I just wanted to let everyone know that the team made it back to atlanta and is doing well.
they ate a good lunch and the guys immediately turned on the football game. It is fun to catch up with them and I look forward to hearing some of their stories as I am sure you all are as well.
They are excited to get home and see family and friends!
Hi everyone! I wanted to write and tell you what God has been doing in Kibera. Every day the team splits up into 2 groups, 1 group goes to the adventures school to tutor, while another group (my group) goes to Monica's school to help teach. Monica Cross is a passionate woman of GOD. He testimony amazes me. She lives in Kibera and has 5 children. Her job is not like most jobs however. God told her to start a feeding program for children in Kibera. Every saturday she prepares lunch for them, free of charge. NOt only that she also started a school and feeds the children breakfast and lunch, free of charge. And how does she make money? She sells mandazis every morning to fund her feeding programs. When mandazis are not sold however, the children go without. But the Lord is faithful and he provides.So we have seen God work and provide for Monica's children (all 50 of them Mon-Fri. And 200 of them on saturdays). I love helping at the school, the kids are such a blessing! The ages are from 3 years old to around 7 years old. After Monica's the team meets back up at the AIM house for lunch. Then, we split up into more groups and go to different ministry sites. These ministries conisist of Door to Door, Detention Center, Kibera Youth Program and The Therapy Center. We work at these places until 4,30 then we head home. We have made many friendships with people in Kibera, it will be sad to leave them. But we know that God has a plan for their lives and he will take care of them. Next tuesday we will be leaving to go to Nivasha. (hour and half from here). Then we will head to Eburu to do ministry there. We are all excited to go and we have been doing ministry prep for the past 2 days. And then we head home! Time flies so fast! But God has been doing some amazing things here. He has provided us with translators that are so helpful, and people that are a pleasure to work with. We have done some open air ministries which have been very effective and many people have come to Christ! Please be praying for us as we travel. Much love!-TINA
The team is doing great and have been processing through a lot about themselves the last week. It started with an amazing prayer session that we had thursday morning because of the rain. It was the time that every one of us needed with the Lord and to be able to speek truth and life into eachother. It was a time of processing, time of crying, time of happiness, and most of all it was a time of love for each person. I can tell you personaly it was a great time for me to help me process through some things and to show me how blessed i really am.
Then on monday night we had a student led night where the students plan out a evening devotion or teaching time for the whole team. Is what we are doing right now enough? Are we looking to Jesus for wisdom and strength? Are we giving everything that we are given by Christ and pouring it out on the people in Kenya? This team is hungry!! They are hungry for Christ and serving him with everything they have and want to show the people of Kibera that they no longer have to live in darkness. They can live in the marvelous light of Jesus. The love that the team is showing to everyone is unlike anything i have seen before. When they are sick they are mad because they can't be out serving the Lord. They even made me question myself and analyze if I'm giving everything i have, or if I'm longing to have a even stronger realationship with Jesus. We get comfortable with where we are at sometimes because we get into a routine but we don't want that. I read a great quote that says, "If life was a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream." We can get comfortable while swimming upstream. The one thing we have to take hold of is the fact that the speed of the current in the river will change and we will have to swim stronger. When we are tired we have to swim stronger. When we are sick we have to swim stronger. We are swimming upstream with everything we have and are prepared for the current to change!!!!
For the past three weeks or so a group of us have been going to the New Adventures school to tutor some students struggling with their studies. We spend about thirty minutes to an hour working on math, science and English with them. We are working with grades 6 and 7. We are there Monday through Thursday in the mornings. I personally have been tutoring two students named Brenda and Sharon. I love getting to spend time with them every day, they are sweet girls. Let me; first off, say that tutoring was not what I thought God would have me be doing while I was here. I was taking a year off of school to kinda figure out what God wanted me to be doing because school was not my thing, and he is having me help others with school. Heads up, huh! The awesome part is I love it!! School has always been an area I never felt, as far as worldly standards go, "successful" in. However, God has allowed me to help others struggling, and needless to say I have seen some awesome progress in the girls. They are excited to work on stuff that they are having a hard time with, and what is even more exciting is seeing them get something I attempt to explain! I have definitely taken school for granted; in kibera education is often the only way to a "better" life. These kids have to do well to better their situation. God has used me in an area I felt like abandoning myself which is awesome. I have certainly been more aware about what a blessing education is. I still don't feel called to teaching of any kind, but God has made me painfully aware, in a good way, about how much I have taken school for granted.
The New Adventures School has about 300 kids. Many of the children have to share text books and are packed into a classroom. They seem so happy to be there and the teachers are amazing. They have such a joy for the children and the Lord! It is so cool to see the Lord in these kids' lives too. Many of them are saved and have a desire to know the lord more. Several of the kids from New Adventures orphanage also go to the school, so we get to see them every day as well. I have been so blessed by these children, just seeing the joy they have, living in the conditions they do. It has given me a new perspective that is for sure. God is good all the time, all the time God is good!
This trip has been absolutely life changing. I feel like God has completely transformed my heart for Him since I have been in Kenya. I want to share with you all an amazing way that I have seen God work. Every morning, Monday through Thursday, I go to Adventures School and tutor three sixth grade students in English, Science and Math. Wednesday and Thursdays are our Math days and Math is by far the subject that they struggle the most in. With Science and English, the schools are able to adapt them to their culture and every day life, but with Math, you know it or you don't. It has proved to be a challenge with one student especially. When I first met with him last week, I was so discouraged. He didn't seem to grasp any of the concepts I was teaching him. I was really dreading having to do Math this week and I have to admit, my attitude was not optimistic. Wednesday morning, I just laid it all at Christ's feet. I poured my heart out to Him and asked Him for patience and guidance. That day, the lesson was about cubes and the different properties of them. God totally gave me an amazing illustration using a brick and I saw my students grasp onto it. My heart was soaring!I was so excited to see that I had gotten through and that they were learning. I know to some this may seem like a small thing, but when you see how these people live, you understand that education is their hope for making a decent life for themselves. It is the difference between clean water and contaminated, going hungry or having food on the table, a one room shack or a small home. This is their reality and it was an honor for me to help someone take one step closer to that. We are seeing improvement every day, but please remember the students in your prayers. We want to see them not just succeed, but excel.
Hey everybody, my name is Shaun Hoskins and I'm 22 years old. I was born in Dayton, OH on December 7, 1985. I did not grow up in a Christian family, and I'm also an only child. I lived a pretty normal childhood, and didn't come to know the Lord until June of 2001. I have taken two short term missions trips to Mexico, one in the summer of 02, and the next in the summer of 03. After these trips I kind of went into a slump in my walk with Christ. I stopped seeking Him and had no intention of going back. Then in the summer of 2005 I was invited to take a short term trip to the Dominican Republic, and can say, I had no idea what was in store for me. I ended up having to be a leader and was called into missions but I slammed the door in the Lords face and said no! I was not ready to give my life and everything in It to Christ. It wasn't until November of 2007 that I started questioning how I was living my life. I was not living it for Christ and was not looking at him for wisdom and strength. Then a couple weeks later I was asked to lead a trip to the Amazon Jungle of Peru. This ended up being the best trip I have ever been on. I was stretched far beyond the point that I thought I would be, and once again was called into fulltime missions. All I can say is I'm here now. I have traded my past life of living for myself and now I'm trying to live it for the Lord. For now, I'm here in Kenya until December, and hope to come back in January but I will have to wait to see if that is what the Lord has planned for me. Thank you to all my friends and family for encouraging and supporting me. Without your help I would not have been able to follow the call the Lord has placed on my life. Love you all!!
Over the past month a lot has happened. I have joined a different kind of family that is strong and loving, not that mine wasn't. We have grown together into one entity that serves God with one purpose.
I am just going to jump into the major events so far for me because are days are so packed and my time is so limited to tell you about everything. The first major event for me was in Georgia before I ever left for Kenya. We were doing a prayer walk type thing in which you pray for God to guide your footsteps to someone, so I prayed. This may sound kind of weird, but I felt God calling me to talk to the fifth person that I saw as I walked into a mall in Georgia. I was like, "okay God I'll do this even though I think I might be going crazy." It was an older lady that was the fifth person and she was looking through the ladies shoe section. The first thing that came to my mind was thinking that it was going to suck because I could strike up a conversation with anyone any other place, but I tried it any way. I pretended to be looking at the shoes like a dork and then asked for her name and she gave it to me and then I gave her mine. Over the next few minutes I told her what I was doing there and that I felt called to come talk to her and pray for her. I started praying for her and as I prayed I felt called to pray for something bad going on in her family that was bugging her. When I was done praying she told me that it was weird that I prayed for such a thing because her sister had been terminally diagnosed and found out the next morning how long she had to live. She told me this and I just broke down and found my way over to one of my buddies Clay and cried on his shoulder for a little bit. It was just remarkable to me the way God made sure that the little faith I showed mirror the love he has for this women through me.
Later when we were in Webuye, Kenya God once again broke me. We were doing a youth and pastors conference that had a few hundred people at both events when, Pastor Bruce, our lead speaker who we had joined together with to do this conference, gave a sermon. It really just convicted me and made me feel God tugging at me, and he was telling me that I was called to be a pastor and that it fits the skill set that he has given me and if you know me that is all I have to say and you can see I'm right. The sermon that Pastor Brace was giving was on a mix of topics that included faith and not being hypocrites. Since then I have been praying day in and day out and the more I do the more sure I am that I am suppose to be a pastor. Then I wrote my best friend Nick Sackett and told him and he just further comforted me that I would be a good pastor and told me how much he looked up to me and that just has meant more to me than he could ever know. I need to keep moving so that I can fit in the other amazing thing that God did in me.
The last huge thing was when I was at the Pastors Conference in Webuye the kids were everywhere outside and the Pastors didn't really like this. Well the day before the kids and I had played a game in which they all chased me down and tackled me. On this particular day it had poured rain and it was extremely muddy but the one hundred some odd kids still wanted to play this game, so I changed into my drama clothes, and played it with them. Something that I failed to mention is that in this field that we played in was a mixture of livestock and human excrament and when it rained it mixed well. Well we played and by the end I was completely covered in mud and other stuff but the kids stayed pretty clean. The thing that really blessed me though was how many hundred pastors came up to me and told me that they were blessed by what I did, because in Kenya kids are treated as pests and I just showed them a new way to minister by loving others. It broke my heart that something so simple as loving kids can go overlooked.
Overall God has shown me a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing through him. He has been showing me the path that he has created just for me and leading me through it. He is giving me the words and the ability to love others more that I have ever had the capability to do and he is also keeping me together, rested, and ready for the next day because without him there is no way I would have the energy to keep this up. I can just feel myself growing closer to him each and everyday and I don't want it to stop!!
How great is our God?! A month ago today I was embarking on an unknown adventure, God has most definitely done immeasurably more than I could have asked or imagined. I want to explain our Webuye adventure the last 10 days.
First, however, I want to intervene this blog entry for a moment and tell you a parable of sorts. One night while a young girl was sleeping peacefully in her bed, small, demon like creatures invaded. The next morning when the girl woke from her deep sleep she discovered that her body had been eaten and tormented. These small creatures that normally reside upon dog, cats, and other various creatures with four legs now felt the need to reside upon the girl. The small demons called fleas, in most cultures, had deformed the arms and legs of said girl. Now, feel no pity for the girl for there was a valuable spiritual analogy that came out of this parable. When life throws you fleas; spray them with deadly anti-flea spray and there will be peace once again! Ok seriously though, when things attack you in life, causing distraction, torment, harm, fear, and possible skin irritation, use Jesus Christ as your armor. He is dying (literally) for you to allow him to fight for you. Pray against the evil ones schemes.
Onto bigger and better things, the first two days in Webuye we held a youth conference. The first day we had about 80 ish kids and some adults. The second day we had 200 or more. We had sessions where we told them about Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and other branches of Christianity. One of the days we asked those in the crowed if any of them wanted to be saved and probably 30 or more came up and accepted Jesus as their savior! Needless to say God had exceeded my expectations. The third day we took an adventure to Webuye Falls, God gifted us with a beautiful day to rest and spend time in his creation. My heart was blessed!
The next day we went to have a work day...and God decided to have a church service instead! It was a good reminder that our plans are not always Gods plans! That night God gave us a sunset that his hands only could have created. Off in the distance there was lightning and the clouds were breathtaking! It really gave me a chance to hear Gods voice and listen to what he wanted to tell me! In the stillness and silence that is where you will find Him. Praise the Lord!
The next three days we held a pastors conference. Satan, to say the least, tried to foil Gods plans, But HAHA little did he know God wins every time!! Mmmhmm! Many on our team were heavy hearted. I had never felt so spiritually attacked before, my heart was very dark and I could audible hear woman screaming when there were none. However, this team God has placed me with helped fight off Satan's evil schemes. You know when satan tries that hard to get to Gods Children, God has a bigger and better plan that satan doesn't want fruit to come out of.
I am pleased to say that many seeds were planted at that pastors conference and fruit was produced! What a great God we serve, that he will fight on our behalf. I can't even comprehend how much he loves us. Be encouraged, God is fighting for his children. One huge thing that God taught me in Webuye was that people are starving for something other than this life and Jesus is more than enough to satisfy that hunger. When physical resources are not available you can do nothing but rely on Gods provision to meet those needs. And in his will and timing he does! Praise be to God!
A few minutes we just had a call from Connie (one of the Real Life Team Leaders) and she gave us a great update on what the team is doing in Webuye! For the past two days the team has helped lead a youth conference for over 200 youths. Last night the team performed their drime called "Everything" and it was received quite well! They even had an altar call after the drime and approx. 50 people came forward - about half of them were kids!
The team said they are having a great time with the youth that attended the conference as well as the Kenyan youth leaders that partner with Alpha. Another good note - last night there was a revival service and Brad (one of our team members) shared his testimony in front of the entire crowd - what an awesome opportunity to share what God has done in his life.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the team is headed to a local prison in Webuye. Please pray for not only their safety as they enter, but also that the hearts of the people there would be open to hearing about God. On Monday they are visiting a local school.
The team is doing great, they are excited to be a part of this awesome ministry. Please continue to pray for the team - that they would have crazy strength to keep up with everything this week, and that the ministry they are doing would continue to flourish!
Great things are happening in Kenya and it is really exciting to watch God working in the lives of not only the Real Life Team, but in the lives of the Kenyans as well.
To God be all the glory for the great things He is doing!!
The team has officially left on their first outreach. This morning they caught a bus at 7 am to take an 8 hour ride to a town called Webuye on the border of Uganda. We have partnered with a program called Alpha and will be helping with a youth conference tomorrow and Saturday. The team will be teaching, leading small groups, performing drimes and helping in any other way they can! They are very excited about this adventure and would appreciate your prayers! The rest of the week will be spent ministering in various ways to the people of Webuye. Please pray that God would use them in mighty ways and that He will stretch them in their faith! The team will be traveling from September 25th and will return to Nairobi on October 4th.
