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Hope_Christmas_Project

This Sunday we're going to announce the totals from our Hope Christmas Project. Every year we look to bring hope in the holidays. This year it included aspects to bring hope locally, regionally and globally and it offered support to all our Strategic Partners. One of our partners is the Berry Family. They made their way back to Kenya for another two-year commitment. Here's an update that Esther emailed out:

 

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We made it back to Kenya and RVA and are trying to get unpacked!  The students are all arriving back on campus today and classes start tomorrow.  We made a supply run to Nairobi yesterday and God protected us along the way.  

I want to share with you a huge answer to prayer that I learned about today.  When we visited churches while we were in the States, we shared with most of you about Nancy and her story.  We asked you to pray for her.  This morning I reconnected with Nancy for the first time since being back home.  We hugged and when I asked her how things were going, we both ended up in tears.  Tears of joy and thanksgiving for what God has done.  I told her that so many of you were praying for her and that resulted in more tears and an an exclamation of “God must have heard!” 

For those of you who haven’t heard the story, I will try to summarize, though I am not a very good story-teller or writer.   We met Nancy soon after we arrived at RVA in 2015.   We gave her some work 2 days a week and became good friends.  Her husband kicked her and her younger daughter Hannah out of the house soon after we met and took their older daughter Caroline out in the country about 4 hours drive away and left her with his mother.  When Nancy would ask how Caroline was doing, he would tell her to “forget about Caroline, that is in your past.”  Nancy works full time and only makes about $90 a month to care for herself and Hannah.  It was not possible for her to make the long trip out to find Caroline.  We took Nancy on the long drive to find Caroline after 9 months of not seeing her or getting any information from her husband about how Caroline was doing.  We were not sure exactly where we were going, only the area in which she lived.  After stopping for directions many times, not being able to speak the language of the people living in that area, and going down roads that our 4 wheel drive vehicle had difficulty passing, we finally found her!  Nancy, Hannah, and Caroline were reunited after 9 months apart and we were able to get her out there again 6 months later.  Much too long for a mother and daughter to be separated when the daughter is only 9 years old and handicapped at young age by a medical procedure gone wrong which left her paralyzed.  We found out that Caroline was being locked in the house and left alone when the grandma need to go anywhere because she didn’t want to find someone to watch over Caroline when she needed to leave.   Right before Ben and I left for our home assignment in the States this last summer, we were able to help get Nancy and Hannah moved into a new house closer to work and a better school for Hannah.  We told Nancy’s story to many of you and asked for prayer.

This morning, Nancy told me that her ex-husband has moved Carline back here.  She has been able to see Caroline several times and just spent this Sunday with her.  He has brought her to his cousins house nearby and they will be opening a school there soon that Caroline will be able to attend.  He has taken Hannah for visits a couple of times and the girls have gotten to know each other again.   He still does not really like Nancy visiting but he has not told her that she can’t come visit so she will continue to visit her daughter.  Caroline is calling Nancy mom again and the three of them are so happy to be together.  The girl’s father has started paying for Hannah’s schooling which he has not done since he sent Hannah and Nancy away.   Nancy said things have been going so well and she is just so thankful to be seeing her daughter again.  

Thank you so much for praying!   Continue to pray that the girls’ dad will not prohibit Nancy from visiting and that he will continue to be involved in helping to pay for Hannah’s schooling.  Pray for Ben and the boys as they all go back to school tomorrow.  Pray for our students as they say goodbyes to their parents for the next several weeks.  It means so much to us to know that so many of you are praying for us!  Thank you!!

 

Keep updated on the Berry Family's ministry in Kenya while serving at Rift Valley Academy

Email: beberry@aimint.org  or Facebook: here

click here to donate: https://usgiving.aimint.org/missionary/1016910