COMMUNITY COMPUTER CLASSES REJOICE!

We thank God for our community computer class leaders: Don, Vincent, Judith, Erick, Derrick and Oscar. Our second round of courses commences to great joy. Our first course went out with a celebration. 

THANK YOU DONORS FOR MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE!

 

see our article on the September Newsletter here:

http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=2fe266983916c7faed90ae038&id=fb67407f82&e

 

Donate today and help us keep that building growing and supplied with electricity and ink!

 

http://www.tgdonline.com/TGDCart.aspx

 

Even a gift of $20 can go a long way!

100% of your donation goes to Kenya.

Click and give today--and WE THANK YOU!

God bless you.

new news

I am so excited. Seriously thankful to God. I made a new newsletter! new news. yep.

i used mailchimp. i created a "campaign" for TGD. ha! and i linked it to facebook and twitter. i don't know any HTML, so there were some challenges. But God saw me through.

it will automatically go out on Friday morning to 112 people. AND people can unsubscribe. PLUS I will NOT lose this distribution list because it resides with MAILCHIMP, so let's pray it is Stephanie-proof.

I'm so thrilled. I hope people enjoy the effort. I want to be able to get news out there in an engaging way. We are not trying to bore people to death with our loves and concerns. Rather, I hope to create community amongst us as we join as a family. God's family loving one another. Jesus said that would be the sign that we are really His.

I love to love him.

Pray for yourself, pray for us.

Here is our prayer we've included on www.TGDonline.com which you can read aloud, praying as you go before the Father in the name of Jesus, and you will cover yourselves and your loved ones as well. Will you give us five minutes of your time?.........God bless you and Thank you.

God bless those who pray for us.
We have made it easy.
You can just read out loud and in agreement with us, in Jesus’ name.
We come before the Throne of Grace to receive mercy in our time of need:

---

1. PRAYING for Trinity Global Development staff,
guardians, children, sponsors, donors, family and
friends, praying in the name of Jesus:

• Lord, strengthen the spiritual walk of each individual. Thank You that they seek to glorify God in everything they do and they act with integrity, openness, and humbleness, in Jesus’ name. May their love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so they may discern what is best and be pure and blameless until Your coming. Thank you for wisdom and health.
• Thank you, Lord, for the strength to accomplish the many things for which they are responsible and guidance in handling difficult situations that there may be peace. Guard marriages and families and lives. Provide necessities. We ask for unity

2. For Cornerstone Ministries Family and Donors:

• Lord, give the leaders, pastors and their families grace and mercy as they minister in Your name and for Your glory. Strengthen them and provide for them. Guide them and reveal Yourself. Give them a fresh Word to share with the people that touches hearts and restores lives.
• Thank You, Lord, for bringing salvation to the villages and surrounding areas of ministry.
• We break every assignment of the enemy off of them by the name and power of Jesus. May no weapon formed against them prosper and every tongue that rises against them be refuted.
• Thank You Lord that You open the hearts of the people; work mightily to bring people to Yourself for Your glory; Thank You for the continued growth of the believers; We ask that churches would be planted and missionaries from those groups to be sent out to other groups.

3. For Guardians, Children and their Loved Ones:

• Lord, we lift up our families in Western Kenya and ask you to protect them and provide for them. Reveal Yourself and comfort them and heal them.
• We thank You for moving in the lives of our children and these homes that they could benefit fully from their sponsorship and their education. We pray you prepare them jobs now and for the future that they may all dwell in the land and prosper, in Jesus name.
• We ask that You would build the children and families and homes up in Christ that they may love You forever and be blessed in their time on earth, in Jesus name.

4. Schools, villages and communities of our staff, donors, and sponsored children’s homes:

• May we and our children be a light in the community and may we draw others to Christ, in Jesus name.
• Lord, we ask for good crops, hard workers, plentiful marketplace and joy in the land, in Jesus name. We ask for justice and mercy to roll and for You to be exalted, bringing peace and love, in Jesus name. Bring health and prosperity and salvation!

5. For the Donors and their families

• Thank You Lord for establishing people who are called to support others in a generous fashion and bless them for their obedience, in Jesus name. We ask for provision and protection for them and their loved ones, in Jesus name (and all enemies.) We ask that you continue to inspire them to love and pray for those so far away. Reveal Yourself, Jesus, and give them courage, as well as diligence. Thank you for helping in details like setting up payments, mailing letters or checks, doing taxes and taking or sending pictures. Thank You for new and continuing donors who have a vision for what You are doing in Western Kenya and China and India. May they give abundantly and may every penny be used for Your glory and in a proper way. Guard all funds, in Jesus name.

6. For all of us and those who pray:

• May the eyes of our heart be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which You have called us, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in the saints and Your incomparably great power for those who believe.
• I pray we live a life worthy of You, please You in every way, grow in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith and that being rooted and established in love that we may know the height and the depth and the length and the width of the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge that we may be filled to all the fullness of You.

WE PRAY ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER AS TOUCHING THESE REQUESTS KNOWING WE HAVE PRAYED ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL AND SO WE HAVE WHAT WE HAVE ASKED FOR AND WE PRAY EVERY REQUEST COVERS EVERY GROUP LISTED HERE AND WE LIFT THESE UP TO YOU LORD AND PRAY THIS ALL IN THE NAME OF JESUS THAT YOUR KINGDOM COME AND YOUR WILL BE DONE, THAT YOU GIVE US EACH DAY OUR DAILY BREAD AND THAT WE FORGIVE OTHERS COMPLETELY IN EVERYTHING AND BLESS ONE ANOTHER, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, SUBMIT TO ONE OTHER AND LIVE TO GLORIFY YOU FOREVER AND EVER AND HONOR YOUR NAME ABOVE ALL, IN JESUS NAME. AMEN.

Report from Christabel on Fredrick, Walter, Shaline, and Brenda

On Friday David and I left Shibuli to Ebulechia to visit Zainabu, Brenda, Sharlene, Fredrick and Walter. Below is what we gathered regarding their hygiene and academic performance in the end term exam and many more.

 We found Sharlene at home taking care of her aunt’s baby who was busy in the shamba helping the grandmother in harvesting corn. This is the harvesting season in the country thus being the most busiest and tedious month as it’s the major domestic chore in most homes.  Looking at her end term exam, there was a slight improvement compared to the mid-term exam. She had an average performance. Its only one subject that she performed below average and that is social studies. She was so shy that she couldn’t explain the reason as to why she failed but we understood because with her she is still young and can’t tell why she failed in that particular subject.

Her health is good, only that she had flue, which is all over now because of the dust from corn harvesting. Hygienically she was good too because she sleeps in her guardians main house on a mattress and uses a mosquito net.

Brenda was busy removing maize from the maize cob with her guardian after washing her clothes. She says washing is her favorite work when at home as far as domestic chores is concerned. This implies that the girl’s hygiene is well maintained. She also helps her mother who runs a small business while busy with other things. This means she uses the knowledge in school well by applying it while at home especially in counting and giving back balances where necessary.

She is an average performer in school. In fact she had improved bust she promised to do more than that come third term. Her chicken had laid eggs and it is almost hatching.
 

Zainabu was carrying the harvested corn from the garden to her home compound to dry them. She was jovial though tired because of the tedious job but was doing fine. She has a problem with her legs. She says, sometimes her legs develop pain along her veins making it hard for her to walk. It comes often when she has walked for long and sometimes it just starts over by itself. She also complains of stomachache. She had a h-pylori test and the test came out positive. She has been taking some drugs but tis like they condition is not improving.
 

Fredrick and Walter were also helping their aunt in harvesting corn. It was so unfortunate that we didn’t get their guardian at home but we tried to got some information from them. Fredrick’s health was not good though according to him he was just okay. Walter was healthy though as usual he is still afraid or rather shy talking to us. Hygienically they were good but they a little bit playful thats why their clothes had some dirt.

	Fredrick	Walter	Sharlene	Brenda
English	63	22	67	44
Reading	100	95	95
Swahili	64	50	62	66
Reading in Swahili	100	100	100
Math	64	46	55	62
CRE	65	30	60	45
Social Studies	50	33	60	60
Science	50	40	40	50
Total Marks	546/800	416/800	529/800	327/600
Position	8/39	19/37	9/37	41/120

Zainabu didn’t have her report card with her but she was position ³⁸/₇₂ with a total marks of ⁴²⁰/_800. She has improved academically. I guess maybe it is due to school change and we are expecting more from her.

Eunice Graduates!

 

Congratulations!

Henry’s wife, Eunice, graduated today. We celebrate with her! Praise God! She got her certificate in Early Childhood Development and hopes to go on to the diploma program.

Our Lord God

A hungry man does not pick and choose. He just goes where there's bread and he keeps pressing through. (from "The Hunger Stays," by Margaret Becker.

May we run to the Lord hungry. May we feed at His table. He prepares a table for us--even in the wilderness and in the presence of our enemies. He is our glory and the lifter of our head. He is good, holy, righteous, merciful, powerful, all-knowing, incomprehensible and yet He comes to us and gives us His Word that we might know Him.

But are we hungry?

Are we hungry for Jesus?

Are we satisfied by Jesus?

Most of us are hungry for the world. We are hungry for our plans and our families and our work. We want to fulfill our dreams and become more than we are now. God does not dismiss us for wanting to be great, but He says the definition of greatness is servanthood. How many of us are really serving others? Will we serve in the secret place where no one sees but God. Will we serve that one who looks down on us? Will we bless? For Americans, how about the one who cut you off in traffic? Can you bless? How about someone who criticizes your child? Wait. Think a minute. What are you hungry for? What do you wish God would do for you? That might help you see your goals. Are they God related? Think a minute. Be honest with the one who knows your every thought anyway.

The good thing is that we can repent of sin. We don't have to live under condemnation. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! So with that freedom, we can confess freely and openly and come into the light. We can put on the life of Christ for our rags. So if we have been feeding at our own troughs, rather than at the Lord's table, let us come freely confessing and expressing our adoration of our Great and Holy God, the Beautiful One. He is coming again. We will see Him and all the world will mourn. Then every secret will be made open and the truth about everything will be known. It will be a great and terrible Day! But we will all agree that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.

Take care how you spend your time, for the days are short. Spend your days on God and on people. Your television shows do not love you and you give them so much of your heart. The people around you are eternal and they need that spirit connection that brings life. Your spirit needs time with Jesus so that you are renewed in His Love and overflowing. That love flows out to others to give them His life. Be encouraged! He is empowering you to accomplish His Will!

All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes. Live according to His Purposes today and forever. He is forever praised. Amen.

Home Visits

Erick visits Elizabeth

Evangeline cracks a smile!

Lydia discusses schoolwork with Erick.

Home visits, praying God bless our students with good effort

Asman: Thank you for praying and continue to remember him if God puts him on your heart.

His new guardians. They are young. Pray they guide him well and lovingly, in Jesus name.

Beverlyne at home

Beverlyne performed excellently. She was the best in her class. She is okay now since her tooth was uprooted and had malaria. She also makes sure she brushes her teeth daily to prevent them from cavities. Her chicken died after a short illness of flue.

Beverlyne and Christabel

Dianah doing her work.

Joan meeting Christabel up at the church.

Joan’s end term performance was above average. She had 760 marks out of 1300. She was not happy about the performance herself. She said that was not her target especially after she received sponsorship. In fact she really appreciates the sponsor for changing her life and the only way for her to do that was through performance. She had some challenges which may be might have made her not perform to her expectations. She wakes up in the morning to go to the with her guardian spend there almost the whole day digging for people so that they can get money to buy food and by the time she gets out of the shamba she is already tired and can hardly read. So to her that’s a day already washed out and that is what they do for survival because that is the only business her mother does. Sometime the lamp she uses to revise runs out of kerosene. Despite this challenges she is still determined to do better in school.

Everline working hard.

Grace at home.

Grace beaming.

Yvonne is often so sunny!

Erick and Christabel inspect Noel's hands

Paul out in his yard.

His chickens are doing well. Thank you, Mama Anita and all who give chickens through the year.

Joy of Jesus. How I love Him!

Here are some links to help you enjoy God's Word and to worship Jesus, Son of God.
He is coming again. Be ready!

The Gospel of John, the Bible, in audio with some visual pics that come and go as the "Lyrics" of the Bible are on screen to read.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNjahwAZH_M

The Gospel of Luke in the same form as above. I am not sure what version of the Bible this is from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYdFcs4aPWU&feature=related


This is a movie created solely by the actual words of the Gospel of John. It is one of my very favorites. These are very poor quality, but even the sound track is so wonderful. Sometimes I listen to this as I fall asleep.

It comes in two parts.
Part One:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRB0EH3lA3w&feature=related

Part Two:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-P4x-WpwSs

Another favorite is the Gospel of Luke, the Jesus Movie by the Jesus Project. Hallelujah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWYuIe8ftHA

These are so precious. How can all the world's entertainment hold a candle next to the true light of the world!? HE IS LOVELY.

and He has given you this treasure to know Him and to know His ways. Indulge here in Jesus!

Home Visits

Sharon shares her challenges with Christabel and Dorcas. Please pray for Sharon as she has an undiagnosed health problem with swelling and fainting.

Christabel discusses progress with Wallace.

Daisy has more and more smiles these days. It only took months and months of love! Thank you to her long time sponsor, Carolyn.

Emily--I really like this picture--looks off in the distance as she discusses her school difficulties with Erick.

Christabel sits in the home of Valery (nicknamed Linah.) Isn't it great to see these TGD blue t-shirts donated by Austin Samaritans because of a school misprint? They are all over our community and fun to see.

Cynthia was busy working on a building mudding a wall when Christabel came to inquire after her well being.

Linah gives a big and beautiful smile. She has had such joy since entering the program, getting her uniform, having school fees paid, and getting breakfast in the morning before school. Thank you, Sarah.

 Erick encourages Lydia as she shares her vision difficulties in the classroom.

Christabel sits with Mary, who admits she has enough time after school to devote to her studies and commits to applying herself more diligently.

We pray that God assist our children in their studies that they may use their God given talents to come up out of poverty and become a shining light to their community, in Jesus name.

Our thanks to Christabel, Erick, David, and Dorcas for making home visits to discuss academic progress and home life with our Trinity children.

Report on Asman BEFORE the funeral by Joseph O.

The burial of Nelson (Asman's guardian) is on Wednesday the 8th August 2012. We are meeting on Tuesday for more deliberation and plans on participation and involvement of the Kenyan TGD family in the funeral.

When I saw the mortuary attendant stretching with ease a once active and strong Nelson on Monday at 9:35AM, I knew we shall never see him alive again.  He used to do everything a man can do on his own, yet today very basic things were being done on his behalf by a total stranger in gloves, surgical mask and jumper, starting with washing to dressing up. It's end of the road to Nelson Eshinali, born 64 years ago.

Back home, looking at Asman today, one wouldn't have helped but notice that he doesn't seem to know the implications of this particular incidence to his life, or maybe it hasn't sunk in his mind yet? Well, he is only a child and death or life is a long absence or presence of a loved one to him. We know that it's a matter of time before he realizes the impact of the loss at hand. It's sometimes good to be ignorant, at least as a child.  It saves one the stress of digesting the effects of the demise of a loved one. It reminds me of the quality that makes a child a perfect example of heaven-bound citizens, in line with the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:1-6 and 19:13-15. Maybe the gap he would have felt has already been covered by God through his sponsors. Materially, yes. Psychologically, may be yes. All in all, our little Asman will never have a chance to see his grandfather again.  He has to cope with the challenge of getting used to a new fellow accompanying him to the TGD building during the monthly distribution. My prayer is that by the time he realizes the magnitude of this loss, he'll be simultaneously conscious of the presence of God's love in his life, perhaps a perfect replacement of the missing grandfather.  It's Him who said that he shall not leave us as orphans, but he shall be with us until the end of the age. 

I have always wondered how life would have been to this youngster if Darla wouldn't have come to his rescue a couple of months ago, especially now that curtains have fallen on his only surviving friend.

We pray for Asman's well-being and upkeep at this trying moment and thereafter.

Asman's guardian's funeral: Please Pray

Our thanks to David for sending photos of Nelson's funeral. Here we see Asman, not quite aware of his precarious situation. Let's pray that he is in the firm foundation of the Will of God and an excellent eternal future.

It is so good to see our Trinity Family surrounding Asman. Frank, Erick (on left in first photo) Henry, and behind him are Oscar, Jack, and Vincent.

Asman is used to being photographed and smiling! Praise God that he has had a sponsor and a reason to smile.

I think Pastor Bernard is here with evangelist Patrick leading the way with the casket as they lay him to rest.

Emelda is there in the background in the red and the women in white is probably not mama Jane, but she looks a bit like her.

God be with the family and loved ones. God give Asman a home, we ask in Jesus name.

There are far too many frequent funerals in Kenya. Pray that our Trinity family and their poorest neighbors would find relief and aid in their time of need. May they prosper as we wish to prosper, in Jesus name.

DISTRIBUTION DAY OF JOY AND THANKS

Elizabeth showed such excellence in her studies that she was awarded a special prize of a book as student of the month by Lawrence.

Judith and Dorcas check the height, weight, cleanliness and wellness of each of the children. Here Judith measures Noel.

Judith is teaching tooth brushing skills to the children with the model I purchased for them.

Jack and Judith (and Vincent?) are working to sort the materials you have purchased your sponsored child. THANK YOU!

Vincent is sorting items for the children

Here is Shaline with her monthly supplies.

A guardian grabs chapati (a type of tortilla) as the families gather for a meal together.

Brian is new to the program and here he gets some shoes Christa purchased at Target for $1. While we may find it odd that a boy enjoys pink shoes, many of the children are just so thankful for shoes. Can you spare a dollar for shoes for a child?

Derrick presides over the viewing of the Jesus Movie in Swahili. I purchased this video from their websit and I praise God for the resource!

Here the children enjoyed watching the life of Jesus

I enjoy watching the Jesus movie, too! I have it on my ipod and I can watch it on the Ipad even in other languages for fun.

 Here I purchased many small toys for the children. Only culturally appropriate, non-character items like memory game, dark skinned doll families, safari animals and blocks.

Some children do have toys, but visits to our sponsored children's homes reveal very minimal items in the huts. Just chairs and a table, maybe a bed, but most homes are very sparse and have almost nothing in them. Toys are a luxury for these children and we want them to get the stimulation a good, healthy toy provides. Enjoyment! Imagine!

Here we have some games like chutes and ladders, scrabble, checkers and chess.

Our team said the children did not want to leave the toys to eat!

Here is Derrick showing Elizabeth and Emily a game.

Here is Walter and Emmanuel playing with cars as Shaline watches. These were cars I bought at the Target one dollar section.

I got these plastic animals off of Amazon.com. Fredrick has lined them up. Children do love sorting!

You can see the puppets I got off of Amazon.com in the background.

Here are some adorable family play sets that Yvonne and Grace are enjoying.

Vincent shows Yvonne the dolls.