We've moved!

Hello to all our readers. Our blog has moved, please visit us here.

A message from Gideon

We received the following email from Gideon a few days ago. I thought it would be nice for you to hear how well the children are doing in school at Nice View Academy/Orphanage from the Executive Director (Gideon).

Tati is doing very well in school and looks happy.He was position 3 with 382 marks.I hope he will score good marks in KCPE.Generally all the kids are trying to work hard in their school work . We rewarded the good performers and the rest felt challenged and so i expect a lot of competition next term.The class eight did a district exam and they managed position 2 out of 82 schools. So you can see that the academy is doing well and i thank God for this performance.Its also because of your efforts with Tammy that you have made our pupils comfortable and have been learning while their needs are being met translating this to good results.Thank you

Here is another part of Gideon's email to show how the country is doing right now during the drought:

The dry season is still going on and you can imagine how it is now without water for many Kenyan. I thank God that we have water that has became a problem in the country to a point of affecting electricity generation.From tomorrow the country will be having power rationing for the next two months until we receive the expected short rains in october.I thank God for His provisions and all our donors for their great support.May God bless them all!

And I wish to also thank you. Thank you for your continuing support and if you'd like to join us in helping the kids in Kenya please visit our website where you can donate securely online.

New school update

This photo shows where construction was of the new school building when we left Kenya in October 2008.

The second floor roof had just been poured and the supports had to stay up a few more days.

All the students at Nice View were so excited about being able to use the one room that was completed even if the desks had not been painted yet (they are painted now)! The Class 8 students were joking with their lower classmates that they (Class 8) would have the new room.

I'm not good with heights so just watching this guy from the ground made me dizzy! As you can see from the next photo, the windows are in this section but they aren't complete.

This is where the building sits as of today. A third floor is planned and after its completion it will be one of the largest buildings in Tala! While we were in Tala last year many people were coming to the school looking for employment and wanting to enroll their children in the school. We had to remind everyone that the building wasn't finished so no work and no enrollment. Gideon (Executive Director at Nice View Academy/Orphanage) is handling the enrollment of the existing school very carefully. He does not want to bring in more children than can be handled with the funds available at the present time. As more support is given he, along with Saved By God's Grace, will move to bring in more children to the orphanage.

But like any construction project, funds are needed to proceed. Right now we only have funds available to buy food for the three orphanages (Mercy, Eldama Ravine and Nice View) and even those funds do not completely cover the costs. Please prayerfully consider if you can help. If you are already supporting Saved By God's Grace, thank you!

Chuck and I look forward to the time we can serve our friends and family in Kenya for an extended period of time, but until then we are called to tell of the needs in Kenya.

Street ministry in NYC

A taste of New York style street ministry. We went out to different parks throughout Brooklyn with Agape Christian Center. Music, drama, testimonies...it was a time of praise and thanks for all God has done for each of us! Over 200 people gave their hearts to the Lord during the week! Praise God!!

Drought and famine continue

Let me first say that Timmy is me (Tammy)! For some reason the "a" in Tammy is very hard for the kids to say or maybe it's my accent (everyone tells me I have a mid-western accent- whatever that means)! Anyway I thought this was a neat picture sent to us by Pauline from the kids at Nice View- thanks dada (sister in Swahili)!

For those of you who are supporting Saved By God's Grace know that you are remembered by the kids at Nice View, Mercy and Eldama Ravine. Your help is greatly appreciated and you can see from the following email that it is greatly needed.

Our friend, Nathan, is a Kenyan we met during our trip in 2008. He and his wife are raising their baby boy during difficult times. He tells us how things are in Kenya at this time:

Kenya is currently undergoing a severe drought,there has been no food in our farms and people are scared,many people including children in the worst hit regions are feared dead,a big no of people are going without food.The biggest problem is however lack of sufficient water!

This is real life for our friends and family in Kenya. I pray that when you read this you will say a prayer for them and their country. My heart and prayers and energy go towards loving our God and trusting Him to bring providence to Saved By God's Grace.

I wish I could fix it all, but God has placed these specific children in our path for us to reach out to. I have always loved the story of a man who was asking God why there was poverty in the world and why He didn't take care of it. Then God asks him why the man wasn't doing anything about it with the resources God gave him.

God will be faithful and I trust Him to move people's hearts to also reach out and help. I pray we are all listening to God's voice and stepping out to help those He puts in our path.

Greetings!

Just a brief introduction and a few ways to contact us:

Our website is SavedByGodsGrace.org or

you can find me on FaceBook or

follow me on Twitter or

email us.

We would love to hear from you!

Water please!

Yesterday Chuck and our son Mark picked up approximately 700 cases of water from the Phoenix Rescue Mission here in Arizona. It was a blessing to us and the people who are on the streets who will receive this water over the next couple of months.

I'm thankful to the organizations who donated the water to the Mission and to the Mission for then passing their abundance onto us who in turn will pass it on to the people on the streets of downtown Phoenix.

And it is a bold reminder of our friends and family in Kenya who have been experiencing drought for the past year. There is no Mission to go to for donated water and families are left to find water wherever they can. If they do find water then they have to have firewood or some other means of making fire to boil it in order to drink it. Otherwise there is a high probability of contracting typhoid.

God has provided and continues to provide water (through your support) for the three orphanages (Nice View, Mercy, Eldama Ravine). But we heard from Mercy Child Foundation that the well is low (they need rains) and the water is getting quite "dirty". A couple of the kids have gotten sick (we did get them medical attention) and we emphasized that they boil the water before consuming any of it.

Next time you take a drink of water, please say a prayer for rains in Kenya. And if you feel led to help Saved By God's Grace in continuing to provide food, water, etc. please join The Change Campaign. For those already supporting - thank you!

Coloring project ideas

While we were in Kenya (2008) we had a coloring project with all the classes at Nice View Academy. Here are a couple of examples from the Nursery and Pre-Unit classes.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with them - any suggestions? I have around 300 pictures! Maybe have a contest to choose the favorites out of the classes and make a calendar? Auction off the favorites on e-bay or some other venue?

I made sure each picture was "signed by the artist"! They had a fun time not only because they were able to get out of regular school work for one hour but

When we return I'm planning on doing this more often and to find other craft projects to do with the kids on a regular basis. I have a friend in Nakuru, Kenya (Hi Kate!) who is very crafty - in a good way! I'll probably hit her up for some neat ideas once we are in Kenya. You can see what they are doing in Kenya at A Future and A Hope.

Please comment with any suggestions you may have for the drawings and thanks in advance for your ideas!

They are not forgotten

We have been encouraging Anastacia in her work in taking care of the kids at Mercy Child Foundation. She is by herself with over 30 children to care for. Recently we sent her a note, this is her reading it with Pauline, giving her encouragement and reminding her she is not forgotten.

I also talked with her last night, she was getting the kids ready for school (from Arizona they are 10 hours ahead of us). Every time I talk with her I remind her of God's love for her and the children and how He has brought us together. Many times she expresses fear of being left alone. I tell her we think of her and the children daily and are praying for them. We will not leave them, they are our family.

The children are told that God is providing for them because people are willing to give sacrificially. I am here to pass on their thanks to you for not forgetting them. God is giving these kids hope through your support and they are learning how very much God loves them. What an eternal impact you are having in the lives of these children - thank you and may God bless you.

We are praying and spreading the word about our kids in Kenya not only for support for food, clothing etc., but also to get Chuck and I back to Kenya on a more permanent basis. If you would like to help us bring the Gospel to Kenya please join The Change Campaign today.

Christopher's letter

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post. We left Missouri at noon on Saturday. Thanks Kevin and Pam for extending the invitation to stay another night. The morning conversation was great, hence us not leaving at 8am. We then drove straight thru to Oklahoma City to visit Florence, she is Gideon's (from Nice View Academy) sister. We had a late dinner with her around 10pm, stayed until about 1am then took off for home-Phoenix, Arizona. We arrived in Phoenix around 5pm Sunday night. I hope that explains why no posts the past few days!

But as I had mentioned before, here is a picture and part of a letter from Christopher at Mercy Child Foundation.

"I thank you for your help because with your help we are going well with education, we have our daily food, and we have good health...I have this chance to thank you for your help in my life. From that time up to now I see there is change in my life. You are blessings in my life. So with your support I am very far in my life. The God whom Israel were praying is one we are praying...We are praying for you everytime and I hope God had eared our prayer and we are waiting for super natural thing that you never see in you life...because our God is living God and will provide."

This letter shows how your support is helping and the faith Christopher has that God will continue to provide.

We recently sent funds over for food purchases and Christopher, along with all the children at Mercy, Nice View and Eldama Ravine, do not have to worry if they will be eating tomorrow, or going to school.

Please consider becoming a $12/month supporter through The Change Campaign. Our goal is 1000 people (as of this post we have 15 people signed up) at $12 a month which will allow us to continue providing food, education, medical attention and shelter for the three orphanages. It will also put us on the ground in Kenya so we can show them the love of God in action and put into motion some self-sustaining projects.

During our trip we had some great conversations and ideas brought to us and we are very excited to return to our family and friends in Kenya to begin implementation. We are waiting on God's timing but as Christopher said in his letter, "our God is living God and will provide."

For those of you who continue to support Saved By God's Grace-thank you! We know you sacrifice to ensure the kids in Kenya continue to survive, we thank you for that sacrifice. Because of you the Gospel of Jesus is being presented daily to the kids in Kenya as they eat, are clothed, being sheltered and receive medical attention.

How glorious our God is to meet the needs of the children through His people.

God-incidences!

Let me describe to you some "coincidences" (which I personally don't believe in, as Pastor Ralph from New York would say, God-incidences) that have occurred over the past few weeks. It could go back years to when we were invited to Desert Breeze Community Church.

That same friend who invited us to church, let's call him Joe (ok that's really his name!) recently introduced us to his friend Gary. When Joe met Gary and his wife, Terry, she was being treated for cancer and they had purchased a home in Phoenix to live while she was getting treatment. Without getting into any details, Gary and Terry prayerfully decided to move back to Tennessee with hospice. They talked about using the home in Phoenix for cancer patients to stay at while undergoing treatment. Sadly Terry passed away about 7 1/2 months ago. Recently Gary has offered the home to a couple of ministries, but none of them have been lead to accept his offer. He was contemplating selling the home but felt the Lord was telling him to wait...

Now move back a couple of months and our daughter, Tarrin, was introduced to Pastor Zook from Morningside Evangelical Presbyterian Church. They had a brief lunch meeting and parted company. A few days ago Tarrin received an email from Pastor Zook asking for help. A woman (who is a cancer survivor) was walking across America in support of our troops. While in Phoenix her cancer returned and she needed a place to stay while going through treatment. A church came up with emergency lodging for a few days and we contacted Gary about his home. Gary and Pastor Zook are now in touch.

All these introductions, meetings, emails may seem like coincidences but God has the entire plan under control and had it in the works long before we were aware of the needs. He put people in position to help those who need help and everyone involved had a choice - they could have said no to the prompting of the Holy Spirit but thankfully they said yes!

Choices

"If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath." Psalm 34:18 The Message

This verse was on my mind today. We are all brokenhearted somehow, but we are all called to love our neighbor as our self. To me that means looking outside ourselves and seeing how we can help our neighbor before going after our own desires. We can, and should, make these decisions daily over big and small issues. Vacations and lattes or helping a needy family or local homeless shelter. I have to make these choices everyday and I'm not saying it's easy or that we can't enjoy these things but are we making those decisions based on prayerful consideration of what God would have us do with His resources or out of selfish motivation to have fun?

My service is to God and He has called me to help my neighbors in Kenya. I pray that each choice I make is in line with His will and His direction for my life. I pray I do not try to "justify" those choices which are not in line with scripture and the Holy Spirit convict me swiftly so I may repent and turn again towards my Father.

I trust God to be there with my Kenyan friends and family and help them catch their breath, but I wonder if He is asking us why aren't we loving our neighbor?

Blessings...

Just a short post today - we've been traveling many miles and meeting many God-loving followers of Christ. It's been a wonderful trip thus far! You can go back through past blog posts to read up on some of our adventures.

Today we are leaving from Georgia and heading towards Missouri. I'm sure we'll see some beautiful country along the way.

If you are a new reader to our blog and/or would like to become a supporter check out our website - www.SavedByGodsGrace.org. You can contact us, donate, see our photo album, sign up for the newsletter etc.

You can also become a $12/month supporter through The Change Campaign, a way to use your pocket change for change in Kenya.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

Seems we're always saying goodbye...

We left Greg and Joyce's this morning from Indiana and made it to Illinois around 12:30 this afternoon. We had to keep reminding ourselves which state we were in! It's always difficult saying goodbye to our new friends, but on this trip we know more new friends are just around the corner (or state in our travels!)

Jason and Stephanie are wonderful people and we had a great conversation before the presentation tonight. Thanks guys for opening up your home and allowing us to be a part of your family if even for just a few hours. Here is a picture of their beautiful daughter Grace! Yup, she's a feisty one but love her compassion and passion for life.

Before we left their home she gave me 70¢ and said it was for the kids in Kenya. She listened to us talk about the kids' needs and she gave what she had. I explained to her that what she gave was two days' wages for some people in Tala, Kenya and it would help feed a child at the orphanage. And her attitude was - well I had it and they need it, no big deal, then she ran off to play. "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." (NIV Matthew 18:3)

You ask if that's all it takes? How about 40¢/day which comes to $12/month? You can help Saved By God's Grace continue to feed, educate and provide shelter for three orphanages in Kenya at The Change Campaign.

Jason's church had graciously invited us to speak at their Sunday evening service. Most of the church was there and they had some good questions. We were able to continue answering questions and at dinner afterwards (along with a few stories about our travels to Kenya). Thank you to everyone involved with feeding us, the hospitality was great and we felt very much at home with our new brothers and sisters in Christ.

Many of the young people were very interested in coming to Kenya by themselves, but the parents said "I want to go too!" So maybe during our next trip to Kenya we'll have a lot of visitors. I know that how ever many people come, God will be glorified in it!

Speaking to people about our kids in Kenya is our passion and calling. The situation there has not been good for quite awhile. The rains have not come and crops are continuing to fail. Here is a short excerpt from an email received today from Gideon (director at Nice View Academy/Orphanage)

"Things are not very good since the rains failed and the future does not look promising but we trust God who Has assured us of prenty even in times of famine. Our help comes from Him

My brother if the cost of food was reasonable things would be easy but its unfortunate food has became costly and our children use one bag of beans for 3 days , one bag of muthokoi for 3 days ,maize flour of 90kgs for 4 days and so food is taking everything but i thank God for He has been with us and He Has continued to provide

I wish to ensure you brother that despite the hard times i will remain faithful to the call of God knowing that He is there for us"

Please prayerfully consider becoming a monthly donor either through Saved By God's Grace or The Change Campaign. Your support will help us show God's love to them through providing for their basic needs.

More new friends!

We left Gary's this morning around 10:30, a bit late but still ok for the next leg of our journey. I know I've said it before and I'll say it again, several times I'm sure, but God has introduced us to some wonderful people the past few weeks.

Thanks Gary for the great coffee and even better conversations. You were a blessing to me and your faith during difficult times has encouraged me. Your faith is not only in your words but also in the way you live. May God continue to be your strength and show Himself to you.

It was about a four hour drive to Evansville, Indiana for our next stop at Greg and Joyce Donaldson's. Joyce was very gracious and invited us for a little walk to stretch our legs - and it felt so good! Tarrin was able to get veggies and herbs right from Joyce's garden for dinner, so now she's going to try her green thumb in Phoenix again! The poor girl has a tough road with the extreme heat but I know she'll give it a try.

Joyce made a fabulous meal and we had a wonderful conversation that went into the evening. Yes I'm saying it again - God has brought such fascinating people into our lives and I am so thankful for the opportunity to meet and talk with everyone on this trip.

We are so appreciative of everyone who has opened their home for us to stay and fed us to help keep the costs of this trip to a minimum. As we are traveling telling others about the kids in Kenya their needs continue. Last week we sent funds to Gideon (Nice View Academy) for food at Mercy Child Foundation and Nice View Academy. The cost of food is still high but we are trusting God to move people to support this ministry so we can continue meeting their basic needs. If you feel led to help please go to Saved By God's Grace or The Change Campaign and donate online.

New testimonies daily!

How do you thank someone for opening up their home, giving us a bed to sleep in and feeding us? Thank you just doesn't seem enough. Gary has done that for us and also allowed us to be a part of his life for a couple of days here in Chattanooga, TN.

We've shared testimonies, histories and funny stories. Another brother in Christ has been added to the family and we only met yesterday. I believe God brought us together for a purpose. We may not know the reason now, or ever, but we trust He knows why.

Who has come into your life recently? Are you open to the Holy Spirit leading you to meet someone/invite someone over/call a friend? Do people see Jesus in you when they talk with you in the grocery store or at work? Many times we are so wrapped up in our own daily grind that we miss those opportunities to fellowship with another believer or testify to an unbeliever of what God has done is our lives today.

God has blessed us on this trip with new testimonies every day. He has led us to speak on behalf of our kids in Kenya and He is our strength in spreading the news of His saving grace. What has God done for you today?

Oh the sights you see while traveling!

Amazing sights you see as you drive across the states! This giant guitar was across the road from the Tennessee Welcome Center.

You see so much beauty that even in the car I can appreciate the awesomeness of God's creation. The majestic mountains, deep forests and sparkling waters where we can enjoy them at any time. But we are also called to be good stewards of the resources He has given us. I think that's one reason why the trash in Kenya is so upsetting.

We stopped in Hershey, PA (Tuesday) hoping for some free samples, but they don't even have free tours anymore. You have to pay to get into the amusement park (Chocolate World) then you can go on the tour :( So we just visited the gift shop at the museum and Tarrin bought a chocolate bar!

On our way to Tennessee we ran into this dragon. I thought it was appropriate since Harry Potter came out today-don't know if there are any dragons in the movie but it made me think about it.

God has been showing Himself to us on this trip in so many different ways and places - the concrete jungle, busy sidewalks, quiet forests, small stores on main street and in the people we've met.

Our children in Kenya have been on our minds constantly and we are very thankful to all who invited us into their homes to stay and to those who set up presentations. God will continue to move people so Saved By God's Grace can continue to feed/clothe/educate the kids in Kenya.

Impromptu presentation

Sunday after services we had dinner with (from left) Shay, me, Chuck, Tarrin, Pastor's Ralph, Dawn and Jesus and Mark. Minister Guno was also with us but he had to leave early. It was a great time of fellowship and it gave us a chance to say goodbye. Mark and Shay left early Monday morning to return to their homes.

That evening Tarrin went out with her new friend Carmin. So this picture is Tarrin parallel parking in Times Square! She was pretty proud of herself.

Monday after going over our schedule for travel we decided to leave New York on Tuesday morning. That left us with an open evening Monday, so Pastor Ralph called a few friends from the church to set up a presentation.

We met at Iris' apartment (thanks Iris you have a great apartment and you are a wonderful hostess!) and had some food beforehand. Lots of questions and interest and I loved spending our last night here with good friends.

Leaving Tuesday morning was not easy - God brought such beautiful, wonderful, gifted people into our lives this week and I feel so blessed. We've had great conversations, opportunities to share our lives and get to know one another. We didn't say goodbye, but see you later. Pastor Ralph - fuhget about it - I'll miss hearing that!

I'm testing text blogging. It was an awesome service and the Holy Spirit was alive and God was praised and exalted! Can I measure up? Only thru His strength!

Agape picnic and baptism

Agape had their annual church picnic/baptism today at Heckscher State Park. Food was everywhere and the fellowship was great. After eating we all walked down to the beach for the baptism.

Awesome to hear why people wanted to be baptised - leave their world of sin behind, be a new creation, be a new man in Jesus. During our time here we've met so many people with a strong testimony of how Jesus changed their lives. People who were verbally abusive, drug addicted, and one woman's testimony was that she was on the verge of double murder and suicide when she cried out to God and He delivered her from her addictions and changed her life forever.

Watching them come up out of the water with a joy on their faces was a blessing. They knew their lives would not be the same. They aren't told that things would be all rosy from here on out. But they are surrounded by people who love them and will guide them and teach them how to navigate the rough waters of life with Jesus in their lives.

After the baptism we got in a circle and sang worship songs - praising God for all He's done in all our lives. To end the evening Mark and Jay played the guitar while "scripture rain" came down. If you felt the Lord laying a verse on your heart you could speak it out loud. How wonderful to hear the voices of His children singing praises with the Word.