May 20, 2024

We’re Home! It is always exciting to get back and see the new babies and moms who have come to Neema Village while we were gone.

Angel tells me we have 57 babies at Neema Village right now, with four tiny ones in isolation and all are orphaned, abandoned or at risk babies.

There are 16 moms in MAP Housing today, a bit over crowded but they are a great support for each other. We have 10 rooms and two moms can live in each room. These moms have been abandoned and abused with no hope and at Neema with the love of Christ they are finding Hope again.

Aren’t they beautiful in their new jean jackets? A Big Thank You to all the women in Texas and Oklahoma who donated their jean jackets to our MAP moms.

Do you remember Joari, the 15 year old girl that was supporting 5 people by working the streets and living in a lean-to shack a couple of years ago? The Christian Chronicle wrote a story about her. Yes that is Joari in the middle in the photo above. She is still too young to start a business but after a rough start she has become a Christian and is singing with the other girls at church. It is amazing to see a life changed like this!

If you remember this was the house, above, where we went with Erik Tryggestad to pick up Joari and bring her little family to Neema.

While we were in the States the water well drilling was going great. Scott Lockett you are awesome!!

Scott writes: This is a photo taken by Francois Uzale of the villagers at Simanjiro Village outside of Arusha getting water from their new well. They have installed a pump and are testing the water flow. It has to pump thousands of gallons before it completely clears up! You can tell they are eager for good clean water. Trust me this water is much cleaner than they usually get!! This is going to provide a major boost to their lives — by reducing the hundreds of hours spent collecting water.

We have a new baby, a Jersey bull which the staff has named Mr. Scott, I thought Pot Roast would be a good name but they chose Mr. Scott.

And another new baby came to Neema last week. His name is Johana and his mom died from an infection from childbirth out in a dusty Maasai village where there is no medical care. The first thing we teach our traditional birthers in the Save The Mothers classes is bring the moms in to the hospital please but the moms always prefer to birth at home. It is so sad that this little one will never know his mommy

Thank you to Kim White for all the hard work directing Neema Village while we were gone. If you have been at Neema with Kim you will know how phenomenal she is. And thank you to Saint Bruce White who supports her to come and direct Neema! I will leave you with this happy video of Lightness directing singing at church last Sunday. This amazing little girl has Spina Bifada but that does not stop her!!

May God’s Face shine upon you and give you peace.

Love, Michael and Dorris Fortson