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Mission builds sister church

Contributed by: Donna Ralston on 8/12/2006

The Hope United Methodist Mission Team traveled about 60 miles from Meru, Kenya (nearly 2 hours on the bumpy roads) to Chuka where their sister church is located. They helped lay the corner stone for the new church in '02 and have helped them financially the past five years. The large stone church walls and pillars to hold the roof have now been completed. Their congregation presented plans to raise the remaining $40,000 needed to complete the roof and finish the interior walls so they could hold services there next year.

This was just one of several mission projects undertaken by the Hope team that traveled to Kenya, Africa for 3 weeks in July. In Meru, we visited a deaf school (where we later bought and delivered sweaters to 125 youngsters at the school), their vocational training school (we bought folding chairs from the students), an orphanage (we took books, soccer balls, t-shirts and hats for all of the children), a high school (we took spiral notebooks for all of the students), the Agricultural training program for adults (we paid for Helen to attend classes and to get a goat through their program), and Kenya Methodist University with their beautiful chapel.

We spent most of our volunteer work efforts at Kithoka Poly Technical school and building a block home for Helen, a single mother of 3 children and her niece, age 13. At the Poly tech school, we gave instruction in quilting, knitting, and sewing to the 13 girls and one boy and held a hygiene class at their request with our ministers and nurse from the team. We organized their library. Some of the team also painted up a storm, covering the boys and girls dormitories, restrooms and showers, and windows with primer and a soft yellow color. It was a great improvement over the dull gray of the cement block construction. We also bought a refrigerator/freezer and other equipment for their new catering school which will open this fall. We were also pleased to learn that the carpentry shop was in full swing. A Hope family donated funds to purchase quality tools which has allowed the students to make and sell chairs, stools, bunk beds and headboards.

We determined that a big need is better housing for the teachers and principal who teach and live at Kithoka. They currently live in a wooden slat building divided into rooms with dirt floors, no electricity or running water. A separate shower building some distance from the houses serves them along with a separate tiny building that they use for a kitchen and cooking. It was very depressing and pathetic living conditions for all of them. (The students who went to the school had it much better than the teachers.) We did take clothes for the teachers and they were most excited and appreciative of this.

Another portion of the team spent most of the week constructing a 3 bedroom house (480 sq ft) for Helen from scratch. (Her current two tiny room home was termite infested, wooden slats with dirt floor, no running water or electricity.) We measured the foundation with primitive tools, we collected volcanic rock from the fields to strengthen the foundation, we moved large stone blocks from a spot where a truck dumped them into position to be used for the walls using a 2 person tree log-carrier, we mixed cement by hand on the ground and carted it in wheelbarrels to the foundation, we built the walls and cemented them together, we poured the cement floor, we moved and stacked lumber that would be used for the walls and roof, we paid for metal framed windows, we befriended the workers and the neighbors and created a better life for a family that was most grateful. The influence of our visit to accomplish this feat will be felt for many years to come as the neighbors also learn from what Helen will learn about growing crops, raising goats, chickens, and lambs as she attends the Agricultural training school.

In addition to these visits, we visited the preschool in Nakuru where we left books, clothes and toys for their 75 children who are victims of a mass murder of their parents in a political campaign several years ago. We bought and delivered underwear and toys for teen children who live in Kibira, the largest slum in Africa.
The trip was an eye opening and awesome experience...the smiles and hearts of the Kenya people will long live in our memories.



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Submitted By: DR. SEAN REIF D.C.
posted on 3/10/2008 @ 11:53:45 AM
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“to guarantee that all individuals, regardless of differences, are entitled to share . . In the fruits of our society.”
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Donna Ralston

Centennial , CO

Donna Ralston has posted 1 story and 0 comments since joining on 8/12/2006. Donna Ralston 's average story rating is 5.
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