Looking back and praising God

The following is an article written for the July 2008 NMC newsletter. It is fun to go back to the beginning and see how God has lead us thru this project. Very soon we will deliver our first load of our own water to the baby center! I would encourage you to click on the water project label on the right to see this journey.

June 2008 - Water was a big deal to Jesus. In fact his first miracle involved turning water into wine at a wedding feast. He walked on it to teach his disciples about faith. He offered “Living Water” to the woman at the well. The Old Testament is also filled with miracles involving water. And followers of Jesus continue to be baptized by water to this day.

Water is also a big deal to the baby center. They use it to bathe the babies, to wash their clothes and diapers, to cook their food and to satisfy their thirst. Yet there is no water to be found on the baby center property. We continue to pray that God would miraculously fill the well that has been dug. Until then, all of the water is trucked in daily from nearby Nakuru. The team members who were there during the riots in December can tell you, not receiving that daily shipment is a BIG DEAL! Quickly it can become a serious situation when the trucks are unable to deliver. It is also a significant expense to the baby center to purchase the water. Because of this, several NMC’ers (Verle Hochstetler, Bernie Lambright, Dan Jacobs and Jamie Lengacher) have been working to come up with an alternate solution. Property about 7 km from the baby center is available for purchase. This property has a viable well. The plan is for the baby center to purchase this property as well as a tractor and tank. The center can then provide all of the water they need from their own source. Not only would this save them the cost of purchasing water, it might also become a source of income for them. They could possibly sell extra water to the surrounding community. They might also be able to rent out their tractor and driver to surrounding farmers. These plans continue to be finalized but all of those involved are excited about the possibilities. When Chuck Christner and Steve Cross from New Life heard about the project they wanted their church to become involved also. New Life Church has committed a significant amount of money towards the purchase of the tractor which is one of the biggest expenses in this project. Anyone who is interested in learning more about how they can help provide water for the babies can contact any of the men above for more information. The biggest obstacle to adding more babies to the baby center family is being able to provide for their needs. Just think how many more babies can be saved by solving the water situation!

The baby center is now at 27 babies. Baby Mary W. went home with her adopted Kenyan mother during the second week in June. Everyone will miss her beautiful smile and sparkling eyes but rejoices that she has found her own family. We were deeply saddened to hear that Baby Moses Kiptoo, who came to the baby center earlier this year, went home to be with Jesus on June 17, 2008. When he came to the center, they became aware he had a heart problem. The cardiologist felt it was something he would outgrow. Earlier this month though he became very sick and was admitted to the hospital. He seemed to improve but then took a turn for the worse. After many prayers, God chose to heal him completely in heaven. This is the second baby lost in less than a year at the center. Baby Moses will be buried next to Baby Abigail on the baby center farm. Please continue to pray for Staci and the staff as they grieve. And continue to pray for this ministry as they work to provide health and a home to the smallest and most vulnerable of God’s children in Kenya.

“Brothers, we do not want you to…grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” Thessalonians 4:13