A Better Life

I (Sean) recently went to visit a family that is supported through O5M.  This is a family that has eleven children that lost their mother while she was giving birth to her last set of twins (there are three sets all together).  The father of the children is living in Nairobi, while the children stay with their grandparents.  The grandmother would like nothing better than to care for all eleven children, but she just can’t afford it.  She does some casual work, helping in peoples’ farms with weeding, or other odd jobs that she can find.  Her husband is retired and doesn’t work anymore.  So, for now, she takes care of four of the grandchildren.

They live in a small two room home.  The main room is the sitting room.  There is a smaller room that contains two single beds and clothes hanging from the ceiling.  This is where the grandparents sleep.  There is a narrow path between the two beds that is just wide enough for a person to side step.  The husband has a foam mattress, and the wife sleeps on a hand made mattress that is maize sacks (woven plastic bags) sewn together and filled with dried grass.  The simple construction reminded me of a historical home I visited in downtown Toronto when I was in grade school.

That mattress was made from burlap and horse hair and was much thicker, and I am sure more comfortable.  I got to lay down on the horse hair mattress and found it to be very nice.  I don’t think the mattress the grandmother gets to sleep on provides very much support.  I am sure she can feel every wooden slat that supports her and her mattress as she sleeps.

Grandma's Bed

The four grandchildren get to sleep on the sofas in the sitting room.  These are probably less comfortable than Grandma’s bed.  The cushions are thinner and with two children per sofa (one older, one younger), there is not much room.

Kids' Bed

This month, thanks to a couple of families in Canada that support two of the grandchildren, we were able to purchase two mattresses for the children to sleep on.  They don’t have beds, yet.  But, down the road, maybe we can help this family build a couple of extra bedrooms and provide all eleven grandchildren a safe and proper place to sleep.

Something else we were able to provide for this family, is a water filter.  This filter is something that is built close by to where this family lives and is sold in the grocery stores in town.  It about $20 and filters the water so that water borne diseases, like typhoid are no longer present.  The family does get their water from a local bore-hole, but this filter will give them added protection from the water they drink.

Food and Mattresses Delivered 

One of the grandchildren also received a letter from a child in the family that supports her.  This is a great opportunity for her and her sponsor family to learn to communicate through letters.  It will help her with her english skills, and let her know that there are people on the other side of the world who care about her.

Purity with Sienna's Letter

These items that we were able to purchase, as well as the food that we bring each month, are able to provide a better life for the children.  It will make it easier for the grandmother to keep the siblings together, as the other seven children are staying with other family members, and a children’s home in the area.

I have been developing a discipleship course based on Neil Anderson’s “Victory Over the Darkness.”  It is my hope that by using this material, that we can help people break free of the idea that they are more than sinners who don’t stand a chance.  We want them to understand that, thanks to Jesus, they can live a life that frees them up to live in a Kingdom mindset as fully accepted children of God; co-heirs of the Kingdom; priests and a holy nation.  We want them to live lives in the knowledge that they are accepted, significant, and secure in Jesus.

I started the first portion of this teaching with our family, and they were grateful for the message.  I am really looking forward to see how they grow in their understanding and seeing how their lives will change as they begin to live in freedom. 

One last note about this family we have come to know.  Out of their poverty, they are still willing to give.  As a “Thank you,” the grandmother wanted us to take an entire bunch of bananas that were growing on her compound.  We thanked her very much for the generous offer, but refused to accept them, as we knew that it would add more nutrition to the family.  This grandmother continues to give out of gratefulness, even when she has very little to offer.

God's Grace

She was 13 years old when she gave birth to her first born. She was a child herself when she became a mother.  Usually for a woman to become a mother at this early age, it usually means one of two things: 1) she was raped or 2) she became a young bride.  For Grace, it was the latter.

She is disabled from the waist down.  She wasn't going to be able to bring in money for the family by working for them as a house girl or by doing manual labour. She wasn't able to go to school. The next best thing was to marry her off to a man, where the family could receive at least some money for her, through a dowry.

This woman can smile.  She doesn't have much but wow, does her smile light up a room.  Although she doesn't have much in ways of materialistic things, she has a whole lot of joy. 

Ruth & Grace

 Grace has three children: Emmanuel (age 13), Janton (age 6) and Ruth (age 3) that she cares for.  She also cares for her 9 year old nephew, Dona.  They live in a slum area outside of downtown Kitale. Their house consists of a couch, a table and two chairs.  There are two beds for the family to sleep on and two worn out and torn mattresses. 

Emmanuel

Janton

Ruth

Dona

Because of her disability, Grace can't work. Most woman find jobs like weeding farms and cleaning homes for other people to help generate an income to feed their families but no one will hire Grace. They see her more as a burden than for the joyful woman she is. Thankfully, Grace was given a wheelchair years ago and is able to get around, rather than being cooped up in her home all the time.  Grace and her children rely on their neighbours to give them scraps of food or well-wishers to give her handouts.  There is a local church that provides her with food each December and they send all the children, other than Ruth as she's too young, to their school.  It makes us happy to see that the church, the community, is helping in ways that they can.

We, O5M, received a donation to help support a widow with a trade/schooling.  We were told it was to go to whatever widow we felt would benefit from this opportunity.  We discussed and prayed about it and felt that Grace would be the one who would best be able to use it at this time.  She is only 26 years old and needs a fresh start.

We have a few ideas of what types of trades/schooling she can do with her upper body that will generate a great income for her in the long run where she will be able to become self-sustaining.  We will be meeting with her again to see about the ideas and her thoughts so that we may move forward.

However, in the meantime, we would like to find sponsorship for her three children and nephew for food and general needs.  Please consider sponsoring Emmanuel, Dona, Janton or Ruth.  For a full sponsorship and one sponsor, it is $50 per month per child. If you are unable to do a full sponsorship, you can sponsor one of the children for $25 per month (there will be two sponsors as it needs to equal $50 per month). This provides them with basic food, general and any medical care (such as malaria meds) each month.  Because their schooling is already looked after, we can put a bit of the sponsorship money each month toward new beds, blankets and mattresses.

You will receive yearly updates on your sponsor child. Plus if you "like" O5M's Facebook page, you will get random updates on your child when we post pictures of deliveries or discipleship time. 

Please look at the website:  www.one5ministries.com for more details or email us at support@one5ministries.com.

In His Service,

Meredith

This is an article that showed up on our Facebook page.  It is....basically what the title says.

Being a missionary, we completely understand this article.

So, here's a glimpse of the missionary heart.

10 Things Missionaries Won’t Tell You

Being a missionary is hard work. Everybody knows that. But the things we think of as the hard parts – lack of modern amenities, exposure to disease, and the like – only begin to scratch the surface of the difficulties of real missionary life. Often, it is the things left unsaid that really begin to erode the passion and soul of a missionary. Here are just a few of those things…

1. THEY DON’T HAVE THE TIME OR ENERGY TO WRITE…BUT THEY DO IT FOR YOU.

WHAT THEY SAY

Have you read my latest newsletter?

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

Newsletters, blog posts, website updates – all the “experts” tell me that I need to be sending you fresh content on a regular basis so you won’t forget about me. But here’s the thing…writing is hard, especially for those who aren’t natural writers. You know what else is hard? HTML, CSS, PHP, and a bunch of other tech-geek stuff that you have to learn about just to make a decent-looking website or email. I really want to tell you what’s going on, but it’s hard to turn out gripping narratives while I have a sick child asleep in my lap. And if I have to look up how to code a “mailto” link one more time, I’m going to scream!

2. FACEBOOK “LIKES” DON’T PAY THE BILLS.

WHAT THEY SAY

Thank you so much for the encouragement!

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

I’m glad that you liked my Facebook status. I really am. The thing is, when I say we need $1,200 by the end of the week to pay the school fees for orphaned children, I’m talking about actual dollars and actual need. Contrary to the rumors, Bill Gates doesn’t donate a dollar for every Like. That part is up to you. So, the next time you Like my status, consider sending a few bucks my way too.

3. THEY ASK FOR MONEY BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CHOICE.

WHAT THEY SAY

I’m trusting God to provide, and I’m so thankful for our donors.

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

Lest you think #2 sounded a little whiny and money-hungry, you should know that I truly despise asking for money. I always have. And now I have to ask for it almost all the time. Even when I’m not asking for it, I’mthinking about asking for it. There are never enough funds to do all the good I’m trying to do, and I live with a nagging feeling that the one person I don’t ask is the one who would have written the big check. So, when I ask for money, know that I do so with fear and trembling.

4. YOU’LL NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEIR WORST DAYS.

WHAT THEY SAY

Please pray for me. It has been a challenging week.

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

Things are pretty bad here. If I told you what’s really going on, you would either come rescue me, or think I was exaggerating. If you heard some of the things I’ve said out loud, you might question my salvation. If you knew some of the thoughts I’ve had rattling around in my head, you might question my sanity. Sometimes good days are hard to come by, but I don’t dare tell you the worst. If I did, you would probably tell me to throw in the towel.

5. THEY NEED A VACATION…BUT WON’T TELL YOU IF THEY TAKE ONE.

WHAT THEY SAY

I just need a time of refreshing.

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

After 2 or 3 years of hard work, most people feel like they deserve a little break. Take the family to the beach. Visit a theme park, a national park, or Park City. I would love a vacation, but honestly, I feel guilty “pampering” myself, rather than putting all my time and resources into the ministry. On top of that, I know some people will judge me if my vacation is “too nice.” If I scrape and save pennies for 5 years so I can spend a week on an exotic island, you’ll never hear about it, because I can’t handle the snarky, “It must be nice” comments (the ones you’ll say to my face), or, “My donations paid for your vacation” (which you’ll think, but not say out lout – at least not to me). So, I keep some great stuff to myself for fear of being judged.

6. HOSTING TEAMS IS A NIGHTMARE.

WHAT THEY SAY

I’m so excited about your team coming!

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

Bless your heart. You think you’re doing me a favor. Thirty people show up at my door and expect me to provide transportation, food, lodging, sight-seeing, and a list of service projects a mile long. You’re here to “help.” The thing is, the other 51 weeks out of the year, we manage to do what needs to be done here just fine. That is, except for the time we spend working on the logistics for your team. You come over and want to help build a fence, when I can hire local workers to build a fence for a tiny fraction of what you spent to come here. I appreciate your desire to help, and I even love having visitors, but consider the size and expectations of your group before you plan your trip. A team of 3 or 4 highly skilled people is much more valuable to our ministry than a gaggle of mission tourists.

7. “GOING HOME” IS A LOT OF WORK.

WHAT THEY SAY

It’s great to be back home.

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

Please understand, I now have two homes. When I’m at one, I’m away from the other, and there is a lot of emotion involved in that. On top of that, my life is absolutely crazy when I go “home.” I have to see relatives and friends, visit with partner churches, and take care of any number of issues that have arisen with my health, my electronic devices, and my government paperwork. Whether it’s a few weeks or a few months, I spend my time living out of suitcases and hustling from one appointment to the next. Is it good to be home? Sure. But when I get on that plane to go to my other home, I breathe a sigh of relief that life is almost back to “normal.”

8. IT’S EASY FOR GOD TO TAKE A BACK SEAT IN THEIR LIFE.

WHAT THEY SAY

I’m not very good at self-care.

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

Let’s face it, I’m no saint. I’m not any more spiritual than you are. I don’t start my day with three hours of devotional reading and prayer. I typically just get up and get to work. And there is a lot of work to be done. In fact, there is so much need here that it’s really easy to become so focused on doing things for God that I lose sight of God himself. In pursuing my calling, I’ve somehow forgotten about the caller. My spiritual life is almost nonexistent, other than the occasional desperate cry of “Why God?”

9. IT’S HARD TO TRUST PEOPLE.

WHAT THEY SAY

I’m just looking for some good strategic partners.

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

There are good people here, there really are. But I have seen the worst of humanity in my work here – much of it from people I worked with and trusted. Other missionaries and pastors can be the worst. Just when you think you know someone, they stab you in the back, the front, and both sides. I’ve gotten to where I simply don’t trust anyone. My guard is up, and it’s not coming down. I refuse to get burned again. If that means I have to do everything myself, then so be it.

10. THEY ARE LONELY.

WHAT THEY SAY

I’m OK – just really busy with the ministry.

WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY

Having neglected my relationship with God, and given up on people entirely, I’m left with just me. I hate it. I want to quit. I have dreams about what my life would be like if I went back to my old home town, to my old church, and my old friends. I could get a normal job earning a salary – with healthcare and paid vacation. I could shop and eat at normal places. Most of all, I could have normal relationships. But here? I’m all alone. I don’t know if there’s anyone like me here, and I know no one back home understands. I want to feel wanted, invited, and loved. I want someone to pour into me the way I’m pouring into others.

Taken from:  http://www.adammosley.com/2014/07/05/10-things-missionaries-wont-tell/

Revisiting Caroline...

Friday, we went back out to Lukhuna to visit Caroline.  Schools have closed after the completion of the first semester of the school year.  We were going to meet her other three children that stay with their mom.  We were also going out there for another purpose.

After the last blog Meredith wrote about Caroline, a family in Canada responded and have committed to pay for the school fees of Caroline’s children.  Yesterday, we were going to let the kids know that they would be going to a new school that was going to be closer.

When we arrived at the home, we found it locked.  The social worker we were with called Caroline and let her know we had come.  Soon after a young girl arrived and unlocked the door, and then ran off again to go get the rest of her family.  Everyone was off doing laundry.

While we waited, we kept ourselves entertained by entertaining the crowd of about twenty kids that had congregated when we showed up.  We called out a few names to see if we could guess what their names were.  The kids quickly loosened up and started sharing the names of their friends as we started guessing correct names.

Soon the entire family was gathered and we were sitting in the small room.  The curtain that was strung across the room to divide the living quarters from the sleeping quarters was down, presumably for washing.  It was then that we saw that this family sleeps on thin foam mattresses that are laid out on the floor.  The mattresses were torn.  There were no blankets.  We originally thought that there was at least a bed frame with a mattress.

We introduced ourselves to the children, and learned their names.  We then asked them if they knew that they would be attending a new school next semester that would not require them to walk so far.  They said they did, and were happy to be doing so.

We found out that Morgan, Caroline’s son, had missed a few weeks of school last semester.  When we asked why, the response was because he was circumcised, he had missed two weeks of school and wasn’t able to come back.  We were a little confused.  Usually circumcision happens during a break in the school year so that the boy has time to heal and won’t miss school.  A little more investigating revealed that Morgan came home from school circumcised.  We (Caroline included) don’t know who did it, or when, or how.  It was just confirmation that these children needed to go to a school closer to home.

Some good news for Sylvia was that her mom was able to get the money required for her to attend her last year of primary school and sit for the exams at the end of the year.  She will not be losing out on this year’s education, and should she do well, be able to attend a good high school next year.

We asked them what they would like to be when they are older.  Three of them said they would like to be teachers.  They were bookended by the oldest and youngest sisters who said they would like to be doctors.  I then went outside to take pictures of the three children we hadn’t met (Sylvia, Centrine, and Morgan).

We were also able to add some money to Caroline’s business.  With the money that she was given, she should be able to buy more clothes to sell.  We will monitor how well Caroline does with this increase in her business and see if she can’t save up some to move into something larger than her 8’x8’ room that they all stay in.

Caroline had been suffering from malaria this week and hadn’t been well enough to go out and sell clothes.  We took some time to pray for Caroline’s health.  We broke any curses that may have been spoken over the family (in particular for Morgan, although we didn’t mention him specifically in the prayers).  We asked the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to fill them with love.

I then encouraged the family to encourage one another.  To share the love of Jesus with each other.  I told Caroline that I could see that she feels beaten down.  I let her know that Jesus loved her and that she could hold her head up high because she has been working hard to make a better life for her family.  I prayed that God would take those rough edges in her spirit and smooth them out.

I asked the children to tell their mother that they loved her and to encourage their mom as she works hard to give them a good life.  The children immediately told Caroline that they loved her.  As each child spoke, Caroline thanked them, and the smile on her face grew.  Her eyes became brighter.  I was glad that we got to witness love being poured out among this family, but, I wasn’t expecting it to happen right then and there.

We had a visitor from Canada with us.  He asked if we could pray for her business.  I welcomed him to take the lead on that as he is a business man himself.  He prayed for her success.  He asked God to show her favour and get fair prices for the product she buys.  He prayed for increased confidence so that her customers would know that she is a good person to deal with.

Caroline & her children
(back: Caroline, Sylvia, Centrine
front: Morgan, Regan, Sandra)

This family is going to need a lot of support spiritually, and emotionally.  Financially, they are on the way thanks to Caroline’s hard work, and the generosity of a family half a world away.  It is my hope that as we meet with them, that we can heal those areas that need healing; build them up in the areas that they feel torn down.  We want to give them whole and complete healing throughout their entire being and see them become strong citizens in God’s Kingdom. 

In His Service,

Sean

A Grandmother's Love

I, Meredith, had a grandmother that I was very close to.  I could talk to her about anything. We would sit for hours and watch her Spanish soap operas or hockey games (she loved the fighting!).  She made the best Paella and her smile lit up the room.  She was one of the most precious people ever in my life and she knew how to love and I knew how much she loved me. On February 3^rd, 1998 she went to heaven to be with Jesus. 

My Grandma & Me - December 2007

A grandmother’s love is like no other.

Last week, we went and did an assessment on a 52 year old grandmother named Priscilla, who was raising nine of her eleven grandchildren. These eleven grandchildren all have the same mother and father.  The mother died during childbirth of her last born twins; girls who just recently turned one.  The father, after his wife’s death, didn’t know how he could care for his 11 children and so left them with their maternal grandmother.

We heard of this family from a sweet ministry that we are friends with, Mercy Rescue Trust (www.mercyrescue.co.uk).  They currently have the twin girls and it is the grandmother’s desire to be reunited with her granddaughters when they are old enough and can walk.  They were given to Mercy Rescue Trust due to the grandmother not being able to care for them in the way they needed at the time of their birth.

Since One 5 Ministries (O5M) has the Community Based Care (CBC) Program, we decided to see how the ministry could assist this family and eventually have the granddaughters reunite with their grandmother.

When we arrived to the family’s home, we were taken aback by the beauty of the land around them.  They are close to Mount Elgon and the land is rolling with green everywhere.  Banana trees, avocado trees, and guava trees outlined the different plots of land.  Even the family has a nice little plot of land in what looks like a friendly community.

We went in to their one-room mud and stick home.  It was about 10’x20’; it had two couches, one table and one old wooden chair.  There were no beds, no mattresses and no blankets.  It smelled of cow dung because the floors had just recently been smeared with it to smooth it out and apparently, to help prevent jiggers (chiggers).

We found four of the nine grandchildren there plus a number of community children anxious to greet the visitors, especially us white people.  We met a man who we found out is Priscilla’s husband. His name is Peter and he said he was 72 years old.  We also met Peter’s first wife. She looked much older than Priscilla.

As we sat and got the stories of the children, we were told that Priscilla had to send away the other five grandchildren to other relatives. She just couldn’t manage to take care and feed all of them.  Although they aren’t very far away, it broke her heart to know that she wasn’t with her other grandchildren.  The grandchildren that do live with her are Dorcas (13), Purity (11) and twin brothers, Moses and Isaac (3).

The Family

Priscilla told us that she does manual labour to feed the family. Peter is too old to work now so he stays home with the twin boys while Priscilla is out finding work to do.  The family eats only one meal a day.  I can’t imagine what the portions would have been like with five extra mouths to feed daily.

Peter and Priscilla asked where everyone slept at night and she pointed, embarrassed, to a corner where there were about two or three straw mats.  At night, they pull them out from the corner; lay them on the floor and all curl up together to keep warm.

The manager of Mercy Rescue Trust, Jedidah, asked Priscilla if she wanted her twin granddaughters back at some point.  She quickly answered yes, but her fear was that she would be taking them away from a place that she knows they are being provided for. She knows they are getting three meals a day; she knows that they get porridge every day.  And a part of her didn’t want to take the girls away from having better food and a better life.  This grandmother sincerely loves her grandchildren and you could see how sincerely they loved her.

These are the families that I love seeing children in; families that truly and genuinely love the children and want what is best for them.  And families who want their family to stay together.  

As we were getting ready to go, Priscilla told the social worker, Sally, for Mercy Rescue that she wanted to give her a chicken as a thank you for bringing us.  My heart dropped; here was a family who eat only once a day and they wanted to give one of their chickens.  My thoughts were, kill it, cook it and eat it yourself.  However, in this culture, when that is offered to you, you don’t say no. It is an insult and rude if you do.  And so Sally accepted and then we watched as two of the grandchildren and some community children chased down the chicken. Its legs were tied and it was put in the trunk of the car.

We started walking to the car and got surrounded by community children. Sean had the camera out so he took pictures of them and then showed them the pictures. The children were laughing, pointing at themselves on the screen of the camera. 

Community Kids

They loved the camera

I turned to say goodbye to Priscilla and noticed that she had gone back to the house and was returning back to the car with a potato sack about 1/3 full of avocados.  She was giving it for all of us to share.

Our avocados

I wanted to give it back but again, she wouldn’t allow it and so we couldn’t.  A woman, who has barely anything, is still giving things away. Warmed my heart and broke it all at the same time. 

Our prayer is that we can get these four children sponsored through O5M to provide food and other necessary items, including getting some bunk beds made and some mattresses and blankets bought for this family.  Our hope is that we can get this family established and then once the twin girls are ready, they will be going back to their family’s home and Priscilla will be at peace that she CAN provide enough food to include these girls back into their lives.

If you would like to sponsor Dorcas, Purity, Moses or Isaac, please visit O5M’s website http://www.one5ministries.com/sponsor-child/ for information.

In His Service,

Meredith

Empty Nesters

On Saturday, Kevin & Brison moved to their new home at Mattaw Children’s Village (www.mattawchildren.com).  They live with 11 other new brothers and sisters and a new mom and dad.

On Friday, we spent the afternoon with the boys at the club’s pool. We wanted to have a fun last day with them so we went swimming and had soda.  

That evening, during dinner, we talked to the boys about their new home and transition for the next day. All Brison really heard was that he was going to be playing with a bunch of other children; he didn’t really understand what was to come. Kevin on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on. He suddenly became quiet and didn’t really eat much. He would just stare at Sean or me and then he got these big ole tears in his eyes.

We continually reassured them that they did nothing wrong and we loved them very much. We said excitedly that they would have a whole bunch of new brothers and sisters; they would have brand new beds and blankets and a great new mom and dad. Kevin just stared at us, just grunting in agreement, tears stuck in his eyes. It broke my heart.

I had to get up from the table because the tears that were in his eyes were about to stream down my face.

After dinner, the four of us curled up on the couch and watched Cars. They love cars so it was not surprising that they picked that movie to watch. After the movie, we tucked them into bed, said our prayers together, and said good night for the last time.

Saturday was a crazy busy day at Mattaw as it was the opening of the new house that Kevin and Brison would be moving into as well as the birthday for the kids. When the boys arrived, they were greeted by the other children and whisked away.  I would randomly hear a “Mama!” as I walked across the property of either Brison or Kevin wanting my attention or to show me what they were doing.     

At lunch time, I walked into the dining hall to see Lucy, the social worker, who worked on Brison & Kevin’s case. She was how we heard of them.  I went over and greeted her and she got this huge grin on her face and said how surprised she was at the boys’ progress. She was completely amazed at Kevin and that he was walking.  “God bless you, God bless you.” She kept saying over and over again.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Lucy & Kevin

Shortly after that, we were told that the boys’ grandmother and aunt had shown up to see them.  To see the look on each of their faces as they saw Brison and Kevin for the first time in almost six months was priceless. The grandmother lit up when she saw Kevin walking toward her.  The aunt was absolutely shocked at how “grown up” they looked.

Brison & his grandma

Kevin & his aunt

Kevin & his grandma

Later in the day, everyone onsite gathered in the church where the children of the new home were introduced and presented. There were a few speakers, some songs, a prayer and then a march out of the church, following the new house parents and children to their new home.

The house mom cut the ribbon on the door of the new home and the house parents along with their new children walked into their new home.  And there went Kevin & Brison.

Cutting the ribbon

They welcomed the visitors in and we watched as Kevin and Brison explored their new house.  Then they cut the cake for everyone to share.  As I watched the cutting of the cake and the boys being held by their new siblings, the tears started to roll down my cheeks.  It was a bittersweet, happy and sad emotion.

The next little while, the boys would keep coming by to see if we were still there. They would tell us what they were doing or just come to get a hug.

Brison

Kevin

Sean’s moment of emotions was when he heard Kevin say, “Baba.” and Sean went to answer and realized that Kevin was speaking to his new dad and not to Sean.  That oh-yeah-i’m-not-his-dad-anymore moment. Again, bittersweet, happy and sad moment.

Their new baba and mama

The new family!

When it came time to leave, we pulled Kevin and Brison aside to say our goodbyes.  They confirmed that we were going home to our house while they stayed there. Yes. They asked if this was their new home and if they had a new mom and dad. Yes. They asked if were coming back tomorrow.  No. But we would come back and visit them soon.

We gave those boys great big hugs and kisses, told them we loved them and said our goodbyes.  “Bye Mama. Bye Baba. Nakupenda (I love you)!” as we walked away.

That morning, when getting ready, knowing the boys were going to their new home that afternoon, tears easily streamed down my face. I felt guilt; guilt that I was sad and going to miss them. It sounds weird but I felt like I had this expectation put on me and not by anyone in particular, this expectation that I shouldn’t get emotional or it would be a sign of weakness, a sign that I couldn’t handle fostering a child.

As I was praying while getting ready, God gave me comfort.  There is nothing wrong with loving someone; there is nothing wrong with being there for them, supporting them, or taking care of them. This is what we are to do; this is the body of Christ. There would probably be more concern if we had just said, “Here you go. Here are the boys. Nice knowing you.” And with no emotion attached to it. It would have been more like a job than a relationship.  

The body of Christ isn’t supposed to be a job or a deal, it’s the relationship building, loving and being there for one another. Taking care of and loving on the least of these (Matthew 25) and each other (1 John 4:7).

Although we are empty nesters for now, I don’t see it being for forever.  I have a mama’s heart and these mama arms and a whole lotta mama love, why not share it and give it freely to a child who needs it? Sean has a father’s heart and father’s arms and a whole lotta father love; he too, can share it and give it.  There are many more Kevin and Brison’s here in Kenya. Our arms, our home, and our hearts are open wide for them.

Us with the boys

In His service,
Meredith

Hope to the Hopeless

Last week, we went and did another assessment to a slum area that we had never been to before. In fact, we didn’t even know it existed.

We met an amazing woman named Caroline.  She’s a widow - twice over. Both husbands died of HIV.  She, herself, is HIV positive, fighting to stay alive for her children.  

Caroline’s home is no bigger than eight feet by eight feet. It is your typical home of mud and sticks with a leaking tin roof.  She has one bed and two chairs for her and her children to sleep on.

Caroline & her home

Caroline is the type of widow we love to and desire to work with.  She saved up money from casual work and invested it into a business to help support her family.  She goes to town each week and purchases clothes inexpensively.  She then walks back to her home area and sells them for a higher price.  With this business, she makes about $50 US per month.

Sean encouraged and affirmed the great work she was doing.  The more he encouraged her, the more his eyes welled up with tears.  And so did Caroline’s.  When was the last time, if ever, that she was told she was doing a great job to take care of her children? When was the last time someone showed love through their words to her?

Sweet Caroline

During our meeting with her, she told us that her 15-year old daughter was not in school because she did not have the funds at the time to register her into grade eight.  Grade eight costs a bit more because of preparation for the final exams to head the class into high school.  Unfortunately, her daughter will not be able to attend school for the 2014 year as you need to register at the beginning of the school year which is in January.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to get her registered into school in the 2015 year.  In the meantime, we are praying about what she can do for the remainder of this year so that she doesn’t stay idle at home.  We are looking into a few different options.

We also found out that her two of her daughters, ages 10 and 12, walk round-trip 40 KILOMETERS (almost 25 miles) for school each day. They head out at 6:00 in the morning, when it is still dark, walking through the slum area to get to school. The reason they walk so far is because they were going to move to that particular area, enrolled in school and then Caroline decided not to move there but couldn’t afford the fees for the schools in her new home area.

This caused us great concern as walking in the dark in both the morning and evenings is dangerous, especially for girls. The chances of them being raped, taken for child trafficking, or kidnapped to be house girls’ increases in areas of where they walk through.

We also found out that the two younger ones, ages 5 and 6, walk round-trip 12 kilometers (over 7 miles) to their preschool. This too, is dangerous for them.

When we heard this, we knew that this was an immediate need for the family; to get her four children out of the schools they were currently in and into schools that were closer so that they would be safer in walking to and from home.

This is where we are calling upon you for assistance.

In order to move the four children to a school in their home area, we need to raise $300.  This will cover the cost of: desks, uniforms, school fees, feeding program, and school supplies. 

Anything we get above and beyond that amount, we would like to put toward two different things.  The first is to increase Caroline’s current business. If we can have her invest double, she will be able to make more each month and be able to provide for her children the basic necessities of food and shelter.  Our prayer is that we can come alongside and assist with school fees for the children through the sponsorship program but she can take care of their other needs.

The second thing, should there be excess, is to purchase a bunk bed (or two), mattresses and blankets for them.   We would like to work with her to possibly find a bigger place for the family, especially if she is able to increase her monthly income. Then we can purchase the beds once she’s in the new home.

Our first and foremost desire is to protect her children and get them to closer schools.  

If you would like to assist with this, please see below of where to send the money.

You can send cheques to:

ReACT

199 Jean Street

Barrie ON

L4N 7S9

CANADA

Please make the cheques payable to: ASSISTS PROJECTS and on the memo line of the cheque or an attached note, write: O5M – Caroline.

Note:  Our apologies to our US supporters as you will not receive a tax receipt if you send funds to this address. We are working on getting a US contact so that you will be able to receive tax receipts in the near future.

We look forward to updating you on this family.

Thank you in advance for your support.

In His service,

Sean & Meredith

Least of These

I, Meredith, have been in Kenya for over eight years now. I have seen a lot.

Poverty. Death. Sickness. Witchcraft. Demons. Hopelessness.  Brokenness.  Widows. Orphans. Girls who lost their innocence too young. And not by their decision.

And I have seen the hand of my Abba, my Father in all of these situations. His love, His presence is the healing of it all.

I have seen Him remove demons from a young woman.  I have seen Him heal a little boy who’s little body was covered in HIV, chicken pox, meningitis, malaria, typhoid and pneumonia and was given less than 24 hours to live.  Less than a week later, that little boy was in our backyard, running around with a soccer ball.

I have seen Him restore beauty and love into young girls who had their innocent lives ripped out of their hands. I have seen Him in the smiles of the forgotten, the widows and orphans, by providing for them in ways that only He can provide.

I have seen Him love on Sean and me these past few months through opening doors, words of encouragement from people and providing needs without us even having to ask Him.

He knows and He loves.

With God’s leading and vision, Sean and I have started a new ministry here in Kenya (more on that in another blog) and are networking with other ministries to see how we can come alongside them and assist families in their area of which they serve.

Last Tuesday, we went with another ministry, Africa Connect, to visit the Tuwani slums.  Africa Connect has a great relationship with the people of Tuwani. They have been there many years and have transformed lives by bringing God’s love and light to a place that was once dark.

The need in Tuwani is great and we want to be able to assist Africa Connect in the desire to see the widows and their children and the orphans living with their grandparents to have a chance of getting out of poverty, free of malnutrition, healed of illnesses, education for the children, and to find hope and love in Jesus.

The first family we met, the guardian of the home was a woman whose name is Susan.

Susan

She cares for three children: two grandchildren and one nephew.  Susan is HIV positive.

Their home which is only one room and no larger than 9x20, is made of mud and sticks. Their roof is made of tin with holes where a ray of sunshine shines through a bit.  Fine for the dry season, not so nice in rainy season.  The one room home is also the kitchen to cook food in. There always seems to be a bit of smoke in the air as the only ventilation I see is the door.

I notice that there is one old bed, two couches and two chairs, all of them worn and very dirty.  There was a sheet hanging from the ceiling to separate the “bedroom” from the sitting area.

Susan looked overwhelmed, tired, and beat up emotionally. I constantly smiled at her just so I could see how beautiful she would look with a smile across her sweet face.  I got one smile. And yes, she is beautiful.

I began to get the stories of the children she cares for. Her nephew, Peter, just four years old, lives with her now. His mother lived in Northern Kenya and in December of 2013, was killed. Her life was taken by robbers; her life worth far more than what they probably stole from her.  You can still see the ache on Peter’s face of knowing his mother isn’t coming to visit him.

Susan’s grandson, Derick, is six years old with a gorgeous and contagious smile. His father was killed during the post election violence. Derick didn’t get to meet his father; he died a few months before Derick was born. Derick’s mother is away in Bible school.  She was taken by a church and comes to visit him when she can.

And last but not least, Susan’s granddaughter, Sylvia. Too young to be in school but that doesn’t stop her from following her brother Derick to school every day and sneaking into the baby class so she can be near him.

Sylvia doesn’t know her father and likely never will. Sylvia was conceived out of rape; all too common in places like Tuwani.  But the blessing is, she has a grandmother that, in her exhausted state, will still try to find food for her. She has a brother who clearly adores her as much as she does him. Beauty from ashes.

Another home we went to visit was a single mother named, Emily. She has four children under the age of six years old.  Her husband ran off on her when she was four and a half months pregnant. 

Emily

Her home is similar to Susan’s except it was about 9x12 in size and the only piece of furniture was a couch that only had one old cushion and a small stool. 

Emily looked broken and hopeless.  We found out that her two month old son doesn’t even have a name. She is waiting for her husband to someday return and give him a name.  For now she calls him the same name as her second born son: Alfred. 

The baby looked drawn and emotionless; he made no attempt at eye contact and didn’t respond to touch. Thankfully, he was a solid baby, being fed by his mother’s breast milk but still my heart ached to take him in my arms and love on him.  I wondered if he felt her sorrow, her pain.

There was a heaviness in these two specific families.  I spoke softly to God, “Shine Your light in these homes.  Let us help them, please. ” Sean prayed over each family before we left. 

Afterwards, Sean and I sat and talked about these two families.  I have been here eight years now and Sean has been here five and half years and our hearts still ache for families like these. You don’t become numb; you don’t just shrug your shoulders and say this is the way of life here.  You take care of the least of these.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" – Matthew 25:31-40