(Note: Before I share with you a beautiful email I received yesterday, I want to let you know that I’m now planning to be in the Boston area the first weekend in October. We are already planning events in Reading and Sutton, Massachusetts. If you’re near the area and either want to join us at one of these or plan something of your own, please let me know. I do have some extra days available during the week after.]
In early August, I informed you that an orphanage of 400 children in Kenya was at risk of closing because of unpaid bills. Your generosity allowed us to pay off all their debt and correct the cash flow and management problem, so that this will not happen again. Here’s a note I received from the leader there:
I want to sincerely and humbly thank you once again for the great love, kindness, and care you have shown to us. We truly appreciate you for listening to God’s voice and allowing yourself to become such a great blessing in our lives. There are moments when I look at what is happening around us, and I feel like it is a dream. There was a time when we would wake up, and our greatest prayer was simply asking God to provide something for the children to eat. Many times, we would pray with tears, wondering where the next meal would come from.
But today, by the grace of God, our children can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is something that had not happened for a very long time, and every time I see it, my heart is filled with thanksgiving to God. We know very well that this has not happened by our own strength. It has come through God’s provision and through the gift he placed in your heart to purchase the tractor for us and help us jump-start our farming project.
Brother, your obedience to God’s voice has brought a very great impact in our lives. You did not only give us a tractor; you gave us a means through which we can begin to work toward a more sustainable future. You have helped us to move from simply praying for provision to also having an opportunity to produce that provision through the land God has given us.
Please know that your kindness has gone much further than you may ever be able to see. It has touched the lives of our children, our teachers, our workers, and the entire work that God has entrusted to us. There are many people who may never get an opportunity to sit with you or personally tell you thank you, but their lives are being touched through your obedience and generosity.
We give all the glory and thanksgiving to God for what He has done, what He is doing, and what we believe He is still going to do.
Also in August, we told you that government officials approached our friends there, wanting to use Just Love in their educational system. I know, it’s an extraordinary opportunity. They asked if we could provide 5,000 copies of the book for their use. Again, thanks to your generosity, we were able to print over 7,000 books, not only for the educational system, but also for pastors and coaches helping reframe the Gospel in Kenya to love and justness, rather than sin management.
Here is the news we just received from our friends in Kenya:
We are delighted to share the wonderful news that the printing company has fulfilled its promise and successfully delivered all the new copies of Just Love. We were filled with great joy when they called to inform us that the shipment was on its way. We carefully counted every box for confirmation of 7038 copies. They added us with 150 extra books at no cost. They truly did an excellent job, with such outstanding quality and within the agreed timeframe.
We will also work together with the government and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training representatives to ensure that these materials reach the exact institutions and leaders for whom they were intended. They will collect 5,000 copies for distribution to leaders in public institutions. We pray that these books will become a lasting blessing and bring peace, healing, and transformation throughout our nation.
The rest will be distributed to our coaches, pastors, and others who will embrace this life-changing message.
Please convey our deepest gratitude to all the brothers and sisters who sacrificially supported this project. Their generosity is not in vain. At a time when Kenya is approaching a season of elections with many political parties, we believe these books will teach that the love of God has the power to transform individuals, families, communities, and an entire nation.
Although we may never meet many of these supporters on earth, we believe that one day we shall meet them in the Kingdom of God with great rejoicing. We are committed to using these books faithfully and prayerfully, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in every step.
This year, our brothers and sisters in the U.S. have stood with many Kenyan families in their time of need. We continually lift them before the throne of God.
We continue learning to pray and listen to the voice of God. At the recent Kampala meetings, the Lord has opened new doors for outreaches in Malawi and Mozambique, places we have had no contact with before. They have invited us to go and share about Just Love in November, but we told them that we cannot go everywhere we are invited. Instead, we desire to follow God’s voice and His perfect timing. We asked them to continue praying and trusting the Lord.
May the Lord richly bless you for the great support. We give God all the honor, praise, and glory!
Tobie and I may have written Just Love for the nation of Kenya. Our friends there have a sense that this book, along with He Loves Me, may start an awakening across Africa of the love of God and how it can transform the world. May it be!
Thank you to all who were part of both of these efforts. Because of your generosity, we were able to rescue an orphanage and provide a way for them to take care of the kids in the future. We are also part of spreading the message of God’s love and justice throughout the nation of Kenya.
Glory by to God, who has done great things!
