NEWSBREAK at Made in the Streets

The timing was right to start the congregation meeting at the Eastleigh Center of MITS. Today was the fourth Sunday. The first week Victor confessed faith in Jesus and was baptized. The third week 5 young men from the streets stated they want to live for Jesus and were baptized. Today Mary, who stays at Hope Center, and Peter, who sleeps outside at Jamaica Base, stated their desire to walk with Christ and were baptized. We are glad for these young people

This is not a numbers game, and it isn't really even about baptism. It is about Jesus reaching into people's hearts and transforming them, especially giving them courage and heart and confidence. Then they will be able to get off the streets and into a new life. There is no end to what they may do with confidence and hope, brought to life by faith.

Rejoice!

Children's Center

Made in the Streets has been blessed by our Street Moms' program. It has brought many small children to Kamulu, forced us to open a Children's Center, and blessed us all. It is so great to see our young men who came from the streets gently playing with and carrying the kids around. And the moms are getting skills training in sewing, computers, cooking and auto mechanics. This picture shows some of the kids in front of part of the wall mural that Cathy Stephens and Susan Pratt from Conejo Valley Church in Thousand Oaks, CA, recently painted.

And here is a picture of Ron Stephens in the fort with the kids; he built it for them, and we all enjoy seeing them play in it.

New Church in Eastleigh

Made in the Streets was blessed with the building on 5th Street in Eastleigh Section 2 in 1999. During the past 10 years we have encouraged young people from the streets to attend other congregations in Eastleigh and Mathare Valley, but it has been difficult to get them involved, either because they feel uncomfortable or because they were not accepted. Finally we have opened a church in the Eastleigh Center; it has now met three Sundays. Attendance has been 67, 55 and 70, and six young men from the streets have been baptized. Jane Njeri, Evans Ouma, Moses Gicharu, Francis Cugia, Augustina Muli and Jane Abuti are the staff at the center. Augustina cooks and mothers, Jane teaches little kids, Francis is one of our former street kids from Kamulu, Evans is a World Bible School student who was baptized a few years back, Moses once lived on the streets but did not come through our program, and Jane Njeri is a grandmother who was in the Kamulu Church and began to volunteer in Eastleigh 3 years ago. A great team doing a great work, together with Larry and Hollye Conway.

Larry Checks In

Larry and Hollye Conway are doing a wonderful work serving on the streets of Eastleigh and working with young people at the MITS Eastleigh Center. Often after going out on the "bases" to find the street kids, and the young men among whom Larry evangelizes, Larry will send us a note. Here's the latest:

Hello Charles and Francis, I wanted to write and tell you that Cugia is doing a good job. He is eager to please and seems energetic. I have noticed a positive difference lately.

Today, we walked to Majengo slums to see a street boy who has been badly burned on his buttocks and genitals. I had a hard time understanding what happened but basically, he was high, someone was burning plastic, and the burning plastic fell on him. It is so sad, we are trying to help him with a visit to the clinic we use in Eastleigh.

We then walked to Kariokor to see some street kids we have seen several months before. My son Andrew, Cugia, Moses, Jane and I walked there. We had to tiptoe over and above a ditch full of muck, oil, sewage etc. to visit these boys. Moses knows some of them. While we were there two men from across the street came over and started yelling at us and telling us to leave. Someone pushed one of the street boys who lost his balance and bumped into Moses. They both fell down into the awful muck. I thought I would just tell you that Moses handled himself very well in a tough situation. Cugia thinks one of the guys who came over may be with a sort of youth mafia sect. Anyway, I felt so sorry for Moses, but fortunately, he didn't get injured and he didn't have his phone with him so basically his white shirt will probably not be wearable again but that was the worst that happened. I was so impressed with Moses and his attitude.

God bless, Larry

(nb: Cugia is one of our own who came from the Eastleigh streets. Now that he is 18 he has begun working the streets with our Team. It is great to hear he is doing well. Moses is a young man who volunteered at Eastleigh for more than 6 months and has recently joined our Team.)

The picture is of Andrew Conway sitting at the first meeting of the Eastleigh Center Church of Christ with Kelly, a young man who came forward and asked the church to pray for him to escape drug addiction.

WANTED: A Few Good Recruits

Jackton Omondi, he of the tender heart, was in Kayole a few days ago getting parts for the big bus. He came across three street boys - Sam, George and Isaac. They say they are 8, 10 and 12 years old, all of them younger than the ones we take to live with us at Kamulu. The government doesn't want us to mix teens with younger kids, and our focus has always been on teenagers. But Jackton talked with these boys, and he cared deeply about them. They are in a homeless and hopeless situation. Jackton said, as he has before, "Isn't there something more we can do for these kids?" He got them something to eat and talked with them while they ate.

There is something that could be done. Please pray for it. And it isn't terrible difficult, because some of what is needed is already in place. At MITS we already have land where boys from the streets aged 5 to 12 could be housed, if someone would build the housing and take care of them. At MITS we already have leaders who have the ability to train other leaders in street ministry, in living with and loving and educating boys from the streets, and in helping kids progress in their relationships and faith.

What we need is someone to take the lead. We need 2 or 3 American Christians to raise support for themselves, to raise money for housing, food and a program led by Kenyans, to come to Nairobi and develop the program. Our Team can recruit and train the Kenyans who would do this ministry with you. And MITS will provide the land to build on.

It's just the thing that God wants to do. He himself goes to the garbage dumps and lifts the beggars out of the dirt and gives them a new life. And all you need to do is go along with Him and do your part. He is good and will not fail you.

And we will be your cheerleaders! So come over to Nairobi and help us rescue these kids. When you are through with them at 12, they can enter the regular MITS program and end up getting skills training from us. You are welcome.

And Jackton will be ever so grateful.

She Listened!

She Listened!

by Hollye Conway

Most days of the week several team members of Made in the Streets move from base (place of residence on the street for the homeless) to base. They stop and greet their homeless friends. They find out the news since they last met. They share a thought of hope of salvation. They encourage change towards obedience to God’s ways. They ask for prayer request and pray with their friends. They remind the people of how Made in the Streets would like to be of service and help to them. They invite them to our center for programs, showers, first aid, counsel, aid and prayer. The visits are appreciated.

Yesterday a visitor from California who is also a MITS board member went along for one of the days of visiting bases. She shared a beautiful thought of how our hands can either bless or curse others. She affirmed her love for these who are considered the most unlovable. She spoke a blessing over each new friend.

She noticed a woman with a tear running down her cheek. As she studied her she noticed that the woman did not have any shoes. This precious sister proceeded to remove the shoes from her feet and give them to our downtrodden friend. She still had a 3 mile walk back to our center thru mud, sewage and trash heaps with no shoes.

Later that evening we were tenderly sharing this with a friend and she exclaimed under her breath, “She listened!” We all have those moments when God nudges us to do something outside our comfort zone and we quickly turn up the noise in our lives to suppress His desire for partnership from us. She did not. She listened!!! I am challenged to listen … and act. Love, Hollye

15 Year Anniversary Celebration

The sewing skills students made a banner for the 15 Year Anniversary Celebration. And we did Celebrate!

Tables were set up in the Learning Center

courtyard for lunch, while the event took place outside the L.C. in tents rented for the occasion.

Our guest of honor was Nargis Manji, who operates an upscale

salon in a shopping center. She has taken in 6 of our girls and trained them in hairdressing and manicure/pedicure, sending some to Revlon School. Here Nargis is with Darlene and Charles and speaking about responsibility and learning to do quality work. She was very encouraging to the kids and Team, and she obviously appreciates the street ministry.

The students and Team working on the Celebration for several weeks, and their work was rewarded. Several friends of the ministry attended, including some preachers and the staff of Good News Productions, who have produced some of the music written by our own street kids.

The catering skills students baked 17 cakes so everyone would enjoy. Nargis and Darlene cut the cake together, and Nargis did what is a regular custom at big events here - she fed Darlene a piece of cake, then brought small pieces around to everyone in the speakers' tent.

Some of the girls sewed their own dresses for the occasion, and they looked great.

On Monday following the Celebration we talked after chapel about how good all of us feel. 30 former students came back for the Celebration, and it was a delight to see them. Some are married and have children. Most of them have jobs. And all of them were happy to see other former students and to see the Team. Some wrote letters which were read at the Celebration, expressing their happiness at being loved and cared for at Made in the Streets.