In
this newsletter:
SCHOOL
YEAR STARTS
FLORENTIN'S HEART OPERATION
OUR
WALLS
8TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE
SPONSORS STILL NEEDED
QUICK NEWS
SCHOOL
YEAR STARTED
This
year we have 32 children in school - Hawa (4) has
started kindergarten, our new kids Yacouba (13) and Tidiane (15)
have started first grade, and most go on to the next grade. We have
them in all different grades, being light in a dark world. It's
great to see their enthusiasm, especially after 3 long months off;
unfortunately the long break also made them forget a lot, which
I notice as I help the little ones with school work every afternoon.
All supplies have been purchased, the first installment
of tuition paid, and soon the tailor will finish
the last school uniforms. Besides other things
like car repairs and the crumbled walls, all those expenses have
been way more than we could afford, so that we have a debt of
$4500 or 3500€ right now. We would
be thankful for any donations to help us get on our feet again,
especially with the upcoming conference and Christmas season.
FLORENTIN'S
HEART OPERATION
I've
been trying to find a Christian organization who could help organize
a heart operation for our 16-year-old Florentin who
needs a valve replaced. However, I've been unsuccessful,
and so we have to go with what the Malian hospital can organize.
We're still in the early stages and only know that he'll be operated
in France and that we will have to cover at least
the travel expenses. Also, it cannot be put off as Florentin's health
is not as stable with the medications as we had hoped.
OUR
WALLS
In
August our property walls crumbled
in 2 locations, and it cost us hundreds of dollars to put metal
sheets up as a temporary fix. This past rainy season it's been raining
hard, and so our temporary fix couldn't withstand the storms and
had to be fixed again. Now we should really rebuild
the wall, but there is no way we could financially do that at this
time. Unfortunately all kinds of animals are making their way onto
our property through the metal sheets, and we simply cannot prevent
that from happening.
8TH
ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE
In
just a few weeks Austrian pastor Gerhard Kisslinger
is coming for our yearly anniversary conference
of our church in Mali. We'll have a week together - 3 days of meetings
on our base in Bamako, and 2 days in the villages. We've started
our preparations, including corporate fasting, and are asking for
your prayers for a fruitful week.
SPONSORS
STILL NEEDED
Rokia
(7)
We
recently added Rokia to our non-resident sponsorship
program when I heard her heart-breaking story. I was asking our
faithful Christian carpenter Caleb how his family was doing when
I discovered that his and his kids' hearts were broken because of
their separation. Since the parents could not afford
the schools in their neighborhood, they sent their daughter and
son away to relatives to live and go to school there. The sponsorship
for Rokia and her brother enables them to return home
and receive a quality education. I wished you could
have seen the gratefulness in their parents' eyes! How rewarding
to be able to unite a family this way!
Rokia
still needs a sponsor for $60 or 40€
per month. Please contact me if you'd like to become her
"parent abroad" and be in touch with her by email and
skype.
Marie-Madeleine
(13)
Marie-Madeleine
is Paul's half-sister, and our cook Elisabeth's
daughter. Her sponsorship is what allowed her to start school, and
she's grown into a fine young lady now starting 8th grade. Marie-Madeleine
used to have 2 half-sponsors but recently lost one.
If
you'd like to cover a half-sponsorship for her
for $30 or 20€ per month, please contact me.
QUICK
NEWS
- Summer
Outreach - Four of our older kids had a great time doing
a 3 week YWAM outreach in the northeast of Mali.
It's great to see the fruit in their lives, and especially to
hear the report of the YWAM leader who couldn't believe they used
to be street kids.
- City
Electricity - We've been after them for over half a year,
trying to get the power lines we should have
long had, but so far no luck
- Political
Situation - Steps towards a military intervention
are being taken, and a decision will probably be made in the beginning
of November. I post regular political updates on our Facebook
account.
- Book
Translations - The German translation
of my book is being released this November, praise
God! As for the French translation, I'm still looking for a publisher.
- Exciting
Changes - I'm going to write a separate email about the
exciting changes at H2TNI.
- Volunteers
- We don't have any volunteers in Mali right now, even
though we really need a few; if you'd like to come help us, contact
me.
He
put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will
see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
(Ps 40:3)
Loving
HIM,
Claudia
|
June 2012
Standing from left: Claudia, Paul, Rokia, Saloum, Tierno, Adama,
Moïse, Joseph, Fanta
Sitting from left: Florentin, Karim, Jérémie, Amadou,
Youssouf, Hama, Boubacar, Bakary, Sarata, Jonathan
orange
- current monthly support, red - support needed
|