Beloved,
We are sending warm greetings to
all of you from hot Mombasa. We would like to thank for your prayers, support and words of encouragement. Without your participation we would not be in the place we are today. God is really awesome because it is Him who moves hearts of people, including yourselves. We bless you, your families and workplaces.
A few words from us.
Thanks to God’s grace, the first term ended and after two weeks of
break a new term has recently started. During the first term we organized a
meeting with older girls aimed to describe God’s love, and differences between
love and lust. Here girls often do not have other opportunities and are given
into marriage too early to remove financial burden from their parents. In most
of cases they do not experience love in their homes, therefore they search for
acceptance of the opposite sex. However it is not the right way. We want to
educate this young generation and make them aware that they are chosen and
loved by God who has a PERFECT plan for their lives regardless of their gender.
During this time we hosted a married couple from
Poland, a living example and testimony for us and children from our school. We
would like to express our gratitude towards Lusia and Alek for the time they
spent and the impact they made.
From the
beginning of the term at the end of January we initiated a construction of
another classroom for the Junior Secondary School. We equipped the laboratory
with necessary tools and chemical products. We also bought sets of books for
our students. We decided to increase the number of sewing machines as our dream
is to enable our students to gain practical skills. We hope this is the first
step in that direction. Most of children in Hademu complete only primary
education and have no skills or profession.
Ability to work using sewing machines opens to
many a window to better future. There may be excellent tailors or fashion
designers among our students. Time will only show... Last weekend we opened a
tailoring class. Quite many children came on Saturday to learn new skills.
Children
finished first term in the end of April and had two weeks of holidays. This
time was also busy as we hosted a group of seven volunteers from Poland who
came to provide Bible-art classes for our children. Although holiday break was
short, children came to school with great enthusiasm and a lot of smiles to
learn and study the Word of God. This time, the prayer was the leading topic.
Children learned what prayer is, how, where and when to pray. We all had the
opportunity to listen to some testimonies related to answered prayers.
As the
rainy season has started and it rains nearly every day, at the end of classes
all children received an umbrella. When it is raining, children usually leave
the school as it is difficult for them to come to school. Children come from
different villages and some of them walk many kilometers. With umbrellas in
their hands no rain will stop them from attending the school anymore.
We are grateful for this time, for our brothers
and sisters who sacrificed their resources and time to share love of Christ in
such a distant place. Everyone experienced something unusual and learned something
new during their stay here.
We would like to share a short testimony of one
of the pastors who visited us for the first time.
- “I had the opportunity to participate in the
missionary trip to the Light of the Word school in Hademu, Kenya at the turn of
April and May 2023. Our Polish group consisted of seven people and everyone
except for me visited Hademu at least once before, only I was coming for the
first time. The children had two-week holiday break during which the Bible
study program was organized for them.
Around 100 children participated in the program. The lessons were conducted in English with a prominent help of Kenyan teachers translating us in case of need into the local language. The theme of the lessons was the Lord's Prayer, the children were learning the text of the prayer by heart and understanding its message better. There was a lot of singing, handicraft and fun activities. The children eagerly participated in all activities, were attentive and quick learners.
During our stay we had the opportunity to walk around the school and
visit some families. Official meetings with parents of the children were also
held and a few dozen of parents, mostly women, participated. We could share the
Word of God, some testimonies and also encouraged parents to invest in further
education of their children.
On the last day each group of students presented a biblical scene prepared for this very occasion. That was a lot of joy for everyone. The trip made me realize that in current world several people are living in very poor conditions, in small clay homes without windows, electricity, running water and sewage system. Water is taken from a few nearby ponds. It is dirty and polluted and during dry seasons quickly evaporates. Livestock without water is getting sick and dies, sowing and harvesting is not possible. Several homes do not have tanks to collect water. However, even great rainwater supply is not enough for the entire dry season. Droughts are becoming more common in the region during climate changes over the last few decades. For some children the meal they receive at school is the only one they have during the day.
I am impressed by the ministry of Henry and Mirka Kalume who erected the school, and Samuel and Magda Kombe who support them. The school is big, pretty, well-organized and equipped. I am also pleased to see a great commitment of many individuals and organizations in Poland in the support of the school. I encourage you to pray for this wonderful ministry of the Lord, but also support it financially to enable children's education and food supply. Finances are also needed to expand the school and its facilities. The most urgent need however is an investment into the desalination system for water gained from the well. It will allow its use for food purposes as well as for watering green crops areas and crops." - pastor Pawel Kugler.
We hope it is an encouragement for you. Every person will find an opportunity to support the mission. We are all gifted in one way or another, there are no better or worse disciples. The most important thing is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and follow His voice.
"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free. For in fact the body is not one member but many. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you". No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually".
1 Corinthians 12, 12-31
Greetings,
Mirka and Henry Kalume
