25 cents for your green grass?

Dear friends, please to continue to pray earnestly for our Mijikenda brothers and sisters.

I spoke to the coordinators of our food relief just today. They were meeting to discuss food distribution in Kilifi District this week. The testimonies they gave me tore at my heart, so much so that I had to share them with you.

Stephen Thethe from an area known as Mihongohi Chenda (the place of nine poles) says that the families in his area are suffering greatly. The church there sponsors a preschool for children from the nearby villages. The preschool recently asked parents to give 20 Kenyan Shillings per week (about 25 American cents) to feed their children while at school. To date, not one single parent has been able to come up with that amount of money.

And if that doesn’t pull at your heart strings enough, Luganje Nyale from Kaloleni area gave an equally disturbing report. He says that the rains have brought some relief. Now that the rains have helped green the grass, many families have begun eating grass to relieve the hunger.

Please continue praying for these people. And if you have an extra few dollars, please consider sending it to help feed a few desperate people on the coast of Kenya.

Food Relief

Many of you have heard about the struggles our brothers and sisters in Kenya have been living with recently. Severe drought and high temperatures throughout much of 2005 and early 2006 caused many problems for the Mijikenda people.

Earlier this year, as we wrote of these struggles in our newsletters, some of you responded, asking how you could help. So we put together a small proposal, asking for $2000 per month to assist with food relief among our Mijikenda friends. We are so very thankful for the abundance God has provided for us, through you and your generosity. Thus far, we have received almost three times the amount we asked for! Thank you!

This is a 6-month commitment, so we hope and pray that the Lord will continue to bless us. We do not want to let up or lose steam as the months come and go. The more money donated, the more hungry families will be assisted. So please, if the Spirit is encouraging you to give, then please contact us on where to send your donation.

In the picture you’ll see Jaime with four of the Mijikenda leaders who will be coordinating the food relief. From left to right is Luganje Nyale from Kaloleni, Mike Karabu from Malindi, Stephen Thethe from Malindi and John Kenga from Kilifi. These men are the ones who will be coordinating, advising and overseeing all distribution of food assistance among various families on the coast. What’s more, they have exempted themselves and their entire families from receiving any assistance, despite the fact that the drought seriously affected them as well.

Please continue to pray for all the Mijikenda people as well as our distribution efforts. The rains have begun, but the harvest is still several months away and many of the people have no seed to plant. Pray too for these men. It is their responsibility to determine the areas of greatest need, identify specific families in those areas, and then distribute food in the best way possible. Pray for wisdom and guidance and for the opportunity to share the gospel with those who may receive assistance, but do not yet know our Savior.