from Kenya Dec 08 team member Rick Conniff (Dec. 12, 2008)

Here are a few journal entries from the past five days:
12/7 – It’s amazing the swing of emotions one can go through in just a few hours. Yesterday we spent six hours with Keith Ham’s staff in Pangani learning about their ministry and touring their facilities followed by a walk thru their neighboring slum where their youth live. The living conditions defy description. From the love and concern of the Mission of Hope staff to the extreme poverty and overwhelming need, our team was left noticeably touched. The silver lining was the hope we saw in their success in reaching and changing both the kids and their families lives thru education, nutrition, and spiritual growth.

12/8 – Wow… our trip to the boarding school in Joska was amazing. What struck me the most was the spiritual level and discipline of these kids. Their worship service was powerful…from spirit-filled worship to well orchestrated skits to young kids quoting 20 memory verses. And the kids ran the service! The afternoon was devoted to playing games. The kids were so attentive and excited to do anything as long as they were part of something and getting some attention. We managed to get a group together to throw a football around and before you knew it we had two teams running plays and making a game of it. Again, the emotion we felt as a team seeing God working thru this organization to change these young lives was so gratifying.

12/9- The visit to the Huruma Madoya school to participate in their kindergarten graduation was another day of blessings for our team. We got to see much of the same – kids being loved on and fed both physically and spiritually. What a joy being able to spend time with these kids…to see their hunger for learning and their respect for discipline. The Mission of Hope staff have been incredibly gracious to us; the kind of graciousness that comes only thru men and women of God being obedient to His Son.