Hi Everyone!

 

Never has 30 days gone by so quickly yet been filled with such meaning.  It is even more meaningful when we are able to share it with the people we love....you!  It has been a month full of excitement as we moved into our own apartment, were blessed by our very first guests from D.C. (Michael Florence and his sister Mya), began learning the ropes in our respective positions, and Lydia began ministering at a prison here in Nairobi.

 

What a blessing to find an apartment in a safe neighborhood, located about halfway between each of our offices, with space for guests, and within our budget.  You can check out a picture of the living room and dining room attached to this email.  The size of these rooms reflects the incredibly social nature of their culture.  We've found this apartment to be a huge answer to prayer as it seems secure (notice the barred windows even on the fourth floor) and its size means we can open our doors for any and all people that God brings across our path.  We are thankful for this blessing as it will serve as a good refuge when returning from time in the slums and up country.

 

[Lydia] As we mentioned above, we have had the opportunity to learn more about our roles with our respective organizations.  First Love runs a feeding program at two different schools in the Kibera slum (750 kids) and the Mitumba slum (175 kids) in the heart of Nairobi.  I (Lydia) have been getting to know the kids at each of these schools, running around and doing exercises classes, going on home visits with First Love staff, conducting interviews of children who need sponsorships, and developing a gift program for Christmas.  I have also had the opportunity to visit the local women's prison a few times and work with the women there who are currently awaiting trial.  It has been humbling to pray with these women who seem so broken, yet when we pray with them, the tears flow and they seem to have their hope restored.  Before I went to the prison this week, I was blessed to make friends with a street boy named Jackson at a local market.  He is 11 years old and there was something very likable about him.  He didn't speak very much English, but we were able to have lunch together and as we parted ways, I realized that I wanted to be able to communicate with him that it was because of Christ's love that my heart broke so much at his situation.  I didn't know how to say "Jesus Loves You", but I did know "Jesus" was "Yesu", so I said what I could "Yesu loves you!".  He just smiled probably thinking I was a little peculiar to say the least, I am glad God can display his love in many other ways and is not limited by our lingual inabilities!

 

To give you a better idea of where we are both working, we have included two pictures which show the views from each of our offices.  Can you guess which one is Tyler's and which is Lydia's? :)

[Tyler]The view from my office may be embarrassingly nice compared to Lydia's, but this last week I made it into the trenches where the smell of raw sewage burns in your nose.  No, I wasn't in a slum, I was in an anaerobic digester - a pit of cow manure used to capture methane.  John erKimani is an eneterprising man who lives just outside Nairobi right on the edge of the Great Rift Valley and it was his half finished biogas project I found myself inside.  Mr. Kimani trains dogs, breeds pedigreed goats and grows mushrooms for the upscale markets in Nairobi.  The income from these endeavours has previously gone to providing for his family.  With one microloan fully repaid and another months away, he is forced to choose between developing the bigoas project with the income from the goats, etc or taking a loan from a bank that often charges interest rates anywhere from 5%-10%...per month!  Partners Wordwide is in the "business" of helping entrepreneurs like Mr. Kimani find affordable loans and also connecting them with individuals who can offer technical advice.  So if any of you know anything about biogas production, please let me know.  The potential benefits of anaerobic digesters in ommunities is great.  The methane can be used to replace wood as the fuel used in cooking, saving the local forests.  Also, women and young girls would no longer be forced to gather wood where they are often abused.  Greater tree cover reduces erosion in this hilly area.  The gas can also be used to generate electricity where the electrical grid has not yet reached.  I look forward to working with Mr. Kimani and other business owners looking for creative ways to support their families.

 

[Praises]  A safe, clean and affordable apartment.  A great start to both professional and personal relationships with Kenyans.  Ou r health and guarded safety.

 

[Prayer Requests]  Please pray that as we begin our Swahili classes our minds would comprehend the vocab and various conversational phrases.  Also that as we seek to connect with Kenyans, we would have favor in our relationships and that we would share the love of Christ with everyone we interact with.  We have visited several great churches, please pray we find one to call our home church during our time here.

 

Thank you for reading this far, we are so incredibly thankful for you and your friendship.  We know that we are not here alone, you are an encouragement to us.  Thank you for your support and love, we truly thank God for you!  We would love to hear from you if you get a chance to tell us about what is going on in your corner of the world.   

 

With much love and joy,

 

Tyler and Lydia