Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
1st Month Update
Wow, one month has passed by already! Each day has been unique and rewarding.
The first week, I was blessed with an opportunity to visit my boyfriend in Mozambique. It was the first we’d seen each other in 7 months!! Jerry is a missionary with New Tribes. My friend, Kate, introduced me to him 6 weeks before he left to serve in Mozambique. We have continued to build a relationship long-distance. I loved meeting his Mozambican friends and his friends that are serving on the field with him and seeing their ministries. The entire week was more than amazing…it was perfect!!!
After visiting Jerry, I headed off to meet my church group in Kenya. Arriving in Kenya, I felt happy and at home. There was a group of almost 30 from Fox River Christian Church. We spent our time going to the villages of Vipingo and Bomani serving the children and reaching out to the community. We did lots of activities for the children, interactive lessons, art projects and games! The children sang beautiful songs for us. We love that so much! We had a medical team and dentists working during all of these activities. The children had their teeth cleaned and examined. They all learned how to brush their teeth with their new tooth brushes. Many of the children had teeth pulled. I was surprised when I learned that many children use sticks to brush their teeth because that is all they have.
We also had two community outreach days where thousands of Kenyans attend. Fox River provides food, entertainment, soccer tournaments and most importantly a message of faith, hope and love to the community. The people in the community look forward to this day for a long time! For most, it is the best meal they will eat all year and may be the only opportunity they have this kind of fun and to hear that kind of encouraging message. At the end of the outreach day, we hand out bracelets. I’m amazed at how much a small gift means to them. Here is a blog with tons of pictures and details of all the time we spent at the centers http://frcckenyatrip2010.blogspot.com/. It was truly an enriching time for all of us from Fox River, the children, the staff and the community.
When the Fox River team left for the states, there were 6 people that stayed an extra week. We were officially named ‘the residue team’ thanks to Jim…lol. We gladly took the title. That entire week was jam packed with different experiences and projects. One of the best things was helping build a mud hut! I was so interested to find out how that is done. The frame was all ready for us. It was sticks found from trees in the area. The sticks were bound together with long, dry tree leaves. We started by digging a hole in the dirt. The hole was filled with dirt, and then we added water and stepped in the dirt/water to mix and make mud. Then we gathered rocks from a big pile and started building. First we lay the rocks down, then put a thick layer of mud on top of it and keep adding, more rocks and more mud. It took a few hours with about 10 people at work. The family we were building for said it would have taken them at least 3 days to do on their own.
This family has 18 children! WOW! Some of their kids go to the school in Vipingo. The family is so proud that their children attend there because it has resulted in them gaining a lot of knowledge and learning morals that they would not have known. The children who attend Vipingo’s school have set a new standard for the entire family… they choose to do the right thing, follow God, pray and study hard! The parents also noted that it helps their family so much because the school feeds the children and that is less food they have to provide for them. You see, these parents are unemployed without job opportunities. The entire family benefits so much more than we could imagine from the center in Vipingo.
My other favorite day was teen outreach day. This group of teens are also located in the village of Vipingo. We talked about sex, drugs, peer pressure, serving God and responsibilities. All the teens put together a skit on one of those topics. They were creative and funny!! These teens really have a heart to learn about God. They seem to want to do the right thing. I can’t imagine the things they go through, though! One of the girls gave an example of what one of her friends goes through and asked for advice. Her friend’s parents sell drugs, this is the only way they have found to make money and survive. The parents sell the drugs to her friends. However, the teen in this predicament wants to serve God and do the right thing. She does not know how to talk to her friends about not doing drugs, while her parents are selling them and pressuring her to sell them. When I first heard that, I thought to myself, wow, how do you even give advice in that situation? I’ve never been through something like that. Our friend Pastor Paul was actually in the situation himself when he was a teen; he was able to advise her from his experiences. That is just one example of the struggles these teens face. Thankfully they are plugged into the church at Vipingo’s center and want to follow God.
Well, that was just two of days that the ‘residue team’ served. As you can imagine, there was much more we learned and experienced. They all left yesterday and I’m missing the Fox River crew!! It’s been such a blessing to spend so much time with them these past three weeks.
Now, I will start working with the missionaries to build the bridge…. Very exciting!!!!
The first week, I was blessed with an opportunity to visit my boyfriend in Mozambique. It was the first we’d seen each other in 7 months!! Jerry is a missionary with New Tribes. My friend, Kate, introduced me to him 6 weeks before he left to serve in Mozambique. We have continued to build a relationship long-distance. I loved meeting his Mozambican friends and his friends that are serving on the field with him and seeing their ministries. The entire week was more than amazing…it was perfect!!!
After visiting Jerry, I headed off to meet my church group in Kenya. Arriving in Kenya, I felt happy and at home. There was a group of almost 30 from Fox River Christian Church. We spent our time going to the villages of Vipingo and Bomani serving the children and reaching out to the community. We did lots of activities for the children, interactive lessons, art projects and games! The children sang beautiful songs for us. We love that so much! We had a medical team and dentists working during all of these activities. The children had their teeth cleaned and examined. They all learned how to brush their teeth with their new tooth brushes. Many of the children had teeth pulled. I was surprised when I learned that many children use sticks to brush their teeth because that is all they have.
We also had two community outreach days where thousands of Kenyans attend. Fox River provides food, entertainment, soccer tournaments and most importantly a message of faith, hope and love to the community. The people in the community look forward to this day for a long time! For most, it is the best meal they will eat all year and may be the only opportunity they have this kind of fun and to hear that kind of encouraging message. At the end of the outreach day, we hand out bracelets. I’m amazed at how much a small gift means to them. Here is a blog with tons of pictures and details of all the time we spent at the centers http://frcckenyatrip2010.blogspot.com/. It was truly an enriching time for all of us from Fox River, the children, the staff and the community.
When the Fox River team left for the states, there were 6 people that stayed an extra week. We were officially named ‘the residue team’ thanks to Jim…lol. We gladly took the title. That entire week was jam packed with different experiences and projects. One of the best things was helping build a mud hut! I was so interested to find out how that is done. The frame was all ready for us. It was sticks found from trees in the area. The sticks were bound together with long, dry tree leaves. We started by digging a hole in the dirt. The hole was filled with dirt, and then we added water and stepped in the dirt/water to mix and make mud. Then we gathered rocks from a big pile and started building. First we lay the rocks down, then put a thick layer of mud on top of it and keep adding, more rocks and more mud. It took a few hours with about 10 people at work. The family we were building for said it would have taken them at least 3 days to do on their own.
This family has 18 children! WOW! Some of their kids go to the school in Vipingo. The family is so proud that their children attend there because it has resulted in them gaining a lot of knowledge and learning morals that they would not have known. The children who attend Vipingo’s school have set a new standard for the entire family… they choose to do the right thing, follow God, pray and study hard! The parents also noted that it helps their family so much because the school feeds the children and that is less food they have to provide for them. You see, these parents are unemployed without job opportunities. The entire family benefits so much more than we could imagine from the center in Vipingo.
My other favorite day was teen outreach day. This group of teens are also located in the village of Vipingo. We talked about sex, drugs, peer pressure, serving God and responsibilities. All the teens put together a skit on one of those topics. They were creative and funny!! These teens really have a heart to learn about God. They seem to want to do the right thing. I can’t imagine the things they go through, though! One of the girls gave an example of what one of her friends goes through and asked for advice. Her friend’s parents sell drugs, this is the only way they have found to make money and survive. The parents sell the drugs to her friends. However, the teen in this predicament wants to serve God and do the right thing. She does not know how to talk to her friends about not doing drugs, while her parents are selling them and pressuring her to sell them. When I first heard that, I thought to myself, wow, how do you even give advice in that situation? I’ve never been through something like that. Our friend Pastor Paul was actually in the situation himself when he was a teen; he was able to advise her from his experiences. That is just one example of the struggles these teens face. Thankfully they are plugged into the church at Vipingo’s center and want to follow God.
Well, that was just two of days that the ‘residue team’ served. As you can imagine, there was much more we learned and experienced. They all left yesterday and I’m missing the Fox River crew!! It’s been such a blessing to spend so much time with them these past three weeks.
Now, I will start working with the missionaries to build the bridge…. Very exciting!!!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Dylan and Kaleb
Today was an amazing day! A group of friends are still here from my church. We did an outreach at a school near by. Last year the school only had 30 students. Most of them were orphans and street kids. The school found funding and has expanded a lot! There are now 80 children there! We got to spend time with them all day today doing a Super Saturday event!
After the event we walked the village to meet children from our school in Vipingo. It was interesting to see the houses the children live in. They are small and made of mud. When we got to the children’s homes, they were so happy to see us there and showed us around the village.
We also went to an orphanage today. I was able to give gifts from my nephews to the kids. My nephew, Kaleb, felt bad that the children don’t have good shoes so he ran upstairs (before I left), grabbed a pair of shoes and asked me to take them here. Today, my friend Paul found a child at the orphanage that the shoes fit perfectly. He was really happy to wear them!!! My other nephew, Dylan, wanted to give away some of his books. I took them to the orphanage, too. I could not believe how much the kids LOVED the books. So many children kept reading them and looking at the pictures the entire time we were there!!
The two pictures above are from the orphanage. The books and shoes from my nephews!! Thanks to you both!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Mohommad needs our Prayers
This little boy is at great risk. Please take the time to read about his story from a missionary family I work with here in Kenya. He needs prayer for his life to be saved. Thank you."Dear Praying Friends,
If you heard me speak last year or read our prayer letters you know the story of Mohammed. He is the little boy whose Mom came to the gate of our school crying for us to save her child and even offered for us to adopt her little three year old son if we would help save his life. What you don't know is that Mohammed's whole family had AIDS. For the past five years, his family has battled the disease. We were happy that his father and mother both received Christ as their Savior. While we were in the states this year, Mohammed's father and other died of AIDS. All of his brothers and sisters have also died of AIDS. When she brought him to us, he could not eat and could barely move because he was so weak from malnutrition. His hair was falling out, his eyes were yellow, and his stomach was distended.
We have made sure that Mohammed was under medical care since he came to us at three and the doctors told us that with proper medicine he could live a good life and possibly even have a family of his own.
When his parents died, Mohammed moved into the home of his grandmother. She is a kind lady and loves her grandson very much but the problem is that she is illiterate and does not understand the importance of medicine. For the past month, our teachers have noticed that Mohammed was not acting like the sweet, healthy boy that they have come to love. Just this week, we had a medical team come to visit us from MANNA Worldwide. The nurse who was examining Mohammed noticed that he was not doing well at all. She immediately notified Lisa that this young man was dying of AIDS and would not have long to live. Upon questioning him further we found out that he had been told by his grandmother that he was healthy now and did not need to take the medication any longer. When we asked her she said that he looked and acted fine so she did not want to punish him every day by making him take the medicine.
We would ask that you pray for Mohammed. I have attached his school picture from last year so you can see his lovely face. We need his grandmother to understand the importance of the medicine and we need God to use the medicine to make him whole. We know that Mohammed is saved now and will be with God if the Lord chooses to take him home to glory, but our desire is that he might remain with us for a little longer and continue to bless us. He is already a reminder of God's grace and mercy. Pray that God will help us to know how to minister to him and comfort him during this time.
May God bless you all,
Bobby and Lisa Bechtel
Missionaries to Kenya, Africa"
Friday, July 23, 2010
Good times...
These past couple days have been amazing. So far I’ve been going out with the church group (Fox River) to the centers. It’s been great to see all the familiar faces and greet all the friends I made here last year. I feel quite at home. We have been doing activates with the children. There are games, art projects, story lessons and the list goes on. There’s also a medical team and dentists here.
The children have been in heaven with all this fun stuff! Even the simple things like bubbles are greatly enjoyed. When we took out the bubbles during recess, they all followed us around jumping, smiling and trying to pop the bubbles. The other day I played soccer with a group of girls. WOW, they are Good! Those girls can really play.
During the dental evaluations and cleanings, many of the children had to get teeth pulled. It’s a painful process. One of the teachers told me that many children use sticks to try and brush their teeth. They may soften the stick by chewing on it, and then they go ahead and clean their teeth. Right before I came to Kenya I had some necessary dental work done by a dear friend. I needed the work done so badly and felt great when it was done. Now I’m trying to imagine what it would be like to not have that luxury. Thankfully, because of the dentists that came, there will be about 400 children that can feel great now because of the work they had done on their teeth!!!
The children have been in heaven with all this fun stuff! Even the simple things like bubbles are greatly enjoyed. When we took out the bubbles during recess, they all followed us around jumping, smiling and trying to pop the bubbles. The other day I played soccer with a group of girls. WOW, they are Good! Those girls can really play.
During the dental evaluations and cleanings, many of the children had to get teeth pulled. It’s a painful process. One of the teachers told me that many children use sticks to try and brush their teeth. They may soften the stick by chewing on it, and then they go ahead and clean their teeth. Right before I came to Kenya I had some necessary dental work done by a dear friend. I needed the work done so badly and felt great when it was done. Now I’m trying to imagine what it would be like to not have that luxury. Thankfully, because of the dentists that came, there will be about 400 children that can feel great now because of the work they had done on their teeth!!!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Bible Study
I want to share info on the Bible Study I did while in Kenya... it changed my life in a huge way.
Below is a list of the main points. Each point is studied in great detail.
1. God is always at work around you.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3. God invites you to become involved in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways.
5. God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6. You mus make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.
The workbook can be ordered here for about $15. It's a daily study for 12 weeks.
http://www.lifeway.com/
Below is a poem that is in the study:
Deep in my soul there’s a longing I feel
To look at my life in the light of your will
Knowing your heart; trusting your truth
Day after day I’m walking in your will
All my hopes; all my dreams
Help me forfeit everything
For whatever Your kingdom requires
Guide my steps
Let me see the best you have for me
Give me a heart for your desire
Teach me, oh God in the ways of your Word
Whisper through voices that I’ve seldom heard
Strengthen my faith
Weaken my will
Lead me to where your love is fulfilled
As I delight in you, oh Lord
Within me there’s a fire
And I’m finding the desire of my heart
Is a desire for your desire
I want a heart for your desire
Below is a list of the main points. Each point is studied in great detail.
1. God is always at work around you.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3. God invites you to become involved in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways.
5. God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6. You mus make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.
The workbook can be ordered here for about $15. It's a daily study for 12 weeks.
http://www.lifeway.com/
Below is a poem that is in the study:
Deep in my soul there’s a longing I feel
To look at my life in the light of your will
Knowing your heart; trusting your truth
Day after day I’m walking in your will
All my hopes; all my dreams
Help me forfeit everything
For whatever Your kingdom requires
Guide my steps
Let me see the best you have for me
Give me a heart for your desire
Teach me, oh God in the ways of your Word
Whisper through voices that I’ve seldom heard
Strengthen my faith
Weaken my will
Lead me to where your love is fulfilled
As I delight in you, oh Lord
Within me there’s a fire
And I’m finding the desire of my heart
Is a desire for your desire
I want a heart for your desire
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
