Before leaving for our trip, thanks to many generous donations, we had just over $1,300 for the orphanage. Since we had five suitcases of items to deliver to the orphange and limited space in the vehicle, I was worried about how to best use the money as there was not enough room in the vehicle to take many more supplies. Rice, flour, sugar, maize and oil had been purchased already but that had only taken a small portion of the money. We had gotten two soccer balls and several pair of tennis shoes but how were we going to use the remaining $1,000? God is always faithful and I should learn to not worry as He is in charge. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Paul Jarrett's blog that I think you will enjoy reading as he has eloquently explains how God used you to provide funds for orphans in need.
Through last week we had received sufficient donations for starting our previously sponsored orphans in school along with the eight freshmen class children from Umoja and Kenduiwo Children’s Homes. The students must be enrolled by tomorrow. Pastor Killel and the directors from the homes have been purchasing things like dictionaries, other books, notebooks, mattresses, and soap and other hygiene needs that would enable a young man or woman at age 15 to live at school away from home for three months at a time.
We met on Thursday at David’s office discussing how much more expensive the items along with the cost of tuition have become since last year – about 20%. We knew about the tuition, but we had underestimated all the extra costs. We were short nearly $500 overall. I went to the bank machine to get 40,000 KSh which amounted to $482 in USD. A donation had just arrived this week to cover the amount.
On Friday, we found three more of our orphans had been accepted by local principals having missed the original “draft” which is pretty descriptive of how the scholars are accepted into various schools in the area based on their national examination. We did not know these undrafted three were qualified and weren’t alerted by one of our directors. We did not have any more money meaning they would have to stay out of school for an entire year. What should we do?
I thought of Hezekiah and spread out the lists of the name of the students and their bills; David Killel and I prayed over them and asked God what we should do. It then occurred to me to write some guests visiting in Nairobi who were coming tomorrow to visit the orphans; that in itself is unusual – we don’t get a lot of visitors other than for medical work. I had been in contact with them although hadn’t actually met them yet. I wrote to them of the unexpected specific need of the children whom they planned to visit.
It seemed that God knew ahead of this situation and the visitors had been given some money from their friends to use in their ministry to the orphans – just enough to cover the expenses for the year for the three students and their incidental expenses. Did God want us to realize our need and want us to ask Him making our will in line with His will?
That was the theme of the message of our pastor, Elijah Bii, at Tenwek this morning. His text on prayer was from 1 Samuel chapters 1-2, the story of Hanna. The story tells how she was barren and persecuted by her co-wife – certainly a familiar story here around Tenwek. Undoubtedly, she prayed for a long, long time. It was when her will came in line with God’s will that He answered her prayer. 1 Sam 1:11 And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” NIV. She became the mother of Samuel, the judge of Israel whom God desired – the one who later anointed David.
So it happened that our prayer had come in line with God’s plans. How much less would we have appreciated the money if we had not seen our need and prayed for it? It was God’s timing that made us recognize our need, our requirement to pray, and then give Him praise and glory when He answered – this time nearly immediately. Thank you, Lord, not only for your provision but also for Your teaching us.
Last week a friend sent me an excerpt from a devotional from an author named Young that I enjoyed. I was reminded again of it today.
“I am with you and for you. You face nothing alone-nothing! When youfeel anxious, know that you are focusing on the visible world andleaving Me out of the picture. The remedy is simple: Fix your eyes noton what is seen but on what is unseen. Verbalize your trust in Me, theLiving One who sees you always. I will get you safely through this dayand all your days. But you can find me only in the present. Each dayis a precious gift from My Father. How ridiculous to grasp for futuregifts when today’s is set before you! Receive today’s gift gratefully,unwrapping it tenderly and delving into the depths. As you savor thisgift, you will find me. Romans 8:31; 2Corintians 4:18; Genesis16:13-14
Please continue to pray for us in the months ahead as we will again need God’s timely provision to pay the next installment of tuition for our 50+ students in April. Rachel is staying a week at Rift Valley Academy with Amy. Pray for her time there and her trip back next Sunday. Please pray for Susanna’s delivery with her first child, Mara. She is due today in Cincinnati. Laura is at home with Yoshiki James Noguchi, who is gaining weight rapidly.
Thank you so much for your participation in our ministry in so many ways – primarily in prayer. I thank God for you.
In Christ,
Paul, for the Jarretts in Kenya
http://jarrettsministry.org/weblog/?m=201202
In conclusion - as I sit with tears again in my eyes and reflecting on our amazing trip, I am thankful that God gave us the opportunity to be a part of delivering donations to help meet the needs of suffering children. Our God is truly full of mercy and grace and knows our every need. You were part of God's plan and we only served as the instrument of delivery. Thank you so much for your donation!
Blessings,
Kathy McDonald
