The Christian Mission to Learners (CML)

Transition from TMCI

2011-12-21T20:54:00.004+03:00

This is to inform you all that as of January 1st, 2012 I will no longer have affiliation with TMCI in Columbia,SC. In the meantime, I would request that you stop sending your ministry gifts through TMCI. I will inform you accordingly as soon as affiliation arrangements are finalized with another 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Thanks a lot for your continued friendship, support and prayers. Have a blessed festive season and new year!

We have dedicated teachers at CML Academy

2011-11-22T02:08:00.006+03:00

Early September 2011, the learning process was interrupted in several Kenyan primary schools due to teachers strike. However, at the CML Academy it was learning as usual - we thank God for our committed and diligent teaching staff at the CML Academy. Because they value the kids and their future, they refused to yield to the peer pressure. Thank you to the teaching staff at CML Academy-you are appreciated! Well done to CML Academy Headteacher Madam Perez Okoyo for keeping the team focused!

July 28th 2011, Term 2 Prize-giving/closing day at the CML Academy

2011-07-29T17:13:00.008+03:00

QUARTERLY MINISTRY REPORT: April – June 2011

2011-07-22T15:56:00.011+03:00

CML Academy

The School was closed from April 4^th to May 3^rd for Term 1 break. However, we still had two major events take place. On April 4^th we held a Prize Giving Day to celebrate the end of Term 1 and rewarded the top 3 students from each class. This event was well attended by students, teachers and parents. It was a time for thanking God for all He has been doing and thanking the students, parents & teachers as well. The second event was a 2-week tuition that was held at the school for pupils wanting additional teaching instruction. In all over 50 pupils attended the tuition –some from our school and some were students from other local schools.

The school opened in 1^st week of May for term 2. The school feeding program continues and we continue to see pupils active and strong throughout the day. We also continue with the weekly sharing of the word of God with the pupils to help them grow spiritually and morally.

Discipleship Camp

From April 11^th to 16^th we held our tri-annual Discipleship Camp. We had 26 students attending. The Camp is a week of intense Bible Study, counseling, teaching and out door activities. Our theme for the April Camp was “Believing God” and we challenged the youth to examine the difference between mere belief in God’s existence and deep belief that God is who He says is in His word. Sessions covered a wide range of topics including teachings on “Attributes of God”, “God can do what He says He can do” , “Sin & Temptation”, “Peer Pressure”, “Moral Purity” and “Relationships”.

Below are a few testimonies from students that attended the Camp:

“The Camp has exposed many hidden issues to me and greatly expanded my spiritual development. This will help me in my daily life.”

“This Camp has helped me to know who I am in Christ.”

“I was very impressed by the high standards of discipline of the students and facilitators. I now have answers to certain problems, especially how to make Godly decisions in my life.”

“I have been boosted spiritually and am going home a new person.”

“I met many new people and got to know them. I was taught spiritually and choose to follow Jesus. I want to tell others about what I learnt.”

“I liked all the sessions and teachings.”

“I know God is alive and active in me!”

Visitors from the US

The first two weeks of April we had Jullianne Waldrop, from the US, visiting with us. Jullianne helped serve at the CML Academy where she assisted teachers with several different subjects. She also taught Bible Study classes and did arts & crafts with the pupils.

Jullianne was also a welcome addition to the Discipleship Camp giving input during the teachings on “Media & Music” and “Relationships”. Seeing her as a peer and someone close to them in age, her personal testimony and frank discussion about choosing to remain sexually pure until marriage, had a great impact on the youth. We truly give thanks to God for how he worked through her!

Jullianne’s parents- David and Janene visited us later in April.

Leadership Training and Development

During April, we had the opportunity of hosting David and Janene Waldrop from the U.S., Pastor Waweru and Faustin Malu from Nairobi. David Waldrop facilitated module 8 of the School of leadership training and development. The session was on The Importance of Prayer. We were all blessed and so were the local pastors in attendance.

In May, I accompanied Tilly Atieno to an interview for College Scholarship in Nairobi conducted by Zawadi Africa. Tilly is one of the students who benefited from our scholarship program while in high school. She scored an A- and still hopes to do medicine at University level. She was chosen to be amongst the 30 candidates to be considered for collage scholarship. Zawadi Africa offers Collage Scholarship to girls with leadership potential to bridge the gap in women leadership in Africa.

In June, 3 of the pastors that attended the Leadership training and development session that we hosted were able to attend the Leadership Conference at the Clarence Matheny Leadership Training Institute in Nairobi. Denise Aludo also attended the conference while she was in Nairobi. They have promised to be regular attendees as they were blessed by the whole program.

Medical Camps

In May/June, Denise Aludo assisted in a Medical Camps for the Maasai communities outside Nairobi City. The medical camps were organized by Don & Paula Nichols together with a team from the U.S. Don and Paula Nichols are missionaries from Dandridge TN. They minister to the Maasai community in Kenya. This is the couple that Denise joined for her first mission trip to Kenya.

Accommodation for students

During this quarter, CML Resource Center has offered accommodation and meals to over 14 students and youths. This is in addition to over twenty students accommodated during the April discipleship camp.

Hospital visitation and service

From April to May when Elishah Otewa- a CML ministry student and facilitator was sick, together with other CML ministry youth members and facilitators, we did visit him at the hospital praying and encouraging him. We also took food and fruits that he needed. When he eventually passed on, the CML youth coordinated and attended the funeral to help serve in any way they could, including fetching water from Lake Victoria. The youth conducted themselves in unity and with respect that was admired by all who observed them.

Participation in other ministries

Apart from assisting Don and Paula Nichols and the US team in the medical camps, Denise also participated in Rhonda Baxter’s ministry activities, especially in the Maasai women/men’s literacy class graduations and celebrations.

Student Sponsorship

We continue to facilitate the sponsorship of 4 high school students. This has included school fees, text books, School uniforms and other school supplies. We also assisted two of the CML Academy pupils with uniforms which their widowed and handicapped mother could not afford.

Preaching/Teaching the Gospel

Apart from weekly ministry at the CML Academy, we continue to minister and teach at our local church each Sunday.

The Chicken and Garden Project

Both projects have continued to be a blessing; through the produce, we’ve been able to get vegetables, chicken and eggs to feed ourselves, the students and the youth plus the teachers at the CML Academy.

Major ministry events planned for next Quarter:

· Parents/Prize giving day at CML Academy in July

· Youth conference at CMM, Nairobi in August

· Kitere Church convention in August

· Weekly ministry at CML Academy

. Weekly ministry at the local church

Praise reports:

· We thank God for our lives that He has kept us in good health without major illnesses

· We thank God for all the past ministry activities that He has enabled us to undertake

· We thank God for the resources He has been able to bring our way to do his work

· We thank God for the youth that have been encouraged and edified through our life and ministry

· We thank God for the over 80 pupils that He has brought to CML Academy to be impacted by our ministry

Prayer quest:

· Keep us in prayers concerning the challenges in our marriage

· Keep us in prayers as we seek the lord concerning the future of our ministry

· Please join us in praying for resources to build the needed classrooms at CML Academy

In Loving Memory of our Friend Elisha Otewa

2011-06-06T20:40:00.022+03:00

In 2007, a bright, outspoken and bold young man showed up at the December CML Discipleship Camp. He came to "check us out" (he told me later) and so he did. With penetrating theological questions, provoking numerous debates, his ear to ear smile and a hearty "yes.... that one, that one!" always followed when scripture was read to support an answer. His name was Elisha Otewa, and by the end of the Camp everyone knew him.

As we got to know Elisha we learned that besides an outgoing personality & quick wit, he had a dream. His dream was to finish school and become a teacher. We also learned that life had dealt him some hard blows. He had lost his mom & dad at an early age and later suffered the loss of 6 of his 7 siblings. Cared for by his one reaming older brother, Wellington, they often didn't have enough money to eat, pay rent, help their widowed sister-in-law and pay Elisha's school fee's. This meant Elisha had missed much school, including a 3 year absence when he was forced to leave and go to work.

Elisha (right) seeks counselling from Pastor Issac during Dec 2007 Discipleship Camp

When we first met Elisha he was in Form 2 (second year of high school) and was about to again be "chased from school" (asked to leave) due to lack of school fee's. Learning of this we immediately added his name to the CML list of student's in need of School Scholarship Assistance. What a blessing when the Lord provided the help that was needed for him to remain in school. What another great blessing when we saw him achieve part of his dream in 2009 when he finally completed High School at the age of 26.

During those years, Elisha never missed a Discipleship Camp or a chance to come stay with us when he was on break from school. He quickly became part of our family and an active participant in the CML ministry. Best of all, he quietly and earnestly rededicated his life to the Lord and we watched as he grew and was transformed by the love of Christ.

Following the end of High School, while waiting to join teachers college, Elisha spent much time with us as a friend and ministry volunteer. Besides joining numerous "In- School" missions he also volunteered to assist with the Discipleship Camps that he'd loved so much as a student.

Elisha and Denise take a soda break during a ministry session.

Enjoying friend chicken during a special visit to Nairobi.

Elisha soon took on a major role in organizing the Discipleship Camps, and in addition to teaching sessions, he helped determine the Camp theme and topics, structured sessions and recruited teachers.

Elisha teaching during a CML Discipleship Camp

His passion for helping others was never more evident though than when he shared his testimony with younger students. Telling his personal story of struggle and victory, he encouraged them never to give up regardless of the difficult circumstances they faced, and to trust in God who had a plan and a purpose for each of them.

Above, a passionate Elisha shares his testimony with the students at Ng'enyilel Secondary School where he taught as an untrained teacher while waiting to join Teachers College in Mombasa.

Elisah developed another passion during our time together......card playing! We started by teaching him Uno and then with the help of our friend David Waldrop, progressed to Hand & Foot. He found great enjoyment in playing cards, loved the fellowship and the good natured competition the game provided.

Ready to play anytime & anywhere-

William, Collins & Elisha playing Hand & Foot became a regular and familiar sight.

Joining us for the April 2011 Discipleship Camp, Elisha helped organize the purchase of supplies, set the Camp schedule and taught several sessions. During the Camp however Elisha became ill. Not one to speak much of his problems, he recovered well enough to finish the Camp and even joined us two weeks later when we took students from the CML Academy on a field trip. The illness however sent him to the Rongo District hospital the week of May 9th, and although he fought bravely he was called home by the Lord on May 30th.

In the words of Seth Odongo (one of Elisha's friends, fellow former student & CML member) "the CML family has lost a friend, a mentor, a brother and most of all a dedicated leader..."

Elisha had a heart for teaching. In the photo above he was preparing for an In-school ministry session.

Elisha always took time to assist other student's. Above he's helping Ida Okoth.

For a time on this earth we were blessed and privileged to know, love and share life with Elisha Otewa. God used him to touch many lives and to share the love, joy and hope of His son Jesus Christ. He will be greatly missed until we meet again!

"He defended the cause of the poor and needy....

"Is that not what it means to know me?"declares the Lord." Jer 22:16

CML Academy Class Field Trip

2011-06-06T19:33:00.016+03:00

As a reward for academic excellence, the top three students from each class at the CML Academy were recently treated to a field trip.

The morning of the outing was beautiful and sunny with a clear sky and lots of excitement as student's received their name badges and prepared to visit the Rongo Fish Farm & Nursery. Two trips were required to get all the students to the Farm and the ride itself turned out to be a big treat for several children who had never before ridden in a vehicle or been to Rongo.

The Rongo Fish Farm & Nursery is home to several fish ponds and a variety of trees.

Once all the students arrived the tour started with an introduction given by Mr. Moses, the Farm supervisor, and a brief explanation of the purpose of the Fish Farm. Mr. Moses then brought out a plastic jar containing a small tilapia fish. Some student's had never seen a live fish before - and when they were encouraged to ask questions the first was "How does a fish breath under water?". Teachers Mr. Mark Linus and Madame Grace took notes as the students learned all about fish.

Each student got a close-up look........

...and the brave one's even got to touch!

After learning about how the fish breath, live, swim, eat and

reproduce the students were ready to see more.

The next stop was the hatchery, where fish are cultivated and taken for breeding.

Then it was off to see the ponds.....

...and feed some fish!

After the tour of the ponds, the students were told about the benefits of tress, and encouraged to plant trees around their homes and school. Madame Grace was taking notes as the class was joined by Elisha Otewa, one of our CML Ministry volunteers.

Following the tour, each student received a tree...as did the CML Academy!

The next stop was town for a nice snack and a soda.

As you can see from the pictures everyone had a great day

and went back to school with a big smile and an even bigger fish story!

April Update

2011-04-22T10:32:00.029+03:00

APRIL UPDATE

April isn't over yet, but so much has been going on we just couldn't wait to post an update!

We've had family members visit for the funeral of William's Aunt, finished Term 1 at the school, taught Bible Study classes, hosted the April Discipleship Camp, spent a day at the home of Collins Okoth and had Jullianne Waldrop from the U.S. visit with us for 2 weeks.

SCHOOL'S OUT!!!

Term 1 officially ended on April 4th, followed by two weeks of "tuition" (remedial classes). The kids have now gone home until May 2nd and we sure do miss their smiling faces. Before they left, our visitor Jullianne Waldrop, had a chance to help at the school - teaching Bible lessons, doing arts & crafts and teaching math and English. Below are few pictures.

Here Jullianne and the children are attending tuition do a "creative drawing" exercise. Even Madame Perez, the Head Teacher, participated!

This is Jim. Jim is actually too young to be in school but he was so cute & excited about drawing that we didn't have the heart make him leave. Jim is William's nephew and an orphan. His dad died a few years ago so Jim is now staying with us. When school starts back in May we'll enroll him in Baby Class.

Everyone was so proud of their art work and happy to show off their pictures!!

Besides doing a creative art class, Jullianne also taught the Bible Class one Friday.

Here she is sharing from scripture the story of Jesus welcoming the little children. She went on to talk about how He also knows and loves each of them. The students then made hearts to take home to remind them of how great His love is for them!

Below Prizier and the various classes display their hearts.

As you can see from the pictures it was a blessed time for all!

AWARDS DAY

Awards Day was held the last day of school to acknowledge those who have performed exceptionally well. Joined by students, teachers, parents and members of the community, William and I thanked them for their hard work and help in making the first Term a success.

Madame Perez leads the students in a song.

Parents and well wishers look on.

Below Jullianne Waldrop congratulates the top students and awards them a prize. We just loved this boys boots!

As a special treat all the students received toothbrushes and toothpaste compliments of ABC Family Dentistry in Greeneville, TN!

April Discipleship Camp

The CML Ministry holds Discipleship Camps 3 times a year and this April marked our our 11th Camp. The camps are always a favorite of the students - providing them opportunity to receive in-depth Bible teachings, develop critical thinking skills and practice their social skills.

Our theme was based on a Beth Moore Bible Study called "Believing God". The teaching sessions revolved around 5 Faith Based Statements; (1) God Is Who He Says He Is (2) God Can Do What He Says He Can Do (3) I Am Who God Says I Am (4) I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me and (5) God's Word Is Alive & Active In Me.

Here William is teaching about the "Attributes of God".

In this session I was speaking about "Moral Purity & Media".

Jullianne shared a personal testimony and encouragement during the session on "Relationships".

Between sessions the kids hang out and continue class discussions.

Lawrence enjoying a good laugh!

Everest read a poem he had written about loneliness.

Outdoor games were always preceded by warm up exercises. This may be what Lawrence was laughing at...lol!

Below -Brian, Everest, Charles, Jack & Collins lead praise & worship.

Tilly and Elisha are both CML Scholarship graduates who now volunteer as Camp facilitators. Below Tilly is speaking to her peers about "Self-Esteem" and Elisha was teaching the session on "God Can Do What He Says He Can Do".

Pastor Tim joined the Camp this year and taught several sessions, including this one on "I Am Who God Says I Am".

The third day of Camp we had an unexpected hail storm. Within 10 minutes we received several inches of hail that destroyed our garden and surrounding crops.

Crops like the sukuma wiki above, are staple food items in our community. It will take months for them to recover from the damage done by the hail.

VISITORS.....

With the funeral of William's Aunt on April the 2nd, we've had several family members visiting. I just had to take a picture when Movine, one of William's sisters, left with her children. One of the most common means of transportation used for short distance travel is the "piki-piki" or motorcycle. Below Movine and her 3 children all managed to squeezed onto one bike!

We also had a chance to visit the family home of Collins Okoth before Jullianne had to return to Nairobi. As you can see below, his sisters, cousins and mother Tabitha (right of Jullianne) all welcomed us. We had a delicious meal and the day provided a wonderful time for fellowship and making new friends.

March Update

2011-03-29T14:14:00.016+03:00

We have had several days of rain recently and I never thought I'd be so happy to see that wet stuff coming down! Our water tanks are full again, crops are being planted, the evenings have cooled down and best of all no more waiting in the water line at the spring. We are so excited I won't even complain about the house being flooded the other day. Besides, other than ruining William’s computer cord (which wasn’t good) it gave the house a good washing!

Besides the excitement caused by the change in weather, here's what else has been going on in March.......

CML ACADEMY

Term 1 is almost over and the school will close for Holiday on April 4^th. This last week of exams has been a busy one but also encouraging as we see an improvement in the pupils school performance and overall development.

Below are pictures of each class.

Madame Maurine (left) and Madame Grace (right) teach the Kindergarten classes. Here they are with the Baby Class. Can you believe these classes are already learning two languages....English & Swahili!

Nursery Class

Pre-Unit Class

Madame Monica with Class One.

Mr. Collins with Class Two

Madame Perez (far right) is the CML Academy Head Teacher and also instructs Class Three

Mr. Marklinus teaches Class Four

We are grateful to our teachers for their good work and efforts in helping the students come up in such a short time and look forward to Term 2.

Many people ask about our current school needs, and while our goal is for the school to become self-sufficient we realize that may take some time. For now here is a partial list of things still needed:

School uniforms. We have 23 students without uniforms or proper footwear. For $20 you can purchase a child’s uniform and a pair of shoes & socks.

Continuing education for untrained teachers. Like most schools in Kenya, we enlist the help of both “trained” (certified) and “untrained” teachers. We have two “untrained” teachers that we would like to assist in becoming certified. They would enroll in a local two-year program that is conducted during the school holidays and provides them with a certificate recognized by the Ministry of Education. The cost for each teacher is $725. For both the cost would be $1,450.

Classrooms & kitchen for Pre-K classes. Currently the Baby class, Nursery class and Pre-unit classes, 43 children in all, conduct their classroom studies in the church sanctuary next to our house and the kitchen is operating out of what is supposed to be a kiosk/storage building. It is our sincere prayer to construct a building for these classes and kitchen on the property where the other school building is located.

This is the building we are currently using for the school kitchen.

All 3 Kindergarten classes are squeezed into the same room used by the church as the sanctuary...and each Saturday chairs, tables, charts and blackboards have to be moved.

While we would like the building to be built with brick and cement, but funds will dictate the type of building we can afford. Estimated cost $5,000.

We need construction help as well as financial help. If you have a group that is willing and able, we have local tradesmen that can do the technical stuff!

Please contact us at thechristianmile@yahoo.com if you’d like to help with any of the above needs.

TRIP TO MAASI MARA & RUSINGA ISLAND

I just love surprises...especially good ones! By far my favorite surprise this past month was getting to visit with some wonderful folks from Texas.

Invited by our friend by Beth Plumlee to join her energetic group, we visited the Maasi Mara for the 1^st time and traveled with them to Rusinga Island where they conducted a free medical clinic and attended 2 school dedications. What a treat to see such willing hearts and hands and to make new friends!

Beth & William are all smiles!

Below are two pictures of one of the class rooms built by Beth's mother "Mimi" (Beverly) at the Dr. Williams Primary School

Here Mimi poses for a picture with Charles (left) and Brian (right). Charles & Brian are orphans from Rusinga Island that Beth & her family have sponsored since they were small. Both boys are very bright and excited about finishing their education and pursuing their future. When not in school the boys stay with us and have become a blessed addition to our family!

The computers being used by these students are solar powered!

The new Science Lab built by the Bray family.

The Bray family during the Science Lab dedication.....what an investment in the future this family has made!

February Report & Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-15T13:10:00.018+03:00

Yes, it’s that time of the year again.....hard to believe since I know some of our friends in the US are still digging out from under snow!

While many have been experiencing record breaking cold - hot and dry still describes the weather here. We are in the middle of a serious dry spell and two days of brief rain last week was just enough to “wet our whistle”. Daily trips to the spring to fetch water continue and I’ve discovered one advantage to waiting in line to get water - it gives me a chance to put my hot, dirty feet in some refreshing cold fresh water. Ahhh!

Other than the weather, our year is of to a great start and we find ourselves amazed at how God is growing the ministry and adding to our numbers. Just last week when the final two teenagers headed off to boarding school, William and I were talking about how there were “just” 10 of us at home now. I had a good laugh when I realized that we thought 10 was a small number!

Here’s a bit more of what’s been going on:

CML ACADEMY

Pupils and teachers are settling in and the first C.A.T. (continuous assessment test) was given this week. According to the results we have some work to bring the kids up to the level we know they need to be at academically. Good thing teachers and pupils are excited and ready!

In the above picture we are giving students drinking water following play time. Because drinking water is scarce we discovered many children were drinking less than a glass of water per day. We are so blessed to be able and provide them with clean drinking water!

We are slowly furnishing the classrooms with desk and chairs and recently purchased 50 new small plastic chairs for the kindergarten classes and a new Kenyan flag. That just leaves desk for the older kids to be finished, tables for kindergarten and desk for the teachers. Right now every desk and coffee table in my house is at the school and I can’t wait for them to get their own…ha! ha!

PROJECTS AROUND THE FARM

In addition to the Christmas chicken giveaway (see last update) I’m happy to report that we are now eating and selling chicken. Our total population is still around 100 but we always have new ones being hatched and old ones that need “recycling” (ummm… this means eating).

Yes we have Bananas! After planting over 20 banana tress we are now eating and selling some very sweet bananas. The kids love them and so do our neighbors.

Above- Tom, Brian, Mark and Joab handle the bananas with care while making some personal selections in the process!

We still need to go deeper in the well, but finding help to dig has caused a delay. Many of the local men are mining these days and so the experienced diggers are out digging for gold. We have been able to prepare for putting a top on and it's beginning to look more like a well now!

MANDAZI HUT / CANTEEN

In my last update I reported on one of our graduating students Joab who’s now selling mandazi (Kenyan version of a donut) from a small 3-room hut we built that functions as the school kitchen. In addition to making and selling mandazi, he has also been cooking porridge for the kids and lunch for the teachers. Now Joab has turned the end room of the canteen into a little store and is selling candy, sugar, tea, eggs, oil and other small items. Talk about your entrepreneurship! Our hat is off to this energetic and industrious young man as he learns first hand about business, budgeting and customer service.

DISCIPLESHIP

We continue working closely with 12 kids. Some have returned to boarding school till April but Joab, Monica, Maurine, Mark, Martin (Mezee) and Collins are still at home with us. Our daily devotions and family discussions remain lively and insightful and we see God transforming their lives in many ways. Whether it’s giving money to help pay schools fees for another young person, leading worship or Bible Study at school or teaching the Sunday school class at church, we see them reaching out and impacting the lives of others.

VISITING DAY

The first Sunday of each month is visiting day at two of the local High Schools where some of the kids we disciple board, so last Sunday off we went with a bag full of drinks and mandazi. What a joy to hear each one is doing well in adjusting to the 2011 school year and that they are making new friends as well as seeing old ones.

Below Brian is enjoying some juice during visiting day. Brian attends Kanyawanga Boys School and is a Form 2 (10th grade).

We help sponsor several boys at Kanga Boys High School so there was a big crowd when we delivered juice and mandazi. In the background you can see other groups sitting around the commons area "Visiting" with students.

An unexpected surprise was the presence of a lady selling ice cream. We had never seen this before and many of the boys had never even tasted ice cream. What a treat for all! Here you can see the ice-cream lady behind the boys as they enjoy their cones!

SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Our on-going training for local Pastors and church leaders continues. In conjunction with Clarence Matheny Ministries, the School of Leadership Development met this month and covered the topic “Honoring Christ With Our Lives”. Sessions included such subjects as; Avoiding Ethical Landmines in Ministry and Honoring God through Daily Decisions.

WALKING THE COW HOME (My big cow adventure!)

Last August William bought me a cow for my birthday. At the time we were about to leave for the US and so decided to let the cow stay with the original owners. It was agreed that once we got back we would come get the cow and “walk her home”.

Feb 13^thwas the day to go get the cow. Joined by Monica, Hemstone and Joab – William drove us all to the farm at 7:30 am where we met Collins with the cow. Several well wishers came to see us off and Pastor Ken prayed for our journey.

We were told that taking a well known “short-cut” would reduce our walk to about 1 1/2/ hours…. so off we started. Then we stopped. Two of the boys had to go get something from the Pastors house so we had to wait. While we were waiting I decided to hold the cow (this is where the adventure began). While holding her, she spooked at something and started running. Still holding the rope (big mistake) I tried to run and pull her back. One of the boys was yelling at me to let go…only he was yelling it in Luo using a word I haven’t learned yet…… so I held on and started yelling “Whoa Betsy”!

I soon found myself being drug across the ground…still holding the rope. When I finally let go, it wasn’t quick enough to avoid a serious rope burn…ouch!

With my focus on keeping the cow from getting away and it wasn’t until I got up, dusted myself off and saw shock in the eyes of the boys that I realized I’d also scraped both my elbows, side & hip. I must have still been numb from the excitement because I told them I was ok and ready to walk the cow (now named Betsy) home.

Our 1 ½ hour journey turned into a 3 hour walk – and the scenic walk included a number of hills and valleys, numerous fields of sugar cane, homes with children running out to greet us, other sojourners walking cows and even a river to cross.

All in all it was a beautiful journey. Waking the next morning however to find additional bruises and a sore swollen foot I can say that while the trip was worth it.....this cowgirl has officially retired!

William took this picture as we arrived home and yes, we are tired after our long walk. If you look close you can see a sling shot in Toms (far right, blue shirt) hand. He and Joab were aiming to get a bird to cook along the way but I think I scared them all off..lol!

Below Maurine helps me wash some of the dirt off.

Let us Praise Him today day for His never ending love

and for all the wonderful things He has done!

Happy Valentines Day to all!

Ministry News; A new School, Discipleship Camp, Youth Conference & More!

2010-12-29T11:52:00.042+03:00

Since our return from the U.S. over a month ago - there has been much going on. We were involved with various building projects, the Dec. Discipleship Camp, a Youth Conference, Christmas, New Years and the opening of the CML Academy.

It has been a busy and productive time!

Below are pictures and a bit about recent events and happenings.

DECEMBER DISCIPLESHIP CAMP

December 9th to 13th, we hosted 50 youth from 14 different schools for five days of Discipleship Camp.

The Camp’s theme, “In Christ, You Are a Leader”, focused on our call as believers to lead in all areas of our life. Establishing an understanding of “Who God Is” and “Who We are In Christ” first, we went on to learn about what constitutes Godly character and how we can lead by example in our homes, schools, communities and relationships.

The above picture shows a passionate Elishah Otewa speaking about being "salt" and “light” in the world. With no minimum age or educational requirement, we can all act like salt to enhance, or flavor, our relationships with others and shine or reflect the light of Christ where we encounter darkness, fear, sorrow, injustice and oppression.

Too often referred to as the “Church of Tomorrow” youth, like those above, can loose the zeal they have as new believers waiting for their time to participate. We learned, however, that all believers became part of Christ's Church the very day they first believe and never have to wait to be part of what God is doing in them and through them. God’s plan for how He reveals Himself to the world through those who believe includes students as well people of all ages, communities and races.

Besides the teachings and discussion sessions we also made time for games! Football (or soccer for our American readers) was played and we had other games instructive in helping students learn how to listen, follow directions and lead.

The favorite game this Camp, “Turning over a new leaf”.....or "sheet" in this case. With 7 team members standing on a sheet the goal is to completely turn it over without anyone stepping off the sheet. Not an easy task and one that requires leadership, teamwork and imagination. Below two teams race each other.

During the Camp, we met with recent graduates to discuss an idea they have for a Magazine that will target youth attending local boarding schools. They want to provide a quarterly publication that will have articles teaching God's word, giving health tips, sharing testimonies and allowing students to share their problems and prayer concerns. Below Marwa, Tilly and Rebecca present their business plan, specific ideas for articles and how they plan to attract advertisers. We are so proud of these kids and can't wait for the first publication!

Saying goodbye is always the hardest part of Camp. Posing with Rebecca, Tilly and Elisha before they leave, we also waved goodbye to other students as they go out the gate and down the road heading home.

KAKWARA BAPTIST CHURCH YOUTH CONFERENCE

A day following the Discipleship Camp we joined the Kakwara Baptist Church “Arise & Shine” Youth Conference. With over 100 youth attending and an equal number of adults, this was an awesome opportunity to encourage and equip the Body of Christ.

William spoke about how to "Arise & Shine" in the world and I spoke about "Shining through Salvation". Each session was packed with the overflow sitting in the hall. Finally we took the sessions outside.

RUSINGA ISLAND

Following the Camp and Conference, we accompanied two students, Hemstone & Brian, to their grandmothers home on Rusinga Island.

Surrounded by the beautiful Lake Victoria, this area's main business is fishing. Above, boats and nets line the waters edge.

Unfortunately certain practices associated with the fishing trade spread the HIV/AIDS virus and a large number of the island's adults have died as a result. Brian and Hemstone, who come from this island both lost their parents to AIDS. They are fortunate however to have been discovered by caring US sponsors who love them dearly and have assisted financially, making it possible for their education to continue.

William and I accomponied the boys home for the holiday to try and help them replace documents lost after the death of their parents so they can get Kenyan ID's. This was quite a task that required lots of walking and paperwork!

Family photo with the boys in front of their grandmother's home.

CHRISTMAS CHICKENS

This year several families were gifted with "Christmas chickens". Generous US donors provided chickens and roosters to needy families. What a special and unique way to celebrate Christmas this year! Raising chickens will provide these families with a small income as well as eggs and more chickens.

The fun (and challenging!) part was catching them and tying them...a job we left to Tom!

RECENT GRADUATES

We want to acknowledge and congratulate the 11 students who graduated High School in 2010. What a blessing for our ministry partners to have had a part in helping them complete their education!

Collins

Tilly, Marwa and Monica

Jared

Brian

Maurice

Maurine

Seth -Peter

Rebecca

Joab

CML ACADEMY

In between all the other ministry events- work has been non-stop to complete the new CML primary school which opened on Jan 3rd 2011.

Let me start by saying that this project (building & starting a Primary School) was way beyond anything I envisioned happening at this time, but my husband, a visionary, sees things I would never imagine, so my faith gets stretched!

Our school is considered a “private” school and teaches Baby class through class 4. The school has been approved by the Kenyan Ministry of Education to teach the required Kenyan curriculum and will also teach Christian fundamental principals. We currently have 4 Certified teachers and 2 assistant teachers.

Additional toilets and desks are all that remain to be completed. Otherwise the school year is underway!

NEW SHORTS & T-SHIRTS FOR STUDENTS

Happy students below in their new t-shirts and shorts brought back from the U.S.!

U.S. Visit

2010-10-15T17:17:00.023+03:00

We are so excited to be visiting the U.S. again!

We will be here from Sept. to Nov.

and are grateful to have this precious time with our family

and an opportunity to visit some Ministry Partners!

A special joy for me has been seeing my children Cale and Alex and

meeting my new granddaughter Addison Emilia,

who is now 2 1/2 months old.

And of course seeing my princess granddaughter Timber,

who just turned 5!

They are my sweethearts!

In addition to sharing what God has been doing in the CML Ministry, we have also been hearing how God is moving in the lives of our friends here.

One Praise report we want to share is how the Lord is working through David and Anita Waters and their ministry, Waters Edge, to help provide clean drinking water to rural villages and schools in Ghana. While visiting with them we viewed pictures and videos of some recent trips and witnessed a sharing of God's love in West Africa. Please feel free to visit their web site at http://weministry.com for full details.

Discussing the clean drinking water challenge in our area they were touched and generously offered to donate a water purification system to the CML Ministry and extend "a cup of cold water" to their brethren in Kenya. We Praise God for this as the mobility of this purification system will allow us to go"out" and provide clean drinking water in remote areas with previously undrinkable water!

Below David is showing William how the purification system works.

Then it was time for us to try.

The system is mobile and easy to operate....

...running on a simple battery!

Here they are "testing the waters" so to speak!

Being blessed with the love and generosity extended to us by wonderful friends we have so far traveled to SC, TN & FL and hope to visit TX before we leave.

Below are just a few (because I keep forgetting my camera)

pictures taken along the way.

David & Anita Waters

Lisa Bowie & the "Heart for Him" mission team

Jack & Vicki Smith with son Les

The Doyle's and Angi Boatman along with...

....the DFUM youth during a hike to Max Patch.

The Waldrop family & friends

The Price family & Rocky Point Baptist friends

at the Fall Festival hayride & cookout

David Saroney and girlfriend Mariya

Me in front of the Royal Carribean cruise ship

that our friends David & Anita took us on.

We enjoyed a delicious plate of shrimp and friend alligator in Florida....

.... but the alligator took revenge on William!

Speaking of revenge...

I wonder what these frogs would do if they had a chance!

Here we are frog hunting (or "gigging" as we call it) with my brother

John his girlfriend Stephanie and nephew Wilson.

Stephanie had the dirty job of cutting off the legs...yuck!

But they were oh so good when fried up~

As we continue enjoying our visit and seeing as many people as possible, I will try to post updates and more pictures. Please contact us by email at one of the addresses below if you would like to meet with us or have us come speak to your church or group while we are here.

thechristianmile@yahoo.com

denisedavenport@mac.com

THANK YOU,

Denise

August Youth Conference in Nairobi

2010-08-22T20:03:00.021+03:00

Wow is the best word to describe the 2010 "Count Me In" August Youth Conference in Nairobi!

Once again the event was held at the Clarence Matheny Ministry Center and this year there were over 600 youth from all across the nation.

Our group traveled the farthest distance (arriving some 10 hours after leaving Rongo) and if you've never taken public transportation with 30 kids in Kenya, well let me just say that the journey is part of the experience!

We were abundantly blessed during the 5 day event that consisted of daily teaching & breakout sessions and outdoor activities. A major highlight for our kids was when the CML soccer team made it's way to the football (soccer for our American readers) finals. This competition, provided us a chance to shout and cheer for our team and to learn a "God lesson".

Out sized and outnumbered by the other teams, someone said "we look like grasshoppers next to them". They were bigger and better equipped.... and standing next to our smaller kids, most of whom didn't even have shoes, I have to admit even my heart sank for a moment.

It was a great opportunity however to remind ourselves that God doesn't look at outward appearances but instead looks at our heart, our willingness, and our faithfulness. This is something we have been trying to teach our youth and were now getting a chance to apply in real life.

So -we encouraged our players to dedicate themselves and the game to the Lord with the goal of glorifying Him in how they played and to believe that with God all things are possible. We likewise encouraged the cheerleaders to continue cheering no matter how far down the score was and to not loose hope. And so they did. We were down several times but never defeated and went on to overcome the odds and in the end took 2nd place over all!!!

God is Good...all the time!

Odds and Ends.

2010-08-07T13:57:00.061+03:00

Is this Discipleship?

What does discipleship look like? In the first picture below our youth help build a home and in the second picture some local children watch The Lion King in our living room Is this discipleship?

Jesus had a couple of things to say about discipleship. He told us to "love one another" as He loved us and that by doing so, the world would know we were His disciples. He also said to "go make disciples of all nations.... teaching them everything He had commanded".

So it seems we are to both "be" disciples and "make" disciples. Relationship is a requirement for both and relationship simply requires love, giving of one's time, honesty, openness and a willingness to teach and be taught. You don't have to be a Pastor, have a degree or be super spiritual.

In the CML Ministry, we have formal discipleship sessions and teachings but we've found that the discipleship with the most impact is done in the midst of day-to-day life. How we live our lives, make decisions, share our resources and chose to spend our time teaches those watching more than words ever will.

Chicken Project and Garden

Our chicken project is growing daily and we have gone from the 2 chickens we started with (Fred & Ginger) to well over 100.

This Project will help feed the youth that visit the CML Center through out the year and is also being used to teach responsibility and basics principals of business and agricultural management. With most eggs in our area imported from some distance away, we have a dream of one day selling eggs on a large scale to help raise money for the ministry and kids in school.

Below, work begins on the new chicken house that we hope to have completed within the next few days.

Our garden is also growing. Weekly the youth weed, water and tend the garden and we are eating the fruit of our hand. We also thank God for a great maize harvest. Maize and sukumawiki are staple foods which we eat daily.

Here you can see the sukuma and a few banana trees and below some of our maize.

A well for CML

Water is an essential of life, and you can imagine how much we use when there are 30 or 50 kids staying with us bathing and washing cloths! Yet our compound has never had a permanent on-site source of water. Up to now we have caught rain water in tanks or gone some distance to a spring for water. All that is about to change.

Recently we started digging a well (by hand) and are excited to report that we've reached water at 35 feet! There is still a need to dig further, cement top and part of the inside and of course get a pump... but we're "well" on our way!

Youth Conference

Sunday night (Aug 3rd) we leave with 30+ kids for Nairobi to attend the 2nd Annual East African Youth Conference. Please pray for us and all the youth attending and also be in prayer for the staff at Clarence Matheny Ministries who host the event and the visiting mission team from Convergence Church in TX, who are facilitating and sponsoring the Conference.

Kennedy

Kennedy is 16 years old and has been battling chronic osteomyelitis since 2006. This re-occurring bone infection has left him with limited use of his left leg, stunted growth and caused him to miss much school. After taking him to Kisii hospital for test and X-ray's we were told that surgery to clean the bone and repair damage to his knee was the only way to save his leg. His mom, a widow, has no financial means to speak of and the cost was way beyond what our budget would allow. Non of this dampened his hope for the future however nor our belief that God could work a miracle.

That faith was rewarded this week when Kennedy was admitted to Nyabondo Rehabilitation Center, where he will receive the much needed surgery on Monday. Three times a year visiting surgeons travel to this remote area (Nyabondo is about 2 hours from us) to volunteer their time and services FREE to those with disabilities that are unable to afford medical treatment.

Lord we thank you for the love you have shown this young man and we thank you for those who serve you and help others through the giving of their time, skills and finances!

Library

The books are stamped and marked and the room is ready. More bookshelves are on the way and soon the unofficial library will become official!

New Granddaughter

And finally, we have to brag about our newest granddaughter, Addison Emilia Sharpe. Born July 30th, we think she is just beautiful! Congratulations Alex and Brittany!

Kenya gets a new Constitution

2010-08-05T18:14:00.004+03:00

Less than 12 hours after the polls closed in Wednesday’s referendum in Kenya, provisional results showed supporters of a new constitution headed for a landslide win.

According to results from the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC), the Yes side had 4,141,521 votes (67 per cent) against the No camp's 2,054,946 (33 per cent).

For Kenya as a country, a Yes vote is a form of national redemption. In December 2002, Kenya became the first country in the wider Eastern Africa where an opposition ousted a long-ruling party through a democratic vote.

But the euphoria soon dissipated as the opposition coalition descended into bickering and the same kind of corruption that had discredited the Moi regime. The post-election violence that followed the December 2007 poll, enveloped Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy, in a cloud of despair and self-doubt.

With this referendum, the interim election commission organised easily the most efficient and open vote in Africa. And, after being caught asleep on the job last time, this time the security services left nothing to chance.

June/July Update

2010-07-14T16:56:00.016+03:00

In- School Missions

As we continue sharing and teaching God’s word to the youth, we regularly visit schools through out the Rongo District. During the month of June & July we conducted In-School Missions to several schools which allowed us to minister to primary and high school students.

Recently we traveled far beyond our usual area and made a first time visit to the school of Ng’enyilel. Located 1 hour past Eldoret, we had a 5 hour bus ride and a 20 minute motorbike ride, to get to this Mixed Boys & Girls School of about 300 students.

Elishah Otewa, one of our ministry volunteers (shown below), was a student teacher at Ng’enyilel last year and coordinated the Mission. Taking time off from teachers college, he accompanied us (not sure we could have found the school without him...lol!) much to the joy of his old students. They were so happy to see him again and were attentive to his message about “Staying the Course of Faith”.

Following a wonderful time of Praise and Worship I then spoke to the students about "Choices"....how Choices are made and their long-term consequences. I encouraged them to ask 4 questions when making a Choice:
1) Who or what am I being faithful to in this situation?
2) Who or what am I following?
3) Where will this choice take me?
4) What will be the consequences?

Below, Vivian and Wycliff share with students.

A blessed time was had by all and although a bit far away...we hope to return again next Term.

Collins Birthday

We had a special “fun” Mission to the home of Collins Odhiambo, a student we Disciple, to help him celebrate his Birthday. Like most youth here, Collins has never had a Birthday party or any recognition of the day he was born. While a B-day party may not seem like a big deal, it is an opportunity to acknowledge the uniqueness of the individual and let them know they are valued. After all, the angels in heaven rejoice each time a person is “born” into the kingdom so God must like parties for His children too!

Since his fathers death some time ago, Collins has cared for his mom & siblings (a big job for a young man trying to finish school) so along with family & friends, we provided a day of fun just for him. He loved it and said he would never forget the day!

4th of July Mission & Celebration

There were no hot dogs or fireworks but plenty of singing, dancing, praise and praying as we joined with the Kakwara Baptist church for a 4th of July outreach Mission. A week of door-to-door evangelism and open-air crusades ended with evening revival services the weekend of the 4th. With 175 people giving their lives to Christ we truly had reason to rejoice and celebrate!

In addition to the Pastors and members of the Kakwara church, there we 2 visiting Pastors from Tanzania.

What a blessing to help host this event, and we are praying that this will become a monthly event with our brothers & sisters from Kakwara.

Thank you to all our Ministry Partners for your continued prayers and support . Your faithfulness help make all these events and more possible!!!!

Blessings,

Denise

April Camp, March Missions and more!

2010-05-11T08:44:00.012+03:00

Since our return from the US we have been busy non-stop!

In March and April we conducted In-School Missions, community outreach Missions and participated in two church Missions...plus held the Students Discipleship Camp!

April Discipleship Camp

What do Darwin’s Theory, sanctification, computers and 1 Peter 2:19 have in common? These were just a few of the topics discussed during our recent Discipleship Camp. For seven days we hosted students from 22 different area schools for a week filled with Bible teachings, practical learning, and awesome Praise & Worship!

Much thanks to our US partners for making this the 4^th year that our ministry, The Christian Mission to Learners (CML) has been able to host tri-annual Discipleship Camps. The Camps provide one-on-one evangelism, Discipleship training and fun for rural area youth. Aprils theme, taken from 1 Peter 1:16, was “Be Holy as I am Holy” and focused on helping youth understand their positional holiness in Christ and how through the power of the Holy Spirit they can lead a “holy” life that is pleasing to God.

With increased exposure to Western culture and outside influences through electronic and print media, the youth here are facing new and challenging moral dilemmas. Already dealing with extreme poverty, 60% unemployment, high drop out rates, gender inequality, forced early marriage for girls, and HIV/AIDS... the pressure on teenagers is intense. We thank God however for how we have seen the youth draw closer to Him through discipleship.

Testifying to the power of Christ in their lives, we were especially grateful to have Elishah, Fred, Kassim, Wycliffe and Seth, all participants' of previous Discipleship Camps, attend the April Camp as volunteer teachers. Having graduated High School, these young men have gone on to find gainful employment or to enroll in collage. Most important, they shared with students how their relationship with Christ has helped them find purpose in life and make wise choices.

Please be in prayer for the young people of Kenya and for our next youth event, which will be held in conjunction with Clarence Matheny Ministries from August 9th to 13th. We will be taking 50 students to Nairobi to join with youth from across East Africa for 5 days of ministry. If you would like to sponsor a student for this event please let us know. Cost per student for transportation, food and accommodation is $35.00.

MISSIONS

KENDU BAY: Our May Mission to this beautiful lakeside community gave us an opportunity to make new friends and teach at the New Apostolic Church. An added bonus was visiting the home of CML volunteer and former scholarship recipient, Elisha Otewa.

MACHAKOS: I (Denise) was so excited to join the US “Heart for Him” mission team for this Mission as they lead the Lower Eastern Region Baptist Women’s Conference in Machakos. Kenya! For 3 days we shared God’s word with over 250 women. encouraging them to deepen their love for the Lord, their families and each other. And thanks to the Heart for Him Team, we were also able to give each lady that attended a Bible!

KAKWARA BAPTIST CHURCH:

William took a group of students and church members to join our friends at Kakwara for a Mission ministering the people in the Chemgewadu area.

KITERE PRIMARY SCHOOL:

Along with parents, teachers, students and community stakeholders we celebrated the staff & student body accomplishments during Education Day!

KANGA RALLEY & IN-SCHOOL MISSIONS: As guest speakers at the Kanga Boys weekend evangelism rally, we were able to share a message about “Transformation through Trials” with student’s from several schools and present the Kanga Christian Union with Bible Study materials. Best of all, hundreds of young people came forward during the course of the weekend, giving their lives to Christ and receiving prayer. We also continue doing regular “In-school” missions and have recently visited Ulanda Girls, DeDe Girls and Sigiria High School. In addition, I (Denise) am teaching a weekly Bible Study at St. Cecilia’s Primary School.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word.””

Psalm 119:9

We're Back!

2010-03-15T17:51:00.000+03:00

After a wonderful visit with family & Partners in the US, we have returned home. Thanks to everyone for the many prayers.... our journey was a blessed one indeed!
We have our first Mission to St. Albert's Ulanda Girls High School this coming Saturday, followed by a Leadership Conference in Nairobi the end of March.
April will be a busy month as we get back into full swing with our Discipleship Camp scheduled 4/27/10 through 5/2/10, some outreach Missions, the arrival of the books & Bibles for the CML Library and of course hosting lots of students during the school break!
We look forward to all the Lord has planned for the CML Ministry this year!

Books for the CML Library

2010-01-26T00:16:00.007+03:00

The vision of the CML Library is finally becoming a reality! Several hundred books, including 216 Bibles, are currently on their way to Kenya and are expected to arrive some time in March.

The library is just a small part of the CML Resource Center vision, whose goal is to provide a multi-purpose resource facility for students, youth, pastors and the local people in the Kitere community. Until we have sufficient financial means for building the Resource Center, the library will be operated from the Glory Community Church compound (next to our house) in Kitere Village of Rongo District.

The books that were donated are varied in nature; ranging from Christian materials such as Bible Study guides, Discipleship materials and Bibles, to educational textbooks and classical literature .

While English is spoken and read by a considerable percentage of the people, especially the youth, there are no libraries in the community and the school libraries are mere empty halls without books. In addition, most families in this area survive as subsistence farmers and as such cannot afford to buy books. The students and pastors are eager to read and study the Word and we believe these books & Bibles will serve as a great resource to facilitate our Discipleship ministry in this area.

We thank God for all those that donated books and helped make the shipment possible. In addition to the many books he sent last year, Rev. John Maurice Quillen from Talbott again contributed several boxes of Christian books from his private library. Rev. John Thompson from Dandridge, donated 216 Bibles for the Students ministry and Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Fox gave several boxes of literary books. Other donations were received from Rocky Point Baptist Church and Marty & Lana Luttrell. We also thank Rocky Point Baptist Church for helping facilitate the shipping of the books from Tennessee to Texas where they were loaded onto the container.

Most importantly, we thank Ronnie & Debbie Matheny for graciously allowing us to ship the books in their container. The Mathenys are missionaries from Texas and are leaders of the Clarence Matheny Ministries with a Leadership and Conference Facility in Nairobi, Kenya. You may recognize their names from our post last year when we attended a Marriage Conference and Youth Conference at the Clarence Matheny Ministries. Thanks Ronnie & Debbie!

We are also very grateful to David & Janene Waldrop, Missionaries in Kenya from Dandridge, TN for connecting us with the Mathenys. The Waldrops have become such dear friends and are from Denise’s former hometown in Tennessee (how interesting that they met for the 1st time in Nairobi, Kenya!).

To many others that we have not mentioned here, but have contributed in other ways towards the CML Library, we thank you. God certainly uses partnerships in divine connections to get His work accomplished!

We look forward to returning home soon to oversee the building of book shelves and setting up of the Library, and continue to be expectant as God provides for His work.

What is still needed to complete this task:

1. $2,100 to complete the work at the temporary CML Resource Center- partitioning, beds & bedding, chairs, desks, bookshelves and the toilet

2. Help with sorting the books and setting up a Library System. We invite volunteers to come on short-term mission trips to assist.

Your partnership is vital and appreciated. Together, we can make it happen for God’s glory.

Blessings!

Update on our US visit

2010-01-25T22:22:00.013+03:00

Hard to believe we have been here 4 months already! With the hustle and bustle surrounding the Holidays and a busy schedule, the time just seems to be flying by.

Our days continue to be filled with visiting ministry partners, speaking at schools, fundraising and attending various events. And while we are seriously missing our family & friends in Kenya, we are also enjoying our time here and believe that God has a purpose for all that we are doing.

Below is a brief update of what's been going on the past few months.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by family & friends at the airport and later given a wonderful reception by our sister Sharon at Rocky Point Baptist Church.

William's first visit to the US consist of a number of "1st time experiences". From riding a roller-coaster, to boating on the lake, seeing snow, experiencing Halloween, decorating a Christmas tree, playing basketball, eating REAL pizza, seeing the Smoky Mountains and more....... the list goes on and on!

In October, we spent 5 days in Tupleo, MS with Global Outreach International attending the "Missionary Orientation and Training” (MOT). In addition to reviewing policies and procedure changes, we participated in exciting and informative teaching sessions that were both encouraging and educational regarding issues that can affect the longevity of our time in the mission filed. Issues like spiritual warfare, moral purity, culture stress, maintaining intimacy with God, setting personal & ministry priorities, establishing budgets and managing finances.

We have been invited to speak at several local schools since our arrival and have been so excited to share facts about Kenya and our ministry with American students. Below, William is talking to 6th graders at Lincoln Middle School. We have also addressed student's at Whitesburg Elementary, Jefferson County High School and Meadowview Middle.

In November we attended the "Hearts on Fire" Youth Conference with the youth from Rocky Point Baptist Church. What a blessing to spend 3 days in Gatlinburg with such a great group of energetic and enthusiastic youth!

The weekend of January 22nd - 24th we were again blessed when invited to attend the Resurrection 2010 Youth Retreat along with the youth of Dandridge First United Methodist Church. A special treat during the Retreat,was being able to spend a few minutes with Pastor Hugh Kilgore and his wife Susette. Hugh was one of the founders of the Resurrection Youth Ministry and my Pastor years ago. It was under his leadership that I surrendered my life to Christ and I am eternally grateful to him and his family for modeling Christ's unconditional love!

There is much more to report and I will continue to update this post with events and pictures as the Internet will allow.

Blessings,

Denise

Counting our blessings......

2009-11-03T17:38:00.019+03:00

Reflecting over the past several months, we can't help but acknowledge our many blessings and thank the Lord for how He has been changing young lives from the inside out!

Ministering to young people is inspiring, challenging, fulfilling, amazing, exhausting and above all rewarding, but we are never alone as we teach, disciple, mentor and minister. First and foremost we have the Holy Spirit...and 2ndly we've had the help, prayers and encouragement of our friends.

Below are but a few of the many blessings we have received and shared........

Happy student s with their new backpacks sent by the Morristown, TN Rotary Club. In addition to backpacks, there were children's books and numerous school supplies!

In partnership with Clarence Matheny Ministries and our good friend David Waldrop, we kicked off the School of Leadership Development Program in July to equip local church pastors and leaders.

Pastor Christopher, of Glory Community Assembly, received a Concordance and CML received several boxes of books for our upcoming library from retired Rev. Maurice Quillen.

Richard Angevine, a representative of SoccerGrow (one of our corporate partners), visited students that have been impacted by the CML Sports Evangelism program. In addition to handing out soccer balls, he encouraged the youth to continue developing their skills and talents on and off the field.

In August, CML organized a house building project for a single mom in a nearby community. Thanks to the hard work and efforts of several students and community members the house was completed in 2 days and Tabitha, Joab, June and Vincent now have a home!

CML was greatly blessed by the visit of Jennifer Kisabeth, Darcy Edwards and Valerie Wilkins. Besides spending time encouraging young people in the Kitere community and ministering at local schools, they were real troopers when it came to the day-to-day chores like carrying water and doing clean up!

In August we attended the "Count Me In Teen Camp" with 30 of the CML students held at Clarence Matheny Ministries in Nairobi. We all had a great time with over 600 youths in attendance for the event. The week had a perfect mix of praise & worship, teachings and outdoor activities, and we are so grateful to all the folks from Convergence Church in TX that made the event possible!

We thank our many friends for joining with us as we continue providing an environment for transformation, encouraging the spiritual growth and leadership development of these young people!

CML Resource Center

2009-10-13T05:54:00.005+03:00

Apart from providing facilities for the CML Annual Discipleship Camps, the CML Resource Center is envisioned to house the following:

1. CML Library
2. CML Computer Training Center
3. Boys and Girls Dorms
4. Discipleship and Leadership Programs
5. CML Administrative Headquarters
6. Conference Facilities
7. Youth Counseling Center

A portion of land has been donated by two elders in the Kitere Community for the purpose of developing the CML Resource Center. The land is located off Rongo/Migori Road near Kitere Glory Community Assembly Hall. The plot has been fenced in readiness for the project. Construction would commence once funds are ready for Phase 1 of the project. Donations and financial contributions are welcome and appreciated to see this project commence. Any biblical and legal fundraising ideas are also welcome.

Meanwhile, we are very grateful for the partnership CML has with Glory Community Ministry (GCM). Through this partnership, GCM has permitted us the use of part of the Kitere Community Assembly Hall for temporary CML Resource Centre at a minimal monthly rate, until the CML Center is developed and ready for use. So far, we have done the partitioning to make room for the Boys and Girls Dorm, CML Library, Computer Training Room, Students’ Lounge and CML Administrative Head Office. We plan to be able to accommodate 16 boys and 16 girls in the temporary Dorms.

To get the Temporary CML Resource Center furnished for optimal use, we need the following items:

1. Bed and Bedding for the Boys and Girls Dorm
2. At least 2 Desktop Computers
3. Library Shelves, Desks and Chairs
4. Furniture for the Students Lounge
5. Dining Tables & Chairs

Once the CML Resource Center in complete, we believe we would be able to facilitate the holistic transformation of students/youth in this area more effectively.

We ask for your prayers and financial support to bring this project to completion.

New CML Ministry Board Members elected in the June 2009 AGM

2009-10-10T03:06:00.009+03:00

We are pleased to report that the first CML Ministry Annual General Meeting (AGM) was successfully held on Saturday the 20th of June 2009 at the Kitere Glory Community Assembly Hall. The election of office bearers and Board members was one of the agenda items discussed.

The following ministry members were elected into office:

The Chairperson- George Kienga Odeka
The Vice Chairperson- Francis Selassie Ojwang
The Treasurer- Susan Adhiambo
The Assistant Treasurer- Kassim Oyoo
The Secretary-General- William Okoth Ochieng Aludo
The Assistant Secretary-General- Denise Okoth Ochieng Aludo

Other Board members were elected by majority vote as follows:

Jared Marwa
Tilly Atieno Auma
Seth Odongo
Elishah Otewa
Vincent Opiyo
Syprine Ogada

Patrons were proposed and accepted as follows:

Don & Laura Dickerson
Amanda Smith
David & Janene Waldrop

Other matters concluded as follows:

All members present agreed that the Ministry Headquarters be moved from Nairobi and that the new CML Headquarters be physically located at the premises of Kitere Glory Community Assembly, in Kitere Village of Rongo District in Kenya.

The new CML Headquarters Postal address was agreed and confirmed to be: P.O. Box 282- 40404 Rongo, Kenya. It was further agreed that the previous address of P.O. Box 2525-00100 GPO, Nairobi will also be maintained for the use of the CML Patrons until further notice.

Congratulations to the new office bearers and board members.

Many thanks to the members who attended and participated in the AGM.

2009 April Students' Camp

2009-05-10T06:52:00.032+03:00

A week of fellowship, encouragement, spiritual enrichment and fun was had by all, when 48 young people (and a few young at heart!) gathered at Kanga Boys High School for CML's 2009 April Students Camp.

Blessed with several new students, many returning "regulars" and four 2008 graduates (Fred, Kassim, Clifford and Elisha) that came as invited speakers, we were also joined by our dear friends David & Janene Waldrop, Amanda Smith and teacher Syprine Ogada.

With the addition of new teachings, movie night and a drama competition for the students, we explored the Camp theme "Knowing Christ, the Foundation of our Faith" and learned new ways to incorporate our faith into everyday life. Games, outdoor activities, Praise & Worship and hearty fellowship around the dinner table were also an enjoyable part of the week!

Excited with the opportunity to express themselves through drama during this Camp, we discovered that these kids were very creative and had some amazing talent. Asked to give a 20 minute drama based on a topic they had learned something about during the Camp, the teams explored subject matters such as; redemption, substance abuse, the intricacies of relationships, and culture traditions in opposition to Christan values.

Below are pictures of each team presenting their drama, and let me just say that the competition was very tough to judge! Team 3 won in the end however, and as their prize each member has been invited to Nairobi in August where they will attend a 5 day Youth Convention. As you can imagine, they were very happy!

This was David & Janenes first time to attend a CML Camp. They received a warm welcome for all the students, as well as an invitation to return again soon! Married over 30 years and parents to 5 children, David and Janene were not only able to speak with knowledge and experience as they taught a session on "Relationships", but were also able to relate to the challenges teenagers face.

Facilitating the session on "Jesus and Leadership" David emphasised the need for creativity, integrity, time management and transparency in a leaders life. Seen below, he also explained the importance in knowing the difference between one's "Circle of Influence" and "Circle of Concern".

Several students were also surprised and grateful for the new Bibles they received, and we thank Janene's father for the wonderful gift of God's word!

Always a delight to have at Camp, Mrs. Ogada and Amanda are not only awesome facilitators with multiple talents, but are also a lot of fun to spend time with. Just ask these kids!

A teacher by profession, Mrs. Ogada had much to say in her session about "Discipline" and encouraged everyone to cultivate the fruit of self-control. Amanda's topic was "Jesus and everyday life challenges" and she used a personal story from her life, to illustrate how the test of character is given when no one is watching. Both used scripture to highlight the perspective of Christ and His teachings about these issues and others such as integrity and peer-pressure.

Above, Amanda had a good laugh with her new friend Patrick about his sunglasses and below she enjoys a chapati with Maureen!

As always, my favorite part of Camp was the interaction between the people.... God is all about relationships and I love to see Him working in the midst of His people! Whether debating a question during the small group workshop session....

....helping each other study....

....counseling ...

....or just having fun, God is there at work!

And of course we had games! The 3 legged race was something new for most of these students and it took awhile to get the hang of it.

But once they realized the importance of "teamwork" ...they were off to the races! Outdoor games can teach profound spiritual lessons and offer insights to life, while allowing the students to have fun at the same time.

After Camp, William put on his student cap as he started a 9-month program called "Life-Forming Leadership Coaching". Here he is skyping with his teacher as Simba (one of our dogs) looks on. This program will not only assist in his personal growth, but will also help equip him to be more effective when he mentors and teaches other individuals and groups. The program uses Jesus as the supreme example of what a coach is.

We are grateful for each student, facilitator, cook, watchman, supporter and prayer partner that helped make this camp possible, and most of all we give thanks to God for making the Camp successful!

As the students head back to school to start their 2nd term, we want to make known the urgent need so many of them still have for assistance with school fee's. We realize that many people are feeling the pinch of the current economic downturn and are having to cut back, but ask that you and your family pray about sponsoring a Kenyan student. We have over 20 students, both primary and high school level, that will not be able to remain in school this year without your help.

Please contact us by email at thechristianmile@yahoo.com for more information or visit the "Sponsor a Student" page on our website at http://web.me.com/denisedavenport.

Thank you and God Bless,

Denise & William