Jeanette's Mission

  As the most special weekend on the Christian calendar is upon us, I wanted to say a short prayer for you as you head into this special weekend:    I pray you will be able to take time  to reflect on the promise of Easter,  and that you will sense His presence in a fresh and powerful way.  May your heart be filled with joy & peace as you are reminded of His deep, personal love for you. Amen.   Deepest blessings as celebrate Easter with your loved ones this weekend! Jeanette  

  A few weeks ago, I had a very touching experience.  It was an activity planned by Petra City Church (the international church plant I attend). I haven't talked about Petra much, but it's an amazing community of national and international believers who serve and grow together and is a huge part of my life in Mwanza. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, where we went to visit " ICare"  a ministry that cares for children in Tanzania with cancer. It provides a home for children and their families while they are having treatment in Mwanza. (Kinda like a Tanzanian version of a Ronald McDonald house)! Currently, there are 25 children with their moms living there who have come from all over the country. Swaumu, the little girl whose picture is at the beginning of this update, is one of those children. She is 1 year, 9 months old and is fighting Rhabdomysarcoma, a rare type of cancer that starts in the soft tissue and often affects the head, neck, urinary, reproductive and arm o

  If you've been following my updates the last couple of months, you know I came back to Canada for Board meetings, Follow-up to my past surgery and Christmas but, due to needing more surgery, what started out as a 3-4 week stay, turned out to be almost 3 months! I'm happy to report my health is doing well, I'm back in Tanzania and 100% back to business (well, more like back on mission)! Now, don't think for a moment I was on a 3-month break! Other than the surgery recovery, I kept up to VOHA work while in Canada, but I have to say it's just so different working when you can interact with VOH staff on the ground and say hi to the children on your way into the office everyday. (Not to mention, the weather is much nicer here!) On the home front, the transition back was a bit difficult. While I was away, we were converting my 1 room studio, to add a bedroom with a bit more space. But when I arrived, I found out "Ralph" (the affectionate name I gave to a rat w

  Happy New Year <<First name>>! Have you ever had dejavu? I did this week. 2 years ago, I came home for Christmas, had a casual CT Scan as followup to something I thought was nothing, and turned out having to have surgery 2 days later. It happened again! I had a "routine" CT Scan mid Dec that was booked 1.5 years ago as followup to the surgery 2 years ago. To my shock, the surgeon said they had to operate again, to repair the hernia in my diaphragm and, just like last time, he happened to have a quick opening, during the holidays. So last Wed, Dec 27, I went back to Credit Valley Hospital, and instead of getting on the plane this week, as planned to go home to Tanzania, I'm here in Canada recovering. The good news is I'm already beginning to feel better and the surgeon said the surgery went well. I see him in a couple of weeks and hope to head back before the end of the month. Thanks for your prayers for a quick recovery! So this update will be short - ne

  Merry Christmas <<First name>>! As I reflect back on 2023, I can think of so many ways God is using VOH Africa (hopefully including my role too) to impact the lives of over 7,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Africa. It makes me so happy and grateful to be part of this ministry! But instead of me talking about why I like VOH so much, I thought it would be nice for you to hear from the children themselves. So, to end the year, here's a video clip of a few girls from VOH Zimbabwe, answering the question "Why I like VOH". It's literally 1:08 seconds long. Please take the 1 minute to watch it to hear directly from the children some of the many reasons why they love VOH, and smile knowing you are making a difference by your prayers and support. THANK YOU for standing with me and being part of this important work. Your prayers, special gifts and/or encouragement are as much a part of impacting these girls' lives and so many other children just as much

  I have 2 special events to share this month! Last month, my update was about our Feeding programs in all 11 of our VOH Centers, in the 5 countries where we serve. Just after that update, I had the first one. The First Special Event: A Road Trip ! It was to a remote community in Tanzania to visit a unique program that has food distribution for children. It is part of a special "Extension Program." While most of our ministry happens at our VOH centers, where the children come every day to school and have their meals there, the VOH Extension program here in Tanzania is a bit different. We go out into communities that are quite remote and provide food to children and their families directly in the communities where they live. It's really humbling to realize we are working in such vulnerable communities and to see just how grateful the children are to receive food. It's just one more example of how you are making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children!! Here