The medical team is at the remote camp

Please pray for them and their work there. They will be treating hundreds of patients who rarely have access to any modern health care. They slept overnight in sleeping bags after setting up for Thursday's clinic. The work will be exhilarating and taxing, and they'll need strength beyond themselves. 

Cup of coffee, anyone?

The van ride over to Beacon on Tuesday was not pretty. 

We stopped at a gas station to put air in a tire (how do any tires last more than 5 minutes here?), and lil' Branson Page, sitting behind me in Cristy Page's lap, said, "the road is really bumpy."  He proceeded to throw up into her lap.  Ahhh!!  We had nothing. Providentially, we were at a gas station, so I (Walker) ran in and bought a pack of baby wipes.  Cristy cleaned him up, then Big Branson took him to the front of the car and then resumed. Minutes later, I heard him remark again on the bumpiness of the road; after a pause, I saw Big Branson scooping some liquid out of of the window in his hand. Multiple times. Oh my.   Baby wipes again. 

I wish that were the end of it. Caroline, a few minutes later, joined her brother in commenting on the bumpiness of the road, and she proceeded to begin to prepare to throw up.  We still had nothing near to catch it.  I looked down and couldn't deny that I had just gulped down the last of my tea from my mug - the mug that has faithfully served me for over a decade now. There was no other alternative.  I unscrewed the lid and pressed it towards Caroline's face. Sure enough, warmth flowed into the mug and all over the sides.  Caroline, unlike Branson, wouldn't stop, and the stuff just kept coming. Finally, someone procured a plastic bag, but not before puke was all over the mug, my hand, Cristy's clothes, the floor, and even a little on my book bag.  Wow: we still had 10 minutes to go before we arrived, and I was scheduled to do the devotion right when we got there.  We all made frantic use of the baby wipes, with some success.  Opening the window helped more, and at last we made it.  Everyone dispersed to clean up after their own fashion. I washed my hands frantically and compulsively, also trying to keep at bay a very unsettled feeling in my own stomach. Eventually, we all pulled it together and got cleaned up enough to contribute to the day. I think it helped that Cristy and Big Branson were medical professionals and used to things like that. 

Those Page kids are amazingly resilient: within a half an hour of arriving at Beacon, they were playing just like normal and have been fine ever since.

Good and faithful mug: taking one for the team

Wish you could see this

Shaking off the jet lag from our 36 hours of travel, we made the 30 minute drive to Beacon of Hope on Monday morning. I'm going to describe much of what we are seeing, but what I really wish is that you could be here to see it yourself.  Amazing things are happening here in Rongai, the suburb of Nairobi perched on the edge of the enormous Kware slum.

I spent most of the day picking my jaw up off the floor.  I had visited here 2 years ago, and Beacon is already hardly recognizable. Since 2011, Beacon has constructed a 5-floor primary school, a huge, beautiful church/multi-purpose facility, a 2-story youth center, and quarters for both short-and-long-term staff and volunteers. All of this construction comes on the heels of 5 years of equally staggering construction. When we visited in 2011, Bill Stevenson, who had last seen Beacon when it was a storefront in Rongai, had also spent most of the trip agape in wonder. These guys at Beacon don't play around!

Many of you already know how Beacon of Hope got started and what its aims are.  For those of you unfamiliar, here's a quick summary.  Nairobian Jane Wathome, responding to Jesus' clear teachings, began working with the women of the Kware slums in the early 2000's.  As she spent more time with some of the women, she began to learn more about their specific needs.  Kenya, especially in the early part of the millennia, had been ravaged by the AIDS epidemic; at one point, it was estimated that 20% of the population had the disease.  AIDS disrupts communities comprehensively, derailing people economically, socially, psychologically, and, of course, physically.  Jane began by setting up a small facility to offer free testing for the virus. When it became clear that many people avoid getting tested because of the stigma of being seen going into an AIDS testing site, she expanded to offer other basic medical services, which allowed people to get tested discreetly. 

Getting to know the people of the Kware slums more fully, Jane came to see that their needs went far beyond the medical.  The disruption caused by AIDS is particularly devastating economically, as families, particularly the women find themselves ill-equipped to provide for themselves after the loss of loved ones. So Jane began to developed vocational training, equipping women with sewing or weaving skills that enabled them to provide an income. The children of these families faced some of the biggest challenges, and, with the acquisition of the huge property near Kware in 2005, Beacon had the space to start a primary school, which is adding a grade-level per year. The ministry has continued to grow in size and scope.

The staff of Beacon, by the grace of God, is facilitating holistic healing and growth, helping thousands of Kenyans every year. As we toured the different ministries, we marveled at what God has done through such simple beginnings, and so quickly!  His love and the scale with which it has been unleashed in such a short amount of time is staggering. 

On Tuesday, we will visit some of the homes of the families Beacon serves in the slums. Please pray that we will continue to learn and be inspired, and also please ask God to keep causing His face to shine in Rongai and to bless Beacon's work.  Now that we're oriented, we'll start doing the work we came to The health-care providers on our team will head off to a remote camp 2 hours away to provide some basic medical care for a population that rarely gets access to it.  The educators will start assisting in the school today as well.  

Again: it's nice to describe all this, but words don't do justice to the good work we're seeing here. We're honored to have a chance to contribute. 

We're here, safe and sound.

We spent the night at our awesome guest quarters at Africa International University, then came over to Beacon of Hope today. Stay tuned for details about all the great developments at Beacon - they are always on the move here!  Very exciting. 

Everybody is checked in: let's roll

Our flight leaves at 6:40 - Durham to Dallas to Dubai to Nairobi.  Pray that the Father will keep a'hold of us while we travel!

Packing Party!!!

Tonight the Kenya team had our pre-trip packing party at the church.  Everyone brought their personal bags as well as an extra bag and carry-on bags in which to pack medical and educational supplies which will be donated to Beacon of Hope.  

All the supplies were successfully packed and the bags weighed in within the airline limits!  

One more day and we're off!!

Stewardship

Check out this fundraising video made by Matthew Wright and his thoughts on stewardship as it relates to our trip.

One week from today we will be in transit!

Stewardship Kenya from Matthew Wright on Vimeo.