Donations:

WORKSHOPS & BUSINESSES

SPONSORS NEEDED

We have two children who are still looking for a sponsor. Wouldn't it be great if finding someone who cares and is willing to support them on a monthly basis could be their Christmas gift!

We took in Hamidou (just 16) a few weeks ago. He gave his life to the Lord this summer and was baptized in early December. He is a remarkable young man who loves God. He just started second grade. This is his story:

Hamidou was born in Douentza, in the north of Mali, in December 2000. He starts school like any kid, but in third grade, he has enough of school and skips without telling his parents, so that he never completes the school year. The parents decide to send him to a Marabout (Muslim teacher) in the same town instead. After a while his parents leave town to move to Abidjan; one of his aunts stays in town. Hamidou spends the mornings at a day care center for street children that a Canadian missionary is running, and learns the Coran in the afternoon. After the military coup and the advance of the rebels in 2012, the missionary leaves town. He spends some time with his aunt, while he is still with the Marabout. At first he begs for money for the Marabout, but then a family member gives him money that he gives directly to the Marabout. In the spring of 2016 he has enough of the beatings and decides to leave. His aunt gives her blessing, and so he joins his parents in Abidjan. However, he wants to make money, and so decides to go to Bamako after only two months. The Canadian missionary gives him our contact information, and so in July 2016 he starts sleeping on our base while trying to find a job in Bamako. He’s unsuccessful. Instead he finds Jesus, and his hunger for God gets him noticed. In December he moves into our center on the day he is baptized.

Nathanael (5) is the fifth child of our cook Rosalie and goes to kindergarten. He's just lost his sponsor.

If you'd like to sponsor either one of these children with $60 or 50€ per month, please let me know. You can also do a half-sponsorship for $30 or 25€.

QUICK NEWS

•        Our Health - Claudia started having intense tooth pain about a week before Christmas. For days she had to take strong pain killers, and she got started on antibiotics, which has reduced the pain now. Still, she can't wait until the next trip to have the tooth fixed Also, please keep praying for us to have children.

•        Our School - Our school is going strong, and the kids are studying hard. Please pray for French-speaking teachers to come to Mali to relieve Claudia as well as so we can start a first grade which is much needed.

•        Christmas - We had a wonderful Christmas celebration yesterday, and tomorrow we are putting on a party for all the street children. Next Saturday we'll be celebrating New Year's Eve together.

•        Government Papers - We were disappointed not to get our license plate in time for Christmas so we could all drive to the restaurant. Instead, we had to organize taxis and public transportation. Please pray we get the car papers soon, as well as customs exempt papers and the papers for our organizations.

•        Malian leader Paul - Please pray for our Malian director Paul! He's an amazing young man, and he has a lot on his shoulders. This past year has been really intense for him, and he is tired. He'll be taking a week off in January, and it's always hard for us when he's not around. Also, we'd like to send him on a missions trip to Brazil with Randy Clark next June that would change his life, and allow him to bring the fire back to Mali. If you'd like to contribute to this trip, please mark your donation accordingly. Also, please pray for him.

•        Language Learning - Please pray for Randy as he continues to learn the local language Bambara.

•        Building #4 - We'd like to start building our next building that will service as dorms and classrooms for our elementary school in the beginning, and will be our business and workshop section later. Cost: $94,000 or 84.000€.

•        DMM - We've been introduced to the "Discipleship Making Movement" and are very excited about this great tool to make disciples and start churches. In February we will drive to neighboring Burkina Faso for a two-day training, taking a few of our promising future leaders with us.

•        Partners - We're looking for monthly financial partners as we only have 49% of our budget covered by regular monthly donations.

•       Volunteers - Do you want to come change an orphan's life? Do you want to heal the sick? Preach the gospel to those who've never heard? Come to Mali for a season and let God change your life. No language skills needed, but French skills are helpful.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6)

Loving HIM,

Claudia (& Randy)