Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church has worked for 9 years in partnership with a Kenya orphanage. 
Lonnie Wehunt told me it started when a church member connected with Pastor John Atieno who has a large church ministry there. 
John and his son went to Kenya for a firsthand view of the situation. 
They returned to Lexington and gained missions board approval for a partnership.
Pastor John has quite a story himself.
He was orphaned and abandoned at 4. 
Deeply depressed, he thought about suicide. 
Fortunately a local man took John into his home and got him educated. Eventually, he felt called to start an orphanage to help other abandoned children.
A few churches helped John, but his plan really accelerated when Saxe Gotha became involved. 
Their first team found 60 kids living in a small metal building at Kisumu. 
The second team worked on a project to build the orphanage, now called Neema Children’s Home. 
The teams goal now is to evangelize and build relationships in Kenya.
Saxe Gotha has built 5 churches and drilled wells for the orphanage and adjoining church. 
 Asked where he wanted the well drilled, John said, “I want to put the physical water next to where they get their spiritual water.”
Saxe Gotha also built a school with 3 permanent classrooms and 3 temporary ones for K-8th grade to prepare kids for high school. 
The church has paid for 23 kids to attend high school at a cost of $400-$1,000 a year per child. In addition, they built a small store on the campus.
On another trip, they took reading glasses for local residents. 
The team rejoiced when a team member fitted a despondent man with glasses. He had the biggest grin on his face as he read his Bible.
Saxe Gotha is making a difference in a small community in Kenya and will do so for years to come.

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