Children's Conference

I wanted to update everyone on the GOA children's conference. GOA made the decision to proceed with the children's conference. The leaders of GOA recognize the many needs in Kenya right now and some questioned the wisdom of using resources for a children's conference. The GOA leaders feel it is important to continue to invest in the children who live at the children's homes. Costs were scaled back including not going to the National Park. The conference will be held at Tumaini and incluides the children from all the GOA children's homes including the 42 children who attend the school at the Msamaria Project in the Kiambui slum. The theme is Becoming a Champion for Christ.

We are blessed to be partnering with Camp Highland who is sending an intern to help at the conference . They have worked with GOA to develop the curriculum - Lead, Trust and Follow. And they have made Camp Highland/GOA/Partners for Care Champions for Christ t-shirts for all the children and counsellors. Christ Harvesters Ministries young adults have spent the last two Saturdays putting together school kits and making bracelets for each child. Pastor Karanja is sending via video a prayer for the fatherless.

We are asking for your prayers for this conference specifically:

*For safe travel for the children to and from the conference. They will travel to the conference on April 14 and return home April 18

*For the children that they will feel the love of their peers, their counsellors and God and they will feel like they are Champions for Christ

*For all the workers, counsellors, leaders, musicians, and Bishop David as they pour their love, energy and give to these children.

*Many of these children were street children, some are infected with AIDS, all are orphans having lost one or both parents. May they leave this conference knowing that God is their heavenly Father.

Thank you for your support and your prayers,

Connie

*
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PEACE BUS

Please see what the Peace Team is doing! It is amazing how the post-election violence has provided an incredible opportunity for GOA to reach the most vulnerable with the life-saving hope of Jesus. The Peace Team is so committed to the opportunity God has provided them they are are going out this weekend - Easter. They feel there are people they can reach with the message of the gospel. We are blessed to be their supporters through financial and praver support. Prayers are being answered in Kenya, Connie



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-----Original Message-----

From: "GOA" <goa@africaonline.co.ke>



Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:51:34

To:"Connie" <CCheren@aol.com>

Subject: PEACE BUS





Hi Connie,

Peace bus team is working soo hard. See their weekend Mission.

Bishop David


Glory Outreach Assembly
P.O. Box 13940 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: + 254 (20) 606738/48
Mobile: + 254727407247
Skype: dthagana
Email: goa@africaonline.co.ke <mailto:goa@africaonline.co.ke>
Website: www.goaweb.org <http://www.goaweb.org>

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Correction

A correction for donating on-line

http://KenyaRelief.kintera.org/donate

Thanks! Connie
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GOA Peace Bus

The need for the GOA Peace Bus continues. While there is peace in Kenya there are still many who are struggling with the effects of the post-election violence. GOA Peace Bus is reaching those most effected. The Peace team was out Saturday and Sunday and on Sunday they reached 1,000 people. There are funds for the Peace Bus to go out three more days and then all funds in the Kenya Relief fund will have been exhaused. I am preparing a report for all donors that will provide information on how the funds have been spent. As you know I have been with the team for two of their major trips so I can tell you the money you have donated has reached the ground for those most in need. We will provide information on how many people reached, how much food given, how many blankets distributed, how many treated medically, etc.

I received this email over the weekend from Linet Oknet who works for Liverpool. I contacted the Bishop and he can send Laban and members of the Peace team to assess the situation of these children. GOA needs our financial support as they reach these children.
"Connie I took team of LVCT counselors to Kiserian Slum in Nairobi to offer HIV services but what I witnessed was pathetic - ten children living with HIV most of them are opharns living in a very poor way. Some of them have been attacked by Jiggers. This is a needy situation. The caregivers who are also living with HIV and have formed a support group with more than 50 people who are infected. But suprisingly they don't have any support system.
 
I intervined by talking with pastor Paul Ngie who invited us there, but I could hear his plee for support. He is crying loud for this group to get helped.
 
It is my hope that God will touch your heart and extend your support to help these children." Linet

You can help by sending funds to the Kenya Relief Fund
ILI
PO Box 1005
Carrollton, GA 30112

Or donate on-line 

www.iliteam.org <http://www.iliteam.org>

Visit www.reliefforkenyablogspot.org to see pictures and read the updates of the work of the Peace team.

Thank you to all those who have generously supported GOA during this greatest humanitarian crisis Kenya has ever experience. Continuing our prayers for Kenya, Connie
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Pictures from trip

I wanted you to see the people, places and events I told you about in all of the updates. It was a blessed trip as I was able to serve with Partners for Care/GOA staff. Many of you will see people you know and love. Thank you again for all your prayers and support of the Peace Bus! God answered prayers and there is peace in Kenya! Connie here is the link
http://web.mac.com/partnersforcare/Site_6/My_Albums/My_Albums.html
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Last update - Peace Bus

As always it was difficult to leave Kenya. The country is peaceful, goverment is functioning with Parliament opening on Thursday and there are many Kenyan iniatives to help heal a nation shocked and tramanized by the post-election violence. A convoy of pastors left Mombasa today travelling to five cities over 10 days visiting the IDPs with a message of healing and hope and delivering food, praise and worship, etc. The purpose is to address the spiritual warfare the pastors believe the country has experienced. It is a wonderful iniative and will be welcomed in the IDP camps. GOA considered joining them and we visited their headquarters and spoke with organizers. The Bishop made the decision to use the relief funds to continue to support the Peace Bus. GOA has been doing (of course without as many people) what the convoy is going to do. It costs for people to join the convoy and GOA can continue to go the IDP camps that will not be visited by the convoy.

GOA has received attention for their work with the Peace Bus. They have been on televison and a full page article written about the Peace Bus in the Christian newspaper. People ask where they can buy the Pray for Peace song written by Sammy and David. And on Thursday Pastor Muturi and I were invited by Professor Orego, Director, National Aids Control Council to meet with a task force set up to assess and study the IDP camps to help now and to plan for the future. We were able to give them information on the 20 IDP camps GOA has visited. We were also able to give them a recent ground report of the number of people in IDPs. Task force members include the United Nations Aids program. They were grateful for the information.

If funds allow the Peace Bus will begin next Tuesday going to the IDP camps taking praise and worship, sports - the Peace balls, showing the message from Pastor Karanja, peace and reconciliation preaching by Pastor Muturi and HIV/AIDS testing. It will be a nine person team. Due to costs and not enough relief funds the team will not give medical care or take food. If funds are available they will buy food at the location. This trip we purchased a cooler for the team so they take packed lunches to keep costs down.

Sammy the lead muscian on the team will drive the van and we will rent the van on a daily costs and the team will fuel the van. The costs for this team to go is $200.00 a day. It is a good value for the dollar as they reach from 500 - 2000 people in a day depending on how many are in the IDP camp. The Peace Team is well equipped now with the support of Pastor Karanja and others. They have the speakers, keyboard, PA system, DVD player, projector, banner and a generator. We would like to add a couple small tents (inexpensive ones without sides) as the sun can be hot for those being treated or tested when outside space must be used.

I learned this trip more about the needs on the ground right now and how much relief items costs. It costs a minimum of $500.00 to deliver food. The food is really needed. Pastor Muturi did an excellent job of gathering data from the ground about the current situation. The good news is it appears many of the displaced people have gone with families. According to the GOA pastors there are 18,500 peple in Kenya Red Cross IDPs and 24,150 in churches, etc. and these are being managed by pastors. A total of 42,650 displaced people known by the pastors. Of eleven areas reporting all but one listed food as a challenge. I inquired of people if there is enough food in Kenya and was told yes - this is informal information. What I was told is the money to buy food is the issue. We were also told as we found last time the Kenya Red Cross is overwhelmed and not able to meet the capacity. Where they have established a IDP camp the needs of the people are met.

Now I want to convey that Kenyans are not ignoring this problem at all and neither are relief organizations. I see relief bags of food when I go to some IDPs. GOA is trying to meet the needs of those people not being reached. This is an important time for us to stand in the gap for our brothers and sisters in Kenya. Help GOA help those most affected and least reached. And as always all of the funds except a wiring fee goes to GOA for relief efforts.

For all those who love kenya, its people and who even wanted to travel there but didn't over the last couple months this is the closest you can get to being on the ground yourself - give the money to GOA to buy food for those in need. This problem will not go on forever - the US, the UN and other countries are stepping in to help. But sometimes it can take awhile for all those processes to work. Meantime the GOA Peace Bus goes out and serves the needy. Remember how much it has taken in New orleans to rebuild.

I can also tell you how grateful the Peace Team is for your support and so are Kenyans. Everywhere I go people make a point to thank me and ask me to tell all the supporters thank you.

If I can answer any questions or speak at a group, etc. I would b e happy to. I can show people the pIctures of the people on the ground and GOA at work.

Thank you for your prayers - they worked to cover us isn Marsabi.

Blessings

Connie
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6th update

As we leave Marsabit I want to tell you about the home visits we made with Mare yesterday. What brought us here was her report from her first month as a Partners for Care/GOA social worker in Marsabit. When I read her report a month ago I did not know I would walk with her to see what she was telling me.

The first place Mare took us to was to visit a woman who had seven living children - one deceased. The children were from two husbands who have both died. She had twin girls 10 months old. A seven year old girl carries one of the babies on her back as she cooks in the outside "kitchen". The house was deplorable with nowhere for children to sit or sleep. The children were dirty and not playing. The mother leaves them alone locked in the house when she goes for firewood to sell. She makes less than a dollar aday.

The immediate concern were the infant twins. They were obviously failure to thrive. Mare tried unsucessfully to convince her to surrender the children. She was not feeding the babies formula. She refused. She would give her older children up but not the babies. We left heavy hearted as we knew the infants were at risk.

We went to discuss with Pastor Hirbo what to do. He was very wise in suggesting they would try to convince her to let us take them to the hospital. We returned later that day and she agreed. We took her and both babies to the district hospital. The nurse weighed the babies - they weighted 4.2 KG and 4.3KG. That is birthweight. The babies do not roll over, sit up and have not cut teeth. Pastor Hirbo and Mare will meet with the children's officer to discuss the babies. We returned late Sunday night to the hospital and with the mother's permission Charles tested the babies. They were both negative. Starvation is their medical problem.

The second place we went was to a very, very old man whose daughter died and left seven children. They were double orphans ages 2-12. They were dirty, malnourished and some had fungus and sores. The small mud house they were living in was collasping so some Muslims had given him a tent. The tent was equilavent to a tent we were sleep six. There was nothing in the tent - no pads for sleeping, no clothes for the children - only several dirty blankets. The children didn't laugh and they don't want to play with you like most Kenyan children.

The grandfather is willing for them to be moved to a GOA children's home. In kenya there is a process which includes the children's officer, the chief and signatures from any available relatives. Pastor Hirbo and Mare will start the process this week.
After all our house visits we took the grandfather and the seven children on the bus to the quest house with us and fed them. Charles tested all the children for HIV/AIDs and they were all negative. Praise God at least the children are not sick with AIDS. We fed them all before they went back to their tent.

The third she wanted us to see was a 12 year old boy with AIDS - a double ophan. Plans are to see if he can go to Peat the Drum. That has to be arranged by the Bishop and Pastor John

These are just some of the 125 orphans in Marsabit.. Mare has identified 20 other chiildren at risk.

The Peace Team was very impacked by what they saw. Haneil wanted to give his clothes to a man who told him he had AIDS and needed clothes. Paul wanted to leave all of the remainding drugs. Several team members wanted to stay and most want return to help Pastor Hirbo and Mare. Some of the reasons we want to return include Daniel a 16 year boy who is an orphan, sings in the choir at Pastors's Hirbo church - he sleeps in the church. Sade - 18 year old sister of Mare, so sweet and special. Ready to go to the university if her parents can send her. She was second in her class and scored B- mare and Pastor who are like people you will never meet anywhere else on the face of this earth.

The Peace Team did great working very hard! Pastor Muturi led with strong direction and guidance and a sense of humor. The team slept in the bus, endured hours of very difficult road travel, three flat tires and working in hot, difficult situations - including under trees and outside in a park and carried drugs and nets on their heads for 1.5 kilometers. They treated 1049 and tested 181 for HiV/AIDS. Worship Saturday night led by Sammy and David was wonderful and the church wants them to return! And the great thing is Haneil has everything on video and pictures including the testing of the babies at the hospital at midnight. He was there early in the morning, late at night and covered all the home visits. And as always Simon kept us safe, never lost his joy and smile even after 8 straight hours off-road travel and he only laughs and jokes when he has three flat tires!

We left Pastor Hirbo money for food to distribute, medications and 700 nets and money for the hospitalization of the babies.. And we left him encouraged that we care and that Pastor Karanja's church cares. He sent a message to Pastor Karanja - thank you for supporting this mission to Marsabit and we are waiting to greet you in Marsbit.

Blessed to be serving with the Peace Team, Connie

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5th update

Pastor Hirbo is taking this Muslim territory of Marsabit for God. And he is doing it on foot. It is really hard to explain Marsabit. I have been to the Turkana and the Samburu regions but nothing is like Marsabit. It is economically disadvantaged, dry, dusty with very little water and the infra-structure is very poor. First, just getting to Marsabit is a challenge. Unless you fly. The only other option is a 12 hour drive from Nairobi with 8 hours being off-road. The road is not paved and very bumpy - we were air-borne on the bus more than once. In Marsabit there are no paved roads. Only dusty roads.

The GOA church here is different - and the people of Marsabit have noticed. First let me tell you Pastor Hirbo went to the church Friday night with other church members and prayed all night for our team. And they prayed all night last night for us. I don't think Pastor Hirbo sleeps. He was with us all day in the medical camps after praying all night. By the time he came to meet us at 8:00am he had already preached in the church. And last night we worshipped with them Sammy and David singing the Pray for Peace in Kenya song and the shouting the congregation does to the Lord and the songs they sing sounds like a church of a thousand people. Pastor Hirbo has grown the church to 125 and 50 youths plus planted 4 more churches under trees.
Bishop David always tells us God uses ordinary men to do extraordinary things. God used many people who were aware of God's purpose to reach the 6 unreached tribes of Marsabit. And he used a very special little girl named Rebecca. Rebecca is one of the five children Pastor took to Nairobi on the top of a lorry truck because they were sick Rebecca being very sick. The children all went to Merciful Redemer. I remember reading Mama John's emails about how sick the children were. I met Rebecca in May when we took the children to the park to see the animals. We knew then Rebecca was sick. I saw her again in June when we went and tested all of the children for HIV/AIDs. Five were positive including Rebecca - in the third phase of the disease with large blisters on her face.

As most know Rebecca was one of the first children at Beat the Drum - Kathi's House. Pastor John and his wife Mary are the people God selected to build Beat the Drum and care for children with HIV/AIDS. David Gruber helped raise the funds for Kathi's House in memory of his wife who died in June. Milele group with our friend Christian did a concert to raise funds to build Kathi's House. Because of everyone's efforts and partnering together Rebecca and all the children are thriving, happy and in school. They know the Lord and are growing spiritually.

This was Rebecca's Home in Marsibit

Pastor Hirbo said it was when people saw what the GOA church has done for Rebecca that GOA began to have a break-through in this area. And today I met Rebecca's father. He is avery old man. He "gave" me Rebecca and told me I was responsible for and should help her with her wedding. He also is leaving GOA the two acres of land.

We did medical camps in three locations. We divided into three groups and left staff at each site. The third site was a very rural area and we could only get the bus 1.5 Kilometers away. We walked the medications and nets in down a hill and up a hill over many rocks.

We did another medical camp today bringing to over 1,000 patiets seen and treated. And to Pastor' Hirbo's suprise people want to test for HIV/AIDS. 185 people tested and we had to turn people away as we did not have enough to test them all. There is a low prevelance rate of 2.5%. That could mean more people are dying from malaria in this area.

S.N. brought 1,500 to the fields for a peace tournament almost all Muslims. Three Muslim boys accepted Christ.

The medical camp and VCT/AIDS counselling was in the park today under trees. They wanted to test even though it was in public.

This is a place we all want to come back to. There is much work to be done and the people of Marsabit responded to the offering of help..

Blesed to serve with the peace team in Kenya, Connie

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