Missions Update: Gitathuru Hello and Farewell - January 24, 2013

Gitathuru Hello and Farewell

Last night Ray and I found out that our sponsored child (“little” Elizabeth) has been moved to the Joska boarding school. If you have been following our entries each day you may remember that we were at Joska on Saturday and shared chapel with them. When I found out I had missed her I was crushed so MOHI arranged for her and the social worker at Joska to travel the 1.5 hours back to Nairobi so we could see her…more about that later.

Hello…today we were matched with our Gitathuru sponsor children. Most of us had picked out our “kids” the first day but were asked to wait until today to spend any individual time with them. We took tons of pictures, presented gifts, prayed and said goodbye. The Gitathuru children are quite young and they were pretty overwhelmed when they were brought from their classrooms to meet us. They are very limited English speakers so we used the social workers as translators. I’m attaching pictures of several of us with our kids.
In addition to meeting our kids we also gave out gifts that were sent by other sponsors from MVCC. We took pictures of the kids to bring back to each sponsor.

Our team also put together over 90 small gift bags for the kids who didn’t receive a gift from their sponsor. The “Common Threads” sewing group from MVCC made dresses and shorts that we put into each child’s gift bag along with a small toy or book.

Our “little” Elizabeth arrived around lunchtime from Joska. She is now 12 and Ray and I started sponsoring her in 2006. We met her for the first time in 2007 when she was 7 years old. She was very tiny and shy. Ray saw her again two years ago and her family had just lost their home to a fire. I had sent some socks and underwear and she was so grateful because she had lost all her clothes in the fire. Today when she walked in she was so much taller and grown up…such a big difference from the timid 7 year old I met five years ago. She immediately recognized us and came and hugged us and we had a wonderful visit. She is growing into such a fine young lady. I told her that we had been to Joska but didn’t know she was there. She had seen us at the chapel service but didn’t get to come find us later. What a joy to know that we have had a part in her education and that she will have a brighter future because of Missions of Hope. I can’t think of a more worthwhile investment.

Farewell… this afternoon we said goodbye to the Gitathuru school today but not until we had a celebration…singing, dancing, gifts, cake and prayers. The children recited their Bible verses, sang “Only a Boy Named David” then danced and thanked us for our time with them. The teachers sang and danced and presented us with shirts and wraps and of course we had to join in the dancing. Then pastor Tom was invited to speak, Merlin presented Buddy to the school and Tom and Ray helped cut a cake and everyone, including all the children, got a small bite. After cake we presented the school with a dozen soccer balls and gave gifts to all the teachers and staff. What a joyous ending to a wonderful week. After hugs and tears we loaded into the van for the last time and said our final farewell until (God willing) we return again.

Tomorrow we leave early for safari. Please continue to pray for our health and safety. We wish you could all join us for the next two days but we will take lots of pictures to share.

God’s blessings to you all…
Elizabeth

Missions Update: Day Three of VBS - January 23, 2013

Day 3 of VBS

The children of Gitathuru have captured out hearts. Today after song time they had children raise their hands with questions. The first question was “when are you coming back?” Our time with them has gone by too quickly.

Buddy has become a celebrity…the kids made paper bag puppets today for their craft and most named them "Buddy". We had lots of Buddy puppets singing with us during music time. Liz Gardner brought a battery powered boom box and she taught the kids “Freeze Tag” and “Red Light Green Light”. She would turn on the music and the kids would dance around until the music stopped and then they were supposed to freeze…but once an African starts dancing it’s not so easy to get them to stop. It took several rounds before the kids got the idea that they were supposed to stop and freeze in place when the music stopped…some of them never got the idea.

This afternoon we were privileged to “Bring the Light” into a home in Gitathuru. Missions of Hope has done these projects in many of the other Mathare neighborhoods. We made our way to the home and squeezed all nine of us inside a house that is 12ftX14ft with no windows and no natural light. It takes a minute or two for your eyes to adjust to the darkness when you step inside. A family of six lives in the home. The mother’s name was Monica and she has 3 children enrolled at Missions of Hope. She has a 3 year old at home and is expecting a baby in a few months. Her husband is a casual worker who goes to the employment office and seeks work on a daily basis. They pay 1500 ksh (approx. $20) per month to rent their tiny home, their monthly income is probably around $90. There is no running water, no electricity, no toilet or bathroom. 

They have lived there 10 years.

Alan and a MOHI worker climbed on the roof and cut a hole about 8 inches square out of the corrugated tin and replaced it with a piece of translucent fiberglass. What a difference this tiny project made. The inside of the home suddenly looked alive. We took a few minutes to pray with Monica and bless her family and then we left. On the walk back to the school the social workers told us this was the very first “Bring the Light” project in the Gitathuru community. Evidently the community has been very skeptical and it has taken more than a year to convince anyone to participate. We hope this will be the first of many homes that benefit from “Bring the Light”. We feel so blessed to have been part of this.

We feel your love and prayers. Tomorrow we will have a farewell. There will be singing, dancing, hugs, gifts and probably tears as we say goodbye.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Missions Update: Day Two of VBS - January 22, 2013

Day 2 of VBS

The dogs are back!! I woke up about 5am to the barking dogs. It had been so peaceful the past few nights. At breakfast Merlin said he’d been awake since 3am. Ray is the only one who seems to sleep until the alarm because when he takes out his hearing aids he evidently doesn’t hear the dog…or the rooster. 

 
Today was our second day of Vacation Bible School. The children have only been in school for two weeks because the school year begins in January. The youngest students are only 4-5 years old and this is their first experience in school. None of these children has ever been involved in VBS so yesterday they didn’t know what to expect nor did we. Today the kids are coming out of their shells…more smiles, more high fives and more singing. We are beginning to learn some of their names. The stick on name tags has been a lifesaver. The older class (grade 2) came out for song time a bit early and Merlin and I were able to greet each one by name and shake their hand. You could just tell they were so happy to be acknowledged by name. 

 
Buddy (our stuffed monkey) is really the star of the show. He shows up at story time and song time and the kids are always looking for him. Today he was sitting in Merlin’s hat with only his tail draped over his shoulder when story time began. The kids instantly noticed his tail and began to point and giggle. We are having the best time with him. 

 
This afternoon we walked into the community and visited six homes. The social workers had contacted the families earlier in the day and asked if they would like visitors. We had planned to do “Bring the Light” projects at three homes but when we arrived the families said that their landlord had changed his mind and so the supplies were hauled back to the school. The homes (shacks really) are very dark and during rainy season very damp. This is a breeding ground for pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses. “Bring the Light” gets permission from the landlord to cut a hole in the roof and replace it with a piece of translucent corrugated fiberglass that allows light into the home and transforms a dark, dingy shanty into a healthier, more welcoming home. There is no cost to the tenant or landlord but according to the social worker, the landlord evidently didn’t believe it was really cost free. He thought someone might come back to him later and try to extract a fee so he refused to let us do it.

We were also trained to use the teaching cubes that the social workers use. These are teaching aids that are used in the community to teach about HIV/AIDS and to present a gospel message. In each home we took turns presenting the lesson and then we prayed with each one. It was hard to tell if they were really comfortable having us in their homes but the social workers had encouraged us so it must be OK.

It was a really long day but I feel so good about what we’re doing. Tomorrow will be even more fun as we get better acquainted with the kids and they get to know us…and we’ll have more adventures with Buddy.

I’m attaching pictures of our kids in VBS. 

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Missions Update: Day One of VBS - January 21, 2013

Day 1 of VBS

Up early…breakfast…packed our supplies in the van and made our way to Gitathuru for our first day of Vacation Bible School. As we drove up the bumpy and dusty road the children of the community follow next to the van waving and calling “how are you?”…the Kenyan phrase of greeting to visitors. After packing our supplies the small distance down the hill to the school building we were invited into a classroom for chai and mandazi (fried bread).

Not much happens in this culture without what I call “chai and chat”. You must spend a few minutes visiting about the previous day and what may happen today before moving on to any discussion of the matters at hand. So thirty minutes after arriving we finally unpack our supplies and begin preparing for the morning. 

The teachers were provided sticky name tags to put on each student. I spotted my little Elly coming down the hall from his classroom. It was all I could do to keep from hugging him and introducing myself. Most everyone else felt the same way, we can hardly wait until Thursday morning when we get to spend time with “our kids”. Most of them are not yet English speakers so the teachers will help translate and we’ll have a chance to take pictures and share our gifts. Not much compares to actually being able to meet your child and know that you have a part in giving them a brighter future.

Vacation Bible school went even better than we had hoped. Thank you all for your prayers for us and for the kids…I know it made a difference. The kids were so excited about every single thing…the story time, crafts, music, games and of course snacks. Our theme this week is “God can do Great Things “ and our stories each day are about the life of King David. Today we taught them “Only a Boy Named David” and “I’m in the Lord’s Army”. I’m attaching some pictures of the kids during music time with their cardboard crowns and during story time with Merlin. 

This entry is short…I’m tired and the rooster starts in really early each morning. By the way, the dogs have disappeared. We mentioned to Mary (missionary where we are staying) on Saturday that the dogs were keeping us awake. The dogs belong to Wallace (Mary’s husband) and he loves dogs. She hates the dogs…I believe her exact words were “those stupid dogs”. I have a feeling she demanded that Wallace have them moved at least while we’re here. She did tell me that they had more dogs but one got sick and when the vet came to put the sick dog down he killed the wrong one. Wallace was really upset and still had to pay to get the sick dog put down…only in Kenya! 

We send our love and thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Missions Update: Sunday Worship in Kosovo - January 20, 2013

Sunday Worship in Kosovo,

In my head I’m remembering the Cat Stevens song “Morning Has Broken”. This morning dawned clear and sunny with a gentle warm breeze. Normally the city awakens early with hustle and bustle. The majority of Kenyans work 6 days a week…but Sunday is different, calmer…more restful. Perhaps as Sunday should be. 

The Kosovo community is another small neighborhood in Mathare Valley. This morning we attended worship with the Kosovo church. We arrived about 10am and before the service was over it was 1pm. When we arrived one of the Kenyan pastors was preaching in English. Then we had about an hour of music and singing and dancing. Part of the singing was is Swahili and part in English. Their worship certainly reflects an attitude of celebration. Then our own pastor Tom was invited to speak which was translated into Swahili and a 15 minute sermon became 30+ minutes because each sentence or phrase has to be repeated by the translator.

After Tom’s message we had more singing. There was also a visiting student group from the Mathare nursing school. They had just begun a new term and they were asked to introduce themselves and present some special music. Finally we finished with more congregational singing. There were probably 150 people in attendance and they spilled into the dirt road running in front of the church where everyone greeted one another. No one hurried away and each was eager to greet us. 

I know some of you may not understand but I always look forward to church in Kenya. There is a sense that there is nothing more important at the moment and time is not such an important issue. The service may last two hours or three hours or more…hakuna matata…no worries!

Lunch was at Java House…some of you receiving this have been to Java House. For those who haven’t been to Kenya, Java House is the Kenyan equivalent of Starbucks except with a full menu. There are usually many American and Europeans. After spending the past several days in the impoverished communities it feels good to step back into our western culture and enjoy a burger and a latte. We refueled for our next activity which was the open public market at YaYa center. The public market is not an experience for the timid.

Hundreds of local vendors set up their stalls in a parking lot. It is not uncommon to be surrounded by several vendors all trying to entice you into buying their wares at the same time. I’m always referred to as “Mama” in the market…”Mama, I have just what you need today…Mama, please come look at what I have…Mama, you are such a fine lady…let me just show you this…” Nothing can be purchased without a lot of dickering. It can be a bit exhausting and time consuming. I rather enjoy it and Ray would prefer to avoid it altogether…not surprising for those who know us. Dinner was at the Ethiopian restaurant with some Missions of Hope Staff.

Back at the guest house we prepared for Monday and vacation Bible school. Just FYI… although the bags have been released they still haven’t been brought to us. We’ve been promised they will be at the school tomorrow when we arrive for VBS. We are all looking forward to the next three days and the opportunity to work with our kids. It was with expectant hearts that we headed for bed.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Missions Update: January 19, 2013

Yeah!! The hostage bags have been released. Mary Kamau’s sister Shiro went to pick them up and we should have them this evening. I’m sure there will be a story coming.

When children at Missions of Hope (MOHI) complete the 5th grade they are moved to the MOHI boarding schools where they complete the 6-12th grades. The schools are located about 20 miles outside the city but it takes 1 ½ hours to get there. The girl’s school is called Joska and the boy’s school is called Ndovoini (pronounced dah-voy-nee). They are located about 6km apart and at each location they have also opened an elementary school for the local children. Total enrollment is close to 1500.

After being jostled and bumped for over an hour on the dirt road that lead to Joska we were greeted with a special guest presentation. They were already singing when we stepped out of the van. We spent the first half hour singing with them. We sat in the first two rows while each class had either a song, dance, skit or reading they put on for us. This lasted more than an hour. Then we were taken on tours of the schools and support facilities. 

The girls school has dormitories, classrooms and chapel as well as three fish ponds where they are farming tilapia, huge outdoor gardens, experimental hydroponic greenhouse and of course a futball field (read soccer)and volleyball court. The Joska girls soccer team were Kenyan national champions for schools of their size last year. They are in the process of building a very large multipurpose building where they can accommodate all the students for basketball games, drama productions and large events as well as a health clinic that will serve the community as well as the students. 

 
The boys school has dorms, classrooms and chapel and in addition they have a water bottling plant on their property. An artesian well was discovered a few years ago and they run it into a building and bottle it for themselves and to provide water for the other MOHI schools. The water is labeled and sold as “Hope Springs” natural spring water. We drink Hope Springs water at the guest house. I plan to bring back a few bottles just to show you. 

After a very hot and bumpy ride back to the city we stopped at Nakumat (the Kenyan equivalent of Walmart) and had cold drinks and ice cream. My feet are tired and dusty but my heart is light and I’m incredibly inspired, especially by the young women we met today. Without Missions of Hope they would more than likely be living in the slums and continuing the cycle of poverty and despair. Instead there are more than 700 healthy, smiling and polite young women that are thriving and have a bright future and a relationship with Jesus.

A final note…the wifi here in Nairobi is unreliable at best. So if you receive these messages a day or so late it is because we are searching for a reliable connection.

The pictures I’m attaching are: 1. Joska girls welcome us with a greeting 2.Grade 7 girls dancing 3. Hydroponic greenhouse 4. Hope Springs bottled water plant at Joska.

Blessings to all,
Elizabeth

Missions Update: Good Morning from Mathare - January 18, 2013

Good Morning from Mathare:

I’m writing this at 4:30 am on Saturday (Jan 19) because I’ve been awake for more than an hour and finally gave up and grabbed the laptop and headed downstairs. The guest house where we are staying is typical of homes here in Nairobi in that it is surrounded by a wall and has a guarded gate. In addition to the guard at the gate there are also three guard dogs that roam the property during the night. For some reason, they start to bark and howl about 3am. Then there’s the rooster who starts up about the same time as the dogs. Until this morning I was able to go back to sleep after being awakened or I slept through it thanks to an Ambien. But this morning despite all my attempts to go back to sleep I find myself awake listening to the serenade of a very energetic rooster and a chorus of howling dogs.

Before I share my experience from yesterday I will give a quick update on the four hostage bags…still no bags but we may be getting closer. After two days of negotiations by the staff with little success, Wallace made a phone call to a contact he has in government who knows someone in customs who is willing to look into the situation. There is renewed hope!

Yesterday (Friday) was quite a day…after breakfast here at the guest house we headed to the school to observe two micro-finance groups in action. A micro-finance group is a small group (10-20) of residents from within the impoverished community that work together as a team to help and assist each other establish or expand a business. To become a member of a mico-finance group you must be invited or referred by a current member. There is a very high degree of trust because the group is responsible for the collective amount of loans received by it’s members. So if one member defaults the group is still responsible for repaying that members loan which increases the liability to each remaining member. I don’t know of any comparison in our culture. It would be like the neighbors in your area all co-signing on each other’s mortgages. If one neighbor defaults the rest of the neighbors are obligated to pay off the balance of the neighbor who defaulted. It carries a very high degree of accountability and as I shared yesterday the default rate is less that 2%...a phenomenal return. Typically banks and investors in the US expect a 25% default rate. We observed them running their weekly meeting and we were invited to visit three businesses that have used micro loans to expand or open a business…a cake seller, a hair salon and a used clothing stand.

The cake seller had been selling vegetables in front of her home but because she lived on a tiny back street the customer traffic was very light. The loan (10,000 shillings or $120) allowed her to purchase some large plastic carrying buckets, plastic bags and to pay for transportation across town. Every other day she takes a matatu (small bus) to a wholesale bakery and buys 6 large cakes (think pound cakes w/o frosting). She slices them and places them in a plastic bucket with a lid so the cake stays moist. She walks a short distance to the main road where there are many more people and she sells her slices of cake. She’s planning to add beverages to her business as well.

The hairdresser used to work for someone else and her loan allowed her to purchase equipment and inventory to start her own shop. Business is booming and she now employs two other women and is planning to use her profits to rent another shop which her daughter will run.

The third women was married to a man who quit his job and is going back to school to get a better education. She is now supporting the family until he can get a better job. She got a loan to start a used clothing stand which she operates in front of her home. The money allowed her to purchase racks and hangers and clothing to stock her stand. Her first month she sold all her inventory and next month will be able to buy twice as much because of the profits from the first month.

All three women were so proud of their accomplishments and even though their business success is measured in hundreds of dollars rather than millions; their success has given them dignity and confidence and will allow them to give their children a better life and escape the crippling cycle of poverty in Mathare. We saw today the effective power of helping the poor help themselves…an investment with long term if not eternal returns.

During the afternoon we were finally able to visit the Gitathuru school and meet the staff and children. They greeted us with smiles and songs and made us feel like dignitaries. They served us chai and hot chocolate and took us to the property where they hope to build a bigger school. They have already outgrown the building they are in and have 100 more children waiting to enroll. We will be spending most of next week at Gitathuru so I will be sharing much more in subsequent messages and decided share my impressions of the micro-finance program while it’s fresh on my mind. I’m attaching three pictures…1. the micro-finance meeting 2. The children at the Gitathuru 3. The current Gitathuru school.

Ray and I continue to ask for your thoughts and prayers…for energy and health to honor the Lord in all we do here.

More tomorrow…
Elizabeth