Wed - Last Day at Ewaso

Wed- things are winding down at the clinic for today, our last day here. Wednesdays are "mommy days" - lots of pregnant women come for prenatal treatment and also bringing babies in for immunizations. The team has been so blessed this week to work beside the wonderful folks here at this clinic. Yesterday we went to a very remote clinic to work with Samuel, a Maasai nurse who has been here for more then 25 years. That was an amazing experience. Four of us went to a school near the clinic and gave fluoride treatments to over 700 kids! Wow! I think each of us has been deeply touched by the Maasai people and we can't wait to come home and share with all of you. Please continue to keep the Maasai in prayer!!

Monday with the Maasai

We had a great weekend and a great time at church yesterday celebrating and praising our God with the Maasai People. The people are so worshipful and full of energy. You would be blown away at how they just praise God. The preaching, the music and dancing. Pastor James spoke, and the service was translated from Maa into Swahalli, and then into English. Our own Pastor Dennis Curran also gave a wonderful message.

We then had dinner with Mary Nampaso. This is a remarkable women. She has been washing our clothes and taking good care of us. She cooked this great dinner at her house in her village. It was a traditional Maasai meal, shared with everyone in her village. It was amazing.

We have another full day at the clinic and seeing many patients. Jenn B. has just diagnosed more patients as HIV positive, which is always a heartbreak. Especially when it's a child. But aside from medical treatment they also provide counseling and outreach. Dr. Wells and Dawny have had many surgeriens, mostly lipomas, and many of us have been able to assist. This is an incredible place.

We have also been able to provide floride treatments to all the children (over 800) in the school next to the clinic. We will all have many stories to share on the many ways these kids have blessed us.

Clinic - Ewaso Ngiro

The team arrived at Ewaso Ngiro clinic several days ago, and we have been very busy. Treating teeth with fluoride (hundreds of school children) and lots of pregnant women and babies. The treatment rooms are never empty. God has managed to challenge and use each of us. The clinic director, John Sankok and his wife Grace were very gracious and hosted us for dinner in their home last night - a wonderfuly home cooked meal. Several of our team members have gotten ill, but lucky we have a team of doctors and nurses here to take care of us! We have also been to the school, where Jennifer W. was able to teach a class and Linda and Tracy entertained the kids and took lots of pictures. Dennis will be delivering the message in church tomorrow. So much going on!

Please continue to keep us in prayer. And of course, all of the folks here at the clinic. This is a very dedicated and hardworking group of people here.

We Found Joy in Joska!!

Wow!! The bus, with Mary Kamau, came to pick us up early for the drive out to Joska. Joska is the boarding school for children in grades 5-8, about 700 of them, and over 95% of those children come from the slums in Nairobi. At Joska, these children recieve a wonderful education, housing, uniforms, spiritual upbringing and lots and lots of love. These kids are AMAZING. The worship at there church was amazing! The team was blown away by the amount of growth this ministry is experiencing. One of the highlights of our visit to Joska was meeting a very special young man name John. John was a Muslim student who made the decision to give his life to Christ - today!! Dennis was able to lead him, praying for him as he accepted Christ. We spent a very full day there, and the children said good-byes and there were many messages to bring home to their sponsors, and many well wishes and greetings being sent to Brandon Adams, former missionary from Mountain Christian to Kenya.

We were also blessed by being invited to Hope Missions International's founders home, Mary & Wallace Kamau. Their home, like their hearts, is a beautiful place. After a marvelous meal, they treated us to a movie - "One in a Million" - a documentary by John Schmidt, and the story of their son Baraka - a deaf orphan who has recieved nothing short of a miracle in his life. We encourage everyone to go to the CMF International website and order this heartwarming film, to get a glimpse into the life of the Kamau's, their son, and the beautiful children of the Mathare Valley.

Mathere Valley

Saturday- One word to describe today, spent in Mathare Valley (one of the world's largests slums, in Nairboi) is INTENSE. Intensity of so many levels. We went to the Hope Mission school and met with Mary and Wallace Kamau, the founders of the school. As our team leader, Dawny, puts it - "They are my heros". The school is an amazing place. They now serve over 4,300 children at multiple locations. There are over 300 people in there employ. We got to go into the classrooms, to see the library, to see the classrooms that are being built, and most importantly, to see the difference that this work is making in the lives of the children of Mathare. One the best moments occured when the team split in two and went with the social workers from the school to do home visits with the children. Pictures and words can't adaequately describe all the we saw and expereinced today. God bless Mary & Wallace, the folks at the school, the people of Mathare, and most especially, the precious children.

We Are In Kenya!!

Team Kenya has arrived safely in Kenya, Praise God!! We had a lovely "send off party" that met us in the parking lot of Mountain at 5 am on Thursday. Thanks to our drivers, Bill and Tom, for getting the team, and all of our luggage, to Dulles. Ethopian Airlines gets big kudos for a wonderful and safe flight. We are tired, but happily here at Grace House. After a quick bite, we managed to make it to Amanyi Aju, a beautiful oasis in the midst of the chaos of downtown Nairobi, to meet with Maggie (the manager) who gave us a tour of the facility, let us meet the ladies, and then led us to the shop so we could see their wares. Amanyi is a refuge for women, some Kenyan, some from surrounding countries, to come and learn a skill and become self sufficient. We then had time for tea at Grace House, and now the team is prepping our tools and equpiment for our first clinic, tomorrow, in Mathare Valley. We will be happy to see missionaries Mary and Wallace Kamau, and of course, the children at the school at Hope Missions International. We will try to post pictures as time, and technology, allow us.

Thanks to all for your continued prayers during this journey!

Less then 48 hours!

Departure is looming large for Team Kenya! Please continue to keep us in prayer, and be in prayer for our mission! Please pray for our team leaders (they will need patience with us!), for safety, and that we are in God's will. We thank everyone who has become a part of our ground team, supporting us here at home, and for all of the prayer warriors who continue to intercede on our behalf!

If you want to see where we will be, here is a google earth map:

http://travelingluck.com/Africa/Kenya/Rift+Valley/_198073_Ewaso+Ngiro.html#local_map

We hope to post a few messages from Kenya, as conditions and access to internet permit! Again, thanks to everyone!

Just a few more days until departure!

This has been an exciting few weeks for team Kenya! Sadly, one of our team mates, Reggie, will not be making the trip with us. We know that God has a plan for Reggie, and we all appreciated having the chance to get to know him - he is a wonderful man with a heart for the Lord. But joining us will be Dennis Curran! We are all excited about serving with Den, and know that his love of the Lord, devotion to being the "hands and feet", and his spunky spirit will be a great addition to our team.

We have been SO blessed with all of the donations and all of the prayers for our mission trip. THANK YOU EVERYONE!! It is just amazing how God places people in our path, and how He has touched the heart of so many with the willingness to give and to do. Our suitcases are so stuffed with medical supplies we barely have room for our clothes!

Please continue to pray that we are in His will. "Lord God, your Son came among us to serve and not to be served, and to give his life for the world. Lead us by his love to serve all those to whom the world offers no comfort and little help. Through us give hop to the hopeless, love to the unloved, peace to the troubled, and rest to the weary; through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." from the Lutheran Book of Worship

Team Fundraiser - August 29th

Everyone is invited to stop by the home of Karl and Tracy Jentzsch at 16 W. Cherry St in Rising Sun - help us raise funds to get our team to Africa! Join the fun - Support the Cause - Bring lots of friends!! From Noon to Two pm, we will have the following companies on hand: Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Usborne Books, Premiere Jewelry and Longaberger Baskets. All proceeds benefit the mission trip! We will also have information about the trip on hand, and we are asking everyone to partner with us in prayer. Need directions? call us at 410-303-2236. Yes, we do need funds to get there, and to get supplies and equipment there. But we serve an Awesome God, and he always provides! God will make a way.

We have had many of our prayer partners ask if they could send financial support online. The answer is yes! Here is a link: http://tiny.cc/z181c - this takes you to Mountain Christian's online giving site (a secure site). When you click in, select #4 - Short Term Missions, and please specify Kenya 2010.

Thank you SO much for your prayers, and for your giving hearts.



We have a team meeting this Sunday night. We are getting so close!

Team Retreat - August 21

Our team retreat will be held at Mountian Christian in the New Life Center on Saturday, Aug 21 from 8 am to 5 pm. Please bring a notebook, a pen and a teachable spirit. Dress comforatbly. Please pray that the Lord's will is done on the 21st, and pray for the presenters as they prepare to share and teach.

Message from Mary - Referendum Vote Tomorrow

Today we recieved a message from our Maasai friend, Mary Namposa, who lives near Ewasa, in one of the small villages a few miles from the compound where the clinic is located. She is thrilled to learn that a team from Mountain will be returning to their area! She has asked that we please keep her country in prayer through the referedum.

The referendum on the new constitution is the first national vote in Kenya since December 2007, during which time there was great violence that broke out in the country, leaving more then 1,300 people dead. The next presidential elections in the country will take place in 2012. Kenyans are voting on whether to accept or reject a new constitution that would reduce the powers of the presidency. But the draft also has raised emotions over land rights, abortion issues and the issue of Muslim family courts. Voting will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, August 4th, 2010. Please pray for peace in the country during this time.

Deputation

Our team has less then two months before we depart for our journey. One of the obstacles we face is raising the needed funds to make this happen. I stumbled upon a word that is exactly what what we are trying to do: Deputation refers to the process of raising sufficient prayer, encouragement, and financial support to enable a field worker to serve overseas. Just as consistent prayer and encouragement are crucial to your ministry overseas, consistent financial support is also necessary. You are encouraged to ask people to make a regular commitment in all aspects of support (prayer, encouragement, finances).

On my first short term mission trip to Kenya (just two years ago!), I was overwhelmed by the cost of going, and terrified to ask people to help me. Asking people to pray for me was easy, and came naturally. Asking people to support me financially was a different story, and it pushed me way out of my comfort zone. I thought, I will save up all that money and do it myself! I didn't realize how selfish I was being until someone explained it to me like this:

Don't deny someone the blessing. Don't deny someone a chance to be a part of this mission trip. Not everyone is willing, or able, to leave everything behind and travel to the other side of the world to serve. We all serve in different ways. But don't deny someone the opportunity to plant seeds into this ministry. There are two other things I needed to consider. Raising the money also raises awareness. Each time I ask someone if they would like to help support this mission trip financially, it gives me an opportunity to tell them all about this ministry. I get to tell them about the beautiful people of Kenya, about the children I met when I was there, about the dedicated people doing such wonderful work EVERY DAY on the ground there, to improve the lives of the impoverished. The second thing is that something that comes easy to us often times doesn't mean nearly as much. If we have to work hard for something, we take ownership of it. Each person on our team is working hard to raise awareness, to build a network of prayer partners dedicated to praying for the people of Kenya and for our mission team, and to raise the financial support needed to make all of this happen.

I urge you to consider making a financial donation. It is, or course, tax deductible. Think of areas in your life where you could abstain from something, and give to the Kingdom. Are you a coffee drinker? The average price of a cup of coffee is $1.38. If you gave up just one cup of coffee for a day for just two weeks, that's almost $20!

We have prayed for God to lay the financial needs of this ministry on the hearts of our fellow Christians. Financial donations for our team can be sent to: Mountain Christian Church, ATTN: Missions - KENYA092010, 1824 Mountain Road, Joppa, MD 21085-199.

Thank you, and may you be blessed in your giving.

Some great scripture verses from Coop:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Proverbs 16:3

Our Hope

"But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."
Psalm 37:9

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone. Please remember to keep Kenya in prayer! Please also ask your church family to add this request to their prayer list. Thank you so very much to all of our prayer partners!

Habari!! or, Sopa!

A little about the Maasai people, from the "Lonely Planet Guide to Kenya":

"The Maasai first migrated to central Kenya from current day Sudan, but in the late 19th century, they were decimated by famine and disease, and their cattle herds were plagued by rinderpest. The British gazetted Maasai Mara National Reserve in the early 1960's, displacing the Maasai, and they slowly continued t annexe more and more Maasai. "

Tickets!

Well, the team has tickets! It was exciting to get that email and know we are REALLY going!!

Here is a bit of news passed along from Coop:

"Hello to all, and God's blessings! Luggage limits: carry-ons, 15 lbs max, and 45 united inches HxLwW. We will each be allowed (2) checked bags - max 50lbs each. "

Team- remember to mark your calendars for Aug 21 - Pre-field missions retreat - mandatory - and we will be joined by the teams going to the DR, and Romania. Please review your binder provided by Pastor Tom Moen. Thanks to Den & Renda for our (fun) personality tests! For the next meeting - be in prayer as to what God is calling you to do on this mission trip - be ready to share! Continue praying for your prayer partners. *Thanks for the devotional, Coop!

Jennifer Wolferman was kind enough to share this old family photo with us. Pictured are Dr. Wells, packing his family up for adventure in Kenya. Glynn and Patsy Wells, along with their children, spent over 11 years as missionaries to Kenya. As you might imagine, this is a tremendous advantage for our mission team, to not only have Dr. Wells co-leading the team, but to have Jennifer returning to Kenya with us. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Wells, he is a man with a heart for Christ and a passion for healing. And what a blessing to have him with us, sharing his knowledge of Kenya.

Our first team meeting was fabulous! It was great to meet everyone, and it looks like God has placed all the right people together. Thank you to Dawny & Dr. Wells, our faithful team leaders. We had some special people show up to share, like Renda Curran (who has been to Kenya many times), Patsy Wells, who served in Kenya for over 11 years as a missionary with her husband, Glynn Wells, and Mignon, who also traveled to Kenya last year and shared her inspiring story with us. So our preparations are well under way as we start to learn about the Maasai culture, and start to pray about what we can do while we are there. We are also putting together our "Home Team" - those family and friends here in the states that will be our support. Please consider joining us. We need prayer warriors - praying for Kenya and our for our team. We need donations of medical and educational supplies. Consider this! Maybe your company, church or family would like to help with this? And we do need financial support to help make this mission possible. Please give as you feel led.

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself" Galatians 5:13-14

Pre Departure Team Meetings

Our meetings will be held Sunday nights, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Mountain. They are on the following dates: July 11, July 25, August 8, August 29 and September 12. There is an all day retreat on August 21, and also the Jump In Celebration at Dawny's house on September 5th. They are vitally important so all team members are expected to come.

Reminder: Each team member needs to bring (2) color copies of their passport to the first team meeting. Shots you will need: Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Hep A/B, Tetanus, and Malaria.

Our trip advisor is Donna Howard! Thank you Donna!

May 11, 2010

The journey is beginning! God is so good! Dawny & Dr. Wells, our fearless team leaders, have gotten firm dates for our trip: Sept 23, 2010 through Oct 12, 2010. Our team is starting to come together. Please pray for our team leaders as they wait on God for direction with this mission.

"In all your ways, know, recognize and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths."
Proverbs 3:6