Marriage at Made in the Streets

Saturday, 29 November 2008, was a joy-filled day at Made in the Streets.  Laurent and Eliza were married, Francis Mbuvi was best man. Mary Wanjiku, a former street girl who is now married, has a son named Wesley and runs her own business while being almost blind, served as Maid of Honor.  Charles Coulston delighted in being the one to lead the ceremony.

   Two other former street girls were bridesmaids. Eliza's mom and several uncles came, with other family. Laurent's mom and sister were there, as well as several former street kids -- Samuel Kamau, who is now a boxer (lightweight; we gave him three mouthpieces that we brought from the USA; we found out last year that the boxers here share mouthpieces) among others.  

  After saying yes to their vows, each of them spoke to the other of love and commitment;

it was a happy moment.  

  Darlene Coulston baked 9 sheet cakes and decorated a wedding cake that she made - a new skill for her.  A cake was given to Eliza's family and to Laurent's mom to take home.  

  Many people brought gifts, and most of them were "bahasha" - that means envelope and it has cash inside!  The Coulstons gave them a one-night honeymoon at the Naivasha Country Club -- sits on a lake with hippo and lots of lovebirds, all meals included - a place to relax and enjoy one another.  

And to top off the day -- at 6:00 AM, Francis took Maureen to the hospital, then left her there to return for the wedding.  Soon after he left, she gave birth to Jeremy, their second son.  So MITS is growing our own as well as finding homeless kids on the streets.  It is so good to know that because of this work, more kids like Jeremy will not have to live on the streets, but will have a mom and a dad who love and cherish them.  Thanks for helping make this a reality!

Visitors at Made in the Streets

We have always loved having visitors from churches in the USA spend time with us.  We know that some people are troubled by short-term missions for various reasons, but the many people who come and work with us for 10 days or 2 weeks or a month have been of enormous benefit.  

Our ministry is so complex that we can use almost any skill a visitor has, so we make good use of what people know and do all the time at their own work.  We have made good use of farmers, Bible teachers, educators, preachers, engineers, woodworkers, businesspeople, accountants, tailors/sewing skills, hairdressers, photographers, law enforcement officers, mechanics, event organizers, graphic artists, cake decorators, computer-oriented folk...there are more, but you get the idea.   

And sometimes what is most important is not the skill, but that it is combined with encouragement to our Team and to the kids.  And we find that visitors appreciate our Team and find them capable and energetic and loving and God-devoted, and that makes the Coulstons and Conways happy.  Because we have poured our hearts and energies into this Team, and we are thrilled to see what they have become.  

Maurice Colby of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, wrote me an email this week praising Ben Mwami, our farm manager.  He found Ben devoted to the farm, wanting to feed as many kids as possible, ready to accept new ways of doing things...how great!  

Time fails me to tell what wonderful things people have said about Francis and Jackton and Moses and Philip and others.  

Visitors get to do some wonderful things and have permanent

memories of the difference they can make in the lives of street kids.  This picture is a group from Thousand Oaks, California, who spent a week at camp with 9 street boys who came out to Kamulu the following week.  And all of them are with us now, most doing great in their studies, several baptized already, and none have had any thoughts about running.

We have a project going on now.  We are asking our Team and our students to make nominations for the Team member of the year and the Student of the year.  I've gotten several wonderful letters about different people.  It makes me rejoice greatly in our students as well as the Team.  Nominations cease on Dec 1, and we announce the awards on the 5th or the 7th.  So please pray that we can give honor where honor is due.  

If any of our visitors from 2008 would like to email me a nomination, I'd love to receive it.  And I'll let people know that you honor them.

peace and joy, charles

Becoming Followers of Jesus

We continue to rejoice at the response that our young people in Made in the Streets, as well as community people, are making to being taught clearly about salvation, the work of Christ and baptism.  

Last Sunday, two more of our students were baptized -- Willys Odhiambo from the Kamulu program and Catherine Ndunge from the moms with babies Eastleigh program.  In this picture Francis Mbuvi is baptizing Willys, who was very happy.  He came to Charles Coulston recently to say that he has a girl friend whom he wants to marry some day, but that he is only 17 and know he will not marry for several years -- and he wants to do the right thing, so he has decided to be baptized, knowing God will bless him and keep him doing the right thing!  

Catherine was afraid of the water.  When we went to the Coast, she was reluctant to do down to the ocean!  So baptism was a fearful event also, but she was willing.  

These young people are so precious, as well as the community women who have been attending the Kamulu Church of Christ who have been baptized.  This makes 36 people in the past two months.  

This week we have prepared a small flyer to take out to the community telling about the congregation and what our spiritual life offers to people.  Please pray that we can distribute these to people who have need of the Lord and whom God is calling to himself.

Help Needed for Growth

Made in the Streets has planned for the future to build facilities for early childhood education.  This week we received word from a local law enforcement officer that a group was planning to invade the land we have set aside for this development -- and where we only have corn and a few fruit trees planted now.  So we have broken ground to build a "First Steps" building and a housing unit for moms and babies so that we can start a learning program for children of street girls and children of our own Team members and also for the local community as there is space.  

This will stop the group from invading, as it will protect two corners of the property with buildings.

We will need about $30,000 to build both structures, so as the Lord as blessed you, please feel free to bless our kids!  And thank you in advance for your help.  Send checks to Made in the Streets, 409 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN 37027.  

Of Lions and Joy

Let joy roll down like waters...the most interesting things happen around Made in the Streets.  You know that we have property at an area called Mountain View -- it's about 45 minutes from Kamulu on the way to the Mombasa Highway -- we have 40 acres and dream of some day having a Christian camp for the churches in Kenya.  Since we first bought property there, we have had lions and a leopard on the property.  

Well, the lions moved recently over a rocky area just off our property.  Then the wildebeest started coming back into the area after making their migration from Tanzania.  So the lions chased wildebeest into our fence and tore it down.  It looked like the wildebeest got away too. 

And speaking of LIONS -- we are studying the books Wild at Heart and Captivating with our Team and kids.  We have developed mottos for them to yell -- "I am beauty; I am worthy" for the girls and "I'm a lion. I'm wild at heart" for the boys.  The young men are to think of themselves as being the image of the warrior God who protects his people.  The young women are to think of themselves are the image of the captivating God of beauty who draws his people to himself.  Part of being God's image is drawing near to God and be

ing what He wants in the world.  And these young people are drawing near!!!!

WE BAPTIZED 12 PEOPLE SUNDAY -- 16 November 2008 -- Among the 12 are 8 of our kids.  The other four are from the community -- Irene Muthoni, Grace Muthoni

 (Irene's daughter), Rispah Kwamboka and Frankjohns Bukhala (Frank is the 12 year old son of one 

of our church members).  Our 8 kids who were baptized are Anthony Githinji, Susan Wambui, Kevin Mweti, Eunice Wambui, David Mutimbi, Joseph Nderitu, Charles Kimani and Douglas Maninge.  

Our joy rolls down and flows up and overflows...we are so happy with the response of our young people to the Lord.  One of our young men who talked to me recently about being in love with one of our girls (but knowing he shouldn't get married for a few years and wanting to do the right thing) reported to me yesterday that he and the young girl are planning to be baptized in a week or two.  Pray for them -- for self-discipline, for ability to wait, for growing relationship.

Yesterday John Wambu took Maurice Colby (who is visiting us from Cedar Rapids, Iowa) to Mountain View, and Maurice reports it was a safari.  They saw Thompson gazelle and a herd of giraffe and other animals.  Our visitors are at Eastleigh today -- at the girls with babies program and on the streets.  Tomorrow they will do a first aid workshop with our team, and they continue to do Bible studies with the students.

So...joy continues to roll down on us.  peace and joy to you as well, charles

Multiply our Joy

Another great day for Made in the Streets.  When we started our session after breakfast, we asked Joseph to come forward and get his baptismal certificate.  If you look closely, you can see he is holding a booklet written by Steve Eckstein, a good friend of MITS who recently gave us some of his "I am a Christian" booklets with certificates in them.  This makes number 9 we have presented in the past 3 weeks.   Darlene and I taught our lesson this morning to the Team and kids, as we have each day.  Today we talked about the beauty God made in women and how He made them worthy.  And we talked about the warrior God who made men for battle and for rescuing and protecting women.  Then we talked about where a man or a woman goes to "get your question answered."  The question is "am I beautiful?"  "am I worthy?"  "do I have what it takes?" So we talked about not finding your answer in a man or a woman or in this world/culture but in God, in Christ.  Afterwards Francis Mbuvi gave the kids an invitation to commitment to Christ and to baptism.  17 raised their hands, saying they wanted to be baptized.  Francis decided that the 4 young ones in the group, who have only been with us a few months, should wait and study some with Team members.

We left for the beach, arriving at the marine park at 10:00 -- beautiful waves,

sand and an ocean that seems to go forever.  And we lined up the 13 kids in the ocean and took a picture. The young people are Nicholas Muiruri, Mary Waithera, James Mwangi, Joseph Mburu, Mary Muthoni, Brenda Adhiambo, Scholastica Adhiambo, Ken Owino, Fatuma Amina, Patrick Saulo, 

Mercy Kisya, Paul Zakayo and Titus (Pius) Musyoki.  

Francis asked them all together about their faith, 

and they responded.  Then they walked up to him one by one, and he buried them in the water.  They came up spluttering, smiling, laughing and satisfied!  You can see the happiness in Mary Waithera's face.

Joy at the Kenya Coast

FLASHMAIL -- at Made in the Streets we are a happy bunch.  Darlene and I looked out at the kids and the Team this morning, watching them juggling, talking in small groups, kicking a soccer ball, drinking a cup of tea, holding babies and playing with them -- and Darlene said, "we are more than a school; we're a family.  The kids ate mandazi and drank tea for breakfast, and one of the boys came by to offer some of his to Darlene and me. 

Then we went to the beach.  We are staying at Uzima Church of Christ in Malindi - in the building, in tents, in classrooms -- Jackton and Milly got one of those since she is pregnant.  We drove both buses through town to the Marine Park.  Everyone got out, and once again we are awed by the ocean, the wind and waves and bright sand.  

We walked down to the water, and Joseph Kamau and I waded out a little ways, while all the others gathered around us.  I told all the kids and team that we need to do two things -- one is to forever call him Joseph -- he says this is his new name from God.  He wants to put his other name behind him with the past, in which he did some really bad things which we will not discuss. The other is to encourage Joseph in faith, in obedience, in keeping his attention on Jesus. I ask him about his faith, and he answers with a very serious look.   Then he is baptized in the ocean - in the name of the Father, the Son, the Spirit.  He asked me over a week ago to do this for him.  He wanted a special memory to go with his joy at a new life.