The end of year two came around, and once again we looked at where we were, prayed, and thought, “What is the next right thing for KanKen Connect?” God graciously allowed us to do just what He showed us to do. So…to celebrate the completion of year two, the words “two for two” came to be, with the goal of two years, two pods. The campaign began and ended.

Now the question gets asked, will we be able to do another? Was that a good goal? Is that trajectory the next right move for KanKen Connect as we strive to foster a reading culture in rural Kenya? After all, to do it again means finding another location, building more relationships, and another round of collecting books (no small undertaking). It will mean hiring more staff, meeting and interacting with hundreds of new kids, going to countless new schools, praying for many more people, and spending more time in Kenya.

The answer to whether it was a good goal to find a second location to place a customized container library and invest in a second community as the best trajectory for us is – YES… very very much YES! As a matter of fact, the answer is so much “yes” that to say this year’s anniversary campaign was a success… well, it was successful at an almost unbelievable level. We had some team members who increased their monthly giving (a great show of confidence – thank you). We gained some new team members who joined us and committed to monthly giving (welcome to the Team!). We also had a few new, generous one-time donors. 

So, what was the conclusion of our “Two for Two” campaign? The conclusion is we not only will, but have already begun scouting out new places. We have begun building relationships with new communities. We will be going to new schools in new communities. And we most certainly have begun collecting more books that will go through all the steps it takes to get boxed and shipped to this new container library. They will be used like those that have shipped before them to show our seriousness in connecting with those in rural Kenya as we create and foster a reading culture; to bring hope to multiple generations through the gift of education and the sharing of the Gospel.

In the past many weeks, I have walked around somewhat in shock, praising God for allowing us to literally grow. Ha… we get to grow another Pod… awesome. We could not have done it without YOU. I do wish you could all just pop over one day and see what is happening there with your own eyes. Pictures and stories cannot fully convey the depth of what a difference a shipping container, books, and a loving invested staff are making in so, so, so many lives.

As the kids come, the staff gains experience and confidence. As the staff gains experience and confidence, they invest more heartily into each learner. The local school staff sees the change in the students, and they begin to invest better also. The students walk taller, and the fear of the future in many families begins to fade little by little. God let US be a part of that through each prayer, each book, each game, each dollar. Step by step by step…

Now we get to do it again…….. to God be the glory. Just think, right now there is another village in rural Kenya that does not fully know what differences will truly be made when that Big Blue Book Pod arrives…

How cool is that? (SO COOL) … This reality motivates and encourages me in a huge way….and I’m sure it does you, too.

~tiffany

2 Cor. 10:13 – We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.

When Tiffany invited me to accompany her to Kenya in late August, I was hesitant and eager at the same time. Having been a missionary kid who attended boarding school in Kenya in the 1970s, the Lord had closed many doors for returning over the years. It was a dream I had finally relinquished to Him, with resolve to bloom where He had planted me in Ottawa, KS.

I was surprised, then, that the Lord decided the timing was right for me to return in 2021 – at the age of 62. When I agreed to go, it was with no agenda or expectations. I wanted only to serve in whatever way I was needed and gain firsthand knowledge of the ministry as a new board member.

I truly didn’t have much to offer beyond willing hands, a caring heart, a (relatively) able body, and a desire to share the love of Christ. But we just don’t know what the Lord is going to do with what we offer Him.
 

Prior to our trip, I made a rare social media post to tell friends about the ministry of KanKen, let them know I was going to Kenya for three weeks, and ask them to pray. I didn’t even consider the post part of my “offering.” But just as the little boy who gave his loaves and fishes had no idea what Jesus was about to do with his meager gift, so I was about to be stunned by what a simple communication could bring about when put in His hands.

After reading my post, two connections from my former years in Kenya reached out to me– two people I had barely stayed in contact with for over 40 years. And here is what God has done:

TURNING $25K into $50K
 

Between now and December 31, 2021, we are being challenged to raise up to $25,000 that our benefactor will match dollar for dollar, doubling any gift you make, and doubling the impact on the lives of countless children in rural Kenya.
 

The money will be used to:

Some of the costs associated with these two goals include purchasing land; buying, customizing and delivering shipping containers; shipping 20,000 books; purchasing and customizing a tuk-tuk mobile library; and buying a full-size ministry vehicle.  

Time and again we have seen the Lord multiply the efforts and outcomes of this ministry in the three short years since it was started. Many days it is hard to keep up with all that He is doing, causing us to sit back in awe, eagerness, and sometimes a little trepidation. What we know, however, is that until He returns, we want to be going about our Father’s business. We do not want to be caught sleeping, but instead serving and proclaiming Him by offering what we have – and watching Him multiply it for His glory.

Will you join us?

WAYS TO GIVE:

Thank you in advance for offering your loaves and fish to the Lord through KanKen Connect. Jesus used the boy to feed the crowd. He’s using you to foster a culture of reading and share the gospel among children in Kenya. We will update you on the matching grant’s progress and milestones of the ministry in the days to come.

Paula Paine
Board member

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
“Bring them here to me,” he said.
Matt. 14:16-18

In our very human way, Christmas is also the time of year when we attempt to demonstrate His love to our fellowman by giving earthly gifts – whether to family, friends, neighbors, or the occasional stranger.

This year, as you consider what you will give and to whom, would you pause to also consider whether you will give “one more thing” that may or may not be needed, or if you might choose to give “everything” to a child through the gift of reading?

If you have children or grandchildren who are learning to read, or who simply love to read, could you give a book to them for Christmas accompanied by a donation to KanKen Connect? Could you explain that KanKen provides books, including Bibles, to children in Kenya who have none, and that KanKen also provides staff who share the most personal and essential Gift with those children so they can know Jesus and have “everything,” too? 
 

Could you let them know that because of a very generous donor, the gift you gave was doubled, so that even more children could have access to books, Bibles and the gospel?
 

As our Loaves and Fishes matching campaign winds down, we thank you for supporting this vital ministry and helping change the lives of children – and their families – through reading. Please know that not only will your monetary gift be doubled, but God will most certainly multiply its impact, as well.

God bless you this Christmas season as we follow His call to glorify Him with our time, talent and treasure!

First they say, “Thank you!” These kids know that it’s because of you that they now have access to something they’ve never had before – books – and people they’ve never seen who care about them. What a testimony to God’s marvelous love and personalized plan for each of them. And now, because of your extreme generosity in giving $17,866.88 during our matching campaign, thousands more kids will share the same experience when we place a second pod in coming months. Their “thank you” combines with ours to humbly acknowledge your incredible support of KanKen Connect and these beautiful Kenyan lives. To God be all the glory!

Second they say, “We love reading at The Pod!” Can’t you see the joy?! Holding a book in their hands, having someone personally help them read, playing games they would never have access to, enjoying snacks, and simply having somewhere to go that was made just for them – who wouldn’t love that?  They come for miles on foot to experience it week after week. And their joy never seems to fade. Finally, the children’s faces are storied with hope. “We can imagine a brighter future now,” they say. What may have seemed impossible yesterday because of poverty, abuse, disability, alcoholism, or an inability to pay school fees fades just a bit with every trip to the library. Clearly it won’t set every child on a better path, but the possibility is at least there now – to learn to read, to improve in school, to pass exams, to go to secondary school and maybe on to college, to find greater purpose and meaning. And when you add the Lord into the mix – well, with our God all things are possible!

We hope that you will be encouraged by these bright faces that you have put a smile on. Know that every prayer, every gift, every helping hand adds to their number.

With humblest gratitude,

The KanKen Board of Directors

P.S.  More praises are in order. The shipment of books is on the boat and on its way to Kenya!  Next stop?  Pod number 2!

So why are we talking about ONE library instead of three? 

Because we want you to know the impact that a single library pod has on a village in rural Kenya. It’s hard to explain, really. But perhaps a bit of contrast will help. Nearly every school in the U.S. has its own library with thousands of books available to the students in that single school. Nearly every town has a public library, as well. 

Children in rural Kenya, on the other hand, have neither. NO access to books – often even going without textbooks for school. There are no parents reading stories to their children before bed; no summer reading programs; no reading practice to build vocabulary; no imagination sparked through a magical adventure.

More importantly, when the students cannot read English fluently, they have little hope of getting more than an 8th grade education, making it nearly impossible to rise out of poverty or escape the alcoholism and abuse they often face. By creating a culture of reading in rural Kenya, students have a much better likelihood of passing their 8th grade exams, with the potential to go on to secondary school and beyond. It can completely transform their lives. 

So, how many children can a single library pod really impact? THOUSANDS! Word gets out quickly, long before the library is complete, and children from every school in the area come in droves to the Big Blue Box. They’ve never seen anything like it, and when they realize what it is, and that there are reading coaches that care about them and help them, and that there are games and snacks, too – well, let’s just say that the library becomes the community hot spot!

But it’s not just the students coming to us. We go to them! The reading coaches take backpacks full of books to local schools and get permission to read to the children in their classrooms, let the children read the books they’ve brought, and tell about the library. Principals, teachers and parents get excited that such a great resource is available, not just to the kids, but to them.

Because of that, villages are now vying to be selected as the next library location!

So we are talking about one library because every ONE LIBRARY impacts THOUSANDS OF KIDS. Because the return on investment of one library is incalculable. 

It is our vision and heart’s desire to place at least one library per year in rural Kenya. We believe you would like to be part of such a life-changing project – a project that has at its core the transformative power of the Gospel that is shared with all students who come. That’s why we are giving you the opportunity to partner with us. 

What You Need to Know about Every Library:

To see KanKen’s vision come to life, we need monthly partners who will ensure we have the $50K required to place a new Pod annually. That’s:

You’ll rarely find a ministry with this kind of ROI – every penny you give goes straight to more libraries in rural Kenya that will impact thousands for generations to come. 

We invite you to PARTNER WITH US TODAY or learn more.

Humbly in His Service,

Tiffany Ninemire
Founder/CEO