What a Welcome
We are grateful that Simone and Richard had a blessed, fruitful time in Manjo on their last visit this March. We are also thankful that they made it safely back to the US. Their visit was greatly appreciated and celebrated by the children and staff. It was a very work-intense, filled, challenging time, and yet once again a testimony of the faithfulness of God.
Even though they arrived late and some of the children were already in bed, they got a very joyful welcome.
There was a lot that needed to be done, but Manjo Children’s Home is about children. And the children enjoyed the extra attention. Richard was able to play soccer with the boys and even arrange a special match between MCH and boys from Manjo village. How fitting with Afcon (Africa Cup of Nations) 2022 just having been held in Cameroon this year!
Richard was a real blessing in other ways, too. Once again it became very obvious how important it is, especially for boys, to have male role models and someone they can confide in and trust.
Simone’s time and hugs were also greatly appreciated. Sometimes we see issues from the children’s previous experiences surface. And it takes a lot of discernment, prayer, wisdom, love and a delicate approach to address those issues. We appreciate prayers for the children, that God would redeem the past and do a powerful redeeming work in each of their lives. Those things cannot be shared or put in pictures, but we do have pictures that speak quite a bit.
We are very, very thankful for our dedicated staff! They are on the ground, some of them 24/7. They lead, they care, they love, they cook, they feed, they shop, they drive, they encourage, they teach, they pray, they do a lot! They are carrying a big load and you can probably imagine that the children are not as quiet and calm as in a picture. Our house parents are doing an amazing job. We are amazed at their love and dedication. Marie (house mother and cook) got sick and was admitted to the hospital during the Njei’s time there. Malaria had caused anemia and weakened her. She is doing a lot better. Please pray for health and protection for the staff and children.
The children are also doing chores, so that they learn real life skills. Even though we look forward to have a cooking range and washing machine in the future to help cut down on the work load, we still believe it is important for them to learn to do things the more traditional way as well.
There is always a lot of maintenance and building Projects going on. The town decided that the road to Manjo Children’s Home should get street lights. We needed to get light posts, wires, lamps, etc and install them.
On this note, the power supply is very poor and many times each day there is no electricity. It was very hot when Richard and Simone arrived and they asked for prayer for relief, as the house they stayed in has no solar panels yet. God answered. He sent rain, even ahead of the rainy season, which helped with the temperature. That rain also brought back some green on the compound again.
God is faithful!
The MCH car encounters a lot of rough terrain. The tires gave out and the windscreen was broken. Simone was able to get both fixed and repaired. Challenges can be overwhelming, but God always shows himself faithful.
House #4, called Kindness, also saw big progress. Several corrections had to be made. It takes a lot of patience to deal with labor and supplies. Also through the pandemic prices shot up quite a bit. So we praise God for the work that could get done and hope that very soon House Kindness will be finished.
For some time now, Simone invested her own money in building up an agricultural project on the compound. The idea is to make Manjo Children’s Home self-sufficient. It will be a long way and there have been many challenges. We had issues with the soil and it needs to be amended quite a bit to make it more fertile. We had issues with the fish pond as some water overflowed and the walls need to be redone. The fish are at present in above ground tanks. We needed advice on the chickens as well. So we were very pleased that the ministry of life-stock and fishery paid us a visit and gave us free advice and counsel from how to make our own fish feed to possible markets for the fish, chickens, and produce.
It was a fruitful trip. The Njei’s arrived home very tired. Though they have faced quite a few challenges, they have also seen many answers to prayer and God’s faithfulness. Please continue to lift them up in prayer for renewed strength and energy. The work goes on. Leading the ministry from the US is challenging, as phone lines are often bad. There is not much of a functioning internet connection at Manjo and yet, many situations have to be dealt with, things need to get organized, questions answered and counsel given - all long distance.
Thank you for your prayers and support, which we greatly appreciate.
