In the city of Majengo:
Today Valerie and the girls met with the leadership of the Solid Rock Widows ministry here at our hotel while Kendall and I went into Kisumu to buy supplies for the widows conference tomorrow. The meeting was supposed to last until 2 pm but when we got back at 3:30 they were still going strong because the Lord visited them in a very powerful way. Some of the women were healed, delivered, and filled with the Spirit. The Lord gave the whole group new direction for the future. As the women prayed the Lord was giving Nancy Odwaro a whole new vision for the ministry of this center and tomorrow she will share it with the women. Everyone saw how this widows center is going to be a perpetual source of help and encouragement for widows in this area of Kenya. The meeting tomorrow will not just be a meeting to share encouragement and to bless these precious women, it is literally going to be the inauguration of a vital ministry to the widows of this region and their families.
This will be the biggest widows event ever at the widows center. We are preparing a great lunch for 300 widows who will be coming from all over the area. Several weeks ago we purchased three professional sowing machines for the center that will be used by many widows to earn a living and to train other women to sew. We also have another candle making machine on order for the widow’s center like the one we purchase for our AIDS ministry in Nairobi. This machine will make 72 candles at a time and more than 20 women can make a living with it. We also gave the leadership $1000 to either finish the interior of the facility or help women in need, as the Lord leads them.
As we prayed this week we decided to give each of the widows 500 Shillings. It’s not a lot, but it is more than most of them make in a week of work. Thanks to a donation to Worldcomp the other day we are able to give this gift worth $1800 to the widows. We will also give them a little gift package. The board is very excited about this.
One of the amazing things that happened in the women’s prayer time was this: Before leaving for Kenya, Kathy Lambert felt very strongly that the Lord was telling her to bring a spare set of glasses. The thought came to her mind that she might break or lose her glasses and she needed to be prepared. But today while they were meeting one of the widows, named Leah, was trying to read something and said, “I’m sorry I can’t read because my eyes are bad. When Kathy heard this she suddenly had a flash. She let Leah try on her glasses and she could see clearly. The prescription was perfect for her eyes. When God spoke to Kathy to bring a spare set of glasses, He had it in His mind to bless a widow half way around the world.
Kathy is making a list of all the miracles that have happened since we left Seattle and it is now up to 24. When I have a little more time I am going to publish the list for all of you to see and praise God with us.
A short time ago Nancy had a call from a women who stayed with her and her husband many years ago. She told Nancy that the Lord had spoken to her to dig a well on the site of the new widows center and another on the site of her own home. Within the few days a drilling rig showed up and it will be finished within a few days. We take fresh clean water for granted, but here in Kenya, to have fresh water is right up there with having food to eat. The center will be able to sell water for a very low rate to many people who have to go long distances to buy now. This will be one of the ways the center can be self sustaining. We are praising God for this.
Please pray today for Valerie, Kathy, Selma and Britta as they prepare to share tomorrow with the widows. With all of our hearts we want bless and encourage each one of them in a lasting way. And please pray for Nancy and the widows center. God has a special place in His heart for the widow and the orphan and so do we.
Want to help?
Send contributions to Worldcomp Kenya Relief, 7758 Earl Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117 or give on-line at www.worldcompkenya.com/ways-to-help
Blessings to you all
Richard and Valerie and the team