August Rush. . .Opportunity!

I am THRILLED to announce our KidsLake project for the month of August!

First, let me tell you a story about 3 special little ones in Kenya. . .

In October 2007, Julias was found by Naivasha Police in the bush with a thread around his neck. He was brought to House of Hope in January 2008. The scar on Julias’ neck is the only reminder of his past. Julias is a happy, healthy baby with a great personality and a beautiful smile.
Maina and Wamae also came to House of Hope in January of 2008. After their mother had completely abandoned them, Maina and his little brother, Wamae, went to live with their great grandmother in Mai Mahiu. The grandmother locked them up for days on end, giving them very little food, and leaving them to lie on urine soaked bedding. The boys suffered greatly from this neglect. Maina was withdrawn and afraid of adults. Though he has a long way to go, Maina now approaches and attempts to initiate communication with adults. Wamae, who could not stand or walk, is now a strong and healthy 3 year old, running all over the place.

All 3 children now live in the House of Hope, operated by partners of Heart of the Bride. Heart of the Bride is our partner organization for the month of August. You and I, along with our children and families, have the opportunity this month to send little ones much like these 3 to school for the first time! House Of Hope just built a classroom to begin teaching and training the children they are entrusted with. We are going to join them! They are just finishing the classroom and WE get to partner with them to outfit this classroom for the future and to provide school supplies to 20 precious children. All for approx $500!

Last week, I went school shopping for a friend of mine. My dear! That's all I have to say about how stinkin' expensive it is to supply kids these days for school! I spent over $50 for 2 kids and didn't even get everything! As you are spending this money, would you consider using it as an opporunity to teach your children about supplying others' needs? For $5, you can supply a kindergartner with their supplies. For $8, you can help a first-grader. And, to help the classroom as a whole, we have 6 other packages, all under $20. We are still waiting to hear exactly how many of each of these are needed for the classrom, so we'll let you know exact numbers next week.

For now, will you pray about joining us? I can't wait to share this month with my children. I can't wait to spend time together as a family praying for the sweet children and ministry of House of Hope in Kenya. Brayden's been collecting his change, so we'll probably start with that. Greg's out of town next week, so we may do a LemonAid Stand, make some cookies to sell or even just look for some of the great sales or coupons to see if the Lord blesses us with money we can pass on! It would be a huge encouragement to know if you'll be joining us this month with KIDSLAKE, so leave a comment if you are planning on it!