Thandie's Prayer Letter June 2008

Dear Friends,

Warm Christian greetings in the name of Jesus Christ who saved us from our Sins and is making a home for us in heaven and coming soon to take us home. It is early morning hours 5am here in Malawi Africa we call it first light. I keep telling myself I have got to write to my friends in America before they think I have forgotten them. “ I pray for you and your church every day God knows my heart.”

I will be getting ready for school (college) in one hour. I’m in my second year, it’s very hard but the Government wants me to have more school if I am to be an orphan home director. I was doing good without it, but you know how governments are. It’s not the government that gives you love and care for the 100 + orphans and workers it comes from God the government gives Laws and Regulations but God gives Love and Regeneration. Amen!

We are in the middle of winter, cold at night about 40 degrees and 70 degrees in the daytime. Many people are sick because of this, hospitals are full, most people have no blankets and they sleep on the floor in their mud huts. Thank You for your help with our orphans they have a bed and blankets in their children home to sleep in. God Bless YOU!

Just to speak a little bit about our immediate and desperate needs for the Children’s home every where just like the USA time are very hard because of inflation every thing is going up up up. Your gas in America is now $4.25 our is $12.53 up from $10.00 one week ago and they say by 15 July it will go up again. We have 21 High School kids we must bus to school Monday – Friday, school fees $1.50 a day plus $100.00 for 3 months for tuition. We have had to cut our budget to the bone and have laid off 15 workers; garden workers, Guards, cleaners and care givers. We have also cut our milk, bread, meat and other things like cooking oil, potatoes, rice and some other things. Our support from the states is getting smaller every month. Last month we had a short fall of three hundred dollars that we had to borrow this month $225.00. Please pray for us.

Brother Frank Zacharius from the states is here with his adopted son Rodric, Friday before he leaves for the states he is going to buy $800.00 in used shoes from the market for the kids you cannot go to school (High School) without shoes and uniforms. Brother Chuck Miller took $600.00 from another project he had and bought 39 bags of 110 lbs each of corn, our main food. We use 1 1/2 bags a day, because of good care the kids are growing and their clothes are to small and it’s hard to hand them down because they are worn out. Now for some good news: They now have seven choirs and they can sing heaven down. Even the little kids have the melody choir. They will bless you and they have no instruments or music tapes just their hands and feet. I wish I could bring them to America.

Miss Vickie from Gospel Light Baptist Church, Fresno California is here for 2 months. Miss Vickie has been teaching the big Teen girls soul winning and they are now winning many souls. Even at school Miss Vickie is also teaching them about the Bus Ministry. We have 1 – 32 passenger bus but on week one they had 122, week 2 they had 148, week three 160. Of course they had to make 3 & 4 trips to get them all in to church. This week she starts teaching the boys where will we put them? I don’t know we have another bus but it’s broke down. The mechanic says $1,200.00 will fix it.

The orphans are making very big gardens to help us to have more food. One garden has 1,050 tomato plants 6” high, other with cabbage, spinach, lettuce, pumpkins, sugar cane and sweet potatoes. They are very happy. In closing let me beg you to pray much for us and our needs and God will bless you and we will do the same for you.

Miss Thandie
(The mother of 101 children)

Urgent Prayer Request

Ida Has Lost Her Sight

On Friday evening after a busy day, Thandie returned to the Children's Home to the news that Ida had lost her sight. Thandie quickly found Ida and saw right away that a white film has covered Ida's eyes. Ida could only see some large basic shadows, like an outline of a person.

This morning Thandie took Ida to the Lion's Eye Clinic. Because its Saturday, only the public side was open. There is also a private-pay side to this clinic. The care is dramatically different on the public side. The doctor was irritated that the front desk "squeezed" Ida in, even though the doctor said he wasn't seeing any more patients. The doctor quickly examined Ida, made some notes in her Health Passport and then prescribed one oral medication and two different eye drops. The doctor refused to speak to Thandie. Thandie was not able to make out the writing in the Health Passport. It seems that doctors' messy writing spans across the world. We have no idea if this loss of vision is temporary or permanent. Thandie hopes to gather enough money to take Ida to the private side of the hospital early next week. The cost is 5000 Kwatcha ($40).

Our sweet Ida has suffered from chronic eye infections and poor vision since she came to live at Good Samaritan in 2003. Eye problems and AIDS often go hand and hand. Thandie and Brother Gentry have made every effort to seek proper eye care for her. She recently received new glasses. Please pray for this sweet girl.

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RODERICK

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Roderick and his father left Malawi this morning and are on their way back to Tennessee. They had a wonderful trip. Roderick enjoyed spending time with his friends. It was hard for him to leave, but he knows that his home now is in America. Roderick's father (Bro Zecharias) was able lead someone to the Lord for the first time while he was in Malawi. It lit a fire in his heart for lost souls, and he later lead many to the Lord. Bro Zecharias has been to Malawi several times before, but gave a testimony in church that this has been by far has been the most special visit. Please pray for Roderick as he leaves his first home to head back to America.

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UPDATES

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I thank the Lord for giving me these updates to pass along to you. I even have a few more in the works including Thandie's June prayer letter. Please check back soon.

More help arrives....and new blogs to see

I apologize for the infrequent updates lately. I am praying that God will allow me to update more regularly in the coming days and weeks.

The Fullfords were scheduled to arrive in Malawi yesterday June 24th. They will begin their first term as missionaries to Malawi serving along side Brother Gentry. Please take time to check out their website and blog.

Mrs. Sheila Miller is scheduled to arrive in Malawi tonight (6/25) at 10pm (4pm Florida time). She will be serving along side her husband Chuck who arrived in Malawi in May. Mrs. Miller had originally planed to go with her husband in May for a three month stay, but had to postpone her trip due to her extended stay in Malawi in March/April when she traveled with Crystal Johnson to finalize Savannah-Hope's adoption. I continue to thank God for Miss Sheila and the sacrifices she made for sweet Savannah-Hope. Please take the time to check out the Miller's blog.

Please lift these families up in prayer.

Please also take time to check out the Victory World Outreach blog.

A difference a year makes

While you sit at your computer and read this blog.....a child not to far away is hungry.

This time last year a one-year supply of food was being delivered at Good Samaritan Children's Home. I posted about it here and here. Well a year has passed. This year there are no trucks coming to deliver a one-year supply of food. There are no trucks delivering a one-week supply of food. The food is running out.....and there are no food trucks coming. The children have not had beef since the end of April. Even if money was sent for a cow now, it would be difficult for the children's home to purchase a cow because there is a deficit in basic needs like corn flour and cooking oil. Just like our gas prices climb everyday.....the cost of everything rises in Malawi everyday. Last year a bag of corn cost $700Kwatcha, this year the same bag of corn costs $2500 Kwatcha.

Finances are beyond tight at the Good Samaritan Children's Home. On June 1st Brother Gentry had to lay-off 15 staff members. Among the staff are 4 teachers, a cook, 4 garden boys, 1 guard, 4 caregivers and 1 other staff member. According to the Child Welfare Policy in Malawi a Children's Home the size of Good Samaritan should have 11 caregivers with 9 on staff at all times. We currently have 4 caregivers with 3 on staff at all times. So I guess you could say we are short staffed.

Thandie said that the older children are helping out with caring for the younger ones. The older boys are taking on some of the gardening chores. The children aren't complaining and they aren't worried. The children have placed their faith in God and they know that He will provide a way.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower Psalm 18:2

Here is a picture of Roderick. I had the honor of speaking with him today. He sounded wonderful on the phone. Roderick's heart if full of joy in seeing his friends, brother, cousin and staff that he left behind. He has longed to see them for the past three years. I know his heart if heavy though to see how they are struggling. Roderick has spent the past three years of his life as an American teenager. He has had typical American teenage struggles, but now he is back in Malawi getting to see what life is like for his friends as teenagers in Malawi. I'm sure he is full of mixed emotions. Please pray him during the remainder of his stay and his transition back to America.

Roderick Returns and Teen Soulwinning Update

Roderick landed today in Malawi with his father Bro Zacharias. Their luggage didn’t make it, but that didn’t damper the mood. Thandie said that the children were so excited to see Roderick. Only 20 children were able to go to the airport, but if they had the transportation all 100 would have been there. Roderick’s brother and cousin Elizabeth were also among the airport welcoming.

Roderick was the very first child to be adopted internationally from the Good Samaritan Children’s home (Savannah-Hope was the second). Roderick met his parents while they were visiting Malawi working along side the Gentry’s. They started the adoption process and after a long journey Roderick landed in America in November 2005.

This is Roderick’s first trip back to Malawi. He has been keeping contact with his friends through phone calls but has longed to see them again. He will be in Malawi for a couple weeks and looks forward to spending time with his friends and the staff at Good Samaritan.

Update on Vickie’s Teen Soul Winning Project:

Vickie has been taking a group of 30 teen girls into different villages every Saturday for hut to hut soul winning. This weekend will be their third Saturday. So far there have been 236 documented professions of faith. The girls are so encouraged and are look forward to going out each Saturday. Some are so excited to share the Gospel, that they aren’t waiting until Saturday, but witnessing to anyone who crosses their path. This past week Margaret who attends private school off campus, led one of her schoolmates to the Lord.