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.