Praises:

• Lots of rain should lead to a good harvest - 2 acres are ready for new cabbage seedlings to be planted
• Purchase of 2 pregnant female goats and 1 male goat and for the nutrient rich milk this will provide to the children
• The new classroom and dining hall foundations are completed
• Eva, a third teacher, has been hired and the school is operating at capacity
• Recent increase in numbers of patients served at the medical clinic
• Over $26,000 has been raised by DHI in the first seven months of 2010

Prayer Requests:

• Katie & Kari as they spend time in Eburru July 25 - August 9
• Brandon as he spends time in Eburru July 31 - August 28
• For preparations that are underway for a winter DHI trip to Kenya and for Phil & Cindy, the trip leaders
• For the Camp Brethren leadership team in Eburru  as they coordinate all the activities, programs and new growth in Eburru
• For the DHI leadership team to have wisdom in how to direct funds and best support the work in Eburru

These last three days working at the  school have been so good. It is hard to believe that it only started 6 months ago. Currently, the school has three teachers and three full classrooms but every day people come wanting to know if we have room for their child. They like our school better than the other primary school in the area because they can tell quality education is being offered. Not only that but they are being taught the word of God daily.  The pastor and teachers want the children that are the most destitute  to be the ones that are accepted into the school….the children that would never have a chance of education otherwise because they would not be able to afford it (education is not free in Kenya). One of the best things about the school is its feeding programing. Many of the students that go to the school were extremely malnourished before but because they get a cup of porridge in the morning and a bowl of beans, vegetables, and grains for lunch many of these children are now at a healthy weight. In fact, most Kenyan schools would be on break for the next three weeks but the David’s Hope School has decided to stay open because if the school is closed, the children do not get to eat.  Because of the funds raised through David’s Hope the school now has a garden and three goats (two are already pregnant ) in order to have self-sustainability as these will provide vegetables, fruit, grains, and milk for the feeding program. In fact some one already asked if they could buy the offspring of the goats which will also help bring financial sustainability.

Pastor Steve says that Kari and I will be “pioneers” since we are the first American teachers to visit the school. In addition to helping the teachers and leading chapel hour, the pastor also wants us to develop a “training guide” on how the school runs so that other education teams that come to work in the school will have an idea before hand of what is being taught.

We had a nice long talk with Pastor Steve last night and this is what he had to say: “It is so hard for you to paint a picture of what the situation is here for the Americans. They are still living in the comfortable homes and you are here. They don’t know that many of us have gone without food today.” Several times a week the pastor and his wife Mary will drive 55 km (but it is a 2 ½ hour drive due to the horrible road conditions) to the remote village up in the mountains of Northern Kenya so that they can work at the clinic and school they started here. Mary is a nurse and works in a hospital during the week and here at the clinic in Eburru on the weekends. Although she would sometimes like a day off she knows that there are children waiting to be fed, taught, and treated here.

Luke 12:48  tells us “From everyone who has give much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” As Americans we have been blessed and given much. How are you using what God has given you?

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. – Proverbs 28:27

Pastor Steve Njenga, Mary, his wife and nurse, and 2 sons have arrived safely from Eburru to share their dreams and plans for Camp Brethren and DHI. They will be here until 4/29 visiting Va., D.C. Md. and N.C.

Requests

That God will be glorified through our efforts with all the events, fundraisers , vacation time for Pastor Steve’s visit and family
That Pastor Steve and Mary will be encouraged in their ministry and strengthened in their faith due to the visit
That God’s will for DHI (fundraising, direction and growth) is accomplished and clearly visible to DHI leadership during this trip
For safe travel to all the events and churches
For all the leaders back in Eburru that will be keeping up all the ongoing activities and programs, feedings over- seeing schools, church services and the clinic
For future mission teams that will serve in Eburru in the Summer and Fall of 2010

Praises

A young couple from N.C. felt called to move to Eburru, Kenya on March 6^th to serve there after spending 2 months there each year since 2006. They will be married by Pastor Steve there. Gitti and Curt are learning Kikura the local language, will farm on the 1.5 acres they have bought with Francis a native there, and will build a small hut to live in. Their church in N.C. and 12 sponsors will fund them. They will help Pastor Steve with Camp Bretheren Ministries, farm, and be our western eyes and ears for the work funded by D.H.I.

Help on filing our first tax return for D.H.I. from Jeremiah

Pastor Steve Njenga, Mary, his wife and nurse, and 2 sons will be coming to share there dreams and plans for Camp Bretheren and DHI from April 6^th-29th. They’ll visit D.C., Va., N.C., and hopefully Md.. churches, fundraiser events, George Washington Hospital local school etc..

Requests

That God will be glorified through our efforts with all the planning for Pastor Steve’s visit, setting up events and churches for them to share with

That Pastor Steve and Mary will be encouraged in their ministry and strengthened in their faith due to the visit

That God’s will for DHI (fundraising, direction and growth) is accomplished and clearly visible to DHI leadership during this trip

That volunteer ands details will come together in a low-stress way that glorifies God during preparation

Praise
Over $30,000 dollars has been raised in less than 1 year
For the ministry of Pastor Steve, Mary and Jonathan (Steve’s brother)
For tax exempt status going through before the end of 2009.
Building and opening of the new Camp Brethren school (2 classrooms built!)
Two new water tanks have been purchased and are in place ready to be set up
An abundance of new students (70)
Two acres of land by the creek in Riff Valley to educate people on farming, provide food for ministry, and to sell food to promote sustainability

Team Praises
Safe return of the team from the January team trip, sponsored by David’s Hope.
Wonderful VBS program talking about Jesus’ characteristics and hygiene lessons that incorporated the message of Christ
Business seminars created much interest in pursuing future endeavors with the Keyans. Kenneth and Eliud (both locals) gave great examples and were a big help to the business team.
Medical supplies- $1500.00 of supplies were purchased in country for the clinic in Eburru
Two large community feedings to celebrate the new year and the new school! These also provided and opportunity to share about Christ.

Requests
New teacher needs to be sponsored for all the new students
Irrigation system for the new land to be productive
Direction for the leaders of Camp Brethren and DHI as they set the vision for the year.
Prayers and donations to fund the future work
Smooth logistics and safe travel for Steve, Mary and their boys to Us Mar./April2010

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.”

By Denise:

I was a bit nervous this morning because it was “my day” to teach the women’s group “my” hygiene lesson. I started preparing Thanksgiving weekend with my mom, a few months ago for this moment, I had prayed for this moment, I had gone over the lessons with my mom 3 times and had two of the other team members join in the preparation 2 days before the trip. So, this morning I woke up and had my quiet time and read a few letters from home. God gave me this verse from 3 different people in the past 3 days– Psalm 73 “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your council….God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” This changed my heart, I was no longer to put on my “Hygiene Show” but rather be a vessel to serve along with the team and let the results be up to God. What a relief! The session went well and the women were a little taken aback when the team went around washing all of their feet. Giggles, smiles and a connection was forged after an initial cold start. And honestly, I wasn’t sure that it went that well, although the team assured me it was great. Then! I saw the ladies from the session at our “tippy-tap” testing out the new hygiene methods. I went over to take a picture and I was greeted with shouts of joy and one of the ladies mimed the picture of a boy pooping from the lesson – which we all had a great laugh over. My heart overflowed knowing that God had chosen to use me, supported by an amazing team to communicate to the women of Eburru. They invited us to teach more lessons at their next meeting– I am absolutely thrilled to see what else God has on His Agenda.

“The Lord’s Got it Covered”

By Angela:

Our relationships with the people of Eburru continue to grow and deepen as our time here progresses. What a blessing this has been! We have met so many interesting people and fun children. We continue to learn more Swahili as days go by, and now phrases like asanti sana (thank you very much) are a part of our vernacular. We have also adjusted to the much simpler & relaxed way of life here; where when you say that an event will start at 10, that really means 12; you only have electricity when the generator is turned on after dark, and the toilet facilities are nothing more than a hole in the ground! But what an amazing adventure this has been!

The activities that were planned today were probably some of the most challenging of the trip thus far. First, we were helping out at a medical clinic in the morning. As people waited for medical treatment, we took some time to talk to them, ask them about their lives and pray for them. Bible verses were shared, and praise songs sung. There were just a few people that came to the clinic today, but we are expecting many more tomorrow.

The medical clinic will certainly be an experience that will put us all to the test. As we talk with these people, God will surely obliterate our comfort zone and call each of us to be His voice, and most importantly, a conduit of His love. As we were praying and sharing this morning, I came across this verse:

“Thus says the Lord to you, Do not be afraid……..for the battle is not yours but God’s” –Paraphrase from 2 Chronicles 20:15

As we keep this in mind, I pray that we will find peace as we realize that all we need to do is be receptive to the Lord’s voice and allow Him to use us how He wants. I know sometimes our own expectations can trip us a bit.

Second, we ran a VBS for the area children. We started out with who I call the “usual suspects,” the kids who normally show up at our huts early in the morning and hang out with us for the better part of the day. We had Julius (affectionately called Pastor Julius), Janet, Rose, Joseph (the cutest kid in the entire world), and a few others. We talked about how Jesus wept and how he understands how it feels to be sad. Since he is able to sympathize with us, He tells us that He will listen when we pray. We did a few fun activities with the kids, including making “God’s Eyes” and playing the now famous clothespin game. After the VBS ended the kids stayed to hang out with us for over an hour, just coloring, talking, and of course, knocking each other over to get their picture taken!

I am looking forward to tomorrow, though I am admittedly a little nervous about talking with people and sharing my faith and asking about theirs. But, as the song “Hope Now” by Addison Road says: “If everything comes down to love, then just what am I afraid of?” ‘Nuff said! The Lord’s got it covered!

Hi all! Jillian here. The team agreed to let me blog today, since it’s New Year’s Day and New Year’s is my favorite holiday. I’ll be honest… I was a little bummed to be missing the festivities back home, but knew that celebrating in Kenya would be an interesting experience. We all camped out in the kitchen, preparing food for the New Year’s Community Day. At 11:30 we passed out some glow sticks which were donated to the team – pretty soon these became glowing earrings & halos. They were a big hit! We hung a “Happy New Year’s” sign in front of Tasty the Bull’s carcass and counted down with a live TV show from Nairobi before screaming and making noise to welcome in a new year. New Year’s in Kenya – definitely something I’ll remember forever!

The real fun came today though when the whole village of Eburru was invited to join Eburru church for a “Community Day”. We watched some incredibly fast runners compete in multiple races – the 2 km winner completed the race in just over 9 minutes! – and saw some great volleyball & futbol played. Everyone participated, from the little toddlers to the elderly “mamas”. Some of the team even got to participate, although none of them were at all in the running for a prize! J They actually had a race for women 50 years or older, and our team isn’t really sure if we could have won had we raced them. After feeding the community, we were able to share a devotional. All of the fun & games were a great way for Pastor Steve to share God’s love with a lot of the unchurched of Eburru. We’re praying that events like this convince the villagers of God’s love and make them want to know more. Please pray with us!

December 28: Team is on its way to Kenya.
By Phil

Nine members of David’s Hope are en route to continue the service to the people of Eburru Kenya. As we write we are in the Paris airport resting from a long flight in from Dulles and resting up for 2 weeks of loving kids. We have taken over a small section of gate F55 with bags strewn on the seats and sound asleep bodies covering the floor. Monty has been traveling the longest, her journey began early Sunday morning as she flew from her home in Augusta, GA to Atlanta to DC and then met up with the rest of the team for our 7 hour flight to Paris. In a few hours Monty will get on another plane headed to Nairobi, Kenya. Angela has already been putting her photography skills and brand new camera to good use snapping pics of John as he sleeps seemingly lifeless on the floor. Fortunately John, one of our co-leaders did awake and is currently doing some pre-trip bible study. Brother and sister Nathan and Becca are sitting side by side trying to stay warm and hydrated, not a cheap task given that bottles of water cost $7.50. Always organized and encouraging Jillian has passed out little bags of goodies to everyone, which people pull out from time to time to much on. Denise made our trip through security more fun by quoting verses from James with a hilarious accent. Francis, no stranger to travel, growing up in Brazil, Canada and the U.S., now working for the World Bank, found a delicious pastry shop here in the airport with delightful ham and cheese sandwiches. Phil, who cannot figure out why he is not tired, has been spending some time coming up with activities for the business seminar.

December 29: We’re Here!
By Denise

Wow! We are only a few days into the trip, but yet there is already so much to share. First off, our journey to Eburru has been long and quite eventful. Three days after we stepped foot in Dulles Airport, we are finally settled in our cozy mud huts in the beautiful, green land and spotting zebras, baboons, and screeching large birds overhead. What an answer to prayer to see a green Kenya! After 10 months of drought, Kenya has been blessed with a few months of rain. Things that I will remember from the last few days include: walking through the slums of Kibera and seeing the most beautiful children living in absolute filth, meeting a dentist from NC who has lived 23 years of his adult life in Kenya and considering it “without sacrifice”, singing songs in Swahili with children, and sleeping in every airport and van ride that I could. It’s been full. It’s been blessed. And I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

December 30: No Regrets
By Francis

Today we visited the hospital in Kijabe founded by Africa Inland Missions. It was quite an amazing experience to be stepping into one of the mission agencies that I studied in Perspectives class. While in that hospital, we met a missionary dentist. Dr Richard shared with us his story of how he came to Kenya with his family. I was strongly touched by something by his words: “I have no regrets”. I could see his conviction of his words in his eyes. This man came to serve in Kenya and lived a life with no regrets. How can you live such a life without regrets yourself?