MOMBASA

September 2010
Kenya, Africa

A couple missionary friends (Simone, Lisa B. and Lisa M.) and I started working on quite a project!!! The project is to gather student bios, pictures, family, home description and other information. All this information is put into a data base system. This will eventually give child sponsors the capability to view their childs information and picture online.

While we went to the schools to start this work, Lisa M., a nurse, volunteered to do a medical exam on each student. The most common problems were scabies and ring worm. Thankfully we had treatments that were donated to use for these children.

We successfully completed at two schools. This consists of about 500 children. It was fun learning about the personalities of the students, hearing what activities they enjoy, what their favorite subjects are and what sports they like. A lot of the kids speak multiple languages, English, Swahili and their mother tongue (tribal language).

All of the children live in homes with no running water. They have to fetch water at a borehole, well, pond or tap somewhere in the community. These children certainly have a lot of chores and 'to do’s' just to take care of their basic needs. They grow up quickly. Most of the children live in homes that do not have toilets. They either use a bush, or a pit latrine (hole in the ground). For cooking, many families use three stones with firewood in the middle while placing a pot on top. I’ve seen men, women and children carrying huge loads of firewood on their backs. Some use jiko’s with charcoal to cook. Houses are generally made of either, stone, sand, cement or mud and wood. Roofs are generally iron sheets or makuti (leaves from coconut trees).

I talked to a teacher about one of the students that is an orphan. I asked her who he lives with. Many times orphans will live with other family members such as an aunt, uncle or grandparents. However, he lives in a house with other boys that are orphans. He takes care of these other boys that are younger than him. Twelve years old and already a dad.

Hearing about his living situation made me think of my own niece and nephew who are that age. I simply can’t picture them living without their parents while taking care of other orphans, and struggling with basic needs. The thought breaks my heart.

What a courageous and strong boy this is! I am thankful that he and the others that live with him are able to go to the school. They can feel support from the other children, the teachers, the pastor, etc. God can give them Hope during this difficult childhood.

I want to thank you all for your prayers and support. Thank you for notes on fb and emails of encouragement. That always means a lot to me and brightens up my days. Thank you for helping me get here to do this work for these lovely kids. I truly could not be here without all this support!!!

Love,
Kristen

2nd Month Update

This month has been very good!! I’ve had so many fun projects to work on that have kept me really busy! The projects have been for Operation Give Hope (OGH) and the Hope Foundation. Operating under these are a few centers that feed, educate and teach Biblical truth to children living in extreme poverty. It is my job to make OGH an official Kenyan foundation and help organize a sponsorship program and communication tools for OGH and the Hope Foundation.

This last month my time has been dedicated to designing logos, brochures, newsletters and a DVD. My hope is that God will use these tools to touch the hearts of people in America. And those that have a heart to help out in Africa will have an outlet to do that. I think it’s easy for sponsors to gladly and generously pay money to help children, without really think about what it’s actually doing. I know that through experience. Previously when I’d sponsored children before coming to Kenya, I was happy to pay for it, but I did not realize the full impact. Now that I’ve been to Africa I can see first hand just how much the kid’s lives are forever changed. My hope is to share that with fellow supporters.

My church back home, Fox River, is a perfect example of what GREAT things can happen when a church congregation puts their heart into a particular mission. I’m amazed and inspired through the example of so many people at Fox River that have their hearts fixed here in Vipingo and Bomani, Kenya. I have the privilege of seeing the 400 children that have been helped and changed through our congregation and leadership! http://foxriverchristian.org/

Just this week while in the village of Vipingo, I was hanging out with some youth for a bible study that we just started. One of the teens (13 or 14 yrs old) had her two little sisters with her. Both of the little sisters are identical twins. One of them is in the picture on this email. They are just the cutest little girls. One of them came up to me and took my hand, then sat in my lap. I just wanted to squeeze her! My goodness! Both of these girls have a good chance to end up at the center in Vipingo in the kindergarten class next year. I’m so excited for that, because I think of where they live, how little they have and observe they are likely raised by their teen sister (who is in the bible study). I know that if they get a chance at the center in Vipingo, they will have a chance in life, in a way that would be nearly impossible if they can’t attend there. They will have Hope and the ability to reach their potential.

Prayer requests:

Please pray with me for the teens in Bible study. We are doing a study called ‘Experiencing God’ by Henry Blackaby. My prayer is their friendship with God will come to an entire new level and that they will learn what God’s will is. I also pray they can learn to live with purpose, passion for Him and direction. That they will know how to make wise decisions so they can have a wholesome life.

Please pray with me for the 1000 packets that Jim and Susie will send out with a newsletter, brochure and DVD. Pray that God uses them in a way that glorifies Him and reaches hearts to save His children.

Please thank Him with me for the resources He provided to make it possible to do the DVD, make the brochures, newsletters, online database, etc.
I’ve been amazed at how God has provided all the tools I’ve needed to work on all these projects (It’s been a common theme in my walk with Him). To start with, while I was in the states, I did not have a computer or a printer; however, a dear friend purchased one for me. That is what I am using today! Another friend kindly put a program on my computer that I NEED to be able to make brochures and newsletters. And right before I started the DVD project, a Kenyan friend, put a program on my computer that allows me to compose videos. Also, while I was traveling with Bobby and Lisa, they introduced me to a Christian song artist named Jennifer Shaw. She kindly donated her song in support of the ministry here. That is the song on the DVD. A friend here created a database system for us that is exactly customized to the needs of a current project. Prior to coming to Kenya, my friend, helped prepare me with a mission and vision for my time here. All of these and very many more are the amazing things that God positioned in my life and brought together that lead up to today. God is a great composer! He always brings us what we need. And I can never stop thanking Him and all of you for the help!


Treasuring your prayers,
Kristen Missiaen

Enjoy the DVD on you tube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT7Rer5GMUg

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!!!!

Recent Picture of Mohommad...

Keep Praying!~!

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!

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"