Thanks for your help!

Over the course of the past year, we have sold t-shirts, necklaces, sock creatures, paintings, and other crafts to raise money for Kibera Penda Project. Since we get sponsors for all of our high school students, we usually use the money raised towards needs at New Hope Primary school which is the school we work with in Kibera.

About a week ago I met with the deputy principal at New Hope and asked about the needs. We don't like to cover primary student's school fees ahead of time because parents would begin to not try to pay school fees because they would just expect us to cover them. However, Francesca, the principal gave me a list of student who had not fully covered their fees from January to June. The school has a huge heart for these kids and doesn't want to kick them out of school. They also know the family situations of many students and their are many orphans living with older siblings. however, what this causes is teacher salaries not being paid in full and other supplies the school needs are unable to be met.

Before coming, Ava had calculated how much we had raised on selling merchandise and crafts and the total was really close to 3,000 dollars. Francesca handed me the list of missing fees In Kenya shillings. That night I converted the total to dollars and Guess what it converted to ...$3013! Wow! Ridiculously cool!

Soooooooo... If you have bought a t-shirt, sock creature, painting, magazine bead necklace, even a magnet from us in the past year THANK YOU for helping partially sponsor 144 primary school students!!!!

A New Meaning for the word POVERTY

"...until we embrace our mutual brokenness our work with low-income people is likely to do far more harm than good."

                                             - Steve Corbett

I feel like each time I am in Kenya something I read/listen to completely blows my mind about bringing God's kingdom to earth now and serving the poor. I remember my first summer it was Irresistible Revolution and last summer it was the Radical Series by David Platt. This year it is the book I'm reading now- When Helping Hurts. I've read in words a lot of things that I've seen and felt but couldn't fully explain or comprehend. 

The book talks about God's call to serve the poor and free the oppressed but specifically how a lot of what we (mainly North American Christians) do that actually hurts the poor more than helps and hurts ourselves in the process. A World Bank study showed that people who are economically rich define poverty as a lack of material resources. But the economically poor define poverty as a lack of worthiness, feelings of inferiority, shame, powerlessness, and hopelessness. 

"For a poor person everything is terrible - illness, humiliation, shame. We are cripples; we are afraid of everything; we depend on everyone. No one needs us. We are like garbage that everyone wants to get rid of." 

                                           -part of the World Bank survey from a person in Moldova 

Poverty in one from is a lack of material resources but poverty also includes spiritual poverty, mental poverty, and emotional poverty. He

Poverty in one from is a lack of material resources but poverty also includes spiritual poverty, mental poverty, and emotional poverty. The author uses an example of going to the doctor and the doctor either misdiagnosing you and giving you the wrong medicine or giving you medicine to relieve your symptoms but not actually fixing the underlying problem that is causing those symptoms. Kyle and I have been talking a lot about "When Helping Hurts". We are glad that we have relationships with the kids that we work with and have gotten to speak some into their lives about the material, emotional, spiritual and mental poverty. But we really have been wrestling through how this affects our scholarship ministry. We have seen issues of entitlement of students seeing sponsors as their "god", parents feeling they don't need to be responsible for their children anymore. It's difficult at times  because God is showing us our own poverty. And so good because He is also showing us He is the healer of emotional, spiritual and mental poverty.

Penda rewards students with good attendance!

A few days ago we took 8 of the high school scholarship kids with the best study hall attendance to pizza, ice cream and the Giraffe Center! It was a great day of new foods and kissing giraffes!

Collins A, Collins O, and Gladys eating ice cream. It took them about an hour to finish the cone, TOO cold!

I have about 20 pictures of Dennis feeding the giraffes. He was obsessed with the giraffes and with the pictures of him with the giraffes.

Frankline 

 

 

 

 

Medical Assistance: Brian's Heart Issue

Kyle's mom and I were just talking a couple nights ago about how many serious medical needs that we have come across in our friends and students in Kibera this summer. Way more than in years past. In the past week, we have had a student in a car accident, with an unknown heart problem, potentially diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, very sick from AIDS. A mother in the hospital for a prolonged time after having a baby. A mother in Biashara's child with TB and unable to begin walking. We are feeling like we need to help but don't have much of a medical budget. I don't have any pictures or beautifully written story, but I decided there's no harm in asking for help...

First Grader Brian

Brian has been having heart problems for awhile now. His mother has taken him to a clinic several times and they have said there are issues going on but haven't been able to do more detailed tests. CAT scans and X-rays and other tests that will be able to give more clear answers are way more expensive. The cost for Brian to go get tests done on his heart are $200. Please consider donating to help Brian receive needed medical assistance. Donations can be made at www.kiberapendaproject.com. Also, please pray. Pray for Brian to be pain free and comforted. Pray for his family to have peace in God's purpose and plan. Pray for doctors to have wisdom in discovering the problem and knowledge of good treatment.

NEW Hope.

I was messaging my friend Whitney about how much New Hope Primary School in Kibera has changed since just last year. And then I started thinking about 4 years ago, the first time I visited Kibera and how much the school has changed. I think it is fitting that the school is called "New" Hope. Pastor Simon always tells the story of when they changed the name after they spent days praying for food and Kyle's parents came to visit the school and helped start the feeding program. But every year it feels like an even New-er Hope. I keep thinking about the Robbie Seay band song...

"All things bright and beautiful You are

All things wise and wonderful You are

In my darkest night You brighten up the skies

A song will rise...

I will sing a song of hope, sing along

God of heaven come down. heaven come down

Just to know that You are near is enough

God of heaven come down, heaven come down"

New Hope School 4 years ago

One of the new blocks of 4 new classrooms just finished in early 2011

From 300 students to 540 students.

From 8 classrooms to 12 classrooms. 

Grades split into two separate classrooms so there is not 60 kids in one class!

Two new school buildings with LIGHT in the classrooms.

A playground in the process of being built! 

From 10ish students passing 8th grade to 30 students.

Students with discipline and a work ethic in the classroom.

From zero students in high school to 60 students in high school.

A school nurse!

Heaven has come down. This is a NEW school. There is a NEW hope. I will sing a song of HOPE. 

Sing along...

High School Trip Home Safe

It was good to sit with the high school team their last night in Kenya and just reflect on the trip and talk about stories that impacted them. I think it is amazing to see hearts change in the lives of youth and also for me to remember that God is still working in my heart. I think after seeing poverty a lot, it doesn't impact you as much. But really, God calls us to continuously be broken hearted for the poor.

Somethings our students learned...
thankfulness...for the ways that God had blessed them, for their families and the love they receive from their parents
God loves the poor...God says that it is harder for a rich man to go to heaven. The students saw this in the faith of the people of Kibera. Many of them said it was a faith that they had never seen before because we can rely on all the things we have but the people they met had nothing. Therefore, they only had God to believe in and rely on for everything.
 the blessing of education...The students at New Hope Primary School and the students in the Kibera Penda Project scholarship program see their education as their way out of poverty. It is their hope. The 8th graders spend all of their time studying for their big primary school exam. The high schoolers are soooooo thankful to be in secondary school. Many students DREAM is to go to boarding school. Many of our students realized they take learning for granted.
strength and perseverance... Many of the relationships that students built with the students in Kibera grew strong for only 2 weeks together. Many stories were shared and our students got to know the lives of the kids in Kibera. Many of these kids have been through so much and are so strong and so joyful. Our kids would talk about their new friends and were so amazed when they found out this friends parents had both died, or they took care of all their siblings because their mom was sick with AIDS. They felt like they complained about such small things when such huge difficulties were facing their friends. 
 
 

Penda Youth Camp 2011

We started Penda Youth Camp 2011 with the 6th-8th grade students from New Hope today. We got the opportunity to go over to Lang'ata High School and use their fields which gave the students from Kibera a lot more space.

Our group led the four teams in cheers, camp games, worship, a soccer tournament. The students also rotated to sports stations and received training in basketball, volleyball, handball, American football, and dance. Taylor Koch, Brenna, and Parker led a great half time (our break in the day to do some worship and lessons) and talked about only searching for satisfaction from the Lord. And Taylor Gentry and the worship team led the kids in praise.


Their were lots of relationships that grew, kids had so much fun and got to learn new sports. The leaders were excited, passionate and also taught the students teamwork and discipline through sports.

We are all exhausted and sunburned tonight and some kids are already in bed even though it is only 9:30 here!

First Day in Kibera for Youth Group

We all made it to Kenya safe and with luggage and exhausted!

Today was our first day in Kibera with 25 person youth team that arrived yesterday. They spent the day visiting the kids in New Hope Primary School, walking about Kibera and starting to build relationships with kids. The team was amazing and we had to drag them back to the bus at the end of the day. And then enjoyed some Ethiopian food! (which all the picky teenage kids loved)

Pray for our team as they put on a day camp for K-5th grade tomorrow, Sunday School and Youth Services on Sunday and Penda Youth Camp for 6th-8th grade next Monday-Thursday!

The team includes:
Robin, Chase and Avery Hawthorne
Amy and Bo Phillips
Steve and Mallory Stone
Parker Franklin
Rachel Bergmann
Matthan Myers
Sam Egliht
Sarah Fountain
Madeline Broyles
Alyssa, Brittany and Wendy Smith
EC Nolley
Haley Glover
McKayla Riley
Taylor Koch
Taylor Gentry
Brenna Degroot

the JOY outweighs... 60 high school students in 2011!

30 eighth grade students pass their national exam
20 students start boarding high school
3 high school students finish in the top ten academically for 2010
60 total high school students in Kibera Penda Project 


Those are some big numbers. Some joyful numbers. As I have been back from Kenya now for 2 weeks, I have felt JOY in these milestones and God working in each of these individual students. 

In Eddy Mwangi, who finished 2010 as the #1 student in 9th grade at Lang'ata High School. He began his second year at a boarding school on January 7th. Eddy's a quiet boy, who loves soccer, but not more than studying so that he can change the future for his family. While I was in Kenya, Eddy asked me if he could repeat 9th grade so that he could do even better than he did this year (I'm not even sure that's possible!) Eddy also got a brand new pair of Puma soccer cleats for Christmas from a student at Veritas Academy. I've never seen him light up quite that much!

Eddy on the left holding his new cleats!

In Joan, who has a very special place in my heart, after hardship after hardship scoring the highest mark for a girl in the school. And this girl who strives for goodness was angry at herself for not doing better! We had to force some excitement out of her. Now, after two and half years in eighth grade due to family situations, Joan is going to boarding school! I've learned so much about perserverance and strength in this girl and find so much JOY in watching her become a leader and beautiful women of God.

 Joan rocking my shades in July.

In Lucy Juma, who we all fell in love with our first time in Kibera in 2008. This girl just has that spirit that draws you to her, makes you love her, and makes you want to know you more. She's never asked me once for anything despite the great need in her life. Lucy is a double orphan who has drifted from family member to family member. Over the past year, after issues with one aunt, Lucy moved in with her grandma, after another aunt broke up with her husband, she and her 3 daughters moved in with grandma. There was not enough room for all of them, so Lucy was asked to move out. Then, an older man tried to force Lucy to marry him. She was out of school for 2 weeks living with the man until the church pastor got involved. Lucy is now living with the pastor's daughter in Kibera, but is not sure how permanent that is. After prayer, deliberation, frustration, and begging, we decided to start Lucy's high school education over (she was in 9th grade in 2010) and got her into a boarding school!!! We are so thankful for an opportunity to get Lucy out of Kibera and allow her to focus completely on school. We are thankful that the pressures from older men, where to get food and whose roof she will be sleeping under are gone. 

Lucy holding up her new athletic shoes, a Christmas present from another Veritas student.

And Tressie...Trecy...Tressy (still not sure how to spell her name...haha), a now five year old girl who lives next door to New Hope Primary School, who we met and have loved and spoiled for the past 2 years. Tressie was really sick when we first met her, and after a long walk to a clinic with her and her mom, Deborah, their family has really become our family. Tressie is now a beautiful, healthy five year old who is starting kindergarten at New Hope this year!! So overjoyed to see that girl in school! 

Tressie in Summer 2008

Tressie in June 2009

March 2010

with Kyle in July 2010

January 2011

But then my heart is still heavy. There is still brokenness and sadness. And moments that I just beg God to work in the lives of every single person and I know it's possible and I know that the answer isn't education for every student, but I don't know another answer yet. And I just feel heavy for these kids. I pray that in these moments of failure in the world they find their worth and joy in Christ and in the beautiful people, in His image, that they are. I pray for God's protection over them in a hard, hard place of poverty and insecurity. And I do pray that God provides answers. 

For Mwende. Whose father has passed away. Whose mother is dying of AIDS. Mwende is the oldest child in her family, which in her situation, makes her MOM. And she's 15. And despite her brightness, has failed the 8th grade national exam two years in a row. Because how is she going to study when she goes home and cares for her mom and cooks dinner and raises her younger siblings? How is she going to continue to learn with the anxiety and stress of not knowing how much longer her mom has left? And not knowing what her and her siblings will do when her mom is gone? 

Mwende in July 2010

For Lazarus, who did 9th grade twice but is still struggling. Who I had to have the conversation with that he would no longer be sponsored in Kibera Penda Project. And he told me about the frustration and failure he feels when he continues to strive to do good and then falls short. And his father who gets angry because of his lack of success. 

For Vallary and Josephine and Caroline Achieng and Phoebe and Juliet who I sat in room with as most of them wept because they were all within points of passing their national exam but didn't. Who were ashamed to repeat eighth grade. Whose parents and aunts and uncles had put so much pressure on them and they failed. Whose families were threatening to take them upcountry because they didn't believe they could do succeed in education. Because of maybe 2 questions that they missed...on one test...   

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; 

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." 

Psalm 34:8