The year behind us was certainly an eventful one. 2016 came with it’s share of ups and downs, but we can rejoice knowing God was with us through all of it and will continue to be leading us in 2017. Thank you so much for standing by us and supporting our work in East Africa.
In 2016 we saw God work through Feed.Teach.Hope. in East Africa in these ways:
- Christlike Academy (CA) grew from 80 to 185 children through grade 6.
- CA began providing better quality food for the children at lunch time (more fresh vegetables)
- CA hired a new male teacher who began a 'scouts' program where children learn discipline, teamwork, honor, and national heritage.
- CA provides 3 uniforms now for all children; Standard, Athletic, Scout
- CA retained lead teacher Eunice (this was very important because of her dedication and leadership)
- CA has three children who consistently score in the top of the region academically
- CA constructed new bathrooms, covering for the children to sit under during lunch, and built a new fence and gate.
- CA obtained two additional parcels of land for future expansion. Currently they are to be used as children's playground for physical education. Fences have been erected around them.
- CA began construction on new buildings in January to expand to grades 7 and 8
- Feed.Teach.Hope. (FTH) has continued to support the feeding program in Endarasha where approx. 25 children come for food and education.
- Pastor Linus is assessing 4 men who are interested in planting a church in Endarasha.
- Pastor Linus continues to train pastors in Northeastern Kenya, pushing Christianity into Islamic areas. He made three mission trips there and worked with over 100 pastors/planters/leaders this year to teach them to disciple their members.
- Pastor Linus has continued to see his community in the Misiri slums come to faith. Most recently he baptized 10 new believers.
- Pastor Linus held five refresher workshops for Pastors
- Pastor Linus helped to start two new churches among unreached people groups
- Feed.Teach.Hope. began communications with a group of men and women in the slums who are crafting hand made items. FTH is exploring possibilities to sell these items.
- Feed.Teach.Hope. has established partnerships in the U.S. with three churches and one corporate sponsor.
All of your support goes to real people, with real lives, who are facing enormous difficulty. One example is that of Beth and Joy Wanjiru, sisters who have been at Christlike Academy for quite some time. Beth was the little girl who spurred us to action upon our first visit. Each time we return we spend time with her and her family. In the past, she and her siblings have been moved around between their Grandmother and Aunt and have been in difficult living conditions. This year Beth and Joy lost three members of their family within three months. One of those three was a very young brother, Brian, who likely died due to starvation. They also lost their Grandmother. As they endured these difficult times, your support allowed Beth and Joy to continue attending Christlike to receive care, food, clothing, and most importantly, support and love from their teachers and Pastor Linus and his family who walked with them through each tragedy they experienced this year.
We cannot thank you enough for your prayers and your support. You have truly made a difference in so many lives. Please know that we consider you as partners, working right along side us, in this mission to make Christ’s name known.
As we step into 2017, we have several things we would like to see happen this year:
- Begin a three to five year plan and fundraising initiative to purchase land and erect another school for secondary (9-12) education and vocational training.
- Increase salaries for teachers at Christlike Academy to bring them up to the Kenyan government standard.
- Plant a church in Endarasha.
- Begin new connections with two other pastors that Linus has trained near Misiri; Boaz and Daniel.
- Execute a trip in August of 2017, bringing partners and others interested to host VBS for students and minister to families in Misiri.
- Bring on two more corporate sponsors.
In scripture, we see how God has a habit of continually leading His people in ways they didn’t expect and to places they hadn’t planned on going. We are always open to this, especially working in a country like Africa. Having unplanned things happen is part of the plan!
While the goals above are what we believe Feed.Teach.Hope. should focus on for 2017, we are always open to what God would have us do in East Africa.
Would you please pray for us that if there are other things God desires for us to do there, we have open hearts and open eyes to accept change and move towards them as we seek His will over ours?
Thank you so much for your prayers, your support, and your love for Feed.Teach.Hope. and the Gospel in East Africa.
We would love for you to continue to partner with us as we plant churches, serve communities, and declare the gospel.
You can donate, sign up for our newsletters, check out our videos, and more, at www.feedteachhope.org.
God Bless You