By ANTONY KARANJA in DALLAS, TEXAS
An American group will be holding an event on Thursday in Grapevine, Texas to raise funds for abandoned and orphaned kids in Kenya.
Open Arms International will be holding the event on Thursday April 27 beginning 5pm to 8pm at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine.
The event dubbed “Kenya: Deep in the heart of Texas” will also be graced by comedian Michael Jnr who also starred in the movie “War Room”.
The ad for the event has been running on DFW Christian radio station KLTY.
According to the group’s website, the idea of Open Arms International was founded in 2002 when David and Rachel Gallagher led a mission trip to Eldoret, Kenya. This was their first joint medical/ministry trip, and they assembled a team of medical professionals, children’s workers, pastors, and volunteers.
The team of 17 treated more than 400 orphaned children who had malaria, typhoid, upper respiratory infections, ringworm, and other diseases.
From generous donors, their team received enough supplies to support the medical clinic and leave behind supplies to last the local doctor an entire year!
In just five (5) days, their team visited ten schools and over 500 children experienced the love of Jesus!
More than 5,000 people attended the outdoor festival each night. Nearly 600 people received Jesus during the event and more than 3,900 received Jesus Christ during the two weeks following the outreach!
The Gallaghers inspired by what they had achieved over a short period of time developed an idea to create a secure and productive ‘Village Communities’ where children – orphaned by AIDS, disease, and other tragic circumstances – would be given an opportunity to reach their full potential, encouraged to pursue their dreams, and trained to make those dreams a reality.
These villages would raise up a new generation of leaders, equipped to confront the difficult issues facing their people and effect lasting change within their countries. The first Village would be in Eldoret, Kenya.
One year later, in partnership with their friends in England – Dr. John and Rosemary Lancaster – David and Rachel co-founded Open Arms International.
For the scheduled event, tickets range from $100 for individulas to $10,000 for platinum featured sponsors.
To find out more about the event, visit: http://www.openarmsinternational.org/events