Carol Peirce thoughts on Kenya

                  Upon arriving in Nairobi, it was comforting to see the smiling face of “papa” John Crews greeting us at the airport!  The next morning we began our mission with a visit to the Salvation Army compound on the edge of Kibera slum, where several hundred kids were waiting to meet with us and worship.  I definitely choked back tears (deciding that tears would do no one any good – but smiles would!) as I entered the chapel and saw all of the children singing and praising God.  What a blessing they were to see.  It was my first look at the poverty, and some illness, that are everyday life for these kids. 

                  On Monday our team arrived at the campus and we began registration for Teen Camp.  As I registered the different teens, I prayed that God would send the ones to me that He wanted in my small group.  My group of 6 girls were: Eunice, Eurelia, Anastasia, Maureen, Centrin, and Doris.  At first Centrin wouldn’t stop holding my hand and clinging to my side.  Then as the week went on and she made friends and got comfortable, she was all over the place and rarely clinging to me!  Many of the girls were very quiet and shy, as was the local adult mentor, Beatrice.  I later learned from Beatrice that we were the first white people she had ever met.  I learned to take my time with the girls, and allow them the time to connect with me.

                  For the afternoon sessions with all of the girls, I did the teaching on Forgiveness and Reconciliation.  Of course, my dilemma before I even arrived was, “Who am I to teach these kids, who have lost so much, on forgiveness?”  But I felt the Lord clearly say to me, “My word is true for everyone.”  He just wanted me to teach them His truth, and leave the results to Him.  In the Wednesday session, one of our leaders shared her personal story of pain and forgiveness.  Her openness and vulnerability opened up their hearts to also begin sharing their stories.  As we sat outside in the grass in a big circle, the circle got closer and closer together as we listened to girls sharing.  One of the girls shared that she wasn’t sure she would even have a home to go home to after camp, after being repeatedly abandoned and rejected by relatives.  Another girl told of abandonment, rape, incest, beatings, and more abandonment.  You could have heard a pin drop.  There was an incredible period of time when, as a whole, we just all wept together and released our sorrow and pain.  It was like a wave of sorrow.  This went on for a while as we allowed the girls to take time to just weep together.  Afterwards many of the girls met one- on -one with the leaders, privately shared their own stories, and the leaders prayed for them.  There was a beautiful move of the Holy Spirit in that session, and we believe that it was the start of healing for many of these girls.  

                  On mission trips, you are not always sure if you made a difference, if lives were changed, or if people grew closer to God as a result.  I may not know how many people were impacted by this Teen Camp, but I do know one thing for sure:  some were.  Some were.  I could see it in their faces – and I read it in their private notes to us.  It was a privilege and an honor to meet with the children of Kenya.  They made a difference to me, my life was changed, and I grew closer to God.  Wow, who were the missionaries? 

                  I’ll close with a note from one of the girls: “Lord, I want to say that I love you for your care and for giving us food and for the dream.  Sometimes we can call you our father and I love you.  Lord, don’t forget me because I love you.  I want you to take me to a place where I can eat and have fun.  Lord, I can’t leave you and you don’t leave me.  I thank you father.”

Final thoughts from Rachel Jewett

I was blessed to have the opportunity to return to Kenya for the second time this year.  And once again, God opened my eyes to a group of people who seek Him for everything and find so much comfort in knowing that He is walking with them every step of the way.  

At the camp the second week, we split up into all guys and all girls, and tried to offer insight on forgiveness and reconciliation.  God began breaking down walls that these teenage girls have built up for so many years around their hearts.  As girls began to share pieces of their life stories about being raped, abused, not having money for school, and being homeless, I looked around and the entire group of girls were crying.  They could ALL relate.  They were able to see that they weren't alone.  The walls were coming down.  Finally.  We weren't able to fix anything.  We weren't able to say anything to make their situations better.  All we could do was pray.  And honestly, I think that's all they were looking for from us.  They just wanted someone to listen, and someone to pray.  We gave them the opportunity the next day to begin to forgive the people in their lives who have hurt them.  They spread out and began to pray for the strength to do this.  It

 was amazing to see each of them take steps towards healing.

It's so easy to come back and get into our daily routines, and get caught up in the things of "our" world.  As they left on Friday, several came up and said to me, "Please don't forget me.  Please pray for me and my family."  

I pray I don't forget.  I pray that their stories and their faces never leave my mind.  And I pray that their circumstances and struggles will be a reminder of God's faithfulness as He continues to care for His people.

Final thoughts from the Wegner family

Sam’s new hope

            The thing that struck me the most about the teens I met in Kenya was how similar they were to my friends in the States. I spent most of my time trying to get to know the girls. Like most girls, they liked to sit around, talk, do their nails, and sing and dance.  Needless to say, we got along pretty well together. However, it wasn’t until I found what life was like for them back home that I realized that they were truly more alone than most American girls. Many of these girls have only one parent, if any. Those who are orphans usually have younger siblings that they have to take care of and provide for. Many girls I talked to move from house to house because they have no direct family to take care of them anymore. The people they live with don’t really care about them and view them as just another mouth to feed. As a result, they live such lonely lives because they can’t find anyone to love them. As my time with them drew to  a close, I couldn’t bear the thought of returning to my family and friends in Texas while these girls would be returning to lives filled with loneliness and hopelessness in Kibera. I felt so helpless, but then Christ reminded me of who He is. He reminded me that He is Father to the fatherless. He loves these girls so much more than I ever could and He has a specific plan for each and every one of them. With this knowledge, I continue to pray with hope for my sisters in Kenya because I know that God is watching them.

Delisa’s Reflections

                One of the things that was encouraging to me, was the teens hope  and joy in the Lord.   Like Samantha said,  so many of these kids live in desperate situations, but they still have joy and hope in who God is .   One of my favorite things at camp was to hear the teens sing.   They love to sing!! They have motions for every song and it is like an aerobic workout every song service.    You can hear their joy, but also their cry for God and His provision in just about every song that they sing.   It is very moving and powerful.   

               One of the very special  things that we got to do at one of the first church services at camp was to give each teen  their own New Testament.   With each Bible that we gave, we got to pray with each teen.  One of the boys that I gave a Bible to, to take home, smiled and said, “Now when I go to bed, I can read it and have peace and not be afraid.”  It is very hard to pray without crying after hearing that.

                An unexpected blessing of the trip, was God helping me understand more of my own boys culture.  Even though Kenya and Ethiopia are two different countries, there are a lot of similarities.  Sometimes I felt like I was watching my own kids.  It also reminded me of and encouraged me in our call to adopt David, Sammy and Karissa.  God’s plan is perfect and wonderful, and it is truly amazing to follow Him step by step.

Josiah’s Perspective

            It’s hard to sum up everything that went on in the trip. But I think that the most memorable thing that happened was the many talks I had with the Kenyans during the teen week. Before we left for Kenya, I had expected the Kenyan teens to be so different from the teens in America. But the more I talked and hung out with them the more I realized how similar we were. Sure our culture and circumstances were different, but yet I was still able to relate to them. I was still able to talk about personal struggles I had as a teen in America and they were still able to relate as teens in Kenya. It made me think about things with a new perspective. Now when I think about the poverty and injustice being done in Kenya, I realize that these people are not so different but instead are just like me. They need someone to love them. They need to be valued.

            One other thing I got to do while I was there was talk to a Kenyan named Chris. Chris lead the worship for the kids and youth and also did a lot of other random things. He is by far the most high energy person I have ever met. During the teen camp he would come into the room were I was staying every night and just talk to me for like an hour.  It was kind of funny because I was always exhausted and just about ready to collapse at the end of the day and he would come by my room, open the door, and just sit down right beside me and start talking. But I’m glad he did. It was very encouraging to me and I will never forget some of the stuff he said, especially one thing in particular. One night I asked him if he was ever tired and how he had so much energy. He told me that he was tired a lot, but when he is, he prays to God for energy and God always gives it to him. He said he wanted to go all out for God while he was on the earth. He wanted to live the extreme Christian life. One where every second is spent trying to bring God glory. When you are living a life driven by that purpose, how can you let being tired stop you? This was very convicting to me since most of the time all I want to do after I wake up is eat and then go back to bed. It made me realize that time on this earth really is short and I need to spend it wisely by living for God every single second.

Final Thanks

              Thank you so much for sending us to Kenya and for praying for us while we were there.  As a mom, it was amazing to be there ministering beside  Sam and Josiah.  It is a memory that I will not forget.  The people of Africa are capturing more and more of our hearts.  God is doing some wonderful things in Kenya and  the church there.  But the need is so great, especially among the teens, AIDS widows and children  of Kibera.  Please pray for the mentors and the ministries that work with these precious people every day.   Please also pray that we will walk closer  and closer with Jesus and follow wherever He leads us. 

In Christ,

Delisa, Samantha and Josiah            

All of our pictures from Kenya trip 2008

Below are all of the links to our camp in Kenya this month.  I hope that you enjoy them

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/Kenya2008Camp1

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/Kenya2008Activities

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/Kenya2008Camp2

Join us on a trip next year somewhere around the world and experience this for yourself first hand.

God bless.

John 

Our final thoughts on Kenya

Our entries for the Kenya blog were a bit disjointed due to sporadic internet access and travel situations, but I do want to share some overviews of our time in Nairobi.  

Camps are always challenging, with the non-stop activity,long hours, on top of tiring travel. But when you see the joy in a child’s eyes, hear their laughter, and see smiles of hope, you know it’s worth it, especially for young people living in the Kibera slum.  It is an unbelievable world of one million people living on 600 acres; the dense population and depth of poverty is hard to conceive until you see it.  The challenges of life were great enough before the post election violence ravaged the area and other parts of the country.  Fear, hatred,increased violence erupted, taking its toll on everyone, but always children and young people become undeserved victims.  Education is minimal and hard to come by; most “homes” are supported by a single parent or even by children themselves, as with one of our mentor/helpers from Kibera. One teenager, is responsible for six younger siblings.  She had to drop out of school due to lack of funds and having to somehow take care of her family.  This is everyday life for so many.  There are additional challenges of the high incidence of HIV/AIDS, creating more orphans and vulnerable children.  Poverty, disease, lack of education:  a deadly combination.  

As difficult as life is, we see God at work!  Homecare Fellowship continues their outreach to AIDS widows, orphans and vulnerable children through their caring for a number of widows and their families, as well as the ongoing children’s program where 300+ children learn about Jesus and are fed every Saturday.  When you hear the testimonies of the widows, you realize how truly vital this ministry is!  Each one’s story has a common thread:  I had no hope, could not afford to feed myself or my children, couldn’t work, and felt totally abandoned and ostracized.  In this fellowship, they are fed, provided funds for shelter, school fees for their children, are generating income through their jewelry making and soap production, have found acceptance and support from one another, and most importantly, they have come to know the unconditional love and acceptance of Jesus!  They now feel that they have value, hope, a reason to live, and are increasing both in physical and spiritual strength.  The power of God!  The same is true in the testimonies of the Masai women, who through PACWA, are going to school for the first time in their lives, and for village women who through the provision of goats and bees, can now support their children and see them go to school.  

In these camps, children and teens get to hear about the God who created them, loves them, so much so that He sent His only Son to die for them so that THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, true, eternal life, not only hope after death, but life now!  Their circumstances may not change; they still face huge challenges, BUT they do not face them alone!  They have the opportunity to understand that their lives have value because they are created in His image, and they’ve been bought with the ultimate price.  They are valuable!  They are indeed precious in His sight!!  

Perhaps the most impacting time of the trip was with the teens, especially the girls, as we explored what it means to truly forgive and experience forgiveness.  As Carol shared about how to face our wounds, bring them into His light, huge healing began!  These young women who have already endured more abuse than any of us can or want to imagine, feeling totally worthless and ashamed, were able to face the hurt and begin to find true healing that only Jesus can provide.  

When ever you think of going to minister in another country for a short term, it’s inevitable to question, “Is it really worth it to go for such a short time?  Can anything really be accomplished that has lasting results?  Will this truly benefit the people we minister to and with?  Does it really matter???”

I can tell you unequivocally, the answer is YES!  Yes, we are only there for a brief moment in time, but even in that brief moment, God works!  He plants seeds in the hearts of children and youth, even allows us to see some harvest and uses us to be hands, feet, and mouths for Him.  We come for what time as visible extensions of Jesus; how extraordinary; how humbling.  As fallible and “human” as we are, He wants and allows us to express HIM…….and it does make a difference. 

It makes a difference to each child, teen, widow, man, ministry helper we meet; it makes a difference in each of us who get to have this personal experience for ourselves.

So what now?  We are back home, back in our comfortable surroundings.  It can seem rather surreal that just days ago we were walking the red dirt paths of Kenya. We have left behind the poverty, filth, stress and heartache….to a degree.  As a measure of it is forever with us in our hearts.  Now we know the reality of life there; now we can pray with understanding.  Now we can pray by name, seeing those faces, knowing their stories.  We can encourage others to do the same. We can support these ministries who are serving day in and day out, our brothers and sisters.  There is MUCH we can do.  We can tell their stories, speak for those who have little or no voice. We can have confidence that as His Word will never return void, so anything offered in His Name will be used for His glory…..for eternity.

Diane for the entire team in Kenya

Saturday morning early

We are now in the Zurich airport since 6:15 a.m. today waiting for our 12:00 noon flight to Washington D.C. and then on to Houston and California.  We are a bit tired but doing ok, ready to get home for a LONG HOT SHOWER and sleeping in our own beds plus our favorite foods and some great Diet Dr. Pepper hopefully we will find some of that in D.C. and make most of us happy.

Dan, Carol, Frank and Steve left this morning for a safari in Masai Mara and 7 of the California team left Friday for Safari after their trip.  We are hoping that they see some incredible sites, maybe the Wildebeest are migrating.

More later after we get home.  We will miss our wonderful team mates from other parts of the country.  Have a great weekend.

Friday departure heading home

We are heading to the airport shortly as our final day is coming to a close with the youth.  It has been a great time and we will miss these young people.  Many have shared some incredible stories that is hard for any of us to understand how this can happen to such young people.  Please continue to pray for the kids and families in Kibera.

We depart tonight at 11:45 p.m. Kenya time and arrive back in Houston and California around 8:00 p.m. Saturday night.  Pray for good health on our flights back and all connections will be made in Zurich and D.C.

The team appreciates all of your prayers during these two weeks.  We will update the blog more next week with lots of pictures for you to see.

Thursday

It’s been so interesting to see how God has woven so many details together every day! From Bible lessons, songs sung, scriptures shared, personal testimonies, it is a script that only He could write. We appreciate so much everything that each team member has contributed to this ministry; it wouldn’t have been the same without any one of them. Our youngest members, Josh, Josiah, Samantha and Steve, have been outstanding and such good role models for these teens. Carol’s teaching on forgiveness has impacted not only the teens, but the leaders as well. Each day has held its own special moments, and we praise God for that. We looked at the life of Joseph today, an excellent example of forgiveness and not giving into temptation. It is possible!
Tonight was the final night chapel, and each team was asked to make a presentation. Most groups created skits depicting themes of love, forgiveness, exposing common abuses seen here, and the overall theme of hope in Jesus. The US team presented a medley of songs with African themes and references to our home states (aka, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Hakuna Matata, Deep in the Heart of Texas, The Audabon Zoo, and Wish They All Could be California Girls). Not sure they quite grasped the significance of each, but it was fun anyway.
Tomorrow is our final time together; we’ll conclude midday and the campers will pack up after lunch. Our team has talked a lot about how much these young people have understood, wondering if it has penetrated, how much it has impacted them. We’ll probably never know this side of heaven, but we do know that His Word does not return void. We aren’t asked to be “successful;” we are called to be faithful as messengers, communicators and demonstrators of the gospel of Christ. The results lie solely in His hands; we are trusting Him to complete His work in the hearts of these teens. Even if only one life is changed as a result of this week, it will have been worth it, but we believe there are many whose hearts have been genuinely touched. We’re praying for those who will come after us to water seeds planted, and for the Lord to reap His harvest.

Kids having fun even in Kenya

Together

African and American working and sharing together, what a joy to be a part of all of this.

Cool girl

Even in Kenya we are still pretty cool.

Working together

Cecilia working with another mentor on the local Homecare team.

Special time

Kelly and Dianna are sharing some special time together and are praying for each other.  This is a lot of what this camp is about, forgiveness and reconciliation.  You would not believe the stories that the team is hearing for these precious young girls.  the things that they have gone through no one should have to endure this.  Keep praying for these young girls.

Rachel and her boys

All the guys hanging around Rachel, her following.

The Guys

Here are all the boys at the camp this week, about 35.  Good group of guys, we are having fun with them dealing with some big issues.

New Bibles

Dan sharing with his boys and their new Bibles

Happy to have a new Bible.

Getting our new Bibles and praying over them

Kelly with some new friends to share God's word with.  The Salvation Army of Kenya donated 100 Bibles to our camp that was written specifically for Africa and issues that they are facing like HIV/AIDS.

Worship time

Delisa in the middle of the kids during morning worship each day.

Enjoying the sun

Rachel is enjoying a time of rest between activities at camp.  What a great way to enjoy the nice sunny days in Nairobi lying on the grass.

Oh course about 10 kids are getting ready to jump on her so this will not last long.

Sometimes we get tired of rice and potatoes

Feeding a cheetah

This is what it looks like when you pet a Cheetah while they are eating a slab of fresh meat.

These are real risk takers.

Wednesday update

Last night, about 11:30, we suddenly lost electrical power, so the day started off interestingly.  Without power, the water pumps don’t work, so there was no water and no power.  We managed through the day and made a “water run” for bottled water for the team (PAC trucked in water for their tanks, but told us not to drink it).  Suddenly, during dinner, the power resumed to simultaneous cheers and praises!  We were especially thankful because a local ministry had offered to show a film to the kids tonight during chapel.  So it was a double blessing to have the power just in time for chapel.  The film was on AIDS, entitled “Your Life is at Stake.”  It was locally produced and filmed here in Nairobi by Brother Andrew, who introduced it to the group tonight and shared insights into the realities of HIV/AIDS.  He was one of the first Christian film makers in Kenya and has a heart to use the medium of film to impact people for Christ.  Even with the high incidence of HIV/AIDS, there is still a great deal of stigma attached, which prevents people from getting tested and receiving treatment.  Even though the Kenyan government has tried to increase education about HIV, there is still much ignorance about it, as we have learned from these teens by the questions they ask.

In our group sessions with the guys and girls, we have focused on forgiveness, what it is and isn’t, the important of it, and how to come to the point of forgiveness and reconciliation.  The girls have seemed to absorb a lot from the discussions, but they have shared very little, until today.  Carol has been leading these discussions, and she emphasized that we must recognize and face our wounds before we can experience healing and forgiveness.  Today the opportunity was given to share those hurts in the confidential setting of our group.  Once a team member shared wounds from her own life, it seemed that the door to transparency was opened.  One by one, these precious girls began to share the most unimaginable wounds; rape, beatings, abandonment, parents dying leaving them to care for their siblings, physical and verbal abuse, total despair.  It was excruciating to hear the deep woundedness of these girls and see the agony on their faces.  It is simply unimaginable to think of these atrocities and realize that even at such young ages, these girls have lived through nightmares.  It prompted an outpouring of prayer and the sharing of grief for all that these girls have faced.  Our hearts were crushed for them as we prayed together for God to work miraculously in their lives.  It is no accident that these kids are at this camp, and we know and expect that God will indeed begin a healing work in their hearts and minds and miraculously provide for their needs.  Reality slapped us in the face today.  It was courageous for these girls to open up and share their lives.  We realize how very, very blessed we are to have shelter, food, clothing, families, people who care about us.  I cannot imagine how alone these kids must feel.  We saw pain today; real pain, but we’ve also seen joy in these faces.  We’ve seen glimmers of hope, a reprieve from the hardness of life in Kibera, and we are confident that the Lord is at work in ways we cannot imagine or see at the moment.

Please pray for these kids; pray for healing of terrible wounds; pray for them to truly understand and believe that they are loved by the only One who will never abandon them.  Pray that they will find hope in the midst of crushing circumstances, and that God will truly make a way where there seems to be none.

 

Tuesday Update

We woke up to beautifully cool weather; we’ve been enormously blessed with great weather throughout the camps.  We had the lesson on Esther; it was good to encourage the girls that God works through women as well as men, and that they, too, have a special purpose in His plans.  Today was our first opportunity to break into small groups to look at scripture,  share what we are learning and begin to get to know one another better.  The groups went well, and we’re seeing increasing openness with the teens.  The afternoon sessions of “just girls” and “just guys” have gone very well as we have explored what it means to forgive and experience reconciliation not only with God, but also with others.  The questions for discussion continue to be very challenging, ranging from abuse, family violence to “normal” teen issues.  We had an interesting request from the boys’ group today; they wanted the girls to write down how they want to be treated.  The fact that they were asking and thinking about how a girl wants to be treated is a great encouragement in a culture that routinely devalues girls and women.

One of the things we have done regularly in camps is for each camper to make a booklet to write down special verses things they are learning, and even get “autographs” of new friends they make during camp.  Irene was with us last year, and she brought her booklet from last year to camp with her this year!  She has kept this simple paper book for a year now; that shows you how important things are to these young people.  Something we would probably toss once we were home becomes a treasure for them.

Tonight in our chapel time, the group raised the roof as only they can with praises.  Samantha, a 16 year old team member, is an accomplished singer and composer; she shared the song she wrote after viewing “The Invisible Children,” a beautiful song that depicts children who are abandoned and seeking true freedom.  These kids could definitely relate to the struggles that most children in Africa face.

Please continue to pray for these young people and the mentors from Homecare; they have great challenges, but as enormous as some of them can be, they are seeing that God is greater.  Pray for healing to take place this week as we continue to look at the wounds they have experienced and how they can forgive those who have hurt them.

On another note, we have not had much access to any news, so we had only sketchy reports about the conflict in Georgia, but aware that friends of ours from our church were on a mission trip at the same time that we are here.  We discovered only late last night that they had had to be evacuated from the conflict zone; the last four finally got out and are on their way home; Praise the Lord!!!  We are thankful for His constant protection, no matter where we are.  He truly is our refuge and strength.

 

 

 

Our team and kids

This was on the last day of our first camp with the kids in Kibera.  As you can see they are are all wishing you well and wanting you to come someday.  We had over 130 kids the first week.

Monday first day of youth camp

The team prepared for the arrival of the teens from Kibera.  Registration went fairly smoothly as the teens got their team assignments, met their leaders, and got settled into their dorm rooms.  After lunch, we had our first chapel time.  We have twelve Mentors from Homecare Fellowship helping us with week, along with our 12 US team members.  We are sharing lessons of Bible Heroes again this week; lessons about David were featured today.  Dan made a terrific Goliath!  We got to explore the strength of David when he depended on God, as well as his weaknesses in his relationship with Bathsheba.  Even though David was not perfect (as none of us are), when he confessed his sin before God, he was forgiven and restored.  Great lessons for all of us.  We have special sessions each afternoon with girls and boys meeting in separate groups to dig deep into what it means to forgive and be reconciled with others and God.  Today was the introduction, and already, we are seeing the impact of what was shared.  We give the teens opportunity to write out anonymous questions that we will address in our sessions.  It was very sobering to read them following our session.  One wrote about a best friend being killed recently, knowing who killed her, and wanting to know what she should do and how to forgive that person.  Another asked how she could forgive and respond to her father’s family after he had beaten and kicked her and her mother out and years later have decided that they want her to again be with them.  These are sobering questions indeed.  There were few light subjects in these questions.  This is the life of these young people; they have already seen and experienced the harsh realities and cruelties of life.  A number of them have already come to know Jesus; others are searching.  Pray with us that during this week we can assure them that the God who created them loves them, sent His Son to die for them and will be with them in all circumstances.  He is Hope and Life!

Sunday worship and fellowship

Celebration!  This is what worship is here in Kenya, a true celebration!  We attended worship at the NPC Karen church, beautifully led in worship by a great worship team and choir.  You truly felt the joy of the Lord!  Four of the CA team did a wonderful job of sharing a special song, and Samantha sang a beautiful solo to add to the worship.  One of the pastors shared an encouraging message on the miraculous nature of our God, reminding us of the miracle of New Birth.  The church was beginning their VBS this week and had a “preview” during the service.  The stage was filled with children dancing, singing, waving banners, and even some Kenyan Cowboys!!  We certainly felt at home when a group of boys wearing cowboy hats and red bandanas took the stage!  They were expecting over 1,000 children for their VBS!

It is always such a treat and blessing to be invited into someone’s home where we work.  Judy and Richard Mbugua always have a revolving door at their house; it is constantly filled with people, and their hospitality knows no end.  They not only invited our entire team for lunch, but also all the pastors of the church, ministry leaders with PACWA and Homecare workers.  We also had the joy of having three of our dear Masai women join us for lunch, share some scriptures in their language, and sing some of their own worship songs.  These are beautiful women!  With their head and necks heavily decorated with their amazing bead work, brightly colored dresses, they are truly stunning.  These women represent the group of women in Masailand ministered to by PACWA, ones we had the joy to visit last year.  They have never had the chance to go to school, but now they have two schools for the women so that they can read and write in their own language as well as learning math and even some English.   You can sense their pride and gratitude as they read aloud.  Now they can go to the market and not worry about being cheated; they now know how to count.  The director of this outreach updated us on “our goats,”  I know many of you have donated goats for the AIDS widows and needy families here.  The project seems to be exceeding expectations!  They have already been able to share many new “kids” with other needy families, and with the Masai as well.  The bee project continues, and all the families are so thankful for the way these projects have helped their families.  Goats and bees can truly change lives!

Before ending our day, we took a quick walk through the “walking safari” at the Nairobi Game Park.  This is like a zoo, but with the feel of the natural habitat of the animals.  We got to see a number of antelope, water buffalo, cape buffalo, hyenas, an amazing leopard, monkeys, as well as zebras, a rhino and various animals native to this area.  We had two treats during our walk; we got there just as the lions were to be fed.  Our guide took us to the side of the enclosure so that we could watch the male and female lion as they were given what appeared to be a side of beef.  The ROAR of the lions as they anticipated their dinner was shattering!  It was quite a sight to see them tear into the meat; they are fed an average 20+ lbs. of meat a day and still look pretty lean.  One of our daring team mates happened to be near the fence as one of the lions swished their tail, and he was able to actually touch the lion’s tail.  Another close encounter with the felines, the grand finale, was actually getting to pet a cheetah!  This was a grown cheetah, uncaged, and untethered.  We had petted a pair of cheetahs last year when we were here.  It’s amazing to actually feel the “motor” of their purring, the courseness of their coat and see their spots and beautiful markings “up close and personal.”  One of the gals on our team had had a dream of being able to touch a big cat; she got her wish!!  Mason, the 7 yr. old from CA, got a real kick out of being able to pet a real cheetah.  He’ll be the envy of all his friends back home!

It was now for TX group to pack up and move to the Pan African Christian University campus to prepare for the teen camp.  We had a wonderful weekend and now had to change gears for yet another camp week, all in need of renewed energy!

Saturday in Kibera

We haven’t had access to the internet, so we’re playing catch up a bit (on Monday).  On Saturday we got to join in the weekly children’s program in Kibera, which is an outreach of Homecare Fellowship and the group from whom the children and teens were chosen to attend camp.  The meeting room at the Salvation Army Church was already packed out when we arrived, but that didn’t stop at least a hundred more children from coming!  Just imagine the sound of more than 300 children packed into one not-so-large room, singing their hearts out to the Lord!  The team shared a lesson on David and Goliath; the children had a snack of “porridge,” and then they broke into small groups according to age groups.  Even as we moved outside for the groups, more children came in.  In all, they estimated  at least 350 children, in addition to the Homecare young people who volunteer their time to direct this ministry faithfully every Saturday.  Each Saturday these children have praise and worship, learn from the Bible, and are fed a nutritious lunch, probably their best meal of the week.  It is an amazing ministry to the “OVCs,” orphaned and vulnerable children. Following lunch, the team had a chance to taste some of the cultural diversity of Kenya at the BOMAS cultural center.  A talented group of dancers, drummers and acrobats demonstrate the music and dances of some of the tribes of Kenya.  It’s interesting to see the differences in tribes, as well as the beauty of their native costumes and amazing dancing and rhythms.  After visiting the recreated “village” where local vendors sell their Kenyan handcrafts, we shared our last night as a combined CA and TX team (we’ve adopted our Louisiana couple and dubbed them Texans!).  We have so enjoyed getting to know the talented group from LA, and are so glad they joined us for this week.

We were all looking forward to being at the worship service on Sunday, and thanked God for the wonderful week we had with the children.  We know that lots of seeds were planted, some received more water, and trust that even some “harvesting” took place.  The important thing is that every child got to hear the gospel, experienced the love of Jesus through each team members, and we served hand in hand with our brothers and sisters here in Kenya.  A blessed time indeed!

Friday camp

Well camp for the first week is over with and we all had a great time. It was not sad good byes today as we will see many of the children if not all of them tomorrow at the Saturday feeding program at the Salvation Army Church in Kibera. We will have around 200 kids at this weekly event. They will receive 2 meals during this time and lots of time for some more praise and worship.
We did a bit of shopping today in downtown Nairobi, but it was kind of team, we probably did not spend $100 between 22 of us. actually we spent more at the Nairobi Java House on some great coffee than we did on shopping.

Diane, Kirsten, Amy and Judy went out to see the sewing program at Dorcus home and they have a new building now with more room and they are all doing well.

Today was the 10 year anniversay of the bombing of the US Embassey here and we went by there this afternoon. Over 200 people were killed on Aug 8, 1998 at the same time the Tanzania Embassey was bombed as well, this really marked the beginning of the terrorist movement. They thought that they had finally caught the man behind this attack earlier this week but he got away.

Thanks for your prayers we are all doing well. Sorry for the short notes on this trip but internet has not been very available to us so hopefully next week will be better. You will probably not hear from us this weekend as we will be moving around.

Love to all outr families and friends back home. Oh by the way it is nice and cool here in the 70's during the day and 50'2 at night and that is without A/C.

Thursday August 7th

Another very full day at Camp Kenya! As soon as the kids arrived, we got started with a great time of worship and lesson on Joseph. The kids seem to be absorbing the lessons well and are great at learning their memory verses, and they are proud of their efforts. Captain Wonder made his daily appearance, learning from "Joseph" about forgiveness. The pastor's son, Mason, aged 7, has become "Captain Wonder, Jr," and is quite the actor (of course, he comes from a community of talent in Hollywood). Mason is easy to spot in the sea of campers since he is a "tow headed" blonde :) Today we had a videographer from the TV station to film scenes of the camp, interview various campers and helpers, as well as the end assembly. This will be on the TV program aired every Sunday night. Judy Mbugua spoke to the children and addressed the country to appeal to believers to reach out and take care of children like the ones at the camp from Kibera. She thanked us over and over for coming all the way from the US to care for these vulnerable children of Kibera. Recalling the scriptures concerning the birth of Moses when Pharoah's daughter rescued him and asked, "Who will nurse this child?" Judy asked Kenyan believers the same question; "Who will nurse these children?" Remembering that James 1:5 tells us that pure religion is seen in the caring of widows and orphans, we were all challenged to fulfill this calling. Children are indeed precious to the Lord; when we look into the eyes of these children, we see Him, "as you have done to the least of these, you have done it unto Me." It confirms why we are here, and encourages us that it does make a difference to reach out to a child with the truth and love of Jesus. Pray with us that many of these children will accept Jesus as their Savior as a result of this week. The Homecare Fellowship has a weekly prayer meetings on Thursday, so we were able to participate in today's meeting. As men and women gathered to worship and pray, one of the local pastors shared a message about what God has done in Kenya. Tomorrow is a memorial day here in Kenya, the 10th anniversary of the bombing of the American Embassy here in Nairobi where more than 200 Kenyans were killed. The pastor reminded us that this was a large wake up call to the world to the dangers and threat of terrorism. It was interesting to think of God using Kenya to alert all the nations of things to come. God is all about the impossible, and he cited many seemingly impossible situations that the Lord has resolved in Kenya, such as the present coalition government, which no one thought possible. As we prayed together for Kenya, families, the government and salvation for those who don't know the Lord, we also prayed for new beginnings not only for Kenya, all nations, but for families and each of us personally. It was an incredible time of prayer, fervent and passionate as each person called out to the Lord to show His power in these circumstances. What a privilege to take part in such powerful prayer with our brothers and sisters! It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the final day of camp for the younger kids. They have had a wonderful time; the team has done a terrific job, and we are trusting the Lord to take everything that has been shared with these children and weave it into their lives forever.

Wed. continued

I had to switch computers, but wanted to mention that I had an interesting experience today; recording a radio program. Our ministry partner, Judy Mbugua, hosts a radio program aired every Sunday morning. She was recording some today and asked me to record one, also. The program topic for August is Family, so she asked me to speak about parenting and the importance of ministry to our children. It seemed odd speaking to a microphone rather than to people, but it was an honor to take part with this aspect of their ministry. Supposedly tomorrow a TV film crew is coming to tape some scenes from the camp, and Brandon, the pastor from CA, is going to share a message. Every day has new surprises!!



Please do continue to pray for the children coming each day to camp, for those who seems shy and a bit detached (you never know what their circumstances are), that each one will be touched in a significant way. We hope that they will experience even more joy and hope the next two days and that many will come to realize Jesus' love for them!

Wednesday Wonders

This is the first time I (Diane) have had a chance to write something for the blog; internet can be sketchy! It's hard to believe that it is already mid-week! After such a long journey, a booming start to the camp, increasing numbers of children, it seems like a blur, but it has been GOOD!
We have some great local helpers, which has been a huge help for translation and "hands." They are also a quite talented group with music and drama.
The rest of our contingent (from CA) arrived yesterday morning, bleery eyed, but ready to join in. By afternoon, everyone was sagging a bit, but after some sleep, everyone was ready to go today.

Each day we have focused on a person from the Bible who had "heroic" qualities; Monday, it was David; yesterday, it was Esther. Today was Daniel. We've had great leadership in presenting the lessons, creative dramas, and learning memory verses. We begin each day with tremendously enthusiastic worship and praise! We have a great combination of local worship leaders, as well as talented team members. It makes for a tremendous time of worship! The kids respond so well, are soaking everything up and being "loved on." The CA group has introduced a recurring "character," CAPTAIN WONDER, who appears at the end of the day to see if he can find the heroic quality of the day. Donned in flying cape, he appears to see what the Bible character has that he wants to have himself. The kids get to interact to reveal who really has the "power," realizing that it all comes from God. Tomorrow the kids will get to make their own cape! We'll have lots of "Wonders" then!

It is "wonderful" to have this time with these children, to be able to smile, laugh, hug, interact, and share the hope of Jesus with them. We know that God is at work!

Thank you for your prayers! They are felt! Thank you, too, for praying for Rachel and her family in the loss of her grandmother. She has felt and appreciates the encouragement and support.

Early Tuesday morning

We are off to camp for another day but still having trouble updating everything. We had about 110 children for the first day of camp and surprizingly it went very well. Out team and the Kenya team really worked good together and made it so good. Lots of great young children here and about 30% are returning from last year and it was nice to see them again and see how they are growing. Lots of smiles and boy can they still worship the Lord and dance. Many of them asked about the team from last year wondering where you were, they miss you, more on that later.
Judy and her staff send their greetings.

We are all well and looking for our next team from California to arrive this morning to help us for the rest of the week.

God bless and everyone said to tell their famliles hello and wish you were all here with us.

Have a great day or night in most of your cases as it is late Monday night for you.

WE have made it to Kenya

This will probably be short today but we wanted to make sure that everyone knew that we finally made it after a long time waiting in the Kenya immigrtion almost 3 hours so we made it to the guest house Sunday morning around 1:30 a.m. We went to church on Sunday and had a great time there and then met with out team from Kenya.
Monday morning started our first day of camp and about 110 kids showed up and we had a great day.

We are having some computer issues here so please bear with us.

One prayer equest for Rachel Jewett a team member from Austin just got word that her grandmother passed away today after a long illness.

Thank you more later

Only one day before take off

We are down to one day before take off to Nairobi on Friday.  We will be flying from Houston to Washington D.C. then to London and then to Nairobi arriving Saturday night there just in time to go to bed and get ready for a great church service on Sunday morning.  We also have Kelly flying for California and will meet us in London.  Wish you could all join us.

We need your prayers as we will be conducting the 2 week camps the first with the younger children, about 150 of them coming everyday and then the 2nd week 70 youth will be joining us at Pan African Christian University for a great week of worship, fellowship and some great discussions on forgiveness and reconciliation.

Please pray for the first team leaving with us:

Josiah, Josh, Kelly, Rachel, Frank, Steve, Diane and John.  Then on Tuesday a group from Ecclesia Church in Hollywood, Ca. about 15 will join us for 4 days before moving on to another ministry.  then next weekend we have 4 more folks join us, Delisa, Samantha, Carol and Dan.

Please keep us all in prayers for the next 2 weeks.

Check back daily as we will try and keep the blog up on a regular basis.  We will not be sending out emails stating that we have updated the blog.

Getting ready to head out Aug 1-16

Our team is coming together and we are preparing to head off to kenya for 2 weeks of camps with the kids and youth out of Kibera the largest slum in Kenya in the center of Nairobi.

Pray for us as we prepare to head out.