All Your Children Gather

 

 17           Your children hasten back,
                    and those who laid you waste depart from you.
18            Lift up your eyes and look around; 
                    all your children gather and come to you.
                As surely as I live,” declares the Lord,
                  “you will wear them all as ornaments;
                   you will put them on, like a bride.

 19           Though you were ruined and made desolate
                    and your land laid waste,
                 now you will be too small for your people,
                     and those who devoured you will be far away. (Isaiah 49:17-19, NIV)

Today Neil and Francis began meeting with our ROCK (Reach Out to the Children of Kenya) children and conducting the annual interviews. They take new pictures, and tell Neil what has been happening in their lives. Neil collects their school records, and makes sure we have their birth dates, correct spellings of their names, and the names of their parents. Most of the children have lost one or both parents. They are all destitute. Some have been abandoned by their parents and are living with a grandparent or a kind person in the village who is willing to take them in. Neil and Francis pray for them during the interviews. Outfitters for Adventure provides some support for the care of the child to help purchase food, clothing, and pay school fees. Neil brings all the stories, pictures, and documents home, and I write their stories and send them to their ROCK sponsors in the USA. 

There are currently 46 children who are being sponsored. Neil will interview each of them and their caregivers, and then about 20 to 30 children and caregivers who are hoping to be added to ROCK. The children in the above picture are not our ROCK children. They are school children. Neil has become a friend of the headmaster of the school over the years. The picture was taken a few years ago when Neil asked the children to smile and send me a greeting by waving to the camera. If you are familiar with our story of how Neil and I lost 2 children because I could not carry them to full-term, you will appreciate the opening passage from Isaiah. In many ways God has allowed us to be dad and mom to many, many children around the world during our years of ministry. Some we meet as infants, and others as adults. Even the men in our prison ministry referred to me as "Mama Ruth". 

A ROCK sponsorship is $25/month or $300/year per child. For the first time since we began ROCK in 2004, we actually have had more sponsors than ROCK children for a few months, but that will flip around again as soon as Neil comes home. The surplus in sponsors happened in mid-2021 when the churches were reorganized, and some of the caregivers were in churches that were no longer working with ROCK. There were already several new children brought to Neil today who are applying for a ROCK sponsorship. If a child is a street urchin without support, or if a needy family is unable through sickness or infirmity to provide basic needs, we will try to put them on ROCK support. Please pray for Neil to have discernment to determine who the truly needy children are.

Neil was really tuckered out after all the interviews today, and then there was the meeting at the church. Hellen who is hosting the meetings for a few days brought her group of HIV/AIDS people up front to share their testimonies of how God has been helping them. Neil preached on overcoming alcoholism and prayed for people to be set free from the demon of addiction after the service. One person who has really struggled with drinking vowed he would never drink again. Please pray for those who are struggling to actually turn the corner and never return to drinking. They really need a breakthrough with God's help to help them follow through with their determination.

Two more people gave their lives to Jesus. Worship continued on long after the people had been dismissed from the meeting. Finally Francis had to shut down the sound system which was running off the generator, to be sure the generator would have enough gas for the rest of the meetings that have really just begun. Francis sent me a short video clip of the children dancing as the lead singer danced and sang with them. Neil said even after the music was turned off, conversations continued on into the night as Neil was drifting off to sleep. He assured me that he does sleep well now that they are in cooler country. Please pray that the gas holds out for the generator and that they will find gas to travel to the border of Tanzania and back again to Nairobi.

The food has also been rather delicious this year. There are fresh fruits and one of Hellen's daughters is a fish monger bringing fresh fish daily from Lake Victoria. Today they had tilapia, which is a delicacy here in the states. Neil had brought along instant coffee, but he was running out after sharing it with friends along the way. Today Hellen's daughter brought another jar of instant coffee for Neil. God has been taking care of even the little details. I don't think Neil had even thought to pray about that, because there is always tea when the coffee runs out. There are tea plantations in the area where he is now. One prayer that seems to be answered is Neil's tummy. It has settled down. I am also sleeping better again. Thank you, Jesus!

Another detail God seems to be taking care of for Neil is our weather here at home. Neil loves to garden -- especially the planting in the spring. When his trip was delayed because of COVID rules until into April this year, Neil was sad to be leaving his garden behind. But I have assured him we are not planting yet -- not even close. I hope and pray that for all of you who will be celebrating Easter together on the 17th, the Easter weekend will be glorious in every way!

Love,

Ruth