LCC Kenya Mission 2010

POST trip video

2010-10-14T06:24:00.001-07:00

This isn't the 'official' video for the trip, but just some video I had on my camera from the first couple places we went. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KcuuJHORP0

Most memorable time of my life

2010-08-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

I never really blogged too much while I was in Kenya, not really sure if it was because I was 'soaking in all I was seeing' or just my lack of time. I'm not sure why I am even blogging now, it's been about a month since returning and I still feel extremely affected by it. Going to Kenya was a missions trip, a trip where obviously I signed up for thinking, "This will make me grow so much closer to God". And it did... It did so much that I've never felt more in tune to how sick and poor most of this world is. It's very easy to go to church every Sunday and look at pictures of slums and African children walking around. But actually going there is absolutely and positively a life changing experience. Seeing these kids and making full eye contact is unexplainable. Seeing the despair and the hopelessness is just heart breaking and not the kind where you feel sad for a little while, but the kind that fills your heart with the drive to do something; the drive to do something different and fix these problems. Going to Africa was literally the best decision I could have ever made and I will never regret it.

Now that I find myself back in 'real' life I find I am still heart broken. Heart broken by those who we left in Kenya, and those who sit next to me in class as they presently have absolutely no clue about what Africa 'is'. Going to Africa has definitely taught me a lot about who I am, about what I need to do as a Christ follower. Before this trip I would pass friends and tell myself that I shouldn't push my religion onto others, When I was completely wrong. It is not only something that matters but it is the ONLY thing that matters. It makes me think about hard comparison questions like, "If I could guarantee that one of my non-christian friends would become Christian but I had to give up something like College would I?" It's the hard questions like these that make me realize that my faith needs to be number 1, the absolute priority in my life.

On this trip I met an amazing group of people. We all got along and bonded quickly. As our trip came to a close I found myself very saddened by not seeing the rest of the group on a scheduled basis. Just last week we had a follow up meeting, and it was really great to see everyone. My heart felt heavy and I remembered how great it was to be around all of them. As we all go our separate ways I find myself missing each and everyone of the Kenya 2010 team. If I could I would go back in time and relive those 16 days over and over.

If I am blessed to be given the opportunity to go back to Africa I will, but that is up to God. Currently as I attend school and nestle back in my 'normal' life I would give anything to be back in the slums tommorrow morning. I want so much for my mind to be in the same place it was when we first stepped into those slums. I want so much to be in those slums because while I was there I felt the most alive I've ever felt. All of those happy kids and those horrible smells were some of the elements that created one of my most valuable memories. I want to be a light in a dark place and spread God's love. I know that this dark place does not have to be somewhere like Africa. It can be as simple as my school. Returning from Kenya HAS changed me and I need people to see that. This upcoming year my goal is to have people know I am a Christian without me even saying anything. When I meet God at the gates of Heaven I want to be able to tell him, "I was never ashamed of being a Christian and I did everything I could"

I left my heart in Africa, and I don't think I'll ever get it back.

Shawn Terasaki

Mission Trip Reflection

2010-08-11T18:12:00.001-07:00

To me, the great thing about being on this trip was seeing how we each had 19 different perspectives and experiences. We were all mostly in the same places and doing the same things, but everyone came away with different stories. Each person reached out to different Kenyans, and it was cool to see how God could use each and every one of us and our different gifts to further His kingdom. I also enjoyed the daily devotionals, since even though we all read the same passage, for the most part everyone who shared had a different interpretation. All were equally valid, and I felt that our discussions really helped me to better understand these pieces of scripture.

Being back home, it feels really weird trying to get back into the "normal" routine. I feel a physical change inside, and it feels surreal to be able to take a shower whenever and not have to dump the shower water into the toilet tank. Doing ordinary things back home, such as going to the grocery store or watching TV just feels different, and I don't know how to describe it. It's like I go through my whole day and constantly think "This is normal to me, yet there are millions of people who can't do what I'm doing".

I've had a lingering question in my mind that has been bothering me since I got back. "What do I do now?" It's so broad, and I don't have much of an answer. Sure, I'm sharing my Kenya experience with friends and family, but I feel like there's more that I should be doing. I don't want this to be just a memory of a trip that I took. August 10th shouldn't be the end, I kind of feel that it should be the beginning of a new way of life. My heart is in a different place now, and hopefully God can reveal what He wants me to do next.

Mini Team Experience

2010-08-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Recap of the last few days with the mini-team:

Mike, Steve, and I went to the Nairobi National Park on a safari of our own. It wasn't anything like Maasai Mara apparently, but we still got to see some wild animals, including a male lion. There were many zebras, gazelles, and ostriches there, and it was amazing just to look out and see the vast expanse of grassland and wildlife in the middle of an urban city. Most of the trip consisted of staring out as we drove through the park and seeing nothing but grass, but those fantastic moments when we spotted the lion or a new animal made the trip worthwhile. We got out of the car at the Hippo Pools, and started walking around the water. The ground was covered in water buffalo poo, so we had to be careful where we stepped. Lots of flies buzzed past my ears and landed on my face, which was more of an annoyance than anything, but it was scarier when we heard nearby growls and couldn't see what or where they were coming from. Luckily we found an armed guard before it was too late, and then I instantly felt safer.

To me, a safari can kind of represent our walk with Jesus, since we are placed in a wild, hostile environment where we don't always feel safe. It is scary out there, since the wild grasses mask the danger, and we never know what is lurking around the corner. The poo represents the signs that danger is out there, but Jesus is our guard, armed with an assault rifle. He knows the battle field better than we do and knows what to expect. There might be a mighty lion out there who is capable of ripping us into pieces, but just like how the assault rifle can take down the lion, Jesus can protect us from any enemy. No one wants to mess with a buff camouflaged dude and his two-foot-tall "little friend", and likewise the demons know they are powerless against God. I was comforted by the ranger's protection walking around the Hippo pools, and I was comforted by having God watching over me as we ministered in Kenya.

On Sunday, we went to church at Karura Community Chapel, where the Hyodos normally attend. It was the most reminiscent of a church like Lighthouse, as the facility was nice and there were Lexus SUVs in the parking lot (although they are just under the Toyota brand in Kenya). I really enjoyed the sermon about marriage, even though I'm obviously not going to get married in the near future. The pastor talked about how there are trials in every marriage, and the problem with most marriages are that people go in with the wrong expectations They expect marriage to be something where they get their needs met and feel good, but he said that marriage should be primarily focused on being obedient to God. Hosea's wife cheated on him and ran away from him, and most people in his situation would move on and find someone else. However, God called out to Hosea and told him to go and buy her back, even though she was rightfully his.

The pastor said how even when we have marital problems, God can use us to be a light to the community when we show our commitment to marriage and our obedience to God. Just like how God showed mercy on the Israelites and forgave them for turning away, we are called to forgive and try to work out our problems. There are definitely circumstances where a marriage can't be reconciled, but it's still important to try to work out the issues. While this seemed like a downer message since it focused mostly on how marriages have lots of problems, I thought it's a good reminder for me to know that marriage isn't smooth sailing, and that it's important to eventually look for someone not just based on how much fun I have with them or how happy they make me feel by meeting my "needs".

We stopped by the Nairobi Java House again after church, and then went back to the Comido school. The kids were really friendly as usual, and many began singing as I filmed. I'm curious to know what the lyrics mean in English, but hopefully they're glorifying to God, haha. The Well is progressing, there are still problems though, since the Kenya power company has to bring in a transformer to power the pump, so prayer is still needed to complete the project. It was a lot muddier there this time, since parts of the school grounds were flooded. We didn't stay too long, but the kids still seemed to enjoy our visit.

We then ventured over to the South C dental clinic, WMI"s most profitable dental clinic. That was when I learned that Pastor Paul and his family stay at the facility upstairs, and I was glad to know that he has such a nice, safe place to stay at.

That night, we watched The Lion King, which was another great experience. Apparently the team watched the same movie last year too. There must be something about watching it in Africa that makes it that much more special. It's funny watching Disney movies and getting the higher level humor that I didn't as a kid, and it was even funnier watching Joshua Hyodo roll around on the floor laughing during the movie. We then decided to play Wii and ended up staying up past midnight. It was nice having a smaller group, since I felt like it was a lot easier to get to know people in a smaller group setting, although I would have had a lot of fun going on to Maasai Mara too.

On Monday morning, we visited the Elephant Orphanage, where we got to see the trainers feed the baby elephants. A few of us got to touch them, and it was interesting to learn that cow milk is poisonous to elephants. Many were almost killed due to poaching or starvation, but this organization was able to nurse them back to health with the hopes of eventually re-releasing them into the wild.

Home at last- Bob

2010-08-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

If you count our journey from their time we left the safari lodge to the time we got home it was 48 hrs of traveling. Got more sleep on the way back than on the way over and this morning I feel fine. Seems a little strange to wake up in this location though.

Hard to express all of the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the past two weeks. I am not sure what to do with them but I know that I can't just leave it as a fun and unusual experience. Everything I do, everyplace I go brings a memory of something in Kenya. Usually of how thing are exactly the opposite there of what I see here. I know that guilt is not the answer, nor is selfrighteousness but instead a burning desire to do something positive for the long term.

Was about to download my Kenya pictures but found out I don't have enough space on my hard drive. Will head out today to pickup an external hard drive for my lap top, needed one anyway. I will be thinking twice now before I purchase something I don't really need.

Our safari was eventful as well. Saw lions devouring a zebra they had recently killed and hyenas devouring a dead wildebeest. Lots of hippos, elephants and giraffes and we were attacked by about a gazillion ants in our tents.

Can't say enough about the team we had. They stepped up when ever the need arose. Worked together, laughed together, even cried together sometimes. No complaints, no grumbling no feeling sorry for ones self. I believe everyone came away touched in some way by what we saw and changed for the better.

This is probably my last blog now. I hope others will post a final blog as we wrap things up.

Bob

Return to the Comido School

2010-08-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

Word Of God Speak

2010-08-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

I don't understand why blogging has been so difficult for me. I kept praying that God would speak to me and give me the perfect words, but they never came. Even now, with only a few hours left before our departure, I still have no idea how to describe my experience here in Kenya.

But I have realized that God has been answering my prayer this entire time.

He sent words of comfort when I heard one of the children at the NEST orphanage ask us if we were ever coming back.

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18)

He knew my fear as I saw, smelled, heard, and felt the darkness of the Mathare slum.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (John 14:1)

He touched me with words of inspiration as I witnessed the passionate worship of the Christian Life Worship Centre congregation.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

He gave me reassurance as my heart was broken by the hopelessness of the Eastleigh streets.

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear." (Isaiah 59:1)

And He has given me words of encouragement as we prepare to leave Kenya.

"I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

The end of our time in Kenya

2010-08-08T20:19:00.001-07:00

Well, we're on our last day in Kenya. Here's a recap of some of our activities:

We went WAY out into the Kenyan countryside to stay overnight at Heavenly Treasures. It's amazing that our bus made it on some of the dirt roads - and I can't help but imagine how bad things get when it starts to rain!

Most of my time at Heavenly Treasures was spent working on putting up a fence around their 3 fish ponds and their demonstration gardens. They grow tilapia in 3 fish ponds - at full capacity, they can grow 6000 fish. The are also showing the community how to grow a certain kind of fast growing shrub that goats like to eat - so rather than tying the goat up on the side of the road, they could devote part of their land to growing this shrub and provide for their goats. Our first afternoon we spent digging post holes for a new section of barbed wire fence.

Many of our youth learned the wonderful skill of how to swing a hammer and use an iron bar to dig a 2 foot deep square hole :)

The second day, we put up many rolls of chain link around the perimeter of the area - to keep the goats inside the fenced area, and to keep people coming to the water kiosk from the fish pond area. This water kiosk is served from a single bore hole from Heavenly Treasures (similar to the one that's being drilled at the Comido school), holds 20,000 liters of water in its tank, and provides clean water to the roughly 10,000 residents in a 15 km. radius. Right now, many people are still able to draw water from the streams and creek - but later in August and September, when they dry up, this may be the only water available for them.

Working on the fence along the main road

Making the turn back towards the water kiosk

All told, we helped put up about 120 meters (375') of chain link before we had to leave on Friday afternoon.

Saturday, Mike, Garrett and I went to Nairobi National Park while the others went back to the Nest Half-Way House. We managed to see many animals during our short time - including a male lion, along with gazelles, zebras, giraffes, baboons, monkeys, birds...

Sunday, we joined Mike and his family at their church, Karura Community Chapel, and then went to see the progress on the well at the Comido school.

They've finished drilling the bore hole - I believe they went down 220-240 meters - and now they're placing the casing down the bore hole. According to Pastor James, the casing work should be done by the end of the day today. There's still work to be done on the pump house, placing the tanks on the structure - but it's really encouraging to see the progress being made. Please continue to pray that Kenya Power & Light will take care of placing a transformer at the school so that this well can be a real blessing to the entire community.

As this trip comes to an end, I'd like to thank you for supporting us - we've seen first-hand how God continues to work miracles here in Kenya - and through your support, you too are a partner in how God works. We have many more stories than can be told in this blog - look forward to hearing from us personally in the coming weeks. Thanks too to the Hyodo's for graciously opening up their home and making us feel welcome in Kenya. And most importantly, thanks be to the Lord for continuing to work through his people here in Kenya to bless people, transform their lives, and give real hope.

Farm/Heavenly Treasures/Non-Safari Wrap-up!

2010-08-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well, our mini-team (the non-safari goers) are having the 2nd annual Lion King viewing in the Hyodo living room :) And I'm writing my 2nd annual blog-post-while-watching-The-Lion-King-in-the-Hyodo-living-room! Yayy.

I thought that I should reflect on the last couple days of our ministry in Kenya... Starting with.. the Farm! It was really, really exciting for me to see familiar faces at the Farm. During our slum visits, I would get excited about seeing a kid I recognized-- but they probably didn't even remember me, and I probably only remembered them because I'd been looking back through pictures of them all year. But the kids at the Farm were ones that I'd made much deeper connections with during our visit last year, so the reunions were very happy :) We started out singing in a big circle with all the kids and as I was scanning the faces, I'd make eye contact with a couple kids on the opposite side of the circle and we'd both just get these huge smiles on our faces when we recognized each other. It was nice to see what felt like old friends :)

I spent a lot of time with a two girls, both named Mary, who I had spent time with last year. Sometime in the middle of the day they started singing a song they had tried to teach me last year and smiled at me. I was really touched that they even remembered that much about our time together! I learned it again this year and I think my Swahili learning rate has improved! :P I felt really special to be remembered by these kids and it made me really, really glad I was able to come back this year to further these relationships. One of the Mary's was eager to show me the MITS salon that she learns her trade in. It was really great to see how proud she was of what she's learning at the Farm.

Mary and me :)

I also enjoyed our time in small groups with the kids. John, Jesse, Tia, and Blake (+ Fatuma ;) were in my group and we asked the teens to share a bit about how they ended up at the Farm. A lot of them had run away from home.. and you could just tell that the lives they had led previously were pretty hopeless. One girl ended her sharing with "I know who I am now, and I know what I want to do." That was really, really awesome to hear.. especially the day after we'd seen so many hopeless young people in Eastleigh. I know that each of those kids on the streets, the ones zoned out and hooked on sniffing glue to numb their senses, has such potential to do amazing things with their life. But they need someone to believe in them and invest in that potential in order for them to also believe that they are worth something. The staff at the Farm is clearly doing that for these teens, and the results are very cool to see.

During some down time, Matt had introduced me to a girl who he'd been singing with and the three of us sang Trading My Sorrows together. Then after our Lighthouse-team-led worship time, Trenton opened up the time for the Farm kids to share their.. singing, dancing, and whatnot. That same girl signaled to me that she wanted to sing with me up there... so she, Matt and I sang Trading My Sorrows for everyone :) That was cool.

All in all, I was glad to reconnect with old friends at the Farm and encouraged to see the changed lives and joyful spirits of the kids.

A few highlights from my experience at Heavenly Treasures:

--Hanging out with some neighborhood kids on our first day there. I especially spent a lot of time with one 10-or-so-years-old girl who was carrying her baby brother on her back. I kept wanting to carry her little brother for her because I thought he must be getting really heavy and she kept having to re-hoist(?) him up, but he was scared of me :( Oh well. haha. Aaaanyway, the girl was very sweet and taught me a song she'd learned at school: "I've got my mind made up. I won't stand back. Because I want to see my Jesus someday. Born, born, born again. I'm glad I'm born again. Born, born, born again. Thank God I'm born again." :) I can still hear her sweet voice singing it in my head.. I really enjoyed my time with her.

--While the men were "being men," doing their manual labor or whatever :P... the girls stayed back to sit in on the Sisal sisters' service. Another team from the U.S. was doing some sharing and then the HT staff invited Cindy up to talk a little bit about our team. We didn't really have anything prepared, though.. Then Cindy asked us if we wanted to sing a song with the ladies. Caught off guard, I... didn't really want to. :P But at the same time I did, and some of the girls and I ended up going up there and singing Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe, a Swahili song I first heard at Urbana :) It was such a cool experience to hear the women join in singing as soon as we sang the first few words. I was so happy to be able to worship with these women in their own language. It was just.. a really cool experience. I felt really blessed to get to witness and participate in this worship time.

During our non-safari-time, our mini-team has had some other cool experiences, like:

--spending much of yesterday at the Halfway House baby orphanage

--attending the Hyodos' regular church with them this morning

--visiting the Comido school in Kwa-Njenga to see progress on the well project

--visiting Mike's dental clinic in South C

We start our long journey home tomorrow! I really can't believe that the trip is just about over... It's been an amazing two weeks, though, and I know there is still much processing to do.. Thank you all for your support and prayers! See you at home :)

love, bekah

The Well...

2010-08-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone
As you may know most of the team went on the Safari. But four of us, Rebekah, Steve, Garret and I stayed back in Nairobi. Yesterday some of us spent the whole day at the Nest Halfway House. At first the babies were still sleeping so we helped the women hang up all the wet laundry. We are so blessed to have a dryer, that process took a long time. Then a few of the babies woke up so we played with them and fed them.
While we were there the women who worked there got to rest and the babies got one on one time with us, which they usually don't get very often. The babies smiled so much and some of them even laughed, I was very happy to be there with them.

Today we are going to the Hyodo's church and then afterwards we are visiting the Comido school again to see how far along the Well is coming. I am very excited that we are visiting the Comido school again, I wish the rest of our team could also see teh well being drilled. After the Comido School we will probably go to the South C slums and visit Dr. Mike's dental clinic there.

Dakota

Ol' McJesus Had a Farm

2010-08-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

It was amazing to see the difference between Eastleigh and The Farm. Since we were able to go there on consecutive days, we were really able to see the progression and the transformation of these street kids. My last post ended with a sense of hopelessness as I couldn't break through the stronghold that the glue had on their hearts and their minds. However, yesterday at the Farm, I was able to see first-hand how God transforms lives.

It took me a long time before I was fully hit with what God wanted me to see and experience at The Farm. When we first got there, for me it was just like any other ministry day where the kids greeted us and we sang songs together. What really stood out and hit home was when we broke up into small groups to just talk and share our life stories.

We started going around asking people what their names were, what their favorite food was, you know, the typical ice-breakers. But then as we got more comfortable with each other, we started getting into deeper, more meaningful conversation.

If you had a million schillings, what would you do with it?

"I would start a school so that other kids could get an education."
"I would buy a home to house kids off of the streets so that they could have a warm place to sleep."
"I would move my family out of the slums."
"I would make my own organization like Made in the Streets so I could reach out to other kids like me who aren't being reached."

There wasn't a hint of greed in their answers. They came from so little and came from such hurt and despair, but when given the chance to soak it all up for themselves, they chose to help others like them. They had compassion on their friends when they saw how lost they were and how God through Made in the Streets was able to totally transform their lives and literally save them from a miserable life and extend their lease on life.

How has being at The Farm affected your life?

"Before, I didn't feel like anyone cared. I didn't feel like my life is valuable, but I came here and now I know that God loves me and He cares about me."

This reminded me of how there are many different types of poverty. When kids are homeless, they are impoverished materially, spiritually, and emotionally. They have no hope of a better future, many of them through their testimony shared how they didn't think it was possible for them to be able to escape the streets to a better life, but now since they can get an education, learn how to do skilled work, and get attachments (internships), their outlook on life is a lot brighter and their future is ripe with opportunity. One Farm graduate served dinner to the President of Kenya, and another is making meals for airlines. I can tell that through this program, the teens know that the sky is the limit and these success stories prove that they can do anything they set their mind to. It was also amazing to see how God, through this ministry, could provide them not only with salvation, but with the skills and the self-esteem to succeed in the real world.

A little bit of background info on The Farm: When street teens come to the Eastleigh Made in the Streets facility and get to know the staff, when the staff deems them receptive to transformation, they will go miles away to The Farm, where they get individual attention, learn about God, and learn skills to get a job. They stay there until they are 18, and there they are given attachments to introduce them to real-world work and hopefully set them up for a job once they leave.

The teens also shared their stories of how they got to The Farm. The pattern I saw in their stories was that many were abused or neglected by their parents. One was beaten because he made a mistake and caused 4,000 schillings ($50) worth of damage on a car. The father said "it's ok, I'll figure out how to pay for it, just go to sleep", but then returned with a large stick and beat him severely. He couldn't stay at home and ran away, since his father said if he ever saw him again, he would beat him more. There in Eastleigh, he turned to drugs and stealing, since that was the only way to survive. All of the kids at the bases sniffed glue and did drugs, and in order to fit in and be a part of the group, many gave in to the peer pressure. They targeted small kids to pickpocket and often went after bags and goods to resell. They remember vividly how dangerous life was. One teen was part of a group that the police tried to arrest since a man called in to report theft. One of his friends got shot. They got away, and later found out where the man lived. So angry for revenge, they didn't just rob and beat that man, they decided to ransack and destroy the neighboring area.

Another common piece they shared was the realization that stealing and doing drugs were dangerous, and as they saw their friends dying, they realized that they could easily be next. This desperation and close calls with death convinced them to venture into Made in the Streets and see what they were about.

What struck me about these kids also, was their faith in God. They talked about how they enjoyed reading the Bible, singing songs, and growing closer to Him. These were not the same kids that I saw sniffing glue on the streets. These kids had hope, these kids had peace, these kids had value, and these kids had purpose. I could most identify with them, since other than the color of their skin, we are all very similar when we think about it. We all struggle, we all fail to live up to Jesus' standards, but we still have hope for a better tomorrow, and are blessed to be able to look forward at a bright future. We can enjoy playing sports or pursuing passions, and it's amazing for me to think that a few years ago, these kids didn't have the chance to dream.

What we noticed before at the Comido and Mcedo schools was that the older kids seemed jaded by the hurt and the realization that they may never escape to a better life. However, through Made in the Streets, these kids were completely transformed and I could see the twinkle of hope in their eyes as they shared about their future plans. If I ran an infomercial or one of those "Save the Children" ads on tv and had them share their before and after stories, no one would believe it. Just like with many infomercials at home, people would respond "Oh, these are just extreme cases, or these aren't the same people before and after. They used at least 2 different people, and the after one was in much better shape all the time." But, after seeing how these teens go from zeroes to heroes, I can't deny that God doesn't do miracles. He is totally transforming their whole lives through this ministry, not just their hearts and their minds, but their whole life situations. Many of them want to be a light in their dark world and since they remember distinctly where they came from, many want to give back. It's encouraging to see that some teachers went through The Farm too, and that for every person that is saved here, God can multiply that blessing many times over through their service to Him.

Last Post from Kenya-Bob

2010-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

A quick note before we leave on safari and are out of touch till we get home.

Took an overnight trip to Heavenly Treasures, could they have found a more out of the location? But he area was beautiful, and so were the people. You can look up their ministry on line and purchase some of the bags the women make as well. They also are busy with several community development projects. We very manly men helped build a fence around the fish ponds to keep predators out. I am sure some of the pictures will be posted to prove that we did some actual manual labor.

The latest on the well is that they hit water at 140 meters but are checking to see if this is the source of water they want to tap into or if they must drill deeper. Once they finish the well it will be another ten days before all of the plumbing etc. is finished. Pray that Kenya Power and Light will bring electricity out to the school or the well will be useless. The school does not have the money to pay for the electricity to be run out there so pray that KPL will do it on their own.

See you all in 4 days.

Bob

Seeing Poverty through God's Eyes...

2010-08-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

During the past year, I’ve read a number of books focusing on poverty and injustice in the world. They have helped me to realize these are very complex issues, requiring sensitivity and Godly wisdom to address them in effective ways.

One of the books was entitled “When Helping Hurts”, and it opened my eyes to the costly mistakes we can make when trying to serve the poor and oppressed. One concept that really struck me, was the author’s description of poverty as not just material, but as a “poverty of relationship” affecting four areas of our lives: 1) self, 2) others, 3) God, and 4) our environment.

The Farm at Kamulu is part of the Made in the Streets Ministry. They rescue street kids from the slums of Eastleigh, and give them a home, an education, and teach them a trade. But most importantly, they share the love of God and give the students a “family” they can call their own.

Visiting the Farm this year, I was able to clearly see how they address these four areas of poverty. 1) The teachers and staff provide a supportive environment that encourages the students and helps to develop their self esteem. 2) They foster positive relationships among the students, and teach classes in family and relationship skills. 3) They teach the students to love God and learn to follow Him, and 4) They help students find their place in the world, where they can contribute in a productive and meaningful way.

After my visit last year, I had the opportunity to support three kids I had met. It was so encouraging to see George, Mary and Alex this year, growing into amazing young people who love the Lord and have a hope for the future. They are typical 17 and 18 year old kids, who enjoy soccer, music, computer games, and laughing. The time I was able to spend with them was definitely a highlight of my trip.

Each time I see this ministry, I realize what a blessing it is to these kids. Without Made in the Streets, they would still be struggling to survive in one of the worst slums imaginable. Now they have the chance to use their God-given talents to make the world a better place. and I’m so excited to watch their stories unfold...

Bwana Asifiwe! (Praise God!)
Heather

A welcome change of pace...Heavenly Treasures

2010-08-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

As the paved road came to an end I thought we were close to our destination, but no...we still had a ways to go through some pretty rough terrain. Driving up we were greeted by the Sisal Sisters, women who make and sell baskets to generate income for their families. Heavenly Treasures is impacting the community in several ways. They are ministering to the orphans in the area, many who have lost their parents to AIDS. In addition they have a well that provides water to 10,000 people, who would otherwise have to travel great distances or pull water out of streams. We actually saw young children filling cans as we drove by, a reminder that water is scarce in this part of the world.

Erika told the story of Daniel and the lion’s den always a hit with the kids, complete with three ferocious lions that never fail to surprise them. She is becoming quite the teacher and God is using her to bless others as she steps out in faith in different areas despite her fears. It is pretty cool to see.

This was our last worship time. It is always great to sing along with the kids...some of our choosing and some that they share with us. Bekah and Matt have done a wonderful job leading our worship times, especially considering the flexibility required.

Heavenly Treasures was a great change of pace and scenery from the filth and tragic conditions of the inner city slums. The needs are still great, but what was missing was the hopelessness and despair. It was a good way to end our ministry time here in Kenya.

The Lord is a Miracle Worker

2010-08-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 2nd

On Tuesday we made our way to Eastleigh to spend some time with the community through a ministry called Made in the Streets or MITS. This ministry was created to take kids off the street and create a new life for them which is rooted in Jesus Christ. If the street kids come to the MITS headquarters on Tuesdays and Fridays to learn about God and have a true desire to change their live, then MITS will send them to a place called the farm. At the farm they have a place to live, eat, worship the Lord, start an education, and learn a skill which they can us throughout their life to keep them from going back to the streets. The kids are allowed to stay at the farm until they are 18 years old and then they help them find an internship or something similar which is related to the job skill they have learned.

Once we were in Eastleigh, we had the chance to go to the bases which are small areas in the community where street kids meet to talk to MITS people about God and hopefully one day change their lives. These bases consist of around 30 to 50 kids with ages ranging from 5 to maybe 18ish which congregate for protection, very similar to a gang. Many of the boys suffer from drugs and are often high off sniffing glue. The team split into two groups in the morning, one group would go out to the bases and meet the street kids, the other group stayed at the MITS headquarters and worshiped and played games with the street kids that had decided to come to MITS that day. I was part of the group that went out to meet the street kids at the bases.

Enter the Eastleigh community was such a shock and wouldn’t have been possible unless we had a team member from the MITS ministry with us. The area is not a slum but is still in a great depression of poverty and in need of God and His presence. 90% of the population there is Muslim and it isn’t necessarily a safe place for Christians to be, however, they typically don’t bother believers. Our team consisted of Francis our leader who was an ex-street kid that has now been saved through Jesus, me, Trenton, Erika, and Renee. We made our way to the first base and as we walked through the streets of Eastleigh there was definitely a difference then walking through the slums. I actually felt less safe in the streets of Eastleigh then the slums and many people compared the community to those run down cities you would see in war movies like Black Hawk Down.

We came to our first base which was down this small alley way that was completely covered in trash. About half way down we came to a place which had about 12 street boys. Many of the boys had their bottles of glue which they were sniffing and it was obvious that the boys were high. Francis started to talk to the boys and said that we were here to bring them the word of God. It kind of caught us off guard because in the past our leader would just share a short message and then we would just be there to offer a blessing, but this time it was us that needed to give the message. Trenton, Erika, and I all gave sharings about Jesus that was almost like a small sermon. The boys seemed to listen intently and I could tell that they were very happy to have visitors in the streets. As Trenton was giving his message we heard something squeak and fall in the trash behind us. It gave us all a scare and when we turned around to see what it was, there was a small kitten that was barely alive. The street kids we were talking to said that the people on the other side of the wall threw it over and one of the boys walked over grabbed it by the tail and just threw the kitten back over the wall. This experience is something I will always remember and it really showed me how deadened to life and death these boys really are. After we were done there we said bye to the boys and made our way to the next base.

The next base had a larger number of people compared to the first base we were at and also had a few girls. This was the base which Francis had come from and it was great to see more of the street kids. We gave our message to them and then asked if we could take pictures. Wow, they exploded with joy and wanted us to take pictures of them all… it was actually quite overwhelming since I was the only one with a camera. I could feel myself being pulled in 5 different directions and everyone was saying my name wanting me to take their picture. After taking many pictures we made our way to the next base. Here there were a good number of street boys and there were two there who had remembered seeing Trenton the year before. We gave our message there and they were so thankful to hear from us and have us there. I just pray we made a difference in their lives and that they will now be one step closer to wanting to know Jesus. The one thing I made sure they knew before I finished my sharing was to let them know that Jesus loves them and wants to be with them. From here we started our journey back to MITS and came across one last base where we introduced ourselves but weren’t able to share. We came across one boy that was just sitting on the side of the street and it was obvious that he was high on glue. We wanted to invite him the MITS but I don’t even think he could stand up. One of his friends who was another street boy we had spoken to said that he would bring him, I prayed the Lord would make a way for him to get to MITS.

Once we were back at MITS we had lunch and spoke with the rest of the team about their experiences. We then proceeded to have a worship time with the boys that were at the headquarters and then broke up into small groups. I was in charge of leading one of the small groups and it was such an experience. The boys shared about why the left home and how they came to live on the streets. It was amazing to hear their stories and many of the things that happen to these boys should never have happen to anyone. It was encouraging when I asked what they wanted in life and most of them wanted to get an education and have the opportunity to go to school. Once we were done with small groups we came together to do worship again. I then noticed the boy that we had seen on the side of the streets had made it MITS but he was so high I am not sure he would even be able to tell where he was, but at least he got to eat a meal and be in the presence of the Lord. We then said bye to the street boys that had come to MITS and that completed our day at Eastleigh.

John

Maybe The Last Time- Bob

2010-08-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

This maybe the last posting from Kenya. We are on an overnight trip tonight, come back here briefly Fri night then leave on safari Sat and do not return to Heart. Have to pack everything this morning as the y will be using our rooms while we are gone.

As expected the Farm was breath of fresh after spending 6 days working in the slums. To see the results of MITS ministers hard work and the youth they have rescued was a real encouragement. All those youth have hopes and dreams just like any others but now they have a chance to realize their dreams. Most want to go back into the slums and help rescue other youth.

Quick funny story. I asked one girl how old she was then someone said she should guess my age. She said 35. Boy did I feel good. She was shocked to hear I am 53. Then I realized after living in the slums and on the streets a 35 year old probably looks like a 53 year old and a most are probably dead by 53. That [art is not so funny.

Since we will be going through customs in Chicago everyone should be able to meet us soon after we get off the plane in Seattle. Please pray that our plane arrives in Chicago on time as we only have 2 hrs to get though customs and catch our next flight.

All but one computer is down right now so I better run. Hope I can get outone last post on Sat but who knows.

Bob

Jeremiah 29:11

2010-08-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

The difference was immediately apparent. The kids coming in to the courtyard to greet us were clean, well clothed, and excited. They still have stories of living for years on the streets, of beatings and abandonment, but the kids at The Farm in Kamulu, about an hour from where we're staying in Nairobi, have changed.

Make that transformed. As we talk to them in small groups and hear their stories of how they came to Made In The Streets in Eastleigh, and then how they came to MITS' facility in Kamulu, I'm struck by how they see that God has made a difference in their lives. Could these be the same kinds of kids who stared blankly back at me, a bottle of glue hanging from the corner of their mouth at the Calif base? The kids in my group talk about what they're studying while they're at The Farm: computers, carpentry, auto mechanics. And it strikes me - they're talking about their future - a future of hope, of dreams, of a life the way the Lord meant them to live it.

On the streets, they think about what they're going to do to get money for their next meal - purse snatching, robbery, collecting scraps. They're thinking about how to make it through the next night without getting killed. Days turn into months, which turn into years - and there's no thought of future, or education, or hope. This is what's so striking about seeing the kids at The Farm the day after seeing similar kids at the bases in Eastleigh - they have hope.

The Farm is really a working farm - they grow much of the food that they need to sustain themselves - and the extra they sell to help support themselves. Victor is the farm manager, and he shows me around the roughly 15 acres, we see lots of maize (corn), sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, spinach (looks more like chard), bananas, plantains, mangos, macadamia nut trees, oranges and avocados. They're raising tilapia in one fish pond, and are expanding to a second pond. They rotate crops to prevent soil degradation, they compost when possible, they use drip irrigation and water during the cool of the morning/evening - it's clear to me that they're doing the right things, and they're doing these things very well.

I like what I see with MITS' ministry. They're there to meet the immediate needs of any kids in Eastleigh that need help. They work with the street kids to introduce them to a non-street way of life. And for those who choose to change, they provide The Farm where they can develop, go to school, learn a trade, and prepare for life. Not a life on the streets, but real life.

Many on the team are struck by the fact that many kids' futures are outwardly focused - they want to go on to become teachers and pastors. If they could, they would build more organizations like MITS, and more places like The Farm. Some, like Victor, devote their lives to ministry. This clearly shows that Jesus has transformed them, and thanks to the people at MITS, I know they'll continue to offer transformation in the years to come.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

How wonderful to see familiar faces!

2010-08-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Satellite for Sunday service. Worshipping with the congregation was such a blessing. They would sing a song with great energy, but when they finished singing, they would go on praying, praising the Lord with multiple voices in a chorus of heartfelt praise. It was truly beautiful and such a blessing for us to have the chance to worship with them.

Today we went to the Farm, and what a blessing that was! The Farm is the second and brighter half of Made in the Streets, where the street kids are educated and cared for in something like a boarding school. They are taught a vocation skill, such as sewing, computers, or hairdressing, and when they turn 18 they can go out into the world, work, and give themselves a better life. The great thing is that Made in the Streets continue to support their “graduates” for as long as necessary. The even greater thing is that for as long as these teenagers remain at the Farm, they are learning more about God and Jesus and living in an environment that is devoted wholly to Him.

But to truly “get the whole picture” so to speak, one must visit the ministry in Eastleigh, the first and darker half of MITS.

MITS in Eastleigh is run by Larry and Holly, a couple from Texas, who have basically been missionaries their entire lives. Larry can even speak Swahili fluently! Anyways, MITS works to take kids off the streets, share the good news of Jesus with them, and work to give them a better life.

Eastleigh is a unique neighborhood in Nairobi. Many of the people living there are Somali refugees, the neighborhood is 90% Muslim, and there is an unnaturally large population of homeless street kids who live together on “bases,” which are basically large areas filled with garbage. These kids have to sleep on the garbage because the decomposition of the trash keeps them warm at night. It is truly a heartbreaking sight to see and experience. These are real individuals, surrounded by garbage and countless flies. I was only at the bases with them for something like 20 minutes, and although I felt honored to meet these people and just let them know that someone cared for them, I just could not wait to leave the dirt and filth that is the reality for the homeless in Eastleigh.

The kids that live in these bases all ran away from their families and homes. At first, one wonders what could possibly motivate these kids from running away when their families provide food, shelter, and an education, three things that the streets do not provide. But they have no choice. Most of them leave because their parents abuse them physically or sexually, and to stay would mean to accept the abuse and beatings, or even die.

When they get on the streets, kids join bases, and together each base works as a family, helping each other survive by stealing food and clothes and other necessities, and by protecting each other when the streets get violent, which it often does. Almost all the people on the streets sniff glue to get high. Glue is the cheapest and most readily accessible form of drugs that they can get their hands on, and they end up using to escape the reality of their hunger or simply because of peer pressure.

Walking through the streets to visit some of the bases, it was sickening to see many of the young boys with a bottle of glue in their hands, putting it to their mouth and nose. It made me want to take it away from them and say something like, “Don’t you know that’s bad for you? Don’t you know that you can die?” but it’s too stupid and you realize that even if you do, they’re just going to find another way to get another bottle, so all you can do is shake their hand and say “Jesus loves you” and hope that they can hear you through their clouded minds. But like Steve said, it’s all the more reason that we need to pray for these people, that they would accept Jesus into their hearts and somehow make a better life for themselves. And all the more reason that ministries like MITS are so important because they don’t just pray and wish people well, they are actively working to heal not only these peoples’ spiritual needs but their physical ones as well.

On a lighter note, while we were not on the streets and inside the compound, I got to spend a lot of time with Diana, or Princess Diana as I like to call her, because she wore a beautiful pink princess dress and she was just a beautiful spirit herself. Diana was shy at first, but during worship I asked her if she wanted to come in front with me, and she nodded, and after that it was like we were attached at the hip. She’d follow me wherever I went and hug me all the time and it was the sweetest thing in the world and I’d hug her back and tell her that I loved her and so did Jesus.

And boy was Diana tiring! She constantly wanted piggy back rides or for me to swing her around in the air. I probably sweat more while playing with her than I have in the past few months of not volleyballing constantly. When I was to leave for the bases, some of my team members told me that Diana waited by the gates for a long time, waiting for me to return, and that just really touched me. When I did finally come back, she gave me a hug and we sang together again, but this time she was even better at the hand motions and it was great fun. She is such a smart girl – she figured out how to use my camera in seconds, and she probably took something like 50 pictures, and she even knew how to scroll through them and zoom in. Whenever she saw my face in a picture she’s ask me, “is that you?” and I’d say, “yes it is!” When she saw a picture of Westminster Abbey, she exclaimed, “Wow! Amazing!” and I almost replied, “Yes! Although Brendon thought it was ridiculous.” Just kidding Brendon. =)

As we were leaving, Diana and I hugged so many times and so long, but definitely the highlight of my day was our last goodbye hug, and she said “I love you” to me about 5 times and kissed me on the cheek every time. What a wonderful girl, with a wonderful grandmother, who is currently the cook for MITS, and whose mother is in an internship. I pray that God has great plans for her, and she is so blessed to be a part of MITS from such a young age.

Anyways, today we went to the Farm, which as I said before, is the second half of MITS. The kids from Eastleigh are sent to the Farm when the team believes they are ready, which basically means they have made a genuine commitment to stop using drugs and begin changing their life. Arriving at the Farm just filled me with joy, almost opposite to what I was feeling at Eastleigh, especially when walking to the bases. One girl recognized me and gave me a huge hug. Sadly, another girl, Mary, told me a little about her past life. She was only 17 years old, and already had a son who was three and another child, just one year old. Both were the result of getting raped on the streets. Mary, who is younger than me by only a year, has endured so many things that no person should ever have to endure. But after listening to Mary’s story, I found myself thanking God. Because of His will, she is at the Farm now, and her children are being raised with love and she is learning to grow in Christ and has the opportunity to work and live more of a normal life now. She does not seem sad because of her misfortunes, but happy at the blessings that she does have in her life.

And ADD moment number three, because I’ve been meaning to yell this for a while: How wonderful it was to see familiar faces!

And speaking of familiar faces, I was so surprised to see so many kids from last year, and even more surprised when some greeted me by name and gave me hugs. Mary, the girl I hung out with mostly last year, ran up to me and we hugged for so long, laughing and talking like we saw each other just yesterday. I think my favorite part of the day was when we broke off into small groups of about 10, and we got to know the people in our group a little better. We shared our names (which was difficult at first, but here they are, the result of working so hard to remember so that if I was asked I would not be embarrassed: Victor, Joshua, Alex, Marcy, James, Isaac, Duncan, Mary, Mary M, Michael, and Kevin), favorite foods, colors, sports, and finally, our stories. Three boys shared, and one girl shared. Their stories were just like those of the stories at Eastleigh, but somehow different. They had run away from their homes because of abuse, and ended up on the streets struggling to survive. But their lives were changed, separating themselves from the kids at Eastleigh. One boy was very talented at soccer, and another was a singer. Another wanted to be a seamstress, and one wanted to be a carpenter. These kids dream of a greater future, and they are motivated to work to achieve their goals. They have time to discover their talents and express their individuality. This is the “nearly finished product” of the former streets kids at Eastleigh. Kids with bright futures waiting for them.

And although many wonderful things have changed in these people’s lives, faith in God and Jesus being the main one, some things never do. Mary still is the friendliest girl, Fatuma and Blake are still best friends, the girls love to sing songs with Beekah, George still dances, boys still play soccer, and everyone still worships God with the same reverence and thankfulness that continues to make ministries like the Farm grow every year.

God Be The Solution

2010-08-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Josh Chinn Quality Blog Post #8

Today, we visited The MITS Farm and spent time with the youth who had been selected to grow at the Farm instead of places like the Eastleigh MITS center. Each and every single person had an inspiring unique story and it was such a blessing to hear each boy and girl speak and share. To be honest, it was hard to compare Eastleigh and The Farm back to back because you were so encouraged by the hope and the potential many of the kids had at The Farm, but you felt so terrible for the kids who live in dangerous areas such as Eastleigh. Still, each kid you talked to shared their stories and I loved hearing them all.

There are quite a few kids at The Farm and each of them learn trades and skills that will hopefully help them succeed after they graduate from The Farm. The kids are mostly teenagers aged up to 18 and are led by Jackton and his wife Millicent and other people, some graduates of the program, who care and want to give help and support to the youth as they grow. Jackton was such an amazing person. He has such a big heart and cares for each and every kid and is willing to listen to, spend time with, and share love with every boy and girl in the Farm. We split off into small groups once we got there and I was lucky enough to be in Jackton's group. When we were told to share a little bit about our lives, over half the kids said they didn't have parents or had abusive ones, but then proceeded to praise Jackton and thank him for everything he's done in their lives. They consider Jackton and Millicent as their parents and I was really touched by how much Jackton cares for the kids and how thankful the guys are in return. I can't say enough about how much I respect Jackton. He teaches the kids about God and loves to play soccer with them (and he's darn good too), and he's leading them down a path that will end fruitfully.

I also heard stories from the youth. Many of them had grown up in Eastleigh and shared their troubles at home in the slums before running away, and also at Eastleigh. They are so thankful and they realize how fortunate they are now. They don't have too much, but I feel like they are so much more thankful than many of us at home. Paul, Eddy and George each admitted to being "bad boys" growing up in Eastleigh and had stolen and cheated many others out of what they had, but each of them had come to know God and now live at The Farm and are praising God for the works He has done in their lives. George was one of my favorites. He is 18 and will graduate the program soon and he loves Reggae music and enjoys dancing. He is outgoing and creative and can do a darn good impression of a camel. He has many big plans for his life and I'm glad he realizes his potential, but he also knows how much he has been given and how many others aren't as fortunate. The kids' grateful attitude was eye opening and I had so much fun listening to what God has done in their lives.

After sharing and receiving a tour from Jackton, we had lunch and then a worship session. The students were hesitant to jump and do some of the hand motions during the songs so I spontaneously yelled out "EVERYBODY JUMP!" and I was so excited to see the youth's participation and energy. However, nothing can match the intensity and passion they have for soccer. It's about a 10 minute walk to the soccer field and all they had was some black sand between giant metal poles, but when we played, they acted as if they were in the World Cup. Jackton and all of the boys played with the "mzungus" (foreigners) and we split up into teams under the hot sun. It was so much fun- these kids are so talented and I wouldn't be surprised if many of them would star on a varsity soccer team in the States. There was one play where I was about to head a ball and this boy who wasn't much taller than me jumps out of nowhere and bicycle kicks the ball away. It was ridiculous. I couldn't believe my eyes. In the end, we ended up tying 1-1 and we went home sweaty and thirsty.

Today was an awesome day. It was tough to see Eastleigh yesterday and take in the conditions and situation many kids were in, but today gave me such hope after seeing and hearing how well some of the kids turn out. Each and every kid has a bright future and I'm hoping I can keep in contact through email with some of them. They will all be in my prayers, especially George who I'll never see again because he'll graduate, and I wished them all the best. As I left, I saw a smaller kid who I had never met before, but I shook his hand and said "Good luck." He replied to me "I don't need luck, I have God with me." To see the growth and maturity the youth have developed was amazing. It shows me how God has a plan for everyone and that there are answers to some of the problems on the streets in areas like Eastleigh. Even though many kids still live out on the streets, it gives me hope to see people like the ones at The Farm growing through Christ.

"Whoa-oh, God be the solution."

-Josh

Help was just around the corner...

2010-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today was probably the most transforming day for me. We ventured out to the "bases" today, which are basically homeless groupings where people sleep out in the open on mounds of garbage. The garbage is filthy and smelly, and yet it is vital to their survival. The garbage keeps them warm at night since heating and shelter are not available. Flies blanket the sleeping men and many of them wear mismatched shoes that they salvaged from the garbage piles. The men were still glad to see us, and were receptive to hearing about the Made in the Streets ministry, which offers them a place to shower, eat, and get an identification card which grants them the power to vote and easier access to employment opportunity.

What was great to see was that one of the Made in the Streets men, Moses, talked to the people at the base, encouraged them to come to their facilities to get food and a clean shower, and then he went and purchased corn meal for them. We then visited a man who was out of comission because of a broken leg. He was intoxicated one night and couldn't escape the wrath of a few men out to get him, and they took a huge rock and dropped it on his leg. I was hit emotionally when I realized that he was unable to move, and therefore unable to work for a couple months, and therefore unable to earn enough to feed himself. Made in the Streets took him to a doctor to get him a cast, and as we left Moses gave 50 shillings to his friend to get him something to eat. Many of the occupations we see involve wheeling carts, selling items, bagging plastic, burning garbage for the government, and collecting scrap metal.

The most heartbreaking part of the base visit came when we reached the California base. There were about 6-7 men and teenage boys sitting on the curb, and we started talking to them. We introduced ourselves, and instantly I could see that many of them were high on glue. They sniff glue so that they can get high and forget about their pain and hunger. One older man was so high that he said his name was Ostrich. As we began talking to them, more came and listened in, which was encouraging, since even though I didn't know if it was because they wanted to see the Jackie Chans or the word of God, they still got to hear the good news. Moses started talking to them about how Made in the Streets comes by that area very frequently, tells them to get off the glue, and yet nothing changes. The irony here was that many of the kids had glue bottles in their sleeves that they held up to their mouths as he was saying that.

He said that they are offering them food, fellowship through soccer, a clean shower, and a chance to go to the Farm, learn a new trade, get clean, and turn their lives around, but they don't take advantage of what is right around the corner. He pointed to one kid sitting on a 4 liter empty container of glue, and started saying how we were there at the facility leading some games and worship, and he was missing it, just because he and the others weren't receptive to their help. We then each began sharing something, and when it got to my turn, I felt the Holy Spirit prodding me to try to reach out to them and make a connection. I began talking about how they have a hard life, much harder than mine, and how I can't even begin to imagine what living on the streets must be like. Ostrich replied, "Yes, we have a very hard life here," so at least he understood what I was saying. I hope he remembers. I then started talking about how even though they face pain, suffering, and hunger, that there are good people like Moses who want to help them turn their lives around. They may use glue to ease the pain and get a high, but it is only temporary. The only lasting happiness comes from knowing Jesus, giving their lives to him, and letting Him transform their situations through His love and mercy. As I was saying this, I looked into their eyes and I just saw that the glue and drugs were separating us, disconnecting them from the truth and hope for a better life. It bothered me how it felt like I was trying so hard to break through to their hearts, but I never knew if they processed anything that I had said. I finished by saying that turning their lives over to Jesus might be the best decision that they ever make in their lives, and at that point, I just had to trust that God was working in their hearts and that He would continue to work after we left. I remembered something I heard a long time ago, which stated that we shouldn't feel bad when we don't see any fruit for our labor, since Jesus is the one they are rejecting, not us, but I just felt disheartened seeing their bondage to such a vicious cycle. Their lives would continue in that downward spiral unless they knew that help and all their hopes and dreams could become a reality if they just turned the corner and asked for help.

This experience for me was definitely more eye-opening than even walking through the slums, since I looked into the eyes of a trapped soul, I shook the hands of addiction, and I bared my heart and soul in front of those who possibly couldn't hear me. The inability to reach past the thick barrier the glue put up around their hearts still bothers me now, but there have been many success stories that I will get to hear about tomorrow when we visit the Farm, and it is evident that even though not all are saved, that area is being transformed by that ministry.

Pictures around Nairobi

2010-08-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our bus trips around Nairobi. I hope this gives you a snapshot of what life is like here in Kenya.

Sanford & Son's, Kenyan style

Sacks of rice (maybe over 2500 pounds?) in the back of a pickup. And a guy guarding the rice (or hitching a ride)

What's the weight limit on the bus?

Hurrying to avoid the oncoming cars

Big Moses Little Moses

2010-08-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

As we were getting ready to leave Eastleigh and Made In The Streets ministry there yesterday I started talking with a young boy who I later found out was named Moses. He asked me in his poor English if I would take him to America with me, ( I don't think he was serious) but I told him he would not fit in my suit case. The humor did not translate. So I told him that if he prayed to Jesus and trusted him that he could do anything he wanted. He could even go the Farm, learn a trade, get a good job and earn enough money to come to America and visit me. He ran off apparently board with that conversation.

A minute later he was back this time with Big Moses, one of the young men who works at Made In The Streets. BM told me that he could not understand what I said and he wanted BM to translate for him. What an opportunity. So I repeated everything I had just said through our translator this time and Big Moses added that he needed to come to their Tue and Fri programs to have a chance to move to the Farm. I am not certain what goes on on Tue and Fri but I tried to reinforce the fact that he needed to go. I got a promise from Little Moses before we left that he would go every Tue and Fri. I then told him I would be praying for him. BM said that LM was 12 years old so he still had a chance to get to the Farm. I forgot to tell Big Moses that I would be praying for him to but Renee got his email so I will let him know. As usual he said "don't forget us."How could I possibly.

Another cool thing happened at MITS. I went with a group in the afternoon to tour some of the bases, the areas where the boys hangout and feel safe, their turf. We were told that we could take any pictures we wanted inside the compound but don't take any at the bases without their permission. MITS has been baned for the past 6 years from one base because a visitor took pictures there without permission. As we were leaving the first base where we found mostly adults, a cute little girl came out of nowhere and grabbed Becca's hand wouldn't let go. She would have walked right out of the base with us if they had let her. Her mom asked if anyone had a camera. Dan and I did not hesitate. We ended up taking several pictures of the girl and a little boy with Becca, Kristine and their mom's. Felt like we had made a small break through As we were leaving again they asked if they could get a copy of the pictures so Moses said we could email a copy to him and he will see that they get them.

Feels like the toughest part of our ministry is over. For the next three days we get to see the results of the successful ministers and some people who have been rescued from the streets. The bad news is that this involves long bus rides. These are not like bus rides on our freeways. They are the bumpy dusty Kenyan roads so it is not a total picnic. Know what an African Massage is? Any trip driving down a Kenyan street. That from our first bus driver.

My biggest fear right now? That we come back from our mission trip to help the hungry and starving having gained weight. The food here at Heart and in the restaurants we have visited has been so good. Even when we go into the slums the people want to share with us and are so generous with what they have. And I like Kenyan cooking. They make things just a little spicy, just the way I like it.

Finally today is a national holiday so all Kenyans will turn out to vote on the national referendum for the new constitution. This is the biggest event in this country since independence. Pray for Kenya.

Bob

Praying at the Bases

2010-08-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on my blogging, so I thought I'd do a bit of catching up. But it's really late right now, so it'll probably be short..

Today we visited Eastleigh and the Made in the Streets Community Center. Eastleigh is always weird for me because it's filled with mixed feelings (sound familiar?)... sadness, darkness and some hopelessness because Eastleigh is among the worst areas.. filled with young people on the streets addicted to getting high off of glue to distract from their hunger. But also, so much hope because Made in the Streets is a ministry doing so much good through their commitment to investing in the Eastleigh community. A light in a dark place, if you will..

I was encouraged to see all of the street kids who came out to worship and play games with us in the morning. They were able to escape the difficulty of life on the streets for a few hours and just be goofy kids, playing Ultimate Ninja with the mzungus. And we were blessed by the time we spent with them.

I also loved getting the chance to hold a couple of the babies who are staying at Made in the Streets with their young mothers, who hold internship-like-positions. The babies names were James and Steven. They were both very sweet and content :)

As encouraging as much of the day was, it was also paired with a harsh reality of just how dark life on the streets can be for these kids. One teenage boy sat on a bench at MITS with an open wound on his knee, clearly high off of glue or drugs. Flies landed on the open gash and a friend of the boy's tried to help him keep it clean, but the boy himself was completely out of it. He just stared off into space and seemed completely unaware of what was going on around him. That was really difficult to see. Larry Conway told us that this boy was almost dead a week ago and that they have reached out to him several times, but he won't live for very much longer. That was pretty tough to accept as true. How could there be no hope left for this boy? The last thing I did before exiting MITS to get back on the bus was to take one last look at him, wondering how much longer he would be alive. This is tough to think about.

A ministry like MITS can do so much good in a community like Eastleigh... but the kids still have to WANT the change for themselves and have enough motivation to do their part. It's devastating to see the results for those who don't choose this type of life change.

It was quite an experience being out at the bases today--which I didn't get to visit last year. I feel like we saw some of the tamer areas, in better conditions than those where people sleep on piles of garbage. But still, it was an uneasy hour or so as we visited two different bases. I just felt a lot more exposed walking down the streets, which are much more open areas than the walkways in the slums. There were no scary incidents, but I felt pretty on-edge, especially as we witnessed people with glue bottles up to their mouths. The people at both bases we visited were friendly and welcoming to us. At the first base (called Jamaica), I made friends with a little toddler-aged girl who held my hand and was ready to leave with us. I would try to wave goodbye and she would wave back but then just grab my hand again, like "alright, let's go now!" I would've liked to take her home with me :) At the second base we visited, I got called out.. ha. We were going to close in prayer and the people living at the base pointed at me. One of our translators told me they wanted me to pray. So... I did. It was a short, un-eloquent, not profound, prayer. But I guess that's okay. I think a few years ago I probably would've refused to pray altogether :P So I suppose that's progress... Ha. But I think part of my difficulty today was... I didn't know WHAT to pray for these people. It seems like such an overwhelming (there's that word again..) situation and they live such a ridiculously difficult lifestyle--how could I possibly relate to them? What could I pray that would help? But, once again, I know that the point isn't for ME to have the answers to their problems. I need to look to God. So I just thanked God for bringing us together today and prayed that he would bless these people. That's all I could really come up with.. and maybe that's okay.

I pray that our ministry today at MITS and out at the bases somehow made a difference to some of the Eastleigh people. I pray that they would turn to God as their hope in what seems to be a pretty despair-filled life.

(i guess this post turned out to be... not very short :P)

thanks for reading; thanks for praying :)

love, bekah

Oh, also. Just wanted to mention that I lost 2000 shillings last night.. it fell out of my pocket. But before I even realized it was gone, this morning one of the staff of our guesthouse announced that a guard had found money on the ground early this morning and had turned it in. She said if it was ours, we could come claim it if we could just tell them how much it was that we had lost. The woman talked about how proud of her staff she was for turning in the money in the first place. And I thought that was pretty remarkable too, considering that the Hyodos had told us at the beginning of our trip to be careful about leaving valuables out in the open in our room... because even though all the staff seemed very nice, some could be in desperate circumstances... and I know that 2000 shillings is a lot of money to pass up, in a situation like that guard was in. So I feel pretty blessed to have gotten this money back. I'm also impressed with the staff here, and feel blessed to be staying here. Anyway, thanks God! :) And Mom and Dad: I'll try to be more careful with your money from here on out ;)

Rounda and Calif

2010-08-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Moses and another street kid posing with me at Made In The Streets' center

A reminder on the wall before you leave MITS

Francis, Larry and Moses

A street in Eastleigh

Whether it's Seattle or Nairobi, the homeless have a rough life. But our trip with Made In The Streets (MITS) to the Rounda and Calif bases in Eastleigh convince me that it's much worse in Eastleigh.

We walk with Larry & Moses through the streets of Eastleigh towards Rounda, a base named for a roundabout in an intersection - the base is now situated about 50 yards away, against a fence. Throngs of people and cars fill Eastleigh. Most are Somali, most are immigrants (legal and not), and most are Muslim. I find out later from Moses that we caused quite a commotion - people are talking and wondering why these strangers (from Japan, China?) are in Eastleigh.

The Rounda base is set against a fence, across a foul smelling drainage ditch next to the road. Approximately a dozen people greet us as we arrive. More stop by during our 10 minute stay. We shake hands or do "fist bumps" with them all. As is Kenyan custom, they introduce themselves, followed by our introductions.

As we share a short message of love and encouragement with them, I'm astonished to hear them express appreciation and thanks for simply visiting them. Really? Don't they want money, food, a way off the street? That may come later, if they can stop by the MITS center on Sunday for church, a chance to shower and a hot meal. But right now they want to be remembered, and they're honored that these visitors from 10000 miles away would come to see them, right where they live, in the Rounda base.

The Calif base is quite different from Rounda. A dozen or so kids, some as young as 12, sit on a curb at an entrance to an apartment comples. Open bottles of contact cement (glue) hang from the corners of their mouths - glazed, empty eyes stare at us. Some can barely stand - they're so high from sniffing the glue.

The kids sniff glue to quell the hunger pangs from not eating. They're addicted, and they just can't get themselves to stop. I find out later that the new addiction is sniffing gasoline-soaked rags. Moses appeals to them to give up the glue - to come to the MITS community center - to get a new start and break the cycle. None come. They politely ask for each of us to say something to them - we share about Jesus' love for them, about what God has done in our lives - and we pray that these words can make a difference for them someday.

MITS is doing tremendous work in Eastleigh. Moses formerly came from the Calif base - now he's faithfully reaching back to those in his community - as an example fo one whose life Jesus has changed forever. there's no easy answer for all of the problems that you see in the Eastleigh bases - it's a jumble of international, national and local politics, economics, discrimination, addiction and feelings of hopelessness. But people like Larry and Moses are devoting their lives to making a difference - one person at a time - and we would be wise to support them in their effort.

Joseph's Story

2010-08-03T12:11:00.001-07:00

Imagine being homeless and living on the streets of Eastleigh, a tough Nairobi neighborhood known as "Little Mogadishu". You've had a little too much to drink, so you can't run away like your other friends when some thugs show up. You can't fight them off before they drop a big rock on your right leg, breaking it.

This is Joseph's story. We met Joseph when Larry and Moses, two of the staff at Made In The Streets, stopped to talk to him as we walked from the Rounda base to the Calif base. A "base" is just a place for the homeless in Eastleigh to gather and sleep, protected through a shared sense of community.

We walked up a pile of garbage, past some large bales of plastic bags awaiting recycling, and found Joseph lying there. Larry & Moses found him a month ago with the broken leg and took him to the hospital and got him treated. Today we met with him, made sure he was healing ok, and prayed for him. He also had anohter friend in a Chicago White Sox sweatshirt standing nearby - and Moses gave him a 50 shilling note ($0.63) to buy Joseph some food - since Joseph can't get up to walk and get food on his own.

With his friend, Larry and Moses, Joseph is luckier than many on the street in Eastleigh - he's got people who care and who look after him. But life is still extremely hard. The bales of plastic are sitting on a trash heap, and that's where Joseph lies all day. Hundreds of flies are on the bales, on the trash, and on Joseph. The stench is almost unbearable. but this is Joseph's home right now - and believe it or not, it's better than living at many of the bases.

In another month, Larry and Moses will take Joseph back to the doctor to check on his healing progress, and hopefully get his cast off. Until then, it's another cold night on top of the trash heap for Joseph and hundreds others in Eastleigh.

Kayaba and Satellite Pics-Erika

2010-08-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

A parting shot from our last day at Mathare-too cute not to post.

Trenton thought he should at least kiss his lunch before he eats it

Goofing off in front of the Safaricom store

The river that flows through South B slum

Nicole sharing at Kayaba-since she won't post, at least you can have a picture of her! :)

Serving lunch to South B kids

Sunday School class with their lion masks

Trenton giving the message at Satellite Church

Welena-the precocious one

Renee helping with the dishes

Steven.

2010-08-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Josh Chinn Quality Blog Post #7

Today we visited the Eastleigh area which is a businessy area with mostly Somalian people. I'm going to be honest, it was a bit intimidating going in. It was an extremely bumpy ride driving to the Eastleigh MITS (Made In The Streets) center and there were people everywhere who gave us (maybe just me) weird looks. I saw a few kids sniffing glue which was very saddening to see. To those who don't know, kids sniff the glue to numb their senses, get themselves high, and to erase the feelings of hunger and pain.

When we arrived at the Eastleigh center, we were greeted by Larry (a guy who you'd probably think was a tourist if you didn't know him) and a couple other helpers who had graduated from the MITS program. We eventually got to meet about 30 kids aged from 8 up to 17ish. Each of them had their own story about why/how they got to Eastleigh. Eastleigh is a treacherous place where youth run to escape family hardships and abuse, but once they're in Eastleigh, they're on their own. Many of the youth band together and try to group up for protection. I wasn't able to go walk the streets because of my age but today I heard many depressing stories about some of the kids still out on the streets in their "bases". I was able to hear some of the life stories from the kids who were inside the Eastleigh center and many of them had run away from home to Eastleigh to escape abusing parents.

Realizing the conditions of the streets was a new experience for me. At home, I've fed the homeless in Seattle and I'd thought I'd known what "the streets" are, but in Kenya, the streets are much worse than what I had previously thought. There is trash and flies everywhere and many people sleep on the trash to keep warm. It was a different feeling from the slums. In Mathare and South B, the kids had homes to go to and parents who cared for them. In Eastleigh, the kids are on their own, literally fighting off other bullies in the streets, struggling for food and sleeping on garbage. Some of the older people on our team went out on the streets to the "bases" where most of the kids lived and talked with them. One teen Trenton told the team about during our debrief had a broken leg. He was only a teenager but was drunk one night and lying on the ground until a couple boys took a huge rock, dropped it on his leg, and broke it. The kid now only has one crutch, which is way too big for him, and is in the worst of conditions. I was stunned when I heard this story. I broke my ankle last year but I felt like my break was just a scratch and my experience was nothing compared to what this kid has gone through.

Another eye-opening fact was the situation girls are in. Girls aren't able to protect themselves, so they must join the boys groups. Unfortunately, to get in and receive respect, a young girl looking for help must sleep with each and every one of the boys- up to 50 in a group. I was really disturbed and angered by this and I can only pray that God will open up opportunities for the girls. The MITS staff say that they try to get girls off the street as soon as possible, but I'm still saddened and I really wish the girls wouldn't be put in that position.

Inside the center, we hung out with some of the kids and sung songs and played games with them. We taught some of them Ultimate Ninja and they got pretty into it. It was nice to see smiles on a few of their faces as they sang and danced but it's hard to notice the situation and conditions they live in and realize that they probably don't smile very often. While teaching the kids, Dakota and I got to meet and spend time with a little baby named Steven. He's 7 months old and his mother is young and there for an internship (I think). Steven was so cute. He didn't cry and he never drooled. Dream baby, right? Dakota and I took turns holding him. He can stand so we tried to get him to take little steps, and one time he took a tiny little baby step and smiled. This was by far the highlight of my day.

Overall it was a tough day. It was hard to fathom the situations many of the youth in Eastleigh are in. I can't imagine living out on the streets at the age I'm at now, and many of the kids out there are younger than I am. Tomorrow should be an exciting day, though. We visit the MITS Farm. Some of the youth at Eastleigh have shown maturity and are given the choice to live at the Farm. Still, many of the boys can't handle the rules and expectations that are suddenly put in their lives and run away. However, once somebody runs away from the Farm, the Farm won't accept them back. Hopefully we'll hear some encouraging stories about growth- emotionally, physically, and spiritually at the Farm.

'til next time
Josh

Quit Giraffe-ing Around

2010-08-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 2^nd

Yesterday was our first free day of the trip and was meant to be relaxing preparing us for the rest of our trip. We started off by going shopping at a few different shops. The ladies were having a great time where as the men learned a new spelling for the word boring a.k.a. s-h-o-p-p-i-n-g haha. As for me personally, I was very happy that we got to go shopping and I was able to get a few gifts for my family and friends… and maybe a few things for myself :p

After the shopping trip we made our way to a giraffe center which was a lot of fun. Not only did a get to see multiple giraffes up close, but I actually got to kiss a giraffe… oh yeah you heard me right, I KISSED a giraffe. I have to admit that it was quite the experience and I would do it again if I had the chance.

After our short stay at the giraffe center, we made our way to the Hyodo’s residence. To have a relaxing evening, dinner, and we got to hear Mike’s testimony. I have to say that dinner was great, but I was so excited to listen to Mike tell his testimony. After spending the past week or so with Mike at various ministries, I can see that he is truly a man of God. When I hear the way that he speaks of the Lord and his heart for people, I can see his closeness and anointment from God. Mike’s testimony was amazing to hear and it definitely moved me and touched my heart. Mike is one of those people I look up to and only hope I can aspire to be like him one day. I know that all the glory goes to God for shaping Mike into the man he is today and I am glad to see God working through him in so many ways.

Though this was a free day and we didn’t go out to minister, I truly found blessing in our day off.

John

Doing God's Work in Unexpected Ways

2010-08-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 1^st

On Sunday we went to International Pentecostal Holiness Church in the Satellite area which is under Pastor Tobias. The plan was to do the Sunday service including teaching to the youth through VBS and then having an outreach to the community.

When we arrived at the church there was a Sunday school which happened before the main service. Pastor Tobias asked us to teach the three Sunday school classes including adults, young adults, and children. Trenton went ahead and taught the adult class focusing his sermon on family and family values through Christ. The children’s class was taken over by our VBS presentation and craft time which the children seemed to love. Now what to do with the young adults was a good question, but both Trenton and Mike knew what to do and I was assigned that class.

I can definitely say that I was out of my comfort zone especially with literally 5 minutes to decide what to talk about. But the Lord is faithful and never gives us challenges that we can’t overcome. I decided to talk about the story of David and Goliath and about the challenges we face which look unbeatable. However, with the help of God anything is possible and we are all able to overcome the “Goliaths” in our lives. We started by introducing ourselves and I told them that I was 26 and from the United States. I also let them know that it was my first time to Kenya and it was such a blessing to know all of the people I had met. After the youth got done with their introductions, the local young adults introduced themselves. The first woman said that she was 26, single, and search haha. Though she was joking, I definitely have to say it caught me off guard but we all started to laugh and had a great time. After that my sharing went pretty well for what little if any prep time I had and I felt like I was able to relate with the young adults there. After I was finished we has some extra time and Heather decided to come up and share a little about keeping our eyes on Jesus. Over all it went really well and I loved sharing with the Kenyan people.

Once the Bible studies were over we all headed into the main church service and started to worship the Lord through songs. It was nice because they sang many of the English songs that we commonly sing at our church. It was an experience to see how they had personalized the songs to almost have a Kenyan style to them. My favorite part of worship was having the words to a Kenyan worship song and being able to sing along with them in their own language. Praise the Lord!!! After they finished with their worship, our worship team got up and we did a few songs. About half way through Matt got up to share. He did such an amazing job and I can see the close relationship he has with the Lord. I truly admire what he has and how God works through him. Once we had finished worship Trenton gave a great message. One of these times we will have to video his message so all can hear what a great job he does… though I know he doesn’t like videos of them haha.

After the service we had lunch at the church which was so good. It was a mixture of rice, beans, and lamb. Once lunch was over we were planning on doing the outreach to the community. However, it had started to rain and no one showed up for the outreach. The rain was nothing compared to Seattle weather and was barely drizzling, but it was enough to scare people off since the slums great rather muddy when it rains.

Before we decided to leave, many of our team members decided to play soccer with the locals from the church. It was a lot of fun to watch and cheer both teams on. That is what our Sunday looked like and praise the Lord we got to be there with Pastor Tobias.

John

Praise God for His Salvation

2010-08-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 31^st

On Saturday we went to Mike’s work place in downtown Nairobi called World Ministries International. Driving through downtown Nairobi was very similar to any other big city, though they don’t pay much attention to light signals and are often running red lights. We made it to Mike’s building and went to see the World Ministries International office he works at. Inside we found many offices and meeting rooms. One of Mike’s dental clinics was also there and consisted of two dental chairs. Once we were situated in one of the meeting rooms, we heard of testimony of one beautiful woman. To see and hear how she lives her live day to day was amazing and truly showed me the heart she has for the Lord and the teaching of His kingdom. She literally risks her life for Jesus every day.

After leaving Mike’s office we made our way and visited Kayaba Free Baptist Church in the South B slum. When we arrived at the entrance to the slum, Pastor Paul Sitati and other church staff members came to greet us and escort us to the church. As we made our way through the slums I was expecting us to find a church sitting in a building off by itself, much like Comido School. However, we were in the middle of the slum walking down a small alley way when I saw the group turning into a building. The church wasn’t large but I could feel the love and passion of Christ there. The church choir was up singing and praises from the church arose… I loved it when I walked into the house of the Lord.

Once we were in the church, Pastor Paul had the whole team introduce themselves individually sharing difference reasons for coming to Kenya and knowing God’s love in our lives. It was great hearing what all the members of our team had to say and their sharing was definitely an encouragement to me. Worship was the next thing on our agenda and the church got into singing the songs with us. I was playing the tambourine for the first time, which isn’t quite the bass guitar but it worked. After worship we got to feed the community beans and rice. It was really amazing to see a church with so little resources still pouring out God’s blessing to the surrounding community. As meal time started coming to an end… the beans and rice was super good btw :)…. We got up and performed the skit of God freeing His people from the control of Satan. The skit led in perfectly to Trenton and his sharing which I felt really touched the people.

Trenton did an alter call as the church went into full praise and singing to God. Around ten people came to the alter and gave their lives to Jesus Christ and professing Him as their Lord and Savior. It was beautiful to watch the kingdom of God grow and as I prayed for these new believers I couldn’t do anything but cry as I was filled with joy knowing they would feel the love of Christ in their lives. There is just something amazing when people accept Christ.

Lord God, I pray that you work wonders through these people. I ask Lord, that You rain down your grace and mercy upon them allowing them to know You and Your love. Not only will they influence the lives of those that are at the church, but make them infectious with the love of Jesus that may overflow into the South B slums. Us them to bring disciples to all nations! In Jesus’ name amen.

Leaving the Kayaba Free Baptist Church was hard and I gave Pastor Paul a long hug. Pastor Paul is such an amazing man and he will continually be in my prayers. I could see the love he had for his people and for God. I wish him the best as he continues to bring more believers to Christ.

John

Cutest Baby Ever

2010-08-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Made In The Streets Community Center in Eastleigh. We spent the whole day with some of the street boys, who don't have a home or even shelter. They were very happy to see us there and they loved when we sang songs with them and danced with them. It made me very happy to see them enjoying the day with us because they all looked dirty and sick and high off of glue. Some of the team left to actually visit the bases, and the rest of the team stayed at the Community center to play games with the boys. At first there were no girls there and I asked one of the staff why none of the girls had showed up, and they replied that it was probably too dangerous for them to come and they were probably scared to come when there are so many boys there. I understood, but I really wished some of the girls could have come and listened to the worship and message.

But during the games trisha came out with this really cute little boy named Steven. She said I should hold him because she was going to get another baby. So I took him and held him and played with him. He is the CUTEST baby in the world. He never cryed and he was moving with the music and loved watching the other children playing the games. I held him for a very long time until I had to join in the games so I gave him to Josh, who also thought he was really cute. For the rest of the day I spent my time holding little Steven and playing with him, he is just so cute.

Later on his mother came back from her apprenticeship. And through a translator we talked a while. Her name is Veronica, she was also living on the streets with her 7 month son, before the MITS organization let her stay in their Center and got her an apprenticeship. When I asked how long ago she had come to the community center they said 2 weeks ago. That amazed me, she looked so healthy and so did Steven. But Larry said that Steven was really skinny and light when he came in. Wow in only 2 weeks steven looked completely healthy. I tried asking her more about her life on the streets, but the only answer I got was that it was hard to keep her and the baby alive. and that she is so blessed and happy that she can live in the Community center now.

I am so happy I got to spend the day with Steven and hearing Veronica talk a little about her life, at the end she wanted to take picture of us and Steven. Which I promised her I would send to her. God has done so much for her and I hope he continues to bless her and Steven and hopefully she accepts Jesus into her life, if she hasn't already.

Today was also very hard for me because I saw what great potential all the boys had that we met. Yet they were high and addicted to glue. I actually got to hear some of their stories and they wanted to go to school and learn, but they just didn't get the chance to. Some of the youth where taken to the Farm but ran away again, some because of peer presure and some because they couldn't get of of their glue addiction. I wanted to cry, knowing that the majority of these boys were going to spend the rest of their lives homless and starving.

I am happy that we got to make them laugh and have fun for a day...

Dakota

Steven and Me

Josh and me playing with Steven

My friend Moses...

2010-08-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the community Center in the Eastleigh slum, where they minister to teenage boys and girls who live on the streets. The staff invited street boys to the Center for a day camp, hosted by our team. We played games, sang worship songs, shared a message, and talked with the kids. It was great to see the smiles on their faces, and how much they enjoyed teaching US songs and games too. We played one game that was like musical chairs, and they were very polite when it came to battling for the last chair with an older lady like me!

But the highlight of my day was seeing my friend Moses, who I met there last year. Moses came from the streets himself, but was motivated to work hard and go to school. Last year he told me he was studying to be a social worker, and volunteering at Eastleigh with the street kids. He couldn’t afford to finish his schooling, but the staff at his school was so impressed with his work, they decided to support him through the rest of his program.

Moses was hired as full-time staff at Eastleigh this Spring, and will complete his social work program by next summer. He is a very dedicated young man, with a great heart for the street kids. The conditions on the streets of Eastleigh are the worst I’ve ever witnessed, and it’s amazing he would come back to this neighborhood to work. He is a living example of what it means to care for the “least of these”, and I’m proud to call him my friend.

Mungu aku Bariki (God bless you) Moses…
Heather

Matt: "The Female Giraffe I Named Dave"

2010-08-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a "free day." After consuming the mocha that I added sugar to and that burned my hand while I was keeping it from spilling on the bus, we went to a giraffe park to feed/kiss giraffes! Despues de our African massage, the friendly giraffes greeted us with smiles. Actually, they didn't greet us and they didn't smile, but they looked pretty cool. Some people, like Josh and John, predecided (is predecided a word?) that they wanted to kiss the giraffe. I was...on the fence? Peer pressure and the encouragement of a picture of me kissing the giraffe led me to...well, kiss the giraffe. I put a piece of the food between my lips and the female giraffe I named Dave kissed me. It was...pretty gross cuz its tongue was...rough and full of unnecessary saliva. Anyway, it was one of those things like, "I'm glad I did it, but probably wouldn't want to do it again." Kind of like when people say they've watched The Pursuit of Happyness and don't need to watch it more than once. (That was probably an unnecessary analogy but yeah...)

We went from giraffes to the Hyodo's home. Most of us plopped down on the ground and slept for about an hour. (Josh is on my left playing pinball...he's pretty bad...) Oh! I made up a joke yesterday! Want to hear it! Oh good, everyone but my family and a few other people want to hear it! Well, here it goes.

What is a farmer's favorite piece of furniture?
...
...
...
A COWWWWWch. hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Okay. Back...to...the...er..blog....

The dinner we devoured was delicious. The youth then played Apples to Apples, which I didn't get any green cards for...(Nicole got three but hers were, "wide, messy, and terrible." haha. I was blessed to hear Mike's testimony later that night. God has truly worked in his life in amazing ways. I clearly saw that God can take any heart to transform and redeem it for His glory.

Today was a different story. Today the team visited Eastleigh to witness to kids drastically different from ones we have seen earlier on the trip. Our destination was Made in the Streets (MITS), an organization meant to rescue teenagers off the streets of Eastleigh and claim their lives for Jesus. Our program was loose and all of us pretty much didn't know what was going on. Worship started with Lord I Lift Your Name On High and Every Move I Make. When I first scanned the group of teens, I was extremely doubtful that they'd want to participate in anything we had to offer them. I was wrong. They all stood up, sang the songs, and surprisingly, did the motions! I really learned to not judge a book by its cover and to have more faith in the Lord. Later in the afternoon, Trenton told the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. We followed with group discussion to connect with the kids as much as we could. Many of them were guarded, distracted, and uninterested. We tried anyway. Trenton took the approach of asking questions like, "Where did you come from? What do you think a good life is? Why did you run from your home?" Something I should explain about Eastleigh is that the kids on the streets are runaways: victims of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. What I saw in them was a sense of hopelessness and weariness. These kids were not like the joyful little children in the slums. These kids were slashed by oppression; they merely wanted to survive. My heart broke in a different way for them.

The program closed with a few worship songs, and then we left for the Heart. I have seen many different aspects of poverty here in Africa. My mind attempts to sort my feelings out in an organized and logical fashion, but I just can't wrap my mind around all that I have seen. I am praying that Jesus continues to open my eyes to the brokenness of this world--to the things that break His heart.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

With love,
Matt

Great Day Off-Bob

2010-08-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great off day yesterday and it was certainly needed. Everyone is tired. Bus rides can be very long and tiring.Been giving it their all and we have 4 more days before we get a final break and go on safari or relax with the Hyodos.

Speaking of the Hyodods, we wound up our busy off day by receiving the hospitality of the Hyodos at their residence. Gracious and giving people they are. We finished the evening with Mike sharing his extraordinary testimony. I think they youth were stunned into silence. Really spoke to all of us.

That is two extraordinary testimonies that we have heard since we have been here. Both opened up eyes and hearts.

Today we go out to Eastleigh to visit Made In The Streets. Again most of us don't know what to expect accept that with our God we can expect the unexpected.

Lots of giraffes got kissed yesterday and some more cash was poured into the local economy.

Finally an apology to all who's names I have misspelled or who's good senses I have offended with my poor spelling, grammar etc. I promise to use the spell check more often. What more can I say, you are getting what you pay for.

In Him, Bob

I kissed a gir...affe and I liked it.

2010-08-02T13:12:00.001-07:00

Josh Chinn Not-So-Quality Blog Post #6?

Today was a relaxed day for the Kenya 2010 squad. We woke up a little later than usual and then went to the Java house after a quick b-fast at home. After that, we visited a small ministry similar to Amani ya Juu and I got a couple small stuffed elephant toys that are purple and gold. They're pretty cool, but that was just the beginning of the fun and excitement.

After visiting that ministry, we drove to Amani ya Juu again, but ShawnShawn and I were tired and we slept in the back of the van... until we went through another African massage. Man, they have some big potholes and some uncomfortable roads here. I was lying down in the back seat of the bus and then we hit this bump and I was in the air for a good quarter of a second. It was frightening and woke me up immediately.

The best part of the day was visiting the giraffe center. We listened to a short presentation on the giraffe center and learned about the different species of giraffes. Then came the amazing experience, feeding the giraffes. At first we were given pellets and we held them out in our hands and fed the giraffes one pellet at a time, but then some of us dcided to be a bit more adventurous and put the pellet in our teeth (it's okay mom, I brushed very thorougly when I got home) and we "kissed" the giraffe. Its tongue was... rough and long. Apparently a giraffe tongue can get up to 50cm long. It was weird when it tried to eat the pellet in your mouth because it would end up licking your chin then slobbering all over your lower lip before finally reaching the pellet in your mouth, but it was so fun. Definitely an awesome experience.

Despues de la centre of the giraffes, we went to the Hyodos and relaxed before dinner. The youth watched The Office season 4 episode "Fun Run" and it was quite entertaining. We ate dinner as a group and played Apples to Apples which was intense but hilarious as well. I snuck looks at Kristine's cards. After the dinner and game, we were fortunate enough to hear Mr. Hyodo's testimony. It was really inspiring to hear his whole story and I was locked in and listening intently the whole way through. His life has had hardships and high points and hearing his testimony was certainly a treat.

I guess I should go to bed now. We go to Eastleigh tomorrow and visit the youth there. Thanks for reading!
-Josh

You have saved our lives, we are eternally grateful!

2010-08-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

In the movie Toy Story 2, Woody is kidnapped by an evil chicken mascot who wants to ship him off to Japan with the other Woody series action figures. As they see Woody being taken to the airport, Buzz and the gang run to Woody's rescue and chase them down in an idle Pizza Planet truck. Since the toys aren't big enough to reach the pedals, Buzz directs while Rex pushes down the pedals, leading to some reckless driving. After a sharp right turn, the 3 aliens attached like fuzzy dice to the rearview mirror start flying out the window, but Mr. Potato Head valiently grabs the string and reels them back to safety. The aliens are overjoyed to see their savior and say in unison, "You have saved our lives, we are eternally grateful!" They never let him forget how grateful they are and repeat that phrase whenever they see him.

How does Toy Story 2 relate to my mission experience you may ask? Well, for one it was one of the movies available on the flight to Nairobi, but more significantly, I see those similar characteristics in the local leaders here. The thing that most stuck out to me at the Kayaba Free Baptist Church was when we were feeding the kids and the line stretched out the door. It reminded me of feeding the homeless in Seattle when the line seemed to go on forever. Pastor Paul's wife, as she was passing me more empty bowls to fill, said "This is life in the slums, but I still thank God."

That really struck a chord in me, since so much of this mission trip for me has been looking at these different slums and seeing how little they had. I was focused on how poor they were, how sick they looked, and how filthy their living conditions were. However, she looked at the exact same situation and saw the glass as more than half full. She saw how much they were blessed by God and how God was keeping them safe and alive, and as a result, she, Pastor Paul, and the other leaders of the church poured their hearts out during worship. They threw their whole bodies into it, sung at the top of their lungs, and this was all for the One who saved their lives, and for that they too were eternally grateful.

We were able to hear a miraculous testimony from a woman who risked everything to be a Christian. She was a Muslim and was so oppressed by her husband and life that she had decided to kill herself. She loved Muhammad, but that still didn't make life worth living for her, so she decided to poison herself to end the misery. Right after she poured the poison into a glass and was about ready to drink it, she saw a vision of a man in the clouds with long hair. She asked who it was, and written on His chest it said Jesus. Since she was a Muslim, she asked "who is this Jesus?", but the vision ended, her cup was knocked over, and she knew that whoever this man was, He had saved her life for a reason. She continued searching until she found out that He was the son of God, and she decided to commit her life to following Him and serving Him.

She was from Somalia, where being a Christian is unacceptable. People who convert there are beaten, sometimes killed, and their husbands can even slice open their stomachs to kill the unborn baby. There are terrorist groups looking for Christian refugees, and her life is constantly in danger. She has to wear a disguise and cannot talk to other Somalis on the street. She has had the grim reaper standing outside on her doorstep many times, but every time God is there protecting her. She is now working to help other Somali refugees find a safe place to grow in their faith.

Before this trip, I knew in my head that there were places where being a Christian was dangerous, although just like with the slums, it's very different seeing a miracle standing ten feet in front of you, looking you in the eye, and telling you their life story. It blows me away how looking back on her life, how I can see God's ultimate plan for her life unfold, even when she didn't know it. He saved her life so that she could be a light that brings others to Christ, and even though she didn't know it right away, she was able to sense that too, and being eternally grateful, she dedicated her life to serving Him. Living life apart from Jesus to her wasn't worth living, so even though being a Christian was life threatening, even though she was beaten many times for her faith, and even though she lost her identity and her home in Somalia, she realized that living for God was worth all the perils, and I really admire her passionate, full-hearted commitment to being that living sacrifice for God. I have trouble choosing to read the Bible over watching TV, and it's very convicting to see someone give up so much for something that I take for granted so easily.

Tonight, we heard Dr. Mike Hyodo's personal testimony, which moved me the most out of all of the testimonies that I have ever heard. He was a successful dentist, looking to expand his practice and become more successful. However, God had different plans for his life, and began showing up in supernatural miracles. Through all of these experiences, he felt like he was about to die and that there was this dark, evil power that was ripping apart his soul and was about to kill him. These intense visions nearly drove him insane, and God took the face of worldly success and reduced him to a spiritually lost, emotionally depleted, and physically naked man. Through some devoted men and women, God was able to reach His hand out to Mike, cast out his demons, and completely transform his life through the power of Jesus Christ. God was able to use Him to cast out demons, bring family members to Christ, and reach out and touch thousands of lives in Jamaica and Kenya.

Through all of these stories, I can clearly see how God has miraculously turned these lives around and as a result, He has gained passionate, fully committed servants to further His kingdom. From the brink of death, they gained new life in Christ. I can see that their joy in serving, their heart for others, and the faithfulness they have to devote their whole lives to God comes from their realization that they have been so blessed by Him, they are undeserving of His grace, and they want others to experience the same miraculous salvation. I am blown away by their amazing qualities and can truly see the love of Jesus through them.

Each face has a name

2010-08-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

Friday
We went back to Mathare and I didn’t think it was possible but it was more difficult than the day before. The highlights happened when we drove up we were swarmed by the kids we ministered to as they waved their salvation bracelets, so proud to show them off. And then again as I walked outside and sat with a group of kids and youth on the top of a small hill. At first there was just a couple and then a few more. Before I knew it I could feel pressure on my back as they were pushing forward and the group grew. They talked about Kenya, proud to tell me about their country and knowledgeable about their history. We talked about slavery and oppression, wars, and loving our enemies. They know better than anyone of our team and maybe most everyone we know how dark the world can be. We also talked about the love and grace of Jesus that brings light to these places.
The most difficult was in regards to a little friend of ours. As we drove up, I spotted the little boy who danced for us last year. When we saw him yesterday the sparkle in his eye was gone. He looked sickly and had scars on his head and arms. He was reluctant to dance and he barely pushed out a smile. His clothes were torn and he was completely covered with dust. When I saw him today I opened my window and yelled out his name. He lit up having been acknowledged amidst numerous others, though he stood out in the same dirty blue and green shirt he wore the day before and likely much much longer than that. It reminded me that the needs are so great, so many are in need, and that one year in these conditions take a brutal toll on the innocent. When we were leaving today I went looking for him to say goodbye and found him a ways off on the same hill I met with the group of kids. He was off by himself and I jogged over to him. I sat down beside him and noticed there were flies around him and now on me. I asked him if he knew Jesus loved Him and he said yes. He then proceeded to say a whole bunch of things that I couldn’t understand which followed by me saying that no matter what happens that Jesus is always with him and His love is forever. I then walked him over to the bus to have him say goodbye to the team…Dan in particular. So we walked hand in hand, something the kids love to do, over to the bus. I picked him up and brought him to the window where Dan was sitting and they said goodbye. It took me a few times to write this part of my blog…I just break down and had to stop writing because I couldn’t see the screen through the tears. The poor and impoverished, the neglected and the oppressed have names…this one’s name is Dennis.

Saturday
Today we went to our church in Kenya, Kayaba Free Baptist and spent the day with one of my favorite people in the entire world, Pastor Paul. I was greeted with a warm embrace and welcomed back to the South B slum. We walked through the narrow spaces between the sheet metal walls that line them. When we arrived at the church it was noticeably different, expanded to double the size it was the previous year. When you entered the doorway it was as if you were being enveloped by the very Spirit of God, almost a physical presence if that makes sense. The worship was powerful, the people felt like family, and it was a privilege to be among brothers and sisters who love Jesus and exude a faith that inspires me and glorifies God.
Worshipping at Kayaba is a tremendous experience. The desire to bring light into the darkness and bring the good news of the gospel is so strong in this place. As the kids lined up, bowls and spoons in hand brought from home I was reminded of Dennis. I thanked God for this church and the people He has sent, and the heart they have to reach their community. I know there are a lot of Dennis’ in this place too and I am thankful that someone is doing what God has asked them to do in reaching out to them, welcoming them in and loving them in the name of Jesus. After my message I (and then Pastor Paul) invited people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As the congregation sang as one voice, 10 people came forward. First a few teenage girls and then a couple of younger ones and then a couple ladies came to the front. The story of Kayaba is that it was a struggling church about contemplating closing its doors before our team supported them a few years ago. Again I was reminded that as God’s people respond to Him the light of Christ goes forth and lives are changed, in this life as well as the one to come.

Trenton

Some shots from Comido and Mcedo(backwards in order)

2010-08-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

kids sitting in the streets

a little boy outside his home

A view of the slum homes in Mathare

Goats eating the trash on the way into Mathare

My little friend at Comido School

His name is Brian

"Ace, is that you?"

2010-08-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

[Picks up telephone] We're in. I'm sorry for not getting in before this. I've been concentrating on keeping both my roommates and myself reletively rested and refreshed. We're at the Hyodo place right now and most of the youth are watching "The Office". (This is why I'm a Lynx.) I just wanted to say a few things about the past few days. On Saterday, after we left the church, one of our escorts walked up to me and asked me not to forget him. I had to admit that I probably would, so he told me that his name is Josh and asked me again not to forget him. I don't think I will. Not this time. Yesterday, on Sunday, I met the man who lead Dan, Daniel, and myself around Satelite. He called me Daniel and I'm not sure if its because he thought I was the other guy or because I was playing Daniel from "Daniel and the Lion's Den". Either way, I was forced to admit that I have forgotten his name. I didn't have time to relearn it because we had to skedaddle for service. Kristine had lost her voice so she was out of commision. As we stoodup to show the congrecation our handmotions, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and say, "Go on up and help." So I did. Someone has posted photos of how that went. Today was an off day, so we went shopping and fed some giraffes. Kristine, Dakota, Matt, and a few others actually kissed some. I think I'll stick with feeding them for now, which I actually did this year. I think I better quite spilling the beans on this team for now and sign off. HOOAH!!!

Um what?!?! I could do that at home... haha

2010-08-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 30^th

On Friday we decided to go back to Mcedo School and finish painting two more of the classrooms there. Once we were done painting, we went to the Maasai Market which was located at the Village Market.

On our way into the Slum to get to Mcedo School we saw many of the children which were at the school the day before. When they saw the bus coming down the street some of the children just dropped what they were doing and ran with all their might back to the school ready to see us. The closer we got to the school we could see children all around the bus lifting up their hands to show us the salvation bracelets which we helped them make the day before. It is hard to put in words how I felt when I saw this but I knew they had something to always remind them of Christ and that really made me joyful.

Once we got to the school the team focused on the Children and we saw many familiar faces from the day before. It was so amazing to see them again and I could see they were happy to have us there. After spending some time with the children we made our way back into the school and started to paint two more rooms which turned out really well. Once the classrooms were done we made our way back to the bus and there was a team of children there that had put together a dance routine for us thanking us for coming. Watching them perform was a joy because they seem to have such a talent and passion for dancing and singing. After their presentation we got on the bus to leave the slums. On our way out we saw a local person selling grilled corn on the side of the road. Some of us decided to take our chances and try it. The corn was actually really good and tasted like popcorn.

After leaving the Mcedo School, we made our way to Maasai Market at the Village Market. Maasai Market is a place where many local vendors get together and sell a variety of goods and gifts. The market is a place that you are able to barter for items and we definitely had people that were better at bartering than others haha. When I first walked into the market place I was a little caught off guard because the people there are very aggressive and I was actually pulled towards many of the shops. After spending some time there I become quite comfortable walking around and bartering with the people. I feel at the beginning I definitely paid too much for a few items, but once I got better at the bartering deal I did pretty well.

Erika was by far the greatest barter that we had and it was a true marvel to watch haha. She told us if we wanted a good deal we had to be willing to walk away and wow was she right. Matt become here padawan learner in the whole process lolz. Matt and I were together when the market was getting ready to close and one of the vendors came up to Matt and asked how much he got some of his items for. Matt told him and the man was like, “oh you are a tough barter, you need to come to my shop and I will give you a good deal.” Well I don’t know about you but if I was a vendor I would want to avoid people like Matt haha. Anyways, we went over to his shop to see if we wanted to get anything. I was looking at these two boxes that he was selling and Matt went to town on the bartering. The man really wanted a high price on the items and claimed they were better than the others in the market because his has felt in them. At this point is when Matt pulled out a line that made me laugh right … aha what!?! I could do that at home” lolz, the man just looked at him with a blank face at this point. But we definitely got a good price on our items.

The day was a lot of fun and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Dance Dennis Dance

2010-08-01T22:23:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 29^th

On Thursday we went to Mcedo School in the Mathare slums. It was such an eye opening experience to visit the school and be in the slums for the second time. I felt a little more prepared for the slums since I knew what to expect and was more comfortable there.

When we arrived at the school we had children rushing up to see us as we stepped off the bus. It is at times like these that one can see how beautiful, joyful, and innocent the children really are. Pastor Benedict who runs the school came to greet us with his staff. We decided to take a tour of the slums and walk down to the local river. The slum at Mathare is quite different then the slum we had visited the day before. The slum was built on a hill and all of the buildings are close together allowing us very small passage ways to walk through. We made our way through the tight alley ways and had to constantly navigate over the “river” of raw sewage that flowed down the center of the path ways. One of our team members Matt, lost his footing and fell into the raw sewage… the look on his face was priceless, but the trip wouldn’t have been complete without someone falling into the “river”. As we made our way back up the hill, we had the opportunity to look at two homes in the slums. Seeing the reality of what these people live in everyday was hard. Each home was completely dark, about the size of a walk-in closet, and one of the places we looked at housed a mother and six children. I couldn’t imagine living in such a place every day of my life, but when we meet the women that let us look inside of their homes they seemed joyful for what they had… truly amazing and heart touching.

One we were back at the school we took a tour of the facilities there and saw the classrooms which we were going to paint that day. We ended up painting two of the classrooms at the school and the difference in the rooms once we were done was nice to see. The bright white walls really cleaned up the rooms and brought in more light. During this time half of the staff took a break to do VBS for the kids including our Daniel and the lion’s den skit and making salvation bracelets. Once we finished painting the two rooms the team headed to the church building at the school to lead in worship and give the message of Jesus Christ. So many children were packed into the church and it really showed me how many of them wanted to hear about Jesus Christ and enjoyed our presence there. The room had very little ventilation and was so hot and humid from all of us there. As we started our acoustic worship the kids loved singing the songs and doing the hand motions. I loved when our Choir Master Matt would yell “God is good” and they would yell “All the time”… then Matt would yell “All the time” and they would yell “God is good”. They seemed to yell this with such passion and it really touched my heart knowing they felt God was good. After our worship Trenton gave a wonderful message about coming to Christ and finding his wonderful salvation.

There was an older kid that was in 8^th grade near the front of the church which really captured my heart. He was so joyful and really sang out to the Lord as we worshipped. Once Trenton was giving the message he listened intently and I could see he really wanted to know more about Christ and His goodness. Since he was older the younger kids looking up to him. As he poured out his joy and participated in worship the kids around him would do the same. It was like he had an infectious persona that encouraged the children around him. It was such an encouragement to me and I went to talk to him after the service.

As we were preparing to leave the school we took one quick look at the new kitchen that was being built there. During this time we came across a child whom the team remembered from last year. His name was Dennis and sadly they felt that he didn’t quite have the same spark that he had the year before. I guess it showed us that a year in the slums could affect a child as they grow up and see the reality of where they are. However, he still was an amazing person and he loved to dance. Him and I had a dance off in the kitchen… and I think he beat me haha. It was a lot of fun to interact with him and see him give a little smile here and there.

After this we exited the slums and on our way out there is a large and steep hill that the bus needed a pretty good running start to make it up. As we rushed the hill the whole team lifted their hands like it was a rollercoaster which made us all laugh. I am so thankful for having the ability to come to the slum today and hope that the Lord will be able to use our presence there to change lives.

Sunday service pictures

2010-08-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Sunday at the Christian Life Center church.

Friends

Erika and a friend

Dakota singing during the worship service

Jesse singing

Garrett singing

Dan and Shawn on the djembe

So I Aint So Gud at Spelin.

2010-08-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ok it should be macho not mocho. In the middle of worship yesterday it came to me that I might have misspelled it. Then a second thought came to me, "where in the world did that first thought come from?"

South B is certainly a step up from the slums we have visited and their church has a some more modern equipment, but I wonder if some of the youth have ever seen an overhead projector before. Their worship is lively, free and expressive and they could probably teach us a few things about worshiping God. A slight drizzle, not even worth putting a rain coat on by Seattle standards, sent everyone home early. Things can get very muddy and slick here in a hurry, so we did not do our neighborhood outreach. We left early also as a result. Ended up at the Nairobi Java House and realized that LCC's first service was just about to start. We thought how cool it would be if we could set up a video conference call with Lighthouse and talk to you all live on your big screen. You could see us all suffering for Jesus at the coffee house. :)

Speaking of suffering for Jesus I see many of the other blogs mentioned the Somali women who's testimony we heard at Mike's office. Amazing! Other Amazing things we have seen and heard. The hospitality of the people here who have so little. The passion of the pastors to reach out to their communities. The appreciation the Christians here have for us just coming over to see them. We did not have to bring anything or do anything, just the fact that were willing to come is a huge encouragement for them. Being part of a small church in the middle of a slum it can be easy to believe that you are in the battle all alone. They are greatly encouraged to find out that they are not alone.

Trenton has been doing a great job preaching and giving a message of hope. Many times that is all they need.

Today is an off day and many are sleeping in. Everyone is tired, no one is complaining. How can we when the people we are serving don't complain. We'll do something on the fun and relaxing side today.

The youth, and everyone really have been incredible. Yesterday for example as we pulled up to the International Pentecostal Holiness Church most of our well laid plans went out the window. They wanted someone from our group to lead the youth Sunday School and for Trenton to teach the adult Sunday School and Erica to do her VBS program for the children's Sunday School right away instead of later. No one complained we just shifted gears, rearranged our thinking and people stepped up. John and Heather led the youth Sunday School with the support of several of our youth while Blake filled in as a lion, Jesse as Daniel and I played King Darius, a part that comes natural for me :)

All for now, one week down another exciting week ahead. Can't wait to see what God has in store.

Bob

Taking up the cross...

2010-08-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

You have heard quite a bit already from our team members about our ministries in the slums of Nairobi. I would like to share something that was very impactful for me outside of the slums.

Yesterday morning we met a Christian Somalian woman who shared a very interesting and inspiring testimony. It was an unplanned, impromptu meeting.

Her name cannot be revealed over the internet for her protection. Her conversion from Muslim to Christianity was nothing short of a miracle. She was at a point in her life when she was about to commit suicide when suddenly she experienced the presence of Christ. She is so convicted about her Christian faith that she really wanted to tell all the Somalian (especially women and children) refugees here in Kenya about Jesus. Somalians are not very welcome in Kenya and converting from Muslim to Christianity has caused her to lose everything, including her family.

By doing God’s work, she is risking her life daily. She is especially at risk from groups in Somalia and Kenya. She has to dress in disguise and she cannot converse with any of her friends in public for fear of their safety. Not only does she face danger everyday, but what touched me was that she is so lonely, she has no support, but yet she is so convicted and faithful to her call.

I really feel that God had orchestrated the meeting this morning for us to hear her testimony. We only hear of persecution like this in the papers or books, but listening to her in person made it real. I take God’s love for granted so much. She taught me what it means to take up the cross for Jesus. Please pray for her and her ministry!!!

Luke 9:23-25
Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Thank you for your prayers,
Cindy

Matt: I Can't Think of a Creative Title...It's Late...

2010-08-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I haven't blogged for a while! That, for me, is quite abnormal. Ready? Cuz I am!

Friday: the day I discovered I'm part Chinese. (Whaaat? Whaat? Matt, whaaat? Okay, okay, I'll explain later, just wait =) haha.)

We began the day with our second visit to Mathari slum. Our job was to finish painting and organize the library (the library where you all donated books to!). On the bus ride leaving the slum, I was telling Bekah how my oldest sister, Carrie, and brother-in-law, Jeff, had given our family special Christmas gifts for advent conspiracy--some were buying animals for families in our names and some were for "a year of learning" for children. As I was sharing this, tears came to my eyes. I was beginning to realize what those gifts really meant. I was beginning to understand what giving meant.

This was also the market day and this is where my "being Chinese" comes in, even though I'm not at all Chinese... The team told me that Erika and Cindy were the super-incredible tough barterers (and Cindy is REAL Chinese). While Trenton kind of rolled his eyes at the thought of Erika's haggling, I was kind of excited. I may be Japanese, but I'm also an American! The first guys that approached me basically were mean to me and thought I was from Japan and touched my hands a lot...my Asian personal bubble go popped a lot this day. But from then on, it was a different story. I was NOT going to be pushed around! But first, I shall tell you about my djembe. Shawn bought one and for whatever reason, I decided to buy one as well. Erika, the professional, bartered the price down from 3000 to 1800 shillings. The djembe was mine. (Later, I bought another one...it will probably be a gift.) Here's where my Chinese side kicks in. The next few hours were spent helping John, Bekah, and Heather haggle their prices down. I'm happy to say that Erika trained me well. I would apparently make comments like, "you think that fabric costs 200 schillings more? I could do this at home!" and..."no, no, no, you will NOT trick me out of the deal we just made. Is that what you're saying? You want to not keep your word with me?" Yeah...so, I kinda had to pull out that language, but it was so I was...a good steward of the Lord's money! That makes sense...right..?

Saturday: Kayaba and Pastor Paul. He called me a..."Choir Master"...? haha.

I was extremely excited to visit the slum of South B. I had seen the video of Dan and Pastor Paul from last year's blog, so I was really excited to meet him this year. The team one by one entered the Kayaba church. Instantly, we hear the sound of voices praising Jesus with all of their hearts. I have never heard anything like that. All of the people in the Church were worshiping truly with all of their hearts and souls. It brought me to tears again. During the worship set, Bekah shared from the song "None But Jesus." By the end of the first chorus, I was crying again. (So, I'm actually not an emotionally unstable person. God's just touching my heart extremely powerfully this trip!) It was truly apparent that the Spirit of the Lord was present. We all felt it.
That night, we had "Trerika: A Program of Relationship Advice" time. We asked them questions and they told us fun(ny) stories about their relationship and marriage. (Trenton was weiiiiiird...! haha. hope he doesn't read this...)

Sunday: Christian Life Center. I wore a tie and gave Trenton a back massage. (Those two things were totally unrelated.)

Today, Bekah and I co-led the Sunday worship set for Church. (Does it seem like I've mentioned Bekah like a thousand times this blog? Sorry...or maybe not sorry, but...okay, nevermind..) Again, I witnessed some of the most amazing worship of our King I've ever seen in my life. Worship with intense passion and without fear. Oh yeah, today was my sharing day. I shared out of "King of the Broken" and basically totally ad libbed the entire thing...It was pretty fun! (Big surprise, right, Dad? Cuz I hate talking...)
When we got back to the housing, Dan made jokes about kissing giraffes and Cindy silenced him within seconds. It was pretty funny.

I feel like this blog was really unorganized and had bad writing. I apologize... I'll try to be funnier the next blog.

I love you all. And family, I miss you so much. I love you so much. I appreciate how much you've done for me. You mean the world to me.

Love,
Matt

"My Mommy Sometime Calls Me 'Moky-popo'"

2010-08-01T11:31:00.001-07:00

Josh Chinn Quality Blog Post #5?

So over the past few days, I've heard an amazing testimony, visited the Mathare slum again, armed myself with a Masaai spear/shield/knife set (mom/dad, don't mess with me when I get home.. jk :P) and had a great time at the Kayabe Free Baptist Church.

The other day, Mr. Hyodo brought in a woman who came to share her testimony with us. It was by far the best I've ever heard. Her life story was so touching. She had faced so many trials and obstacles. I felt like after I heard it, nothing in my life that I've ever been mad about was worth complaining about. You can read her full story below, we can't post names or pictures for security reasons, but her testimony was so inspiring to hear and I couldn't believe some of the things she's been through. One thing we discussed at our debriefing session tonight was how some people may complain about God and not care about Him, and how they are able to have the choice of freedom of religion. I've thought about freedom of religion before, but today it's been stuck in my mind. I feel so fortunate to be able to choose my religion and what I believe. As we know, many people in the world can not and are persecuted because of their beliefs. The woman's testimony really made that clear to me.

Visitng the Mathare slum and the Mcedo school again was really exciting but also very hard for many team members. Driving in, we passed the soccer field and the second kids saw us, they began sprinting to the school waiting for us to arrive. Once we unloaded all of the kids wanted to show us the bracelets we had made for them the day before and they loved seeing our faces again as we spent time with them. It was really nice to see some of the kids again and to reach out to some of the new people.

Right after that, we went to the Masaai Market which is open on fridays only. It was pretty much a flea market with local goods and souvenirs you can buy. The best part about it was that you can haggle with the people, and when you get a good price on something you really want, you feel really victorious. I bought a spear and shield for a measly 900 shillings when the original price was 3500. I got plenty of souvenirs for amigos and I'm hoping that I can fit everything in my suitcase.

A couple days ago, we visited the South B Slum and the Kayaba Free Baptist Church. Right after we got off the bus, we met the uber-enthusiastic Pastor Paul. If you measure his happiness and energy on a scale of 1-10, he'd probably be a 50. He hugged us and shook our haands and then took us to see his church in the middle of the slum. It was a different experience going to the church because this time we had to walk in and in the heart of the slum was the church, as opposed to the schools that we had previously visited which were on the outskirts. The second I walked in, I could hear loud singing and praise. It was such an awesome experience. These people really love praising the Lord with all they have. They sang and danced and had a few performances for us, and after a message from Trenton we got to feed the kids. The "mamas" as they were called helped ready their food. I was surprised to find out that they only serve meals to the community twice a year. They made a TON of food, but it was all gone by the time we were finished. I was fortunate enough to help dish out the food and spend the whole time with one of the mamas. She was so energetic and happy to haev me help and I wouldnt be surprised if we dished out over 250 plates of food to the kids. It was a blessing to meet the people there and so far Kayaba has been my favorite place to visit.

The SYTE kiddos have spent a couple nights during free time listening to words of wisdom from TrErika. Man, they have amazing dating/marriage/relationship/life advice. I'm sure many people would pay good money to have them as counselors. I think they should write a book. We stayed up quite late last night (err.. technically we stayed up early) taking notes (okay that was just me) and inhaling the amazing advice and wisdom they had for us. They're awesome people. We love them.

Oh yeah, and today at dinner at the Java house we were discussing names and what parents call their kids as "cute" names. Sorry mom, but I revealed the fact that you call me Mokus-bee and Moky-popo sometimes. Now John's gonna call me that for the rest of the trip, but Erika thought it was cute (I think thats what she said.. she was laughing really hard). So yeah, now the team is just like family!

Thanks for your prayers and support!
♥ Jawsh.

Jesus in the Heart of One Inspiring Woman

2010-08-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

*Frances’s name has been changed for her safety

This morning we heard an inspiring testimony of faith from a brave woman named Frances. She is a Somali mother of two, and was a practicing Muslim. Somalia is one of the most dangerous and unstable countries in our world, and as a woman she had few rights and little power. At a dark period in her life, Frances decided that she wanted to stop living. She bought a bottle of poison, and that night, she went home and wrote a goodbye letter, telling God and Mohammed that she loved them but could not continue with her life. As she was about to drink the poison, however, a great light appeared, and there was a heavenly man seated on a throne with a crown of gold. Frances was startled. She asked this man who he was. He did not speak, but instead wrote in black letters on Frances’s chest, "Jesus." As a Muslim, Frances did not know who Jesus was, but she knew that this was a divine intervention, so she asked Jesus if it was His will for her to live instead of die. In response, the vial of poison was suddenly knocked to the ground. Frances knew that this was a sign that she was to live. The very next day, she found out everything she could about this Jesus. She secretly began to attend church, and asked people about Jesus. They told her that to find Jesus, she needed to be born again. One day in service, a pastor asked Frances if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Lord and savior, and that if she did, she would be born again and saved. She did that very day. And from then on there was a peace in Frances’s heart.

But now that she was a Christian, Frances could not live in Somalia without being persecuted. Muslims call Christians "infidels" and (at least in Somalia) Muslims are not allowed to share a meal with Christians. The more radical Muslim groups seek out to kill all Christians. Frances spent years hiding, and eventually came to Kenya as a refugee. But her love for Jesus was not confined to hiding. She had a burden on her heart to spread the love of Jesus to her Somalian people and bring peace to a warring nation. Her first ministry is to find a safehouse for Somalian women whose stories are similar to hers: a Christian refugee, trying to survive.

It is very difficult for Frances to worship the Lord publicly. She has known many people who were attacked by a Somali Muslim terrorist group. They are infamous for pretending to be refugees who have converted from Islam to Christianity, getting the trust of Christian Somalians, and then betraying that trust by bringing in the rest of their group and murdering all the Christians they have discovered.

One woman she knows also came to love Jesus and His message, and she converted to Christianity. When she returned home, her husband beat her and drove her out to a deserted area and contacted the terrorists to come and murder his infidel wife. They tied her hands and feet with rope and beat her again, leaving her to suffer. She would not renounce her devotion to Christ, and they were going to kill her. But this woman prayed to God and asked if it was His will that she die there or continue to live. At that moment, the ropes binding her hands and feet were cast away, and the terrorist guards were not around her. She escaped with the Lord’s grace and continues to tell her testimony today of the miracles of the God she loves.
Frances’s faith and trust in the Lord is strong and unwavering. She is known in Kenya as the Somali Pastor who helps women. But when people ask her on the street, she tells them that she is not this woman. The Holy Spirit informs her, and she is able to discern who is a genuine refugee and who is not. She has picked out members from terrorist groups before and has saved her fellow Christians from persecution.

Frances lives an incredibly difficult life. She is devoted to Christ, but must be intensely careful at all times. She never lets anyone into her home except her two children, who are also Christ followers, and she wears a wig to disguise herself so that people will not know she is a Somalian. Whenever she picks up the phone on the streets, she cannot express herself and proclaim her love for the Lord. Frances and her fellow Somali sisters cannot attend church in Kenya because Kenyan churches do not allow Somalians to worship with them because they fear the same terrorist group that plagues Christian Somalis every day. But Frances is a wonderful servant of the Lord. During her time with us, she spoke the name of Jesus with the highest praise every chance she had, and she praised God for the burden that He placed on her heart to help women like her.

Old and New Friends

2010-08-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

In the afternoon we drove to the South B slum to visit Pastor Paul and his church. Three years ago, Pastor Paul had a vision: to start a church in the middle of the slum to share the love of Christ to these poverty-stricken people. The original Lighthouse team were touched by his calling, and provided the financial means to allow Pastor Paul to rent one small room for his church, the Kayaba Free Baptist Church. A year later, Pastor Paul needed more room as his congregation grew. He wanted to purchase the adjacent room to expand his growing church, and so Lighthouse helped him once more. And again this past year, Lighthouse funded Pastor Paul’s church to knock down the walls to expand the church ones more. The floors of the church were cemented and plastic chairs were bought, and an altar for the Lord was built. And today the church is thriving, the people worshipping in such a genuine and passionate way as to shame us conservative Americans back at home. The people of this church are so joyful and loving, and their worship inspires me.

During Trenton's message, Pastor Paul helped translate, and he did it with as much passion and energy as last year. During the altar call, eight women dedicated their lives to Christ. What an amazing God we have! He is truly at work in South B, and His presence is strong in the people of the Kayaba Free Baptist Church.

Unfortunately, with me being sick, I had to drink a lot of water, and consequently had to use the restroom. Leoneia (sp?), one of the women who helped guide us from our bus to the church, led me to the outhouse, if you can even call it that. It was basically a stream, and there was a wooden board you could stand on. I was so confused! It took me a while to figure out how to go in this new bathroom, because last year I refused to use any public bathrooms and successfully made it through while only using the restroom at our guest house and at clean restaurants. When I was finally done, Leo laughed at me, and we laughed together at my struggle. At one point, after laughing at how different our worlds were, Leo said, "This is our life." And it made me embarrassed and sad. Last year I did not use any of the restrooms because my own sense of personal hygiene would not allow me to, and it was simply unfathomable to me. But what Leo said is true. That was how all the people in slums live, and here I was, albeit unconsciously, thinking that I was better than them in some way, not allowing myself to experience their world.
Praise the Lord, Leo wasn’t angry with me. She just thought I was funny. She liked me enough to make sure that we got a picture together and to hold my hand while walking back to our bus after we ended our time together with the Kayaba Free Baptist Church.

While some of the team helped serve food to the people in the slum, I had a chance to talk to four girls. I said hi shyly at first, and just as I had passed them one of the girls, Monica, reached out and said I was cute. We all laughed, and then got to talk more. Monica’s sister is Agnes, and their two friends were Cynthia and another girl whose name I can’t remember, probably because I couldn’t pronounce it either. I didn’t get a chance to ask how old they were, but I would have guessed they were my age or older. They all attend Kayaba Free Baptist Church and were all very sweet. One of the girls, Agnes, had an email address, so we exchanged, and we plan to be facebook friends soon! Haha. Even better, I got to take a picture with them too! It’s crazy how connected our world is through the internet, and while many look down on sites like facebook, I think here it has proved to be a blessing.

In Africa, In Kenya, In Nairobi, In South B, In Kayaba Church!

2010-08-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

At our church I believe we do community really well. I'll start there. :) But I think that Kayaba Free Baptist Church is really giving us a run for our money.

After being at Mathare for two days and experiencing some hard conditions, it was a welcome sight to see the people around the Kayaba Church so joyful to see us. Some people in Mathare tried to show us the way out. Kayaba has developed such a mothering nature to the people that live around their church and to the entire South B slum, that when they see us with Pastor Paul, they smile widely and say, "Kariba!"

We walked into the church smack dab in the middle of praising and worshipping. What a treat! It was a thrill to see the newly expanded church, now twice the size it was last year! We worshipped with them, watched the children's choir perform, led worchip for them, Trenton preached, all the team shared why they came on this mission trip, and witnessed 8 women give their hearts to the Lord! WHEW!!!! 5 hours at Kayaba went by in the blink of an eye.

Kayaba is by far my favorite church to visit here in Kenya. The energy and the spirit present there is hard to miss. I loved seeing the kids line up with their bowls and spoons, ready to eat. Although I noticed a few saved there food to take home later and others finagled a second helping. Then they all lined up along "the river" to eat. I was able to talk with some of the ladies in the kitchen afterwards and hold one of their babies as they ate. I understood nothing of what they said, but I loved sitting amongst them, listening as they loudly talked with joy in their hearts.

They Lord has used Lighthouse to bless Kayaba and Kayaba has blessed us by allowing us to serve them.

Erika

Brennen, Sydney, and Gabriel- Mama loves you and I am praying for you. Please pray for our team.

Seeing old friends...

2010-08-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit Pastor Paul and the Kayaba Free Baptist Church in the South B slum. The team has visited this church the past 3 years, and has seen the needs of the people there. They were impressed with Pastor Paul’s faith and his vision to grow this church in the middle of the slum. The first team chose to use mission funds to purchase land to build a small building. Last year’s team funded the expansion of the building, purchasing plastic chairs for the church and helping them cement the floors.

It was such a blessing to return to Kayaba this year, to witness the joy in the people’s faces at seeing many of the team again, and to share a day of worship and fellowship. It was exciting to hear how the new building has given them the opportunity to expand their congregation and provide a “haven” in the middle of the slum. You could sense their pride as Trenton was asked to dedicate the new altar to the Lord.

Then Mike asked each team member to share something about themselves and why they felt called to be a part of this team. Having to get on stage and share in front of a group of people, without preparation, is out of the comfort zone for most of our team, but the Holy Spirit was definitely leading. Everyone shared, in their own unique way, how much they had been blessed by the people there, how impressed they were with their faith and commitment to the Lord, and how joyful it was to worship together.

Even though we provided a food outreach for the community, this was the most meaningful part of the day. Having the team share their love, encouragement, and prayers for the people seemed to offer more encouragement and hope than the meal. It has been such a blessing to watch our relationship with the Kayaba Free Baptist Church grow, and realize we truly have sisters and brothers in Christ living halfway across the world. I know our team will leave Kenya with Pastor Paul and the people of the Kayaba Free Baptist Church, firmly implanted in our hearts and prayers…

Mungu aku bariki (God Bless you!)
Heather

I came with 100$

2010-08-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since the last post and SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!!! We went to another slum and visited Kayaba Church lead by Pastor Paul. Three years ago the entire church was inside of an alleyway and today they have an entire building with a concrete foundation with walls and a roof. Praise God!!! Just amazing. Their worship was also an amazing blessing to me. They praised the Lord in their own unique style and yet full of energy and joy. Their love for Jesus was clearly present and I couldnt help but be happy with them. I was also blessed with the opportunity of meeting Pastor Paul. The way he translated and elaborated our words really spoke to the rest of the Kenyans and he was so funny. He had the power to turn one word into an entire speach. The Church of Kayaba is just in love with God and their joy really shows it.
We listened to an amazing heart wrenching testimony. The struggle of one women who has turned to Christ is truely horrifying. She was banished from her home because of her love for Christ and is at risk of being killed. She and other women have to hide and arent even welcomed in local churches because of the danger. It is sad that they have to hide who they are and praise the Lord in secrecy. But what is so amazing is that God is intervening and protecting these women. His hand of protection is over them and God is doing great things with these women. Super natural miracles are taking place and God is evidently working within the Muslim community.
On Friday I went to the Masai Market. A special even that takes palce on Fridays where items of African culture is sold. The people there will try to swindle you and boy, are they good. The Market is a battle zone and your ability to bargain and walk away is your strongest weapon. Mom...Dad.... I'm not coming home with any money.

Thank you everyone who is praying for me and please continue your prayers. Love, Brendon

Always be joyful

2010-07-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

Entering the South B slum

Entrance to Kayaba Free Baptist Church

Feeding the community around the church

Pastor Paul's wife and Matt Sekijima sharing a laugh while feeding the community

Singing "Lord I Lift Your Name On High"

Mike Hyodo, Pastor Paul & Trenton praying for the 8 women/girls were born again on Saturday night

From the moment I walked into the Kayaba Free Baptist Church, I felt joy washing over me. Sure, the church is in the South B slum, and you still see the sewage and poor living conditions as in any urban slum. But walk through the door of the church and you feel joy.
Real joy. Real, genuine joy from people who love the Lord and love what the Lord is doing in their church and their community. Joy that flows, not *in spite* of the circumstances, but *because* of the circumstances.

Lighthouse and Kayaba Free Baptist have partnered to help reach the community in South B. Two years ago, their church met in a small area with no walls. Last year, we helped fund the purchase of the adjacent property so that the church could expand - we also provided funds to pour a concrete floor and altar area, and provided a number of chairs. In the past year, their attendance was around 50 people - but now, with the larger building, they've been able to increase to 100-120 people.

And they continue to grow. After Trenton's message yesterday, 8 women and girls declared their faith and became Christians! Praise God! They also have garnered favor with the community - which is so vital to their work and protection. The elder for their section of South B was there for the entire 5 hours we were at the church - so we knew we could count on the safety his presence provided.

They are so thankful to our church - they view us as their parent church. And having worshiped with them, served food to their children and shared with them, I see clearly that we all *are* the Body of Christ, the church. Yes, we are separated by 10000 miles and attend two different churches. We live in different countries and have different economic and social problems. But our common ties is our faith, and our love for Jesus, and our vision of the difference that Jesus can make in our worlds.

Our responsibility is to take this partnership seriously. Pray for them as they work to reach out into South B. Have open hearts and respond to their needs as they arise. Bless them with visitors such as us who can be eyewitnesses of what God is doing in their lives. I know I will also remember their joy - real joy from the Lord - and hope that my life back home can reflect that same joy.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How Did I Get Here?

2010-07-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

A fifty something white guy, raised in a small all white farm town in northern California. Marries a Chinese, attends a Japanese church, then flies half way around the world to Africa to worship with my Kenyan brothers and sisters. How did this happen? Only God. My eyes started to get moist thinking about it. Crying, no not me, too mocho for that.

The people at Kayaba Free Baptist are so appreciative of all that Lighthouse has done for them they could not stop thanking us. Their hospitality was overwhelming, especially for people who have so little. Because they have so little I am sure they appreciate what they did have so much more.

The also love and adore Dr. Mike as they call him.

An up date on the well. The drilling rig is in place but they are waiting on the piping before they start drilling.

All for now, Bob

Our Adventures

2010-07-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

I have decided to upload a few pictures from our trip to the schools in the slums. I hope you guys enjoy looking at them and seeing our team at work as the pictures take a long time to load.

Trenton talking with some kids outside of the Comido School

Me, Bekah, Dakota, Matt, and Jesse feeding the kids at Comido School

The kids at Comido School watching the VBS skit intently

Josh playing one of the ferocious lions going to eat Daniel

The beautiful little girl that just shows the joy of the Lord

The youths on the Kenyan Mission Team... yes I still think of myself as a youth haha :)

A shop off the main street of the Mukuru Slums

Blake, Nicole, Shawn, Jesse, Renee, and others painting classrooms at Mcedo School

Me helping to paint the classrooms

Behind the Scenes...

2010-07-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

Cindy and I had the chance to meet with Pastor James from the Comido School today, to discuss details about the student scholarships and the well project that will be supported by the Lighthouse Advent Conspiracy donations. It was so eye opening to learn the challenges they face in supporting the students and operating the school.

He told us they lose teachers every 3 months, since they can only pay 1/3 of what the government schools do. Their salaries are dependent upon all students paying full tuition, which is never the case. Government funding is available for partial subsidy of books and materials, but the government is not willing to finance teacher’s salaries.

Many students are allowed to continue their studies at Comido, despite the fact they are unable to pay their tuition. He was so thankful to hear that Lighthouse is willing to fund scholarships, since this will benefit not only the students and their families, but the teachers too.

We also heard some amazing news about the water project. Each student has to carry a 5L water jug to school each day, to contribute to the school’s water supply. There is no guarantee the water is clean, and these containers weigh about 10 pounds! Once the well is completed, the students will no longer have to do this, and they are so excited! The school will also be able to generate revenue from this project, which will help to support teacher’s salaries.

Cindy and I were very impressed with Pastor James and the philosophy of the Comido School. They meet with parents of the 350 students monthly, to facilitate communication and involvement in the school. They have also formed a committee, composed of community leaders and parents of the students, to help oversee issues regarding the well. He realizes that without community support, the school and the well project would not succeed. And without the blessing of financial support from so many of our Lighthouse members, these miracles would not be possible.

I just wanted you to know how much your prayers and support have already done to transform this school, the community, and the people who live here. You ARE making a difference, and we have been blessed to see the fruits of God’s work here…

Bwana Asifiwe!
Heather

Suprise My Second Post

2010-07-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Nichole for helping figure this thing out.

Things that amaze me.

I am amazed that believers who live in the slums can still exhibit joy in spite of the harsh reality of their world. I am there for a few hours and leave and it is depressing. They live there with little hope of ever leaving and yet I see joy on the faces of believers.

I am amazed that some who manage to get out and get an education choose to come back, live in the slum and work at the school.

I am amazed at the youth on our trip. People say this young generation is spoiled, selfish and materialistic. Not these young people. You should see and hear how their hearts break at the sights, sounds, smells and thought of these people and the conditions they live in. I only pray that it spurs them on to more action.

Funniest thing I heard on Thursday. Josh Chin had just come out of a room where he had been painting for awhile and there was poor ventalation and the fumes were really strong. Josh's comment, " What has two thumbs and a thousand dead brain cells?" Pointing at himself, "This guy!" My comment, "We ll you did not use them when you were in school you might as well leave them here for someone else to use." OK maybe I should not have said that but he laughed. Josh has many good qualities, a sense of humor being among them.

Be ready at the airport parents the team is bringing home 4 jymbays (sp?), a shield and spear. Went to the Village Market as you can tell and I confirmed something I already knew, I am not a good barginer. Erica on the other hand is the Queen of street market shoppers. She passed along some of her secrets to Matt and John.

Oh yes if it has not been metioned already, and it probably has in someone's blog, they should have begun drilling the well on Thursday. After much haggling they finally tried driving the big truck into the slum on Wed only have it get stuck. All sides blamed each other till Mike Hydo stepped in, meeting with all side for 3 hours until every detail was ironed out and all communication was clear. Mike said he had to resort to his father voice a few times. The workers then stayed till 4 am to get the truck unstuck. It is unheard of that anybody works after dark here. Mostly because of safety issues. Have no further update on the well's progress but a well in that community will be HUGE! Mike and Trish are doing amazing thins here and deserve our full support.

Bob Sandefur

Additional pictures from Comido

2010-07-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some additional pictures from the Comido school showing our team in ministry...

The entire team!

Worship @ Comido school

Trenton demonstrating his soccer skills with the kids @ Comido

Renee helping the students with our salvation bracelet craft

Trenton praying for those who responded to the invitation

Our drama team performing a skit

Mathare....."Break my heart for what breaks yours" (Hosanna)

2010-07-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

There have been many blogs from our team describing the impact of our visit to the Mathare slum. We have included a pictorial in hopes that it might show more clearly the conditions in the slums. It still cannot replicate the foul aroma, or the feeling of walking through the slum, but hopefully you might get a glimpse of the heartbreak that we felt......

It was very emotional processing the experience today. Please pray for the many people living in these very challenging conditions and please continue to pray for our team as God continues to open our eyes and hearts.....

1 John 3:16-18

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but actions and in truth.

Love in Christ, Dan & Cindy

Heartbreak and Hope (Mathare, continued)

2010-07-30T13:35:00.001-07:00

I feel like our days in the slums are roller coaster rides of “up and down” emotions. I can be so devastated at the living conditions and apparent hopelessness of the people in Mathare, but then so quickly be so joyful worshipping with the children there. It’s a confusing experience… :P Today I found it difficult to return to Mathare. We returned to finish our painting project of a few classrooms and to organize the school library (to which Lighthouse donated many books!) I was part of the library team, and we sorted through shelves and shelves of books to separate based on the age groups and subjects. It was kind of cool to be part of that project, because I kind of felt like we'd seen it come full circle (from being involved in the collecting of books at Lighthouse to organizing those same books on Mcedo's shelves) as such a cool example of the partnership between Lighthouse and Kenyan schools like Comido and Mcedo. (I even found a Berenstain Bears book that had belonged to my sister and me :) I am just reminded of how big our God is that he could bring his children on opposite sides of the world together through anything, even childrens books! :)

We never returned to any slum for a second day last year, and there was something about recognizing the same kids from the day before that was difficult for me. I think some part of me was somehow saddened by the thought, “oh, you’re still here.” Like it truly was sinking in that this really was these kids’ lives… they spent the night in this slum while I spent the night at my guesthouse. And they woke up in this slum just like they do every morning… It just seemed more… hopeless, I guess. As soon as we got out of the bus, I saw Michelle and rushed over to her. She smiled as I came up and I hoped that she remembered me. We didn’t have much of a conversation. The only words I ever heard and understood from her were a shy, sweet “I’m fine, thank you” when I would ask “how are you?” But I just felt such a pull towards her… like I wanted to stay there, kneeling next to her, even if we had no words to exchange. She was wearing the same dirty purple jumper-type-outfit as the day before, and the zipper was broken. I watched as she carefully zipped and unzipped the zipper over and over, only for it to split apart as soon as she would try to zip it up. For some reason, this sight just made me so sad, which sounds kind of strange, even to me… I started crying just kneeling there beside her, and she just sort of looked at me curiously, as the tears rolled down my face.. There was just something so heartbreaking about seeing this innocent, little girl with her broken purple jumper standing in such a tragic setting. Sigh. Something that was encouraging to see, though, was how much she opened up to us over the short time we were there. She went from the girl crying on the outskirts to the girl shyly peering into the church during our concert to the girl grinning and sticking out her tongue for my camera :) By the end, her personality was shining through...

Last night during our team debriefing, I sort of had a breakdown about the more heartbreaking aspects of our days in the slums. While everyone was sharing their experiences from the day, I just started getting really… upset and sad and disgusted and discouraged and overwhelmed and angry at …what we had seen. I just sat there crying, even after the meeting was over. The thought that kept running through my head throughout our time in Mathare was “This is not okay. This is not okay. This is not okay.” It’s just… unfathomable that so much of the world lives this way and that so much of the world’s wealth and resources aren’t being used to fix it. I know that that’s a bit of a… huge, sweeping statement… but I guess I just got pretty angry thinking about going back home to a lifestyle that includes thinking nothing of blowing $25 on dinner and a movie that could be feeding 300+ kids their only meal of the day. The injustice of it all is pretty sickening. I know this is not how God intends for the world to be.

It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed by the hugeness of the problem of poverty and to get buried beneath the thought that nothing I could do could ever be “enough.” I think that God wants us to be deeply affected by poverty and injustice… because fighting against these things is on his heart and he calls for them to be on ours as well… However, I don’t think that what God wants is for me to be so discouraged by the expanse of the problems that I fall into helplessness and hopelessness. My hope and strength are in Christ, and He is who I need to be relying and calling upon when I don’t know what to do with what I’m feeling or seeing. I’ve been thinking about the fact that I already saw all of these slums last year and I feel so guilty that my life has not reflected more change in the past year. So I guess the challenge is figuring out HOW God is calling me to respond to the things I’m seeing. I don’t want to contribute to the problems by sitting around in ignorance, laziness, or apathy. I want to be part of the solution. If I stay overwhelmed by the vastness of the problem, I could miss the chance to just spend time with someone like Michelle.. and as small as it may seem, maybe that’s exactly what God was calling me to do today.

Mathare Catch-Up #1

2010-07-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today was Mathare, which was tough. We went into the day knowing that Mathare would be a more difficult day—a “less nice” slum than Kwa-Njenga. Last year, one of the first things I saw when we got out of the bus at Mathare was a crying baby. Daniel and I walked over to comfort him and I think I picked him up and he eventually stopped. Interestingly, today I had a similar experience. As soon as we got out of the bus, we noticed a little girl crying, and Matt, Dakota, and I all speed-walked over to her. (Which I thought could potentially be a scary sight, rather than a comforting one…) I knelt down and kind of gave her a hug, and she stopped crying right away. But I was still sad to leave her when we had to start our tour of the school and slum. It was kind of a somber beginning to the day…

During our walk through the slum, I sometimes didn’t pay that much attention to my surroundings, because I was just focused on trying not to fall into the streams of sewage. I think I didn’t completely let everything I was seeing sink in, because I didn’t feel like I could completely process it while still focusing on just not slipping and falling and staying together with the rest of the group. The living conditions were noticeably a lot worse, though. It’s hard just walking through the slum, jumping over “streams” and squeezing through narrow alleys under hanging laundry. We got to visit a few homes, as well, including the home of the woman who cooks for the Mcedo school. Just being in the tiny, dark space that is home to family with 6 kids (I believe) was hard to take in. I can’t imagine calling that cramped room my home. I felt so disgustingly spoiled when thinking about my own standards of living and how often I take them for granted… It also always blows my mind to see how welcoming and thankful the mothers are who invite us into their homes. They seem to feel so blessed to have visitors, but when I see their living conditions… I’m amazed they could keep such a positive spirit. Oh, also, the first words out of the woman's mouth when she was told to introduce herself to us were, "Hello," her name, and "I am saved." I thought that was pretty cool.

Eventually (after the painting project), we went back to the church to play our worship concert and for Trenton to give his message. I entered into the church room through a side door that only opened slightly, squeezing past a little girl who was standing in the alley peering into the church. When I got inside and looked back out at her, I realized she was the same girl who had been crying when our bus first arrived. Dakota and I went over to her and asked her her name, but we couldn’t understand her quiet answer, spoken through her hands in her mouth. The girl stood in the doorway for some of the concert, just watching, and I would periodically smile over at her during the songs. When she wasn’t there after the concert, I looked for her in the crowds of kids. Later, her older sister told us her name was Michelle, and that she had gone back home. She wasn’t one of the school children, just a child who lived in Mathare. But Michelle stayed on my mind, like she had some little piece of my heart… oh, how cliché-sounding..

Anyway, the church room where we played our worship songs was hotttt and crowded with hundreds of kids. But Matt rallied them up in the time of worship and led us in teaching them the motions to Every Move I Make and I Am Free, and the kids really embraced the songs. Once again, that was so cool to see. How awesome is it that we can worship with children in Africa… who speak a different language, live a drastically different lifestyle, and live thousands of miles away, yet worship the same God. :) Our God is so …big. “And that is special, wowww. “ (Attempted Mcedo schoolkids reference… :P)

Worship Leading Anxiety (Kwa-Njenga Catch-up)

2010-07-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yikes, I have fallen quite behind on blogging… and haven’t really posted anything since we started visiting the slums.. So here’s some catching up, starting from two days ago…

Well today was our first slum visit to Mukuru Kwa-Njenga. There we visited the Comido school where we led worship, performed the drama, and heard a message by Trenton. I was looking forward to our Kwa-Njenga day, because it definitely one of my favorite days of last year’s trip. I loved walking through the slum with all of the excited kids :) Buutt last night I started getting not so excited for today, because Matt and I decided I would lead worship at today’s “concert.” Having to be the actual leader of some of our worship concerts on this trip has been stressing me out for… months. And even though I didn’t expect anything truly disastrous to happen, I got really anxious about having to step out as a leader today. So, I was not in the happiest mood last night or this morning, in preparation for today’s concert. During my anti-social spell on the bus ride to Kwa-Njenga this morning, I prayed that I would be able to get through the set with the right focus. I think I already knew that the Kenyans wouldn’t judge my mistakes in my playing or singing.. which led me to realize that the anxiety I had about leading was really pretty selfish, because all I really feared was the loss of my own comfort. And that alone isn’t very… God-reliant-…like. :P So I prayed that God would help me to focus on why I was doing what I was doing. And strangely enough, as the time for the concert approached, I got less and less nervous. By the time our [worship] team was up there, I didn’t even really remember what there was to be nervous about anymore. Kinda cool. Lately I’ve been struggling with the question of whether I’m called to lead worship. Like, does the fact that I love music and feel called to be involved in worship ministry mean that I need to work on becoming more of a leader? And some wise people I know asked me how I felt after I led. Basically…did I feel the joy of being exactly where God wanted me to be? That’s something I’m still trying to…figure out, I guess. But looking out into the crowd of 300 Comido School students, I felt pretty joyful. Today I felt blessed to be able to lead worship for a room full of Kenyan kids jumping up and down, singing (shouting?) “I AM FREE.” It’s like none of my less-than-perfect singing or playing mattered, because God showed that he could work anyway. He took away my self-consciousness and feelings of inadequacy enough for me to be able to get through the songs… and by his grace, the time was worshipful and such a blessing for us on the team who were leading it :) I sometimes feel like we’re losing the attention of the kids when we play less upbeat songs without motions. Even though they have songbooks with the words, it’s hard to catch on to new songs in a second language the first time you’re hearing them. So it was especially touching to see kids singing the words to Mighty to Save while we were playing. Our God is mighty to save... in America and in Kenya and anywhere else :) I was just so encouraged to hear them singing along to some of the same worship songs we sing back at Lighthouse. It really does bring us all together as one body of Christ, a family under one God... :)

When Kristine met Ellen

2010-07-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

Mcedo School, Mathare

Today we drove into Mathare, and surprisingly it was not as scary as I had dreaded it would be. There were a lot more kids than there were last year because they were still in school this year, and the atmosphere just seemed more friendly. We were told not to take pictures in dangerous places, especially by the river, because illegal brewing occurs all along the banks. Last year they threw rocks at our bus when they saw us taking pictures, and that sank the mood of our group for the rest of the day. But God set a different mood for our team today. Almost immediately after we got off our bus, Dakota and I were drawn to a cute little girl named Ellen. She was so beautiful and just a little bit shy, but throughout the day I found her four or five more times because we were always looking for each other. Unfortunately Dakota and I had to let Ellen go the first time when Pastor Benedict was going to take us on a tour though the streets (if you can call them that?) of Mathare.

Sadly, the living conditions of Mathare are much worse than Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which was bad already. The streets were just wide enough to fit one person, sometimes maybe two, and most of the time we were straddling a dirty stream that is basically the sewage system for all the people living there. While walking through Mathare, we had a chance to visit three homes. They were all very small, hot, and dark. These people’s houses were smaller than my bathroom, and one of them housed a family of six. These dark and cramped spaces are people’s homes, and it is so sad to know that these people are stuck there and must go back each day to live in those conditions with no hope of social movement or a brighter future.

Eventually we returned to Mcedo school to paint a few of their classrooms and later to perform a worship concert/share a message. We had no electricity so we did our concert unplugged. I feel horrible for saying this, but I was secretly glad because I forgot to bring my microphone and I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. But the concert went very well. The students especially loved “I Am Free” and we sang it like, three times and by the last time they knew the words and all the hand motions. The students there were very inspiring to me. Pastor Benedict is truly a man of God, and His devotion to Him is reflected in the students’ display of confidence in Christ. The older ones especially paid close attention to Trenton’s message and they were intrigued by the sharing of God’s word. True to my promise to God, I overcame that silly and irrational fear of speaking to kids my own age and I reached out to the older students after the message. I was still scared and I had to swallow a lot of my fear and pride to do so, but it made me happy that I did and I think that it made the older students happy to be spoken to like adults instead of simply being greeted with the smiles and waves that little children customarily receive.

And since I am behind on my blogs…. Let’s pretend it’s the next day, Friday. Yay!

We returned to the Mcedo school to finish painting the classrooms and organize the library that Lighthouse helped build. I was actually very glad to return. Last year I remember being disappointed that we never got to return to any of the places we visited because then those relationships that we had begun to build were limited. Dakota and I were reunited with Ellen, who again sought us out. I’m pretty sure she is the cutest person I have ever met and I wish I could take her home with me.

ADD moment #2 because I don’t want to forget this: this morning during devotions Pastor Mike shared a personal story from his life that really challenged me. He talked about how one day he was evangelizing on the streets of Seattle to the homeless, and how the experienced evangelist he was with told him that he was a natural. Pastor Mike asked why, and the evangelist told him that most people who went with him would talk to the people on the streets while standing, but Pastor Mike would sit next to the people and talk to them on their level. Jesus did the same during his time on Earth, preaching to the sick because they are the ones most in need of healing.

As we were about to leave Mcedo, two teachers pulled me aside and asked me to teach them how to use my camera. One of them was named Frances, and the other was a teacher who actually attended Mcedo school, scored high enough on the 8^th grade exam to attend high school, and came back as a volunteer teacher to Mcedo. She cannot teach for pay, however, because she does not have a teaching certificate since acquiring one requires one to attend college, which in turn requires one to have money. God willing, I think that some of us would like to sponsor her to attend college to return to Mcedo school to teach officially.

Pastor Benedict told us about a need of one of the families that live near the Mcedo school. The father died of AIDS, and the mother was bedridden, trying to support her six children. Most of the kids are being sponsored by people all over the world to attend school, and one of the boys is apparently very smart. He has been to a few schools now, and in each and every school he has been to, he has been the number one student in his grade. Pastor Benedict has high hopes for him, but his family was short on food for the week so he asked if we could buy his family food for a week. For one kilogram of maize, which would feed his entire family, it would only cost us 1000 schillings, which is only $14 or $15.

It’s crazy to learn more and become more aware of the lives of the people who share the earth with us, and to see how different our lifestyles are. But our God is the same God everywhere on earth and He loves us all despite how often we break His heart. I think it gets overwhelming for every one of us, because it is so easy to just feel a sense of hopelessness and uselessness when we see the extent of poverty that has overcome our world, and at the same time it seems like the solution is to throw our resources at the needy and believe that it is enough to solve a problem through wealth. But that is not the case. I do not know what the solution is, but I do know that it starts and ends with God's love, and all we can do now is follow Jesus and fulfill his wishes for our lives in expectation of the life that is promised to come for those who trust and believe in Him.

Love,

Kristine

Hit the ground running...

2010-07-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone

I made it to Nairobi at 6:30 am Thursday morning. Bwana Asifiwe! Other than some lost luggage, everything went great! God is so amazing! I prayed for a few things, but God gave me so much more…
• I got an expedited passport in 8 hours, at the regular expedited rate!
• I got the soonest possible flight to Nairobi, for just the normal change fee!
• My flight connections were all on time, and I didn’t experience any travel delays
• I got some sleep on the plane, and arrived in Nairobi feeling great!
• I was able to “hit the ground running” yesterday, and join the rest of the team :)

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I feel like it wasn’t just me that stepped of that plane in Nairobi yesterday, but a huge group of friends, family and supporters came with me! As many of you told me, God must have a purpose for me here in Kenya, since He’s definitely demonstrated His faithfulness and mercy in getting me here. I’m so excited to be a part of this team, and look forward to sharing more “God sightings” with you soon!

Mungu aku bariki!
Heather

P.S. I gave hugs to Beka, Dakota, Matt, Nicole and Jesse as instructed. That was the fun part :)

His Name Is Brian

2010-07-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Poverty spoke and hunger had a name. As you walk through sewage entering the slum, you come to the realization that you are not home. Not any home you have ever known, but it is home. Home to over 700,000 people and growing. And home is not like anything most of us have ever seen. Home is a tiny room, walls made of rusted corrugated metal do little to keep in the heat or keep out the rain and overflowing sewage. There is no furniture in this home, only a rug or towel if you are blessed enough to have these things. I watched kids playing with trash they picked out of a pile and running throughout the streets.

At the school, we realized these kids survive on one meal a day, when they are not rationing(which they are currently) . I wondered if they have enough energy to concentrate on their studies. They stay late most days to get extra help to pass the eighth grade exam to be accepted to high school. Accepted? Some even stay in at lunch and come in during their vacation to better prepare themselves. They walk proudly in their uniforms- dirty, tattered, ill-fitting as they are.
These are the blessed ones, the ones that are able to afford school. But what about the rest of them? They stand just outside the gate of the school looking in at all the commotion. Who decides who should have opportunity and who should not?

But we trust not what is seen, but what is unseen. My heart breaks for the things my eyes see, and I realize that I will see these things for but a moment, God sees these tragedies at all times. I will trust in the sovereignty of the Lord.

In Him,
Erika

Hope for the Hopeless

2010-07-30T04:13:00.001-07:00

It's hard to describe in words how walking through a slum has been for me. I've been filled with so many mixed emotions it has been hard to even decipher what I'm feeling. Waves of putrid smells bombarded my nose as we walked along the sewer lines, which run alongside the streets. There, the plastic garbage, human waste, and rotting food mixed together into a soupy breeding ground for disease. We walked through when it was mostly dry, and I can't even imagine what happens when the rain and sewage would overflow and seep into their homes. I'm flabbergasted with the realization that millions of people walk around in their waste and live crammed in their dark rooms. Movies and tv commercials cannot accurately portray just how sad the living conditions are. It's just something that doesn't strike you unless you're here, since statistics turn into faces and the abstract concept of poverty comes alive when you actually smell the sewage and see the sickness first hand.

Many of them are lucky to get one bowl of food a day, whereas even when I'm visiting Kenya, I eat more in one day than they eat in a week, and the food I eat is probably better than anything that they'll ever get to try. I feel guilty living in such luxury, even in Kenya. Here, I eat better and stay in a nicer hotel than what I eat or where I stay back home. It's a lot easier to visit slums when we're only there for a few hours, and then we can go back to our comfortable beds and eggs, sausage, and pancakes.

What also strikes me is that no matter how bad things get at home, my circumstances will still not even compare to what these people go through. I was amazed at just how joyful the kids were at the Comido and Mcedo schools. Almost all of them would run out yelling "how are you?!?!" with the largest grins on their faces. The mobbed us like celebrities since we had cameras and their faces beamed with ecstacy when they got to pose for a picture and see themselves on the screen. As I was overwhelmed by the deluge of little kids, I couldn't believe how excited they were to reach out and touch my hand. Now I know what it must feel like for Justin Bieber to be swarmed by tweens when he goes on tour.

What I also noticed is that the kids have refuges from their dire circumstances. When I see them singing, dancing, kicking a plastic ball around, laughing with friends, or even reaching out for a high five, I can't even tell that these kids may be starving, sick, orphaned, or going through other hard times. All I see are fellow human beings enjoying life to the fullest, and seeing their joy has empowered me to continue to work on choosing to be joyful in all circumstances.

At the Mcedo school, one image that remains ingrained in my mind is one where the kids were lined up playing tetherball with a plastic ball around a wooden pole. This brought me back to my elementary school days, where my friends and I could have fun during recess using practically anything. We could keep ourselves entertained just with a ball too, and that really hit home for me seeing the similar ingenuity in kids halfway around the world. What breaks my heart is seeing how all of us are human, but I was just fortunate that I was placed in one of the safest, richest communities in the whole world. I could have just as easily ended up in the slums, broken, abandoned, and starving, but instead I was blessed with an ebullience of material wealth and a place where Christianity is readily accepted.

You can tell that as the kids get older, that spark of innocence slowly fades as they lose their hope for a better life and wake up to the realization that their situation probably won't improve. I feel so blessed to have so many opportunities in the United States, and I can't imagine what it must be like to be trapped in the slums, knowing that the chance of escaping to a better life dwindles as time goes on. I think that the hopelessness contributes to the high crime rate and their anger and resentment, so I am really glad that we can aid these organizations here to provide them the hope of eternal life in Heaven through Jesus Christ. I can more fully grasp now how Jesus said that it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven. It is a lot harder to praise God when you are starving or your parents have been infected with HIV, and I can see why God has such a heart for the poor. Even though we can't really tell just how much of an impact we are having, only God knows, and that has taught me to be dependent on him and trust that He will continue to work in their hearts once we leave.

Hakuna Matata

2010-07-30T03:56:00.000-07:00

My life up until now has significantly been about control. I'm definitely not a fan of winging anything and feeling unprepared usually elicits lots of nerves and stress. However, over these past few months, I have felt God steadily showing me that He is in control, and that my self-reliance has resulted in me trying to be my own savior. What stuck with me from Mt. Hermon was that our only comfort comes from knowing that God is ultimately in control of our lives and that He wants the best for us.

During this trip, there have been many stressful times from flight delays to worship equipment malfunctions to team miscommunication. Through these setbacks, God has shown me that these unfortunate events are out of my control and that He has a plan for us all. Even if his master plan doesn't coincide with how I ideally wanted things to go, I have felt comforted with the realization that this trip is about God using us to show His love to people in Kenya, and that no matter how many bumps we hit along the way, everything happens for a reason and God can use these moments as teaching tools. He can use these trials to prune us so that we emerge stronger than before.

Life isn't about getting through unscathed, it's about living boldly and intentionally for God. Undoubtedly more things will go "wrong" on this trip, but I am comforted to know that God is here with us, wants the best for us, and won't give us more than we can handle. Although there will be times where it will be hard for us to be joyful, I am excited to see what else God has in store for us and how He can use us to be a blessing to the Kenyan people.

The way that much of the world lives

2010-07-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

You never know what it's like until you're there. You hear the term "urban slum", but in our comfortable, Western world, they're just two words. Occasionally, you'll hear about problems - uprisings, violence, despair, addiction, sickness, disease, death - but it's just a news item or a report from someone in a faraway land. It's different up close.

Experiencing a small part of the Mathare slum has had a significant impact on many of us on the Kenya team. Even though we spent less than an hour walking through a small portion of Mathare - the second largest slum in Nairobi - it has evoked a variety of emotions in me. Anger, frustration, sadness, and yes, hope.

Exterior of a house in Mathare

Life outside the house

It's hard to think about what it's like to grow up and live in the slum. Your dwelling is made of corrugated metal, stones, wood, mud, and anything else available. You might not have a door - only a piece of cloth separating you and your family from the outside. If you're lucky, you have something like linoleum or a rug to put over the dirt floor. Your dwelling sits side by side with countless others - a mass of humanity living in very small, dense spaces.

Walking along the paths between houses

Outside your door is a path, and in the middle of the path is a trench, sometimes flowing, sometimes stagnant, with raw sewage mixed with garbage. Your children, chickens, dogs all share this space - playing, cooking, washing - living. Down by the nearby river are the distilleries where people brew illegal moonshine - that addicting concotion that can blind and kill. Drunks wander the paths - the one we encountered spoke some english, but was clearly still under the influence.

Children welcoming the mzungus to their world

As you walk along the paths, you hear sounds: crying children, people selling fruit and corn, a dialogue from a movie in Mandarin and Swahili. You hear and see kids - coughing, sniffling - apparently happy at times - running to see the mzungu who have come to experience their world. Some smile, say the only English they know - "How are YOU!" - while others just stare.

A child in Mathare

My frustration builds as I think "No one should have to live like this. We have solutions!" Plumbing, sewage treatment, fresh water, medicine and drugs - these alone are sufficient to make their lives better! But that ignores the political, economic and spiritual issues that need to be addressed.

The Mcedo Beijing School

Luckily, there are pockets of hope. Many organizations provide relief supplies. The school and church we visited, Mcedo Beijing School and Grace Community Church, are committed to providing education, meals and hope to hundreds of children in Mathare. Many of their staff grew up in Mathare and have decided to return to Mathare to build their community and make it a better place. Some choose to continue to live in Mathare and serve at the school.

Pastor Benedict of the Mcedo School

Pastor Benedict and Trenton Yenokida talk with a Mcedo graduate who is now enrolled in a High School

Our contributions to the Mcedo School seem small - we're painting 4 classrooms, reorganizing a library that our church and other churches helped supply with books, and leading a worship service in their church. But as important as the acts of service are - we all see how important it is to see and understand with our own eyes, ears and noses what life is like in Mathare. It's important for us to partner with them - as Christians, as fellow brothers and sisters - to help them change their world for the better.

One of their staff members mentioned to a team member when we departed "Don't forget us". I don't think there's any way any of us can - and we will not forget you.

Amazing People

2010-07-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 28^th

This Wednesday I experienced something I am still not able to truly comprehend and take in. The Kenyan Team went to Comido School in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum where Pastor James Kariuki runs the school. The school has children ranging from 1^st grade to 8^th grade and the kids were amazing to be with.

We started our day off early as we needed to make our way to the slums which was a good two hour drive with traffic from where we are staying. On our way there the sides of the streets were littered with shops selling anything from produce and pictures, to couches and bed frames. I have to admit that from the bus many of these products looked really nice. We could see them making many of these things right there on the side of the street. We continued down this street which looked run down with broken buildings on each side and people walking everywhere. At that moment we pulled into the drive way of a nicer building at the entrance of the slums. I hear Trenton tell us that we have to walk to rest of the way through the slums to the school. At that moment I wasn’t sure how I felt because I had a completely different picture in my mind of what we would be walking through. There were so many people walking around and the living conditions of the slums were unbelievable.

As we started our way to the entrance I think I had a small sense of fear entering the slums but I knew I couldn’t let that show as many of the younger people on our team wanted me to “protect” them if something happen. I was definitely keeping a close eye on the girls in our group as we have had trouble with men trying to get close to them in the past. As we continued our way to the school all I could do was look around the slum in amazement and a broken heart as I saw the way people were living. It really hit home when I saw a little girl that was about the same age as my niece Samantha living in the slums. Her clothing was ripped and dirty; she was just sitting on the ground which was covered with trash. I looked into her eyes and could see such a resemblance to the life, innocence, and character of my niece. It truly broke my heart to see this beautiful child in such a way.

The poverty of the slums is something you would really have to experience firsthand. I don’t think I could ever explain it in words or through pictures. All I know is that something has to change in this world and I had no idea that MILLIONS of people are living in these conditions. It is so easy to be sheltered from the reality of this world with the way we live in America. There is nothing I can use to compare to this back home, but my heart and prayers go out to these people. Not only do I hope that all of them find a better life, but I pray that God may work through their communities and that they may find and hear about His love.

We came to Comido School after about a 40min walk into the slums. When meeting Pastor James, all you could do is have compassion and love for the heart he has and the ministry he has started at the school. We had many children surrounding us and they loved to have their picture taken. It was so much fun to see their faces light up with joy as we would show them their picture on our cameras. After the excitement of finally getting to the school and taking our initial pictures we started to prepare for our day at the school.

We started to set up in the church sanctuary / large classroom at the school. We brought in all of our equipment that was needed for the day and got the sound system ready to go for worship. At this time all of the kids started to come into the building with excitement to see their visitors. Every square inch of the building was packed with children and it was such a great experience to be there with them.

Right before anything started I had to use the bathroom which everyone tries to avoid when we go to the slums. It was a great experience which I think everyone should try at least once. The smell of the bathrooms is definitely something that could take you by surprise if you weren’t ready for it and the bathroom is just a hole in the ground. It wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be but it was a good experience to have and really allowed me to get an idea of what the people of the slums live with everyday.

Once I got back to the gathering in the sanctuary, the students of the school started to get on stage and performed for us as their guests. We had each grade 8^th-5^th perform for us which included things such as dance and singing, poems, and even a skit; the children were so talented. It was funny because at the beginning of each performance someone would say, “Please sit back, relax and enjoy the show”… and let me tell you, that is exactly what I did :)

At this time we started our worship service for the people of the school. As we started our first song we were teaching everyone the hand motions that went along with it. It was such a sight to see the whole group of kids doing the motions as we played the songs. However, we ran into some problems because our speakers stated to smoke and burn up for one reason or another. It was ok though, and for the next two songs we played acoustic style and all participated in the motions. We were able to us a different speaker which they happen to have at the school and the rest of the worship service went very well. We had a couple of our youths share between our songs and they did such a great job expressing God’s love and His stewarding of our lives.

After our worship service was over it was time for lunch. A few of the youth and I decided to go and serve the children their lunch while the other half of our team started to set up for our VBS presentation that would happen after lunch. Feeding the children of the school was amazing and it moved my heart as each child would come up and said thank you as we handed out bowls of corn and beans. I decided to take my chances and took a bowl of their food for my lunch. The corn and beans was actually really good and I was nomming that stuff down haha. That was one of my favorite experience because it just gives me a small small glimpse of what their everyday lives are like and the food they eat.

After lunch we started the VBS section and put on a skit of Daniel and the lion’s den. The kids loved it and you could see the joy in their faces as the skit progressed. They loved the lions or simba as they called them when they started to make their way through the audience to the stage. It was a true joy to watch. After the skit was over we went and made salvation bracelets together and the kids loved having something to take with them.

Once VBS was over we did our skit for the older kids which represents our old lives being controlled by Satan and sin and the freedom we find in giving our lives to God and allowing Him to work through us following His will. The kids cheered when the Devil was defeated by God and I loved the feeling which came over me when that happened; it gave me goose bumps.

Once the skit was over Trenton got up to give his message and many of the kids were listening intently. Trenton did an alter call which many of the kids responded to. I am not sure how many of them that came to front actual knew what they were accepting and coming to Christ, but it was still an amazing moment to be a part of. Praying for all of the children and hoping that God would work through their lives allowing them to know the Lord, was all that was going through my mind at the moment. I know we made a difference if even one of those many children that came to the font of the sanctuary accepted the Lord that day.

After they sermon the worship team, I was playing the bass, played a few songs and the kids where having such a great time. You can see their passion for music and dance through their participation and emotions. Once this was finished, we took a tour of the school and got to see the many workings of their ministry there.

The day had come to an end and we were ready to head out of the slums. Walking out of the slums was a lot more crowded than previously walking in, but I felt at peace and a sense of comfort. My original fear which I felt walking in had changed to compassion and a desire to help the people of the Kenyan slums. We got back to the Heart Lodge for dinner and devotions, and that was the end of our beautiful day.

I remember talking to my Aunt Karen who has visited places of poverty much like the slums found in Kenya. She told me that when she first returns to her home in America, she really struggles with people and their ignorance to the reality of this world and what people are truly going through. Though I understood what she was trying to tell me and I could kind of see what she was saying, it wasn’t until today that I truly understood. I feel like when I return home I will be frustrated not only with myself and how I am living, but with the people I will try to describe this trip to. There is no way to explain or put in words the brokenness I have seen and the emotions which I have felt. I feel like there is no one in this world that should be living in these conditions and I can only imagine how God feels when He sees the people He loves living like this. I pray that God will change the world and allow all of us to have a heart that is broken for what His heart is broken for.

What I found amazing about these people, is that despite these living conditions and the poverty that they face, many of them are filled joy and are continuously smiling. Many of the people and especially the children are full of love and you can see that they just want to be with people. It makes me really put my life in perspective and realize how small and pity my problems and often poor emotions really are.

These people truly are amazing people and I pray that God shall lift them up and grow throughout their communities allowing them to see His love and compassion.

I will try to post a blog full of pictures tonight and share with you all what I have seen.

Undescribable

2010-07-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Going to the slums and visiting both Comido and Mcedo schools was truely heart wrenching and amazing. I saw so much love in the kids even though they had little to nothing. They would get so excited and happy from saying "How are you?" and they would run around giggling to their friends. To think they would recieve so much happiness from that is amazing. I don't think I have ever seen so much love while i was in America from little kids. Walking through the slums was a whole other experience. It is so hard to describe in words (probably because I have a bad vocabulary and can't write goodly) but it is an experience that one would have to go through in order to understand. The slums were full of garbage and the air smelled like sewege everywhere we went. Rivers of pee and sewege flowed next to every house and everywhere you waked the river was next to you. I visited one of the houses of a mom who's children went to Mcedo school. Her home was the size of a bed and she housed both herself and her children. To think that they sleep there while rain pours onto their heads and their floor fills with mud breaks my heart. Yet, the kids remain joyful and the only explanation I can think of is the love of Jesus Christ. God is so present within the children and I feel so happy for their joy yet so heart broken for their circumstance. I hate to think of my life at home and I just wish that the things I have seen never existed. Sin is at fault and has ruined this world. I truely hate sin and hate that I continue to sin. Thank you for your prayers and please continue! Ill try to post more often love, Brendon

2010-07-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

You have probably read accounts already of our trip over but here is some of my personal experiences. 36 hour flight, 4 hours of sleep, a whirl wind tour of London mostly the tube, two flight delays and yet all 18 of us and 37 pieces of luggage arrived safely.

Had a soft landing in that for the first two days in that we went orphanages and played with cute litle children livingin poor but for Kenya reasonable conditions. The last two days we visited slum schools, toured slums, fed hungry kids and "experienced the slums". Can't help but be touched by what you see. Filth running thru the streets, kids playing in a garbage dump, droping their drawers right where they are to poop or pee while waving at the bus as it goes by. A family of 6 living in one room 15x15 with one small window and a door for light, yet they do all they can to keep it clean and decorate it.

The teens have been great, stepping up to help and do what ever they are asked. I think they releive their stress by being goofy on the bus but who can blame them. It is clear that many of them have been deeply affected by what they see.

I still struggle with the time change, finally sleeping 7 hours last night but usually getting only three or four. The food and the service here at Heart have been great but it is a little hard to get use only having running water at certain hours because of the long drought and occasional brown outs.

Traffic here is like driving in a real life Mario Cart game. Seriously. Lines on the road mean nothing. The sides of the road mean nothing. Driving on the left or right side of the road means little. A tewo lane road has 4 cars driving side bt side. What speed limit?

Lost my passport for a time last night. Panic set in for a little while as I thought I might have lost in at the Masedo school. You don't just call or hop in the car and run back over there to look for it. But our devotions that morning were to be joyful always, pray ceaslessly and give thanks in everything. Following our debriefing last night and a group prayer I went back to the room and found it in 2 minutes. It was black same as my suitcase and had fallen behind it. Gotta understand that it also contained my drivers lisence, money, credit card, and insurance card.

Fianally as I close because Nicole wants to post a blog and I type so slow I will close with these two things. I have probably high fived and shook 200 snotty, flithy germ ridden hands these past couple of days and I could not be happier to do so. To see the smiles on their faces and to know the joy and hope we brought to them if even just for a little while is worth it all. Second, as we were walked out of the slum on Wed by one of the teachers who I had been walking and talking with his parting words to me were, " when you leave here don't forget us." There is no way this will ever leave my memory but what he was really asking for was action. My challenge will be how can I continue to help these people?

Bob

A love and burden for children

2010-07-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

A Day in Mathare

Sharing the good news that God doesn't look on the outer appearance, but looks at the heart and that when we are we...we are strong

They love to worship...and jumped around even though it was like an oven inside.

Erika...always offering a smile and her hand. She is something special.

Trash where the kids go to that bathroom

Innocence surrounded by filth

A child (mtoto) sitting next to the 'stream' of sewage by his home

You know, as a parent I want to help my children experience things that will help them to grow, to change, and learn to trust God more fully. And I think that is exactly what God is doing with me. It is difficult to explain the effect that the slums have on me. Just imagine large areas of dirt with trash strewn all over the ground and various animals and birds digging through it. A strong smell of burning rubber seems to never leave go away. Goats are lying around as turkeys pluck through the plastic bags near them. There are even a few pigs lounging around. In the midst of this filth small children are walking around. They turn as we drive up and they smile and wave and yell, ‘how are you?’. Then, as if we weren’t even there they pull down their pants or hike up their dress, squat, and proceed to go to the bathroom…sometimes waving and smiling all at the same time. As you walk through Mathare a dark ‘river’ of sludge runs down the middle of the walkway, a nasty mixture of feces, urine, soapy water from washing clothes and mud. The stench is unbearable for some and disturbing to most. The most unnerving part for me is to see the kids walking around in sandals, torn shoes, or no shoes at all, jumping over it as if it were just another obstacle in their way during a normal day. Runny noses indicating sickness, swollen stomachs revealing malnutrition, dirty clothes, dusty faces and gentle hands as they reach out to touch the hands of their visitors. Smiling faces on the little ones, a somewhat hardened look on the older ones, and a dazed or distrusting look on others. Now imagine that those are not kids 10,000 miles away in a slum in Kenya that you will probably never visit and these are not kids you will never meet, hold hands with or kneel in the dirt next to….imagine they are your kids, or your brothers or sisters or nieces or nephews or grandson or granddaughter ………. Yep, that’s pretty much how I feel and probably just a glimpse into the heart of what God our Father feels when He sees the same thing. It is also a glaring reminder that some things in this world are just not the way they should be…and He wants them changed.

Blessings,

Trenton

Brennen, Sydney, and Gabriel…We love you and miss you. Praying that your time in California will be blessed. We think about you all the time. Please pray for us too. Love, Daddy.

"My Power Is Made Perfect In Weakness"

2010-07-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

First let me just say, I am pretty tired, I stepped into a river of sewage, and I want a hug from my mom...so sorry for anything in this blog that doesn't make much sense...it's late...

I'm pretty speechless right now. A lot of things happened today and my mind is racing. Let's start with this morning when we entered today's slum.

Mathari was described to us as one of the more poverty-stricken slums; it is the second largest in Kenya. Known for its illegal brewery and other dark aspects, we approached today's ministry with a bit more caution. (I literally just stared at the screen for a minute...I'm really tired.) We took a tour of the slum. I noticed right away that it was indeed worse than the slum we visited yesterday. The sewage river ran through all of the walkways. At one unfortunate point, my foot slipped into the grayish river and a native responded with a simple, "ooo...good." I was not exactly the happiest person at that time. Oh how the Lord humbles...

The task of the day was to clean and paint a room and give a presentation of sharing, message, and worship. I successfully painted without getting paint on my non-painting clothes. Oh how the Lord shows mercy. After, I went into a classroom filled with 80 kids. They began to clap for me, which, I have to admit, was pretty awesome--especially since most people don't clap for me when I enter a room. (Weird, right? just kidding...okay, not funny...let's move on.) Trish Hyodo had me yell, "God is good!" (I had no idea of what I was doing.) They responded with an, "all the time!" That was quite possibly one of the coolest things I've ever experienced! These children were shouting the praise of God.

The worship time consisted of about 200 kids packed into a small room with like 2 small windows. It was hot. By the end of the first song, I was sweating like...a lot. My guitar was going out of tune in seconds and we had no electricity and therefore no sound equipment to amplify. We went totally acoustic with two guitars and two djembes. I was definitely nervous; it was my first time leading a worship set in Kenya and I wasn't in the comfortable setting of nice sound equipment and coffee waiting for me when we were done. But in my weakness, God's power was made perfect. He revealed himself to me in ways I couldn't possibly imagine. The kids were singing the songs and dancing with passion. I could feel the Spirit of the Lord present. I praise God for how he delivered me today.

After we returned from the slum, we washed up, went to dinner, and returned to have a debriefing meeting. It lasted a while, but it was fantastic. We all got to share our feelings while knowing that we were in a safe and non-threatening enviornment. I remember thinking while I was in one of the houses in the slum today, "what would it be like to wake up every morning to this same place filled with garbage, sewage, filth, and fowl smell? And these same people, how is it possible for these people to hear the message of Jesus? Who will bring this Gospel to them? Who will love them?"

I went back to my room, grabbed by notebook, and sat outside. I began to write, and then I started to sob. Today was a very emotional day for me. I have so many different mixed feelings fighting for attention in my heart. Really, the only thing I have to lean on is my precious Jesus.

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Emotions.

2010-07-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Josh Chinn Quality Blog Post #..4?

Today we visited the Mathare slum. I realize that after visiting the nicer slum yesterday, I was in complete shock as I wrote my post last night. Today, I began to really comprehend and understand everything the people go through, and those thoughts ran through my head as we visited one of the worst slums in the world. I learned that numbers are more than just numbers, and facts are more than just facts. I now can put names, faces, images and people to those facts. I can see the poverty people live in rather than just imagining it and calculating the numbers in my mind.

After driving for less than 30 mins from our lodge, we reached the Mathare slum. As we drove in, I saw kids with their pants down, pooping in garbage in public and then waving to us. To them, relieving themselves in the trash right outside their homes is natural. At first, I thought it was cute how 4 and 5 year olds waved to us while ignoring the fact that their pants were down, but then I became hurt as I realized that they know no better. As we got off the bus, we met the pastor who decided to take us on a tour of the Mathare slum. This is where my heart became broken. This is where I could feel my life changing.

Less than 50 steps in to the slum, I could smell and feel the garbage and waste in the air. It was dusty and it reeked more than anything (I'd know, I'm a teenage boy and I go to the bathroom). We continued walking and I realized what a "nicer slum" was. Yesterday, I walked through large roads with people in small huts made of corrugated metal. I was stunned at their living conditions. Today, I walked through houses of cardboard and metal sheets, with pathways no larger than two metres wide. Each pathway had a river running through it, except the "river" was not made of clean, or even semi-dirty water. In fact, the river wasn't really even water. They were made of urine and feces. It broke my heart to see kids running and playing so close to the "river". It was even tougher when I realized minutes later that every single person in the slum lives with that river right outside his or her door.

I can't really explain the emotions that have been/are running through me. I feel sadness when I see how many kids live in these terrible conditions. The life expectancy is barely 50. Kids with sicknesses can rarely be healed; Little children with diseases can't be cured so easily. As I walked through I was speechless and thought in my mind "How can I be so darn selfish and greedy? How do I live the way I have lived?" If you've read other's blog posts, you've heard that for $25 dollars, you can feed 300+ children for a day. For 5 lattes, or a trip to Red Robin, or two tickets for a movie, or.. the list goes on forever. Yet for the $5 and 30 minutes of White Chocolate Mocha temporary happiness you can get from drinking a latte, you can feed 300 children their only meal in a day. I feel so angry when I look at my life. I feel critical of so many actions I do and things I have. I know it'll be tough traveling back home and I'll have my moments (probably many) where I feel enraged and critical of others, but I know that God will help me send the message to others so that they can understand my feelings even though they haven't been in the position I am now.

Today was still a fun day- we got to perform our VBS skit in front of the kids and we had a worship set. The VBS skit was so fun, all of the kids jumped when Brendon, Garrett and I roared at them. The worship set was a challenge, it was all acoustic (no electricity outlet) and it was extremely hot and humid inside the chapel. I was sweating after standing in there for 2 minutes, and then I volunteered to lead the kids in hand motions for the songs. At first I thought it was a mistake. Jumping up and down to show the kids how to praise God and dance to the song "One Way" was a burden at first, but when I saw how the kids reacted and how much they loved it, I was energized. After One Way, the whole team came and helped out show kids hand motions. My favorite was the song "Every Move I Make"because there is this one motion where you put your arms up kinda like when you shrug the "Idunno" shrug and I tried to get kids to do a head motion and a couple actually did. I felt so victorious, it was fantastic.

Sadly, we had to leave and we took pictures with kids and spent a few last minutes with them, but then we came to our lodge where we had time to reflect and rest. Some people (i.e. Me, TrErika, Shawn, Matt, John, and Bekah) were sitting in the hangout area until Brendon rushed in with a bag of oreo cookies without the frosting asking if anybody wanted em. We had a funny talk and John said that he didn't want em, but he'd take em if Trenton had bitten the frosting out.

After dindin, we had a long debreifing sesh and many of us discussed our feelings. Everything that was said was so true. People felt sad, angry, guilty, confused, and more. It was so hard to hear all the stories we had heard and seen and not feel the emotions other's had felt. Today was a tough day emotionally and mentally but I feel like I grew a lot and I'm really challenged to make a difference in other's lives, here and back home.

Until next time,
Joshie

What can you buy for $25?

2010-07-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

Comido School

Today we walked through the slums of Kwa Njenga. It was smellier than I remembered from last year, but the smiles from all the children were the same and the roads were much smoother (and here I mean comparatively smoother, as in I only tripped once or twice instead of like ten). The scariest thing that happened in the slums today was me and Dakota getting attacked by roosters. Once we were at the Comido school, I was reminded of how happy the children made me. They absolutely loved getting their picture taken and getting to see themselves on the screen, and we were all shaking hands and communicating not with words but with actions of love. There was one cute girl in a purple sweater, and she’d let us take a picture of her but then when we were about to show her she’d run away screaming for her mother, only to return a few minutes later to restart the whole process over again.

I was super nervous and feeling sick before we got to Comido, mostly because I had to share a last-minute speech-ish encouragement testimony thing, and also because I learned that I get carsick when riding on big buses through badly paved roads, and also because eating breakfast makes me stomach sick, and also because I’m developing a cough. But I had a lot of encouragement from my fellow teammates (regarding the last-minute speech=ish encouragement testimony thing) and somehow during that bumpy bus ride to the slum I managed to write out what I felt like God wanted me to say.

The students at Comido prepared many performances for us, and they were all wonderful. It touched my heart when Pastor James would say something like, “The Lord is good!” and all the kids would reply loudly, “Amen!” We did a worship concert for the kids, and they particularly loved “I Am Free,” which happens to be our theme song this year (props to Matt). I think we only sang it three times haha.

Afterward, we took a tour of the school and we got to see the well that Lighthouse sponsored, which is looking very good. When we were in the kitchen, Pastor James told us about how Comido school used to give the students two meals a day, but now they only have the resources to give one a day. He said that $25 feeds 325 children one meal, which, in most cases, is their only meal of the day. It’s crazy to even try to comprehend. Most of us at home spend $25 on one semi-nice dinner. The same amount can feed over three hundred children.

We got to play with the children a bit more in the yard, and I was having fun, but I kept noticing the group of older teenage girls in the back. They were standoffish, not smiling and not rushing like the rest of the children to shake our hands. And it made sense to me – at that age I would have done the same. But it broke my heart because I wanted to go to them and talk to them since nobody else was, and I wanted to make them feel like I was there for them too, but my own fears of being judged or made fun of prevented me from doing so. I regret that I never went to those girls, even though I had multiple opportunities to, but this sad experience has made me resolve never to ignore a push from the Holy Spirit to leave my comfort zone and do something crazy and radical for Jesus. Tomorrow, and the rest of this trip, whenever I get a chance I am going to talk to the older kids and at the very least, let them know that I respect them and acknowledge their presence. And if they don’t talk back, then I’ll probably freak out for a little and feel super insecure, but that is all ok because I’ll know that God will work in their lives somehow in a way that I won’t expect.

Tomorrow we’re going to Mathare, and I’m not going to lie, I’m a little more than uncomfortable because I just remember feeling sick because of the horrible living conditions of the people there and just feeling very tired and overheated in their small worship building, but I pray that God’s presence will fill the place no matter what and that lives will be transformed.

Love,
Kristine

God's Ministries at Work

2010-07-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like all of my postings are going to be a day behind, but that is ok. I will do my best to update you all on what we are doing and the amazing experiences we are having here in Kenya. I can definitely feel the team growing stronger each and everyday as we become closer and feel more comfortable around each other. Each individual definitely has their strengths and it is exciting to see God not only working in the people we are seeing but also in our own hearts. So today I will be talking about the amazing day we had on Tuesday July 27th.

On Monday we went to the NEST Baby Orphanage which was a great experience and so much fun to hold and feed the little ones. Well today we made our way to the NEST Orphanage which is a ministry that takes care of the older children and leads them to grow in Christ. Making our way to the orphanage was quite the experience. It was my first time traveling away from the city into the rural areas. The orphanage is found in the highlands where a lot of tea farming takes place. As we were on our way, we saw many people on the side of the road. It was so fun to see them waving at us. When we gave them a wave they would smile and it seemed like for that moment it just made their day. Once we were about half way to the orphanage I was waving at everyone I could and loved to watch their reaction.

As we got closer to the orphanage we headed off the main road to a trail less traveled. All I can say is the last stretch of road was BUMPY haha. We were flying all over the bus and if you weren't careful your bum was not happy with you because we would land on our seats hard. But it was so worth it once we pulled into the orphanage.

Once we got there we walked in to meet the kids. They had prepared an entire song and introduction for us which was amazing to watch. They sang songs beautifully and really made us feel welcome. After our introductions the fun began :)

We started to teach the kids some songs with hand motions to represent what the song meant. They all had smiles on their faces and I could see that they were having so much fun. After teaching them two songs the VBS team did the skit/story of Daniel and the lions den. It was so much fun to watch and the team did an amazing time keeping the kids entertained and laughing throughout the whole thing. After that we went into and activity and helped the kids make lion masks. They were so cute and had a great time showing all of us their masks they had made. Helping them was a joy and I loved seeing their faces light up as their masks got finished. After this we had to finish our picture taking and time with the children and say bye to the kids. It was hard to leave I have to be honest. I wish I could have helped them all for so much longer. Once we were leaving the kids all came out and waved to see us off.... but the bus's battery was dead haha. So all of the guys had to get out and push start the bus. It was a fun experience to say the least but was surprisingly successful. After the orphanage we head to Amani Ya Juu...

The Amani Ya Juu ministry is a place that takes in women refugees from around Africa and teaches them how to sow and make crafts which are then sold through the organization. The women get paid for all of the products they make and usually make enough to move out of the slums and to support their families if needed. Throughout this entire process they learn about the Lord and the love of Jesus Christ. It was a great place to tour and meeting the women there was a great experience. You could definitely see the strength they had and devotion to bettering their lives. The few women that spoke to us had truly turned their lives around... the Lord is so amazing!!!!

When we first got to Amani Ya Juu we went through their gift shop to see all of the products that the women make and had the opportunity to buy some of the gifts to support the ministry. The bags and various clothing and house items they made were great and of pretty good quality. After looking at what the women made, we took a tour of the facilities there and the women sang a song to us in greeting. It seems like singing is such a great part of the African culture and they do it so well. After our introduction we went throughout the rest of the facility to see how their operations work. We then had lunch there and it was such a great time. The team really got to learn more about each other as our conversations were flowing.

Once we were done with Amani Ya Juu we came back to the Heart Lodge to relax and prepare ourselves for Wednesday (yesterday) which was our first time in the slums. I will be writing a blog tonight about that experience... talk about life changing. Today we are going to another slum school to spend the day with the children... I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Love you all,

John

Mary

2010-07-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

We walked out of the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum late this afternoon after serving all day at the Comido school. I saw that Rebecca Ogimachi had an entourage of 3 girls holding her hands. They had apparently decided to accompany the "Visitor" out of the slum.

These three did not attend the school, but staed around the edges of our activities - sometimes watching from outside the barbed wire, sometimes wandering into the school to see what we were doing. They were fascinated with all of our cameras - and loved to pose and then see what they looked like on the small screen.

I noticed Mary early in the day - quiet and reserved. She was one of the non-school children who came into the school and made a craft with us: a salvation bracelet - six colored beads that describe different aspects of God's love and salvation.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see her, at the end of our day, walking out with Rebecca. Someone who spoke Swahili asked her her name - and she spoke so softly that you almost couldn't hear her.

Maybe today was the first time she heard about Jesus. Maybe today she'll go home to her family and show them the bracelet she got from the mzungu (foreigner) visitors. Maybe she'll remember holding Rebecca's hand on the way out - and Rebecca's smiles and hugs. Maybe tonight the Lord will let her know that, at least for today, she had people around her who loved her and prayed for her.

$25 per day

2010-07-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

$25 will get you a lunch or dinner for two at Red Robin (bottomless fries!).

At the Comido school in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum where we visited yesterday, $25 is the equivalent cost of a 50kg bag of corn and a smaller bag of pinto beans, which the school uses to feed the 350 children lunch. Equivalent cost - since Feed The Children provides the corn and beans to the school as part of their aid to Kenya.

$25 to provide a meal for 350 children.

When Lighthouse Christian Church has visited the Comido school in the past, they also fed the children a breakfast of corn porridge - but no longer, since they have no money to provide the porridge.

For many of these children, this will be their only meal for the day. For some, this is the primary reason that they come to school - for the one meal of corn and beans. Yes, they get an education, and yes, they learn about Jesus - but many come for the food. Muslim kids, Christian kids, just kids - they come for the food.

$25 per day...

Just Pics of the First Two Days in Kenya

2010-07-28T13:16:00.001-07:00

Arriving in Kenya-look closely there are ALOT of carts! 38 pieces of luggage!

Bob holding a baby at The Nest Halfway House

NICOLE HOLDS A BABY!!!!!

SHAWN HOLDS A BABY!

The Nest Orphanage kids making lion masks.

My precious baby I was able to hold. She never stopped smiling!

Trenton and one of the cutest girls at the nest.

Yeah, he's a sucker for girls!

One meal a day

2010-07-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Comido School. I had prayed to God about this Slum because although it is one of the nicer slums I had a few bad experiences there last year. So I was a little uneasy going back. But everything worked out great, we spent almost all day there at the School and it was such a blessing to see and interact with the children. After our worship concert, drama and trenton's speach, our team served luch to the children at the school. I loved handing the bowls of beans and corn to the children who were very eager to eat. They were all very polite and said thankyou. The way their faces lid up when they got their bowl, was so touching, I will never forget it.Later I found out form the Pastor there that the school only serves the children one meal a day, lunch, and that is the only food most of those children eat. He also told us that during August when school is out most of these children get no real food, only the scraps they can find from the ground. That really broke my heart, we in the US get three meals a day and lots of snacks, and these children don't even get food if they aren;t in school. After we dedicated the well, which will bring a clean water source to the School and the surrounding community which will be a great oppertunity to spread the word of Christ.
All in all today was such a wonderful experience for me and hopefully I reached some of the kids I talked adn played with.
Dakota

How Are You?! How Are You?! How Are You?! How Are You?! How Are You?!

2010-07-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

Josh Chinn quality blog post #3

Today we visited our first slum and walked in it to reach the Comido school. It was extremely tough seeing the conditions the people lived in, then realizing that more than 2 million people in Nairobi alone live like the way they did. I was dazed and speechless as we traveled through the streets with junk and trash littering the sides of the road, kids running around and playing with the garbage, and the smells and sights of poverty. Can you imagine that this is one of the "nicer" slums? We had been called muzungu's (foreigners) and people have tried to make us do kung-fu and karate, but today was my first real taste of the "How Are You!?-ness" that I had heard about. It seemed that everywhere I turned I heard "How are you?! How are you!?". It came from everywhere- kids.. adults.. I wouldn't be surprised if it came from the chickens we saw. At first I'd answer "I'm doing well! How are you?!" until I learned that they didn't know too much English and all they'd reply is "I'm fine, how are you!?!"

When we finally reached our destination, the Comido school, I was a bit nervous to approach the kids and say hello to them. I was kindasortareally talking to myself and wondering what I should be doing until I saw Bekah eagerly taking photos with children. I started to get closer to the fellas and take pictures, and after they saw the flash or heard the shutter, they'd come racing towards me and demanded to see themselves. EVERY time I took a picture, they'd always speed toward me and laugh and giggle at themselves. One girl I took a picture of smiled, but then I got closer to her to show her the picture and she sprinted away from me screaming for her mama. I felt so bad but she returned later and I saw she was just a shy little girl. I tried again with another couple of kids, but I told them "koo-juh" which means come here but they ran away all the way home and I felt extremely sad as Nicole, Brendon, Shawn, and Kristine laughed at me.

Once the school session started the school kids all filed in to the sanctuary. I looked at them and as I was setting up the sound equip, I stopped in the middle of the stage, looked out at about 200 of them and waved. Each and every single one waved back and grinned. I was so surprised and shocked, I literally stood there for 10 seconds not knowing what to do. We were then greeted by multiple performances by the school children. They dance, sang, laughed and recited poems and plays they had practiced. Each of them were very cool. Finally, it was our turn to perform for them. I was extremely stressed out going into the day because

Our sound system had problems with setup the previous night and at first, we couldn't get the soundboard to work at all (until after 20 minutes of troubleshooting, Jesse and I both realized the mute buttons were on).
I was scheduled as one of the two people to share an experience or thoughts with the kids today and I was not prepared at all. I decided to share about the song I Am Free, explained later.
I had to make sure the costumes and crafts were ready for our VBS with the younger kids and Dan who acts as King Darius was sick. Luckily, Shawn filled in quite nicely.
After Jesse and I made sure the soundboard was working, our speakers started to smoke. Yeah. Not good.

However, in the end, all went well and we performed the worship set and taught the kids the hand motions. Man. Those kids are so energetic. After the worship set, Erika started the VBS sesh. Garrett, Brendon and I were lions again and being inside those hoodies was terrible. It was SO hot, but seeing the kids laugh with joy everytime we roared at them was completely worth it.

After the VBS, I got to share my feelings about a song I chose called I Am Free. Trenton gave a short message beforehand and parts of his message were the same points I was trying to say which was extremely comforting. I spoke about how if you believe and trust in God, you have nothing to be worried about, no reason to be judged, and that you're free to do what you want. I was so nervous going in because it was the first day people were scheduled to share and I wasn't sure what was expected, but afterwards I realized that no matter what I said, the kids would enjoy me being there which brings me to my pain moint of the day.

Today's main point

Before I came to Kenya, before many of the meetings, and before I had given a ton of thought into the mission trip, I asked myself "How much of a difference can building things and performing skits really make in a child's life?" Today I realize that it is SO much more than just acting and doing things for the kids. I saw that even though the kids live in terrible conditions they're still so joyful when you visit them. I learned that the things you make for the kids such as salvation bracelets will last no more than a couple years at most, but the actions you take and your presence being there lasts so much longer. Kids always smiled, laughed, giggled, jumped up and down, hugged you, high-fived you, and held your hand. In our devotional we had tonight, we discussed how we didn't fly 10,000 miles to hide and only help out when we needed to be there. We need to spend time with the kids and form relationships to show them God's true love. You can't put a price on the smiles and laughter the kids had. Honestly, I had read all about experiences in Kenya, but I truly believe that you can't realize how much you're presence means to the kids until you experience it yourself. I feel like today was the day my world has been shaken upside down. I've seen a slum (although tomorrow's is supposed to be a bit worse) and I've gotten to spend time with kids who literally have nothing, but have more energy and passion for God than I've seen anywhere. I can't stress enough how much these kids mean to me. Even though I only spent a few hours with them, each and every one of them made me so happy. Anything I'd do they'd mock or laugh at. I can't wait to experience more soon to come.

God bless!

I just love it here!

2010-07-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer... sorry I'm going to be one day behind all the time!

I just love it here!

Our guest house is soo nice, I was so surprised. Our showers actually work well, which is really nice because last year the showers were either cold or scorching hot. But they only turn the water on at certain times of the day because of the drought, so there are small designated times to shower and use the sink or the toilet, which isn’t much of a sacrifice when compared to the conditions of the local Kenyans, especially in the slums. For lunch we ate at Amani Ya Juu, which is a women’s ministry that gives needy women jobs to sustain them. These women come from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and other African countries, and they all have different stories but similar situations: they need work to improve their lives and survive. The two ladies at Amani Ya Juu that showed us around were beautiful and so nice. They shared with us about the ministry, the products they made, and the spiritual needs of the women who worked there. All the ladies working gave us hugs and welcomed us kindly and you could just tell that God blessed the place and that all the women were so happy because they loved God and were at peace, which is fitting since “amani” means “peace” in Swahili.

I ate this wonderful salad which my mom would have loved, and it had macadamia nuts, which are my new favorite type of nut, although I do believe I still have a loyalty to walnuts. The bus ride was soo bumpy and I was sitting in the back and I decided that I do get carsick because I thought I was going to die the entire time and I felt like throwing up so then I moved up a seat to sit next to John, because I would rather suffer his company than die in the back of a bus (just kidding, you are great John haha).

Before lunch we went to the Nest orphanage and hung out with the kids, who were toddler age-ish to like, young elementary school ish age. They were so adorable! I held hands with two girls while some other team members, taught the rest of the kids the hand motions to a song. Erika told a Bible story to the kids, about Daniel and how he was thrown in the lion’s den but survived because an angel was watching over him, and some of our team acted out the story and it was super funny because we made three lion costumes (for Josh, Brendon, and Garrett) and they were roaring friendlily (is that a word? in a friendly manner?) at the kids and they loved it. We did a craft with them too, making lion masks, and ahh I just want to take one home… or I just want to take like 5 home with me and be their mother. Haha.

Oh and since I have add whenever I’m writing about my day, I’m just going to slyly jump back to when we were at Amani Ya Juu, and I was going to buy a bunch of things, including this super cute elephant backpack, but we had lunch late and then the store closed!!!! Hopefully we can go back and buy a bunch of stuff to help out the ministry.

We’re going into the slums tomorrow, which will be a challenge because its so hard to go in and see and then leave for the comfort of our hotel… its like slumdog millionaire except its real and it just breaks your heart.

As we continue, I can feel God working more strongly within us, and I pray that as we prepare to go into the slums tomorrow, the first time for many of us, we will let the Holy Spirit move us and share the good news of Jesus and share his love.

Yayyyyyyyyyyyy

Love,

Kristine

Matt: "Most of the World Lives Like This"

2010-07-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today changed my life; today completely crushed my world view.
We woke up a bit earlier today and took off for the first slum of the trip: Mukuru Kwa Njenga. I had heard numerous stories of different viewpoints, but none of them gave me the picture I saw today.

We parked the bus at a gated auto center, prayed, and walked onto the dusty street. It seemed like all eyes were on us. We were the foreigners that were so out of place. As we walked, everything seemed to come to a slow. It was a scene of poverty. I looked to my left and saw two children playing in the mud with plastic cups. My heart broke for them. We kept walking and were consistently greeted by children asking, "how are you?" Such joy in a scene of poverty. I just didn't understand where that joy came from. Part of my was looking for an improved situation, but the picture never faded and the road never ended.

Suddenly, we found ourselves at the Comido school and were greeted by pastors and teachers. Once the kids arrived, everything seemed to change. Our faces lit up with the joy of the children. A lot of us took pictures of the kids and they would excitedly crowd around to find themselves on the camera.

The program began with several different groups of students doing dances, songs, and skits. They can move and dance like crazy. I cannot.

After their incredible presentation, we led them in a few songs, Kristine and Josh shared, Trenton gave a message, and we played more songs. In recap, Bekah did really amazing with the worship. She led with joy and a spirit of servanthood. That was REALLY cool to see. Kristine and Josh shared from a song each. Oh yeah, so our speakers began to smoke during our first song...(I hope Kelly Sakanashi isn't reading this...) We did "I Am Free" without any sound equipment, but then God delivered us with the speakers at the Comido school. Yike! But even when all of our sound equipment was stripped away, the Spirit of the Lord was still present, and we could worship him with all our hearts.

We got to serve them lunch: one scoop of corn and beans into a bowl. We found out that for many of them, that was their only meal each day. Our hearts broke again.

A big moment in the day was the dedication of the well. I was so amazed because we got to see the very thing that everyone at Lighthouse had worked so hard to provide. 10,000 miles away
and we got to see the fruits of Lighthouse's servant heart.

Looking back on the day, I am no where close to processed. Images continue to race through my mind giving me mixed feelings. When I was walking into the slum, I must confess, I found myself asking, "how, Lord, could you 'allow' this to happen?" And I now feel the Lord saying, "This is not the life I intended for them." When I think about the things in my life and the things I like to do and the things I complain about, I question my entire life. How can it be that while I live my comfortable, American life, that these people on the other side of the world live in utter poverty at the very same time? I don't know the answer to that.

God is calling for change. I feel called by Him to do something about it. Now that I have seen, I am responsible; faith without deeds is dead.

"Break my heart for what breaks yours. Everything I am for your kingdom's cause as I walk from earth into eternity."

Matt

The Nest Orphanage

2010-07-28T04:50:00.000-07:00

Our visit to the Nest Orphanage was greeted with joyful & spirited singing from the children as they welcomed us. It was a very enjoyable time as we engaged with them through songs, a skit, arts and crafts, and many many hugs and some sadness when it was time for us to leave.

Grrr....ROAR....

Josh & Joshua

Nicole

Nikki

Shawn

Steve & John

Cindy & Erika

Joshua & Brenden

Dakota & Trenton

Renee

Matt

Kristene

Jesse, Bob, Blake & Steve

Garrett & Bekah

The children welcoming us!

Praise God for providing a place for these children and many praises for the love and care given by the Nest caregivers. Amen

Kenya Team Pics

2010-07-28T03:51:00.000-07:00

Westminster Abbey
(London)

....Kenya believe it?!
(Amani Ya Juu - Nairobi, Kenya)

The Boys

The Girls

The Youths

There were some travel mishaps along the way, but the team has made it to Kenya. We have been having a great time bonding these first few days and are looking forward to God leading us on an awesome adventure. Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers and support.

Blessings in Christ, Dan & Cindy

Oh Kenya, we made it!!!!

2010-07-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

Lord God, you are such an amazing and powerful God. I thank you for watching over us and bringing us to Kenya safely. May all your ministries here be strengthened and your will be done. Lord we are here with a heart for you and your people of this world; expand your kingdom God and give the Kenyan people a heart for you while working and growing in us. Lord may we delight in you every moment and know with all peace that you are in control ready to move forth and capture this world. May your blessings rain down and work through all nations. This life which we have been given by you, may we us to praise you and bring glory to you name. Hallelujah, Hallelujah in Jesus’ name AMEN!!!

Saturday July 24^th – Monday July 26^th

Saturday morning I arrived at the airport in Seattle excited for my trip to Kenya. When I arrived, I could feel the excitement building as our team started to gather together. As we started to check in, we ran into a few problems, but the Lord is good and made the way for us. We lost one member because her passport had expired, but I know the Lord will work and we will see her here soon enough in Kenya. At the airport you could see the combination of excitement and the stress of travel as we have 18 of us to watch over. Our plane from Seattle to Denver was delayed two hours and there was a great possibility that we were going to miss our connecting flight that goes from Denver to London. However, the Lord is good and some military personnel were on our current flight and then transferring to our London flight and Because of this they ended up holding it for us. Once in Denver we ran to our next gate… think Home Alone style running through the airport. Ok maybe it wasn’t that bad but I like to imagine it that way haha. So here came the eight hour flight to London and WOW did it seem long, but we made it with no problems. In London we had about a nine hour layover and wanted to take full advantage of it by exploring the city. But before we could do that you know I had to cause some trouble first :p Apparently, taking pictures in the UK customs line is not allowed and can possibly be an action that would require the police. After being yelled at for breaking security while taking pictures of the team, I was instructed and watched as I had to delete all of the pictures I had taken since we landed in London… it was definitely a fun and exciting experience. In London we went to look at some of the great tourist spots including Big Ben (one member in our group thought it was a whale haha), Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. After London we took our last flight to Kenya which was another nine or so hour flight. I tried to sleep the best I could during the plane ride since we got into Kenya at 8am. Coming into the airport was a great feeling because not only were we finally there, but it was as if our mission trip officially seemed to start. It was a good two hour drive to the Heart Lodge where we are staying which will be our home base. The rooms that we have here are pretty nice and it seems like a great place to be staying. I am rooming with two other gentlemen, Bob and Steve, and they are some great guys to be with. Our first day in Kenya was pretty slow allowing us to recoup after our long journey here and extreme time change. Our first stop was the village market which looks a lot like an outdoor mall. It was fun to go to all of the shops which had many handmade items in them. After the market we made our way to The Nest Baby Orphanage. Here got to play with, hold, and feed many beautiful babies. All the babies at the Nest Orphanage have all lost their mothers whether it was to death or abandonment. The babies were so much fun and it was amazing to participate in such a wonderful ministry. Many of the babies go for adoption into families that will take care of them in the ways they need. After the babies we came back to the Heart Lodge to have dinner. I went straight to bed after this as I was completely exhausted. As I was going to sleep, all I could think about is what our next day would bring. Already I am so excited to see where God will lead us.

VBS at the NEST

2010-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Kenya has been absolutley amazing. The people here are so friendly and are always welcoming us where ever we go. Tomorro is a big day as we head into a slum, we are also doing our first worship set for the local people. Although this is slightley nerve racking I am super excited to see how it turns out.

Today we visited the nest, which is pretty much an orphanage for children abondoned around Nairobi area. Just hearing about the kid's stories from the nest helpers made my heart soft and really made me realize that this group is here for a reason. As our group helped the 40 or so kids in a VBS lesson and craft we really got to connect with the kids there. They were all cheerful and happy to just have visitors. All of these days have been far more memorable then I could have imagined and I am so thankful to be here.

This time we've spent here has made me think of primarily one thing. And that's how amazing it is that we, being from across the world share a common passion for God with these Kenyans who live so differently from us. Its trully an encouraging and amazing thing.

I'm Not "Lion", The Nest Was AWESOME!

2010-07-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Josh Chinn quality blog post #2.

Today was really awesome. Although getting up was a bit tough (I'm still a bit jetlagged), I was greeted by some delicious crepes and sausages for breakfast. After a nice meal, we had a great devotion and then prepared to visit the Nest.

The Nest was absolutely amazing. When we first arrived we visit the toddlers and younglings in their nursery. One of them was crying but stopped immediately after he was picked up. He was a smart cookie who knew how to get attention. After visiting the cute lil ones, we got a tour of the Nest and finally got to meet the children. They were so friendly and fun. They sang us a song welcoming us to their home and kindly asked for our names. Then we went to go set up for our VBS sesh while they went to eat. Brendon and I helped Erika lead the kiddos in hand motions for a couple songs. Some of the kids got really into it, but I think others were scared of us, probably because of our lion hoodies (explained later). We sang Whole World in His Hands, This Little Light of Mine, and Choose Jesus. By the end of the song, most of the kids were participating in the hand motions which was so fun to see. They all had smiles on their faces as we finished the songs and moved on to our short skit.

Brendon, Garrett and I were assigned to be lions for the skit. Erika made us lion sweatshirts with manes and patches of fur and getting to be the lion was my favorite part of the day. Our skit was Daniel and the lion's den. When Erika introduced us, we came in and began crawling and scratching and all the kids were roaring with laughter. Get it? Roaring with laughter? Okay. no.

Anyway, the part of the play I enjoyed most was when the lions were "silenced" by God and us felines had to pretend that our mouths were shut. After our epic play, we moved on to crafts. We helped the fellas make these awesome masks. I eventually finished helping the kids and began to take pictures of them. Man, those kids LOVE the camera. Every single time they'd see a flash they'd race toward the photographer and demand to see themselves. Sometimes they'd hide behind their masks or make hysterical faces, then crack up when they saw themselves in the camera screen. After we made crafts and prepared to leave, the kids sang us another song and invited a couple of us to join in. They'd call us out and want us to dance. Brendon was the first to be called out and everybody laughed as he danced along with the kids. To be honest, those kids have better dance moves than Chris Brown, and they're not even half his age.

After the Nest, we went to the Amani ya juu ministry. It was really inspiring to see the women who worked there and made the most of the opportunities they'd been given. I loved so many of their creations, especially the small stuffed animals and the elephant backpacks.

Then came the toughest part of the trip (so far..). We decided to set up the sound equipment and do a few checks to make sure everything went well. All was going perfectly until we got about 2 minutes in to our checks. I'm not sure why, but one of the power surges blew out. We had to check the surge, the outlet, the adapter, the converter, but we still aren't sure what went wrong. Basically, we were stuck with a limited number of outlets and we had to prepare and be ready for our music set tomorrow. In the end, we got everything we needed to work working correctly and we should be ready for manana. Thanks so much for your prayers and support!

-Josh ♥♥♥♥

In Kenya!!!

2010-07-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

I didnt post yesterday but I'm posting today!!! Yesterday we went to the Nest Half Way House and i held two babies!!! It was a really awesome experience and I never expected to hold a baby. I only made one baby cry too yay! It was a touching experience. Today we went to the Nest and did vbs with all the kids. The kids sang songs to welcome us and their voices were really impressive. I wish i could sing like them. Then we did a skit about Daniel and the Lions and I was one of the lions. It was fun crawling around and roaring at the children as they laughed. We sang a couple songs and did a craft. All of the kids were pumped with energy and it was really fun helping them make lion masks. As we were leaving the kids played a singing and dancing game with us. I got OWNED by one of the kids in the singing and dancing game. I can not dance for my life and they were way too good for their age... seriously. I can't wait until tommorow!!!
P.S. In London i saw Big Ben and thought it was a whale.... no one told me Big Ben was a clock before....

African Massage

2010-07-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Have you experienced an African massage? On the way to the Nest, we had our first experience of it! :) The Nest is such an awesome organization, with a nursery, and boarding and schooling for school-aged children. When we first met the kids, they sang a welcome song for us. I was so touched! They sang in unison, with hand motions, in both English and Swahili. And as we moved to the dining room for the Daniel and the Lions' Den story, they wanted to take our hands to lead them into the room. They are just so sweet and innocent, but I know they have been through a lot. There was this one child who kept on giving me a hug, or wanting to be hugged. He didn't say a word - I don't even know his name. But he kept on sticking near me. So, I stayed near him, and sang with him.

Renee