Brittany’s Penny War
Brittany Burns approached us before we left the States about doing a Penny War Fundraiser at her school. The funds collected would be used to purchase new bedding for all of the children at Gethsemane Home. The Penny War raised $466.83 with the 6th graders and Seniors raising the most money at each level. We were able to purchase all of the bedding for $310.40, and the remainder was used to help fund our yearly Youth Camp. A special thank you to Brittany and the children and staff of Northeast Nodaway in Ravenwood, Missouri! They love the new bedding!
Fundraising Opportunities
At this time we are taking pre-orders for our geranium fundraiser. We will have hot pink, coral, dark red, lavender, and purple rose colors available. If you are wanting to order any, contact us by calling 660-254-5775 (after April 7th) or emailing us at [email protected].
We will also be having another fundraiser night at Pizza Ranch on Monday, June 10th, from 5 to 9 PM. Hope you can join us!
Proceeds from both of these fundraisers are used for our educational fund that pays tuition for children at Gethsemane Home that choose to attend university or a vocational college. Thank you for your support!
Multi-purpose Building Update
Many of you have followed the recent construction of the new multi-purpose building through our ministry page on Facebook. The progress has been slowed by several events that have happened this year, but still continues. The sheetrock has been installed on all of the ceilings, and we recently purchased the tile and paint. We just received word of an anonymous matching gift of up to $5,000. If you would be interested in contributing to this challenge, please contact us at [email protected]. If completely matched, this would give us a total gift of $10,000. We would then be able to complete the construction of the multi-purpose building, buy most of the contents, begin work on updating the church at Patang Masur, and complete the mission house there.
Middle School Graduation
The education of the children at Gethsemane Home has always been a priority for Under the Son Ministries. We are fortunate that our children are able to attend an excellent government school from Kindergarten through 9th grade and another school for 10th through 12th grade. These schools have provided many opportunities for our children. We were able to attend the Middle School Graduation of three of our children. Yoksaak, Sunida, and June graduated from 9th grade on March 12th and will begin their high school years in May. For the next school year, we will have six children in high school. We are proud of these young people and all they have accomplished!
Youth Camp in the Jungle
This year the Under the Son Ministries staff took children from Gethsemane Home and the village of Huai Pong, to the village of LaMu Nai to hold a week of youth camp. We were joined by Andrew and Naleh, who brought nine children from the village of Doi Mod. There was around a total of 60 children in attendance, and 35-40 were from LaMu Nai. It took over five hours to get to LaMu Nai, which is 14 kilometers (about 9 miles) off the paved road into the jungle. The children learned Christian songs, heard Bible stories, and practiced reading and writing the Lahu language. The children also played volleyball, takraw, football (soccer), and water balloon volleyball. While the children were experiencing camp, a few older men were evangelizing to the people in the village. There was also worship each evening for everyone in the village.
Bible Training Seminar
This January the Under the Son Ministries staff hosted its annual Bible Training Seminar at Antioch Christian Church. Around sixty people from the Lahu, Ahka, and Lisu tribes enjoyed learning more from God’s Word as they fellowshipped together. This year one couple traveled from the Thai-Laos border to attend the seminar for the first time. They said they were very glad they came and hope to attend next year’s seminar. Another first for the seminar was the use of the new multi-purpose building. Even though it was not finished, all the cooking was done in the kitchen, and the big room was used as a dining area. Donella gave gifts to the cooks, bags to the ladies and belts to the men. Everyone who attended the seminar wanted to thank Mike and Debbie Flinchum and Under the Son Ministries for providing the funds to purchase the food for the week.
