Difficult Decisions

In their effort to help street children and youth have a new life, the Team at MITS face hard decisions often. The basic policy about runaways from our Center is that "you are free, so you can run but you can't return." Normally we hold to that policy rigidly. But recently one of our more vulnerable and young girls, Prisca Kerubo, ran away at lunch time. She was quickly missed, and the team searched for her. She went back to Eastleigh, and Moses Gicharu, one of the Team based in Eastleigh, found her at Mlango Kubwa area. She was high on glue. He got her to return to the Center, but she ran again. When they found her next, they were sure she had been raped, so they took her to a local hospital. While waiting for the doctor, she ran again.

Then the Team found she had a mother, so they took her there. She ran again. Now her father has also shown up, but she will not stay with either of them. Mbuvi reports this about the Team working together to make a decision.

"Prisca was brought by her dad to the centre after she ran away from home on Monday. She looked high and both the dad and her begged tocome back to the farm. I told him of our policy, but also told him we could talk about it in our meeting. Most of the team would like for usto take her because they think she will not stay home. Phillip said MITS is the only place she has ever stayed for months without running away. He believes we can help her change. I think we will try her one more
time. Next week we will ask Moses Gicharu to start the process to bring her back."

Please pray for our Team's ability to make the best decisions for the kids. At least if they err in this case it is for the sake of compassion. Some decisions are more difficult than this one.

Mbuvi also reports that Joel Njue and the VBS crew are in Nziu leading a Vacation Bible School. His crew includes some Team members and some students at MITS. And that this week some of the students were taken to visit relatives at their homes.

Larry Conway Reports

Hello Charles,

Here is a photo of Jane Muthoni from the Lillyput base. She was baptized into Christ today (Sunday worship at the Eastleigh Center).

Moses is teaching the baptism/new Christians class (we started this class at Eastleigh since there have been several baptism since the church has been meeting at the Eastleigh Center, and these young people need lots of encouragement. They need to develop hope and commitment; please pray for them).

There were 30 adults and 23 kids there today (we also have a kids' Sunday school class).

Blessings, Larry

FRANCIS MBUVI Reports

Greetings,

The two new students, Peter and Mary, are doing well and are loving being in the farm. We are going on with classes and the masonry students have also had their lessons started. They say the stones are very heavy, and Wambu says they are determined. I hope we will have a good number of them love it so that they will use it to sustain themselves.

The team is doing well and they send their greetings. In the farm, victor is trying and working hard. I think with time we will see lasting improvements. The boys have not moved to the new dorm yet, Wambu says some doors and plumbing still need to be done and also he must install the tank. The salon training area at the skills centre has also not been occupied and Robin is working on the final touches.

Most of the sign boards have been installed as you advised and the two remaining will be done this week. Some areas still need painting like the girls' doors and the new dorm and the garage gate. All the others in the list that Darlene gave me are done.

A follow-up
I did ask Jane to follow-up with Dennis Baraza, the street guy who had a broken hand and we prayed for him during the last week before you all left. She reports that on the 2

8th of July, that evening, Baraza was brought to the MITS Eastleigh Center in critical condition. He apparently drank rat poison because he felt he was a burden and his chances of recovery were low. The team there rushed him to Kenyatta Hospital where he was treated. He was discharged a few days later. She said they are trying to locate him so that they can offer him the operation option and check on the prices too. Keep him in your prayers and the team as they try to help him and others on the streets. The picture is of Dr. Chad, who worked a medical campaign on the streets in July, inspecting our street guy.

The VBS was good and Joel Njue says they had an average of 87 kids daily.

John Wambu has gone to the Lands today to check on properties.

Mbuvi.

Street Base Work from Larry Conway

On Wednesday we visited the Jamaica base which is at what used to be a trash dump. They had been told by the police to tear down their shacks and rebuild them in another location. The MITS team pitched in and worked to help them rebuild their shacks. We worked for several hours helping them, and it was a great time to demonstrate the gospel in action. Francis, the administrator at MITS, was one of the first to start digging with his hands a hole for one of the posts to be installed. Some of the team members got dirty and others got blisters on their hands but we all enjoyed the opportunity to serve our friends at the Jamaica base.

Larry

Eastleigh Street Mothers' Program (by Mauryn)

16th August 2010

The attendance was 14 street mothers and 10 children. We started the programme at 10 am and had games together. We played my mother and your mother and Sarah Muthoni won the game. The other one was Kabuti and we didn’t find a winner because there were many who tied.
The last game of police case whereby we call names and you come inside the circle and dance.

We had some songs by individuals as they love that so much. Then I taught from the book of James, and the theme was the things that we hold to that don’t give us the freedom of Christ. They can have a better life which Christ died for, and it’s possible. They shared their
addiction to glue, prostitution and drugs, which they say they find it
hard to leave.

Veronicah, who had been at the centre hoping to be taken for skills school of hairdressing, ran away from the programme last Monday and today she came back and it was disheartening to see how she and her baby Stephen were looking. She was back on glue.

We served lunch for the mothers and children, and small children had some milk.

We thank God for the opportunity to be of service.God bless. Mauryn.

AND A NOTE FROM MBUVI ABOUT A NEW STUDENT AT MITS

Hi, it was a double blessing as Mary was also added to our family yesterday. She has shown desire to change by attending girls program always. She is 15 years and is 2 months pregnant. She will stay in the farm until 8 months pregnant, then we will send her to Eastleigh so she can go

to Pumwani Maternity Hospital. Please pray for her too.

Mbuvi.

Committing to Christ

There has been great interest in Jesus and living by faith lately at Kamulu and Eastleigh. In the first 4 week of opening the new church in Eastleigh, 9 people were baptized.

Out at Kamulu some of the younger boys asked Brien Ochieng, one of our older boys, about studying about Jesus and baptism. So Brian asked Darlene for some Scriptures and other information and started studying with them. The first session had 9 boys, and then in this picture from the second session, there were 15.

It is exciting to have a lot of young people interested in knowing Jesus, and also very gratifying that our older boys are trusted and willing to study with others. Here is a recent picture of Brian.

Pray for these boys and others who are ready to follow Jesus.