CONNECTING LIVES ACROSS AN OCEAN 

Part of what makes Oasis for Orphans so unique is the depth of relationship one can have with the sponsored child or staff on The Hill.  This relationship has the ability to transform the heart of the sponsor, and can also completely transform the reality of the child.  Through this connection, a child can grow emotionally from feeling orphaned and vulnerable to feeling a part of a family.  He or she can go from feeling abandoned and insignificant to knowing what it is to be valued and loved in a very real way.  Time and time again, we have witnessed a complete change in  these children when they understand how much they mean to their sponsors.   

Naanyu with her sponsor family on The Hill

A Child's Change of Heart  

This past year, Nancy and Naanyu, joined the family at The Hill in an extremely shy and withdrawn state.  This past year, they were both able to meet their sponsors, and this has made all the difference.  Naanyu, for example, was a  bit hardened when she arrived, and would consistently pick fights with the other children.  She did not seem to understand that she was safe and loved in her new home.  Then she met her sponsor family.  They spent a week getting to know Naanyu and showing her how much they cared about her.  You could see Naanyu beginning to soften through their words and actions.  After living for a couple of months in the Children's Home, and a genuine encounter with her sponsor, her heart began to change.  Both of these girls are now warm and are often found with huge smiles on their faces.  Getting to know their sponsor made a huge change in their perspectives and attitudes in everyday life.  They know that they are loved!    

Two Worlds, One Dream 

The life of a sponsor and child can be intertwined in ways beyond our understanding.  A couple months ago, one of our older girls, Mercy, shared that she had changed her mind about wanting to be a journalist and she now wanted to be a doctor, specifically,  a cardiologist, so she could help fix people's hearts.  The her free time, Mercy has her head buried in science books,

A sponsor family portrait

learning all about the human body and the heart.  It is inspirational to watch.  Yet, the best part of this story occurred a couple weeks later during a sponsor phone call.     

Mercy's sponsor asked her if she still wanted to be a journalist.  Mercy told her that she had changed her mind and would like to now be a cardiologist.  Immediately, Mercy's sponsor began to cry, and then shared the story of her daughter.  When she chose to sponsor Mercy, it was because she was the same age as her birth daughter, however,  her daughter had since passed away due to a heart condition.  Her daughter had wanted to be a cardiologist when she grew up for the same reason that Mercy gave: so she could fix hearts.  The sponsor told us that since her daughter passed, she had been saving money to fund a scholarship for students who wanted to become cardiologists, and  now Mercy could even be one of those students.  As she shared this story, we all began to cry, overwhelmed by the beauty of how these lives had been brought together.  It was a humbling experience to watch this connection unfold and see the two-way impact of the relationship.  Two lives, separated by an ocean, and now completely and mysteriously intertwined.      

• For the children who had surgery in May, to continue to recover and heal without infection   
• For our staff social worker to continue to heal from her surgery during childbirth.  We are praying she is able to return to work this month.
• For rain throughout Kenya.  There is currently a drought causing food prices to soar.  The Hill continues to receive some rain, but many in Kenya are struggling to find food and water.  The crops growing now are likely to fail, which may affect food prices throughout the rest of the year.
• For electricity to be brought to The Hill
• For consistent high school education sponsorship and donations 
• For donations to complete the guest house, to help provide accommodations for missionary families and volunteers

 

If you are feeling inspired to give to any of the Oasis current programs or projects, you can click here

www.oasisfororphans.org/donate 

• All those who prayed for our children's surgeries to go well.  Each surgery went well and three of the surgeries were completely successful.    
• All those who pray and support our high school kids.  They are all doing very well at school and placing high in their class rankings 
• The staff working on the construction projects around The Hill 
• Those leading education fundraisers in the U.S.  
• The Great Adventure (TGA) for raising money for 624 new textbooks for the local school  
• The "Running to Read" team for raising money for education through their 10k race  

www.oasisfororphans.org