If you get time, check out these links to places/people we visited and worked with while in Kenya:
http://www.amaniafrica.org/ (women's ministry - amazing)
http://www.newlifehometrust.org/ (orphanages)
http://thecityharvest.org/ (the church we worked with)
http://www.journeytokenya.com/ (homepage for the Dellamaters)
http://lodges.safari.co.za/safari-lodge-sarova-mara-tented-camp.html (the site for the hotel we stay at, on safari)
Sunday, June 3, 2007
pics - Kenya
The ref getting our Futball match started.JPG)
The team in London - the little white building in the background is the Globe Theater..JPG)
The team at Amani Ya Juu with Maggie.
Bushwacking with Noah Dellamater.JPG)
The team after our time at KTDP with our new friends.A blog entry from one of the team members
This entry was copied and pasted from one of our team member's blogs. I made a few edits (there was a paragraph that was repeated). Otherwise, its here in its entirety.
Writing from Denny’s in Waco, where I have jetlag and can’t sleep. I will only be in Waco for another day, to attend the funeral of former Baylor President Herb Reynolds, and will then journey up to Little Rock, Arkansas, where I will spend a few months working for Governor Mike Huckabee on his Presidential race. If you are going to be around Arkansas this summer, please shoot me an e-mail, or give me a call, I’d love to meet up.
Africa was simply incredible. I went over with a team of 18, and we spent all our time ministering in Nairobi. We partnered with a local church called City Harvest ministries, and worked with children who had been abandoned because of their HIV status. We also spent time in Kibera, and Mtumba slums, where I grew fond of and made close friendships with some locals.
Watching the immense povery in Africa on television is nothing compared to being there. I went to Africa believing that American poverty was just as bad. While I acknowledge that we in America do have some socio-economic issues, what struck me hardest about Kenya, is the lack of social mobility. Born in the slums means you live in the slums, and your grandchildren. I did not hear one Clintonesque story of rags to influence. There were elections going on between the largest parties of ODM, and Nark. *Nark is currently in power, but many Kenyans expressed to me their displeasure Nark because of favoritism. Kenya is very tribal, meaning that while I think many in American would group every black in Kenya as a ”Kenyan”, they see themselves as part of their smaller tribe, such as the Masai. was simply incredible.
Kibera, where our main ministry focused, is the largest slum in Africa. Over 1 million people liviing in a space smaller than my College campus. Travelling the streets is like trying to maneuver through an intricate array of sewage, livestock, and trash. “Flying toilets” (or excretion in a bag) is everywhere on the ground, and people have no problem going to the bathroom in front of you. Try as you may, you gag because of the stentch. The houses are made from cow dung, and tin, which rusts quickly in the rainy season. I am going to share two stories of people who impacted my life there.
The church we were working with, City Harvest, was upfront about the HIV problem, but many churches there were not. They believe that Christians can not get the disease, and if you contract it, than you must have done something immoral to deserve it. Some other churches try laying on of hands to cleanse the disease, which does obviously not work. We went with members of the CH church to a ”support group” in the Mtumba slum. Mtumba means second hand. This slum was created in the landing zone of a small airport, and when planes crash , as they have, they crash into the slum and kill all who live there, to no one’s caring.
Before going to this support group I had never knowingly met anyone with HIV before, and now I was a minority in a room full of sick women coughing, and wheezing, all HIV positive. We split up, and followed one woman back to their respective houses. I will never forget the woman I was with. We walked through feces, and piles of garbage to get to her house, and when we entered I immediatley noticed a picture of a large Kenyan man on the wall.
I asked her who it was, and she said, “the father of the family”, but said nothing more. I told my testimony, and included recent events in my family dealing with the split of my father. After hearing my story, the woman began looking very glum. She then felt comfortable to tell us that she had not seen her husband for 2 weeks. That he infected her with HIV from sleeping around with other women, and after she got the disease he walked out. He would return every few weeks or months to see his children, whom he had left completley in his wives care. When I asked her if she could get a divorce, she said as a Christian she couldn’t. She then lifted up her shirt and showed myself, and my teammate that she recently had her right breast removed because of cancer. she had paid for the surgery through selling necklaces.
She then told us that later that week, god willing, she would have the money to remove the uterus where the cancer had spread. She told us how her husband was abusive, and if she told him he could not come in the house, he would do what her neighbor’s husband had done, and burn down the house, never to get in trouble with the law. What amazed me about this woman, is when I asked her if she could have one wish in the world, what would it be. This woman had fatal cancer, one breast, lived in a house with her kids no bigger than my bedroom, and did not enough money for food…..but her wish wasn’t to fix any of those.
She smiled at me and said she wished her husband would find Christ.
The second person who impacted me was a worship leader named Wycliff at the church. Wycliff lead worship wish such vigor and passion that I have not seen in an American church. He was so happy to praise the lord, …..Wycliff has only a second grade education, and lived in Mtumba with a friend. His father had left his family high and dry when he was in school, leaving his mother without any way to pay for his education(as of this year, the government now pays education through high school). Wycliff wakes up every morning and sells chapates. If he does not sell the number he must, he does not eat. He came late to a school in Kibera one morning and walked up to me crying. This is a grown man. I asked him what happened, and he told me he had not sold enough chapates by 9am, so he had to stay out until he sold him. He was not crying because he hadn’t sold them, he was crying because he had missed time helping our group at the school.
The entire nation simply loved life, regardless of their situation, and they worked hard to try and make their lives better, but to no avail. Many contracted HIV through the care of a positive family member, or were simply born with the disease, to NO cause of their own. I feel fairly certain that I will be back in Kenya at some point, and feel strongly called to help in anyway I can. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
Writing from Denny’s in Waco, where I have jetlag and can’t sleep. I will only be in Waco for another day, to attend the funeral of former Baylor President Herb Reynolds, and will then journey up to Little Rock, Arkansas, where I will spend a few months working for Governor Mike Huckabee on his Presidential race. If you are going to be around Arkansas this summer, please shoot me an e-mail, or give me a call, I’d love to meet up.
Africa was simply incredible. I went over with a team of 18, and we spent all our time ministering in Nairobi. We partnered with a local church called City Harvest ministries, and worked with children who had been abandoned because of their HIV status. We also spent time in Kibera, and Mtumba slums, where I grew fond of and made close friendships with some locals.
Watching the immense povery in Africa on television is nothing compared to being there. I went to Africa believing that American poverty was just as bad. While I acknowledge that we in America do have some socio-economic issues, what struck me hardest about Kenya, is the lack of social mobility. Born in the slums means you live in the slums, and your grandchildren. I did not hear one Clintonesque story of rags to influence. There were elections going on between the largest parties of ODM, and Nark. *Nark is currently in power, but many Kenyans expressed to me their displeasure Nark because of favoritism. Kenya is very tribal, meaning that while I think many in American would group every black in Kenya as a ”Kenyan”, they see themselves as part of their smaller tribe, such as the Masai. was simply incredible.
Kibera, where our main ministry focused, is the largest slum in Africa. Over 1 million people liviing in a space smaller than my College campus. Travelling the streets is like trying to maneuver through an intricate array of sewage, livestock, and trash. “Flying toilets” (or excretion in a bag) is everywhere on the ground, and people have no problem going to the bathroom in front of you. Try as you may, you gag because of the stentch. The houses are made from cow dung, and tin, which rusts quickly in the rainy season. I am going to share two stories of people who impacted my life there.
The church we were working with, City Harvest, was upfront about the HIV problem, but many churches there were not. They believe that Christians can not get the disease, and if you contract it, than you must have done something immoral to deserve it. Some other churches try laying on of hands to cleanse the disease, which does obviously not work. We went with members of the CH church to a ”support group” in the Mtumba slum. Mtumba means second hand. This slum was created in the landing zone of a small airport, and when planes crash , as they have, they crash into the slum and kill all who live there, to no one’s caring.
Before going to this support group I had never knowingly met anyone with HIV before, and now I was a minority in a room full of sick women coughing, and wheezing, all HIV positive. We split up, and followed one woman back to their respective houses. I will never forget the woman I was with. We walked through feces, and piles of garbage to get to her house, and when we entered I immediatley noticed a picture of a large Kenyan man on the wall.
I asked her who it was, and she said, “the father of the family”, but said nothing more. I told my testimony, and included recent events in my family dealing with the split of my father. After hearing my story, the woman began looking very glum. She then felt comfortable to tell us that she had not seen her husband for 2 weeks. That he infected her with HIV from sleeping around with other women, and after she got the disease he walked out. He would return every few weeks or months to see his children, whom he had left completley in his wives care. When I asked her if she could get a divorce, she said as a Christian she couldn’t. She then lifted up her shirt and showed myself, and my teammate that she recently had her right breast removed because of cancer. she had paid for the surgery through selling necklaces.
She then told us that later that week, god willing, she would have the money to remove the uterus where the cancer had spread. She told us how her husband was abusive, and if she told him he could not come in the house, he would do what her neighbor’s husband had done, and burn down the house, never to get in trouble with the law. What amazed me about this woman, is when I asked her if she could have one wish in the world, what would it be. This woman had fatal cancer, one breast, lived in a house with her kids no bigger than my bedroom, and did not enough money for food…..but her wish wasn’t to fix any of those.
She smiled at me and said she wished her husband would find Christ.
The second person who impacted me was a worship leader named Wycliff at the church. Wycliff lead worship wish such vigor and passion that I have not seen in an American church. He was so happy to praise the lord, …..Wycliff has only a second grade education, and lived in Mtumba with a friend. His father had left his family high and dry when he was in school, leaving his mother without any way to pay for his education(as of this year, the government now pays education through high school). Wycliff wakes up every morning and sells chapates. If he does not sell the number he must, he does not eat. He came late to a school in Kibera one morning and walked up to me crying. This is a grown man. I asked him what happened, and he told me he had not sold enough chapates by 9am, so he had to stay out until he sold him. He was not crying because he hadn’t sold them, he was crying because he had missed time helping our group at the school.
The entire nation simply loved life, regardless of their situation, and they worked hard to try and make their lives better, but to no avail. Many contracted HIV through the care of a positive family member, or were simply born with the disease, to NO cause of their own. I feel fairly certain that I will be back in Kenya at some point, and feel strongly called to help in anyway I can. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
The end of the trip!
Hi Friends,
Thanks for your patience! I am trying to read an article on ethical principles on research right now... so it seemed the perfect time to finish up the reports from our trip.
We've been home almost a week and it feels like longer. The trip is almost a fog in my memory...until I look back at photos or tell someone, then it seems like it is right here, in my fingertips.
Last you heard, it was Tuesday night. We had some "rest time" in preparation for a very full day on Wednesday.
Wednesday we ventured deep into Kibera, about a 10 minute walk into its heart. We passed row upon row of shop front - even in the slums they have little shops - butchers, clothing, hair salons and even... little movie places. They tap into electricity from the high voltage lines and run it into the slums so some people have light bulbs in their homes (shacks) and even TV - or in the case of the 'movie theaters" - movies. We had 4 escorts into the slums - two in front of us, and two behind - leading us to the right place (we surely would have been lost) and also protecting us from any theft or other harm. It was nice to have them - I'm sure at first we were glad but not sure why we needed them. When a couple girls got their arms grabbed and were asked to "come this way," I think we were MORE than glad to have our knights in shining armor.
The sensations of Kibera were overwhelming - constant noise of people talking, babies, TV's, the smells of food, animals, human waste, humans, and the sights of so many people out and about, talking to you, waving, watching your step over flying toilets, little bridges, ditches - trying to look up at the people around you was difficult because you didn't want to trip and fall down - the ground is very uneven. In some areas of Kibera (the area where we walked) when it rains heavily - as it does during this time of year - sometimes the walkways get washed out and people roll up their pants or hold up their skirts, take off their shoes and try to navigate through the mud. Our escort, Nick, told me that luckily the mud is not too sticky or slippery.
We arrived at the KTDP: Kibera Transformation Development Project before morning tea. The KTDP has two ministries - the first is a pre-unit school (we would call "preschool") and the second is a women's training office, which helps women 18-35 learn a trade. We worked at the school for Wednesday and half of Thursday. At KTDP, the parents are required to pay 300 shillings per month for their children to attend (about $5 usd), they are required to pay for the uniform, and they are required to pack a snack for their child to eat/during tea. It doesn't matter what the drink/snack is, but they are supposed to have one. The school requires these things to give parents a "buy-in" in the education process. The school provides lunch for the children daily: Ugali (corn meal dough/bread) and Sukuma Wiki (collard greens). On Wednesdays they have meat in it - usually beef. We were there on a Wed and you could tell the meat was a big deal. Some of the team had the opportunity to try a lunch serving. I thought the Sukuma Wiki was pretty good... but then I only had a little bit.
That day was truly awesome. It was my favorite place to serve overall. We broke into three groups and went into the three classrooms as teacher's assistants - 3 yr olds, 4-5yr olds and 6-7 yrs olds. The school compound was pretty nice, considering where it was. My classroom (with the older kids) was on the second floor - as you walked up some pretty sketchy steps you could look to your right and see out over the slums - a pretty sobering sight. We helped the teachers do the lessons, and got to know the kids names. We did PE with them - exhausting! and then played with them during their 2 hour lunch break. Some of us did the dishes in the kitchen and that was quite an experience in itself! (we were significantly slower than if the cook had done them, but she graciously did not rub it in too much!)
After lunch the younger two classes take a nap... they lay their heads down on their arms on the table in front of them and go to sleep - very cute. We had brought some school and craft supplies with us to give to the school, so during nap time all the teachers and our team came upstairs with the older kids and we had a "presentation ceremony." My favorite part of this time was our time of prayer for the school and the kids, and then the opportunity the headmistress gave us to speak "words of promise" from scripture over the lives of the children. Later, she eloquently told us how grateful she was of our service of hugging, loving and smiling at the children - and praying over them; that their parents are so occupied getting food (or money for food) that they don't have time to pay that kind of attention (in general) to their kids. I really felt like the Holy Spirit was present in this time of learning and blessings - what a joy!
We were at the KTDP on Wed and Thursday, and then on Thursday afternoon went back to New Life Home and spent a couple hours with the orphans there - rocking babies and playing with toddlers. It was great and relaxed and they are a lot of fun.
Friday we worked with First Love International (we had been to their compound in Karen the previous Saturday, after getting rained out of the schools in the slums on Friday and Saturday). First Love works with the Mtumba Primary School and the Railia Educational Center in Kibera (both primary and secondary schools) - they help provide school supplies and handle the payment of the teachers (at the request of the schools) and offer a feeding program - they provide for two meals a day - a porridge tea/breakfast and lunch.
In the morning we were at Mtumba, we toured the slum (we had been there on Monday, but did not have the extended tour) and then played with the kids there. They sang us some songs before we left and there was a gal who could really belt it out. I taught little kids frisbee and some others played soccer, while others taught "Little Sally Walker" - that was pretty fun to watch!
We ate our lunches as we traveled from Mtumba to Kibera and ended at the bottom of a steep hill in a school yard. There was a educational rally going on, so there were a TON of kids out of school - maybe 1000 kids total in this huge space. We played with a bunch of them for a couple hours - jumping rope, talking to high schoolers, "little sally walker" again, hand jive games and even kenyan "duck duck goose". The highlight of the visit for me was that the high school girls challenged the women of our team to a futbal match.... yes. true. We took a short rest prior to the game (because a lot of us were pretty wiped out after the previous days) and then went out for the match. They had cleared everyone off the field and put up soccer goals. Up the hill to the right was a train track that people walk along on their way to work and home - at one point during the game someone counted 150 people standing there watching, and then the school children ringed the sides of the field to cheer the game. It was REALLY fun - hard work, and those women on our team who know how to play soccer worked their tails off. In the end, we tied 1-1 and that wasn't half bad!
The following day we returned to the Delamaters home and the First Love Compound and finished painting the garage and the caretaker's, David's, house and landscaping the field. It was great to end the ministry portion of the trip with some of our new friends and to know we've made valuable contacts in Nairobi - I think that some of our students will eventually return to work with them at their compound in Karen. Afterward, we went back home, showered up and headed with all 90 members of the Baylor crew to the "Carnivore" - which is a fancy restaurant that serves all sorts of meat on skewers. Its all you can eat - and if you like meat... its the place for you. We had beef, lamb, chicken, pork ribs, ostrich and crocodile. It was great.
Sunday morning was a fantastic day. We returned to City Harvest Church, but instead of being visitors, we felt like we were a part of the community. We knew some of the songs that the worship team sang (thanks Wycliffe and Mordecai and John for teaching us!), we recognized friends in the congregation and it was a tremendous joy to worship with them one more time before leaving. We saw our dear friends, including: Wycliffe, Mordecai, John, Pastor Edward, Mercyline, Jehosephat, Sylvia, Theresia, and Nick, just to name a few. It was tremendous and a joy.
We had lunch after saying our good-byes, and then stopped one final time at the Nakumatt and the Maasai Market near Gracia, before packing up and heading to the Airport. Thankfully, we all made it back to the states safe and sound (though pretty tired).
As you think of us for the next few weeks, please pray for our transition. I know that it has been hard for all of us as we remember what we saw, who we met and how we loved and lived while there.
The next post is by one of our team members, from his blog. I think you'll enjoy his perspective and information.
Be blessed, thank you for you support. (p.s. look for the post with pics, too)
Love, Tiffani (For Marquette and the team!)
Thanks for your patience! I am trying to read an article on ethical principles on research right now... so it seemed the perfect time to finish up the reports from our trip.
We've been home almost a week and it feels like longer. The trip is almost a fog in my memory...until I look back at photos or tell someone, then it seems like it is right here, in my fingertips.
Last you heard, it was Tuesday night. We had some "rest time" in preparation for a very full day on Wednesday.
Wednesday we ventured deep into Kibera, about a 10 minute walk into its heart. We passed row upon row of shop front - even in the slums they have little shops - butchers, clothing, hair salons and even... little movie places. They tap into electricity from the high voltage lines and run it into the slums so some people have light bulbs in their homes (shacks) and even TV - or in the case of the 'movie theaters" - movies. We had 4 escorts into the slums - two in front of us, and two behind - leading us to the right place (we surely would have been lost) and also protecting us from any theft or other harm. It was nice to have them - I'm sure at first we were glad but not sure why we needed them. When a couple girls got their arms grabbed and were asked to "come this way," I think we were MORE than glad to have our knights in shining armor.
The sensations of Kibera were overwhelming - constant noise of people talking, babies, TV's, the smells of food, animals, human waste, humans, and the sights of so many people out and about, talking to you, waving, watching your step over flying toilets, little bridges, ditches - trying to look up at the people around you was difficult because you didn't want to trip and fall down - the ground is very uneven. In some areas of Kibera (the area where we walked) when it rains heavily - as it does during this time of year - sometimes the walkways get washed out and people roll up their pants or hold up their skirts, take off their shoes and try to navigate through the mud. Our escort, Nick, told me that luckily the mud is not too sticky or slippery.
We arrived at the KTDP: Kibera Transformation Development Project before morning tea. The KTDP has two ministries - the first is a pre-unit school (we would call "preschool") and the second is a women's training office, which helps women 18-35 learn a trade. We worked at the school for Wednesday and half of Thursday. At KTDP, the parents are required to pay 300 shillings per month for their children to attend (about $5 usd), they are required to pay for the uniform, and they are required to pack a snack for their child to eat/during tea. It doesn't matter what the drink/snack is, but they are supposed to have one. The school requires these things to give parents a "buy-in" in the education process. The school provides lunch for the children daily: Ugali (corn meal dough/bread) and Sukuma Wiki (collard greens). On Wednesdays they have meat in it - usually beef. We were there on a Wed and you could tell the meat was a big deal. Some of the team had the opportunity to try a lunch serving. I thought the Sukuma Wiki was pretty good... but then I only had a little bit.
That day was truly awesome. It was my favorite place to serve overall. We broke into three groups and went into the three classrooms as teacher's assistants - 3 yr olds, 4-5yr olds and 6-7 yrs olds. The school compound was pretty nice, considering where it was. My classroom (with the older kids) was on the second floor - as you walked up some pretty sketchy steps you could look to your right and see out over the slums - a pretty sobering sight. We helped the teachers do the lessons, and got to know the kids names. We did PE with them - exhausting! and then played with them during their 2 hour lunch break. Some of us did the dishes in the kitchen and that was quite an experience in itself! (we were significantly slower than if the cook had done them, but she graciously did not rub it in too much!)
After lunch the younger two classes take a nap... they lay their heads down on their arms on the table in front of them and go to sleep - very cute. We had brought some school and craft supplies with us to give to the school, so during nap time all the teachers and our team came upstairs with the older kids and we had a "presentation ceremony." My favorite part of this time was our time of prayer for the school and the kids, and then the opportunity the headmistress gave us to speak "words of promise" from scripture over the lives of the children. Later, she eloquently told us how grateful she was of our service of hugging, loving and smiling at the children - and praying over them; that their parents are so occupied getting food (or money for food) that they don't have time to pay that kind of attention (in general) to their kids. I really felt like the Holy Spirit was present in this time of learning and blessings - what a joy!
We were at the KTDP on Wed and Thursday, and then on Thursday afternoon went back to New Life Home and spent a couple hours with the orphans there - rocking babies and playing with toddlers. It was great and relaxed and they are a lot of fun.
Friday we worked with First Love International (we had been to their compound in Karen the previous Saturday, after getting rained out of the schools in the slums on Friday and Saturday). First Love works with the Mtumba Primary School and the Railia Educational Center in Kibera (both primary and secondary schools) - they help provide school supplies and handle the payment of the teachers (at the request of the schools) and offer a feeding program - they provide for two meals a day - a porridge tea/breakfast and lunch.
In the morning we were at Mtumba, we toured the slum (we had been there on Monday, but did not have the extended tour) and then played with the kids there. They sang us some songs before we left and there was a gal who could really belt it out. I taught little kids frisbee and some others played soccer, while others taught "Little Sally Walker" - that was pretty fun to watch!
We ate our lunches as we traveled from Mtumba to Kibera and ended at the bottom of a steep hill in a school yard. There was a educational rally going on, so there were a TON of kids out of school - maybe 1000 kids total in this huge space. We played with a bunch of them for a couple hours - jumping rope, talking to high schoolers, "little sally walker" again, hand jive games and even kenyan "duck duck goose". The highlight of the visit for me was that the high school girls challenged the women of our team to a futbal match.... yes. true. We took a short rest prior to the game (because a lot of us were pretty wiped out after the previous days) and then went out for the match. They had cleared everyone off the field and put up soccer goals. Up the hill to the right was a train track that people walk along on their way to work and home - at one point during the game someone counted 150 people standing there watching, and then the school children ringed the sides of the field to cheer the game. It was REALLY fun - hard work, and those women on our team who know how to play soccer worked their tails off. In the end, we tied 1-1 and that wasn't half bad!
The following day we returned to the Delamaters home and the First Love Compound and finished painting the garage and the caretaker's, David's, house and landscaping the field. It was great to end the ministry portion of the trip with some of our new friends and to know we've made valuable contacts in Nairobi - I think that some of our students will eventually return to work with them at their compound in Karen. Afterward, we went back home, showered up and headed with all 90 members of the Baylor crew to the "Carnivore" - which is a fancy restaurant that serves all sorts of meat on skewers. Its all you can eat - and if you like meat... its the place for you. We had beef, lamb, chicken, pork ribs, ostrich and crocodile. It was great.
Sunday morning was a fantastic day. We returned to City Harvest Church, but instead of being visitors, we felt like we were a part of the community. We knew some of the songs that the worship team sang (thanks Wycliffe and Mordecai and John for teaching us!), we recognized friends in the congregation and it was a tremendous joy to worship with them one more time before leaving. We saw our dear friends, including: Wycliffe, Mordecai, John, Pastor Edward, Mercyline, Jehosephat, Sylvia, Theresia, and Nick, just to name a few. It was tremendous and a joy.
We had lunch after saying our good-byes, and then stopped one final time at the Nakumatt and the Maasai Market near Gracia, before packing up and heading to the Airport. Thankfully, we all made it back to the states safe and sound (though pretty tired).
As you think of us for the next few weeks, please pray for our transition. I know that it has been hard for all of us as we remember what we saw, who we met and how we loved and lived while there.
The next post is by one of our team members, from his blog. I think you'll enjoy his perspective and information.
Be blessed, thank you for you support. (p.s. look for the post with pics, too)
Love, Tiffani (For Marquette and the team!)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Back home (part 1)
I know that you may have been checking in to see if there were updates. I wanted to post from London on our trip home, because we had a long layover... but the computer was really hard to type on and it was giving me hand cramps.
So we are all back in our respective places now - Arizona, Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennesee, Texas (and some will head back soon to Virginia and other locales).
I am battling jet lag and starting classes, so bear with me one more day as I recover. I'm planning to post the last part of the trip, photos, and a recap tomorrow and Thursday. It WILL be worth the wait!
Love to you from our team!
So we are all back in our respective places now - Arizona, Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennesee, Texas (and some will head back soon to Virginia and other locales).
I am battling jet lag and starting classes, so bear with me one more day as I recover. I'm planning to post the last part of the trip, photos, and a recap tomorrow and Thursday. It WILL be worth the wait!
Love to you from our team!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
If its Tuesday, it must be Kenya...
Hi Friends and family! This internet cafe experience (I am with a few of the team at the "Easy Surf" at the "Ya Ya" Mall - next to the Gracia Guest House) takes me back to my trip to Chile in 2001. The keys are a little different and when I try to press "shift" it is actually... \ and even though when I press the button for this " it does it.... its marked with an ampersand.
Anyway, I digress. I'm here with Paige Williams (she says, "HI") who is going to help me create today's update!
The last update was Sunday night, so we will give you some info on today and yesterday. Our first two days with Pastor Edward and City Harvest Church have been challenging, in a good way. On Monday we spent a few hours with Pastor Edward and some of his staff, learning about their ministries. They served us tea and taught us a few songs and dances. It was pretty fun. Paige says, "Kenyan worship is very spirited and full of traditional African music."
After our initial introduction, we walked around the corner to the "VCT" - which is the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre. There are a number of these government sponsored testing centers around Nairobi and Kenya, but this one is sponsored by City Harvest Church and so all the counselors are believers. One of them is actually HIV positive, and has a passion to help others who may find themselves the same way. We learned about the social stigma of HIV and AIDs in Kenya and after our visit to the VCT we traveled to Mutumba slum and sat in on one of the AIDS support groups (which are part of a program called "PACE" at City Harvest).
This group has about 10 women. Most of them are widows and have a number of children. The stigma of HIV and AIDS makes it difficult for them to keep jobs (they are often fired when they are discovered to have the virus) and they are often abandoned by their families. We heard their stories and asked questions and then had the chance to pray with them in small groups. I had the priveledge to pray for Rose and Maureen, Paige prayed with Theresea. Afterward some of us visited their homes (one room shacks not bigger than 10' x 10') and others did some door-to-door evangelism. It was an incredible experience over all. And we were blessed by the women.
Today (Tuesday), Pastor Edward met us at Gracia and we drove together to a place in Karen (a suburb of Nairobi). "We toured Karen and noticed the beauty of the natural environment," notes Paige. Karen is the richest suburb of Nairobi and it borders Kibera - the poorest. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa, with approximately 1.4 million people occupying 1000 square acres. From a vantage point in Karen (which was at the edge of the slum - they were actually building new shacks while we were standing there) we could see Kibera from one end to the other. It was pretty incredible. Ask the team members you know about "flying toilets" and other things they learned there.
We next traveled to Mukuru Kayaba slum to meet with another AIDS support group. This was also a special experience for us as we are getting to know these women and their hearts, faith and needs personally. We again broke into small groups and prayed and were moved by the willingness of these women to tell us about their lives.
After this we traveled to a different part of Kayaba to visit the future home of "Olympic Hairdressing School" (which was relocated from an area which was too expensive for the church to keep) and saw where the school will be. All during this time we have been accompanied by some new friends: John, Wycliffe, Mordecai, Sylvia, Rosemarie among others. Mordecai lives at the Hairdressing School property, so he showed us his house where he lives with his brother - a one-room home about 8x5. Then we came back, had some team rest time and then some team time traveling to the Ya Ya and ATM machine (and this here internet cafe).
Please pray for our team. We are experiencing a lot of new information, and learning. And we aren't sure how to take it all in. Please pray that the Lord would be near to the members and they would be able to finish this week strong and not grow weary. Please pray that we would be able to preach the Gospel fearlessly and that we would soak up the joy that these people have in Jesus. Tomorrow we are spending the entire day (8-3) with children - so please pray for our energy levels and that we wouldn't be too tired. And pray that we would begin to see how God wants to use this trip to change us.
Thank you for your prayers. I can't wait to get back to the states and upload some pictures so that you can see what we've been seeing.
But in the meantime, for me, Marquette, Paige, and the others. God bless you and be with you.
Bwana Asifiwe (praise the Lord),
Tiffani
Anyway, I digress. I'm here with Paige Williams (she says, "HI") who is going to help me create today's update!
The last update was Sunday night, so we will give you some info on today and yesterday. Our first two days with Pastor Edward and City Harvest Church have been challenging, in a good way. On Monday we spent a few hours with Pastor Edward and some of his staff, learning about their ministries. They served us tea and taught us a few songs and dances. It was pretty fun. Paige says, "Kenyan worship is very spirited and full of traditional African music."
After our initial introduction, we walked around the corner to the "VCT" - which is the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre. There are a number of these government sponsored testing centers around Nairobi and Kenya, but this one is sponsored by City Harvest Church and so all the counselors are believers. One of them is actually HIV positive, and has a passion to help others who may find themselves the same way. We learned about the social stigma of HIV and AIDs in Kenya and after our visit to the VCT we traveled to Mutumba slum and sat in on one of the AIDS support groups (which are part of a program called "PACE" at City Harvest).
This group has about 10 women. Most of them are widows and have a number of children. The stigma of HIV and AIDS makes it difficult for them to keep jobs (they are often fired when they are discovered to have the virus) and they are often abandoned by their families. We heard their stories and asked questions and then had the chance to pray with them in small groups. I had the priveledge to pray for Rose and Maureen, Paige prayed with Theresea. Afterward some of us visited their homes (one room shacks not bigger than 10' x 10') and others did some door-to-door evangelism. It was an incredible experience over all. And we were blessed by the women.
Today (Tuesday), Pastor Edward met us at Gracia and we drove together to a place in Karen (a suburb of Nairobi). "We toured Karen and noticed the beauty of the natural environment," notes Paige. Karen is the richest suburb of Nairobi and it borders Kibera - the poorest. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa, with approximately 1.4 million people occupying 1000 square acres. From a vantage point in Karen (which was at the edge of the slum - they were actually building new shacks while we were standing there) we could see Kibera from one end to the other. It was pretty incredible. Ask the team members you know about "flying toilets" and other things they learned there.
We next traveled to Mukuru Kayaba slum to meet with another AIDS support group. This was also a special experience for us as we are getting to know these women and their hearts, faith and needs personally. We again broke into small groups and prayed and were moved by the willingness of these women to tell us about their lives.
After this we traveled to a different part of Kayaba to visit the future home of "Olympic Hairdressing School" (which was relocated from an area which was too expensive for the church to keep) and saw where the school will be. All during this time we have been accompanied by some new friends: John, Wycliffe, Mordecai, Sylvia, Rosemarie among others. Mordecai lives at the Hairdressing School property, so he showed us his house where he lives with his brother - a one-room home about 8x5. Then we came back, had some team rest time and then some team time traveling to the Ya Ya and ATM machine (and this here internet cafe).
Please pray for our team. We are experiencing a lot of new information, and learning. And we aren't sure how to take it all in. Please pray that the Lord would be near to the members and they would be able to finish this week strong and not grow weary. Please pray that we would be able to preach the Gospel fearlessly and that we would soak up the joy that these people have in Jesus. Tomorrow we are spending the entire day (8-3) with children - so please pray for our energy levels and that we wouldn't be too tired. And pray that we would begin to see how God wants to use this trip to change us.
Thank you for your prayers. I can't wait to get back to the states and upload some pictures so that you can see what we've been seeing.
But in the meantime, for me, Marquette, Paige, and the others. God bless you and be with you.
Bwana Asifiwe (praise the Lord),
Tiffani
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Update from Nairobi!
I'm at the computer at our guest house - this has been the first day
that I've felt I had the time and also opportunity to access email
from the office. Its 5:34pm here in Nairobi, on Sunday the 20th - so
about 9:30, I think in Texas. That means we've been gone from Waco for almost exactly a week!
This has been an incredible experience and I'm going to take the time
to give you an idea of what we've been doing so far.
After a 48 hour trip by air and van, we arrived at the Masai Mara, at
our safari hotel. The drive was beautiful but bumpy... it took 5 hours to travel 250 km - because there are no "good" roads yet. We had a short time to shower and rest and then went out immediately on our first game trek. We went on 3 in total and they were really neat - we saw Hippos, Lions, Crocodiles, Buffalo, Elephants, Cheetahs, Giraffes and more. Very amazing. The country out here is beautiful and vast.Going on safari at the beginning was a huge blessing because we were able to overcome our jet lag before we started serving in the Nairobi area.
On the way back to Nairobi, we stopped at the village of Narok, where
we visited a Masai tribal village, took a tour of the local health
clinic and ate lunch.
Friday was our first ministry day in Nairobi, but because its the
rainy season and it had been raining for a number of days.... that
morning our plans for the day were cancelled and we had to create a
plan B on the spur of the moment. It turned out to be such a blessing,though! We went to a women's ministry where they train women to make craft goods (i.e. fabrics and handicrafts, etc) called "Amani Ya Juu" (which means "peace from above". It was an amazing shop and they have a great story and are really doing great work for God there. After that we visited New Life Home Trust, which is an orphanage for children ages 0 - 3. We played with babies and toddlers for about 3hours and it was SOOO fun! Again, we were blessed and I hope we brought some blessing, too.
Saturday (just yesterday!?) we traveled to Karen, Kenya - a district
of Nairobi named after the women who the movie "Out of Africa" was
about (apparently). We worked at the site of the Karen Project -
sponsored by First Love International - doing landscaping (by which I
mean some of us took "slashers" and cut away the grass) and painting (we painted a garage and primed a small house). Good exhausting
physical labor.
Each night we've had a brief team meeting where we've done
teambuilders or sung worship music, or reflected on the day. We have
really been seeing God's hand in these team times as people are
sharing freely, participating actively and enjoying each other.
Today as our Sabbath we went to City Harvey Church in Nairobi, which
is the church we'll be working with for the next 3 1/2 days. It was a
great cultural and spiritual experience and I was really blessed. It
stretched some of our students a little bit, so please pray that they
would transition OK from it and that they would share what they are
thinking/feeling. We also took a driving tour around the Nairobi city
center and saw the memorial for the '98 US Embassy bombing, the houses of parliament, and university of nairobi among other things. When we got back to our guest house (after lunch) everyone had freedom to relax, read, sleep, go to market or wander around the local mall.
Tomorrow through Thursday we'll be with City Harvest, doing a number
of things in the slums. Friday we'll be working with Railia kids club
in the slums and Saturday returning to Karen to finish work on the
field and buildings.We leave on Sunday, next, and its hard to believe
that it will all end so quickly.
We are thoroughly enjoying our time here. We are learning Kiswahili phrases, making friends of nationals and missionaries and learning about other cultures. Along the way we hope to bring the light of
Christ to those we meet - and as many of them are Christians, we also hope to recieve the light from them. Please pray for us as we continue to minister - that we would be equipped for this cause, and prepared for each thing we have to do.
I hope to bring another update before we leave the country.
In the meantime...... Kwa Heri (goodbye).
Tiffani (for Marquette and the team)
that I've felt I had the time and also opportunity to access email
from the office. Its 5:34pm here in Nairobi, on Sunday the 20th - so
about 9:30, I think in Texas. That means we've been gone from Waco for almost exactly a week!
This has been an incredible experience and I'm going to take the time
to give you an idea of what we've been doing so far.
After a 48 hour trip by air and van, we arrived at the Masai Mara, at
our safari hotel. The drive was beautiful but bumpy... it took 5 hours to travel 250 km - because there are no "good" roads yet. We had a short time to shower and rest and then went out immediately on our first game trek. We went on 3 in total and they were really neat - we saw Hippos, Lions, Crocodiles, Buffalo, Elephants, Cheetahs, Giraffes and more. Very amazing. The country out here is beautiful and vast.Going on safari at the beginning was a huge blessing because we were able to overcome our jet lag before we started serving in the Nairobi area.
On the way back to Nairobi, we stopped at the village of Narok, where
we visited a Masai tribal village, took a tour of the local health
clinic and ate lunch.
Friday was our first ministry day in Nairobi, but because its the
rainy season and it had been raining for a number of days.... that
morning our plans for the day were cancelled and we had to create a
plan B on the spur of the moment. It turned out to be such a blessing,though! We went to a women's ministry where they train women to make craft goods (i.e. fabrics and handicrafts, etc) called "Amani Ya Juu" (which means "peace from above". It was an amazing shop and they have a great story and are really doing great work for God there. After that we visited New Life Home Trust, which is an orphanage for children ages 0 - 3. We played with babies and toddlers for about 3hours and it was SOOO fun! Again, we were blessed and I hope we brought some blessing, too.
Saturday (just yesterday!?) we traveled to Karen, Kenya - a district
of Nairobi named after the women who the movie "Out of Africa" was
about (apparently). We worked at the site of the Karen Project -
sponsored by First Love International - doing landscaping (by which I
mean some of us took "slashers" and cut away the grass) and painting (we painted a garage and primed a small house). Good exhausting
physical labor.
Each night we've had a brief team meeting where we've done
teambuilders or sung worship music, or reflected on the day. We have
really been seeing God's hand in these team times as people are
sharing freely, participating actively and enjoying each other.
Today as our Sabbath we went to City Harvey Church in Nairobi, which
is the church we'll be working with for the next 3 1/2 days. It was a
great cultural and spiritual experience and I was really blessed. It
stretched some of our students a little bit, so please pray that they
would transition OK from it and that they would share what they are
thinking/feeling. We also took a driving tour around the Nairobi city
center and saw the memorial for the '98 US Embassy bombing, the houses of parliament, and university of nairobi among other things. When we got back to our guest house (after lunch) everyone had freedom to relax, read, sleep, go to market or wander around the local mall.
Tomorrow through Thursday we'll be with City Harvest, doing a number
of things in the slums. Friday we'll be working with Railia kids club
in the slums and Saturday returning to Karen to finish work on the
field and buildings.We leave on Sunday, next, and its hard to believe
that it will all end so quickly.
We are thoroughly enjoying our time here. We are learning Kiswahili phrases, making friends of nationals and missionaries and learning about other cultures. Along the way we hope to bring the light of
Christ to those we meet - and as many of them are Christians, we also hope to recieve the light from them. Please pray for us as we continue to minister - that we would be equipped for this cause, and prepared for each thing we have to do.
I hope to bring another update before we leave the country.
In the meantime...... Kwa Heri (goodbye).
Tiffani (for Marquette and the team)
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