Dear Family, Friends and Partners of Love Alive,
Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
I cannot believe three months have passed by since I last updated you. Before I plunge into the news and updates, let me just praise our Heavenly Father who is working here and blessing this ministry. Next I wish to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and your taking part in this ministry. In the month of December we had several individuals and churches that sent gifts above and beyond the usual in order to bless recipients here with education, vocational training, Bibles and sustainable projects. I thank you so much for your involvement, because you are very much a part of the ministry allowing God to work through you.
December was a busy ministry month in which we were able to hold two children’s Bible schools in rural village churches. At each Bible school about 200 children each day came to learn about Jesus Christ’s love for them and salvation through Him. We also held another Sunday school training with teachers and pastors from 10 churches coming together to learn how to effectively teach God’s Word to the children in their congregations and neighborhoods. As Christmas approached, we had the joy of blessing hundreds of children in hospitals and Sunday schools with Christmas gifts. Incredibly, though each gift bag has toys and candy, families are often exceedingly thankful for the personal care items such as soap. With each gift, we share the message of Jesus Christ being the first Christmas gift. This year, I had the joy of taking 2 young boys, formerly “street kids,” now our students with me to deliver gifts. It was a special joy to watch them tell others about Jesus’ love for them as they shared gifts.
January began first with relocating and then enrolling new students for each of our sewing centers. Last year, our first sewing center began to help a few ladies learn a skill. This year we have 65 women in our sewing centers. Many of these women never had the opportunity to complete elementary school, and are only able to find unskilled labor mostly in plowing and harvesting fields. For working in the fields an entire day, they are given only $1, yes One Dollar, for an entire day’s work. The greater part of the expansion this year includes the addition of many mothers of our own sponsored students. These women requested to learn a skill to be able to better support themselves and their children. Many of these women have no other assistance or support.
Our sponsored students began a new year of school on January 26, 2015. This year, by God’s grace and with your benevolence, we have 285 children we are already sponsoring. If you sponsor a child, please pray for your student, that they will have the nutrition they need each day, peace in their homes, understanding of their materials, and a desire to know and follow Christ.
January also was the beginning of a new chicken project wherein we were able to give 160 chickens divided up among 20 families. Each of these families was ecstatic at the prospect of raising chickens for nutrition and income-generation for their families. In short, each chicken, purchased for about $5 has the capability of reproducing $50 worth of eggs. In deep villages where many families do not earn even a dollar per day, this is a big boost to their welfare. It is such a joy to be able to tell them that this gift comes to them because of Christians, and in this case children, who want to share Christ’s love with them. As we gave the chickens, a village leader addressed the recipients stating, “Truly, this is a gift of God for people in America to think not only of Africans, and not only even of Rwanda, but to find our village hidden out here and bless us. Only God could lead them here.”
Finally, as we continue to distribute Bibles, this year we are making an effort to bless entire church congregations with Bibles for each member. The goal is to be able to be able to give Bibles to one church each month. I believe that great spiritual growth can come when people are able to read and study God’s Word. A special thanks to those of you who regularly give specifically for the distribution of Bibles.
Once again I thank each and every one of you for the part you have in this ministry.
God bless you richly!
For His Glory,
Laura Yockey
Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
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