Stacy.

Most children in the U.S. don’t experience losing loved ones until they are older. They see life through rose colored glasses and enjoy the ease of being a kid. Life in the villages and towns of Kenya is different. The children there experience loss from the time they are born. It is all around them. And some of them are touched by it far too many times.

Meet Stacy. This beautiful girl has been at this school since it began in 2004. Her huge smile and shining eyes light up a room! She is full of joy and peace and knows Jesus is her Savior. But her life has been far from easy. Stacy’s dad passed away when she was very young, followed by her mother. She went to live with an aunt and uncle, both of whom also passed away. She then moved in with another uncle and he died as well. Finally, she moved in with her grandparents. The grandparents began arguing, could not get along, so they separated. While apart the grandfather sold the family land, Stacy’s only inheritance, out of anger at his wife.

In the meantime, the counselor and director of the orphan school decided Stacy did not need to be in the middle of these arguments and offered her a place to live on campus. She now is surrounded by a huge family of people who love and care for her and she feels safe.

We, at Hungry4HIM, believe every child matters. If you want to be a part of changing a child’s future go to our Partners page and read more!

Teachers – Beyond the Classroom

Hungry4HIM’s primary goal is to help meet basic needs for orphans and children in poverty AND provide an education. The teachers who serve at our partner schools are a huge part of this goal. These men and women love the Lord and are not just educating in the classroom. They are tutoring beyond school hours, listening to these children and speaking into their lives. They are teaching with grace and compassion and sharing their love for Jesus everyday. Please join us in praying for these servants as they shepherd and disciple the next generation.

For information on sponsoring a teacher please visit: www.hungry4him.com/partner/

Building updates

We are excited to see all the changes going on and the provision for larger projects that are always on-going. Below is a summary of the current buildings that are under construction or were recently completed, thanks to our partner ministries.

1. The teachers housing building was recently completed and six of the staff moved in approx two months ago. This provides free housing on school campus for them and their families. They are now also able to work more with the children after “normal” school hours are over since they do not have to travel long distances.

2. One of the new two-story classroom/administrative buildings is almost completed but already in use!

3. A much-needed clinic is under construction at one of our sites in a village where there is no medical care available. Many people die in these areas of things that could be prevented if they had access to doctors or medicines of any kind. Join us in praying for the Lord to provide the rest of the funds needed to complete this project. It will service the children at the schools but also the greater community.

If you are not a partner with Hungry4HIM Ministry yet we would love for you to become one! Visit our Partner With Us page to learn more.

The Impact: A Letter to our Donors

Many people give just $25 each month to feed and educate a child they will never meet. They trust that we are using their money properly and ensuring that these children are happy and healthy. Well, let me tell you, they are! While in Kenya Justin and I experienced the impact our donors are making in the lives of these children and the kingdom of heaven. It’s huge! We were surrounded by 480 children at one school and 300 children at another, all of whom sang about Jesus, laughed and played, and told us how much they love their schools.

Because of you…
They have a school where they feel safe and secure.
They have classrooms where they can learn.
There are teachers who love them and teach them well.
They eat EVERY DAY.
They have clothes and shoes to wear.
They are protected.
They know who Jesus is and many of them know Him personally.
They have HOPE.

Many of the students who have graduated in previous years are now attending secondary school (high school). These are children who did not have a chance at an education!!

YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE and we THANK YOU.

If you are not a partner with Hungry4HIM Ministry yet we would love for you to become one! Visit our Partner With Us page to learn more.

Written by Sarah Bothwell

Fill the Pantry Campaign

Hungry4HIM helps meet many needs of our partner schools.  The four pillars of this ministry are food, clothing (school uniforms), education and discipleship.  For the next 30 days we are going to focus on raising money to boost our general fund so we can help feed more children.  100% of our child sponsorship donations go to feed these orphans.  However, until every child is sponsored that money is not enough.  So we supplement each month from our general fund.

Will you join our challenge to raise enough money to feed 100 children for a year??  That amount is HUGE but we know God can do it!  Here are several ways you can join the challenge.

1. Give – It costs less than $1 per day to feed a child in Kenya.  No gift is too small so will you pray about giving $1 per day for a month?  When you fill out the form to give, be sure to write Fill the Pantry in the comments so we know you were a part of this campaign!

2. Share – We want this campaign to reach all of your friends and all of their friends!  Word of mouth is the best way for us to reach more people.  Please share this blog link with everyone you know, as well as joining us on Facebook and subscribing to our emails. While on our Facebook page be sure to Share one of our Fill the Pantry posts and graphics on your timeline and include #H4HFillthePantry!

3. Pray – We know power of prayer and need warriors to surround this ministry here in the U.S. as well as our partner schools in Kenya with prayer daily.  Join us in praying for the students, teachers, pastors in Kenya as well as the Board of Directors and staff of Hungry4HIM here.

We have 30 days.

How many children will be fed?

Will you join?

Be a World Changer.

Why We Do What We Do

People often ask why we are doing this….feeding children who are half a world away.  Some days I wonder the same thing.  But then I remember my trip in 2004 where  I saw children, young children, who didn’t know when they would eat again.  Toddlers who sometimes didn’t eat anything the whole day.  Mamas giving their only crumbs of food to their little ones.  My heart was broken. Permanently broken.  We saw a need and prayed for a way to meet it.  We know God’s heart is for the fatherless and His heart breaks just like ours.  Over the past ten years we have cried, prayed, struggled and rejoiced as we have watched Him provide for these little ones, HIS children.  So, why do we reach our arms to the other side of the world?  Because these children are God’s children and we are called to love them.  Some days that looks like meeting physical needs.  Other days the best we can do is pray for God to send more laborers to rise to the challenge of giving of what they have to the “least of these”.

Written by Sarah Bothwell

 

Update from Kenya

We’ve been praying for rain and it finally began. However, now parts of the country are getting too much rain and flooding.  The villages Hungry 4 Him works in are still ok.  The schools did not plant crops this year due to a shortage of funds so this rain is not allowing them to grow crops.  The good news is food prices will come down now which will help relieve some of the strain.

Thank you for praying for the pastors and schools that we partner with!

 

What’s Different?

An orphan in Kenya is a child who either has only one parent or both parents are gone. Many of the children we support still live at home with their mother or father but are still considered orphans. The schools Hungry 4 Him currently works with in Ahero and Wachara, Kenya are not orphanages. They are orphan day schools. Pastor Benard, who founded these schools, believes children are better off in a home environment. When a child loses both parents Pastor Benard and the school leaders work to find a family or guardian for the child. The children continue to learn responsibility in their homes as well as receive an education, hot meals and fellowship with other children at school.

Dorms are now present at the Ahero campus because it has become too dangerous for girls to walk long distances to and from school each day. They stay in the dorms and go home sometimes on the weekend and during holidays. Unfortunately as the danger increases so does the number of students who need on-campus housing. This puts even more urgency on the need for child sponsors since it raises the cost of living for these girls, especially.

You can make a difference! A $25 monthly donation feeds a child and assists in providing quality education as well as housing when necessary. 100% of sponsorship gifts goes directly to the children by way of food, teacher salaries, uniforms, paying house moms, and so much more!

News on the ground

Please pray for rain so that the drought conditions in Kenya will improve. There has been some rain but too much too quickly will cause flooding and disease. We know that the Lord will take care of our brothers and sisters in Christ and provide for their needs during these trying times.

Teachers Have Value

“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” -Confucius

Hungry 4 Him believes in helping to educate children so they have the opportunity to step out of the poverty they are trapped in. The goal is to have teachers who love the Lord and not only educate their students but share the love of their Savior through their lessons, actions and the way they discipline. In many ways, these teachers take on the role of a parent since many of these children do not have loving parents in their lives.

The competition for teachers is huge. The public schools in Kenya pay teachers a good salary and offer benefits. In order for the schools we partner with to continue to provide a quality education they need to be able to offer a competitive salary. Our teachers pour their lives into the children and see it as ministry but they also need to feed their own families. By sponsoring these teachers not only are you investing in all of the students but you are caring for their families as well.