News Flash
We are happy to announce that we have been granted our tax free nonprofit status by the US government, effective September 17, 2007. Our Public Charity status is: 509 (a) (2) under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Notice!
Be aware of scams and scammers! Hearth to Hearth Ministries will NEVER ask you to send money to anyone in a foreign country. ALL funds for our projects must get there through our own treasurers. IF anyone calls or emails you requesting money to be sent anywhere but our own treasurer, for anything including dire emergencies, please contact our office for verification before sending money. Currently, letters have been sent out in the name, and from the email address of Logan Harvey stating that he is stranded in Nigeria with no money and asking for funds. Logan Harvey is safely at home. If he were in Nigeria needing funds, or anywhere else, he would not appeal to all his friends. He would appeal to his family, which is extensive. (Logan Harvey volunteered in Africa for six months for Hearth to Hearth Ministries in 2006. On 5/27/08 a hacker took control of his Hotmail account, changed his password and started sending out emails in his name... By the way, email and internet scamming is the third largest industry in Nigeria.)
Pastor Maurice of Hope for Children Center, decided recently that things had calmed down enough to take a matatu into Kisii. Just after crossing the border from Luo land into Kisii land, they were stopped by a road block and all Luos were ordered out of the Matatu. About twelve of them got out and they were taken to be killed. God used a woman who had stayed at the Center as a refugee to save their lives. Please watch for the story in the May issue of Spotlight on Orphans.
Please pray for little Simon Taylor and his family. Simon is the youngest grandson of Gary and Barb Spragg, and Gary is the Treasurer for Hearth to Hearth Ministries. I just spoke with Gary and he told me Barb is in Lansing taking care of Simon's siblings while he fights for his life. Simon has suffered from birth with mitochondrial cell deficiency. They did not expect him to live past eighteen months, but due to the devotion of his parents and God's intervention, he has made it to the age of seven.
Simon was recently in the hospital ICU, fighting for his life, but he has been home from the hospital for about ten days and is doing a lot better as far as the respiratory illness goes. However he is still struggling with his food and liquid intake. At this point the family and doctors have decided to move ahead with plans to have a permanent feeding tube put in place for him. His feeding has been getting worse over the recent three to four months and it is probably the best thing to do. They will need to surgically put the feeding tube in place as well as do some bolstering work at the stomach inlet to stop food getting where it does not belong. So the surgery will become a bit more serious with a long recovery time. As of now, surgery is scheduled for March 25 and will be done in Grand Rapids, Michigan at DeVoss Children’s Hospital.
Please pass the word to any who would support this family in prayer.
The situation in Kenya:
Personal information has been removed from some of these
messages to protect the writer.
These reports come from many places, not just our own projects. Some have felt
that because banks are closed they should not send money because it won't get
there. The truth is, the banks do, and MUST open for short periods of time. We
cannot let these people down by withholding funds when they need them the most.
Prices have risen and their situation is dire. We must have the funds in their
account for them to withdraw whenever God opens the doors to allow it. We must
do our part and leave the rest to God.
Youtube video about Kenya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vvbUFrU7dM
January 31 Today another crisis hit Kenya with the shooting of
another MP causing wide-spread violence in nearly every town and city. We have
received confidential information informing us that the danger to the Hope for
Children Center orphanage children and staff has significantly intensified and
that we need to engage in special seasons of prayer for their safety. Schools at
Hope Center are in operation.
At the Glory Children's Center, some children were badly injured and taken to
the hospital for treatment when their beds collapsed. We are able to send half
the funds needed for new beds but more funds are desperately needed for this
problem.
Glory Center's secondary students are being sent out of school due to the fact
that those who operate the school need to bring their own children home (from
more prestigious schools in other areas, we suppose) to educate them at their
own school, closer to home, due to this crisis.
Pastor Moses is endeavoring to begin his own school for these students with the
help of his brother who is a teacher, and also an Educational Division Officer.
Pastor Moses is also struggling to find enough grain available for purchase
within the boundaries of his own tribe.
Please continue to remember these orphanages and their Administrators in earnest
prayer.
From refugees in Kenya Jan 7.
I didn't inform you earlier because the situation of insecurity
in Kenya is so terrible so I didn't have a good chance. Even now situation in
Kenya is so tense for us refugees and also for the Kenyans at large because of
this I am writing this letter to inform you that we have been evicted from our
houses and we are now staying in a school where we have found shelter. We now
request from you, please assist. We request assistance in terms of finance
because of hunger is very much against us before war and we put all our trust in
you for available assistance. Communication in terms of buses is out because
buses are being set ablaze by rioters from Nairobi to Kisii and vise versa.
Please I will be in touch with the computer to check your email. It is the help
of brethren and my family at large. God bless you and good health, we awaiting
for this situation to cool down we are together.
I wish I am in Congo my home place.
Report from Uganda Jan 4.
In Uganda we are fine physically though oppressed in
transportation and food prices. The cause of these transportation and food price
increase because Uganda is a landlocked country. All its imports are through
Kenya, such as fuels and others. So since Kenya elections and before 24th
December up today no fuel trucks are entering Uganda and this has caused fuel
prices in Uganda to go high 4 times the normal prices. Petrol was 2,500= a litre
but now is at 10,000= per litre and in black markets not on petrol stations. Our
country privatized everything, so it has no way of controlling prices because it
has no reserve petrol tanks.
I had gone to the rural area in Kiboga to visit 3 of our widows. I used to get
means (transportation) at 15,000= but now it has increased up to 30,000= single
route without return. Everything in markets has increased claiming that
transportation is high.
The government has now negotiated with Tanzanian government to transport fuels
from there through Lake Victoria. So by tomorrow fuel prices might come down a
bit, otherwise we are suffering.
We are praying for our brothers and sisters in Kenya that the Almighty God
should intervene to cool down the situation. In Kenya they had never experienced
such a situation apart from the tribal clashes concerning land and cattle
wrestling only but in 2 to 3 days ends not a nation wide as it is now.
In Uganda such stations have become cultural, so to the brothers in Kenya we are
worried of their lives. Ugandan boarders Busia and Malaba are well coming
hundreds of Kenyans as refugees daily.
Chaos in Kenya.
Since the 27th day of Dec 2007 when we went to polls, we have
never went to work. The reason being that there is chaos here, and
there that is now threatening to go into a full blown war. Even on Sabbath we
had no alternative but to remain in doors. Most would have
died of bullet if we went out. Again there is looting everywhere and homes being
burnt if you don’t belong to the correct tribe. I get reports even my shop along
the main street has been looted. I’m afraid to go and check out! I have never
witnessed a bullet state before only hearing of it on the neighboring states in
Africa and the world! Kenya has been peaceful from independence V 1963!
Now two homes belonging to 2 brethren have been burnt down! They ran away hiding
in the bush! Today a sister came back after many hours of dodging and arriving
safely in my house with her two children on the back. She was a widow. I can not
locate another brother whose home was burnt for he doesn’t even have a phone. I
only hope and pray he is fine with the children! PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR US
FERVENTLY. There is no way we can run upcountry for there are no vehicles on the
road. Petrol stations also being burnt and there is again risk of the fire.
We being people who do menial jobs for survival as well as business cannot
attend to work. There is curfew here with people only allowed to go out at
specific time only to buy food. But again it is hard to get the food. Prices
have gone up and the food is rare. Supply to town is now cut because it is not
safe to walk. Police also appear to have taken sides and shoot without a blink
at people who are not
tribally correct. They favor only the Kikuyu tribe that has rigged their way
into power. People are also not relenting. They continue with the civil
disobedience till the Government (as they hope) will run away. The result is gunshots rending the air and teargas choking people.
Here they are killing about 15
daily and wounding several more. Other places also worse! I have not received
report of any of our members dying in the war yet.
Should this continue for even three days from now, we will be dying of hunger as
none works. Our source of income stopped from 27th till today. Some of the
members have come to me for assistance. I too don’t have more to live on for
four days from now. I therefore
kindly request you and the members who may be willing to assist us with funds
with which to buy meals as you continue praying for our
situation.
Banks closed in Kenya. Jan 3
All banks are not working. They are all closed up until further
notice. Western union was working today morning until noon when chaos started
and it was closed up. Maybe tomorrow it might work.
Things here are not so good. Like today was the worst. Thousands of people died
in Luo land. This problem we don't know when it will come to an end since the
people chose Raila and Kibaki took power by force. Kenya is facing at a very bad
situation.
I am worried about anyone coming to Kenya since the situation is so bad and we
don't know when peace will be in the country. We need to be careful. Tomorrow I
will let you know if the western union is working.
Message from a collage student in Kenya.
I wanted to inform you of what has happen and what is still
going on in Kenya. I traveled back to Mombasa and I also had a voting card for
Mombasa and I had to vote. After elections riot started in Kenya and the plot
that we are staying was sent on fire as a revenge to others whose houses were
burnt.
I’m writing this letter in hurry because of insecurity. I can not reach my
things they were burnt, my clothes, phone, books, and other documents. College
fee structure was also burnt but I will pick another one from the office once
they will open the school.
We were almost being burnt in the house. Only one person was burnt into ashes in
the same plot. Please tell our sponsors to pray for our country to have peace.
Everything has been doubled life is so expensive, like an egg that we use to buy
@ksh.9 is 20, packet of flour was 2kg ksh. 45 now is ksh.120. Life is not
the same so far.
Please can I have some cash?
January 2
You have all been hearing on the news about the violent election situation in
Kenya. We have heard from Pastor Maurice regarding this unrest. He feels Kenya
is on the brink of civil war unless something happens very soon to change the
course of events.
Earlier we had heard from Moses that food costs have risen by four times as
much. Unless God intervenes for our children, they will starve while our money
is sitting in their bank accounts. This morning we heard further from Moses.
Here is what he says:
The situation here is getting more worse and no food all over and those who have
food are selling it very expensive. In Kenya we have never experienced this kind
of life. We kindly need your prayers. Let us hope that things will work better
soon. Pastor Maurice can't even come out of the compound. I have talked with him
this morning. He told me things are growing worse in Luo land. This is a serious
situation but God is there and He will protect us in all means. The Banks did
not open today and we don't know about tomorrow. We have food for only two days.
Pray that the banks to be open and we get some money.
We believe this is the most serious situation we have faced in our work with the
orphans. We must all pray very earnestly that God will intervene and that His
will be done in the country of Kenya and in the lives of our children at the
orphanages.
October
Patrick Oigara, the General Manager of Glory Children's Center, passed away
on Thursday, October 11 after a two-day illness in which he experienced headache
and fever. The cause of death is not yet known.
We are very saddened to learn of this great loss. Patrick was well loved by
those of us who had the privilege of knowing him and even more so by Moses,
Prisca, and the staff and children he worked with. He was a cheerful man with a
delightful sense of humor. He loved the children dearly and worked tremendously
hard for their welfare.
Patrick worked many hours of the day. He spent about four or five hours of prep
time and also spent time with his classes between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. His
day began at 4:00 when he woke up. He then woke everyone else up at 5:30 and
made sure that worship and breakfast took place at 6:00. He sent the children
off to school and then did the shopping for the day. At 8:00 he began his labors
at the school, assisted with lunch at noon, then worked with the students in
their afternoon classes until 4:00. He also assisted with supper at 6:00, then
the evening prayers. After that, he helped with study period in the evening and
bedtime at 9:00. At 10:00 he checked to see that all of the children were in bed
and settled. After that, he did his lesson plans until midnight.
Patrick leaves behind a wife, Eunice Nyambeki, and four children: Victor Nyasimi
- 9 years old, Humphrey Manchukuo - 7 years old, Rose Kerubo - 4 years old, and
Naomi Bochere - 2 1/2 years old.
Please pray for Patrick's family. We must find a way to help them. Pray also for
Glory Children's Center as they recover from this tremendous loss to their
facility. Pray also for Prisca. She had just gotten her blood sugar level under
control and this shock has sent it spiraling upward again. We know that God is
with them and will sustain them through this tragedy. We also know that He will
continue to give guidance and wisdom. They are down, but not out.
You may send messages of condolence to
sympathy@hearthtohearth.org
