21st Birthday

Michael turned 21 and they threw a big party (a Braai, of course!) for him at the Ark Keetmanshoop.
http://christiaanenrita.blogspot.com/2010/11/er-was-er-een-jarig-hoera-hoera.html

Praise the Lord!

Today we got the news that the work permit for Christiaan & Rita was finally approved -this after waiting for more than a year for word from Home Affairs.

Rita & Christiaan are from Belgium and moved to Namibia in 2005 to serve the Lord in Keetmanshoop. They are houseparents at the Ark and are doing an amazing job. God has used them in a marvelous way to make the Ark a stable home and loving environment for the children.

They longed to visit their family back home but could not leave the country for a very long time because there was no reply from Home Affairs.
We are so thankful that they have now finally the documentation to stay in Namibia until October 2011, at least. And the best is, that they can go to Belgium in December and return to Namibia without problems.
Praise the Lord for this outstanding miracle!

Update from Keetmanshoop

Christina, the supervisor at the Ark writes for our newsletter...

The Lord is so good to us; our hearts are full of happiness as we rejoice in His goodness! During the May holidays the children of the Ark Rehoboth were transferred to us. Initially it was quite a challenge for the new group to adapt as well as for the children that have been in the house for years. By the grace of God, the group has adapted well and they have even made good progress at school! We are so proud of them!





At the beginning of July, we received training on how to run a Ministry CarePoint with the vulnerable and orphaned children in the community, whom we call Our Valuable Children. This time of training was very valuable; we even had two ladies from the community attending. This initiative also encouraged a local pastor with three of her church members to sign up as volunteers.

We had a team from the Mount of Olive Church in California that visited the Ark for three weeks. We enjoyed having them with us; the children had a great time with the team. Most of them were young people with two wonderful older men. They assisted with the caring for the children at the Ark and the Kids Club; as well as doing some much needed renovation in and around the Ark. We value and appreciate the partnership with the church.

We appointed two new Parent Assistants. This is such a relief for the current staff. Christiaan and Rita also enjoyed a much deserved time off in Windhoek in the month of August.
Christiaan befriended a farmer and he gave permission to the children to visit the farm over weekends. It is a grand outing for the children; they get to see donkeys, goats, chicken and other farm animals. One of the activities the children enjoy most at the farm is mountain climbing.
It is amazing how God provides for the ministry. We have been blessed with funds for purchasing shoes, school clothes and the paying of school fees. During winter we received winter sleep gear, toiletries, books and Bibles. The community also contribute with in-kind donations. We are really thankful for our Father God for His grace, provision and protection.