On The Ground

So we've landed, made it through customs, and all is well. There is much showering, laundry, and processing to be done. Stay tuned for a recap of our last day plus a couple of daily recaps that never made it online due to lack of internet. I'll let you know when they're posted. Thanks everyone!

KENYAN "BARBEQUE"

Our God is an awesome God!! As you all probably know, by the grace of God, we were able to finish the ceiling of the main events room/chapel at Naomi's Village, therefore, we had to celebrate! The celebration started with the dedication of the chapel. Bob and Julie Mendonsa told the story behind Naomi's Village, and the vision that God has given them for the orphanage. Our teammate, Joe, shared a word from the book of Nehemiah, and the Lord truly spoke through him, and encouraged us to not only be more grateful for our salvation, but also emphasized that we should "seek first the kingdom of God." We finished the dedication of the chapel with singing Kenyan style, and praying over the chapel, that God would be present there. Chai and Chapati followed soon after. It was amazing to walk into the chapel, and see the beautiful finished product, and to see God's grace and provision in that room. We were definitely reminded of

1 Corinthians 15:58, and we can't wait to see the children eating, playing, and worshipping in that room.

Soon after the dedication of the chapel at Naomi's Village, some of us headed back to Comfort The Children to enjoy the kiddos and the Malaika Mums one last time. We were able to help feed the kids and also enjoyed dancing and playing with them. George, in particular, had some amazing dance moves. I think I need some lessons from him! We were also able to meet more of the mothers of the kids, and hear some of their stories. One story in particular touched my heart: One of the older women that takes care of the kids at CTC told us that she was caring for 16 children at home, including her own children, and also children of family members that had passed away. She told us that she had recently hurt her back, but continued to work because there was no other way to provide for the children. This woman's strength and her servant's heart was completely amazing to observe and hear about. Those who didn't go to CTC, got to go to the slaughterhouse and butchery to get goat and beef for the "barbeque" at Naomi's Village tonight.

The rest of the day was spent fellowshipping, playing volleyball and soccer, and watching goat and beef get cut up Kenyan style with a machete, and cooked. We all enjoyed a lovely bowl of potatoes, cabbage, and boiled goat. Dan and Peter had also grilled nyama choma and beef, and I can proudly say that everyone on the team at least tried the goat! We were so pleased to see our wonderful friends from the IDP camp, Joseph and Doreen, attend the "barbeque," along with all the Kenyan workers at Naomi's Village. It was truly a special time with Joseph, as he had just left the funeral service for his son Brian, who passed away earlier in the week. Tonight was both a sad occasion and a joyful one as we said goodbye to the workers we had bonded with in addition to our friends from the IDP camp.

What a wonderful day to celebrate the grace and provision of our Lord and Savior, not only in allowing the progress on Naomi's Village to continue, but also in allowing us to meet and fellowship with our wonderful Kenyan friends.

Michael and Ginny

Tighten Your Brakes

Safari Day!! It's not every day you get to say you went on an amazing African Safari with 12 other amazing people. We left bright and early this morning and headed off for a two-hour drive to Nakuru National Park to see all the awe inspiring creatures God has put in this place. It started with baboons... lots of baboons. Kenyans are actually amazed that we don't have baboons roaming around everywhere in America. Baboons in Kenya are as common as squirrels back home, however Kenyans have no clue what a squirrel is and it's harder than you think to explain it to them. Anyways, after the baboons we headed to the flamingos. Thousands of flamingos cover the beach at the park. It is so beautiful to se shades of pink and white covering the shoreline. White rhinos, leopards, zebras, and giraffes were among the many amazing animals that inhabit the reserve. It is one thing to go to the zoo and see them in enclosures and cages, but a whole other thing for them to walk right next to your car and interact with you! It was so neat to feel so exposed in our open top safari van. We looked for lions for a long time and began to lose hope of finding them. We were ready to break for lunch when we came upon a whole pack of them! Mostly females and cubs... but so big! No binoculars needed, just up close and personal (25 feet away)! It was so cool to hang out with the King of the Jungle for a while. We finished up with a late lunch at a restaurant in the park. Baboons once again were our special guests. They came and sat at the table next to us, climbed on the roof above us, and we watched as they tried to break into our van to steal our snacks. They became such a nuisance that the waiter gave Joe a big stick that he used as a fake gun to run them off. They listen when you shake a big stick at them! Even though lunch was a lot of fun, we also had the privilege of listening to our driver and friend Elijah tell the story of his life. What a strong person with such inspiring words. With all he has been through it is amazing to see the faith he has maintained. We could all learn from wisdom like that! The ride home was quite adventurous filled with laughter, jokes, singing, and overheating... enough said :) Back at Bob and Julie's tonight with a wonderful dinner prepared by Dan (our lawyer/botanist/remodeler/chef friend) we are enjoying lettuce wraps with pineapple rice (YUM!) and 3 different kinds of pie all prepared in honor of Michael's birthday tomorrow. Although today was a great and relaxing day of play, we are all completely exhausted! Joe is sleeping on the floor and Katie Mayer's head has been laying on the kitchen table for quite some time now :) Time for sleep... Good Night (Good Morning).

-Katie Rooney

Hole in the Ceiling

Happy Tuesday everybody. :) I’m sitting here writing this blog as our team is laughing and playing games together. God has blessed us with awesome friendships and community. I love our team. I love Kenya. I loved today.

Lindsey, Rachel, Kristen, and I were able to spend the morning at CURE International, a hospital primarily for children with orthopedic diagnoses. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while, because I love cheering up sick kids. I also wanted to see what healthcare looked like in Kenya. Many physicians who work at CURE are missionary doctors, so I’m not sure if this was an accurate portrayal of all healthcare in the whole country. Nonetheless, I was so impressed with the facility and with the staff. The care the staff provided was full of love, and Christ was spoken about freely, both with the patients and with the patients’ parents. There were about 30 children in the ward with various limb and spine deformities. There were no private rooms, just lots of beds. The operating room is called a “theater.”

We were able to hand out stuffed animals to each child, and we prayed with a few children and mothers. We also played with several children in the playroom. We taught them a fun version of “Jesus Loves Me,” and we sang Shakira’s “Waka Waka” with them. :) They all knew that song…it was great. They also taught us a couple songs in Swahili. A lady named Phoebe was in charge of the playroom, and she had such a heart for Jesus. She shared the gospel in Swahili with two girls in the playroom, and it was beautiful to witness. One girl named Beatrice really tugged on my heart. She was four years old with severe scoliosis, and she was precious. She was there with both her mother and father, which to my understanding is a rarity in Kenya, as most care for the family is provided solely by the mother. I think we were all really blessed by our time spent at the hospital this morning.

The rest of the team worked incredibly hard at Naomi’s Village all morning. All four guys headed out to the orphanage at 6:30 to get a head start, and the other girls followed them at 7:30. The guys all worked on cutting boards and putting them up on the ceiling, while the girls sanded and varnished boards. So much work was done in the morning. When we arrived after lunch, about a third of the ceiling was completed, and it looked a-w-e-s-o-m-e. By about 4:00 this afternoon, about half of the ceiling was completed (that’s about 2500 square feet).

Today was a day full of answered prayer. God is so good, and He’s all over this trip. Yesterday the task of completing the ceiling by Friday seemed huge, as if it were very unlikely. The room is fairly large, and we needed to sand and varnish about a million boards. (Not really a million…but there sure are a lot.) We ended yesterday by praying that the Lord would multiply our time and increase our efficiency as we worked, so that the ceiling would be completed by Friday for a dedication ceremony. The Lord is faithful, and He answered our prayers. Tomorrow Bob, his friend Dan, and the Kenyan workers will work on the ceiling, and hopefully we’ll be able to finish in on Thursday. YAY! :)

Tomorrow we get to go out on a safari, and we’re all super excited about that…I’m sure there will be tons of pictures, so be on the lookout for that.

We love you all, and we’re so grateful for all of your prayers and support. Please pray for God to continue to maximize our time as we work, as well as for our continued safety. Pray for Naomi’s Village and for the orphans that will be served. And also, pray that we don’t get eaten by any lions tomorrow…

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” -Ephesians 3:20-21

-Melissa Kauk

Fender Benders in Africa

Before coming to Kenya, Mike, Ginny, DJ, and I had the opportunity to visit Upendo Baptist Church, a Kenyan church in Dallas. While there, we were blessed to meet a man named Isaac Ndegwa. Isaac immediately greeted us as we walked into his church that day and we quickly learned that not only was he from Kenya, but he was from Maai Mahiu- the exact place we would be serving while in Kenya. From the start, the Lord filled Isaac with a passion for our ministry. He and DJ were quick to exchange email addresses and when he learned that we were from The Village Church, he took the initiative to google The Village where he then read about our partnership with the Mendonsas. He went above and beyond in his research of their ministry here in Kenya and quickly became invested in Naomi's Village and all that the Mendonsas are a part of here. He would advocate our trip on facebook, raise awareness of our fundraisers, and blessed our team immensely when him and his wife, Esther, invited us over to his house for a traditional Kenyan meal. We have been so incredibly blessed by our friendship with Isaac and know that our relationship with him was orchestrated by the Lord. It is not a coincidence that the Lord would place this man from Maai Mahiu in our life. Rather, we have been blown away by His intentionality, that He would so specifically connect us with someone who has a great heart for this place and can help further His work here. Because we have been so blessed and encouraged by Isaac, we wanted to bless him in return. Two weeks before we left, Esther gave birth to their second child, Ashley, so we were able to get pictures of their new baby to take to Isaac's mother. Our team had been so excited about the opportunity to spend time with his mom, and yesterday was the day! To sit in this woman's house, being divided by language yet united both in Christ and in love for her son was a beautiful thing. She served us the entire time, blessing us with stew, nyoma choma, chai and chipate and as any loving mother would do, she busted out with the photo albums and showed us pictures of Isaac's childhood. It was beautiful to watch her look at the pictures we brought of her grandchildren and to hear her sweet voice repeat "Thank you, Thank you" over and over again. Isaac has not seen his mother in almost a year and I cannot imagine how hard it must be to be across the world from your family. The fact that the Lord allowed us to bridge that gap, even if only a little, was incredible and we were so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with this woman who raised a man who is not only our brother in Christ, but who has become a close friend as well.

Apart from visiting Isaac's mother yesterday, we spent the majority of the day working at Naomi's Village. One of our goals for this trip was to put up the ceiling of the Special Events Room at the orphanage which would complete the room and allow the Mendonsas to begin holding church services for the community there. Up until this point, we had spent the majority of our time sanding and varnishing the wood that would make up the ceiling, but yesterday the first pieces of wood were finally nailed up and I could not help but stand in awe as I looked up and saw how far we had come. Please be praying for us as there is still an abundance of work to be done. Our hearts truly desire to get this ceiling finished by the time we leave, but the reality is that we feel overwhelmed by the task and worry that we do not have enough time to get it done. Not only is it a lot of work, but things in Kenya just take longer. We have a running joke about "African time" knowing that a task that should take one hour usually takes about three. Please pray for increased faith, that the Lord would multiply our time and grant us efficiency and productivity. Pray that we would be able to finish this room and that the ceiling would be done by Friday. Pray for us to work hard, but that we would be free from guilt if it does not get done, knowing that the Lord will complete this room in His perfect timing. Above all, please pray over this room, that it would be a place where people come to meet with and worship the Lord and where many will come to know Him.

And, just for free, we wanted you to get an accurate idea of Kenyan time and how everything takes three times as long as expected with a million obstacles in between: yesterday, from the time it took us to leave the house and get to the orphanage, we both ran out of gas and got into a mini car accident... don't worry moms- we're okay :) As we were leaving the house, Dan's car ran out of gas which caused him to stop abruptly in the middle of the driveway....which also happened to be in Bob's blind spot. As Bob was backing out of the driveway, we slammed right into Dan's car...and erupted into laughter. Everyone was perfectly fine and no one was hurt. More than anything we were amused by the irony of yet another obstacle to slow us down. Of course we would run out of gas and get into an accident...how very Kenyan of us.

As always, we love you and are so thankful for all your encouragement and support.

-DJ & Courtney Hofmann

Slumdog Millionaire

Today we woke up to monkeys in the trees just outside the ENT house and knew it was going to be a good day!

The drive to Nairobi for Sunday morning church at Wells of Joy Church took just over an hour and was filled with shocking images of poverty that I can’t even begin to describe. It was like a light switch went off as we neared the Lunga Lunga Slums just outside Nairobi. The road was a murky, black substance and the piles of trash lining the streets were similar to a dumpsite. But this is not a dumpsite; this is a city and a home to approximately 20,000 impoverished Kenyans.

We parked our vehicles behind a gate on the outskirts of the slums and were greeted by Pastor Jeffery, head pastor of Wells of Joy Church, and his family. The welcome was warm and the smiles many as team members from last year greeted old friends and the eight new members took their first steps into what felt like a movie. Pastor Geoffrey led the group outside the gate and into the heart of the slums toward two shacks where the church stood before it grew in size. As we walked down the narrow black road, the images I saw were something I couldn’t have made up if I tried. The majority of the homes and businesses couldn’t have been larger than 10 ft x 10 ft. The road was covered in trash; some half buried in mud; some raked into a pile and set on fire. Everything was covered in filth and the buildings were pieced together with scrap metal and wood. Seeing a site like that in a movie is nothing compared to actually walking within arms length of the adults and children who actually live there as the stench of sewage and body odor drenched the air.

The two former church shacks were smaller than my living room with almost no circulation at all. Pastor Geoffrey then led us to the current church shack that was a short walk away. African gospel music blared as women and children lined the front and danced with absolutely no reservations. They danced around as they waved their arms, sang at the top of their lungs and jumped to the beat of the music. Once worship was over Pastor Geoffrey introduced almost everyone in the room and then our very own, Joe Crenshaw, delivered the first sermon on Jonah and his call to Nineveh. The sermon was stirring and I couldn’t have been prouder to be a part of his team as the Lord gave Joe a message that touched the hearts of people from two very different backgrounds. The second sermon was delivered by Pastor Francis from Limuru and interpreted by Pastor Geoffrey with a lot of yelling at the top of his lungs and plenty of old fashion “amens!” Four hours later the service was over and we made our way back to the car.

After church we ate at Java House in Nairobi and had our first westernized restaurant meal since our arrival one week ago. Ordering off a menu with recognizable meals and using a public restroom with a real toilet was quite a treat!

We made our way back to the ENT house in time for an early debrief where Daniel Shanks and I shared our testimonies. Two Cure volunteers, Divine and Precious, from Zambia sat with us as the team poured love and encouraging words over our struggles. We didn’t expect the Cure volunteers to say anything but Divine ended our session with a heartfelt encouragement to continue our work with the same heart that was evident to him in only a short evening. It was a beautiful and unexpected cross-cultural moment that I will never forget.

We ended the night hanging with the Mendonsas, playing mafia, and listening to the Cowboys game.

That’s all for now. I love and miss you family, friends and supports!

-Rachel Lewis

Another Way To Follow Along With The Team

Because internet has been so hard to come by (and in case we lose it fully again), another great way to keep updated is on the Naomi's Village Fan Page on Facebook. Julie tries to keep this as updated as possible. We will still try to post here nightly (afternoon back in the states). We just wanted to give you a head's up. Thanks guys!