Sponsoring Street Youth to MITS

We are making a change in the way we handle sign-ups to be sponsors. From now on, Tim Lewis, who serves the street ministry in many ways, will take on keeping up relationships between students and sponsors. He will also be the one to sign up sponsors.

If you are interested in sponsoring one of the 9 new students in 2011 who do not yet have a sponsor, please write to Tim at

timannlewis@gmail.com

When you ask to be a sponsor, he will send you a name and a picture. Then you can immediately begin sending sponsorship funds in the amount of $75 monthly to

Made in the Streets

409 Franklin Road

Brentwood, TN 37027

Please send a note with your first check noting it is for sponsoring, and it helps if you give the name of your student. If you prefer to give another way, such as ONLINE (see the web site at www.made-in-the-streets.org ) or if you prefer to give a year at a time, or all at once, do so.

Soon after that you will receive from the Team in Nairobi some information about the student. From time to time you will receive a more current picture, an email or a letter from your student. From Tim or the Team you will receive major updates about your student's progress at MITS. If your student is 13 when entering MITS, you will be sponsoring for about 5 1/2 years. When a student reaches 18, we help him/her get a national identity card, when

sometimes takes 6 or more months. Meanwhile we help the student get in an internship at a business, get an apartment with another departing student, and remain involved in church life. About 3 months after a student gets a full-time job and begins receiving pay, we stop our support. So support can be needed 6 months or so after the planned time, depending on how long it takes for a student to become settled in life outside MITS.

Here is one of our new students who does not have a sponsor. Her name is Damaris, and this picture was taken the day she and two other girls came to Kamulu. She already looks different; if you sponsor her, you will get a new picture. Be blessed.

Easter Report from Mbuvi

Hope you had a blessed Easter Sunday. Our class had two groups (of 12 and 10) with discussions on Rev. 3:1-5 and Eph 4:29. There was a great discussion on whether the church is alive or dead. Some, like Alex and Risper believe that there are areas we are alive, such as singing and the sermon. They also saw areas that need awakening -- reaching out to others and youth programs.
In church, Ken Atsiaya (a farm worker) and another youth led us in giving and Lord's Table. Our sermon came from Philippians with an emphasis on the empty life, the empty cross and the empty tomb which show how much God gave for us in our emptiness so we can be filled with life, hope, forgiveness and salvation.

We had songs from Agnes and the praise team. We also had some older members come in after the kids left for Sunday school. We then had over 100 people in worship. We praise God for loving us this much.

Street Kid Base Report

Sometimes we have no choice but to report things that break our hearts. We know they break the heart of God also and that Jesus has tears for the struggles of small children, helpless to prevent what happens to them. This report from Francis Mbuvi came from his visit to a street kid base on Friday last week.

"We have always known the bases and streets in general are a hard place to be in, let alone growing up there. It is a struggle for the young boys and girls as well as for the youth. I have seen some of the greatest horrors over a period of time but nothing prepared me for what I was to see yesterday. A young boy, malnourished, alone, dirty , no food , full of lice, fleas and with wet clothes that only half covered him!!!!! This young boy is actually 11 months, can not talk or walk and at the " mawaya" base. I was praying for him as the team evangelized to the women in this base. I had to do something, I bought milk for him and the others there. I know this is not enough, but I also knew I relieved his pain for that time. We left him eating his "dirty" ugali (they corn meal mush eaten by Kenyans, dirty means it was picked out of the garbage). He cried because some older guys started a fight which involved broken bottles and pieces of metal!!! We were all sad as we left, for both the child and the young man who was beaten. We truth both their lives and ours too, strongly in God's able hands. The reality of life in the bases, forced on us. Remember to keep the team and those in the bases in your prayers." Mbuvi.

Be in prayer for us, that we might some day be able to develop a ministry that can take in small ones and rear them in God's great love. Meantime, we will seek to find someone who can take in this child and care for him. Our Team feels great compassion for the small ones on the streets.

As always, send contributions for street ministry to

Made in the Streets

409 Franklin Road

Brentwood, TN 37027

Peace and Joy,

charles coulston

Francis Mbuvi Reports

We hope the Board meeting went well and lots of good decisions made. Thanks for being there.
We had a good time in church, with 3 groups of 7 to 10 in our morning class. In church Alex Atema is one person who seems to be coming up. He did the Lord's table and even had googled the material he talked about -- very thoughtful. James Mwangi led us in giving.

Brian Kweyu came to church and he even asked that we forgive him and bring him back.
The youth are at the Youth Conference in South Nyanza. We eagerly await to hear about the trip.

Blessings to all, Mbuvi

BREAKING NEWS at MITS

Have your kids, or you, ever gone out and found a lost pet or a damaged bird and brought it home? I remember finding a young crow that had fallen from a nest and pierced a wing on a thorn. It lived at our farm house for about a year, then one day it saw other crows flying and it went away to join them. I saw it only one time after that. One day I was walking outside our house, and I saw a crow being chased by a flock of smaller birds. The crow saw me, flew down close to my shoulder until the other birds flew away, then left me for the last time.

On Friday, April 1, most of the MITS Team at Kamulu went into Eastleigh and fanned out on the streets - looking for new kids, encouraging ones they already know, talking about trusting Jesus, especially wanting to talk to kids 13 or 14 years old.

And they brought kids home with them -- 4 girls -- Veronica, Terry, Lydia and Damaris. And one day these kids will FLY!!! And in troubled times they will know they are beloved and can come to us, and can draw near to God, in perfect confidence.

Want to sponsor one of them? Let me know at

charles.coulston@made-in-the-streets.org

THE BOOK

MADE IN THE STREETS BOOK AVAILABLE

Note that on this page you can now order a copy of our first book on the lives of street kids. Here are 9 stories to touch your heart and lift up your desire to serve and to give of yourself for the sake of the poorest of the poor. You will fall in love with these kids.

Please note that the Coulstons have the following schedule

Redwood Church in Redwood City, CA - April 10

Otter Creek Church in Brentwood, TN - April 17

Conejo Vally Church in Thousand Oaks, CA - May 1

Pepperdine Bible Lectures - May 2-6 (Class Thursday 3:15 PM)

Return to Kenya - May 10

Be blessed. As always, when God blesses you with good things, we invite you to bless the street kids with your support. Send checks to

Made in the Streets

409 Franklin Road

Brentwood, TN 37027

you can also donate online - see the sites at

made-in-the-streets.org

and

madeinthestreets.blogspot.com

Thanks for your care and interest. The 28 new kids are continuing with MITS, with a few bumps, but already they are learning to read and write and to live together in peace.