Update 30 May 2013

     It has been a couple weeks since our last post. We have had many things going on here at the Baby Centre.  We hosted a team here at the Baby Centre from Northern Ireland.  They were with WGM-UK. They were such a blessing to us and the babies.  They helped out around the Baby Centre cuddling and feeding babies.  They also managed to do some work while they were here.  They did tile work in wing C installing tile in the eating and play area to make the walls more beautiful and durable.  It looks great! By God's grace, they also had a master electrician with them and he was able to help us with our electrical problems that we have been experiencing with our generator.  He is also planning on coming back to help us with some other items to save us some significant money and to make future expansion a little easier.
     Right on the heels of the Ireland team leaving, the Bethel Medical Team arrived.  We spent the first day getting ready for the 2-day camp at the Ngata AGC Church.  The free medical camp was held on the 21st and the 22nd of May.  There were 810 people seen and helped at the camp over the two-day event.  Many of them having serious conditions, some even requiring transfer to hospitals for surgeries. The church and the community were so very grateful.  We look forward already to next years camp!!  A big thank you to the team for a job well done!!

Talia and VIA Liz Meert

     In the picture to the right Talia and Liz are helping sort through the items that were left from the medical camp and helping the Baby Centre medical staff to sort them out and organize them.









    Below is a picture of Stephanie helping out in the Baby Centre office.  She has been helping in many areas including, helping with donor database creation, baby medical data base creation, organization of the storerooms, helping with homework of the school children, and of course playing with babies.  The work she has done here has been very important to taking the Baby Centre to the next level.  We have enjoyed having her here over the last five weeks.  She will be heading back to the States soon, and will be missed.

VIA Stephanie Sands

     Below is a picture of our team from Northern Ireland.

Ireland Team

     Below, are several pictures of new families being created.  God has blessed us with some wonderful new parents.  It has been great to get to know them and to see the bonding taking place.

Kevin Brandon and his parents

Tobias and his mommy and daddy

James and his parents

     With all of the babies leaving, we have also had many new arrivals.  The babies are coming in as fast as they are going out.  We feel very blessed to have so many people saying yes to the call to become adoptive parents.  Please join us in praying for these new arrivals, and their parents that are even now being called to come to the Baby Centre to pick up their new son or daughter.

Samuel David 

Amos

Naomi 

Milicent

Cordwyn

     We continue to have many visitors here at the Baby Centre.  Local churches and businesses that are interested in seeing what the Baby Centre is doing.  The response has been great.  We also continue to go out and speak continuing to raise awareness for the Baby Centre.

     Our projects are going well.  The cows are doing great.  The bio-gas is now being used.  The fish pond is ready for fish!!  We are working now on getting the fish delivered here to the Baby Centre.

     We also have a new bank account which allows us to do international banking much easier.  The bank has been great to work with, and we are charged no fees for international deposits.  We now have a Kenyan Schilling account, a US Dollar account and we have a British Pound account.  This makes partnering with the Baby Centre easier on our donors and us.

     Thank you for staying in touch with us, praying for us, and supporting us in so many ways.  We feel very blessed to be a part of this ministry, and to see God's hand in so many ways guiding and leading. Please also pray for the staff, as some of the changes we are going through are difficult for all of us.  We have many more things to update you on in the next couple weeks as we move closer to opening our new home for our older, un-adoptable children.

Blessings,

D&D

10May2013

     Greetings!!  So much is happening in-between blogs that it is hard to keep up!

     We want to make sure everyone knows about all that babies coming and going so we are trying to include all those in our blogs.  

     We've had a few arrivals since our last blog.  See pictures below:

Irene with 2 day old Rebecca Irene

7 week old Hosanna

Jude going home with his new mommy and daddy

     We had a speaking engagement at Good Shepherd AGC in Nairobi last weekend.

Seenoi, Wycliffe, and Tehila

Antonine from Kenya Children's Home

Dan & Hope

Irene Baby Centre Social Worker

Cate telling how to get involved







 

     The pictures above are from our time of sharing at Good Shepard AGC in Nairobi. We had a great time with Pastor Bones and his staff. We were able to share the Word, and about the Baby Centre and adoption. The response from the congregation has been great. We continue to go out as often as we can to share about the Baby Centre and engage the local churches into action for our babies.

 

 

 

 

  Above is the almost completed Fish Pond project. We will be looking at stocking it later this month, fresh fish for Christmas???

  More news about babies...

 

 

 

 

 

Little 5 day old Baraka

Silas going home with his mommy and daddy

 

     So as you can see things continue to move along at a fast pace. Today we are back in Nairobi waiting for Talia. We just got the news that because of engine trouble before they left Chicago, she was not able to make her connecting flight. They have her re-booked with a nine hour lay-over. Please pray for her as that is especially difficult when you are traveling alone. We are also here to greet our first team from the United Kingdom this year. They will arrive tomorrow afternoon, and we will return with them to the Baby Centre on Saturday evening.

   Please pray for the babies and the Baby Centre staff as we continue to go through so many changes of the way that we do things. God has been so good to us and has shown us so much love and grace. We are thankful for the team He has brought together for this time.

  God has also blessed us with many volunteers this year. Miss Stephanie Sands is now here with us for 6 weeks and is doing a wonderful job of fitting in and helping in many different ways. It is great to have the extra hands for some of the larger projects we are working on. She is currently helping with the baby data base we are creating, and with our international donor base. And of course always helping with babies.

 

Thank you for your prayers, love and support, you are greatly appreciated.

 

Blessings,

D&D



Mombasa AGC and Retreat

     We were at our annual WGM Retreat this past week and were able to rest and relax for a couple of days.  We had some very good teaching on truth, justice and character.  Dr. John Patrick was our speaker.  We had meetings in the mornings and in the evenings.  The afternoons were free for relaxing.  This was the first time we've had to actually relax and get away since we've been here.

     While we were there we took a two hour car ride to Mombasa AGC to present the Baby Centre to them.  Some of the congregation had never even seen what the Baby Centre looks like or even knew there was an AGC Baby Centre.  The purpose is to enlighten and inform about the Baby Centre and let them know that this is their's to own.  The response was great.  We look forward to see where God will take this ministry partnership.  The church is doing great, we love Pastor's Gladys and Dennis Mutai.  They have a real fever for the Lord and service to Him on many levels.

     This coming weekend we will be going to Nairobi to present the Baby Centre to Good Shepard AGC.  This is a great opportunity to present the need for adoptive parents.  We will be in both services. Please pray for this great opportunity.

Dan with Beatrice, Titus, Josephine, Mary, David, their Grandmother and the clan leader.

     As you may have already seen on the Baby Centre Facebook page, the "Fab Five" left the Baby Centre on Friday morning.  They went to live with their grandmother in her rural home.  This has been an answer to many, many prayers.  It is always great to see children taken into a family.





    While we were away at Retreat we had another little one go home with his new mommy and daddy.  Titus seemed to bond quickly with his parents and we pray for their new family.

Kenneth Robert

     Right before leaving for Retreat we had an addition to our Baby Centre family.  Five month old Kenneth Robert joined us and is doing very well.  What a handsome little guy!

   













     As you can see from the pictures below progress is continuing on schedule.  The walls are already up and close to being completed.  The two small sections are for the fingerlings, the middle section is for the adolescent fish, and the largest section is for the adult fish.
     We are planning to stock the pond sometime in May.

 

     We will be receiving our first VIA (Volunteer In Action) next week also.  We will welcome Miss Stephanie Sands to the Baby Centre.  This is also the start of a busy summer of teams and visitors.  Please continue to keep our babies and our staff in your prayers.  Our Baby Centre Board meeting is also this week and we are looking for some new things to come out of that for the Baby Centre.  We are working on many things right now that we can not comment on at this time, but will be able to tell you about in the coming weeks.

     Thank you for your prayers and support as always you are very much appreciated.

Blessings,
D&D, and Carson

6 April 2013--Babies, Fish, and Travel

     Greetings to all!
     It continues to be busy days here at the AGC Baby Centre and as we try to keep up with all that is going on, it continues to rain and rain and rain as the rainy season is now upon us.  It doesn't rain all day, but when it rains, it pours!  It is welcome though because it knocks down all the dust out of the air.
     Things continue to move forward here and there are many things going on.  We continue to speak at area churches and have more speaking engagements coming up this month and next.
     We received a new little bundle of joy today!  Little two day old Christine Catherine!  She is such a little sweetie and we welcome her.

Christine Catherine

     We also have some other wonderful news to share!  Our own Christine and her husband Ben are expecting their first child!!  The blessed event will occur sometime in September.  Remember to pray for them and their little one as they head toward motherhood for the first time.

Christine

     Work has officially started on the fish pond.  You will be getting regular updates from Carson as he is helping out in overseeing the project.  Then he will also help oversee the stocking of the pond and the caring of the fish.  We had to delay the beginning of the fish pond because of getting ready for the elections.  We praise God that everything was peaceful and we can all now move on with a new President who will be installed next Tuesday.
     The work is progressing well and we are hoping to have it completed by the end of the month.  As you can see from the pictures it is a good sized project.  We should be preparing to pour the floor by the end of next week.

Pond beginnings...

   

Almost there...

     This next week we leave for the coast for several days of meetings with WGM.  We have also set up a time to speak at the Mombasa Africa Gospel Church while we are there.  Mombasa AGC has already been involved with the Baby Centre by supporting us through prayer and financial giving, they are a great ministry partner.  So please pray for safe travel, good meetings, and a great time of fellowship with the church members in Mombasa.
   
Blessings,

D&D

Immanuel AGC Visit

     We wanted to officially inform all of you that we are in the process of trying to adopt Hope into our family.  Because of the medical conditions that Hope has, and because of the care that we have given her, she has been paced with us by the social worker and the adoption agency.  We have been to a local lawyer and have started the process.  We have already received the official okay from World Gospel Mission and we are so very excited.  We have been able to Skype or FaceTime with Nathan, Andrea, Talia and both sets of parents to introduce them to Hope.  They are all on-board with this and are very happy to accept her into our family.  This is something that we had always hoped for (no pun intended) but had never dreamed that God would open this door to us so widely.  Thank you to all that have prayed for Hope and all of you that I know will help pray us through the process.

Little Miss Hope sitting up for the first time alone

     This weekend was very full.  The four of us along with Pastor Meshack & Cate Habib & family, our Social Worker, Irene, our KCH representative, Eunice, one of our caregivers, Ruth, and three of our kids, Wycliff, Michael Mwangi and Seenoi, travelled to Kericho on Saturday.

Our group with some of Manu's family

     Our main reason for going was to speak at Immanuel AGC on Sunday morning in both services.  Since we went the night before we stopped in at our Business Manager, Emmanuel, family's home.  We had a lovely time taking tea and mandazi with them.  We visited with them for awhile and then made our way to the church for supper.

The Baby Centre kids reciting their verses

     We had the privilege of staying at Anthony and Rev. Joyce Tonui's home overnight.  Then we had an 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. service on Sunday morning.  Immanuel is the biggest AGC church with well over 1700 in attendance.  AGC Baby Centre basically had the entire time in both services to speak.  Dan spoke on Micah 6:8 and Matthew 25:31-46.  It was a wonderful service and the children did such a great job on their Bible memory verses' that they recited.  Cate, Irene and Eunice also spoke on their area of expertise, informing people how they can help and how to go about adoption.

Some of our group in the first row

     We were so warmly welcomed and the whole congregation fell in love with the children.  It is so wonderful to see how God warms peoples hearts when they hear about the children.

Dan speaking and telling Hope's story

Rev. Joyce Tonui with Hope

     It was a privilege to be able to once again tell the story of the Baby Centre to the people of the Africa Gospel Church.  We saw the congregation moved and there was a great response after the service.  We look forward to seeing how God will use these seeds that have been planted to further His Kingdom through the Africa Gospel Church Baby Centre.

Blessings,

D&D

Celebrating A Life

     Yesterday was an emotionally exhausting day.  We laid to rest little baby Ruth that had passed away on Thursday morning.  The day was so full of emotions with saying good-bye to Ruth.  She leaves behind an empty spot in our hearts, but fills the space in heaven that the Lord had for her.  She completed her task here on earth and the Lord called her home.
     Her smile would light up a room.  No matter how gloomy you felt if you made your way into Wing B you would not leave without Ruth making you smile and laugh.  Suddenly your mood had changed and all because of this little gift from God, baby Ruth.  We could all learn something from Ruth's life.  You never know the impact you are going to have on someone with just a simple smile.

     We are so thankful for the time that Ruth was here with us, this is the only home Ruth ever knew.  We were the only earthly parents that Ruth ever knew.  This has the entire staff contemplating the significance of that role.
     In the midst of all of this, life goes on and we were called to pick up another abandoned child.  Please help us in welcoming Floyd Jacob to the Baby Centre.  He is a healthy one month old.

     Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the notes and prayers that have come our way.  These are very difficult times to go through, and the power of prayer and encouragement are very evident.

Blessings,

D&D

A Bittersweet Day

Ruth

     We wanted to update you about baby Ruth.  She remains at Tenwek Hospital and is in stable but critical condition at the moment.  She has had cardiac arrest 3 times in the last 24 hours.  All that can be done medically has been done, unless the Lord intervenes we fear that she will not survive.  Please lift her up in prayer.
     This is a difficult time for all our staff.  All our thoughts are on Ruth, all our hearts are crying out to God on her behalf.
     We are thankful for the team at Tenwek that are working so diligently using the gifts God has given them to try to save Ruth.  We know God is in control and He already knows the outcome.

     Today was AGC Baby Centre day at Ngata AGC.  All the children were dedicated to the Lord and we gave a presentation and message.  Since Ruth was not there we had the Habib's daughter stand in for her and dedicated her.

     Some of our kids did some songs and memory verses as well.  They did a wonderful job.  Everyone loves seeing the kids and hearing them sing songs about Jesus.  Our caregivers did a great job practicing with them and teaching them the verses.







     We were also able to dedicate Hope today.  That was such a blessing.  It seems as though it has been many weeks since her heart surgery, but it has only been 4 weeks!  She continues to improve and is now eating baby food!

Hope being dedicated

     Dan gave the message today at church and spoke about the Baby Centre and how the local churches can get involved.  The response was tremendous and a large donation of gifts-in-kind and monetary donations were given at the end of the service.  It was very humbling for us to see how the church poured their heart out to the Baby Centre.
     We thank you all for your continued prayers and support.  We are very blessed to have such a wonderful group of champions behind us.

Blessings,
D&D