Huge Updates!
I am so thrilled to share some exciting updates with Hope in His Vision!! It has been an incredible first half of the year, and it looks like the next half is going to be even more amazing!
Thank you all who are sponsoring students, making monthly donations, making one-time donations, and praying for us. This wouldn’t be possible without your support. I hope you know how much we appreciate you. I would also like to greatly thank those of you who support me and John, whether that be through our friendships and time and/or financially supporting us. This allows me to have more time to work on this ministry because otherwise, I would be having to work even more hours than I do each week. And I would like to thank all of you that share and host events where we can share and spread the word about Hope in His Vision.
We now have 8 students sponsored! Although we still have many unsponsored students, this helps TREMENDOUSLY!!! Read below for updates on your sponsored student:
Alphonsine is very busy preparing to pass the national exams in November. She is now less worried about her medical condition as we are developing a plan for her treatment. She is among the students who are great examples of what having a sponsor means. Alphonsine says that she is no longer a friend to her sponsor but an actual family member. As an orphan child, she is very thankful to the family that has adopted her. She is no longer a lonely orphan but a child in a loving family.
Denyse is a very hard working student, and all of her time spent studying and preparing for the national exam has paid off!! She scored very high and was the third in her class!! She is praising the Lord for what happened last year and praying to be useful during her long break before college. Denyse says that she is going to perform well in college as she will get to use her own computer that her sponsor is providing for her. This will be much easier for her disabled fingers than using the mechanical Perkins Braille machine. She is very grateful for all of the prayers and support God is sending her through her sponsor. Last week she told Manzi that she is praying for others to be blessed by getting a sponsor as well. She thanks you very much!!!
Jean Claude is a young and now very ambitious student. He is a primary student, but he needs to learn computer skills in order to accomplish his dreams of becoming an exemplary journalist. Jean Claude and his family are very thankful for all they have been given by his sponsor through Hope in His vision. Jean Claude is working very hard to learn more English so he will be able to converse with his sponsor when they meet one day. He said that he is unable to fully express his thankfulness in words but, “Because of you, my future is clear”, he said. Thank you very much!!
Audrey is now finishing her second semester of college in Kigali, Rwanda where she studies Literature. She has made excellent grades and is so incredibly thankful for this opportunity to attend college and have her very own laptop with JAWS screen reader. She says she doesn’t even have words to express her gratitude for this once seemingly impossible but now answered prayer. Because of her sponsor, Audrey is also able to have lunch and dinner every day. Thank you!!
Samuel is also very successfully finishing his first year of college pursuing a degree in Journalism. Samuel is extremely smart and works very hard in all that he does. His efforts and discipline pay off as he is successful in his endeavors, yet he still remains very humble and grateful. Samuel wants his sponsor to know how thankful he is to know he is taken care of as this relieves a huge burden. Thank you!!
Fortunee has spent her past six months handcrafting our one of a kind Hope in His Vision bags that we use to raise support. Thanks to Fortunee’s sponsor, she now has the opportunity to earn an income and provide for herself! This is so huge because it is extremely difficult for a college graduate with sight to acquire a paying job in Rwanda. Not having a degree and being visually impaired only adds to this challenge! Fortunee loves being productive and knowing that she is making an impact. Thank you!!
Phillipe’s sponsor provides for all of his basic needs as well as his medical needs. Phillipe is in need of a cornea transplant and also will be ready for college next year. Phillipe scored very high on the national exam and was second in his class. We are setting aside money each month from Phillipe’s sponsor to save for his cornea transplant that would enable him to go to college as a sighted person. He is so excited about this possibility and so grateful! Phillipe is passionate about science and dreams of studying it in college. This is not an option for a blind student in Rwanda as they have very few choices for their major. Phillipe uses the sight he has in one eye to be a huge help to the rest of the students. He always guides them and provides a helping hand in any way possible. Thank you for sponsoring Phillipe!!
Emelyne (Nshezimezimana) is a Burundian studying in Rwanda. Like her fellow Burundian classmates, she was very worried about how she would be able to attend college. Thanks to her sponsor, she has already sent off her application to the University of Rwanda and will be ready to start by September. Manzi has told us that “the happiness she is expressing can be easily seen.” Emelyne is very thankful for her sponsor whom she considers to be like a parent.
Praises and Prayer requests:
We have recently been blessed with the help of a young man named Callixte. Callixte is a former student at the school for the blind and has recently graduated college with a degree in business. He shares our passion for empowering the visually impaired Rwandans and has already contributed greatly to the mission of Hope in His Vision! As Hope in His Vision has been continuously growing, we have been putting more demands on Manzi and praying for a trustworthy person to help! Praise God for answering this prayer.
We are in the process of finding a place to rent for the 15-20 students who will be in need of a place to live and an income to earn. We currently have 3 university students, 2 out of high school and not attending college, 4 who are graduating high school and will be in the 11 month transition between high school and college, and others who will participate during the secondary school breaks. Manzi and Callixte are finding a place that will suit our needs and allow us to give these precious people the opportunity and resources to express their creativity and talent through making bags, rugs, tapestries, etc. to sell here. The proceeds will go towards their school and college fees, food, as well as a salary for them. These students are currently spending all of their free time pouring their hearts out into making these bags in hopes that someone will love and want to buy them to support Hope in His Vision. We need prayers for Manzi to find a good place at a good price and that the Lord will provide funds for this. We are currently looking at renting two large buildings to rent for only $450 a month. If we move forward with this, we would need to either raise the funds to cover this for one year or have donors pledge to donate this amount monthly. Please pray about this.
We will have the newest bags at our upcoming recital event which will be September 23rd at Grace Bible Church in Frisco. This will be an event you won’t want to miss! The students in Rwanda will be performing an ensemble with the Rock and Bach students here in Frisco including our very own John Hope.
If you haven’t visited our website lately, please do! We now sell super comfy and stylin’ t-shirts! Oh, and one last thing! John was interviewed by BBC World News and it will be airing soon, so we will keep you updated on that!
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Amie
