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House of Wells Enrichment Centres
Quarterly Newsletter (April to June 2021)
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RESTORING HOPE, RELEASING POTENTIAL
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Dear H.O.W PARTNERS, we bring you greetings from all of our Enrichment Centres in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda and South Africa. Thank you for your relentless support and donations towards the work that we do at House of Wells. We pray that you will receive an incredible harvest of every single seed sown into this fertile ground, called House of Wells. May you be replenished with the favour and goodness of God. Thank you for coming on board to serve with us in transforming the lives of children and youth.
H.O.W QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER – April to June 2021
This quarter has been a bit challenging because of the effect of the occasional lockdown restrictions on our Centre activities. All four nations in which our Enrichment Centres are based have experienced spikes in Covid-19 cases at some point during this quarter, resulting in intermittent lockdown measures being put in place. This has meant that we were not able to meet with the children as regularly as we would have liked. However, we thank God for the various ways that we are still able to serve HIS children and meet their needs despite the pandemic.
Please pray along with us that God will continue to preserve all H.O.W children and staff members in all the Nations through the pandemic.
     
Six Orphans received school sponsorship for a year
In our last Newsletter (January to March), we raised an urgent appeal for four orphans in H.O.W Uganda who desperately needed assistance with school fees, Arthur (14) and his sister Mercy (12); and sisters Lydia (13) and Flavia (12). One of our partners have generously paid the school fees for all four of them for a year. Their school uniforms, books and school lunch for the year were also paid for.
 
Another long-standing partner of H.O.W also sponsored two orphans from our Centre in Zimbabwe. All the school requirements for sisters Ngirozi (9) and Tatenda (8), their outstanding school fees arrears, fees for the current year and school uniforms, have been funded.
  
A big THANK YOU to the 2 kind-hearted sponsors. We pray that the Lord will greatly reward you and generations after you. We pray that the Lord will repay you beyond measure; and that God will register this seed concerning you, it will stand eternally before the throne of the living God as a memorial, like that of Cornelius in Acts 10. Divine help will attend to you and your family, and multiplied grace which makes the miraculous normal, will be your perpetual experience, in Jesus’ name.
TESTIMONIES
*We have witnessed notable spiritual growth in the lives of our teenagers in Kwazakhele Township. They always come with the willingness to learn from scriptures and engage and interact passionately in their various groups during lesson discussions.
* A 10-year-old Muslim girl who has been attending H.O.W for a while finally gave her life to Christ. She also asked for prayer for her cousin who has been diagnosed with cancer. Please join us in praying for divine healing for this girl’s cousin, we believe this miracle will bring her entire family to Jesus Christ.
* One of our leaders was at a store to buy lunch for all the children at his Centre, a lady asked him why he is buying so much food, he told her the food is for children at H.O.W and further explained what H.O.W does. The lady was so touched that she gave our Centre leader some money to buy additional food and said, “GOD bless House of Wells, may you and your families be blessed’.
*11-year-old Cuber has been through difficult times recently. His parents have separated and dragged him through a long, intense custody battle. When he joined H.O.W in March 2021, Cuber was unruly and disrespectful to H.O.W leaders, also exhibiting violent behaviour. He was very moody and kept to himself.
Occasionally, the Centre Leader would ask him to join her at the front of the class, but that usually made him disruptive to the lesson. However, our leaders refused to give up on Cuber, and continued to include him in class activities, showing him love and praying for him incessantly. In May, we started to notice a calm and positive attitude from Cuber, the progress was slow but continuous. We thank God for the improvements we have witnessed in Cuber.
*Thembile from our JK Zondi Centre is another boy who had a challenging attitude when he joined H.O.W. at the age of six, it took 2 years before we started to see tangible positive changes in Thembile. He is now 9 years-old and doing very well in H.O.W. His family has been amazed at what God has done in his life over the years, especially as Thembile is also doing well in school with improved grades.
Teenagers’ quarterly TALENT COMPETITION
The quarterly teenagers’ Talent competition is having an encouraging impact on the young people in various ways, one of which is confidence-building through public speaking. The competition is aimed at inspiring their creative abilities and the prizes they win also meet certain needs for their families.
This quarter, the teenagers were given a topic “Lessons from The Life of Joshua” and asked to do a 2-minute presentation. They received points for the content and delivery of the presentation, their body language, voice projection, among other scoring categories. It was amazing to see the effort they put into exploring their points and the different presentation styles used.
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes were equivalent to $15, $10 and $5 in local currency respectively. One teenager won in Zimbabwe, six in South Africa, three in Kenya and three in Uganda.
       
UPDATE FROM EACH REGION
HOUSE OF WELLS South Africa
In order to abide by the Covid-19 recommended safety protocols, we have been conducting our programmes with the children in playgrounds and sports fields since April 2020, instead of inside school classrooms. In one of such parks, close to a school in New Brighton, some mischievous teenagers started to gather nearby to intimidate children on their way from school. After a couple of weeks, we noticed that they no longer showed up at the park. H.O.W children believe their prayers chased the gangs away. There has not been any unpleasant occurrences around the school since. Glory to God. We are convinced that, praying for the week ahead, during our Tuesday and Thursday staff meetings has been effective. We thank God that He goes ahead of us into each Centre, to smoothen “every rough path”.
In our Walmer Centre in P.E, two missionaries from the USA that were passing by, became fascinated by our programme and approached our leaders to find out more about H.O.W. They prayed for the children and promised to visit again.
At the end of June, all our Centre activities in South Africa were suspended as the country’s Covid-19 restrictions was increased to Level 4, due to the upsurge in daily infection cases. All of our leaders were saddened by the fact that they cannot meet with the children until restrictions are lifted. We have, therefore, started weekly “Welfare Calls” to reach the children via their parents, to check on them and minister to them over the phone.
A few children in our Walmer Centre told our leaders that a (non-Christian) organisation had invited them to join, and that they would receive more food than they receive at H.O.W. The children said that they told the organisation that they were happy to remain at H.O.W. When our leader asked the children why they wanted to stay at H.O.W, she was amazed at the reasons they gave her. Linomtha, 11, said that at House of Wells she is taught the Word of God and biblical life skills that set her on the right path to a wholesome future. Aphelele, 10, said he enjoyed coming to H.O.W to sing to God and to pray for his family because God answers prayers.
The Grandmother of 7-year-old Lithemba told our leaders that she was very grateful for the spiritual impact that House of Wells is having in the lives of the children in her community. She told us that she has learnt various bible verses from her granddaughter that she was never aware of, because her granddaughter always discusses the lessons we teach at our Centres, when she gets home.
A Mother approached one of our leaders in Kwazakhele and thanked her for the lunch that H.O.W gives to the children daily. She said that in some homes, the meal that the children bring home at 3pm, is their last one for the day.
We have noticed that more parents have continued to accompany their children to our Centres, telling us that they too would like to receive prayer. We give God praise that HE is reaching the parents through their children.
      
HOME VISITs / WELFARE CALLs in Port Elizabeth
It is humbling to minister to families during our Home Visits, and very rewarding to see how the parents/guardians appreciate the work that House of Wells is doing in their communities. All the Parents/Guardians were happy for their children to continue attending H.O.W as they are seeing a positive impact. They were particularly pleased with our regular follow-ups on their children’s welfare through home visits and phone calls. Highlights below:-
(1) Kimsha, 14 – she lives with her parents and three other family members. She said everyone in the family is doing well, but that she missed being in school and was saddened that H.O.W activities had been put on hold due to the current lockdown restrictions. Kimsha desires to become a doctor one day and she is confident that God will help her to achieve this. Her prayer request is for her Mom to complete her studies in nursing so that she can obtain employment and provide for her family.
(2) The Kebe sisters, 7 and 10 – The last time we visited their home, their parents were unemployed and desperately looking for work. We prayed with them, assuring them of God’s faithfulness. On this visit, their mother was so happy to see us, and eager to give us the news that they have seen the results of our prayers, and that Mr Kebe has started working.
(3) Keano & Keana – Their mother was very thankful for the telephone call. She said she will be forever grateful for the support that H.O.W gave them as a family earlier this year. In February, she told one of our leaders that she had serious concerns about Keana’s behaviour, and the Centre leader promised to speak to Keanna and regularly pray for her. Through counselling and prayer, God turned around the situation. She has reported that there is now a massive improvement in Keana’s behaviour. Glory to God!
(4) Ntsika, 15 and Nobesuthu, 10 – Ntsika has been attending H.O.W since he was in primary school, he is now in his final year of High School. Their mother and grandmother could not hold back their emotion when expressing their appreciation for the soup and bread that we give to the children. Their mother said that there have been days when there was no food at home, and it was the food that Nobesuthu brought home from H.O.W that she shared with Ntsika. She believed that it is the godly value we instilled in Ntsika at H.O.W, that is making him hold on to God and not join unwholesome associations. We encouraged them with scriptures, prayed with them and gave them groceries.
The above families, and many others that we visited or called, send their appreciation to H.O.W for feeding their children. They also expressed their gratitude for the lessons that we teach, adding that their children are “disciplined and taught good manners at H.O.W” and that their lives are enriched with the truth of God’s word.
On behalf of these families, we say a huge thank you to all our donors for their financial support which enables us to feed these children.
      
HOUSE OF WELLS KENYA
Government restrictions were lifted in May, and we finally returned to having in-person meetings with the children.
We continued with the series that we were not able to finish last quarter, “Overcoming Fear”. It was great to see that everyone still remembers what we taught them in March, before the country went into lockdown. Our teenagers were excited that the “Movie & The Word” sessions have recommenced after a long break.
   
HOUSE OF WELLS ZIMBABWE
In Kwekwe, H.O.W has become a household name. People in the community see H.O.W as a channel of transformation and reformation. Parents and Guardians have attested to our programmes having a huge impact on the character of their children.
There are two Classes in our Enrichment Centre in Kwekwe – Teen Champs and Young Champs. Our “Teen Champs” class is split into three groups – Early Teens (12-14 year-olds), Teens (15-18 year-olds) and Young Adults (19-24 year-olds). Activities for the groups this quarter included biblical life teaching, crossword puzzles and sports. Our “Young Champs” class is for children under 12 years. Our series in May, ‘Becoming a Christian’ led to seven of our teenagers receiving Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Glory to God!
This quarter, our plan was to restart the homework sessions to support our teenagers in their school work and exam preparations. However, from the end of May and throughout June, Zimbabwe was in lockdown due to the rise in covid-19 cases, but we managed to keep in touch with all the children and young people via telephone and text messages. Our teenagers were quite happy that they had enough time to prepare for their Quarter 2 Talent competition, just before the government restrictions came into force. Five teenagers participated and Nicole Ndere was the winner.
      
HOUSE OF WELLS UGANDA
This term has been such a blessed one with unique miracles witnessed in the lives of the children and teenagers in Uganda. Below are a few of them: –
(1) Kato, 8, from a Muslim family, said that during prayer time at H.O.W, he and his brother prayed for a particular need that their family had, and God answered their prayer.
(2) Many children and teenagers gave their life to Jesus as a result of the lesson we did in April, on “How to Become a Christian”.
(3) Among the several testimonies of transformed lives is that of 19-year-old Arafat who used to cause conflict and beat people up in his neighbourhood, including his teachers, but has now become very compliant and submissive to authority. His schoolteachers have testified of his transformed life.
(4) Patience, 14, told the Centre leader that she wanted to be baptised in the Holy Spirit before going back to boarding school, and asked the leader to pray for her. God honoured her prayer, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit, with evidence of speaking in tongues.
The month of June was a challenge with the third wave of Covid-19 in Uganda. The rise in infection rates have led to restrictions being put in place again by the government, which meant that we could not conduct our usual activities with the 4-9 year-olds. However, we were able to carry on with the teenagers’ meetings, as they were able to correctly observe the safety protocols.
The quarterly teenagers’ Talent Competition is really helping to improve the spiritual growth in our young people. Daphine, 15, came second in the competition this quarter, but until very recently, she was a very reserved and timid young girl, who lacked confidence. We thank God that the various creative projects that we have set for the teenagers at H.O.W is helping to gradually bring out the best in them. Vanessah, 17, was determined to put in her best effort for the competition despite the tough housing challenges that her family is going through, and she won the first prize. Lydia, 14, one of the orphans that have just been sponsored, emerged third in the competition. Her strength and courage are growing gradually, despite all that she has had to endure.
   
THANK YOU PARTNERS
On behalf of our Trustees, Staff and the children at our Enrichment Centres , we would like to express our gratitude to each and every one of you – every Individual, Organisation, Business and Church that partner with House of Wells (monthly or occasionally). You are a key part of the lives of numerous children that are being transformed by God, through House of Wells, across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Kenya.
We appreciate every individual, church or organisation that sends donations for the children’s daily meals and monthly groceries, for the purchase of school uniforms, for extra tuition classes for our Teenagers; for staff salaries; and for our flight tickets to and from the Mission stations – THANK YOU! May heaven bless and record your sacrifices and seeds sown into the lives of these children, in Jesus’ name.
Churches partnering with HOUSE OF WELLS:– The Liberty Church London (UK); City Chapel London, The King’s Family Centre (TKFC) U.K, RCCG Living Water Parish (UK), Trinity Chapel (UK), RCCG Bethel Parish, Chapel of Life (UK), Worship Tabernacle (UK), Charis Christian Centre (UK), Beacon Life Church, (Kenya) and HARVEST Christian Church, (Port Elizabeth) – we are grateful for your assistance and support in various ways.
Organisations supporting HOUSE OF WELLS:– Rest Assured Property (UK); LPS Estates (UK); ShopFit Group (SA), VITAE London, Ambience Consult LTD (UK), Systemxnet Limited (UK), Vision Excel Ltd (UK) and Panacom Ltd (UK) – thank you so much for your consistent financial support, may God continue to bless your businesses.
Many blessings,
Richard and Kemi OYIN-ADENIJI
House of Wells Enrichment Centres
www.houseofwells.org
FACEBOOK/house of wells enrichment centres – http://goo.gl/Gw792H
UK Charity Commission Reg no. – 1133474
SA Charity Reg no. – 074732NPO
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