met. You can set this up securely at our website.


Thank you for your consideration of supporting Saved By God's Grace and in turn helping God's children in Kenya.

God is never late!

I received an email from Pauline (Gideon's wife from Tala, Kenya - Nice View Academy). They are on break from school right now and she is enjoying her down time.

She did tell me that Annastacia (house mom from Mercy Child Foundation) will be going to Tala in order to have her eyes checked. She thinks she has an allergy, but I will know more after Friday.

However, it is difficult getting information from Kenya as the culture is not an "open conversational" culture. Yes and no answers seem to be the norm, but I will continue to ask until I get a more complete story!

Here is some good news from Kenya:

"God is great. On Monday morning this week we did get some rains that we are assured of causing the seeds to germinate.Otherwise it came quite late but God is never late in our lives He comes at the right time."

This is something we've been praying for and yes God is never late! May He bring to fruition the harvest that was planted.

Pauline also sent some photos - Gideon's sister, Florence, was visiting them from the States. She handed out sweets to the kids at Nice View and Mercy, which they were very happy about!

Along with the sweets they also took food to Mercy. You can see the back of the car loaded down! Praise God for His providence

Please remember Saved By God's Grace in your prayers and any help you can offer is always greatly appreciated. You can donate securely online at www.SavedByGodsGrace.org.

Thank you.

It's not mine, it's God's...

6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:6-7 NIV)

I was reminded today of a conversation I had with my uncle a few weeks ago. He had a person (lets call him Steve) staying at his home who had just gotten out of jail and trying to get back on his feet. Steve had been in their house for about a week when my uncle and aunt had to leave for a couple of weeks. Steve didn't know where he would go and mentioned that to my uncle. To which my uncle replied, "stay here while we are gone." Steve asked him how he could be so trusting in allowing him to stay while no one else would be at the home. My uncle said, "this house and everything in it are not mine, they are God's so if you want to steal anything you'd be stealing it from God not me."

EVERYTHING we have is on loan from God so why should we be upset, anxious, fearful of losing any of it or giving it away? It's not ours to begin with!

If I can keep this perspective on "stuff" then my perspective on the poor is clearer (hand out my excess, don't horde it) and my relationship with my Creator becomes closer.

Mzungu, mzungu....sweets?

Here's our "fan club" in Tala, Kenya! Every day on our way home from Nice View Academy we would stop at the kiosk in the backgroud for cabbage, spinach or whatever other produce item we needed at home. That in itself was different for us because we weren't used to stopping for food every day. Without electricity to refrigerate anything this is a way of life.

So any way, our fan club would always be on the look out for our vehicle. Not hard to spot since there are only a few autos in Tala and especially not hard with two whites (wazungu)! We would get out of the car and immediately hear "sweets, sweets?" This picture was taken at the beginning of our trip in 2008 when we weren't familar with the sweets concept. So I had granola bars in my bag and handed those out. I had to show the kids how to open them and that they were edible!

But once word got out that the wazungu would have sweets on hand the crowd kept getting bigger and bigger. What cuties they all are and a blessing for us to see them on a daily basis.

"We can do great things for the Lord if we are willing to do little things for others." (Our Daily Bread)

A heavy heart

I have been struggling with some differences recently. While everyone is saying how bad the economy is I still see the malls/stores teeming with people buying more stuff. Then I talk with friends and family in Kenya...many are living with unsanitary conditions, wondering if the water they are drinking may give them typhoid, and if they do get sick they wonder if they will have the money to see the doctor, get medicine and feel better.


(This is a student from Nice View Academy getting water for a bath and water to wash her clothes. Saved By God's Grace has water tanks at the facility now so the children can get water from the tanks instead of the ground. But the water in the tanks may still have typhoid, it is not "clean" water as we have here in the US)

"I no longer call you servants...Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15 NIV) How do we learn what the Father wants us to know? Read His word daily and live the way it tells each of us to live.


I don't begrudge anyone on how they spend their money but we must look at our lives and ask our Lord and Savior if what we are doing is scriptural. Are we feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked with our excess? Or are we purchasing another pair of shoes, shirt etc. (fill in your favorite item-mine used to be purses). I too must ask myself this question daily and I don't always get the comfortable answer I want to hear - most of the time I'm asked to sacrifice my choice of having another "xxx" in order to give another person a choice of cleaner water, a meal for the night or a shirt on their naked skin.


There are so many organizations out there who are helping people. Please open your hearts and listen - maybe you're being asked to help in our ministry or another ministry in your hometown. Whichever it may be thank you for hearing my heart in this matter and may God be your guiding light.

"Love is more than a sentiment, it's putting another's needs ahead of your own." (Our Daily Bread)

Believe!

"Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'...Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" (John 20:27-29 NIV)

Day with no name...

The past couple of days have been more of a personal note and I thank you for tuning in. This Easter season (and throughout the year) Saved By God's Grace is thankful for the opportunity to tell our kids in Kenya about His resurrection and salvation. Showing them His love for them, being the hands and feet of the gospel message.

On this Saturday after Good Friday I was wondering - what were the disciples feeling on this day so many years ago? Bewilderment, astonishment, grief, anger? Were they asking the question, "Was He truly who He said He was or were we all mistaken?"

We have the knowledge of "Resurrection Sunday", but they didn't. They only had their faith and belief in who Jesus said He was.

During this time of grief, mourning and sorrow let's remember that we have the hope of tomorrow and the resurrection of the One who gives us life.

Good Friday

Rembrandt's painting, The Three Crosses came to my attention today. Some critics say that Rembrandt painted himself into the shadows of the painting, saying that his own sin helped nail Christ to the cross.

"It is a simple thing to say that Christ died for the sins of the world. It is quite another thing to say that Christ died for my sins...It is a shocking thought that we can be as indifferent as Pilate, as scheming as Caiaphas, as callous as the soldiers, as ruthless as the mob, or as cowardly as the disciples. It wasn't just what they did-it was I who nailed Him to the tree." (Our Daily Bread April 10, 2009)

How sad, shocking and true. But I can remember the words Christ uttered on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34 NIV) I can go to the cross for forgiveness and reconciliation, repent (turn around) and have a fuller relationship with my Savior.

Reading His word daily so that the Holy Spirit can convict me of my sin and bring me to repentance is one way I commit to working on that relationship. Living out His message of loving my neighbor is another way.

How are you developing that relationship on a daily basis?

Emails and phone calls from Kenya - busy day!

I received an email from Pauline today (Nice View Academy). The children are on holiday now but many are returning to school for tutoring (which they call tuition) next week. They had visited Mercy with some food and Gideon's sister, Florence, is visiting them from the states. She went with them and handed out sweets. We've heard from our friends in Kenya that the children are missing the sweets Chuck would hand out-liberally! It was a joy to see her hand out sweets and see the kids smiling faces.

I had also talked with Annastacia (house mom for Mercy Child Foundation) this morning. She said the children are all doing fine and on break from school. But they too will be returning for tuition next week. They enjoy school and are very happy to be able to attend. Annastacia may have to go to the doctors for her eyes. She says they are itching so she may have an allergy. We will talk with Pauline and Gideon and have them check out the situation in person and let us know.

Here is an excerpt from the email I received from Pauline:

Today i accompanied Roy as he delivered food to Mercy.Florence had good time at Mercy with the kids and when we were leaving they sent her greetings to you and one tiny boy was quick to tell her to ask you when you will be coming, to ensure that you have come with your entire family so that you will stay around without thinking of going back soon. I found that quite interesting and funny
Thats how much the kids want you around them

While I was on the phone with Annastacia I talked with a couple of the kids and they kept saying how much they miss us and love us - I told Annastacia they were making me cry. What a blessing to give love to these children who felt no one cared for them. Letting them know that we are thinking about them and praying for them daily helps them feel a part of something-a part of a family.

I'm so thankful for Annastacia and her commitment to stay with these children. What a difficult job it is but she handles it with joy and knows that God is with her throughout.

Please pray about your involvement with this ministry - if God is leading you to help please step out in faith and trust that He will be faithful. Thank you for your prayers and support-may God bless you in your relationship with Him.

We are back home in Phoenix. We arrived in the evening last night, had some dinner and went to bed. It was a long trip but God blessed us every step of the way. Today we began the process of organizing all the donated items we received, getting our desks back in order and thanking God for the opportunity to serve Him yet another day!

Chuck sent funds to Gideon today...he will purchase food for Mercy which was running low, seed for planting the shamba (garden) at Mercy and various needs at Nice View Academy. This is just one of the tasks involved in this ministry.

Through this blog, Twitter (which you can see on our homepage) and Facebook I hope to give you an idea of what happens through Saved By God's Grace on a daily basis. I am updating these modes of communication frequently so that when we are in Kenya you will be used to seeing them! Plus you will have a bit better idea of the happenings here and in Kenya with Saved By God's Grace.

Where's my toothbrush?

I had mentioned on Facebook about how packed our vehicle is...here is proof! We are so thankful for all the donations and happy that God planned our vehicle to be exactly the right size to fit everything in!


Chuck had to literally squeeze stuff in and shut the door and pray it would stay latched. I was shoving things into any little space I could find...so I hope my kids are ready to help me unpack, or at least ready to pick things up as they fall out of the truck!


It really felt like the doors were going to spring open at any time. But so far everything has stayed in the vehicle.


We felt such an outpouring of love and support on this "tour" and I just want to thank everyone for their hospitality, for the groups you put together and the encouraging words for this ministry.


God continues to spread the word about His children in Kenya and you are all a part of that - THANK YOU!