AND THIS IS OUR PRAYER FOR OUR GIRLS:
"That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--
to the glory and praise of God."
Philippians 1: 9-11

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

FAITH HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE

In the week following American Thanksgiving we decorated the Faith House Christmas tree, such a big part of Christmas for Americans, Gretchen (Faith House Director) and Jane (visiting from Texas). To our girls the tree with its decorations, was a fun new puzzle. In the absence of fresh trees on lots in shopping centers, we have an artificial tree in three pieces, bought for around $30, five years ago, not exactly the designer tree so familiar in our American homes. But how do we put this thing together???



To the girls, the tree was a challenge, . . .























the strings of lights were a tangle, . . .


























and decorations were new adventures in classy jewelry.











Jane Mwihaki stood back, watching, and asked, "What is the origin of this custom, this decorating of a tree for Christmas?" I asked her if this activity seemed strange to her. She nodded with her dimpled smile-- "It's my first one!" I tried to explain the symbols to her, the evergreen tree because Jesus is eternal and brought us the gift of eternal life, the lights because Jesus is the light of the world, the stars because a star led the maji to the place where Jesus was. Some of the decorations I couldn't explain-- they are just decorations, somewhat synonymous with Christmas in our western culture.

But when we took out the pieces of the intricate banana fiber nativity which one girl scrutinized carefully, marveling that Kenyans are so creative . . . when we laid out the nativity, at least that part made sense.

Each night we sing traditional Christmas carols that tell the story of the baby Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, and discuss what it means that God Himself came into the world. We marvel and try to understand more deeply that ultimate gift that God gave in sending His Son. And Gretchen and I pray that in meeting some western traditions for the first time, the girls will not forget the miracle of this glorious season.
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WHAT IS FAITH HOUSE MINISTRIES?

How do we explain what Faith House is? It's a safe house, a shelter, a home, so much more than a building . . . Faith House is a Christian ministry designed to be family for African young women who have not known peaceful home situations, and to provide opportunities for education and training for these young women, who would, in many cases, be struggling to survive.

As in ideal families, Faith House seeks to provide a setting in which the young women are nurtured and encouraged to develop their full potential. In a home environment, they learn family dynamics, receiving training and encouragement to live together at peace and to solve problems with creativity and forgiveness. They are valued and learn the value and dignity of individuals. They are treated with respect and learn to treat others with respect. They see honesty, stewardship and gracious manners modeled, and are trained to make such values a part of their lives.

The young women who are a part of the Faith House Ministries are given opportunities to continue with academic and/or vocational training according to their individual gifts and interests. In some cases, the education will include provision of boarding school and perhaps even university education.

Faith House Ministries seeks to invest in the lives of African young women in such a way that they will become self-sufficient contributors to the welfare of their families, their communities and their country.