The Partners for Care staff made progress the last four days toward their goal of Reaching a Million with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention. The team went to the mountains of Aberdale where they used sports, music and drama to mobilize and offer testing for HIV/AIDS. Working through the football captains, other youth leaders and local pastors the message of prevention is given through the gospel as following God's principles keeps the youth safe from the virus. If someone wants to have an impact on the kingdom and the next generation of Kenyan Christian leaders I suggest funding one of these events. For less than $3,000 an event you can be a part of reaching thousands with the message of creating a HIV-free generation. There is currently only funding for Kibera and Marsabit. The team would like to go out weekly if they can get funding. We are now partnering with Liverpool as they are providing HIV counsellors for us. They tell they have never seen the mobilization GOA is doing. They had never tested as many per counsellor as they did over the last four days. We meet with them tomorrow to plan how we will continue working together to test even more people.
I told you in the first update how I see AIDS everywhere this trip. That continues. The team was very upset when I joined them yesterday as they had tested 2 small children and a baby and all three were positive for HIV. All three of their moms were infected and one mom had already died leaving the small child an orphan. A counselor never gets used to seeing the test results show positive when testing a small child. If only someone had helped the moms get tested while they were pregnant there was a very good chance these children would not have been positive. That is one of the major goals of Partners for Care is to work through the GOA churches to help pregnant women get tested before they pass the virus to their unborn children.
There are four GOA churches in this area so the team split up all going to different churches. The Bishop and many of the head office staff were also there for the day to support the GOA churches and the Reach A Million initiative. The Bishop sent me and two of the musical team to the Bushi GOA church pastored by Pastor Humphry and his wife Beth. All I can say is I wish I was the one supporting this pastor (it is someone at Weddington Church) because I would feel so blessed to be investing in what is happening at this church! It is really hard to explain except maybe to say it felt like a revival and it was just a routine Sunday. The first thing you notice when you arrive at the church is that it is surrounded by a fence creating a peaceful compound with benches, trees, flowers, and a beautiful, humble church building. The creativity of this pastor is amazing. The church platform is made of mud wrapped in a piece of red velvet cloth. There are curtains on all the windows and cardboard has been used to insulate the inside of the metal building. Skylights make the church bright. The cloth backdrop was beautifully sewn. There is a large congregation - 700 for the first service and then another 800 that squeeze in for the 2nd service which starts at 2:30 after the first 5 hours of worship is over. Pastor Humphry has used all available space for expansive of this church so now he has built a 2nd floor office. He may be the first GOA church with a balcony. The other thing we noticed is a sign on one of the small buildings that said "Children's Computers". When I ask Pastor Humphry about that he told me they don't have any computers yet but that is their vision so they put it in writing. How is that for vision? He asked Pastor Mathew what GOA was doing to train the next generation to be computer literate. Good question. Most of the team wanted to stay and be a part of what God is doing in this church in the beautiful mountains of Aberdale.
Blessed to witness how a leader is using his gifts to grow the kingdom, Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Monday, June 30
Saturday, June 28
1st Update
I have returned to Kenya. This is a special trip as I will go to the "ends of the earth" (at least one of them) and cut the ribbon dedicating a school in memory of my niece Maggie. Maggie, my youngest sister's only child, died at age 19 in a car accident. Maggie was a writer and after her death my sister published her poems in a book called Beauty Scattered. Laban, poem by poem translated her work into Swahili so the children in Maggie's School as they learn to read can read her poems. I am taking both the English and swahili version to Tukana where Maggie's school is. This school will be called Maggie's School and Community Health Education Center. Here in a place where there was no school, children will learn to read and Moms will learn ways to protect their health and the health of their children.
I believe God is calling me to urgency tonight about fighting the public health diseases that are killing so many. Once again AIDS seems everywhere. The first news I heard after I arrived is the friend I told you about in previous visits that was in the hospital after her HIV went to AIDS died on Sunday. She had fought the disease successfully for 17 years. Then a very close friend of mine shared with me that her oldest brother is infected and his wife has already died from the disease. Their 6 year old little boy has AIDS and is not doing well. Her brother has remarried and his wife is infected.
And Pastor Hirbo called from Marsabit to welcome me back and to tell me they have found 10 more children infected with HIV/AIDs. Seven in Marsabit and 3 outside Marsabit. And he said five children had already died from AIDS this year in Marsabit. He said many of the 10 infected children are orphans.
And I spoke with Charles (Nick and Charles from Mathare) and he is sick with thyroid and a parasite from water He has been sick for awhile and has to spend a lot of money for medication. And a friend of his was very sick with malaria and thyroid. Diseases that can be prevented.
Please pray for Charles to get well as he is taking care of so many himself and pray that this disease called HIV/AIDS stops taking parents and infecting children.
Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
I believe God is calling me to urgency tonight about fighting the public health diseases that are killing so many. Once again AIDS seems everywhere. The first news I heard after I arrived is the friend I told you about in previous visits that was in the hospital after her HIV went to AIDS died on Sunday. She had fought the disease successfully for 17 years. Then a very close friend of mine shared with me that her oldest brother is infected and his wife has already died from the disease. Their 6 year old little boy has AIDS and is not doing well. Her brother has remarried and his wife is infected.
And Pastor Hirbo called from Marsabit to welcome me back and to tell me they have found 10 more children infected with HIV/AIDs. Seven in Marsabit and 3 outside Marsabit. And he said five children had already died from AIDS this year in Marsabit. He said many of the 10 infected children are orphans.
And I spoke with Charles (Nick and Charles from Mathare) and he is sick with thyroid and a parasite from water He has been sick for awhile and has to spend a lot of money for medication. And a friend of his was very sick with malaria and thyroid. Diseases that can be prevented.
Please pray for Charles to get well as he is taking care of so many himself and pray that this disease called HIV/AIDS stops taking parents and infecting children.
Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Fund raiser for Partners for Care
Brighton jewelry has launched a campaign today to help with the world's water problem. The company bought beads from Kazuri bead company in Kenya and added the traditional Brighton beads and made a beautiful necklace, bracelet and earrings. They also made black t-shirts with the word WATER in white and plastic bracelets. When you buy a piece of the special line of jewelry you receive a small booklet telling about the water problem in the world. A portion of the sale of these products will go to help solve the water problem in Kenya.
Parsons Gift store selected Partners for Care as the charity that will receive the funds from the sale of the t-shirts, plastic bracelets and special water bottles. They have set-up displays at both their stores (Cumming Exit 14 and on Northpoint Parkway). A DVD about Partners for Care will be showing at both stores. Coupons for discount on Parson's merchandise will be given to anyone who buys a t-shirt or water bottle.
Sandra Bolton is the one who connected us to Cris at Parson's. Last year. Cris helped Sandra with a very successful event for our troops (Sandra and Harold's son included).
This event goes for two weeks so try to visit the store. There is a limited number of the t-shirts and jewelry so if you are interested in either of these I suggest going early. Thank you Brighton for caring about those in the world without water, thank you Sandra for connecting us to Cris and thank you Cris for selecting us to partner with. All the funds raised will go to Kenya to help change lives - one at a time.
Connie and David
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Parsons Gift store selected Partners for Care as the charity that will receive the funds from the sale of the t-shirts, plastic bracelets and special water bottles. They have set-up displays at both their stores (Cumming Exit 14 and on Northpoint Parkway). A DVD about Partners for Care will be showing at both stores. Coupons for discount on Parson's merchandise will be given to anyone who buys a t-shirt or water bottle.
Sandra Bolton is the one who connected us to Cris at Parson's. Last year. Cris helped Sandra with a very successful event for our troops (Sandra and Harold's son included).
This event goes for two weeks so try to visit the store. There is a limited number of the t-shirts and jewelry so if you are interested in either of these I suggest going early. Thank you Brighton for caring about those in the world without water, thank you Sandra for connecting us to Cris and thank you Cris for selecting us to partner with. All the funds raised will go to Kenya to help change lives - one at a time.
Connie and David
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Friday, June 27
Tuesday, June 24
Blog site
David Gruber has posted pictures from the last trip on this blog site. See prior posts for these photos.
See the picture of the Bishop leading the young football player to Christ - a boy from the slum that had never been to church. See the children with their bibles from Deb Zinn and the picture of the football team from the slum kneeling at the wall thanking God for their victory on the field. Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging emails (selfishly I must admit I do need them and read them with appreciation). And thank you for those who have entrusted me with funds you have generously given to support all the Partners for Care staff in Kenya. I can and do support myself but they need support. I pay all my own travel, on the ground expenses and nobody receives any support from Partners for Care except kenyans. They are willing servants for God and I am blessed to work with Kenyans who do as God commanded - care for the hungry, the sick, the orphans and the widows. They appreciate all those who partner with them in their ministry. Blessings, Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Monday, June 16
Final Update from Kenya
This was a long trip and many things happened. I will attempt to briefly summarize. The trip began with a meeting with all of the field directors for the National Aids Control Council (NACC). Professor Orego, Director of the NACC called them to a meeting from the nine provinces so they could assist Debbie Jones, Interfaith Office, Emory University, in identifying all programs that are addressing youth and HIV/AIDS. They were very helpful and will complete a survey for Emory. This begins a "mapping" iniative that assists in identifying best practices and also can link programs together to improve effectiveness. Professor has assigned someone to work on this project with us.
Debbie Jones had a very favorable response to Partners for Care and GOA. She has 30 years experience at CDC and 5 years at Emory. She has been working with African countries for five years. She said it was incredible the impact Partners for Care staff have had working throuigh GOA. She is committed to assist with funding opportunities and will return to Kenya with me in August.
The first week I was there I was contacted by my friend David Whithers with Recovery Consultants. David's group does testing for HIV/AIDS in Atlanta and is well respected for his work. Recently he was invited to the White House to be recognized for achievement as a faith-based group. He asked me to partner with him and Morehouse University in a PEPFAR proposal. The proposal is for $5 million dollars addressing HIV/AIDS and TB in prisons in Kenya. Of course the proposal was due in three weeks so we would need to develop the concept, secure the partners, plan the budget and write the proposal all by email, phone calls and text messages. I began working with people at Morehouse I had never met in person but soon we became partners in submitting this proposal. GOA, Partners for Care, Recovery Consultants and Chance Afrika will be the partners who implement the HIV/AIDS part of the proposal. The proposal includes testing for AIDS all 40,000 prisoners and 19,000 staff in the 89 prisons throughout Kenya. SN will put sports programs in all of the prisons that will focus on HIV/AIDS prevention. We will also partner with OraSure. There is another partner who will work on the TB issue which is at epidemic propotion in the prisons. I was able to get a very supportive letter from Professor Orago and Bishop David got us an appointment with the Permanebt Secretary for the Vice President who is responsible for prisons. Professor Orago wrote us an introductory letter which the Permanent Secretary said was good enough for him and he got us a recommendation letter from the Vice President of Kenya. Now we wait. The Reach a Million iniative team laid hands on the proposal and prayed for its acceptance. I plan to meet Dr. B from Morehouse this week. He is the man behind the emails, calls, etc. that guided this proposal from beginning to end. Our Partner Eric, Chance Afrika spent 36 hours in one weekend on our part. And David Gruber helped too. Dr. B ended up being a great encourager as I went from office to office following Kenyan protocols obtaining these letters. God must have known I needed encouragement. Each day I looked forward to his encouraging messages. Pray for acceptance of this PEPFAR proposal. I never have been called to prison ministry (I keep saying this but God has other plans) but I realize men and women go into prison uninfected come out infected and and then infect their family members in their communities. I will go and work whereever He calls me to prevent one more child like Rebecca being born infected with AIDS.
The Reach-A-Million 4-day event in the slums of Nukuru drew 15,000 over the 4 days with 10.000 the last night for the award ceremony where the Bishop preached. This was the first time in this area in five years a football (soccer) tournament ended peacefully. And this event did not go unnoticed. The week before I had met three women from the new ministry Youth and Sports and had invited them to come for the last day of this event. They heard the Bishop preach in the morning then went to the tournament staying for the awards ceremony They have asked SN to consult with them on how to mobilize and do events like he did. We met with them and they have asked for a proposal to see if they can help with funding. They told us they had never seen an event like SN organized. We are to meet with their supervisor when I return and they want their Minister to attend the Reach-A-Million in Kiberia July 2-6.
As part of the Going Deeper mission of GOA the Partners for Care and GOA leaders assessed all of the children's homes. The assessors did an excellent job! I have been in the buisness of quality assessment reviews all my professional life and I was very impressed with their skill level. The reports have been prepared for the Bishop and now the second phase begins which is consulting with each home to assist them to provide the best care meeting Kenyan regulations and GOA's vision.
This trip I took an Apple computer for the apartment for the Partners for Care staff to use. I cannot tell you how impressed I was at how quickly the team learned how to use this computer to write newsletters, produce videos, etc. You would think they always had used a Mac. It gave me great pleasure to watch them each day as they got better and better. If we could just have David Gruber spend a week with them! They have ideas how they can even earn money producing brochures, videos, etc.
GOA has a great new friend - Deb Zinn. She loves the children and has access to things that are needed in Kenya. This time she sent bibles. What a blessing to be able to take a bible to a child who doesn't have one. She is sending me with suitcases full next time!
We spent a full day with our new partners Community Transformers (CT) Nick and Charles and have worked out how they can help GOA and how GOA and Partners for Care can help them. The Bishop plans to plant a church there which will be wonderful! I want to be there the day this church opens. Our nurses will spend two - three days a week at CT helping their community health workers. The music team will assist the work they are already doing in developing talent by going once a week to set up music and drama clubs. They will help the young people do music therapy for the people in Mathare who are sick in bed with AIDS. And SN and the team will go on Wednesdays to hold a service as a beginning for the church. Moses one of our social workers will assist their addiction department by connecting them with AA and NA. Sandra thurman from the same office as Debbie jones joined us this day. She has 25 years experience in HIV/AIds and is one of the most respected professional in her field. She was very impessed with the Partners for Care staff and GOA. Her, Debbie and I will meet next week to see how we can partner together to help GOA help those they serve.
One of the highlights of the trip was spending five days with Pastor Hirbo. If I ever question how good God is I should remember gifts like this. Pastor Hirbo and eight of the tribal pastors came down from Marsabit 16 hours on the top of a lowry truck to meet the Roswell United Methodist team. What a suprise to see Pastor Hirbo at church! All of them stayed at the apartment with us Sunday night (32 people total in the apartment that night!) And then Pastor Hirbo stayed with us until Thursday. We love Pastor Hirbo so much! He is sacrificing so much for God. Yet he has such a sense of humor. When he returned to Marsabit he called the team and told us the flight had landed! He had just travelled 16 hours on the top of a lowry. The Bishop and he worked out a plan for the twin babies that the Bishop saw in November and thought would die and we saw in March and thought would die. God obviously has plans for these baby girls. The mom is an alcoholic and the Bishop insisted on a plan to help her not just the babies. So we have sent funds for Pastor Hirbo to move her from the village to a house near the church where he and Mare can check on them everyday and make sure the babies are fed and the mom recovers. If anyone can do this Pastor Hirbo can.
Pastor Hirbo
Pastor Hirbo has been removing the jiggers from the feet of children. He was doing this without gloves so we sent him home with two boxes of gloves. But, we also sent funds for him to hire a nurse to go with him to assist these children. This is a desperate situation as the children and adults will lose their toes if the jiggers are not removed. Pastor Hirbo is amazing! He goes where God leads him to care for the most needy. The PEACE Bus is returning to Marsabit August 31st. All the Partners for Care staff will go again - sports, nurses, VCT testing, social workers, etc. We hope are partner at HEART will bless us with more nets! And Pastor Karanja is going. The team is excited to return to help such a man of God as Pastor Hirbo. We have two people from US going besides me. If God is calling you to Marsabit please call me. It is not a trip for anyone who likes comfort - but it is the best trip I and most of the team has ever taken.
Well this wasn't brief as I said it would be. God is moving in Kenya and I believe as Pastor Karanja says God is preparing Kenya for a great revival that will reach out to other African Nations. I am blessed to witness what God is doing through the Kenyans. Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Debbie Jones had a very favorable response to Partners for Care and GOA. She has 30 years experience at CDC and 5 years at Emory. She has been working with African countries for five years. She said it was incredible the impact Partners for Care staff have had working throuigh GOA. She is committed to assist with funding opportunities and will return to Kenya with me in August.
The first week I was there I was contacted by my friend David Whithers with Recovery Consultants. David's group does testing for HIV/AIDS in Atlanta and is well respected for his work. Recently he was invited to the White House to be recognized for achievement as a faith-based group. He asked me to partner with him and Morehouse University in a PEPFAR proposal. The proposal is for $5 million dollars addressing HIV/AIDS and TB in prisons in Kenya. Of course the proposal was due in three weeks so we would need to develop the concept, secure the partners, plan the budget and write the proposal all by email, phone calls and text messages. I began working with people at Morehouse I had never met in person but soon we became partners in submitting this proposal. GOA, Partners for Care, Recovery Consultants and Chance Afrika will be the partners who implement the HIV/AIDS part of the proposal. The proposal includes testing for AIDS all 40,000 prisoners and 19,000 staff in the 89 prisons throughout Kenya. SN will put sports programs in all of the prisons that will focus on HIV/AIDS prevention. We will also partner with OraSure. There is another partner who will work on the TB issue which is at epidemic propotion in the prisons. I was able to get a very supportive letter from Professor Orago and Bishop David got us an appointment with the Permanebt Secretary for the Vice President who is responsible for prisons. Professor Orago wrote us an introductory letter which the Permanent Secretary said was good enough for him and he got us a recommendation letter from the Vice President of Kenya. Now we wait. The Reach a Million iniative team laid hands on the proposal and prayed for its acceptance. I plan to meet Dr. B from Morehouse this week. He is the man behind the emails, calls, etc. that guided this proposal from beginning to end. Our Partner Eric, Chance Afrika spent 36 hours in one weekend on our part. And David Gruber helped too. Dr. B ended up being a great encourager as I went from office to office following Kenyan protocols obtaining these letters. God must have known I needed encouragement. Each day I looked forward to his encouraging messages. Pray for acceptance of this PEPFAR proposal. I never have been called to prison ministry (I keep saying this but God has other plans) but I realize men and women go into prison uninfected come out infected and and then infect their family members in their communities. I will go and work whereever He calls me to prevent one more child like Rebecca being born infected with AIDS.
The Reach-A-Million 4-day event in the slums of Nukuru drew 15,000 over the 4 days with 10.000 the last night for the award ceremony where the Bishop preached. This was the first time in this area in five years a football (soccer) tournament ended peacefully. And this event did not go unnoticed. The week before I had met three women from the new ministry Youth and Sports and had invited them to come for the last day of this event. They heard the Bishop preach in the morning then went to the tournament staying for the awards ceremony They have asked SN to consult with them on how to mobilize and do events like he did. We met with them and they have asked for a proposal to see if they can help with funding. They told us they had never seen an event like SN organized. We are to meet with their supervisor when I return and they want their Minister to attend the Reach-A-Million in Kiberia July 2-6.
As part of the Going Deeper mission of GOA the Partners for Care and GOA leaders assessed all of the children's homes. The assessors did an excellent job! I have been in the buisness of quality assessment reviews all my professional life and I was very impressed with their skill level. The reports have been prepared for the Bishop and now the second phase begins which is consulting with each home to assist them to provide the best care meeting Kenyan regulations and GOA's vision.
This trip I took an Apple computer for the apartment for the Partners for Care staff to use. I cannot tell you how impressed I was at how quickly the team learned how to use this computer to write newsletters, produce videos, etc. You would think they always had used a Mac. It gave me great pleasure to watch them each day as they got better and better. If we could just have David Gruber spend a week with them! They have ideas how they can even earn money producing brochures, videos, etc.
GOA has a great new friend - Deb Zinn. She loves the children and has access to things that are needed in Kenya. This time she sent bibles. What a blessing to be able to take a bible to a child who doesn't have one. She is sending me with suitcases full next time!
We spent a full day with our new partners Community Transformers (CT) Nick and Charles and have worked out how they can help GOA and how GOA and Partners for Care can help them. The Bishop plans to plant a church there which will be wonderful! I want to be there the day this church opens. Our nurses will spend two - three days a week at CT helping their community health workers. The music team will assist the work they are already doing in developing talent by going once a week to set up music and drama clubs. They will help the young people do music therapy for the people in Mathare who are sick in bed with AIDS. And SN and the team will go on Wednesdays to hold a service as a beginning for the church. Moses one of our social workers will assist their addiction department by connecting them with AA and NA. Sandra thurman from the same office as Debbie jones joined us this day. She has 25 years experience in HIV/AIds and is one of the most respected professional in her field. She was very impessed with the Partners for Care staff and GOA. Her, Debbie and I will meet next week to see how we can partner together to help GOA help those they serve.
One of the highlights of the trip was spending five days with Pastor Hirbo. If I ever question how good God is I should remember gifts like this. Pastor Hirbo and eight of the tribal pastors came down from Marsabit 16 hours on the top of a lowry truck to meet the Roswell United Methodist team. What a suprise to see Pastor Hirbo at church! All of them stayed at the apartment with us Sunday night (32 people total in the apartment that night!) And then Pastor Hirbo stayed with us until Thursday. We love Pastor Hirbo so much! He is sacrificing so much for God. Yet he has such a sense of humor. When he returned to Marsabit he called the team and told us the flight had landed! He had just travelled 16 hours on the top of a lowry. The Bishop and he worked out a plan for the twin babies that the Bishop saw in November and thought would die and we saw in March and thought would die. God obviously has plans for these baby girls. The mom is an alcoholic and the Bishop insisted on a plan to help her not just the babies. So we have sent funds for Pastor Hirbo to move her from the village to a house near the church where he and Mare can check on them everyday and make sure the babies are fed and the mom recovers. If anyone can do this Pastor Hirbo can.
Pastor HirboWell this wasn't brief as I said it would be. God is moving in Kenya and I believe as Pastor Karanja says God is preparing Kenya for a great revival that will reach out to other African Nations. I am blessed to witness what God is doing through the Kenyans. Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Monday, June 9
Connie's 8the update from Kenya
Over the last three days we have experienced wonderful worship. From Kesha on Friday night to worship at the Nairobi church with the Roswell United Methodist Church team and Pastor Hirbo and 9 pastors from Marsabit, the weekend has been spent in worship. Friday night we went to Kesha (all night prayer) with Mary Mugo at CCRC. The worship team played music as everyone danced and prayed. At 3:00 am we had chai and bread and then went outside in the dark as we all lit candles and told the children God called then to be the light of the world. Mary Mugo is a pastor at the GOA church at CCRC and her brother Jim helped lead the service through the night. It was wonderful to see the children of CCRC worshiping and dancing praising God. Deb had given me some bibles and we left them there for the children. A blessing to see how much a bible means to them.
Children from CCRC with new Bibles
Bishop David in tribal clothing from Marsabit
Saturday morning Debbie (from Emory) and I met with Mary Mugo and the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education. He is passionate about education and knows how many children still need to be enrolled in primary school. I was able to tell him about Maggie's School due to open next month in July in Turkana.
Blessed to worship in Kenya, Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Children from CCRC with new Bibles
Bishop David in tribal clothing from MarsabitSaturday morning Debbie (from Emory) and I met with Mary Mugo and the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education. He is passionate about education and knows how many children still need to be enrolled in primary school. I was able to tell him about Maggie's School due to open next month in July in Turkana.
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Thursday, June 5
Connie's 7th update from Kenya
As the second largest slum in Nairobi, Mathare is home to almost a million people. Two months ago Partners for Care staff conducted a 4-day football tournament in Mathare right next to one of the IDPs. Pastor Muturi preached, the worship team led worship everyday and the team showed Pastor Karanja's messages - Don't Take Offense, Forgiveness, and God is Doing a New Thing. The people iving in this camp told the team that many churches had come but none had removed from their hearts the bitterness until this team came. George from the Kenyan Red Cross is the volunteer who manages this IDP. We had been told someone had stolen his phone. The team took him a new cell phone yesterday. Needless to say George was happy to see the team not just because of the phone but because the team and George had developed a close relationship over the 4-days spent together. One of the older women told George (one of our team members) that they had just prayed that we would return to encourage them - and there we were!
Our purpose for going to Mathare was for the Partners for Care team - nurses, social workers and musicians, to support Nick and Charles in their work and for Debbie Jones of Emory University - to see what they do with their organization Community Transformers. A special blessing was that Francis Mania who has been working in the ministry of HIV/AIDS for GOA for many years was able to go with us and see the Community Transformers program.
Debbie Jones with women living in IDP
Connie with baby born in IDP
Going Deep in Mathare
Each team member of Partners for Care staff made a home visit with a community worker from Community Transformers. This was the first time for many of the team members to go deep into a slum - to the homes of the sick and in some cases the dying. It is always hard for someone to sit at the bedside of someone infected with AIDS, TB and other diseases. To hold their hand, to see their frailness, to know their vulnerability and it was hard for the Partners for Care team members. But as the Bishop preached on Sunday we all must go deep into the waters if we want the big catch.
Nick and Charles grew up in Mathare slum. They decided to stay in the slum and set up a program to help those sick and hurting. They have had over 300 clients who are infected with HIV/AIDS with some 70 dying over the last several years. Twenty-two of those who died were children. Just last week four of their clients died. Nick and Charles take clients to the hospital when they are very sick and to the morgue when they die. They then attend their funerals. Community Transformers has 20 volunteers - community workers - who visit the clients on a weekly basis unless called to go more often because the client has the need for additional care.
Nick and Charles have received assistance from HEART which has helped in many ways.
Community Transformers is about transforming Mathare Slum one person at a time. And we were able to witness a few of these transformations. A tall young man with a big smile was part of some of these transformations. Sam is a Community Transformer volunteer. Sam grew up in Mathare and he told us his mother was a brewer. He himself at one point was an addict but God rescued him and now he spends his days rescuing other addicts. We walked with him through Mathare deep into the slum where they brew chang'aa not one drum of it but a brewery. We could smell the brew as we got close. The scene was like from a movie only this was not a movie but real with real people. We met people that recently had stopped drinking the changa'aa - sick looking people with dirty clothes and sores. Sam lovingly put his arm around them and told their story of recovery. Francis asked one recently recovered man if he was born again and when he said no Francis offered him the opportunity of salvation and he accepted. Right there by the river with dirty water in the brewery of Mathare slum Francis prayed for him as he repeated the words of salvation. Sam told us of three young men who wanted to get clean and how they connected them to a rehab center between here and Mombasa that would treat them for free. Someone just needed to ask. The Bishop reminded us Jesus said the catch would fill the nets if the disciplines would go deep. We were witnessing what Jesus must have meant.
We also witnessed how football not only was changing the lives of the footballers but it was having an impact on their families. Again walking through Mathare Nick, Charles and Sam took us to meet a mom of one of the footballers from the Community Transformers team. Nick and Charles formed this football team in December. They came in second during the recent GOA football tournament. The mother of this young man had been an addict all her life. In fact because of her addiction and brewing this boy had never gone to school. Through the transformation of her son she has stopped drinking and Sam is helping the boy to go to a trade school. Lives transformed.
Another reason we were in Mathare was so SN could present uniforms to a Mathare girls team. They had placed second in the GOA tournament. Their captain is a young woman named Patricia. After the team accepted the uniforms SN asked her if she wanted to speak. She said that she was born again and while she and the other team members lived in Mathare, Mathare didn't live in them. These young girls have the same hopes and dreams as our children in the US - to go to school, get an education and someday have a family. They all have tremendous challenges - all related to the issues of poverty and disease mostly AIDS, malaria and TB. Preventable diseases. As these diseases are prevented and there are fewer sick to care for and more healthly people to help, slums like Mathare can be transormed . This is the buisness of Community Transformers - now a partner of GOA.
Blessed to see GOA and these young men Nick and Charles go deep as Jesus has called them, Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Our purpose for going to Mathare was for the Partners for Care team - nurses, social workers and musicians, to support Nick and Charles in their work and for Debbie Jones of Emory University - to see what they do with their organization Community Transformers. A special blessing was that Francis Mania who has been working in the ministry of HIV/AIDS for GOA for many years was able to go with us and see the Community Transformers program.
Debbie Jones with women living in IDP
Connie with baby born in IDPEach team member of Partners for Care staff made a home visit with a community worker from Community Transformers. This was the first time for many of the team members to go deep into a slum - to the homes of the sick and in some cases the dying. It is always hard for someone to sit at the bedside of someone infected with AIDS, TB and other diseases. To hold their hand, to see their frailness, to know their vulnerability and it was hard for the Partners for Care team members. But as the Bishop preached on Sunday we all must go deep into the waters if we want the big catch.
Nick and Charles grew up in Mathare slum. They decided to stay in the slum and set up a program to help those sick and hurting. They have had over 300 clients who are infected with HIV/AIDS with some 70 dying over the last several years. Twenty-two of those who died were children. Just last week four of their clients died. Nick and Charles take clients to the hospital when they are very sick and to the morgue when they die. They then attend their funerals. Community Transformers has 20 volunteers - community workers - who visit the clients on a weekly basis unless called to go more often because the client has the need for additional care.
Nick and Charles have received assistance from HEART which has helped in many ways.
Community Transformers is about transforming Mathare Slum one person at a time. And we were able to witness a few of these transformations. A tall young man with a big smile was part of some of these transformations. Sam is a Community Transformer volunteer. Sam grew up in Mathare and he told us his mother was a brewer. He himself at one point was an addict but God rescued him and now he spends his days rescuing other addicts. We walked with him through Mathare deep into the slum where they brew chang'aa not one drum of it but a brewery. We could smell the brew as we got close. The scene was like from a movie only this was not a movie but real with real people. We met people that recently had stopped drinking the changa'aa - sick looking people with dirty clothes and sores. Sam lovingly put his arm around them and told their story of recovery. Francis asked one recently recovered man if he was born again and when he said no Francis offered him the opportunity of salvation and he accepted. Right there by the river with dirty water in the brewery of Mathare slum Francis prayed for him as he repeated the words of salvation. Sam told us of three young men who wanted to get clean and how they connected them to a rehab center between here and Mombasa that would treat them for free. Someone just needed to ask. The Bishop reminded us Jesus said the catch would fill the nets if the disciplines would go deep. We were witnessing what Jesus must have meant.
We also witnessed how football not only was changing the lives of the footballers but it was having an impact on their families. Again walking through Mathare Nick, Charles and Sam took us to meet a mom of one of the footballers from the Community Transformers team. Nick and Charles formed this football team in December. They came in second during the recent GOA football tournament. The mother of this young man had been an addict all her life. In fact because of her addiction and brewing this boy had never gone to school. Through the transformation of her son she has stopped drinking and Sam is helping the boy to go to a trade school. Lives transformed.
Another reason we were in Mathare was so SN could present uniforms to a Mathare girls team. They had placed second in the GOA tournament. Their captain is a young woman named Patricia. After the team accepted the uniforms SN asked her if she wanted to speak. She said that she was born again and while she and the other team members lived in Mathare, Mathare didn't live in them. These young girls have the same hopes and dreams as our children in the US - to go to school, get an education and someday have a family. They all have tremendous challenges - all related to the issues of poverty and disease mostly AIDS, malaria and TB. Preventable diseases. As these diseases are prevented and there are fewer sick to care for and more healthly people to help, slums like Mathare can be transormed . This is the buisness of Community Transformers - now a partner of GOA.
Blessed to see GOA and these young men Nick and Charles go deep as Jesus has called them, Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Connie's 6th Update from Kenya
Today at Beat the Drum we witnessed another miracle. If you remember the Partners for Care social worker assigned to Pastor Hirbo in Marsabit brought three children with her travelling 24 hours on a bus in April when she came to the GOA Children's Conference - Diga, Hawo and Barako. We saw Baraka and Diga yesterday. When I first met Barako in Marsabit he never spoke or smiled. He was living with his grandfather as he is a double orphan and has AIDs. Yesterday we saw a different child - happy, laughing and smiling all the time. He is in school and interacts well with the other children. Six year old Diga is speaking Kswahili and sat with Sammy and copied the entire English alphabit. Every child who goes to Beat the Drum changes for the better!! Previously bone-thin Faith is now twice her size!
The second house is constructed just waiting for finishing work and furnishings. The Partners for Care nurse Daniel is moving his wife and two children into this house and they will serve as mom and dad for the group of children living in the second house.. And Daniel will be there to serve as a nurse. For all of the children.
The purpose of the Partners for Care staff's visit to Beat the Drum was to conduct an assessment of the children's home. This is part of GOA's going deeper in all ministry areas. They are assessing the physical enviorment, spiritual nuturing, education/vacational opportunities, safety, compliance with goverment regulations, nutrition, community support, plans for substainability, board functioning and recreation opportunities. The team is developing assessment instruments that will assess in all of these areas. The assessment is for the purpose of identifying both the excellent practices and the areas of needed improvement. The team functions not as a "regulator" or "criticizer" but as a supporter, consultant and ally for the children's homes.
This first assessment by the team went well. Pray for them and the children's homes as they will assess the remaining homes next week.
Blessed to serve in Kenya Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
The second house is constructed just waiting for finishing work and furnishings. The Partners for Care nurse Daniel is moving his wife and two children into this house and they will serve as mom and dad for the group of children living in the second house.. And Daniel will be there to serve as a nurse. For all of the children.
The purpose of the Partners for Care staff's visit to Beat the Drum was to conduct an assessment of the children's home. This is part of GOA's going deeper in all ministry areas. They are assessing the physical enviorment, spiritual nuturing, education/vacational opportunities, safety, compliance with goverment regulations, nutrition, community support, plans for substainability, board functioning and recreation opportunities. The team is developing assessment instruments that will assess in all of these areas. The assessment is for the purpose of identifying both the excellent practices and the areas of needed improvement. The team functions not as a "regulator" or "criticizer" but as a supporter, consultant and ally for the children's homes.
This first assessment by the team went well. Pray for them and the children's homes as they will assess the remaining homes next week.
Blessed to serve in Kenya Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Tuesday, June 3
Connie's 5th update from Kenya
Sunday I heard Bishop David Thagano preach two of the most passionate and powerful sermons I have heard him preach. The first sermon was Sunday morning in the Makuru GOA Church. There we witnessed two football players accept Christ as the two young men knelt on their knees at the alter and the Bishop and Pastor Murimi brought them to the Lord. The one boy had earlier told the Pastor he had never been to church.
Bishop David Leading youth to Christ
The second sermon was that night when he preached at the end of the four day tournament to 10,000 people. As the sun set and it got dusk he made the call and the hands went up as 27 stepped forward to accept Christ as their personal savior. The Bishop was wearing the white Reach-a-Miilion t-shirt fitting for the football players stepping forward in their uniforms. Pastor Matthew interpreted for the Bishop and later said how thrilling it was it interpret for the Bishop as he passionately brought the young men to Christ. As they stepped forward the Bishop told them they were needed to help this Nation of Kenya heal.
Accepting the Call
Winning football team praying after victory
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Bishop David Leading youth to Christ
Accepting the CallThen the prizes were awarded. If you remember I told you this would be the first tournament in five years to actually play the final game and have prizes awarded. Earlier when the teams played for 3rd place the team that won ran immediately from the field to a brick wall that was at the end of the field - and together with the crowd behind them and hands on their shoulders knelt in prayer and thanked God for the win. They knew before they could celebrate the win with the community they wanted to thank the One from where their receive their blessings. I was blessed to witness this powerful act of faithfulness of young men who live in a slum but worship a God they believe gave them the win. Their team name is Vision.
Winning football team praying after victoryAwarding of the prizes was amazing. Even though it was getting dark and the slum is not a place to be after dark the crowd insisted on order and God protected us through them. At one point some people began to rush the stage to get the Peace Balls and our team immediately moved to establish a barrier between the platform and the crowd. But the crowd themselves addressed the problem by joining hands in the front of the crowd and people were telling others to give order and respect to people who had come to help them.
The highlight was when the first place girls team received soccer shoes! They were shocked to receive such a gift and shouted and hugged all of the team saying thank you and telling us they loved us. We also gave them track suits. The only other women team was a team of middle-aged moms - infected with HIV/AIDS. They received track suits. I still would like to see them get soccer shoes as this was the team that played in flip flops and one played with no shoes.
The winners received uniforms and trophies. These prices mean so much to these young men who are so poor.
If I didn't understand sports evangelism before this event I understand it now. And I understand why GOA has sports evangelism under the ministry field of church planting. And, I understand why SN tells me a ball is not just a ball it is a a way to draw people to God. Yesterday I could see that GOA will Reach-A-Million with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention and the gospel.
For four days we came to this slum. We bought medicine in a chemist, chapati in a restaurant and everyday we took the long ride through the slum to the football field. We met the people who live in this slum - the football teams, the 500 small children who the team played with and gave biscuits to. The HIV-AIDS women group of 100 women infected with the virus. They asked to meet with us. Their greatest need is access to their ARVs and food. We met some of the hundred street boys - how I have grown to hate that word. Does anyone really think about what that means. Children who at night when it is dark sleep outside - in the cold, the rain and in the morning do the daily search for food. That morning n church the Partners for Care team sang Remember Me. While the song is a call to God to remember me it also spoke to us as a call from the street boys to remember them.
Today I will tell the Bishop I will support Daniel if the CCRC board approves his admission. I don't know that there is hope for this young man - 12 years on the street, so addicted to the glue after six years of using it that he openly sniffs it most of the time except when he asks you to help him go to school or he says he is hungry. But then I have witnessed a miracle with Rebecca, Faith and now Diga who is speaking Swahilli and writing the English alphabet. Being in this slum for four days I was reminded when Jesus said the harvest is plenty, the workers are few. GOA pastors are the workers but they cannot do it alone. They need our support to help them harvest the least of these - the orphans, the hungry and the sick. GOA went deep into this slum - and as He promised the harvest was great.
Blessed to be here, Connie
The highlight was when the first place girls team received soccer shoes! They were shocked to receive such a gift and shouted and hugged all of the team saying thank you and telling us they loved us. We also gave them track suits. The only other women team was a team of middle-aged moms - infected with HIV/AIDS. They received track suits. I still would like to see them get soccer shoes as this was the team that played in flip flops and one played with no shoes.
The winners received uniforms and trophies. These prices mean so much to these young men who are so poor.
If I didn't understand sports evangelism before this event I understand it now. And I understand why GOA has sports evangelism under the ministry field of church planting. And, I understand why SN tells me a ball is not just a ball it is a a way to draw people to God. Yesterday I could see that GOA will Reach-A-Million with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention and the gospel.
For four days we came to this slum. We bought medicine in a chemist, chapati in a restaurant and everyday we took the long ride through the slum to the football field. We met the people who live in this slum - the football teams, the 500 small children who the team played with and gave biscuits to. The HIV-AIDS women group of 100 women infected with the virus. They asked to meet with us. Their greatest need is access to their ARVs and food. We met some of the hundred street boys - how I have grown to hate that word. Does anyone really think about what that means. Children who at night when it is dark sleep outside - in the cold, the rain and in the morning do the daily search for food. That morning n church the Partners for Care team sang Remember Me. While the song is a call to God to remember me it also spoke to us as a call from the street boys to remember them.
Today I will tell the Bishop I will support Daniel if the CCRC board approves his admission. I don't know that there is hope for this young man - 12 years on the street, so addicted to the glue after six years of using it that he openly sniffs it most of the time except when he asks you to help him go to school or he says he is hungry. But then I have witnessed a miracle with Rebecca, Faith and now Diga who is speaking Swahilli and writing the English alphabet. Being in this slum for four days I was reminded when Jesus said the harvest is plenty, the workers are few. GOA pastors are the workers but they cannot do it alone. They need our support to help them harvest the least of these - the orphans, the hungry and the sick. GOA went deep into this slum - and as He promised the harvest was great.
Blessed to be here, Connie
Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)