Impacts of Cheerful Giving

Generous giving towards Ruth’s family needs went a long way in repairing their all-time rusted leaking roof, buying bedding and clothing for everyone as well as supplementing their household needs with more food and toiletries.

The family of ten live below a dollar a day and therefore, this thoughtful act of compassion goes a long way in alleviating their long endured day to day hardships. Give Amore is grateful to you for making this happen.

With their roof done to perfection and now complete, we are not stopping at that! Our focus now shifts to their bumpy dirt floor which not only makes it difficult for mobility, but also, provides a safe haven for the fatal, highly prolific jigger hosting fleas to breed and hence spread the notorious jigger parasites.  We pray for God’s hand in this perceived undertaking.

The family’s ailing grandmother so far is recuperating at home under close observation of medical personnel. We wish her quick recovery.

15th Well of Wellness

Joseph and Ferdinand, two of the children in our sponsorship program, now enjoy the convenience and wellness of clean water steps from their home!

Our 15th well is complete, commissioned and is serving the community just as it should. The well is at Ferdinand and Joseph’s home and is projected to serve hundreds of families in their remote village that highly depends on ground flowing water from springs and streams.

This well, the only in the entire village, is flowing with clean safe water for drinking and domestic use, a luxury that most of the village population only dream of. 

This new baby will go a long way in alleviating women’s long distance treks in search of water and the gruesome ineffective hustle of boiling gallons of water just to sterilize it. Also it will help reduce largely the notorious waterborne diseases causing pathogens and parasites from the community and so much more great impacts.

Now our focus shifts to our 16thwell. Keep tabs for details in our subsequent daily and monthly briefs. 

Strength of a Woman

One of the strongest women we know, Christine, caring for her beautiful child.

About 96% of our sponsored children’s guardians are women and apart from taking care of these children to ensure they are safe and well bred, they also inspire them through their daily efforts to provide for their daily needs. Our focus today is on Christine.

Living in abject poverty, this wonderful mama has not let misery and self-pity hold her back from striving and working hard in her small homemade snack business to provide for her children.

Christine, a mother of two and aunt to Grace and Everline, works for four hours daily in her village market selling samosas to locals. Her daily schedule is well laid out and her art of multitasking is admirable. 

Despite staying vigil most of the nights to make sure her son Shadrack is comfortable in his sleep, she ensures also during the day that he is well cared for and her products are ready on time. 

Speaking to her, she describes her son’s cerebral palsy as a motivation to give her all in everything she does because he reminds her of how precious life is despite the many difficulties facing her.  

Her joy emanates from the fact that her small business helps her fend for Everline, Grace and Shaddy, as well as keeping her eldest daughter in school. 

Ask. Seek. Knock.

“Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who seeks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And to everyone who knows, the door will be opened. ”

— Matthew 7:7-8

Have you ever felt like you are on the verge of a big breakthrough? But in the meantime not much was happening or changing? Like a calm before a storm but you just KNOW something incredible is coming? Well, that’s how I feel with Give Amore right now. Things are good. We are getting by. But I know God has a breakthrough in store. And it’s coming. But it’s not here yet. So, we pray and wait with expectancy. 

Though our needs are many, the only thing I ask for right now is prayer. Prayer for mountains to be moved, breakthroughs to happen, walls to come down and the floodgates of provision and transformation to be opened up in our communities in Kenya! Prayers that we can continue to treat more jiggers, help more Mama Ruth’s, add more children to our program, grow our sewing program, do more clean water wells (#15 is about to get started!) and fix our building that’s in desperate need of repair.  And above all else, that these brothers and sisters across the globe would know the LOVE of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I’m so thankful for wonderful friends and family that have stepped up to the calls and tugs on your heartstrings and supported Give Amore. WE COULD NOT DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!  

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Christa Horst and the Give Amore Team

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him. ”

— 1 John 5:14-15

Kicking Jiggers Out of Western Kenya

Your contribution in the fight against jiggers in western Kenya, Africa is massively being felt through the many children, women and men receiving disinfection services that are solely funded by your generous donations.

Give amore and Cornerstone church led “jigger removal campaign” consolidated efforts and held another successful jigger removal clinic in the vas western Kenya region seven days ago. 

Being the second jigger removal clinic to our name, many showed up to get well again, learn on the best practices of keeping jiggers away while also being gifted shoes for their feet.

Unlike the premiere clinic, the second clinic covered a larger geographical location hence, hundreds more patients were attended to, tens more homes were fumigated and many more paradigm shifts orchestrated towards what jiggers really are.

Due to lack of formal education and almost zero  sensitization on the jigger subject, many people in the remote rural areas of western Kenya, perceive jiggers as an impact of a curse tagged to poverty hence they live believing that they are being punished in some way unknown to them by an unknown body through these notorious parasites. 

Fortunately, our indulgence in the fight against jiggers has kept a constant yield of awareness and positive paradigm shifts on jiggers, something that promises to spur long-term sustainability of the program in the lives nay communities we reach and touch.

Stitching Love, Joy and Blessings into Souls

Our tailoring docket continues to impact massively on the youth and women in the various communities by not only equipping them with knowledge and skills in tailoring, but also granting them an avenue towards self-reliance, in this case gifting them sewing machines.

Give Amore was proud to see off its 4thbatch of graduates from the tailoring program after successfully completing a six months of training in everything tailoring.

The graduates were awarded completion certificates, sewing kits and paramount of all, sewing machines to set them on the successful path of self-reliance and interdependence. Also, the three beautiful ladies showcased their prowess in dress making by making their own dresses in the most appealing modern African designs.

On the other hand, our new batch of tote bags have been completed and shipped to the USA and soon will be available for you to pick from. 

Made from carefully selected beautiful African fabric, stitched by hand and blessed with love from Kenya, these bags suffice as multifunctional necessities that you cannot afford to do without.

Stay in touch with us and find out how you can get ahold of your favorite patterns via our websiteor Facebookand Instagramhandles.

Mama Ruth to Walk Again

Mama Ruth underwent a hipbone replacement surgery a few days gone. She is currently recuperating and is set to walk again after years of agony and being motionless.

Having struggled to move around for years, Ruth, who also is a widow, fell, critically ill a few weeks ago from one of her hip bones which rendered her motionless due to the unbearable pain it exuded.

 With grandchildren to look after and no one to take care of her, it was lucky we got to her when we did. She was rushed to a nearby mission hospital where she was quickly scheduled for surgery to save her leg. 

After days of wait, the procedure went down well and right now, she is on the road to full recovery. 

Her hip complications arose from a road accident she had about a decade ago and since she wasn’t well taken care of medically, the fracture didn’t heal as it should have.  However, thankfully she will be able to walk better than before and care for her eight grandchildren as she has for years.

Ruth doubles up as grandmother and sole guardian to Ben and Noel, children in our sponsorship program. 

From the Heart by Christa Horst

I feel like I’ve lived an entire life since my return from Kenya on 6/30. So much has happened. So many blessings but also the horrific jigger. This stupid little pest wreaked havoc on my body and my mind and my spirit. To say I was unsettled would be an understatement. This darn jigger has uprooted so much of my priorities, it has opened a floodgate of emotions, some of which are anger and frustration. I’ve been mad at God. Mad that He created these pests, mad that they exist, mad that the poor have to deal with these on top of their meager food, medical care, clothing, homes, etc. It’s NOT FAIR! 

Then, I was mad that God allowed me to have a jigger. Not because it was painful (which it definitely was), but because He knows me and knows I can’t NOT do anything now that I’ve had a glimpse into the pain and trouble they cause. He so knows me. So, He KNEW I would have to do something. DARN IT! He KNEW I would be an advocate for the prevention and treatment of jiggers for my brothers and sisters across the globe. And I was mad. Why me? Why do I have to do another thing? Where’s everyone else? Why aren’t more people speaking out? Why do I have to be a voice? Then, I had pride come in and say “Christa, you do enough. You already do more than most. Blah Blah Blah”. So, God and I had some discussions. And I was mad. And sad. But, my post from the hospital raised funds for our first community clinic! So, God was like…”There. See. How hard was that?”

We had our first community clinic on my birthday (8/24). We treated over 200 people and fumigated over 15 homes. We provided shoes. This was made possible by my friends and family that support Give Amore! Wow!!!! And I was so happy and excited for the clinic. I knew these people were going to get healed and feel better! Yay yay yay!!! And then I saw the pictures. And the videos. And it was worse than I imagined. To hear the children screaming in pain. To see adults immobilized because of jiggers all over their bodies. It’s too much. So, I was mad all over again. Mad at people’s posts of their caramel macchiatos at Starbucks. Mad at people going to Disney. Honestly, I was mad at the world. And heartbroken. So very heartbroken. 

So, I took it back to God and he told me clearly if I would be obedient, He would expand my territory in all areas of my life so I can be a voice, so, I can raise awareness and raise funds. I took to the only platform I have at the moment, Facebook, and shared my heartbreak. And we were able to raise enough funds for ANOTHER jigger removal clinic at the end of September!! PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Now I shift back and forth between gratitude and frustration. Between hope and despair. Between joy and anger. It’s a crazy ride I’ve been on. I didn’t expect this and the task feels too big for me. But, I know my God is bigger. And He moves mountains. So, I trust and I obey and I tell EVERYONE who will listen about what we are doing in Kenya and hope that it will spread like wildfire. Our mission is to give hope, to give joy and to give love and with God on our side, we will not fail. 

Thank you for joining us on this wild adventure. The highs are high. The lows are low. But we are transforming lives and God is providing. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

If you would like to give to support our mission, please do so at www.giveamore.org.

“I didn’t need to be Mother Teresa. I didn’t need a habit and a homeless life. To walk alongside those God had placed in my path, I didn’t need to flee the me God made me to be. I just need the strength of my convictions, which centered on justice for everyone.”

— Jessica Honegger, Imperfect Courage

How Are Your Toes?

Many toes in remote villages of western Kenya are free from jigger infestation thanks to the collaborative ongoing jigger disinfection clinic and home fumigation campaign.

Give Amore in collaboration with Cornerstone Church led jigger removal campaign helped remove and disinfect hundreds of feet in remote underprivileged villages in western Kenya. 

The consolidated hands of volunteer resident nurses and community health workers alongside the Give Amore team helped ease the distressing pains of many in the communities via successful free jigger removal medical camps the end of August.

Jiggers are parasites associated with meager living standards and they are spread by fleas that are notorious in dusty earth floors/spaces. When they get in contact with humans, they tend to take advantage of the opportunity and enter their promising hosts through any wound cracks or areas with tender skin such as and mostly under the nails. Once inside the body they suck and feed from the human blood as well as lay and incubate their eggs using the body warmth. Later the eggs hatch and the unwelcome ‘guests’ keep multiplying. 

Their removal process is agonizing both to the victim and observer and since the largest of the victim population are children, the shrieks and cries for help are undoubtedly emotionally draining.

The campaign is on course and on 9/28, another removal and disinfection clinic is scheduled to be held across the infected and affected villages. Keep tabs on this!

Final Leap!

Through your continued support over the years, our 12th graders will be graduating from high school and hopefully join college! With amore, we say a big Thank You!

Gladys, Lydia and Evans are in their final weeks of high school and are due to sit their final national tests, a huge determinant of their viability for college scholarships. 

For over a decade you have natured and watched them grow into beautiful young people that they are and as their stewards, all we can do is support and dwell with them in prayer as they take this huge step in their lives, a milestone that will usher them towards their dreams.

They begin their tests in a fortnight and with that in mind, we pray for good health and courage through the entire vital inevitable process. 

Transforming Thomas

When we met him about two months ago, he was in rags, so malnourished, looked sad and less active for his age. Today, the ‘steel’ in his eyes, pep in his steps, and smile on his face speak of his wonderful transformation.

Jimmy, 8, is a first grader and a newly sponsored child who joined our sponsorship program in July this year. He also doubles up as a cousin to Michelle, Michael, Evans and Jayden who have long since been in the program.

Looking at him today, the ever mute, isolated, less active little guy has transformed in to a curious active child and when he is at play with his peers, he is so inseparable.

As his grandmother testifies, he is rapidly evolving and credits all of it to the love, compassion and help Give Amorehas brought his way. “It is like a veil was lifted and brought his good mood back… it’s so good to see him happy again,” asserts hi grandmother, who is also his sole guardian. 

From the Heart...by Christa

“Every time you do something kind for a poor person, you are lending to the Lord and he will repay with interest. Often, we see amazing blessings in the lives of those who spend their time ministering with the poor.”

— Nicky Gumbel

To read these articles and see the ongoing life transformations because of what God is doing through Give Amore is truly humbling. I cannot believe all that we are doing! When Heather and I try to put together a summary of our trip or a summary of a year or a summary even of a month, it’s too much! 

So, I’ll just summarize it and say: 

• GIVE AMORE IS TRANSFORMING LIVES! 
• WE ARE BEING THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS! 
• WE HAVE MUCH MORE TO DO!

Our mission is expanding. In addition to clean water wells, and orphan sponsorship and adult skills training classes (computer and sewing), we are now working to fight the horrific injustices of poverty called jiggers. Even beyond that, God has given us a vision for much more! We are fixing our offices that were falling apart. We have goals to add a 2nd floor for more office and more training. We have dreams of a community library, a food pantry, tutoring classes, a medical clinic and much more! 

We are beyond grateful for everyone’s support so far, but we need to grow to realize these dreams! And in order to do that we need more platforms to share our story and expand our base of donors, prayer partners and supporters. 

Here’s what we are looking for:

1. Opportunities for Heather and/or myself to speak in front of organizations, churches, Bible Studies, MOPS groups, retreats, on podcasts, etc. 
2. Opportunities/locations to sell our Made with Amore tote bags
3. Give Amore Ambassadors that will purchase 10 bags and then sell them for us, so we can have Made with Amore tote bags around the country! 
4. Corporate partners-Can your company match charitable contributions? Would you like a well in your business’ name in Kenya? Are you looking for unique business gifts that give back? 
5. General giving-Most of the funds we receive are designated for specific needs. We need general operating funds so that we can continue to do the amazing work we are doing and expand!

Please consider any of these opportunities and message me to discuss how we can work together for the Kingdom of God in transforming the lives of our brothers and sisters across the globe.

Jennifer Shown Love She Hardly Imagined

The home, here pictured still under construction, will give the family a place they can all stay together. Prior to this, the children were sleeping in the cook house on rags and plastic. Now, they not only have a new home, but new bedding, kitchen ware, clothing and more!

Six weeks ago, Give Amore pledged to extend Jennifer’s house and just as promised, the extra room is under construction. 

This idea sufficed as viable after our team visited her home and learned of her dire need for extra space for her children. Her only mud-thatched house is constituted of two rooms, space not sufficient for this big family of two ladies and four young gentlemen. 

Jennifer is a widow and a single mother of five, two of whom are, Ferdinand and Joseph, children in our sponsorship program. Their brother Brian is epileptic and out of school, therefore he is enrolled in our free tailoring training program. 

In addition to the extra room, Give Amore further equipped her kitchen with more durable kitchenware, feasible to endure the conditions in her dirt floor, open-fire-cooking kitchen. The items included utensils, cutlery, cooking pots and bath basins.

Finally, her other children received extra clothes and bedding to keep them warm in this cold rainy season.

Shadrak's Continued Blessings

After years of living with cerebral palsy, God has come through in a big way for Shadrak by gifting him a caretaker supporter who is willing to donate to his needs. 

“Shaddy” 12, is the son to Christine and a cousin to Everlyn and Grace both of whom are sponsored by Give Amore. This blessing comes at a much necessary moment when his peasant mother can scarcely afford his essential needs from her meager wage and thus, this will tread miles in providing for his all year essentials such as diapers, medication, and equipment among other items.

It can be recalled that only nine months ago, this magnificent child was equipped with a customized wheelchair and so far, he is loving his much enjoyed morning bask in the sun. Added to his list of thrills are outdoor strolls and all these are possible courtesy of his new found “companion”, the Wheelchair.

Health Update for Valery and Sylvia

Valery and Sylvia were distressed with illnesses different from one another but, severe in their own case, when we met them while traversing villages six weeks ago. 

Valery was suffering from a fungal infection on her head which if was not promptly handled would have caused permanent extensive damage on her scalp. On the other hand, Sylvia was distressed from malnutrition and upon further diagnostic tests, it turned out she has sickle cell anemia too. 

None of these children are in our sponsorship program but they are beneficiaries of our extended compassion initiatives towards the larger communities in western Kenya.

As it currently stands, Valery is free from her fungal discomfort and only pending full recovery. However it turns out, Sylvia will be dependent on prescribed medicine all her life due to the inherent anemic condition. 

Sylvia is a sister to Marceline, one of our sponsored children and given their placement along the poverty lines, it is evident they cannot afford her periodic medication. Let’s all pray for her health, provision and care. 

Christa's Corner-2018 Kenya Trip Highlights and Lowlights

Words can’t truly sum up the value of my most recent trip to Kenya with a dynamic team that I was able to take with me and a dynamic team that we work with there. The effort of so many compiled together was tremendous transformation both physically with the communities we support and spiritually in our hearts and theirs. Every donor makes this possible. Every prayer sustains what we are doing for the Kingdom. It really is work for the Kingdom and if God is on our side who can be against us? 

We battled the enemy in the spiritual realm and in the physical realm. We had sickness abroad and health issues upon returning. But what was even more challenging was the spiritual forces working against us. But we put on the full armor of God and we are more than conquerors. My daily devotional when I was in Kenya were words meant for me and for our team…reminding us that the opposition we face is in direct relation to the Kingdom work we are doing. We know we are right where God wants us and that He loves a good comeback story! That’s when His glory shines brightest. So we pressed on and the joy we experienced is truly beyond compare.

I’m only able to share a glimpse into the joy. Because as Americans, our attention span is short. I can share pictures and stories and do my best to be a messenger of their stories. I pray that my Facebook updates and pictures moved in the hearts of many of you that support us so you can see, again, just a tiny glimpse of the lives we are transforming. It is beautiful. Truly. 

The adjustment home has been challenging. To say I have little patience for American privilege would be an understatement. Now is not the time to come to me with “wants” and “needs”. My heart and mind are completely consumed with money spent in direct relation to fighting jiggers or sponsoring an orphan or paying transportation for a 16 year old to learn some skills because he doesn’t have an education. My heart is heavy at the same time it’s filled with so much joy. We are doing so much and yet God has put it on my heart to do so much more. He has brought me an excellent team of individuals, here and in Kenya, that now have that same vision and I know our efforts will be multiplied as our message spreads. 

I request that you read this newsletter and if God puts it on your heart to go above and beyond what you may already be contributing. Sacrifice something in your life to help others. Or if you already are one of our amazing donors, I encourage you to step out in faith and raise your giving. God blesses generous hearts and I promise you, I PROMISE YOU, you will not go without! Your needs are already and will continue to be met. But your reward in heaven will be tremendous.

Thank you for your support. It takes a village to change a village across the world. Thank you for being a part of our Give Amore village! God is soooo good!

Much love and blessings,

Christa

Missionary work in Kenya 2018

2018 trip to Kenya was a great success! The team of five, Christa, Heather, Tara, Jordan, and Camryn, coupled by Give Amore team Kenya worked round the clock for ten days and achieved Christ’s mission for the trip this year.

Despite temporarily losing track of their luggage in the course of the trip, the team hit the ground running to tackle the great tasks ahead of them. On the list of errands were; home visits of our sponsored children, massive repetitive fabric shopping for our Made with Amoretote bags, general items distribution, spreading of the gospel, crafts with children, paint jobs and so much more.

Throughout the trip, the team blessed our 14thwell on site, gifted children with skills in crafts as well as balls, toys, clothing, shoes, food and decorates, prayed with the suffering in the villages they visited, facilitated medical attention for multiple children infested with jiggers and fungal infections while also educating the community on tips to becoming highly effective people in the society. 

In the face of the pains and suffering they came into contact with first-hand in the villages, there were also plenty of miracles and blessings witnessed. Some of them included meeting newborn children, more donors coming on board to help with urgent pressing needs as needs arose, their luggage making it safely to kakamega days after them, more children joining the sponsorship program, team expansion with Judith coming on board, making it safely through tough weathers and a gazillion others.

Further, the team graced the third graduation of our sewing students, who not only received certification from Give Amore, but also gifted each a sewing machine, a sewing kit among other accompaniments to help them start off businesses in their village nay community, for self sustainably as embroiled in our dream of community empowerment.

As the mission came to a close, the team not only made friends, but also brothers and sisters from Kenya with whom they share in their joy, love, laughter, melody and misery too.

Our Growing Family

Our growing family

Judith Nanjala is now fully part of the Give Amore team after months of volunteering at the organization. As a helper, Judith was tasked with checking and monitoring our sponsored children’s health statuses as well as grooming and nutritional advisory whenever need be.

The mother of two exuded impeccable commitment for what she does, and her love and rapport with the children is to recon, therefore her addition to the team will come in handy on a daily basis. 

On the other hand, our sponsored children population has grown from 36 to 45 due to the addition of Ferdinand, Sherlyne, Joseph, Petronila, Mildred, Jimmy, Gladys, Duncan, and Thomas. 

The nine are fully sponsored and therefore have another chance at education after years of struggling to stay in school nay join one.  On top of their school sponsorship adds home based care which entails food, toiletries and one time clothes at the end of every two months.

Our 15th Well

Ferdinand’s home will be the site for our 15thclean water well. This comes days after the blessing and commissioning of our 14thclean water well.

During their visit to Kenya, Christa and the rest of the team made miles trek to where the population in Ferdinand’s village drew water and the source was not only too far, but also  heartbreakingly prone to all kinds of waterborne pathogens. 

Additionally they bonded with what the women and children have to go through every single day in search for water by trying to balance a bucket of water on their heads.

These experiences best picked this home as the favorite site for the new well and also due to its central location in the heart of the village, we are confident it will serve the community well for generations.

Follow us on Facebookand Instagramfor updates on this and other projects we are working on.

Back to School Distribution

Gladys and Lydia, both high school students, are so happy to get a head start of their school reading with the new books we provided them!

In Kenya, the school year runs January-November and they have 3 semesters per year. After a month long rest for students, schools reopened in May. As much as it is great news, back to school bustles are not easy to keep up with in Kenya. However, we managed to beat deadlines and our children are successfully back in school all expenses paid for the rest of the year.

As previously planned, every child in our school sponsorship program received a package of stationery, course books as well as reading books. On the other hand, our team made it their personal errand to ensure that all outstanding tuition fees, examination fees and other sundry expenses were fully settled for the remaining bit of the year.

Also, among the items distributed were essential toiletries, prayers and great motivation from our team. The children were excited to resume school for the second of three terms this year knowing that they will stay in school and focus on learning other than worrying of dropping out.

From the look registered on their faces, they are all set to learn new things that will eventually translate into shaping a brighter future for them. We wish all the best and God’s protection over them.