Update from the Director - Nathan and Joel

28 June 2010 “…He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep….The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore”. ~Psalm 121:3-4, 7-8~
Baby Nathan was not a surprise for us. We knew on Friday that we were to receive him today, and things went just as planned. We welcomed this tiny, healthy 3-week- old baby boy, and he is settling in easily to the love and food and care at AGC Baby Centre. He seems to be taking Jesus at His word and is giving Him many opportunities to watch over him while he sleeps. 
Just as Nathan was arriving at Baby Centre, I was receiving a phone call that there was another baby in town who needed a safe place. We were surprised today to receive baby Joel—a big boy around 9 or 10 months old. We were also surprised to find him extremely clean, in very good health, and with excellent social skills, all of which led us to wonder if perhaps he is more lost than abandoned. During the afternoon, he played a bit with toys, but as nighttime began settling in, Joel began to struggle. It seems it was also a surprise to Joel to find himself surrounded by strangers and out of his routine for going to bed. As I rocked this precious boy who is almost the same age as my own daughter, I wondered if there is a mother somewhere who is missing her son as much as he apparently is missing her. And one more time, my heart was torn up by what the fallen-ness of the world can do to a precious life.
Tonight as all 42 precious babies are laying down their heads and preparing for slumber, there is one among them who is finding sleep to be difficult. As we struggle with Joel and feel his pain, we take comfort from the God who watches over our lives, the God who will keep us from harm, the God who will not sleep the whole night through just to make sure that He has planned our coming and going. Some part of me is praying that while we slumber, the same God who planned Joel and Nathan’s coming here will do a miracle in planning Joel’s going—that maybe the mama he apparently loves so much will be able to trace where he has gone so that they can be reunited. That’s my human will, I know, but no matter what the outcome, I must entrust the lives of Joel and Nathan into the hands of the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps. I can do that, because I know that He watches over our lives and doesn’t want to bring us to harm. Pray with us now that while we slumber, God is able to bring peace and rest to Joel’s life. Pray that we ourselves allow Him to do the same in our lives.
Able to sleep because He doesn’t,
Staci Keter
Director

Standing in Awe

25 June 2010 “When they see among them their children, the work of My hands, they will keep My name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.” ~Isaiah 29:23~
As our staff gathered for prayer today to send Jessica home with her new mommy and daddy, we realized that so many things were familiar—the joy we felt that she was getting to go home, the tears as we said good-bye, the awe at what God had done in redeeming a child’s life and then blessing that child with a family. All these thoughts and more seem familiar to us now as we see children going home.
But today there was something even more familiar—the parents. Just 18 months ago, we were gathered on the same playground with many of the same staff and the same parents as they were taking Daniel K. home from AGC Baby Centre. What an amazing thing Jesus has done in the lives of these children! Jessica doesn’t just get a new mom and dad. She also gets a new big brother—and not just any big brother, but one who comes from the same place she does. Daniel and Jessica get to grow up sharing love and support and family and a connection deeper than any of us will probably ever realize. I stand in awe of the God who does things like this! To see the lives of these children and all He has done for them—it’s so clearly something that could only be done by the work of His hands!
Praise Jesus with us today for all His children among us and how each one displays the work of His hands. We are in awe! More importantly, may our awareness of Him and His working drive us to humility and holiness—that He may be glorified through our lives the same way He is glorified through these children’s lives.
In awe of Jesus,
Staci Keter
Director

Dedicated to the Lord

Twenty one of our babies were dedicated to the Lord at a recent church service. Dr. Robert L'angat, Chairman of the baby center board, shared yesterday while visiting Nappanee Missionary Church that these dedications really touch him. He said "These children have no mother or father to dedicate them, so caregivers, church and board members "fill in" to be their parent at the dedication". The babies are presented to the Lord and as representatives of the Baby Center, we are dedicating them to God and trusting their future to Him. Our hearts cry out for a home for these little ones, but no matter what the future brings for each of these precious children, we will continue to trust God that He knows what is best for them. Cason and Colleen posted these pictures on their blog on June 13th.

Precious in His Sight

11 June 2010 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you….Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.” ~Isaiah 43:2, 4~
As the week draws to a close here at AGC Baby Centre, my heart is full of many different emotions. This week baby Sammy was able to go back home to some family that was found. We are happy that he can be where he is supposed to be. We are thrilled for the opportunity we had to be a part of his life for these past few months! I am continually overwhelmed at the privilege of touching these lives—and letting them touch mine—and cannot thank God enough for that honor.
Yesterday, we received baby Precious. She is a tiny and, yes, very precious, 3-day old baby girl who has had quite the rough start in life. She was rescued from a pit latrine on her birthday and has a number of health problems as a result of that. In my heart, I have struggled with her situation. Today I stood over her crib, watching her sleep peacefully, and thinking how much she deserved that rest. I wept as I imagined her floating there in the midst of that waste, thrown out as if she, too, were waste. My heart rose up in desperate prayer that her body can be made whole, and especially that she will grow up knowing the depth of God’s love for her and how truly precious she is in His sight. I don’t know what “exchange” happened in the realm of the Kingdom of God so that her life was saved, but as I looked at her, I was so thankful that God redeemed her life and she was not overwhelmed by those waters!
Today, please send up a special prayer for baby Precious—that neither her body nor soul will bear any lasting effects from the trauma of her first days. Thank God that what He has done for Precious, he has also done for each one of us in redeeming our lives from the pit of sin, just because we are precious and honored in His sight, and because He loves us!
With a full heart,
Staci Keter
Director

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.

Those Who Cannot Speak

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute….defend the rights of the poor and needy.” ~Proverbs 31:8-9~
Normally our updates are full of photos of smiling, chubby-cheeked babies. We love those kinds of photos. They are fun and joyful and make us smile back. They remind us of the reason we are here. Today I don’t have a photo of a smiling baby to send. But this photo reminds us even more of the reason that we are here.
Moses Kibet (yes, he’s our second Moses Kibet) arrived from a town a few hours away. A children’s officer phoned to say there was a baby who had been abandoned and was in need, so we said, “Bring him.” We are so glad that we did. Moses is approximately 4 months old, but weighs only 3.5kgs. He is very malnourished and in great need of some good food and loving care. Little Moses has arrived to us truly “destitute,” and we pray that Jesus will enable us to provide for him all that is his right as a child—good food, a warm bed, some happy play time, and especially loving care.
So as the day draws to a close here at AGC Baby Centre, we are full once more—36 precious little lives in our hands. Each child has the right to be cared for, to be loved. For those of you who are partners with AGC Baby Centre, THANK YOU for defending the rights of Moses (and others like him). THANK YOU for speaking up for them through your prayers, your giving, your encouragement, your work for us!
On behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves,
Staci Keter

He Does All Things Well!

We just received this news from the director of the baby center. The October NMC team was concerned about Elijah and many have been praying here in America as well!

18 March 2010

“People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well,‟ they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.‟. ~Mark 7:37~

I often tell people that if you want to learn very many things about God and His Kingdom, then you should spend some time with us at AGC Baby Centre. It is not that we are especially holy people—no more so than any other followers of Christ. It’s not that we are more schooled in theology or have known more than the average Christian. It’s just that God is daily doing things here in and through the lives of these children that cannot be explained any other way apart from His working. And so it is that on many days the veil is pulled back, and we get to see a glimpse of the reality of how His Kingdom is to be.
One such case that has happened recently is the healing of our Elijah. Our medical staff here were quite certain that Elijah was deaf. In fact, Elijah was deaf. He didn’t respond to any noise in the way that babies do. Hand clapping, key jingling, even loud construction noises that would startle every other baby here—those would bring absolutely no response from Elijah. Our staff began to pray. Just a few weeks ago, Elijah started responding to noise, and even now answers to the calling of his name! We simply asked for healing in the name of Jesus, and He did it! Some people may say, “Maybe he was never really deaf. Maybe he just wasn’t responding at the time.” But we will not steal the Lord’s glory by explaining it away as something else. We prayed, the Lord did a miracle, and we praise Him!
We have seen a very personal testimony that “He even makes the deaf hear.” We ask that you join us in thanksgiving for Elijah’s healing and also that you join us in prayer for another baby. After several attempts at testing, we have seen that baby Grace is not hearing at all. Will you join us in prayer for her? We ask for healing, but whether or not her hearing is restored, we pray that her life will be guarded and her soul preserved for the One who does everything well.
Trusting in the One who does everything well,
Staci Keter
Director
e-mail: director@agcbabycenter.org
Thanks to Cason and Colleen Wittig and Kristy Mikel for the pictures of Elijah and Grace!

A Princess Finds a Home!

10 March 2010
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light.” ~1 Peter 2:9~
Yesterday our Sarah went home. The name Sarah means “princess” and couldn’t be more appropriate for her. She is such a special girl—bright, outgoing, and beautiful. She has been so excited since her mother first came for bonding—telling everyone that she is leaving. She has really felt like royalty the last few days of preparing to go home, knowing that she was chosen and is loved by her new mommy.
We believe that Sarah and all our other babies deserve to feel special and loved, to know that they are “royal” and “chosen.” We have seen testimony after testimony of children being brought out of the darkness of sickness, abandonment, desperation and being brought into the light of the love of Jesus through His healing and through the work of His people here who care for them.
As you think of AGC Baby Centre today and celebrate with Sarah, also pray for our other babies who deserve to be chosen and loved by a family. Pray that in the midst of the waiting, they will feel the love of the Father and know that they are already chosen to be His, that they belong to Him. And thank God today that even you are chosen and loved by Him!
Resting the Truth that we belong,
Staci Keter
Director
e-mail: director@agcbabycenter.org
Thanks Erika for the picture!