Traveling to Kenya in one week!!

We are just one week away, I can’t believe it’s so close!!!

God is in the details. Throughout this whole process His hand has been so evident in all the planning and organizing, and we have no doubt He is with us in every step. Our sweet Jesus is just so wonderful! We are so thankful for His guidance and provision, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch how intentional the Lord is in the way He works.

I am so excited about the team God has put together. One thing I realized the other day is that all six of us have been to Kenya before which is super fun because we all know what’s waiting for us at Huruma! It is truly a privilege to be able to share life with them for a few days. 

It is so evident that God loves and treasures Huruma. He has so faithfully continued to bless the work that Mama Zipporah is doing as she seeks to raise these children to glorify the Lord. One of our prayers in working with the graduating high school students is that they would be equipped for an independent life that honors Christ. We are praying that they would take this seriously, and that the Lord would give them the desire and wisdom to steward this opportunity well. We want to encourage these students to become successful and lead lives bless His heart!

I can’t express this enough, our team is so incredibly thankful for all of the prayers and support. We would be so blessed and honored if you would continue to join us in prayer over these requests:

• For all of the students at Huruma as they are nearing the end of the school term.
• For the past and current housing transition students and their hearts. We are asking that the Lord would continue to prepare them, bless them, and give them the desire to seek out His purpose for their lives.
• For our team as we draw closer to leaving and that we would continue to seek the Lord and trust His plans for us. 

If you know someone on the team, I would love to encourage you to let them know that you are thinking about them and praying for them! The last week can always be stressful and overwhelming, and I know it would bless my team and make them smile to know that they are loved!

We cannot wait to share this adventure with you!

-Kyla

We packed our supplies tonight!! Can't wait to meet up with the other half of our team mid-travel!

 

Good things happening!!! Including Kenya in 10 days...

A note from Andra...

Dear Friends and Family,
First, I just want to thank you all for your love and support for this ministry!! I can’t believe we have been running for five years now and our SIXTH team is on its way to Kenya!! WOW!!  I’m thankful to God for His loving hand and guidance through this journey.  I continue to see His immense blessings and draw wisdom from His word. I also continue to draw encouragement from the love and truth Leigh Ann spoke into my life through our many years of friendship.

Thank you SO much for your ongoing financial support!!
Because of your generosity and God’s faithfulness:

1. We have been able to sustain our sewing program at the Phoenix Dream Center every other week and are seeing women grow confident in the skill of sewing.   As we sew, we continue to show them God’s love and speak of our own personal testimonies of God's faithfulness.

1. We are praying about starting a sewing program in Mexico with Open Arms Childcare Ministries . Open Arms is a non-profit charity that provides No-cost childcare to needy families. It is located in La Mision, Baja California, Mexico. Open Arms provides assistance to families who are in desperate need of child care service. We will definitely be sending them Leigh's Blankies on a regular basis!
2. At Cornerstone Christian Fellowship’s last major women’s event "REMIX-ON A MISSION" (1000 ladies were in attendance!) we hosted a break out session to communicate the needs of Leigh’s Blankies and how God is using this ministry to bring comfort and a skill set to others.  We acquired 18 new sewers at this event and we couldn’t be happier
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. We’ve implemented a check out system for our Take Home Blankie Kits so that we can better manage the distribution of fabric and Blankies.
4. Lastly, our upcoming project at Huruma Children's Home in Kenya is coming up on November 6^th through the 16^th!  A few weeks ago, we found out that our sweet transition students will be taking their national exams while we are there which means we will be unable to spend as much time with them as we were originally hoping to. While we are sad that we won't get to do everything exactly the way we planned, we have had the opportunity to watch God work through the changes. He has continued to bless our team with purpose and the privilege to serve and love Huruma in several other ways, and we can't wait to see what else He is going to do!

The Kenya plan:
We will be serving breakfast to last year’s transition students and having devotions with them for a few mornings. It will be wonderful to follow up with them from last year and offer support and encouragement.  We are also doing sewing, arts and crafts with the children at the home.  They can sell these items they create in the Curio Shop at the Orphanage! We will also be doing quite a bit of shopping for the items we will be providing in the Transition Student's Housing Kits and Food Kits. Piecing together household goods and food for a month for 16 students is no minor task!!  We also are planning a Saturday Seminar for the upcoming transition students.  The Seminar will contain a breakfast with devotions and then lessons on relationships, budgeting, nutrition and cooking.

We have a team of 6 going to Kenya. I am SO excited to tell you that our funding for our travel costs, Transition Housing and Food Kits are FULLY FUNDED!!! PRAISE GOD!!! As we prepare to leave we would LOVE your prayers for safety, good health and the following things:

• For the students at Huruma as they near the end of their school term and study for their exams. 
• For the transition students as they prepare to leave Huruma to start their lives as independent adults. 
• For our team as we continue to prepare for our trip, and continue to seek to be flexible and willing to pursue whatever God has for us. 

With much love,
Andra Good
Leigh's Blankies-Director

Leaving for Kenya One Month from Today!!

Friends,

In just one month from today we will be at the airport boarding our flight to Kenya. Crazy. It seems like just last week I was checking the count I have on my phone and it said 101 days!

As we prepare for this trip, our team is very aware of God's faithfulness, but as we get closer He continues to prove Himself to be such a good, good Father. If you have ever been on a trip like this, you know that one of the first lessons you learn is to be flexible. Anything can change, and plans are more of a rough and loose outline of how things are probably going to go. It is definitely a challenge to let go of control and trust that the Lord's plan is so much better than ours!

A few weeks ago, we found out that our sweet transition students will be taking their national exams while we are there which means we will be unable to spend as much time with them as we were originally hoping to. While we are sad that we won't get to do everything exactly the way we planned, we have had the opportunity to watch God work through the changes. He has continued to bless our team with purpose and the privilege to serve and love Huruma in several other ways, and we can't wait to see what else He is going to do!

I am so thankful to be traveling with a team focused on God's heart, and willing to be flexible in the pursuit of what He has for us. This is all about His glory, and we are so grateful that He has called us to be apart of the work He is doing in Kenya. 

I'm excited to keep writing as we get closer to heading to Huruma, and then to be able to share updates from Kenya with you all! Our team is so thankful for all of your support and prayers!

For now, we would be so blessed if you would be willing to pray over these requests:

-For the students at Huruma as they near the end of their school term and study for their exams. 

-For the transition students as they prepare to leave Huruma to start their lives as independent adults. 

-For our team as we continue to prepare for our trip, and continue to seek to be flexible and willing to pursue whatever God has for us. 

-Kyla Howey

(2016 Housing Care Project Blogger!)

Our 2016 Transition Students!!