JULY 2008

We already have our first five kids living at HOJ 2. Can you believe it? I can, because of the love of our mighty God.

I hope you take the time to see their short bios’. We are currently getting to know them ourselves. Since the house is not completed yet, everyone including the house parents and their two kids; are split up into two rooms. So you can imagine we are getting to know each other quite quickly.

We are planning on bringing in four more kids later on this year. The need is so great here. Of course we can not bring anymore kids in until we finish the construction of the house. We also need beds, dressers, closets, desks and much more to make the house more livable. Are estimated cost to make this happen is still around $25,000. Plus we still have the need for a van to take the kids to school, church and other functions. That cost is around $20,000 for a used van. Unfortunately vehicles are around twice the cost here then the States. Please pray and tell others of our needs.

Things at House of James 1 are going great! The kids are growing and doing good in school and are involved with our local church. This coming August will mark our 2 year anniversary. We will update the kids’ photos and their bios’ in August.

The cost to run both houses is about $8,000 a month. That covers food, clothing, medical, dental, educational materials, house up keeps, salaries (house parents can’t work because of the amount of kids at home), house bills and much more. That is $48,000 a year per house. There will be at least 10 kids and a married couple living in each home.

We are in need of monthly sponsors to help meet these needs. We do get some financial help from the local government and we have just a handful of sponsors already. We will be about $2,250 short for each house per month. A total of $4,500 a month. House of James Ministries is a registered non-profit organization in the United Sates, so all donations are 100% tax deductible. If you are some one you know that wants to help sponsor this ministry, you can find out how by clicking on the following link.

http://houseofjames.org/donate.html

Sean Johnson (Director/Founder) lives at the House of James 1 and handles all the finances for both homes. The great thing is that HOJ 2 is only 400 yards away from HOJ 1.

Again, we ask you to pray for our needs and God’s direction in the lives of these children. If you have questions, please feel free to email any of are board members.

http://houseofjames.org/contacts.html

Thank you for the time you took to look over our website. Don’t forget about our videos http://houseofjames.org/videos.html

God Bless!

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JUNE 2008

We have some exciting news! House of James 2 is officially registered with the Ukrainian government. Although the house is not completely finished, we have already received our first five kids (4 girls & 1 boy) on the 10th of June. This shows the need for homes and also how much the government trusts us. Their ages range from 3 to 14 years of age. We will be able to take in more children as more funds become available to us.

There is much needed to be done on the house. We still need to complete the 2nd floor (their bedrooms) and bathrooms. We also need beds and other furniture for the children. The estimated cost to make this house livable is still around $25,000.

We will also need a van to haul all the kids around. That cost is around $20,000 for a used van. God continues top provide for this vision, but we still need your daily prayers and financial support.

Sean Johnson (Director of HOJ) is currently in the states, because of a death in the family. His return date to Ukraine is on the 26th of June. Upon his return, we will update this news’ page and put up photos of the kids with their bios.

Thank you all for your support and prayers. We also might have an opportunity for a House of James 3. We will keep you posted if God opens the doors for that.

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MAY 2008

We are excited to say that House of James 2 is in the works!

Sergei and his wife Olga have taken the call to be the house parents for HOJ 2. They are still working at HOJ 1 until the completion of the second home. To read their short bios, just click on contacts and scroll down.                     Click Photo to Enlarge >
 

About the second home:
The house is just over 2,100 square feet and is located just four hundred yards away from the original House of James. There will be three bedrooms, one toilet one shower and a storage closet on the second floor. We are currently putting up walls and installing the ceiling. The first floor will contain the kitchen, family room (already completed), one toilet, one bathtub and a bedroom (already completed). The house sits on a little bit more than 1/3 of an acre. We estimated the cost to make the home ready for kids for around $25,000.
 

The vision for the second home:
We will house ten kids along with the house parents, in this home. We are planning on taking in kids that are around three and four years of age. The children will eventually attend the local school in the village. It is the same school that the kids attend from HOJ 1. They will also attend our local church there in the village. The actual church building is still in the construction phase. To donate towards this project, please email Sean Johnson (sean@houseofjames.org) on how to best do that.

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JANUARY 2008

The Original House of James finally gets that new siding that totally changes the look of the entire building.  No more old run down brick looking building.  We have also added a deck and storage unit on the side of the house.  A newly constructed breeze way with brand new steps was also added.  It really helps especially on those cold winter days.