LifeSpring Christian Church - Exploratory Mission Trip to Nairobi, Kenya - October 10-16, 2007

What follows is a photographic description of what we experienced on our recent trip to Nairobi, Kenya. This trip included Dick Alexander (Senior Minister), Scott Sims (LifeSpring Elder), Judy Johnson (LifeSpring Missions Minister, Lynette Craig (LifeSpring friend and travel assistant), and Tim Parsley (LifeSpring member and future trip leader). Our time in the slums was difficult, but good. We witnessed the great ministry already being accomplished there by Missions of Hope and the church in the Kosovo slums.

Due to the large number of photographs included in this blog, not all of the posts fit into this first page. So, in order to view all of the photographs, be sure to click the "Monday" links in the Trip Timeline to the right.

For a larger view of any of the photographs, simply click on the photograph.

Thursday: Arriving in Nairobi, Kenya

After over 18 hours of flight time, we arrive in Nairobi, Kenya and get settled into our guest house. We were welcomed warmly at the airport by Oliver, Kieth, Mary and Wallace.
















- Dinner at the guest house. From left to right: Tim, Dick, Scott, Oliver (pastor of church), Kieth (CMF missionary), Wallace and Mary (founders of Missions of Hope), Lynette, Judy
















- The guest house in Nairobi.

Friday: Visit to Missions of Hope Center in Mathare Valley Slum

Friday morning we visited the main center for Missions of Hope. This center is located in the Mathare Valley Slum and operates as a school to over 300 slum children as well as a headquarters for the mission staff, clinic, and training location for micro-businesses.
















- Wallace and Mary (founders of the Mission) share the vision and various programs of Missions of Hope.
















- Classrooms at the Mission. Two additional floors of classrooms are currently being constructed above.

Friday: Into the Mathare Slum

After visiting the Mission center, we walked down into the Mathare slum. Between the make-shift shanties, roads and alleys were dissected by streams of water and sewage. Children of various ages roamed the alleys. One of the Mission staff members explained how these children (sometimes 1 or 2 years old) are left to "watch themselves" all day in the alleys as their parents go off to try and make enough money to buy food. "If they hurt themselves," he said, "there is no one here to help them."

































































































































- In each of the slums we visited there is a "market" area where some of the residents of the slums have set up "micro-enterprises." The two shots above show a vendor selling fish heads and a butcher's shop. What the shots don't capture are the hundreds of flies swarming. Other businesses include fruit stands, hair/beauty shops, shoe shining, small assorted trinkets, etc. These markets are generally located at the "top" of the slum valleys. The residences surrounding these markets are more preferable (and more expensive to rent) than the shanties down in the slum valley near the river (since the rising river brings flooding).

Friday: Visit to the School in the Kosovo Slum

Next we visited the Mission-run school currently being housed at a partnering church in a nearby slum named Kosovo (the slum took this name because at the same time the well-known Kosovo was experiencing violence, this slum was also experiencing violence - so they adopted the same name).





























- These children are forming the letters of the alphabet with small amounts of Play-Doh. The children in this class are 6 years old have have only been in school since January of this year.
















- Views over Kosovo rooftops.













- Wallace shows us blueprints for planned additions to the school/church at Kosovo. The open area between us and the church building (on the right) is the area slated for development.

Saturday: Visit to the Boarding School

On Saturday we drove well outside of Nairobi to the Mission's boarding school. Currently over 200 boys and girls live on 20 acres out in the country, supervised by 22 staff who live with them. These are children who have come directly from the slums and who are for the first time in their lives being given their own bed, flushing toilets, warm showers, regular meals, quality classes... Currently the classrooms, boys and girls dorms, kitchen, and staff's quarters are all temporary structures - however, the foundation areas have been dug for the eventual permanent buildings. The students are also planting trees on the property.

While we were there, we joined the students for a worship service including singing, drama, dance, recited memory verses - most of which were all student-led. I (Tim) was asked to offer a devotion in the service as well.

Sunday: The Church in Kosovo

Sunday morning we attended services at the church at Kosovo. This is also where one of the Mission's schools meets during the week (pictured above). One of the pastors told us that about 80% of the parishoners are from the slum neighborhoods. After the service was over, lunch was served with the church's leadership.
































































- Pastor Oliver (left) delivers the sermon with the youth pastor Frederick intepreting in Swahili.































- Pastor Oliver, his wife Edna and children.






























- Mary and Wallace (founders of the Mission), and their children.
















- Frederick, the Youth Pastor
















- Fred, Mission staff member in charge of HIV/AIDS programs
















- Paul, Mission staff member in charge of micro-business programs

Monday: Going Down Into the Kosovo Slum

On Monday morning we journeyed down into the slums of Kosovo. We were welcomed by several residents into their homes - which consisted of one small room, often inhabited by 3 or 4 children. One thing that struck us was how each home had been effected by death (usually of a parent), often the result of AIDS.

































































































- An example of the kinds of shanties located along the river at the base of the slum valley.
















- In this home we found a 5-month-old baby. His mother leaves him here all day, as she goes to find work to be able to afford food. A neighbor girl stops by periodically to check in on the baby.

















































- This is Samuel, a local medicine man. For 200 shillings you may sit on his pet tortoise and gain healing for back problems.

















- Malorie welcomed her into her home. Malorie is a student of the Mission's Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program. This program teaches slum residents to have harmony with God, Self, Others, and their Environment. As they develop these wholistic life skills, they reach out and train their neighbors in CHE skills. Malorie's CHE disciple, Rosemary, was also present.