Wednesday, September 17, 2014









I


I wanted to focus this last blog on the vision and future plans Cloverleaf Ministries has for the orphanage and other related projects.


Besides the hard work and effort we put towards making the orphanage ready for the kids, one of the things Pastor Paul and Pastor Tasha wanted to focus on were the daily devotionals. As I mentioned throughout my first blog, the devotionals we had daily not only helped us become one, but it also taught us lessons that would help us grow in our walk with God and understand what God really wanted to do in Meru and the orphanage.

Sunday was my day to lead the devotional and the night before I still had nothing prepared, so I locked myself in the girls room and began to ask God what He wanted me to share. As I was praying and reading through my bible, I got a text from my mother about a word that God had given her specific to Kenya. As soon as i read it, i knew in my heart it was exactly what I needed to share during the devotional. She shared 2 Samuel 9 and in summary, this verse talks about the time when king David sent his servant Ziba to find out if Jonathan had any family left to honor his friendship with Jonathan. Ziba followed King David's commands and found Mephibosheth. This is what the verse says:





“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”


8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”


9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)


11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons." (2 Samuel 9:7-11).


As I read this verse, I immediately knew it was a prophetic word for the people in Meru. Here is why:

1) God will restore the land of Kenya

2) All of the brokenhearted, the forgotten, the sick will be restored and brought back to eat with the King. God will mend the hearts that were broken, He will heal the sick, and the forgotten will be raised to restore others and build broken cities (Isaiah 61).

3)The people of Kenya will begin to have a personal relationship with Jesus and get to know who He is in them and who they are in Him. Their lives will be prosperous as they will encounter Him and encounter His love.


God had sent us as the Zibas to bring the good news to the people of Meru and plant the seeds that we will eventually see grow as the people of Meru get to see God's love. The people of Meru as the Mephibosheths who thought they were forgotten, but God is bringing back restoration. Restoration is a big focus in what God wants to work on in these next few years not only for the people of Meru, but for anyone who is brokenhearted because He is going to use those people to restore the broken cities. I recently heard a sermon from Pastor Bill Johnson about rebuilding broken cities and it really reminded me of the people in Meru who thought were forgotten, but God brought us for the purpose of restoration. "The key to restore broken cities is found in how we value broken people" ~ Pastor Bill Johnson. It is our task to be supporters of those brokenhearted, to encourage them and focus on their steps forward, and not their falls.




Besides this prophetic word, I wanted to speak about what is next for this orphanage and the kids. We have recently recruited 7 kids who are currently living at the orphanage. They were all brought by the mothers of the orphans who took care of them for a while, or knew these kids needed a home. A lot of these kids need lots of care as they came from very bad living conditions. Some came with malaria, while others came with pretty bad wounds. One of the little girls (see picture above) came to us with half of her face burnt because when she was very young her mother burnt her face and left her outside of her grandmas house as she no longer wanted to care for her. Thankfully the chief of the village found her and brought her to the orphanage and is being cared for by 3 wonderful women of God who have a heart for children. The three women helping at the orphanage have had years of experience caring for Kids, but the most important part of all, they love God and make Him the focus of each of their lives. I know they are going to be great influences for these kids.




I am excited to share that the work at the orphanage doesn't stop there.. Cloverleaf ministries will be building a learning academy which will eventually develop into an accredited school that will serve the community. Staff will be trained throughout the year and will develop into a model for the community, region, and for Kenya. The team will be returning frequently to do ongoing training for the staff and planning for the future.


I really thank God for the opportunity He has given me to be a part of such great ministry and I look forward being a part of the future plans. While we are trying to find ways the orphanage can become self-sustainable, there are lots of expenses that need support in the meantime. I don't usually ask for financial support specially because the focus of my blogs were more about letting the audience know about my personal experiences there. However, as part of the Cloverleaf team I want to help in any way I can to support the orphanage and I am asking for your help as well. If you are lead to help financially, this would be much appreciated by all of us at the Cloverleaf team. Any donation will help and will go directly to the orphanage. Here is the information if you are interested:


To request for more information please email igo@cloverleafworld.org

Donations can be made to:

Account Name: CloverleafWorld Ministries

Account No: 01268760

Sort Code: 771419

BIC:LOYDGB21B84

IBAN: GB38 LOYD 7714 1901 2687 60

Bank: Lloyds Bank, Armley Leeds


If you cannot help financially at this time, your prayers are much appreciated as well.


God bless,

Andrea