Dear Sponsor
“Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures for ever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.” Psalm 111:1-4
Thank you for your sponsorship and for your invaluable prayers, that is making a difference in their life.
I am thankful to be here with the children, to see their personalities and to witness God’s love transform them. It is certainly a privilege to be a part of their lives and to have the opportunity to identify and attempt to meet their needs, both practically and spiritually.
On Christmas day we were blessed to have one of the local pastors’ come with one of his Sunday School teachers and a few of the children from their choir.
Traditionally at Christmas, the children receive new clothes to wear on Christmas day. Two of the young women at the center are tailors and they sewed all the children new clothes.
Aside from Christmas day, New Year’s day is one of the most important days on the Tanzanian calendar. It’s a celebration that we have survived the year and are alive to see the start of the New Year!
As a treat for the children we decided to have an outing and visit another orphan center called Tanzanian Orphan Mission (TOM), run by a Greek couple. The children had so much fun and most likely it was the first time they played on playground equipment! At the end of the day I asked if they wanted to return to TOM on another day and they all emphatically shouted “Yes”!
The beginning of the school year of course is an extremely busy time of year, when many items for school need to be purchased. It’s a major undertaking when you have 35 children!
Thank you and all the sponsors for your sponsorship, that assists in meeting the needs of the children. We were blessed by donors in Hawaii who gave school items and for locals who also provided exercise books and pencils.
Late last year I tried to enroll a few of our children into a private school, however, as most of the children attend a government school and do not have a good grasp of English, they need remedial tuition from three to six months. The cost of sending students to a private school is as expected expensive, however, the school fees and the remedial tuition fees make the total cost prohibitive based on the current sponsorship funds. To prepare our students for private school next year, from the beginning of February six of our secondary students are now having private English tuition at the center. The course will be for six months and from July, our primary and nursery students will also attend the same course. God willing by the end of the year all our students will be able to speak English well and will only require minimal remedial tuition, if they are able to attend a private school next year.
Since the beginning of December we have had a few projects undertaken; new roofing between two buildings for protection during the rainy season, a store room converted into my office and a new kitchen built. Aside from these projects we also have a water project that we are currently trying to raise funds for. It is our policy that the sponsorship meets the direct needs of the children. Any projects we need to undertake, separate funds must be raised for these. If you are willing to contribute to these projects please view https://naomiruth.org/2014/12/ and http://www.gofundme.com/tanzaniaorphanctr or please pass these details onto others who may be willing to assist.
As I reflect on the last few months, what is imprinted in my mind is the love the children have for Jesus. It’s an absolute delight to see the children enthusiastically read the Bible, recite their memory verses and put up their hands to recite another verse or two, pray fervently and to be lost in worship of Jesus.
Your prayers are making a difference and are having an impact on the children spiritually! Please continue to pray for your sponsored child and that God’s will be carried out in their life.
With sincerest thanks and much love in Him,
Darlene and Henry Matarrita
Directors, World Mission Outreach
Maara Heather
General Manager-Director, Naomi Ruth Bread of Life Orphan Centers