“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

Matthew 25:37-40

The ministry of “Gabrielle’s House” became a reality in April of 2010, as a lasting memorial to a beloved sister and friend, Gabrielle Flaherty.  She was a faithful servant in the family of God and in our community, giving much of her time to ministering to children. It is our desire that this ministry in Gabrielle’s honor would be a lasting tribute to the life of a godly woman.

Our very first outreach from “Gabrielle’s House” took place in May of 2010, and found us in the nation of Botswana, in the village of Madiba, a very poor area several kilometers west of Mahalapye, where we have established our GEM-Africa Ministry Center.  We were able to minister to 75 children with food, fun, and Bible teaching.  The ministry has since expanded to several other villages including Boseja, a short distance away from our Ministry Center in Mahalapye.

Since that first outreach, the ministry of “Gabrielle’s House” has now expanded to over 300 children, in three villages.  In the summer of 2015, we were blessed to add a tutoring dimension to our children’s ministry. English is key to the academic success of any child in Botswana; and because many children never grasp the language, the dropout rate is very high. We pray that this new program will change those rates.

In 2015, we were also able to erect a building in the village of Madiba that is used for the children’s program, and for the village church.