|
Good Samaritan Lwanda Children's Home
|
|
Good Samaritan Lwanda Children's Home Orphanage now has more then 40 orphans in temporary shelters. Nearly everyone has heard of Mother Teresa of Calcutta who is known worldwide for her work among the dying, the lepers and the orphans of India. Few, however, have heard of our Mother Teresa of Kenya. Though she will likely not become famous in this world, her work for orphans will nonetheless be recorded in the books of heaven and she will receive her reward. Teresa is the administrator of our newest orphanage, brought about because of thirty-one children who were brought to Hope Center in March, by the Kenyan government.As you will recall, these children were left homeless when the government closed down the orphanage they were staying at, due to neglect of the children. How frightening it must have been for these children to be separated from many of their friends, to stay at Hope Center for a few days, and then to be taken out into the African bush to stay with a lady who really had no room for them. Even so, what a warm welcome Teresa and her family have given them! Their new home has been named The Good Samaritan Lwanda Children’s Home. When asked the meaning of “Lwanda,” Pastor Maurice explained: “Lwanda means ‘The Rock.’ This is a name which was given to the area where Teresa lives. Just like you live in Pineville, West Virginia, that place is called Lwanda, Homa-bay. So Teresa lives in a place called Lwanda. Not really a city or town, but a village. 
“The name was given to the village by the first pioneer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kenya. He was from the US. That was way back in 1906. He had preached a sermon entitled, ‘Standing on the Sinking Sand or on the Solid Rock.’ Many people were converted into the faith and they promised to stand on the ‘Solid Rock,’ which is Christ. “Because those were the first days that Christianity was entering Kenya, and Africa at large, people were surprised at his sermon and called him, ‘the white man of the Rock.’ The village then received the name Rock and people there were known as people who follow ‘the Rock.’ So, the word Lwanda is a Luo term meaning, ‘the Rock.’ “Even the nearest school there is called Lwanda. The nearest river is called Lwanda River. And in all, the term refers to Christ. This is interesting.” Many of you, way back in March when we first learned of these children, stepped out in faith to sponsor some of them. It has taken a long time for us to get their histories, but you have been faithful and God will bless you. We are thrilled that you have now, finally, received the photos and histories of your children! Teresa does not speak English so Pastor Maurice has engaged the help of Moses Owilli to help in administration of this work and, most especially, to communicate with us. Teresa also has the help of a woman named Monica to assist her with the children, and a man who brings them water. All of these people are just donating their time at the moment, but soon we must help them with some stipends for their own needs. A letter from Teresa Recently we received a letter from Teresa to you. I am sure you will appreciate hearing her story in her own words, as translated by Pastor Maurice:“Dear Friends in America and Australia and the rest of the world. “I am very happy to take this opportunity to write to you about the children I am staying with. I will first introduce myself . I will try to make this mail as short as possible because of space in the newsletter. “My name is Teresa Akeyo. I am a Luo from Kenya. Religion, I am a Seventh-day Adventist and I believe in the Second Coming of Christ to take us home. Pastor Maurice was one time our church pastor and that is how he came to know about my family life. He and our then church elder consoled me when issues became tough.That was about thirteen years ago. “I am a widow. I lost my husband through AIDS, though I am HIV negative. I am glad I don’t have AIDS. “To be brief, I was the first wife of my late husband. Then after we had stayed for over ten years with him, we did not have any child. To most African tribes, including my tribe, having children is considered a blessing and a woman with no child is considered cursed. Every man in Africa wants a child and if a woman is barren, then she can either be sent away or get neglected. I prayed and prayed in order to get a child, but I could not even get one.“My husband decided to marry another woman and, good luck, the woman gave birth to children. When she first came, we were good friends but immediately she got her first child, she changed suddenly and started hating me. She even warned me not to carry her child. She called me names. Called me barren and incited my husband to hate me more. She spoke all evil against me. They even wanted me to leave. This continued for years and I got advice from different pastors.Even Pastor Maurice came and found the hatred and abuse still going on. I just thank our church members and pastors who gave me a lot of encouragement. “Because of so much hatred, my husband abandoned me and decided to build for me a house some few miles away from where they lived with my co-wife. He told me that he did not want to waste his strength in a farm that cannot bear fruits. My co-wife was present when he told me that. He told me that I could even try other men because he was tired and did not need me anymore.“I started weeping and the more I wept, the more both of them abused me. I was hated in the whole family for being barren. Then I prayed to God and said, ‘Father, I am pleading with you to open my womb and allow me to have a child. God, even if you don’t want me to have a child of my own, then please allow me to get pregnant with my husband, then let the child die immediately after birth. Then I will no longer be considered barren and all this abuse will stop.’ I did not get any answer from God.“After my husband had abandoned me, I decided to be very faithful and just decided to serve God. My husband did not come to my house and he had no time for me. He gave me no money. Then my co-wife who had given birth to children decided to be unfaithful. Her unfaithfulness was known by so many people. Then she got AIDS and my husband tried treating her but, later, she died.“After her death, my husband who still looked healthy wanted to come back to me. But I told him, ‘I accept that you can come back. I respect you because you are my husband but I will only accept you after you have gone for HIV test and found to be negative. If you are found to be positive, then I will only care for you, give you food and all that you need, but we shall never be together again as husband and wife.’ That made him hate me more but I had to stand firm. That is how I survived. It has been my belief that in one way God answered my prayer by saving my life. Later on my husband died. I was the one who took care of him till his last breath. I even took the children of my co-wife. That is how God started giving me children.“When their parents were alive, these children of my co-wife were instructed to hate me and to abuse me. They called me names and I could not even send them for anything. But I am very, very glad that they are now the most obedient children I have. They love me and know me as their own mother. They are very sorry for what they did to me and blame their mother for all. They know I love them and I have forgiven them.“When my husband died, he left debts, and so many debts that some of his properties were sold. These debts were as a result of his sickness because people loaned him money to treat himself. Besides, he was not even a rich person, so the little he had was sold leaving me with nothing at all.“Later on my real sister died and I took in her children. Then again some desperate children from my relatives came after they were left orphans. At times, we could go hungry for days with these children. We worked on people’s farms in order to be given just a meal. Sometimes we could work for eleven hours just to get a meal.“When I got the thirty-one children, I previously had fifteen. So I now have a total of forty-six. I don’t know why when these children were taken to Hope Center, Pastor Maurice decided to bring them to me. But again, I truly believe that God has answered my prayer. He has shown me a miracle. I needed one. Just one was my prayer. But now I have forty-six. Even though I do not have children of my own, from my womb, but I have more children than most people in this community. God has blessed me. He has given me a heart to love them and care for them. I am blessed. I am requesting you to pray for me so that I will love them always. “I got very happy when I heard that some of these children are already sponsored. This is a blessing from God. There is a day I prayed, ‘God, I am taking these children but my hands are bare. I have nothing. Because they are your children, I will give them shelter, but I ask you to see how you will feed them and clothe them and educate them.’ Our God is promising. He is answering our prayers and I can see it.” Hearth to Hearth Ministries' websites Other Hearth to Hearth Ministries' Orphanages Maranatha Children's Home Orphanage Glory Children's Center Orphanage Hope for Children Center Orphanage Bridge of Hope Center Orphanage
|
|
Keywords and Orphans and Orphanages related links. Orphanages HIV/AIDS Poverty and Hunger Build an Orphanage Malaria Volunteers Asian orphanages European orphans American orphans Sponsor an Orphan Orphaned boys Orphaned girls Orphaned children Orphaned and abandoned children in Africa
|
|
