time for tea

As someone who grew up in the south I love sweet tea. What I'm not so used to is sweet tea with a lot of milk and served scalding hot. I have come to love it. Kenyans drink a lot of tea -- it's a sign of hospitality and welcome. During our time in Kenya, I loved seeing the tray with empty mugs and the big thermos filled with already mixed tea, milk and sugar. Tea symbolized shared time; a chance to sit down, converse and find refreshment. Our hosts were often in the middle of a busy work day with endless tasks that would seem to need all their time. Their willingness to stop, sit down and share that time with us was a living example of openness and friendship that I hope to remember and emulate. I will treasure the memories of sharing tea with Jane & Ken Wathome on their beautiful veranda; of having tea waiting for us after a long, hot walk through the Kware slum doing home visits with the Beacon of Hope social workers and; of sharing tea with Pastor Francis and his staff in Masai country.

Martha

P.S. We arrived safe and sound in Jordan this afternoon. All is well -- no worries.

from Becky Dolson

I am here & am amazed at how Awesome God is. I have definitely been stretched beyond my comfort zone. I am humbled by what I have seen. I was worried about cold showers, but the people I visited today have so little and seem so thankful to God for what they have it makes my worries seem insignificant.

We all had a very exhausting day physically today, but very invigorating emotionally & spiritually at the same time. I haven't done this much walking in a long time.

I do love the weather here! Now I am trying to convince Chris that we need to move to Nairobi. Just kidding. Maybe not. Too many palm trees & flowers here to even imagine the snow in Madison. Did I mention that I love the weather?

Becky

Chris visits a VCT

VCT stands for Voluntary Counseling and Testing which is one of the services that Beacon of Hope offers for those who visit their clinic. What they are testing for is the HIV virus. Today I was tested for the virus and received counseling from the nurse who works for Beacon of Hope.

Before Rosemary, the nurse, conducted the test she asked all the other members of our team to leave the room. Everyone laughed except Rosemary. She was serious. She was being professional and the questions were confidential. This included a pop quiz on HIV. I failed.
All in all, she represents some of the quality staff at BOH.

We also visited several women in their homes who have tested positive for HIV. We walked several kilometers thru Kware, a slum of about 60 thousand people who have very little hope. Beacon of Hope brings hope to people like Florence. Florence tested positive for HIV at Blackhawk's medical camp last summer. James Bigham, one of our team members, led that trip last year when we gave free VCT's to many people from Kware slum.

The walk thru the slum and the visits with our sisters in Christ, has had a powerful effect on all of us on this team.

For those of you who were wondering; my test came out negative for HIV.

Chris

karibu

Karibu means welcome and it is one of the significant cultural values in Kenya. We have greatly appreciated the welcome we have received.

After a morning at the National Park, appreciating the wonder of Kenyan natural beauty, we spent the rest of the day with our friends and partners, Jane and Ken Wathome. They welcomed us into the home and their lives with great hospitality. God is deeply blessing this relationship. We lingered on their veranda, speaking of our lives and ministries. It was a great time of growing our partnership. We continue to be amazed by Jane, her faith and obedience, but mostly the amazing God who is inspiring and leading her work among the slum women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. We are learning much.

Today we have had the privilege of attending church at Nairobi Chapel - under a tent in 80 degree weather - and then having an extended lunch with Pastor Oscar. Our learning has continued.

We trust and believe that in God's grace we have extended our own version of Karibu and that the blessing has been mutual.

Rich

WE MADE IT!

After traveling for 24 hours (16 of which were airborne), we arrived in Nairobi last night. Shrouded in mosquito netting, we had a good night of sleep last night. This morning we will travel to the Nairobi National Park and then off to spend time with Jane, the founder of Beacon of Hope at her home in Karen.

Please pray that our time with Jane and her family will be fruitful and that in all we say and do that God would be glorified.

James

Please pray for our trip

I’ve built several houses in the slums of Mexico; but I’ve never been on a trip like this. I’m very excited. I’m also excited that my wife Sunshine will be going with me. When I come back and want to sell our house and all our possessions, she might be able to help me rethink my passionate reactions. Might.

Jesus was poor. He lived and worked around poverty. I’m rich. I live and work in one of the wealthiest cities in a very rich country. Wealth can bind us to time and blind us to eternity. Money is a root of all kinds of evil that plagues our culture and our churches.

I would appreciate your prayers for our trip. That God would help us, as leaders, see the world the way He sees the world so that we might be followers of Christ who help others follow Christ.

Chris

Kenya, Jordan and Israel, Oh My!

On January 25, 2007, seven of us will depart chilly Madison, WI to cross the equator and into the Kenyan summer. This team includes, Rich and Martha Henderson, Chris and Becky Dolson, Mike and Gail Anderson, and myself, James Bigham.

While in Kenya, we will spend several days visiting our partner in ministry, Beacon of Hope, around Nairobi. While there, we will witness in person the devastating face of poverty by doing things such as going on home visits in Kibera, a Nairobi slum of over 1 million people .

Following the Kenyan leg of the trip, James will return to Madison, and the remaining 6 members of the team will cross back over the equator en route to Jordan to work with individuals we support as a church. After a few days in Jordan, they will move on to Israel to see Tim and Jessica Mackie who are currently living in Jerusalem. This time will be spent exploring the possibility of forming a partnership with a ministry in Israel.

During this trip, these key leaders desire to witness firsthand what God is doing at our partner sites and to dream about how we might expand Blackhawk's presence around the globe.

James