Meeting Pastor Theo's beautiful family

A couple of weeks ago, dear Theo invited us and our collegue French Mylene to meet his beautiful family. We attended the service at his church and then went to share a very tasty Congolese meal at his house. Even though pastor of a large church where he preaches stirring sermons, Theo comes over faithfully to attend our advanced Bible studies (12 Bridges). He and his wife Florence personally visit the orphans 2 or 3 times a week, travelling one and half hour by foot to reach there. Please pray for the Lord to supply a scooter for them. Thank you!

Visiting sick child

Earlier during the week, we got word that one of the orphaned girls, Martha, was very ill with malaria. We had to rush her to the hospital and it turned out that she had thyphoid fever at the same time. We sent out a prayer request for her to all our friends, while doing the necessary to get her the medication she needed.
When we went to Kikimi today to distribute the food to the children, we noticed she was not there. So we went to her house (she has been staying with her grand mother since her parents passed away) to give her food and also to pray for her. We were happy to see her slowly recovering, but we wanted to ask for your continued prayers for full recovery for her, as she still needs to get 7 more shots to fight the typhoid. Thank you so much.
Also, the pharmacist who used to donate medication for the orphans has been out of town for a while now. So any donations you could make towards medical expenses for the orphans would be a big blessing. Thank you so much in advance.

One of the little orphaned girls who came to collect food today was also ill. We prayed for her healing and donated the medication she needed.

Jonah and the Whale

This week we told the children the Bible story of Jonah and the Whale. We read it from a children's Bible, and then proceeded to act it out. We memorized the verse, "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them", and had lots of fun reviewing our songs.

Food Prep for Orphans in Kikimi

Every two weeks, we prepare food bags for the 74 orphans living in Kikimi: 1 kg of rice, 1 kg of beans, a bag of salt, a can of sardines and of tomatoe puree. We buy large 50 kg sacks every few months, and deliver on a monthly basis a total of 4 sacks of rice and 4 sacks of beans between Kikimi and Kisenso. With the food prices increasing, we are praying for an even increase in the donations we receive for each orphan.

Meeting the Orphans at Kikimi

Even though we have not yet been able to purchase the needed parts to fix the jeep, the Lord has miraculously kept it running so we could go and visit the orphans at Kikimi. It was a great joy for us and they welcomed us with songs of praise and thanksgiving. We had heard that, prior to the Family's intervention, 50 of the orphans in that locality had died of hunger in one year. But we were pleasantly surprised to find all 75 orphans in good health, thanks to the regular food and medication the brethren here have been supplying them with, and thanks to your generous gifts and regular support.

Food Distribution

It was very touching for us to distribute the bags of food to each orphan, who came up to us one by one as Pasteur Theophile called their names. This little girl below was so sweet, carrying her baby brother on her back, her other arm loaded with the bag of food. We are looking forward to being able to also supply them with sufficient fresh vegetables and fish from the field and pond project.

Singing and Acting

The children had a lot of fun acting out the Bible story of Daniel in the lions'den. We also taught them two new songs in French: "This Little Light of Mine" and "Happy All the Time". Congolese are some of the best singers in the world, and these children are no exception. They love singing!

Future Project: Building a school

Giving the orphans food and evangelizing them is all good and well, but we are praying for a way to also supply them with the education they need. Sadly, all the nearby schools in Kikimi are private and very expensive. So since the Lord has already supplied this plot of land, we are now praying for the means to build a small school for them, as well as for supply to cover the salaries for teachers, school supplies, etc...
One added challenge is the shortage of cement at present. With all the reconstruction that is happening in the DRC, the production of cement is insufficient to meet the demand, prices have skyrocketted and cement is extremely difficult to come by. Can you pray for a solution so our project can come to pass? Thank you so much!

Agricultural Project

We were able to walk through the field where cassava and pineapple have been planted. Things are growing well and will be a big blessing in supplementing the orphans'diet.
The fish ponds at the end of the field are now ready to receive fresh water fish, which will also help supplement the orphans'diet.

Some views of Kikimi