Overflowing with Joy

Mark Buzzetta

Has something ever happened to you that causes joy in such abundance that you just have to tell someone? This happened to me recently.

Our long-time partner in Kenya runs an orphanage called Agape Hope Children Center in Nairobi. They have rented the land that houses the orphanage and school for years; however, the current landlord told them he was going to sell the land out from under them because land prices are so high. They reached out to us, and World Challenge provided funding last year to purchase land for the orphanage to relocate to. This was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for the center’s directors.

Stay with me…

The orphanage still had to raise some funds to build a perimeter wall and drill a well to provide water for the children and also for generating their own income. The budget to build the wall and borehole was $48,000, and they had to raise $8,000 in order to start work. Their situation was a bit urgent, however, because the government restricts how many wells may be drilled in close proximity to one another. If they didn’t start drilling soon, other people would dig wells nearby and make it impossible for them to have their well. Time was of the essence!

Almost there…

As I prayed about the funding for this critical need, I cobbled together my remaining budget and applied for a grant that would cover the remaining $40,000 still needed a couple days ago. It was signed and returned to me yesterday. However, while preparing to utilize these remaining funds, I struggled with the fact that I would not have anything left for other ministries’ needs that might arise during the rest of the year.

Here it goes…

Our Director of Partner Engagement, Dave Corsten, sent me an email yesterday saying that he had received a donation of $50,000 for the orphans fund! Not only did God provide the $40,000, he added another $10,000 on top of it. Our Lord is good indeed!

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21, ESV).