Prepare for First Chapel

The Octagon is almost complete, and the Team and students are getting ready for the first chapel to be held in it. The church will also be using this building for meetings. What a great blessing to have this. Cecelia Mwenza, one of our street moms, who studies sewing, is doing the final cleaning for chapel.

Our CHALLENGE GRANT is still going on. And we still need the funds so we can build classrooms to go with the Octagon. MITS deeply appreciates all help given to this project.

Please send checks to Made in the Streets, 409 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN 37027, or go online at the web site made-in-the-streets.org and donate online.

Send an email to charles.coulston@made-in-the-streets.org to let us know of your contribution toward the Challenge.

Church at the Bases

Francis Mbuvi reports:

"Discovery Bible Study

We sent Byron to Isiolo for the CPM (Church Planting Movement) mission where they spent one month evangelizing and making disciples as well as planting churches. It was a great eye opener for him, and he says he learned to be bolder as he visits bases. This week on Monday, there was a reporting time at the Lifeway Mission where they reported on what the Lord did through them during that time.

There are many who have not embraced the Gospel of Jesus in the Bases and other parts of the world. We hope to implement a part of what he learned in building up the church. Thanks for your support and prayers for the work here."

We are continuing in our effort to train our student in what is often called the "Discovery Bible Study" approach to learning Scripture, doing evangelism and encouraging obedience to Christ. Byron went on this trip to gain experience in using the DBS to evangelize and start small churches meeting in homes. Our hope is that our students will leave MITS when they are 18 with the ability and courage to evangelize, to lead DBS and to use their apartments as a place for believers to meet and share Scripture with others.

Base Visits in East Nairobi

DOONHOLM and SINAI BASES

"Today we had the opportunity to visit Mutindwa Base where we met 8 women with their children. They all come from the Sinai slum where there was a fire tragedy that left over 80 people dead. They had not been directly affected, but they had lost seven of their friends. We encouraged them and prayed with them then went to Doonholm base.

We met 9 boys but only 7 stayed to listen to us. One of them read Psalm 12 for us, and Byron talked about it. Most of them were on glue and we asked them to learn to respect God and not glue. We had a blessed time then prayed before we left."

from Francis Mbuvi

Business Courses

Francis Mbuvi reports about one of the Bible courses that is part of the "4.30" Business preparation courses that Made in the Streets gives to the students who are in skills training. They are the 4.30 courses because of the time they meet.

"Our 4.30 class has been doing well. We are looking at "Relationships at Work", and yesterday the students did a skit on "conversation and table manners." It was such a good time as they practiced what they had learned. Darlene, thank you for helping put these courses together."

The business courses are very helpful in preparing the students to go into the work force. Since none of them have seen a model of business or work in their childhood, it is important that they have courses and practice in a wide variety of areas. The courses include "How to Get a Job", "How to Keep a Job," "Business Ethics," "Relationships Outside of Work," "Budgeting," "Office Practice," and "Computer Networking."

Bread of Life

At Doonholm Base we shared the word of God with them, but we also shared some bread with them. Most of the boys are between 12 and 16, and we had pity on them. After the "bread of life" we bought bodily bread to ease their hunger. We thank God for them.

by Francis Mbuvi

Danger Areas

Many of our friends will have seen the news that a fuel pipeline explosion occurred in Nairobi. The pipeline is gasoline, and the line burst with the fuel running downward into local streams. Many people were attempting to fill containers with fuel when the explosion occurred. Also people had built small houses on the pipeline land over the fuel line. So there was chaos and people severely burned, and many lost their lives.

We have two girls living with us at Kamulu who came from that area. They both have relatives at the local "base" where street kids gather at night. We do not yet have information on whether any of the relatives were hurt.

This area is along one of the roads on the East side of Nairobi that runs north to south to the airport. We do not go that way to the airport, since the Eastern Bypass was opened on the other side of the airport. It is possible to get around Nairobi without having to go through that area. We are very sad for all the people who have been hurt or suffered loss. It is another of the consequences of living in a city and especially of living with poverty. May our God be comfort to all, and may the work of the church bring about a better world, and a world where people take care of one another.

Jump for Joy

Made in the Streets has assets! And our most precious asset is the Kenyans who serve street kids with their love, their time, their strengths.

This picture was taken the day Tony Mauldin, an old and dear friend, visited us with a group from Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. They did a great job of teaching our Team about business, about youth ministry and about writing, as well as having some inspirational singing time with all of the MITS family.

Here Joel Njue, who has served in street ministry since 1999, jumps for joy. Joel provide inspirational and steady leadership. He loves to learn, and he is in a business studies program at United States International University, and he passes on what he learns to our students. He is very happy when one of our students achieves an internship or a job, when they find housing and have any success, as he is joyful over his own achievements. He helps all of MITS keep our lives in context, by reminding us often of where we have come from, of our history, of the things we have learned, and of what our objectives are. He has a strong desire for young people to grow up in good things, to be restored to Christ, to confidence, to a good direction for their lives. And he treats all the students with equal kindness - he wants to include all of them in MITS' plans for a good future.

We are proud of the strengths Joel has to offer street ministry, the Team and the students. We think he is in exactly the right place to effect God's wonderful plan for our ministry.

We are grateful for the support of friends of street kids who enable our Team to continue their work. By way of reminder, you can buy the book of street kid stories from the web site www.made-in-the-streets.org . And when God has enabled you to jump for joy and you want to support this work of Christ, look at the web site for details. Be joyful!