Ten Talents International Blog

I have great news- not just one, but several great things to share with you!

The team that was in Rwanda right after Christmas had a very productive time.  They were able to host several Christmas parties and even able to give gifts to the children who are in our program but not sponsored yet (normally they receive their own party but we do not have funds to purchase gifts for them).  Thank you team!  While in Rwanda we also had an amazing thing happen.  Someone approached Mike about buying the Acres of Hope.  While the Acres were not for sale, Mike said he would listen to their offer.  It turned out that the offer they were able to make for the property would provide enough profit for us to be able to purchase another piece of property (albeit smaller) and to have enough to begin construction on our long awaited home for girls & young children.  It seemed like it was the time & the right thing to do to move forward with the sale of the property.  The wonderful thing is the new property we bought is right next to one of the main primary schools we work with (the same school that a previous team built a basketball court at).  This smaller property enables us to move forward with building (the Acres was also waiting for zoning restrictions to come through from the government, besides the issues of funding).  This year we will see new and exciting things happening!

Another piece of great news is that we were able to complete the process for local non-governmental organization (NGO- a charitable organization) registration in Rwanda.  This has been a long and tedious process to get Ten Talents Rwanda recognized by the Rwandan government but praise God it is done!

I also would like to share with you that one of our volunteers, he lives with the boys in the Home of Innocence, is coaching a boys soccer team.  Gaby is this young man’s name, but everyone just calls him Coach.  Coach and some other young men have put together several soccer teams.  These teams enable boys to have a way to focus their energy and also put their time to productive use as well as staying out of trouble.  These teams could use some equipment to help them along, maybe you would like to help them too?

training shoes

balls: sizes 3, 4, 5

sets of outfield players (2XL, 2L, 3M, 3S)

goal keepers jerseys, gloves & shorts (different sizes, S M L XL)

socks- different sizes

soccer shoes

coach tracksuits (XL)

Please contact us if you would like to help Coach & his soccer teams.

We are so glad to be able to share the great news with you & thank you for your prayers & partnership with us!

God Bless You,

Lisa

We hope all of our friends around the world had a wonderful Christmas, keeping in mind that Christmas is about PRESENCE! Emmanuel, God with us!

We have a team getting ready to go to Rwanda to share the presence of God in Christmas parties for several different groups in Rwanda. They will be putting on Christmas parties for the TTI sponsored children, the unsponsored children, those in the Home of Innocence, the ladies working at the African Bagel Co-op, Gahanga disabled orphanage, and the Rwanda Orphans Project!

Please pray for them as they prepare for their journey. Pray that every detail of this trip comes together, for everyone to make the journey safely (and all of their luggage- so many donations and party supplies!!!). Pray that they work together well as a team (many have not met each other before) and for God to give Mike grace as he leads the team. And pray that they are able to share the gifts of God with everyone they encounter.

Thank you, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

For those of you who are in the USA today is a day set aside to be with our loved ones and to remember all the things we are thankful for. Indeed we are all very blessed. Although there may be troubles happening around us and even in our midst, there are still so many blessings that we have as compared to much of the world. Even the simple things you may take for granted every day, such as paved roads, consistent electricity, and plentiful clean water. These are things that probably all of us enjoy every day without a second thought, but they are things that many people in the world do not have. I do not say this to bring guilt to anyone, but only to help us gain perspective. So many times we become self focused and lost in our own problems. We forget just how blessed and free we really are.

In each and every situation we have a choice: how will we respond? What tools will we rely upon to get us through? Will we use prayer, joy, trust, patience, peace, forgiveness, praise or perseverance? Or will we choose grumbling, complaining, worrying, self pity or other self-defeating attitudes? God tells us that no matter what the circumstances he will never leave us or forsake us. He also promises that his grace is sufficient for all of our weaknesses. No matter what we may face, or how weak we may feel, he can give us his strength and the Holy Spirit helps us to choose the right path if we will submit ourselves to him.

So, everyone please have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. Don’t worry if the relatives argue, or the turkey isn’t thawed, or if you’re not even sure how you’re going to pay those bills that are coming due. Your God is with you & he will carry you on Eagle’s wings!

I also wanted to let you know if some of you are looking for a different type of Christmas present for those on your list this year, that we do have some practical and helpful options for you. There are items needed for the Home of Innocence that you could give in honor of someone else. Our boys in the home need the following items:

Basins (used for bathing): 4 basins, $8 total
Cooking pots: 3 pots, $8 each, or $24 total
Thermos (for morning tea): 3 of them, $20 total
Bath towels: $8 each (up to 15 of them)
Bed sheets: $8 each (up to 15 of them)

For items that we need multiples of you may choose to buy one, several, or all of them, it is completely up to you.  Giving may be done on the website giving page or by mail.  If you would like to donate towards these Home of Innocence needs, please email lisam@tentalentsint.org so that I can arrange for you to receive a certificate to give the person the gift is made in honor of.

Thank you & God bless you!
Lisa

Right now many of the students in Rwanda are either finishing or have just recently finished taking their national exams.  The public Rwandan schools follow the calendar year: begin in January and end in October or November.  At certain grades all children are required to take a national exam: the end of 6th grade, 9th grade, and 12th grade.  The results of these exams determine if they will continue their schooling and how they score also determines where they will continue their schooling (better scores get to attend better schools).  As we remember to keep these students in our prayers for success on their exams, this would be a good time to share with you about a recent project.

The team that was in Rwanda in August accomplished several things.  One of the main projects for TTI was outfitting and establishing a tutoring center for the children in our program.  The office building that we moved into this year had an extra room attached to it.  Mike’s idea was to turn this room into a place where the children could come to get help on their studies.

In Rwanda it is required that lessons be taught in English.  As you can probably guess, English is not the first language of Rwandans.  This can make lessons difficult.  Besides the natural variety of levels in the children’s skills in a particular subject, there is also the varying levels of English skills.  This can add a second layer of possible difficulties to their studies.  Affluent families will hire private tutors for their children.  Families who have a little extra money will pay for “coaching” (group tutoring) on the weekends.  We wanted to provide a place where the children in our program can come and get help without having to worry about the cost.

The team did a fabulous job of getting this tutoring center all set up and established with many items useful for helping the children in math, English, reading, writing, and so on.  I would like to share a few of the images from this trip with you.

It looks great, doesn't it?

Putting the room to use!

Team members reading English books with children.

Setting up the TV for watching English instructional DVD's.

I love this last picture for several reasons.  One being you see the resident artist from the Home of Innocence, Benjamin, bent over the table working on labels for our new room (you can read some of Benjamin’s miracle story in our blog here).  The other is you see “Coach” one of our adult volunteers, loving on a child, and the third reason is if you look at the DVD playing right at the moment this picture was taken you will see it is a worship video.  (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)  It is Don Moen (remember him?) singing the song, “God will make a way” (where there seems to be no way), and the lyric “He will make a way” is captured on screen right at the moment this picture was taken- love it!

We thank God for making this tutoring center possible and we thank our August team for being the hands and feet to make it happen.  Mike will be leading another team in Rwanda the day after Christmas.  This team will be hosting several Christmas parties during their time in Rwanda and I look forward to sharing with you the great times they will be having loving on children in various orphanages.

If you are interested in visiting Rwanda we would love to have you come along.  We partner with AGCI (All God’s Children International) and you can find out more about the upcoming trips to Rwanda by visiting their website click here.  (The next Rwanda trip after the December one will be the summer of 2013.)

Thank you for keeping the children in your prayers and Ten Talents International as well.

God Bless You!

Lisa

Our partnership with AGCI (All God’s Children International) included Mike leading a mission team in Ethiopia for the last half of July. He went straight from there to Rwanda and was able to work on some details of the ministry during the last week, and now he is preparing to welcome a different AGCI team coming to visit and work in Rwanda. AGCI sent out an email asking for prayer for the team, and I would like to share it with you so you can be praying for Mike & this team as well.

Trip Dates: August 3-13, 2012

An Embrace Missions team is heading to Rwanda this Friday to help put together an after-school reading program and spend time with the kids in our partner homes.

Join us as we pray for the upcoming mission team as they go to serve orphans and vulnerable children at Rwanda.

Pray for Traveling Mercies. Pray all the donations and project supplies get from the US to Rwanda without extra charges or hassle. Pray for the team’s quick recovery from jet lag as they arrive in Rwanda.

Pray for Trip Leadership. Pray for the Trip Leaders to have wisdom as they help organize and lead the team to serve the children.

Pray for the Team. Pray for unity, flexibility, a servant’s heart. Pray for health, safety and protection as they work in Rwanda. Pray for changed lives and hearts and continued passion to serve children in Rwanda.

Pray for Outreach. Pray that the team would be able to effectively minister to all of the children living at Home of Innocence and Noel Orphanage, as well as the communities they serve in during the week. Pray for great communication, for relationship building, and for friendships.

Pray for our Rwanda Partnerships.

1. Noel Orphanage: Continue to pray for the transition many children are making back to their biological families. Pray that the team would make each child feel loved and valued.
2. Home of Innocence: Pray the time together will glorify God and the boys will experience the love of God through the team.
3. Ghanga Orphanage: Pray that the staff would feel encouraged by the team and would feel refreshed from the long, hard hours they put into caring for the children each day.
4. Pray for doors to continue opening to help many more children and families at risk in Rwanda.
View the Trip Agenda to pray along with the team!

If you are interested in coming to be a part of the ministry in Rwanda, we would love to have you!  Please visit the Embrace Missions page of AGCI here, to find out about upcoming trips.  Pray & see what God can do in & through you!

God Bless You,

Lisa

The McColm family is back in the USA, but the ministry continues in Rwanda. Our staff there is working very hard and being faithful to minister to the children and families in our programs. Please keep them in your prayers, for God to use them and strengthen them in the work. We continue to also pray for the development of the Acres of Hope. We still have more funds to raise in order to build on the property but we are believing that God is going to provide that soon. God has been so faithful to bring the ministry to the point it is at today, and we believe he wants to take it even farther. We partner together with each of you to believe this and we will see Him do great things! Mike is also getting ready to lead a mission trip to Ethiopia, followed by leading a team to Rwanda. We would love to have you join us in Rwanda sometime, please visit All God’s Children International to find out more about trips that are coming up in December of this year, and more next year as well. We believe our God will show himself faithful in your life as well- please share your testimonies with us and we will celebrate together!

God Bless You,
Lisa

Do you realize there are only 12 days left in May? Do you know that means there are only 12 more days for anyone to get in on the matching donation for the Acres of Hope? If you haven’t been a part of this yet, here is your reminder! We are very blessed to have one of our supporters put this matching donation in place: every dollar, up to $20,000 total will be matched. If your employer matches your charitable giving (as some do) then your gift can be quadrupled! (Your gift is doubled and then so is your employers.) If you would like to know more about what the Acres of Hope project is about, you can read more here.

Please give on our website or by mail, and please pray with us for God to supply so that we can begin the development of the Acres of Hope.  Children and families come to us everyday asking for help, and so many we have to turn away just because we don’t have the resources to help them.  We believe God would have us to do more, and we believe each one of you can be a part of that.

God Bless You,

Lisa

The good news is that the opportunity to raise funds for the development of the Acres of Hope brought in $10,000 in donations! However, if you remember the donor was willing to match donations up to $20,000 total. Because this donor wants to make sure that everyone who wants to give has the chance, and he wants to be generous as well, he has asked if we could extend the campaign. So, thanks to his generosity you’ve got another chance! All donations given from now until May 31st towards the Acres of Hope, will be matched (doubled!). If you didn’t give already, please don’t let this second chance slip by. It’s not often we get second chances in life, but here is one!

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing here in Rwanda.

God Bless You,
Lisa

In the last blog post I told you about something very exciting: a matching donation that will match every gift given towards the Acres of Hope, dollar for dollar, up to $20,000 total!  Giving that gets doubled is awesome, but did you know that it’s possible to make it even “awesomer“?  (Yes, I think the situation requires that word).

Many employers like to encourage giving towards non-profit organizations, and part of that may include matching employees donations.  This is something you should definitely ask your employer about!  For example: if you make a donation towards the Acres of Hope in the amount of $200, your gift is then matched and turned into $400 for the Acres of Hope.  But, if your employer matches your gift of $200, that gift is also matched with another $200, and now your $200 donation has turned into an $800 donation! I was right when I called it awesomer, wasn’t I?

The matching donation is available only until April 15th (you can remember that date, I’m sure)!  If you have thought about giving please take this opportunity to do so.  We would appreciate your continued prayers for this first phase of the Acres of Hope development to be fully funded.

As a reminder,  the focus of this first phase of development will be to:  get water and electricity to the property, begin the waste water projects needed for the first phase, complete the building which will be a vocational training center and our offices, and build a transitional home for girls & babies (just like the Home of Innocence).  The plans for the training center include dorms, which once completed we will be able to use as a temporary Home of Innocence until we are able to complete the other homes planned for the Acres of Hope (a total of four transitional homes are planned).

We are thankful that we have found another rental home for the boys from the Home of Innocence to move into the beginning of next month, but what we all really want is for them to have a place of their own that will mean no more moving.

Giving towards the Acres of Hope can be done online (using paypal) or by mail.

We so appreciate everyone who has given already and those who have been standing with us in prayer, believing for God to make these plans a reality!

God Bless You,

Lisa

An amazing opportunity has been presented to the ministry.  One of our supporters has pledged to match, dollar for dollar, every donation that comes in for the Acres of Hope development up to a total of $20,000!  This matching donation is only available for the next 30 days, so if you would like to contribute towards breaking ground on our property this is a great chance for you!

We shared this great news with the boys in the Home of Innocence last night so they could rejoice with us, as they too have been praying diligently for God to provide for this development.  They are all anticipating the day when they will finally have a home “of their own” instead of renting from others.  This desire is felt even more deeply now as the current landlord of the house the boys are in has given us notice to move out.  We are currently searching for a different house to rent for the Home of Innocence, and that will also house our offices.

The plan for the Acres of Hope is that we will be building in phases.  The focus of this first phase of development will be to:  get water and electricity to the property, begin the waste water projects needed for the first phase, complete the building which will be a vocational training center and our offices, and build a transitional home for girls & babies (just like the Home of Innocence).  The plans for the training center include dorms, which once completed we will be able to use as a temporary Home of Innocence until we are able to complete the other homes planned for the Acres of Hope (a total of four transitional homes are planned).

A transitional home for girls and babies is desperately needed.  We know of several programs which provide care for former street boys, but none that care for the lost girls.  Many of these girls, without family to care for them, end up in situations that are not safe or advantageous for them.  Babies and very small children could also be cared for in this same home.  Can you give and be a part of helping these vulnerable children?

The opportunity to be a part of this matching donation will only last until April 15th.  We would love for each one of you to be part of seeing the plans for the Acres of Hope become reality.  Your donation can be doubled and every donation will help!  You can click on the “giving” tab right here on our website to give online, or to give by mail click on our “contact” page for the address.

Agree in prayer with us as we believe for God to provide, and that we are going to see great things happen!

God Bless You,

Lisa