Construction Updates and Realizing Our Goals

Judy Lawler - June 27th 2022

Dear Breath of Heaven Supporters,

Greetings to you all in the name of our glorious Savior, Jesus Christ!  May this letter find you physically well and enjoying sweet fellowship with our Lord as you journey through this life.

We are writing to tell you about the exciting challenge that God has placed before us at Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries and to ask you to consider making a financial gift to help bring to fruition this next stage of the Breath of Heaven vision. 

As you know, providing the children with a quality education is one of the most important aspects of our program. It is the key to lifting the children out of poverty by giving them the tools they need to succeed.   

In 2015 we opened Breath of Heaven Academy with classes from kindergarten through grade 9.  Over the years since then, we have added a Pre-K class and high school grades 10 through 12, and the facility has become quite crowded, serving over 400 students both from within and from outside the Children’s Village. 

In 2018 God gave us a solution to the overcrowding, and through His divine intervention, we were able to purchase 8 acres of land just a short walking distance down the road. This new campus will be the home of the Breath of Heaven Technical Secondary School which will encompass grades 8 through 12.  When fully built, the new high school will include:

·       10 Spacious classrooms (2 per grade 8 through 12)

·       2 Fully equipped science labs (one for biology and the other for chemistry and physics)

·       Customized areas for specialty classes such as Design and Technology

·       A computer lab

·       A well-stocked library including online resources

·       A modern administration building

·       Outdoor athletic facilities (full-sized football pitch, netball, basketball, volleyball)

It’s going to be impressive!

Perhaps most exciting of all, our new campus will also include a separate Vocational Training College! We all know how important it is for young people to acquire practical skills with which they can find useful employment, and this distinct facility will be dedicated to developing those skills. The Vocational Training College will provide students with hands-on learning in areas such as

·       Auto Mechanics

·       Plumbing/Electrical

·       Brick Laying

·       Tailoring/Fashion

·       Food Production

·       Carpentry

·       Cosmetology

This facility will be of enormous benefit to the orphans whom we care for here at the Children’s Village as well as learners from outside these walls residing in our neighboring community. These young people will have the opportunity to choose a course of vocational training through which they can earn a Trade Certificate even without graduating from high school. Sometimes this is the best course of action for children who have suffered from severe deprivation or educational deficiency. Our goal in all of this is to give the children the kind of education they need to propel them toward fulfilling their God-given dreams!

At the end of 2021, God moved miraculously once again by providing the financial support needed to complete the construction of this new school complex! We are in awe of His continued provision, and our Zambian Project Manager and his workforce have been diligently proceeding with building all the school structures.  We have included a collage of pictures so that you can see the progress.

Our goal is to open these new facilities in January 2023, just in time for the start of a new school year.  The buildings will be completed on time, but the classrooms, workshops, and other structures need to be furnished. That’s where you come in as our faithful and dedicated supporters. 

We are asking you to prayerfully consider helping us by making a special donation for the purchase of the furnishings, equipment and supplies needed to get our new school launched! We are asking that you dig deep and make as generous a gift as the Lord would prompt you to make.  You can make a one-time donation or make a monthly pledge through the remainder of 2022. Our aim is to raise $300,000 for this project. 

The Breath of Heaven Technical Secondary School and Vocational Training College will be an elite institution, but it will not be a school for the elite. Orphans residing at our Children’s Village as well as young people from poor families living nearby will be learning right alongside children from more prosperous homes.  Most private schools only cater to the latter. But our vision at Breath of Heaven is grounded in kingdom priorities, not profit, and we are called first to serve “the least of these”. 

We invite you to join us in asking the Lord what, if anything, He would have you give toward this vital undertaking.  We realize that these are trying times, and this request is not made lightly. Our sacrificial giving may require courage as well as obedience.  But as always, let’s give with a joyful heart that says, “Thank you, Lord, that we get to participate in this awesome vision!”

May God’s love and grace abound to us all,

Ted and Judy Lawler

President and Founders