Horizons Foundation newsletter – Kenya orphanages
Brain says NO — Heart says YES
The orphanage continues to care for 64 children and 5 destitute widowed women living nearby.
The orphanage is legally set up as a Kenyan charitable organization named New Life Covenant and Power Ministries (NLM), recently approved by the Kenyan national Attorney General and is directed by Bishop Washington Amara (pronounce eye-you-ga). This is the gentlemen who began to bring orphans into his home many years ago to give them a safe place to grow and thrive.
Within the last month the Directors of the orphanage were presented with a dilemma. They felt that they were maxed out. Truly maxed out. Financially tapped out. Buildings totally full. Barely having enough money to feed the children and wondering where the funds would come from to get the children back into school starting September 26th.
And then came the dilemma. There was a family of five: Dad and Mom and 3 children; a 15 year old girl, a 13 year old boy and a 7 year old girl. Mom and Dad had left the children at home and went somewhere in a car and then tragedy struck. Mom and Dad were both killed instantly in a car accident. So the kids were parentless with no family members to help them, in a heartbeat.
Very quickly some neighbors or friends realized they had a very serious problem on their hands. Word came to Bishop Washington that these three children had no support system and they wondered if he could take the children into the Bartholomew Children’s Home (the orphanage) which is part of the NLM..
Washington’s brain immediately said we can’t, because he had agreed with the other Directors, almost a year ago, that the orphanage could not bring in another child due to lack of money and lack of space. His heart told the children to come and eat three meals a day at the orphanage for a while. So, that’s what the children did and then they returned to their former home each evening. Young girls in Kenya are especially vulnerable to rape and exploitation so there was serious concern about them walking back and forth to the orphanage each day.
Then came the dilemma for the other Directors. What to do? What to do? What to do?
Every surviving charitable organization is blessed with loving donors that truly believe in the mission of the organization. Every donor to this mission has been very generous and we thank them for responding to God’s prompting to provide for His children.
In the last four years, the number of children at the orphanage has grown from 9 to 64.
To educate the children in 2022 the cost was budgeted at over $8000.
In January 2022 the food budget was just over $2100 per month and that did not include any money for milk, eggs or meat for the children.
By August 2022 the food budget was just over $3000 per month, a 40% increase since January.
We are projecting that the food budget will be over $3400 per month by the end of the year.
So, the Directors started 2022 with a need of approximately $34,000 and will soon have a need for almost $43,000.
You can see why they had made the decision not to allow any more children into the orphanage.. They have been and are growing as many crops as they have land for in order to supply food for the orphanage.
It’s only by God’s provision that the orphanage is still open!
Then came the dilemma.
The brain questioned how are we going to care for 3 more children? Their food will cost about $150 per month (or $1800 per year) and about $900 to educate them per year. The brain says: “where will that $2700 come from?” The answer is: “We don’t know, but we know God does.’
So, the heart said yes.
The children have been brought into the orphanage for a conditional three week trial and if their behavior is good they will be allowed to stay. Already the oldest girl is displaying great leadership capabilities and is always asking the adults if there is anything they can do to help, every day.
From the beginning, the Directors have agreed that “God owns the cattle on a 1000 hills, so it’s a drop in the bucket to Him. When this goal is completed, everyone will be astounded and say to themselves, “Only God could have done this.”
One of the Directors has now almost exclusively devoted her time to spend in prayer asking God for provision. This is just like George Muller did in England in the late 1800s when he led the effort to support over 100 orphans in Bristol England. Two of my favorite quotes from George Muller are:
“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.”
“Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him,
He will never fail you.”
Some call me Al, and some call me Dad Horizons4kids@gmail.com 636.634.5805
Donations may be sent to Horizons Foundation, PO Box 596, St. Peters MO 63376 – 100% of your donation is passed onto the Directors of the orphanage.