Merry Christmas and an Update

Merry Christmas from the Staff and Children at Good Samaritan!

Here is the long awaited update.

Food:

Not too long ago we were able to purchase corn for 750K ($5.14) and now the corn is 3500K ($25.74) a bag. We use 75 bags of corn a month. Brother Gentry just located enough Corn to get the feed the Children’s home through the month of March. The cost of this corn was $10,000. Please pray.

School:

The school year in Malawi begins in January. This year we will have 25 children in High School. We are praising the Lord for Lighthouse Independent Baptist Church in West Virginia who has covered the tuition cost for the first term. The children are so thankful for the opportunity to attend school.

The remaining needs for this school term include 25 pairs of shoes. These shoes must be purchased in Malawi and cost $20 a pair. Please prayerfully consider helping with this need.

There is a daily cost per child of 150K ($1.10). This covers their food expenses.

Although the cost of gas in the US has gone down, that is not the case in Malawi. The cost of fuel continues to rise. The children are transported by a Good Samaritan vehicle. The vehicle and the driver stay at the school for the entire day, because we can not afford for the vehicle to come back to the Children’s Home and then return to pick up the children.

Every cost that can be cut has been cut. Every shortcut that can be taken has been taken. There is not a school closer, there is not a school cheaper, and God has not opened the door to have the children taught on the Good Samaritan Campus. The sacrifice made for each dollar that has been donated has been considered. The goal of Good Samaritan continues to be to stretch each dollar as far as it can be stretched and to use the money for the most urgent needs and in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

Wellness:

This is malaria season. We are praising the Lord for his supernatural mosquito net. We have not had any cases of Malaria so far this season. This is truly a miracle and direct answer to prayer. Thank you to those who faithfully pray for the health and safety of these children and staff.

Christmas Note from Thandie:

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our supporters. The children, staff and I pray for you all daily. We are thankful for your generosity and faithfulness. We pray that the Lord will bless you and your families this holiday season and throughout this upcoming New York. We could not meet the needs of these precious children without your faithful prayer and financial support. Thank you and God Bless You”
Merry Christmas from Thandie and Good Samaritan.

If you would like information on how you can help financially please click here.

Savannah-Hope turns 19 months

I had the opportunity to visit Savannah-Hope this month! It was so great to see her. She is doing so well and is so loved and adored by her family. It is amazing to see this child eat, you would never know she only has 4 teeth. She is a little piggy. She likes to have something in her mouth all the time. She is also quite the talker and can now put up to three words together. Savannah-Hope is a happy and healthy baby, our great big miracle.

The Johnson Family cuts down a live tree every year.

Savannah-Hope along with her siblings helped her daddy cut down this years tree.

She even got to put the angel on top

Look at that sweet face!

Here she is tied to her big sister's back.

The day before Thanksgiving I was able to travel with the Johnsons to Kentucky to visit Brother and Mrs. Gentry at their home church. The Johnson's gave a testimony and the church members were able to meet Savannah-Hope in person.

This is a picture of Savannah-Hope's siblings. Tamandani and Sidala are 3 and Jamison is 10. Brother Gentry told us that their villages are not doing well and these children may not make it through the rainy season. They are without sufficient food and supplies. Please keep them in prayer.

Honor Roll

The school year has ended for the primary school children in Malawi. They will advance to the next grade in January. The following are the children who received the top position in each grade. The Good Samaritan Staff are very proud of the hard work and good example that each one of these students have shown this year.

First Grade- Jennifer

Second Grade - Chitani S.

3rd Grade - Memory (Sileni)

4th Grade - Josofina

5th Grade - Patrick

6th Grade - Kenneth

Good Samaritan also honored the two children that take the most care to keep themselves and their area decent and in order.

Cleanest Boy - Betchani

Cleanest Girl - Lydia

Standing in the need of prayer....

Please pray for Ida. She is having a very difficult time emotionally. She is missing her parents and her siblings who have gone home to Heaven. Ida has been writing letters to her family members, sadly all of them have died of AIDS. She is the only one left. She wants to be reunited with her family. She is tired of being sick, tired of battling a disease with no cure. She is sad and homesick. Please pray for her. Please pray for the staff as they try to comfort her.

Alinafe J. is recovering from malaria. Please pray for her. The big rains have started in some areas of Malawi, but haven't yet started at Good Samaritan. The rains bring malaria. Please pray for a hedge of protection for Good Samaritan against this life threatening disease.

Happy Birthday!

Today was Thandie's birthday! Here is a picture of her with her daughter Peace and little Savannah-Hope taken before Savannah-Hope left for America.

Happy Birthday Thandie!

Remebering Ivy and Savannah-Hope Update

22 months ago today on January 5th our precious Ivy went home to be with the Lord after a difficult battle with AIDS. Because of the soil and the rainy season it is Malawi tradition to have a dirt grave for the first year to year an half. This insures that the ground is settled. After that waiting period then a cement headstone can be put in place. Last weekend a cement headstone was placed at Ivy's grave along with a small ceremony celebrating her life and her decision to follow Christ. I hope to receive pictures of the stone soon, but rejoice that the Lord provided the funding for this special project.

This is Ivy's grave before the headstone

Savannah-Hope turns 18 months old. She has been in the US with her adoptive family for 7 months!

Could she be anymore beautiful?

Savannah-Hope suffers from respiratory issues and receives breathing treatments. She is doing well though and takes her medication without complaint.

She has oodles of toys, but prefers to play with household items.

She thinks she is a big kid and wants to do whatever her siblings are doing.

First trip to the pumpkin patch

First hayride with her siblings.

And she is a superstar! Just ask her family!

Savannah-Hope still has only four teeth but that doesn’t slow her down a bit. She eats like a horse. Her newest word is "eat eat". She says “milk” for any kind of drink. Savannah-Hope’s current favorite foods are sausage, tomatoes and dum dum suckers. She also says “Dora” and can recognize Dora’s picture on clothes at the store. She says “cheese” when someone takes a picture. She loves to play outside and can climb stairs like a champ. Savannah-Hope knows what “no-no” means and will lay down on the floor and cry in response. She is a precious gift and her famly loves seeing her personality blossom as she grows and learns new things. Savannah-Hope is crying now when she is put in her Sunday School class and wants her mama. This is hard on her mom, but a good sign that she is securely attached to her family. She is a joy!

Savannah-Hope 17 months

Savannah-Hope is now 17 months old. She has been living in America with her forever family for 6 months. Savannah-Hope continues to thrive and bless all those who come into contact with her. She is a healthy and happy toddler. She now has 4 teeth!
Here are some pictures from the last month.

Savannah-Hope "grocery shopping"

On a playdate with big sister Izabella and her friend Norah (in the middle).

Hugs for sissy



Going down the big slide with big sister Amelia

Visiting Izabella at preschool


Driving the ice cream truck

Running away with a clean diaper

Thank you for your continued prayers for Savannah-Hope, her forever family, and her twin sisters that remain in Malawi.

If you are new to the blog, and aren't familiar with Savannah-Hope's adotion story, click here for a quick review.

The Gentry's are back in Kentucky

Praise the Lord! The Gentry's arrived safely in Louisville, Kentucky last night around 9pm. They returned from Malawi a little earlier than expected because Mrs. Gentry was having some medical complications related to a kidney stone. I spoke with Mrs. Gentry this morning and she sounded very strong. She said that she is no longer in any pain and will be following up with her urologist on Monday. Thank you for praying for her health and for their safety.

Prayers for Thandie

This is a picture of Thandie's grandmother Elizabeth. She died yesterday at the age of 96. Please pray for Thandie and her family as they have her funeral services today. Elizabeth had her first birthday cake this past May. It is a memory that Thandie holds dear to her heart. Elizabeth was loved by her children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. I had the privledge of meeting her last year and enjoyed my time with her very much.

















Here is Elizabeth with some of her great grandchildren.

Thandie's niece, Thandie, Elizabeth and one of Thandie's sisters

Here is Elizabeth with Savannah-Hope and Peace.

Thank you for praying for Thandie, Peace and their extended family.

Secondary School - Prayer Request

The above picture are the 20 children who currently attend Secondary School off campus. We recently had six children from Standard 8 (8th grade) compete their end of their year exams. If they all pass, we will have 26 children starting Secondary School in January 2009. The school year in Malawi follows the Calendar year (begins in January and ends in September). This is exciting news, but also comes with a mighty price tag and a HUGE prayer request. The cost is $180 per child per term (3 terms a year). This cost covers transport, school fees and food allowance. On Wednesday 9/24/08 the children were told that at this point there are no funds available to send them to school. The children held their heads down, but Thandie told them they needed to take their burden to the Lord. Please join these precious children in prayer.