Today, we read about project KE-631, where one of my newest boys, Daniel Lemayian, attends. I don't know too much about him yet, but am looking forward to a long relationship of letters with him.
________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Kayla,
I salute you in the name of Jesus Christ. I am Rev. Erick, vicar of St. James Oloirien Parish of the Kajiado Diocese, Kenya. I also am the leader of the Anglican Church of Kenya Oloirien Child Development Center attended by your sponsored child. I wish to express my sincere appreciation for your continuous support of Daniel Lemayian at this center. Know that you have brought a smile to him.
Our church serves a multicultural community, but the majority of the community members are Maasai who are "pastoralists" who raise livestock, even though livestock is dwindling due to a reduction in land holding units as a result of population growth, land selling, and harsh weather conditions. As a result, people have realized crop farming as an alternative way to earn a living.
Our community is facing some challenges. Food insecurity is one of the great challenges for the community, as a result of inadequate rainfall and inflation facing the country at the moment. Drug abuse is a menace in our community. Many have turned to drug abuse as a result of idleness due to unemployment and negative influence from social media. This is threatening the future since many of them will turn to crime to get what they want. Teenage pregnancy is also a problem. Information about such matters is not easily shared by parents with their teenage children.
The center has impacted the children in various ways. It has raised a group that values good virtues. Many children have enhanced spiritual discipline in their homes, like sharing the Word of God with their families through daily family fellowships. This is the practice that many families adopted out of the influence of the center children.
The center nurtures promising leaders in the body of Christ through the involvement of children in Compassion Sundays. We encourage volunteering through community service like helping the elderly, and through environmental conservation measures, like tree planting.
Because our congregation is mainly comprised of children and women, we focused more on youth and men last year. Since many youth are interested in football (soccer), the church organizes football tournaments to encourage them to use their gifts for the glory of God and turn away from drug abuse and other immoral activities that put their lives in danger.
The church deployed ways to empower the few men who are there to be able to be disciples and bear fruit. We organized a men's fellowship to help them realize their spiritual gifts. It has been a great challenge to make men understand the need for being great male role models and witnesses for Christ.
The children greatly treasure their sponsors letters. When writing, they are able to express their gratitude and share their prayer requests. The words of encouragement have made a big difference in the lives of children. When children do not get a letter, they feel they are not equal to the ones who do.
My requests are that you pray for the children to improve in their academic performance, and that we would face the challenges of our teens with courage.
It is now one year since I started serving in this church and I lack words to express my gratitude for the life transformations that have been realized through sponsorships. I do understand the level of sacrifice that many of the sponsors make to support the children. May God bless you abundantly for your generosity to Daniel Lemayian.
Your Friend in Christ,
Erick
_______________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment