ROCK May 2024 Newsletter
Dear Friends and Partners in Ministry,
Thank you so much for your continued partnership with ROCK Ministries! This ministry would not exist without your Spirit-led support. Today I spoke with a donor who had discovered that their recurring donation had been cancelled accidently in September. I believe there was a brief season when the donation button on the website might have glitched for a few weeks and donations did not go through. Please check with New Horizons Foundation, Cindy Yi (me), and/or your bank statement if you are concerned that your donations might not be up-to-date. Grateful!
Please pray for the 278,380 people displaced in Kenya due to severe flooding. Over 291 people have lost their lives throughout Kenya, about 181 have been injured, 75 are still missing, and over $35 million in damages have occurred throughout the last two months.
We also would appreciate your prayers for Teresa, the director, as she is having to let two staff members go due to gross misconduct even after several previous warnings. This is such a difficult task and must be handled very sensitively. Every staff member’s position has recently been reviewed by the Kenyan board members, and we believe that God is helping to develop a more unified team.
Kyon and I have been working on a short video that tells the story of ROCK Ministries International. In the next newsletter we hope to share a link where you can access it. We begin the story with Elaine’s desire to reach the children of gang families in Southern California and end with the direction God seems to be taking ROCK in the future. I’ve included an excerpt here that succinctly describes what the ministry is about and what ways people can be involved. We are so grateful for YOU and your partnership with us already!! (Donation link for general fund: www.rockministriesinternational.com)
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There are two facets of ROCK Ministries International which both share the same location in Malava, Kenya: the children's home and Malava Christian Academy. Currently there are 16 children under the care of the ministry at the home with ages ranging from six-years-old to 21. The children’s home maintains a family atmosphere and meets all the needs of the children including emotional, spiritual, social, educational, and physical all the way through young adulthood. In addition to the 16 children, several young adults receive assistance with trade school or university as they continue to receive encouragement and emotional support even as they are being launched into independence. However, there are big changes coming. Regulations in Kenya are changing in regards to children's homes and, Kenya is looking into adopting a foster care system. ROCK Ministries International will continue raising the 16 children currently in our care but will also look for how God would have us serving children and families in the future. One possibility is to become a Child Rescue Center, a home for children to be placed immediately while a foster home match is being made.
In 2018, Malava Christian Academy began on the campus property as a preschool with three levels. Grades one through three were soon added and now, in 2024, grade four was added as well with the current registration being 118 students. The end goal will be to offer education from preschool through form 4 (12th grade), by continuing to add one grade each year. All of the staff for both the children's home and school are Kenyan and many of them have been hired from the local community. All of them have a passion for education and a desire to see these children succeed in life. Malava Christian Academy was recently fully accredited by the Department of Education having just met the minimum standards necessary as we do not yet have a designated school building. The vision for ROCK Ministries International - to become a source of hope, healing, and restoration for families through the knowledge of Christ’s deep love and the empowerment of education – will remain the same.
The ministry is funded by donations from loving individuals, primarily friends and family (many of you 😊), and a few churches that Elaine had established relationships with over the years. Recurring monthly donations meet about 50% of the $8500 monthly budget which includes salaries for 20 staff members. The other 50% God provides through surprise gifts and our family’s own personal donations. We are inviting people to partner with us in order to raise that monthly percentage. We are also inviting people to donate to specific projects along the way. Two immediate projects are 1) the purchase of two cows in the amount of $650 each to be our first step towards subsidizing donations from the west and 2) an actual school building in the amount of $100,000. In the future more animal projects (chickens and pigs) will be introduced to help subsidize donations and tuition as well as be a part of a Family Strengthening Program teaching trades to parents. Farming will be included in this program and, eventually, a bakery. We were able to add another 1 ½ acres of land to the ten originally purchased when we came to visit in 2022, so the land has sufficient space to one day have a clinic as well if God does not return before this time. (Donation link for school building: www.newhorizonsfoundation.com/project/single-project/2713/)
Elaine’s heart was passionate about Jesus and deeply impacted by His Words found in Matthew 5:34-40. “…Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
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We are so very grateful for each one of you! Just yesterday, while finishing up this letter, I received a text from a friend here in Alaska who wants to purchase the two cows for the ministry. I sent a message to Teresa last night, and she said, “Ameeeeeen!!!! Soooo grateful for the donation!!!” She has had an eye on two calves being raised nearby and has planted a special grass on the property in faith. Every dollar donated is received with gratitude to God and thanksgiving for you our partners in this amazing, God-given ministry.
We love you all!
Kyon and Cindy Yi
“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that You established Your faithfulness in Heaven itself.’” (Psalm 89:1-2)
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