It has been a rain-drenched afternoon here in Zambia… for which we are incredibly grateful! Zambia depends largely on hydroelectricity production as its primary energy source, and even at full capacity there remains an energy deficit. Load shedding is a daily reality. As you might imagine, this deficit energy situation creates regular interruptions for businesses, ministries like EOH, and families. So we say, “Thank You Lord for the rain”, and pray electricity production can soon be expanded to meet current demands.
Look What God Has Done… A Brief Look Back at 2015…
- In March we hosted Randy Schmor (NAB Gateway Teams) in Zambia to explore the possibility of short-term mission team opportunities. We are thankful that Randy is currently recruiting a team to serve at Camp Hope in 2016. Please contact me if you are interested in more information about this team.
- April was an exciting month, as we completed My Father’s House #12 and welcomed Mama Martha and her new family of eight orphans.
- The NAB Triennial in July was a wonderful time of reconnecting with many friends from across Canada and the US.
- August was all about Camp Hope. Our Zambia staff hosted a mission team from North America and together they ministered to 546 orphaned children… over 300 of whom gave their hearts to Christ.
- We completed a second chicken run and by September began raising 9,000 chicks per growing cycle. Lucky (EOH Farm Supervisor) and his staff are managing the Chicks-4-Orphans project well and are already planning for the next level of expansion in 2016.
- In December I was back in Northern CA to visit ministry partners. Thank you to everyone who partnered with Every Orphan’s Hope in 2015! It was a great year for us, and we give thanks and glory to God!
Happy New Year!
- How better to begin the year than with a party? Yesterday all our My Father’s House children, mamas, staff and other invited guests enjoyed a great day of fun… including music, swimming, and food. The kids also recieved gifts from their sponsors in North America. A really fun time was had by everyone!
Happy Mamas!
- Two of our faithful house mothers are transitioning into retirement. While we love them and will miss them dearly, we celebrate and honor their combined 18+ years of service and wish them God’s very best. Our New Years Party also included a number of tributes to these wonderful mothers. Please pray for our Zambia staff as they work with local churches and community leaders to recruit new house mothers who feel God’s call to serve with Every Orphan’s Hope.
- With a number of our students graduating high school and approaching important years of transition, we are investing more time and energy to ensure they are well prepared to live independently, when that time comes.
- As mentioned above, we are anticipating expansion of the Chicks-4-Orphans poultry farm in 2016… to a capacity of 13,500 birds per cycle, or 90,000 annually. We are especially grateful to Jean Ewing and the North American Baptist Women’s Ministries for supporting C4O as their 2015 Christmas project.
- We have been raising funds for My Father’s House home renovations. The first homes were constructed in 2004 and are looking tired. It is time for a makeover, and 2016 is the year!
A new ministry sustainability project called Narrow Road Bicycle Shop is in the works for this year. In addition to generating income from sales and repair services, this project will provide training opportunities for students to learn retail business operations and small business management.
Ask and it will be given to you…
- Once again I say THANK YOU to all who partnered in prayer and financial support this past year. I invite you to join with us for another exciting year of ministry.
- Please pray for three new house mothers (we like to call them “mamas”) to respond to God’s call to serve with Every Orphan’s Hope in raising orphans to life in Christ.
- Give thanks to God for sending Sang Lintakoon and Miriam Porter to serve with Every Orphan’s Hope in Texas. These ladies bring much passion for Christ and for the ministry, so we enthusiastically say, “WELCOME”!