Grand Opening of Shining Star Sept 2016

Grand Opening of Shining Star Sept 2016

Just returned from our 6 week trip to Kenya and made some amazing memories. The 23 hr. trip over was uneventful but from the moment we touched ground in Nairobi, the adventure started.
We got in about 10 pm and midnight found us at our good friend Stella’s table eating dinner (or was it breakfast) ? Eight hours later and frantic packing/unpacking of clothes we had left in Kenya, we were on road for our 6 hr. (turned 8 hr) drive to Prayer Mt. The next 4 days were spent ministering to all peoples who came to the annual conference of Prayer Mt in Kisii where we were the main speakers. Saw many healings and people were transformed as we ministered on the renewing of our minds and the power that can come from it.

Sunday we ministered in Kisii town at our precious friend Bishop Henry Osongo’s church and then on up the mountain to our children home area, between Nyamira and Kericho, above Kisii.

We were there a few days doing ministry before Sept 10, the big anticipated grand opening day. 
We were also celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and so the village people and our family from Nairobi came and they honored us with a celebration vow renewal. Over 300 came and people were standing outside the church. Dancing and singing was the order of the day. Our first children whom we have been supporting that were scheduled to move in to the home, were in the ceremony as well, walking us down the aisle and wearing their special new shirts I had made for them this past summer. They were thrilled as they blew bubbles on us and helped us celebrate.
After the celebration we made our way down to the home for the ribbon cutting.
When we got down the mountain to the home; the children ran ahead and met us there, their faces full of joy. They knew soon they would have a bed of their own and three meals a day. When we cut the ribbon for the home the children and the village shouted and danced their way into the home. The children all ran to claim their own bed and laid there until we made them get up, giggling and shouting to each other.

The children helped us anoint and pray over the home. 
We heard some of the children talking that they would be able to take their first shower. The newness of it all made us all joyful.
The day continued into the night with more celebration and fun.The children got moved in and have settled into their new home.

We have some very immediate needs that have surfaced as we were moving forward.
The two most prevalent are electric and fencing.
So as not to delay the opening of home we had to purchase solar flashlights for the homes lighting as when we arrived at the home we were told that when the power was to be run to the children's home that the workman who came to do it completed part of it and then stated he needed 4 more poles and would return the next day to complete. Since he had done part of the work our overseer paid him 1200.00 USD to purchase the rest of supply and for work to be completed. Unfortunately he never came back. We found that he did not work for the electric company. This we found is very common in Kenya with scam artists. So we are still needing the replacement funds to get to the correct people to be able to get the power run down the hill.

The fencing is very important to keep people from encroaching on the land and to protect the children. We need to fence the compound in and put up barbed wire around the perimeter. Although we have security guards, it is a requirement to fence in any children home in Kenya so we need to do this asap.
This was highlighted to me even more as the home we stay at while we are at the home and also the overseer of children's home had his home broken into just days after we left and he and his wife were beaten and robbed by 10 men. This was done through a gated area and so I feel very strong that we need to get fencing for children immediately. This will be about 3,000 USD to get complete fencing and gating installed.

So as we go forward we are praying for those who share this vision of providing homes for children who would otherwise be neglected, without parents, sexually and physically abused, without education and malnourished to receive all their needs met and shown the love of Jesus so that they will be able to be leaders for the Kingdom and for their own country.

Shining Star Primary School
All focus this time was on the home but as we were ministering in the school that joins the children’s home property, with our children there which has grown to 287 children from 69 children in 2014, we were again met with many needs. They have only 9 classrooms and need at least 4 more, The children are holding classes under the trees. They need laptops for the teachers; there are 12 teachers now, up from our beginning of 5 teachers. They need school supplies and books. And they need a food program that would feed the children lunch. The children get to school by walking, many far distances.

They start school at 6:30 AM and conclude at 4:30 PM. There is a lunch break but most of the children live too far to go home and they don't bring lunch because of not having enough at home. So these children do not eat all day. We want to provide a lunch for the ones who do stay at school. But when we do provide this , the number will go up so we have to be prepared to feed them all in our budget before we begin.
Thankfully now our Shining Star Children walk just minutes down the hill each day to receive lunch at the home. But there are many others who don’t.
We need funding for a daily lunch program for them to be implemented.

Both the home and school are without a playground of any sorts. SO the future plans for two playgrounds are on our wish list as well.

Thank you for all your prayers and support as we go forward doing what we think Jesus would do for the children of the world.
Pastors Rick & Debbi Milliken

You can be a part by donating to the ministry pay pal account (use button on blog site or link in email) or by sending your check made to Open Heaven Missions or Jubilee Family Center to 1700 San Carlos #103 San Carlos Ca. 94070. All gifts are tax deductible
Jubilee Family Center is a 401 c 3 non profit organization

Summer Ministry Update!!!

June 10 2016

Blessings to you today!
We are currently in the state of Tennessee holding meetings and sharing with as many as
possible about our home in Kenya.


Work there continues as I write but like in the states, this past season has been one of lots of rain so the work is being tested by the weather, But it continues during breaks in rain.
On our last trip, we had discovered there had been some rain damage already and so that problem has been fixed as to eliminate the possibility of it happening again. Reinforcement walls were erected and a tower is being built to hold the water tank to keep it from being vandalized .

We will be traveling on August 29 this trip, Pastor Ricks birthday. Tickets just were better priced during that time so I promised him we would celebrate in Dallas Texas airport where we have a 6 hour layover. :)

We are also celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary during our time there. We never had a formal wedding, just our pastor met us at church and married us, so I have had it in my heart for a long time to do a renewal ceremony and to include the children of the home! I am in the process of this plan right now. I know the children will be so excited to help and to walk down the aisle with me. I plan on creating special shirts for them to wear and maybe even buying them the little sandals (when we get there), that are really common over there so they would have shoes . There're like our flip flops.

This will be a dream come true if I can pull this off so keep me in prayer. Only I would try to plan a wedding ceremony with a 10,000 mile difference and a language barrier but if it can be done we will do it with the Fathers help. More than anything I want to see the children faces as we incorporate them as a big important part of the ceremony.
We will need minimal finances but will need to purchase food to feed the children and those who attend and the shirts that I want to design and get made before I go.

We will also hopefully be having the opening ceremony for the home, running concurrently with the marriage renewal ceremony. We will be inviting the whole village and those in surrounding districts, It will be an exciting day where we can show the Father’s love to many. I have planned that day to be Sept 10th, 3 months from today!

We want to say thank you to those of you who faithfully support us and the home and want you to know you are in our prayers daily and we are believing for your needs and desires to be met and for your relationship with the Father to go to an even deeper level.

New prayers are going towards ministry to the children in the Philippines as well as Brazil. We want to travel there soon to spy out the land and see what we can do to help spread the Kingdom and Jesus Love there as well.
Please pray with us on this.

Our school in Kenya; Shining Star/PAG elementary school; is bursting at the seams. Over 200 children and they are in such need of classrooms and supply but as of right now we have felt led to keep our financial focus on the home. If God speaks to you to also help in this area as well as home, please let us know; we are more than willing to start something going if we have the supply.

Please keep us in prayer as we continue our plans. Have just a few more weeks here in the South before we go back to California and our final meetings there before our departure in August to Kenya. We will not be returning to states this time till we fly back into California on Oct 9th.

Be BLESSED!!

If you want to give there are several ways;
website/blog openheavenmissions.blogspot.com has our paypal link

You can mail a check to :
Jubilee Family Center or Open Heaven Missions
1700 San Carlos Ave #103
San Carlos Calif 94070

If you need to reach us while we are in Tennessee our address
where we are staying is
138 Edenway Rd
Dover Tennessee 37058

Pastors Debbi & Rick Milliken

Finances needed (Itemized)
4500.00 trip finances before August
250.00 shirts for children
100.00 shoes for children
250.00 food for wedding
1500.00 children’s home finishing items
3000.00 future building classroom for school
2500.00 school supply (computers) future
regular monthly support 1200.00 month operation expenses for home and school

We will be happy to attach your giving to any of the above projects you designate when you give.

We're Back from Kenya!!

Jambo from the children of Shining Star!!
We have just returned from such an eventful trip to our second home in Kenya. As usual our family in Kenya is so very accepting and loving towards us. This trip was planned for the grand opening and moving in of the orphans we are supporting into their new home but weather and other challenges pushed that date a little ahead.

But we made up for the time by spending it with our children and getting to know them better.

We did have a couple of challenges. The first being the home’s foundation started eroding away with the unusual rain they had this year. We are thankful that we found this out before, rather than after the children move in . It was structurally firmed up with concrete posts and a platform that would stop any further damage, even in heavy rains.
The soc pit (sewer area) was another area we had to firm up with fencing and concrete to keep the walls from falling in. That was also accomplished successfully (see pics)
The final area was the platform for the water tanks. The tanks being only hard plastic but costing 800.00 USD each was needing to be protected from puncture and vandalism so a large tower is being constructed that will house the two tanks and will also help with the water pressure as we will have one tank elevated high enough to create the pressure we need.

We did explore the option of a well, as now we are depending on run off of rain for water. The well would be 10,000.00USD. Where a bore hole would be 10 x that much. So we are believing for the 10,000.00 for well at this time.

We ministered a total of 32 services in the 3 weeks we were there. We also visited 15 different village dirt homes and broke bread with them. We saw many miracles and healings as we went from village to village and hut to hut.


Every challenge we came up against we found God’s grace and supply was always nearby.
Example; taxed at airport for first time….but God gave us favor and tax was reduced 50%
dropped my camera …lens broke…further inspection UV lens filter broke so lens was intact…
thought my 25th anniversary watch Rick got me was stolen….strangely turned up with broken band in another suitcase…. I fixed band without problem…
Shining Star challenges…thought was going to be astronomical price….only 2500.00 not much for our big God….had car wreck….but was protected and unhurt, just sore…

There was more but I started seeing a pattern that every time the enemy would try, either right there or right nearby would be God’s supply so I then realized that when I felt challenged i would just start looking and anticipate the answer from God. He never disappointed me.

The home is now slated to open in April/May. In order for that to happen, we must get the funds to them to let them recover from their deficit and go forward with completion.

I am currently working on the budget for the home as we start to employ house mothers, an overseer, additional security, a cook and start the funding for feeding,and caring for the 25 who are waiting. We have additional children waiting to be supported on waiting list so the need is to get this section complete and moved in ASAP so we can begin construction on the next addition to house another 25 children.


We are also funding the children to the primary school onsite that Shining Star is partnered with. We now have more than 200 students enrolled now. ( that will be another future project !)


We appreciate all who have helped us; this is your home as well! As we go forward we are believing for more to step up and for those faithful ones to continue and help us as we love on these precious children.

My heart was so broken this trip as I realized that the adults in Kenya, or at least in the bush where we are, do not call the children by their names but only “this one” or “that one”. I immediately set as my goal to know and call each one by their names!! As i did this and it was not an easy task, the children’s beaming smiles was all the reward I needed, as they realized that someone KNEW them by name. Isn’t that what the Father does for us? He calls us by NAME. The children deserve that honor also and I am so glad I get to be the one to honor them on that way.
Its the little things that mean the most to them…things we don't think about,,,but if we didn't have it our life’s would be empty.
Bubbles (pic) was an amazing tool that brought such joy to children who have never seen a bubble and are amazed by it disappearing… A small top that costs pennies but for them a new toy or most of the time, the only toy they have ever had, apart from taking trash and creating things to play with.

I was even told by the adults that they did not allow the children to play that much as it was not useful?? Thankfully my toys supplied, I told them, an opportunity for them to get better hand and eye coordination and so was a good thing….Amazing…right? no time for just pure fun….But that is where I have decided we will be different. The children we take in will know how to be children and will learn to have fun as well as how to be a good citizen and children of God. I want a fully rounded child who is thriving in every area. And I know that this is the Fathers’s desire as well.


So thank you for coming along side of us and helping financially, physically, and with your continued prayers.
BELOW ARE SOME SPECIFICS WE NEED IMMEDIATELY AND IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. SOME ARE ONGOING AND SOME ARE ONE TIME PURCHASES.
Thank you for helping. You may donate by clicking on our PayPal link on this page or by mailing a check payable to Open Heaven Missions to;
Jubilee Family Center
1700 San Carlos #103
San Carlos, Ca 94070

CURRENT AND ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES TO BLESS SHINING STAR CHILDREN
Monthly Budget 1200.00 ongoing each month NEED EACH MONTH
Deficit 2500.00
Home finishings…mosquito netting, towels, sheets, chairs, table.etc 750.00 NEED ASAP
well on property 10,000.00 NEED in future
fence to secure property in…5000.00 NEED ASAP
secondary fence for immediate home 1500.00 NEED ASAP
kitchen for cooking 1500.00 NEED ASAP
concrete walkway around building structure and cover(where children will eat until dining area built) 1500.00 NEED ASAP
Next phase….starting budget 5000.00 need by SEPT 2016
Complete next phase 20,000.00 (note number will change if decision is made to build up 2 floors instead of staying ground level)
water pump to heat water (not in plans as deemed not necessary…I said necessary!) 300.00
SEPT trip budget (air tickets travel etc.) 3500.00
Any and all help is appreciated and tax deductible, please note on your donation if you would like to designate to one of above items and we will make sure all your gift goes there.


OPEN HEAVEN BE YOURS IN JESUS NAME!!
MUCH LOVE
PASTRS DEBBI & RICK