Greetings!
Thank you to the many sponsors who help to provide for over 500 children every month! We are
also committed to feeding 40 other children for $15 US/month and helping other children attend school. We are looking for people who want to sponsor
these children. Please reply to this email if you are interested.
**Feel free to click on any of the pictures below to see them enlarged.**
Featured child: Diane
 Diane is 9 years old. She has no parents and she lives with her aunt. One of the April team members had the pleasure of taking her
shopping. She had never been in a vehicle before and this was her first trip
off of the mountain that she lives on. She was bought a nice dress, pairs of socks
and shoes, a sweater, a jacket, a warm blanket, a sack of potatoes, and a sack
of rice. Diane was asked, "If you can have anything in the world...regardless
of the price...what would it be?" She whispered something shyly into the
ear of the translator and he replied "a tennis ball". The team member
was able to make this child's dream come true for 80
cents!
We
have officially started raising support for orphans in the Gatsata
area. Vicki Proud (Stettler, AB) was one of the first sponsors. Here is a
picture of Vicki and her sponsor child, Patrick.
Update on Homes for Orphans and Widows:
We plan on having children living in HOH homes in all 3 locations.
~
Jabana - (pictures on right) #1 duplex is completed, and #2 duplex will be started soon. 
 ~
Gatsata - A building (picture on left) has been purchased and will be renovated to be a home for orphans and widows.
~ Cyuru/Byumba - The first duplex in this area is presently being built!
 Dr. Johann (from Olds, AB) led
the medical team, educating the community and doing check-ups on children. He is suggesting
that we build a medical office and train a medical care giver for each location who can do home visits and
also build a medical office in each location.
Good Reports:
Brian Thomson gave a short report of the April/May 09 trip to Rwanda. View video here
Tricia Dekort, member of the April team to Rwanda, gives update on the Gatsata area:
My time in Gatsata was short but the impact on my life was life-changing!! It was such an honor to be able to attend the
dedication of the new Word of Life Church Gatsata building.  This
building is located on one of the main streets of Kigali and it sits in
the middle of an area where there is a lot of prostitution, drugs,
alcohol and crime. This church definitely has a great opportunity to
minister to the broken-hearted! Pastor Olivier has a great vision and
we know that this Church is going to grow and change the atmosphere of
the Gatsata area.Some of our team spent an afternoon doing some
street ministry in the Gatsata area and it is one of the
biggest highlights of their trip. They went into homes of the very
poor and depressed and offered the gift of hope through salvation in
Jesus. Many accepted Jesus on the spot and received prayer for healing.
Brandon Boutin, member of the April team to Rwanda, gives update on the Jabana area:
 Megan and I were in Jabana last year and we had  the opportunity to help bless the people with finishing the church and starting the first duplex. We were back a short year later, but this time, to bless the community with a large playground! Once the playground was complete, the kids were able to climb, slide, swing, and play on this weird looking structure that they had never seen before. Since  then, there have been many new faces in that area and many more people coming to the Jabana church because the playground is a great tool to reach out and tell more people about Jesus.To see the remarkable change in the atmosphere from just a year ago was breath-taking. The change in the children's health, the peoples attitudes/outlook on life, and the hunger to have more of the Lord has increased exponentially and it was possible through the sponsors and people praying on their behalf. Thank you!!
Clayton Stenson, member of the April team to Rwanda, gives update on the Byumba area:  Two acres were purchased in Cyuru/Byumba and building has begun on the church building. The land is also cleared and the first duplex in this area is being built. A playground was also installed. There was a 3-day micro-loan course, with over 75 people attending daily. A second piece of land has also been purchased. It is 7 acres and will be used for future development.
 One of the best experiences that we had, was the feeding program. We fed hundreds of children over three different days. After we fed them, we gave them all Canadian flags and they were all waving them wildly and then they all sang us a song in their local language and in English. It was a very powerful moment - click here to see the video. This was all paid for by an offering taken at Church on 99 in Edmonton. Thank you!
~ This week, 550 people attended church on Sunday in Jabana, 405
people in Gatsata, and 770 people in Byumba! These numbers are
continuing to increase every week!
~ If you missed the exciting playground newsletter, click here.
~ If you would like to be a part of Brian's
prayer shield and receive emails and updates, please click here.
Brian Thomson is becoming the Director of Home of Hope India. This is going to be the compassion project at the "Friendships for Life" Summer Camp from July 24-26 at Word of Life Centre in Red Deer, Alberta.
This will be the launch of Home of Hope in 2 countries - Rwanda and India.
Present/Biggest Needs:
~ Children and teens who need money to go to school. ($80/year for children, $250/year for teens)
~ Children and teens who need money for food. ($15 US/month)
~ $30,000 CAD is needed to finish paying for the Gatsata Church/Training Centre before July 1.
If you would like to help with one of these needs, please call 403-343-6570 ext 519 and talk to Cody, or email HomeofHope@telus.net
Thank you for your continual support!
We appreciate you! |
