Oh, Happy, happy birthdays!

No, that was not a "typo"!

Today we all went to the Nyahera Ministry Carepoint. We celebrated birthdays with 21 children! These are the OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) children that are ministered to regularly by Christ's Hope. And our Mary is twenty-one years old today!

Happy Birthday Mary!  (taken the previous Saturday when she  had her corn rows...but before Tanea got hers!)

Games were played by adults and children. Statue dodge ball is great fun! Then we gathered in one of the classrooms.

We had a wonderful time of singing led by volunteer Lillian. Introductions were made by Pastor Martin. The Stars Team acted out the story You Are Special from the book by Max Lucado read by Mary and interpreted by volunteer, Julie.

This is Tanea acting out Punchinello from the "You Are Special" story.  She did a great job!  You can also see her corn rows though here they are called, Obama Braids!

The children all received individual gifts of new clothes including shoes! They were very pleased and all of them put them on immediately! The clothes and shoes had all been selected by Mama Joskey and her helpers. And they all fit beautifully! Imagine the childrens' smiles and joy and pleasure in being made to feel special! And then we all shared a scrumptious meal of chapati, rice, kuku (chicken), pineapple and juice. This meal was also a gift to the children and was prepared on site by Mama Felista and some local women. Oh my! The smiles and full tummies were such a blessing to us! Blessed to be a blessing! Again!  Below are photos of Mama Joskey with many of the children.

And after some of the team left for another Ministry Care Point in Manyatta, a suburb of Kisumu, the rest of us stayed behind to spend some sweet time with the children. Photo opportunities galore! Mama Joskey gathered them by family unit in all their finery. She has such a huge heart for OVC!

And now for one of the most remarkable updates about how God is working...

Remember R. that we told you about early on in our visit here? Well, talk about a faith builder! You will recall that she went to stay with Paul and Lydia at their lovely home. She was very "down" at the hospital in Maseno and I had helped Marieke care for her. Please look closely at the photo here taken by Pamela just in the last day or so. "A picture is worth a thousand words."

"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD, my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."  Psalm 40:1-5

Mungu aku bariki

Pat