A Church of God missionary couple tells of the success they have been experiencing with ministry to children, orphans and single mothers.
We recently made a trip to Nakuru, Africa, for five days where we preached at the district church. While there we connected with Missionary Waneda Brownlow who returned to Machakos with us to spend 10 days conducting seminars and workshops teaching church leaders how to be effective Children’s Ministry Leaders. It was very powerful and was a blessing to many people and church denominations. Jabez Missions was so happy to have been able to organize these meetings and host Waneda.
We have revamped our children’s ministry and believe it will prove to be much more effective for the long term. We are asking our Church of God pastors here to help us locate destitute, single women who are trying to feed and educate their children. We will give them start up money to begin a small business. They will receive moral support and encouragement from the pastors and elders of the church. This is working. We met Lucy, the first woman we helped last month, and her kiosk is doing very well. She is HIV positive and a widow with four children to educate. We have given money to a grandmother, Rachel, and her daughter, Jane (who is HIV positive) to purchase goats. These women are raising six children—three whose mother has died. Three other single mothers have also been helped.
We made some wonderful friends in Machakos during the last four years, and one couple is Mary and her husband Joseph. She is the director of “Springs of Hope” orphans home. We purchased playground equipment for the 51 children last year – a double slide, swings, teeter-totter, and climbing bars. Before we left, we contracted for a merry-go-round and some small pieces for the babies.
We were blessed to meet Patrick Njoroge and his wife Ruth last July. They are directors of the Care 4 Kids orphan home in Eldoret. It came to our attention a few months ago that they were praying for funds to purchase five milk cows to provide milk for the children and to sell the excess in order to purchase other needs for the home. Jabez Missions was so happy to be able to give them funds to buy two young heifers. Of course they named one “Jenny.”
On Saturday, May 1st, we held our first seminar in Nakuru. It rained most of the day, but that didn’t deter 28 women and 18 men from attending. We traveled about an hour into the rural toward Mt. Kenya. The fields are green and full of crops. Even though so much rain was “annoying” to us, the people were rejoicing because last year had been so very dry. They know they will have a huge harvest this year. Jenny taught the women to understand their “Pathway to Purpose,” and Don spoke to the pastors and leaders concerning “Being An Effective Leader” and “Integrity.”
Bishop Don & Jenny Weaver
Missionaries to Kenya
Project Number 065-0838
Jabez Children’s Program
Project Number 102-9015
© 2010 Church of God World Missions