Wednesday, July 7, 2010




Shining Light is trying to start a soccer (or for those of you who are not from America, football) program here in Arusha. In the small village that I have been blessed to come live, work and be apart of we have a large open field. This field is right outside of my gate and everyday there are about 30 to 50 young boys of all ages that play here whether they have a ball or not. When they don't have a soccer ball they find anything they can roll up and use to kick around and enjoy Tanzanian's favorite sport. We feel this is an amazing opportunity to witness and work with these young boys to show them a better future. Right now we are supplying balls and just spending time with them. Please pray that the doors will be open for us to share the love of Jesus with them and to build relationships so that they might become the men that God intended them to be and so that they can one day be responsible husbands and fathers.

Monday, May 31, 2010




This is our preschool. Shining Light is working with the very poorest women of this community. Their children had no place for their preschool so they are now having their school at my new house in the village. Each day these little kiddies come to my house from 3 years old up to seven years old to attend school. Our hope is that soon we can move the workshop where their mamas make out beautiful handmade sandals to the house as well so that the mothers can be together with their children. You can purchase the sandals at www.shiningalight.org.

Thursday, April 29, 2010



This is Mama Jackie. She lives in a near by village with her four children. Mama Jackie has no job and no husband to provide for her and her children. I met her about a month ago and my heart ached for her and her situation. She really had no way out until Shining Light hired her to make our Maasai Sandals. Now she comes to work everyday and is making enough money to one day send her children to school. Mama Jackie needs your prayers and your support. Please go to our website and buy a pair of sandals at www.shiningalight.org Shining Light hopes to have many more women employeed and providing for their family's in the future.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010


We are still working on the "Sandal Project" and about to send over our second shipment. We are no longer selling the Daisy but have a new style I am sure you will like (see picture). You can order these beautiful sandals online at www.shiningalight.org or contact us at tiffany@shiningalight.org to host a sandal party. The kids are doing great. They are on Easter Holiday from school right now. So the children that have families are home visiting and the rest are over at Camp Moses relaxing and watching videos on a new T.V. that a church donated to them. We are still building the new classrooms, waiting on more donations for their completion. You can help us by ordering sandals or just sending a love offering through Shining Light. Keep praying!

God Bless,
Jennifer

Saturday, March 20, 2010


I have been back in Arusha now for one month. I came back to find LOHADA moving forward with their building project to build more classrooms as the children grow and continue to progress to the next level in school. Camp Joshua is a Christian primary school that goes from Standard 1 through Standard 7 but up until now they only had four classrooms. Three new classrooms are being built at the moment. LOHADA will use one classroom as a girl's dormitory until more funds are raised to have a permanent place for their young ladies. The classrooms have been started in faith that the funds will be provided to finish them. Please keep this project in your prayers. If you would like to help contribute to this much needed expansion please contact me at jennifervandergalien@yahoo.com

God Bless,
Jennifer

Sunday, January 24, 2010


I'm so blessed to have this amazing testimony to share with others about God's grace and how He pulled me out of the darkness and a life of drug addiction. This morning I was at Southgate Church in South Bend, Indiana. I'm a missionary out of Southgate even though I only worshipped there for 6 months (that can only be Godl) and I had the opportunity to share my testimony with the congregation. It was important for me to let them in on how powerful God has moved in my life and how much of my work has been orchestrated by Him. I believe people want to be involved with what He’s involved with. And so I shared about His love for me and how in an instant He broke the stronghold of addiction in my life. But that wasn’t the amazing part. What was amazing was the amount of people that came forward for prayer that are still living in that addiction, still buried by those burdens and want so desperately to be freed. So many people came forward. They just pushed by the shame and ran to the altar. I was so blessed. I know that God broke all kinds of bondage today. Thank you Jesus, Thank you for showing up at Southgate and thank you for letting me be a part of it.

Saturday, January 9, 2010




As my time here in the United States is coming to an end I find myself busier than ever. I have been in the process of setting up a nonprofit that will focus on getting the children of LOHADA (www.lohada.org)sponsored and help to transfer the donations for them over to Tanzania. Another project that is in the works is setting up a business to maunufacture Maasai Sandals, creating jobs and generating income for the family members of the LOHADA children so that they can return to their homes. This type of missions is to create a sustainable living for the women of Arusha so that they may provide for themselves and their family. I continue to fund raise, depending solely on the generosity of others. Thank you for your prayers and many donations. You can find these sandals on my Facebook page called "Sandals from Tanzania" if you would like to purchase a pair.