God can use what we deem the unlikeliest of sources. Here is how He used eBay, the obedience of a fellow believer and some random man on an interstate in California!
From Paul:
When our young singles group decided to support the New Adventure School in Kenya, I asked God what I could do to help. The Holy Spirit reminded me of stuff (car parts, etc) that is collecting dust on shelves in my shop. I am a self-confessed eBay junkie and decided to use it as a means to raise money; selling whatever parts the Holy Spirit brought to mind or provided. The proceeds would go towards our summer fundraising campaign for the school.
One item in particular was a cylinder head for a VW van. (You know the old Toaster vans?) They are hard to find and generally fetch good prices on the internet. Thinking it would be a piece of cake I listed it on eBay in a no-reserve auction for $95; meaning it would sell to the highest bidder.
At the end of the week it had only one bid of $95 with no indication of further interest. I was very discouraged. I grumbled and complained about the low price to God.
I said, "God, I already told you that I am not recieving any money from this auction. This is not for me. This is worth far more money than $95 but if You want the head to go for $95 fine. It's not mine anyways it is completely Yours. You do whatever You see fit."
Not my most spiritual prayer ever but all I could offer through my frustration. Not five minutes later I recieved an out of area phone call. I don't usually answer as they are always sales calls. But something prompted me to pick up the phone.
It turned out to be a guy driving on the interstate in California. Here is what went down:
Guy: "I saw the auction and wanted to bid but thought I wouldn't win the item." Paul: "You already have the winning bid. If no one else bids you claim the piece for $95." Guy: "I know the item is worth more and I want to pay a fair price. How can I do that?" Paul: "..." Guy: "I want to pay at least $400. Can you put in a higher bid on the item for me? I don't know how." Paul: "?!?" Guy: "Here is my username and password, place a higher bid using my own account." Paul: "Lord this is crazy!"
In the end, the cylinder head sold for $405 to this guy from California; a man who not knowing how to use eBay and who didn't have access to a computer ended up with my phone number from who knows where.
How many times does Scripture say that God hears our prayers?
James 4:2 says "You do not have because you do not ask."
Did not God tell Abraham, "I will provide for Myself a sacrifice!"?
How much blessing do we miss out on because we grind ourselves to dust by grumbling and complaining and never get around to presenting our requests to God? God Himself worked on behalf of the New Adventure School in Kenya and this event cannot be explained without the addition of God to it!
God has blessed me with people who have rallied around me and the ministry that I am a part of. The church I grew up in has been so supportive and loving. This summer the theme has been "Go All Out" in honor of the Olympics. Each Sunday school class has adopted a missionary, country or ministry to support. The college and career chose me and my ministry, New Adventure School (NAS), as the beneficiaries of their efforts this summer.
Garage Sale Junkies
The latest project was a church wide garage sale to raise money to support a teacher at NAS for one year. There was so much stuff...EVERYWHERE! Tables piled with items lined the main hall of the church; baby dolls, books, toy cars, baskets, jewelry, plates, board games and coffee pots. Clothes were piled high and pictures were displayed everywhere. Outside the entrance was lined with pieces of furniture, bicycles and even a stove!
Fun, Fun, Fun
Many people put in long hours to see this project become fruitful and I am so thankful for them. But it wasn't all hard work! We had scooter races, played laser tag, encouraged dress up, made use of old pop gun cartridges and even had price tag wars.
Amidst all the fun we were able to meet many new people and share about the ministry of NAS in Kenya. I am encouraged by the outpouring of support from the church and the surrounding community. In all from the garage sale we raised $1800 dollars! What an answer to prayer.
Thank you so much to everyone who made this possible and for all your hard work!
Posted in Construction by Michelle Benz on 6/19/2008
God provides...always! Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I let the worries of the moment drown out this undisputable fact. But the truth remains. He does provide...always!
As most of you know I have been working to raise funds for New Adventure School (NAS). The budget is growing while the available funds are decreasing. Additional donors need to be found and long term support garnered if NAS is going to continue expanding and flourishing. These are concerns that weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of myself and those I work with.
And yet God provides...sometimes through others!
Just recently a team from New Zealand came through the Kibera area and literally handed our project manager money to begin construction of the new primary school buildings. Things are definitely underway. To the right you can see the second story is already up!
God provides!
To the left you can see the inside of the new building. Once construction is finished there will be six classrooms in all, 3 on the top floor and 3 on the bottom. The additional space will be more than welcome, especially with some classes as big as 50 students! It is so exciting to see everything coming together.
Also just completed are the new bathrooms for both the boys and the girls. They are located within the school compound and are easily accessible for the students.
The progress is encouraging and we are counting on continued financial and prayer support to finish this project.
Hesbon lives in Kibera with his wife and their two children.
Mr. Odhiambo is the school's night watch man. He began volunteering to guard the school last year because he sees the school is run by a Christian organization and he is also a Christian. "I know Jesus as my personal savior. Given the Christian background of the school, we believe we are special children of God and apart from the academic standards that are being improved each term, we are also glad to have people in the United states to know that the pupils are brought up in the knowledge of God."
"As the guard of the school, I enjoy seeing the entire school well secured. I say thanks to God on a daily basis as their have been no problems affecting the smooth running of the school activities. It is important for the students to receive an education so that they can be responsible people in the future and know about current events that affect our country."
Josephine live in Kibera with the 7 children she cares for. Josephine is a widow.
Ms. Anyango has been the cook for New Adventure for the past 3 years because it is a Christian school and she enjoys working with schools that teach children about the Lord as well as educating them. "New Adventure is a special school that helps less fortunate children who need total assistance." Jesus is her "personal savior and provider in all problems. I turn my eyes to God and he receives my prayers. I love Jesus because he is the father of orphans.
Her favorite part of being a cook at New adventure is being able to serve them a hot meal that will help them to learn more and will improve their over all health status.
Henry, his wife and their 6 children live in Kibera.
Mr. Agusioma has worked as a cook for three years. He enjoys working at New Adventure because he believes that the service that it provides is a vital one for Kibera children. "Jesus is the lord and savior of my life. I love him."
He enjoys New Adventure School because the children are doing well and are want to learn. He enjoys that he is able to help the children to eat well and to be capable of their class works.
Ms. Kazira chose to begin volunteering with the school in 2005, "because I saw the children learning in dust and unclean compound due to the surrounding slums and it touched me to clean for them." Jesus Christ is her "personal redeemer, who searched and saved me from the wrath of the devil to destroy me."
Ms. Kazira wants people to know: "AIM is helping so much and it needs much support so that the ministry may grow larger and larger through them and their support to the children. We who live in the slums so appreciate them!"
She sees the education the students are receiving as extremely important because "it helps them to know that life is not easy, you must come down and be humble and faithful to God." She enjoys the times when she can share the word of God with the children and it has caused her own faith to grow in the process.
Maurice and his wife are the proud parents of a baby that was born in April 2007. He and his family live in Kibera.
Mr. Onyango has taught at New adventure since 2006, having started as a volunteer until teachers moving on made it possible for him to be paid. "I chose to teach at New Adventure mainly because the school in grounded on the true word of God and as a servant of God, I enjoy associating with the people of God."
He wants to be sure people know that "besides imparting academic knowledge and wisdom required in excelling in examinations, also the pupils in the school are brought up in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Savior. Jesus Christ is my lord and personal savior. He is my closest friend. I love him because he saved me and made me whole. He brought me back to his loving arms when I was deeply lost in sin. He is my refuge, today, tomorrow and forever."
His favorite part of teaching is "using his God given talents to help young pupils to grow up as God fearing people and to make them enlightened and informed about contemporary issues. Education broadens and sharpens their mental capabilities to enable them to cope with daily life and to prepare them to live as responsible people in the future"
Ms. Kidake has been teaching at New Adventure School since 2005. She wanted to help the children who were in need of education. She likes New Adventure because it is a non-formal school which benefits needy children and offers them standard education like any other children in Kenya.
Jesus is her personal savior. She likes that the students are learning the word of God but that they are also gaining an education. Thier education is going to enable them to acquire employment, allowing them to meet their future needs. She loves being a teacher because, "It is a pleasure to be a teacher since it allows me to participate in bringing up a young nation as special people in the society."
Josphat and his wife Rosey are the proud parents to four children, ages 13, 10, 7 and 3 with all but the youngest being boys. They live in Kibera.
Mr. Kaleka has taught at New Adventure since it's inception 7 years ago. He had been fellowshipping at Calvary Evangelistic Fellowship (our main partner church) and was encouraged to join the school as he was unemployed and New Adventure didn't have enough teacher for the students. "I chose to teach her so that I can help children who are not able to go to public schools." Jesus is his savior.
He wants people in US to know about New Adventure school because it is helping the needy children - orphans and those who can't afford to go to the government schools. "The school also helps children to grow spiritually. The school is special because it is helping most children to know God."
He finds teaching rewarding because it equips the students with the knowledge of the world and the whole creation. "Education also helps my students to know God by reading for themselves the word of God. My favorite part of being a teacher is to pass the knowledge I have to my students. I should also prepare my students to live the Christian life. As a teacher, I should show the students the way to know God as their creator."
Stephen lives in Kibera with his mom, younger brother and aunt. Jesus is Stephen's personal savior.
Mr. Atsiaya came to New Adventure in January of 2007. He chose to teach because he wanted to be with young people and saw the need for teachers. Mr. Atsiaya enjoys interacting with the students and getting to know their background and personalities. He alsoenjoys helping them with the hardships that they encounter and assisting them through prayer and listening.
He wants people in the US to know that New Adventure is a school that is beginning to compete with other national schools countrywide (New Adventure is classified as a liscenced informal school and is in no way government funded). He also wants supporters to know that their support of New Adventure school is very welcomed. He asks for that support to continue so that the needs of the students can continue to be met in terms of facility improvements and more teachers.
One item in particular was a cylinder head for a VW van. (You know the old Toaster vans?) They are hard to find and generally fetch good prices on the internet. Thinking it would be a piece of cake I listed it on eBay in a no-reserve auction for $95; meaning it would sell to the highest bidder.
Garage Sale Junkies
Many people put in long hours to see this project become fruitful and I am so thankful for them. But it wasn't all hard work! We had scooter races, played laser tag, encouraged dress up, made use of old pop gun cartridges and even had price tag wars. 
