They came to me with smiling faces, eager to share something with me. The oldest girl, Olivia, was clutching a clear glass jar filled with coins and a few bills. “This is the money we earned from our lemonade stand. And I want to give it to you for the kids in Kenya,” she said as she handed me the jar.  

It had been a few years since I did a presentation at the Holy Cross Academy Olivia where she was a student, but the photos of people in need and the demonstration of the water filter made a lasting impact on this young girl.

And, so I gratefully accepted their gift, humbled by their generosity and thoughtfulness. The total amount of money in the jar came to $22.50, (either they sold a whole bunch of lemonade or people were super generous!)

This is but one example of the many people who donate money to support the mercy work in Kenya: clean water, food, medicine, help for the poor and marginalized, help for the deaconesses who help those in need. This list goes on and on.

Jesus tells us, “Be merciful even as Your Father in heaven is merciful.” (Luke 6:36). Christ’s mercy comes in a myriad of ways, first and foremost from His death on the cross. But it also comes through the hearts and hands of so many of you!  Your generosity is mercy. Suitcases filled with 100 water filters is mercy. Donations to be used to help those in need, to gather deaconesses together to learn and support one another—that is mercy.

Thank you all who have supported me in these endeavors to Africa for the past 13 years.

Always Mercy,

Pamela

P.S. This year, Dennis will be accompanying me for the first time, thanks to funding from the For One Another Foundation. (He has become an expert in water filter demonstrations and set-ups!). Along with deaconesses, we will visit the slums of Nairobi, and the rural areas outside of Lake Victoria, distributing water filters and following up on filters that have been distributed over the years. I am also gathering together 30 deaconesses for a little seminar and time for them to support and care for one another.  I hope to visit a hospice house, as we move closer to the dream of opening a palliative care center for those who are dying.