On Thursday morning, following another night of rain showers on the tin roof, we set off to tour the hospital at Tumutum. Even though the conditions were below U.S. standards, the good care being given to the patients was obvious. The tour included the medical/surgical and maternity wards as well as the HIV counseling and testing clinic. After the tour, we divided into 2 groups to go into the community with the home health care nurses. The visits were one of the highlights of the trip for me. We were able to see how the network of staff and volunteers was reaching into the communities to care for others. We visited a grandmother caring for her 8 year old orphaned grandson - both parents having died of AIDS; we climbed a hill up a muddy path and met a couple - grandfather 85 and grandmother 76 - caring for their 3 orphaned grand daughters. We witnessed how the nurse and the social worker cared for the families and for their patients. Our last stop was at a children's home/orphanage housing 185 students age 8 - 20. Many are orphaned but some have parents who just can't take care of them. There we met Eunice and Virginia - the headmistress and the President of the local congregation. They welcomed us - embraced us - and prayed for us and our families as we left them. Our closing devotions and communion on Thursday evening were especially moving. We have been changed by the experience - we are trying to determine what God would have us do although we know God wants us to be present somewhere in Kenya.
Friday arrived all too soon. Our last day as a mission team. As we began our journey back to Charlotte, I began to reflect on the week. When I look back in total, there are three words that will remain with me. FAITH, JOY and HOSPITALITY. Never have I seen such a witness to God's love through faith by people who, by our standards, have little or nothing. But, when I see how joyful they are and how we were welcomed (not just tolerated) into their midst, I wonder - are we the ones with little or nothing? If we can just remember that God will take care of our needs; faith will sustain us; will we then be free to express our joy, to welcome strangers as our guests and to share God's kingdom with others. The worship service at Covenant yesterday closed with the spiritual - "I'm going live so God can use me, anytime Lord, anytime." How appropriate.
Thank you for allowing me to share with you - I don't think I have given all that's due the experience. I believe the impact will continue to evolve. I can't wait to see where God takes Covenant with Kenya - please keep the process in your prayers.
Bill Keith
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Day Five in Kenya:
“On the road again. I just can’t wait to get on the road again….” and so we did, upcountry to the Nyeri District, home to a branch of New Life Homes and Tumutumu Hospital. The drive was lovely; the highway bordered for miles by coffee and tea plantations. Much of the landscape was terraced for local gardening, including pineapple bushes, banana trees, many potatoes and other foods of basic sustenance. Women clad in bright colors speckled the landscape as they turned the ground with a simple hoe.
The beauty of the land, the simplicity of life, and the slower pace of the country brought a timely respite from the pulse of Nairobi. Our visit to New Life Homes, Nyeri, gave us visions of possibilities. Forty-one babies have been rescued from abandonment and loved into health in twenty-four months. All but fifteen have been adopted so far.
It’s hard to fathom that $60,000 a year sustains such a ministry, and it gives us pause to consider the implications. We were loathe to admit it, but eventually most confessed to doing the math: $120,000 for 41 lives.
Kenya Mission Team
“On the road again. I just can’t wait to get on the road again….” and so we did, upcountry to the Nyeri District, home to a branch of New Life Homes and Tumutumu Hospital. The drive was lovely; the highway bordered for miles by coffee and tea plantations. Much of the landscape was terraced for local gardening, including pineapple bushes, banana trees, many potatoes and other foods of basic sustenance. Women clad in bright colors speckled the landscape as they turned the ground with a simple hoe.
The beauty of the land, the simplicity of life, and the slower pace of the country brought a timely respite from the pulse of Nairobi. Our visit to New Life Homes, Nyeri, gave us visions of possibilities. Forty-one babies have been rescued from abandonment and loved into health in twenty-four months. All but fifteen have been adopted so far.
It’s hard to fathom that $60,000 a year sustains such a ministry, and it gives us pause to consider the implications. We were loathe to admit it, but eventually most confessed to doing the math: $120,000 for 41 lives.
Kenya Mission Team
Day Four in Kenya:
Our first venture out of Nairobi landed us in the village of Renguti, a rural farming community centered on a Presbyterian church and children’s primary school. As we drove in we passed students walking on the dirt road toward the school, some of whom – we later discovered – walk ten kilometers (6.2 miles) each way in order to attend. Begun seven years ago by the Women’s Guild of Renguti and a $100 a month pledge by a member of Covenant, this school now has six buildings, seven teachers, one hundred and eighty students, a daily nutrition/feeding program, and a community health clinic.
This school is a joy. Songs from the classroom waft across surrounding fields. Teachers and students are fully engaged in the privilege of learning. Smiles abound. However, when we gathered in the courtyard for the school day’s opening songs and prayer, our eyes were also drawn to small signs if distress. Not one child was overweight. Every child’s socks were frayed. Most of their shoes were tattered. Jawbones were slightly pronounced. Hunger was only a weekend away.
A theme began to emerge at Renguti, where once again we saw that the action of one person – combined with prayer and vision – made a substantial impact. Be it providing sustainable employment for vulnerable women or educating for the poorest of poor, here we have seen clearly how God honors one person’s vision and commitment and expands its impact in ways unimaginable. This has become a compelling notion for us, one with which we will continue to wrestle and seek to understand its import for our lives.
Kenya Mission Team
Our first venture out of Nairobi landed us in the village of Renguti, a rural farming community centered on a Presbyterian church and children’s primary school. As we drove in we passed students walking on the dirt road toward the school, some of whom – we later discovered – walk ten kilometers (6.2 miles) each way in order to attend. Begun seven years ago by the Women’s Guild of Renguti and a $100 a month pledge by a member of Covenant, this school now has six buildings, seven teachers, one hundred and eighty students, a daily nutrition/feeding program, and a community health clinic.
This school is a joy. Songs from the classroom waft across surrounding fields. Teachers and students are fully engaged in the privilege of learning. Smiles abound. However, when we gathered in the courtyard for the school day’s opening songs and prayer, our eyes were also drawn to small signs if distress. Not one child was overweight. Every child’s socks were frayed. Most of their shoes were tattered. Jawbones were slightly pronounced. Hunger was only a weekend away.
A theme began to emerge at Renguti, where once again we saw that the action of one person – combined with prayer and vision – made a substantial impact. Be it providing sustainable employment for vulnerable women or educating for the poorest of poor, here we have seen clearly how God honors one person’s vision and commitment and expands its impact in ways unimaginable. This has become a compelling notion for us, one with which we will continue to wrestle and seek to understand its import for our lives.
Kenya Mission Team
Day Two in Kenya. . . . .Monday, April 20, 2009
We didn’t start at a happy place today. We went to the Mathare’ slum, and witnessed the most deprived circumstances that I have only imagined until now. St. Phillips School is built in the interior of the slum to help “complement” the surrounding public schools in which there is not enough room and poor teaching. Words stretch to describe the scene: walking through the slum streets to get to the school, the “ditch” path that leads into a row of hovels which serve as classrooms on each side. The “classrooms” are packed with only about 12-16 children in each. They leak when the rains come each day during this season. Conditions are horrible. The children are served a porridge breakfast and beans & corn lunch. . . the only food they ever get. It was Monday morning, so they were hungry from the weekend.
The whole experience in Mathare’ was searing; like an old-fashioned cattle branding, it blazed its image on hearts. “Sub-human,” one person called the conditions. “Appalling,” said another. Most confusing was that such a crushing environment could not completely squelch the human yearning to grow. In one hovel disguised as a classroom, the children were learning to measure the volume of a cylinder. In another, binomial equations covered what passed for a blackboard. In still another, songs of joy rang out. In fact, our group was welcomed by a primary class singing “Joy to the World.” The dissonance between the song and the circumstance unnerved us all.
After some time to pray and process, it is still difficult to comprehend how Mathare’ exists. It’s even more difficult to understand our relationship to it, individually and as a church. During our group devotional after visiting Mathare’, Jerry Jernigan led us in this prayer:
Holy One:
We are all lost sheep needing you,
Our Good Shepherd to rescue us.
These beautiful children look to us and think:
We are so different from them.
And we look at these Mathare’ children and think:
We are so different from them.
But their teachers know it is not so.
And our teachers know it is not so.
Where we live, what we possess, the food we eat, the education we have –
all are not so different.
But the heart that needs filling,
The shoulder that needs hugging,
The mind that need assurance,
The spirit that needs your presence –
All are in each one of us and all are the same.
So you are my son, my daughter.
But what can I do for you?
At least I can pray for you.
Will you, children, pray for me?
After such an intense morning, we broke for lunch and launched into an afternoon offering the promise of retail therapy. We journeyed past the Karen Blixen home to Kazuri beads, a manufacturer of beaded jewelry. Raymond Goes, the proprietor, donates beads to groups like Covenant, Amani Children’s Foundation, and others to do generate funds with the condition that all proceeds return to Kenya to help orphans or the disabled.
Upon arrival, we toured the factory. Not your typical western-styled factory, we strolled through an open-air series of rooms talking with women who were molding, customizing, painting, and stringing beads into necklace, bracelets and earrings. During the ‘factory’ tour, we learned that Kazuri Beads began in the ‘70’s by a missionary’s wife desiring to empower Kenyan women who enjoy few legal rights. Now, Kazuri Beads employs 320 women who manufacture approximately 30,000 beads a day with a world-wide distribution network. All employees of Kazuri Beads enjoy health care benefits and the large majority of women are employed for life. In fact, the mission statement for Kazuri Beads is not oriented toward profit but toward “meaningful and sustainable employment for women.” They are clearly accomplishing their mission and members of our group (who will remain nameless) did their best in the retail shop to ensure their ongoing success.
Kim Barnhardt and Friends
Day One in Kenya. . . . .Sunday, April 19, 2009
We arrived safely last night, and had an action-packed day today. There was a Worship service at Nairobi Chapel, playing with the babies at the orphanage and visiting the children at The Ark. The children’s homes are such happy places, with caretakers who love them all and love their jobs. Many volunteers come to play with the babies, too. There is such hope for them, as most all of them will be adopted. Even those that are sick and might not be - they are the lucky ones to live in such a warm and loving place. The goal is to have these homes in all 8 provinces of Kenya. They are so close.
Kim Barnhardt
Before leaving the airport on Friday afternoon, our group gathered at the gate for a short devotional and preparation for the trip. Each participant was given a teak cross necklace to wear and instructed to present their cross at anytime during the trip to someone that had an impact on them. This was to be a special opportunity to share the love from their heart and the love from the cross to a new friend along the way. We realized today that we needed many necklaces around our necks, as 4 have already given away their crosses on the first day. Following are two of these stories of sharing. . . . .
Kim Barnhardt
Today we were uniquely blessed to worship at Mamlaka Chapel, which was completely
packed with people. It was a place where we were surrounded by people who all had a look of joy and peace on their faces which was truly amazing and humbling to witness, such grace to see. A beautiful young college medical student came and sat with me. She had that beauty that shines from within. I watched her as we sang and worshiped together. She took notes and looked up each mentioned verse. Our mission here is to become aware of God’s grace in the places and people we visit. At the end of the service I told her my name and asked her name. She replied, “My name is Grace.” I gave Grace my necklace with joy.
Jane Kuester Taylor
Our last visit today was at The Ark, an incredible place that cares for children from New Life Homes who will likely never be adopted because they are HIV positive. Currently, there are 9 children living at The Ark – 6 boys and 3 girls between the ages of 5 and 8. When we first arrived we noticed a young man and woman sitting on the couch in the main living area. We did not have time to talk with them initially, because shortly after we arrived the 6 boys came bounding down the stairs to greet us. Their joy was infectious and we soon went out to the driveway to play with the frisbees and soccer balls we brought with us. Later during our visit, I had the opportunity to talk with the young couple who had been sitting quietly in the living area when we arrived. The woman, Tantu, told me that they were native Nairobians. She had volunteered with the babies and toddlers at New Life Homes when she learned of The Ark that cares for older children, who will not be adopted. She said, “Unlike New Life Homes, people rarely come to visit these children. They need us.” Therefore, she gives her time and comes to visit and play with these children every weekend. Some weekends she takes them on special outings. She said, “I love these children.” I was so moved that I shared my cross with her. I told her that she had touched my heart. We were visiting for such a brief time, but she is there every weekend, a constant and loving presence in their lives. I thanked her for loving these children and through tears she graciously accepted my cross.
Kristi Walters
Kim Barnhardt
Today we were uniquely blessed to worship at Mamlaka Chapel, which was completely
packed with people. It was a place where we were surrounded by people who all had a look of joy and peace on their faces which was truly amazing and humbling to witness, such grace to see. A beautiful young college medical student came and sat with me. She had that beauty that shines from within. I watched her as we sang and worshiped together. She took notes and looked up each mentioned verse. Our mission here is to become aware of God’s grace in the places and people we visit. At the end of the service I told her my name and asked her name. She replied, “My name is Grace.” I gave Grace my necklace with joy.
Jane Kuester Taylor
Our last visit today was at The Ark, an incredible place that cares for children from New Life Homes who will likely never be adopted because they are HIV positive. Currently, there are 9 children living at The Ark – 6 boys and 3 girls between the ages of 5 and 8. When we first arrived we noticed a young man and woman sitting on the couch in the main living area. We did not have time to talk with them initially, because shortly after we arrived the 6 boys came bounding down the stairs to greet us. Their joy was infectious and we soon went out to the driveway to play with the frisbees and soccer balls we brought with us. Later during our visit, I had the opportunity to talk with the young couple who had been sitting quietly in the living area when we arrived. The woman, Tantu, told me that they were native Nairobians. She had volunteered with the babies and toddlers at New Life Homes when she learned of The Ark that cares for older children, who will not be adopted. She said, “Unlike New Life Homes, people rarely come to visit these children. They need us.” Therefore, she gives her time and comes to visit and play with these children every weekend. Some weekends she takes them on special outings. She said, “I love these children.” I was so moved that I shared my cross with her. I told her that she had touched my heart. We were visiting for such a brief time, but she is there every weekend, a constant and loving presence in their lives. I thanked her for loving these children and through tears she graciously accepted my cross.
Kristi Walters
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Kenya Is Calling...
In Matthew 25:40 we learn that Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, just as you have done it to one of the least who are members of my family, you have done it to me.”
During our Kenya mission trip we will live those words as we visit abandon HIV/AIDS children at New Life Homes and The Ark, the youngsters at St. Phillips School and Renguti Elementary School, and the heroic medical staff at Tumutumu Hospital. Additionally, we’ll visit Kazuri Beads and Amani ya Juu where disadvantaged women are creating beautiful products which transcend ethnic differences.
Covenant’s heritage is social awareness and activism; whether in Haiti, Mexico, Appalachia or Highland Academy. This trip will help reaffirm our past and define our future, who we are and whose we are. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
Jerry East
During our Kenya mission trip we will live those words as we visit abandon HIV/AIDS children at New Life Homes and The Ark, the youngsters at St. Phillips School and Renguti Elementary School, and the heroic medical staff at Tumutumu Hospital. Additionally, we’ll visit Kazuri Beads and Amani ya Juu where disadvantaged women are creating beautiful products which transcend ethnic differences.
Covenant’s heritage is social awareness and activism; whether in Haiti, Mexico, Appalachia or Highland Academy. This trip will help reaffirm our past and define our future, who we are and whose we are. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
Jerry East
Greetings all,
I am in awe of the tremendous support our team has received from Covenant members, family, friends and business associates - donations, emails and especially your heartfelt hugs! It's hard to believe that we are just about 24 hours away from departing on this journey we have planned for so long. Packing some of the shoes and baby blankets last night, I was reminded that God has been so good to us already. I know God will continue to lead us over the next week as we listen for what we are called to do for our brothers and sisters in Africa. Continue to pray for the people of Kenya and for our team. Check in on us from time to time - we are anxious to share with you all!
Bill Keith
I am in awe of the tremendous support our team has received from Covenant members, family, friends and business associates - donations, emails and especially your heartfelt hugs! It's hard to believe that we are just about 24 hours away from departing on this journey we have planned for so long. Packing some of the shoes and baby blankets last night, I was reminded that God has been so good to us already. I know God will continue to lead us over the next week as we listen for what we are called to do for our brothers and sisters in Africa. Continue to pray for the people of Kenya and for our team. Check in on us from time to time - we are anxious to share with you all!
Bill Keith
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Dear Friends:
One of the beautiful dimensions of any mission experience is to experience the strength of the body of Christ. Many times over the past week I have asked for your prayers, given thanks for for your support, and shared excitement over the venture that awaits. In fact, this evening at dinner I shared a table with three people who stitched baby blankets for orphaned babies and promised daily prayers for our endeavor. I'm confident I will remember them as we present their blankets and know that their participation is part of what makes this mission worthwile.
We'll do our best to keep in touch, to reflect, share, and communicate as we are able. In return, I solicit your regular prayers for each member of the team.
With love and gratitude,
Bob Henderson
One of the beautiful dimensions of any mission experience is to experience the strength of the body of Christ. Many times over the past week I have asked for your prayers, given thanks for for your support, and shared excitement over the venture that awaits. In fact, this evening at dinner I shared a table with three people who stitched baby blankets for orphaned babies and promised daily prayers for our endeavor. I'm confident I will remember them as we present their blankets and know that their participation is part of what makes this mission worthwile.
We'll do our best to keep in touch, to reflect, share, and communicate as we are able. In return, I solicit your regular prayers for each member of the team.
With love and gratitude,
Bob Henderson
Many, many thanks
We are off in about 48 hours to Kenya...and we will take so many of you with us...all of you who have brought in the children's shoes for the African Babysteps project...over 425 at this point...and nearly 60 handmade or knitted baby blankets for the Swaddled in Grace project! The generosity and support of this church constantly overwhelms me. Most of all I have been moved by great warm hugs of best wishes and reminders that we will be traveling with your prayers. We hope to rock many babies, learn about the many ways the people there are caring for each other...and we promise to bring back pictures and stories...please ask us to tell you what we saw and learned. Many blessings to you all while we are gone...and thanks again for what so many of you did to make a difference in a child's life. We really do carry you with us!!! carla leaf
Monday, April 13, 2009
A journey into Africa...from Covenant Newsleter
“What binds us together is the prayer, the promise and the lifting of each other’s burdens, the commitment we have made and kept, to be companions to each other on the road that we share. What binds us together is the laying down of our lives for each other in a way that we cannot even explain.” from Living Prayer by Robert Benson
Sometimes we travel to unexpected places on “roads” we are not familiar with, are not really sure how to navigate, and actually do not even know what our destination is. But we travel confident in the promise that awaits us.
On April 17, a group of Covenant members will travel to Kenya to explore the opportunities for Covenant to meet with some amazing people who are passionately and boldly helping the children of Africa.
We will meet Clive and Mary Beckham who, while involved in a number of humanitarian projects, became aware of the plight of abandoned and orphaned babies, particularly those born HIV positive. They started New Life Homes where the babies are treated with the dignity, love and respect that all babies deserve. With a generation of parents dying from poverty and AIDS, the traditional extended tribal structures can no longer care for the unprecedented number of orphans. In Africa, over 40 million children have lost one or more of their parents, and they are vulnerable to neglect, abuse, radical politics and perhaps to eventually getting AIDS themselves. Babies are abandoned in hospitals, ditches, bus stops and pit latrines. When found, they are brought to the New Life Homes orphanages and cared for…and a unique phenomenon has been experienced…over 75% to 90% of the HIV positive babies admitted became HIV negative after a few months of care. The babies are adopted by families who take a radical stand for the value of children and against the taboo of adoption and the tyranny of tribalism. Together with their new families, these babies are the most hopeful part of the story, and these new families are the beginning of a generation of progressive leadership. We also will visit the Ark Family Home which houses ten children over the age of two, and cares for children who have not been adopted, usually due to special medical needs.
We will meet Salvador and Irma Astudillo de la Torre. Together these two people are firm in their commitment to the African people. Salvador is a doctor with Tumutumu Hospital. The hospital site was chosen in 1909, and since 1956 is one of three mission sites sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. Tumutumu serves as a teaching hospital, as well as providing the rural community it serves preventive and basic curative health care. With admissions of over 7,000 patients a year, the hospital provides excellent maternal, child health care and AIDS prevention. Tumutumu provides training to approximately 100 nursing students annually by providing hands-on experience in the community. Irma’s commitment to the children of Africa is very obvious when you have the opportunity to listen to her story. Committed to educating the children and giving them hope to escape the poverty, she serves with the St. Phillips School, located in one of the worst slums, Mathare, in Nairobi. Mathare is a collection of slums with a population of approximately 500,000 people. Irma also has a presence with the Renguti Elementary School. Started by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, and adopted by the women of the church to serve children, this school provides what is often the only nutritional daily meal a child will receive and their life sustaining AIDS medication.
We will meet the African artists and bead makers when we visit the Kazuri Bead factory. Founded by Lady Susan Wood, child of African missionaries, this visionary recognized the need for jobs for impoverished African women. Begun in 1975 in a simple shed with two employees, the Kazuri Bead project has grown into a successful center for needy women who have no other source of income. The beads are made with clay from the Mt. Kenya area the factory acts a social community as well and the hum of voices can be heard all day. Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Act.
We will meet the women in Amani ya Juu, a refugee cooperative that is a sewing-marketing training project for marginalized women in Africa. The women involved in this project are learning to work together through faith in God who provides a higher peace that transcends ethnic differences.
Who else will we meet? We are not sure, but we hope to encounter many strangers who will become friends and will lead us to the destination that God intends Covenant Presbyterian Church to discover. We know the children of Africa need our support…and we will listen…we will watch carefully…we will learn…and pray that we can make a difference in the lives of the Kenyans and that they will make a difference in ours.
Would you like be a part of the travels? We would like to take a piece of each of you on our exploratory trip to Kenya. Here are the ways you help!
African Baby Steps …The Shoe Project
We would like to take with us 300 pairs of children new shoes (for children ages 1-5) for the children of New Life Homes, who are taking their first steps onto the road of a healthy life. Please bring shoes (without the boxes) to the Rec Wing or the church office by April5, 2009. Please bind the shoes together with string or a rubber band.
Swaddled in Grace…March 24, 6 pm
All women of Covenant Presbyterian Church, young and old alike are invited for a simple meal and a time of community. Much like the women of Africa, we hope to hear the hum of voices on this intergenerational night as you choose to make Amani ya Juu necklaces (to support the stay of an orphan in New Life Homes) and/or make flannel receiving blankets and knitted baby blankets to take to Africa in April. Bring your knitting needles, worsted yarn, and/or sewing supplies (needles, thread and scissors)…all other materials and patterns provided. A short video on New Life Homes will be shown. Make a reservation 704.333.9071 http://www.covenatnpresby.org/ by March 18th. Cost is $8.
Questions? Contact Martha Isaacs or Carla Leaf.
Anyone not able to attend, but would like to help,
contact Carla Leaf @704.804.7578 or carla.leaf@covenantpresby.org
Prayers for the Road…for the children, the Kenyans and those who travel.
Trip Participants:
Staff: Bob Henderson, Carla Leaf
Trip Leaders: Bill Keith, Kim Barnhardt
Team Members: Jerry Jernigan, Toney Mathews, David Isaacs, Kerr Collins, Mark McAlister ,Kristi Walters, Jerry East, Jane Kuester Taylor, Martie Griffin
Medical Team: Louise Rogers , Amy Ryan , Catherine Austin, Rebecca Nesbit , Will Summerville, Libba Gaither
Sometimes we travel to unexpected places on “roads” we are not familiar with, are not really sure how to navigate, and actually do not even know what our destination is. But we travel confident in the promise that awaits us.
On April 17, a group of Covenant members will travel to Kenya to explore the opportunities for Covenant to meet with some amazing people who are passionately and boldly helping the children of Africa.
We will meet Clive and Mary Beckham who, while involved in a number of humanitarian projects, became aware of the plight of abandoned and orphaned babies, particularly those born HIV positive. They started New Life Homes where the babies are treated with the dignity, love and respect that all babies deserve. With a generation of parents dying from poverty and AIDS, the traditional extended tribal structures can no longer care for the unprecedented number of orphans. In Africa, over 40 million children have lost one or more of their parents, and they are vulnerable to neglect, abuse, radical politics and perhaps to eventually getting AIDS themselves. Babies are abandoned in hospitals, ditches, bus stops and pit latrines. When found, they are brought to the New Life Homes orphanages and cared for…and a unique phenomenon has been experienced…over 75% to 90% of the HIV positive babies admitted became HIV negative after a few months of care. The babies are adopted by families who take a radical stand for the value of children and against the taboo of adoption and the tyranny of tribalism. Together with their new families, these babies are the most hopeful part of the story, and these new families are the beginning of a generation of progressive leadership. We also will visit the Ark Family Home which houses ten children over the age of two, and cares for children who have not been adopted, usually due to special medical needs.
We will meet Salvador and Irma Astudillo de la Torre. Together these two people are firm in their commitment to the African people. Salvador is a doctor with Tumutumu Hospital. The hospital site was chosen in 1909, and since 1956 is one of three mission sites sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. Tumutumu serves as a teaching hospital, as well as providing the rural community it serves preventive and basic curative health care. With admissions of over 7,000 patients a year, the hospital provides excellent maternal, child health care and AIDS prevention. Tumutumu provides training to approximately 100 nursing students annually by providing hands-on experience in the community. Irma’s commitment to the children of Africa is very obvious when you have the opportunity to listen to her story. Committed to educating the children and giving them hope to escape the poverty, she serves with the St. Phillips School, located in one of the worst slums, Mathare, in Nairobi. Mathare is a collection of slums with a population of approximately 500,000 people. Irma also has a presence with the Renguti Elementary School. Started by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, and adopted by the women of the church to serve children, this school provides what is often the only nutritional daily meal a child will receive and their life sustaining AIDS medication.
We will meet the African artists and bead makers when we visit the Kazuri Bead factory. Founded by Lady Susan Wood, child of African missionaries, this visionary recognized the need for jobs for impoverished African women. Begun in 1975 in a simple shed with two employees, the Kazuri Bead project has grown into a successful center for needy women who have no other source of income. The beads are made with clay from the Mt. Kenya area the factory acts a social community as well and the hum of voices can be heard all day. Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Act.
We will meet the women in Amani ya Juu, a refugee cooperative that is a sewing-marketing training project for marginalized women in Africa. The women involved in this project are learning to work together through faith in God who provides a higher peace that transcends ethnic differences.
Who else will we meet? We are not sure, but we hope to encounter many strangers who will become friends and will lead us to the destination that God intends Covenant Presbyterian Church to discover. We know the children of Africa need our support…and we will listen…we will watch carefully…we will learn…and pray that we can make a difference in the lives of the Kenyans and that they will make a difference in ours.
Would you like be a part of the travels? We would like to take a piece of each of you on our exploratory trip to Kenya. Here are the ways you help!
African Baby Steps …The Shoe Project
We would like to take with us 300 pairs of children new shoes (for children ages 1-5) for the children of New Life Homes, who are taking their first steps onto the road of a healthy life. Please bring shoes (without the boxes) to the Rec Wing or the church office by April5, 2009. Please bind the shoes together with string or a rubber band.
Swaddled in Grace…March 24, 6 pm
All women of Covenant Presbyterian Church, young and old alike are invited for a simple meal and a time of community. Much like the women of Africa, we hope to hear the hum of voices on this intergenerational night as you choose to make Amani ya Juu necklaces (to support the stay of an orphan in New Life Homes) and/or make flannel receiving blankets and knitted baby blankets to take to Africa in April. Bring your knitting needles, worsted yarn, and/or sewing supplies (needles, thread and scissors)…all other materials and patterns provided. A short video on New Life Homes will be shown. Make a reservation 704.333.9071 http://www.covenatnpresby.org/ by March 18th. Cost is $8.
Questions? Contact Martha Isaacs or Carla Leaf.
Anyone not able to attend, but would like to help,
contact Carla Leaf @704.804.7578 or carla.leaf@covenantpresby.org
Prayers for the Road…for the children, the Kenyans and those who travel.
Trip Participants:
Staff: Bob Henderson, Carla Leaf
Trip Leaders: Bill Keith, Kim Barnhardt
Team Members: Jerry Jernigan, Toney Mathews, David Isaacs, Kerr Collins, Mark McAlister ,Kristi Walters, Jerry East, Jane Kuester Taylor, Martie Griffin
Medical Team: Louise Rogers , Amy Ryan , Catherine Austin, Rebecca Nesbit , Will Summerville, Libba Gaither
Tidbits of Information
Interesting facts, logistical items, links, and other reference information:
- Local time for Kenya is 7 hours ahead of Charlotte as of April 9. Keep in mind that different parts of the world observe daylight savings time at different times. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=170
- Nairobi is at 5450 ft (1661 m) and the population is 1.3 million. Weather and additional information can be found at http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/?id=100051
- Map of Kenya. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Kenya&utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk-gm&utm_term=kenya%20map
- Link to Mamlaka Hill Chapel which is on of the places we will visit: http://www.mamlakahillchapel.org/
Books and Movies of Interest
Some books and movies that provide perspective on our journey:
- We Are All the Same (Wooten)
- Out of Africa
- The Constant Gardner
- Nowhere in Africa
Moral of the story
Our activities will cause us to ask the questions addressed in this article.
http://ethicist.blogs.nytimes.com/?hp
http://ethicist.blogs.nytimes.com/?hp
Mission Trip Itinerary
Mission Trip to Kenya – April 17 – 25, 2009
Tentative Itinerary
Friday, April 17 - the total group
Be at airport at 2:00; flying Northwest 1573
Depart Charlotte for Nairobi (via Detroit, Amsterdam) @4:15
Saturday, April 18
9 PM - Arrive Nairobi 7:05pm– Transportation to lodging
Lodging: - CHAK (Christian Health Association of Kenya)
Sunday, April 19
Morning - Attend Church Service at Nairobi Chapel
Sunday Services:
10.30 - 12.00 noon
Impala Grounds, Ngong' Road
Nairobi University Mamlaka Hill
Lunch
Afternoon – Visit New Life Homes
New Life Home Trust
PO Box 25341 ,
Nairobi 00603 - Kenya
Tel: (020) 3869514; 3864743
Fax: (020) 3874955
Mobile : 0722-406064; 0733-221176
http://www.newlifehometrust.org/
New Life Homes
New Life Homes was born through the founding of a baby rescue home in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1994. The founders, Clive and Mary Beckenham, had been involved in a number of humanitarian projects when they became aware of the plight of abandoned and orphaned babies, particularly those born HIV positive. As the program progressed, a unique phenomenon was experienced – 75% to 90% of the HIV positive babies admitted became HIV negative after a few months of care.
The Ark
The Ark’ Family Home opened its doors in 2003. It is an annex of the Trust’s main home located nearby in Kilimani (Nairobi). ‘The Ark’ has the capacity to house 10 children over the age of two and cares for children who have not been adopted, usually due to special medical needs. The children are cared for by a housemother and caregivers; all the children attend local schools.
Visit Maasai Market @ Yaya
Dinner
Monday, April 20
Morning
St. Phillips School in Mathare in Nairobi
Mathare is a collection of slums in Nairobi, Kenya with a population of approximately 500,000 people;[1] the population of Mathare Valley alone, the oldest of the slums that make up Mathare, is 180,000 people.[2] Mathare is the home of football team Mathare United.
Afternoon
Kazuri Beads -The Kazuri Story
Kazuri Founder - Lady Susan Wood was born (1918) in a mud hut in an African village. Her parents were missionaries from England in the Ituri Forest. Lady Wood was sent back to England to be educated and married Michael Wood, a surgeon. They came to Kenya in 1947. They were dedicated to making a difference and Lady Wood started a coffee plantation on the Karen Blixen estate, famous from the award winning movie "Out of Africa", at the foot of the Ngon'g Hills, about 30 minutes from the bustling Nairobi city center in Kenya. Lady Wood was a visionary, an unsung hero of her time. She assisted her husband in founding the East African Flying Doctor Service, which expanded into the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) of which Michael Wood was Director General for 29 years. Michael Wood was knighted in 1985.
In 1975, Lady Susan Wood set up a fledging business making beads in a small shed in her back garden. She started by hiring two disadvantaged women, and quickly realized that there were many more women who were in need of jobs and so Kazuri Beads was created and began its long and successful journey as a help center for the needy women especially single mothers who had no other source of income. In 1988 Kazuri became a factory and expanded hugely with over 120 women and men. Here women are trained and apply their skills to produce these unique and beautiful beads and jewelry. The beads are made with clay from the Mt Kenya area thus giving them authenticity to their craft. The factory acts as a social gathering with the hum of voices continuing throughout the day. With unemployment so high, one jobholder often ends up providing for an "extended family" of 20 or more. Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Act
Today Kazuri, the Swahili word for 'small and beautiful' produces a wide range of hand made, hand painted ceramic jewelry that shines with a kaleidoscope of African colors and Kenyan art that reflects a culture and appeal to a worldwide fashion market. Kazuri's beautifully finished products are made to an international standard and are sold worldwide. These standards are maintained through high training standards and a highly motivated management team.
In 2001 Mark and Regina Newman bought the company and their goal is to further increase the size of the company and to maintain the guiding philosophy ... to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of Kenyan Society.
Tuesday, April 21
Morning
Renguti Elementary School (about 1 hour outside Nairobi)
Started by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and adopted by the women of the church to serve children. Provides food and AIDS medications.
Need to take 5 soccer balls to play with kids – possibly take art supplies for art class.
Afternoon
Amani ya Juu (meaning “higher peace” in Swahili) – a refugee cooperative - is a sewing-marketing-training project for marginalized women in Africa. The main center is located in Nairobi, Kenya with sister centers in Rwanda and Burundi. The women involved in the project are learning to work together through faith in God who provides a higher peace that transcends ethnic differences. Amani itself portrays a unique picture of diversity with women coming from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia as well as other African countries.
Purchase items for Alternative Gift Market.
Wednesday April 22 and Thursday April 23
Morning
Pack up to move north of Nairobi
New Life Home in Ruiru - provides meals for many of children in the area.
Tumutumu Hospital
Tumutumu Hospital is situated in the Central Highlands of Kenya between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range. It is 130 km north of Nairobi, and is at an altitude of 5,900 feet. The mission site was chosen in 1908 by Drs. Henry Scott and Arthur of the Church of Scotland. Outpatients were first seen in 1909 and inpatient work commenced in 1910. Since 1956 Tumutumu has been one of the three mission hospitals in Kenya sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). The hospital now consists of a number of one story buildings, with 203 beds, and is surrounded by lawns, flower beds and trees. The majority of the population served is Kikuyus -- the largest tribe in Kenya — and the language spoken is also primarily Kikuyu. Most local people are small scale farmers.
Tumutumu hospital serves as a teaching hospital as well as providing the surrounding rural community with preventive and basic curative health care. Although medical care is available in this particular area from government services, patients come to Tumutumu because of the quality of nursing care, the availability of drugs, and the holistic patient care given at the Tumutumu Hospital. There are growing numbers of admissions yearly, now over 7,000 per year. Over 50,000 outpatients are seen yearly, as well. The hospital provides excellent maternal and child health care in the form of prenatal, family planning, and well-baby immunization clinics as well as treatment of minor trauma and routine tropical diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. It is also well equipped to care for complications of common childhood illnesses such as measles and whooping cough and gynecological and obstetrical problems. Its community outreach activities focus on some of these same primary health care programs through operation of eight dispensaries. An AIDS prevention program has been developed as well. Tumutumu provides training to approximately 100 nursing students annually. In these hospital and outreach settings, the program is able to give student nurses very practical, hands-on training.
Visit possible new mission endeavor
Thursday, April 23
Morning
Travel with medical teams from hospital into homes and/or schools.
Friday, April 24
Drive to Nyeri – New Life Homes
Go to an authentic African Market
Kenya Mountain team leaves for Mt. Kenya
3:00 return to Nairobi and have dinner
Group #1 - Bill, Carla, Toney, Louise, Amy, Martie, Kristi, Jerry
Arrive airport @8:00 pm
Depart Nairobi at 10:10pm Northwest 8566 PM for Charlotte (via Amsterdam, Detroit)
Saturday, April 25
Group #1 arrive Charlotte Northwest 1570 3:25 pm
Sunday, April 26
Group #2 Catherine, Jerry E., David, and Jane
Arrive airport 8:00pm
Depart Nairobi at 10:10pm Northwest 8566 PM for Charlotte (via Amsterdam, Detroit )
Monday, April 27
Group #2 arrive Charlotte Northwest 1570 3:25 pm
Group #3 Kim, Kerr, Bob, Mark, Rebecca, Will
Arrive airport 8:00pm
Depart Nairobi at 10:10pm Northwest 8566 PM for Charlotte (via Amsterdam, Detroit)
Tuesday, April 28
Group #23arrive Charlotte Northwest 1570 3:25 pm
Tentative Itinerary
Friday, April 17 - the total group
Be at airport at 2:00; flying Northwest 1573
Depart Charlotte for Nairobi (via Detroit, Amsterdam) @4:15
Saturday, April 18
9 PM - Arrive Nairobi 7:05pm– Transportation to lodging
Lodging: - CHAK (Christian Health Association of Kenya)
Sunday, April 19
Morning - Attend Church Service at Nairobi Chapel
Sunday Services:
10.30 - 12.00 noon
Impala Grounds, Ngong' Road
Nairobi University Mamlaka Hill
Lunch
Afternoon – Visit New Life Homes
New Life Home Trust
PO Box 25341 ,
Nairobi 00603 - Kenya
Tel: (020) 3869514; 3864743
Fax: (020) 3874955
Mobile : 0722-406064; 0733-221176
http://www.newlifehometrust.org/
New Life Homes
New Life Homes was born through the founding of a baby rescue home in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1994. The founders, Clive and Mary Beckenham, had been involved in a number of humanitarian projects when they became aware of the plight of abandoned and orphaned babies, particularly those born HIV positive. As the program progressed, a unique phenomenon was experienced – 75% to 90% of the HIV positive babies admitted became HIV negative after a few months of care.
The Ark
The Ark’ Family Home opened its doors in 2003. It is an annex of the Trust’s main home located nearby in Kilimani (Nairobi). ‘The Ark’ has the capacity to house 10 children over the age of two and cares for children who have not been adopted, usually due to special medical needs. The children are cared for by a housemother and caregivers; all the children attend local schools.
Visit Maasai Market @ Yaya
Dinner
Monday, April 20
Morning
St. Phillips School in Mathare in Nairobi
Mathare is a collection of slums in Nairobi, Kenya with a population of approximately 500,000 people;[1] the population of Mathare Valley alone, the oldest of the slums that make up Mathare, is 180,000 people.[2] Mathare is the home of football team Mathare United.
Afternoon
Kazuri Beads -The Kazuri Story
Kazuri Founder - Lady Susan Wood was born (1918) in a mud hut in an African village. Her parents were missionaries from England in the Ituri Forest. Lady Wood was sent back to England to be educated and married Michael Wood, a surgeon. They came to Kenya in 1947. They were dedicated to making a difference and Lady Wood started a coffee plantation on the Karen Blixen estate, famous from the award winning movie "Out of Africa", at the foot of the Ngon'g Hills, about 30 minutes from the bustling Nairobi city center in Kenya. Lady Wood was a visionary, an unsung hero of her time. She assisted her husband in founding the East African Flying Doctor Service, which expanded into the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) of which Michael Wood was Director General for 29 years. Michael Wood was knighted in 1985.
In 1975, Lady Susan Wood set up a fledging business making beads in a small shed in her back garden. She started by hiring two disadvantaged women, and quickly realized that there were many more women who were in need of jobs and so Kazuri Beads was created and began its long and successful journey as a help center for the needy women especially single mothers who had no other source of income. In 1988 Kazuri became a factory and expanded hugely with over 120 women and men. Here women are trained and apply their skills to produce these unique and beautiful beads and jewelry. The beads are made with clay from the Mt Kenya area thus giving them authenticity to their craft. The factory acts as a social gathering with the hum of voices continuing throughout the day. With unemployment so high, one jobholder often ends up providing for an "extended family" of 20 or more. Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Act
Today Kazuri, the Swahili word for 'small and beautiful' produces a wide range of hand made, hand painted ceramic jewelry that shines with a kaleidoscope of African colors and Kenyan art that reflects a culture and appeal to a worldwide fashion market. Kazuri's beautifully finished products are made to an international standard and are sold worldwide. These standards are maintained through high training standards and a highly motivated management team.
In 2001 Mark and Regina Newman bought the company and their goal is to further increase the size of the company and to maintain the guiding philosophy ... to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of Kenyan Society.
Tuesday, April 21
Morning
Renguti Elementary School (about 1 hour outside Nairobi)
Started by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and adopted by the women of the church to serve children. Provides food and AIDS medications.
Need to take 5 soccer balls to play with kids – possibly take art supplies for art class.
Afternoon
Amani ya Juu (meaning “higher peace” in Swahili) – a refugee cooperative - is a sewing-marketing-training project for marginalized women in Africa. The main center is located in Nairobi, Kenya with sister centers in Rwanda and Burundi. The women involved in the project are learning to work together through faith in God who provides a higher peace that transcends ethnic differences. Amani itself portrays a unique picture of diversity with women coming from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia as well as other African countries.
Purchase items for Alternative Gift Market.
Wednesday April 22 and Thursday April 23
Morning
Pack up to move north of Nairobi
New Life Home in Ruiru - provides meals for many of children in the area.
Tumutumu Hospital
Tumutumu Hospital is situated in the Central Highlands of Kenya between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range. It is 130 km north of Nairobi, and is at an altitude of 5,900 feet. The mission site was chosen in 1908 by Drs. Henry Scott and Arthur of the Church of Scotland. Outpatients were first seen in 1909 and inpatient work commenced in 1910. Since 1956 Tumutumu has been one of the three mission hospitals in Kenya sponsored by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). The hospital now consists of a number of one story buildings, with 203 beds, and is surrounded by lawns, flower beds and trees. The majority of the population served is Kikuyus -- the largest tribe in Kenya — and the language spoken is also primarily Kikuyu. Most local people are small scale farmers.
Tumutumu hospital serves as a teaching hospital as well as providing the surrounding rural community with preventive and basic curative health care. Although medical care is available in this particular area from government services, patients come to Tumutumu because of the quality of nursing care, the availability of drugs, and the holistic patient care given at the Tumutumu Hospital. There are growing numbers of admissions yearly, now over 7,000 per year. Over 50,000 outpatients are seen yearly, as well. The hospital provides excellent maternal and child health care in the form of prenatal, family planning, and well-baby immunization clinics as well as treatment of minor trauma and routine tropical diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. It is also well equipped to care for complications of common childhood illnesses such as measles and whooping cough and gynecological and obstetrical problems. Its community outreach activities focus on some of these same primary health care programs through operation of eight dispensaries. An AIDS prevention program has been developed as well. Tumutumu provides training to approximately 100 nursing students annually. In these hospital and outreach settings, the program is able to give student nurses very practical, hands-on training.
Visit possible new mission endeavor
Thursday, April 23
Morning
Travel with medical teams from hospital into homes and/or schools.
Friday, April 24
Drive to Nyeri – New Life Homes
Go to an authentic African Market
Kenya Mountain team leaves for Mt. Kenya
3:00 return to Nairobi and have dinner
Group #1 - Bill, Carla, Toney, Louise, Amy, Martie, Kristi, Jerry
Arrive airport @8:00 pm
Depart Nairobi at 10:10pm Northwest 8566 PM for Charlotte (via Amsterdam, Detroit)
Saturday, April 25
Group #1 arrive Charlotte Northwest 1570 3:25 pm
Sunday, April 26
Group #2 Catherine, Jerry E., David, and Jane
Arrive airport 8:00pm
Depart Nairobi at 10:10pm Northwest 8566 PM for Charlotte (via Amsterdam, Detroit )
Monday, April 27
Group #2 arrive Charlotte Northwest 1570 3:25 pm
Group #3 Kim, Kerr, Bob, Mark, Rebecca, Will
Arrive airport 8:00pm
Depart Nairobi at 10:10pm Northwest 8566 PM for Charlotte (via Amsterdam, Detroit)
Tuesday, April 28
Group #23arrive Charlotte Northwest 1570 3:25 pm
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