Kenya YES Team

Last Kenya YES team newsletter

2008-02-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

Kenya YES team newsletter #7
Melissa Eby
2/8/08

You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.

This past two week have been filled with many highs and lows as we were trying to decide what the next step for our team would be. The first week back was a time for processing what we have experienced in Kenya and readjusting as we returned home. We were able to go home for the weekend to be with our families and reconnect with our home churches. When we return to HDC there were many mixed feelings as to what comes next. After hearing the possible outreach options and meeting with Discipleship Ministries it was decided that we would not continue as a team, and we will be going out separate ways on Saturday as we return home. We have no regrets as to our experience in Kenya and are thankful for the opportunity that we had to go there. We would like to thank you for all your prayers and support as we served.

Prayer Request
Returning home
Peace in Kenya
Protection for the missionaries in Kenya

Praise
Our time in Kenya

God bless,
Melissa for the Kenya team

Home again, Home again, Jig-ity Jig

2008-02-01T04:38:00.000-08:00

Kenya YES team newsletter #6
Ben Yutzy

You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.

"Get down!" I ducked behind the short wall of the hotel veranda. Gun shots coming from several different areas along the street caused crowds of people to run the other way. Vehicles flew past the hotel fleeing out of town as the popcorn fire of gunshots grew closer. Several police trucks finally drove past. Clair and I left soon there after.
After a sudden, unexpected outburst of violence in Nakuru, Clair Good (EMM representative for Africa) decided to take a chance with the town he saved going to last because he thought it the safest. I went with him. Shortly after leaving Nairobi, we noticed a crowd on the side of the road. Lying there in the middle of the onlookers was a victim of the Kenyan violence. That sight only foreshadowed what was about to happen in Nakuru that day.
Tractor trailers lined both sides of the street going into Nakuru, waiting for a police escort through the town. We made it to the hotel on the outskirts of Nakuru where we were able to meet with the local church leaders. How do you raise money for those that have been displaced when people are threatening you with burning your church if you do? How do you preach peace and forgiveness when people can't see past your ethnicity and think that you are only taking sides in the political/ethnic fighting with everyone else? These were a few of the questions that were facing these local church leaders.
Well, after a several weeks of waiting around Nairobi, it was finally determined that for reasons of safety we would have to leave the country. 11:00 Friday night we were told that we would leave and 12:00 the following night we were aboard the plane headed for the US. Such a decision came after the whole situation in Kenya only continued to worsen and no end appeared to be in sight. We are now safely back at Harrisburg Discipleship Center.

Praises:
We made it home safely.

Prayer requests:
For the return of peace to Kenya.
Pray that the Church in Kenya can reach out to those in need.
For direction for our team.

Ben Yutzy for the Kenya team

Kenya YES team newsletter #5

2008-01-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

Kenya YES team newsletter #5
Monica Stoltzfus
1/23/08

You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.

So this week still finds us at the Mennonite Guest House, not sure what is coming next. We are still hearing reports of election violence in Kenya, in places like Eldoret, Kisumu, Narok, Mombasa, and even some in the outskirts and slums of Nairobi. We are praying that the situation will soon be under control, and we will know our next move.
Clair and Beth Good have been here a little over a week, and were able to take us to visit Olepolos, where they had served for several years. This area is predominantly the Mossai tribe, which is pretty different from where we lived in Songhor among the Lous. The roads were clear for a couple of days in between protests, so we drove out Sunday morning to experience the church service. It was different from the church we are working with in Songhor, with a lot more tribal dancing and songs for worship. We understood very little of it, as it was in Mossai, but it was still really neat to see church done a little differently. While we were there, we visited another refugee camp, similar to the one we saw in Songhor. However, these refugees seemed to be better off with more supplies and tents for shelter. Yet, it was still sad to see how little these people had. We returned Monday evening, glad to have a break and to get out of the Mennonite Guest House for the weekend.
The other highlight of our week was on Friday when we went to the Mossai market. This is where many local Kenyans bring clothes, crafts, wares, etc. to sell mostly to tourists. It was a little overwhelming at first when we walked in, because there were people constantly pressing in, trying to sell us their handicrafts, and there were wares everywhere. It was also a new experience to barter, not knowing how much to pay, and knowing that we were probably being taken advantage of. But it was a lot of fun, and we bought some really neat souvenirs.

Praises:

That God has kept us safe here at the Mennonite Guest House amidst all the unrest in Kenya.

That we will get to see John Mutisya today!

Prayer requests:

For Gordon Obado, one of our outreach coordinators, and his family as his wife passed away last week. They had 3 kids of their own, and adopted 2 more. The funeral was yesterday in Songhor.

That Bishop Clyde and his family would have safety in Songhor.

That we would have patience amidst all the unknowns right now, and that we could use this time in Nairobi to reach out to others.

Thank you for all your prayers,

Monica Stoltzfus for the Kenya team

Our week in Nairobi

2008-01-14T22:46:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,
We are still here in Nairobi and will probably be here for at least another week. This past weekend Ryan Showalter from EMM came to visit and it was good to see a familiar face from back home. Last night Clair and Beth Good flew in and they will be spending time here in Kenya until about the 26th. They have lived in Kenya for many years and wanted to come and spend some time here, evaluating the situation. It will also help them decide how safe it is for us to return to Songhor and when that will be possible. We are in a lot of unknown right now.
We didn't have a very eventful week last week. We caught up on three weeks worth of emailing and did what we could to help out here at the Mennonite Guesthouse. We are able to cook our own food in the house we're staying in next to the MGH. It has been interesting to shop for groceries. More than once we have asked one of the workers in the store if they have a certain item and more than once we have gotten a blank stare. There seems to be a language barrier even when the other person understands English.
Sunday we went to an awesome church service here in Nairobi. We attended Mamlaka Hill Chapel. They had a mix of Swahili and English worship and the preaching was in English. It is a growing church with, I would say, about two hundred people and three services. Through the church we got connected with someone helping at Jamhuri Park where about nine thousand families are staying as refugees because of the crisis. Yesterday morning we went to see what we could do to help. It was good to see what was happening there and to be able to help out in the areas that we could. It was interesting to see how the situation in Jamuri Park compared to the situation at the police station near Songhor. There was definitely a lot more people at the park, but it was also a lot bigger than the police station. The Red Cross was there and supplies seemed more available. There are planned riots for the next three days so we're not sure how safe it is to be out much, but we're hoping to go back to Jamhuri Park sometime to help again.
That's really the extent of our week here in Nairobi. Hopefully the next time we send an update we'll have a better idea of what the weeks ahead hold. For now we're learning to trust God with the future and all of the unknown.
God bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenya team

Praises:
-This has been a time for us to reflect on what we have experienced the last month and to be able to have some time as a team
-There are opportunities for us to serve here in Nairobi while we're waiting to see how long it will take for things to settle down here in Kenya
-We're safe here in Nairobi

Prayer Requests:
-The nation of Kenya and the families that have been affected. That food, clean water, shelter, and medicine will be provided for the many refugees around the country
-For Gordon Obado who we have worked with in Songhor. His wife just died unexpectedly on Sunday. Please keep him and his children in your prayers.
-That God will give EMM wisdom in deciding when it is safe for us to return to Songhor
-Continued team unity

Pictures

2008-01-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

These are some of this sights we saw due to all of the election violence...

The first pictures of all the people are refugees who were hiding out at the Songhor police station. You can see that there were people and their things everywhere.

(Above) The kids loved the camera, and couldn't get close enough to Melissa as she was taking the pictures.

(Both below) The multitudes of refugees...

I don't think that any of us really realized the scope of what was happening until we got to Kisumu. Things were much different from when we had been there just weeks before...

(Above) This was the road into Kisumu when we were driving to the airport. This car had been set on fire and used as a roadblock by protesters earlier in the week, crippling transportation into out out of the city. The whole road to Kisumu from Songhor had been covered with rocks and bonfires, but it got worse the closer we got to the city.

(Below) Our internet cafe/restaurant in Kisumu. It was sad to see "our spot" so destroyed. It was only one of hundreds of businesses that had been destroyed by the protesters and riots.

(Above) A normally bustling street in Kisumu that had been trashed. Businesses were burnt or smashed to bits, trash covered the street, and it was eerily empty compared to the last time we had been in the city.

(Below) A huge hardware store, completely gutted by fire. Again, this was one of many
destroyed buildings.

2008-01-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Kenya YES team newsletter #3

Melissa Eby and Ben Yutzy

01/08/2008

You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.

Twas' the Night Before Christmas, and all throughout Kenya

Not a creature was stirring not even a panya (rat);

The lantern was hung from the rafters with care,

In hopes that electricity would soon be there;

The YES team were snuggled all tight in their beds,

While visions of sugarcane danced in their heads;

When out on the compound there arose such a clatter.

I jumped through my net to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the curtains and threw back the sash.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a matatu (public van) proclaiming hope for a new year.

The elections were said to bring changes for all,

For the candidate of choice would do nothing so small.

The past three weeks in Kenya has completely changed the face of the nation that we originally came to know. In the week leading up to the election we witnessed the growing passions for particular candidates amongst the different tribes and regions. In the surrounding area, where we happened to be living, there seemed to be absolutely no difference in opinion when it came to the presidential election as it is largely comprised of the Luo tribe. As a result of the election being December 27th, Christmas and New Years were not the main focus during this season.

What we witnessed in the aftermath of the announcement that the president would remain in power was a complete breakdown of a society. In our area sugar cane fields were set ablaze, logs burned in the middle of the street and rocks strew about the roads in an attempt to lash out from the unfairness they felt concerning the election. We spent the past two weeks largely confined to our compound, unable to go anywhere because the roads were impassable. From our compound we were able to witness large groups of protesters traveling to the nearest town and forcing people of neighboring compounds to join them with threats of physical abuse. Our compound was passed by out of the respect that the village has for the Bishop who we are living with.

We didn't begin to realize the magnitude of the situation until we learned of what was taking place at our local police station. Hundreds of Kisii and Kikuyu people had fled there to escape growing animosity between the different tribes. On Friday their situation was starting to get desperate, about five hundred people were living there with little access to water (much less clean water), food, shelter, proper sanitation or medical care. Upon hearing of what was going on we went to the little shopping center in our village and purchased what small amount of corn maize that was available. We arrived at the police station to find hundreds of people and their possession crowding all around us. It was a terrible sight. There was one toilet facility for all of them and no place for most of them to sleep. Leaders had been selected to maintain order of the chaos we saw going on. Soon after we got there two incredibly packed bus loads of people arrived bringing about 80 people each. By the prompting of the leaders we prayed with the many people that gathered around us. What little corn maize we brought, 20 kg, was given to the leaders to be handed out to those most in need, especially young children.

The following day we went back to the Songhor shopping center (think multiple roadside stands) and purchased all the water treatment supplies that were there, three bottles that would treat 600 liters of water. We hiked up to the top of the hill and were stunned to see the size had grown to 1114 and almost half were children. Their faces gave evidence to the helplessness that they felt. Children pushed and shoved to be in the pictures. A doctor, himself a refuge, had set up a temporary clinic, but supplies were few. All they really need is safe transportation back to their tribal land.

EMM thought it would be in the best interest of our team during this situation for us to be stationed in Nairobi. We will remain at the Mennonite Guest House until it is determined that it is safe enough for us to travel back. We do not feel like our safety is at risk but continually ask for your prayer as this national struggle plays out.

Praise:

Safety and good health

Prayer:

For the healing of Kenya and tribal reconciliation

For those that are displaced

That upon returning to Songhor we would might be able to find purpose for what we will be doing there

Mungu Hawabariki (God bless),

Melissa and Ben for the Kenya team

2007-12-18T01:11:00.000-08:00

Kenya YES team newsletter #2
Monica Stoltzfus
12/18/07

You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.

This week started out eventfully since we last wrote. We got to experience 2 church services at the Songhor Mennonite Church, the 9th and the 16th. Their praise and worship is incredible. They would just break into song, dancing and clapping to beautiful harmonies. The service on the 9th started pretty small, but the congregation grew as the morning continued. The rains the night before had left travel difficult, as many of the church members live a distance from the church, and any rain turns the dirt paths to mud. Even the smallest rain effects travel, which has really made me grateful for the transportation in the U.S. I will never complain about Pennsylvania roads ever again!
Sunday afternoon, I ended up getting sick on my stomach. When 24 hours later I still hadn’t improved, we went to the hospital. Due overloaded transportation and the few paved roads with more potholes than blacktop, the miserable trip of 14km took two and a half hours. When we arrived, I was tested and we found out I had gotten Malaria. But we had caught it relatively early, and with treatment, I quickly improved. Other than this, it has been a praise that we have had really good health!

Praises:
For relatively good health, and my quick recovery from malaria.

Prayer requests:
Our second and final week of Swahili classes begins Wed. We are learning, but we ask that you continue to pray that we will come to understand more of the language. It has been a blessing, though, that many people understand English.
Continued team unity.
We will also begin more of our actual outreach next week, so you can keep us in your prayers as we transition.
Christmas is coming up rapidly, which leads to thoughts of home and family. Pray that we can have a blessed holiday and won’t be dealing with a lot of homesickness.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. It has been an adjustment, but Kenya is beautiful, and the people are very hospitable. It’s beginning to feel a little more like home.

Kenya YES team newsletter #1

2007-12-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

Kenya YES team newsletter #1
Becky Jordan
8/12/2007
Check for updates and picutres on our team blog at:
yesteamkenya.blogspot.com

Hello Everyone,
We have made it to Songhor at last. Thursday we made the eight hour bus ride from Nairobi. The roads in Kenya are extremely bumpy and many times we were off road riding on dirt paths due to the main road being under construction. We went to bed early after the long day. Friday morning we woke up to the sound of the roosters crowing and the sight of a mosquito net surrounding each of our beds. It was a wonderful morning; the countryside is beautiful here and the yard is full of chickens running around and cows and goats tied to posts and trees. After breakfast we played soccer with the grandchildren of our hostess who is the mother of Bishop Clyde. We formed a circle with the kids and toss the ball around, we would say our names and then throw the ball and ask for the child's name. Soon they were catching on and would call out our names when they threw the ball to us. Some of the kids know a little English so we were able to communicate with them using what limited swahili we know. They were also quite amused by Monica's camera, taking pictures and videos of each other and laughing at the comments they made on the videos, most of which we didn't understand. Tonight we were playing Uno Bam as a team and the kids surrounded the table yelling "Bam" when we would yell it. And laughing hysterically when we would slap our hands on the pile of cards.
Not being able to communicate is a huge frustration, but it is a relief that most people know English. We are going to have two weeks of intense language study. They tell us that by the end of the two weeks we will be able to communicate well. At this point that seems impossible, but we hope not.
Well that is just a bit about what is going on here in Songhor.
God Bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenya team

Prayer requests:
That we will learn the language and soon
That we will know how to fit into the culture

Praises:
Safe journey to Nairobi and then to Songhor
The blessing that Bishop Clyde and his family has been

2007-12-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,
We made it to Nairobi, Kenya. Our plane landed at 7:10pm yesterday. We took two taxis to Mike and Cindy's guest house and had an interesting ride. Two of us went in one taxi and the other two in another. The taxi drivers were separated and one of them didn't know where he was going. Finally we were able to find each other, but believe me we were doing some praying. Anyway, we're here safely and Clyde Agola is coming to pick us up and take us to Songhor. We're living minute by minute.
God bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenyan team

Departure

2007-12-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

The time has come for us to depart from Harrisburg. It's been wonderful here; however, we all knew the time was coming when each team would depart ways and take hold of the kingdom that stretches across all nations. On Sunday my team and I are leaving from Dulles around 6 and if all goes well we will be in Kenya about 17 hours later.

It is with much saddness that I write to inform everyone that just two Mondays ago it was decided that Cory will no longer be going with us. The Lord has been at work in this team of ours and through may changes has brought about a team that has come to rely upon him for our strength. We are now a small team of four, but a team that will remain strong. We simply ask for your continued prayers.

In Christ,
Ben

Chapates

2007-11-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago before he left, Jon made us a Kenyan meal. We got to join him in the kitchen, and he taught us how to make chapates (below). It was so much fun, and they tasted really good. They are kind of like a tortilla, and are eaten with powdered sugar or jelly with many meals. It was a really neat cultural experience to teach us a little about the food before we arrive.

Pictures

2007-11-28T13:20:00.001-08:00

Hi from the Kenya team:)

2007-11-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Sorry that this is so late in coming, but things at HDC have been busy as usual. The time just keeps flying by, and I'm sure that the weeks are getting shorter as they go on. It is both really exciting and saddening that training is coming to an end. We have really had a good time building relationships with the other teams here, and it will be sad to part. But it will be really nice to see family again over Thanksgiving and to have a little personal space that isn't easily available with 50 people in the house!

Our outreach at CFC is almost over, even though it seems as if we've just begun. It's been really neat to see the relationships that are being built with the kids. We are planning to lead a chapel sometime next week in which CFC will commission us and say goodbye. We led a chapel this week which turned out really well. As we were planning, we were trying to come up with a way to keep all of the kids focused and quiet, which is a huge challenge with these kids. At times they can be really frustrating and disrespectful, but when you break through, they desire so much love and attention. We ended up singing with Cory and his guitar, and then performing a modern version of the Good Samaritan. At the beginning it didn't look too promising, but they really got involved as we kept going. It was so funny to watch their reactions to the skit, and I don't think that I have ever sung "I Am A C" so many times in a row!

This morning our friend and language teacher, John Mutisya, left to return back to Kenya. A group of us dropped him off at the airport this morning before church. It was sad, but at least for those of us is the Kenya team, we knew that we would see him again. It was amazing the timing of John's arrival. It was such a "God-thing" that he was here when our outreach switched to Kenya, and the teaching of language and culture that he could provide. He not only was a great teacher, but became a good friend to each of us. On Friday night, our team to John out to supper at Texas Roadhouse and then distracted him until 9pm. We brought him back to HDC for a surprise going-away-party. He was so shocked! The party turned out to be a lot of fun.

Half of the training is in NYC this weekend. The rest of us, Kenya, Israel, and the Balkans will be going to Camp Hebron tomorrow. It sounds like it is going to be a challenge with little sleep and a lot of team-building activities.

Our half of training was in New York two weeks ago. We did a lot of sight-seeing, prayer walking, got to go to an African church, etc. We stayed with Harv and Robin and Kendy in their apartment in the Bronx. It was a lot of fun, and the area we were in actually felt safer than where we are in Harrisburg. We also got lots of good food and got to watch movies!

The speakers lately have been really good. I know I have been learning a lot of practical things that will help me in life. It's training not so much just for our trip, but for life. I've been really blessed with our worship times, as well, and have really felt God's presence. It's neat how He has been touching so many here.

Thank you to all who have been keeping us in your prayers! It has been really good to see how God has been working through the process of changing outreach locations and length of time. It was official this week that we will be on outreach for 8 months. We are all happy about it, although sometimes it is a little overwhelming, and feel that it is where God called us to be.

God bless,

Monica Stoltzfus for the Kenya team

2007-09-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
We have been here at Harrisburg Discipleship Center for almost three weeks now. A lot has changed in each of our lives. We're adjusting to living in the city, sitting in sessions, and having about fifty people in one house. But God has been faithful in helping us to get used to the change and in revealing Himself to us in our individual as well as corporate times of prayer and worship.
A little overview of what our week looks like: Monday through Thursday mornings we usually have a session from 9:15-12:00. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings we have a session from 7:00-9:00. Tuesday and Friday we have language study. On Monday there is work duties around the house and life group, a fun time to bond as a team. Tuesdays and Thursdays is community outreach from 3:00-6:00. Our team and the Hong Kong team volunteer at the Center for Champions during this time. It's an after school program to help the local kids with their homework and to share with them about Christ. They are a lot of kids, with a lot of energy, who need a lot of attention! The best thing we can do for them is pour out our love and be an example of what we preach-which isn't always easy and I know we've failed many times! Wednesday's we have book discussion, when we break into groups of about five or six people to discuss certain chapters of the Bible or a section in a book that we were assigned to read the week before. It helps us to hear out other people's opinions on certain topics of what we read and to come to a better understanding of what it means. We also have team cell on Wednesday afternoons. Friday mornings we have a time of intercession. At about 11:00 we gather back together as a group and talk about what we learned or how we felt about what the speakers spoke on the week before. Friday afternoons we have life group and work duties again. Most of Saturday and Sunday is free. For about three hours on Saturday we have outreach prep time and on Sunday evenings, a time of worship. That's a brief overview of what our week looks like.

As most of you know, we are no longer known as the Guinea-Bissau team. Our destination has changed and we are now known as the Kenya team. Our first reaction was shock. But when we heard that we were going to Kenya we got really excited! We believe that God's hand is really in this change. One of the reasons that we believe this is because of the fact that the week before John Mutisya, from Kenya, had come to HDC to stay until the first part of November. It has been awesome to have him here and we have learned much about the culture in Kenya. He has also become our language teacher. We had planned to learn Kriole, the language we would have been speaking in Guinea-Bissau, from a book-we had no teacher of CDs. God has sent us a Swahili teacher! His timing is always perfect!

We'll try to keep you informed throughout training and outreach. God is truly alive and well-we are definitely seeing proof of that here and pray that you are in your life as well.
God bless.
Becky Jordan for the Kenya team