This evening I was sitting on the couch in the guesthome re-writing my long term goals. After writing this: work in full-time ministry educating, and empowering, Americans who are interested in impacting the life of an orphan in East Africa… something caused me to pause and say to myself, WOW, I’m living in East Africa. As the word Africa resonated in my mind, I had to stop writing my long-term goals and turn my attention to this blog. Honestly, Africa has been on my heart since I was a little girl listening to my cassette tape of We are the World. I grew up in a generation who watched infomercials of Sally Struthers holding a skeleton clad child with a distended belly as she walked around in heaps of trash these kids called home. Go ahead, close your eyes and picture it. Can you see it? I wish I could say the picture now lingering in your mind isn’t real. I wish I could say that after 25 years of advocating on behalf of the voiceless, these kids now live in houses and eat 3 square meals a day, but I can’t. I live in Africa and that infomercial is a reality that stares me in the face daily. I see with my own eyes real images of kids as young as 3 who walk miles to school, barefoot in the mud, because they know education is their only hope for a brighter future. I see other kids running around city streets selling avocadoes for less than 10 cents each and then using the profits to buy glue to sniff, all because they’ve lost hope.

So yes I live in Africa and my long-term goal is to empower people like you to impact the life of an orphan. So what’s my short-term goal… well it’s to love the children the way Jesus does, to give them a hope and a future. My 2 feet walk the 100 yds. across the field to the school everyday, my 2 hands pick up the little kiddos, and give high-5’s to the rest, my head works to improve the quality of education at Tumaini, my heart longs to see lasting change, and my soul prays it’s in the name of Jesus. I am all in and I ask you to pray about how you can join me. Here are a few suggestions:

· Pray for the children at Tumaini Miles of Smiles School and orphanage pray that they continue to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Pray that they find hope in their Heavenly Father.

· Consider visiting the Tumaini Miles of Smiles Website and contributing in the following way(s)

o Sponsor a Child

o Help Tumaini finish the Guesthouse

o Help Tumaini Finish the 7^th grade classroom

o Contribute to the Tumaini Car Maintenance Fund

Let me take just a moment to elaborate on these needs:

Child Sponsorship

Since June I’ve been working diligently with a team of people at ISF to update and streamline the Tumaini Child Sponsorship program. I’ve seen first hand how this program helps feed, clothe, educate, and encourage children to be future leaders for the glory of God. This option requires a long-term commitment to provide monthly for the child you sponsor. As a sponsor of 2 children myself, it’s well worth the commitment and small monetary sacrifice to receive letters from them and see the smiles on their beautiful faces!

The Guesthouse

This is important to me because it is my current residence. It also serves as the home of Rose and her children. Although it serves as a great place to lay my head at night, it is still unfinished and in need of improvements. Please consider helping us finish the house and who knows, God may lay a visit to Tumaini on your heart and you may need a cozy (term used loosely :) )place to stay!

7^th grade Classroom

The new school year begins January 3, 2010 and the children from grade 6 are excited to be promoted to the 7^th grade. There’s only one problem, the classroom is only halfway completed. Consider what it would be like to have class in a room with dirt floors and no windows. These kids deserve the best education possible and that includes starting their school year in a COMPLETED functional classroom.

Car Maintenance Fund

Okay so this would be my pick if I wanted to make a difference and I didn’t want the hassle of a long-term commitment… A one-time gift will work just fine. Actually, I just made a one-time contribution myself. I was to be in Kakamega in an hour (it takes 30 minutes to get there) for a very important sponsorship meeting, when Rose’s sister says to me… the tire has a puncture! Uuhhhhh, so frustrating, but not surprising if you look at the conditions of the roads. This was our 2^nd puncture since the car arrived in August. So I drove the car to Kakamega on the spare (scary) and purchased a new one at the bargain price of $100.00. Now I classify myself as a missionary and I don’t always have $100 just lying around. It just so happened that the Lord led me to make this purchase and encourage others to help out as well. If I can find the money to contribute then anyone can! Gas is also a burden in that it cost $1 per liter, which is about $4.00 per gallon. We don’t get great gas mileage in Kenya because of all the stop and go in dodging people and potholes. I must say the car has been an absolute blessing in that we are now able to get children to the hospital when they are sick and gather supplies from town without having to pay a taxi an outrageous amount to take us back to the rural areas. But with this blessing has come the overwhelming task of keeping Freida (the pride of Kenya) on the road. Please consider helping us with Maintenance cost and therefore enable us to use the car to better serve the children.

Check out the Tumaini Website and give as the Lord Leads!!!!

www.tumainimilesofsmiles.org

If you would like to support me or any of these urgent needs BY CHECK, feel free to send a check made out to International Sports Federation, PO Box 2788, Acworth, GA 30102. Make sure you put in the memo line which urgent need you are contributing to or to generally support what God is allowing me to do, write "Amanda Walton" on the memo line. Thank you so much for believing in what God is allowing me to be a part of here in Kenya. I could not do this without the prayer and financial support that God has provided to me through you!