Making new friends, reconnecting with old friends...and moving!

July was an exciting month of making new friends, reconnecting with old friends and moving!

With most of our church and ministry activities across town, when Joanna and I had the opportunity to move and save the 2 + hour's it was taking to commute one way, we didn't hesitate to say "yes"! Packing and logistics didn't take long. 

The move was done in one day and very soon we were receiving guest!

While our new apartment provides more space and is closer to our various ministry activities, most importantly it serves as a place to build relationship.

"Friendship takes time. There's simply no substitute for the expenditure of large amounts of time in the making of friends. You can't always be accomplishing something, especially friend-making, in the time spent. Considerable time needs to be spent without any other agenda than to spend time together."

- Mike Flynn, Making Disciples

"True bonding of a missionary and another people doesn't take place at first sight. Becoming bi-cultural takes years. Jesus envisioned discipleship as a lifetime of building into the lives of others. The work of missions takes weeks, months, and years - an entire lifetime."

- Forget the Pith Helmet, various authors

Two such friendships that developed during my time with the CML Ministry, were with Tilly and Collins. Meeting them both at the beginning of their High School years, our friendship grew as they participated in our Discipleship program and stayed with us at home during Holidays.What a joy it was to reconnect with them recently and hear how they have been doing since graduating! Like many of the young people I mentored and discipled while living upcountry, these two became part of my large extended family.

  Tilly is currently on break from the college she is attending in Eldoret and staying with her Aunt in Nairobi. We had a wonderful visit and she told me about how she is active in the Christian Union at school and continues learning more about how to disciple others and share the Gospel.

Collins, who worked as the clerk at the CML Academy for some time, is now working at a Primary school in his home area and trying to raise money to join MOI Teachers College in Northern Kenya.

While visiting Nairobi, Collins also stopped by to visit Joanna and me. He brought Dennish, another former student, and we had a wonderful afternoon of cards and fellowship. Food is an important part of fellowship in Kenya so we enjoyed a good meal between games of Hand & Foot and discussing an upcoming ministry event that Collins will be helping with. It was a good day!

New friendships are also developing through involvement at Life Community Church and 

the ladies Life Group which meets on Tues. nights. 

Below, the ladies are all smiles as we gather for a time of reading God's word, worshipping and encouraging one another! What a blessing getting to know these ladies, and being able to host the meetings at our new apartment! 

July was a month of building relationship foundations in our ministry.

At church we even had a series of messages on "Understanding";  Understanding yourself, Understanding others and Understanding relationship. 

Below Pastor Twyla Brickman was teaching about how "Understanding Others" includes recognizing and understanding the different personality traits that God has given each person. Each personality has certain strengths and weaknesses and can complement or conflict with others.

To help us "understand" one another even better as we serve God together in the Body, we will explore these differences further during a DISC Workshop on August the 25th.

"I think what our world is desperately in need of is lovers. Lovers are people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about.

Lovers are people who have fallen desperately in love with God and with suffering people, and who allow those relationships to disturb and transform them."

- quote from Shane Claiborne, author of "Irresistible Revolution"

A valuable ministry connection with Dr. Larry L. Niemeyer's Harvest Impact  Ministries resulted in the purchase of some long sought Discipleship materials. Added to the great materials we have been receiving through Dr. Les & Twyla Brickman/Strategic Cell Ministries we now have a great tool kit from which to work as we start our discipling ministry.

A small but powerful book, "Discipling: A Kingdom Priority" by Dr. Larry L. Niemeyer, is one of my favorite books on discipling and addresses issues I have encounter in the Kenyan culture. Having lived in Kenya since 1967 the author identifies 13 principles for effective Biblical discipling;

I was also able to meet with Maurice Odhiambo the founder of Manna Ministries and visit two schools that his ministry provides meals for in the Kibera slum. This connection was facilitate by Pastor Jim & Peggy Price from Heritage Fellowship in Jefferson City, TN in the US.  I look forward to meeting with Maurice again and learning more about the work he is doing with the children in the slum.

Medical Clinic at St. Catherine's Orphanage & School

·         Serving with Life Community Church (LCC) the free medical clinic held Saturday,  June 23rd for St. Catherine’s Children Home & School was a huge success! 

   Over 200 children saw a Doctor, were de-wormed and received medicine they could otherwise not afford. Best of all, we thank God for the men from LCC who prayed with each child and adult that came through the clinic and for how the love of Christ was shared in a tangible way. 

 St. Catherine's is located in the Kibera slum and operates a home for 25 orphans and a school for 265 students. The blue building on the right is where we held the clinic. This building recently had a second floor added and is used for the school and Sunday church services.

 The teachers and church volunteers had the children well organized by class. The foot of the steps was the first "waiting line"...followed by a very small "waiting room" in a hallway.

The older kids helped set up the rooms we used by carrying the mattresses, tables & chairs upstairs.

 Simple rooms with the bare necessities were turned into doctor's offices!

 

Before

After

The de-worming station. 

Each child was given de-worming tablets. 

The longest lines of the day were in the pharmacy. 

  

Gotta love this expression! 

  

I worked with Pharmacist Louise. She was a great teacher...

especially in helping me read the Doctors writing!

 After completing the medical part of the clinic 

it was time for Prayer...

and some fun...

 .....both an important part of balanced life!

Twyla Brickman was a great clown. She entertained children, 

adults & even passers by!

What a blessing to see the men from Life Community Church 

pray for each child and teacher that came to the clinic!

Much thanks to Joanna for faithfully taking pictures through out the day...

  .... and to Zippy from Life Community Church's Compassion Ministry

 for her leadership in organizing the clinic. You can see by her smile she loves serving!

Praise reports and prayer request

Hard to believe but in a few short days I will be back in Kenya. As I have been preparing to leave the U.S. Joanna has been busy, busy, busy in Nairobi, and in all we have been doing.... God has been at work. We have lots to give thanks for!

Praise Report

Joanna has been taking  Life Coaching and Exploring Community Life classes 

as preparation for future ministry, which will include being a Cell  Group Apprentice.

We will be serving with Life Community Church as they host a free medical clinic

 in Kibera slum for St. Catherine orphanage and school the weekend of June 22nd.

I was able to purchase some basic medical supplies 

for use at the upcoming (and future) medical clinics.

We will have a new apartment (bottom right) 

in July with 2 bedrooms and plenty of space for our ministry office

 and to host company!

New Hope has started receiving ministry donations 

and has the first month and a half  of expenses covered. 

Thank you to all that have partnered with us!

Prayer Request

Continued improvement for my mothers health and peace of mind as she settles into her new home. Moving from the family farm where she spent the past 40+ years will take some adjustment. Please pray that she will make friends in the neighborhood and will not over-do- it physically once I'm not there to nag her!

That the Lord will send more workers to help with the medical clinic and that we will be able to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of those He sends.

That Joanna and I will have ears to hear the Lord's voice as He directs us in this new ministry and we seek  ministry opportunities with groups such as Wings of Compassion a home for unwed teenage mothers. 

That my personal and ministry financial needs of $700 will be met each month.

That we will embody the love and hope which is Christ, to all those we minister to in Kenya, to our Fathers glory.

What a privilege to be on this journey with you!!!

Past, present and future....

 In Matthew 25 Jesus says that how we love others will be visible by our actions; "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, thirsty and you gave me something to drink...sick and you looked after me..."  More so He says that how we love others reveals our heart towards Him; "whatever you did for the least of these...you did for me." Isaiah 58 says that God desires for us to: "loose the chains of injustice,  set the oppressed fee, share your food with the hungry, provide the poor wanderer with shelter and cloth the naked".  

These are foundational scriptures for our ministry. New Hope was established as a result of God's call upon our hearts to 1) love God  2) love others and 3) to share the love of God with others. In a world full of despair and hurt caused by poverty, illness, abuse, broken relationships and spiritual darkness we know that Christ is our one true HOPE!

As the founders of New Hope, Joanna and I  have spent years responding to God's call by serving stateside in our home churches, volunteering with non-profit organizations, serving on short-term mission teams in various countries and through serving in Kenya with local churches, ministries and organizations. 

When we look back at just the past 6 years of serving in Kenya, we see God has been more than faithful and has enabled us to live out His call in amazing ways. We are thankful and blessed to have been able to:

• Deepen our personal relationship with Him
• Love hundreds of people as we share the Gospel and our lives with them  
• Establish 2 schools  
• Sponsor school fees for over 100 students
• Provide text books, school supplies, uniforms, sock & shoes for school children 
• Build a pharmacy in the Kiambiu slum and provide free medical services  
• Provide life skills training & income generating programs for women living in poverty
• Give away 100's of free Bibles
• Facilitate Discipleship training and Bible studies 
• Serve with medical outreach mission teams both in the city slums and remote rural areas
• House and feed up to 25 students
• Provide clothing and food for those in need
• Open a community resource center / library  
• Support adult literacy classes 
• Cultivate relationships with neighbors and local community leaders
• Host seminars advocating basic health, hygiene and HIV prevention  
• Serve with Kenyan and American brothers & sisters at; Missions of Hope, Global Outreach, Christian Mission to Learners, Msamaria Mwema (Good Samaritan), Glory Outreach Assembly, Nairobi Pentecostal, Kakwara Baptist, Clarence Mathey and Malachi Ministry, THEM, Starfish Charities, Heart for HIM and Strategic Cell Ministries.

Now consolidated under New Hope we presently continue to follow the Lord and actively share His love with others in word and deed!

• Joanna is finishing three + years of service with Mission of Hope later this summer and will continue to be actively involved with Starfish Charities and Strategic Cell Ministries. She has also begun work with a new church plant in Nairobi called Life Community Church (LCC), where New Hope will  possibly partner with the Compassion Ministries programs. 
• I continue the preparation process for returning to Kenya on June 18th after a wonderful and much needed Sabbatical. My time in the US has allowed me to draw aside with the Lord, care for my mother following her stroke and do the necessary work to set up our new ministry and obtain 501c3 status for New Hope. 

As for the future - wherever He leads us we will go. In the next few months we will explore partnerships with LCC and Strategic Cell Ministries and are scheduled to help serve at a free medical clinic in one of Nairobi's slums. We will also be learning how to conduct home cell groups. Most importantly, wherever we go we carry the ministry of transformation, reconciliation, healing, restoration and peace.....  the Gospel of good news that brings new hope! 


Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

Below Joanna is giving certificates on behalf of Starfish Charities to Maasai ladies that completed adult literacy classes.They can now read the Bible and help their children with homework! 

                                    

                                   

          Denise & Nic Miller triaging patients during a medical mission

 with THEM ministry in the Rift Valley.

                                   

                     

Joanna & Denise with Monica, one of the students we assisted with school fees. After graduating from high school   Monica worked as a teacher at the CML Academy until getting married last year. 

   Free Bibles donated by Rev. John Thompson for students given during a CML Discipleship Camp

School children co-sponsored for school fees , uniforms and text books.

Joanna & Denise helped sponsor, develop and implement the first CML Discipleship Camp. 

Below is the first group of girls from that Camp in 2007. 

Denise continued co-sponsoring and teaching at 

Discipleship Camps  through 2011.

Denise conducting skill training sessions with the Kitere Ladies group. 

 Denise  served  with the Msamaria Project in 2006 and 2007, 

providing care for people with HIV/AIDS and orphans. 

School children at the Msamaria Project were

 built new classrooms and provided uniforms,

shoes and text books.

The new school built in Jan . 2011 with CML , consisted of five 

classrooms and enrolled over 100 students!  

Two pictures below, the students enjoy the daily  feeding program and 

receiving free toothbrushes! .

The resource library opened in 2011 provides books and

 learning materials for the local community, Pastors and students. 

Weekend women's retreat & outreach Mission with Heart for Him ministry. 

Over 250 ladies attended and received a free Bible!

Praise the Lord!

 

NHIM celebrates receiving tax exempt status as of May 10th!

Thank you to everyone that has been supportive of this endeavor with your prayers and encouragement.

We will soon be posting information about how to send donations.... until then please feel free to contact us at either nhimkenya@gmail.com or denisedavenport@mac.com.