the Mattaw vision

The Mattaw Vision

The Mattaw Children’s Village is located in a small village just outside of Kitale, Kenya called Taito which means “the first born.” There are currently 1.9 million orphans in the country of Kenya alone and it is our truest hearts desire to one day have enough Mattaw Villages to house every orphan in that country. Taito is indeed the firstborn among many to come.

After working in orphanages in Kenya alongside Katalyst ministries, the Mattaw dream started to come about.  In April of 2007, with the help of several churches and families, we purchased seven acres of the most beautiful land just outside of Kitale, Kenya.  In 2008, Katalyst ministries partnered with the Imagine Network to help establish the beginning of Mattaw.

The Mattaw Children’s Village Taito opened its doors to our first 12 orphaned children on September 9th, 2008.  They are orphans no longer.  It was an incredible day that has only been followed by more and more wonderful retoration.

At the beginning of 2010, Mattaw Children’s Village became its own non-profit organization.  The dream and vision of Mattaw would not be possible wihtout the presence of God going before us in all that we do and the provision God gives through churches and individuals around the world.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”  James 1:27

What is Mattaw?

The word “mattaw” is the English spelling of the Hebrew word found in Isaiah 61:3 for a “planting” or “garden.” You can discover very quickly the entire vision of Mattaw by simply reading this incredible piece of God’s Word.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness ,a planting (mattaw) of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61:1-4

Just as Isaiah describes for us, our mission is simply the commission given us by Jesus. We exist in Kenya to rescue the orphaned and broken children of Africa and to see their eternal lives redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus, and to train them to be strong righteous disciples of King Jesus that they might rebuild their nation. Our ministry to the orphaned children of Kenya is about much more than just feeding and clothing them, it is about intentionally training them to be a garden, a mattaw, for the display of the Lord. Every thing we do as a ministry is about growing this incredible garden for the Lord that He alone may be glorified.

When complete the village in Taito, we house a total of 72 children in six home units. Each home unit houses 12 children and two house parents. We believe strongly in the Biblical model of the family in which both mother and father play a significant role in the spiritual well being of the children. The village will also contain a medical clinic, a family meeting area for all families to come together, a primary school, a storage building, a playground, and guest huts for teams and volunteers. Each of the family units in the village carries a Swahili name that represents a fruit of the Spirit. A garden is only as good as the fruit it produces and our prayer is that Mattaw Children’s Villages are gardens that produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.

We can build a home unit like this one in the Mattaw Children’s Village that will house 12 children and two adults for $15,000 U.S. We are currently looking for church partners that would like to take on the entire cost of building one or more of the remaining home units in the village. Please contact us if you think your church may be able to help with this cost.

Mattaw Villages are also the central meetings places of house church starts that our ministry is planting. A garden is meant to produce fruit for others just as Jesus has called us to do. Mattaw Villages work on a simple principal. God has called the Church, His body, to be a river and not a lake. Meaning, it is our greatest desire for our children, staff, and house parents to be an incredible ray of light and blessing to the villages where our homes exist. From Biblical training, to sports teams, to worship services, to medical opportunities, we desire that our children learn to rebuild as they are being rebuilt and to be agents of healing, redemption and restoration for those around us.