Join Us in Giving JOY!

Heather and I are headed back to Kenya in September! That’s just 2 short months away and we realizedthat we are a little behind in our normal trip planning!!! AGH! But we know that with God all things are impossible! While our planning and preparation time may be less than usual, we trust that we will meet our goals because we have awesome friends and family who are generous and love being a part of these exciting trips with us! Read this newsletter to see just a few highlights of the impact we are making across the globe! How can you not want to be a part of this? ☺

Since time is of the essence, I’m going to go straight to the point here…

First, we need FUNDS!!! ☺ We usually have a bank of generous donations that we use for various needs that God brings to our attention while we are there. While, we do not try to solve every problem with money, there are always so many needs we come across and we often feel led to help certain people/situations. It’s such a blessing to be able to do that and report back to our generous donors where the funds were used with daily updates/pictures/stories! These are often heartbreaking stories that we get to speak life, hope and love into. Seriously, always my favorite part of each trip! Our goal is $2000 each for these needs ($4000 total).  

Secondly, we asked the team this week how we could bless our sponsored children when we are there. In the past, we’ve brought a few balls (or purchased highly overpriced balls there) and the kids share them enthusiastically, but the balls usually pop pretty quickly since there’s no futbol fields and so many children using them. I found a non-profit that has created futbols that don’t pop and they are only $25 a piece when bought in bulk! www.oneworldplayproject.com  I’m working on a campaign page for this but in the meantime, would you consider sponsoring a ball? Our goal is 75 balls! Give Joy. Give Balls!!!!

Lastly, our team is in need of equipment to continue operating at the level we need them to. We are in desperate need of a new motorbike ($2500) and our team needs new Iphones (6). We will gladly take new or used (but in great condition) Iphones 7, 8 or newer. What a blessing this would be for them to receive these! 

I know we are asking a lot of our generous partners, but their needs are great. And it’s especially wonderful to bless others (like we’ve been blessed) above all they can ask or imagine. Please join us in giving JOY this year! 

www.giveamore.org and you can note where you’d like your generous support to go! 

Please follow me on Facebook, follow Give Amore on Facebook and on Instagram too! 

May God bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and give you His peace!

Mama on a Mission,

Christa

Housed Once Again

Paloma and family are blessed to have a new home after years of putting up in an old house whose porous roof not only excessively leaked during rainy seasons such as now, but also was life threatening as exhibited in its ever attempts of caving in on them. The new house’s walls await a final thatch then they can move in.

The new house is bigger and better than its predecessor and therefore suffices as ample space for the family of six that solely looks up to their poor grandmother for care upkeep. 

In the recent past, the family sometimes crashed at relative’s huts just to keep dry from the heavy long rains that are currently pounding across the country. Therefore, this blessing not only keeps them joyful and sheltered, but also comforts their hearts.

Again, it is worth noting that in Paloma’s village, housing poses a great challenge to locals and therefore blessings such as this are super rare and make lasting impacts not only to the family but also the entire community. 

#19 is Done at Last

Well #19 also dubbed Del Sol Well is up and running with clean safe water and the community of Ebulechia village couldn’t be any happier thanks to the thoughtful generous giving of our wonderful donors. This well was commissioned and handed to the community in a short prayer gathering graced by the Give Amore team.

An account by Sherlyn’s grandmother and guardian to this well depicts a community that was in dire need for accessible clean safe water thus endorsing its coming as timely and considerate.

Theresa described to us how hard it was for her and her four co-wives to make numerous daily treks for years to distant water sources to fetch this common yet scarce significant commodity, and even when they found it; it was in meager amounts to cater for all their domestic needs. She re-called at some point going for weeks without bathing just to save the little water they had for other prioritized needs.

Now in her late 50s, Theresa views this well as a blessing sent to save her frail body and many others like her from the daily physical and psychological melancholies of where and how to fetch and get the water onto her doorstep. And if her smile is anything to go by, it is clear she is relieved from a burden she would have traded anything to be away from and so is the rest of the community.

Giving that is Changing a Life

When we met her, Josephine was profoundly pessimistic and depressed from her past experiences with rejection, abuse and assault. She had no one to turn to and given that she was such a young orphan and homeless, this  teenage girl was prone to grave danger of a variety of malice. But not anymore!

Wounded as she was, we took her in, gave her a home/family, enrolled her in a local school, continuously support her with food and toiletries and all these have played a signicant role in the shaping the beautiful sharp young woman she is becoming.

With great support love and affection she is getting from her new family, Josephine is motivated and feels at home much than ever before. Her curiosity has heightened in bounds,  something that leaves her buried in her books just to get that extra ounce of knowledge.

She hopes to grow to make up the front row bench of successful women lawyers and give back to the society by tackling social injustices girls like her face. 

Now this is a reflection of change through joy, hope and love!

The Side Effect of Giving Amore

“Sometimes the miracle is as simple as a perspective change.”

— Somebody else and Christa Horst

                A year ago today we left for Kenya-5 of us, 10 large suitcases, 5 carry-ons…all loaded with goodies and love from our friends and family here in America. We were able to bring so much! Bras, reading glasses, balls, crafts, kids activity sets, medical supplies, books, clothes, shoes and more! Oh what fun it was to eventually get our suitcases (remember the hostage crisis of 2018? ☺). When we finally had everything it was like Christmas morning on steroids passing out all the gifts and the much needed supplies! 

We often talk about what we are “giving” them and how we are “helping” them. And yes, while that is our hope that we can GIVE, we often fail to take into consideration what we also “receive” from being a part of helping others.

We Give Hope. We Give Joy. We Give Love.  We RECEIVE Hope. We RECEIVE Joy. We RECEIVE Love. 

But, we RECEIVE all of those 10x over! While our motive is not in receiving, it’s a natural side effect of giving! One of the biggest things I have received from being a part of all the giving is perspective. Perspective makes all the difference in every area of our lives. When you’ve seen how little some people have in terms of tangible goods, suddenly your “need” isn’t so important. One of my favorite quotes I heard a long time ago that I’ve adopted as my own (since I don’t know who said it) is “Sometimes the miracle is as simple as a perspective change.”

I just pray that as you read about what we are doing you RECEIVE Hope, Joy and Love and some miracles…perhaps a perspective shift. 

Thank you for your continued support. We could not do what we do without generous givers.

Christa 

Liquid Love Flowing from the Riley Spring

Give Amore’s first ever water spring’s construction was a huge success all thanks to your thoughtful impacting giving. Riley springwas commissioned and handed over to the beneficiary community through a short prayer ceremony held on site and graced by the Give Amoreteam Kenya. 

Unlike other distant neighboring water springs, Riley is fitted with a continuous flow resistant cleansing mechanism in its underground collection tank therefore, just like a well; it will unceasingly supply its recipients with a steady flow of clean and safe water for general household consumption.

As a parting shot, the local leadership, builders and beneficiaries present on the inauguration ceremony applauded this thoughtful blessing and vowed to take care of it. They termed it the fulcrum of their livelihood!

Meanwhile, work on our 19thwell is underway and should be completed soon. The well is being constructed in Ebulechiain Sherlyn’s home and fortunately enough, this household happens to be strategically at the center of the hosting village.

May Events Roundup

The month of May was swamped with an array of activities from two jigger clinics to back to school items distribution for our sponsored children, and most importantly two graduations of students in our free adult skills training programs, that is, tailoring and computer training programs respectively. 

First off, the Give Amoreteam alongside volunteer nurses and community health workers held two jigger clinics in four different stations in the community and successfully disinfected a multitude of residents from this malicious agonizing parasite. The principally affected were school going children, women and men in that order.

On the other hand, the Made with Amoretailoring training together with its computer training counterpart held graduations of students who had successfully completed the required course necessities to mark a new start in their lives. As tradition Give Amoreequipped, prayed for them and set them off to “fish” better than they came in.

And finally, it was back to school for our sponsored children after a three month end of semester break. Our super excited children each received text books specific to their school’s demands and stationery to last them for the rest of the current semester. Also all of their paramount school expenses were settled thus, they will stay in school without any inconveniences. 

Before and After

Let her collected, silent demeanor not fool you, Gladys is such a beautiful brilliant blooming young lady you’ll be thankful to have met and spent time with. 

Emanating from a deprived background, this 11 year old girl has seen it all from going to bed hungry , sleeping on bare floors, having no access to ‘girl stuff’ and toiletries, sent off from school repeatedly and so much more hardships, but none of these setbacks ever stalled her thirst to learn. 

We met her about a year ago during one of our home visits and the cloud of sadness on her face hang so low to go unnoticed. Further, she seemed very deep in thought and pessimistic, most evidently from what she was going through at the time. It was such a sad encounter.

 However, our drained emotional state was revamped when we spoke to her. We couldn’t believe the change of perspective when she responded! Well, out of her mouth came the most eloquent utterances we hadn’t heard in a long time least to expect from a girl her age, in her setting. From every word, it was easy to tell all she ever wanted was none other than to go back to school and get the education she desperately needed and thankfully Give amore did her justice.

Currently, Gladys is undoubtedly soaring higher in her studies and dreams to become a medical doctor so as to one day save her family fromthe dreadful fangs of poverty.

Please Dream With Us...

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9

Dearest Donors and Partners for the Kingdom,

Yesterday, I had the privilege of receiving pictures of so many blessings Give Amore has been a part of in Kenya recently! Our team is doing so much over there and I never want to take for granted all that’s been made possible. Well #18 is finished (it’s actually a Spring, read on for more info!). Made with Amore just graduated 5 more students! Another jigger clinic is happening this month! 5 children have recently been added to our program and So. Much. More!

It's easy to be content with what we’ve accomplished so far. We are forever grateful. But the vision God has given us is much bigger than this so we keep on pressing forward in trust, in faith, in confidence that the vision will be fulfilled. 

In many leadership and goal setting books I’ve read, they’ve all stated that we should write down our goals as if they’ve already happened, from the future, looking back on what’s been accomplished. So here I go…Please dream with me….

We thank you God for making a way for our Give Amore building to be a beacon of hope for communities in Kenya! We love watching our medical clinic provide much needed medical care and hope for these rural communities! Our food pantry is providing nutritious meals for hundreds of families while our skills training classes (sewing school, agriculture program, computer training, jewelry making), our library, and tutoring classes set individuals up to be able to provide for their families. Our building stands as a beacon of hope for the community and is a light for the kingdom that points everyone to You. We thank you for making this possible. We thank you for stirring in the hearts of others to use their gifts and talents to support this beautiful mission of Love. We are forever grateful we stepped out in faith and took each step toward this vision that you gave us.  

Please pray over this goal with us daily. This is what we wait with expectancy for. We are on track. The path is set and He will make a way. 

Thank you to you all for joining us on this incredible journey! 

Christa

An Ever Growing Family of Love

Our newest additions!

After the addition of Ignatius into the Give AmoreSponsorship program, Brian, Agneta, Cynthia and Franklin were shortly afterwards officially confirmed too as part of the ever growing family of Give Amore. 

Having been out of school for a while due to lack of school fees, the five  were all smiles when they learnt they will walk through the gates of a school once more with their tuition and other expenses all taken care of.

In their very first general items distribution, the five children received a welcoming package of food, bedding and clothing. They also got the chance to mingle with the rest of their peers and surprisingly, quickly enough, made new friends.

Emanating from humble backgrounds, this sponsorship is a step up to helping them achieve their once a blurred dreams, and drawing from their joy and strong will to learn, it is no doubt that these amazing little souls will grow up to become just he persons they so dream to be.

For more information on how to sponsor a child visit the give amore website for guidelines.

Spring of Life

Our first Spring!

Construction and purification of Give Amore’s first ever water spring is currently underway in the remote Matunguvillage. This comes after a survey revealed that the area has a higher water table which could not allow for sinking of a well hence the spring development.

In a village where locals trek for miles in search of water, uncertain hazardous rain water has been their bail from the water search hardship. Therefore, this centrally placed underground water source will come in handy in ensuring perennial flow of clean water and time to time purification will sure save time, effort and lives in the long-run .  

A spring’s building process doesn’t differ much from a normal well building only that it is sophisticated given the type of materials and expertise used to ensure the main source is tapped correctly and precautions taken to avert any avoidable pollution. 

The entire project should be completed and commissioned soon.

Leaving Better than They Came In

From left to right: Sylvia, Hariet, Melody, Maureen Akinyi and Maureen Angolo stand in front of their hard-earned sewing machines and tables wearing the dresses they designed and created for themselves. These women now have skills and tools to end the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. We applaud them!

Selvy, Harity, Melody, Maureen Angolo and Maureen Akinyi leaped into another phase of their lives after successfully completing a six months tailoring course in everything embroidery. The five each received a sewing machine as a graduation gift from Give Amore.

In rural Kenya, tailoring offers a great chance at self-employment therefore, these beautiful ladies are well placed to become great entrepreneurs and mentors in their respective villages nay communities through every ounce of achievements they realize from their earned skills and tools.

If the dresses they made are anything to go by, great creativity is oozing right from the choice of fabric, style, uniqueness and so much more that goes into dress making. To us this symbolizes the value addition in their lives given that they are leaving much better than they came to us.

Made with Amoreis a free sewing training program seeking to equip the community with skills that sets them on the path of self-actualization and financial freedom. It draws its motivation from the adage give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime. 

We wish them all the best in their endeavors.  

Selvy, Harity, Melody, Maureen Angolo and Maureen Akinyi leaped into another phase of their lives after successfully completing a six months tailoring course in everything embroidery. The five each received a sewing machine as a graduation gift from Give Amore.

In rural Kenya, tailoring offers a great chance at self-employment therefore, these beautiful ladies are well placed to become great entrepreneurs and mentors in their respective villages nay communities through every ounce of achievements they realize from their earned skills and tools.

If the dresses they made are anything to go by, great creativity is oozing right from the choice of fabric, style, uniqueness and so much more that goes into dress making. To us this symbolizes the value addition in their lives given that they are leaving much better than they came to us.

Made with Amoreis a free sewing training program seeking to equip the community with skills that sets them on the path of self-actualization and financial freedom. It draws its motivation from the adage give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime. 

We wish them all the best in their endeavors.  

Growth in the Waiting

A touching moment at the Women Like Us Conference where a Kenyan woman was in the audience and was moved to tears after hearing what we are doing for her Kenyan brothers and sisters. She was an orphan, infected with jiggers and God made a way for her. Her testimony was incredible and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. God is on the move!!!

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action Is dead. -James 2:17

The past few weeks, I’ve had the honor and privilege of speaking to large groups of women about Give Amore and the vision God has given me for our brothers and sisters across the globe. They were awe-inspired times and I trust that, though there’s not been much physical fruit from these opportunities yet, God has planted seeds in the hearts of many and fruit is coming!!! We wait with bold expectancy to see what is in store and how God will move through the hearts of those that He’s crossed my paths with.

However, I’m not going to lie. It is hard. It is hard to see rooms of people brought to tears over the stories I share. It is hard to hear so many people thank me for what we’re doing for our brothers and sisters across the globe, but yet they are still not moved into action YET. I have to remind myself of all that God has done so far through Give Amore and that in the waiting is when my roots go deeper and my faith is stronger because when it seems impossible, God makes it possible. 

 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40 

I humbly ask you to consider what YOU can do to make a difference in the lives of someone who can never repay you this side of heaven? We all can do something!!!

I want to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to all our donors and sponsors who are sacrificing a little each month (though I’m sure they would agree that they don’t even miss the money and that it’s the best $25, $50, $100+ they spend each month) to help our brothers and sisters across the globe. Your reward will be in heaven when you come face to face with Jesus and see the impact you’ve made for the Kingdom through your generous giving. 

May God bless you and multiply your harvests.

Christa 

Welcoming Ignatius into the Family of Love

Clothes, shoes, education and HOPE for a brighter future are in store for Ignatius thanks to a sponsor.

Somewhere in Shibuli location resides a handsome little man called Ignatius who was recently considered for a place in our sponsorship program.

Born out of wedlock and to an unknown father and a runaway mother, Ignatius, 8, and his only sibling Junior are stuck with their widowed deaf grandmother alongside four other grandchildren. 

With the claws of poverty closing in on her, old Selina is forced to take up menial jobs in people’s farms for LESS THAN A DOLLAR A DAY in order to feed her six grandchildren and this only means, no school for her little ones.

For little Ignatius however, a new dawn is on the horizon after landing a God-given sponsorship from Give Amore. This support means that this fine-looking rafiki (friend) will go through the gates of a school, receive school supplies, monthly food provisions for him and his family, toiletries, make new friends and get mentorship from the Give Amore fraternity. 

We pray this blessing brings lasting change to this beautiful family beyond the joy they currently hold.

Sponsorship for elementary aged children is $50 per month. We currently have a waiting list of dozens of children. Please go to www.giveamore.orgto sponsor a child and give hope, give joy and give amore. 

Anti-Jigger Soldiers Marching On

The fight against jiggers intensified in the last month as the anti-jigger team stationed camp in Ebwambwa primary school, a school in one of the most infested villages in the county.

Among the most affected were children and as expected, the elderly also showed up for this anointed disinfection exercise.

The camp that endured for the rest of the day included both painful and painless methods of disinfection and as reflected in our follow-up stories, the results of both methods are equally phenomenal for either dire or beginning cases.  

Also, the team sterilized the classrooms’ floors to rid of any fleas and further supplied the victims with shoes to protect them from re-infestation by these vicious parasites.

Shoes are the best fight against the contraction and spread of these unwelcome pests.

Our jigger clinics cost $1500 and treat hundreds, fumigate homes/classrooms and provide shoes for all. Please join us in this battle to save feet and souls.

The Hands of All Give Amore Wells

Our brave and strong well worker, Jacob, and his family.

Since its inception five years ago, we have seen the well digging project transform lives on a larger scale than we ever imagined, including our diggers. Jacob has been with us from the beginning.

Jacob Nangabo is an experienced well digger, a husband, and a father to four amazing children. Further, due to his clean slate of job well done in well digging, he is and has been the hands of all Give Amore’s clean water wells across rural western Kenya.

Speaking to him, he describes working with Give Amore as the best thing that happened to him in a very long time and a great contributor in not only keeping his family safe, but also in keeping his medically dependent child alive.

In addition to that, courtesy of his well sinking talent, his children are in school, he has a roof over his head and thus stands out among his equals.

“Life has been on the improvement lane in the past five years and I have God and you all to be thankful for.” he concludes inSwahili.

We are thankful to him, his bravery, his hard work and his dedication to a quality job and we pray that God will continue to expand our territory, so we can help expand his.

Abundance Mindset

“You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. ”

— Matthew 25:21b

Dearest Partners,

We thank you for your support of Give Amore and are excited for you to read just a few of the highlights from the past month. It’s crazy to think that these life changing transformations happening across the globe are because of what we are doing over here. The generosity of hundreds of people each month make what we do possible and we are grateful to be the vessel being used to transport these blessings! 

It has become increasingly aware that sometimes our mindset can be so focused on the little we need that we hold back on praying for the big things that God is more than capable of making possible. We often sell Him short. I’m guilty of this with Give Amore. Is it a trust issue? I’m not sure. But now that I’ve seen God provide above and beyond what my little vision was for Give Amore, I realize that I’ve been selling Him short of what He wants to do and is capable of doing with Give Amore.

 When we were in Kenya last year, Heather and I both had a vision for our Give Amore campus. God gave it to me so clearly, out of the blue, down to the tile on the floors and the paint on the walls. I see our campus as a beacon of hope for the community! It will be filled with students learning and growing. We will have a full floor just for our sewing program. We will have a medical clinic, a food pantry, a community library, tutoring, and Bible Studies. Our computer program will expand and we will be a resource for the entire community to learn, to grow, to connect and most importantly to know about Jesus. Oh, and an American style restroom (thank you Jesus!).

Please pray shamelessly and without ceasing that we will make great strides toward this vision God gave me. I know it is from Him because I wouldn't dare take on something like this in my own strength. But I know what He’s capable of doing so I believe He will make a way by opening up hearts and wallets to support this and make it a reality. 

Please join us in making this vision a reality by donating at www.giveamore.org. I can’t wait to see it unfold. 

Blessings, 

Christa Horst

Overflow of Blessings

When Give Amore learned of a problem at our 2nd well (from 2014), we came back and fixed it so water is flowing freely fo this community again!

Water is flowing again at our well number two which experienced an underground clog a few weeks ago. The well is located at Derrick’s home, the family of Jayden, Michele, Michael, Gladys, Jimmy and Thomas all in our sponsorship program.

Apart from the caretaker family, the well serves an array of families both distant and from close by therefore, its restoration means business as usual to many women who had embarked on long distance treks in search of water, an indulgence they forgot when this well was sunk for them four years ago.

In another update, work on well number 18 is scheduled to begin soon and this time its location will be at sherlyn’s home in Ebulechia village. 

According to our dedicated well digging team, work will commence in the coming week and, without any difficulties, end 2-3 weeks later. Pray with us as we undertake this tasking yet fulfilling project in the days to come.  

Well Equipped! Now Lays the Chance

Blessing and Irene, Made with Amore’s newest graduates, proudly display their well-earned sewing machines.

Tens of students, largely women, have been channeled through our sewing program and today is Irene and Blessings’ turn. They proudly graduated in the joyful embrace of their peers and Give Amore staff.

These two beautiful women joined our sewing program at a time that their odds of making a breakthrough were meager to any possibilities. As mothers, wives, friends and steel-willed women in a harsh male society, they took a leap of determination into the sewing class, and contrary to their expectations, emerged well equipped with embroidery skills, a sewing machine each, sewing kits and new friends. 

Speaking to them at the display of their new gifts, they each in their capacities reckoned all the hard work, determination, sacrifices, support and love they received from their families and spouses alike as they took to a challenge they thought was impossible at the time. 

Blessings already has a laid out vision of a tailoring shop, whose pillars are supporting her family, making a living, learning and giving back to her community. “It is not easy, but I’ll give it a go!” she reiterated in her native Luhya language. Irene on the other hand hopes to spark something out of her new found path with the help of her family. 

We wish the duo all the best as they take on new challenges that will result into bigger newer possibilities. Congratulations!

Meet this Perfect Mother

Gladys and Volenshel, her daughter, take advantage of our free computer training classes at the Give Amore campus. Trainees are getting younger and younger.

Little baby Volenshel plays in her mother’s lap least aware of her setting yet exuding greater joy and pride of being in the loving arms of her mother Gladys Ambetsa. Miss Ambetsa is a high school graduate, a student at our free adult computer training program and much more sponsored by Give Amore. 

Unlike her classmates, she brings her baby along to class when she has to, defying the challenge of staying at home to look after her while missing her lessons, whenever Volenshele’s dedicated grandmother and nanny has to run daylong errands. 

This beautiful young woman never gave up her daughter, despite being raped and left helplessly pregnant when she was only 16. And even now, she miraculously finds a way to juggle taking care of her sweet daughter simultaneously to honing her computer skills. 

She hopes to become a nurse and the greatest role model to her daughter knowing that she is the happiest thing that ever happened to her. “She is the reason am here!” she chuckles away.

We wish this young mama all the best in her endeavors to come.