Successful Conference in Kenya

In August, Tamara Faris, Founder of Memory Books for Children, was invited to speak at a conference on loss and grief and the use of Memory Books by children to make the journey through their grief. With joy, we share with you a reflective report of the conference as sent by Rev. Musumba David in Kenya:

"With are full of thanksgiving and appreciation for the great work and ministry that has been taking place in the Land of Kenya and the continent of Africa.

The ministry was such great success beyond our expectations. Thanks very much for all the prayer groups that have poured their lives and time to call on the Lord and our God for the ministry that had been done. I would like to take this time to appreciate the valued prayers that you made for this most recent visit. God answered our prayers.

We had such wonderful time together in the presence of the Lord, so much so that the seven days seemed like just one day.

The first team came early: the Olson's, Micah, Christine, Jessica, Ethan and Seth. They did more than was expected of them and gave all their lives to work for the success of the conference. The church compound bathroom had been the brainchild of Christine from the first time she came, laying the foundation and supporting the work through to completion. The team also worked with the local people and despite the language challenges, they blended well. It was humbling to see Christine and the family work for very long hours in the sun and in the kitchen preparing and serving the people as well as all the children who came during the conference. They got sunburn marks on their bodies and ate the local food - they were missionaries with great heart. They gave their finances way beyond their budget for they did not look at what they had budgeted but saw the need and helped without getting tired or weary of standing in the gap. Micah navigated every journey, driving very long hours in the night to get both the supplies and the team to the conference and wherever else they needed to go within Nakuru. We we cannot repay you, but we lift your family to God to bless you.

The team that followed them has tremendously changed our lives, and we will never be the same again. Their prophetic ministry has broken the chains over Rhonda. They listened to the Spirit, yielded to God for direction, and it was evident that God was in control. This has changed the way we do ministry here in Africa. We feel it in the spirit and also in the natural, and we have the shared testimony of the representatives of the nations that attended the conference. Its awesome what God has done in their lives.

Thank you for loving us so much to have come to us. The team members together were to us one person. You are a great example of doing ministry together without putting personal ambitions ahead of the team and Christ. We are glad to partner with such a great mission and ministry. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the conference left us feeling filled rather than drained.  Thank you for coming to us not in words, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. All of us are blessed to be in the presence of the Lord. Your love for us is beyond words.

Continue to pray for us.

a) Pray for the school project here in Rhonda so that we provide education to the less fortunate.

b) Pray for the well and green house project for this will help us grow crops to help sustain the school.

c) Pray for both the chicken, pig and dairy cow project. This is a sustainability project to help the school and both the women and youths in Rhonda as they work to earn a livelihood.

d) Pray for the people within the congregation who are providing Human Resource help and lift them up before the father.

e) Pray for me and my family, for the  divine intervention, and for the ministry we have. There is so much on us to do, and we need God to intervene as you have witnessed. 

Love you all very much, and continue praying for one another."

The Good of a Scrapbook

I once had a gentleman ask me, “What good is a scrapbook to an orphan? Aren’t there other things that are more important?"

He was not the first to express skepticism over the use of a Memory Book by orphaned or vulnerable children living with great losses and need. Most pioneering work or inventions require proof of evidence-based outcomes to validate their usefulness. 

After 10 years of distributing 25,000 Memory Books among vulnerable children living across Africa, India, Haiti, Mexico, and America, The Journal of Pediatric Nursing in their July/August 2014 issue has published research evaluating the use Memory Books by orphaned children in South Africa

In 2012, 30 South African orphaned children were interviewed by me and my co-authors, Dr. Kaye Wilson-Anderson and Dr. Barb Braband, related to the use of a Memory Book to preserve and tell their stories.

The preservation of memories through the children's drawings and stories allow for expressing their thoughts and feelings using words and techniques they themselves understand, while the revisiting of those preserved images and memories has the capacity to yield greater understanding, insight, and truthfulness with time and age.

A young Rwandan man expressed feelings of guilt over hiding instead of helping his family as they were viciously murdered. His drawing depicted a small boy hiding from hatchet-wielding men. As he matured, he realized his guilt was misguided, because he was not a formidable force against the murderers, but the small boy in the drawing incapable of saving his family.

It is my hope the evidenced-based outcomes of this research, which explore the use of a Memory Book by children following traumatic events such as orphanhood, will raise awareness to how a simple scrapbook can produce profound results by helping children discover they are unique and special, with a God-given purpose in this world. God can give meaning to the experiences we have lived, giving inspiration and elevating the hopes and dreams of countless others.

 

 

 

What the Children Say

Recently, Bruce and Anita Paden, missionaries in DR Congo, Africa reported 6th grade children attending New Hope Center for Grieving Children in Goma were asked about their own personal memory book and what it means to them. Their responses are an amazing window into what we have always hoped would happen when children were given an opportunity to tell their stories.

Here are some of their responses:

·      My memory book helped me to know when I was born, the meaning of my name, and the family history.

·      It helped me to remember my life and express myself in French.

·      My memory book helped me to learn that God knew me before I was even born, and that He’s the creator. I am proud to know a God like that and that I am important to Him.

·      I have value. I am somebody.

·      It helped me to learn about my past.

·      My memory book helped me to have an idea about our families

·      It helps me remember my school, its history, my friends, my favorite teachers and to have a love for my school.

·      My memory book helps me to dream about the future for instance to want to build my own center like New Hope Center and to help orphans like us and to always remember New Hope.

·      It helps me live in society.

·      It has helped me to be thankful to God.

·      It has given me a taste to study and decide what classes I would be interested in to take later on.

·      We can even write to our parents who are dead. It is good to remember them.

·      The last page reveals something that might be hidden inside us.

The Paden’s ask that we join them in prayer on June 16, African Children’s Day. Please join Memory Books for Children in praying for the Paden’s and the New Hope Center serving children living in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

Founder Tamara Faris in a Goma marketplace with the young girl and seamstress who made her traditional African dress.

Founder Tamara Faris in a Goma marketplace with the young girl and seamstress who made her traditional African dress.

Article Now In Press!

It's available!

For months we have been looking forward to the upcoming publication of our research paper ‘Evaluation of Use of Memory Books by Children Orphaned in South Africa.’ We are pleased to announce that the article is now in press, and available for $14 here in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing.

The outcomes are to be celebrated! Thank you Dr. Kaye Anderson and Dr. Barb Braband, professors at University of Portland, School of Nursing, for your expertise and courage that made this possible.

The Significance of the Insignificant

In January 2014, Terri Harrison, International Liaison of Memory Books for Children, traveled to Uganda where she spent 3 1/2 weeks serving in two orphanages that we support. Below, she tells her story:

Uganda 14 Ipod 217.JPG

It was a great pleasure this last January to have traveled to Uganda alongside a multi-church team from Abundant Life Church in Oregon. We spent 3 1/2 weeks at two orphanages. Almost 1,000 children received a Memory Book and participated in the Memory Book Club. As we taught the lessons and did the crafts, the children began to give voice to their stories. Most of the children we encountered were from the Acholi tribe that suffered horrible atrocities at the hands of Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Many of the children told us how they watched rebels kill their families. The Memory Books were a vital tool in bringing healing from the past and hope for the future to many.  

My involvement with Memory Books started six years ago when my daughter took a mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico. Tamara Faris, founder of Memory Books, offered to donate 100 Memory Books in Spanish if we would help assemble them. I can still remember a prayer Tamara offered the night of assembly. She said, “Lord, we take this simple paper, plastic, and cardboard that means nothing and we offer it to You. Take what we’ve done tonight and use it for Your glory in the lives of the children.”

I was hooked! I began volunteering two hours a week helping with the ministry in whatever way I could, gradually assisting more with administrative needs and eventually joining the Board.
When the opportunity came to visit Uganda, I jumped at it. Landing on Africa’s plains covered in the red dirt of Uganda was a moment when God poured into my heart the significance of the insignificant. As I unpacked the boxes of Memory Books and craft kits to give to the children, I was reminded of the work that went into each item to make such a ministry possible. I had spent years making books, cutting yarn, counting scissors, and packing boxes. Now I was on the other end seeing those efforts impacting the heart of a child. 

Though this was my first time traveling internationally to serve the less fortunate, I realized then that I had in many ways entered the mission field a long time ago. I had touched hearts and lives around the world when I donated clothes or supplies. Any money I had given entered into the kingdom of God and became a weapon of love on the front lines. When I prayed, others were helped. Nothing was too small, nothing was insignificant. So many times we look for the big fanfare or fireworks in our actions. Yet it’s the choices in my daily routine that came together and made me an international missionary.

When it was time to get back on the plane, I realized that I’m not done with Uganda, or maybe Uganda isn’t done with me. Either way, I am looking forward to returning in the near future. I look forward to visiting more orphanages in other countries, bringing Memory Books and God’s love with me so that every child will know that they are somebody significant.

Letter Writing Campaign 2014

Memory Books for Children recently placed 1200 Memory Books in the hands of Ugandan children living in villages who have experienced the loss of everything dear to them. This year's Letter Writing Campaign will be directed towards these children. A letter from someone who cares may be the single most important thing that elevates these children's sense of hope for a future. Consider how you can help in 2014.

"My appreciation for you from the day this Memory Book was brought to me, my life and everthing I do changed."  -Abigial, Nigerian girl

"These Memory Books have been helping and guiding me in all of my ways."  -Samuel, Nigerian teen

"We write to appreciate your support towards the Sunday School Memory Books that were given to us. We really enjoy the stories and questions to answer."  -teacher

Contact us if you are interested in participating in the Letter Writing Campaign 2014  for children in Uganda.      

Memory Book Club, Nigeria, 2012

Memory Book Club, Nigeria, 2012