This weekend I went to the airport with Wallace to pick up the short term missions team from Mountain. The main purpose of their time in Nairobi is to run a VBS program at MOHI while the students are on break from school. Over the last two days I had the pleasure to take photos of their time with the kids. The team has prepared puppet shows, crafts, bible lessons, games and snack stations for the students to rotate thru. It was really cool to see all of their creative ideas over the past two days. The kids seems like the pupils were learning a lot and having a ton of fun.
Yesterday I dropped off the disposable cameras to the photo store to be developed, digitized and put on CD. I will be picking up the CD's tomorrow morning and can't wait to load them on my computer to see what images they were able to capture. I am really excited to see how they turned out.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Kenya team update - Tue & Wed 27-28 Apr
Having a great time here in Nairobi working with the Mission of Hope staff and kids.
Yesterday Tuesday the 27th we performed our second day of VBS in the morning with over 120 fourth and fifth grade kids. We started with the puppet show which has been a big hit (thanks Renda for the idea and Jim Boyle for the puppet stage) followed by craft time making kraft paper flowers and beaded bracelets; a Bible story period; games and snack time. During lunch several kids who were sponsored by members of our team and other MCC members showed up to greet us. That was a real treat. Plans were made to go visit these kids homes tomorrow.
In the afternoon, we did CHE house visit in the neighboring slum focusing on sanitation practices and evangelism. The story boards we created for our Bible lessons came in handy explaining the role germs play in spreading disease and sickness. During one home visit, the mother asked us to present our story boards to her neighbors. They did not realize germs existed and were responsible for sickness and disease. We ended the day visiting one of the missionaries homes, Doug and Jennifer Kurz, for dinner. They fixed an outstanding mexican meal with all of the gucamole you could eat!
Today, Wed., 28th - Our team switched roles for the VBS classes. Today we had 2nd and 3rd graders. The mornings fly by quickly as they rotate 20-30 kids thru every 30-40 minutes. It got so busy today we skipped morning tea. This afternoon we visited the slums of Bondemi and Kosovo to visit three of the homes of the kids that are sponsored by MCC. No matter how many times you visit these slums you never get use to what you see. The visits were very special and the parents we visited were so grateful....grateful for their childrens education at Mission of Hope and for our visit. Tomorrow we'll resume the VBS morning sessions and go out into the slum to do CHE home visits. Pray for our flexibility that's needed when working with so many kids while trying to cover so much ground in a compact 4 hour period. Thanks for your prayers!
Yesterday Tuesday the 27th we performed our second day of VBS in the morning with over 120 fourth and fifth grade kids. We started with the puppet show which has been a big hit (thanks Renda for the idea and Jim Boyle for the puppet stage) followed by craft time making kraft paper flowers and beaded bracelets; a Bible story period; games and snack time. During lunch several kids who were sponsored by members of our team and other MCC members showed up to greet us. That was a real treat. Plans were made to go visit these kids homes tomorrow.
In the afternoon, we did CHE house visit in the neighboring slum focusing on sanitation practices and evangelism. The story boards we created for our Bible lessons came in handy explaining the role germs play in spreading disease and sickness. During one home visit, the mother asked us to present our story boards to her neighbors. They did not realize germs existed and were responsible for sickness and disease. We ended the day visiting one of the missionaries homes, Doug and Jennifer Kurz, for dinner. They fixed an outstanding mexican meal with all of the gucamole you could eat!
Today, Wed., 28th - Our team switched roles for the VBS classes. Today we had 2nd and 3rd graders. The mornings fly by quickly as they rotate 20-30 kids thru every 30-40 minutes. It got so busy today we skipped morning tea. This afternoon we visited the slums of Bondemi and Kosovo to visit three of the homes of the kids that are sponsored by MCC. No matter how many times you visit these slums you never get use to what you see. The visits were very special and the parents we visited were so grateful....grateful for their childrens education at Mission of Hope and for our visit. Tomorrow we'll resume the VBS morning sessions and go out into the slum to do CHE home visits. Pray for our flexibility that's needed when working with so many kids while trying to cover so much ground in a compact 4 hour period. Thanks for your prayers!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Kenya team update - Mon 26 Apr
Hello from Kenya.
Today was our first day of Vacation Bible School. About 100 children from 4th and 5th grades attended. We performed the puppet skit with James (Matt), James (Susan), Mary (Vivian) and Jesus (Rick). The theme was praying each day along with reading your Bible, getting along with others and cleaning up your neighborhood.
At the intermission, we had the children clean up empty bottle and newspapers and throwing all of it in plastic bags just like basketball. They had a great time as did we.
Then we performed other activities- games (Rick and Matt), the Lesson ( Susan) and crafts (Pat and Vivian). They loved learning the American game "sharks and minnows" and made flowers out of tissue paper and beaded bracelets.
In the afternoon we gave the children fluoride treatments, along with their own toothpaste of toothbrushes. Many adults lined up to receive treatments after the kids had finished.
It has been a fantastic experience. The children are so cute and well behaved.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. Looking forward to sharing tomorrow's activities with you. -- Your Kenya 2010 Team
Today was our first day of Vacation Bible School. About 100 children from 4th and 5th grades attended. We performed the puppet skit with James (Matt), James (Susan), Mary (Vivian) and Jesus (Rick). The theme was praying each day along with reading your Bible, getting along with others and cleaning up your neighborhood.
At the intermission, we had the children clean up empty bottle and newspapers and throwing all of it in plastic bags just like basketball. They had a great time as did we.
Then we performed other activities- games (Rick and Matt), the Lesson ( Susan) and crafts (Pat and Vivian). They loved learning the American game "sharks and minnows" and made flowers out of tissue paper and beaded bracelets.
In the afternoon we gave the children fluoride treatments, along with their own toothpaste of toothbrushes. Many adults lined up to receive treatments after the kids had finished.
It has been a fantastic experience. The children are so cute and well behaved.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. Looking forward to sharing tomorrow's activities with you. -- Your Kenya 2010 Team
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Kenya team's Michael M's letter to team
Posted by Michael M's request (check team update post about Michaels unable to go w/ team to Kenya because of missing passport upon arriving Europe)
Dear Team,
I safely arrived in Maryland around 11pm EST on Friday. The flight home was probably my hardest flight ever in the years I have traveled around the world. I didn’t want to be flying home, I wanted to be in Kenya, serving besides each of you in Kenya, in the name of our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. I was glad that God gave me the opportunity before flying home to cry out tears of pain and sadness to him in a religious reflection room. I never cried so much in my life, even with the recent death of my grandmother last year. Unlike my grandmother’s death, this was a total shock to me as my dreams become broken and crushed. There are some things in life that we don’t totally understand, but we have to place our trust in God that he is going to work out everything for the good of His purposes and plans. Rick did give me the opportunity to stay in Holland until Monday to get my passport, but I didn’t want to upend Rick’s leadership responsibilities and affect the whole mission of the trip, to make more and better disciples of Jesus.
Please don’t let my departure affect the latter mission, be the hands and feet of Jesus to the Kenyan people.
Rick, continue to be a strong and selfless leader, being an example to the team and the people of Kenya, of what it means to be a fully devoted Christian. Thank you for being there for me in the hours before my departure. You were an encouragement to me and I look forward to meeting with you in the upcoming weeks.
Pat, you are a gentle, kind and loving woman who is perfectly gifted to share in the leadership responsibilities with Rick. Be a faithful worshiper of our Savior, being a example to the team and the Kenyan people of what it means to follow Jesus in all seasons of our lives.
Vivian, you are a confident, virtuous woman of God. Continue to be a loving example of Jesus to the team and the Kenyan people.
Susan, know that God is going to use you mightily in Kenya, as you seek out God during your team in Kenya. Thank you for all your endless energy and speaking on my behalf as I was in shock in losing my passport. Even though the passport was not retrieved, you stood out to me as a woman who speaks out for her friends.
Matt, it would have been a pleasure to room with you in Kenya. Be a man who stands out above the crowd, being an example to our team and the Kenyan people. Thank you for your time and energy in seeking to retrieve my passport. Even though the passport was not retrieved, you stood out as a man who is willing to “go to bat” for his friends.
My prayer of blessing for the team as a whole comes out of Numbers 6:24-26:
The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Know that I will be praying for each of you during your time in Kenya constantly and in the weeks to come. I will be keeping up with the Mountain Short-term mission blog.
Thanks for helping me find belonging and acceptance in each of you, reminding me of the tremendous privilege of being part of the Body of Christ. God-willingly, I will be going to a trip to Kenya in the months to come. If any of you want to contact me during your team in Kenya, you can email me at mmoore1086@gmail.com or call me at (443)299-2582.
Love,
Michael
Dear Team,
I safely arrived in Maryland around 11pm EST on Friday. The flight home was probably my hardest flight ever in the years I have traveled around the world. I didn’t want to be flying home, I wanted to be in Kenya, serving besides each of you in Kenya, in the name of our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. I was glad that God gave me the opportunity before flying home to cry out tears of pain and sadness to him in a religious reflection room. I never cried so much in my life, even with the recent death of my grandmother last year. Unlike my grandmother’s death, this was a total shock to me as my dreams become broken and crushed. There are some things in life that we don’t totally understand, but we have to place our trust in God that he is going to work out everything for the good of His purposes and plans. Rick did give me the opportunity to stay in Holland until Monday to get my passport, but I didn’t want to upend Rick’s leadership responsibilities and affect the whole mission of the trip, to make more and better disciples of Jesus.
Please don’t let my departure affect the latter mission, be the hands and feet of Jesus to the Kenyan people.
Rick, continue to be a strong and selfless leader, being an example to the team and the people of Kenya, of what it means to be a fully devoted Christian. Thank you for being there for me in the hours before my departure. You were an encouragement to me and I look forward to meeting with you in the upcoming weeks.
Pat, you are a gentle, kind and loving woman who is perfectly gifted to share in the leadership responsibilities with Rick. Be a faithful worshiper of our Savior, being a example to the team and the Kenyan people of what it means to follow Jesus in all seasons of our lives.
Vivian, you are a confident, virtuous woman of God. Continue to be a loving example of Jesus to the team and the Kenyan people.
Susan, know that God is going to use you mightily in Kenya, as you seek out God during your team in Kenya. Thank you for all your endless energy and speaking on my behalf as I was in shock in losing my passport. Even though the passport was not retrieved, you stood out to me as a woman who speaks out for her friends.
Matt, it would have been a pleasure to room with you in Kenya. Be a man who stands out above the crowd, being an example to our team and the Kenyan people. Thank you for your time and energy in seeking to retrieve my passport. Even though the passport was not retrieved, you stood out as a man who is willing to “go to bat” for his friends.
My prayer of blessing for the team as a whole comes out of Numbers 6:24-26:
The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Know that I will be praying for each of you during your time in Kenya constantly and in the weeks to come. I will be keeping up with the Mountain Short-term mission blog.
Thanks for helping me find belonging and acceptance in each of you, reminding me of the tremendous privilege of being part of the Body of Christ. God-willingly, I will be going to a trip to Kenya in the months to come. If any of you want to contact me during your team in Kenya, you can email me at mmoore1086@gmail.com or call me at (443)299-2582.
Love,
Michael
Kenya team update
via team member Pat C
"Greetings from Nairobi, Kenya! We all arrived safely and are not getting acclimated to the time change. One member of our party, Michael Moore, had his passport stolen in the Amsterdam airport so he had to return to the Maryland since we couldn't get him a new passport.
We had an opportunity to travel thru the local slum area next to the Pangnani school which now has some 1,000 students enrolled...amazing growth. We also did a few house visits which was such a blessing to the team. We're excited to start vacation bible school tomorrow and will continue to do so for the next 6 days during the mornings, Part of the VBS is doing an educational puppet show, conducting Bible lessons, playing games and doing crafts. In the afternoons we're scheduled to go out with the social workers to do home visits focusing on Community Health Evangelism - empowering others to help themselves. Please keep us in prayer; that we would be Jesus to all we come in contact with. We will post some new activities in the coming days. Thanks again fore your prayers and support! Pat, Vivian, Susan, Matt & Rick
"Greetings from Nairobi, Kenya! We all arrived safely and are not getting acclimated to the time change. One member of our party, Michael Moore, had his passport stolen in the Amsterdam airport so he had to return to the Maryland since we couldn't get him a new passport.
We had an opportunity to travel thru the local slum area next to the Pangnani school which now has some 1,000 students enrolled...amazing growth. We also did a few house visits which was such a blessing to the team. We're excited to start vacation bible school tomorrow and will continue to do so for the next 6 days during the mornings, Part of the VBS is doing an educational puppet show, conducting Bible lessons, playing games and doing crafts. In the afternoons we're scheduled to go out with the social workers to do home visits focusing on Community Health Evangelism - empowering others to help themselves. Please keep us in prayer; that we would be Jesus to all we come in contact with. We will post some new activities in the coming days. Thanks again fore your prayers and support! Pat, Vivian, Susan, Matt & Rick
Friday, April 23, 2010
More ways to connect GLOCALLY @ Mountain Rd campus
• Sunday, April 25 - Emmanuel President Mike Sweeney will be with us for a luncheon in the Overlook immediately following the third service. He will also share about Emmanuel for about 10 minutes during our Perspectives Class in Timothy Hall from 5-8 that evening…feel free to come if you would like to.
• Sunday, April 25 – An individual who is the Associate in Urban Poor and Marketplace Ministries with Christian Missionary Fellowship will be here to talk about ways we can help in restricted access countries around the world. Bring your own lunch to the Choir Room after third service for a Q&A time.
• Saturday evening, May 1, 6:00pm in the Overlook - Eat and Meet (Pizza, salad, soda)
o 6:00 to 6:45 - Food and fellowship
o 6:45 to 8:00 – two simultaneous meetings…(choose one)
Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF)
Phil Tatum - Mobilization Director – Oversees the affiliation and equipping of qualified persons for diverse ministries. Phil will talk about the variety of places CMF Missionaries serve and the current needs for additional workers…www.cmfi.org
Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism (FAME)
Shane Whybrew – Director of Development - development and fundraising with Christian, non-profit ministries. Shane will talk about the infrastructure of FAME and how they partner with medical needs globally…www.fameworld.org
• Sunday, May 2 luncheon with Christa Hayden from International Justice Mission. “International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression”. Come and look into ways we can help this organization seek God’s justice around the world. This will be after 3rd service at a place yet to be determined.
If you are interested in participating in any of the above events PLEASE RSVP to the following address gailoliver@mountainchristian.org
For more information or updates on these events please email tommoen@mountainchristian.org
• Sunday, April 25 – An individual who is the Associate in Urban Poor and Marketplace Ministries with Christian Missionary Fellowship will be here to talk about ways we can help in restricted access countries around the world. Bring your own lunch to the Choir Room after third service for a Q&A time.
• Saturday evening, May 1, 6:00pm in the Overlook - Eat and Meet (Pizza, salad, soda)
o 6:00 to 6:45 - Food and fellowship
o 6:45 to 8:00 – two simultaneous meetings…(choose one)
Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF)
Phil Tatum - Mobilization Director – Oversees the affiliation and equipping of qualified persons for diverse ministries. Phil will talk about the variety of places CMF Missionaries serve and the current needs for additional workers…www.cmfi.org
Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism (FAME)
Shane Whybrew – Director of Development - development and fundraising with Christian, non-profit ministries. Shane will talk about the infrastructure of FAME and how they partner with medical needs globally…www.fameworld.org
• Sunday, May 2 luncheon with Christa Hayden from International Justice Mission. “International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression”. Come and look into ways we can help this organization seek God’s justice around the world. This will be after 3rd service at a place yet to be determined.
If you are interested in participating in any of the above events PLEASE RSVP to the following address gailoliver@mountainchristian.org
For more information or updates on these events please email tommoen@mountainchristian.org
Crazy Shepherd Expo @ MCC
You can learn more about MCC short term mission and how you can follow Jesus, the crazy shepherd who didn't want to leave even one sheep behind.
Come to the Crazy Shepherd Expo, Sunday 2 May 5-8p in Timothy Hall (Mountain Road campus - Mtn Center)!
Come to the Crazy Shepherd Expo, Sunday 2 May 5-8p in Timothy Hall (Mountain Road campus - Mtn Center)!
Brandon A @ Kenya: Made In the Streets
This weekend I realized how amazing God is through His beautiful creations in the Masai Mara. You can see his hand when looking at the sunrise, lions, mountains, zebras, birds, buffalo, and even through the ugly wildebeest. If you know me well then you probably already guessed that I took over 500 photographs of my safari experience. I put up a few of my favorites on my Facebook page. My favorite safari moment was seeing a lioness carrying her cub in her mouth and walking within feet of the front of our vehicle. Bwana Asifiwe!
This week is packed with projects. On monday the Pangani center was busy checking in Joska students from class 7 & 8 and getting them on buses to go back to Joska. Before they left I had the opportunity to see Benson (Mom and Dad's sponsored child) again and had the opportunity meet his grandmother.
On Tuesday Franklin, Lyn (Social Worker) and myself went to Bondeni to do some filming and got to see one of the homes he lived in for 2 months while in the "Made in the Streets" program. We also filmed him telling about his childhood and living on the streets.
Today I had the opportunity to film Franking in Eastleigh, the place he lived while on the streets. It was really eye opening meeting his street friends that live under a tree with clothing hanging in the branches. I even walked on the dirt streets that he walked every day selling drugs, and living life. It was incredible to see the difference between Franklin and his street friends. When we walked up they were sleeping on the side of the road under a tree. Their clothes were dirty and tattered and I could tell they were high on drugs and didn't look like they had much to live for. Franklin on the other hand was clean, wearing new clothes, is off drugs, and has a future ahead of him. While sitting with his friends Franklin told me, "I would like my friends to get out of the streets, for God to help them, and for them to return to their homes." It has been truly a blessing to get to know Franklin's story and I hope it touches the hearts of many.
(Franklin with his street friends under their tree)
(A street kid, about 13 years old, high on glue, trying to hold a conversation with Franklin.)
After we returned from filming I meet with students from various classes to start phase 1 of my student photo project. In short, I handed out 49 disposable cameras and gave them detailed instructions on how to use them, how to take good photos, and that I wanted them to take 10 photos of things they see or do on a daily basis in the Mathare slums. I will be doing this 3 times before getting the photos developed. This will give 147 students the opportunity to be creative thru the art of photography. Out of 1,750 photos I will choose the best of the best and make an art gallery in one of the rooms of the center. This will be MOHI's first student art show! I am really excited to see what shots the kids take.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
team to Kenya departs tomorrow Thur 22 Apr
From Tom M's email: "We are sending a team of 6 off to Kenya tomorrow. If you can come and encourage them/pray with them please come to the Commons in the NLC (Mountain Rd campus) at 8:15am. They will leave campus at 8:30am sharp.
Pray for them:
Rick and Pat Conniff
Michael Moore
Vivian Hollandsworth
Susan Kettlewell
Matt Richardson
Pray for them:
Rick and Pat Conniff
Michael Moore
Vivian Hollandsworth
Susan Kettlewell
Matt Richardson
Friday, April 16, 2010
Brandon A @ Kenya: Meeting Fanklin
CMF (Christian Missionary Fellowship), www.cmfi.org, asked me if I could help them with a pending video project that they are trying to make to show to Youth Group student across the USA. It will be focusing on helping kids in the slums that have been effected by HIV and how the student can help. Keith Ham and I sat down yesterday to nail down a plan on how we were going to execute this 3 part video series. During this meeting Keith told me about a by the name of Franklin and how he was found on the streets and has been in MOHI (Missions of Hope International) Joska Center in class 7 for 2 months now. We decided to use his life story to portray the life of a typical orphaned teens with HIV and how MOHI has helped change his life.
After talking with Keith about the project I went down to the Social Work office to talk to Lynn. With her help I was able to meet up with Franklin this morning to get to know him better and to hear his life story. As he was telling me about his childhood my heart felt heavy for this young 14 year old boy. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to grow up in the slums as an orphan and finding out from doctors that you have HIV at the age of 7. I start filming Franklin tomorrow morning around 10:00 AM in the Mathare slums. I will try to post some photos of him in a later post.
Keith and I were trying to come up with a good title for this video series. So far we haven't come up with anything we like. I am looking for something short, sweet & would catch the attention of teenagers. I know that some of you can be very creative so I am asking for you to put on your thinking cap and try to come up with a title option. Who knows you may come up with a title that we think would be fantastic for the short film series. So, if you would like to submit a title option please comment on this blog post and make sure that you include your title option and your first and last name. I can't wait to read the title that you come up with.
Please be pray for:
- God to be with Franklin through the filming process.
- Help Franklin to be able to clearly portray his life in a way that will inspire students in the US so we can help others with similar lives.
- Give me a clear vision of what needs to be filmed to help visually portray life in the slums.
- God to be with me as I try to film Franklin's story in a way that will help students have a better understanding of what life is like in the slums as an orphaned child.
- Help me as I guide Franklin through the filming process.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Brandon A @ Kenya "The Weekend"
On Friday all 6 apprentices (Meredith, Luisa, Bethany, Erin, David & I) were invited over to Doug and Jennifer Kurz's House to spend the night. We arrived at their home at about 6:00 PM and had a great time hanging out, eating a home cooked american meal, watching movies, and sleeping. In the morning they cooked us a pancake breakfast. YUMMY! After with breakfast it was time to head over to the Pangani Center for the Talent Show/Music Festival. I was in charge of trying to make sure that we video tape as much of the event as possible.
The festivities started at 10:00 AM and the award ceremony ended around 7:00 PM. Their were activities going on in 3 different rooms.
So I got a good workout running from the first location on the Ground floor to the second location on the 1 first floor to the third location on the 4th floor all day long. :) I am continually amazed on how many God given talents these students have been given. It was so amazing to have students from all 10 centers competing against each other. It is a rare occasion for all the schools to be together in one building. They were singing, dancing, reciting poems, rapping, doing spelling bees, and cultural dances. I told you a few weeks ago that I had fun watching Huruma practicing their talents and how I thought they were going to do good in the competition. Yesterday, the judges awarded Huruma the best in show trophy. I was spot on!!!
I did find time to hang out with the students as they were preparing for their performances. For some reason I am a magnet for Joska kids. Maybe it is my magnetic personality and good looks or maybe it's because I had a nice digital camera hanging around my neck taking photos all day. I did become friends with one boy in particular that I kept running into thru-out the festivities. His name was Simon, he is 14 years old and goes to school in Joska and I believe is in class 7. He is a very gifted child and loves to sing in the Joska choir, play the drums, write music, sing, dance, play Football (american soccer), and his favorite subject is English class. During our lunch break we decided to have some fun and had a fun photo shoot with him, some friends and myself. It was so much fun getting to know these guys and can tell that they have a strong future ahead of them. Check out some of my favorite shots from this shoot. [available @ Brandon's personal blog http://brandoncharlesadams.blogspot.com/
Today was our day of rest, we went to church at the Pangani Center, went out to eat at the city market, and then came home to rest. Around 6:00 PM we had our normal group debrief time with Wallace, ate dinner (Mexican Monday was moved to Sunday this week) and then went back to relaxing. Around 10:30 PM I had an opportunity to catch up with my my brother, Tyler and his wonderful wife, Amy on Skype. It was so good to see/talk to them for the first time since I have been in Kenya. I have a fruitful week ahead of me and better head to bed.
The festivities started at 10:00 AM and the award ceremony ended around 7:00 PM. Their were activities going on in 3 different rooms.
So I got a good workout running from the first location on the Ground floor to the second location on the 1 first floor to the third location on the 4th floor all day long. :) I am continually amazed on how many God given talents these students have been given. It was so amazing to have students from all 10 centers competing against each other. It is a rare occasion for all the schools to be together in one building. They were singing, dancing, reciting poems, rapping, doing spelling bees, and cultural dances. I told you a few weeks ago that I had fun watching Huruma practicing their talents and how I thought they were going to do good in the competition. Yesterday, the judges awarded Huruma the best in show trophy. I was spot on!!!
I did find time to hang out with the students as they were preparing for their performances. For some reason I am a magnet for Joska kids. Maybe it is my magnetic personality and good looks or maybe it's because I had a nice digital camera hanging around my neck taking photos all day. I did become friends with one boy in particular that I kept running into thru-out the festivities. His name was Simon, he is 14 years old and goes to school in Joska and I believe is in class 7. He is a very gifted child and loves to sing in the Joska choir, play the drums, write music, sing, dance, play Football (american soccer), and his favorite subject is English class. During our lunch break we decided to have some fun and had a fun photo shoot with him, some friends and myself. It was so much fun getting to know these guys and can tell that they have a strong future ahead of them. Check out some of my favorite shots from this shoot. [available @ Brandon's personal blog http://brandoncharlesadams.blogspot.com/
Today was our day of rest, we went to church at the Pangani Center, went out to eat at the city market, and then came home to rest. Around 6:00 PM we had our normal group debrief time with Wallace, ate dinner (Mexican Monday was moved to Sunday this week) and then went back to relaxing. Around 10:30 PM I had an opportunity to catch up with my my brother, Tyler and his wonderful wife, Amy on Skype. It was so good to see/talk to them for the first time since I have been in Kenya. I have a fruitful week ahead of me and better head to bed.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Purity in Nairobi
What an awesome Wednesday! Yesterday was my first day back working at the center since Easter. Because it is a short week I had a lot on my agenda of things to get done today.
I started off my day by filming Wallace in his office giving an update about Joska for Christ's Church of the Valley in PA. Wallace was the only person left to film to make this project complete. After lunch I was able to finish editing the film and am planning on sending the 6 minute video off to them tomorrow thru email. Technology is great!
After the filming was complete I went down to the social work department to go with Margaret Wairimu Ndungu to visit Purity Makena Kasunzu (a 9 year old girl in class 3 yellow). Purity is sponsored by Heather Lozada's 10th grade girls small group. So Margaret and I stopped by Purity's class and as soon as i walked in the door the student's greeted me as their guest, sang me songs and recited their memory verses. After we finished hanging out the kids in the class we followed Purity through the slums to visit with her mother at their home. Before we arrived at the house Purity greeted her mother at her general store. I greeted Mama Mercy and then we continued walking about a block to their 5 story cement housing complex. To be honest, I was quite surprised to find out that they weren't living in a tin structure like most people in the slums. God has truly blessed this family and has allowed her family to make enough money to rent a nicer house in the slums. Bwani asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!) Before entering the complex Mama Mercy insisted on buying us sodas! After climbing many steps and their small cement house was opened up I was able to sit on the sofa and have a great conversation with Purity and her Mother. I found out that the mother was not well educated so he speaks very little english and is so proud of her two daughters (Mercy (6th grade at Joska) and Purity) for pursuing their educations. Her husband left the family and divorced Mama Mercy. I had a great time getting to know this family and truly enjoyed their company. Purity is such a sweet young lady of God!
At one point on our conversation the mother told me (thru Margaret translating) that Purity wanted to go to the USA so she could meet the girls that sponsor her. The social told her that traveling to the US is very expensive and that they probably wouldn't be able to afford it. I then asked Purity if she thinks she could fit in my luggage so I could bring her to the US with me in May. She laughed and said "I'm sure I would fit." Then the mother asked me if the small group of girls would ever have a chance to come to Nairobi to visit their home. I reminded them how young their sponsors are but told her that maybe when they get older that they may be able to take the opportunity to come over and meet her family in person. I could tell that she feels truly bless by Purity's sponsors and has taken a huge burden off Mama's shoulders. Purity told me that she prays often for her sponsors and their families and loves them so much and thanks them for their support so she can get an education.
After hanging out in the house we all went to visit Mama Mercy's general store. She was able to open the store by taking out a loan thru Missions of Hope BDS program and Micro Enterprise weekly group training and meetings. She took out the loan for her buisness about a year ago and is now very close to paying it off. She sell's anything from Toilet Paper to snack food to the local community. Purity was really excited to introduce me to Pigron, her pet cat, that lives in the store. I could tell that she LOVES playing with the cat when her mom is at work.
Once we got back to the Pangani center is was about time for Lunch. After lunch I finished editing the video for Christ Church of the Valley in PA and took some photos for another church that helped put in a water treatment system so that the students could have pure water at the Pangani Center.
Brandon A @ Kenya: Happy Easter!
Bwana Asifiwa (Praise God) for such a wonderful Easter weekend! Due to power surges this weekend and my busy schedule I have not been able to write a new post on my blog. Not sure where to start. So much as happened since my last post. Maybe I should just give a brief overview of what went over Easter weekend.
Saturday, April 3 -
This saturday was very typical for us. We use this day as a day of rest and relaxation. Getting to chill at the Kamau house is so nice after a long week working in the slums. For dinner the apprentices went to the food court at City Market. I got a dish call "chicken kabob" is was so delicious. It was chicken and veggies on skewers with fries on the side and a Sprite. Soda's take so much better here then a home. Mainly because they use real sugar in the sodas here.
Sunday, April 4 -
We were asked to be guests at a church down the road from the Kamau's house. The seats are filled mainly by young ladies that attend a near by high school. We were asked to have two of the girl apprentices give a short testimony and then wanted all of us to read Luke 22-24 and sing them an american worship song. Everything went well except when we got to the low note in our song some of us started laughing and couldn't stop. It was so embarrassing but they seemed to be blessed by our bad singing. It would have sounded much better if God gifted us in singing. It would have make it so much easier. Either way we had fun. After lunch we had the pleasure of driving "up country" to visit Wallace's Mama's house. It was about an hour drive thru gorgeous mountain ranges. Once we got their we realized that it was to muddy to drive thru the dirt driveway to we ended up walking about a half mile thru the mud to get to the house. It was so much fun! We were laughing most of the way to the house, mainly because some of the girls were wearing flip flops and they kept falling off so they ended up walking barefoot thru the mud. We had a wonderful meal, and was truly blessed by the entire experience. My shoes on the other hand needed a throw washing and are still drying on the balcony.
Monday, April 5 -
Mary invited all of the neighborhood girls (about 17 total) over for a one day relationship seminar. The female apprentices helped Mary facilitate the group while David and I had the pleasure of preparing the meals for the day. At 10:30 AM we served tea, bead & popcorn. At 1:30 PM we served sloppy joes, cabbage & cheese curls to 25 people. Then for dinner we had about 35-40 guest over for Mexican Monday. For this we prepared our own taco bar which means everything is home made including the flower taco shells. We had so much fun cooking for everyone. After dinner we had a family talent show. The show didn't end until about 11:00 PM. It was such a blast. There were jokes, dances, songs, poems, skits, oh and did I mention dancing. So, Brandon, what was your talent? Thanks for asking! I hypnotized one of the neighbors "boiling" hens for my talent. Everyone was amazed when the chicken was snoring on the floor. We even closed out the evening with a dance party and a 40 person conga line that danced around the house. Good times were had by all!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Brandon A @ Kenya: Going up Country
Mary's father called all of his children to ask them to come "up country" for an Easter family gathering. Evidently the term "up country" is a relative term. It means that you are traveling to visit family somewhere outside of your home town. It's even considered "up country" when traveling south.
So yesterday we had the pleasure of going to visit Nyeri, Kenya to see the farm where Mary Kamau grew up and to meet her large family. It was so nice to be able to eat, socialize, relax, hear a short sermon, see Mount Kenya and hang out in the beautiful country side. It was such a blessing to be able to take part in this family event.
Check out some of the photos from our day in Nyeri... (available on Brandon's personal blog http://brandoncharlesadams.blogspot.com/2010/04/going-up-country.html)
Mary's Childhood Home
3 generations of beautiful women
Left to Right: Meredith Roberts, Erin Titus, Bethany Ziegler, Luisa Fairfax, Brandon Adams, Peter Githingi Mwangi (Mary's brother) & David Freeze
So yesterday we had the pleasure of going to visit Nyeri, Kenya to see the farm where Mary Kamau grew up and to meet her large family. It was so nice to be able to eat, socialize, relax, hear a short sermon, see Mount Kenya and hang out in the beautiful country side. It was such a blessing to be able to take part in this family event.
Check out some of the photos from our day in Nyeri... (available on Brandon's personal blog http://brandoncharlesadams.blogspot.com/2010/04/going-up-country.html)
Mary's Childhood Home
3 generations of beautiful women
Left to Right: Meredith Roberts, Erin Titus, Bethany Ziegler, Luisa Fairfax, Brandon Adams, Peter Githingi Mwangi (Mary's brother) & David Freeze
Friday, April 2, 2010
Brandon A @ Kenya: 1,2,3 Wow
What a day. Today I continued working on filming for the CCV video update by going to Bondeni, Mathare North and Joska. The kids (as always) were very good to work with and had fun preforming for the camera. I still have a few more centers to to visit after Easter break (Friday - Monday). It is going to be so nice to have a long weekend.
While at Joska was able to hang out with my parents sponsored child Benson and Carrie Tyson-Sheffy's sponsored child Rosemary. Both of them are 13 years old and are doing great academically. They seemed really excited to hear from their sponsors and was excited about the gifts.
Tomorrow our household and some of the other missionaries will be going "up country" to visit with some Kamau relatives. The plan is to be back home before dinner time tomorrow night. It sounds like a ton of fun and can't wait so see more of Kenya.
Brandon A @ Kenya: Power Failure
Due to the nightly heavy rains the power has been off and on at the Kamau house for the last 3 days. Because of this I was unable to write on my blog.
The past 3 days have been great! On Monday morning I worked in the skills department with Meredith and Luisa. I was helping take photograph of their hand made products to be used on a website to promote their merchandise. I also had the opportunity to meet up with Heather Lozada's small groups sponsored child Purity during her lunch break. It took her a while to warm up to me but I eventually got her to have a short conversation with me. She is such a beautiful young lady of God and has grown a lot since I saw her. Unfortunately this week the students had their exams so I didn't have time to take a photo of her. I will be going to her house next Tuesday to meet her family and promised her sponsors I would document it for them. After lunch I starting planning for a video that CMF asked me to work on for them to help advertise to middle school and high school student about orphaned children due to HIV/AIDS.
On Tuesday I walked to Kosovo with Charity from social work to visit my sponsored child Edwin Watulo Wanyonyi. He is a 13 year old boy that is currently in class 1. Currently Edwin is #6 in his class and loves math, enjoys soccer and would like to become a Pilot. He loves in the slums with his Mother and Father (Irene and Robert) and his twin brother Brian. Irene sells vegetables and Robert is a painter. After meeting him at the school office I walked with him to his house but unfortunately is mother had just left for work moments before we got there. So I promised him that I would come back sometime soon to meet his twin brother and parents and to see the inside of his house. Edwins birthday is May 1st so I am hoping to have the opportunity to visit him on that day as well.
Today I worked on starting a video for CCV (Christ Church of the Valley) in PA. Doing an update for them on there congregations sponsored children and Joska. I will tell you more about that project later on.
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