Holiday Giving

This holiday season, consider giving a meaningful donation to IAA. Your gift will be an answered prayer, provide hope, and be a gift that keeps on giving.

Life-Changing Gifts:

Education: Getting a good education can mean the world to a child in Kenya. We want our children at IAA to get the best possible education. Your donation will help fund the cost for sending our children to private school. We believe sending our children to private school gives them the best opportunity to succeed because the public schools in Kenya are very overcrowded and understaffed. Education is taken very seriously in Kenya because the scores and grades children get prior to high school determines their future, including what schools they can attend. 

Price: $15,000 per year

Abba's Wall: Our goal is to construct a wall around the three acres of the IAA site. We pray it will be finished by the end of next year and prior to the new presidential elections in December 2011 so that we will have added security in case of another upheaval. We will build as we receive funds and trust the Lord for his provision in this project. Your donation will help fund the construction of part of the wall. Donors giving $200.00 or more will have the opportunity to select one of the names of God for their section of the wall. Donations between $5.00 to $200.00 will join in a section of the wall with the name "Adonai."

Price: $20,000

Temporary Kitchen

Marking the new kitchen layout

Kitchen & Dining Hall: We are blessed to have engineering students from Syracuse University working alongside our project director, Gordon Clark, and other architects, to plan and implement the building of a new kitchen and dining hall for our children. Since IAA first opened, we have been working out of a temporary kitchen and crowding all of our children into the boys dorm to eat. The students from Syracuse have raised the funds for this project and their goal is to start construction in January 2011. As partners with this team, we are requested to raise 10% of the costs. Your donation will help us raise this 10% cost.

Price: $20, 000

Greenhouse: We want to empower IAA to become self-sufficient. By adding a greenhouse to the site, we we will be able to grow our own tomatoes, peas, and various other vegetables. The company that will install the greenhouse will also buy back some of our vegetables. Selling vegetables will result in a profit for our monthly support. Your donation will help fund the construction of a greenhouse.

Price: $2, 500

Your gift will help meet needs and give joy. Thank you for helping make a difference in the lives of the children and staff at IAA. 

To get to our donation page, please click on the following link:

Donation Page

From all of the children at IAA, thank you for your continual support, and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

November 2010 Update

Church:  It is so precious to see the toddlers participating in the Sunday services at IAA. They sing their praises and give testimony of God's work in their lives. Some testimonies given include: "Today I was able to get up and take tea." "I am saved and I love Jesus." Lydia and Newton have become great leaders with the toddlers by teaching and directing them in learning songs and dances for their praise and worship time. 

Nursery School: The nursery school is always busy and Joyce is such a blessing. She teaches the children their ABC's, numbers, scripture, and how to speak English.

Visiting Nelson: Christine and I took a 48 hour journey to Western Kenya to spend one night with her family and to see Nelson. Going into the trip, I knew there were many bumps and holes in the roads, but I had never felt them so intensely until our grueling 13 hour ride in the back seats of a public bus. We surprised Nelson, but we were only allowed to spend 15 minutes with him. He is doing so well and becoming such a wonderful young man. It was also a blessing to get to know Christine's family (mostly widows and children). 

IAA was very blessed to have such wonderful volunteers who helped with the babies, toddlers and younger children. They helped with bathing and feeding the children, and played with them as well. Time was also spent gardening and planting new plants around the church. They assisted with shopping, Bible teaching, homework, and building and fixing all of the broken things at IAA (that's a never ending battle). Thank you all!

Doug and Gerry Gifford: They came to IAA for one month. Doug built the children a new wood workshop where they learned how to build a birdhouse and other projects of wood working. Thank you Doug and Gerry!

 

April Lingle: April is our new 11 month intern from the Missions Society. She is such a blessing to the children and staff. April is leading the children's Bible Study on Saturdays, helping with babies and toddlers during the week, and also helping to write our new orientation program for our mission volunteers. April graduated from Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts with a Psychology Major and Family Studies Minor. We are very excited to have April in our family.

Ann: Joan, Ann's new baby girl, has fun while Mom watches close by. Ann comes to IAA every morning to wash clothes.

Auntie Donna: It was time to have the Bible Scripture memorizing contest again for the community and IAA children. Donna wanted to make it harder this time, so she announced they would have to memorize all of Psalm 23. They would be judged on who not only presented the scripture correctly, but also who held their head high and spoke clear and good English. The winner would receive a new bicycle. Our own Maggie was the winner. I insisted she had to do it again for me since I was not at the site the day they had the contest. Click on the link to see Maggie recite Psalm 23.

Maggie Reciting Psalm 23

Auntie Donna and Mum Jane working in the kitchen

Chicken House: We've made a new addition to the chicken house. We now have about 200 chickens (laying chickens and broiler chickens). We not only have chickens to eat, but we have an abundance of eggs to eat and sell. Twice per week the eggs are sold to various local businesses.

Abba's Wall: The wall is progressing beautifully. However, we still have a long way to go. Alex, the iron worker, is starting to make the names of God to be attached to the different sections. To those who have given to help us provide protection to the children -- THANK YOU!

Summer Teams

God blessed us with some amazing teams this past summer:


Woodsedge Community Church/The Woodlands:
This team was exceptionally special to me since they are my Texas home church. Their main purpose was holding an eye clinic for our children, staff, and community. Can you imagine putting on a pair of glasses and seeing things clearly for the first time? The team also ministered to those in the Internally Displaced Camp, worked on our Abba's Wall, and spent lots of special and fun time with the staff and children while they stayed on site full time. Thank you Woodsedge!

Champion's Forest Baptist Church/Houston:
Champion's Forest visited our home last year and wanted to come back. This year they blessed us so much with their many young volunteers (the older one's too!). The team stayed on site and accomplished so much in just a few days. They repainted our floor in the church, helped with a section of the wall, and spent some Bible and fun time with the children. Thank you Champion Forest Baptist Church!

















The Church at Bethel's Family/Houston: Bethel's Family team visited IAA while in Kenya. They brought medicine and medical supplies to minister to the surrounding community and spent some time with our children and staff. So many people in our community go without medicine and medical help due to their lack of money, so this was a blessing to them to be able to receive the medicine. Thank you Bethel's Family!

Summer Volunteers

Dear Friends:

     This summer at IAA we were blessed to have so many volunteers who came to love our children and help out wherever they could. Here are some of their favorite pictures from their visit:

Testimonies from some of our volunteers:

Elissa Adams:

"I never would have been able to accurately imagine the memories, emotions, relationships, and spiritual growth that I got out of my experience. One of my favorite memories of my stay is the night we celebrated the May birthdays for Faith and Martha, which was a very spiritually uplifting event for me. When everybody was singing and having a good time is one of the first moments I really felt what IAA was all about, and realized how lucky I was to be a part of that big family this summer. Also, watching the kids treat the baby dolls they got as birthday gifts as if they were real babies is one of the cutest memories I have of them!"

Carly Hubbard:

"Spending time with the kids at IAA was something I'll never be able to forget. Just the opportunity to be a part of such a small bit of some truly incredible kids' lives was a blessing in and of itself. Whether it was working with the rambunctious preschoolers, washing dishes and swapping stories with the incredible Kenyan workers in the kitchen, or goofing off between homework assignments after dinner, I felt like the time I was able to spend on site was truly valued. When I chose to give myself the chance to do nothing else but love the people around me, everything else suddenly began to seem insignificant. In the end, what was the truly difficult part? Saying goodbye."

Kathleen Wilson:

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13. This Bible verse is one that I became acquainted with over the summer and has brought me much inspiration. Through my incredible summer experience, I learned the true impact that love can have and how much joy and hope it can bring to one child’s life. Into Abbas Arms not only provides a safe haven for homeless children in Kenya, but it also instills a sense of hope, love, and family. The best experience by far was spending time with the children and building lasting friendships. Never in my life did I imagine such young children teaching me so much about life. Their precious singing, dancing and rejoicing in the Lord brought me so much joy and happiness. My connection with Faith was incredible and I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to pour my heart into her and love on her. I truly feel these kids showed me what it means to have faith, to love, and to cherish every moment of everyday."

Website Update:

We are excited to have a new web site design by Harry Chisholm. Kristin Klein has added new pictures of the children under the "Meet Our Kids" section. Check it out at www.IntoAbbasArms.org. She also works on the Blog posts. Thank you Kristin and Harry!

Building Abba's Wall

Dear Friends:

We are having a great response to the "Abba's Wall" project, but still have a long way to go!

The front wall is 1/2 way up across the front of the compound, but we still have the other 3 sides to go.

A $10.00 donation will provide 5 stones for the Adonai section.


Be a Part of Abba's Wall:


      Donors giving $200.00 or more will have the opportunity to pick one of the names of God for their section of the wall. For donors who wish to donate on a smaller scale ($5-$200) we will reserve a section of the wall with the name "Adonai" (The Lord my Great Lord) and combine your contributions for that section. A list of God's names can be found on the top of this page or by clicking here. I will periodically post updates to this list. Check back to see which names have been selected, or subscribe to our blog using the RSS feature in the right-hand panel.

Click here to make a donation.

Please include an email address when you make your donation. We will be in touch regarding your name request.   

A Joyful Noise

Kristin Klein is a sophomore at Point Loma Nazarene University. Her dream is to become an inner-city teacher and then a teacher in Africa. This summer she spent some time with the children at Into Abbas Arms. These videos are from her visit. Check out her BLOG for stories from her trip and tons of beautiful photographs.

"Let them praise his name with dancing..."

Thank you, Kristin, for the wonderful videos!

Building Abba's Wall

BUILDING THE WALL in GOD'S NAME!

We want to give God all the glory as He brings this project to fruition, so it is the desire of our hearts to name sections of the wall after HIM. We want all who approach the site to have their hearts touched as they see who God is through His many names. Let those who belong to God rejoice and let those who would do us harm tremble in fear.

Be a Part of Abba's Wall

Donors giving $200 or more will have the opportunity to pick one of the names of God for their section of the wall. For donors who wish to donate on a smaller scale ($5 - $200) we will reserve a section of the wall with the name "Adonai" (The Lord My Great Lord) and combine your contributions for that section. A list of God's names can be found on at the top of this page or by clicking here. I will periodically post updates to this list. Check back to see which names have been selected, or subscribe to our blog using the RSS feature in the right-hand panel.

Click here to make a donation.
Please include an e-mail address when you make your donation. We will be in touch regarding your name request.

Coming Soon: Watch foot-by-foot as the Lord provides for Abba's Wall. Also, don't forget to check back for the latest pictures and updates from IAA.

Unity in Purpose: Abba's Wall

Seemingly impossible tasks can be accomplished when God is helping those who honor Him and when their efforts are united.

A few months ago I was sitting with our staff in Kenya to discuss security at the IAA site in response to recent violent events that have caused concern for the safety of the children and the workers. A close neighbor to IAA was the victim of a home invasion and was robbed and beaten. The word was that this perpetrator was asking for phone number of our IAA site administrator. In Nairobi an orphanage was broken into and the perpetrators not only stole the bags of new clothes for the children, but they also raped some of the little girls. Other situations came to my mind as we discussed the need for better security. My thoughts went to the riots of 2008 where there were people literally being chopped up with machetes, and houses and churches with women and children inside were set on fire and burned to the ground.


I've always known we needed more security, but the thoughts of trying to build a stone wall around 3 acres of land seemed to be a daunting task. When I returned to the states I kept thinking and praying about what to do. One morning in my quiet time the Lord lead me to the book of Nehemiah and I began to read about all the different people that came together in unity to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. I had also just received a call from a team leader asking me what project they could work on when they visited IAA this summer. Then the Lord put it in my heart and it all came to me at once. Why not build the wall with many people? Teams, Churches, groups and individuals coming together for ONE PURPOSE. We could even ask people in the Kenyan community to help and to be involved. God put the desire to rebuild the walls in Nehemiah's heart, giving him a vision for the work and it was done. What seemed impossible was possible with God's plan for the project. I believe that God has given us a plan as well, and I believe that it will be accomplished through the efforts of unity in purpose and community. Click here for Nehemiah’s story.


The purpose of the walls in the days of Nehemiah were to protect from attack and to ensure the continuity of worship. Our purpose is the same and God's answer to our problem is the same. Our wall will be built by many who give and work in unity.


Importance of prayer: Like Nehemiah, we will face difficulties and troubles in accomplishing this huge task. Prayer and action go hand in hand. Through prayer, God guides our preparation, teamwork, and diligent efforts to carry out His will. Prayer will be an integral part of the success of this project.

Nehemiah 1: 11 "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name."

Without this wall we will remain defenseless and vulnerable. The elections of December 2011 will most likely bring about political unrest as it has for every election in the history of Kenya. This is our goal, to have the wall finished by Dec. 2011. This is a BIG goal, but we know that all things are possible with God. No one believed that the wall in Jerusalem could be built as fast as it was--in just 52 days.

It takes a community in unity.

More information on sponsoring and naming a section of Abba's Wall will be posted soon!

Highlighting our IAA volunteers in Kenya and America

Donna Campbell

Our #1 volunteer in Kenya is Donna Campbell. She has been with us for 6 years now. We are so blessed by her heart to serve our Lord at IAA.

Donna has recently adjusted her ministry from caring for the two youngest babies to: -working with all the children in planning
-implementing new teaching and organization of activities
-communication and financial bookkeeping reports to the US
-helping with other various chores and day to day activities

Please always remember to pray for Donna. We love her so much and want to keep her as long as she will stay.

Jamie and Seth Rainwater

What a blessing to have this talented couple come to IAA after being given a donation and praying about where God would send them to use their talents and gifts in photography and video.

We have beautiful new pictures of all the children as well as a DVD for the ministry in the making. (something we have prayed for and wanted a very long time.) Thank you Lord for sending not only a talented couple, but a couple that has a heart for you, your children and Kenya.

Steve and Rene' Tyo

After reading an article about IAA in the alumni magazine of the University I attended, Rene felt lead to contact me. We communicated several months and then I met up with them in WV on my way to visit other friends.

They traveled to IAA for a month in January. When they got back I received a list of things Steve had done at the site in the way of repairs and installations. Oh my, what a blessing! There were way too many to mention.

Rene was also a huge blessing with teaching in the church, teaching and spending time with the older girls, as well as spending lots of time tutoring the children in their school work. We are all praying they get back and stay longer really soon.

Jen Joshua

Jen went to IAA to volunteer in Feb. and was to stay until April, but after being there a month she has decided she wants to stay until August.

This is good news for the teams and visitors because they have a good cook and will not have to eat UGALI. She is truly a blessing to us who don't care for the Kenyan food as much.

I usually lose weight when I'm there, but Jen made the food too good for that this time. Jen is also spending time teaching some of the older girls how to cook. She and Hope (our youngest) have become inseparable.

Ashley

Ashley volunteered at IAA for 6 months and has just returned to the US.

She was a blessing to the children, especially the toddlers that she spent so much time with in Nursery School and helping with them day to day.

OUR VOLUNTEERS IN AMERICA:

Jodi Goodell

My friend since Junior High School.

Jodie picks up all your donations at our PO Box, makes the deposits, records them and sends the report to Beth, Gina and myself.

She also takes care of getting our wires to Kenya every month. Since I don't live in Texas this is a huge blessing for the ministry.

Jodi and her family will be traveling to IAA this summer.

Beth Calvert

Beth designs, writes and mails all your receipts to you every month.

Beth is also my counselor, advisor and confidant. She comes up with a lot of great ideas for me to TRY to implement.

She is a Christian counselor by profession, so I call her for advice often. Beth traveled to IAA a few years ago.

Gina Booth

Gina takes all of Jodi's reports, my reports, all the receipts and financial things, records them in the books and keeps up with all our financial matters.

This is a huge blessing and a LOT of hard work.

Mary Norton

Mary takes all of Gina's information from the accounting and prepares our IRS report annually.

This is a huge and stressful job that we are most grateful to have a competent and trustworthy person to handle.

Pat Reagan

Pat is our travel agent and also serves on our Advisory Board of Directors.

She works hard with all our airline ticketing and travel to find us the best deals for all our visitors going to Kenya.

Pat and I have been friends for many years now. She is a huge blessing and has traveled to IAA herself.

Gordon Clark

Gordon visited IAA several times and was there to help with the final stages of the new dorm; installed an irrigation system; helped with the septic system; and is presently helping in coordinating other building projects and plans for the site.

He is also helping to coordinate mission teams going to Kenya.

What about YOU?

Do you feel called to volunteer your talent in America or in Kenya? We're always looking for additional help, feel free to email intoabbasarms(at)aol.com. We would be honored to have you!