Maasai Development Project

Proclaimer Radio-Faith Comes by Hearing

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Meharry) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:29:00 +0000

The following is a report written by one of our MDP lay workers, Immanuel Tumpes, serving in Oloitokitok District. He received a Proclaimer Radio when they were donated by my sister, Cherry Goodridge in May. These radio's are both battery and solar operated and have the New Testament in the Maasai language. To find out more how you or your church can get involved in this program go to the following website: FaithComesByHearing.com

Enjoy the report.

Truly Faith Comes By Hearing
by
Immanuel Tumpes

The “Proclaimer” radio has been a great blessing to my people and relatives since I received it. Many of my relatives have enjoyed listening as the Word of God is being read, book to book and verse to verse to all in our own language.

Here is an amazing story of the Proclaimer impact to society. A father in-law of my elder brother is blind. According to available information, his blindness was caused from an eye infection during childhood. Although his wife is a devoted Pentecostal church believer with some of her children, the father is a fulltime drunkard. One of her sons is our church member since earlier this year. Therefore I usually visit the family and discuss the Word of God. Yet the Proclaimer created another huge bridge to the salvation of this family.

One day for visitation I planned to visit the elder with the radio and have a time to listen with him who is a very good listener with very sharp hearing. I first tuned into the epistles of John, which in large content talks about love. He appreciated it very much and we exchanged views about how love should be cherished and practiced by all. The elder urged me to spend more time with him listening. But because other family members were out for duties, I promised him to come another day. I hereby got a new chance and style to talk to him especially about his serious problem. After some months of conversation, he changed greatly and dramatically his habits. Different from the past, he can now spend one to two weeks without getting into drunkenness. When he is not in the situation he comes to me, asking for the Proclaimer.

More amazingly, he now tells everybody that his church is only “Sabato”, although he has never attended. But what I receive with more appreciation is that two others of his sons have been discussing and studying with me the Bible truths. They have accepted the message but their mother, who is a leader of an evangelical church, was pressuring them, causing an obstacle for them to join the church. However, the elder of the family who had been listening to the Proclaimer, supported them in their decision and they now have a right to worship with us. By now the two young men although still students are our church members, ready for baptism. Whenever they are at home they attend all of the church services.

What I have learned is that many people are ready and willing to listen to the Proclaimer rather than to devote time to reading for themselves. Because so many of the Maasai people are not educated and cannot read, the Proclaimer is a wonderful tool for witnessing.

The great challeng is this:

If anything now days happens anywhere in the world, it will be known very quickly all over the planet because International Broad Casting Stations are present throughout and everywhere, even in the most interior areas like Somali land.

The same is true to the Word of God. If the Proclaimer radios can be found in every home, many learned and unlearned will be very blessed by the light of truth and will come to Jesus, “They Way of Life.”

Traveling Home

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Monday we begrudgingly packed up and left Sarova after a huge breakfast! Stopping along the way for restroom breaks and a little bit of shopping. After arriving back at the East Central Africa Division Guesthouses, we unpacked the truck. After supper we sorted the left over meds and did inventory, before packing up the supplies for the next trip in March of 2010. By the time we were done sorting and counting, no one wanted to see in medicine again! It had been a long day and everyone was tired and ready for bed.

Tuesday after breakfast we headed into Nairobi for several hours of shopping! Now, let me tell you - I have had lots of groups here, but this group took the cake for their shopping abilities! I am not sure there is anything left in the town of Nairobi for anyone else to buy!

After supper we loaded up the bus and were off to the airport!

It was a great mission trip! Each person made a difference, each person reflected Christ!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a busy day for me - I will finish up the sorting and packing of supplies, run some errands in town, and visit some children that are sponsored through MDP, plus do a food and water delivery to a Maasai family. Thursday evening I will head to the airport and be back in the US on Friday. Am looking forward to seeing my family again!

Please keep the group in your prayers as we all travel over the next couple of days, and ask the Lord what He has in mind for you? He just might want you to join us our our next trip to Kenya in March!

Thanks for keeping up on our adventures on the blog!

kim

Pampering at Sarova

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Sunday morning we packed up early and headed to the Mara Sarova Lodge for a day and night of well deserved R&R! We arrived just before lunch - eager for hot showers and normal bathrooms! The group spent the day swimming, sleeping, shopping, bird watching and getting massages.

Around 4pm Kamunge (our driver) and I took Dr Meharry to the Keekerok airstrip for his flight back to the USA and then re-joined the group at the lodge.

The meals were incredible - a true smorgasbord! After supper we sat around a fire and watched some traditional Maasai dances before heading off to our beds for a good night's sleep!

The group had worked hard, they had stepped out of their comfort zone and given all they had - the time at Sarova was well deserved and much needed!

kim

Sabbath in the Masai Mara National Reserve

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Sabbath morning we all got to sleep in! What a blessing that was. Breakfast was at 8:30am. (Pancakes, mangoes, passion fruit, pineapples, papaya, granola and hot drinks) Then we had worship and put all of our things on the truck for a day of game driving and a night camping on the edge of the Mara River!

The animals were abundant and we were blessed with another leopard and spent sometime sitting next to her with her kill. We then headed out to the Mara River and had a picnic lunch under a tree, before heading to our campsite near Musiara. We stopped at gate just briefly for everyone to use the restrooms (the next 24 hours there would only be bushes to use - no running water, no bathrooms)and then headed to the forest on the edge of the Mara River. From our campsite you could see numerous types of animals. With a herd of close to 70 or more elephants hanging around. After we set up our tents we took Dr Guild to the air strip for his flight back to the USA, then headed back to camp for supper and worship by the fire.

The night sounds were incredible (the snoring was also incredible) The baboons barked out their warnings, while the hyenas laughed, the elephants trumpeted, and the hippos voiced their opinions. The stars and moon lit up the sky - it was a perfect night for camping!

There is nothing like spending the day in God's book of nature! Over all it was a fantastic Sabbath day!

You would have loved it!

kim

Friday - Clinic at Siana and Ground Breaking Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

As the sun rose we ate breakfast and had worship then loaded up for a few hours of viewing the wildlife on our way to clinic at Siana Primary Boarding School. The sun was warm, and the hot air balloons were rising into the sky.

The lay workers that had translated for us traveled with us today through the park - they had a great time standing up looking out of the top of the truck - they felt like tourists for the morning! SMILE

Clinic started right on time and we had many students that came to be seen. Our first visitor at clinic was a little child that had been hit in the eye with a stone. Blood was streaming down his face like tears. Once the eye was cleaned up we could see that there was no damage to the eyeball itself, just a cut on the edge of the skin by the eye. It was once again a busy day for all areas of the clinic.

At 2:45pm we closed clinic up in order to make it to the special ground breaking ceremony for the new hostel. They bused a group of children from Siana Primary Boarding School over to the ceremony (those that are sponsored through MDP were part of the group). The site looks great, and the fence is fabulous. I am sure Jan or Celeste will share on the blog about the site and the ceremony so won't go into too much detail, other then to say it was a honor to be a part of it and have the mission group participants there to join in. The children from Siana are so very excited about having a place to call home!

After the ceremony we headed back to Game Trackers Campsite - supper was ready, showers were hot, and the fire was lit. We welcomed in the Sabbath hours around the fire with worship and then headed to bed. Our last clinic was done - and all of were ready for the rest that only Sabbath can offer.

Happy Sabbath to all -

kim

Thursdays Clinic in Talek

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:29:00 +0000

At 6:15 am we all were loading the truck for an early morning game drive! The Masai Mara is so very dry - in fact I have never seen it this dry in all of the 18 years that I have lived in Kenya. We bumped along slowly over the roads, stopping to take pictures of all the animals. Before heading back to camp for breakfast we were blessed with several lions laying around and a cheetah eating a gazelle.

After breakfast and worship we left for our day of clinic at Talek. There were people already waiting outside the clinic site when we arrived, so we quickley set up and registration started. It was a busy day for all! The little baby that the March '09 group had treated for burns over most of his body was brought to the clinic. He is looking so good. We had a chance to visit with the family and local clinician after the clinic was over and we decided to step out in faith and send the little baby to Kendu Bay Adventist Hospital to have surgery on his foot, so he will be able to walk again. Several of you have mentioned to me that you would be interested in helping with this surgery - and I thank you for that.

After clinic we headed back to camp to drop off some items and use the restrooms - and then headed back into the park for a late afternoon/evening game drive. The animals were once again amazing - and we were blessed with a leopard!

Around sundown we arrived back in camp and Margaret had supper waiting, there were hot showers and a fire to sit by. As we fell into bed that night the hyneas laughed and the wind blew, while the stars twinkled above.

Wish you could all be here with us!

kim

Wednesday - Trip through Narok

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:02:00 +0000

After breakfast and worship we loaded up the truck and set out for Masai Mara National Reserve, with several stops planned along the way.

First stop was on the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. We stopped at a curio store with a great view of the Rift, and the group had a couple of minutes to shop and use the restrooms.

Second stop was in the town of Narok, a larger town bustling with Maasai, cows, goats, sheep, matatu's (vans that are taxis) and motorcycles. We had an 11:00am appointment at the Narok Hospital - Jim Anderson, one of the mission trip participants had brought a defibrillator donated by Cal-Ore Emergency Flight Service for the hospital. There were hospital administrators, government officials, and community on hand to participate in the donation ceremony. Some of you might remember the little girl that we had seen on our July mission trip that had fallen into the fire and burned her eye. Her father brought her to the hospital in Narok for me to see. She was beautiful! They had done a great job on her eye, and her smile had come back. They are not done with surgery yet though - this next week they are returning to the hospital to have a false eye put in. I cant wait till next March to see the final outcome. This little girl's life has changed - and it is because of each of you - those that give for the mission trips, and those who came and gave what they had to help pay for the hospital bills. Thank you - you have no idea the difference you have made!

Third stop was a short stop at at another curio store - so our driver could get a little break, and the group could spend a few minutes shopping and using the restrooms again.

Fourth stop was at Sekenani Gate - then main entrance to Masai Mara National Reserve. We drove slowly through the park enjoying all the animals.

Fifth and final stop was Game Trackers Campsite on the edge of the Masai Mara National Reserve. We unloaded everything, moved into our little cabins. After supper we relaxed by the fire and ended the day with worship.

God had blessed us all day! But then that should not be a surprise - for He always blesses!

kim

KMQ (Kenya Marble Quarry) Clinics

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:06:00 +0000

On Monday and Tuesday we did clinics in the KMQ area. Plenty of people showed up for both of them and kept us on our toes the entire time! At Tuesdays clinic we had a man show up with a wound on his thumb. The thumb was quite swollen so Dr Guild checked it out and found a small stone in it. Evidently the man works at the quarry. We put the stone in a small clear bag so he could take it to work and show them what we had found inside of his thumb.

It seemed like most patients had back aches, chest pain or bad coughs. We treated a lady that was probably in the final stages of cancer. She had a deep ulcer on her heel that was so deep you could see the bone.

After clinic today we all packed up for the Mara, loaded supplies on the truck and enjoyed a little more relaxed evening for a change. The group surprised me with a wonderful chocolate cake! It was a big surprise and appreciated a lot. My birthday is on Sabbath while in the Mara so I had no clue what was coming, but it sure was a yummy surprise!

Tomorrow we leave for Narok District where we will stop briefly in the town of Narok to donate a defibrillator to the hospital there (thanks to Cal-Ore) and will also have opportunity to visit the little girl that the mission group in July treated for a burned eye. She has had eye surgery since the July trip so it will be nice to see how she is doing and send the group an update on her.

We wont have internet or electricity till next Monday night - so wont be able to update the blog. Please keep us on your prayers though as we travel and continue to share Christ in Maasailand.

We will update you Monday night next week! Thanks for checking the blog and praying for us!

kim

Clinic in Ilparakuo

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Over Ngong Hills and down into the Great Rift Valley we traveled. The road is like a long winding snake traveling through the dry rocky land. The clouds were still covering Ngong and the mist was thick as we traveled. Today was our first clinic and we were headed for the little village of Ilparakuo near Lake Magadi. Rain had come to the area and the acacia trees were green, although there was no grass below them.

After we arrived and had prayer with the lay workers we set up quickly in two different rooms and we were ready to begin. Medical/Wound Care treated about 170 people yesterday and Dental treated 39. It was a busy day and we had to turn many away at the end.

On the way home we stopped to give out water to those waiting for us by the side of the road (they knew we had extra, so had brought their containers to the road). We got back to the East Central Division Guesthouses just in time for supper! It was a great day - and everyone one seemed to enjoy themselves!

Monday we are heading out to the Kenya Marble Quarry area to do our second clinic. It will be a very busy day! Please ask God to give us the extra strength and health that we need to do what He has asked us to do!

Why not consider now joining us next time?

Appreciate all of you so much!

kim

Sabbath in Kajiado District

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:31:00 +0000

The rain stopped during the night and by morning it appeared that the grass was already turning green again! After breakfast we loaded the truck and headed out to Esukata - passing Ostrich, Giraffe, Zebra and Thompsons Gazelles along the way.

The members of the Esukata church has built a metal structure with cut out windows and little wooden benches. With the members and our group we filled the little church. Every visitors was asked to stand and share who they were and where they were from. Following special music, Marlin Meharry gave the sermon.

Several in our group sponsor children or lay workers and today was a a special day for both Karla McKinven and Jim Anderson! Karla sponsors Samwel Saruni who is being raised by lay pastor Daniel Sinti. It was great watching her a Samwel interact. It was if they were made for each other!

After church we stopped by at the Kajiado Rehab Rescue Center to visit the girls that are sponsored through Maasai Development Project. Jim Anderson and his wife sponsor two girls there, and Jim had the opportunity to visit with them while we were there. It was great to see him hugging them and reminding both of them that they are loved by him and his wife.

From there we went to see Joshua who is about 7 years old and is sponsored by a little boy his age in the US. While there the group had opportunity to go inside the Maasai homes and check them out.

It was a great day, and we all had a fantastic time. It was truly a blessed Sabbath day! Wish you could have all been here with us!

Tomorrow we are off to Magadi for our first clinic day! Keep us in your prayers!

kim

A Perfect Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Meharry) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:01:00 +0000

Because of the pouring rain yesterday, we had to postpone our trip out to the old Mzee's boma to deliver food for his family. Unfortunately, our 4-wheel drive is not working and though we have the parts ordered, they've not yet arrived!

Celeste was praying all night that God would keep the rain away from us today so we could go and worship with the mission group out in Esukuta. We woke up to gray sky's but the rain stayed away. We discovered that the rain has still not come as far as Kajiado, so people there are still suffering from the drought.

Marlin gave the sermon today, his topic, letting God fight the battles in our lives. Since he is staying with the mission group and not here at the house, little did he know that God used him to speak to Celeste's and my heart. Just this morning, Celeste and I were talking and praying about that very subject. God showed us so many verses and promises this morning. As usual, Satan is stirring the pot with a certain group trying to disrupt and destroy. We are learning a great lesson on "Waiting on the Lord".

After church we accompanied the mission group to visit the girls at Kajiado Rescue Centre. What fun we had with the girls. Later the girls sang for us. I could have listened to them all day! Before leaving, I had the opportunity to speak with the girls for a few minutes about dreaming, setting goals and the ability to achieve their dreams. The potential in the girls is amazing.

Leaving Kajiado, we traveled to Kisaju to visit the Sumug family, especially Joshua Tenina. He is the little boy who was born in my truck 7 years ago and who's mother died from a ruptured uterus, bleeding out in my truck. She was a good friend of mine, we actually got her to a clinic, where they packed her, but by the time we got her to the hospital and she had surgery, it was too late. I remember giving my blood to help, unfortunately there was not enough blood available to help her. While she was in surgery the song, "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus" came on over the radio. As I looked at the hematoma on my arm from giving my blood in hopes that she would live, I was reminded that only the blood of Jesus gives us life.

As we were driving up to the boma today, I could see some little children running out towards us, I knew one of them was Tenina. I jumped out of the truck and knelt down with my arms open. Tenina came running up to me and threw himself in my arms. My heart melted all over the ground.

Looking around the outside of the boma area, we saw dead cows. In one area alone were about 5 dead cows. They lay in every direction, a constant reminder of the devastation of the drought. The stomachs were slit so that the dogs and vultures would eat them.

After saying good-by to the Sumug family, we left to visit yet another daughter of Nalamai (the mother of Tenina). When we arrived, we found that Damarice was sick so we didn't stay long. What a wonderful day we had fellowshipping and reconnecting with life long friends in Maasailand.

From Kisaju on, Marlin road in our vehicle. It felt kind of strange leaving him off at the Division with the rest of the group and coming on home without him. I won't see him now for a couple of days. Seems funny we are in the same country and yet still apart. I think something is wrong with this picture.

Jan Meharry
Founder/Executive Director
Maasai Development Project - www.4mdp.org
Help Give: Hope for Life - Hope in Life, one girl, one woman at a time.
Your support helps save young girls from under going the horrific FGM and forced early marriage. When you save a child, you save a village.

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Visit to Sheldricks & Giraffe Feeding Center

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Last night the group arrived safely! Praise God.

What a blessing - it rained all night long - we desperately needed the rain! This morning after breakfast we packed our sack lunches and headed out for Sheldricks Elephant Orphanage. They baby elephants ranged in ages from 3 weeks to almost 2 years old. They had more orphans then they had ever had before. It was great to watch them being fed their bottles, to touch there fuzzy trunks, and coarse backs. They played in the mud and pushed each other around. The rain held off just long enough for us to enjoy all the baby elephants - then there was a big down pour. Some ran for the buildings, others of us gathered under bushes until it past then we headed back to the bus and on to the Giraffe Feeding Center. While at there a few in the group were bold enough to put the grain pellet between their lips and let the giraffe take it - aka "Giraffe Kiss!

Some shopped at the little gift stores until I thought they would drop from exhaustion - but it appears that some in this group are serious shoppers! I told them I was going to have to get my big stick out to help them STOP buying things! SMILE

We got back to the East Central Africa Division Guesthouse about 2:30pm. Some headed for the showers and others took a little nap. Then we all spent sometime sorting and repacking supplies for Sundays clinic. Even with all the rain it was a great day. We are all heading to supper now and will open the Sabbath hours with worship.

Tomorrow we will be out at Esukata for church, then will be stopping by the Kajiado Rehab Centre to visit the girls that are sponsored through MDP.

Thank you for your prayers! God is good - as ALWAYS.

Happy Sabbath
kim

Mission Group Arrives Tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:15:00 +0000

We have a busy day ahead of us - tonite the mission group arrives, I can't wait! They come from California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, North Dakota, and South Dakota! They represent many profession - Dentist, Doctor, Registered Nurses, Paramedic, EMT, Lab Scientist, X-Ray Tech, Auditor, Secretary and me!
Three in the group sponsor children though MDP and two sponsor a lay worker. Jan Meharry's husband - Marlin is joining us on the trip, and I cannot even begin to share with you all that he does for MDP!

Please keep us all in your prayers as we travel and minister to the people of Kenya. We want to reflect Christ in all that we do!

Stayed tuned for all our adventures - thank you to all of you for your prayers and support! None of us could do this without you!

kim

Visit to Meru!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:02:00 +0000

On Wednesday, Jan and I headed up to Meru to visit 10 of the secondary girls that are sponsored through Maasai Development Project. We headed out around 5am and drove for a little over 4 hours to the little school out in the middle of nowhere! (The last 25k we bounced up around on a little dirt rode) Meru is in the Eastern Province of Kenya with fantastic views of Mt. Kenya.

The girls were expecting us and we were able to sit down with them and catch up on everything. It had been a long time since we had seen them. They updated their bios, wrote letters to their sponsors and we took pictures of them. Then it was time for the 4 hour drive back home.

It was great seeing them again - they are growing up so very fast. You would be proud of them. I was especially proud of Siapei who seemed to be doing better in school and looked so happy. (Siapei was an 8th grader that gave birth to a little boy that MDP took it - Samwel Saruni who is 2 years old now)

kim

Drought, Dust, Dead Cows and Hunger

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Meharry) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:49:00 +0000

There have been several visitors at the gate today. There are times you dread having visitors because you know that once again there will be another plea for help. Maasai Development Project is set up such that all monies are designated to specific projects. Such as lay worker sponsorships, children's sponsorships, building projects,
food program, education etc. When visitors come to the gate, any help that is not within the designations must come out of my pocket. When the money runs out, I have nothing more to live on. It is so hard to say no when you see pain, hunger or despair in a face. Today was no exception.

I don't usually like to give money because it buys a bit of food today but tomorrow the stomach is hungry again. One of the visitors was a lady that I knew needed help but how could I help her help herself? I had just bought a packet of beans, so decided to give it to her to start a small business. She will cook up the packet of beans and sell them by the cupful. She will then go and buy two packets of beans with the profit and thus start a small business. The first day she will not have a profit for herself, but within a week or two she should be able to have profit enough to help feed her children and continue her business. In Kenya,people buy cooked beans on their way home from work to add to their dinner that night. Thus they don't have to wait for beans to cook before eating, speeding up the cooking process at home. Since she will have no overhead with this first packet of beans she should be able to take all the profit to buy two packets. I will check up on her in a week's time to see if she has been successful. Oh how I pray so.

Think about it, if your family is starving, will you actually use that packet to start a business or will you listen to the cries of your hungry children and feed them instead. If you wait, a business can be started to help sustain your hungry children, but in the meantime can you ignore the cries of your children? This is the decision that this lady will have to make when she gets home. My heart cries for her.

Then an old Mzee came, last time I was here I had given him 3,000/= for his daughter's education out of my pocket. Today he was back needing 5,000/=. In the meantime his wife has died, he is in debt and had sold all his cattle to try to help her. What he didn't sell, died in the drought. Today I gave him 3,000/= more for his daughter's education,
but as I looked at his sunken cheeks and painful eyes while watching him slumped over in the chair, I couldn't bare to see him go away
hungry. I came back to the house gave him a bag of maize meal potatoes, tomatoes, what few beans I had left and a head of cabbage. I gave it to the Maasai guard that works for us and asked him to cook a meal for the Mzee and send the left over food home with him. Before I left them to their meal, I prayed for God's blessing. As I prayed I could feel God's sadness and longing for His dear children.

Walking back to my house I began to cry. Have I ever known true hunger? Has there ever been a time when I can truly say there is no hope? The look of this old Mzee will forever be with me. My heart breaks.

I don't have enough for everyone but at least this one man won't go home hungry today. This is one man of thousands in the same situation here in Kenya. People are dying! They say an elninio (sp) is coming, but when? Even my home is a dust bowl right now. Driving
down the road the other day I saw a dead cow, just left outside of the village. Another man was herding the few cows he had left, one of his cows lying alongside the road, the owner kneeling beside it willing it to live. An overwhelming sense of sadness washed over me as I witnessed the suffering of both man and beast.

Maasai Development Project is joining hands with East Central Division with their food program. Won't you join hands with us as we feed one family at a time? Just $3000 feeds 150 families. Together we can make a difference. Make you tax deductible contribution to Maasai Development Project, PO Box 394, Harvey, ND 58341 or donate through our web site using PayPal.

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Achieving Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Celeste Lee) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:11:00 +0000

How blessed I am to be part of Maasai Development Project! An episode of the Oprah show has gotten me so excited. It showcased the story of an incredible woman, Tererai, who grew up in a rural village in Zimbabwe. She desperately wanted to go to school, but her father would not let her attend. That didn't stop her! She took her brother's books and taught herself. Finally her father let her attend but only for two years. Tererai was married at the age of eleven and had three children before eighteen. One day twenty years ago, a lady from Heifer International visited her village. Sitting in a circle with the young women of the village, she asked them, "What are your dreams?" Tererai's strong, yet quiet demeanor caught the lady's attention. "What is your dream?" she asked. Tererai knew what she wantedan education! Tererai's mother told her to write her dream down. She wrote down four things: go to America, get a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master's degree and, finally, a PhD. Putting the paper in a tin container, she buried it under a rock in a field where she herded cows. Remarkably, Tererai has achieved her dreams after all. She never forgot the lady who told her, "You can achieve your dreams!" Those five words changed her life.

Another lady from India shared how her husband had accumulated debt and would beat her because of it. Her sister-in-law made fun of her when she had no food to feed her children and her mother-in-law told her husband to take a second wife because she only gave him daughters. She was empowered by a small loan (under $100) to start her own business. She negotiated her first contract for beadwork and has done such beautiful work that she has been busy ever since. She has even paid back her loan, paid off all her husband's debt, hired thirty employees, including her husband, and the entire community borrows money from her. There is no mention of a second wife now! She is educating her three daughters so they will not face what she has.

Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn shared that we "change the course of history by educating girls." It was stated that the greatest moral challenge of our time is to educate girls and empower women to change their lives. MDP has been giving young girls an education, many that have been rescued before an early marriage and some after they've been married, thus changing not only their lives but the lives of their children as well. Adult literacy and income generating projects, sponsored by MDP, have empowered Maasai women to change their lives, and in turn, change their families and communities. Last March, I looked into Sylvia's eyes and tried to imagine how she felt. Her brother had taken some dowry for her to be a child bride, but the chief came and asked MDP to rescue her so she could finish her education. One child, one set of eyes, one story, yet how will just this one make a difference in the world?

The United States government has discovered that areas with the highest concentration of uneducated girls have the greatest growth of terrorists. Each of us has the opportunity to make a difference in this world right now! There are many organizations that are changing lives through educating girls and empowering women, and I am proud to say that Maasai Development Project is just such an organization.

One lady saw an episode of the Oprah show several years ago and sponsored two women from the Congo who had been raped and were in the middle of the civil war. Exchanging letters with them inspired her to put together a run to raise funds to sponsor more women. Finally, she traveled to Congo to see firsthand the impact these letters of support had on the women, even more than the money they received. Last year, she raised enough money for her organization to sponsor 1,000 women. The true impact of this will take years to be realized as those women raise over 5,000 children whose lives will be changed as a result of their mothers' sponsorship.

What can you do? Pray and ask God to show you what He desires of you. Remember that words of encouragement change lives. Share your resources with those in need. You can achieve your dreams. We can change the course of history by educating a girl. I hope that you will choose MDP to be part of how you help empower others.

Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Morning came all too soon - we had scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast before heading to Sarova Mara Lodge for a little pampering! We stopped briefly at Sekanani gate to allow the shopaholics in the group to spend their money - and then headed to the lodge in time for lunch. If you have not been to Sarova you have truly missed out on a wonderful treat! Their hospitality is amazing! They were fully booked and so they put me in the managers three bedroom home! I had a huge bathtub that I quickly filled up with hot water -I think there was more dirt on all of us then there was on the ground!

The group swam, played ping-pong, had massages and slept! They deserved it after working so hard at each clinic. It was Heather's 18th birthday and we celebrated it in royal style at supper time. They had made a cake for her and sang to her several traditional songs! She was totally surprised and it was great fun to be a part of it.

Tomorrow we head back to Maxwell Adventist Academy - we will sort medicines, and repack for the October trip. If you know of anyone who would be interested in donating supplies please put them in contact with me. We are in real need of dental instruments.

God was so good to each of us - and we all were blessed as alway. We saw over a 1000 patients in the little time we were here. Our lives have been changed and renewed once again!

Thank you for praying for us! The group flies out starting early Tuesday morning. Heather and I will head back to the US on Thursday morning. Pray for safe traveling mercies for all of us -

Join us next time - as we reflect Christ once again in Maasailand!

kim

Sabbath

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:28:00 +0000

We decided to get a little extra rest and moved breakfast to 9am (pancakes, syrup and lots of fresh fruit) After breakfast we packed up the truck with all our belongings and head up to the Mara River. On our way we came across a beautiful blacked necked spitting cobra - about 2 meters in length! Once we got up to the river we decided to stop for a picnic lunch. There was a small problem - at our picnic area there was a very large male lion relaxing, so we opted to allow him to stay and we would pick a different tree to eat under.

After lunch we drove up to Musiara Swamp to spend the night in the park in a wooded area along the Mara River. The animals were incredible! From camp we could see a pride of 14 lions. The baboons were in the trees near us, impala and other gazelle grazed near by and hippos and crocs were next to us in the river. The noises of all the animals kept everyone on their toes.

After worship we roasted marshmallows and hotdogs, sang camp songs, spotted animals with our flashlights and headed to bed. About 1 am the lions roaring got quite loud and I was worried the fire had gone out - I knew no one else would venture out to check on things so got my flashlight and crawled out of my warm tent to put some more logs on the fire. The fire was out, but the coals were still hot, so all I had to do was add some more logs to it. Those who needed to go to the bathroom and heard me at the fire opted to crawl out of their tents and use the bushes near the tents to go to the bathroom.

kim

Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Up again early for breakfast and worship then we headed out to Siana Boarding School per a request of one of the head teachers there to check on some of their students. Seeing we had seen everyone in the village the day before we agreed to do Siana for a couple of hours. Not long after starting clinic a lady from a boma not far from the school came and got me to come to their boma and check on a lady that had been in labor for over 24 hours. Norbert and I grabbed some gloves and other items and headed by foot to her home. As we neared you could see the smoke coming out of the small fist size windows and doors - they had a very large fire going in the mud home to keep it warm (it was already very warm outside with the sun shining) Once our eyes adjusted to the darkness we could see her laying on the ground, she appeared to be in her 50's, this was her 6th or 7th child. We used a very dim flashlight that they had and Norbert examined her. The baby was not in the right position and he tried to move it, but was unsuccessful. He explained to them that he would need to do a vaginal examine but they refused - there was nothing else we could do, but tell them unless they got help from a hospital both the mom and the baby could die. Then we headed back to the clinic site to join the rest of the group.

After finishing up clinic we headed back into the park - only to come upon our leopard friend again, more cheetahs and lions. At 4:30 pm we took Norbert and Gordon to the Keekerok Airstrip in the park as they were flying back to the US. We watched them board their plane and then take off, before we headed out for our campsite.

After supper we sat by the fire and brought in the Sabbath by singing for about an hour. The stars would out and they hyenas and lions called - you could feel the peace of the Sabbath day!

kim

Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Clinic was at Kijirijiri today. We left about 6:45am and took a couple of hours game driving on the way to clinic. We saw several cheetah and lions, plus numerous grazing animals. Clinic went well. We saw more little children then I think we have ever seen at a clinic. Jonathan our dentist was kept very busy pulling teeth and I had the opportunity to hold lots of his little victims, sorry I mean patients on my lap - bribing them with all sorts of goodies if they would sit still.

We left about an hour early from clinic because we had seen everyone in the village.On our way back to camp we had the privilege of seeing a beautiful leopard as it walked next to us along the road and then took a few moments to sit on the road and pose for us. There was a huge herd of elephant that hung around us for a little while too.

As the sun went down we had a great supper and sat by the fire for worship. Another great day seeing animals and a fantastic clinic day! God is good!

kim

Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:02:00 +0000

We were up bright and early in the morning. Ate breakfast and took down our tents in the dark. We all had one goal in mind - get to the Masai Mara National Park as soon as possible, unpack at camp and head up to the Mara River to see some wildlife. We bounced along the roads at a fairly good speed. We reached camp by late morning and quickly took our things to our bandas (cabins)before jumping back on the truck and heading towards the river.

We were blessed with lions, cheetahs and all the grazing animals you could see, plus crocs and hippos! We stopped by to visit the baby that we had had in clinic in Talek that had been badly burned - and he was doing great! He had healed up well, except for one foot had not done well, and without several surgeries he probably be crippled, but we were glad he was doing as well as he was. We then headed slowly back to camp for a great warm supper and hot showers before falling into bed for the night.

kim

Monday & Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Monday morning we traveled into the Great Rift Valley and up over the escarpment through the town of Narok to a little village called Olmusakwa. The lay workers had fenced in the church property (the church is under a few trees - there is no structure, just a couple of benches and a pulpit)

We set up camp and made a fire. The weather was quite cold. After supper and worship we headed up the cow path towards a few of the stores. It was dark and we had little toys that light up in the dark to hand out to any children that might be around. We found a few on the road and gave them each one. It was not long before there were children running everywhere with the glowing toys.

Tuesday we started clinic around 8:30am in an unfinished clinic that was just near to our campsite. We saw hundreds of patients and had to turn hundreds away due to it getting dark in the evening. We sent one baby that was two weeks old to the hospital. She was in serious condition and every now and again would just stop breathing, along with her we sent a young boy who's knee was terribly infected and needed IV antibiotics. Later in the afternoon we had a young girl come in that had had a seizure and fallen into a fire. Her eyeball was burned and her eyelid of course was gone. It was badly infected and the flies were in it. I had some contact numbers and we were able to send her to the Eye Hospital in Kikuyu. We have asked the family to contact us and let us know what the cost will be to have her eye removed and the infection taken care of. If you would like to help with the cost of her surgery please let us know. Several of us on the trip are pitching in to help the family out.
We also brought a wheel chair with us and were able to give it to a young girl (16 years old or so) who had polio and could not walk. It was fun watching them push her away in her new chair.

Each evening it there was a light rain and it was so very cold. We all bundled up and some slept with all their clothes on.

It was a blessing to be there - and the people we visited and served seemed to be so very appreciative. God blessed, as He always does!

kim

Sabbath and Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:07:00 +0000

We headed out bright and early Sabbath morning after eating warm cinnamons rolls and hash browns, with lots of fresh pineapple, mangoes, passion fruit, sweet melons, oranges, and finger bananas.

A family of six joined us for the over night outing to Mashuru, which was great! They were from Texas and Maryland. The road was dusty and bumpy, but lots of fun for the group as they spotted zebra, giraffe, gazelle and other creatures along the way. We got to Mashuru just as Sabbath School was ending and got to listen to the children singing.

For the church service Dr Gordon Guild spoke, and I told stories to the children outside (as the church was too full to house everyone) They meet in a school and use one of the classrooms to worship in. It would be great for them to be able to put up a church in the area - and we prayed that wish would come true for them someday soon. After the church service was over they had Communion Service which several of us joined in on. It was a wonderful honor to to participate with them. As the Maasai lady knelt with me and prayed for me, and then proceeded to wash my feet and legs I felt so incredibly blessed. I in turn prayed for her and washed her feet and it was an experience I will never forget. What a honor and privilege to be a part of such a special occasion and be in Maasailand to do it.

After lunch we set up our tents and most of headed out for a hike to Lay Pastor Julius Mooke's home. Five of the other lay pastors were there with us as we walked along the dusty cow's path to his home from our campsite. We visited in his home for a while and then it was nearing evening and so we headed back to campsite. After a great supper of sloppy joes and fresh fruit, most sat by the fire and visited while others headed to bed. I joined the young adults still at the fire and told stories of camping with the lions near by.... they are all so excited about camping Saturday night in the Masai Mara National Reserve!

Our driver had forgotten to put in 22 mattresses and we were two short, so he slept in the truck and I slept in my tent on the hard ground. It was not the greatest nights sleep, I can tell you that! But I survived! Most were kept up during the night by the noisy hyenas that cackled and laughed around us all night long.

Sunday morning came all too soon and we were up (everyone bundled in warm clothes). After breakfast we set up for clinic and the people started to arrive. It was a somewhat slow day, but that was good being it was the first day for everyone. Gave them a chance to organize themselves a little better. We had another anthrax case, and a stick injury to an eye (the doc's believe there was still a part of the stick in his eye) and just the other basic medical and dental problems we usually see.

We had brought water for the people in the area and filled up their water container with about 15 twenty liter cans of water for them. Then headed back toward home with our translators - dropping them off in Kajiado on the way. Back at Maxwell Adventist Academy we unpacked and repacked the vehicle for our our week long trip to the Masai Mara area. Our first stop tomorrow will be at Olmusakwa where we will set up camp and do clinic on Tuesday.

We said good-bye to the family of six that joined us - but they are hooked and they promised to join us on a trip in the future! It's time to take a nice hot bath and head to bed. Tomorrow we head toward the Masai Mara - my favorite place on this earth!

Thanks for all your prayers - we feel them daily! Wish you could all be here with us! Miss you all!

kim

Friday Outing

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:58:00 +0000

The group all arrived safely last night and today we are headed out to Sheldricks Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Feeding Center. We had a fantastic time at both places. Sheldricks had 21 baby elephants and a very young rhino that was a cheecky as they come! Most of group was brave enough to get a kiss from Daisy the giraffe. (You put the grain pellet between your lips and the Daisy the giraffe will gently take it out with her tongue, most of the time it is a nice clean take, but sometimes it is very sloppy wet one)

The rest of the day we spent re-packing, sleeping, playing basketball and walking around taking in the view at Maxwell Adventist Academy.

For the most part it was a relaxing day and gave the group a chance to get over some of their jet lag.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

kim

Medical/Dental Team arrives today!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim DeWitt) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:17:00 +0000

Today is the day! Am so excited to pick everyone up at the airport!

Yesterday Heather and I went out to Mashuru to check out the clinic site, figure out the best spots to put our tents up, and meet the Chief of Mashuru. We also got to visit with Gracie in her school and that was great fun. After that we headed to Kajiado and visited with all the children there. We gave out their packets in the dining-room and they loved all the little goodies that their sponsors sent. Heather helped the ones that struggled with writing, we blew up balloons, read Primary Treasure stories to them and taught Janet Nkale to be a photographer. She had my camara and we all posed for shots. Before we headed out, Heather did some gymnastic for them (back bends, and handstands) which many of them attempted, much to the amusement of the others.

We stopped by and visited with Lay Pastor Daniel Sinti and family. He and his wife take care of Samwel the little baby that we took in about 2 years ago. In March he had burned his arm, so I wanted to check up on him and see how it was doing. He was great and his arm had healed up wonderfully. From their we went to see Tenina who was out taking care of the cows near his home ( he is probably about 7 years old). He was so excited to see, and came running from over the little hill that he was on with the cows. We visited for awhile and then headed back to Maxwell Adventist Academy.

After a very long evening of sorting meds and re-packing them we headed to bed (around 1:00am) This morning we are up bright and early and ready for a day of shopping, baking, and airport pick ups. It feels a little warmer today, which is great! Yesterday morning I sat on the front steps of the ad building (I can get wireless there) checking emails and I could see my breath even with the sun shining on me.

I wish you could all be here with us. I am so fortunate to be able to come and be a part of this! I just love it!