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(Here’s Simon enjoying the kids in Rwanda.)

Wednesday night Simon Peter Ngoga safely arrived in the Portland airport. He arrived just in time for our typical northwest (northwet?) weather to begin! Sunday morning he spoke at our church, Heritage Church, in Vancouver. Monday night he is going to be speaking at a Bible study in Seattle. Thursday night he will be sharing at a local house church here in Vancouver. If you would like Simon to share at your church we are still working on filling up his schedule- both Sundays and mid-week services would be great!

Please be praying for Simon & this time. I can not imagine what it is like to be asked to share a story that includes a painful time in his life, and having to share it over & over again. It is a testimony to the grace of God, and of God’s promise of hope, but I am sure it is difficult none the less. Please also pray for God to use his story to encourage more people to become supporters of the work in Rwanda, as well as supporters of Simon Peter Ngoga. We are hoping some will commit to supporting Simon (through Ten Talents International) on a regular basis.

Simon will also be sharing at our banquet, this Saturday night. I would appreciate your prayers for this night to be a success (and a full house)! If you are planning on coming we need to know so we can guarantee your meal, so please email us right away. It is going to be a great night! Besides Simon we will also hear from Mike, have a special video presentation, and special music. We want to share this night with as many people as possible!

The following Monday night (September 29th) we will be having a “Container Party” at Heritage Church. The container company will arrive with a separate container (on a truck) which will be the one actually sent to Rwanda. We will transfer all the items from the current container into the one on the truck. Come join us & have some fun!

Thank you for your prayers & for believing with us for God to do great things!

God Bless You,
Lisa

On Sunday night we got to celebrate. Background: our church (formerly Bethel) merged with another congregation (formerly Hazel Dell Assembly). The Bethel church property/building was sold. The church board recommended to the congregation that we tithe from the sale, this amount being donated to Ten Talents International. The sale was just under $1 million, so the tithe amount was $100,000. This was brought before the congregation for a vote on Sunday night. The congregation (now merged & with the name Heritage Church) voted unanimously to give this amount to Ten Talents International. Praise God! Of the $100,000 half of that ($50,000) is specifically designated to be a matching gift. The means that at our banquet we will be able to match whatever amounts are given, so that the gifts are doubled! This is a huge thing and we are so happy for our church to be able to have this part in changing lives in Rwanda for eternity!

We have also received a generous donation from a local plumbing outfit that will provide much of the plumbing supplies we needed to put in the shipping container for phase 1. Praise God!

We do have room in the container for some *NEW* dontated items for the kids there. If you would like to bring something to Heritage Church (http://www.heritagenorthwest.org/) we can put it in the shipping container. Suggested items would be *new* clothes (including socks, boxers), towels, washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mini photo albums (all the kids like these for holding the few precious photos they have), soccer balls (flat if possible), ball pumps.

Please continue to pray for our upcoming banquet, for God to use it for His glory. And for the time when Simon Peter Ngoga will be here, for God to enable him to share with more churches about what God is doing for street children in Rwanda. We are scheduling speaking dates for him now, so if you would like him to come to your church please contact us ASAP!

We appreciate your continued prayers for our family, the ministry, the Acres of Hope. God is good. We trust in Him and submit our plans & hopes to Him.

God Bless You,
Lisa

Things have been very busy around our household & the TTI office lately. We have been working on putting things together for our upcoming banquet (September 27th). We were excited to see the banquet room last week (appropriately named “Heritage” – just like our new church name)! Mike has also been very busy working on details of getting a shipping container that will be delivered to Rwanda. This container will be for a tractor (to do ground work at the Acres of Hope), plumbing supplies, wiring supplies, trusses, and other items needed for the construction phase. In fact, last week the container was delivered to the church & once we are able to fill it, it will take 55 days to be delivered to our site in Rwanda. Because of this, there have been some changes made to the Nov. 1st team plans. Some people are choosing to delay their trips until the end of November or 1st of December so they can be there after the container & help with the construction.

We had an informational meeting last Sunday for the upcoming trip. Right now our team is not full, so if you are interested in going but didn’t make it to the meeting please contact us. We know many people who can tell you that going to Rwanda to minister to these kids will change you- so be prepared for that- it is great!

Many people want to know when our family is planning to go back to Rwanda. Right now it looks like we will be going back the end of October & staying a couple months. We continue to pray about it & wait for God’s provision.

If you would like to pray for us- these are some prayer requests:
*for provision for our family- God has taken good care of us, and we just pray that we would continue to have the support that we need
*for the banquet September 27th- for God to use that night to involve more people in supporting the work of TTI & that the night would push us forward in the financing of phase 1 of the Acres of Hope
*for all the details, supplies, equipment needed for the container & for God’s provision for all that He has put on our hearts to do
*for those who are looking to go to Rwanda this fall- for God to direct them & provide for them
*for Ngoga & his family as he prepares to come to the US Sept. 18th- for God to bless them and to use this time
*for the children on the streets in Rwanda- that God would protect them & take care of them, and that they would have hope in Him
*for the children in the Faith Home and Kanombe Home to be blessed & to prosper

Maybe I say this all the time, although I could never say it too much, but we really do appreciate you so much. There are many people who pray for us and help us in so many different ways. We are thankful to have you as our co-workers in this. For each of us, God gives us a task to do and we just have to say, “OK”. That’s all we do, and we trust Him to take care of the details. The wonderful thing about it is the benefits that go along with that simple “OK” & our trust! God takes us along for the ride! We get to experience life in way that’s fuller & more amazing than we could ever find on our own.

In the busyness of life, don’t forget to find quiet moments to spend time with God and let Him tell you, “I love you”.

God Bless You,
Lisa

Thank you for your prayers- the meeting Mike had today went great! He said, “It couldn’t have gone better”. The vice-mayor is a Christian & they made a really good connection. When she heard about what TTI wants to do, it completely resonated with her & she said that she would do whatever she could to help us. She is going to do what she can to help us get registered & said it shouldn’t be a problem at all. She said her passion is for those street kids & that helping them has been a dream of hers for a long time.

All’s we can say is – Praise God!!!!
And thank you!
Lisa

Last week we were contacted because the vice-mayor of Kigali, Rwanda is going to be in Portland this weekend. She is coming to observe the Luis Palau CityFest because they are considering bringing that to Kigali (very cool). One of our friends who works with Africa New Life Ministries is setting up appointments for her to meet with different ministries. We thank God for this opportunity to introduce her to Ten Talents International, and maybe even build a relationship that could help us down the road with getting registered in Rwanda as a charity there. The vice-mayor is a high government position and we are very blessed to have this time to meet with her. Please keep this meeting in your prayers, it will be Friday afternoon (August 22nd). Pray for God to bless the meeting and use it for His glory and to further His kingdom work. We pray also that Luis Palau would come to Rwanda, sharing the gospel message of hope with more people! Now is the time!

Another exciting opportunity is for those of you who would like to participate in the work happening in Rwanda. Our next team is scheduled for November 1st. We have an informational meeting coming up on August 31st (Sunday) at 4pm at Heritage Church in Hazel Dell (Vancouver, Washington). Visit http://www.heritagenorthwest.org/ for directions. Those of you who have been reading this blog should know that we consider it a wonderful privilege to be a part of what God is doing in Rwanda. This is something that we would like to share with each one of you. We would love to take you with us on a short term mission trip there & allow you to experience first hand God’s heart at work there. It does not matter what your skill set is or isn’t- there is a place for you. If this touches your heart at all please plan on being at Heritage Church on the 31st. If you have questions, or are interested but can not make the meeting, please call or email us. We are sure that you will be blessed if you go- we have seen it happen over & over again.

And the third exciting opportunity I would like to mention is our banquet on September 27th. Invitations will be in the mail by the end of this month, but please set that date aside now. It will be a wonderful time of hearing testimonies of what God has done in individual lives, as well as sharing the vision of what we believe God would have us do in the near & distant future. There is no cost to attend- we want everyone there! We will also get to share with you about a matching donation fund that will enable every dollar given to go even farther!

All of you participate with us in the work in Rwanda when you join with us in prayer. Pray for God to speak to & provide for those who would go on the November trip. Please continue to pray for God to provide for the current needs of the ministry, specifically for the $180,000 for the Acres of Hope first phase. We also would appreciate your prayers for God to continue to provide for our family as we live by faith. Please pray for God to guide Ten Talents International, to give us wisdom, to open doors for us, and to give us favor. This is God’s work and we want as many people as possible to receive the blessing of being a part of changing lives across the world. Let us all leave a legacy that endures for generations.

Together In Christ,
Lisa

We enjoyed sharing at our church, Heritage, on Sunday night about our trip and the upcoming plans for the Acres of Hope. Of course I got emotional as I talked about “our kids” over there. The kids in the Faith Home all call us “mom” and “dad” and they are very special to us. I talked about how even though these homes are great for the kids, it is not the same as being in a family. A family where you have a parent to call your own, and where that child is special to somebody who can love on them everyday. We look forward to doing this through the Home of Innocence, being able to place children in permanent families where they will be loved and cared for. Someone asked me what I miss about Rwanda, and what I miss most are my kids there. In fact I miss them very much. I think about them everyday and pray for God to bless them and care for them.

Mike shared with the church on Sunday night the architects drawings for the Acres of Hope. It is nice to be able to share what the “finished product” could look like. Four homes, a mechanics & welding training center with dorms on top (for older street children, those age 16 and above who are too old to be placed into a family), a dining hall and church, basketball court, adoptive family homes (for them to stay in for a few weeks after the child is placed with them), a missionary guest house, etc.

Phase One, the next step, will cost approximately $180,000 US dollars. This will develop the property (electricity, water, septic), place a wall around the property, and build the first home. The monthly expenses for the Acres of Hope will be approximately $3,800. Other immediate needs include $2300 for the expenses of registering TTI as a non-profit organization within Rwanda, as well as $950 for the first two months rent for the TTI office there in Kigali.

Please pray together with us for God to meet these needs, and specifically for people to respond generously. Mike shared with the church that it is hard to wait, especially when you know everything is just waiting on funds. Please also pray for those who are wanting to go on the TTI mission trip this November, for God to provide for their needs as well.

We are so grateful to be a part of this work that God is doing in Rwanda. It is a blessing and a privilege to partner with Him in His work.

God Bless You,
Lisa

If you would like to view the pictures from our trip, you should be able to find my album at this link- http://picasaweb.google.com/lisam1991/RwandaMayToJuly2008
Click on the button for “slideshow” for the best viewing. Just beware because there are 250 pictures there!

Some things that were accomplished in our last week in Rwanda: we found an office space for TTI. It is on the same property as a good sized home for Ngoga & his family. The house for the office has a large front room, smaller side room, and a bathroom. It seems very perfect as it is not far from our property, has room for parking, etc.

We have started the paperwork for getting TTI registered as an NGO. Mike met with the district vice mayor about registering and also discussed getting water from a natural spring not far from the property. (We found out that we can not drill, the drilling company has tried up there before & found no water, so they won’t drill there.) But there is a plentiful natural spring that Mike is sure we can get enough water from for us, as well as for the community.
We also got estimates for different phases of the property (water, septic system). We got prelimanary drawings for all of the phases of development of the property.

Mike also helped Africa New Life Ministries by working on the stairs for their Dream Chapel (unfortunately we had to leave before they had their first Sunday in their new church).

We look forward to sharing more about our trip, and our future plans, with anyone who can be at Heritage Church (in Hazel Dell) this Sunday night, August 10th, at 6pm. You can visit their website http://www.heritagenorthwest.org/ if you need directions.

Thank you for partnering with TTI & our family in the great adventure of following God’s will.
God Bless You,
Lisa & family

We have arrived safely back in the US as of 7:30pm this evening (and our luggage too- woo hoo!) It is grueling travel, but I am thankful that each of us got some sleep on the plane rides back (even me- who last year barely slept one wink on the way home). We’ve had our hot showers (ahhh) and it does feel good to be back, but the weather feels very cold to us! Although it is now almost 10pm here, it is almost 7am back in Rwanda, so I don’t feel very sleepy, but we are going to try to go to bed. Here is a picture that says it all- glad to be home, but oh so tired! (KaLia is already asleep now.)
I will update more about our last week in Rwanda later. Thanks everyone for your prayers & faithfulness.
God Bless You,
Lisa & family