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Greetings!
Last week, several key leaders of Oasis had the opportunity to visit Kenya to see the progress on the new Oasis sites. In light of their visit, we thought you would enjoy a progress report as well!
The Hill
There is a flurry of construction activity on The Hill. The bathhouse is nearly finished, with a rain collection system in place for washing, flushing, and bathing. Storage cupboards for clothes in the children's rooms and shelves in the kitchen were started this week and should be finished by the end of this month. A guard house was constructed this week as if in anticipation of the rainy season, which began this week as well!
 | | New guard house on The Hill |
 | | Finishing the kitchen on The Hill |
More importantly, the spiritual growth of the children has exploded since the Derse family has come. Kathi Derse, who heads the Oasis Spiritual Development Program, and Pastor John Sere have implemented a new curriculum, which they are refining along the way. They have engaged the children on age-appropriate levels with in-depth Bible study, scripture memorization, prayer, and group Bible teaching. God has worked in profound ways in the individual lives of the children and many have come to know Him personally by asking Him to forgive their sins and to be the leader of their lives!
The Shelter
The newly purchased land for The Shelter was titled and deeded to St. Martha's Ministry in February! This is quite a process in Kenya. Site planning between Oasis and St. Martha's Ministry has begun. A road to access the site has been carved out of the land, and a well is in the process of being dug...all by hand! When we visited the site last, the well was at 31 feet deep, headed towards a depth of 55 feet.
 | | The Shelter well - halfway there! |
Oasis and the St. Martha's board is moving towards a family-based model of children's home, which will provide one highly-trained mama for every twelve children. The Mama will oversee all of the care for her group of children. We hope to begin with twelve children at this site once the first building is complete. We are hopeful that this model will provide even more effective care for the Oasis children moving forward.
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New land for The Shelter being surveyed by Oasis. |
The SummitOasis was able to help The Summit purchase new beds, mattresses, and blankets for the children this month. Now each of the children has his/her own sleeping space!  | | New bunk beds for The Summit |
In a miraculous situation, the children at the Summit, who were going to be evicted from their rental property on March 31, were given a six-month extension. This allows much needed time for Oasis to grow in relationship with the Summit leadership. Please pray with us for God to provide the best solution for these precious children and wisdom in making these decisions. The Valley During the last rainy season, the kitchen at The Valley washed down into...well... the valley. Oasis was able to help this site put up a new kitchen, a storehouse, and boys' and girls' toilet.  | | Old bathroom |
 | | New bathroom |
Oasis continues to support The Valley on a monthly basis but is hoping to move into sponsorship after completing some additional projects. Among those are: - Tapping into municipal electricity - Adding gutters for rain collection - Repair and purchase of bunk beds and bedding supplies - Purchase of textbooks for the children  | |
Some fun with the kids in The Valley |
The Bush
The feeding program in The Bush continues to move forward providing food for 36 children. The children come for three meals on Saturdays and receive tutoring, health education, and spiritual development training as well as participate in games and activities. We are still hopeful that the elders in the community will come together and provide us with a compelling leader who can join with us to initiate the start of a children's home here. 
We can see God at work in each Oasis site. The way He graciously gives miracles, generously provides, strategically builds relationships, and tenderly holds His children makes us confident that Oasis is moving forward according to His plan. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement! Oasis for Orphans | 
Pray for a child from The Hill who lost a younger sibling staying with a relative. 
Families from The Chapel who provided funds for the kitchen and bathrooms in The Valley. 
