We received a pastor's letter from Gatwiri's pastor in Kenya! Gatwiri attends KE-469. All the photos are from Compassion's Kenya Rural Region page.
Dear Eric and Hannah,
I am Pastor Simon M. M., ministering at AIC Mwarangeni Child Development Center in Mwingi North region Church Council in Kitui County. Your sponsored child attends our center here. I am very thankful to God for your sponsorship of Gatwiri. I have seen the hand of God in uplifting our children spiritually, socially, physically and economically. God is for His people all the time.
Our community is form an arid and semi-arid locality. The community is marginalized. The church tries to educate the community to change form the old style of living and join the new style of knowing God. God is the one who can finish the challenges we face. Through our children we will get people who will deliver us from the pot of ignorance. Our community faces challenges such as lack of skills to mobilize the local resources we have, traditional practices that harm the community, such as Female Genital Mutilation, and poverty.
The center has a lot of impact on our children and the community in general. I have witnessed our sponsored children go out within the community doing door to door evangelism. They converted to Christianity and brought many to church. Our church has a strong base built by children and the youth. Our sponsored children have made a great change and made great relationships with the unsponsored children. For the last year, I have seen sponsored children acting as professionals of faith and I have confidence in them when handling church matters. God has used these children and we have equipped them with music instruments. The children do well in school and grow as Christian adults. They have changed the characters and create unity in the peer groups. They are active in church activities and responsible in schools.
As a Church, we do value the Sponsor-Child relationship established through letter writing. Whenever children receive a letter they are always excited. The children enjoy letter writing session because this gives them time to interact with their beloved sponsors. It helps the children in building self-esteem and also in learning how to read and write English since this is the language that they usually use. Letters also expose the child to what happens around the world as sponsors share personal information as well as the information of where they live. Receiving a letter is like receiving love from their sponsor, and children know that someone values them. For some children, this is the first time they know they are loved and valued, and it makes a big impact in their lives. I hope you will remember and write to Gatwiri often.
Let us join in prayers for this center to continue and expand.
Thank you for all you do.
Yours sincerely,
Pst. Simon M.
If you would like to sponsor child from Kenya, please consider Gakii, who is 12 and who's birthday is January 3rd.
Gakii lives with her mother. She is responsible for carrying water and running errands. Her mother is sometimes employed as a laborer. There are 3 children in the family.
Playing house and playing group games are Gakii's favorite activities. In primary school her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities. To sponsor Gakii, click here.
