Why We Do What We Do

14 April 2010 “Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.” ~James 1:27 (CEV)~
“Who is that baby?” “Why do we have that baby?” “What happened to her mommy and daddy?” “Why did they leave her?” These are just a few of the questions that my 4-year-old twin sons asked me yesterday evening in the car. We were on our way home from a trip to the beach and were called to pick up a baby who had been abandoned. When we picked up 6-week-old Mercy (a chubby-cheeked, curly-headed cherub of a baby), it sparked many questions in my boys. These are complicated questions that are not easy questions to answer even from an adult perspective, so I found myself struggling to explain things in a way that 4-year-olds might be able to understand. At the end of it all, the toddlers made more sense of it than I could ever have done. “God doesn’t like it for babies to be left alone on the ground,” said Gifton. To which Solomon added, “Who’s gonna take care of her? Someone’s GOTTA take care of her.”
That’s pretty much it. That’s why we do what we do, why AGC Baby Centre exists—because God doesn’t like for babies to be left alone and someone’s “gotta” take care of them. So as the sun was setting yesterday evening, we welcomed little Mercy into AGC Baby Centre…and hopefully my boys learned a little bit about “pleasing God” and “not letting the world make them evil”.
We’re thankful we’re not alone in this endeavor to care for vulnerable children. We’re thankful for the families who come to care for orphans in need in a very personal way by welcoming them into a family. Mercy was able to come home with us because Joshua went home with his new mommy & daddy just a few days ago! We’re also thankful for people like you who pray, give, encourage, and even come to spend time with us. Today at AGC Baby Centre, we remain full with 36 precious little ones in our care. Thank you for pleasing God through your part in His ministry to orphans! Thank you for making it possible for these ones to receive His love and care!
With gratitude,
Staci Keter
Director

Out of Africa!

We arrived home yesterday evening from Kenya. An amazing group of students ministered for one week at the baby center. We were able to see a clear move of God through the lives of the little ones who have been rescued. Our newest baby, Moses, has gained over 1 kg in two weeks! Also through the work the church is doing in Salgaa. Because of their continuing love and presence in this community, when our youth team came and ministered, many responded to God's message with hearts broken and a desire to change. We were part of the many celebrations of Margie Helmuth, a missionary from NMC who has served in Kenya for the last 3 years. She is leaving from home next week. We saw that obedience to God's call can make a difference in the lives of people half way around the world! We were also able to see God working in the hearts of many Maasai. It was such a joy to see traditional Maasai living in rural Kenya, respond to God's message of love and forgiveness. A highlight was when the chief spoke and said although he was not a born again Christian, he could see the difference in the communities where many were receiving Christ. He noticed lower crime, stronger families and greater joy. It was a busy and exhausting week, but we were so blessed to be able to witness what God is doing in Kenya!

2010 03 Kenya Team Picture

Front Row: Janelle Prenkert, Kristin , Sydney Koontz, Amanda Yoder, Kaitlyn McFarland
Back Row: Cody Cline, Nick Berkey, Derry Prenkert, Kayla Koontz, Jamie Lengacher, Brittany Lengacher, Tim Berkey, Brant Nine

Having very little time to be on the computer, I will direct you to Pastor Derry's blog: www.derryprenkert.blogspot.com. He has updated often.