springs ministries

springs - restoring hope

THE SPRINGS MINISTRIES

DECEMBER 2009

NEWS / PRAYER LETTER

Dear Praying friend(s)

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
“How long will you hide your face from me?”
“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and everyday have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death, my enemy will say, “I have overcome him and my foes will rejoice when I fail” But I trust in your unfailing love my heart rejoices in your salvation.
“I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me” (Ps. 13)

We very much thank God for this year when we count our blessings of His goodness, mercies, protection, provision and His health giving spirit. Thank God that Springs Ministries is 14 years old and next year it will be 15th anniversary for us. In all, just as the psalmist in the above psalm cried out to God, it has been the same for us here in the Springs Ministries.

This year ending has been tough in many ways. We have been asking God lots of “How longs”. There were times we felt God had forgotten us or even hidden himself from us. Many times we wrestled with our sorrows, thoughts in our hearts because of the difficulties and uncertainties we faced. We thought the enemy had triumph over us. We cried to God often asking him to answer us and even give us a glimpse of light over our eyes to behold. I felt many times that I was actually going to die. I despaired.

But in all, thanks be to God we have crowned the year with nobody dead. We can say that God’s unfailing love, we have seen and that He has been good to us. Amen.

Widows Programme

This programme was not active at all this year. One, because we did not have funds for it and second is because we wanted the widows in their groups to operate on their own in preparation for the next year’s 15th anniversary celebrations. We pray that God will enable us to get funds to support the widows’ programmes in future. Trust with us.

Orphans’ Programme

We currently have some orphans in High Schools and Colleges. Their support efforts have been very challenging because of the difficulties we had in getting adequate funds to support them. But in all we managed and none of them was sent home. We thank God for this. Next year will be even more challenging because we shall have candidates among them and those joining form 1. It is scary but we trust that God will help us.

Empowerment Center

The girls we train at this center, those who managed to make it to the end have been making great efforts in their training. Two of them did their Government Trade Test III after two years of training. This was a good boost to us in this programme. We still have some who are being prepared for exams next year. We pray that we may get more students.

In this programme, we have come to realize that most girls who come to us are also teenage mothers. This doubles our roles in their lives and sometimes we also have to look at the welfare of their children. We hope to increase the enrolment of students by accepting the “O” level graduates with a D- pass to create a sense of competition amongst them.

The programme maintenance has also been very challenging. Many of these girls are not able to pay even the smallest amount needed for their feeding so this forces us to find other ways to feed them and this is very expensive for us.

The clothes and the other artifacts we produce here have not been selling well. The craft shop is still not able to support itself and this is another challenge. We have to find other ways to get the rent for it. Pray with us that God will bless the work of our hands by bringing customers to buy our goods. But we thank God that day by day the girls’ work has been improving. People are getting to know us.

The Orphanage (Jehovah Shammah Restoration Centre)

In many ways God has been proved faithful in this institution. We were blessed in many ways by the support we have been getting from friends abroad.

The Dinning Hall/Kitchen is completed and was officially opened by the Chairman of the Springs Ministries Board. Though the outside and the upper (assembly hall) parts of this hall are not yet completed but the finished part (the inside) will be used as from January next year. This is a new year’s gift for the children. We thank God for this lovingUS couple that took up this project 3 years ago. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. We continue to thank God for the provision of water and electricity. After many years of prayers for the provision of both water and electricity, the Lord provided all these at once. The center has running water and everywhere is lighted up. You can imagine the smiles in the faces of the children. We thank God for the Judah Trust in UK for this provision.

As much as I said that we had lots of challenges, we can’t really say that we never got supported. No. We were it is only that our needs are very many. The prices of food this year for us was four times what we used to spend initially and this drove us to a crisis level. It was even more critical when for some days the children at the orphanage ravaged the bins to get food. I felt like “dead” at this point. We thank God for the St. Paul’s Church in Dorking UK and the Global Orphans programme in UK for the support we got from them this year towards the feeding of these children. Because of the high costs, I even felt ashamed to keep asking them to help. But in all they supported us graciously. And some of the other close friends of the children both local and abroad helped us in our times of crisis. Thank you all for your continued support. It was very hard but you stood with us. Thank you.

The children hosted here have kept on writing letters to their friends abroad. This really boosted their English language. Even the gifts of books, clothes and other writing materials and school items were very helpful to us. Thank you friends for supporting us this way. We have been because you are.

Office News

Rejoice with us. The Springs Ministries is now registered in the UK and God has enabled us to have a Bank account as well in London. This has been a desire and a prayer item for a very long time. Thank God that this 14th year God brought it to pass. Thank God for our Trustees and friends of springs Ministries in UK (Springs Ministries UK). These people have worked so hard to see that we are supported in a big way.

As we celebrate 15 years and they celebrate 1 year next year, it is our prayer that God may strengthen us in every way. We got a set of new management team this year, both the Board and Trustees. We have new challenges to go through together with new team especially in getting Springs Ministries her own premise which has been in our prayer list for a long time. The issue of rent is becoming a ‘thorn in the flesh’ for us. Trust that God will help us and also as we plan for the 15th anniversary celebrations next year. Pray for them to be more committed..

The Empowerment Center needs to be strengthened and arrangements made to have boys incorporated. Thus creation of a boys’ center. To help us in fundraising, we still make uniforms for various high schools. This year however, it has been slow because of lack of funds to buy the materials. We have to deliver these uniforms by the end of January next year but up to this time we have not done much. Pray for us to get funds to buy the much needed materials.

As the Director of Springs Ministries the load of work has taken toll on me. Many obligations are on my shoulders and I find it very heavy, trust with us to get somebody who can professionally assist me in this work. Pray for a suitable person to be found. The volunteer staff both in office and the orphanage even the widows’ leaders have continued to do a super job and I thank God for all of them. Pray for them.

Do pray and praise God for these: -

Praise God for:-

- All our supporters in every way
- For the provision of water, food and electricity for the children at the orphanage
- For all the volunteers staff who have been working hard for the success of the ministry
- For watching over all of us in springs ministries
- For the registration of Springs Ministries in the UK and even for the new bank account we have in London.
- For the half way completion of the dinning hall/kitchen at the orphanage.
Prayer points
Pray ……………
- For the needed funds for school fees for all the orphans in schools and colleges
- For the provision of funds to help us purchase our own premise here in Kisumu.
- For God to bring somebody who can help the Director in the office as an assistant
- For the completion of the remaining upper part of the hall – Assembly Hall.
- For the planned 15th anniversary celebrations next year.

Friend we thank you for being there for us.

UK office
Springs Ministries – UK
C/o. St. Paul’s Church Dorking
St. Paul’s Road West, Dorking Surrey RH4 2HT, UK.
Contacts
Jonathan - +447785112391
Val - +447983118912
Edward(Ed) – +441306881537

Kenyan office
Springs Ministries
P. O. Box 3427 – 40100
Kisumu – Kenya.
Tel: +254733711276/+254727881899
E-mails springs@swiftkisumu.com
springsministries@mail.com
Website: www.springsministriestrust.net

God blessings
In His vineyard

MARGARET AUMA (MS)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SPRINGS MINISTRIES

Office Address:

p.o.box 3427

kisumu

kenya

40100