Giving More Than We Can Spare

So I was browsing Facebook today, and I came across this quote a friend posted on their page by C.S. Lewis from Mere Christianity:

"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give.  I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare… If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us,… they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures excludes them.”

My husband, Brian, and I are on the adventure of our lifetime (Read my first post here).  And we truly believe that this is right where we are supposed to be.  There are so many things we would love to do one day, but this is so much more important.  Riches are not wrong, when they are being used to further God's kingdom.  Another friend posted a quote as well, and I'll try to do it justice... as well as I remember it said, "Someone out there is thankful today for a lot less than you have."  We are living all around that.  We had dinner with the pastor of Nyakabungo.  He lives in a modest house on top of a mountain with no electricity.  Yet he is most concerned about ministering to these street boys.  Not to mention right now his home is a good 30-45 minute walk from the church.  He never misses a meeting on Wednesday or Saturday with them.  I admire Mchungaji Nixon for his dedication and desire to help these children.  He shares our heart and our vision.  Are you "pinched" or "hampered" today?  Are there things you want to do but can't because you've been giving your resources away?  Think about that for a while.  But be careful... God just might convict you like He did me.

Today, I want to introduce you to another one of our precious kids.  We call him Georgie.  His name is George Bugoroka.  Georgie is always full of smiles and laughter.  He's our "class clown" many days and always has open arms for us.  He is doing really well in his Scripture memory and wants to further his studies in the Word.  He is respectful and kind to others.  Of course they're all boys, so they all mess with each other from time to time, but I guess what they say is true: Boys will be boys.  Listen to Georgie's story through this video:

So many things are happening right now.  We are pressing on toward building construction.  The Lord has provided a great contractor.  We hope to see construction start in the next few weeks and to finish our foundation before Brian and I head back to the States for a few weeks.  We look forward to seeing that first building go up.  That makes everything so much more real!  But we're still in need of your support.  We are still raising money to finish that building.  Begin praying about how the Lord will use you.

We are making steps towards our well project as well.  We received a quote from a local well drilling company here.  We also heard about a group from Alabama that is doing well digging in Tanzania so we're waiting to here back from them regarding the well also.  It's so exciting to see things coming together.

The boys are all doing well.  I'm including some pictures of individual boys so you can be praying specifically for them.  One of our boys, Jackson, had a dental procedure today.  He has to have THREE teeth removed.  Poor guy.  He was supposed to meet us at the church this morning so that we could pick him up there, but he wasn't there.  We're not sure if he was hiding or just plain forgot.  We searched all over town thinking maybe he was out searching for empty bottles (you'll hear more about this later) but were unable to find him.  So we made another appointment for Thursday morning early.  He's probably not gonna like us too much after that, but it's for his best.

Here's some of the boys.  There'll be a few more to come in a later blog.

The boys all have their own individual personalities.... as you can see from some of their pictures.  We are falling in love with them more and more everyday.  I look forward to Wednesdays and Saturdays when we get to spend several hours with them.  We are starting to see more of them on the streets during the day searching for empty bottles.  It's their own version of a "job" at the moment.  They receive between 20 and 50Tsh for each bottle.  And with the money they earn they can get food on the days we're unable to provide for them at this time.  We're adding another day of eating to the week so we are able to give them a pretty large meal every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday now.  As the Lord provides, we'll finish out the rest of the week.  But they are so happy with what they are receiving now, and you can see the changes in their little eyes.  We're also providing some basic first aid for them.  Many of them step on glass or broken bottles and then they walk around on their bare feet in the dirt, so they don't like it when I have to clean out the dirt, but I just tell them to "be a man" and get over it. :)  They'll thank me for it someday.

Here's a few more pictures of our "play day" last Saturday.  They had a blast playing soccer, football and with the parachutes.

 We will be leaving to come to the States in 4 weeks.  We're excited to visit family and friends, but with our departure edging closer we are feeling the weight of getting things done here.  We hope to be able to show you all the progress that has been made here.  God is moving and He's working in the lives of these boys.  We hope that you're praying for how you will be used in this ministry.  We only exist because of your support.  We hope to release our new website very soon so you'll be able to donate online.  Until then you can donate via Paypal on our current website or you can send a check to:

Anza Imani Rescue Foundation
P.O. Box 910
Alabaster, AL 35007

We know that Christmas is getting closer and you'll be emptying your pockets to buy gifts for all your loved ones.  I urge you to think about these kids who don't have anyone.  Be their someone this holiday season.  You can be a part of something so much bigger than you.  God commanded us to take care of widows and orphans.  And we plan to do just that.

We love you all and look forward to seeing you in a such a short time.
Please continue to pray for strength and stamina each day.

We'll write again soon.