Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Food for the Hungry - Lakartinya Update

Food for the Hungry - Annual C2C Report 2013
Lakartinya, Kenya

1.      Greeting from Community – Officer- Mr. Wario
I thank the almighty God for granting me this opportunity to send a word of “hello!” to Roosevelt Community Church. I’m well together with my family and the community in which I’m working. Our community received good rain the whole of the year 2013. The school is growing in terms of infrastructure and increased enrolment. I hope that you are fine too and I wish you more blessings from God.

2.      Prayer Requests and Answered Prayers
a.       The Lakartinya community prayed for peace when there were fears of raids from other communities in the course of 2013. Cattle raids are unfortunate cultural practices that lead to death and destruction. We thank God that He granted peace, and that the fear is gone. People are now moving on about their daily affairs with increased freedom, secure in the knowledge that God has granted them safety. When the Workteam visited Lakartinya in 2013, one of the training sessions for Morans (young men or warriors) was on how to live peacefully with other people since all were created in the image of God. Since then none of the Morans from Lakartinya have been heard to participate in raids. Therefore the community also thanks God for the changes evident in their young people and pray that the Holy Spirit will continue ministering to the young people’s hearts to always choose the way of peace.
b.      As the school enrollment increased, there was an urgent need for latrines. The community prayed for resources to address this need. God answered these prayers, because by the end of year 2013, two latrines had been constructed through funding by a development partner. The latrine is expected to last for a long time because it was made in a way to allow for emptying after a certain period of time.
c.       Access to water is an ongoing request in the community, in 2013, God answered this prayer by providing a water dam near the community that is expected to harvest sufficient rain water to last the community for up to four months after rains.
d.      The community continues to pray for the AIC church chairman, who was mauled by a hyena and lost one jaw and crushing of his nasal system among other injuries. They thank God for preserving his life and enabling him to continue to serve his family and the community despite the limitations of the injuries. He is a real testimony of God’s amazing grace in living against all odds. They continue to pray that ways will be opened for him to recover full use of his jaw and nasal system.

3.      Impact of US Church
The church building that is still under construction with funding from your church continues to inspire members to contribute toward its completion. The church members have a goal to complete the building no matter how many years it takes. They are continually motivated by the love shown by Roosevelt Church. The community is now looking forward to having 6 complete classrooms. Roosevelt Church supported construction of three of them while the government of Kenya supported construction of the others. Children always have a classroom to learn in as they proceed to higher grades. There are many children from the community who have been supported to access secondary education though payment of school fees. Some have come back to the community to inspire and mentor other children to work hard in school no matter the challenges so that in future they will be in a position to contribute back into the community. Through child sponsorship, FH has equipped the teachers to have regular life skills training sessions for the children as well as Bible study. In addition, through home visits parents are encouraged and motivated to support their children in school and cater for their health needs. As a result there was increased regular attendance in school. It has been noted that the more educated people there are in a community, the better the well-being of all the people in that community. Therefore by encouraging and supporting the children to remain in school and supporting others to proceed to secondary education; there is investment in the future well-being of Lakartinya community.

4.      Church in the Community
The local Church in the community increasingly took up the role of teaching the word of God to the children at Lakartinya School in Bible study sessions and in the pastoral program of instruction [PPI] where the school curriculum sets time every week for religious instruction of children. In December 2013, the local church conducted youth camp where over 70 young people attended. They were sensitized on such topics as holistic living, how to engage in community development and ways of handling conflict.


5.      Politics, Government, and Associations
There were general elections in Kenya in March 2013 which ushered in a new form of governing. Since then there have been slight changes in what is previously known as local government and now called county government. The rules of engagement are still not clear but there are bound to be changes in future. However, the government did resource and thereby complete the stalled projects of the previous government. It took some lobbying to get the government to complete the stalled classroom in Lakartinya school but it also opened up the door for the community leaders to create networks with the County government. This is a great opportunity that the community is looking forward to utilize for their development. The community was supported to contact other partners who funded construction of latrines. This way the community is learning to seek and make beneficial partnerships with development partners.

6.      Changes in the Community – include at least 1 spiritual/worldview change 
and 1 physical change
Cattle raiding from neighboring communities was a practice that was widely practiced among members of the Lakartinya community. The young men would plan and undertake a raid, justifying themselves that it was the fault of the other community for not having better protection. They would also use this action to prove their ‘man-hood’. But since FH began walking with the community, there has been a shift in way of thinking so that now the community state that there is no value in undertaking cattle raids. The young men are also changing their mind sets on this matter and during feedback meetings with them, they have begun indentifying other ways of earning honor and respect among each other. One way that they now practice their ‘man-hood’ is supporting the Kenya Wild life service in monitoring movement of elephants. The young men are good trackers and they are using this skill to support conservation of elephants.

7.      Staff Changes
There have been no changes in staff.

8.      Update on Critical Issues from the Community Transformation Plan –update on at least 2 
of the 4 sectors of CFCT: livelihoods, health/nutrition, education, disaster risk reduction.
a.       The critical issue of poor health seeking behavior is slowly being addressed. More and more parents are taking their children for treatment in the nearest dispensary. Parents have been equipped with knowledge and skills of providing good nutrition to their children especially during the rainy season when cattle provide a lot of milk. There are a few parents who have adopted a practice of first providing sufficient milk for their families and selling the surplus in the market.

There is still more work to be done to improve the community’s practices on good sanitation and hygiene. The challenge of difficult access to water in the dry season hampers good hygiene practices. However, it is expected that with the improved access to water from the newly dug earth dam, it will make it easier for the community members to adopt good hygiene and sanitation practices.

b.      Education is becoming very important to each and every one. It is one of the most expensive sectors where those who live below the poverty level cannot afford to send their children to secondary school and colleges. In Lakartinya, parents have increasingly indicated their value for education by sending more and more children to school. From a community that had no school, to one with over 300 children enrolled, the positive change is evident. The school leaders have also constantly lobbied for additional teachers so that in by the end of 2013, two additional teachers were posted to the school. Meanwhile parents are very supportive of all initiatives that concern the education of their children; for instance they provided unskilled labor when there were delays in accessing government funds to complete one classroom construction in 2013.

9.      Personal Example of Positive Change in the Community
Aaron is a hard working young person Lakartinya community. He had dropped out of college due to lack of fees. Since access to electricity is limited to few individuals, Aaron heard that there were ways of making use of the sun to generate solar power. He followed up on how he could do so with an eye of creating a business opportunity.

Through FH support, he accessed the information he needed, sold a few livestock to purchase batteries and solar panels. He then begun business as a barber and later diversified to other services that require power such as photo copy and developing of photographs. Within one year he had made sufficient funds to employ someone to run the business as he went back to college to complete his course. He is now able to pay the college tuition fees.

Aaron has now become a positive role model for both the children and adults in Lakartinya community. They have seen evidence that GOD can enable one to overcome challenges in ways that are unique yet profitable. This is a theme that is discussed in many of the life skills training and Bible study sessions.

10.  Activities in the Community – List 3 FH activities that have occurred in the 
community in the past 6 months, ASIDE FROM team visits:
a.       Life skill training for children and youth- The participants were engaged in lively discussions on how they can improve their lifestyles by adopting godly mindset and behavior
b.      Construction of classrooms- Parents were motivated to support completion of one classroom by providing casual labor and they begun clearing ground for another to ensure that the vehicles transporting construction materials would be able to move easily.
c.       Home visit to equip parents with simple skills to improve their children’s hygiene and sanitation.

Dear Roosevelt Church,
Thank you so very much for your dedication and commitment to the amazing work you have accomplished this past year in the community of Lakartinya. We here at FH are very proud and honored to work with your church in Kenya, Africa. I hope that this reports helps provide great information back to you to show the progress that has been made as a result of the great work you have poured into this wonderful community. Thanks again so much! Many blessings to you all.
In His service,
Ryan
Church Engagement Representative for Food for the Hungry

Report Submitted by Zipporah from Food for the Hungry Kenya


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Kill Your Youth Group! | Backpack Radio Reflection Episode #35

Kill Your Youth Group! [05/29/2011]
  • In which Pastor Vermon says, “I’m black, so I’m naturally cool.”
  • In which a question is begged: Is the Gospel boring?
  • In which we learn the meaning of  “adultolescence” and it hurts.
I listened to this one because I’m scared of teenagers. Even though the rumor is that I once was one, and even though I spend a chunk of my day with them. Just today, in fact, I sat behind a desk and listened to them positively butcher Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (I’m a teacher). And yesterday, I heard the following snippet of conversation about the movie Gravity:

Jane: "I'm never going into space."
John: "Jane, you may be forced to one day."

They’re amusing creatures, aren't? The problem is that I’m just not there anymore, and so they’re a little mysterious too. I used to speak the language of rock n’ roll, but my rock n’ roll is passé now. Once upon a time, I related to the emotional and moody ones, but Kurt Cobain is dead, kids aren't really so angst -y anymore, and now I think like a mom. Plus, the gospel of my former teenaged self is not a gospel worth spreading.

So, there’s this problem: how do we meet teenagers where they’re at, and how do we meet them with Truth?

This episode tackled my problem.  First, let’s follow Pastor Bob’s lead in making sure we identify the show’s subtitle, lest you think this broadcast is a recipe for murder. The subtitle is “The Steady Decline of Faith in Youth.” Teenagers raised in the church are leaving the church. When they grow up, they take off. The Youth Groups aren't working.

The introduction to the show included some daunting stats.

According to a 2002 Southern Baptist Council on Family Life study, about 88% of Evangelical Christian kids leave the church shortly after high school. Other studies are not encouraging.

Then, a group of sociologists, including Christian Smith, the co-author of Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (2005), has dubbed the belief system of these teenage Christian casualties Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.  Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is expressed in the following (kinda quoted, kinda paraphrased) five tenets:
  1. There is a God.
  2. God wants people to be good.
  3. The main purpose of life is to be happy.
  4. God doesn't need to be involved in our personal lives unless we’re in a bind.
  5. Good people go to heaven.
So what’s the deal?

Vermon offers a good critique, suggesting that there’s a difference between the Youth Group and a Youth Ministry. Jim Rayburn, the founder of Young Life, is quoted as saying, “It’s a sin to bore a kid with the gospel.” The implication is that too much theology and too much Bible and too much talk of sin is boring. This, of course, begs the question, Is the Gospel boring?

Vermon emphasizes the need for the real Gospel, rather than one belonging to an “emaciated God.”

One last thing to spark your interest. The Backpack guys mention how the “teenager” is a modern concept and how we've even extended our youth to include “adultolescence”; our twenties are now designated as our time to find ourselves. We postpone responsibility.

I know I definitely postponed adulthood in my twenties, which really shook things up when I ended up married at thirty-four and a mom at thirty-six. I was, if you must know, forcibly removed from my search for self by a tragic car accident at twenty-eight (in Africa! Where I was finding myself!). Which was too bad, because I had been hoping to backpack through Latin America at some point, and I was thinking of going for another college degree because I still wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to be when I grew up—though it might involve animals or photography, as long as no math were involved.

Here’s the thing, which the show does touch upon: Youth Group Culture, with its emphasis on a fun albeit shallow and transient time, is focused on self. It naturally leads to adultolescence. Adultolescence may be the saddest thing of all, since one can at least say about teenagers, “Well, they’re just kids.” Can’t say that about the adultolescents out there!

How do you fix it? What does it mean to be God-centered rather than pizza-oriented? What is a vital youth ministry? How do we speak to where kids are without catering to the places they do not need to be? Does that make sense?

Teenagers are special. Despite my removal from their reality, I get this. I have a sense of their topsy-turvy psyches, their seemingly unique and nameless longings, their new abilities. They too hunger and thirst. But the pizza will not cut it.

About Vermon’s quote on being cool, I just wanted to include that one.

Jennifer Bell is mostly a writer, but she's also an English teacher. The author of two books of fiction, she lives with her husband and two kids in Phoenix.