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For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Jesus in Mt 25:35-36)

THE LATEST ADDITION TO OUR FAMILY

It's Saturday, and the first time of our Wednesday kids' program having moved to Saturday. Now the neighbors' kids can join us as well and mingle with the street children. I notice one boy in particular because of his dirty, torn clothes, his sad countenance, and timidity. Abdoulaye - servant of Allah - now named Abdiel - servant of God. I take off his torn T-shirt, and put a new one on. I take off his dirty pants, and put new ones on. We all eat together, adults and kids, neighbors and street children. Abdiel drinks a glass of cold water from the fridge - possibly for the first time ever. He is covered with wounds - visible ones on his body, invisible sicknesses probably in his body, my arm on his shoulder only feels bones, and on the inside he has more invisible, emotional wounds. Our doctor is called to take care of the physical ones. As the night approaches, I put up an extra mattress, a sheet, pillow, a T-shirt to sleep in, and his first toothbrush and toothpaste. It's time to go to bed, and as every night, we talk about the day, not going to bed with any anger, and I lay hands on every kid blessing them and calling forth their destinies. I lay my hands on Abdiel, servant of God. He is not alone anymore. He is not rejected anymore. He's not lost anymore. He's started his journey out of prison. Abdiel has been found. Our 7th child has moved in. He is 11 years old, having been given away to a Muslim teacher at a very early age and having spent several years on the streets already. Today he has come home.

A day after I wrote this, he started getting pretty sick, and so he is right now at our doctor's hospital to be treated. He has malaria, a whole bunch of other sicknesses, and is pretty weak. In a few days we'll be able to take him back home, and nourish him back to life, true life, abundant life in Him.

THE FIRST SIX KIDS

I've started praying for the kids individually, for the healing of their hearts, so they can be free and enter into all God has for them. Paul assists me as I pray for Jesus to come and heal them, and He always does. I love it! Fousseni saw Jesus come and take his little baby brother with him who was now joyful, after his aunt purposefully and cruelly killed him, as well as beating Fousseni up as was her habit.

Fousseni's father showed up, "miraculously" finding him with us, but since Fousseni wants to stay with us, he gave his permission. Fousseni's dad used to beat his son up regularly as well as withholding food from him.

Since coming back I've made a point in hugging and holding my kids as much as possible, and I'm amazed at the fruit I'm seeing. Sekouba, the first child, had always felt awkward and resisted when you hugged him. Now he comes by himself, demanding his hug, as well as all the other kids, especially Abdias, who needs a good dose of being held every day and is not shy to just "take" it.

Salim moved in entirely a few weeks ago, when his violent father once again threw him out. This time he is staying with us. He's become much freer since moving in and being in safety.

As the academic year started, I put Hama, our 5-year-old who can't walk, into a Christian kindergarten, so he can be with other kids and be educated as well, especially in a society where handicapped people are outcasts and hardly ever seen. After two days, they forced me to take him out of the kindergarten because the other children's parents had complained and threatened to leave, forbidding their kids contact with Hama. It broke my heart. Now Hama is with us again.

Paul's little brothers Etienne (5) and Anatole (3), both Albinos, still go there, and I drive them there and pick them up every morning.

One-year-old Sarata just had malaria, but she's much better now.

Thanks to our wonderful Christian doctor, all our kids have now been tested for the most major things, and they have taken medication after medication. There hasn't been a pause yet! They all bring plenty of stuff with them when they come from the street (picture: Salim's blood being taken).

I've also started teaching them again. They start their day at 7:30 with 45 minutes with the Lord (Bible study & prayer), followed by 30 min. for breakfast, and at 8:45 we start about 50 min. of corporate worship, Bible teaching and prayer. Right now I'm teaching them a course on how to hear the voice of God, which is excellent.

At 9:30 we start the school subjects like Reading & Writing Bambara, Maths and French. They've made a lot of progress and now all read fluently.

However, I'm looking for a Malian teacher for them. Though I love teaching them, I need to delegate this task to free up my schedule. Marie would be available starting December to learn how to teach them, a task that would also take some time. I've also had a Christian teacher for an interview who is quite qualified, but I do have some reservations. Please pray for a resolution soon.

MINISTRY ON OUR PROPERTY

Every Friday night we go on our property-to-be to minister to our future neighbors. On the first night, we had a party. It took us several trips back and forth with our car to bring all the food and equipment to feed a hundred people and to show the Matthew Jesus-movie without electricity on site. Sekouba was dishing out the couscous and said he could see the food multiply as he did. At least 120 ate.

Then Paul climbed up one of the unfinished houses on our property (that someone had put up in the past) to put up our sheet that would serve as screen. Half-way through the film the battery gave up, so that we came back a week later to finish the movie. After that, I explained the gospel, and that night, 8 people gave their lives to the Lord. Most of the time we also pray for healing, and several have been healed already. Like one little boy who could hardly hear in one ear, and every time we pray he hears better. Every Friday night we now go there to teach the kids (a few adults come too) and several of them give their lives to the Lord every week. Praise be to our God!

VILLAGE MINISTRY

This summer the Lord spoke about EXPANSION (once again), and to get ready for it. For a long time I've had it on my heart to go into the villages where they have never heard the good news, but I knew a car was the first prerequisite. Even with the car, I was waiting for the Lord's timing.

And I was amazed at how the Lord had already put things in place. At a city-wide event I was approached by a Malian pastor who shared his challenges with me. Usually I'm rather defensive because I'm constantly approached by people who want money or just profit off of you. But in this case, I felt the Holy Spirit's tugging.

To make a long story short, we went to pastor Enoch's village DIO which is just over an hour's drive north-east of us. Pastor Enoch is a wonderful man of God, humble, compassionate, giving his all for Him. He is the only one in his network in Mali, and feels abandoned by that organization. He has two kids himself, but many more come every day to his simple house and church (see picture). He told me that there are 10 orphans nobody wants, and he doesn't have the means to take care of them. I told him that once our building project is done, we'll have room, but not now. It breaks my heart to hear of those kids nobody wants. It later turned out that nearly all those children still have one parent, but a parent who is unable to feed them and ready to give them away. I told him I wouldn't want to tear a child away from his remaining parent, but I'd like to help as much as I can. I told him if ever there is a child without either father or mother, to just come to us. We are now 13 people on our little rented property, but there is a little more room left for those nobody wants.

Last time, Enoch told me about a 12-year-old girl who is mentally retarded and cannot walk, and his only parent left wants to give her into our care. With sadness I told him that we're unable to take her at this time. We're also unable to provide the schooling of several of those orphans. But last time we visited him, we brought a 50kg sack of rice to help him out somewhat. And we just bought a wonderful bike that will enable Enoch to visit people in his village as well as the surrounding villages. Until now Enoch has walked miles and miles every day, so I'm overjoyed to be able to bless him that way. We prayed for a bike for him, and the Lord provided.

We've already been strategizing together about evangelizing the villages surrounding Enoch's village, showing the Jesus film, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and making disciples. Some of these villages have never heard the gospel. Now that Enoch has a bike, he will be able to follow up the new believers, identify those called to leadership, and send them to our Bible School to be trained as pastors. Praise God, I'm so excited! This is a big step towards the fulfillment of vision and prophetic declarations, and the first (tiny) step to take Mali for the Lord!

The picture shows 3-year old Mamadou who neither walks nor talks. His parents are Muslims and animists and have done all kinds of rituals on him. I went to pray for the child, and am eager to hear a report next time.

OUR CAR

Even our kids are now praying for a new car - a Toyota double-cabin pickup - since our car is too little (for 5 people, but we've already had as much as 9 in there), so that I always have to do the journey at least twice to move people and equipment. And also because of the constant problems due to its age; it's 19 years old, and every week something's wrong with it. More than once I've had to leave the car and take the taxi home, or call Emma to come and try to repair it, as parts simply disintegrate in their old age.

Please join your faith to ours! A decent car costs a lot of money in Mali.

BUILDING PROJECT

A lot of details have emerged these past few weeks, as we move forward towards the beginning of construction on our property. The drawings for the first building phase are being done, our construction manager has given the estimate for the first phase, and now all we're waiting for is the title deed for the property so we can start. And of course for the Lord to send the finances, since we don't have a single dollar yet. The first building phase can be completed in 3 months and needs to be done by the end of April. Projected costs: 130,000 USD or 100.000 EUR.

We've had several prophetic words about the wonderful things God is going to do once we've moved. Recently the Lord showed me His glory cloud over the main building, which has three stories, one for the church, one for the school and one for the dormitories (see the CONSTRUCTION page for details), and He said: The glory of the latter house will be greater than the glory of the former. Then He showed me that the kids on the last floor would be closest to the glory.

Please pray for the papers to come through, and the provision to be released!

QUICK NEWS

•   BE A HERO has informed me that they are not taking on any new projects at this time, since they have already overextended themselves. The disappointment was very great, especially since Wesley Campbell sounded like it was a done deal.

•   The incorporation of HEALING 2 THE NATIONS is currently on hold for lack of finances or expertise.

•   In October I'm traveling to Austria with my free ticket to take care of a few things (like a new passport), and to start writing my book. Dates and details are on the CALENDAR page.

•    I'm considering traveling to Ghana at the end of November, to attend an inner healing seminar with the founder of that approach, that is used around the world, and whose principles I apply when praying for the kids (though I've never really learned it). I'd also like to meet with a pastor there who has sent a Macedonian call, and would like me to come to minister and help with the street kids there. I would like to take Paul with me, but expenses are very high. One flight Bamako-Accra-Bamako is $800, so that I'm praying for a miracle to make this happen. The Lord spoke about new nations opening up, and I believe this to be a fulfillment.

•    I've seen dramatic improvement in Simeon after only one inner healing session, which gives me hope that in the future, he will be able to carry reponsibilty again and help us out with his gifts. Thankfully, he is working back in his old job now, though without a contract.

•    Ramadan started last Saturday, and the kids seem to have "gone crazy" since then in their bevavior. I'm especially worried about Sekouba right now. Please pray for us during this month, when Mali unites in prayer and fasting to Allah, unleashing the hordes of hell against us.

•    Last week Johanna from Austria left us after one month with us. Though she had never seen Christians like us before, she was a great blessing to us all, and has made a difference. She herself did not leave the same, and wants to come back in the future. Thank you, Johanna! The kids and all of us miss you.

•    Kassim, one of the English students in my class, and one of three people we pray for regularly this year to be saved, has come to the Lord. He was asking more and more questions, coming to our movie nights, and borrowing several books. He testified at a big conference, but I haven't seen him in person yet, since he left town until university starts again.

•    Firmin moved in with us to help me out, and it's also helping him out, since his family was unable to provide food for him any longer. He is 20 years old, just finished High School, and is starting his university studies now.

•    Our Bible School is starting a first trimester again next week. I'm excited that we have 4 students already enrolled. Simon-Pierre, who just finished High School, will be back. Marie and Firmin are two more students, and then we have Firmin's cousin who I hardly know yet. May the Lord meet them, change them, and prepare them for His call on their lives. I hope they become some of those workers I'm praying for.

•    Please pray for my physical and overall well-being. I don't sleep more than 4-5 hours each night because I'm doing the work of several people. I'm delegating everything I can, but it's not enough. I've been crying out for WORKERS to come help for months. Right now I'm very tired and suffering the effects of the lack of sleep. This lack of time is also the reason it's taken more than a month to send out an update again.

•    Our expenses have shot up dramatically, and the weight of not having the means to care for the 12 people living with me, can be heavy at times. Please review this list of the most urgent needs and consider helping us out:

Driving school for Paul and Seybou: $340
Pre-school for Anatole & Etienne: $400
High School for Paul: $200
Loan for Salim's father: $200
Monthly salary for our doctor: $100
Medical tests, treatments and vaccinations: over $300
Rent: $450
Electricity & water: $200
etc. etc. etc.

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel! Remember to check my website for my daily updates, including pictures, that will give you insight this monthly update cannot give.

Serving Him and living for HIS GLORY,

Claudia