TB Clinic

TB Manyatta, Garissa

Among the many ministries of Canadian Baptists in Kenya's Northeastern Province is a feeding program funded by the Sharing Way as part of the TB Manyatta, Garissa. Manyatta is the Kiswahili word for house, and that is exactly what this ministry is about -- providing a home for TB patients who can not care for themselves. Please pray for our friend Moxamed who spends each day ministering to the inpatients living at the TB Manyatta and depending on the food provided by The Sharing Way.

Aaron chatting with the youngest patient staying at the TB manyatta.

Sweet Rains

In Africa rain is a blessing, but nowhere is this more true than in the arid lands of Northeastern Province. It is a spectacular sight to witness thousands of camel, goats and donkey line up in the land around watering holes like this one for their turn. Among the braying and snorting of the herds, you can often here the laughter of young sherperd boys splashing in the waters edge in celebration of a cool bath.

We also wanted to share a few more pictures of Ava from our friends Mel and Kerry. Ava and Emma enjoyed a fun sleepover with them last Friday night.

Hockey Night in Kenya

Tristan moving up the court in intramural hockey -- Go blue team!

We want to thank everyone who has been praying for Erica. Her surgery went very well and she is now recovering very comfortably at home.

Over the weekend, we all went out to see Rosslyn Academy's production of Disney's High School Musical. It was a great show that featured the musical talent of our CBM collegues, A, R and S (who played the guitar, piano, and drums respectively).

This week we will be taking a few days off as Kenya celebrates its Labour Day and Rosslyn has a short week. We are looking forward to the coming of the Praxis group later this month. Please keep these 16 students in your prayers as they join together to learn about intregal mission alongside Sharing Way workers from Africa.

Our friend Carol, who babysits Ava twice a week, is enrolled in a hairdressing course. So,... Ava has been treated with some fancy new doos, while Erica and I are with our language helpers.

Doesn't she look great in her new pigtails?

Sunbeams

A Big THANK YOU to the "sunbeam" painting crew

who volunteered with us this past weekend to

brighten up a few classrooms at the ECC.

Kerry Jividen, Erica Kenny, Jean Enns,

Melanie McKee, Delina Winters,

Lisa Orr, Kathy Beck and Aaron Kenny

Over the past three months, several of the primary classrooms here at the Eastleigh Community Centre were used as temporary homes for over eighty displaced children. As you can see, the classrooms took quite a beating. With the last of the children reunited with their parents just this last week, and the students being off for a two week break, we thought it an opportune time spruce up some of the worst looking/smelling classrooms.

Talk about a transformation!

The final coat of paint went on today. We want to show you the completed classrooms finished with new curtains and teaching aids once the kids come back in early May. Here are a few of the testimonies from some of the children who have been living at the centre. Thank you all so much for holding these little ones in your prayers!

"I was living with my mother in Mathare when the fighting began. We moved to live at the displaced camp at the depot police camp. The staff of ECC came and collected us to join the rescue centre. They catered for our food, provided us with mattresses, blankets and clothes. I was enrolled in the Rev. Kareri primary school. My life and also my brother's life have been good. We both eat and sleep at the rescue centre without fear. I thank God for bringing us here and God bless the staff and this school." Simon Ngatha (Std 4)

"When ECC staff visited the camps, I did not know what was going on and after asking my mother she told me that they wanted us to live at the centre. I was so excited, when I saw most of my friends were alive, I felt so happy that we the children would be taken out of the cold and be taken to a good place, with mattresses and blankets, food and other things. I feel happy since they have taken good care of us. They even gave us mosquito nets to prevent us from catching malaria. The centre also gave our parents blankets, mosquito nets, maize flour and other things. The centre felt good because of our good behaviour. May God bless the ECC staff for their help." Rose Syokau (Std 7)

Pray for peace

Tristan wearing his new glasses.

Prayer Updates

* Please pray for a lasting peace. Kenya returned to unrest on Monday as predawn "protests" diabled major transportation routes in Nairobi and in eight other towns, including: Nakuru, Naivasha, Nyeri, Thika, Gatundu, Nyahururu, and Eldoret. Kenyan media reports that the protests were in reaction to both the recent cabinet selection, as well as the murder of the wife of Maina Njenga, the imprisoned leader of Kenya's notorious Mungiki gang. Within hours, the Mungiki derailed a passenger train, blocked roadways, set over 30 vehicles and transport trucks on fire and led riots that resulted in over 13 deaths. Police have been vigilant in the past 48 hours in going after gang members and putting a stop to the violence.

* On a personal note, please remember Erica in your prayers as she will be having surgery next Tuesday morning.

Kenya Struggles

Prayer Updates!

1. Please continue to pray for the political situation here in Kenya: Yesterday there was more rioting here in Nairobi over the present stalemate between the president and prime minister over their inability to reach an agreement for choosing a cabinet.

2. Over the past three months, over 1200 women and children were officially reported as having been raped during the political/racial violence in Kenya. Please continue to pray for the Christian workers and health care providers who are on the front lines serving victims of sexual assault. Thank you for continuing to pray for our friend Lucy: She is doing well and receiving regular medical and spiritual help. Please also pray for Farah, a women we met with today who has injured herself carrying heavy water containers while eight months pregnant. We pray that both she and the baby will be alright. We are thankful for her family that is committed to helping her over the coming year.

The increase in reported sexual assault has led to a renewed discussion of women's rights and issues in Kenya. Kenya's "Daily Nation" has an interesting article today about a debate over allowing abortions for rape victims in Kenya (See the link below):
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=39&newsid=120769

3. Please continue to pray for the tens of thousands of Kenyans who continue to live as refugees. Last week we saw a camp of several thousand in Naivasha (in the Rift Valley) and we met with some volunteers who had been serving among 15,000 refugees in Eldoret. Alot of healing is needed in Kenya. There remain 19 children staying at the temporary camp at the Eastleigh Community Centre.

March 2008 Update

We need to apologize for the delay in getting this "Easter Update" out to you, but here it is. We hope you all experienced a blessed celebration of Christ risen among us!

Kennys in Kenya – Easter 2008


In answer to prayer, God is restoring peace to Kenya after the post-election violence that spread throughout the country. Kenya has seen some of its darkest days over these past two months. The government and aid agencies report the deaths of at least 1,500 Kenyans due to ethnic clashes and police response to mass protests. With the leadership of both political parties finally reaching a compromise, many of the 300,000 displaced people are beginning to return to their communities to rebuild their homes and lives.


In Eastleigh, we have been involved in a children’s camp at the Eastleigh Community Centre. Over 100 children sought refuge after their homes had been destroyed in Mathare Valley, a slum neighboring Eastleigh. Up to 75 children at a time were sleeping on mats in classrooms and being fed by the centre. As of yesterday, only 30 children remain at the centre – the other children were reunited with their parents, who with help from the Red Cross are slowly rebuilding their lives. The centre is committed to providing for these remaining children until they have a home to return to. CBM, through The Sharing Way, has released funds to help not only the refugees in the Eastleigh camp but to camps all over the country. We are so thankful to be able to be a part of God’s work of restoration.


We are also very excited to begin a partnership with the Eastleigh Community Centre focusing on urban development within the Somali community. We are in the first stages of this project where we will be mobilizing community participants, gathering information and building capacity for the launch of a new program in 2009. We intend to assist Somali women living within Eastleigh in forming an association of support groups that will help one another overcome barriers to health and economic self-sustainability. The project will focus on helping the most vulnerable households in reaching basic levels of nutrition, hygiene, health, and education. At the same time, we want to enable the family’s primary bread winner to receive practical skills and financial training for them to be able to earn a sustainable income to support their family. We are thankful for the experienced and competent people serving at the Eastleigh Community Centre and The Sharing Way who will be working with us in this endeavor.

In February, we were thrilled to be asked by Rosslyn Academy (the school Tristan and Emma attend) to take part in their Spiritual Emphasis Week. The week focused on the Exodus story. Erica had the joy of teaching the children about the importance of “silver and gold” to the Israelites and taught them a little about beading. Aaron was able to bring in one of our students from Eastleigh who shared the story of his own exodus from Somalia and of all his trials along the way.

Last month, we also had the opportunity to travel to Northeast Province to visit our colleagues working in Garissa and Dadaab. We connected with Mohamed at the TB Manyatta, as well as Rehema at her primary school where we are working with the Carlines in strengthening the existing ministries toward sustainable development. In Dadaab, we now have three new teachers working with the small primary school in the centre of the village. It is an incredibly hot and dusty place, but God has blessed us with some wonderful relationships amongst the people there.

In May, we will be taking part in PRAXIS — a course in integral mission. We are looking forward to having 8 Canadian students join with 8 Kenyan students in learning about integral mission and to be able to share with them in practicum experiences in each of CBM strategic areas of ministry, including Somali ministry in Garissa and Eastleigh.


All the while, we continue to meet with our language helpers two mornings a week. Somali is a difficult language and we are learning very slowly—but we are learning! We are thankful for the deepening relationship we have been able to share with our Somali friends from Eastleigh. All of the important work in emergency relief and long term development is made truly worthwhile by the individuals with whom we are able to share the love and hope of Christ. This Easter we hold on to the words of John’s gospel: “We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us – one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.” It is the grace and unfailing love of God that sustains us in ministry and life as followers of Christ.

We want to thank all of you who have been praying for Emma and her health. She has been doing great with no signs of seizures. She continues to improve in school, especially with her reading. She has been visiting a reading specialist twice a week and we have seen dramatic results. Praise the Lord! She and Tristan are looking forward to summer camp at Camp Brackenhurst this June. This will be Emma’s first time to attend summer camp and Tristan’s second. We have begun the official adoption process for Ava. This is proving to be a long and tedious process and we would appreciate your prayers, especially for patience. Ava is a healthy and active little girl, a perfect addition to our family!

In Christ’s Love,
Aaron, Erica, Tristan,
Emma and Ava Kenny

To become one of our Partners in Mission,

contact Eileen Moore-Crispin at:

Email: eilenm@cbmin.org
Or visit the CBM website at http://www.cbmin.org/