AWE-some Pics (Part 4)

Black Swan




Blue Sea and Blue Sky of the Bathhouse!






Volkswagen Jetta? Or Volkswagen Sagitar?



Oooo boy!! Cornsicles! A frozen, sweet, salty, buttery delight that tastes extraordinarily just like sweet corn on the cob.(Warning: Do not attempt to eat with the wrapper still on.)



Oh great! We finally found Cianmeidohoufeyaije Street! It's that way! -->



Nick does his best to make friends with this guy but all he wants to do is take pictures of himself. (Don't be deceived, he's not real.)



Mind your toes!



...

AMCC: A Blessing to Many

I wanted to start with this picture because it is typical of what you will see in Kenya. Many of the buildings are used as giant advertising boards and this one in particular is advertising the company "Darling". Underneath is a product description, "Highest Quality Hair Additions". An interesting marketing technique but it adds a lot of color to the place.

Before we came to Kenya We spent some time asking the Lord what He wanted us to accomplish in our short time at AMCC. One of the things that Nick heard from God was this: "As AMCC reaches out to help others in need, I will start lifting them higher." We wanted to share this word from the Lord with John but we were a little hesitant. How do we tell a man who is already raising 36 children with little and insufficient resources that he needs to start reaching out to help others. Hasn't he got enough on his plate already? But alas, John never ceases to amaze us...

And that's why we were blown away when John brought us to this place.

The lady standing next to Maggie is Shosho Eutycus, or Grandmother to Eutycus. Eutycus(you-tick-us) is a 15 year old boy who lives at AMCC. Both his parents died when he was young and his Shosho took care of him as long as she could until her blindness was too severe to keep him. She is a widow herself and has no one to watch over her. When John came to her house a few months ago, he found her in this location with only three walls surrounding her in a very small place. The fourth was made of plastic grain bags sewn together and was draped from the ceiling which had holes in it. He was very disturbed by this because this time of year the temperatures can drop to the 40s and winds and rains are very heavy. One night he couldn't sleep because he was overwhelmed at the thought that this woman was living in such conditions. The next day he began to rally the community; churches, other guardians of some of the AMCC kids, his family, his government connections etc... And began to raise money to build her a new home.

The same picture here, as shown above, is the results of his efforts. In about a week they had built her this new house with three different rooms. It's not much and it's made of iron sheet metal but it's a tremendous upgrade from her previous place. To her, it's a castle. She's no longer wet and cold at night and she's extremely thankful to John and the staff at AMCC. While we were there, she actually made the several mile trek, with only 15-20% of her sight, to AMCC to donate a whole sac of avocados. These avocados were cherished and greatly appreciated as we divided them amongst ourselves and the kids one night and ate them with our supper.

Another conviction that compelled John to reach out involved a girl named Valentine. This is the school that John's daughter, Agape, attends (her education is paid for by donors through theschoolfund.org as are a few of the other AMCC kids). Valentine is one of of Agape's closest friends. She is in form 4 (senior year) and is the president of a student established Christian outreach organization. The secondary school ( high school) saw her good grades and offered her a position at the school when she graduated from 8th grade. Unfortunately her father died when she was in grade school and her mother doesn't make enough money to pay the school fees. Because her debt is up to $500, the school is obligated to send her home until it is paid.
Education is of the highest importance in Kenya, even to the students. Valentine is making good grades and has a shot at college, but because she's being sent home due to school fees, she is starting to have anxiety attacks. When we were here visiting Agape, we found out more about this situation and John asked for a meeting with the principal. In the meeting he asked the principal not to send her home anymore and told her he would see what he could go about the fees. To our surprise the principal agreed! John doesn't have the money to help but he believes God wants Valentine to continue.

We remember the phrase that The Lord gave to Nick before we came to AMCC.
"As AMCC reaches out to help others in need, I will start lifting them higher."
We shared this word of the Lord with John. Not really as an encouragement for him to begin reaching out to help others, but rather as an affirmation that God is already starting to lift AMCC higher, because they have already started reaching out to others.
In the picture above John holds out a real treat! Boiled goat meat! Believe it or not Nick really missed it, Maggie on the other hand wasn't nearly as excited but she was a real trooper and ate her share. This is a picture of a man offering meat. This is John Kameru Muhika, who is the one, in a land that has been desolate and hungry, that offers meat. He is close to the heart of the Lord, and has seen the hand of the Lord do miraculous things. His faith is strong and profound. He gives, not out of what He has, but rather out of his faith in what he knows the Lord has. Surely he is a man of God and blessing to many!

AMCC Here and There

Even though we were only there for 10 short days, we jumped right back into the swing of things. After honoring the Kenyan ways of life and relationship by "popping in" on nearly everyone that was a friend of AMCC and of John, we helped out around the new home.


Here, Maggs uses a panga (machete) to cut napier grass for the goats to eat.


In the meantime, Nick and Rahab catch the goats that were roaming in John's father's farm.


In this picture Nick helps Rahab separate the good beans from the bad ones and other debris such as bugs, stems and pebbles. This is something we have become quite skilled at during the months we have spent at AMCC.


We were happy to discover that AMCC has become a blessing to John's parents. Since the children have relocated, Nancy, Ruth, and Rahab have helped take care of various household chores at the Muhika Farm. They even cook almost every meal for John's parents. Here, Rahab takes her turn to milk the cow owned by Samson and Margaret Muhika. This is one of the many ways that AMCC is able to show thanksgiving and is a blessing to them.


The children on Sunday preparing to take supper.


Erin Marietti donated a laptop to AMCC that she sent to us before we left the states. Here, Maggie gives Ruth, the Communications Officer a lesson on how to use it.


With the laptop, the staff at AMCC won't have to make the 45 minute journey to Thika to write emails. They will save money on the travel and also on the time that they have to pay for to use the internet at a cyber cafe! This is a tremendous gift to AMCC as each staff member will be able to advance in their computer skills and allow them to be more versatile and beneficial to AMMC and the Vision in the future.



Even though John is the C.E.O. of a children's home, he is also a preacher at heart. He's been preaching in fact since 1986 and is often asked to preach at special occasions. The picture above is a group of people who meet every Thursday in Kahawa West near Nairobi. They wanted to start a fellowship where they could learn about the Lord and spend some time in worship and prayer. They asked John to come and teach them once a week. They started with about five a few months ago and their number has grown to over 21.


This Thursday John preached a message to them warning them about the four soils in relation to tithing, or where they are sowing their seed. This was an excellent message as there are many preachers in Kenya who are preaching the prosperity gospel: "If you really want to be blessed, you gotta give till it hurts!" This "gospel" message leads to the poor people giving what little they have so "preachers" can have big houses and fancy cars. This day John challenged the people to find a local widow or orphan in their area (not even at AMCC) and help them with food or school feels rather than to give to a preacher who is well off.




Being able to preach like this is energizing to John. He's a great preacher and well versed in scripture. In the matatu (local transport bus) on the way back, Nick takes this picture as he overhears John asking this girl what her dreams are. After listening for a while, he encourages her that with God, she can reach them no matter what obstacles lie in her way.


Here we see John poking his head between Agnes and Faith on the left. Victoria and Tabitha stand on the right. With the other girls, they hold up the fresh flowers they have picked on the way home from school. Each of these girls are Form 4 or seniors in high school. There are also three other boys, Simon, Dennis, and Joseph and another girl Maureen who are finishing their last year of Secondary School (high school). They've had a bit of a rough time academically during their school lives due to lack of funds and not attending the best schools in the area. Nonetheless and despite these difficulties, a few of them will be 'college material' provided that they are funded. For the others, AMCC is seeking to provide them with some sort of polytechnic school training. Some may even be able to work at AMCC if they so choose.


In either case, next year will be an exciting one. The first seven children to graduate would never have made it this far without the hand of God working through AMCC. Now they will be blossoming into a new life with a strong foundation and real hope. The Board and Staff of AMCC has agreed not to take on new children until these are fully established and functioning as beneficial members of society and for the Kingdom of God. They will have a place to stay until they are on their own. AMCC is dedicated to them for life, and we're excited to see what life will come from each of them!

Friends of AMCC

The Word promises that God is the "Father to the fatherless". This blog is dedicated to some of those people who have partnered with God in being parents to these children.
On Monday we had the privilege of attended the monthly board meeting of AMCC. Many of the board members have been faithful friends and supporters for five years. We also met a new board member, Reverend James, who is a guardian representative on the board.

During the meeting we learned of the progress that AMCC has made in the last two years and praised God for the many answered prayers. We are so thankful for these faithful men and women of God!

Mrs. Daniel (above)is one of those who has been faithful to AMCC even in difficult times where there seemed to only be struggle and need. She was not feeling well for the meeting but was full of the joy of the Lord when we got to visit and pray with her.

We also visited Mrs. Wesley who is a friend and donor to AMCC. Her late husband would come to preach to and encourage the kids one Sunday a month for about two years before he passed away. Mrs. Wesley has been a faithful supporter of AMCC and was their main source of fire wood the entire time they were at the old location.

We said hi to Daniel who owned the shop next to the old house. He and his family were so helpful and patient when selling food to AMCC. His business has often been the only source of food for AMCC. Many times they allowed time to pay off debts and always offered good prices. They also have never complained about AMCC worship! which is both often and loud. We got a chance to pray a blessing over Daniel and his business and his family.

Here is his wife Virginia and growing family.

This Saturday was dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Mutuango. They are the older couple holding the plaque which the staff at AMCC had made in their honor. It reads: "In Honor of Mr. And Mrs. Mutuango, who gave water to AMCC for Five Years." This couple lived across the courtyard of AMCC at their old location. They owned a well, or rather a borehole on their land. During AMCC's time of struggle they freely gave of the water in their well..

...there were times when all the other wells in the area were dry but theirs. During these times Mr. Mutuango's own brothers would come to ask to draw water. However Mr Mutuango would refuse his own family until the children had a chance to draw from the well.

AMCC did not have much to give, so they gave what they had, 30 liters of cooking oil and 25 bars of soap! John also preached a little and related the Mutuangos and their giving water to the story of the lady who pours out expensive oil on Jesus. As the story of Jesus is told, this woman will be mentioned for the great thing she did. In the same way, John said that as the story of AMCC is told, the Mutuangos will be mentioned for the great thing they did! It warmed our hearts to see such a cool relationship and so much honor between them. Both of the Mutuangos are still on the board of AMCC. They agreed to have a day of celebrating their relationship and of the generosity of the Mutuangos once a year.

AMCC Tour

The first picture is of John walking by the previous AMCC residence.

AMCC was having difficulties with the Landlords. There were leaky roofs, health hazards from the waste water hole, health hazards with the poorly ventilated kitchen, few community supporters and poor security due to being the only building in the area with wooden doors instead of metal. The Local Health Department had warned AMCC to fix these issues in order to continue operating. When the Landlords wouldn't agree to making these adjustments, John tried negotiating with them about using rent money to pay for the needed upgrades. This was to no avail and despite their difficult situation the Landlords were still demanding rent and threatening to kick them all out. After much prayer and consideration, the Board and Staff of AMCC decided to move into the chicken rearing facility.

This is located on John's Father's family land. Three of his four brothers live on this land together. The portion that is willed to John is the portion with this building on it.

If you turn directly around you will see the inside of the front gate...and to the left...

..sit the water tanks that were donated! This means a LOT less time pulling water for the kids and a LOT more time studying! Just to the left of the water tanks...

...lies the kitchen (behind Nancy on left) and then the new goat pen! (front of Nancy on left)

Kitchen

Maggie feeds the goats that were donated recently! They will be used later for milking and for breeding and selling. Bwana asufiwe!

Across from the kitchen and goat pen is the main building. There are two doors on the first floor. The door on the left leads to the boys dorm room. The one on the right leads to the girls dorm, the store (or storage area), and the office.

Boys' Dorm

Entrance to the door on the right. The girls' dorm is directly to the left, the store is straight ahead and the office is to the right.

Girls Dorm

The Store

The Office

If we come out of that door and make an immediate left, we'll meet the stairs. Just behind Nancy is a door to the main hall upstairs.

This area is used for meetings, worship and praise, eating, church and studying. We've taken pictures from a few different angles.

The lamp hanging in the middle is used for studying. We're still praying for electricity but first we need consistent income!

Sarah stays home from school. She's not feeling well and is experiencing some swelling in her legs and feet. Thankfully she was back in the swing by the time we left.

You can see the entrance on the far right where the light is coming in. There are three more rooms on this level. The one on the left is extra storage, the middle is where John stays and the one on the right by the entrance is where we stayed.

Extra Storage

Our Room

If we come back outside, down the stairs, and follow the building around passing the goat pen and kitchen on the left and the dorms on the right, we see this...

The bathing houses. And if we continue on around behind the drying laundry...

We'll see the bathrooms!

This is an awesome upgrade from the old residence. Cleaner and less smelly! Turning around from the bathroom we can see the back entrance.

This leads to the Staff Quarters where Nancy, Rahab, and Ruth live.

The staff quarters are located on the back side of AMCC where the women of AMCC each have their own room.

Ruth greets us at the door as we finish the tour.