we're leaving for Kenya in just over 24 hours. here's a little of what we'll be doing while we're there:
September 16-24 Karima
The 1st 10 days we'll be serving in the small village of Karima (near Lake Naivasha) which 410 Bridge has partnered with for the past couple years. This will be with the team from Ridge. We will be serving in local churches on Sunday and possibly throughout the week as well as possibly some final work on the water project that was just completed. The first clean water well Karima was just finished last week!
We'll be helping to build a school for the children of Karima and teaching in one of the existing schools
*Crystal will also get to work in a local clinic that serves 3 villages! (I may even tag along with her 1 day if they let me.)
I am excited about these projects but our main goal will be to build lasting relationships with the people of Karima and let God use us to bless them.
September 25-26 Nairobi
When the Ridge team leaves for Charlotte we'll stay in Nairobi a couple days at a "mission house" run by a lady named Maggie. She sounds awesome. (And since we’re only taking a few shirts for the month, hopefully we can do some laundry in Nairobi!)
September 27-29 Compassion International in Tharaka (near Meru)
We will be traveling from Nairobi to the small village of Tharaka bright and early (6am) on Monday morning (the 27th). We will be spending 1 day with Peter, the Compassion child we have sponsored for over 3 years! It’s going to be amazing to meet him, visit his home, and have some fun with him. I tear up a little bit just thinking about it.
I am excited about these projects but our main goal will be to build lasting relationships with the people of Karima and let God use us to bless them.
September 25-26 Nairobi
When the Ridge team leaves for Charlotte we'll stay in Nairobi a couple days at a "mission house" run by a lady named Maggie. She sounds awesome. (And since we’re only taking a few shirts for the month, hopefully we can do some laundry in Nairobi!)
September 27-29 Compassion International in Tharaka (near Meru)
We will be traveling from Nairobi to the small village of Tharaka bright and early (6am) on Monday morning (the 27th). We will be spending 1 day with Peter, the Compassion child we have sponsored for over 3 years! It’s going to be amazing to meet him, visit his home, and have some fun with him. I tear up a little bit just thinking about it.
The next day we’ll be visiting Erick in the same village. Erick is a boy that the Upstreet kids (children’s ministry) at Ridge have sponsored for almost 2 years now... We are going to shower him with fun gifts (pop rocks, Jacks, etc...) and letters and pictures from the kids at Ridge. I’m excited to get some video and pictures to show the kids at Ridge a better glimpse of how their generosity have changed Erick’s life.Then on our last day with Compassion we will get to visit a “Birthing Center” that is part of the new “Child Survival Program”. This connects at risk pregnant mothers with local churches and medical experts so they can give birth safely and raise healthy children. This is a big deal because there is so much danger with many pregnancies in Kenya. Crystal is all about this, of course.
September 29-October 12 Havilla Children’s Home
*Crystal and I are excited to serve in this orphanage that is only a few years old. A married couple in Kenya began to be burdened for all the orphans who were “street kids” in their town so they began taking them in 1 by 1. Before they knew it this ministry had grown into a Children’s Home that houses 50 children! Crystal and I have the privilege to live with this couple and serve with them and learn from them all we can. Starting orphanages much like this one is part of the vision God has given me for the future and I’m excited to learn a lot about that through this experience.
October 12-14 Mombassa
The amazingly beautiful Kenyan coast. We've never been to the Indian Ocean before. 1st time for everything.
October 15 Home
all that in 1 month. home by Friday night... in time for date night!
***We're going to try to write on this blog each night and update everyone about that day in Kenya! So keep checking renown.
If you think about us and want to pray for us you can pray that God keeps us SAFE, that He USES us, and that He CHANGES US!
our plane takes off Thursday morning at 6am! so stoked!
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3 comments:
The fact that, "A married couple in Kenya began to be burdened for all the orphans who were “street kids” in their town so they began taking them in 1 by 1." is so... so cool. I would bow at their feet! Thank you for sharing. I'll be flat out honest, I'm not a huge fan of the way traditional Western missions have been approached; I am always skeptical of a top-down approach. When Christ sent out the disciples they were at the mercy of the hospitality of those who would accept them. They left with nothing; I'm not saying that we should cut and paste the NT into our modern lives but the old way of "helping those poor people and teaching them the right way" just strikes me as condescending and very Un-Christian. In the same breath the fact that you are wanting to learn from this people-group is refreshing. I've never been on a formal "missions trip" as the baptists used to say (or maybe they still do?). Some people call what we do at Hyaets, "missional" I really don't know but I've learned that Mother Theresa just did what Jesus told her to and never heard from him again, she had her doubts and struggles and was / could be dogmatic at times from what I've heard... but she just kept on keepin' on. I wish we could go to Honduras and/or Mexico and meet the children we sponsor. I wish even more that the U.S. monster corporations and government would stop exploiting their labor!!! But that's another fight for another day ;)
Peace to you brother
-Jacob
I went to Uganda this summer. Africa is amazing. I will never be the same. I had the opportunity to visit my family's Compassion sponsor child. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. Our boy, Kanwangi is 12 and he loves "football" (soccer) so I bought him a new soccer ball before I left the states. I was going to wait and give the gifts to him when we went to his home. While we were still at his school, he told me, "I'm going to give you my ball." When we got to his house I gave him his new ball! He was stoked! Then he went and gave me his ball. He had made it out of trash and banana fibers and leaves. It was the size of about a softball. I was so humbled at his giving spirit. He was willing to give up his most prized possession not knowing that he would recieve something so much better!
Have an amazing time in Kenya! I'm kinda jealous! I am dying to go back to Africa!
In Christ,
Mariah
jacob - i'm right with you man. all the way.
we just arrived at this orphanage & it is awesome. joseph (the guy who started it) is even more awesome than i described. we've got a ton to learn from them.
thx for sharing ur experience Mariah! u reminded me to continue to soak it all in while we're here!
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