Fundable: Web-Based Fundraising for Small Projects

Dear Saints of the Lord, our Saviour

Let me give you a brief history of the Centre, and how it came to be born. I was born in the hills of Ugweno. North Pare Mountains in the country of Tanzania, East Africa. NyotaStar Christian Centre is in the valley of Ugweno. I am married to Victor, who is English born and origin. I have lived in Northampton for the past 24 years and in England since 1970. We are grand parents and retired.

Victor and I vissited Ugweno in 2003 and we were up on the hills of Ugweno, where I grew up. We looked down the valley and it appeared beautiful from up there. We were attracted to visit. We visited the whole valley that has as many as 17 villages, or more. When we got there we were amazed and shocked by the poverty of the communities. Children looked so hopeless and some parents, especially fathers were just sitting around, looking blank. It was dry and the dwellings were mud huts with no shelter outside. Victor was mistaken as a Catholic priest who apparently occationally one visited, but they did not know him well enough to distinguish him from any other white man who visited them. We told them that Victor was not the priest, he was another white man who was just passing by. Victor always travels with a pocket full of toffees to give to children, so they were really pleased. There is a Primary school in every village and in this particular village the children were on lunch break, so they flocked to us shouting and really 'celebrating' our being there. My brother took us in a 4wheel vehicle, roads were none existent in parts. So there were 3 of us.

We then came back to England. That was March 2003. I started thinking and aching in my heart, even crying for them especially for the children who did not know their Saviour; of the people there and the hopeless life they led day after day. It was my first year after being born again. Can you imagine, the LORD saved me when I was 60 years old. I did not understand that the LORD was showing something. I was a babe in the Lord. I did not even know that God spoke to us. I saw those children running after us shouting for joy. Their clothes were tatty. They were so happy to see us. They were miles from anywhere and their 'roads' was only dirt track that only took a 4 wheel landrover that we had. The Holy Spirit is always reminding me of this day, now nearly 6 years later.

It took me till September that year to do something. I tried to explain my feelings to my local church here in England but they did not understand the pain and constant thoughts I had about those children. So I was led to phone the Assemblies of God Church where I went to worship when I visited Tanzania after I was born again. I explained to the Pastor there about -my heartache and he went to investigate. He immediately said he would go, did go, and he found the local Pastor of the hills of Ugweno. He went down to one of the village, called Kivisini, and asked permission from the elders of the villages so that we could take a crusade there and told them about the Salvation of our Lord Jesus. The majority are moslems and others of no religion. The children had been for many years under demonic attacks because of witchcraft practices that were taking place behind the classrooms and they were not keen for us to take the Gospel there. But they agreed, so in 2004 we took a crusade there and many people received the LORD Jesus Christ as their Saviour. People were born again! The Holy Spirit was hovering over Ugweno Valley. It was amazing! The few local Christians who prayed and cried to the Lord, He had heard their cries and used us to take His good news, the Gospel. There is a Primary School run by the government. The children suffered demonic attacks because of witchcraft practices that took place outside their classrooms under the trees in the middle of the night. During the day the children used to have epileptic-like fits in the classrooms and did not perform well in the classes. But during the crusade a lot of them were set free by prayers to cast the demons out and eventually we planted a church. That was the first thing the LORD led us to do. Nowadays the children are thriving and performing as well or even better than other schools nationally. Glory to God for His mercy.

We came back to England. Although I was retired, I went back to work and started sending my salary every month to fund the building of the church. So we planted the Church and we call the Centre, NyotaStar Christian Centre. Nyota is the same word as Star. Nyota is Star in Swahili. We got this name from Revelation 22 v16. Jesus the Bright and morning Star.

We are now a registered Charity - NyotaStar Christian Centre - as a Charity organisation in England and Wales Charity No. 1121601.

After the church was built and dedicated to the Lord, we were led to adopt the children. They are all poor. We clothed the very poor with uniforms so that they can continue to go to school. A lot had stopped because their clothes were tatty and had no footwear. So we bought uniforms for a lot of them. Then we adopted the orphans, although we are still negotiating for funds to build dormitories, we give them support in homes - for their food and provisions while their home is waiting to be built. We have also had a water survey and are waiting for funding. The Lord said He would do and accomplish what HE HAS INITIATED.

There is acommittee of Pastors of local churches there in the valley and on the hills of Ugweno and one from the small town called Kifaru. These 4 Pastors, including the home Pastor of NyotaStar Christian Centre (NSCC) are managing the Centre together. They have and have Trustees and have registered NSCC with the Church and the Government there and are taking care of all the affairs of the centre, making sure the resident Pastor is coping and supporting him in every way. There is a resident Matron for the children who meet every Saturday for Bible Studies and they are fed and cariry on with other programmes. We visit every year since 2004 and this year in January when we visited we found some little ones really frail, so the Holy Spirit prompted us to start a Nursery School. To our surprise, the following week after announcing this, 30 children under school age turned up and now we have 50 under age 7 attending Monday to Friday for recreation, learning, feeding, health checks and last week we managed to buy them all uniform, and the government has registered it and we have a qualified nursery school teacher and assistant teacher. It is heavy on us financially, but great for the Lord, our provider.

NSCC is already registered in Tanzania and is known by the head office of Assemblies of God in Dar es Salaam, our Bishop Mwakimage who is the head of the region in Tanga. We have applied for assistance with water drilling so that we can have water for the Centre and also we are awaiting to hear from Electricity Company to let us have power from the hills. We are praying that the LORD will make this possible.

There is a Charity from America who have set up a Bike pilot project at the centre and this year have provided 44 bikes to the community of the valley so far. Coming back this summer with 20 more already paid for. He said he is providing as many as 200 bikes to pilot and see how they will affect the life of the community. If it is a successful project they will take it all over they world. So we thank God that our community is benefiting. 4 Primary school got bikes and individual children who travelled for hours in the heat to get to school and back home were given bikes (more expensive than their mud huts where they live) we praise God for His wonderful mercy and abundance.

There are more proposals of projects to help the centre to generate income and eventually to become self-supporting. We also look after some very poor widows whose homes are simple mud huts that leak whenever it rains. We have set up this year, by the grace of God who moved a lot of our local churches here in Northampton, England and lay people to fundraise so that now the Centre has a hulling and milling machine for the people who used to travel all day on foot (there is no public transport) to mill their little corn loads they carried on their heads.

Our main priority is the children. We are not only adopting the children,we are asking God for a Christian School for them. A Christian English Medium School. Our God is able and He knows who will do it for these children, as they are precious to HIm.

Our immediate concern is that we are getting elderly. I am 66 in November; Victor is already 72, But we know the LORD wants this work to continue and HE has sid so. I will carry on working as long as HE enables me. I am blessed with good health and His strength. But this year I have been given a letter by my employer saying that I have passed my retirement age. To my God, I am only a spring chicken, Halleluiah.

Today 5 years later, we have a church, a guest house, a pastors house, a milling machine, a nursery school, we are buying an oil extracting machine, all paid for by kind donations of local people and churches in Northampton who fund raised and donated in various ways. May God reward them according to His mercy.

That is how our church became to be. I know it was the call of God. A wonderful honour to give me His compassion for these children. I live and sleep thinking of them. I plan and pray, and fast, and listen to what God wants next. I wait because I know He knows the end of this project. He said His Word is settled in heaven. He started it, He will accomplish it. When He opens a door, I enter, He lets me know if the door is opened by Him. If it is not, He lets me know and I move quickly and not go through it. There are many doors some looking good from this side and perhaps dissasterous at the other end. So I listen and asks HIM to guid me always. He has given me a faithful husband who is fully committed. My children and grand children are fully participating in the project. Supervising, planning, web designing, grandchildren are fund raising. This summer the grandchildren are campaining for undersize shoes to be collected and donated, shipped to the valley.

Thank you yet again. This is probably a lot of information, but I thought it is better for it to be there than till you ask. I thank God for what He is doing and I pray for blessings for such a wonderful organisation like yours, being a Christian organisation that has blessed masses of children and their families.

The whole valley need evangelical assistance. Not one person can do it. We in the west has so much. A Nusery School teacher we have get paid $160 per month, that is government scale. We need to improve their lives to the glory of God. There are hundreds of things to be done, so come on someone. The youth are waiting too. Thank you for reading all this. God bless and lead you to help. In Jesus Name I conclude.

Let us hear from you if you want any more information.

Yours in the Lord,

Elvida