Exciting News: The Carriers from West Virginia sent 5 boxes to Malawi containing Christmas gifts for the children and staff at Good Samaritan. The 5 big boxes contained 189 small boxes of candy (sweets as they are called in Malawi). Each box is gift wrapped.

The boxes arrived Thursday 12/27. Thandie has decided to save them for a special New Years Celebration. The children are so excited! They of course wanted to open them today and when Thandie said they had to wait until "next year" they looked so sad...then they realized it was only a few days away :)

The children have gone to town and have had a chance to spend their Christmas money. This was such a special treat for them.

Wellness update: Junior is resting at Good Samaritan and feeling much better. The rest of the children and staff are healthy. Savannah's current weight is 13 lbs 2oz. Today (12/28) all of the children are in the garden working. I could hear them when I talked to Thandie. They were working hard, in the rain,were very very dirty, but full of joy.

Prayer Request:
1) One of the women members of Nawsawa Baptist Church died this week. She left a three month old baby boy. The Pastor of the Church, Joseph Maweta asked Thandie if we could take this little one, and sadly we had to turn him away. The church will now be contacting other orphanages to see if they have room for him. Please pray for this little guy.

2) Our adoption attorney is making a very important phone call to the head of child welfare in Malawi sometime today or within the next few days. We need this mans approval before we can go forward on Savannah-Hope's adoption. Please pray that God will touch this man's heart and he will give us the "go-ahead" to move forward. The Malawi Social Welfare Office is VERY leery of Americans adopting Malawian children because of all the media frenzy and negative publicity surrounding the Madonna adoption.

School Update: Back in September our 8th grade students took their primary school exit exams. They have to pass these exams before they can go to secondary school. The results of these tests are expected to be announced on Monday 12/31. Please continue to pray for the finances for these 21 children to begin school in January. The cost for each child is $300 a semester which includes tuition, transportation, books, 3 uniforms and a daily sack lunch. Please prayerfully consider helping sponsor one of these children. If you can't sponsor one child, do what you can, any amount will help hold a spot in school for them.

Make your check payable to: VWO Orphanage (VWO=Victory World Outreach)
Victory Baptist Church
7808 Beulah Church Rd
Louisville, Kentucky 40228
On the memo portion of the check write: School fees

Brief Update

As of midnight PST on 12/26/07, Junior remained in the hospital with a high fever. Thandie was driving all over town looking of an open clinic to weigh Savannah. Savannah was due to have her December weight check on Christmas Day but the clinic was closed so Thandie planned to take her Thurs 12/27. I couldn't get a connection on the phone line where I could hear Thandie and she could hear me. I could only hear her. So I called every half hour to see if she found an open clinic. Finally at 2:30am I gave up and drifted off to sleep.

Savannah-Hope's mother called this morning and Thandie thought it was me (again not being able to hear us). It was Thursday evening (12/27) in Malawi. The connection was poor so Crystal is not sure if what she heard is accurate or not but here is what she heard. Junior has been discharged from the hospital. Savannah-Hope received her box from the Johnsons. The box contained a video of her new family and Savannah was watching it when Crystal called. This box was sent on December 1st.....we were told by the post office that it would be there in 8 days....it took a month....which is pretty typical.

Savannah-Hope now weighs 13 lbs 2oz. I am not completely sure if this weight is accurate since this was a differents clinic and a different scale.

I will call tonight for another update. It was too late to call Thandie when I would up this morning...or should I say this afternoon. I am off work today and took full advantage of the opportunity to sleep in :)

Prayer Request

I just received word from Thandie that "big" Junior has been hospitalized. He is ill and suffers from epilepsy. Thandie said there is some chance he may be released Wednesday (12/26) afternoon. Please pray for Junior.

I don't have any other updates as I wasn't actually able to talk to Thandie. I could only hear her. She took a chance it was me and gave me the update about Junior before hanging up.

Merry Christmas!

Yesterday 26 children visited Good Samaritan from the Amitofo Care Centre. Thank you so much for praying! Thandie was so excited to share what the Lord had done. When the children arrived they first showed the Good Samaritan children some karate and self defense techniques. Then Amitofo director said it was time for the Good Samaritan children to share with their them something they are taught at Good Samaritan. Can you say open door!!! So it was our turn. Our children sang four Gospel songs and then Jason preached. Not only is Jason a child resident at Good Samaritan he is also the Good Samaritan Children's Home Pastor. All the children call him Pastor.

Jason presented the Gospel starting with John 3:16 and then went through the Romans Road. Thandie said you could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jason cried as he preached and was so overcome with emotion that God would give him this opportunity to reach these children from the Buddhist orphanage. Thandie said that the children and staff from Amitofo sat perfectly still and soaked up every word that Jason preached. Jason also shared about what the Bible says about worshiping false Gods. Thandie said he preached with power and it was well received. Jason then gave the invitation and asked the children to stand if they wanted to receive Jesus as their personal savior and trust him as the only true and living God. Thandie said 10 of the children jumped to their feet. She said the others appeared nervous that their staff may not be pleased with their profession of faith, but believe that many repeated the sinners prayer
while in their seat.


The children are looking forward to their special Christmas dinner tonight provided by Trinity Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. To read more about this special gift click here.

Savannah-Hope slept in Christmas morning until 9:30, that was her special Christmas gift to Thandie :) The Nanny has gone to the village to spend Christmas with her family, so Savannah is with Thandie. Peace is spending Christmas in Thandie's village with Thandie's mother and grandmother. She has been there since the picking of the Mangoes last week. Please pray for Savannah-Hope's adoptive family, the Johnsons of Nashville, TN. They are so grateful that Savannah is in a place where she is so lovingly cared for, but they long to have her home and are broken hearted to miss Savannah-Hope's first Christmas. They have been waiting 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days to bring Savannah-Hope home. Please continue to pray for their adoption journey.

This adorable little princess is Izabella Johnson. She is Savannah-Hope's big sister. Izabella was badly burned this past Sunday when a cup of HOT Starbucks coffee was accidental knocked over and landed in her lap. Please pray for Izabella. Specific prayer requests include: quick healing, protection against infection, pain control, minimal scaring, wisdom for the doctors treating her at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital Burn Center, and the finances needed to cover the excess hospital bills and medical supplies.

Unique opportunity....Please Pray!

Amitofo Care Centre is an Taiwanese-funded orphanage located in Malawi not too far from Good Samaritan. The children in this orphanage are taught Buddhism. This past week the orphanage directer contacted Good Samaritan and asked if they could bring 27 of their orphans to Good Samaritan to distribute "holiday" gifts. They were also interested in having the children participate in a game of futbol and

netball (soccer and basketball).

Thandie said that she would only agree if the Good Samaritan children were allowed to sing Gospel songs and share the Gospel with their kids. The orphanage director agreed! So on Monday 12/24 (Christmas Eve!!) the children from the Buddhist orphanage will be coming to Good Samaritan to hear the Gospel! Please be in prayer for this special opportunity. This maybe the only time these children will hear the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that provides full and free deliverance from the power and penalty of sin according to the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone! Please pray that many of these children will come to know Christ and that God will make a way for us to continue to minister to these children.

This is Phillip! He is the third born son of Henry, the president of the Good Samaritan Bible College. Phillip became a big brother and a "middle child" this week, when his mother Rebbecca gave birth to baby boy number five, Samuel. When I posted about Samuel's birth earlier in the week, I couldn't remember this sweet boys name. I called around and no one knew his name. He has only been a middle child for a couple of days and already nobody could remember his name! Once I was able to reach his cousin Thandie.....she told me right away....his name is "Phillip". So here is ....Phillip....I don't think I will ever forget his name now!

Good Samaritan Chosen for Special Gift

After several attempts tonight I was able to reach Thandie...and she could hear me! Praise the Lord! I was so excited to talk to her even though it had only been a couple of days. We chatted and laughed like a couple of school girls and then got disconnected. I thought to myself "oh no, I didn't even get an update for the blog". I was thinking, okay do people really want to know that Savannah-Hope has a new trick "pretending to be asleep" or what we call here "playing possum". Or that she is getting "fat" and has her next weigh-in on 12/27. Or that she likes to sing along to a gospel DVD in Zulu which is a language no one she knows understands...but apparently she does.

But I called Thandie back, hoping and praying for a real update to give to you faithful readers....and I got right through! WooHoo! So here is the real update:

There are two cell phone companies in Malawi, Celtel and Telcom. Celtel chose three orphanages to receive a special Christmas Party this year. One orphanage was chosen from each region in Malawi. Good Samaritan was chosen from the Southern Region! The party took place on 12/19. Celtel donated a giant television, chickens, rice and snacks for the children. Reporters from different radio stations came to the party and interviewed a couple of the children. The children gave testimonies on the radio about how the Lord has blessed them through Good Samaritan and the work of our Missionary Brother Gentry. The children shared how they may have lost their parents, but they weren't orphans anymore! They have a heavenly father and have been adopted into the family of God! The reporters thought they were going to do a lighthearted interview about what the kids enjoy about living at Good Samaritan, instead they got preached to! The children gave powerful testimonies and then sang gospel songs. Many of the visitors were interested in buying the Good Samaritan CD and advertising it on their radio stations. We are making more CDs next week and hope this will be a great fundraising opportunity and evangelism opportunity.

Can You Hear Me Now?

I can tell it is the rainy season, because it has become even more difficult to reach Malawi. I try not to complain about how difficult it is to connect to Malawi, because I am so blessed to have as much contact with Thandie and Good Samaritan as I have. But lately it has been rough! For the past two weeks I have not been able to reach Thandie through Tel3Advantage, Which is the cheapest and most preferred way to call. And lately the extremely expensive calling card hasn't been reliable either. Tonight I called using Tel3, not expecting it to ring, since I haven't heard it ring in at least two weeks. But to my surprise it rang and Eda answered. But she couldn't hear me! She just kept saying "hello", over and over. I tried back and reached her a couple times....same thing. Then Thandie answered and again all I heard was "hello" over and over. Then I tried Lloyd, as I heard today from the Jorgensons that they have been able to reach him without too much trouble. Lloyd answered right away....and then I heard "hello" over and over. So I called Tel3 to let them know that after two weeks....I have had enough! Please fix this. They said it will be all fixed in 24 hours. Not sure I believe them....but I hope they are right! I don't know which is worse to hear the recording that your call can not go through or to hear the people you so desperately want to speak with.....say hello....and they can't hear you. Today Brother Gentry told me about another company that he uses, it costs more than Tel3 but much cheaper than the calling card. I may have to give that a try.

Its Another Boy!!!

Henry and Rebbecca had baby boy number 5 yesterday, Tuesday Dec 17th. They were hoping for a sweet little girl named Hannah, but instead God sent them a bouncing baby boy named Samuel. Mama and baby are doing well.

Samuel is welcomed by his 4 big brothers, David, Emmanuel, ??? and Little Gentry.

Trivia Question: Who can name Henry's third born son? Anyone???

I feel terrible that I can't think of his name. He is the older one pictured below.

Side note: The ongoing joke at Good Samaritan between the staff is that Bro. Gentry put medicine in the water so that only boys would be born. Henry moved his family off the Good Samaritan Campus (not for this reason)....and still had another boy :)

Post for Bonnie

The children at Good Samaritan have a Christmas tree! Someone sent a Christmas tree on the container for the children. The tree has been set up in the clinic temporarily and will be moved to the main dining hall on Thursday. Right now the tree has just lights on it. Thandie says they will be "finalizing the decorations" on Thursday after the tree is moved. The children are very excited about having a Christmas tree. Thandie said that the children only know what a Christmas tree is from the moving "Home Alone". The kids have been passing by the clinic looking at the tree and pointing "like home alone". Too funny! Anyway, Good Samaritan children will not be without a Christmas tree!

Thandie's grandmother and Mother

Thandie was supposed to take 15 children to her home village this past Saturday to pick Mangoes. Even though the kids were exhausted from the all night prayer meeting, they all wanted to go. Somehow Thandie ended up with 29 children at her mother's house. Thandie's mom is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. She is just a so warm and loving. She was overwhelmed with happiness to have her house full of children. She prepared a large "Malawian Buffet" which consisted of cabbage, nsima and beef. It was an "all you can eat buffet". The children were able to go back as many times as they wanted. They are not used to this style of eating! They were so happy....and so full! Thandie's mother and grandmother had the opportunity to meet Savannah-Hope for the first time. Of course they fell in love with her right away. Which is not hard to do!

Other news:

Henry's (President of the Good Samaritan Bible College) wife Rebbecca went to the hospital today (12/17)in labor. We are hoping for a girl! They have all boys!

To the left is a picture of Henry with two of his boys. I am drawing a blank on the older one's name....but pretty sure the younger one is "Little Gentry".

The children at Good Samaritan have finished their summer school session and are looking forward to promoting to their next grade in January. Please pray for their school fees! A huge but necessary cost for us.

All of the children and staff our currently healthy! Praise the Lord!

Savannah-Hope update:

We are still in the paper chase. Waiting on Adoption Recommendation Document from Malawi and the immigration form from America. International adoptions in the country of Guatemala are being officially closed as of Dec 31, 2007. The only children that will be allowed to be adopted will be those already through the power of attorney process. What does that have to do with Savannah-Hope's adoption? Good Question! Well, the rumor is....Tennessee (which is where Savannah will reside) is prioritizing the immigration paperwork for Guatemala for the next two weeks to help bring the children home who have already been matched to families in the US. So the Johnson's paperwork likely wont be ready till after the first of the year. But only God knows for sure when the paperwork will arrive.

Please also be in prayer for Savannah-Hope's attachment process. Typically Malawian infants are extremely afraid of white skinned people. They rarely see them, and when they do....they go crazy with fear. When we first got Savannah she was too small and sick to realize that I was white or that the other visitors were white. Now time as passed, she has gotten older, and the American visitors have all gone home (rainy season!). Yesterday Thandie was watching a video that had Nzungus (white people) in it. Savannah started screaming and grabbing at Thandie is shear fear. Thandie said she was terrified. That just breaks my heart! The Johnson family has been preparing and aching for this little one, and Savannah-Hope really has no understanding that they are on their way for her. The Johnson's have already sent pictures and a video is now on the way. Hopefully that will help prepare her heart.

Prayer and Mangoes

Tonight is an all night prayer meeting for the children and staff at Good Samaritan. The prayer meeting will begin at 9pm and will end at 5am. The children and staff will use this time to thank the Lord for the blessing He has bestowed on them throughout this year.

After the prayer meeting at around 10am some of the older children will be going with Thandie to her home village to pick Mangos. Thandie and the children are looking forward to this event. They missed it last year because Thandie was in America.

Thandie said that a few of the younger children have been caught picking mangoes off the property that neighbors Good Samaritan. The children know better but have had trouble resisting the temptation. Thandie is taking these younger ones with her to pick mangoes. She plans on feeding them mangoes until they come out their ears :) Reminds me of the children in the wilderness and the quails (Numbers Chapter 11).

I'm Back

Sorry for the long hiatus. I was out of town for a couple weeks and had to direct my focus in a different direction for a bit....but I am back now and here is a long awaited update:

It is the rainy season in Malawi. The rains started in November, but were troublesome. Some parts of Malawi didn't get any rain and the parts of Malawi that did get rains got so much that there was terrible flooding. Fear began to set in that there may be a famine in Malawi's future. Maize and other crucial crops are traditionally planted during this season. However, the farmers were not able to plant because of the lack of or too much rain. Thandie said that once December came, the rain has been more consistent. Some farmers are now planting their crops, although it is several weeks later than normal. Good Samaritan planted their corn three weeks ago and have been praying for steady rain. God has been answering their prayers and Thandie says they are getting just the right amount of rain.

Thandie mentioned that the children have been taking great care of the corn crops at Good Samaritan. Every afternoon the children weed the fields to make sure that everything is just right for the corn to grow.



The bakery house at Good Samaritan is just about complete. The final step is securing its own electrical supply. Brother Gentry's original plan was for the bakery to have its own electrical source but he was told that it wouldn't be a problem to put the bakery on the same electrical box as the kitchen. Well now that we are ready to bake in the new bakery...it has become apparent that it needs its own electricity. In order for it to share with the kitchen we will have to bake in the middle of the night because the 3 cook pots that are used to prepare food for the entire campus, use too much electricity to also run the bakery. So now we are working towards getting the bakery its own electricity. Next time you have a donut or a piece of bread...pray for the Good Samaritan Bakery House. Its costing a pretty penny now, but will save us so much money in the long run once we have it up and running.

Peter Frank and Wonderful had fevers yesterday and Cathreen had stomach pains, but all three are feeling better today and were well enough to attend school.

Prayer Request

Sorry for the delay in the updates. I am in Tennessee visiting Savannah-Hope's adoptive family. I was hoping she would be here for my visit. But she is still in Malawi. I am thankful though she is healthy and being lovingly cared for.

Please pray for Ida. She has a headache and a sty in her eye. She will be going to the doctor in the morning. More to come soon....

Brother Toru Marshall arives in Malawi

Brother Toru Marshall arrived in Malawi today. He will be teaching along with Brother Mark Logan at the Pastor's Conference. The conference is being held at the bible college on the Good Samaritan Campus (Mponga) as well as at Andrew Dzimbiri's church in Chilimba. Brother Marshall will teach the morning session on one campus while Brother Logan teaches at the other and then they switch for the afternoon session. The conference ends on Friday.


Friday night Brother Mark Logan will head to Zambia Africa for another Pastor's conference. He will be traveling there with the president and vice president of Good Samaritan Bible College (Henry and Andrew) as well as Andrew Dzimbiri. Please be in prayer for these four men while they travel to Zambia. There is a highly deadly form of Malaria that is plaguing the people of Zambia.


Brother Marshall delivered a box of dresses and skirts for Savannah-Hope from the adoptive family. Thandie was so excited to receive them. Savannah-Hope is outgrowing her newborn clothes. Thandie said the girls at the Children's home were so surprised to see a denim skirt for a baby. Thandie's favorite was the red, white and blue dress with the an American Flag. I can't wait to see pictures.


The pastor from Savannah-Hope's village is staying at Good Samaritan in the staff quarters during the Pastor's conference. They told Thandie that after she brought Savannah-Hope to the funeral, the people from the village have been talking about the miracle of Savannah. At first the people didn't believe it was the same baby because her skin was so much lighter. They told Thandie that there have been new many visitors to the church in Savannah-Hope's village ever since the funeral. The people have said that they know if something were to happen to them, Good Samaritan and Brother Gentry would help them with their children. They are lifting Brother Gentry and Good Samaritan up in prayer. The people see Gods blessing on Good Samaritan and our drawn to the work. I am happy to hear that people are touched by Savannah-Hope's testimony. I am also glad to hear that the people see that it is God working through Good Samaritan and not just Good Samaritan. The need in Malawi can be so overwhelming at times....there are so many people who need help. I'm thankful for the opportunity to point them back at Christ and help them to see that God is still in the miracle business.

Christmas gifts from Asheville, NC

The children of Good Samaritan Children's Home received news about a special surprise this week. Brother Mark Logan is in Malawi visiting from Asheville, NC. His home church, Trinity Baptist Church sent $1200 for the children to have a special Christmas celebration. The children will have a Christmas dinner of chicken, french fries, soda and ice cream. The children are so excited! Each child will also receive 500 Kwatcha ($3.66) to spend on their own Christmas present. The majority of these children have never seen that much money, never gone shopping and never have had the opportunity to choose something they would like to have for Christmas. The children are so thankful for this wonderful blessing!

Grace is recovering from Malaria. She contracted Malaria 1 plus earlier this week. She is one of the children attending summer school at the secondary school. All of the secondary school children are enjoying the summer school experience. It is definitely summer time in Malawi. I was talking to Thandie yesterday as I was putting flannel sheets on my bed. She was giving me a bad time because it is so HOT in Malawi. Savannah-Hope was taking a nap wearing just her diaper.

Thandie sent some updated pictures of Savannah-Hope. I love this sweet photo of her with Peace. Seeing her sweet smile was just the encouragement I needed to keep pressing on with this adoption journey.

Can We Get A Meeting?

For the past two months I have been trying to set up a meeting between Savannah-Hope's Malawi social worker, the adoption attorney and Good Samaritan so that we can establish a plan for Savannah-Hope's adoption. Everyday I call Malawi....and everyday there is no meeting. I have prayed, fasted, waited, cried, yelled, begged, pleaded, bribed....still no meeting. I know that God's timing and His plan are perfect....but after 61 days of the same answer.... there are days I have become weary....and other days I have become down right frustrated.

The decision to bring Savannah-Hope to Good Samaritan wasn't one that I took lightly, or a decision I made alone, however I do feel solely responsible. I know it was the right decision and I am 100% sure that it was God's will for Savannah to come to Good Samaritan. But most of this journey has been one of blind faith. There have been so many trials and speed bumps during this adoption journey....I can't even begin to list them all. There have also been many wonderful blessings along the way. And through the trials and the blessings we have been praising the Lord.

Savannah-Hope belongs to the Lord and I know He has a special plan for her life. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.' Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

I woke up this Thanksgiving morning to a phone call from Thandie. Whenever she calls me, I have a mini heart attack because she never calls, unless there is a reason to have a mini heart attack. I called her right back and she said the same thing she has said for the past 61 days....no meeting today. I wasn't surprised by her news, but surprised she called. Thandie called because after 61 days of having complete unwavering faith that this adoption will be granted....she was weary. We have come to a point where if we don't get an adoption plan finalized soon, we will be faced with a very difficult decision. Brother Gentry agreed to allow Savannah-Hope to come to Good Samaritan with the understanding that she would only be there a couple of months. Praise the Lord that God has provided me with the finances thus far to care for her, but Good Samaritan is not set up to be a permanent home for infants. The last we heard from the social worker in Malawi was he could not recommend the adoption unless the American family lived in Malawi with Savannah-Hope for 18 months. This is obviously not an option. The adoption attorney tells us that there is no law requiring an 18-month in country foster care prior to adoption. It is a social welfare policy, but one that was rarely practiced until Madonna brought Malawi adoption under the microscope. I have been asking for a meeting with both the social worker and attorney present so we can discuss a plan and determine if this adoption will be granted.

After I hung up the phone with Thandie, I made my second phone call of the day....for the 61rst straight day in a row, to the adoptive family. Much to my surprise the adoptive mother, Crystal said she talked to the social worker and there was a meeting today! Since Good Samaritan was somehow left out of the meeting, I can't be sure that this meeting actually took place....but I'm hoping it did. The social worker told Crystal that he is willing to write the recommendation for Savannah-Hope's adoption without the 18-month in country foster care, but only if it is approved by the minister of social welfare. The supposed plan is that the attorney will assist the social worker in writing the recommendation that will then be submitted to the capitol of Malawi next week. Our prayer is that the minister of social welfare will approve the adoption. It will likely take weeks for an answer....so please add this to your prayer list.

Please pray with us for God's will to be done and that He will give us wisdom to make the right decisions for Savannah-Hope.

Mark Logan Arrives safely in Malawi

Brother Mark Logan arrived in Malawi today (Wed 11/21/07). Brother Mark lives in Asheville North Carolina and will be visiting Malawi and Zambia for two weeks. Brother Mark's heart is to teach national independent Baptist pastors and young Bible college students in third world countries. If you would like to know more about Brother Mark click here.

Brother Mark was able to bring some clothes and baby items to Malawi for Savannah-Hope. I am so thankful! Our sweet Savannah-Hope has begun eating baby food and is growing out of her clothes. I am sending another set of items with Brother Trou Marshall next week. I know first hand how difficult it is to pack for Malawi and stay under the weight restrictions. I am so grateful that so many of the Good Samaritan visitors have been so willing to bring items for Savannah-Hope with them when they travel.

Update...Pastor Simon, Ida and Savannah-Hope

One of the Good Samartian Pastors went home to be with the Lord tonight (11/13). Pastor Simion from Liwonge died at the hospital. Thandie said he had been sick, but wasn't sure what illness he suffered from. He was the pastor of Liwonge Good Samaritan Baptist Church. His funeral will be Friday.

I spoke to Ida tonight on the phone! It was such a blessing. She is such a special young girl. She was well enough to go to summer school today. Praise the Lord!

Please be in prayer for Savannah-Hope's adoption journey. I am specifically asking for prayer regarding a critical meeting that is to take place between our attorney and the Malawi social welfare department. This meeting was scheduled for 11/13, but didn't happen. Please pray that this meeting will take place this week and will provide us with an understanding as to what the next step will be, the timeline, etc. Please continue to pray for the imigration form called the I-171H.

Ida Update

Ida is at the Children's Home now and is doing so well she didn't need to have the spinal tap. Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers.

***********
The 10 year old boy that came to the gate yesterday, had a grandmother that was willing to care for him in Zomba Malawi. We were able to give him transport money so he could get to her village. Thanks for your prayers for him.

update

Today was the first day of summer school for the Secondary School children. The 14 children who just finished 8th grade at the Good Samaritan School were so excited. They haven't been to school off campus before. They were asking Thandie and the other staff so many questions in anticipation. We are still in desperate need of funds for these children to go to summer school . They all started today....by faith. Please click here to see how you can help.

Today was the funeral for Savannah-Hope's birth mother, Chrissie. Good Samaritan purchased the casket and many of the staff attended. Chrissie was a member of a Good Samaritan Baptist Church. Savannah-Hope went to the funeral. Andrew's wife (Andrew is the vice president of Good Samaritan and Principal of the school) tied Savannah to her back when they arrived at the funeral. During the entire funeral no one knew who Savannah was. When the funeral was over Thandie untied Savannah and told her uncle who she was. He immediately started crying and praising God for the miracle He has done for Savannah. He brought the other family members around to see her. They were all rejoicing. Thandie was able to get some pictures of Savannah-Hope with her three biological siblings. There is a family meeting on Tuesday (Nov 14th) to determine the plan for these children. Currently Savannah-Hope's 10 year old brother and one of the two year old twins (Sidala) live in the father's home village with the paternal grandmother. The other twin, Tamandani lived with the mother and maternal grandmother. The maternal grandmother is mentally unstable and now that the mother is gone, we are not sure what the plan will be for Tamandani. The pastor from Savannah-Hope's village will keep us updated on these children as they are full siblings to Savannah.

Ida is back in the hospital and is not doing well. They fear that she has meningitis. She will undergo a spinal tap on Tuesday (11/14) morning. Ida has been battling one illness after another. Her body is very week and she has been enduring so much pain. Please pray that her suffering will end soon.

A 10 year old little boy showed up to the gate at Good Samaritan today looking for a home. Please pray that God will provide him a safe place to live.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR AN UPDATE ON SAVANNAH'S ADOPTION

Update on Savannah-Hope's adoption

Thank you for your prayers regarding Savannah-Hope's adoption journey. I have had requests for more specific information. Here is the scoop:

Malawi does not have a stable international adoption program like China or Ethiopia. Very few children are adopted out of Malawi because the government frowns on international adoption due to past trouble with child selling. But all along there have been and continue to be children adopted out of Malawi, but they have been "under the radar", done quietly and at a very small scale. Last year when Madonna went to Malawi and decided to adopt an orphan, she being who she is, drew alot of media attention to Malawi's adoption policies or lack there of. Suddenly the government policies were being looked at and Malawi adoption was under the microscope. The social welfare department of Malawi became very leery of adoption due to the media hype.

Good Samaritan decided to not pursue adoptions in Malawi until the "Madonna issue" had blown over. When Savannah-Hope was found many Malawian social workers and attorneys were unwilling to have any part of Savannah's adoption specifically because of the Madonna drama.

What does this have to do with our adoption of Savannah-Hope now?

Good question! Guess who is back in Malawi and has chosen to adopt a child from the exact same village where Savannah is from? hmm..... Madonna! So now we are back under the microscope...not that we were trying to do anything illegally....but because of the attention Madonna drew to herself the Malawian Government required her to do an "interim adoption". An interim adoption is when the adoptive parents become foster parents for the child for 18 months before the adoption can be finalized. We weren't going to have to do this with Savannah-Hope as it is not a Malawian law...but a social welfare policy (but not often practiced). But now that Madonna is in the same village and the government is again being extra careful about adoptions....this maybe the only way we can pursue Savannah's adoption.

Madonna has been granted permission to "foster" her kids outside of Malawi. That will also be our request. This week we feared that Savannah-Hope would have to be fostered in Malawi which would mean we couldn't bring her home until March of 2009! We are now being told that we can foster her here in the states....but the official word wont come until later this week. There is still some chance that she could be adopted without fostering first....but we wont know that until later this week as well.

Please continue to pray for all who are involved in this journey. I have faith that God has a perfect plan for Savannah-Hope. I am asking God to guide us on that path and trusting Him each step of the way. I are still hoping to have her in the U.S. by Christmas. Thank you for your prayers.

Savannah-Hope's birth mother and an earthquake

Chrissie, Savannah-Hope's birth mother went home to be with the Lord late last night, or early this morning. We are praising the Lord that Chrissie trusted Christ as is now in Heaven free from pain and suffering. Her funeral will be tomorrow, November 13th. Brother Gentry told me today that Savannah-Hope will attend the funeral. Please be in prayer for Savannah-Hope's trip to the village. I am praying that she will be a testimony to her village of God's love.


An earthquake shook Blantyre Malawi on Thursday November 8th. Praise the Lord that there wasn't any damage to the Children's Home. Brother Gentry said that the house we helped Wilson (Brother Gentry's security guard) build, was damaged. For more information on the earthquake click here.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PICTURES FROM THE TIE-DYE PROJECT

Tie Dye Shirts

Savannah-Hope and Mrs. Carrier

Bro and Mrs. Carrier visited Malawi in September and brought kits to tie dye shirts with the Children at Good Samaritan. Here are the pictures! The children enjoyed it so much!

The door slams shut....

A big huge door (Malawi Social Welfare) slammed shut on Savannah-Hope's adoption journey yesterday. Please pray with us as we watch for another door or window and wait on God's perfect timing. Please pray that everything will be done according to God's will.

Email glitch....

For the past 5 weeks, Thandie has been trying multiple times and multiple ways to email me updated photos. For some reason no matter what she tried, I just couldn't get the photos. Then today......I received every photo she has ever tried to send. They came all at once, but were cataloged in my email by the date she originally tried to send them. I have never seen anything like it before. Very exciting! I received 20 different pictures, but I got each picture 6 or 7 times! Below are some very sad and disturbing hospital pictures of our sweet Ida. I may end up taking them off...but here is a quick peek.

Praise the Lord that Ida is out of the hospital now and doing much better. She was officially diagnosed with Malaria 1 plus. Please keep her in prayer! Please continue to pray for the funding for her special diet.

Here is the most updated picture I have of Savannah-Hope. It was taken on October 6th. I can't believe how big she has gotten and how healthy she looks. Praise the Lord! I am so grateful that the she is being cared for with such love and gentleness. Praise the Lord for the hedge of protection the He has placed around this little girl. Please continue to pray for her adoption journey. Still waiting on the immigration form....I171H.

Ida is back in the hospital

Here is Ida holding Savannah-Hope. This picture was taken a few days after we got Savannah. Ida was so sweet and gentle with her. Savannah-Hope had just had a bath and was all bundled up.

Please pray for our Ida. She was hospitalized on Friday (11/2/07) with a high fever, severe headache and body pains. Her chest x-ray came back clear. Her Malaria test came back negative, but they are treating her for Malaria just in case. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors so they can determine the cause of the high fever. Please pray for the finances to pay for her special diet. Ida is such a special girl. Please lift her up in prayer!