Sudan Orphanage Update

Construction has begun of our newest childrens's home in Southern Sudan. Parents have been hired, and orphans are eagerly awaiting moving into new homes. All of the orphans at this facility were born during the war, and children have lost their parents to the war. These kids have this far spent their lives either on the run or in refugee camps.

A team is going to Sudan in April and will bring back some pictures.

During the construction of the school, additional classrooms will also be built at the adjacent school.

Please join us in praying that the construction is completed before the rains return.

Ilula Directors' Update | February 2007 (Exerpts)

Rift Valley Fever

• In January, there was a scare from Rift Valley Fever, a disease carried by cows. The government has things under control, but for safety, our children are still not given any beef.

New Vehicle

• A donor blessed us with the gift of a much-needed new vehicle for the children's home. The children sang songs of praise and dance with joy when the vehicle was donated.

Dairy and Kitchen Garden

• The dairy cow, Nokia, calved a healthy heifer that is giving us up to 25 litres of milk per day. Our children now drink 30 litres of milk per day.
• This month, we planted 6 varieties of banana trees as well as some avocado, orange and mango trees.

Visitors

• Michael and Emi visited us. This California couple took video clip and photos and did interviews with the children and staff.
• A team from a nearby orphanage came for a 2-day training on orphanage management and childcare. Their goal is to bring all their staff to our home for training.
• A nearby church group visited the children and brought two bags of maize. They talked to the children and prayed for them.
• We also had another group of visitors who are interested in starting an orphanage. They were impressed with the work God is doing in our midst and gave us a donation of Kshs. 2,000 for food to the kids.
• NewSong team visited from California. They had a great time with the kids and conducted training for the parents. We all appreciated their visit. The team brought mail from sponsors and took with them reply letters from the children to be mailed from the US office to individual sponsors.

Housekeeping

• We've had trouble with the roof of the gazebo on the east side. It's been leaking, causing the East Wing families to have to eat in our kitchen. Supporters sent a gift to replace the roof. The children are excited to be back in their own gazebo for meals and devotions.

School

• The children recently took their mid-term exams--their first exam in their new grades. They all did very well.

Spirituality

• The older children have been assisting parents with conducting evening devotions and leading songs in Sunday school classes. Some are able to share from Scripture and encourage others.
• Men’s fellowship is on Tuesdays. The orphanage mom’s prayer group still meets on Mondays, while Bible study meetings with assistant parents are done on Tuesdays. God is moving and blessing staff as well as the children.
  

Beautiful pictures of our kids

Photographers Michael and Emi Heddens recently visited Kenya and took breathtakingly beautiful pictures of our children.

Visit their blog to see some of their photos.

The kids continue stealing visitors' hearts

A team from NewSong Church in San Dimas, California, recently visited both of ELI's bases in Kenya. Here's an excerpt from their closing entry:

We are going to miss their infectious laughter and precious little smiles. Each night, Daren has led them in a few songs that they have come to enjoy... "Noah's Ark" and "Waddley Acha". We wish you could share in their sheer glee, as they laugh hysterically at the goofy faces and animal noises. It is impossible to escape the grasp of them stealing our hearts.

Ilula has shown us the success that the children's homes are having in raising up intelligent, beautiful kids who will undoubtedly impact the future of Kenya. Each child has a their individual dream according to their giftings... some desire to become a pilot, a nurse, a doctor, an engineer, a farmer, a politician, or some other wonderful career. We are confident they will succeed in reaching their goals. Even the young ones seem to know what they want to do and are making tremendous strides in that direction.

Read more about the NewSong team's experience.