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| This photo was taken about a two years after I started communicating with Emma and Oscar. Oscar is top row far left, Emma is holding baby Carol - on top row, next to her is Timoland who was about 14 at the time. is next to her left. |
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This is the first photo I received of the children with Oscar (in the blue shirt - back row). The building in the foreground is where the children slept. It offered little protection from the weather. Oscar and Emma had a dream of being able to build a new hostel, a new, safe latrine,and a new kitchen. They believed God would provide. And He has.  They are standing in front of the new hostel which was completed this year. Timoland is in the black shirt - back row. This young man is following in Oscar's footsteps. He will complete high school in a couple of months and hopes to attend a university. |
But Oscar and Emma believed God's Promises. Six years later, God has provided through the generosity of his children. Happy Choice now has a new latrine, a new hostel and a new kitchen. Oh, yeah, they also have piped water coming right into the kitchen now. Another of God's amazing blessings.
http://youtu.be/7fwI4qbLpxE - Just Another Mountain - Jamie Slocum
Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Proverbs 11:25 .
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (NIV)
Proverbs 13:7
There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
This is an email I received this morning from my friend, Oscar:
Praise God ,this Morning
I just wanted to thank God the Almighty for His great love unto us .
We are all doing well and God is good .
Thank God so much for the work He has called us to do, caring for the orphaned and all the needy children.
Yesterday i met my former friend who is working in Nairobi .We discussed alot but when i told him what i do, caring for the orphans and needy children, my friend told me that i am wasting my time and resources. He asked me ,''who will care for your children?''
It was a blessed day for me since i took my time to preach the living Word of God to my friend, and at long last he was weeping tears after hearing part of my life stories which he didn't know. I told him i am not interested in owning any thing big here but instead am working for God and to own something in heaven .
The only thing i learnt from him is that there are many people who do not understand what God has called us to do, and we are not doing this work to please any man, but God our Heavenly Father has called us purposely to serve these little ones .
Oscar loves to share God's message to anyone he meets. He and Emma also provided bibles to one of the local schools.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Oscar and Emma don't give to receive, although I know their reward in heaven will be great. They may never have many material blessings on this earth. Their treasures are laid up in heaven. They sacrifice daily for the 12 children God has entrusted to their care. If all they had to do was care for their three, their lives would be so much easier. But Oscar knows what it's like to be left alone on the streets. Oscar was orphaned as a young teen and he remembers very well ,feeling alone, until he met his friend, Jesus. His heart is full of compassion towards homeless children. He wants them all to know his true Friend.
When I first began communicating with Oscar and Emma, I was uplifted by their words of faith. They taught me about trusting God and believing in His provision and protection. No matter how tough things got for them, their faith was strong and unwavering.
Oscar and Emma have three children of their own, Bobby, Bonny and Carol. Providing for three children can be difficult in Kenya, however, neither Oscar nor Emma are afraid of hard work, and they do everything they can to have enough income to take care of their children.
But God has given Oscar a heart for the homeless children he sees every day on the streets and in his village. Oscar remembers too well the hardships he faced when he was left to care for his own needs. He has taken in several children over the years. Oscar cares for many of the children in the village who live with a grandparent or sick mother. They have a roof over their heads, but not much else. When Oscar has extra food, instead of saving for a rainy day as we might do, he shares his extra food with these other children.
During the elections in Kenya, there was great violence in the streets of Kisumu. Businesses shut down. Food was scarce. It was a very dangerous time for everyone. Oscar's best friend was killed as he traveled on the road between their village and Kisumu. Oscar was even attacked as he came back from Kisumu with some food for the children. It was a horrible time. But God protected the children. Oscar said that there were breakins in the village. Young men were roaming the area, stealing anything they could find. It was if suddenly there was some bio chemical in the air that made people crazy and evil. I knew Oscar was concerned for the safety of his family and the orphanage. But he continued to trust God. I hadn't heard from him for a while, and I knew what was going on in Kisumu from watching the news. Finally, I received an email from Oscar. He had some scary things to say. But once again, I saw a man whose faith was steadfast. He told me that break ins had occurred in several of the homes in his village. But God had protected the hostel ( the childrens building ) and Oscar's house from attack. He said some of the homes that came under attack had protective walls surround them. Yet, the hostel and his home had no walls of protection. God was their shield.
During this time, one of the young boys who had recently come to live in the hostel decided he could take care of himself. Food was very scarce and the children must have been hungry. Oscar said that this young boy had lived on the streets prior to moving into the hostel, finding food any where he could. He probably felt his chances of having enough food was greater out on his own, rather than having to share with 12 other kids. He hadn't been at Happy Choice long enough to see how powerful God works in this ministry. In desperation, he set out to find food on his own. Oscar tried to find him, but he never did.
I thought how much we are like that young boy. When times are tough, and God doesn't seem to be hearing our prayers, we sometimes seek to make our own way, just like this young boy. If God doesn't provide an answer immmediately, or at least as soon as we think He should, we take matters into our own hands.
But if we trusted God like Oscar does, maybe we would wait for God's timing. I don't know what happened to the young boy who ran away from the centre, but I am sure the children who stayed and waited on God's provisions are much healthier both physically and spiritually.
Faith is beilieving when we can't see. It's easy to trust God when everything is going our way, when life is good, and we have everything we need. True faith is trusting God when you have nothing. I love this passage in Habakkuk:
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.
This is how Oscar lives his life. He rejoices in the LORD regardless of his circumstances. He cares for 12 children who were not born into his family by natural means. These children were given to Oscar by God.
And Oscar loves them as his very own.
I know Oscar must make God smile. I'm honored to know him and to sit at his feet as he teaches me about faith and trusting in God - no matter what the circumstances.
Father, You are our great Provider and Protector. I'm so in awe of how You reach down to us with love and kindness, providing for all our needs. Your compassion is evident throughout Scripture, and I have witnessed it first hand in my life, in the lives of Oscar and Emma and so many others. I know You are with us. I know You care and want the best for us. Thank You, LORD, for taking care of us and giving us just what we need. Forgive me for those times I try to do things my way rather than waiting on You. Father, please direct my steps, help me to follow where You lead me. Help me to hear Your truth and quickly recognize the lies of the enemy. Thank You for saving me through Jesus, my Redeemer. I'm so thankful to know that You are with me always. Father, please continue to bless Oscar, Emma and all the children of Happy Choice ministries. I know You will provide for them and protect them as You always have. Father, give Oscar everything he needs to speak Your truths to those you put along his path. Give him influence in his community and among the children, so that others can see Jesus living in Oscar and be drawn to our Savior. Today, help me to give You control over everything I think, say or do. Everything I am, LORD, is for your glory. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
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| Top photo is some of the poor widow women who Emma helps standing in front of the new hostel with Zack and Michael from Lost Orphans when they visited Happy Choice in August. The bottom photo is the new kitchen. Oscar wanted Zack and Michael to cut the ribbons for the grand opening! This kitchen has a sink and a fireplace for cooking - even storage area and counter tops. Looks a little different from the old kitchen seen below. |
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| This was the old kitchen where Emma prepared meals for the children. |
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