Live from Kenya! Update from Monty

“Only one life, twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last. Don’t waste it”

I have seen so many things over the past week, I am on sensory overload. We started at Kibera slum where somewhere between 1 and 3 million people live. I saw things that will be burned in my memory forever. We walked in initially and it was a lot of mud huts. As we got further in, we were on a hill overlooking miles of tin roofs on top of huts for as far as you could see.

I watched a lady wash fresh greens in dirty red water that she had scooped out of the run-off ditch, which was full of trash and waste. It represented so many wrong things on so many levels. It was filthy squalor and it was filled with millions. And growing. It is easy to see the natural progression of an unhealthy life in Kibera that leads to illness, crime, or prostitution. It would take an army of people and perhaps a half a century to turn a place that size around. When you think about healthcare, education, clean water, infrastructure- it is still very hard to wrap my mind around how and where you would start.

We were invited to visit a women’s group meeting. It’s strange that I haven’t seen a lot of men here, I don’t know where they all are. Anyway, the women sang some of the most beautiful songs. I couldn’t understand a lick of what they were saying but felt so honored that they allowed us to sit in and listen to them sing praise music to God. For me it was a bonding moment with these women. I feel like they let us in on something personal to them, yet I knew that they were singing to the same God that I have learned about my whole life. It is amazing to me that I can travel to the other side of the world and listen to people, who are suffering more than I will ever know in my lifetime, praise the same God that I learned about in my Sunday school classes as a little girl. These are women who told me from their own mouths that they do not know where their next meal will come from. Women who are experiencing shame and embarrassment for being poor, who don’t want their community to know that they are suffering and need food. They have the same feelings of pride and shame that I would have if I were in their place. It was such a comfort to see them bond in their group and praise the same God I have learned about my whole life, it was like we had a great old friend in common and that made my heart warm and peaceful.

On Jan 1 we participated in community day and did several feedings. Hundreds showed up. I cannot think of a better way to spend the first day of a new year. The community showed up and participated in running races, where I saw several women TAKE OFF their shoes before they ran. Welcome to Kenya. Even the old old men with canes participated in running races.

When it was time for the feedings, the food didn’t look like enough to cover the whole crowd, and culture demands that children eat last. We said a quick prayer for the food to last. The men, women, and children were divided into groups.

I had an opportunity to serve the children and gosh they were so hungry. We served them white rice and they were desperate and pushing in line to get to it. They had no plates so we served rice into their hands. Sometimes it was too hot and they would drop it, which really hurt my heart. Half way through they came up with their shirts cupped so we could put the rice in there. Filthy clothes used as plates. What we would discard and throw away is what their little bodies were desperate to get. I’ve played with several kids for days and thought they were three or four years old. I found out yesterday that one of them, who is smaller than my 3 ½ year old niece , is seven years old. I guess this is how the lack of proper nutrition affects your physical development, especially when your main source of intake is rice.

We fed them again at their graduation ceremony. This time they were able to benefit and eat the meat of the bull we bought and slaughtered when we arrived. You know I did NOT watch nor was I anywhere close by. However, one of the locals commented that he was shocked that we did not kill in the yard. One of the girls on my team replied, “I live in an apartment complex.” Cracked me up.

While worlds and miles apart, the good work that God is doing for these suffering people has connected us all. It is my prayer that the children and families of Eburru realize that we are loving them the same way that God loves all of us, 1 John 4:11 says “since God loved us, we also ought to love one another.” And Psalm 9:18 says “the needy will not be forgotten.”

Lastly, I would like to offer some explanation to my purpose here. I believe that God has commanded us to help e and love each other. Matthew 25:40 says “whatever you did for the least of one of my brothers, you did for me.” I also believe that what we do in faith, God will see through. Philippians 1:6 says that “he who started a good work in you will bring it to completion.” While our time here is limited, I can rest easy knowing that God will finish what has been started here and according to Romans 8:28, he “works for the good of those who love him.”

David’s Hope Prayer List-November 2009

Thank you for being committed to praying for God’s work in Kenya through David’s Hope International. Here are some specific prayer points that you can lift up to the Lord on behalf of DHI:

• God’s wisdom as to His priorities for Eburru
• Food, health, clothing, water, spiritual growth and education for the children of Eburru and Kenya as a whole country
• Rain in Eburru. They have had a drought for many years. • Successful ways to fund the projects-letters, fundraisers, donations etc.
• Needs in Eburru be seen and dealt with on a timely basis, for people to communicate when they are in need before it’s too late
• Future sustainable resources so the people can live independent of outside help
• For money to continually and successfully be transferred to Eburru
• Mary and Pastor Steve to get vistas and come to the US for both sharing their work, vision and to get some rest
• Wisdom about Morgan house and its future uses
• Contact with outside organizations that may be able to help DHI
• For success in the next growing season, (there are 3 each year)

Praises

• Over $24,000 that has been raised
• For the ministry of Pastor Steve, Mary and Jonathan his brother and others
• For all the willing workers and volunteers in the U.S. and Eburru
• For our web site that shares the dream and heartaches-check out the videos by pressing on vimeo section on the present video
• Praise for the Phase One construction as it continues, for the classrooms/feeding center and water tank to be finished.
• For the new team that is going in Dec. /Jan. to Eburru-God’s wisdom as they plan out the details, raise money for supplies, unify as a team and strategize, for several members that will be new to Eburru, for personal support

God is Moving! Will You Pray With Us?

God is doing amazing things in and through DHI.  The most incredible thing to realize is that when God sent our small team to Kenya in January 2009 he knew famine was in the future of the small town of Eburru.  And he put it on our hearts to address these needs before the rains didnt fall. 

The only way we will ever see the end of extreme poverty is through prayer.  It will take an act of God to change the situations our friends are facing in Eburru.  Please review the following list of prayer points and join us in prayer for Eburru.

David’s Hope Prayer List-October 2009
Thank you for being committed to praying for God’s work in Kenya through David’s Hope International. Here are some specific prayer points that you can lift up to the Lord on behalf of DHI.
o God’s wisdom as to His priorities for Eburru
o Food, health, clothing, water, spiritual growth and education for the children of Eburru and Kenya as a whole country
o Rain in Eburru-Pastor Steve says “it is worsening each day” o Successful ways to fund the projects-letters, fundraisers, donations etc.
o Needs in Eburru be seen and dealt with on a timely basis, for people to communicate when they are in need before it’s too late
o Future sustainable resources so the people can live independent of outside help
o For money to continually and successfully be transferred to Eburru
o Mary and Pastor Steve to get vistas and come to the US for both sharing their work, vision and to get some rest
o Wisdom about Morgan house and its future uses
Praises
o For over $20,000 that has been raised
o For the ministry of Pastor Steve, Mary and Jonathan his brother and others
o For all the willing workers in the U.S. and Eburru
o For our web site that shares the dream and heartache
o Praise for the world evangelism prayer meetings the last week in September- where the needy and elderly Eburru village population were met by women, youth and elders from the church
o Praise for the Phase One construction of the classrooms/feeding center Pastor Steve says “they look beautiful, but are not done yet” even though there “has been much progress”. “The water tank will be put up when the classroom is done and more funds come in”.
o Praise as money has gone to the first installment of 1 acre of land close to a dam. “This land will be used to grow food for the children”.
o For the new team that is going in Dec./Jan. to Eburru-God’s wisdom as they plan out the details

15 Dollars Goes a Long Way in Eburru

Now that Jeff is back from Kenya, with new videos and photos from Eburru.

This video shows, at a very high level excatly whats going on in Eburru, a few interviews with the in country ministry directors, Pastor Steve and his brother Jonathan, as well as some clips of the property we are attempting to finance that will be converted into a community care center, with the long term vision of having schools, dorms, medical facilities and more all on 10 acres of land 8000 feet above the Great Rift Valley.  The property needs a ton of work, and this video shows a little of that.  But the best part of the video is the closing shot of about 17 children who David’s Hope International sponsored this past week.  For only 15 dollars these kids have school paid for this year, guarenteeing them clothing, food, and education… for only $15 bucks! Not only that, by being in school these kids are being saved from entering a litnany of horrible situations including a life or prostitution for the girls and being recruited as child soldiers for the boys.

Jeff says that he saw the real Eburru on this trip.  Now its time for David’s Hope International to get to work and do our part to help!

A little goes a long way in Eburru.

The Beginnings of Hope House, David’s Hope International from AnnieLaurie Walters on Vimeo.

Live from Kenya, Part 6, Update on David

Friends of David’s Hope — What a week in Kenya! Let me try and get you all caught up in a few non-business areas:

Somalia Return: Thanks for all the prayers, Pastor Steve’s wife Mary returned from Somalia alive and kicking. Check these highlights: flying on an airplane for the first time (an extremely choppy 8-seater); working from 6:30a to 9:30p each day, accompanied 24/7 by armed guards; treating gunshot wounds, burn victims and other war zone injuries; performing solo surgeries and assisting on others; and lecturing/training medical students to establish some medical infrastructure in war-torn Somalia.

Eburru Feast Week: Rest and recuperation are not in Mary’s vocabulary. Since returning from Somalia, she has done an incredible job maximizing the impact of the $1,200 raised by my medical mission teammates. Tuesday was the first of two major food runs to Naivasha. Huge bag of potatoes, multiple 50-pound sacks of maize, dozen bags of flour, pounds of cooking fat, meat, fruit, collard greens … you name it, we bought it. On Wednesday, Mary fed a 50-person strong women’s Bible study group — many who had walked 3, 5, 10 miles from Morgan. Several of the most needy were sent home with maize to feed their starving children. On Wednesday, we visited a school in Morgan, sending the stick-thin girls home — backpacks overflowing with maize. Thursday was a second food run down the mountain, before a feast for the children living around the camp. We’re talking the usual suspects: David, Julius, Rose, John, Jinsenta, James, Mary and a several others. Today, we returned to Morgan to deliver flour and cooking fat to men, women and children. Everything was handed out, even my nutrition bars, bags of nuts and snacks. Expect to hear much more about feast week and specifically Morgan - ‘ground zero’ of Eburru’s drought and famine. Still trying to absorb the experience.

Update on David: Good and bad news about the destitute boy behind the name of our foundation. Good news, Mary cleared up David’s financial history with the Eburru school treasurer. Turns out he owed money from last year, in addition to accumulating debt this year for educational essentials. Total back-log of charges: Four or five bucks. Shockingly low, yet way too many children are wasting time in Eburru during the day because they can’t afford to pay the nominal (to us) school fees. This is why Pastor Steve and Mary’s plan for their school is to cover teacher salaries and food so the penniless orphans and destitute can leave a literate and hopeful life.

The bad news? Well, David has five times flunked a grade (yes, five), meaning his classmates are 7-year old children. He is extremely shy, ashamed and doesn’t speak up in class. While Mary says his teachers no longer try, we all say give the kid a break: David suffers from severe cognitive damage caused by years of malnutrition and lives knowing his older sister Mary died of the same thing in 2004. Making matters worse, his mother re-married a few months back and left the little guy in the dust for the second time time in his life. Isolated and living with a sick grandmother incapable of providing food or adult supervision was where we found him several short weeks ago.

For the past three weeks, David has eaten regularly, stayed in school and once again is back in the camp. He has gained weight, added color in his face and has little spring in his step. He is set up to receive at least one meal per day and special educational attention. Since his schooling is paid through this year, he will remain in public school for the time being. Mary will monitor his progress and put him full-time into the ministry facility if he does not improve. I’m excited he is back on track.

Live From Kenya Part 5 - Solvable Problems

Friends of David’s Hope,

As I try to sum up what I’ve seen, smelled, tasted and touched in the past two weeks here in Eburru, words fall short of describing the desperation of the situation here. The livelihoods of all living in this town and surrounding area are perilous, and if conditions do not improve, death is certain for many. The culprits? Drought, Isolation and Famine.

Those who have read my previous posts know drought and famine are ravaging Eburru, Kenya. It has rained twice here between January and May, a time frame known as the ‘rainy season’, yet yielding little to no rain at all this season. This unusual and unseasonal lack of rain is causing crops to fail - a death wish for a town dependent on agricultural production for life. While the rains have teased us occasionally this month, and the color green has started to crop up in the fields, looks are deceiving. Eburru is just about to enter a harsh three or four month period of no consumable or sellable food while the corn, potato and wheat fields move through their growth cycles, assuming the rains continue. Let pray together that God will bring the rain to Eburru, a dry and weary land where there is no water.

ECOLOGICAL ROOTS OF FAMINE IN EBURRU
It’s no question that the entire world is experiencing the impact of the current global economic crisis, particularly as it related to the cost of food. For Eburru, the current circumstances go much deeper then the global economic crisis, spike in food prices and civil unrest after Kenya’s most recent elections. The complications in Eburru are rooted in its own climate and unique ecological conditions.

You see, Eburru is located near the equator on a dormant volcano, where temperatures regularly climb into triple digits and steam is naturally released up from the ground. Crops need extra water as the sun bakes from above and the steam dries from below, sucking the soil dry and making the crops much more susceptible to drought and failure. You can see how important the rainy season is and how drought can have double the negative impact in conditions like these.

In a typical year with a rainy season, the months of July through September are the driest and food the most scarce. This year as Eburru moves into the dry season, there was no rainy season to build up reservoirs of water. When combined with skyrocketing food prices, the people are entering a catastrophic situation. Not only can they not feed themselves, they have no crops to sell, meaning no income for these agriculturally based families who already live on less than $2.00US a day.

In a town like Eburru, where survival is the goal, when money is scarce priorities change.

To illustrate, I ran into a pack of kids on Friday who were playing outside. I asked why they were not in school and they said Friday was exam day, which means a supplementary fee to pay for the paper exam. Cost: 30 Shillings or about $0.25 US. Well, they didn’t have the money so school wasn’t an option that day. And these are the children actually in school. But when forced to choose between an education and food, you can guess which option the parents choose.

ISOLATION BREEDS DESPERATION
To make matters worse, Eburru is relatively isolated and very difficult to get to. Located high in the mountains at 8,000 feet above sea level, Eburru is accessible only by dirt roads so filled with potholes, dips and dives, that every time Pastor Steve drives to Eburru he has to get his vehicle serviced. “On the road to Eburru, you don’t drive on the right or left side. You drive where there are no potholes,” he says. Obviously, this remote village is not a preferred destination for educated professionals, entrepreneurs, or general service providers. There is no running water, no plumbing, no electricity, no trash removal, and you get the idea. Schools are overcrowded, health care is practically non-existent and civil organization is challenged regularly because teachers, doctors and lawyers just don’t come to this mountainous dust bowl deep in the African bush.

Eburru’s challenges don’t end with location. The town is sandwiched between Masai tribal lands southeast stretching down to the Masai Mara safari game parks and huge East African flower plantations roughly to the north. The colorful Masai warriors are one of Kenya’s most enduring tourist symbols and thus protected when the going gets tough. The flower farms around Lake Naivasha, while hardly paying a large wage to its workers; do employ tens of thousands of people, powering a decent economy. Eburru, stuck in the middle, might as well be located on Mars. No one knows, recognizes or cares about the situation unfolding in Eburru. The town is abandoned, as are its inhabitants, left with little hope for survival. If something doesn’t change in Eburru over the next few months, men, women and children will die. Not sure I can say this any clearer.

DEATH BY MALNUTRITION AND FAMINE

Seeing this situation unfold before my eyes is indescribable. Children are stick thin, bloated with malnutrition, and their brains are deteriorating. And “these are the ones you can actually see because they can still move around,” said Pastor Steve’s wife, Mary, a medical professional. Ironically, one of the final stages of death by malnutrition is loss of appetite. I’m told you just stop functioning and give up, lying on the ground, blank stare, until death and burial.

Making the situation even more real, I found out the other day David’s (of David’s Hope) 8-year old sister died in 2004 of severe malnutrition. When Pastor Steve and Mary learned of the situation, they rushed the young girl to the hospital in Kijabe, but it was too late. The other day I walked by her gravestone next to the family mud hut, phew. Remember my blog post about David a few days ago? I believe he was not far from the withdrawal stage of malnutrition when we fed him last week. David and his 12-year old cousin, Mary, are now set up for a daily meal at Pastor Steve’s preschool facility and medical clinic.

CREATING A SELF-SUSTAINABLE MINISTRY
As I try to process all that’s happening around me I can’t help but ask God: “So what next?” Go home back and cry? Not an option. Live full-time in Kenya? Nope, they don’t need me here. They need prayer, resources and sharp business assistance.

The next step for David’s Hope is clear. After spending the last two weeks with Pastor Steve and his colleagues, we know exactly what’s needed to turn things around in Eburru and its time to mobilize the troops. With your help, we will power the growth of Pastor Steve’s ministry in a self-sustainable way.

Pastor Steve has a big (yet realistic) vision to create an economic engine that finances a drastic expansion of his ministry serving the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of orphaned and destitute children. The plan will build upon his current ministry, which includes two churches, medical clinic, maternity ward, preschool, pastoral training program and feeding program.

The epicenter of his plan is the 10-acre Morgan House property. After two years of uncertainty, the title of this abandoned British farm house was officially transferred to his Pastor Steve’s name in May. Now his vision calls for a business, orphanage, preschool, school (K-8), vocational training and feeding program on the grounds of Morgan House. Pastor Steve’s plan has been in motion (and obviously blessed) for about six years now. It just needs a big boost. The timing could not be more right as Eburru fights for survival.

I’ll be writing a lot more about the business side of Pastor Steve’s ministry this week. Really exciting stuff. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

Live from Kenya Part 4, Finding the Starving…

Friends of Kenya -

In preparation for next week’s community feeding, Pastor Steve has asked the women of his church help identify the families and children in Eburru who are not only isolated and starving without food, but have limited means to gather it anytime soon due to sickness, injury
or another reason. Imagine if your pastor asked the same of you.

Two examples to illustrate the reality of famine in Eburru right now:

—Two night ago, a single mother from Pastor Steve’s church approached him with a problem. She has been sick for a while, thus unable to work and buy food for herself and three children. Pastor Steve was shocked when she asked for help because in Kenyan society women rarely ask men for such things. “I knew then it was really bad,” he said. To me, the desperation on her face told the story. She needed food or her situation would go from worse … to something else.

Pastor Steve’s ministry is to serve the poorest of the poor. Since this family clearly fit the criteria, we didn’t hesitate to help with our limited resources. The woman’s desperation turned to gratitude as we bought her rice, flour and fat and helped carry the food to her house. Despite incredibly unpleasant circumstances, it was a pleasure to met her children, pray inside the family mud hut and leave enough money for the family to buy food for a few more days.

—Three days ago in the town square, Pastor Steve’s brother Jonathan spied what he had profiled as an orphan or destitute child. After talking with the little girl, his suspicions were confirmed. While living with a father and other, she was not in school, unbathed,
suffering from malnutrition, scowl on her face and refusal of any human touch. Jonathan soon unearthed the family’s story: four children (all about the same size - telltale sign of severe malnutrition), none in school and
vulnerable to a host of evils not worth mentioning in this message.

More probing by Jonathan uncovered the family’s story: Children had been living their their maternal grandmother attending school…father demanded they return home, promising the children would stay in school…mother agreed to the move… children came home…attended school for two weeks and abruptly stopped. Dad supplies no help. Mom is feeling God-knows-what — experiencing stress-related headaches
and depression. Kids, looking lost and angry, are stuck in an impossible situation.

Bless his heart, Jonathan decided to enroll the two youngest children in Pastor Steve’s daycare at no cost and in the past few days you can already see a difference in their behavior. Unfortunately, the older
two are still out in the cold. This morning when the older sister dropped off her younger siblings, she stood outside the school for at least an hour peering inside and listening to the young kids. As if God knew she needed a boost, later in the day while walking to another
destination, Pastor Steve and I stumbled upon the older sister and her brother hanging around the only food stand for miles around. We were able to give them some bread to serve as an encouragement and short-term fix. They beamed.

Please pray that the most needy men, women and children will attend the feast. Pray they are connected into Pastor Steve’s church community. Pray they can find rest and hope for the future in a really tough place.

Live from Kenya Part 3, Finding David

Many of you know the story behind the naming of David’s Hope International. David was the boy Pastor Steve used as a physical example to describe to our team the need for an orphanage in Eburru.

In excruciating detail, he pointed out David’s skin-and-bones frame,spotty scalp and skin, and sunken eyes. In these moments, we decided to raise financing for the conversion of a picturesque 1937 British colonial farmhouse into a home for homeless and destitute children.

As you might expect, David has been on my mind since arriving in Kenya. After a few days in Eburru and no sign of the little guy, I was beginning to wonder. Things started to move from curiosity to concern when yesterday David was no where to be seen at church. I spotted his uncle and asked about David’s whereabouts. Apparently, he was at his house, told it was best if he did not come, reason not really explained. I asked to see David and he showed up after the service looking pretty happy.

Unfortunately, David’s physical appearance was terrible. Absolute skin and bones - even worse than when Pastor Steve used him as an example in front of the farmhouse. Sunken face, dry rough skin, shoulder blades and ribs sticking out. No meat on the bones, and his demeanor wasn’t right.

A short time later at Mary’s cafe in the town square, David’s actions went something like this: wolfed down 2.5 plates of potatoes, cabbage and bread; sprinted outside for a number two bathroom break; slurped down a mug of portage; ate a sweet; hung out with our group of kids near the steam plant; started walking with us toward his house; complained about a stomach ache; rested on the side of the road; and fell over after standing up due to a cramp in his atrophied legs. Sad, but not the end of the story.

Several weeks ago, one of our team translators in December, Elijah, had called saying David needed money. I never really understood why and pretty much ignored the request, feeling a little skeptical and thinking I’d see them in about a month anyway. Well, yesterday Elijah said the reason for his call was David’s lack of winter cloths. He was shivering at school and who knows how much he was suffering at night.

Back to the town square it was time to buy David a hooded coat and two pairs of trousers.

Once David had food in his belly, he had started talking, Elijah translating. Turns out there was a reason he was not at church and no one on the current mission trip team to Eburru knew him. Several months back, Pastor Steve’s night watchman had told David to stay away from the camp (not sure why), which to a shy boy in his condition meant “fear the watchman” and stay away. He did both. You should have seen his face while talking. He was petrified of the watchman.

For a cost of $7.00 US (food and clothing), a few hours of time and a conversation to help clear the air at the camp, David should be in a better spot for the future.

Please keep David and all the children in your thoughts and prayers.

Thanks,

Jeff

Live from Kenya Part 2, from Jeff

Team,

Where on earth to start? How about in the mountains looking up at the brightest stars since, well, Team Kenya ‘08 sat in the same spot between the huts six months ago. One look at this sky and it is difficult to not stand in awe. While this broadband wireless modem is pretty sweet connecting me to the western world, it does not come even close to the majesty and natural beauty of Eburru, Kenya.

So many highs (and a few lows) from today:

Pastor Steve’s Clone: No, not Shaquille O’Neal. Jonathon Nenja, Pastor Steve’s older brother. Think how much God is working through Steve on the pastoral, management and business fronts. Duplicate it with kids, playfulness and hyper extroversion. Jonathan is talker coupled with the same huge heart for service - his calling is removing children from impossible life situations. Jonathan runs two orphanages in Nairobi. He is the brain behind the tedious process of identifying what children are truly the poorest of the poor, as working through that process with the Kenyan government is a walk in the park. Can’t tell you how much of a blessing Jonathan is to Pastor Steve, despite being opposite personalities, me and everyone else. He is one of the people who walk in a room and lights it up with his infectious smile, laugh and genuine servant’s heart. I just can’t believe how much is being done through these two, along with Mary and the Pastor Steve’s entire brain trust. These are some sharp, savvy people with a plan. I even get to meet their parents before leaving Kenya.

“Wassssup” - Julius, circa 12/31/08: Since I know some of you are sick with worry about Rose, John and Julius, I had Jonathan do an assessment of each one. Each is far from in a healthy spot, but they are not considered “destitute” or “orphaned”. Rose was cute as ever, same runny nose, maybe a little more slight. John is the same height, a little skinner and looks to be scrapping by. To me, Julius looked to be in the worst shape. He has a wicked cough, looks skinner and nose ran pretty steady. Darn chilly here at night. Jonathan examined Jules and said he probably suffers from infectious worms which continues to make his head patchy and the standard malnutrition. They have a roof over their head, a parent (took a photo of Rose with her mom) and more food and care than many others nearby. All this means they are not candidates for the orphanage, but possibly for Pastor Steve’s “in-home” program. The genius idea here is take action lifting up the parents (and kids) so mom (and sometimes dad) can better care for and support the children. I took a bunch of photos today of Rose, John and Julius and a video clip that is going to make you laugh and cry….

Seriously, Who Are The Orphans? Hearts were ripped apart today as Jonathan and I went searching for children that fit the profile of orphan or destitute child. Good night… By orphan, it means boy or girl does not have a home. By destitute, it means he or she may have a place to put down their head, but it is a wicked situation of zero supervision, fending for food on their own and/or abuse. Often times, destitutes live with an elderly grandmother who is incapable of caring for herself, much less a young child or group of children. I took photos and video of Jonathan’s work, asking him to walk us through the questioning process and examination with several lives cases. I’ll warn you now. The images are not for the faint of heart.

Teen Talk On HIV/AIDS: Pastor Steve and I are pretty much hanging with the current AIM team in Eburru until they leave next week. While young, they are a solid group who did an excellent job today with the church teens and young adults at a camp retreat - location: overlooking Lake Naivaisha (we saw hippos, giraffes, monkeys, baboons, buffalo and other wild - all on the way or on the camp grounds). After several hours of social time (over lunch - all were able to eat something), singing started the programming before several testimonies and an interactive talk in smaller groups about purity - i.e. biblical approach to sex, HIV/AIDS, etc. Three team member had relevant life stories that opened everyone up and some really good back and forth discussion was had. Several of the boys said they learned a lot and appreciated the transparency, information, encouragement and practical tips.Good things happened…

OK, I’ll stop there and save exciting updates about Morgan House planning and strategizing until another time. I’m fighting a losing battle with downloading photos and video. We’ll see how that goes in the next few days…

Blessings,
Jeff

Morgan House

Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). Pastor Steve Ngenga’s vision for Morgan House is to create a safe living condition for orphans and neglected children while simultaneously providing opportunities for health care, education and the chance for these children’s basic needs to be addressed. The orphanage will provide holistic care for the children, meeting their physical, educational, emotional, and spiritual needs.

The Morgan House is an old British farmhouse on a mountainside in Northern Kenya. A British settler left behind the estate when the Republic of Kenya gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1963. For over forty years the house, in an area where many don’t have shelter, stood boarded up and deserted—until recently.

The story of the Morgan House is truly a story of God’s blessing. An individual from North Carolina several years ago participated in a short-term mission trip to Eburru, Kenya where he met Pastor Steve and witnessed both the need of the village and how God was working through some extraordinary people in Eburru. He was so inspired by what he saw in Eburru that he convinced a family member to donate $20,000 towards Pastor Steve’s vision to turn the abandoned British farmhouse into an orphanage.

In addition, a small church in North Carolina where the first donor attends connected to Pastor Steve through several members flew Pastor Steve to the United States to preach and talk about the Morgan House and orphanage – in response, the church collected enough money from its small congregation to provide a one-time donation of $10,000. An individual in the audience was inspired by the Morgan House vision and donated $20,000. Over the past 18 months, a total of $50,000 has been raised to purchase the Morgan House—a true story of God’s faithfulness.

David’s Hope International is committed to take the next step and turn the Morgan House property into a working and sustainable orphanage—enabling the children in Eburru who have no home, to thrive with food and an education and not just survive on the streets without hope for the future. David’s Hope International has joined where God has obviously been working; the circumstances surrounding the Morgan House is a complete God ordained miracle. It is our hope and prayer that God’s glory will be seen as we focus on the children of Eburru, and therefore impact the entire community.

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