Day 6: 2017 MBC/PW Kenya Mission Team Updates

Hello all,

The team is continuing to do well, everyone is healthy and enjoying our time here in Eburru.

Monday morning we went to the school where we served the morning porridge to the students. For those of you who may not be familiar with the school’s feeding program, malnutrition is a major challenge in this area, so CBCS students are all fed a nutritious breakfast porridge and a healthy lunch. Students who stay overnight (boarders and orphans) are also fed dinner. This is a very beneficial aspect of Camp Brethren’s ministry to many of the children and families of Eburru.

We later drove to Naivasha to take the team on a short boat ride on Lake Naivasha to see the hippos and many other beautiful wildlife. The sights were awesome and the photo opps were abundant. After that we greatly enjoyed a genuine African meal at a favorite place in town, Mother’s Kitchen. We ran additional errands in Naivasha and got back to camp in the evening. After dinner the team debriefed and planned the activities of the rest of the week. Pam had produced a large timeline that will go on the chapel wall and be used for teaching bible characters and their place in history. We will lead these lessons for all the students over the next several days, and look forward to engaging in bible centered discussions.

Blessings to you all!

Steve & Roxana

Day 7: 2017 MBC/PW Kenya Mission Team Updates

Greetings from Camp Brethren! Our Tuesday was another blessed day, indeed. We awoke to a beautiful morning and, in fact, each day has been gorgeous since we arrived, filled with bright Eburru sunshine!

In the morning we served porridge for the students for the second time, now having this almost down to a science. It is such a joy to spend time with these children!

Following lunch we returned to school and split up to be with the 4 different groups of students in their respective chapel hour sessions. In the past, the students were all together for chapel hour, but that is no longer possible with a student body of 405! We each did a different Bible character today, and we’ll rotate those lessons among each of the 4 groups this week. We’ll also place these characters on the big timeline that Pam brought, which will be put on the wall in the chapel for them to add additional characters and continue to use for future lessons.

Later in the afternoon Roxana delivered an instructional workshop for all the teachers. They focused on math games that can be helpful for review and for test prep.

In the evening we wrote out almost 50 individualized appreciation cards, which we’ll present to the staff later this week during an event that will be attended by all staff as well as several parents of CBCS students. We really look forward to being able to appreciate their amazingly good work in a public way!

We are so very grateful for you all, God bless you.

Steve & Rox

Day 8: 2017 MBC/PW Kenya Mission Team Update

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord. Our team is blessed to be in good health and greatly enjoying our time with our brothers and sisters in Eburru.

We started Wednesday with a devotional for the teachers at school. Roxana led a discussion of Luke 10:38-41 and John 15:1-10, focusing on sitting at the feet of Jesus rather than spending our attention and efforts on the tasks at hand.

We then served porridge again for all the kids, which is always a great joy. After lunch we rotated our afternoon chapel hour lessons on different bible characters. The students of all ages are very impressive in their scripture knowledge!

In the late afternoon we had the great privilege to visit with 3 local families in lower Eburru. First we visited with Simon lMacharia and his wife and extended, multi-generational family. He was very pleased to host us and we spent about an hour visiting and praying with them all.

We then visited with Patrice and her two young grandchildren, Millicent and Vincent. Millicent is 4-1/2 years old and has had a significant medical challenge of unknown origin for 2 years. Before then she was healthy and active, but the impact of this medical issue has greatly impeded her cognitive and physical abilities. She has just recently begun to walk again, with much difficulty and only with assistance. They are pursuing neurological testing to identify the cause of her challenges. We prayed with them and they were extremely grateful for our visit.

On the way back to camp in the early evening we stopped by to see a Hope House that was built a couple of years ago. It was built for the family of a special needs child. They came out to express their gratitude for the home and to say it was serving them so well.

After dinner Pastor Steve, Mary, Roxana, and Steve visited with teachers Josephat and Leah at their apartment. They had requested this meeting to show their appreciation to us all for their wedding last year, and also to ask for prayer for the birth of their first child, due in September, as well as for their extended family. Josephat and Leah are two of the core leaders among the CBCS staff and it was an honor to meet and pray with them.

God’s blessings to you all.

Steve & Roxana

Day 9: 2017 MBC/PW Kenya Mission Team Update

Hello all,

Thursday was a wonderful day, and in the PM we got to witness some much needed rain! The area has had precious little rain this year, so this is good to see.

We started our morning serving porridge at the school, and then got to do two more heart-warming home visits. We first visited with Mama Martin, the mother of Mercy, who graduated from CBCS 3 years ago. Mama Martin is a stalwart member of the church and community who sets a godly example for so many in this area. We were able to share with her and pray for her family and circumstances, and she graciously served us Chai tea.

We then visited with Mary, a young mother of 3 who is expecting her 4th child soon. She and her husband are former drug abusers who have turned to the Lord and are striving to serve him. (attached photos are from yesterday’s and today’s visits)

We again rotated our chapel hour lessons for the students at all levels. The children have enjoyed chiming in with their knowledge of our bible characters!

The weekly Christian Union hour for the entire student body was at 3:20 today. We enjoyed great praise music with the students, and then Roxana gave a message on Ruth and how the lessons of her life apply to us.

Nathan attended an Abundant Life class this afternoon at the clinic. Jonathan and Daniel led the training and several men attended, with the commitment to spread this good training to others in the community.

We enjoyed the evening at the camp, with a good bit of rain and frequent power outages. Pastor Steve showed the group a card trick, followed by an energetic game of Blitz (or Nertz).

Thank you all for the ongoing prayers and support, the team sends its warmest greetings and prayers.

Steve & Rox