Go Ye Ministries + Horizons Foundation, by Cara Lottes
· Moving on up
· Projects accomplished
· Christmas Treats
· Other Updates
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MISSION TRIPS to Kenya: April 2024, then September/October 2024 …please reach out if interested! Please pray for those who plan to go, and for more to go. More trips will occur in 2025 if you need more time to plan. YOU are welcome and wanted!
Moving on up!
You may remember just last summer we started having bricks made, to begin the process of building permanent housing structures on charity-owned land. Now, in this January newsletter, we can announce the kids have moved there!
Please enjoy this beautiful image of God’s children in front of a brand new dorm with their new uniforms and ready for school. One year ago, this was an empty field.
It was in God’s perfect timing. As mentioned in prior letters, the Kenyan school year follows the calendar year, so kids are promoted into higher grades in January. With moving a few miles from the prior housing, and the fact the kids walk to school, they needed to change schools for the 2024 school year. So, it was important to move during Christmas break and be ready to switch schools in January … amazingly, this was accomplished in time! The kids walk approximately 1 mile to school (2 miles per day). Inside one of the new dorm rooms:
< new mattresses arrival. We are thankful a donor sent funds, after the last newsletter, for 10 new bunk beds plus the 20 new mattresses, blankets, sheets, and mosquito nets! We had recently learned some kids were sharing a twin size mattress, and wanted to enable each to have their own.
Thank you to everyone who has given towards schooling, clothing, and school supplies! We have one new request, for mud boots for the kids walking to school because the new location requires walking a very muddy path to and from school. Mud boots per child = $600 Kenya Shillings or about $3.75 USD, so for 58 school aged kids this is about $217 USD total needed.
Projects accomplished in the past month
-The “boys” dorm was made move-in ready, to house all the kids for the short term (girls on one side, boys on the other). As soon as possible, the girls will move to the second dorm.
-The girls dorm is progressing towards completion: exterior stucco, interior plaster, septic system. The work continues, and please see an updated image with the stucco here:
-A corrugated metal style building erected for a dining and study hall (see the last image above).
-An outhouse style bathroom was completed, which is needed in case indoor toilets can’t flush due to outages that occur regularly in Kenya.-A fence was constructed around both dorms, with space for future buildings; mostly to keep dangerous animals out.
Tables are needed for the dining and study hall! At the prior location, boards were attached to the wall like a countertop. While we may do that again as a low cost method, we would sure love to supply materials for a few real tables. We are gathering that cost information. For now, we have pricing for 20 more chairs so at least everyone can sit down to eat! Total price is $150 USD for the additional 20 plastic chairs needed to have a chair for everyone.
Christmas Treats
The kids were able to enjoy treats, and the rare enjoyment of a chicken meal for Christmas! Thank you donors! On Christmas day, each one received their own soda, a fried bread called chapati which is a special food, then a bread similar to US “white bread” which is an extremely rare delicacy, and “biscuits” (like cookies in the USA). Such joy!
We hoped to take the kids swimming at a local hotel, but there were new rules requiring buying sodas and snacks from the hotel plus a large price jump for entry. Also, during the kids Christmas break, a lot of time and effort was used towards moving … imagine trying to move over 60 people in a few days, and be ready for them all to start a new school! So, a swimming event over Christmas break did not happen. Bishop Washington is reviewing pricing for February to either rent a bouncy house, or try swimming when it’s not a “peak week” so the kids can enjoy a special event. We expect to share a good report and photos next time!Other Updates
– The convenience store in Kendu Bay operates for-profit to support orphans: we have great news that some of the homemade reusable feminine products have sold, and there is good inventory available still in the store to sell.
– School update: the kids continue to go 7 days per week (5 full days, and weekend half days) in 2024 per the Kenyan government. We are thankful the 7 day schedule is at least only for grades 6 up to Form 4 (Form 4 is like a high school senior).
– Farm: the sukuma wiki is growing well, as are papayas. Pond is holding water and doing well!
To Donate, where 100 % of your gift is used to help orphaned and abandoned children:
Go Ye Ministries: PO Box 736, Prairie Grove AR 72753
Horizons Foundation: PO Box 596, St. Peters MO 63376
PayPal link: Donate to HORIZONS FOUNDATION
Reach us: Horizons4kids@gmail.com – https://horizons4kids.com/
NLCPM is an abbreviation for New Life Covenant & Power Ministries [the legal charity created in Kenya by Go Ye Ministries and Horizons Foundation]. NLCPM owns Bartholomew Children’s Family [the “orphanage”], land (where the brick dorms and new buildings, plus pond are located), the Jehovah Jireh farm and water tower, plus gas station and convenience store.