A Glimpse Into Mama Jean's Home: Meet Favour

Favour has been at Mama Jean's home since December of 2013. At the young age of four, Favour was on the street; however, thankfully it wasn't for very long before another organization requested he be moved into Mama Jean's.

He loves playing Jenga and Dominoes with us on Saturdays and he's good at both. He catches on to games quite quickly and enjoys playing them. He does have a short attention span though (what child doesn't?) and will leave in the middle of a game of Dominoes to go and find something else to do.

Favour is one half of a twin at Mama Jean's. He is a six year old cutie who has a smile that lights up his whole face.

Just had to add in this one!

A note from Favour:

Praise God. I am Favour. I have been staying at Mama Jean's home since December of 2013. This home saved and changed my life.

Thank you One 5 Ministries and for everyone out there for what you are doing for me. I can go to school; I can sleep in my own bed and I can stay with my brother. I appreciate it with all my heart.

May the Lord God continue to provide for us and provide for you.

We are so thankful that Mama Jean and her love for the boys was here in 2013 so that Favour, at the age of four, had a place to call home.  So that we can continue to care for our boys, plus bring in other boys, like Favour, we need your support.

If you would like to donate (whether one-time or monthly), please see below of how to do so in both Canada and the United States.

CANADA

Please visit our website (http://www.one5ministries.com/contact-us/) for the address of where to send a cheque.  Please ensure that the memo of the cheque states: O5M:Mama Jean's.

If you would like to do an online donation, please visit this website (www.reactkenya.com). They are processing the online (and cheque) donations for O5M. You will see a yellow donate button on the left hand side of the home screen.

UNITED STATES

Please visit the website (http://wordsower.org/contact_info) for the address of where to send the check. Please ensure that the memo line of the check states: Kenya: Mama Jean's.

You can also do an online donation through that website. Please ensure to designate the funds to: Kenya: Mama Jean's to ensure that it gets to the home.  

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email us at info@one5ministries.com.

Tomorrow, we'll introduce a staff member. See you then!!

In His Service,

Meredith

A Glimpse Into Mama Jean's Home: Meet Reuben

Reuben is fantastic. He is dedicated. He is quiet.

Reuben is our house dad for Mama Jean's Home. He lives with the boys; he also mentors the boys; he laughs with the boys and he loves the boys.

And he's a really good football (soccer for the North Americans here!) player.

Reuben is a single man, in his early 20's, who has decided to live life with these boys. He helps them with their homework. He is a great role model and mentor for the boys and we are thankful to have him on staff.

A note from Reuben:

"This is a wonderful opportunity that the Almighty God has put aside to create a change towards a society that we want in Kenya; through the support of One 5 Ministries. It's one full of young men, young people now that can make their own sound decisions about their future.

Whenever I talk and provide guidance on the topic of how the boys can change their life from the street to now, I know it can be done through this positive project, Mama Jean's.  It's amazing that the boys, now they can feel a sense of love from all of us here and from above with Jesus, as they can now put the street life behind them and now look to a brighter future.

All these have made us as the staff to be motivated and excited. From the discipleship we, the staff receive, we now always know and make sure that the love of God, plus our admiration and respect for Him, are always present.

So to everyone who does support or wishes to support One 5 Ministries and Mama Jean's Home, I appreciate it and give thanks to what you have done and what you can do for us all here. May the Lord God grant you a healthy life and to help accomplish our mission here with these boys in Kenya!

Please pray for Reuben today. Pray for God to continue to give him the wisdom and discernment he needs to help continue to raise the boys at the home. 

We need your support; to house, to feed, to educate and to care for these boys as well as pay the salaries for the staff members, like Reuben.  If you would like to donate (whether one-time or monthly) please see below of how to do so in both Canada and the United States.

CANADA

Please visit our website (http://www.one5ministries.com/contact-us/) for the address of where to send a cheque. Please ensure that the memo of the cheque states: O5M:Mama Jean's.

If you would like to do an online donation, please visit this website (www.reactkenya.com). They are processing the online (and cheque) donations for O5M. You will see a yellow donate button on the left hand side of the home screen.

UNITED STATES

Please visit the website (http://wordsower.org/contact_info) for the address of where to send the check. Please ensure that the memo line of the check states: Kenya: Mama Jean's.

You can also do an online donation through that website. Please ensure to designate the funds to: Kenya: Mama Jean's to ensure that it gets to the home.  

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email us at info@one5ministries.com.

Tomorrow, we'll introduce another boy. See you then!!

In His Service,

Meredith

A Glimpse Into Mama Jean's Home: Meet Emmanuel

Emmanuel is our newest boy, having arrived on August 4th.  He quickly and easily adapted to life at Mama Jean's. He fit right in with the other boys immediately and they were so welcoming and accepting of him.  

From what we understand, he hadn't been on the streets for more than a year.  He showed no signs of being addicted to glue but did show a few signs of malnourishment. It's hard to get decent (not rotten or infested with bugs) food on the streets.  We are so thankful that Emmanuel came into Mama Jean's Home when he did.

Here is what Emmanuel says about Mama Jean's Home:

 "My name is Emmanuel. I stay at Mama Jean's Home. I am 15 years old. I thank God because when I came to the home, the staff and kids living here, welcomed me with a sincere heart. I will cooperate with them in any situation because I know that the Lord has a purpose for this home.

We have been taught the Word of God which was hard for street children to get in town unless there is a crusade. I have known how loving God is towards us.

I thank and welcome you for your honest support which you have shown towards us.  We are able to eat, drink, and sleep well. Plus we can also go to school!  May the Lord bless you all abundantly!

To know that Emmanuel has heard the Word of God at Mama Jean's and KNOWS how loved he is by God, is what it's all about. The challenges are worth it when we hear this.  Praise the Lord and thank You Father for allowing us to be a part of it.

We need your support; to house, to feed, to educate and to care for these boys, like Emmanuel.  If you would like to donate (whether one-time or monthly), please see below of how to do so in both Canada and the United States.

CANADA

Please visit our website (http://www.one5ministries.com/contact-us/) for the address of where to send a cheque.  Please ensure that the memo of the cheque states: O5M:Mama Jean's.

If you would like to do an online donation, please visit this website (www.reactkenya.com). They are processing the online (and cheque) donations for O5M. You will see a yellow donate button on the left hand side of the home screen.

UNITED STATES

Please visit the website (http://wordsower.org/contact_info) for the address of where to send the check. Please ensure that the memo line of the check states: Kenya: Mama Jean's.

You can also do an online donation through that website. Please ensure to designate the funds to: Kenya: Mama Jean's to ensure that it gets to the home.   

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email us at info@one5ministries.com.

Tomorrow, we'll introduce a staff member. See you then!!

In His Service,

Meredith

A Glimpse Into Mama Jean's Home

We thought it would be a great idea to introduce each of the boys and the staff to you but to do it individually. Each day for the next nine to ten days, we will post a blog about one of our boys or staff, a picture and what Mama Jean's Home has done for them. And we may even throw in a bit of the inside of Mama Jean's Home, so you can get even more of a glimpse of this awesome place.

If you don't know the background of Mama Jean's Home, please click here to read about it and how One 5 Ministries (O5M) came to take it over.

We won't lie and say that it has been perfect in now being in charge of running this home. There have been some definite challenges, especially when dealing with ex-street children, some who have addictions and emotional scars. But we have also seen God's incredible goodness and grace; with us, with the staff and with the boys.  We have a good foundation down with the running of the home and work very well with the staff. We have seen God do miraculous things with our boys, with our staff and even stretching out to the staff's families. God wants healing; He wants restoration; He wants us to be free of everything that gets in the way of having a deeper relationship with Him.  He loves us SO much and we have seen His love in so many ways through the Mama Jean's Home.

So join us on this journey over the next week and a half as we share with you. See what we see in the eyes and in the stories of our boys and staff. It is our hope and prayer that you will support them,  pray for them, and love them like we do.

See you tomorrow with our first boy!!

In His Service,

Meredith 

And Then There Were Six...

Over a year ago, Brian, who was nine at the time, left Mama Jean's Home. We didn't know him; we weren't a part of the home then.  We don't know why he left. But about two months ago, Brian resurfaced at Mama Jean's, asking if he could come back.

We have gotten a really good routine down with the staff and the four boys living there. Sean is actively working with and discipling the staff as well as training it down to the boys.  We have seen some great healing and changes in one of our older boys and felt that everyone was at a good place to bring in another boy.

However, to also protect the boys, the home and the smooth running of it all, we also don't want it to be a revolving door for boys to come and go. So we sat down with Brian and requested a few things to be done/shown by him to see the seriousness of his wanting to return.

He came through on it all. There was a week or so when he didn't come to Mama Jean's so some of the staff went searching for him on the streets to make sure he was okay. He had been bullied by a boy who lived at Mama Jean's previously, to stop coming or he'd get beat up. We worked that through with him. He came back to Mama Jean's and then we had a party!!!

On August 1st, we celebrated Brian into the home!!!

Brian

Talking about Brian coming home.

Welcoming Brian home. 

The other boys welcoming him home. 

We had games and cake and soda for all of us to enjoy. We told Brian that he didn't have to leave Mama Jean's and go back to the street. He now had a roof over his head, food to go in his belly, an education at a school ahead of him and people who love him and want to welcome him home. We all clapped and prayed and thanked God for bringing him back. It was a fantastic day!

Sean praying over Brian. 

Sammy praying over Brian.

Having sodas and cake. 

The Boys!

The Boys and Staff!

A joke was said!

A few days later, we got a message about an emergency situation regarding a 13-year boy named Emmanuel.  Two of our staff went to find Emmanuel but couldn't. The next morning, he was found and brought to Mama Jean's.  Emmanuel has only been on the street for about 8-9 months and doesn't have signs of addiction to sniffing glue but he did show a few signs of slight malnourishment.  He was asked if he would like to stay at Mama Jean's, be off the street, and be able to go to school. He was pretty excited about that.  We'll need to do a welcome home party for him soon. 

Emmanuel

Both boys have been adapting very well, especially Emmanuel.  The staff have noticed that Brian has some anger issues that need to be worked on and prayed over. A year plus on the street, being in constant survivor mode and weaning off of the glue can cause a lot of emotions in a child, especially at the tender age of ten. 

But we know that we have a Father who LOVES these boys with a love that is so wide and so deep. He wants to see them healed; he wants their anger, their addiction, their fears of abandonment and rejection to be gone. He wants them to know Him and follow the amazing path that He has led out for them.

It's an honour to be able to love on and serve these boys and to show them and teach them the love of Jesus.

If you would like to donate towards the Mama Jean's Home and these boys, please visit our website: http://www.one5ministries.com/contact-us/ .  

You can send a cheque or donate online.  Every amount helps to keep these boys healthy and off the street.  Thank you so much!

In His Service,

Meredith

Spiritual Freedom

It amazes me when Jesus sets people free from any bondage they are in.

Some of our staff and I, have started to do discipleship.  I told them that this would be a journey that we would walk through together.  I don’t want to portray myself to them as something that I am not.  The journey toward the Kingdom is one that should be done in community.  It isn’t a solo journey.  It isn’t one that should be lead by anyone, but Holy Spirit.  I told them that I would want them to be able to take what we discover about God and walk with others in their lives outside of work on this journey.

A couple of weeks ago, as we learned about how God is the best Father figure that we can have, a question came from one of the guys.  The question that came out of the discussion was about what it means when the sins of the fathers are passed down to the third and fourth generations.

I explained that sins could affect not only the one committing the sin, but his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  I told them that if the sin wasn’t dealt with, that it could repeat itself and affect the generations perpetually until the sin was dealt with.  I told them that one could break the cycle by turning to Jesus and asking Him to bring an end to the curse.  The man that asked the question said that he would like to put an end to somethings that he knew weren’t good for him or his family.  I assured him that the following week, we would take care of it.  For this week I gave them an assignment.  To sit quietly in their prayer time, eyes closed, with the palms of their hands facing up.  As they breathed in pray “Abba,” as they breathed out pray “I belong to you.”

When we next met, I asked the guys how things were going since our last meeting.  Through their prayer time, one felt that he would be having a breakthrough.  That he would experience God’s prosperity in the near future (something I will need to follow up with).  The other two felt that there was something heavy that had left their hearts.  They both expressed issues with anger towards their families for little things, or even an irrational anger.  I asked the third what his experience with anger was.  He said he felt anger, but was able to exercise self control.  I found it interesting that the first two men are married and the third is not.

I could sense Holy Spirit say to me that there is a generational/cultural issue regarding anger that has been passed down through time.  I have no idea what the root cause is.  I don’t think that it matters at this point.  Enough generations have suffered with this problem.  People just need to be set free.

We prayed a prayer that recognized Jesus as Lord of every area of our lives.  We prayed over the house and the compound that the home is on.  Over the next three weeks I lead each of the men through a few prayers breaking generational curses, and prayers of forgiveness.  When we were finished, I asked them how they were feeling. One said that he was feeling better already and that a big weight had been lifted.  Another said that he could feel Holy Spirit filling him up.  The other one recognized that there were issues that he was going to have to address over time, but that he could sense a good change in his life.  We gave God the glory and rejoiced over the victories.

For the two men that experienced what I would call “immediate freedom” (as I have no better term to use), each had amazing stories of reconciliation within their families and friends.  Some stories revolved around people in their families wanting to turn from alcohol abuse.  Other stories had family members calling within hours of the prayer sessions asking for forgiveness.  One man had a friend who was a preacher and worship leader.  The friend had walked away from Jesus and church life and turned to alcohol.  As a result of a conversation about how good God is, the man agreed to stop drinking and return to church that following Sunday.

The great thing about living life in community, is that great follow up can be done among us.  I look forward to seeing how these men’s life have been changed by Jesus and how they are walking in freedom.  I am also looking forward to seeing how Jesus uses them to set others free too!

In His Service,

Sean

New Clothes

Usually buying "new" clothes in Kenya, means going down to the local market where there are piles and piles of clothes that have been donated from all over the world.  The local markets aren't as neat or pretty of a set up as Value Village or Goodwill back in North America, where everything is categorized by sizes, gender, dresses, shirts or pants. It's mounds of clothes that you need to dig through and usually the awesome treasures of a find are on the bottoms of those heaps.

I have found skirts and tops at the market, prices ranging from $1.00-6.00. Sean has found jeans, t-shirts and collared shirts for the same prices. And when we find the gems, we are so excited. 

When we put the word out about Mama Jean's, we received donations for it, funding that will help the home over the next few months. Important side note: Thank you so much friends! And thank You Jesus! So one of the things we did, which was desperately needed was give each boy at the home a budget for clothes and a day at the market. Oh my goodness, the sheer excitement!!! 

Here are the boys showing off in their new outfits.

Baraka

Favour

Favour & Baraka

Favour & Baraka

Kevin

Micah

Baraka

Favour

Kevin

Micah

Kevin

Micah

Favour

Micah

Handsome boys, aren't they? They were SO happy to show off their new clothes.  

If you would like to know how you can support the home or send things for the boys, please email us at support@one5ministries.com. 

If you would like to know how to donate funds to Mama Jean's Home, please go to: http://www.one5ministries.com/contact-us/

In His Service,

Meredith