February 23rd, 2023

We had all been working hard to get it finished in time, painting, buying the furnishings, planning the meal, planting flowers, inviting guests and yesterday the Siku Kuu (Big Day) opening of the new Preslar Mothering Center on the campus of Neema Village in Tanzania, East Africa took place.

We love it! The building is beautiful but we are praying that what will happen in that wonderful place will be even more beautiful. Women who have been abandoned and abused will come to know that there is a man named Jesus and he has never once taken his eyes off them or abandoned them.

 

Ken and Joan Preslar came to help us open the building. We prayed that God would bless everything that will happen in this building and that it will all be to His Glory.

Marquisette and Kim led Ken and Joan over, eyes closed, until they came through the gate. Joan was crying, Kim and I were crying and Ken was standing in disbelief.

The building will house the MAP (Mothers Against Poverty) program, and The Save The Mothers programs at Neema Village. A sewing room, literacy room, computer room, kitchen, bathrooms with showers, offices for Anna and Mercy along with a large conference room all furnished with tables, chairs, kitchen and office equipment, screen and video projector, mics, sound equipment and so much more. Thank You Butterfield Foundation!

They had so much fun practicing the walk for the style show wearing the new dresses they had all made. A lot of hooting and hollering was going on!

We had invited the Regional Commissioner, who is directly under the President, to come help us open the center. Thank you to our good friend, Pastor Israel, from the little church down the street that rescues young girls from early marriage and FGM, this busy man actually came!

Of course we took him through the baby home first so he could see our precious babies.

Michael led the Commissioner over from the baby home to the new women’s center. He was very kind and gracious. We have found the higher up in government they are the nicer they are!

Some of our past birthers from the Save the Mothers programs came in for the day. There was a large crowd to welcome the commissioner with drums and singing.

Some of our co-op sewing groups from the Maasai village came in for the day. Queenie came as well with her young girls who sew school uniforms and raise bees for honey as their MAP businesses.

The best MAP businesses of the year received a certificate and bonus. There have been 109 women finish the MAP courses and set up businesses through Neema Village. Eight women who have finished the sewing course received sewing machines. Dora the teacher also received her own machine.

It was a fun day with lots of food and laughter. Michael spoke and our two directors Anna and Mercy had time to say a few words.

One of our hair dressers from Dar es Salaam came in for the big day. In her former life she had worked the street but knew she could not survive out there. We sent her to beauty school and now she works in a large salon in Dar.

God is still in the business of changing lives!

We cannot possibly say thank you enough to Ken and Joan Preslar for building this new Mothering Center. We pray that all the good that will take place in this buiilding will go on for generations to come as young African women come in and find hope and courage in their lives.

“When you lift a woman in Africa you not only change her world you change ours!”

Joan you can stop crying now sweetheart!