Introduction
In the year 2001 I had a dream from God for a children’s home Kengatuny, Kocholia, Teso district in West Kenya.
I had been on a visit to my friend Matilda, whom I had gotten to know when I worked in Eastern Kenya 1998 -1999 in a medical centre. As it seemed an impossible dream I put it aside and just continued to go out for a month each year helping where I could.
My dream still persisted. Working on the ground I had seen the need of a home for children who had HIV or been orphaned by it. The area has a high rate of HIV affecting all age groups, leaving many orphans to be cared for by elderly grandparents who could barely manage for themselves.
I prayed that if it were God’s will land would become available; my prayers were answered and we got our first acre of land. Bear in mind that this area is quite remote with the interior having no water supply or electricity. Most people live in mud huts and live according to there tribal ways and culture.
Here is a list of some of the progress so far.
2004: First acre of land
2005: Successfully implements a water project. The local water supply is mainly rain water caught in tanks around buildings. The pump system no provides water from the river for washing and manual site work.
2006: Annett Agnew, his wife Wilma and Simeon McCullough come out to dig founds and start work on the septic tank.
2007: We bring out a team to start building – they accomplish up to the roof in two and a half weeks! Annett who hails from Annalong is a builder and he co-ordinated all the building work.
A large container holding furniture and clothing was delivered, a great blessing.
2008: A team from LIFT arrives to complete plumbing and electrical work plus dropped ceilings. Two solar panels were also installed.
May 2009: Our first twenty orphans are admitted to their new home.
A word about our first intake. Nearly all were undernourished and suffering from malnutrition. Some were very sick; one child with a severe heart condition was close to death but God showed mercy love and compassion and all the children have settled and call themselves Sunbeams Children.
The child with the heart defect is named Linda. Born with this heart defect she is in a weakened condition but we believe in a God of miracles who heals, and at present we are his hands and feet meeting her needs and giving her the love and comfort of a family, who love and care for her. One child with HIV is on treatment and is presently doing well. Another child is in a wheelchair as a result of polio which wasn’t treated when he was a baby but he too is doing well and is a happy little boy.
Further Progress
Recently we purchased two further acres of land adjacent to the Children’s Home. Presently it is being farmed to supply us with vegetables and maize – currently another success! We have chickens providing eggs and two goats which will hopefully m provide milk. Currently milk is purchased from a neighbour but it is our wish to buy a cow and provide our own milk. Going back to our water project, our desire in the near future is to have our own bore hole for a constant supply of clean water. The container I spoke of also contained a land rover bought by Mavis Gourley. This has been a special blessing as it can used not only a supply vehicle but as an ambulance for the seriously ill to get them to the regional hospital one hour away. The empty container is currently used for storage but in the future may be adapted to offices or living rooms.
Our aim is to be as self sufficient as possible, the children go to the nearby local school, were they have settled in well. These are early days but God has shown favour and blessings. At present we employ approximately 15 of staff to cover all areas of work within the site to ensure it runs smoothly and that all the children are cared for. From next year I plan to live in Kenya long term and we hope for people from KSM UK to be at site on a regular basis.
Present and Future
Did God give me any more dreams? Yes is the answer. At the moment that is all they are; a vision for the future. When I was very ill I spent some time at the local hospital where I saw the neglect of people who were dying of terminal illness, and it was unbelievable. God touched my heart with compassion, and showed me a great need to bring love, comfort and dignity to people in the last stages of their life, to be God’s instrument bringing his love to them in a practical way, and having the joy of leading them to the Lord.
Thus it is the Board’s desire when the time is right to construct a hospice and medical centre on one of our acres.
A further need which I identified was for the forgotten generation; the elderly. As I said earlier many of their families are dead, and these vulnerable people are the only ones left to look after the orphaned children. Some of the elderly in our area are living be4yond 100 years and are still working in the fields.
Whilst their bodies are frail their minds are active and they have much to offer. Their main requirement is a place to live and food each day.
I see these older folk as a great advantage to the work of the children’s home. When the children get older, they can teach them local trades, cooking sewing etc in the way in which we are instructed in the bible to tell the stories of the past and hence keep their culture alive. And also of God’s Blessings and provision over the years. Men can teach farming, local building work, how to make and play the Teso musical instruments, and play them. We have a wealth of knowledge on our door step. It is therefore our dream to construct a building to house these elderly people, feed and water them so that they can be more self sufficient. I believe God will lengthen their days in peace and comfort.
Underpinning all that we do is strong spiritual work where the bible is taught and people learn to walk the Christian life and not just know it. We want a place where local pastors and church workers can come for spiritual food and encouragement and instruction. At present our children have Sunday school and good news clubs and children from outside are welcomed. In future I would like to see evangelical teams coming out each year to do children’s and adult’s work with perhaps pastors and teachers coming to teach the word of God. But this is all for a future day. I ask you to pray about the work of Kenya Sunbeam Ministries and Sunbeam Children as we, with God’s help, meet the need in Kengatuny.
God said that we were a light in a very dark place, where the work of the enemy is very active. But he is a defeated foe. Praise God and we have the victory. I pray that as KSM press on in the work he has given us to do, we will hear “Well done thy good and faithful servants”. So let us press on and see God’s work accomplished, as we live in these last days and fulfil the call God has put upon each of our lives. Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you would like to be involved in this work please contact us.
God Bless
Ellen Gourley