December Excitement!

(From left back row: Miriam, Exildah, Kimberly; Front Row from left: Shadrach, Mary M. Steven, Joe, Annette, Materi)
A Very Merry Christmas to you all from the Village of Hope!!!

There was certainly much excitement throughout the whole month of December as we prepared for the Advent of Christmas. The biggest joy was the opening of the sixth house within the Village of Hope on December 18th. Meet the newest children to join our family!

(Steven, 6)

(Shadrach, 7 brother to Steven)

These two children are double orphans and arrived at the village in a sickly condition. Kamau had to take them to the doctor on the day that they arrived so that they could receive treatment for their illnesses.

(Materi, 6)

Materi had lost both of her parents and was living with a relative. She was very tearful when it became time for her guardian to leave and she didn't smile for a while. It is a joy to see her smiling and enjoying herself with the other children now!

(Mary M., 7)

Mary's mother is alive but she is partially blind and suffers from a terminal illness. Mary's grandmother had been struggling to care for her and Mary.

(Kenny,9 & Mary J.,8, were the first children to live in house 6 with their new housemother, Exildah, as they waited for their new housemates)

Kenny and Mary are not related but both are double orphans.

(Joe, 8)

Joe had been living with his grandfather after his mother, who was a policewoman, died in November of 2008. He is a single orphan, but his father's whereabouts are unknown.

(Annette, 8)

Annette's father died in 2004 and her mother has a terminal illness. She had been living with her grandmother.

(Exildah & Gift making Christmas cookies)

Christmas week was spent making cookies and singing Christmas carols Zambian style with drum beats and bottle shakers filled with sand and rocks to add rhythm to the songs. Each house would took turns visiting the other houses singing songs and spreading a great deal of rejoicing. It was truly a sight to cherish!

(Racheal Chembo, Head Cook at Hope Take Away Restaurant)

Also this month, we opened our new restaurant which will serve tasty meat pies, sausage rolls, fried chicken and french fries, baked goods etc. We hope to attract many of the motorists on the Great North Road which begins in South Africa and runs all the way to Cairo, Egypt! Surely there must be some hungry travelers on this busy highway!!!

(Justina helping out in the restaurant kitchen)

(New tables ready for customers at Hope Restaurant)

Prayer Requests

**Pray for rain and for protection of the crops that we have planted. The rainy season should have begun in November and continued steadily through April, but they have been sporadic. We really depend on the maize grown in this season to feed the children and staff throughout the next year.

**Pray that the health of the new children will improve rapidly.

**Pray that our new business venture, Hope Restaurant will take off successfully.

**Praise God for all that He has done this year and ask Him to direct us for the new year!

God's Grace & Peace to you all and thank you for your support and commitment to us as a family!

The Kamaus