Missionary Lydia Venter continues to share about their adventures in the remote Kenyan village of Lomolo. In this episode she writes about building a small children’s library.
“… when it was in building … there was neither hammer nor ax [nor] any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. — I Kings 6:7
This Scripture was just something interesting we stumbled upon during the time we were building the library with plastic bricks and literally needed no tools. Each block weighed about four-and-a-half kilos and was made out of a mixture of plastic bags, bottles and whatever plastic we could lay our hands on. In 2017 the government placed a ban on plastic bags, so we started using — believe-it-or-not — a vast quantity of cement bags, which worked just fine.
In 2018 we became certain that we had enough bricks to build a small library for the kids in Lomolo, so in September of that year we started the process. Ohhh, I’ll never forget the “ladder” Wilco used to work on putting up the roof [see top photo]. Just like Moses with his rod, God always asks us what we have. We had two chairs, a stool and an empty soda crate (see photo). As dangerous as it was, these items worked perfectly and Wilco managed to put up a well-built roof. If we allow and trust the Lord, He will use whatever is available to accomplish His purpose.
At that point we had not yet built anything with these blocks, so we were quite unsure of how the cement would actually stick to the plastic. Later we found examples of bricks on the internet that fitted into each other like Lego blocks, but because this idea was received directly from Heaven, we kept on doing exactly as the Lord directed us in 2012. Our entire life is a building process and we never (really) know how things will pan out, so as usual we had to cling to the Master. Thank God for 2 Corinthians 5:7 –– We walk by faith and not by sight …
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Wilco and his local team of builders regularly prayed together during this process, and we knew the Lord was with us. In October the library was done and oh, how proud we were of Abba who reminded us that it was not our plan, but that we are the product of His hand, heaven’s creativity etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago. — Eph 2:10 (The Voice)
Through the testimony of a friend Books are Power came to know about us, and in early 2019 Gary and Sheila Muldoon donated about six boxes of books to YASHA Library during one of their visits. This became quite instrumental in helping local children with their reading, as kids in the village have very little opportunity to speak English, even though their entire curriculum – except Swahili — is in English. Teachers in remote villages somehow choose to rather explain the work to their students in their mother tongue and, because “mitihani” (exams) are in multiple choice format, they get away with it. When kids. however, join high school, they can easily drop out due to the fact that they still struggle to understand and respond in English.
Over the years we held several reading camps where children got the opportunity to not only improve their reading skills in a safe and playful environment, but also got the chance to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. In the episodes to come I would share more about our exiting God-adventure among the wonderful Lomolo people.
May this season bring you peace, joy and rest as you contemplate God’s faithfulness over the past 12 months, while anticipating the wholesome plans He has in store for you in 2023. May Abba release in you fresh vision and insight as you invite Jesus afresh to journey with you and your loved ones.
Isaiah 40:31 — Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
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