The Grannies of Gatina - caring for the widows according to God's call

Author: Nancy Spencer, Missionary and Get the Picture International Trainer.


 In February, I met a wonderful group of Kenyan women - I call them the Grannies of Gatina - and they are the sweetest grannies you will ever meet! They range in age from 80 to 100 years old. 


As I looked around the room at the 30 or so grannies, there were no fashion statements;
they wear what they have,which  isn’t much. They all walk to the church compound every Wednesday from the slum area, which is about a mile away, to pick up the packet of flour
provided by the church. They are not in the best of health but you’d never know that by their attitudes; their smiles reach across their faces from ear to ear showing that they are happy to have you with them. 


They could be sad or disappointed in what life has (or hasn’t) handed them but I have yet to hear
these grannies grumble about what they don’t have; in fact, it’s just the opposite. And although they live simply, day to day, I am sure their daily needs are not always met.


I’m praying and encouraged that this project team will help me change that!
I hope that we will all be able to go to their homes during our time there and
share in a part of their lives. 


I couldn’t help but think of my own grandmother. Would I want my grandmother to have to live the way I saw that day? Of course, none of us would want this for our beloved grandmothers. 


The Bible reminds us: “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27). These grannies are on their own, with whole generations gone,
their children and grandchildren wiped out by HIV/AIDS! 


As devastating as this is, we can make a difference in their lives. James says, “If a brother or
sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2:15, 16). When godly people generously invest in meeting the needs of the less fortunate, their good works generate an eternal dividend: “…your Father who sees in secret
will repay you,” (Mt. 6:4).


In order to care for these women, your help is needed.  Every contribution helps, so please don't hesitate to send a check in ANY amount...whatever God is leading you to send is the perfect amount.  You can help care for the Grannies of Gatina!  


Mail your tax-deductible gift to:  


MULTIPLICATION MINISTRIES
P.O. 1270
VISTA, CALIFORNIA 92085-1270.  
Please indicate Nancy Spencer's Granny Project in the memo field!


(If you like to set-up a monthly Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), please call MM at 1 800 598-0872 and talk to Belle as she needs financial information from you for this process.)

Am I Making a Difference?

Even when we are doing the work God called us to do, we still need confirmation.  It's not that we doubt God's plan for us.  We simply need to know we're hearing Him correctly.  Questions run through our mind:

• "Is this really where God wants me?
• "Am I doing His will?"
• "Is all my hard work making a difference?"

Nancy Spencer found herself asking these very questions in Kenya 2004.  She had returned to the orphanage that she was sent to the previous year.  This time, the pastors that sponsored the mission accompanied her.  Her work was being evaluated, and she knew this was an important visit.

"This orphanage reached out to street-kids from 5-18 years old, providing them food not found in the street garage bins; medical care, an education, and vocation to use to earn them a living once they had left the orphanage.  I knew from being with the kids on several different occasions, prior to the project being launched, that more than anything this orphanage gave these children a family - a home!  This family gave each child his or her own bed…with a roof over their heads at night, to sleep in not only comfort but safety as well," Nancy explains.

"I led the pastoral team across the grounds of the orphanage.  Each step I took I remember asking God – ‘did we make a difference’?  Followed by the question, I prayed, ‘God please give me a sign…anything, just a small sign that we did make an impact.’ "

And that is when she saw a 10 year old boy walking a short distance away.  In his hands, he held an over-sized piece of paper.  Nancy watched as the boy studied the paper, then looked up to the sky.  Study, look up.  Study, look up.  He kept repeating the process.  That's when Nancy realized what he was doing...

He was studying the Get the Picture Bible Timeline Chart that he had received a year earlier during Nancy's first mission to this orphanage!  God DID give her a sign.  A sign that the work she and her team of missionaries from Scottsdale, AZ HAD made a difference.  How like God...to use a little boy to convey a BIG message!

Watching God Work

When Get the Picture was first inspired, we had no idea it would go as far as it did.  What was originally created as a tool for one Sunday school class is now an international tool being used to reach the nations.  For the past 36 years, God's been fulfilling an amazing plan.  

So to start off this blog, we thought we'd introduce the Get the Picture Team!  

Lauren Locker, Jacki Semerau, Vicky Semerau, Nancy Spencer

Vicky Semerau - Author and Presenter (She's the one God gave the picture to originally)

Lauren Locker - Trainer and Presenter  (She's been a driving force in sharing GTP and making connections)

Nancy Spencer - Missionary and Presenter (She's our international powerhouse, taking GTP to many nations)

Jacki Semerau - Marketing and Presenter (She's our newest member, bringing GTP into the digital age)

We'll be telling their stories more in depth as we go.  Look for their bios and learn how God has used GTP in their lives, and how God has used their lives in the GTP outreach.  It's been a 36 year journey, yet God makes it new every day.  

May God bless and inspire YOUR stories!