“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT
My dad, Paul Stern, had a saying that sticks with me every time I think of how much money it costs to provide for our 50 + children here at Kings Kids Village. He used to say, “It’s only money.” That’s what I say as well. Sometimes it’s the only way to keep from going insane with worry. By the way, I really don’t worry much at all, precisely because Molly and I have caught some of that faith from Dad and Mom Stern. The fact that God thought about these kids long before I ever knew they existed assures me that He will continue to provide for every one of our needs. Yes! Their needs have become our needs, because we have committed to raising them to adulthood, or as long as they are in our care. God has a flawless track record when it comes to Kings Kids Village. He remains faithful.
My purpose is not to put you under pressure, but to encourage you that God has used many people to meet our needs, and we feel that it’s important for us to be real and open about our budget with you. So I begin with this question…
How much does it actually take each month to look after one child at Kings Kids Village?
The figure may shock you… According to our most recent calculations, it takes about $250.00 per month to feed, house, educate and secure each child at KKV. For the 48 kids, we presently care for it costs us about $12,000 per month. We just found out that we are adding 7 kids this next week, and that is good news because the cost per child goes down a bit with each addition because we are not adding staff to meet those extra needs. We estimate it will cost about $13,000 monthly, which means that we can take care of each kid for about $235.00 per person.
About our sponsorship program:
In theory, we have sponsors for all of our KKV kids except the new ones, of course. Most of our sponsors cannot afford to fully sponsor what it takes to raise that kid, but only a fraction of it. Most sponsors give between $25 and $50 monthly. Although we are very thankful for each penny given, we mainly run the home on the combination of a few wealthy generous souls and many generous yet not so wealthy souls. We are thankful for all who contribute large and small amounts to our kids.
We are not relying on people to do this ministry. We are relying on God, who supplies our every need through people. You may ask, “But, what if people are not generous and don’t give?” Then we continue to rely on our faithful creator.
God always provides…
While visiting another charitable home in Nairobi, I was told a great story.
The home had totally run out of food. As they cooked up the last of the food they had in their storeroom, they prayed and asked the Lord for provision. Within an hour, a very angry man offloaded a whole pickup full of food and supplies of all kinds. When he finished, he left without a word. Two weeks later, he came back to tell the story. He and his wife (who owned a roadside kiosk [store]) had had an argument over the kiosk. The husband got so mad that he came and took all the stock of the kiosk and didn’t know where to take it. Then he thought, the home could use this. So he brought the whole thing to the home. Since then, they had made up and so he came to apologize for being so angry.
God can supply in many creative ways… and He does. One of the ways He supplies us is through the giving of clothes for the kids. Many people bring clothes that kids don’t fit into, so we have a sale every other month that provides between $200 and $300 per sale.
What am I trying to say? Don’t feel under pressure to give. Just obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your heart. God will do the rest. And, if the Lord is prompting you to give a big amount, don”t worry. It’s only money…
If you feel that you would like to partner financially with Kings Kids Village, your generous contributions (big or small) play a big part in changing the lives of these precious kids. We offer online donations that can be set up as a one-time or recurring monthly donation. When setting up your donation you can select which category you’d like to give to (eg Child Sponsorship, general fund, school fund, etc). You can give by card, bank transfer, paypal, or check in the mail. We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for you to be apart. To get started, visit our donation page.
Thank you, and may God richly bless you!
