09-1209
The Calling
She was only eight years old when she saw a vision of children in Africa calling out for her. That was in 1960, 30 years later Susanne left her job were she worked as nurse, her family members and come to Kenya to fulfill her dream. Her husband Leif and their five children accompanied her and have been her source of comfort and encouragement up-to-date. This was the beginning of what may have been said to be an impossible dream. Susanne’s children have all settled down and the last-born is doing her masters in Denmark. Her husband is part of the ministry, and helps her mostly in doing office work and finance.
New Life Africa International is a Christian organization that started in 1996 where Susanne and Leif Madsen began with feeding the street kids just once a week under a tree with some porridge. Soon their ministry blossomed into opening up a boy’s home in 1998, they started to have boys living in the home. The goal for these boys in the “New Life Boys House” is to regain confidence in them and in the people around them, especially the adults. They are the people that have disappointed the boys the most. The boys have to learn to take care of themselves with all that may include.
They are helped with an education, and when they reach the age of 18, they move to a half way house. “We have altogether six boys in college and one in University; some have just cleared form four and altogether there are 48 boys under full sponsorship Her dream to help did not end with the boy child.
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New Life Girls House was started in July 2003. A lot of girls in Kenya experience abuse in many ways. Sexually on their body minds and some abandoned by their family. Many of them have been thrown from one relationship to another at a very young age and God has put a burden in Susanne’s heart to not only help them but offer a crying shoulder for them. The girls are more than 60 including the ones in college and university.
They have a school for the poor children who cannot afford to buy uniforms and shoes. This was started a long time ago with only street children attending now its a big ministry with over 500 children benefiting from it.
They also have adult classes to teach the adults who never got an opportunity to go to school. What makes Susanne extra ordinary is not the much she has done but the gradual growth and balance she has achieved. Today she is also running two women crisis centers where women who have been abused by their husbands or young girls with unwanted pregnancy can get counseling. It also act as a mediation centre where they skill the woman as they negotiate for her well being to her family or husband.
On way to Africa, she was destined to settle in Tanzania but again God in form of a vision directed her to Kenya and specifically Nakuru. That was not easy on her with a family of five and no stable flow of finance. In Tanzania the government was paying her but still she followed the vision. She has managed to adapt to the new culture and beliefs and still preach Jesus in a way the Local people understand Him. She says her life is in this small town in Africa a place she has known to be her home and has no regrets I named this passion The Calling.
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