Bob met Jane last year while visiting some of our students’ homes. He found her lying on a floor mat in her Tuwani hut, dying alone amid chaos and filth. Jane had six kids, aged 5 to 17, all with a different father. When the one man that stayed with her died of AIDS, his family blamed her for his illness and left her rejected and without help. Two of her daughters, Lucy, 11yrs, and Mercy, 8yrs, attended our Primary school; the older siblings were out of the house somewhere, and Meshak, 5 yrs, was by his mom’s side.

The school staff helped us to get Jane to the clinic, and convinced her to get tested. It was confirmed she had TB and AIDS, so we made sure she received the meds. We left for the US, but heard she was bouncing back, and had returned to the Graceway family and her faith. It was the kind of success story that makes you feel once again like it’s all worth it. These kids got their mom back, if even for a few years, and we were so thankful!

Yesterday was Jane’s burial.

Last week we heard from staff that little Meshak, now in baby class at the Care Centre, had shown up at school dressed only in his mother’s blouse, filthy and hungry. Peris, one of the cooks, later told us the story: She had 100 shillings, and Wyckliffe, the school social worker, had another 10. She washed Meshak, then went across the street to buy the boy some clothes to wear. His older brother Peter happened to walk by, so she asked him why the boy was in such a state; he answered, “we have no soap, no water, no food.” So when Anne, our Liason/Social Worker showed up, she went with Wycliffe to visit the mom.

They found Jane in a terrible state, and determined the kids would have to be removed from the home for their safety. Tuwani is not a good place for children to roam unprotected. Peris took Meshak home for the night, then two days later, sent him home after school, following close behind. She let him see his mom, and when he came back, she then went in the house. Jane was too far gone to get help, and she knew it. She had taken the meds for a while, then last year the prices of maize doubled and tripled. Though the meds were free, she could no longer eat well enough for her body to handle the strong drugs, so she quit taking them, in order to function. She also returned to brewing chang’aa and the nasty lifestyle surrounding it. Tuwani is actually full of thousands of women in the same predicament.

Jane asked Peris to take Meshak, saying, “I have nothing to give him.” In old Kenya, this is the way it is done. If there is no responsible family member to take the children, a neighbor will usually do it. We found out that Peris had actually known Jane for 8 years, before Meshak was born. She lived near Peris in Lessos, was married and attended Graceway. But after her husband died, her life turned a corner. Peris tried to get her to take her meds, and gave her food when she asked, but Jane chose to go on her own without advice or help.

Jane’s older children (now orphans) are Peter, 15, Esther, 16, and Maina, 17. Maina began attending Graceway last year after his mom’s initial rescue, and found a new family there. He and Peter had spent the last two years struggling to find food for the children and rent for their mom; neither lived at home, but stayed somewhere in Tuwani. When his mom died, Maina went right to Graceway, so we heard while we were in the service (while another young man was thanking the members for their support during his recent wife and child’s deaths). The need was announced, and the poor church once again gathered up what resources they could to help pay the expenses. In Kenya, if the family can’t pay for the coffin, mortuary, and food for the many guests, the community tries to step in. Services are usually held every night for up to a week before the burial, and friends and relatives are expected to come by. But there was no money for the mortuary, so Jane was buried two days later. We chipped in quietly so they didn’t know muzungus were involved (they would have done nothing and expected us to pay it all).

The funeral was held in her childhood village, Sirende. Like Tuwani, Sirende has a very bad reputation of drunkenness and violence.  Peter says Tuwani has improved in the last few years and is now better than Sirende. We were eager to go to the burial, not only because of Jane and the kids, but also because our recent travels with the US team had made us unable to attend any of the burials, or carry our part of the grief of several tragic deaths in the Graceway family. The taxi came so late, everyone was leaving the service; I was so upset I yelled at our driver Steven in tears. That was when I realized how all this death and tragedy was affecting me. I’m just not used to it, death in America is occasional, and all very neat and tidy. I am not nearly as strong as these people. I apologized to Stephen, and he was gracious.

Sirende was on the other side of town, and back in the bush a bit. A local pastor welcomed us into his house, and we joined our Graceway friends, who performed the burial service, and the family members. We took a family picture. Little Meshak was smiling proudly; he now had a secure, loving home, and was looking “very smart” in his new suit that Peris bought him. “I paid 1800 shillings”, she said proudly, (well over a week’s pay). Lucy and Mercy were close to their mom, they were quiet. We met Peter and Maina there; I shook their hands, but Bob gave them a big fatherly hug. Maina didn’t want the hug to stop, he clung to Bob like a small boy who had never been hugged before. We also met Esther. Peris said she is HIV positive, and very ill. She has a young baby, who is also positive; she was very thin and very drunk.

In fact, most of the people at the burial were drunk. Many had travelled from Tuwani to go to the burial, which was ironic because they had never bothered to help Jane at all when she was ill and dying. Peter told us the bizarre details today. They arrived to find the body in the house of Jane’s older brother, where the people were viewing the casket in one room and brewing changa’a in the other. They got increasingly drunk as the service went on, jeering Rose and Peris as they sang. When the casket was lowered, they dropped it the last few feet; as they tried to pray over the grave, one drunk began intimidating Pastor David, yelling at him to “sing!”, and throwing dirt at everyone around the grave. They had to take the kids and leave the site without finishing the service. The crowd only became quiet when Pastor Peter spoke. The text was Proverbs 23, about how drunkeness will ruin your life. He said, “I would never have thought to preach on that at a funeral, I couldn’t believe they were listening.” Seven people, young and old, raised their hands to receive Christ, Maina being one of them.

When we squeezed in the taxi with Rose, Peris, and the three young children, they were reminded to return the skirt and flip flops they borrowed for Mercy; the ladies changed her back into her normal raggy skirt, and we left, Peris shaking her head that no one cared enough to dress the girls properly for their own mother’s funeral. She coddled Meshak all the way home, thrilled with the chance to be his mom. She told me more about the children’s life, and her plans to get them all tested for HIV. I then realized that, despite the difficult transition it would be for the girls, this was a rescue for these kids, and I began to be thankful. The atmosphere they lived in was unimaginably dark; they ran free much of the time, and only went to school because Maina forced them to go, knowing it was their only hope.

We all went to Peris’s home, which is two small 3-room apartments in a typical Kenyan rowhouse, the 2nd apartment added for the kids’ sleeping quarters. The house was neat, the cement walls partially covered with lace cloths, calendars, and Sesame Street crib bumpers. Peris and Haron have six kids of their own, from 6 yrs to 17; they pay outrageous school fees for the three in secondary school, and one in upper level primary. Haron is the night watchman for the school, so he stays up all night, then in the morning goes to wash clothes for someone. Peris gets up at 5, prays with friends, then gets to school early to start preparing the beans. She loves working at the school, keeping a mom’s loving watch over the students, staff and any visitors that stop in as well. After a 9 to 10 hour day, she sometimes finds vegetables to resell in the market for profit. Then she goes home to make dinner and oversee homework assignments. After cleaning up and getting the kids to bed, she has prayers at her house with folks from the neighborhood cell group. That’s every night, from 9-11 pm.  When Bob asked, “Every night?!?”, she just raised her eyebrows in a subtle nod and smiled that big gorgeous smile. Peris also leads the cell group on Sunday nights, teaching 15-20 of her neighbors from the Inductive Bible Training material, as she was among the first class of graduates on March 2. When Bob mentioned a couple of prayer requests, she excitedly grabbed a pen and paper and wrote them down. Prayer is serious business. But she does all she does with that big gorgeous smile.

Last month, Don posted a picture of little Rebecca, one of our new baby class students that had a terrible infirmity of some kind with her lips. We helped her get treatment, and following is a picture of little Rebecca, back in school and all better! Yay!

Hello from Kitale, Kenya!

We were startled awake our first morning back by a loud crash on the tin roof just above our heads; a fairly large monkey had dropped out of the trees overhanging our little bamboo cottage. Yep, we were back in Kenya.  But getting things rolling here was not so sudden. We left America with a serious sleep deficit even before the long flight, and the 7 1/2 hour wait in the Nairobi airport for our plane to Kitale. A bronchial virus kept Bob down for nearly two weeks; and it seems a malarial mosquito met me at the airport! Add in jet lag… but we are fine now, and loving our new team house at Karibuni. And, as always, God knew what He was doing. With the team of Don Roach, his son Jacob, and Sue Choquette landing in Nairobi as I write this, we marvel at the groundwork that has already been laid. He is faithful.
Our plan upon arrival was to work out with our Kenyan team some administrative changes, in order to improve the flow of information. In a cross-cultural partnership such as Africa Connect, communication is the life-flow in the veins; it becomes more difficult when we are on the ground only three months of the year. Our Kenyan team is honest, and passionate about their work; but they find it difficult to submit written reports consistently (I know how that can be!) Rather than  add  more burden to them, we have hired a Kenyan AC liason/representative to help by gathering reports regularly, visiting our students’ homes, and overseeing the sponsorship program for the primary students. This will free the staff to better focus on their specific roles, also improving the overall operations of the school. heads; a fairly large monkey had dropped out of the trees overhanging our little bamboo cottage. Yep, we were back in Kenya.  But getting things rolling here was not so sudden. We left America with a serious sleep deficit even before the long flight, and the 7 1/2 hour wait in the Nairobi airport for our plane to Kitale. A bronchial virus kept Bob down for nearly two weeks; and it seems a malarial mosquito met me at the airport! Add in jet lag… but we are fine now, and loving our new team house at Karibuni. And, as always, God knew what He was doing. With the team of Don Roach, his son Jacob, and Sue Choquette landing in Nairobi as I write this, we marvel at the groundwork that has already been laid. He is faithful.

The children are doing great, and the staff is increasing each year in size, effectiveness, and personal vision. Thanks to you, we are purchasing two more sewing machines, which will boost the Tailoring school, through which the children’s new uniforms are now being made. Lee Elementary students have donated funds for mosquito nets and several school clinics, and soon our team will begin visiting the children’s homes. (We still need shoes, by the way!)

We arrived to find much had been done on the compound, and there is much to do. Graceway members  sacrificially donated the time and money to enlarge the church, bringing in more light, space, and air. Because unseasonal heavy rains destroyed the pit latrine, we need to build another one. The kitchen has been enlarged and restructured in brick, for better security and conditions for the cooks (and the food!). It is almost finished!

We met tonight with Peter and Apollo to finish the calendar for the teams’ visit; let’s just say we will be busy! In addition to activities involving Tuwani, we will be travelling to several rural villages to do leadership seminars and clinics, finishing with the first graduation for our Bible School! Please check the website for blogs and pics covering these events!

Thank you for the prayers and support that continue to make all of this, and much more, possible.

LuAnn Herring, for Bob and the Africa Connect team

The December IBS session that began on Wednesday 7^th and ended on10th December, 2011 has proved to be an avenue for training and equipping of ministers. Being the last session before graduation of the first group of students, we had a systematic overview of the whole course with the learners being given an opportunity practically to present the word to the learners during the sessions and to the community. The whole course is a worthwhile venture. Pastor Waithera of Deliverance Church confessed: ‘Since I began participating in this course I have seen God reveal Himself to me in a way I have never seen. Today I share the word with boldness.’ Pastor Vitalis from Bungoma says: ‘Though I am advanced in age and having retired from the police force, I have found a new way studying, not just to preach, but for personal edification’ we are still optimistic that when this group graduates, another group will pick the mantle of being trained as the graduants continue with training others. The course this time had challenges because of inflation that brought about prices of commodities going up. the other bit of leadership training is scheduled to take place in February 2012 when Pst Don and the team in USA comes over. We bless the Lord for our Co-workers in America for their continued support. We wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. Pastor Apollo Juma, Graceway Harvest Chapel, Kitale

Hello everyone!

God is good. We have had a blessed year so far, work has been steady, and memories have been made as the boys are growing fast (and closer to each other) as well as another baby on the way! Our lives are changing every day.

Due to the speed of time passing with family life in full swing, it has been a slow and challenging process preparing for our move to Kenya. We trust God to guide and direct us along the way, and to provide our needs, He has been faithful thus far. To all of you who have kept us in your prayers and given support, Thank you so much, you are a blessing!

As for our plans, we hope to be able to make the move to Kitale by January of 2013. While we do need committed support for housing, food, and other basics, the cost of getting us there is also worth noting. During our last trip we determined our monthly needs to be about $1500. The estimated cost of tickets, visas, and other travel related needs will be about $6000. A big thanks to those of you who are already giving to help move us towards this goal.

There is a lot of work before us, but we know now more than ever that God has chosen to use our gifts in this way. As we draw closer to Him we will shine on the darkness around us. We are looking forward to what God has planned for us, the people of Tuwani and beyond!

All donations can be made out to Africa Connect, or by PayPal via africaconnect.org; just remember to designate it to “Senecal Support”. You can also make checks out to Caleb Senecal if you don’t need a tax deduction, and send to 23 Tyringham Rd. Lee, MA. 01238

God bless,

Caleb and Eva Senecal

Things are happening so fast than we have ever imagined and this work already has had far reaching effects,.. Thousands of lives have been impacted through the School at Graceway, Community Clinics, Film Shows, Literacy Classes, the Tailoring School, Widows’ meetings, Food Distribution for the school kids, Home Visitations, Crusades, Conferences, planting of new Churches, and most recently the event which we had prayed for,  for so long, The Bible School. God keeps on impressing upon us how Big the Bible School is gonna grow and we are confirming this by the number of church leaders who constantly call us to request for training sessions in their local churches. I have shared about IBS with friends in Nairobi, Uganda and Tanzania and it’s like everyone desires to be involved…The leaders had requested that we run a programme before the year ends, probably in November. The magnitude of work is enormous bearing in mind that we are hosting a team of ministers (100 of them) from Nairobi and Tanzania from 13th Dec-18th Dec 2011… During this time we will too have a rigorous leadership summit where leaders will be equipped for the work of ministry.

So far we are optimistic, looking at the progress in each department. The School is doing well, remember this year having a chance to participate in The National Music Competition, with it’s staff  (both the teaching and support staff) being committed, The Bible School picking up with such enthusiasm, The Tailoring School moving on , now with increased number of machines than before. The church is strong and healthy. All this is an indication of the heights we can scale for the good of our community

Hello friends!

First of all we would like to say a big “Thank you!!” Your prayers and financial support were continually encouraging and well timed. For that we thank God who gave us such peace, through everything from long bumpy road trips to malaria. This was our first trip with our children, Jediah and Henry, and we are proud to report that they were made for this! The boys grew so much in their time in Kitale and we felt more at home than ever.

It helped that we had just the right team for this trip, too! The boys bonded with their Grandparents and simply loved and were loved by the whole team. We were so grateful to have Hannah Senecal, Caleb’s sister, who served selflessly in our home and out in the slum, and Ian McAlister, an engineer with a servant’s heart, kept busy fixing one mechanical fiasco after another.

They made trips up Mt. Elgon to do seed distributions to widows and to take part in leadership training by Pastor Don Roach. Bob and LuAnn were blessed to deal freely with administrative and relational issues that popped up, knowing that they could trust the team to do what had to be done.

The team worked with our Kenyan partners to spread the Gospel to Tuwani and many surrounding villages, showing the “Hope” film in Swahili. This drew large crowds and led to hundreds of people receiving Jesus, a highlight for all of us!

Caleb was excited to begin a carpentry workshop, teaching a few of the student’s fathers while working to design and build desks for the school. He was also involved with teaching parents gardening skills while digging and planting a school garden.

We had the privilege of hosting an afternoon tea with about 50 parents, meeting many for the first time. Caleb encouraged the older generation in the book of Titus. Then we asked them what issues they wanted to discuss – all they wanted was to be taught the Word! Of all that is pressing down on these people, they see their number one oppression to be the lack of balanced teaching in the Word. This is why we are so excited about the Bible School that is taking off in Tuwani and are looking forward to being there to see its growth.

We are open for the chance to move to Kitale and become full time missionaries on the ground. We long to be part of Graceway Chapel and a more integrated part of the community, because we love these people, and we believe that is how we will have the most impact. We are certain in this calling but uncertain in almost every other detail. We need a lot of prayer and almost as much money

Thanks again and may each of you receive the grace to do what is in front of you and do it to glory of our Creator.

By Pastor Don Roach

Ephesians 4:12: …for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

Something about God I find amazing is how He can use us to bear fruit for His glory. That is our desire, and I believe the most productive tool we can equip people with is a proper understanding of His Word.

With this in mind you can see why we are all excited about what God is doing; we have an opportunity to equip the spiritual leaders of Western Kenya with the Inductive Bible Study method. This not only teaches the Bible with a proper contextual understanding, but it will revolutionize their preaching with the ability of expository, (verse by verse) teaching. So often various ministries try to advance themselves by indoctrinating and cloning rather than equipping others with the tools to rightly divide the Word for themselves.

The potential here is great, there is a deep hunger. Join us in sowing God’s Word into the hearts of many, as we anticipate a fruitful harvest.

For this session, we are expecting over 60 to attend, many pastors who desire to reproduce it in their own villages. The need for funds to provide materials, beds, food, and transport for these indigenous leaders has been provided. However, there is an ongoing need for partners in this area, as we expect the expansion of this training to be rapid, as leaders take it back to their churches , and plant new churches.

What Eastern Africa is now facing is a life and death emergency, and this directly affects our students, our friends, our mission partners, and the slum of Tuwani. Global food and fuel prices are quickly rising, dramatically worsened by what are currently the worst drought conditions in the world. This has contributed to a 30% increase in our budget costs per month to operate the school.

A note from Job, our school administrator:

“Currently in our nation and in the horn of Africa people are facing starvation. Kenya alone had eight people die today…the national strategic grain reserves are completely depleted and now the government has resorted to the importation of maize, the main staple food for the country. There are also fears that the newest consignment is a genetically modified maize (GMO), food that Kenyans had never had before. ..This therefore means that we need proper planning for the school. Scarcity of rainfall and an uncontrolled market that gives unscrupulous dealers leeway to hoard maize are factors to bring fear in the country. Generally we lack policies to ensure food security in [Kenya}”

“…some of our kids are surviving on the food they are eating at school. With the price of 2kg of maize flour at 150 shillings, putting a meal on the table for most of these families is just a nightmare; they cannot make the same amount of money in a day…”

Africa Connect has always had local sustainability as a goal, and current circumstances are propelling that forward. We need to lease land in August to begin growing food for the school for next year, and meanwhile, purchase enough maize and beans to get through the next 12 months. Parents of primary students who cannot pay fees can work in the farm; some primary kids will need sponsors to cover them, at $200/year.

Please pray about what you can do.

Immediate Needs:

Beans: $664 (needed immediately)

Maize $1500 (needed in September)

School Operations: Increased $500/mo since Jan’11, due to rising costs

Leasing Land (3 acres) -$230

Total Farming Investment: $900

If you have a heart for helping with such sustainable agriculture projects in Africa, please contact us for more information.

This report comes in lieu of a newsletter in order to thoroughly update our supporters on the project in Tuwani with more detail as to what your prayers and dollars are accomplishing.  A newsletter in online format with columns from Caleb and Eva, a spending report, and more news will follow in July.

What a wonderful team came to Kenya with us this year, perfectly designed for the unique challenges and blessings encountered. Joining Bob and I for 2 ½ months were, Caleb and Eva Senecal and their two boys (our grandsons), Jediah, 2 ½, and Henry, 1, Caleb’s sister Hannah, and Ian McAlister. Don Roach, our home church pastor, also came for three weeks in February to help launch the Bible School, long a dream of the Graceway leaders and a vital next step for the project. You can read more about the team in our February newsletter or in the blogs posted on our website, www.africaconnect.org.

We feel incredibly privileged to have our partners in Kenya; Pastors Peter and Sarah, Apollo and Rose, David and Ruth, Eric and Helen, and school Director Job, are dear friends and surely family. Through the past seven years, we have shared the deep blessings, the victories and tragedies, the struggles and the lessons. God has forged a unity that is not easily broken. Our hearts are with them and with our kids in Kenya, and we are so grateful for their inspiration to us and their faithfulness to the work. Graceway Harvest Chapel is going through a major transition this year with Pastor Peter Siakama stretching his wings to concentrate on mentoring leaders locally and speaking internationally. He is passing leadership of the local church to Apollo Juma, a loving and diligent servant and effective teacher and administrator, who is currently working in the public school system. His wife Rose is our school secretary, and also teaches and leads worship. Apollo hopes to make the transition to full time to devote himself wholly to the transformation of Tuwani and beyond. We are excited to be working with both Peter and Apollo now!

NEEMA CARE CENTRE/GRACEWAY VICTORY ACADEMY: Now numbering 170 students total, the school continues to develop in every area. The 82 children in the Preschool and 88 in the new Primary section (Grades 1-3) are thriving, enjoying two nutritious meals per day, complete with fruit and vegetables 2-3 times per week. For many of the kids, these meals are their only source of food. Thanks to the 6^th grade class of Lee Elementary, the baby class received uniforms and backpacks quickly, and the rest of the preschoolers received their uniforms before we left. However, many still need backpacks, socks and shoes, and because government subsidized mosquito nets are no longer available, the cost has been prohibitive up to this point. We still hope to be able to buy them, even if only for the baby class.

The well dug last year is supplying clean water, and the water tower was moved and connected to the well to provide for a constant supply, even in dry season; this also cuts down on utility bills. The preschool was painted, classroom floors were repaired, and bulk food purchased to last until harvest season.

We are delighted with our present staff. They are unusually invested in the vision for the school and for Tuwani, viewing it not just as a job but as a ministry of love. Teaching children from the slum means extra duty – the boundaries between teacher and parent sometimes becoming blurred. They handle it graciously and also make themselves available to the guardians and parents past hours, often visiting the homes and staying late for school and ministry functions. As a result, the parents are becoming more involved, the children of the school excel in their exam scores, and they are ecstatic to be in this loving and secure environment. This school year we have added 3 new teachers and an additional cook and watchman, which brings the full time staff to fourteen. We have also hired part-time literacy and tailoring teachers.

The Primary section was instituted in 2010 with Grades 1& 2 in an adjacent building. This January, our Kenyan partners leased a roomy plot across the street, and by the time we arrived they had erected a “temporary” tin structure with plenty of light, ventilation and room to expand. They desire that the primary school be self-sustaining through increased parental and community participation; however, this will likely be a long-term transitional process. The preschool has always been, and, God willing, will continue to be free, relying on full Western support. However, at the primary level, we find it important that the parents take more responsibility to help with their child’s education, so we charge tuition fees, but will accept work on the compound in exchange. Though no child is turned away, this change was not initially well received. Some parents took their children elsewhere; however, through much patient instruction by the church and school staff, we are seeing the adults begin to accept and even become excited about their role – they are beginning to take ownership! During the transition, Africa Connect is attempting to cover the extra costs of food and salaries, but it has been difficult. It is primarily through Americans sponsoring the most needy primary students that the school was erected and sustained thus far – thank you so much! We love these children and recognize their potential to be world-changers. For many, the options if they leave the school are heart wrenching. We still need more sponsors.  If you would like to help, it’s just $200/school year!

Our five girls at Pathfinder are doing very well; some of them becoming leaders in the school. We are so grateful to their sponsors who sacrifice to make it possible for them to have this opportunity.

With more students, more staff, and a 50% rise in the cost of living in Kenya, (therefore a rise in salaries and operations), our budget for running the school has increased around 30% this year (about $450 -$500 per month). Maize has tripled, and we expect food prices to continue to rise this year.

PARENTS & WIDOWS: Great inroads were made relationally and organizationally this year highlighted by 1) the Parent’s Chai, hosted by Caleb and Eva to introduce themselves to the community and further honor the parent’s role in the school, and 2) the formation and training of a Parent Representative Board, which have a very active and important function in Kenya. LuAnn also ministered to the widow’s group, which is now growing under the teaching of Apollo and Rose.

KENYAN MUSIC/PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION: On May 27th, our kids competed for the first time in a very highly regarded educational venue. They swept away the competition at the municipal level, and on June 6^th moved to the district level, competing against hundreds of schools. Again, they placed 1^st and 2^nd in three out of five categories, and 3rd in the other two! Now, June 26^th, they are going to the Provincials, representing thousands of schools – and if they win, they go to Nairobi for the Nationals, performing before the President of Kenya!

We are very proud of these kids, but not so surprised. What a statement they have made! In each contest, people were shocked at their poise and dignity, asking, “What school are these children from?” ”It must be a top school!” When they find out that these are “slum kids” they just can’t believe it. What an impact it has had on their lives, on the staff, and how it has inspired the whole Tuwani community! Please pray with us for the remaining funds to pay for their transport and food in order to continue competing.

MEDICAL: Since beginning the on-site monthly school clinics last year, the incidence of illness in the students has declined and their general health is noticeably improved. With fewer trips to the District Hospital, medical costs have dropped and we no longer need a Health Aide/Social Worker on staff. The Community Clinics are continuing at Graceway as funding is available, usually three per year. In one day, hundreds from the slum are diagnosed and treated by medical staff hired from the local Government Hospital. Our next clinic will be in August and will cost about $500, medicine being the main expense. We hope to bring medical volunteers from the States over on future trips to help with these clinics and to extend the reach of our medical arm to the needy villages which have little or no access to doctors or medicine. If you are interested in this aspect, please contact our Director of Health Initiatives, Sue Choquette, at (413) 243-3645, smcthebuglady@aol.com. She has tremendous vision for this and experience in the field.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND EMPOWERMENT: There was great forward movement in this area this year, a very necessary part of stabilizing the project and encouraging self-sustaining income among the parents. We call this project “Empowerment” rather than “Microbusiness”, because the immediate goal in this case is not a return of income, but rather providing the tools needed to train the parents and church members in a practical vocation or business. For many, it creates an alternative to prostitution, making illegal brew, or other negative sources of income. However, the plan does involve creating a business in the future as a means of supporting the school as well as the participants.

A Tailoring class was begun late last year, with the purchase of a sewing machine, and was held in a classroom after school. Seeing the success of this class and the immediacy of the benefits to the students, we decided with our partners to further develop the class into a tailoring school. With the help of $1000 in donated seed money, they purchased two more sewing machines, tables and supplies, and hired Helen, an experienced tailor (who is also in the widows group), to teach. Many single parents and some of our school staff are participating, and the number is increasing rapidly as word gets out about free training.  Also, our need for school uniforms provided training “material”, as well as a low-cost way to meet a need of the school! In order to establish the classes at a better time for the parents, and to also create secure storage for the machines and other church and school equipment (computer, printer, soundboard, etc), we have rented a storefront next to the school for about $72 per month. This will also provide much needed office space for administration, so the teachers can use the former office for meetings with parents and class preparation.

Caleb Senecal and Ian McAlister really enjoyed getting to use their skills in a practical way during this trip. While Ian was busy fixing every broken item that came along (and there were many!), Caleb began a Carpentry workshop using some of the Primary funds to build desks for the third grade; however, he also used that as a means to train a few qualified Tuwani men in the use of power tools. This skill will increase their own business and also provide carpenters for the future needs of the school.

AGRICULTURE: With guidance from Tanui from Love Mercy, Ian and Caleb joined a few parents to dig up the back area of the school compound as a demonstration plot for a garden. This will serve as a demonstration plot for Tuwani to see what a variety of healthy food can come out of a small space, and also as a supply of veggies for school lunches! We hope to lease a larger plot to grow more food.

OUTREACH: What a fruitful time sharing the Gospel and reaching into lives with the unfathomable love of God! We estimate between 600-700 professions for Christ during this 3 ½ month trip, and it continues as we write. Job, Apollo, David, and others, gave us the necessary leadership and support to go as one team into new areas and to further develop initiatives from prior years. It is their selfless vision, fervent love, and tireless labor that enables this outreach to continue through the year.

One of the most fulfilling activities for the team was doing Home Visits in the Tuwani slum, which we were able to do 2-3 days per week during February and March. Each team followed the children whose homes were being visited.  Each team was accompanied by at least one teacher or staff member who would interpret for us, and together we would better acquaint ourselves with the family situation. Not only did these visits give us insight into the needs of the students’ families, but they also gave opportunity to share the vision of hope for Tuwani and information about programs being offered. The response has always been very warm, and the hosts never ask for a handout. To be able to love, encourage, pray, and weep with these people, and to receive the same from them, is the ultimate of all the things we experience in Kenya. This is God’s heart.

As we walk through the slum, surrounded by kids, we draw attention, but no longer as strangers; we are now “Mama Leah” and “Baba Bob”, and all the team are often called by name, not just “muzungus.” Many opportunities for evangelism rose out of this. Bob became very bold and effective speaking to the young men in particular, challenging them to rise up to love, protect, and serve the women and children of Tuwani as they were meant to do. One well-known thief and ganja dealer repented, brought his large stash to the church the next day, and has been attending Graceway since. Bob even spoke spontaneously in a slum pool hall, which resulted in every one of them praying out loud to receive Christ and become a real man with purpose! At least one is now being discipled by Pastor Apollo. We are very excited that the Graceway leaders are fervently continuing and expanding this outreach, as well as others.

The team thoroughly enjoyed some adventurous Friday nights travelling (over terrible roads) with Job or Apollo into villages, near and remote, to show “Tumaini”, the “Hope” video in Swahili. Many dear people responded to the offering of salvation clearly and creatively expressed in this movie. These same villages are also the sites where branches of the Bible school are being planned using the IBS material introduced this year. This means any convert can quickly be taught how to read and understand the Bible for themselves. Please pray that we can obtain Bibles for these hungry people.

We were also privileged to speak to 500 young men at St. Joseph’s Boy’s School in Kitale, one of the premier secondary schools in the nation, by invitation of Eric, who teaches literature at St. Joseph’s and is also a pastor at Graceway. LuAnn opened briefly and sang a Swahili song, then Bob spoke about his experiences growing up poor, without a father, and shared the wisdom and the love and acceptance he has discovered in God his true Father. The response seemed very deep and real, with over half the boys present raising their hands to know this Father personally. We plan to return, per request of the students.

MT. ELGON RELIEF: In April, Caleb, Ian, and Hannah were able to go to Kipsigon, high on Mt. Elgon, to deliver maize seed donated by Western Seed to the widows who were victims of previous tribal wars. AC also assisted with providing medicine for a clinic on Mt. Elgon through our partner, Mark Ndiema.

One thing deeply impressed on us this year was this: If any of the humanitarian and community development projects are going to thrive beyond the work of AC and become sustainable in the lives of individuals, families, and as a community (which is true success), there must be a fundamental change in the mindset and motives of the receivers. We are battling decades of colonialism and dependency on Western handouts, discrimination and oppression, entrenched tribalism, drugs, alcohol, and despair, and a vision that rarely glimpses beyond daily survival. We believe this battle can effectively be won only through being “transformed by the renewal of the mind” (Rom 12:1, 2) – by teaching the Word of God, and instructing others how to teach it. The Bible teaches us how to love, think, and live in every area of life. We also have been impressed that this battle is not one of months or years; it will demand our lives.

IBS TRAINING: That said, we and our Kenyan partners believe starting a Bible School is the most imperative task at hand. We are initially using the Inductive Bible Study method, developed into a course by Intensive Care Ministries especially for leaders in the developing world. This non-denominational course teaches church leaders, and anyone else, to understand, to effectively study, create messages, and lead small groups from the context of the Bible itself, when other resources are scarce or unreliable, which often is the case in Africa. There is a predominance of errant teaching, manipulation, and confusion in the name of Christianity, and often it is the poor who are most affected. This has been a deep concern of ours for years, and we are so thankful for Don’s ministry to these leaders. His humble and loving example, as well as clear and objective presentation, was incredibly well received. We are also thankful for his friendship and ministry to us as a team while in Kenya. Please come back Don!

The first session of the IBS training was held in April, with 35 leaders representing several different villages and church backgrounds. The followup sessions will be in August and December, with plans for the first graduation next January when the AC team will hopefully be present! This will rapidly spread as the leaders take it home to their own church members where people are hungry to learn.

Thank God for all He h

as done! And thank you for all you give!

Blessings,

Bob and LuAnn Herring

, for the AC team in America and our team in Kenya.