Merry Christmas to you and your families!

As the end of another year quickly approaches, we look back with grateful hearts and thankfulness for your faithfulness and commitment to invest in God’s work in Gambia. This Christmas season, we are reminded He is a good God who came to live among us because He loves us so much. We pray this will be your season’s focus as well and Jesus will be the guest of honor at your family table this Christmas. Celebrate Him!

God’s power to heal and save beauty from ashes

We have shared many stories about how Janet is reaching out through her ministry and here is yet another story of how God is using this dynamic woman!

Janet’s heart for ministry is to reach out to young girls and women who are abused, uneducated, and live in harsh conditions. She is using property she bought in Bonsa village (where there are only mosques and a strong Muslim influence) to teach the women and girls gardening and life skills, while ministering to them with love and God’s Word. One such girl is 13-year-old Paulette, who Janet discovered was being abused by Paulette’s cousin. Because she could not take this to the authorities as there would be denial and a coverup, Janet asked Paulette’s uncle if the girl could stay in town and attend the school; the uncle agreed. Paulette now lives with Janet and her family, attends Emmanuel Mission School (EMS) in Grade 4, and is away from that abusive situation. Paulette is learning about God’s love in school and at home, where Janet and her husband are teaching her, loving her, and raising her in the ways of the Lord. Because of your faithfulness, God is enabling us to reach out and help restore one child, one woman, and one broken heart at a time. Please keep Janet in your prayers: in October, she took a big step of faith by quitting her banking job and now works full-time at EMS as the deputy director, guiding and directing the school in the spiritual direction that was our intent from the beginning.

Baby Arthur Abraham—the father of nations

Baby Arthur is a source of joy to his parents and to us! He is a miracle from the Lord, healthy and thriving and we wanted to share a picture of this miracle baby. God is raising up the next generation through babies like him—he is a world changer in the making! Is he not the most adorable baby you have ever seen?! Praise God for healing him.

Your investment

We continue to be humbled and amazed at how God is providing for us to minister in Gambia and we just wanted to remind you of what your faithfulness in this investment has accomplished:

• Operating a school with 350 students
• Providing food for students and staff every day during the school year
• Providing salaries for 35 individuals so they can provide for their families
• Providing medical care for people who would otherwise lose their lives or suffer unnecessary pain
• Supporting pastors and leaders to follow their God-given dream and calling
• Sunday schools and children’s ministries in 3 villages
• Buying properties and building churches
• Repairing roofs and houses for people
• Providing food for widows and orphans
• Providing rice for people affected by natural disasters
• Providing leadership, training, and marriage seminars
• Teaching skills through the volunteers who come to minister in Gambia

The school continues to produce some of the best students in the country. We are so proud of our children who graduated from Grade 9 last year and the reputation they bring to our school as they attend high school.

Ebrima Sidibeh attended EMS from age 3 to Grade 9. He is now in Grade 10 in high school and was sent with a team to Uganda on a science fair to build a robot and represent the country. Awa Dacosta was enrolled at EMS in Grade 2 through Grade 9. Now in high school, she is the best public speaker and debater and competes with other schools. Jainaba Sowe and Fatoumata Ono are the top students in their high school, achieving high academic scores that provide scholarships for their higher education.

Our work in Gambia would not be possible without your partnership, support, and prayers. Your commitment and trust in this work is changing lives on a daily basis. We are grateful beyond words for your love, support, and partnership that is enabling us to do the work that God has called us to do and to see a nation being changed one child at a time.

We wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas filled with love, hope, joy and health.

Blessings,

Sol and Manuela Bah