October Update from Africa

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope this note finds all of you doing well and growing daily in your relationship with the Lord. As a family, we are doing well and looking forward to our first winter and holiday season in the US in nearly 10 years! Wow! Oh yes, we celebrated the holidays while we were in Africa, but Christmas with 95-degree temperatures just never seemed quite right! Our children may feel otherwise, as if cold is all wrong!

As you know, although we are not physically present in Kenya any longer, we are still intimately involved in the ministry there. We have regular communication with them so that we know how to pray and how best to continue to partner with them in the Lord’s work. As we enter this season of Thanksgiving and celebration of our Lord’s birth, please remember our brothers and sisters throughout the world who do not enjoy the blessings that we know as commonplace. Remember especially the Giryama people of Kenya’s coast, those people we love so much. Here is Duncan Ziro’s most recent note concerning the work in Kenya. He jumps around a bit from subject to subject, but I think you can follow it:

To Jaime & the brothers there in the US,
I want to give you a few highlights of what we are doing here in Kenya. We appreciate your love and support.
There was a women’s seminar at Uzima Christian Training Center – Malindi. It was on 30th to 31st of August 2007. Nine women from Kilifi District attended the seminar. After the seminar these women felt the desire to teach those who missed the opportunity to attend Uzima Seminar. Mama Esther Kasiwa - the Women’s leader in Kilifi District called for a one day seminar. This seminar was aimed at educating other women. They shared on challenges women whose husbands are not believers face. The seminar was on 22nd September 2007 at Kibarani church of Christ. A total of 14 women from Mkoroshoni, Tumaini, Wayani, Kilifi Town Church and the hosting church Kibarani, attended the seminar.
Each woman brought 30 shillings for food, and water. Esther Kasiwa requested MCRC to help them with 300 shillings to add to their 420 shillings which we did. The women who attended talked about how they can help their husbands in providing for the family. Some of the suggestions were to start small businesses, help one another acquire tailoring skills and then contribute to buy cheap sewing machines.
In Kaloleni there was a youth leader’s workshop on 22nd September 2007. This was organized specifically for the youth leaders. The purpose of the seminar was to motivate youth leaders to become more committed and take the responsibility of nurturing others to Christian maturity. They were also taught on how to deal with their fellow youth. A total of 10 leaders attended the workshop. Fredrick Kaingu and Ngowa facilitated the workshop. What really motivated Fredrick to call for this workshop was what we observed during the August Youth seminar. Some of the Youth leaders who attended were shy and could not even take responsibilities like leading small group discussions.
The “Watoto wa Yesu” children’s class is doing very well. Every Saturday the kids come anticipating something new from their teacher Mr. Nelson Katsuki. During the week children pass by the library to ask one or two Bible questions they didn’t understand at school. Nelson cheerfully shows them where to find the right books for their questions.
Apart from the Watoto wa Yesu children’s program, we have the Miziji Bible study every Friday from 3PM to 4PM. (By the way “Miziji” means roots.) We meet at the office extension room. We have been studying the book of James. Our aim is to be deeply rooted in the word of God. We bought some Bible study materials from Bible League (they are in Kiwsahili). These study materials go for 30 shillings a copy. God is blessing us every week.
Last week but one I went to Kaloleni to check on the construction work going on. The fundis [builders] are nearly through with the plastering. This week they have been working on the floor. We hope that God willing by the end of this week everything will be ready.
Mrs. Johnson Ngala is a member of Tumaini church of Christ. She is also the wife to the Tumaini church of Christ leader Mr. Johnson Ngala. The husband worked as a mason till the devil struck. His right hand was pierced by a poisonous thorn plant which resulted into his hand being unable to hold anything. He even eats and does everything else using his left hand. The couple has a daughter who developed some complications forcing her to be operated. When the hospital bill came they were required to pay 7,605 shillings [$120]. That is when the wife opted to asking help from friends and church members. When she came to MCRC, she had managed to get only 400 shillings [$6]. That is when we decided to help her with 1000 shillings [$15].
Umwenga newsletter is back and Wilfred Kaingu is the editor. His is pure voluntary work. We did give him some 300 shillings [$4.60] in August because we needed him to help us facilitate the Vijana a Masihi youth seminar and he did not have money for transport. He is a very good teacher especially on development issues. We still need him to facilitate more workshops on development and self-reliance, which I personally feel it is one area people here need to be taught.
Esther Kabibi from Ganze did her high school through the help of an NGO called Plan International. She did very well. She has a Mean grade of B. Her desire is to do medicine. If Esther succeeds to join a University and study medicine, she will be the first girl from her area to have gone that far.

So there is the latest from Duncan and our other faithful brothers and sisters serving in Africa. Please continue to pray for them all as often as you think of them!

A Report From Our Friends in Africa

Below is a note from our friend and brother Duncan Ziro in Kenya. It is a brief report of what went on during the month of August. Many thanks to all of you who continue to support the ministry in Africa through Duncan, Fredrick and others. You’ll notice as you read below that there is a need for more monthly assistance to continue the seminars and meetings. Would you consider making a one-time or monthly donation to the ongoing work in Africa? Please visit our website at www.intercede-intl.org/donations for more info and always keep our African brothers and sisters in your prayers!

From Duncan:

Praise God!

The month of August is over. It is a vacation month here in Kenya so the youth and some of their parents who are teachers are at home for a one month holiday. This is a great time to hold youth and leaders seminars.

On 7th of August to 10th of August, we had a youth seminar in Kaloleni. 43 youth attended. 38 youth paid the 50 shillings [about 75 cents] registration fee, so we collected a total of 1900 shillings. The total cost of the seminar was 10,900 shillings [roughly $170].

We had a leaders meeting for all leaders in Kilifi district on 25th August 2007 at Kilifi Primary School. 21 church leaders turned up for the meeting. The cost of the meeting was 1,537 shillings [about $25]. This is food and rental fee for a room at Kilifi Primary School.

We have done a lot of internal borrowing to make these meetings happen. I communicated this to the MCRC board and together we decided to skip a month (there will be no board meeting in the month of September) so that we don't run short of money before the yearend.

Brother, I pray for you as you work hard to make sure that we get funds for the ministry. Thank you very much for your prayers and support. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve in his ministry. I am learning a lot of things. Continue praying for me and Fredrick.

Pass our greetings to all brethren over there.

Short Report

Hello again to all our friends and family!

Mulungu ni mudzo!

As most of you know, we have returned to the USA, but our efforts are still with our African brothers and sisters. We are thrilled to report that INTERCEDE is doing well and succeeding in its mission to “stand in the gap”. (Please visit our website often at www.intercede-intl.org.)

Just last week we created and handed out several flyers that listed specific needs for the ministry in Africa. Those needs were:

1. A new computer for Duncan and the ministry of Maarifa Christian Resource Center
2. Funds for a floor in Kaloleni (from dirt to cement!)
3. And assistance to send three young people to Nairobi Great Commission School beginning in January.

We are happy to report to you that 100% of the funds needed were raised for all three needs and will be sent to Africa for the continued ministry to the Mijikenda people! Thank you!

Mulungu ni mudzo! God is good!

We’re Home and We Need Your Help!

Yes, Jaime and Ginger have returned home from Kenya, but the ministry continues through INTERCEDE…

Mama Dama is a mother… again.

Dama is now mother to her six grandchildren whose parents died four years ago from AIDS. She has no job and has faced numerous days with no food for herself or her grandchildren. She barely manages to survive from day-to-day. There is little hope for her or her grandchildren for the future.

This is INTERCEDE’s story too. It is our desire to intervene and to help – to intercede – on behalf of people like Dama and her grandchildren.

Will you lend a hand? If you could change the life of Mama Dama, would you?

Graduation

I cannot possibly express the joy and sense of pride I feel at this moment. After more than 4 years of hard work and many prayers, Duncan Wanje Ziro graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Daystar Christian University.

Although we moved home a little over a month ago now (more on that another time), one of our dear friends in Lubbock blessed me with a round-trip ticket to Kenya in order to be with Duncan during this momentous event. (Thank you!) Duncan’s parents and several good friends were also on hand to support him on graduation day. In fact, this was his mother’s first trip to Nairobi ever! She had never traveled far from her small village on the coast. And what an incredible trip this must have been for her, filled with pride at her son’s accomplishments!

As for me, I could go on and on about this good friend from a small rural village. How far he has come indeed! I am proud of him. Not only did he finish and finish with very good grades, but the desire of his heart is to return to the coast and to his people to share Jesus with others, using his education to bless those around him. God is good!

On more than one occasion, my eyes swelled with tears as I recounted all the good times – and struggles – we have endured together to reach this point. Yet as the Guest of Honor spoke, I too was challenged with his words, “It isn’t how far you have come, but how far you will go.”
I am proud of what Duncan has done, but it is true, how far will he go now? What will he do for the kingdom in the future? I cannot wait to see and to hear of the victories!

Some may wonder why it is we went to all this effort or why we were so concerned with helping Duncan get his degree. The simple answer is quite best: because it was always our intention to “work ourselves out of a job”, teaching and training our African brothers and sisters to take our place, blessing them with the same tools we had access to in order to more effectively take the good news of Jesus to a lost world.

Please pray for us and for the next phase of our mission. As we settle into a new life in the US, it is our earnest hope and prayer that God will bless INTERCEDE as we strive to partner with young men like Duncan.

Duncan is one of two young men we currently sponsor to continue our mission of carrying the Good News to those who do not yet know our Savior. Will you continue to help us? Please pray and continue to send your financial support for Duncan and others.

How far will you go?

Home?

This is a strange and even difficult time for our family. We are moving home – but where is that?

It has been said that, “home is where you hang your hat”. That must be true only in Texas!

Some say that home is where your family is. Which family? We have family everywhere!

The Son of Man said, “I have no home”, obviously referring to an earthly dwelling in which to lay his head. At times, we can certainly understand what He meant.

For roughly nine years we have called Africa home. For about eight years prior to that, we referred to Lubbock, TX as home. When we are in Africa, we speak of home as the USA. When we are there, we speak of Africa as home. So oddly enough, we’re never “home”!

Our girls don’t seem so confused. They know where home is. But too, their parents are concerned about them all the same. They are more African than American, more so than we probably realize now. What problems will they experience that children their age don’t usually struggle with? What will other kids say and think about them? Will they be unique because they grew up in Africa or weird and treated as outcasts?

Although those thoughts do cross our minds from time to time, we aren’t so concerned. To be outcasts in the view of the world isn’t such a bad thing as long as they have a firm grasp of who they are.

"But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." – 2 peter 3:13

As a family, we’re excited about the future and that excitement transcends the fear of the unknown. Children generally take their cue from their parents. So as long as we present a strong, united (and even excited) front, they will follow suit. We’re not overly concerned about their adjustment to life in the USA, or ours for that matter. It is sad to be saying goodbye, but exciting to think about what God has in store for us next.

We would appreciate your continued prayers. This is an emotional roller coaster for us, excitement and joy mixed with much apprehension. But God is faithful and will carry us through.