Dec 2009
On August 12th 2009 I arrived at the Nairobi airport. As soon as I turned on my Blackberry the screen lit up with multiple emails, texts, and phone messages all with the title "Joseph has been kidnapped!" Joseph is the Director of the TransMara Development program and our partner for our work in Kenya. More importantly, he is a dear friend who loves the 73 orphan kids being sponsored by Oasis like they are his very own. I couldn't believe what I was reading. After 36 hours of trying everything within my power to locate him, I turned the situation completely over to God. I couldn't do any more. Miraculously, God intervened and the tragedy ended well. Joseph was able to escape into the bush where he managed to evade his captors for 2 days and was finally rescued by the police in Tanzania, 100 miles from home.
2009 has been full of difficult moments for Oasis. Some so difficult that we have wanted to forget them until God faithfully stepped in to create moments that we would never forget. With your help we have seen the beginning of a deep water well that will eventually bring clean water to the top of the mountain. We have made dramatic progress on the 2nd phase of the dormitory so we can house all 73 kids and more. We have navigated a serious food shortage and drought. We have received the incredible gift of a new van. We have brought 8 more orphans into the Children's Home including 2 newborn babies. We have seen the healing of a young boy's deformed foot through surgery and a blind mother who is slowly regaining some of her sight. These unforgettable moments have led us to be more committed than ever to continue creating an oasis for orphans.
We have set aggressive goals for this next year and are focusing our team on meeting all of them. We need $70,000 to finish the construction projects we have started including the kitchen, dormitory and bathroom. We need $40,000 to provide a pumping, storage and distribution system for 600 foot deep well borehole that we had drilled on the mountain top. We must continue to care for the medical needs of our kids. We must grow an educational program that will unleash these children to shape the future of Africa. This is what we must do this next year.
We need your help to accomplish these aggressive goals. We need people like you to give financially towards what we are doing for the orphan children and this community. We also need people to serve these kids by becoming a part of our ministry team. Our goal is to raise $150,000 by June of 2010 and to find 20 people who will serve alongside us in this ministry. We believe it is possible.
Would you consider a financial gift to Oasis that will help change the lives of these precious children? We would encourage you to give in 1 of these 3 ways:
- Give a one time year end gift.
- Give a pledge now that you promise to fulfill by June 1, 2010
- Give a monthly gift that begins in January 2010 and lasts for at least 1 year.
If you would like to serve with us we need your help in the following areas:
- Serve by becoming a part of our new education team.
- Serve by becoming a part of our engineering/construction team, and consider traveling to Kenya to support the work on site.
- Serve by joining our fundraising team.
- Serve by supporting us in our administrative areas of need: writing, graphics, database management, and web site maintenance.
So many people wonder how they can be involved in something as significant as the transformation of a life. You have a unique opportunity to save the lives of orphan children. You have a chance to serve others in a way that will be recognized into eternity. The opportunity is in front of you. If you have any questions or would like more information about our needs, please contact us at info@oasisfororphans.org. Thank you for helping us to build an oasis for these orphans.
And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted
Then your light will rise in the darkness and your gloom will become like midday.
Isaiah 58:10
Your friend,
___________________
Scott Hayward
Oasis for Orphans