Kenya Day 4

Jambo from Kenya! Today was another amazing day for our team serving in Nairobi. We started the day by going back to the new Hope Center in Mathare #2 to continue the VBS program at the school. The morning included a Bible lesson on the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river. It is so amazing to engage with the children as they learn about Jesus - the one who loves them so much. We pray that God plants the truth of His Word deep into their little hearts.

The children made some crafts and it was so fun watching them create things. One of the games the kids participated in was jump roping. For nearly all the children, this was the very first time in their lives they were able to jump rope. We continue to be so blessed by the smiles on the children's faces as we serve them and love on them. They continue to touch each of our hearts in a very special way. In addition, we continue to be so impressed by the teachers at the school. They love the children and are so committed to teaching them about Jesus. We are most impressed how the teachers model the love of Jesus to the children they love and serve. We are so blessed to be able to serve alongside them.

Several of the men had the opportunity to continue to "Bring the Light" to several of the homes in the slums of Kosovo this morning. It is truly amazing how a simple piece of plastic formed into the shape of a small skylight can bring some light into these very small and very dark homes. Most importantly, this program allows us to share the good news of Jesus with the people in these homes. Additional professions of faith were made this morning. To God be the glory!

Both this morning and afternoon several of the guys had the opportunity to meet with a man named Paul who heads up the Micro Enterprise Loan program for the Mission of Hope. He is a young man with a huge vision for how God can change the landscape of the Mathare Valley through the development of business ideas. This program is changing the lives of so many people as they seek to survive and improve their situations. Some examples of the businesses that were visited today included several "hotels", which are actually tiny restaurants in the slums. We met a lady who buys the "scraps" of fish leftover from a market and removes the remaining fish to sell within the slums. We also visited several small vegetable stands and met a lady who runs a french fry business. In addition to the fries, she also sells soap, which is such a great idea as they go hand in hand. The highlight for the morning team was meeting a man who runs a portable knife sharpening business. He travels around the slums on an old bicycle that has been modified with a belt and pulley system, which allows him to drive the sharpening stone . These micro enterprise loans are given in groups, and are making a difference in helping to change the lives of so many people in the slums.

The highlight of the day for the women was the opportunity to visit the New Life Home, an oprhange for babies and children under 2 years of age, some of which are invected with the HIV virus. The babies and children that are there are absolutely beautiful. The ladies were able to hold them and feed them and love on them so much. It is hard to imagine these babies were abandoned or given up, but it is so heartwarming to see first-hand what this home is doing to give these babies a chance. The staff takes such great care of these babies as they seek parents who will adopt them and raise them to one day love and accept Jesus into their lives.

This evening we were invited to Doug and Jennifer Kunz's home for a wonderful Mexican dinner. They are missionaries for Christian Missionary Fellowship that have been in Nairobi since the beginning of this year. The meal was fabulous and we enjoyed our time of sharing and fellowship with them. We continue to build bonds and friendships with our teammates from White River Christian Church who are serving with us in Nairobi. Please continue to pray for the other team members from White River CC who are serving in the bush country. We look forward to joining back up with them on Sunday evening.

Pastor Ron has spent the past few days walking through the gospel of John with many of the area pastors from the churches in the slums. Ron continued his teaching today, and was so blessed by the sharing and stories of these pastors. God is using Ron in a big way as he teaches and shares his love of God's Word with his fellow pastors. Meanwhile, God is using these fellow pastors to touch Ron's heart in a very special way.

Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf. God is answering your prayers and blessing us in so many ways as we continue to serve the people in the slums of the Mathare Valley. Please continue to pray for our combined teams, and please continue to pray for the people in the slums. We are honored and truly humbled to serve and to be a part of God's work in this place.

Asante!

Posted by Tim - on behalf of the CrossWay Kenya 2009 Team