Miracles often happen in small, steady steps. An update on new developments at the Immanuel Integrated Christian Deaf School in Ringa, Kenya EAST AFRICA.
Big Miracles Happen by the Hand of God!
It was the year 2005 and I was in Western Kenya traveling to a place called Mumias to preach. Along the way, as we were passing through the small town of Oyugis, I happend to spy a faded, rusted out roadside sign that read, "Kenya Christian School for the Deaf." That was the day a miracle began.
I ask my driver to stop for a while so I could visit. I could not have imagine that my heart would be so instantly and completely broken. There were two buildings on the lot. One was a small, brick building with four rooms occupied by more than a dozen girls and two staff members. A bunk room held four double bunks with all of the beds sleeping two or three girls. Outside was a building made out of rough cut lumber and sheet metal - no insulation and very poor, ramshackle building that was passing for a classroom, dining room, and sleeping quarters for the male students. It was literally unlivable.
The children were existing on pretty much one to two meals a day consisting of Ugali (corn meal cake) and some greens. They were poorly, dare I say barely clothed, underfed, housed in the worst possible conditions and, as I came to find out later, basically being exploited by staff members who used donations from the west to improve their own lives. I am not going to tell the whole story here because it is not necessary to make my point. The short of it was the school was eventually closed down by the umbrella organization (Deaf Ministries International - a fine organization) and within six months a new school was opened in Ringa under new leadership.
James 1:27 says, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." I was taught that the word "visit" in this passage means to engage the voiceless and powerless in their affliction. To get involved in their misery and act. On the flight home to America, I was crying out to God about their situation and entirely unsure about how I could engage them in their affliction from more than 8000 miles away and living from paycheck to paycheck. Somewhere over the Atlantic ocean God gave me a strategy. It didn't come all at once, but the root of it was very clear to me. First, we had to make them safe. Second, we had to provide a quality education so that they would not be doomed to a life of beggary. If you look carefully at the photos at the beginning of this article you will see that God was faithful to supply the means to fulfill the vision He had given me. In a matter of about ten years we were able to buy land, and build safe housing, provide acreage for growing food, and finally a quality learning environment in which the children could learn to read, write, learn a trade, and be taught the Word of God.
The school has been so successful that last year the government of Kenya appealed to the school to become an "integrated" school, enrolling hearing students to learn along side their Deaf friends. The Immanuel Christian School for the Deaf was renamed The Immanuel Integrated Christian School for the Deaf and is one of the top school in the entire nation that specializes in learning for children with special needs. I have a friend in Kenya who has a special answer when I ask him how he is doing: "Step by step, little by little we move forward." That is the story of Immanuel School.
I have not been actively engaged in the work at the school since 2018 for personal health reasons, but I keep close tabs on what is happening. Recently, School Director Wesley Agengo contacted me to see if I would be willing to help raise funds for a new classroom building they desperately need. That little school of 25 students has exploded to a thriving school community a well north of 200 students and they must have new classrooms. I agreed to help, and that's why I'm posting this article today.
If you can imagine building a two floor, six classroom brick and mortar building for just over $100,000, you have a great imagination! However, that is exactly what we need to raise to erect and open this building:
$115,000
My church here in Vermont has graciously agreed to receive donations for this new project and disperse those funds through our accounts. We are considering it a mission project and all gifts are tax deductible. There are two ways to donate:
You can make our a check to:
AGAPE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
30 Canal Street
Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
Designate: Kenya
or
You can give by PayPal or Credit Card
Designate: Kenya
One final note: If you can give, please know that you are investing in lives that have no future without the ministry of Immanuel school. Any donation of any size will help and all gifts will be appreciated. If you cant give - PRAY! And there is one more thing you can do –– SHARE. Share this post across you social media and email contact list. We have seen God provide hundreds of thousands of dollars to raise up this beautiful campus and most of those funds have come in small donations. You may not have much money, but you might share with someone who does!
Thank you,
Michael Gantt
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