David’s Hope International is proud to announce that our first dedicated mission team has landed in Kenya!  This group of young adults from northern Virginia will be working with Pastor Steve and Mary doing a variety of activity related to the feeding program, the school, and the Hope House property.

The team will be sharing a few updates here on the DHI website/blog so be sure to subscribe or check back often to get updates from the field!

Prayer Requests from the team:Pre-trip Answered Prayers and Praises for DHI Team 2009-10

Team:

* Opportunity to return to Kenya to serve (Nate and Becca)
* God providing a really strong co-leader and an amazing team of people with different passions and backgrounds who all were called to serve in different ways from different experiences
* The pro-activeness of our team, and the level of organization from everyone in planning and preparing different aspects of the trip
* Amazing unity & bonding among our team, even after barely knowing each other with only a few months to prepare for this trip!

Retreat:

* God providing a place for us to have a really special team retreat through Francis’s friend Richard
* Everyone’s openness in sharing and serving each other during the retreat

Trip:

* Love and support from last year’s team, friends and family, also God providing financially for our team in big ways
* Logistics coming together with Pastor Steve and Mary
* Really cool project opportunities (feedings, women’s outreach, VBS, collecting stories for DHI, business seminar)
* Swahili lessons and cultural prep with Phil’s friend, Dorcas
* Random donations: after our retreat when Denise mentioned needing soap for a hygiene lesson. Before asking anyone, Jessica, a member from last year’s team emailed me saying she had a bag of small soaps that weren’t taken last year and asked if we could use them.
* Random support: My roommate, Emily, offered to host a pancake breakfast to raise money and awareness about our trip and we collected over $750 dollars!
* God just making himself very present in my life as a realize my absolute weakness and dependence on Him and those around me to lead this trip which goes along with my gratefulness for our teams passion to serve and organization which has made this so much easier to plan!
* Monty, who heard about a super-peanut butter that helps malnourished children was able to contact some peanut farmers in Georgia who donated 200lbs of this product to us to take!

* I called up my friend Cal, a professional video photographer, expecting 10 minutes of phone advice on how to shoot video on my little personal digital camera. Through God’s amazing provision, Cal donated his time to have me over to his house to teach me how to find the right backdrop, level of light and sound balance. Cal also offered for our team to borrow his super sweet camera, tripod and batteries! (Phil)
* God has already provided opportunities to share the Gospel with the nurses giving us shots for the trip to co-workers and family, by talking about our upcoming trip to Kenya

Other Praises from the Team:

* Generosity of people in providing encouragement and support… oftentimes from places I wouldn’t have expected
* My mom’s unexpected excitement for the trip and the cause

* A new boldness to share about what God is doing in my life in the workplace
* Unexpected generousity of my financial supporters
* A wonderful new “zest in my step” during a somewhat difficult Christmas season this year (aka feeling alone)
* The amazing curriculum of material my mom was able to get from Living Water International – which seems timely and needed given the article on Cholera “water-bourne illnesses”
* The constant reminders that God has his hands all over this trip (awesome bonding of team members already, amazing retreat location with PERFECT weather, the different personalities and spiritual giftings, the cheap(er) plane tickets, LASERTAG, the 7 HEAVY boxes of plumpynut in my kitchen, finding drivers to the airport two days after christmas, vehicles that can transport 18 suitcases and backpacks…so many)
* The chance to go on an ADVENTURE orchestrated by God
* Thinking about people and praying for things way beyond “my bubble”
* Knowing that Satan will attack us each but excited to stand up to the spiritual battle in the name of the Lord
* Being giddy for the first time in years
* The amazing support of my parents, who rock, now, always and forever
* Knowing that this trip was NEVER on my agenda and is totally a gift from God