Dreams with Purpose...becoming a reality

From the beginning of His Cherished Ones International Ministry, it has been our primary goal and focus to reach those in need and share the hope of Christ with them. We began by being a support system to ministries that were already in place. Through working with them, God began to reveal the vision and plan and show us the need for opening the baby house.

Once we began the baby house, I felt certain that it was to be a platform for further ministry into the community, but I also knew that we needed to focus on getting that started and making sure it was stable and running well before beginning additional ministries. I read the other day in a devotional by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda a great quote:

“God hints at his purpose for you by planting dreams within your heart.”

While the baby house was a dream I didn’t even know I had until it started playing out, there has been another dream within my heart all along that I have been aware of. That is the desire to work with young women and instill within them the truth of God that they are worthy of His love, and are valued, treasured and cherished by Him. In fact, the name “His Cherished Ones” was first put in my heart in relation to this desire for the women of Kenya to realize that they are cherished by God. Then, it just happened to work well with the babies. J

~Side-story~

(it will relate…just keep reading)

A few years ago, my grandmother sent me a devotional that she had been studying about Sarah and she told me that she thought I was like Sarah. “Yeah, sure,” I thought. Wouldn’t that be nice? To be thought of as a great woman of the Bible. Ha! As I allowed myself to think of it, I could see similarities….leaving my homeland and all things familiar, following the Lord to a new place, and (the obvious) waiting for the promise of children. When I think of Sarah, I usually relate to the part of her waiting…waiting…waiting. Yep, I get that one! The egocentric part of me immediately thinks of how I am waiting for God to deliver the husband and future family that I believe He has planned for me. But I also have dreams for the ministry He wants to do through our lives. Those dreams are also difficult to wait for. So, how will I react while I wait? Like Sarah? Will I give in and try to work it out myself, settling for less than God’s best?? Or will I wait and trust Him to do it in His timing? 

~ ~ ~ 

God has put dreams for our ministry in my heart. Dreams that I cannot always see working out in front of me. Dreams that I have not been given the “go-ahead” to pursue. Dreams that I am waiting for. One of those dreams is the desire for the outreach ministry of HCO. I have known it was there somewhere, but not known what it would be.  Almost a year ago, God began to give me a vision. It was a desire, but something I knew we were not ready to pursue.

Oh yes, there have been times when I have tried to step out and do it myself. There have also been times when I question if I had really heard the Lord in His promise that He stirred within my heart, asking "If He indeed promised me that, then why is it not working out?" I have been Sarah, trying to take thing into my own control. There have also been times when I recognized the need to wait on the Lord. That is what weighed out...the knowing that He is faithful and will complete the work He has begun. It was that promise that held me through to wait for the Lord's timing in moving forward with other ministries. 

Over the past month, it has been obvious to me that things were changing; God was beginning to open doors. And once His doors begin to open, things can really begin to move.

So to jump to now, our new ministry launches tomorrow! We will begin our work with single mothers, providing them with an income generating opportunity that will help to support their families, and eventually (hopefully) the baby house operations, as well. We are starting a knitting project. We will be making things such as kofias (hats) and uniform sweaters that can be sold or given away to people here. We also want to make some fun baby items, too. :-) 

We will be hiring and training a number of single mothers. Some are widowed, some have been left. All are in desperate need. Not just “in need,” but in desperate need, even by Kenyan standards. They are not only in need of a job and resources to provide for their family, but they are in need of hope. HOPE!

That is our goal: to offer them hope. While they come to work and earn for their family, it is our prayer that their soul will also hear and receive the Word of God and refresh them and give them hope for a future. They are loved, they are cherished, and we get the opportunity to share that with them!

So….there is the background story on our new outreach ministry and how it came to play. We will begin tomorrow with our first set of mamas. I simply cannot wait to see how the Lord uses this outreach! And I cannot wait to tell you more about how it goes and how it develops! We have a busy week ahead.

Please pray for these women and for the direction of this outreach ministry. May God go before us and make His face to shine upon His cherished ones.