2014 MAT team is set

KENYA HELP 2014 MISSION AWARENESS TRIP

 

Our team is now decided for the next Mission Awareness Trip to Kenya in January 2014.

There will be a total of 13 including 4 leaders.

One interesting fact about this team is that apart from Peter and Rob (2 of our leaders), the entire team is female.

This will make the role of our other 2 leaders, Linda and Belinda, even more vital as they provide pastoral care for the team.

2014 Mission Awareness Trip - Information Afternoon

Our next Mission Awareness Trip to Kenya is planned for January 2014.
Come along to our information afternoon on 2nd February 2013 to find out what is planned and how you can join us in seeing what God is doing in Kenya.

Current Fund Raising Events

This time of year there is always so much happening for everyone in the lead up to Christmas.

Last weekend Kenya Help had a stall at the local "Taste of Christmas" day. This annual day raises finds for SECET (Shoalhaven Employers of Christian Education Teachers). Kenya Help contributed to SECET by paying for our stall site. It was a very busy day for the whole event and sold many items from our stall including cards from Kibera Paper, jewellery from Heshima Children's Centre in Kenya and many packs of our Kenyan tea and coffee.

This Saturday we are holding another stall at the Playtime of Bomaderry fair day. If you are in the area call in and see us (Bomaderry Anglican Church) 10am - 2pm.

Later this month we are also having a fund raising move night. (See below for details)

Farewell day (Friday 20th January)

Today the team started departing Kenya. First to leave we're Andrew, Sam & Ryan. I dropped them at the airport about 5:30am. To the rest of the team, final packing was the morning priority.
With the packing complete, we headed to the Elephant Orphanage then lunch at Amani ya Juu. Amani ya Juu means peace from above and it is a ministry for marginalised women. They produce beautifully sewn items as well as running a cafe. We decided to lunch there.
After some last minute shopping, etc, it was time for the next split in the team. This time Joey & Louise were bundled into a private taxi to transfer to their next accommodation. Joey & Louise have now arranged to extend their Kenyan adventure by 12 days. I then transferred my belongings to my next accommodation (I'm stay until late Feb - more about that later).
I enjoyed one final Kenyan meal with the remainder of the team before saying goodbyes as they headed for the airport.
The whole trip has been an adventure for all of us in so many ways. We have been stretched physically, emotionally, culturally & spiritually. Thank you to everyone who has blanketed us in your prayers.
Joey & Louise might continue to blog here but I will blog my extended stay on my own blog - http://blog.ozcorners.net

Long Day...

We left the Mara today for the Sarova at Lake Nakuru. After a late start, 7am, then turning back to retrieve a forgotten phone, being held up by Joseph ( truck driver) buying charcoal, the truck stalling and being push started - unsuccessfully by the boys, then more successfully by a passing tractor, the truck window blowing in with Linda and Sam on the receiving end and slow service at the park gate - we finally arrived - about 9 hours later - missing lunch and afternoon tea.

Pete stayed with kids and Davie young ones for a swim while the rest of the team went for a twilight game drive around Lake Nakuru. We saw about a dozen rhino, including 3 babies and a rarely spotted black rhino.

We thought we could cross Leopard off the list and complete seeing the big 5 when Joey spotted one sleeping in a tree, but alas, it turned out to be a lioness. Further on up the road we saw a lioness with 4 young cubs (approx. 2 months old) and spent a good while watching her and her cubs.

Despite not seeing a leopard, it was up there in the top 10 safari experiences, for me anyway!

Safari - Masai Mara (Monday)

Today we were picked up at 6:30am for the long drive to the Masai Mara. After checking into our accommodation & having lunch, we head off for our first drive through the Masai Mara National Park. We saw so many animals for our first day. Camera were clicking non-stop!

Sunday

Since it was the last Sunday that the whole team would be in Kenya we decided to attend Nairobi Chapel which was the church that planted Lifespring Chapel. It is huge and a very vibrant and evangelistic church.

After the service Peter, Tom & I dropped Joey and Louise over to Lifespring Chapel to attend the Youth service. Meanwhile the rest of the team checked out the markets at Prestige Plaza and grabbed some lunch.

The home group that Linda & I attend in Australia sponsor a young girl (Merilah) through Kenya Help and so we arranged to visit her family on Sunday afternoon. Together with Stella (one of our Kenya Help staff in Kenya) we did some grocery shopping and then spend a couple hours visiting Merilah, her sister Julie & their mother.
It was as we expected but still an emotional time. This is a family that has really had a sad history and is in so much need. We thank God that we are able to assist them.

Compassion Project (Saturday)

Today we returned to Lifespring Chapel to join in their Compassion program. 350 children are registered to attend each Saturday although today it was more like about 250.
We ran a series of games with the children divided into smaller groups and then gathered all the children together to show them our puppet show. They loved it!

Kibera Paper (Friday)

Kibera Paper is an ingenious solution that offers a living wage for fulfilling work. Local offices donate waste printed matter and this is pulped down, dyed and dryed, and transformed into beautiful handmade paper. The paper is used to create exquisite greetings cards which are designed by three in-house artists and made by our team of 22 craftspeople. We also provide work for a manager and a book-keeper. Those with young babies bring them to work; the older children attend school, some for the first time, because their parents can now afford the fees.

Thursday at Elyon High School & Heshima

Today we started by dropping most of the team at Elyon High School while a few of us went shopping for supplies to perform a surprise for the girls dormitory (up to 11 girls board in a dormitory about 100 metres from the school. With the shopping completed the girls on our team transformed the dormitory; replacing the mattresses, adding sheets pillows and blankets, bedside mats, stools, posters and painting, and a few personal items for each girl. We also supplied a large quantity of food staples (rice, ugali, etc). We purchased stationary and equipment that is so vital in running a school. While the girls on our team revamped the dorm, some of the guys on team just hung out with the students and a few of us demonstrated how to make a solar powered light using water, bleach and an empty soft drink bottle. We even installed 2 in the school library. We also presented some of the funds raised in Australia to allow the school to purchase much needed science equipment and chemicals. We'd love to have spent more time with them (as with everywhere we have been). On our way home we stopped at Heshima Cente for Disabled Children. (www.heshima.org) Heshima is swahili for dignity. Disabled children and often their mothers are shunned by their families and community. This centre is an oasis in this harsh environment for these special people. Although the children had already gone for the day by the time we arrived we were still given a guided tour by the director (Tracy). While the children receive the occupational therapy each day the mums are employed in a jewellery business that is used to raise funds to both pay the mums and support the work of the centre. Of course the had to visit the centre's jewellery shop - Digity Designs. Individuals purchased items and we also purchased a quantity to sell back in Australia for fund raising. For dinner we visited Carnivore Restaurant. (others will write about that)