2012 Christmas Giving

March's Highlight: Elections Kenya had one of its most import elections on March 4. The presidential race was hotly contested and watched carefully by several international watchdog agencies, including the Carter Center. The country virtually shut down in many areas out of concern that the violence seen after the election in 2007 would be repeated, with schools being closed and businesses shuttering their doors. Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner almost a week after the elections, and the challenger, Raila Odinga, has vowed to contest the results, but peacefully through the court system. Initial reports indicate that peace and normal business may be restored soon. The Children Pastor Benard writes: I hope you will all celebrate with seventeen of our students sat for this (national) exam and this will qualify them to go to high school. From the report we have received is that all of students (have) all passed to join 9th grade; in fact we have a hundred percent pass. We are celebrating with all of our school fraternity. We thank God for the good result we have received. 7 of them had An A, 6 of them HAD A- AND THE REST ARE IN B+ AND B AND C+.Good start And good out come we are very happy. Brick by Brick Brick-by-Brick is our building campaign. Through your generosity, we have helped Benard's Vision School erect classrooms, kitchen, cafeteria, and the beginnings of the dorm. In order to expand to high school grades, BVS will need classrooms, a library, and completed dorms. We also use the fund to secure property, provide rainwater collection, and other facilities. The orphanage will be able to serve more children only when there are proper structures for their needs. From the team The Board had a productive meeting in Kansas City last weekend. Thanks to those who prayed for us. We make strong progress on many projects. We also have a temporary new Vice President, Sarah Bothwell. Welcome, Sarah! Sarah helped found Hungry4Him, had to step down from the board to focus on her family, but has graciously agreed to sit on the board until we can find a permanent new vice president. If you know of someone who could help the board network into new geographies, please let us know. (We would prefer someone not from locations where we already have board members and volunteers: Dublin, GA, Atlanta, GA, Lancaster, PA, and Kansas City. The Staff Please remember to pray for the staff of the schools. They are well-trained and dedicated, often times living some distance away from their spouses and children in order to teach the orphans. That may sound a bit strange to us, but in Kenya, it is all too common for schooling and work to require families to live apart. A little more about Kenya According to a recent article by a Kenyan journalist, the concerns surrounding the election were strongly mitigated by the fact that Kenya receives relatively little foreign aid, compared to other African nations. That measure of autonomy insulates them from foreign interests stifling their productivity. Plans and Projects Hungry4Him Ministry continues to keep an eye on the changing needs in Kenya, trying to keep up with the projects and plans that we champion. For example, we had plans to grow with Benard's Vision School into the high school grades. However, the facilities that the government requires to have high school glasses are so much more demanding than the lower grades. That means that adding high school is no longer on the front burner until we can find large sources of donations. Therefore, H4H is going to turn its near-term strategies toward finding ways to provide the teachers with competitive salaries, so that we can retain the high level of teachers the school attracts. Please pray with us: Pray for continued peace. Tensions are still high. Pray for the funds to come in so we can pay teachers better. Pray for God to form the 2013 Team as He desires and to clarify their projects. Pray for the H family as they pray about serving in Kenya full-time (name withheld until certain procedural milestones are passed). Pray for God to raise up a new Board member to bring the team back to full strength.