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.

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.

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!

Rains are a welcome blessing

We've received word that rains have come to Tala - Praise God! Seeds were planted in time so that means a harvest will be forthcoming for Nice View Academy, Mercy Child Foundation and Eldama Ravine Children's Village!

The following pictures are from our last day in Kenya April 2008 (at Nice View Academy) when the rains had just began. So needless to say, this rainy season was a bit late but we are so thankful it's rained and crops are growing.


























As you can see when it rains it really rains, and this is just one day! Our friends and family also like the rain because it cuts down on the dust and cools things off a bit.

Thank you for your prayers for the orphanages in Kenya and please, if you are able, consider helping financially. The children thank you, their caregivers thank you and we thank you for any help you can give.

A few Yeah God's!

Annastacia (house mom from Mercy) called today. Actually she "flashed" us - meaning she called us and hung up after the first ring. That means they want us to call them because it is cheaper to call from the US to Kenya than from Kenya to here.

She told me they are all doing well and getting ready to go back to school on Monday - yeah God!

Benjamin, who was sick recently, is better after getting the medication he needed - yeah God!

They planted maize, skuma (spinach like veggie) and beans at Mercy and Annastacia said they had "a lot of rains" - yeah God!

Annastacia is feeling better after receiving malaria medication and cream for an eye allergy - yeah God!

I thanked her for her on-going strength and faithfulness to God and to the children at Mercy. It brings me much comfort knowing she is there loving the children and letting them know it is God who brings them providence through Saved By God's Grace. I told her how very much we love her and the children, and I pray she sees that by our continued support.

Christopher asked me when we would be returning and I asked them to please pray with us so that God will show us when is the proper time for our return.

Annastacia said "I am very happy that you continue to care for us and have not forgotten us. I pray Jesus will meet your needs." A woman (she actually seems more my daughter) who has nothing but the love of Christ in her heart is praying for our needs to be met - it was a humbling prayer and I thank God for allowing me to be a part of Annastacia's life.

Please consider donating to Saved By God's Grace - may He meet your needs so you may help others through your abundance. Thank you for your support.

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.