ground: broken.

Oh, but God has been good to us! He has graciously allowed us to take part in his work, and we couldn’t ask for better timing. In the past week God has graciously provided us with two contractors to choose from, we interviewed both and found each had qualities we were looking for. After some prayerful deliberation and seeking counsel with our board in the states we were able to select one and have monies wired from the states, so that we could sign a contract. This all took place in the matter of three days. The speed of turn-around would a feat even in the States. Here we are calling it a miracle.

Immediately our hosts and I began to plan a groundbreaking ceremony for the next day. A goat was selected and the soda was bought. The next day our team was DIGGING THE TRENCHES FOR THE FOOTINGS OF OUR FIRST HOME!!! The foundation and floor will be completed within the month.

Yesterday I stood on the VG property, surrounded by my American friends and my Kenyan family, as our pastor prayed over the area where our first house will be built. As I reflect on this, it seems so surreal that it really happened. You all helped make this happen. At times I get discouraged at how long it has taken to make my dream a reality, but I have been encouraged by the faithfulness of God and the generosity of you, my supporters. Please consider helping Visible Grace by donating to help keep the forward momentum going. We've come so far, and we are excited about where this is going.

For seven years, I have been visualizing about living in Kenya, standing on our property, drinking coffee in the mornings as I listen to the wonderful sounds of children who are blessed with a home, this is building is where that vision will first be fully realized.

Since 2008, when we bought this land, I have fallen asleep with dreams of a specific home, specific trees and hills and clouds and flowers. It's slowly but surely becoming a reality, and I have all of you to thank for it.

As always, celebrate the faithfulness of God and the goodness of his provision.

away we go

Hello everyone! I am writing with really exciting news from Visible Grace!

This week, five of my friends will be traveling with me to Kenya for a two week visit! We are really excited about our trip. While we are there, we will be visiting with some of the families who are connected to our work, as well as visiting a few children's homes. Then,on Friday, July 22, we will be participating in a groundbreaking ceremony on our land! I am really excited about this opportunity- it has been a long journey, and I am more than ready to begin building and work toward providing homes for orphaned children. With two million orphans in Kenya, this cannot come soon enough!

As we begin building, we need to increase our fundraising efforts. Please consider donating to Visible Grace. Any amount you are able to give is helpful and brings us closer to our goal. (We will have a more accurate budget for our building when we get back.) Any donations can be made online using the links below, or mailed to Visible Grace: PO Box 91332, Portland, OR, 97291.

Please stay tuned for pictures and updates as we break ground in Kenya. This is an exciting time for us. For more information about our team and our trip, please visit our website (www.visiblegrace.org)- all new information can be found on the sidebar. You can also order a new Visible Grace t-shirt on our website (only $14!).

For the next two weeks I will be blogging at www.ashbyinkenya.blogspot.com. You can also check for updates on our facebook page: http://www.causes.com.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you all for your continual support and involvement with Visible Grace!

Peace to you,

Ashby Rauch