Da’ Mission Team Visits the Darkest of Places

By: Joshua Kurtz & Erastus Kanjogo

In July, SLAM traveled to East Africa with a team of 21 individuals, ranging in age from 18 to 32 years old, where they spent 3 weeks serving who Jesus would consider “the least of these”. While the team was in Kenya, they visited an IDP camp (Internally Displaced Peoples camp). This IDP camp, in Molo, Kenya was formed as a result of the post-election violence that began at the end of December 2007 and stretched into the beginning of 2008. The people living in this IDP camp have lost their homes, loved ones, and dignity due to this violence.

When the team was at the IDP camp, they brought bags of food to all the families, and were able to visit some of the tents and spend time learning the victims’ stories. The families who the team spent time with were so grateful for the teams visit. Despite their gratefulness for visitors and food, tears of pain and questions of why did this happen continue to plague these innocent people. This greatly challenged our team. Team members would cry with the people as they spent time praying for the people’s needs.

Since the team’s visit to Molo’s IDP camp on July 18, representatives from Global Outreach Developments International (SLAM is a program of G.O.D. Int’l) have returned to the camp. Four ministry partners from Kenya and three ministry partners from Uganda brought tents and clothing. Below is an article written by G.O.D. International’s Kenyan liaison, Erastus Kanjogo, regarding their visit.

“Our travel to Molo was great. The encounter was exclusively different from what we all expected. It was so easy to bless those needy and poor families at the IDP camp. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Titus Waithaka who is the chairperson of the camp. According to Mr. Waithaka, this small roadside camp hosts a total number of 106 families. Although the camp is small, it hardly has enough tents to house all the people. Family sizes range from 11 persons to the smallest family having between 4and 5 people. However, the headcount figure of all the people [inclusive of all who have moved their tents to a distant but visible site] amounts to 504 people.

According to Mr. Waithaka, this IDP camp was officially opened on the 9th May 2008. This, however, means that all the families in this camp were suffering and facing hard times for a period of four months after the eruption of post election violence which occurred early January 2008. They had no where to sleep, nothing to eat, were dirty and with nothing. These internally displaced persons faced a difficult time immediately after the presidential poll results were released and the only, but unsafe haven they had, was the police stations whereby their neighbors could still attack them without the intervention of anyone. Mr. Waithaka says that the first day someone came to help them was after four days when Kenya Red Cross Society gave them water. Prior to this fourth day, all that could be heard was the cry of young hungry innocent kids who didn’t have any idea of what was happening.

After, receiving an official ground to put up tents, these poor Kenyans found themselves in dire need of all the basic needs of a person. During the violence, their belongings had been either looted or burnt down. This forced these people to land in this camp with nothing. However, a few non- governmental organizations have come to help them, but the need remains greater than anyone could help so far. They have been promised things like shelter, food, clothing, and funds for starting a new life away from the camp[s], but years are passing away without anything being done. The state of these people is very desperate. There is nobody to take care of their health needs, which, according to Mr. Waithaka, is a big issue at the camp. With the majority of the people being small scale farmers, who don’t own a piece of land, they have to either depend on renting small portions of land or work at other people’s farms at a meager daily wage of 100kes ($1.35) a day.

I asked about the greatest need that affects every single family/person at the camp, Mr. Waithaka said, “They all need shelter.” The government has been telling them through an initiative dubbed ”Operation Rudi Nyumbani” that they would be compensated with 25,000kes ($334) each for putting up a small structure, but these have only been empty political promises. The other need is that since this region is best known for crop production, the majority of people need fertilizers and seeds for the small farms they are struggling to rent from their neighbors.

Amazingly, there was applause and unspeakable joy when a group comprising of four Kenyan men and three Ugandan men, all working with Global Outreach Developments International, entered the camp with a number of good tents to help give shelter to more than 40 heads at the camp. The group that benefited from the tents together with the rest of the people also received a number of clothes from the ministry. This changed the environment at the camp with all the people sending their thanksgiving to all those who donated both the tents and the clothes. Their one word was ”May the Almighy God increase you the more as you serve nations of the world and more greatly carrying the burdens of the poor”.”

Global Outreach Developments International will to continue to invest into this IDP camp on the outskirts of Molo, Kenya. We pray that as God leads us, that this camp will be eradicated, and that all the families in it will find homes to live in. Furthermore, we will continue to participate in bringing relief in order to reestablish these peoples’ humanity and dignity. Updates will be posted periodically on our SLAM and G.O.D. Int’l websites (website links listed below). If you would like to help support this effort, please contact the office of SLAM / Global Outreach Developments International at (615) 832.2470 or Email info@godinternational.org.

Service Plunge

SLAM will be hosting a Service Plunge with Cumberland Church from Franklin, Tennessee. Students will have the opportunity to serve the underprivileged in Nashville and the surrounding areas.

Summer 09 Wrap-Up

The SLAM Crew just wrapped up an exciting, and busy summer of serving the people of Nashville with students from around the country.  Over 250 youth group students and leaders participated in helping others with SLAM.  Not only were the people they helped changed, but the students themselves experienced God in a new and transformative manner.  With the summer gone and new events ahead, we would like to take a moment to reflect on all God has done this summer…

The summer kicked off with a 3-day service outreach with Brentwood Baptist.  Approximately 50 of their Middle and High School students volunteered their time to help out local ministries all over Nashville such as the Nashville Rescue Mission, McKendree Towers Home Health, and Campus for Human Development just to name a few. The students from Brentwood were left with a challenge to serve in their own backyard of Nashville.  Many of them showed interest in going back to help out those same ministries in the coming months.

SLAM also facilitated three full NSHVLL Weeks.  NSHVLL Week is a yearly event in which students participate in service projects around Nashville, practical Bible teaching sessions, dynamic times of worship and fun team building activities.  The students also received a taste of the world as the SLAM crew served up international dinners, influenced by African, Filipino, Indian and Latin American cultures.  This year’s theme was ‘The Pursuit’.  The entire week, students were pressed and challenged to examine what they pursue in their everyday life…popularity, money, gossip, self-image, etc.  Throughout the week, as participants listened to God’s word taught and involved themselves in service to others, students realized that their number one pursuit should always be Jesus and displaying his character to everyone. They were encouraged that they could be like Jesus, taking on his attitude of a servant to the least of these.  Each day the students lived out this message as they served the poor here in Nashville – the elderly, inner-city children, and the handicapped.  During times of testimony, there was rarely a ‘dry eye’ as students shared what God had done in them.  They were truly changed and therefore, they wanted to be a blessing to others!

New to the SLAM lineup this summer was a ‘Hometown SLAM’ event in Oklahoma City, OK.  After being moved by God to begin ministering in their own hometown after coming to a NSHVLL Week during their Spring Break in 2007, Cherokee Hills Christian Church from Oklahoma City wanted the SLAM Crew to come and facilitate service projects, bible studies and times of worship in their own area.  The group of 40 young people from both Cherokee Hills and Christ United Methodist in Chattanooga, TN collaborated and served at a center called the Refuge in Oklahoma City.  The Refuge is a ministry that reaches out to drug dealers, prostitutes, and homeless people of the city.  Through all the activities the students participated in they were changed and reignited to serve their church, their community and even the world.  Many of the students committed to full-time youth ministry and some for future missionary work.

This summer was such an exciting time filled with learning, growing and being pressed to continue to serve God by serving others.  Students walked away from these events blessed with a heart to now be a blessing to others wherever they are…God is good!  The SLAM crew is already working on this coming year’s events.  Stay tuned for coming updates soon!