By Andy Baker
I have had the privilege this summer to serve as the “in house” missionary for Camp Allendale in Trafalgar, Indiana. This summer I have a goal raise $36,000 so that we can build one our next family home in Tanzania. As of writing this, we are halfway to that goal and it has been a truly amazing experience to share stories every day with the children, and to challenge them to partner with us in helping bring more children into a home with a new mom and dad. The children have been more than enthusiastic with their help, and I have been blessed everyday to receive their hugs of encouragement as a sign of love for the children we serve.
Just this month, the seventh house opened in Tanzania with Dionis and Esther as the parents. The excitement of this couple receiving the children has been incredible. Dionis has been busy utilizing social media to express how much he loves being a father and bringing security to these children. If you have Facebook, please look them up under, Dionis na Esther Buhanda. You will love the pictures and the joy you see on the faces of the children. Family #8 is scheduled for this fall. Please be watching for that update.
I am happy to report that the construction of House #1 is completed and House #2 is underway. Our desire is to finish three homes by the end of the year, and we do welcome your partnership in helping us reach this goal. Each house will be a home to a new family with mom and dad watching over 12-15 children. It has been truly beautiful to see the children developing and moving from lives exhibiting fear and uncertainty to lives full of joy and promise.
I will be going back to Tanzania in August to host our first dental team with our board members, Dave Wolf and Gary Stanton, and to also have a dedication for House #1 with representatives from the family that graciously made the home available in memory of their wife and mother. Stay tuned for updates from the field in August.
I hope you find the development of the Eternal Families Village encouraging. In full transparency, we need many more partners. We offer child sponsorship and we need help with our upcoming construction projects of the ten homes and the school. Please contact us if you would like to hear more of the story. You can also catch a short encouraging video by clicking on this link : Eternal Families Tanzania