Parting Thoughts- Deb Magness

The team has been spending a few days taking in the amazing sights of the Masai Mara for two days before we head home. It's been as relaxing as the prior 10 days have been exhausting. We leave tomorrow night out of Nairobi, and tonight's dinner had lots of chatter about the snow that will be greeting us upon arrival.This was a challenging trip in many ways:-- We had rain nearly every day, which meant we worked in ankle deep mud nearly every day. Yet, we thanked God because the rain - the most seen this time of year in a very, very long time - is an answer to prayer for Kenyan crops and livestock.--

The construction team faced several challenges and delays due to materials, measurements and, well, things that are "simply Kenyan." Yet, as the sun was setting, the guys raced to finish the dormitory and the kitchen. Imagine the music to Chariots of Fire as the sun is going down. Now, picture Greg Sparks nailing facia boards. You have some idea of what it took for a successful completion. The men on this trip were a blessed team as they worked to get it done.--

Our team took some hits. Literally. John Lantz has his hand in a cast right now. A truss hit him. He fractured his hand and had the doctors at Tenwek treat him. The large iron truss could have hit him in the head. Praise God for protection from something unthinkable. We had team members suffer from food poisoning, altitude sickness and an assortment of physical challenges. Yet, we thanked God for making sure each person was cared for and recovered. I think of Ray Wolfgang who picked bouquets of flowers from Kenyan fields for the two women who had to stay home from the worksite because they were sick. The highlights are unforgettable. Singing and dancing with the widows at Marigi. A wonderful Kingdom experience where the language barrier was overcome. Mudding a hut for a precious woman named Dina, as we slung mud alongside men. Her humble thank you speech brought us to tears. The many, many hours spent with the Kenduiwo children as well as those in the Bukacha. We divided and conquered to play, sing, dance, wipe tears, hug, hold hands, fix scrapes and share our love with them. It was a rough good-bye for the women who invested themselves into these kids. Thank you, ACAC family for supporting this trip. I think we did work unto the Lord.

There was an interesting "word of mouth" campaign that transpired throughout Bukacha as our work and presence became known in the village. This can only be helpful to the orphanage and the Bemm minstry ....which is doing amazing things in Christ's name in this part of the world. We will bring back lots of news about Chuck, Amy and the kids (they're doing great and will, no doubt, be happy to see their 14 guests finally leave so they can get some well-deserved rest) as well as lots of photos, video and stories about the trip.

As they say in Kenya, Mungu ni mwema. (God is good.)
Deb Magness

Wrapping Up- Jon Martz

It has pretty much rained part of every day since we arrived in Tenwek. So, work has been steady and slow. It is very unusual to have this type of weather but the rain has been important for planting crops. Yesterday we almost finished the kitchen roof. I have mostly been working with Nathan (a local carpenter) and others on this part of building. Nathan is quiet but very gifted. I consider him one of my Kenya cultural advisors. We almost finished the dorm roof but ran out of roofing sheets and time. For those women who spent a lot of time with the orphans and widows it was a difficult time to say good bye.

The kids have been having a blast with everyone. They like getting their picture taken. Pastor David and Sarah Koech have been gracious hosts at Kenduiwo. Some people have been sick. John Lantz broke his left index finger when a truss fell and hit his hand. It just missed hitting his head! He got a split which looks like a cast and will have surgery when he gets home.

On Sunday I preached a short message from Psalm 121. The words to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir song kept running through my head. There were probably 400 or so there on a hillside. It is a good thing you told me to bring some potential devotionals to share! We were honored by Pastor David and along with a member of the Kenya parliament. The women received a conga (a fabric covering) and each of the guys received a rungut (club). Today, we are leaving shortly for our safari. This probably will be the last email until I get home.

Jon Martz

Project Jambo- Dana Reed

I just want to start by saying thank you to my beautiful family for being so supportive of me on this trip. I love you all so much! So, I have been thinking about what to blog about. There have so many truly awesome experiences so far, I just don't know where to start.

So since I was one of the people heading up Project Jambo, I decided to tell you about it. So first of all, I can't begin to thank you for your donations. We had enough people donate to provide care packages for 260 children and 100 widows! Truly amazing! So a few days ago we
went to the local grocery store in Bomet. The people at the store gave us a very good deal on all the items. We had everything delivered to Amy's basement. It took days to sort out everything. We put everything in ziplock bags and packed them in huge duffel bags.

So, we went to the local orphanages and delivered the letters you wrote the packages you purchased. The very first child we handed a package to, was about 2 years old. He was so happy to get his own package. He opened it up and found his very own red tin cup. You would've thought that we gave that child a million dollars. He ran around with it and squealed so loudly. But over and over again, so many children couldn't believe that they had their own blanket, and
their own bag of stuff!

Because of your generous giving, we had more packages than orphans in the area. So we decided to gather needy children in the community. I had no idea what to expect. These children were even needier than the orphans. It was explained to us that these children had never, ever
had anything ever given to them! Some of them were from villages that have never even seen a white person. The poverty is just so extreme, and I don't think you can truly understand unless you see it with your own eyes. We had a mother come up and tell us that she could never had
afforded the gifts that we gave her daughter. We were all so moved during this whole process. A simple $10 goes so far for a child in Kenya. The whole thing is just so overwhelming. The children were so happy.

So we also handed out 100 packages and letters and pictures to some very special ladies. They were all widows, but what surprised me was all the different ages, and how young some of their children are. We gathered in a church, and called up names that were provided by community leaders. These woman were so joyful, and so happy to see us. Some would even sing and dance their way down the isle. The funny thing is, when the posed for their picture, they wouldn't smile, but as soon as I snapped that photo, they would have the most beautiful smile. I found out that it is just how they want to be pictured. So anyways, this whole experience has been overwhelming and awesome at the same time. You know, we gathered up all these packages to hand out to these women and children to bless them. I would have had no idea how blessed I could be from handing out some toiletries and school supplies.

I do have to say, these people have truly touched my heart. Just to be at the orphanage everyday and play simple games with the children has blessed me. To see people who have nothing, (truly nothing!) and be so happy and joyful. It makes me wonder. Just because we have more, does that make us more blessed?

This is a process for the 14 of us. It will take a while to process this whole experience. Thanks for all your giving to Project Jambo! Your gifts have gone a long way! I can not wait to share every detail of this experience with you!

Dana Reed

Count it all Joy- Melissa Milbert

One of the biggest differences between kids in Kenya and in the United States is their attention span. The kids in Kenya get joy out of doing the same things over and over for a long time. For example, we taught them to play duck- duck- goose. They will continue to play loooong after all of us are tired. Today we played with bubbles for hours. The kids could not get enough of trying to blow a big bubble and chasing it across the field. We also gave the children crayons and paper to color pictures. The kids patiently colored until they were finished-- there was no asking are we finished yet or what are we doing next?

Our Vacation Bible School lesson today was about being servants. We used the story of Jesus washing the apostles' feet. Following the story we washed the children's feet. It was a really powerful experience. Many of the kids run around in broken shoes, flip flops, or more commonly, bare feet. Their little feet are so dirty. At first thought, I did not like the idea of washing the kids feet. These kids have the grossest feet I have ever seen. After some thought, I realized I needed to love these kids fully. I needed to love their smiles, laughs, and dirty feet. So today, I count it a blessing, to dance, color, sing, play with bubbles, and wash the feet of Kenyan orphans.

melissa milbert

Blessed Rain... Andy Gabig

Rain,Rain, Rain, as someone who likes the stuff I am sure getting my fill. Seriosly one of my favorite things in the world to do is walk in the rain, and since landing here we have seen probably more than a foot of rain. It has hampered the work we feel we need to accomplish but guess what. it is obviouse that God has another plan. It is funny but as I was thinking this morning, I realized that this rain is just what the Kenyan's need. In reality some on this team have been praying long and hard for this very rain, the crops are depending on this rain so we will just have to lay our own agenda down and roll with what God has in store for our remaining time here on the ground.

This group has come together tremendously covering one another and just ministering to one another. We have had a great time of fellowship and get time nightly to debreif. It's beautifull what God is doing in our midst. The children at the orphanage are getting the better part of our time because of the rain, and that is another blessing. The Lord's orchestration is all we want and need. We had church in a field today and at least 300 Kenyans showed up for the service. It lasted more than 3 hours but it seemed like just a short time. Jon Martz blessed us with a great message and the team had the opportunity to sing and play for the Kenyan's (amoungst many others) and guess what the rain held off for most of the service. I know that we were a great encouragement to the church there but the truth is that they blessed us more than we did them!

It is sad to think that we only have 3 more days at the orphanage before breaking camp here at Tenwek. I will miss these Kenyan Smiles along with so many other things.

Thanks for all of your prayers we can feel the effect
Shalom
Andy

Contentment... Brock Covington

This trip to Kenya has been a life changing experience. There are so many things that has happened that will totally affect the way I see certain things and my approach to them. One in particular is the kindness and are that the Kenyan's has shown us. We have been here in Africa for eight days and have encountered hundreds of Kenyans and not one of them have been anything less then kind. This includes not only the people that we come in direct contact with but even the Kenyans that we pass on the side of the roads wave and give us a smile each and every time that we pass them. This from people who have very very little. People who live in Villages off of dirt roads (NO PAVED ROADS) and most walk around in their bare feet. People who don't have the luxury of eating anything other then beans and rice each and every day. People who don't know what it is like to have a choice of what to wear. No cars, no big houses (and the little house that they do have has no electricity) no video games, no televisions and no toys. But in spite of this they do have is contentment. They have humility, kindness, gentleness and love to name a few.

Unfortunately in the good old U.S., it's hard to go an hour without hearing moaning, complaining or get some other kind of negative attitude. I don't want to get into an American bashing mode but we all need to look at what we have and learn how to be grateful and thankful for what God has blesses us with and stop making material things our God. Our desire for more and bigger is not what the Kingdom of God is all about. Our desire should be seeking how we can help the less fortunate. How we an win souls for the Kingdom of God. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul.

We came over here to assist and/or help the Kenyans but they have truly blessed each and every one of us on this trip. They probably helped me more then we have helped them. What a joy to get to know so many wonderful people.

Brock

At a Loss for Words- Justina Sparks

a picture is worth a thousand words, right? i've taken 1,930 pictures already. do the math and you might be able to understand how even i might be at a loss for words to describe my experiences so far...but i guess a logical place to start would be today.

the men and women (girls and boys?) went separate ways for the first time: the men were back to the daily grind at kenduiwo, roofing and being manly, while the women embarked on a journey with a mysterious overtone that can only be identified as apprehension. let me back up- this morning, we were all zombies. instant-human (just add caffeine) zombies. so...yeah, we were apprehensive to say the least concerning the hut-mudding plans in store for us.

the road to the hut itself was rough, to say the least. it was about forty-five minutes of driving on bumpy roads (i'm sure you've heard about them, but if not...ask us when we get home) followed by a hike down a road that alternated between muddy slicks, patches of grass, and rock formations. when we got to the village, a beautiful woman (are there any not-beautiful people here?) greeted us warmly and brought us down to the home we were going to mud...a wooden skeleton.

men were chopping dirt from a wall of earth and pouring water over it, then stomping it with their bare feet to mix it into a sort of natural plaster. the process to the mudding seemed simple: shove globs of mud between the spaces in the frame and make sure there aren't any holes...so we followed their lead and did our best.

after chai and an hour-long hike back up the hill (mountain.), it was time to pass out the gift packages to the children of the area. this is the part of the day that gets me. there's always one person that sticks out and makes my eyes well up (don't worry, i man up before i start to cry. i'm not a total sap.)...this time, it was a woman escorting a little boy. the boy didn't react much to the package (shock? confusion? it's a lot to take in), but the woman was smiling as big as the ocean is deep. she shook my hands furiously when i handed the boy his blanket and toilet paper and said "thank you, thank you" over and over again...in english, so i would be sure to understand. i was taken so far aback by the pure joy all over her face- in the lines around her eyes, the gaps in her teeth, the tears in her eyes. how do you react when you realize that you are a part of that joy?

god is all over this trip. i can't say that enough. everything that goes wrong- waking up at 3am every night, torrential rains, carsickness, bad dreams, exhaustion- has had a purpose. my mom's words keep coming back to me...when our family is fighting and experiencing utter chaos, she pulls us together and reminds us that as christians, we are always susceptible to spiritual battles, especially when the lord's work is upon us. she's right, as usual. our battles here are only because there is one that hates to see us spreading the unconditional love of christ to people that need it. so far, his attempts to foil god's plans are failing pathetically...and with a team like this and the support we have (on earth and above it), he will continue to do so.

Glory to God,
Justina Sparks

Love Has no Value Unless... Becky C.

So, the hardest part of my day today was making balls of dirt about the size of a basketball out of the mud from the ground. Today we helped mud a house for one of the widows in the village outside of Tenwek. The experience was more than amazing! There is something to be said about being in your bare feet and using you hands to help build a home that people will live in. It is quite a process that I never believed I would be able to take part in. This is one of the many things we have experienced here in Kenya. There is so much I still need to digest about the trip. So many things that stick out in my mind but, one thing that I keep coming back to is a sign in Pastor David's home....it says LOVE HAS NO VALUE UNLESS IT IS SHARED.

I keep coming back to that thought. It's amazing how most of our lives we spend so much time looking for love yet, we are so hesitant to give it away. I wonder if we all spent more time giving love away how would the world change and even more how would we change. Pastor David is an example of a man more than willing to give it away, a man who prays and depends on god to make it. He has opened his home, given his resources, and been a role model to thirty eight kids who have nothing. They are blessed because of him, we have been blessed because of them, and God will surely bless him.

Becky Chiappelli

New Perspective- Lori Hornack

Today I found myself in tears once again, at the orphanage Mojia. We went to deliver care packages. There was a little girl there that I remember well. She shouted out with joy at receiving the gift package. Imagine a little child excited about receiving soap, toothpaste, a blanket and a plate. Simple items that bring shear joy. It makes me feel ashamed of how the "things" in our life have become so important.

The people in Kenya are wonderful, they rely on God because the reality is they have nothing else to put their trust in. I find myself questioning where is my trust? Do I trust God more if I did not have the things that I do? Amy and I went to a village to give out deworming medicine. We saw malnutrition, children with desperate needs. It was heart breaking, yet they were smiling and grateful to receive medicine. Our presence here seems to mean so much to these people yet do they know how they bless us with there presence. We work very hard each day but my team members are the most amazing people.

Christ is so evident in all of them. The laughter that we have had on this trip I don't think I have ever laughed this hard. I treasure each and everyone one of them. This trip has been an eye opener, you know things are bad in third world countries but this bad? It is unimaginable to me that this poverty exists. I have seen children without clothes, shoes, malnourished and it is all so unnecessary. I am blessed I have been able to share this trip with my husband Brian.
It has strengthened us in sharing this experience together.

Kenya has to be one of the most beautiful places on this earth yet beyond the beauty is the ugly truth people are dying. Brian taught the children how to dance, Ill save that one for another day :) The children wait for us to come every day, it is endearing to see and also when we leave at night they will follow the truck all the way to the end of the road and then some. The need is overwhelming to see. What Chuck and Amy do here is unbelievable. They are incredible people in an impossible situation. Christ is so very evident in them.

Tomorrow we mud a hut for a widow and give out more care packages. I love meeting the women here they are so receptive and loving. They feed us lunch everyday and it is wonderful they have hardly anything yet give so much. Hmmm I know there is a message in that. I woke up screaming the night before last and Justina and Dana both had nightmares please pray for us. Famous quotes from team members "save yourself go to the grass. " No!" and .... are you mad at me"? Just for the record my children need to see this first hand,.....................

Chumgay and goodnight,
Lori Hornack

Who is blessed?

Hi

As i look around at the smiles on the faces, and there faith. I asked my self is it a blessing to have more or less? First i am more blessed because i am around them. I see how hard they work but have little. how they are not in bondage to people because of debt. They trust in God for there next meal but are very friendly not bitter but happy and generous and very thank full. so i don't know what is a blessing.

Chuck and Amy Bemm
Serving with World Gospel Mission
Tenwek Hospital