Jeanette's Mission

  I don't know about you, but I always plant on the May long weekend... well, I don't really plant, I put up 2 hang baskets and call it a day. I've tried over the years to plant vegetables, annuals and more but I just don't have a green thumb! It takes everything I have to keep my geraniums alive! Thankfully, the kids at VOH have a greener thumb than me. In Africa, the seasons are different and right now, many are almost ready for harvest. As you head into the long weekend, I thought you may enjoy a few pictures of VOH Centres and the children who plant and harvest vegetables, and youth who learn agricultural skills to make a living after they graduate, and VOH Staff members who lead it all.  The food is used for the children's home, and sometimes they are sold in the local markets to provide some income for the Centre and families. One example is in our newest Centre in Luongo, Zambia. It is a swampy area about an hour's drive from Kitwe. Most of the families i...

  2021 Q1 Update                                                                                                         April 2021                                             The first 3 months of this year sure haven't been boring. I thought I'd be back in Africa by now.  All I know is that every time I planned something, the plans changed - either by God, Covid, or both! But I'm grateful. The work of VOH Africa continues to impact the lives of children everyday and I'm thankful that you and I am part of it. Hope you enjoy this brief update. Jeanette  What's been Happening COVID hit Africa hard in the the f...

  Happy Easter  As you celebrate Easter this weekend, may you remember God's perfect love  and may that love fill you with  hope  for the days to come. Many Blessings, Jeanette   Ephesians 3:17,18

  Ok - for those who know me well, don't get too excited. I'm still single, and have no big plans for Valentine's Day, except to follow the stay at home order and perhaps have a tiny bit of chocolate, so this isn't a mass announcement of a new-found love in my life. I did, however, make up a nice Valentine care package for my 88 year old mom, does that count? But love is in the air... and I thought on Valentine's Day, you could use a short love story to brighten your day amidst the cold of winter and the continued uncertainty of COVID. It happened in Burundi.  Burundi isn't an easy place to live. It's a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of East Africa. (Did you know Africa had a Great Lakes region?!) I went to Burundi for the first time in 2010 with World Vision to conduct workshops on child monitoring. I remember going to a new village where we were just starting to work, and was overwhelmed by the poverty. Their main source of income was...

  What?! How can I say it was a great year when most of us were happy to see 2020 finally over?! For sure it wasn't easy, and it certainly had many challenges, but if we look hard enough, we can see the good too.   It reminds me of the story of Joshua and Caleb and the 12 spies when they went to explore Canaan. Most of them saw the people who looked like giants, the fortified walls - all the challenges. But Joshua and Caleb saw opportunity. That's how I feel about 2020... despite the challenges and giants we faced both here and in Africa, there were great things too. For example, through our work with Villages of Hope Africa, in 2020: 7,000 children were impacted by our programs 5,027 boys and girls had the chance to go to school 6,225 were part of a daily feeding program 4,537 received medical care 124 youth were engaged in youth empowerment programs  283 children were cared for in children's homes Programs continued, often with creative solutions, like teach...

Tino and his candy Someone once shared with me the famous quote attributed to St. Augustine who said, "Pray as though everything depended on God.Work as though everything depended on you."   While I carry on with my VOHA responsibilities, I've also spent alot of time in the last few months raising support - following Augustine's advice. In prayer, I've asked God to lead me. He has put names in my heart, many of them yours, to approach about becoming a partner with me in my mission and the good work of Villages of Hope Africa. I've also worked hard, spending many hours preparing and sharing the vision with individuals, businesses and churches. Augustine was right. The combination works. God is faithful and the work is paying off.   I'm excited to report that, as of today, I'm at almost  80% of my goal! Almost there! Yeah! My goal is to reach 100% of my funding by December so I can spend my time in the new year solely focused on my work with Villages of...

I love this book. I got it for 10 cents at a gargae sale many years ago. It's just page after page of things to be happy about - from fluffy pillows ... to beautiful sunsets ... to dill pickles (though they don't personally make me happy). Whenever I crack it open, I'm reminded of the thousands of things, experiences and people that make me happy ... and for which I should be thankful. That brings me to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of my favourite times of year - I just think it's so cool that we have a day set aside to be thankful. Not that we shouldn't do that everyday, but it's just nice to know we have this day to be with family and friends (unless there's a global pandemic brewing!), let them know how thankful we are that they are in our lives and to remember all our many blessings. This blog will be short and sweet..... I just want to pause amidst all the unknowns and craziness we are all experiencing to give a short list of what I'm thankful ...