I love the Thanksgiving Holiday, don’t you! Crisp cool weather, fall colors in the trees and Holiday baking, mmm some of my favorite things! I have just finished baking my traditional Italian Cream Cake, in honor of our daughter Bekah who lives in Africa. I’ll eat an extra piece for you, love! And to my three sisters – the cake had no soap in it! (They know the story of a Thanksgiving past when we had to put a whole beautifully perfect cake down the garbage disposal!) Quite often this year Michael and I have been hit with huge doses of thankfulness. People like you, who have encouraged us in this precious ministry of saving abandoned, orphaned and at risk babies in Africa, you make me all mushy in my heart with thankfulness!
I got a bit teary the other night when a friend texted to tell us about a little boy in her church who had saved a jar of coins for the babies in Africa. That is Elaine pictured to the right.
And we just have to stop and thank God when we hear of those of you who have sacrificed and taken on the big projects of building Neema Village; the widows home, the baby center, the new volunteer home, the school/church, the mothering center and the two homes for our unadoptable children. You take my breath away!
(That is Sylvia Pape with abandoned baby Tony Rector to the left.) He is a chunk!
Below is how the property is shaping up. Cool huh! We could not do this work without you. When we hold these babies, we know it is your arms too that hold them. It is your love that cares for them. It is you who help us diaper and feed and cuddle them. It is beyond thrilling to see how God’s immeasurable Grace has touched the hearts of His people to help in this incredible work. We are thankful. That is great helpers Kent and Joan Smith from Fort Worth, TX below.
“In all circumstances,” Paul says, “give thanks,” but I know sometimes that is a bit hard. If you are reading this and thinking, “I don’t have much to be thankful for this year.” Maybe you received a rejection letter this year, or a bad report from the doctor, or the bank called and there was just not enough or you’ve lost someone important in your life or things just did not pan out the way you wanted.
We have those times too. When we get a message that little twin girls age 10 months who weigh only 8 lbs had been starved and abandoned, our heart breaks and it is hard to be thankful.
When we hear a little newborn had been left by the river, it’s hard to be thankful.
But extended family of the twins has been found and the little river baby has a new family and will never be abandoned again and 24 of our abandoned babies have been adopted. All I can say is, “Thank God we were there for them!” I am so thankful that we have been privileged to administer God’s grace to the 118 babies who have been helped by Neema Village over the past four years. We thank God we were there for the little identical twins, Aneth and Alice above, abandoned by their mother and father and who came to Neema just a few weeks ago. The nannies keep fingernail polish on one of them to tell them apart!
I am thankful for over one hundred volunteers, like Olivia Deal left, who came to help us hold the babies this year! Thank you also to Olivia for the great pictures for this blog.
I am thankful that Matt and Kelly (pictured below) are living in Africa and taking care of the staff and volunteers and the babies and the building projects and the financial records and dealing with the sporadically helpful Tanzanian government etc, etc. I’m eternally grateful that our daughter Bekah (pictured below) is there helping with the medical needs of the babies, taking them to the doctor, checking their daily meds and making their charts. And for our incredible staff of 43 Tanzanians, I just cannot say enough about these hard-working men and women. And I am grateful that a young family from Searcy, Arkansas, Jonathon and Whitney Striclyn (Pictured below with their new baby) have applied and been accepted by the board to come next year to handle the spiritual needs of Neema.
They are struggling to raise their support right now.
All our non-Tanzanian workers must raise their own support. It is hard, but they are full of faith in God’s people. If you can help please contact them at [email protected] If you are having trouble giving thanks this year remember he didn’t say we have to feel thankful in every circumstances only to give thanks and it is not hypocritical to give thanks when you don’t feel thankful. It is faith to give thanks when you feel nothing.
So whether you feel thankful or not this year, go ahead, give thanks, you’ll see God in all your circumstances when you do.
I have just finished baking my traditional Italian Cream Cake, in honor of our daughter Bekah who lives in Africa. I’ll eat an extra piece for you, love! And to my three sisters – the cake had no soap in it! (They know the story of a Thanksgiving past when we had to put a whole beautifully perfect cake down the garbage disposal!) Quite often this year Michael and I have been hit with huge doses of thankfulness. People like you, who have encouraged us in this precious ministry of saving abandoned, orphaned and at risk babies in Africa, you make me all mushy in my heart with thankfulness!
who have sacrificed and taken on the big projects of building Neema Village; the widows home, the baby center, the new volunteer home, the school/church, the mothering center and the two homes for our unadoptable children. You take my breath away!
We could not do this work without you. When we hold these
babies, we know it is your arms too that hold them. It is your love that cares for them. It is you who help us diaper and feed and cuddle them. It is beyond thrilling to see how God’s immeasurable Grace has touched the hearts of His people to help in this incredible work. We are thankful. That is great helpers Kent and Joan Smith from Fort Worth, TX below.
I am so thankful that we have been privileged to administer God’s grace to the 118 babies who have been helped by Neema Village over the past four years.
We thank God we were there for the little identical twins, Aneth and Alice above, abandoned by their mother and father and who came to Neema just a few weeks ago. The nannies keep fingernail polish on one of them to tell them apart!
I’m eternally grateful that our daughter Bekah (pictured below) is there helping with the medical needs of the babies, taking them to the doctor, checking their daily meds and making their charts.
And for our incredible staff of 43 Tanzanians, I just cannot say enough about these hard-working men and women. And I am grateful that a young family from Searcy, Arkansas, Jonathon and Whitney Striclyn (Pictured below with their new baby) have applied and been accepted by the board to come next year to handle the spiritual needs of Neema.
If you are having trouble giving thanks this year remember he didn’t say we have to feel thankful in every circumstances only to give thanks and it is not hypocritical to give thanks when you don’t feel thankful. It is faith to give thanks when you feel nothing.