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Saturday, December 17, 2011
A Ground Breaking Mission!
8:01 PM | Posted by
Our Mission
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. - Henry Drummond
Friday, November 4, 2011 will always be a land mark day for Touching Lives Ministry and Touching Lives Kenya. By God's grace it will also be remembered as a day that ushered in a new hope for the people of Sanjweru, Kenya and surrounding communities.
The day started with the children from several of the schools in the area entertaining community officials, the TLM/TLK mission team, and the 500+ people gathered for the occassion. We were treated to native songs and dances accentuated by the beating of drums. And the children were both talented and entertaining!
Next, some of the women who are a part of the Mustard Seed Microfinance did a dance and presented gifts to Wendi to express their appreciation for how the microfinance ministry has touched and changed their lives. They soon had most of the mission team members dancing with them for joy!
Finally the government representatives arrived and the ground breaking ceremony began with the Assistant Prime Minister being welcomed with a bouquet of flowers presented by a beautiful little girl and the the planting of a tree on the site of the future medical center. This was followed by the unveiling of the ground breaking stone. The stone will always proclaim that Sanjweru Medical Center is only "By God's grace and for His glory."
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Watching and following and watching and following...
God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies.
-Hudson Taylor
Have you ever taken a small, even hesitant, step forward only to find that the step was much broader than you would ever have dreamed? At Touching Lives we are finding ourselves in that position almost daily!
Our recent fund and awareness raising events were a blessing. While we were all treated to delicious Kenyan food and wonderful fellowship, the deepest blessing of the evenings was to hear Touching Lives Kenya board member, Dr. Tobias Otieno, share his heart for the people of Nyanza Province, Kenya and Sanjweru Medical Center!
The arrangements for the upcoming medical mission and the ground breaking for the hospital are coming together beyond what we could ask or even imagine. During the mission we will be doing a 5 day free medical camp, daily children's ministry, HIV/AIDS educational programs in the high schools, and researching opportunities to provide clean water for the surrounding villages.
You can support the mission and mission team by praying that:
- God will provide wisdom as we make the final preparations
- God will protect the team and family members of the team at home during the mission
- The many medical supplies needed to meet the physical needs of the people will be provided
- God alone will be glorified in all we do
- Visiting our Donate page on the website
- If you live in the Delaware Valley, contact us at tlministry@verizon to donate:
- Vitamins, especially children's (no gummy type please, they don't do heat well!)
- Dollar store reading glasses
- Over-the-counter analgesics - Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc.
- Ointments: Triple antibiotic, analgesic, etc.
- Wound dressings: gauze, tape, band-aids, etc.
- Children's items: jump ropes, girls' hair items, pens, pencils, toy cars, etc.
Mission Scripture
So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not
only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to
us.
I Thessalonians 2: 8
Friday, September 16, 2011
Another Step!
What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.
-CS Lewis
Much progress has been seen since our last report! The Geo-Physical Survey report indicates that the medical center well will have an ample supply of water to accommodate the needs of the hospital. An Environmental Assessment was then accomplished and we anticipate that report any day. This opens the door for the appropriate permits and, by God's grace, the drilling will begin early in October! Another step.
But waiting for each step to be completed equals working. The community is busy clearing "God's Hill" of brush and shrubs to prepare for both the ground breaking ceremony and the commencement of construction. It is expected that the brush will be cleared by the end of next week then the community will move on to widen the roads leading to the construction site. This is hard physical labor but the community is fully committed to this project and eager to be partners in their own health care! Another step.The matching fund donation deadline was September 1st. We are grateful and blessed that $66,000 was raised! Then on September 6th we were able to receive the actual Non-Government Organization (NGO) certificate from the Kenyan government. We are incredibly blessed by this development as it was mandatory before to acquiring the needed permits for the medical center. Another step.
Even as we have been making the plans for the ground breaking on Saturday, November 5, we have received confirmation that the Right Honorable Raila Omolo Ondingo, the Prime Minister of Kenya, will be attending the ceremony! We are humbled and grateful for this expression of support for Sanjweru Medical Center. Another step.
Prayer requests:
- Safety for those who are working so hard to prepare the land
- Wisdom in preparation of the November medical mission team
- Provision of the funds for the drilling of the well
- That God alone will be glorified in and through all we do!
If you are feeling a tug on your heart to partner with TLM/TLK in this vision please contact us at tlministry@verizon.net or visit the website: www.touchinglivesmissions.org to take your next step. The board and officers of Touching Lives Ministry and Touching Lives Kenya are grateful for the blessing of all our partners! Another blessed step.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Next Step?...Forward!
I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward. I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my (God's) purpose.
-David Livingstone
If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step then it must continue with many, many following steps. Yesterday, TLM/TLK took another step toward our November ground breaking and the beginning of the construction on Phase One of the Sanjweru Medical Center project. We received the results of the geo-physical survey! There are two more small steps to be taken and we will be ready to drill the well for the hospital - and just in time for the ground breaking! All in God's good and perfect timing!
We are so grateful to our extended TLM family for committing to travel this road with us. Here are a few "stepping stones" for you as we move toward the vision and calling God has put on our hearts:
- Pray for God's will, God's timing and God's provision
- Encourage others to pray by telling your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and church family about what God is doing
- Stayed tuned for information about our fall benefits
- If God's leads, visit the Donate page on our website to find out how you can donate funds for the well or the building project
By God's grace and with you beside us we will persevere to the end -
God's end!
...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces
perseverance;
and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Now hope does
not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured
out in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3-5
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
One Life Changed by Another
"The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation."
-Corrie Ten Boom
Last September we shared the story of "Michael," a young many who had lived twelve of his fourteen years walking with painfully disfigured feet due to severe burn he sustained as a toddler. Due to the
generosity of our supporters he was able to be transported to a hospital twelve hours from his home to have surgery to release the top of his right foot, which had become fused to the bottom of his leg. By God's grace he had no complications from the surgery. Finally, by the end of June his foot had completely healed and he received the orthopedic shoes that are helping him to walk with little to no pain! Much like a toddler who is learning to walk, "Michael" (whose actual name is Stephen), is learning to walk with his new shoes and without crutches. His life has truly been changed for his good and God's glory! Please continue to pray with us for Stephen as he literally walks in this gift that God has given him.
As we prepare for the November ground breaking on Sanjweru Medical Center. The board and officers of Touching Lives Ministry want to thank all of our supporters and volunteers for giving, in so many ways, to minister to Stephen and many others like him in the future. Soon we will be sharing with you some of the specific ways you can be a part of our free medical camp in November. Until then, we would encourage you to meditate on Christ's words to His disciples in Matthew 25: 31-40. Many lives are being changed because you care - even yours!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Our Response
"It is not my ability, but my response to God's ability, that counts."
- Corrie Ten Boom
Yet, it would be a disservice to others who are "stepping out of the boat" to follow God's calling if we were to ignore the challenges that He has allowed along the way. You see, the blessings have impacted and changed the lives of those whom we've been called to minister, the difficulties have changed our lives. Some of the trials have been:
- We believed that God had called us initially to India, but He closed that door.
- We then believed that God had called us to a different village in Kenya, but He closed that door.
- On three separate occasions little ones have gone to heaven.
- God has directed us to reschedule missions.
But be encouraged, fellow "water walkers", in Nahum 1:7 God's word tells us, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him." We have a trust worthy God! Even today God has provided the resources and manpower to put a fence around the site of the medical center. We have seen the "birth" of a prayer team with many who are fasting and praying every "Mountain Moving" Monday! Our medical mission to Kenya is set for November 1-15 and many are answering the call to be a part of that ministry. A generous donor has pledged a matching-fund donation up to $40,000 for all gifts given between now and September 1st, opening the door for us to breakground and begin construction in November. And the Touching Lives family is learning, growing spiritually and in numbers, and experiencing the peace that only God can give.
If you would like to become a part of this family you can: contact us at tlministry@verizon.net to receive our weekly praise/prayer updates and join our prayer team; download a mission application at the bottom of the home page of our website at http://www.touchinglivesmissions.org/; and visit the Donate page of the website to see your financial gift instantly double.
Certainly there will be more blessings...and challenges in the future but it is our response to God's ability that will change lives. We'd love to have you join us as we take this spiritual walk on water!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mountain Movers
Christ said we could move mountains if we had faith. But He didn't say we wouldn't need a shovel.
-Joyce Vollmer Brown
During our time in Kenya we had the privilege of meeting many "shovels." Shovels are those people and organizations whom God puts in our path to help us move mountains. We met shovels in the back of airplanes, in guest houses, behind the steering wheel of our van, across the breakfast and dinner table, out on the street, and at the end of very long journeys. After a few days we began to expect rather than be surprised by our encounters with God's various "shovels." Let us introduce you to one of these very special groups of people.
The road from Kijabe in central Kenya to Sanjweru in western Kenya is a long one. The journey takes about 11 bumpy and dust-filled hours. Knowing that makes it easy to understand that when we finally arrived at our destination we were tired, hot and in great need of refreshment. As we stepped out of the van that had become our temporary home that day, we were greeted by a form of refreshment beyond compare. You see, the community of Sanjweru had gathered and were awaiting our arrival for much of the 11 hours we were traveling. We were greeted by smiling faces, hand shakes and hugs. It didn't matter that many in our welcoming committee didn't speak English or that we don't speak Luo, hugs and smiles are fluent in every language!
We were then treated to a walking tour of the property that will, by God's grace, soon become known as Sanjweru Medical Center. It is completely possible that none of us have ever taken a more energizing walk! The area around Sanjweru is beautiful and from the vantage of "God's Hill" we saw much of it.
This community and its leaders have become one of the most important "shovels" God introduced us to during our time in Kenya. When we arrived in Sanjweru we were hoping for refreshment and this community, dedicated to helping themselves, provided what we were looking for above what we could ask or even imagine.
We've just received word that the community has removed the brush from the perimeter of the 23 acres to prepare for the placement of a fence around the land in just one week's time! Our next step is to provide the $9,000 needed to erect the barbed wire fence. Please join us in praying about the part God wants each of us to play in this great adventure. In the future TLM will be offering various opportunities make donations, both monetary and goods, in honor or memory of those who are dearest to us. Until then, if you would like to make a donation on behalf of someone, visit our Donate page and make a notation in the memo of your check.
Like our brothers and sisters in the Nyanza Province of Kenya, we can all be "shovels."
Saturday, March 5, 2011
He Has Just Begun!
God has a thousand ways
Where I can see not one;
When all my means have reached their end
Then His have just begun.
--Esther Guyot
One of our final privileges before departing Nyanza Province was to witness the placement of a sign announcing this as the site for the coming medical center. Around the sign are just a few of the dedicated committee persons who are sacrificing much for the betterment of their community.
We have much to share regarding what God is doing in and around Sanjwero and more updates will be coming soon. Until then we do have prayer requests to share:
- That God will move hearts to supply the funds needed for ground breaking and the commencement of construction before our summer medical mission at the beginning of July
- That the medical center's well can be drilled prior to the arrival of our summer mission team
- That God will call, prepare, and equip the summer mission team
- That God will provide for the safey of those who are working to prepare the land for the construction to begin
- Above all else, that God will be glorified in and through this awesome work!
God has just begun!
Friday, January 21, 2011
2011: Vision Comes to Fruition
"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."
-Joel A. Barker
In 2010 God brought people and ministries across our path without whom we would not be able to walk in the calling that He has placed in our hearts. We've met doctors, administrators, pastors, teachers, nurses, financial "wizards", missionaries, architects, those skilled in providing clean water, grant writers, and more. As amazing as that is, it is just as amazing that each one of these people share our vision to provide health care to the poor!
With this foundation in place, now is the time for action. TLM is in the process of registering in Kenya as an International Non-Government Organization, similar to a non-profit organization in the United States. We are also acquiring land in a small village in the western Nyanza Province called Magunga. A small team of 5 will be traveling to Kenya from Feb. 20th - March 5th to attend to business details in advance of breaking ground. And by God's grace, we will be taking a larger mission team from June 28th- July 12th to do a medical camp, children's ministry, and construction following the kick off of our mission - ground breaking!
Please pray with us the God will allow us to find favor with the foundations to whom we are sending grant proposals. These grants will provide the funds to build and furnish the building. We would also ask you to pray about joining the TLM team by making a commitment to sponsor the clinic on a monthly basis. These sponsorships are what is going to sustain the clinic long-term by providing salaries for health care professionals, medical supplies, medications, and the many daily expenses of operating a full-time clinic. By sponsoring this health facility you are sponsoring the health care needs of an entire community - children, teens, adults, and the elderly!
If you would like to sponsor the clinic for any amount you can do so by going to the "Donate" page on the website, sending a check to the address on the donate page, or contacting us at tlministry@verizon.net. When you contact us please indicate that you would like to make a monthly sponsorship.
You can also contact us at tlministry@verizon.net if you feel God calling you to be a part of our summer mission team. We will be happy to send you a mission application. Whether you are praying, sponsoring, going, or all of the above, the board and officers of TLM join with our Kenyan brothers and sisters in saying Asante Sana - thank you very much - and may God richly bless you!
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