Thursday, December 04, 2008

Happy Moon


The sky over Nairobi was smiling on Monday night. The happy alignment of Venus and Jupiter occurs once every 50 years or so. Here's a shot from the office in Eastlands, Nairobi.

Monday, November 24, 2008

A New Home


Check out a few photos from my new residence in the South B, Nairobi, Kenya:

The sitting room


Kitchen


All purpose laundry facilities (the washer is the gray basin, the rinser is the other gray basin, and the dryer is the sun)


Master Bedroom

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Obama Mania!!!

The results came in at 7 a.m. local time in Nairobi. Thousands of Kenyas held vigil throughout the night waiting for word of a possible Obama victory. Obama's grandmother hosted reporters in her small village and Western Kenya while some villages and cities held mock elections yesterday with Obama and McCain ballot boxes.

Kenyans take great pride in the fact that one of their sons was running for office in the U.S. Full page posters of Obama have appeared in most major newspapers here, and the U.S. election has had front page stories for the past two weeks. Everyone has been talking about it. I've met people I didn't think followed much news, who have confidently explained to me the nuances of the American Electoral College and the importance of Obama victories in battleground states such as Virginia.

When the verdict was received this morning, celebrations broke out throughout Kenya. Thousands have taken to the street with song and dance, setting bonfires and displaying portraits and badges of Obama. The President of Kenya has just declared tomorrow a National Holiday to celebrate Obama's election as President of the United States.

Arrival in Nairobi

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. I arrived safely in Nairobi last week and have been staying in guest houses and with friends as I looked for an apartment and started back at work.

It's been tough settling back. I had three different agents helping to find an apartment and Lucy and I viewed dozens of possible places (some very nice and some in various stages of neglect or disrepair). Yesterday I moved into very nice. An apartment in the South B neighborhood of Nairobi. It is a great location and a very secure complex, more than we've been praying and hoping for. I'll post some photos soon. - dc

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Dave's Fundraising Campaign

Learn more about how you too can support missions in Kenya. Join Dave as he's back in the states and planning for more ways to be connected:

www.kenyaconnection.org

Family Time

Its been a long time since I've been back in the states, and its been wonderful to spend time with family and visit with friends.


Lake Winnisquam in New Hampshire

My nephew Raden after a hard days work

Lucy and Dave in the U.S.

Recent adventures during Lucy's first visit to the U.S.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Commissioning Evangelists

Yesterday we held a big ceremony at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi to commission recent college graduates and "officers" for Church Army Africa. The newly commissioned will serve throughout East Africa in a variety of missions and ministry contexts, helping to reach out to those on the margins of society, especially the poor and neglected. We've been working hard the past few weeks to prepare for the commissioning event. The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya was among one of the individuals to be commissioned. Here's a few photos:









The newly commissioned evangelists and presiding clergy







Lucy responds to unexpected questions from BBC reporters






Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi reads the acceptance speech I worked on.

To celebrate and relax after the ceremony, our office went out for dinner at the very nice Carnivore Restaurant (a place where you can sample crocodile and ostrich meat). I don't recommend the crocodile. Here's a couple pics:


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Education in Gatina

Here's a short video of Imani Development Centre, a private primary school just down the road from Light and Power Centre. It caters to the poorest of the poor, mostly to orphans and children of single mothers (many of whom are affected by HIV/AIDS). The school has about 125 students and is run by a friend who is a local pastor and works alongside his family in Gatina. The Wafula family had a heart to reach out to needy children in the neighborhood who roamed around during the day because their parents could not afford any of the other schools. For the full day school, the school charges less than $5/month, which includes rice for lunch every day. Only 40% of the families can afford to pay. The school currently does not have any donors, but is run strictly off of the very very limited tuition fees that it can collect (imagine a budget of less than $250 USD/month to run a primary school for 125 students). The learning conditions are very difficult. Check out the video and learn a bit more about Gatina and the efforts of Pastor Moses Wafula.




Dancing to the Beat

In late June we held a special program at Light and Power, featuring traditional African drumming and dancing, poem recitals, songs, games, and more. Here's a few photos from the event:

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Out of Africa

During the men's team's visit to Kenya we enjoyed a rare treat on a secluded private game reserve. The Dyer family from Britian, settled in the Nanyuki area in 1912 and own over 30,000 acres near the Aberdare Forest. They stay near Ngarendare village, where we were serving, and invited our team for an afternoon drive on their reserve. Here's a few of the animals we encountered.



Broken hammers in a village

Eight guys from The Falls Church joined me recently for trip full of fun and service. We spent about a week working in the remote village of Ngarendare. This is the site of one of our projects with Planting Faith Ministries. We've been working with a group of 60 farmers who are growing some spiny looking flowers. During the TFC Team's visit we built a large "grading shed" for the flowers as well as a cooling shed (made out of chicken wire and charcoal).

Jack pounds crossbeams into the rock hard blue gum posts.
Our driver, Muriuki, inspects the posts.
Kenan installs tin roofing as others support the makeshift ladder.
Our chicken wire framed cooling shed (just before we added the charcoal)
Celebrating with our farmer friends in the new grading shed.





Monday, June 16, 2008

Farewell to Amber and Anne

The Kenya trio is down to solo. Amber and Anne left Nairobi on Saturday after completing a two year stint as missionaries in Kenya. Amber will be starting up school at George Mason University in the Fall, studying counseling; meanwhile Anne will pursue business studies at UNC Chapel Hill. They will be deeply missed here in Kenya and leave behind a legacy at Akiba School, Light and Power Centre, and Mudzini Kwetu orphanage in Mombasa.

Interns


One of my new responsibilities at Church Army is to help coordinate and run an internship program to help youth grow and gain new experiences in work and in missions. We now have four new interns, Betty, Brenda, Jacinta, and Winnie, all recent Kenyan high school graduates. They are serving alongside mentors and helping out in areas such as accounting, administration, education, and journalism. They meet for regular prayer and discussion groups and we also have some classes and are reading the book The Purpose Driven Life together.

Kenyan National Prayer Breakfast

On Saturday, 31st May, I attended the Kenyan National Prayer Breakfast. The annual event is organized by members of Parliament. Sam and Lynn Owen also help to coordinate the event as part of their ministry with the Parliamentary Prayer Groups. They invited Amber, Anne, and I, as well as a small group from Light and Power to attend.

The breakfast was a grand event, held at the largest conference hall in Kenya, in the Safari Park Hotel. The President, Vice President, and Prime Minister were all present, as were many dignitaries from across East Africa and around the world. The Main Speaker was retired U.S. Congressman Walter Fauntroy, a long-time pastor and civil rights activist. He shared movingly from his experiences working alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, and he encouraged and challenged Kenyan leaders to promote peace by pursuing income, education, healthcare, housing, and justice for all Kenyans. Later, the President referred to the post-election violence as "our little mistake" and urged Kenyans to move forward in unity. After the President's speech, Lucy's group, 4 Word, sang an a capella song in Kiswahili about forgiveness.

Prayer Breakfast - Photos

Dave with the Light and Power guys after attending the African Youth Leader's Forum annual Leadership Conference following the Prayer Breakfast.

The crew from Light and Power: Hesbon, Henry, and Bishar at the pool on Safari Park Hotel's lushly manicured grounds


Lucy and her friends from 4 Word, shortly after their acapella presentation during the prayer breakfast.

Gangster's Paradise


Last Saturday night, a gang of professional thieves broke into Church Army Africa's offices. They came with guns, crowbars, and steel cutters and made off with computers, cash, and office equipment from the Secretariat Office, the Dental Clinic, the College, and the Centre for Urban Mission. It was the first burglary of this magnitude in the 50 year history of Church Army in Nairobi. Thankfully, no one was injured, and at least some of the losses are covered by insurance.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

College Visitors

In May, five college students and their leader joined us for a short-term mission trip in Nairobi. The team lent a helping hand at Akiba School and visited with various ministries throughout Nairobi. They also enjoyed a short safari in the Masai Mara and a hike up Mount Longonot. Here the group poses with members of Light and Power Centre:

Overlooking the Great Rift Valley.


Hippo Gazing at Lake Naivasha

Alex and I were both unwell enough to climb Mount Longonot, so instead we went for a short visit to nearby Lake Naivasha. During a boat ride on the lake, we saw nearly a dozen hippos and many types of exotic birds as well as antelope grazing on the shore. Check out a short video of the trip:



Soccer Jerseys

Here members of Light and Power show off their new soccer jerseys, donated by members of the TFC mission team. Light and Power schedules regular matches with local clubs and secondary schools.


Saying “Hello” to Michelle

Recent photos and clips of the guys from Light and Power. They wanted to say “hello” to an overseas friend who volunteered at the Centre for several months last year.



The Godfather, Part II

Here’s a photo of me with my “godson” Charles. The manager of Akiba served as a lay leader as several other students were also baptized at St. Marks Church in Westlands.

Big Dreams for a Bright Future

James, a former member of Light and Power is finishing his last year at Akiba High School. Here he shares a bit of his story.



Games at Evergreen



A few shots of Lucy, I, and others from a recent family staff day at Evergreen park in Nairobi.

Music at Akiba




Thanks to several generous donors, Akiba School has a new music program. Complete with a keyboard, brass, and all kinds of instruments, here a few of the students perform during a recent awards ceremony at the school.

Send off to Madagascar

The Kenyan missionaries I’ve been working with have officially departed for Madagascar. It was amazing to see all the details come together at the last minute. I didn’t think it would be possible, but Kenyan churches and individuals gave sacrificially and made this possible: the first full-time missionaries from the Anglican Church of Kenya to serve outside the country. I’ll be continuing to work with Duncan and Victor as they start their ministry, and you can visit their blog for more details:

www.toliaramissions.blogspot.com

A Stoning

A couple weeks ago, I witnessed something I had never seen before – a stoning. On my way home from Nairobi’s city centre, I ran in to a homeless thief. He snatched a woman’s handbag, and as the woman stood on the median and screamed, he ran in and out of traffic, trying to escape. Unfortunately, the young man was caught by other pedestrians, beaten, and stoned on the side of the road. There was a lot of blood. I don’t know if he survived, but the event left an indelible mark in my mind. I was reminded of Jesus’ words: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone. . .”


Who am I to stop a stoning?
To bend down when the blood
Is just drying?
Echoed laughter and sullen stares
Vegetable vendors and taxi drivers
Stalled cars and pedestrians caught
By the midday sun.
Arms still angry,
Mouths wide with abuse.
Within moments his frail form falls.
Unnamed and pelted, swallowed
By the stones.
So we stand by, even now incensed,
Remembering the one last time
Who got away.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Three New Members





We recently recruited three new members of Light and Power to take part in the Center’s mentorship and bag-making programs. The new members replace those who joined secondary school at the beginning of the year. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know these new guys:
(from left to right, James, Abdi, and Ali).

Several Light and Power Members in front of our new sign.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors


Materials used in fence construction


Fundis level the foundation


Hesbon mixes cement

Daudi paints a metal grill

Children during last week's Saturday Program

With generous support from a U.S. donor and a local corporate sponsor, we have embarked on several major improvement projects at Light and Power. We’ve cleaned and painted the mud covered interior of the house and have just finished building a fence for the front yard. The fence is a huge blessing as it keeps stray goats, cows, and criminals out. It also helps us keep the yard clear of broken glass and ridiculously disgusting refuse left by the thousands of people who walk past the center everyday. Now that we have a fence, we hope to do some landscaping projects soon.