The children started school on Monday and even though our desks and chairs were not ready they were so excited to be in their new building. It's the rainy season here in Tanzania and they showed up late, muddy and chilled to the bone but we were there to greet them and warm them up with some singing. We also had a few waiting out by the gate because they wanted to join our school. One little girl's father told me that she said there was "no chance" of her going home that she wanted and was going to be one of our students. Unfortunately we had to turn her away because we are well above capacity but we are working on plans to enlarge the school creating more space for needy children. We have also adopted a tuition plan that we feel will help the parents take ownership and pride in our school. By charging a small fee for each child to attend the school the community and it's families will begin to take more of an interest in the school and help us make it a success! If you're interested in helping us by supporting our school please go to www.shiningalight.org and make a donation or purchase a pair of our beautiful handmade sandals made by the mother's of our students today.

The Workshop Has Started

On Monday April 18th, 2011 Shining a Light's "Women to Work" project finally started. After a year of building relationships, raising funds and developing the best empowerment program we could, we have finally begun. The women come to our workshop each and everyday at 8:00 am to learn a skill that we believe will provide an income that will give them and their families a safe and secure future. Shining a Light is also empowering these women with educational classes on Health Care, Money Management, and weekly Bible Studies. We are very excited about the future of this program and the women who are participating. Some of the women have never had the independence of a job or an opportunity to pull themselves out of the extreme poverty that they find themselves in. Shining a Light is grateful to provide this to them. Other classes will be provided as well as we have discovered that many of these women have no education and have never learned to read or write. Please join with us in prayer that we would be able to breakdown culturally barriers, language barriers and every obstacle that we come across that would hinder our advancement in this project. Follow us on this blog as we introduce these women to you and make them personal so that you can share with us the joy of empowering them.

Thank You & God Bless
www.shiningalight.org

It's been so very long since i last blogged so if anyone is still following me out there i am very sorry. With all of the different social networks out there it's hard to keep up but i would like to reassure anyone that is still interested I am now back to blogging. So many exciting things are happening with me and more importantly Shining a Light! God has blessed me with an opportunity to help empower the women and children of Arusha, Tanzania. Sometimes i am not sure why He has called me to this place that requires patience and for women to display a meek and mild spirit but one thing i am sure of is the CALL to be here. His provision for people with the same heart for these women and children and the knowledge and wisdom of the culture and the vision to help them has confirmed that Shining a Light, our nonprofit (NGO in Tanzania) is on the right path to accomplishing HIS will. We have two amazing Boards both here in Tanzania and in America filled with people with a heart for Him.

I have been so blessed working here and seeing His hand in so many ways. This blog will continue to track those amazing encounters when He shows up and turns bad to good, weak to strong and impossible to possible. Please continue to follow us as we change lives by introducing people to their personal savior and watch how this transformation empowers them.

Shining a Light is a nonprofit created to empower women and children through employment, education and spiritual enrichment. Find out how you can help us empower these women and children at www.shiningalight.org

In His name,
Jennifer

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.

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.

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.