Needed at Made in the Streets

Some of our friends often ask us, "what do you need at Made in the Streets?"

Holidays are coming! Christmas will be here soon! We have our kids year round and do not send them anywhere "for the holidays."

But we do want them to have the life experience that people with homes have. So we want to "let school out" and have a happy time together.

***a family day with any relatives invited out for a meal

***a trip to see some place in Kenya they have never seen

***a shopping trip into the city to get a present for someone else at MITS

***a picnic somewhere in Nairobi (crocodile farm, arboretum, water park....)

***a meal together on Christmas day with decorations and treats

***a present of clothing and a special meal for a few hundred children and youth on the streets

We know the economy around the world has not been so good lately. We also know that God has blessed some of our friends with a spirit of generosity. So help us if you wish. And thanks!!

As usual, donate online at the web site www.made-in-the-streets.org

or send check made out to Made in the Streets to

Made in the Streets

409 Franklin Road

Brentwood, TN 37027

From Francis Mbuvi

Yesterday we visited the Mutindwa Base and met with 18 boys and two girls. We observed that they were using the new drug called "kalaloo" which is like jet fuel. We went ahead and taught them to keep themselves clean from those evils since they are God's creation. We also took them to a kiosk nearby and bought them "madondo" (beans with ugali). One of them said after the lunch that they would elect me their MP!!! We were glad to bless.

Francis Mbuvi

Notes:

A "Base" is a place in the slum where street kids gather at night to share the food they have gotten (by finding it in garbage, by begging, by working, by stealing) and sleep.

"Jet fuel" was an illegal brew people in various parts of Kenya started making several years ago. It only took a small glass to make someone drunk/dizzy. But if they drank it once or twice a week for a few months hair began to fall out, wrinkles appeared and they began to walk with a limp - aged before their time. The team is worried about what this new drug, poured in the hand or in a rag, sniffed through the nose or mouth, will do to the kids.

"Ugali" is a firm cornmeal mush that most people in Kenya eat. It is made by pouring finely ground corn meal in boiling water and stirring while it cooks. It becomes firm enough to cut with a knife and is then eaten as is or used to dip into a sauce of tomatoes, onions, and maybe cilantro.

An "MP" is an elected government official.

MITS Youth in Church

Francis Mbuvi reports about Sunday morning at Kamulu:

"Hi, hope you had a good time in church. We did here. We had a good time sharing in our morning class about the tongue and teachers with their responsibility. We started by reading the text then shared. He did a "Turn to your Neighbor" and a question-answer time. We were blessed. This is a pic of the group reading James 3."

Mbuvi also reports that Ken Wambugu continues to grow in his ability to deal with students at MITS and in his leadership role. Here is Ken leading communion in the worship period. Ken is now 18, has finished his studies in auto mechanics at MITS, and he has begun to work for the ministry as an assistant dorm supervisor, as a driver and as an assistant auto mechanics teacher. As time goes by, he will become primarily a driver.

Kamulu Church Life

Greetings!! Hope you had a good time in church. We had a lesson from the book of James and it was very powerful. After the sermon, a woman called Barbara called me and said "Asante preacher -- hiyo somo ni yangu Leo" (thank you, the lesson was about me today.) We talked about how to overcome temptations and she is going through a
hard time with her husband living with his mother in Kipawa. She just cried as she narrated her struggle. Mauryn and I later visited her and shared some food with her.

Apart from that we also had a baptism. Pamela Obare had been taught by the women and today she decided it was time. It was so much joy.

Blessings, Mbuvi.

(Note: recently we made home visits to people in our community, taking them a candle and a box of matches -- because everyone here experiences blackouts and need candles at night. On the box of matches we put a phone number for the church and the message: "we are free to be friends." That is one of our objectives as a church -- to create community and friendship at Kamulu. Our other goals are to love children and to help people know God. Anyway, the women have visited people and continued to teach )