THANK YOU

When I wrote yesterday's blog about Oasis I was hoping and praying that I would get enough money to buy them some food for the next week and maybe, just maybe, get enough to make a dent in the school fees, uniforms, and shoes. Right before I went to bed last night, I checked my email. There was a notice about the first donation and it was a sizeable amount. It would be more than enough to buy the food and also get started on the other things. I started crying and thanking God for His provision. I kept thinking about how excited Pastor Robert would be when I told him and thinking of what exactly to buy with the money.

When I woke up this morning (bed time for most of you!) I know there would be more donations, but I couldn't imagine how much. Let me just tell you that God and you, my dear friends, completely and totally blew me away. In the past 24 hours you've donated more than $8000 for the children of Oasis of Life. That is not a typo... $8000! I cannot get over it. People from all over the world have given, people I do not know at all. It is crazy! Only God could orchestrate it.


Can you tell I was a bit excited?!

Today, I was able to go shopping, and it was so much fun! First off, we bought stuff to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My friend, Janelle, made a good point. She said we needed to have something handy and easy to make to fill their tummies right away since some of them had not eaten in a day or two. We also bought them a week's worth of posho and beans. We got formula for the babies and powdered milk for the toddlers. I bought all of the mosquito nets and hooks to hang them from the ceiling. 

Today's purchases.  There will be many more in the days to come!

So right after we arrived I got to tell the kids the good news. I told them they were each getting food to eat right then. I told them there would be beans and posho for later. I told them there were new mosquito nets for all of the beds. They were thrilled!! Then I got to tell them the amazing news. I told them that not only did they get the nets and food, but that my wonderful friends had given enough money to pay for all of their school fees, uniforms, and shoes. They were shouting and dancing around for joy. Poor Pastor Robert could not contain himself.   He immediately started singing the song, "This is the Day".  It was so much fun to watch.

So excited to see all of the things coming in!

My friends, Stephanie and Janelle, helped me with the delivery today. We were all crying off and on the whole time. It was crazy to see such joy and gratitude over things that seem so simple. Janelle and her sweet girls that she's adopting made sandwiches for all of the kid and passed out boxes of milk to each child. As you can see they were a hit!


One of the Mamas, Janelle and her daughter making sandwiches



Yummy!

Such a doll!



Many of the older children helped the younger ones and also shared some of their food.

The boyz!

Tomorrow we're going to work on getting shoe sizes for everyone. Next week we'll pay their school fees, buy uniforms, and stock up on more food! Pray for me and the women I'm working on this project with as we use the money you so generously donated. We want to make sure we use the money wisely. So pray for wisdom and guidance as we prioritize needs and make decisions.

One of the mamas told our driver that they'd been fasting and praying for God to provide. She said that this morning she really felt that something good was coming and that she could go ahead and claim the victory in Jesus' name. I cannot thank you enough for being a part of that victory.


These smiles are victory!