God is a good Father – always. There is no distinction between the God of Canada and the God of Kenya, He is the same God and yet there is a unique vibrant fullness within the singing of the children at HopeCC. Though they come from a past of poverty, of abandonment and abuse, their hearts are full of the love of their heavenly Father. Such joy! When I asked them what the most special time of the day was for them, they replied – ‘the singing!’. The younger children’s favourite song was ‘You Lift Me Up’ and it sounded glorious as it echoed throughout the building. Singing fills the heart with huge emotion and it certainly filled mine. From the young children to the adult teachers, their hearts unite in unison, expressing the goodness of their Father. It fills my heart with His Presence.
It is a long trip to Kenya and yet it is worth every travelling hour when our ears are filled with the excitement of the children singing as we enter the gate of HopeCC. We settle into our rooms in the baby dorm and try to adjust to having our time zone turned upside down. In the morning, the children’s laughter and talking wake us into participating in the new day. There is beautiful sunshine in the clear morning sky. Though there is much vegetation and trees in this area, the ground is crying for rain. The day sun is hot yet the night can get frosty cold. We distributed the pajamas that we brought along for the smaller children. They are full of giggles.
It is evident that God is their Provider as we view the second floor of the new primary school being prepped for the continuing placement of the stone walls of the three storey building. Mama Lucy is dreaming of it being completed by the end of the year. Their existing primary school has dirt floors and tin roofs so this new school will be a great advantage for the learning of the students. We drove out to Mama Lucy’s grandmother’s land and viewed the acres of land with eleven laborers digging up the plentiful potato harvest. We stopped and thanked God for the heaped pile of potatoes this field produced while many neighboring fields had yielded few potatoes. The children enjoy potatoes in their meal menu along with beans, cabbage, maize, and onions. Their plates are piled high with food giving them the nourishment that is needed in giving them strength mentally and physically. Thank you to Ralph and Peter who contribute monthly for food.
It is so exciting to watch the babies grow into little people. Though Mama Lucy has not gotten any newborns from the hospital lately, there were several babies who were new to me. It is wonderful to see their smiles light up their faces. It has been quite the process over the last year to acquire efficiency within the baby nursery. A head nanny was lacking but now a young lady, Rebecca who grew up at HopeCC and just finished her teacher’s degree, will take over the role as head nanny. She loves the Lord and loves the babies. Her teaching skills will equip her to manage the baby nursery. Please pray for her. Mama Lucy’s passion is focussed on rescuing abandoned babies for there are many abandoned babies in the hospitals, waiting for a place to call ‘home’. We are anticipating that this big family of HopeCC will grow bigger with the addition of many new babies this year. God has a plan for each one.
It is always very enjoyable to hold seminars with the high school students, discussing how God speaks to us and how we hear God speaking. They are hungry to learn and grow in their understanding of who God is. The older girls spent time with us by asking various questions such as how to be able to study better, how to deal with temptation, do our children have manners, if there is drug addiction in Canada, etc. They thanked us for teaching them new info but it was us that learned a lot from them.
The three ladies that came with me were a great support in playing with the children, giving devotional thoughts, serving food to the children and taking care of babies. Their giftedness of fundraising will be a huge gift to HopeCC and also every person who would love to be involved in supporting this amazing big family. They will promote the support of HopeCC by fundraising for the ongoing need of food and the medical care of the babies as well as the financing of the building of the primary school. Mama Lucy is working hard not just in managing HopeCC but also doing various bookkeeping jobs that she does on the side in order to supplement the incoming donations. She is determined that God will continue to supply all of HopeCC’s financial needs. Her unwavering trust in God inspires me to trust God more in my own life. We in Canada may be rich in resources but HopeCC is RICH in the ‘knowing’ that God is faithful and is trustworthy. We belong to the same God and we each have our part in serving our God. What is your part in bringing God glory? Do it well, with all our might – with a song of praise in our hearts! Most sincerely, Irene Hamm