Pangani

Greetings from Pangani!

Greetings from Pangani Center! We thank God for another amazing school term. We want to share some of the highlights. Thank you for your support and partnership as we work together to transform lives through the love of Christ.

Omolo Otieno Bob
Head Teacher, Pangani

Hope Transforms: A Success Story

Laura* is a mother to one of our students here at our Pangani Center. Her journey has been one of remarkable change. Laura, who lives in Mathare Village one, was born and raised in Mathare. She inherited a shanty from her single mother, where she now lives with her three children. Her oldest son, now 18, does casual jobs in nearby neighborhoods, while her second-born daughter attends boarding school. Gary* her youngest is one of our students here in Pangani.

Gary joined MOHI in 2021 when a MOHI social worker bumped into him while walking around in the community during school hours. After following up, the social worker discovered that Laura, who was struggling with alcoholism, was unable to care for him. Gary's grandmother, who was then living with them, agreed to ensure Gary could attend school. Laura, while under the influence of alcohol, would often forget and lash out at the social worker, accusing him of taking her son away. Despite this, the social worker would still visit, evangelize and try and encourage her to get help for her drinking problem. Though this was difficult, the social worker knew that it was important for Gary’s future.

In 2022, Gary’s grandmother moved to the countryside, leaving Laura solely responsible for Gary. Things took a difficult turn. Laura's alcoholism worsened, and Gary sought refuge at his uncle's house nearby. Because of the increase in drinking, Laura fell ill, prompting her mother to return and care for her. After recovering, Laura had a renewed sense of purpose. She had significantly reduced her alcohol consumption, and the social worker took this opportunity to share the word of God with her. 

Today, Laura is a changed woman. While she hasn’t given her life to Jesus yet, she welcomes the social worker into her home and has opened her doors to prayer. She is now actively involved in Gary's education, attending school meetings and supporting his progress. We trust in God's power to bring about lasting change, not just in Laura’s life, but in many others in our community who are on a similar journey.

We continue to walk this journey trusting God to completely transform many who are like Laura in our communities.

*Name changed for privacy

Term Highlights

• This term we held a huge Ignite service near MOHI’s Kosovo Center. Ignite is MOHI’s youth conference created to strengthen faith, build friendships and ignite a lifelong relationship with Jesus among our 7th and 8th grade students. This Ignite service was the biggest one yet. We had local artists come perform for the children and encourage them.
  
  
• The ladies ministry at our Pangani Church has been really active this term. They donated a carpet to the church and even took initiative to lead the choir and music ministry. Praise God.
  
  
• Despite interruptions due to floods and protests that occurred in Kenya, we are grateful for a successful term. All our students successfully took their mid-term and end-of-term tests. Families affected by the floods received relief from MOHI, helping them cope with the difficult situation.
  
  
• We are very proud of our music club members who competed in the Kenya Music Festival competitions. The team won first place at the regional level and qualified to compete at the national level. We are so proud of our students!
  
  
• During this term, the staff had an opportunity to have a team building exercise. The activity was successful, and the staff enjoyed it as they had fun away from their busy work schedule. They also got an opportunity to interact and bond well with one another. This brought a lot of teamwork and excitement to the team. The results of this were evident throughout the term, with most team members being able to meet their set targets. We are grateful for this opportunity.

Partner Connections

• We were pleased to have Mountain Christian Church visit us this term. They held VBS (Vacation Bible School) with over 600 students. The VBS had various group activities that the children enjoyed very much. The team also visited our students in their homes, getting to know them better.
  
  
• We were also blessed to receive a team from Eastside Christian Church. The team conducted a dental medical camp at the Pangani clinic, where community members and MOHI staff had the opportunity to receive services.

Prayer Requests

• Pray with us as we trust God that the unsponsored students can receive sponsorship even as we continue making impacts in the lives of the students and the community at large.
  
  
• Pray for Kenya to have peace after the protests, floods, and demolitions that have rocked the nation. Pray that God may comfort all those who have lost loved ones from these events.
  
  
• Pray for the well-being of all our partners, students, staff, and the Pangani community at large.
  
  
• Thank God for our talented students who competed in the different competitions this term. Pray that their talents will one day open doors for them.
  
  

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