This is a video that we made to show our Jr. High kids what we were able to do in Kenya because of their Just Add Water summer project. They were able to raise over $9,000! This is a great reminder that God is working in ways that we often never see.
(Note: This is a two part video. Make sure you watch both.)
Friends,
Recently, several people have asked how they can correspond with their sponsored child in Kenya. Below you’ll find a link that describes how your monthly support is used along with instructions for writing to your child. Please follow the directions in this 2-page pdf document very carefully. Remember- children LOVE pictures!
Another FAQ- What happens to slum kids when they’re orphaned? Can Americans adopt orphaned Kenyan children from the Hope Schools?
Life is very communal in the slums of Nairobi. When parents pass away, children are often unofficially adopted into the homes of neighbors.
When a child from the Hope School loses a parent, they receive counseling and encouragement from the school staff. If they are left without a capable adult to care for them, a school social worker pursues living options with the child’s extended family, ensuring the child is placed in a caring home.
Americans often wonder whether it’s more advantageous for a Kenyan child to be adopted by a family in the U.S than for them to remain in Kenya. Kenyan leaders assure us that when possible, it’s best for children to be placed with family members or neighbors. The children have meaningful connections to the people in their lives. It would be traumatic for them to be removed from their familiar environment. Plus, the goal of the Hope School is to raise up native, Christian leaders. They want these Kenyan kids to grow up to make a difference in their homeland. Children involved at the Hope Schools are well taken care of, even when orphaned.
There are several orphanages in Kenya where children are placed when absolutely no other option can be found. These orphanages are not directly affiliated with the Hope Centers, though the leaders from these organizations stay in contact with one another.
But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god. (Habakkuk 1:11, NLT)
I read the book of Habbakuk on the plane ride to Kenya last week. Little did I know that that the words of this Old Testament book would prove to be so convicting.
The Gospel is spreading like wildfire in Kenya. The people are spiritually hungry and Christ-followers in Nairobi are boldly sharing their faith on a daily basis. It’s a powerful combination. People are accepting Christ by the hundreds. But why is the Kingdom growing more quickly in Kenya than in the U.S? Perhaps Habakkuk is right- we Americans are deeply guilty, for our own strength is our god.
While most Kenyans are dependent on God to provide for their needs, I often lean on my own strength to get through each day. This is the problem of affluence- it makes you feel strong and in control. I earn a salary. I solve problems that arise. I make choices that determine my future. I control my environment. Americans are often deeply guilty because we rely on our own strength, making it our god, our provider, the thing upon which we depend.
Throughout history, the Gospel has spread quickly in areas where people are fully dependent on Christ in every area of their lives. As we return to the U.S today, we want to be more like our Kenyan friends who are devoted to prayer, quick to praise God for every little blessing and are committed to sharing their faith boldly as if Jesus was coming back tomorrow.
Kenyan Christians are convinced that their neighbors desperately need the hope of Christ ASAP in order to survive each day. The funny thing is… our Springfield neighbors need God’s provision just as much as our friends in Kenya do. Their need just isn’t as obvious because it’s masked by their god- their own strength.
As we’re leaving Kenya, we’re extremely thankful for the Mission of Hope leaders. Our missionary hosts, Keith and Kathy Ham, are passionate, authentic believers who are committed to the urban poor. Originally from the west coast, they sensed God leading them to serve on the mission field nearly twenty years ago. While their family has been doing ministry in Kenya for a long time, they just recently started their work in the slums of Nairobi. They are inspiring leaders who believe God wants to make the Mathare Valley a mountain for Christ. They’ve mentored us and invested in us this week. You won’t find a more genuine, spiritually committed couple than Keith and Kathy.
Wallace and Mary Kamau are the key Kenyan leaders from Mission of Hope. We’ll probably blog more about them later, but let’s just say that Chris compares Mary to Mother Teresa. They have been distinctly called by God to minister in the Mathare Valley and God is blessing their efforts. Wallace was a CPA with PriceWaterhouse before committing to full time ministry. He’s a key player in the strategic plans for the ministry, the microfinancing efforts and in the purchasing of land and the developing of leaders. Mary is the mastermind behind the Hope Schools- impacting children and empowering local leaders to change the Mathare Valley.
Friends, if you have a chance to take a mission trip to Nairobi, DO IT! You will be blessed by interacting with these leaders. You will be amazed by the ministry they’re leading. And, you’ll be inspired by the difference you can make here. The Hams and Kamaus have told us countless stories of mission trip groups that have literally changed the face of Nairobi. No matter what your skills are, you can be used to impact Africa for Christ.
Let’s go, West Side! Together, let’s make a difference in the slums of Nairobi. Put a mission trip to Kenya on your to-do list.
PS- you’ll be hearing more about upcoming mission trips to Kenya in the near future. In the mean time, pray for these leaders and ask God how He could use you to minister to our Kenyan friends.
On Sunday, we attended church in Kosovo, a small community near Bondeni. After the service, several church leaders gathered for lunch in the church building.
We noticed an unfamiliar little boy hanging around. He had come inside and lingered for about thirty minutes before we asked Mary, the Director of Mission of Hope, who he was. She suspected he was a street child who’d wandered in.
The little boy appeared to be about 3 years old and watched us eat lunch. We asked him his name. When he didn’t respond, we asked someone to ask him his name in Swahili. He didn’t understand or respond to either language.
When Melissa had finished her meal and her plate was empty, Mary took the dirty plate, put some rice and beans on it and gave it to him.
For the first time, he cracked a small smile. Silently, he put his plate on the bench and then climbed up to sit next to it. He had trouble getting the spoon from the plate to his mouth so Melissa held the plate closer to him. He ate the food quickly. When he reached the final few bites of food, his motor skills weren’t developed enough to scoop the last tidbits with the spoon. (This was actually a funny, but sad sight. He’d lift an empty spoon to his mouth and then look confused when he discovered that no food had made it to his mouth.). So, we fed him. We scraped the plate so he could enjoy as much food as possible. Literally feeding a street child in the slums of Kenya changes your perspective on life.
We had been sharing a soda so we gave the boy the remainder of our Coke as well. He sweetly drank out of the glass bottle which was nearly bigger than he was. When he was done, he gave us back the bottle and went outside to play. It’s scary to think he was in the church for nearly 90 minutes and nobody came to look for him.
Chris loved taking pictures of our new little friend. Though dirty, he was incredibly photogenic. He had two different kinds of shoes on- a busted sneaker without laces and a sandal. The sneaker was also on the wrong foot. Not only was he dressed poorly, but at age 3, he wasn’t speaking or understanding either of the national languages of Kenya. It’s enough to break your heart.
About 2 hours later, his mother came to find him. Keith, our missionary friend, talked to the boy’s mom in Swahili and discovered his name was Shadrack.
Shadrack, and thousands of kids like him, need help- educationally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. Shadrack represents what kids in Bondeni look like when they’re not influenced by the Hope Schools and impacted by the love of Christ.
We’re praying that Shadrack might someday be sponsored by a loving person or family who will make it possible for him to receive the services of a Hope School. In the mean time, we’re thankful that Hope Schools exist in Nairobi. Hundreds of kids no longer look and act like Shadrack thanks to the Hope Partnership.
Have you ever personally known someone with HIV or AIDS?
This week, we’ve laughed with, shaken the hands of and profusely hugged on people who are dying from this fatal disease.
An estimated 40% of people in Bondeni suffer from HIV/AIDS. Can you imagine how different life would be if 800 of the 2000 people who worship at West Side each Sunday had contracted HIV/AIDS?
In the U.S, we know a lot about HIV/AIDS, but a proportionally small amount of people have it. In Nairobi, the opposite is true. Many people have it, but the community knows very little about it.
The Hope Centers in the Mathare Valley are playing a key role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They educate people about the indicators of the disease and encourage testing. Once people are diagnosed, they help them discover that even though they’re HIV positive, they can still live positively under Christ’s leadership for the rest of their lives.
The Hope Centers are also teaching children at the Hope Schools how the disease is contracted and how to prevent it. They provide counseling as well as workshops on how to care for family members suffering in the final stages of AIDS.
Most recently, the Hope Center started a support group for those who have tested positive for HIV/AIDS. Led by an awesome guy named Fred who has a master’s degree in public health, this group has quickly grown to nearly 70 people.
We visited the group last week. What a joy they are! They meet weekly for Bible study, prayer and educational opportunities. They learn skills for holistically improving their health in every area of their lives.
Having HIV/AIDS can be an isolating experience. This group not only supports and prays for one another, they’re also improving their lives together. The group has started a small business, making liquid soap. When we placed an order for 20 liters, we received a standing ovation and many hugs. It was a cool experience.
Knowledge is power. We’re thankful for the Hope Centers and Schools that are not only reaching out to the HIV/AIDS community in practical ways, but are working to educate parents and kids about the prevention of this sweeping, deadly disease.
I’m all about garbage pick up. It’s a humble way to serve your community. I’ve been part of several trash pick up teams over the years- most recently during a mission trip to New York City. So when our Bondeni Youth Group friends invited us to check out their garbage pick up event on Saturday, I was eager to attend.
We quickly learned that garbage pick up in Nairobi is much different than in the U.S.
The Bondeni guys handed us each a shovel and we walked a quarter mile to the main Bondeni road. They then straddled an open sewer and began scooping the odiferous mixture of trash and human waste from the ravine and into a wheel barrow. From old shoes to beer bottles, the trench was filthy. This is also a common “bathroom” where people relieve themselves, so every scoop was covered with excrement.
For the first several minutes I watched children, many who weren’t wearing any shoes, transport the waste from the wheel barrows to the trash pile down the street where the government will pick it up in the coming weeks.
I’ll be honest. During my first ten minutes on site I was searching for any reason to keep from “digging in.” I thought we were just “checking out” what the guys were doing. I thought we were there to give them moral support. It was supposed to be a quick “drop by and say hi” type of thing. I didn’t come prepared to scoop poo.
Then I remembered what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2: 5-7. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his privileges and took the humble position of a servant.
So, being convicted by the Scriptures, I joined my Kenyan brothers with a joyful heart, straddled the trench and dug in.
After about thirty minutes of Bondeni garbage clean up, I didn’t smell quite right. Yet, there was much joy in making that community just a little bit better that day. And, there’s something special about humbling yourself, getting outside of your comfort zone and doing something simply because God says so.
Something special happens on Saturday mornings in Bondeni. The Bondeni guys are teaching kids how to work hard and improve their community. After cleanup, the kids are rewarded with a bowl of porridge.
Side by side with Kenyan kids and young adults, we cleaned up one small stretch of the open sewer. There are literally hundreds of open sewer trenches in Bondeni. We cleaned only one. But God used it to remind me what it truly means to be a servant.
The slums are a difficult environment in which to grow up. Not only is a child subjected to violence, theft, hunger, garbage on the streets and sleeping on the floor, but there is also no light in their homes, making it difficult for them to study at night. Once they reach the age of ten, children face a new level of temptation and struggle in the slum atmosphere.
The Mission of Hope leadership team has created a boarding school in the country, just outside of Nairobi, where children from all the Hope schools attend once they reach fifth grade. At the boarding school, they are able to run around in an open, clean environment, receive three meals a day, enjoy extra curricular activities and study in a conducive environment. If you sponsor a child who’s over the age of ten, chances are they’re attending school in Joska.
God really blessed us by our visit to the Joska boarding school today. The children hosted a worship service. It was one of the most moving experiences we’ve ever had. They sang to the Lord with such passion and authenticity. It was cool to hear them worshiping to many songs that we know. I teared up when they sang “I’m trading my sorrows. I’m trading my pain. I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord.” That song has a whole new level of meaning in Nairobi. These kids have truly traded their sorrows for the joy of the Lord.
Though the kids miss their parents, they don’t miss the Mathare Valley slums. We interviewed several children, each one overjoyed by the privilege of living at Joska. Even when they have breaks from school, they don’t want to go home. As 13 year old Sophia described it, “After being saved by Christ, coming to the Joska boarding school is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to
me.”
The spiritual training and education the children receive here is top notch. The teachers are all highly educated and skilled at their positions, as are the administrators, the nurse, the chaplain and the dorm parents. They have the right leaders in the appropriate positions.
The Joska school was built in August and the children arrived in September. This place didn’t exist before West Side began pouring resources into the child sponsorship program. It’s because of faithful sponsors that these children are thriving.
When Mission of Hope decided to open the boarding school, they required parents to pay 2000 schillings (approximately $32) towards a box of personal items for their child. Parents worked extra jobs, asked for donations from family members and created piggy banks in their homes so their child could attend the boarding school. Through hard work and prayer, each parent was able to provide for their kid. The mission could have just paid for this project, but they feel it’s important to empower parents to help their own kids. Due to their dire financial circumstances, parents rarely have the opportunity to provide for their children in meaningful ways. Children felt the love of their parents in a new way as they watched them sacrifice so they could attend school at Joska.
There are two families from our West Side small group who sponsor children attending at Joska- Troy, Michelle and Maisie Gilmore sponsor a girl named Veronica and Kirk, Kira, Alexa, Jillian and Quinn Mulvany sponsor a boy named Simon. We met and interviewed Veronica and Simon today…they are so cute! They’re doing extremely well and are thriving here. A special shout out to our small group—we have pictures and messages for you from your Kenyan kids!
Can you believe we get to play a part in what God is doing here?
This past summer, our Jr. High ministry participated in several fundraising projects called “Just Add Water.” They set an ambitious goal to raise $6,000 to build two wells somewhere in Africa. God showed up in many amazing ways and in the process we were able to raise over $9,000, enough for three wells! We then connected with the ministries here in Bondeni and the Mathare Valley to see if we could make an impact with our money in Bondeni, the community that our church family adopted. We have been able to do that and so much more.
Over the last few days we have been to Bondeni several times and have seen the center where so many of the children that West Side has sponsored are going to school. Because of the money our Jr. High students raised, the center is now set up with everything they need to have easy access to clean water and sanitation. There are now seven flushing toilets in the center. That may not seem that impressive at first glance, but these are among the only flushing toilets in this community of over 100,000. Other toilets in Bondeni are few- they’re extremely dirty, don’t flush and you must pay to use them. The children at the center now have their very own clean, flushable toilets to use! They also have a water tap to give them access to clean water for cooking, washing and drinking. The only other water tap in this community of 100,000 is far up on a hill, away from the center. The water company will be turning on the connection soon, thanks to Just Add Water. As soon as they do, the school will have as much water as they need and will also be able to sell some to the community for a minimal cost. (close to nothing!)
Today we went out to Joska, the boarding school for 5-6th grade students. As they showed us around, they pointed out all of the toilets, showers and running water that Just Add Water provided. This is the second of three places where our jr. high students have had an impact. Our students have changed the face of Nairobi thanks to their efforts this past summer.
The most challenging and unique issue facing the Bondeni community right now is illegal brewing. Because Bondeni is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Nairobi slums, many people make a living by brewing alcohol down by the river. Not only is this against the law, it leads to alcoholism, violence and child abuse. Unemployment rates are high and brewing is lucrative. Many would like to leave this destructive lifestyle but have no other means of supporting themselves.
However, God is doing something special in Bondeni. He’s in the business of rescuing people from their self-destruction.
God’s saving grace is well-exemplified in the life of a man named Willis. Willis was an illegal brewer, addicted to both drugs and alcohol. When a local Christian started preaching regularly down by the river, Willis began to listen. At first he was skeptical, but soon began asking questions and eventually accepted Christ. He left his brewing lifestyle and took a temporary job with a piping company. However, when the work concluded, he had difficulty finding a new source of employment. He eventually resorted to brewing, reentering his addictive patterns.
The Christian who led Willis to Christ noticed his absence from church and went to the river to find Willis. The Christ-follower explained a person could not both follow Christ and brew. Willis had to choose one or the other. Willis explained that he felt helpless. Though he wanted to escape from the bondage of brewing, he felt he had no financial alternatives.
Through a series of conversations, the Christ-follower from the Mission of Hope Church offered to pay Willis’ rent and give him meal money for six months if Willis would commit himself to God and leave the brewing business. Willis quickly took him up on the offer and began singing in the church choir.
Church leaders began mentoring Willis and quickly discovered he was a gifted musician. Before long, Willis began leading worship at the church. As he proved himself to be a committed and transformed Christ-follower, the church leaders decided to pay Willis a small stipend to lead worship and develop his ministry skills.
Today, Willis is trying to help the brewing guys from Bondeni find a new way of life. Currently, Willis is leading a group of about 15 guys who are all recovering brewers. These men are in their 20’s and have formed what Kenyans call a “youth group.” Though they’re currently unemployed and still tempted at times to return to brewing, they gather regularly to make a plan for bettering their community. Willis knows what it’s like to come out of the brewing lifestyle. He’s helping this group of men become role models in their community instead of perpetuating the problem.
These guys are now studying the Bible together and making plans to ROCK BONDENI! They’ve identified Bondeni’s top 5 needs, which include garbage cleanup, the addition of bathrooms and showers, more access points for water (currently there’s only one water pump serving over 100,000 people), the addition of sports leagues and increased employment opportunities. They’re creating plans to make these things happen, as God provides the resources.
What’s really cool is that even though they’re currently unemployed, they each donate 20 shillings a week (or about 30 cents, which is a lot for the unemployed in Kenya) to buy and make porridge for hungry Bondeni children each Saturday morning. After breakfast, they teach the children a Bible lesson and work alongside of them to clean up trash. They’re being role models and promoting positive living.
These guys aren’t fully recovered yet, but they’ve accepted Christ and thanks to leaders like Willis, they’re on the right track.
There isn’t a local church in Bondeni yet. We’re praying that changes soon. As this youth group grows, it could serve as the core group for the future church. Perhaps God might be able to use guys like Willis as key leaders or even pastors of a Bondeni Hope Church as they gain more training and experience. Anything is possible with God.
PS- Please pray for these Bondeni guys. We truly believe they’re key to Bondeni’s spiritual future. If you’re praying by name, lift up Willis and Easter (key leaders and mature Christ-followers) as well as Bongo, Blanks and TL (young leaders who are still recovering). These guys are awesome.
