Merry Christmas friends and supporters of Mission:180!
December 15th marked the 1st anniversary of our work in Kenya! It’s hard to believe in many ways that we have now lived in Kenya, and out of Canada for one full year! In many ways it has flown by, while in other ways the time can seem to drag on! (Anything to with bureaucracy, visa’s, resident permits etc, this all drags on).
It has been an incredible 12 months. We have accomplished much, and we now know better than ever there is so much to accomplish! The needs in Kenya, as with most of Africa, are huge! A recent statistic tells us that there are 180 new cases of HIV EVERY DAY in Kenya. If you are interested in the math, that’s 65,700 per year! We came here to help widows and orphans, and the need for help will not be going away anytime soon!
Since our arrival, we have been able to buy medicine and pay for medical treatment for children, we have fed hundreds of people on a number of occasions, we have helped people relocate out slum living into safer neighborhoods and better homes, we have travelled all over Kenya doing relief work, and we have been very busy going through the required motions necessary to establish ourselves and Mission:180 in Kenya. What a year!
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| A very Needy Masai Family, with their Christmas Hamper in front of their traditional home. |
Mission:180’s Christmas Programs:
Most recently we have seen the successful launch of two programs that will continue on for years to come. We have successfully launched a program to help children receive sponsorship for school fees for a full year. This year, 5 recipients and their families do not have to worry about where the next terms school fees will come from. We have also launched our Christmas Hamper program. These programs help Mission:180 accomplish several different things.
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| Brian and Sharon, they live in a refugee camp, they are orphans being raised by their grandfather! |
- It helps connect you, our supporters in Canada to the important work we are doing, by affording you the opportunity to be directly connected to a specific need and project.
- It feeds needy, hungry Kenyan’s for 6-8 weeks, bringing them not only much needed physical sustenance, but also the hope and encouragement that somewhere there are people who know about them and their situation, and who care enough to give generously to help them! This Christmas we have delivered over 7,000 pounds of staple foods to 72 very needy families, thanks to the generosity and kindness of Canadians like you!
- It ensures that children will be educated and taken care of for their school year!
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| This precious lady, unable to have children of her own was abandoned by her husband. She has adopted these 5 special children and is doing her best to raise them and provide for them. |
Brian and Sharon, pictured above, really grabbed my heart! They have been orphaned by AIDS, and now their grandfather is doing his best to raise them! He can barely provide a few meals a week for them. They desperately needed the food we brought them. I gave each one a huge hug, and they were very light! Picking them up was very easy, putting them down is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I just wanted to take them home! It's these children, and the hundreds of thousands like them in Kenya we came to help!
Thank-you so much and this Christmas may you know more than ever, that it is far better to give than to receive!
We want to say once again, thanks so much for your encouragement, your prayers, and your financial support! Without those three things, from people like you back home in Canada, we could not do what we do here for the neediest of the needy in Kenya! If you would like to make a contribution, please feel free to click the donate button on this page, and follow the simple steps to help make an IMPACT, one life at a time! All donations are receipted for income tax purposes!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Jason, Jennifer and Joshua Sheppard
