Vol. 5, No. 6
“…ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40
June 2006
Going Above and Beyond...
By Vicki Kritzell
So many of our sponsors go above
and beyond sending their monthly fees.
This is done in many ways, by sending
photos, little gifts, and writing to the
children. Often, it goes beyond even this,
to a much more personal level with their
children. We are happy to share two such
stories with you this issue, and will con-
tinue to do so in future is-
sues. Truly, these wonderful
folks have caught the vision.
Little Mary Adhiambo
The following letter was
sent us by Pastor Maurice re-
cently:
“Dear Esther, Mary
Adhiambo, the girl spon-
sored by Sacramento SDA
children’s Sabbath school,
has a very serious eye prob-
lem. I took her to Kisii
whereby they referred us to
Sabatia, the hospital where
we took Duncan. [Duncan is
Esther and George McDan-
iel’s sponsored son.] When we took her
there they need Kshs.13,200 (about
$200) for her eye treatment. I have spent
3400 already for the tests and fare for
both of us and this is just from food
money… Maurice”
As soon as Esther forwarded this
email to me, I sent it on to the ladies who
have been instrumental in keeping the
Sacramento SDA primary class involved
in an active relationship with Mary and
their other sponsored child, Washington.
Within the hour, I had received letters
back from the three of them, Martha,
Rosie and Suzanne. Without hesitation,
they promised to pay for Mary’s eye
problem and reimburse the funds that
had been taken from the food budget for
travel and related expenses.
We are so very grateful to these la-
dies and the wonderful children of Sacra-
mento SDA primary Sabbath school. The
knowledge that her little brothers and sis-
ters in America love her enough to make
sure her eyes are fixed will mean the
world to Mary. Their prayers will speed
her recovery, and their early devotion to
the less fortunate of the world is a predic-
tion of great things to come. Thank you,
Sacramento SDA!
Momma Grace Atieno
Jenna and Emma Barton have been
involved in this ministry for nearly three
years. Jenna is a young woman with a
huge heart. When she first contacted me
about sponsoring, she was afraid I would
think she was too young to be a
“mother,” so felt she might be a sister. At
that point, we had several children
who were not sponsored, so I was
prepared to describe many children
to her and let her select one. She
stopped me at the very first child I
told her about, Boaz Obade. Boaz
still had a living mother, but she
was seriously ill with AIDS.
When Pastor Maurice had
called on Grace, she begged
him to take Boaz so that he
might attend school. As with
many of our children’s wid-
owed parents, she was con-
cerned about his future after
her death. The living conditions
in the home were horrible, with
both mother and son barely subsisting.
We gladly accepted him, and then found
out he had a little sister who was living
with a relative of their deceased father
who had passed from AIDS in 2002. Lit-
tle Everline was in terrible shape, with a
distended abdomen and legs like sticks,
clad in rags. It was obvious she was not
being cared for.
When Jenna discovered the exis-
tence of Everline and viewed her photo,
Hearth to Hearth Ministries’
Above: Some of the Sacramento SDA Primary
Sabbath school class, with their teacher, Hermina
Andries, prepare to sing “The Lord’s Prayer” for
Pastor Maurice during his visit of August, 2005.
At right: Mary Adhiambo.
