Monday, March 21, 2016

Winfrey in Kenya

Winfrey
April 16, 2007



Winfrey is one of our correspondent girls and we've been writing letters to her since January 2015. So far we have received 31 letters.

She attends Ebusiralo CDC in western Kenya and goes to the project each Saturday. The level of poverty in this community is very high because so much of the land is unfarmable due to rocky terrain.

the pastor writes...

As a church, the greatest challenge is ministering to a community that is poor, it is difficult for the church to help its members because of limited resources at their disposal. Another challenge is illiteracy among some of our faithful, which hinders progress especially in resource mobilization. The presence of indigenous churches in the area also inhibits spiritual growth of the community since members want to continue their traditions. 
The church vision is to minister to all people with the message of salvation so that they can come to the knowledge of Christ. The center's vision is to promote the value of hard work and promote self-worth and quality performance in school among the children so that they will transform into productive and responsible participants in society.
Through sponsorship, children get an opportunity to listen to God's word and many of them have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior while attending the center. 
Children have improved physically and also economically. Many children who would have dropped out of school have been given a rare opportunity to continue with school and some have gone even to the highest levels of learning. We pray that all of our children will excel in life and be able to give back to society.
The children have participated in learning, games, and camps, and their relationship with others and social skills have improved compared to other community children. Children have also been given an opportunity to develop and showcase their talents in acting, sports, and even singing. They are able to express themselves to the outside world. 
The church has spiritual programs geared towards the children and the entire community. This includes spiritual meetings, home cell group meetings, youth programs, and Sunday school. The church also participates in outreach programs like evangelism and visitation of sister churches. The church also supports widows and orphans through the provision of resources. Through the counseling department, the pastor and elders have an opportunity to counsel church members on various issues whether spiritual or social.
Winfrey attends Overcoming Faith Academy which is 3.5 km from her home. She walks to school each day.

Miscellaneous info from letters:

  • wakes up at 6am / goes to bed at 9pm
  • has recieved the following gifts: blanket, rice, socks, uniform, cardigan, hen
"I now look smart at school and the hen will give me many chicks"
  • lives with parents and grandparents
  • washes utensils at home
  • sings and prays at church
  • needs good medical care
  • planted crops of corn, beans, avocados, mangos and bananas / also trees, groundnuts and flowers
  • number 2 in grade four at school
  • loves all subjects - hardest are social studies and science
  • speaks English and Kiswahili
  • wants to be a lawyer (Jan 2017)
  • she goes to church each Sunday and likes to lead worship and sing praise songs
  • she is learning beading at the project - makes bangles and necklaces to sell
  • she is praying for my friend, Laura, who is battling cancer
  • 2021 - joined best secondary (boarding) school in her country
"I really love the way you are teaching me."

"Joyous greeting from me"

"On the project I am doing well. We have new small children.
I usually play with them and talk to them about Jesus."

"I love praising God in the church through singing. I also read the word of God"

"May God bless you abundantly for loving me and caring for me."

"I also love gardening. This holiday I planted some mango seedlings and I am very certain they will grow into much bigger trees and help the society. I love nature too. Sometimes I sit outside in the evening and admire the sky. God is so wonderful and I love him very much." - May2022
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...