Jackton and Irene at Singing Oaks

Tonight the Coulstons and Jackton Omondi and Irene Akinyi met with a group at the Singing Oaks Church in Denton, Texas. Jackton and Irene are already becoming famous for their attire - as street kids. Watching Jackton come in the room with a gunny sack on his back, a glue bottle in his mouth, his ragged and dirty clothing and that vacant smile on his face is uncanny - it's like being on the streets in Eastleigh-Nairobi. He waves his "best friend" (the glue bottle) around and laughs, then asks for a handout, pockets someone's camera, then lets us know what it is like to be on the streets.

And Irene makes us feel the shame and pain of being a girl on the streets with a little baby, as she tells us how she survives and what brought her to this point in her life. The clothes she has on and the look on her face depicts exactly what the girls are like on the streets.

The group asked great questions, and Jackton and Irene answered with ease and knowledge. Then we had cake decorated with Kenyan symbols, grapes and strawberries and blueberries. A very nice evening, and the Coulstons are proud of the Team that does street ministry so well. And they were happy for Jackton and Irene to meet some of their relatives!

TEAM RETREAT

The Team of leaders of Made in the Streets enjoyed a retreat at Mountain Lodge near Mount Kenya. The weekend retreat was organized by Hollye and Larry Conway and led by Dan Spann of Knoxville, Tennessee. Here they are pictured having tea in the great outdoors, which they enjoyed very much, along with Dan's teaching and encouragement. The Team divided into two groups, with one going the first two nights. Then they were joined for one day by the second group, who stayed two nights also. They do this because MITS has the street kids in boarding 24/7/365, and there can never be time off for everyone. Darlene and Charles Coulston stayed with the kids for the day the Team groups overlapped.

The single moms from Eastleigh came out to Kamulu during the retreat so that all Eastleigh Team members could go on the retreat. One of the moms had her baby two days before the retreat, and little Yvonne (since renamed Hollye Wanjiru) did very well.

Milly and Kehl are shown here on the retreat in their matching T-shirts, which were given by South MacArthur Church during their "Camp Mtume" week with the students. The Coulstons have noted remarkable growth in Kehl in the past 2 months. Sue Dansby of Denton, Texas, is visiting with us now, and her expertise is child growth and nursery school. She is working with Kehl, with Milly and Jackton and with our kids in what we can do to help Kehl develop. We are so pleased that God blesses us with the people we need at the right time. Sue is also working with our single moms to teach them both child care and child development.

Birthdays at Made in the Streets

  Each month we have a birthday party for all our kids and Team with a birthday since the last party.  We had 7 today -- 1 Team member, 4 students from Kamulu and 2 of our young moms from the Eastleigh Center.  It was also a different day from normal for us, since almost all of our Team went to Eastleigh in the early morning to spend the day working on the streets.  Joel was stuck at a roundabout with a leaky radiator; he had taken our visitors to the pickup point for their safari.  Francis Mbuvi, fresh back from the States and on jet lag, Milly Omondi, Darlene and I had the kids.  

  They sang and read library books and played games and drew pictures -- Darlene is the master at activities for teenagers!-- and late in the day, Ken Owino walked up to me and said, "We really had fun today!"  Seven of the kids went away from the building when I had said "5 minute break, and when I say it, I don't mean 15" and were gone 15, so I got some help moving rocks and pulling goatheads out of the Learning Center lawn for 20 minutes.  We also went up to the boys' property in the afternoon to play basketball and soccer, but the only two balls we had wouldn't hold air, so Francis and I decided the kids wouldn't mind moving rocks and cleaning up trash in the boys' compound.  It look a lot better when we were through.

    

  Then it was birthday time.  After games, there were two big circles of about 25 kids each, plus Team members, each with 3 birthday kids in the middle, and they pass around a balloon, and when it stops, the person gets a chance to say something good about one of the birthday people.  This is a wonderful time that blesses kids who never had a birthday party before and who have seldom in their young lives heard good things about themselves.  

  And...today the catering school kids, under Laurent's leadership, baked the cakes for the party -- 6 of them.  They had fun, learned something, and made our day better.  Next time they will have a class in cake decorating from Darlene and we'll have even better cakes.  

  One of the special events was that Shannon Jack is here from California, and she and her mom are sponsors of Millie, the mom from the Eastleigh Center whose birthday is this week.  So she got to celebrate Millie's birthday with her.  

  These teenagers have such a good time together.  We are so proud of them and the way they act.  And so proud of many of you, who help us do this ministry.  We are all doing something very special together, making a new life for homeless and hopeless kids.  Have a Happy Birthday when it's your turn.

Francis Mbuvi Travels

Francis Mbuvi, administrator of Made in the Streets, left Nairobi on British Air last night for Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.  He will be using Darlene's cell phone  805 300-1359, so give him a call about the street kids if you wish.  His schedule is as follows:

April 24-26 South MacArthur Church, Irving, Tx

He teaches the high school class and leads communion in worship.

Contact is Tim Lewis  469 826-2126  

April 26-29 A & M Church, College Station, Tx

He speaks at evening worship and meets with Aggies for Christ to plan their trip to Nairobi.

Contact is Kelly Davidson  979 229-1311

April 29-30 Bammel Road Church, Houston, Tx

He speaks to a Wednesday evening class.

Contact is Jonathan Ross, worship minister

April 30-May 4 Campbell Church, Campbell, Ca

He speaks at Sunday worship and teaches class.

Contact is Garry Bortz  408 489-8570

May 4-8 Pepperdine Lectures

He will attend the Men's Fellowship Dinner and teach a lecture class.  He will be happy to meet with anyone who supports street ministry or who is interested in the future of street kids.

May 9-12 Conejo Valley Church, Thousand Oaks, Ca

He will teach a Sunday morning class and lead communion.

Contact is Andy Wall  805 331-0187

May 12-19 Otter Creek Church, Brentwood, Tn

He will meet with the MITS Board and attend worship at Otter Creek.

Contact is Suzette Wimpy  615 414-0777

If you are interested in talking to Mbuvi about meeting some needs of Made in the Streets in its work with street kids, the current areas of need are:

• Construction of our final Skills Training building for Agriculture and Welding ($17,000)
  
• Funding special interest day trips for our students, all former street kids ($300 per trip)
  
• Funding a shopping trip for the students once per month ($600 per trip; we give each $7)
  
• Building a greenhouse for farm development ($800)
  
•  Buying sweaters for students to go with uniforms (cool weather is approaching in Nairobi)
  

A few other extra-budget needs that Mbuvi can discuss with you.

Thank you for praying for Mbuvi, for praying for and helping street children.  

Perspective on Problems

HABAKKUK STORIES -  A PERSONAL LIST OF COMPLAINTS AND PRAISES

  by Hollye Conway

Recently, I finished a Bible study with some friends. One of the final things we did was to write our personal “Habakkuk list” from Habakkuk chapter 3, verse 17 & 18. I must admit I enjoyed the pity party! Here was mine:

~ though we have not had water in our taps for a week
~ though my dryer, car, stove burner are out of order
~ though my contact lenses did not come in on time
~ though the neighbor'S 18 dogs in the kennels are driving me insane
~ though my injured ankle is slow to heal
~ though I can’t be with my mom for her upcoming surgery
~ though I am missing important events in Andrew’s life across the ocean.
~ though too many people I love are experiencing deep pain
~ though so many we love refuse to accept Your salvation
~ yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior

The following day, Larry and I were at the Made in the Streets program at Eastleigh and my coworkers who usually lead the girls' program were unable to be with us. I had not come prepared with a lesson, but with the Habakkuk list fresh on my mind, we studied Habakkuk and then I asked the girls to write their own list. I told them the list was between them and God and they would not have to share it. Janet (16 years old) was the first to finish her list and asked me to read it and keep it. Here is Janet’s list:

~ even though my brothers and sisters and I do not have school fees to attend school
~ even though my mother has not paid rent
~ even though there is hunger in our home and sometimes we go to bed without dinner
~ even though my father has abandoned us
~ even though my grandmother died last week
~ even though my brother is sick
~ even though we beg for rent, food and medicine
~ even though all this, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior

Perspective is such an interesting thing. I felt ashamed of most the items on my list. May we realize that we are more fortunate than we imagined and deserve.

Please continue to pray for Larry and me as we attempt to connect the people we work with with the One who can absorb their pain with His love and that we can be channels of the Holy Spirit's love, grace and encouragement every day. Thank you. Hollye

This is Janet!

Eastleigh Streets

The core work of Made in the Streets is done on the streets where street children and street youth sleep.  Team members are there every day to meet new kids, to evangelize older youth and to find young teenagers who are good candidates for our boarding programs.  

They often find older youth sleeping or adrift on drugs at the bases.  When they find sober youth, they teach Bible lessons and 

give testimony about God's love and power in their own lives.  

Often the bases are up against a wall of an apartment building, and sometimes 25

 to 30 of varying ages will sleep there -- from 7 years old up to 25 years old, a

nd some of them will have babies or toddlers.  In this picture Kennedy Ouma has been teaching Bible and conti

nues to share with the young people; Anthony sits nearby - he usually gives a testimony of honor to God for His work in Anthony's life.  

Anthony prays for a young man who wants to make a commitment.  He has asked for help and for prayers that he can stop using glue and other drugs.  He wants to have a fresh start and be able to learn a skill so that he can leave the streets.  As long as he stays on the drugs, he will be stuck on the streets. 

Thanks to Larry Conway for these pictures, taken on this week's visits to various bases in Eastleigh.  

When You Give A Party

The Gospel of Luke records Jesus counseling us to give parties, but to be careful about who is on our guest list.  Our daughter and son-by-marriage give a New Year's Eve party every year, in California on New York time!  That's so families can have the hoopla at 9 pm Pacific Time. and still get their kids home and in bed by 10 pm.  They invite people of all kinds -- from church, from work, from the neighborhood -- and they especially think of three types of people -- 1) lower income, 2) people without family nearby, and 3) dear friends.  

We are grateful to all those who support Made in the Streets.  They make it possible for us to "give a party" to lots of street kids.  We give parties in Eastleigh to kids, girls with babies and youth who are sleeping on the streets.  We give parties at Kamulu to former street kids who live with us and who are in literacy studies or skills training or preparing to leave us for life outside.  We give parties to Sunday school kids and to the community at Kamulu.  

Francis Mbuvi reports that the Team and kids at Kamulu (plus all the ones livingat the Eastleigh Center) spent Christmas day talking and listening to music and having a great lunch together -- with roast goat and stewed goat and rice and beans and corn and chapati and other good things, including dessert provided by the Conways.  Here are Mna and Brian, two of the children of our young moms living at Eastleigh, at the Christmas lunch.

Oh, yes, I was going to mention Jesus' guest list.  Essentially it is "whoever is not able to pay you back."  These kids can never repay you -- you have done it Jesus' way.  Thanks! 

Holiday Highlights at MITS

This picture shows part of the crowd who came for the Christmas program at Made in the Streets - Kamulu.  For the first time we made a serious effort to go out into the community and invite people to come in and experience the holidays with us.  Our motivation was that we have had people spreading bad rumors about the ministry around Kamulu, and we were advised by a law enforcement officer to "get into the community and let them know who you are."  To our happy surprise they came -- 150 adults and 80 kids.  Francis Mbuvi reports that Jackton shared about the work of Made in the Streets with street kids while Francis himself did a sermon from the Gospel of Luke about Jesus coming into the world to be our Savior and made a call to them to respond.  Several of our current and former students from the streets performed, with the RTGz and Christ Warrior groups singing, with several students doing acrobatics and with Ken Wambugu juggling (Mbuvi says they were awed by his ability!)   We are grateful to Josh Horton of Thousand Oaks, California, for his training in juggling earlier this year.   

All in all, it was a great experience.  It let community people experience our kids and our Team, to see where the church meets and to hear what we do and who we are.  By God's grace, that will help in our relationship to the community and lessen the impact of those who would damage the ministry with their words.  

Visitors at Made in the Streets

We have always loved having visitors from churches in the USA spend time with us.  We know that some people are troubled by short-term missions for various reasons, but the many people who come and work with us for 10 days or 2 weeks or a month have been of enormous benefit.  

Our ministry is so complex that we can use almost any skill a visitor has, so we make good use of what people know and do all the time at their own work.  We have made good use of farmers, Bible teachers, educators, preachers, engineers, woodworkers, businesspeople, accountants, tailors/sewing skills, hairdressers, photographers, law enforcement officers, mechanics, event organizers, graphic artists, cake decorators, computer-oriented folk...there are more, but you get the idea.   

And sometimes what is most important is not the skill, but that it is combined with encouragement to our Team and to the kids.  And we find that visitors appreciate our Team and find them capable and energetic and loving and God-devoted, and that makes the Coulstons and Conways happy.  Because we have poured our hearts and energies into this Team, and we are thrilled to see what they have become.  

Maurice Colby of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, wrote me an email this week praising Ben Mwami, our farm manager.  He found Ben devoted to the farm, wanting to feed as many kids as possible, ready to accept new ways of doing things...how great!  

Time fails me to tell what wonderful things people have said about Francis and Jackton and Moses and Philip and others.  

Visitors get to do some wonderful things and have permanent

memories of the difference they can make in the lives of street kids.  This picture is a group from Thousand Oaks, California, who spent a week at camp with 9 street boys who came out to Kamulu the following week.  And all of them are with us now, most doing great in their studies, several baptized already, and none have had any thoughts about running.

We have a project going on now.  We are asking our Team and our students to make nominations for the Team member of the year and the Student of the year.  I've gotten several wonderful letters about different people.  It makes me rejoice greatly in our students as well as the Team.  Nominations cease on Dec 1, and we announce the awards on the 5th or the 7th.  So please pray that we can give honor where honor is due.  

If any of our visitors from 2008 would like to email me a nomination, I'd love to receive it.  And I'll let people know that you honor them.

peace and joy, charles

Help Needed for Growth

Made in the Streets has planned for the future to build facilities for early childhood education.  This week we received word from a local law enforcement officer that a group was planning to invade the land we have set aside for this development -- and where we only have corn and a few fruit trees planted now.  So we have broken ground to build a "First Steps" building and a housing unit for moms and babies so that we can start a learning program for children of street girls and children of our own Team members and also for the local community as there is space.  

This will stop the group from invading, as it will protect two corners of the property with buildings.

We will need about $30,000 to build both structures, so as the Lord as blessed you, please feel free to bless our kids!  And thank you in advance for your help.  Send checks to Made in the Streets, 409 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN 37027.  

Marriage and MITS

Aah..marriage is a wonderful thing.  And there is marriage in the air at Made in the Streets.  When I was 20 and ready to get married, I only knew one way to do it.  Two decide to get married, he asks her dad, then they tell everyone, arrange for the church and the preacher, get a license at the County Court Clerk, have a wedding, and rent an apartment.  In Kenya I have found there are other ways.  You can get a license from the government and have it signed by someone authorized by the government to perform your wedding.  Or you can schedule a wedding at a church, and it's legal and acceptable whether you have the license or not.  Or you can even have a community wedding, which means that you announce to and get the permissions of all the important people in your life and you are then married.  There is no inheritance guarantee with this last one, but it is acceptable in society.  

At MITS, we have a joyful event about to occur.  No, it's not one of our 5 Team members who have fallen in love and are looking forward to marrying one of these days (I won't mention who those people are here, other than to say that two of our women and two of our men are looking forward to marrying, so they will have to move out of the dorms into their own homes).  Our joy comes because two of our former students from the streets will have their wedding on November 15 at MITS-Kamulu.  They actually opted for the community wedding three years ago and have a son who will be 2 in November.  But they did not go through the complete process of the traditional wedding, which involves a face-to-face meeting of any parents the young people have who then announce their agreement in favor of the marriage.  In this case there is one family background that is almost impossible to deal with.  As a consequence, they have not felt truly and fully married.  

Today (Saturday, 25 October) they came to visit at Kamulu and made the decision to not only have a church wedding but to seek to get a license signed and registered also.  So we got out the wedding dresses that friends in the USA have sent over, as well as the wedding rings that have been donated, and Eliza tried them on and chose one.  And Laurent says she is beautiful.  He also said he has always heard that "a good wife is a blessing from God," and he knows that he is a blessed person.  

We met Laurent near the very beginning of Made in the Streets; he was 13 years old and had been living on the streets in an alleyway for three years.  He loved learning; Darlene's Mother, Dorothy Wright, taught him to read during her visits in Kenya.  Our Team introduced him to a head-teacher at a local primary school after he had been with us about a year and a half. He was admitted to the 7th grade in spite of never being to school because he had learned English so well. He took the 8th grade exam the following year, and the Team enrolled him in a local cooking school.  When he finished in 2003, by God's grace he obtained an attachment (apprenticeship) at the University of Nairobi cafeteria, where he continues to work.  Once he cooked a meal at the University and served the President of Kenya, and this year he cooked at a meal attended by the President and the new Prime Minister.  He is well liked by his superiors and fellow chefs, and of course we are very proud of him.  

Laurent continues to support his mother, using about 1/4 of his total earnings for her monthly support.  He contributes part of his salary to a pension fund, so there isn't a great deal left for them to live on, but they have an apartment and recently managed to get a DVD player to go with the TV.  And there are many stories of his generous spirit with others, especially toward kids on the street.  

So...on November 15 Laurent Mogambi and Elizabeth Wangare will be able to feel complete in their marriage.  This is only one of the reasons why we think doing street ministry is exactly where we ought to be.  

Land Problem Update at MITS

Thanks to all who have written comments and emails in regard to our land problem at Made in the Streets. Francis Mbuvi, our administrator, sought an injunction in high court on Friday to stop anyone from entering the premises at the 20 acres or interfering with MITS life. However, the judge wanted to leave early since it was Friday, so the case was not heard. Francis and the lawyer were allowed to enter all of the MITS documents and the plea, so that the case will be heard on Monday. We will wait until then to pursue other avenues. The people who invaded the land have begun digging a foundation. We are trusting God to be at work to protect our work for the street kids, to soften and change hearts and to make the right way for us.

Life at MITS goes on...Charles and Darlene are almost finished with the house and hopefully will move out of the girls' center by October 10. This week has seen the installation of window glass, painting, spackling, electrical wiring and installation of lights, drainage system and a few other odds and ends. Five of the young men at MITS are painting -- they are doing great work and have such a good attitude. It is nice to give the kids opportunity to earn some money. When they work at MITS or for one of us, we give them half the money now and save the other half for when they leave us, so they will each have some funds to start a new life.

Two girls had a fight today, and one's nose was hurt. We hope to slowly help the kids get anger and physical conflict out of their lives, but it is not an immediate process. That's one of the reasons we are sending Irene Akinyi to Daystar University to study counseling. We want our team to be able to guide the kids in better and better ways. Irene told me yesterday that because of her introductory course, she has already made some changes in the way she deals with the kids. That's good news!

Window glass was installed in the new girls' kitchen today, and repairs were made on their water system. Next week John Wambu plans to go to Eastleigh to make some repairs needed before the Eastleigh Center is approved by the Children's Office in this year's inspection. We have to redo the floor of the main hall and provide more ventilation in the girls' dorm; also we have to put higher barriers on the sides of the toddler beds.

Joel Njue reports that our efforts on behalf of older guys -- 18 and older -- on the streets are paying off. He found a government official working the National Identity Card office who has taken an interest in the young men. Joel and the Eastleigh Team are working to get National Identity Cards for 80 young men, and 21 will be served this coming week. They will present their documents and receive waiting cards; Joel will be informed in a few weeks that the cards are ready, and he will be able to pick them for the young men.

Darlene has begun teaching the Bible classes at the Learning Center, since Irene Mbithe started her maternity leave on Wednesday (Kenyans get 3 months off work for maternity leave). Darlene reports that the kids in all 3 levels are using English in class, with very little need for translation. She is pleased with the obvious progress and with their enthusiasm. She says that every student speaks up, asks questions and answers questions. The class is currently studying the Gospels, and this week has been taken up with the work of John and the baptism of Jesus.

I talked with several of the young people who are taking exams in November and December, and they feel confident they are ready. Several will take the 8th grade government exam (in English, Swahili, Social Students and Religion, Science and Mathematics), and others will take the Level 3 Auto Mechanics exam. One student will take the Level 3 exam in Tailoring.

Thank you for praying for us and for supporting us. Let the hungry and homeless children of the world be blessed.

Street Mothers Learn to Work

A STREET MOTHER LEARNS A SKILL

One of the young mothers -- Millicent Adhiambo -- got the chance to learn hairdressing at the Narcisse Salon for a month. The owner is Nargis Manji, who has been a great friend to Made in the Streets. Five of the young women who have been through MITS - Caroline Wanjiru, Catherine Ndetwa, Riziki Asha, Jane Wangare and Pauline Zainabu - are working for Nargis now. She has sent two of them to the Revlon Beauty Institute for advanced training.  Nargis took it upon herself to train Millicent, who is pictured with Nargis here.   It was something she enjoyed. Next week we will send Francis Cugia for training.

In this picture she is being taught how to mix hair chemicals as Nargis observes.

Millicent applies the chemicals she has mixed.

Life's Little Joy Moments

I haven't seen it, but I'm sure someone has written a book about "life's little joys". What I like is those little moments that come just because of what you are doing. Moments that are part of life itself, not only thoughts you have. I had one of those moments tonight. Anastacia is one of the girls we found at Grogan's Base in downtown Nairobi. There were several girls hanging around there, begging from passersby, getting and giving favors with boys, one of them with a mother and 3 more with an aunt who also lived on the streets and sold illegal liquor. She has been one of our smarter kids, and with Katera Bolander's influence, she has gotten fascinated with journalism. She interviewed a ranger when we went camping. She interviewed Red Cross workers at one of the internal displacement camps near Nairobi. And she has interviewed other students and teachers here and helped edit a newspaper for us.

Recently I set her up as a blogger (www.tashanjoki.blogspot.com/) so she could write every week and have her writing in public where she would be encouraged to improve and think about many things to write. And tonight I helped her write her first email. One of those moments to remember, to think of how far she has come. From the streets to the internet. And she felt great joy and a sense of accomplishment. Then we looked at her blog together and the comments she has received from readers in Texas.

Do something with a young person. You can live for a while on little moments like that.

peace and joy, charles