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AUTUMN HI-LITES

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Autumn Hi-lites

“I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength for my work. I thank him for considering me worthy and appointing me to serve him” (1 Timothy 1:12)

Time for another update from us:  All our children have been well, healthy and happy.  The oldest child is now 13 years and the youngest is 2 years old.  The care givers have joyfully continued to serve diligently and have developed close friendships with the children.  We give glory and honor to God for His continued providence.  All of you receiving this update are in various forms and different ways co-workers with us at En-Gedi.  May our faithful and loving God bless us all together as we serve Him.
En-Gedi home is not only a great home that offers love and care to children with special needs, but also a home where people come to learn how to look at life from a different perspective. In the recent past in this country, we have lost several prominent people – some senior in the government, others CEOs in very successful corporations.  As the country mourned for these VIPs, the many Kenyans who visited En-Gedi home during this time expressed a humbling experience after they saw happy and healthy children whose mental and physical inabilitiesare so great, yet peacefully relaxing and breathing normally as they enjoyed their life – despite all the limitations.  My take in this is: “indeed life belongs not to us, but to our Creator”.  I am likewise humbled as I continue to care for these lovely children.   I can confidently say that many of the people who come to visit En-Gedi get a life changing experience, and more so because many return and some commit to some kind of support.
The last 3 months has seen many North Americans come to visit us and I am ever thankful for all the connections through myalma mater (Calvin University {formerly “College”}) and my many years of service with the Christian Reformed Church of North America through World Renew. Very special thanks to all of you for being part of this life changing ministry.  The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace – now and always.

I am thankful to God that many parents of challenged children have been freed from the full time job of taking care of their children and gotten involved in economic activities that improve their livelihoods; thankful too that these children have been given opportunities to develop and use their bodies and minds to their fullest ability, whatever that may be.

Notable was a day’s visit with Calvin Christian High School. Thanks to all who came as families, friends, individuals and organized groups. We love visitors.

We are so blessed to have this facility to house our children. We are so blessed to have a loving staff to care for them. For all, to God be the glory!

WE pray for continued health for our children and their caretakers.

Praises & Prayer requests: a) Praise God with us for His provisions each day; b) Praise God that En-Gedi has continued to be a model Home for Christ’s love for His special children.  Prayer requests: a) Pray for continued health for all the kids and the care givers; b) pray that we get enough funds for a van to help us with our community visits.

To donate by check, please make your check payable to:

Set Free Ministries, 700 36th St. SE, Suite 108. Grand Rapids, MI 49548 US

Please indicate En-Gedi on the memo line.                                               Https://setfreemin.org

You can also wire funds directly to En-Gedi US$ account in Kenya.

For those in Kenya, you can give via M-pesa or direct bank transfer.

 

Margaret Njuguna, En-Gedi Children’s Home,    P. O. Box 763-00204, Athi River, Kenya

Tel. +254-710-395756; +254-733-972027      website: https://en-gedichildrenwithhope.org

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms”. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

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WINTER HI-LITES

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Winter Hi-lites

2019 Christmas Greetings from the Staff and Children

God is faithful, loving, caring and always present with us.  He has given us a beautiful year and this far, He has been our Ebenezer!  Through all of you our friends, our supporters in thoughts, prayers, material and financial gifts and through communication and visitation, we smile together and say “glory and honor belong to our God”.  We are all well, healthy and smiling to know that we are loved!  

Christmas is here, and although we are not able to do much with the children, we make joyful noises to God, praising him with the few who can put some words together and clap in joyful singing.  Besides David who talks fluently, 3 other children have learned several words and are able to join in the singing and also in our learning class.  Like we have done many times before, we plan to participate in Christmas carols in a couple Churches with 5 children who sing and enjoy being in a Church.  We look forward to that. 

Praises and prayer requests:

 

Praises:   Praise God with us for a year full of blessings.  Its been a year of good health for the children and the caregivers; Praise God for the many people who visited us this year and experienced the presence and the love of God in our Home.  Pray for continued health for all of us; for continued improvement in the various abilities of our children; for 2 children ready to join En-Gedi, but whose birth certificates need to be processed.  it has taken unreasonably too long.  Pray also that we will have a joyous Christmas season. 

May the blessings of peace, the beauty of hope, the spirit of love and the comfort of faith be your gifts this Christmas.  

From all of us at En-Gedi Children’s Home.

Margaret Njuguna

En-Gedi Children’s Home, P.O. Box 763-00204 Athi River, Kenya. 

Tel. +254-710-395756; +254-733-972027.

Web: https://en-gedichildrenwithhope.org

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OUR RESIDENCE

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Our New Residence

Our Former Home

Our New Home

Our plans were to house ten children within a year. We achieved that goal by the fifth month. And though we are crowded, we manage and everyone is happy and healthy.Of the ten children we now have, none can walk and only one can talk (quite fluently). Nine of our children use nappies or diapers and while only one could feed himself when we started, three others have learned to feed themselves. They have all improved in their faculties and we continue to teach them how to hold cups, spoons, feed themselves and build blocks. It is a process and takes much patience. It must be done over and over again. Hands that had remained closed are open and holding things.

Margaret Njuguna, Founder

Board Members, Margaret Njuguna, and first residents.

Ground Breaking.

Prayers answered.

After a long period of waiting for about a dozen different approvals for construction for En-gedi’s new Home and Learning Center, we celebrated in style. We dedicated the land for the ministry of God’s special children. I am very thankful to God for giving me the patience to pray and wait. I also thank God for Rev. Maina and Elder Ngrita, both from my church and both who officiated at the dedication. also attending were Sophie (an En-gedi Board member), her son Marvin, and some parents of our children. And we thank you for continuing in prayer .We have been looking forward to having ramps and handrails to move our children from place to place. We also have a therapy room.  Our facility can house up to 30 children. Our learning center is in a separate building. The upstairs is made into dormitories for staff and visitors. The downstairs is set up for training in how to care for our children.
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All You have made will praise You, O Lord; Your saints will extol you; they will tell of the glory of Your Kingdom and speak of Your might so that all may know of Your mighty acts ad the glorious splendor of Your Kingdom.”  Psalm 145:9-12

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SUMMER HI-LITES

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Summer Hi-lites

“I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength for my work. I thank him for considering me worthy and appointing me to serve him” (1 Timothy 1:12)This update is for all of us who have joined hands in rescuing children with disability from hostile environments, giving them love and care, educating their families and the community to accept and love such children and to keep connected with the Lord God our maker and sustainer for “…each of us will give an account of himself to God” Rom. 14:12.
Girl Lavency went back to her mother and the mother allowed me to share her testimony.  She had finished high school and had gotten some office skills training when still single she got this lovely baby who didn’t grow as a normal child.  She got help from her older sister who opened her home to her and her baby.  She however had to live there and also be a nanny to her sister’s kids and a house-help who would do all housework every single day.  When I took her child in last year in November, she had been house-bound for 3 years.  She wanted my help so that she could be free and get out and look for a job that she always dreamed for – an office job.  She got that job in mid April and she notified me with jubilation.  She was very thankful to En-Gedi and assured us that she was now able to take care of her child afford the necessary care for Lavency.    I thank God for this re-union of mother and daughter. Angel stayed with us for 3 years and her parents worked casual jobs in some factories near us and lived in some low income area.  Both lost their jobs and moved back to their villages ways away towards western Kenya.  They assured me that they had fully accepted Angel into the family and would love and care for her.  Our phone conversations since Angel left have not proved otherwise.  I miss both girls and have a tough time not seeing them every day, but like those of you who have been foster parents, a time comes when we have to let go – especially if its back to a loving and caring family Mwangi James joined us a week ago.  He is 6.5 years old, has severe Cerebral Palsy, severely malnourished and weighed only 7 kilo grams.  He is on a special diet and like all the others, he has found a loving home. Mwongela is also new at En-Gedi and has severe Cerebral Palsy.  He also has chest complications and both parents wanted children’s home where they could place their first born son.  They are expecting another baby and both told me they didn’t know what to do with Mwongela.  Hopefully, they will at one time be able to take him back home. In our on-going community awareness to disability initiatives, we went out with 3 of our kids to the village and were hosted by a family from where one of the kids comes from.  The kids love to be taken out on such visits, and people always learn something new about love for special needs children. During part of April into the beginning of May, we did some professional dental care for the kids whose milk teeth had delayed coming out and also undertook mouth and teeth cleaning. For many kids, our daily teeth brushing has been easier as they are now opening their mouths a bit better.

For new Mwangi, who is so malnourished, there is hope for change.  Compare the two children below:

Then

Now

Then

Now

Very special thanks to all of you for being part of this life changing ministry.  The Lord bless and keep you in His care.   For those of you who’ve been able to visit us, thank you for your time with us.  We always have something that you can do with the kids when you come to us.  

Praises and prayer requests:  a) Thank God with us for the two kids who have rejoined their families – that God will protect them and keep them in loving care; b) thank God for health of both the kids and the care givers.  We have not been to the hospital this year and pray that we will continue to be healthy.

Prayer needs: We need a vehicle (a Van) so that we are able to go out with more than 3 children to Church and for community visits. My vehicle that I use is able to carry 3 wheelchairs and a maximum 4 kids.  Feel free to start giving towards this goal.  For those of you in North America, you can give through Set Free Ministries and receive a tax receipt.  SFM website is currently under reconstruction, but you can give thru checks.   You can also do a direct bank wire transfer, and I would be happy to give you the instructions for that. 

To donate by check, please make your check payable to:Set Free Ministries
700 36th St. SE, Suite 108
Grand Rapids, MI 49548 US

Please indicate En-Gedi on the memo line.

For those in Kenya, you can give via M-pesa or direct bank transfer.

Warm regards to you all, 

Margaret Njuguna

En-Gedi Children’s Home  

P.O. Box 763-00204                       

Athi River, Kenya

megnjuguna@gmail.com

Tel. +254-710-395756; +254-733-972027               website: https://en-gedichildrenwithhope.org

With all my heart I try to serve you; keep me from disobeying your commandments. (Psalm 119:10)

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SPRING HI-LITES

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SPRING HIGHLIGHT

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 We started the year 2019 with blessings of good health for al the kids and the caregivers; peace and joy as we looked forward into another year full of God’s providence. the highlight of this update was the visit by Calvin College interim class on January 10. Hosting this class was an answered prayer, given that I am an old pupil of Calvin College. when I received the distinguished alumni Award in 2016, I talked to several classes at the college and I shared my desire to host those willing to come for interim, for visits and for short term volunteering with me. So this January visit was the beginning of answers to my prayers Below is what the lead professor had to say about the visit: Dear Margaret, I am writing to offer my sincere thanks for being part of our Kenya interim. the students and Peter can’t stop talking about how impactful the visit was to En-Gedi Children’s Home. in short they felt God there. They felt the Kingdom there. and they found in you a tangible role model of our central topic: a leader. you have vision and passion and that is evident in what is happening at En-Gedi. Rich blessings to you, Margaret. Thank you for allowing us to visit En-Gedi. May God continue to pour into you, even as you pour into the children of En-Gedi. Sincerely, Bob Crow, Director of Commuter Student life & Assessment, Calvin College, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids MI 49546 USA Our children have continued to grow big and to gain new skills and abilities. They are a joy to be with; half of them are very playful and active all of it on the floor. One of the challenges is that they are gaining weight and all but one have to be lifted to sit on the wheelchairs. Then they must be lifted from wheelchairs to the bathtubs, to their beds and to anywhere we move to. While in the US last year, a friend sent me back with a few weight belts which help us quite a bit. Pray that our backs will keep strong for this, God’s noble task. Please thank God with us for His continued providence. Pray that God will send volunteers to me to help with teaching and training the children. I am also specifically asking God for a technical volunteer who can help me with small maintenance tasks in addition to helping with the kids. our caretaker helps mostly with the gardens and grounds. It has been hot and dry since December and we are praying that March rains will come as expected. Finally I thank God for all of you who are partners with me in this service to God’s special children and to the communities around us from which these children come. Margaret Njuguna, Founder/Director of en-Gedi Children’s cHome P.O.Box 763-00204, Athi River – Kenya. www.en-gedichildrenwithhope.org

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