A DAY AT THE MANNA PROJECT

I was out working in the kitchen and I thought I would share a few pictures with everyone

Hand washing.

The little ones wash their hands before they eat. We use a bottle of soap, a bucket of water, and a small bowl. First we pour a little water on their hands, add the soap, and then rinse again. The older children just wash and get ready, the little ones will take a bath if we don't watch out. I can not tell you the times I hear little giggles and I look out and see a little one dripping wet, pouring water on each other.

Prayer time.

We pray with the children before every meal, sometimes we even have little ones who want to lead the prayers, they thank God for the food they will be eating, for the ladies who made it, for their families, and for the generous people who care about them and help to provide this food and a place for them to have at least one meal a day.
As you can see these prayers were very "sweet".Sometimes you can not help but peek. Christian was not taking any chances.
Smiles are abundant and contagious


Chicken feet are a sure crowd pleaser.Quite often the children volunteer to help out. They love to serve one another. In fact we often have more help than we need. It would be so much easier to just "do it" but you have to think of the joy these little ones get in serving one another. It is well worth the extra work to see the pleasure and pride on their little faces when they help.




It seems to me that we have more children than ever and new faces everyday. The prices of food here has increased dramatically. Everything is more, rice, cornmeal, beans and eggs. Fruit and veggies, milk and cheese. I will not even comment on the price of meat. The gas, electric and water are all higher as well. We have had to be a little more creative in streching our funds. We have bought in bulk and frozen foods as much as possible, we have started experimenting with a garden, we have always had water one day a week instead of kool-aid.
Our monthly budget is $1500 a month. We are spending about .45 per meal per child.This budget includes all of the food, the pay for six full time employees(women from the community), gas, electric, water, and misc. expenses (cleaning supplies, replacement of utensils and supplies, etc.)
These are not luxury items these are necessities.
We have been blessed to have met our budget every month. Even when I start to wonder where the next meal will come from God keeps providing, it is like Manna from heaven.
I want to say a special thank you to everyone who listens to their heart and who continue to support this ministry with their prayer, their time, and their financial donations.

Children need to eat to live and your help makes this possible.

If you would like to support this work or to find out more about The Manna Project feel free to contact me at klugefamily@gmail.com.

Nenci has had a beautiful baby girl.

Last Sunday we were visiting and she was in labor since the night before. Well I was like let's go, but she had other plans. I mean I think when you have been in labor for over 12 hours and this is the third child you get a move on. Well we had to wait for her to get dressed and she was stopping to sit when she was having pains. She was sitting a lot and I was getting a little worried I mean we still had an uphill walk to the car and then a long bumpy drive down the mountain.

I ask if her water had broke and it had not so I put a pile of towels I carry with me in the seat for her to sit on, I mean I just knew one really good bump on the dirt trails going down the mountain and it would be all over.

We finally get to the car and loaded and we have to make a stop to drop her son off with family. So I am a little worried as we go higher and higher up the mountain and I am wanting to go down the mountain. I am thinking the family would be there to meet her but no she has to walk up a little trail to a house. Yikes she stops and blows and hisses and holds her belly, I am thinking let's get moving here and she takes time to visit.

She finally gets in the car and we start down the mountain with a stop at a store to pick up her husband, well I am getting more worried as the pains are coming pretty quick she would blow and blow with this hissing sound and grip the handle on the door until her fingers turn white.

Well guess who is not waiting down below, her husband. We call he is brushing his teeth and will be right down! I am lucky I was not close enough to reach out and take the toothbrush or we might have been taking both of the to the hospital. Finally he swaggers up and sit down like it is nothing to give birth to his child.

We slowly make our way there in plenty of time and drop her off. I told her to call when she wanted a ride home.

Well I was worried as I had heard nothing for a long time. Finally today she called. We went to pick her up. She had a really rough time and was in labor until 11:30 Monday night when they finally did a C-section.

But now to the good stuff, Nenci finally has her sweet little baby GIRL.

She is so tiny only 3lbs 11oz. It was like holding a tiny baby doll. She has a teeny little head with soft black hair and even soft fine little black hairs on her arms and back.

Her little lips were so tiny and they kept puckering up but no crying.

Nenci did not want a picture as she felt so bad we will get some later.

Then I had to take her home and I felt like a horrible person, the roads here are so bad and every black hole (pothole) I tried to miss would end up in hitting another one. Everyone seemed to stop with no brake lights right in front of me and the speed bumps I mean geez they are everywhere and they are huge. I guess this is nothing new but when a poor person that has just been cut open and she has no medication for pain and I am the one driving it felt like every little bump was a mountain. We did make it and she was so brave only a few gasps and the beads of sweat on her brow to give away how much the ride hurt.

I dropped them off and can't wait to go visit in a few days and will put up lots of pictures for everyone to ohh and ahh over.

I will let you know when they chose a name.....may be a while