ACE eNews

Dear Ministry Family,

We got some good news last week when we learned a group of co-workers of Amway's VP Global Marketing are honoring her with a gift to be used for
House of Martha. We will use these funds to put the final touches on the
small house UNION Church, Seattle, WA. built last month -- our first Ngobelo!

Ngobelo is Nyanja for "teens nurturing house", where girls or boys are taught how to live in the community, with the help of a matured person either a woman or man, who teaches them to live responsibly and have good morals.

Nelly Jose, the housemother at House of Martha wrote the lessons and ethics of the traditional Ngobelo as follows:
1. How dress and to take care of themselves.
2. How to greet elderly people
3. Always be the last to get food when eating with elders.
4. How to cook special dishes.
5. How to do house chores/garden work.
6. When to talk when among elders.
7. Respecting elders.
8. To refrain from contact with the opposite sex in intimate ways.
9. In Christian Ngobelos, children are taught how to pray, read the
Bible as well as conducting devotions.
10. How to clean and keep their houses in order at all times.
11. Story telling old and new, as is done in the villages where there
are no televisions.

One of the three rooms of the house will have sewing machines to be used for
vocational training, and a quiet space for study. The long term goal is
for the girls to learn how to live together, and when they are older we can then move them into a community home that will be overseen by a partnering local church congregation. In this way our girls can be reintegrated into the Christian community as young adults. The project will function as a "half-way" house for older girls, and at the same time provide some vocational training under the watchful of Nellie the house mother and the other care-givers.

When I shared the news of the gift Nellie was beside herself with joy and is already planning ways to get ready to put on the finishing touches. Things like paint colors, curtains, sewing machines, a rug, and a mirror, and a closet..Nellie went on and on. Just like Nellie! Now she has the task of selecting the girls to share the home and keep the older boys happy at the same time. Yeah, right?

House of Martha is a thriving, special oasis for children who need love,
counseling and nurture. This small house is another step towards living a
life of possibilities and fulfilled dreams for girls who are coming of age.
What a blessing it is to be able to share this with you! I know, the boys are next!

Blessings and love from the CACZ team,
Sandra