“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

John 7:38

One of the great blessings of being a part of the Jubilee Village Project is knowing that this endeavor is not of man, but has been ordained by God.  One of the great temptations / traps of being in global community transformation work is being deceived to believe that “we are the River” and the “we are the blessing to the village”, when in fact we are just a stream joining the River of God that has been flowing in the hearts and souls and community of Kager village for centuries before us.

Oswald Chambers presents a great teaching about the River and how each of us, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit only, get to be streams of living water to those around us when we follow the course He has set before us.  Here is what Brother Chambers has to say:

“A River touches places of which its source knows nothing, and Jesus says if we have received of His fullness, however small the visible measure of our lives, out of us will flow the Rivers that will bless to the uttermost parts of the earth. We have nothing to do with the outflow – “This is the work of God that ye believe. . . .” God rarely allows a soul to see how great a blessing he is.

A River is victoriously persistent, it overcomes all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, then it comes to an obstacle and for a while it is baulked, but it soon makes a pathway round the obstacle. Or a River will drop out of sight for miles, and presently emerge again broader and grander than ever. You can see God using some lives, but into your life an obstacle has come and you do not seem to be of any use. Keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you round the obstacle or remove it. The River of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never get your eyes on the obstacle or on the difficulty. The obstacle is a matter of indifference to the River which will flow steadily through you if you remember to keep right at the Source. Never allow anything to come between yourself and Jesus Christ, no emotion, or experience; nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.

Think of the healing and far-flung Rivers nursing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up marvellous truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is an indication of the wider power of the River He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished in you mighty torrents of blessing for others.”

Below is a report from David Kayando, Village Lead Champion, on the already felt impact from the JVP Bible distribution outreach program.  Through this program, JVP provided the financial resources to purchase 400 Bibles in the villagers native language (Luo), enough Bibles for every family in the village (total cost = $2400).

This purely makes me cherish what the kind of vision the Lord has given the Jubilee Village Project, and it is only our calling to follow. From my experience and service in the Kingdom, one may have a vision and a desire to serve God in some way. The vision may not be clear right from the beginning, but the burden will continue to increase. The clarity of the vision may not be clear on what structures to use, the pattern, the way and the challenges to expect, but simply obedience to follow God’s call in our lives, becomes the pillar of security as one moves along the path, that otherwise could be unknown.

 JVP’s vision to do an holistic ministry, by considering both the physical and spiritul lives of the people, makes it distinctive in its work, and I believe the simple obedience of faith and willingness to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit is vital and a major driving force in any success seen in any sector.

Why do I talk like this?  Because the idea of Bible distribution was not an important project to undertake looking at the magnitude of the poverty index in the community, but the Lord wanted it to be done in good time.  I am so grateful to the Team Indiana Partners for accepting to follow God and allow the will of God to be done in their lives as they remain obedient to walk with God in every step.  During Mummy Linn’s first visit to Kager (Sept 2009), the desire to have a copy of a Luo Bible was shared when she met the women leaders of the village church,   She took this seriously and shared this great burden with the Team Indiana Partners, who moved more quickly than I expected to secure 50 copies of the Bible. These Bibles were then delivered and distributed when Ned, Tony, Doug and John McK visited in the next month.

This simple act of faith exposed the earnest desire of the people of Kager and beyond to begin their frequent visit to Kager Center to ask for a copy of the Bible.  I realized that, as much as many people may look rebellious when it comes to public call to accept Christ or learn from Him in meetings, inside their heart there is a longing and a thirst to know who God is and what He wants mankind to do.  From that first distribution which went to the JOY Kitchens women and Vision Centre (church) women leaders, many people have confronted me with the request to own a copy of God’s word. 

At the end of last year, the Lord increased this into the heart of brother Ned, who shared with me a deep burden to see a Bible placed in every home in Kager during the Easter Holidays in April 2010.  I knew it was the Lord who spoke, and I wanted this to be given some level of importance and urgency.  We have followed God in leading us and by doing so, the Lord has had His will alone be done in the lives of the people of Kager and beyond. 

On the 1st of June, 2010, the Lord gave us His grace as Champions and and as members of the Body of Christ of all Kager village to come together as a family and go out to share God’s Word with the people of Kager.  As is the same in the USA and other countries around the world, Kenya and Kager are also victims of denominational discrimination.  The boundaries created by different denominations is a virus that haunts the Church worldwide, and continues to fringe the freedom of fellowship among the entire body.  This is one thing the Lord would like us to be free from, as much as there could be doctrinal issues that warrants the difference, I pray the Lord should help us realize that we are one family.

 Apart from the Champions, we had four representatives from five Churches in Kager.  Each team that went out consisted member of different churches along with one or two Champions.  I am glad to report that this was a family serving their Father in heaven in unison, with love and with clarity of mind, considering each one as a brother or sister in the Lord. 

We went out and distributed so far 122 Luo Bibles in the village.  The reports from team members indicates the great enthusiasm by which they were received into the homes.  They found chance to pray with the sick, encourage the weak and lead people to Christ.  In my team we went to 21 houses and shared about the saving grace of Christ to those who have not believed, and prayed with sick and on different needs.  One family (see picture) was a man in Kager whom we found sick and on bed, but when he saw us, his face brightened and began to share with us so openly about his quest and earnest esire to come to the Lord.  He said for 12 years he served God faithfully but then he backslided, and since then, he has led a very pathetic life, with nothing good to count on.  He is a very energetic man, a hardworker, but from his own lips, he bares the brand of shame, poor, and defeated which should not the case.  His family is fragmented, and he had no hope in what the fuure has for him. 

Thank God for the opportunity we had to share God’s love with this family.  He called his available children and gave them the chance to make their own decision about Christ, of which three of them accepted the Lord along witheir Father.   Praise God the next surprise was for them was a Bible in their Luo tongue.  We both left the house with the peace of Christ and our ”mission accomplished”.   As the Bible says that heaven is moved when one sinner repents, I believe it was much more moved with four people coming to the Lord.  May the Lord help this man called Joshua Malela and his family to love Christ and learn to grow from Him.  I also ask us all to pray with him, as he has struggles in getting out of smoking both cigarrete and bang, which have become very strong addictions to him, and keeps him in bondage and for his general health.

We continue to receive requests for the Bible beyond the village, and I feel we cannot deny giving anyone God’s Word if we have it. ‘Freely you have received, freely give.”

The Lord bless,

David 

Education Global Partner, “Mummy Linn” Asbury, recently returned from her two week visit in Kager and she reports with a big smile that village transformation is readily apparent.  A new Village Greenhouse has sprung up in a formerly vacant field, FAITH (Food Always In The Home) Gardens are being planted, electricity is glowing in the largest village church and community center, and children are attending a secondary school right in the village, (as opposed to five miles away).  Lives are being transformed as JOY Kitchens women’s groups are expanding, new Microenterprise initiatives are begun and hope is restored.  Best of all, God is showing His hand as the River of His love and grace continues to flow through the lives of everyone associated with JVP.  Linn’s personal testimony is below:

“I’ve never been a particularly sentimental type, but as I start to write about my two weeks in Kager during Village Visit #5, I find the tears creeping up and my breath getting shallow.  It’s the kind of thing mere humans could never devise – ‘growing’ a new family 8000 miles from my blood relatives, and at warp speed of under eight months.  Understanding God’s purpose in this (the super-speedy relationships) and seeing His hand in the way JVP is making a difference in Kager is downright blatant…in the most wonderful, reaffirming way. All I know for sure is that somewhere in the past few months, most of my Kager family has begun calling me “Mummy Linn” and it’s a name I’m proud to be growing into.

Until this visit, I’d only been in Kager for one life-changing day last fall.  The relationships begun in that few hours grew deep and fast, leading to my being invited to return to Kager to speak at their Women’s Conference. Through the help of an anonymous benefactor, I was able to make the trip knowing that speaking at the conference would be a small part of my ‘mission.’   As it turned out, the conference itself morphed into a full-scale village revival every single night – and I had the opportunity to teach a multitude of lessons both to the women during the day and the villagers at night.  Speaking (through an interpreter) where it seemed every person was on the edge of their seat listening to me was a huge encouragement.  It’s most definitely not my skillful presentation style, but their sincere eagerness to hear the Word of God delivered in a highly relational way. They were hungry, though not for food. Many couldn’t read, yet understood, with a yearning desire to hear God’s will for their lives.  There is almost no money and very few possessions in Kager, yet the one thing they do have is one we Americans often find so difficult to attain:  Joy.  And that brings me right back to one of the great blessings in Kager:  the women of Joy Kitchen.

In the eight months between visits to Kager, the 16 women of the JOY Kitchens group has lost one member to a tragic death and added another 16 new members.  The structure of JOY Kitchens groups is a core group of 8 women who study the Bible together, put a small amount of communal savings away at each meeting, and support one another in all aspects of challenging village life.  These women are the backbone of Kager, with heavy responsibilities in frequently impossible situations.  They are the ones whose eyes light up when discussions about microenterprise opportunities are mentioned; they have initiative, energy, determination and one another. It’s no coincidence that the microenterprise initiatives currently being funded through JVP are being operated by women who belong to JOY Kitchens groups.  Each core group of 8 is expected to reach out to the other women in the community and help develop new JOY Kitchen groups, multiplying the benefits within the village. They are evangelists, pure and simple. The ‘hard goods’ involved in becoming a JOY Kitchens woman (fireless basket cooker, upesi stove, water purifier, solar lantern, smokehood/chimney, home canning) are all good things – but by far the most valuable aspect of becoming part of a JOY Kitchens women’s group is the empowerment gained when women collaborate.  And it’s even so much better because the collaboration has at its’ center a growing relationship with Christ!

Beyond the Women’s Conference, I was privileged to tour Kager’s three primary schools and the recently-opened (February God Kado Secondary School.  While it broke my heart to learn the realities of four kids sharing one book, lack of latrines (not to mention water), and a long list of horrendous impediments to education, I was still encouraged to see how many solutions are in the works through JVP.  Planting gardens at schools (to feed the kids) is beginning to be a reality; four balls (doesn’t sound like a big deal, does it?) are at the secondary school now so kids can exercise and learn healthy competition during lunch; there’s a hope that the school ‘kitchen’ floor (actually just a tin shed with a three-rock stove) will be covered in concrete to cut down the dirt.  And the parents are organizing to conduct fund drives within the village which helps ensure that education will be sustainable long after JVP moves onward.  Before long (if the fund drives are successful), there may even be electricity in the schools, a huge step forward in Kager.

Each JVP Champion in Kager (with a Global Partner counterpart here in Indy) has his/her own set of challenges and they are not insignificant!  I listened to each of the Champions discuss not only problems, but potential solutions.  The common thread which weaves back and forth across these 8000 miles is the hope we all have in Christ. This is the hope which transforms — really transforms — people and villages.  God’s will is being played out in ‘loving color’ through a group of Jubilee Village Project Champions, Partners and Supporters.  It’s a privilege to witness this transformation as one of the (distant) elders of the village of Kager.”

Mummy Linn

Jessica travelled with and was introduced to the people of Kager village by Linn Asbury, JVP Education Global Partner, and will be living in Kager for six weeks.  During this time, she will be conducting over 50 Household Surveys to help JVP establish “baseline measures” to monitor the village’s progress to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.  Jessica will also be interviewing and sharing the stories of villagers whose lives are beingn transformed through their participation in a variety of Jubilee Village Project programs.

Click here to link to Jessica’s stories on the World Next Door website.

On Friday, April 23, over 200 adults and kids gathered at East Street Studios for the first ever Jubilee Jam — a night of coming together to end world poverty.  Check out the picture album below (thanks Peter Bick for the great photos)!

The evening was full of engaging dialogue as people were free to move between each of eight community sector booths and talk to JVP Global Partners about the work being done in Kager village.  Special guests included Megan Miller, IU-Kenya Partnership, and Will Austin, Institute for Affordable Transportation.

Tony Wolf kept the night rolling with his special blend of comedy and worship.  The 4-man drum group, Griot Drum Ensemble, provided authentic African drum music throughout the evening.  Exceptional programs were provided by Fuel VM.  And Global Partners Linn Asbury, John McKenzie, Doug Kyle and Tony LeCount shared amazing stories of life change beginning to take place as the work of the Jubilee Village Project is starting to take root and grow in Kager village.  Hellen Gichohi and Ned Campbell closed the evening by inviting everyone to “join the River” through personal involvement, network contacts and/or financial support.

Thanks to all of the volunteers that made this great night possible, and for the following food sponsors that made “gnoshing” possible throughout the entire evening: Black Diamond BBQ,  Bridgewater Club, Chick-Fil-A, Jonah’s Market, McAlister’s, Naked Tchopstix, Ruth’s Chris, Scotty’s, Shapiro’s, Trader Joe’s and ZING.

And in addition to the great food, great fun and great fellowship…people learned of a GREAT CAUSE and their opportunity to support the Jubilee Village Project.  Over 80 Jubilee Jars were taken home to collect loose change for the Project, 3 people committed to being Jubilee Benefactors (monthly supporters) and over $6,000 was raised for the Project (and more is expected).  Praise God for blessing the Jubilee Jam!

Here is a report from Rose Ogenga and Mary Akumu, two members of the Nyakidi Women’s Group, who received the first “group microloan” in November 2009 to start a poultry raising co-operative:

The Nyakidi Women’s Group started two years ago by a group of women who had the desire to improve their lives and that of their families considering the pathetic situations they were in.  The group, which consists of about 18 members, meets every Tuesday to work in a farm for a non-member to earn a wage, or work in a member’s farm to support each other.

In order to effectively improve ourselves, we desired to start an income generating project of Poultry Keeping.  Through the loan of KSHS 30,000 ($400) through the JVP Kijiji Benki (Village Bank) program, we have been able to build a shared chicken coop, bring in more chicks, be able to buy chick feeds and be able to use vaccines.  We keep local breeds for meat, and also plan to have some for eggs.

We are so grateful to JVP who has helped us greatly by giving us a loan to  We are now able to bring up healthy chickens which fetch good money in the market.  This is greatly changing our lives by empowering economically and also improving our diet in the family through chicken meat. The fact that we have this project running has also created unity amongst us, and reduce family challenges caused by idleness among young women.

We find it a real blesing to have JVP behind us, since they have become a major pillar in improving our lives through their sustainable development program.”

The report below is an update from George Amimo, Food & Farming Champion, on the Model Farms program in Kager village:

“We continue to enjoy the Lord’s favor and love, in what we do here as JVP.  The change that is so long dreamed of, continues to pursue us even when we are asleep. From the desk of Food & Farming, I want to say it has been really good to learn of new techniques of Model Farming and the introduction of new crops in the village.   Through this we have learnt of unfamiliar crops like butter nut quach and bulb onions that are suitable with the soil in our village. Thank God for all that has happened.

In the year 2009, we started with only 4 farmers in the first season, that was Round 1. In Round 2, our Food & Farming Partner, John Cory, shared with us the idea of increasing this to 12 farmers. In round 1, the four Model Farmers were provided with the following:

• Money for cultivation (1 and 2 cultivation)
• Quality seeds
• Fertilizers, both CAN and DAP
• Money for weeding ( 1 and 2 weeding).

Round 1 Model Farmers increased their production threefold and they shared their produce with the JVP on a 50-50 basis, which was successfully done.  The grains (maize / sorghrum) that was profit shared from Round 1, were kept in the JVP Community Center and was later sold back to the community in the month of December 2009, when there was low supply, but a higher demand.  This was sold at an affordable rate . This already brings to our mind the process of sustainability of food security.   The proceeds from the sale are kept and will be used as working capital for the next round of the Model Farm program. 

In Round 2, the number of Model Farmers was expanded to include 8 new farmers (and the initial four).  There were modifications made to the program to promote more engagement and ownership in the program, as well as reduce the overall cost of the program.  Each farmer was to cultivate their own farms at their expense, while JVP provided for the following:

• Quality seeds
• Fertilizers of CAN and DAP
• Money for weeding

On comparison, there has been increased production in Round 2 compared to Round 1.  During Round 1, there was a heavy season of rains that rendered the crops stunted in growth, curling of the leaves which resulted in low production.  In Round 2, we had a moderate rainfall that was good for the growth of the crops, despite the challenge of a dry spell that occured in October, which interfered with the perfomance of the crops as well especially with beans which all dried up, and we expect to harvest from beans.  At the moment, most of the Model Farmers who participated in Round 2 have done their harvesting and are currently shelling the  corn from the cobs.  This is a real work, and it is my prayer that soon we will have a shelling machine in the community to help with this process.  This takes long as it is currently done manually by hands.  As agreed, we expect that the 12 Model Farmers will share the produce with JVP on a 30% basis as was agreed initially. 

I pray the Lord will help us have the Basic Utility Vehicle be repaired and function so as to collect all the grains from the farmers and bring them for storage at the Community Center.  The grains will be stored in the sacks, but we are thinking of a better storage bin, like the plastic tank to act has a storage tank, to have all grains stored in one place and preserved against insects and pests using preservatives.  We anticipate to store them there until we have low supply in the market and the demand begins to increase, then we will later sell them to the community.

Agriculture is the backbone and major economic activity in our village.  In regard to Round 3 of Model Farming with JVP in Kager, we have floated the following ideas, and would look foward to your thoughts and ideas: 

1) Partners to help us buy Quality Seeds and Fertilizers to sell to villagers at more reasonable prices.  Having these important ingredients for farming with us in the JVP Community Center, we can sell these at an affordable price to all the farmers in Kager who would like to improve their farming production.  In the past two farming seasons, we have had  a cry from many people who would want to get the inputs, but due to the limitation, we are only able to provide those whom we work with the Model Farm program.  The idea of a having a bulk supply, will make it open for anyone in Kager to get the input at a nearby store and at an affordable price.  This will as well increase production village wide. 

2) We would also like to collaborate with the JVP Partners to help with the purchase of modern farm equipments, which will be stored at the Community Center, and which the farmers can get and pay by installment through their farm produce to help with increased production.

3) We are as well interested in carrying on with the current Model Farmers to a Round 3, and as well increase the number as may be convenient.  However, in Round 3, we expect the farmers meet  all the ploughing and weeding costs at their expense, and JVP can only provide seeds and fertilizers to the farmers.  This is more like my first suggestion of having the inputs in the store and selling them to the community, except if we have a specific group, we will not sell to them, but expect them to give something back to the project when they harvest. 

We are looking forward to the completion of Model Farms Round 2 report as soon as possible, this depends with when all the farmers have done the shelling to know exactly what they have received so that we can have better measures of input and outcome for this program. 

We have also planted the first Never Ending Kitchen Garden (NEKG) with Carren Philiph and we look forward to rolling this to other community members as we see this first one develop, and after putting everything we need in place.   Our Village Greenhouse program is equally on track, and we will update you on what is on progress soon. 

Otherwise thank you so much Jubilee Village Project for your concern towards developing Kager as a village and improving the living standard of your brothers and sisters in this village.”

George Amimo, Food & Farming Champion

One of the things I’ve come to realize is that poverty isn’t something people choose…poverty chooses them.  I have to admit (confess) that I used to think the reasons most people are poor was because of their poor choices or their poor character or their poor ethic — but I’ve come to realize this is not the case.  I recently read the following writing of Richard Stearns, President of World Vision, called 7 Steps of Poverty and it really helped me understand that none of us are really that far away from poverty:

“One of the most difficult things to communicate is what it feels like to be poor in the developing world.  How can Americans really understand global poverty without travelling to see it?  Let me try to help you understand, simply by taking seven things away from you, one at a time.  Ready?

First, I take away your clothes.  Don’t panic, I won’t take them all.  You can keep the clothes on your back and wash them each night.  Your children feel the brunt of this humiliation at school.

Next, I take away your electricity.  Now you come home to a dark house each night.  None of your appliances work: no refrigerator, telephone, television, computer or stereo.  Your showers are cold and you have to wash your clothes by hand.  Your quality of life has dropped precipitously.  But you are still better off than most of the world.

Takeaway No. 3 is really tough: clean water.  None of your faucets, toilets, or showers work, and the only water source is a stagnant waterhole about a mile away.  It takes hours each day to fetch what you need, and because it is teeming with bacteria, you and your children are constantly sick.  Despair starts to set in.

 

I’m afraid I have to take away even more: your home.  Now you and your whole family must live and sleep in a 20-by-20 mud hut with a dirt floor.  When it rains, the roof leaks and the floor turns muddy. 

Takeway No. 5 is devastating: food.  Your children have long ago lost their smiles; now they are hungry with a gnawing pain.  You find a little food by picking through your neighbor’s garbage.  Already sick from exposure to the elements and from drinking dirty water, your children’s bodies become severely malnourished and cannot fight off diseases.  Your 4-year old girl seems to be slipping away.

 Getting her to the doctor is urgent but, tragically, No. 6 takeaway is health care.  To your horror, your daughter dies before your very eyes – of diarrhea.  How can this be happening?  Why has no one stepped in to help? 

What else could I possibly take away?  No. 7 is Hope.  Without these basic necessities of life, you and your children have no hope for the future.

 

Poverty, for most of us, is distant and remote.  But this is the pain that billions on our earth endure each day.”

 

Reading this helps me understand even more there is not much that separates me from poverty…nothing but the good fortune of God’s blessings.  But it also serves as a real inspiration…because the seven steps that lead to poverty also provide the path out of poverty.

I hope this writing spoke to you as much as it did to me.

Ned

This is a a blessed ”Village Visit Report” from Linn Asbury, JVP Education Global Partner, who visited Kager village for the first time in September 2009:

“Mission trips to Kenya are not new to me, so I had a clear expectation of what my one-day visit with the women of JOY Kitchens in September, 2009 would be.  I was familiar with Jubilee Village Project, a rabid devotee of Community Health Evangelism (CHE), and looking forward to the type of ‘nice’ conversation which occurs when women of different cultures briefly cross paths.  My goal was to simply encourage these women who face more challenges to basic existence in one day than I can even imagine.  My expectations  could not have been more wrong!

 When you read the description of the JOY Kitchens Initiative,  it’s likely you will be impressed by the comprehensive approach to this significant component of community transformation.  It’s well planned, concise, sensible and simple.  What you can’t see is hidden between the lines, and is what I experienced in my visit with the women of Kager village.  Beyond the ‘hard goods’ of improved stoves, fireless basket cookers, etc.,  what I found was incredible strength of character, desire to follow Jesus’ teaching in all things, (including being evangelists, something we Western women are often fearful about), and the willingness to push themselves beyond what they know for the benefit of their families and community.

The JOY Kitchens women (there are currently 16 of them – two groups of 8 women each) have complete understanding that they are the backbone of their community, and if their children are to survive and thrive, they are the ones who will be instrumental in making this Project happen.  Perhaps that is why they’ve grown an entrepreneurial spirit, and are eager to take advantage of every resource which is given them, sharing eagerly what they learn with other women in Kager. 

 

JOY Kitchens Group 1 with Luo Bibles

It’s all about the heart of JOY Kitchen women, aligned with the heart of the God we all serve.  It’s a Kingdom heart, for certain.  Never will I forget looking into each woman’s eyes as I was introduced to her and seeing warmth, a depth of love for a Sister in Christ, and a longing to grow deeper and stronger not only physically, but spiritually.  They seemed to sense that I could provide a link to resources which would assist in their spiritual growth.  When I asked how I could best help them, they were pleading not only for Bibles in their native Luo tongue, but for women’s Bible studies which they could use for practical application in their daily lives.  What an honor and blessing it has been to play a very small part in helping provide the resources for these women.  As I write this, they now all have Luo Bibles and are on their second study which is focused on praying in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  My LIFE group from my church in Indianapolis decided a nine-session course on prayer would provide a good foundation as we strive to learn and listen how we can best serve them with what they say they need, rather than what we think they need.

 

JOY Kitchens Group 2 with Luo Bibles

This visit, intended to be a blessing for them, blessed me more than I can explain in mere words.  My new expectation is that God in His goodness will allow strong relationships to develop with the women of JOY Kitchens, not just for me but for so many others who pray for them, provide study resources for them or simply contribute support to the JOY Kitchens initiative.  JOY has been revealed……and it’s not going away.  Praises for sure!”

Linn Asbury, JVP Education Global Partner

It’s been a year now since we started our journey following God’s call to help and serve the people of Kager village.  It has been a truly amazing faith journey…

…to see David Kayando step up and build an amazing team of Champions to lead the project in the Village

…to see my brothers and sisters here in Indianapolis join in as Partners and Benefactors to support this noble calling

…to see the transformation that is starting to take place in the lives of individuals and families in Kager village as projects begin taking root and growing and bearing fruit…Model Farms…JOY Kitchens…Jubilee Scholars…Kijiji Benki microloaners

…to see the faces of the elderly in the village as we explained how a solar lantern works and that they would no longer have to burn dirty candles and paraffin (and spend the little money they had) to light their homes at night

But what has been most amazing of all is to realize in just one short year, we have been able to serve as Christ’s ambassadors to this faraway village in western Kenya to share with them something far more important than a water purifier, far more important than a microloan, far more important than a BUV…

…the greatest gift we have been able to share with our brothers and sisters in Kager village is something that can only come from God — HOPE.  Hope for a new future for the village.  Hope for a new future for their families.  Hope for a new future for their children.

www.gotuquestions.org has this to say about hope: “The Biblical definition of hope is “confident expectation.”

Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown (Romans 8:24-25; Hebrews 11:1,7).

Without hope, life loses its meaning (Lamentations 3:18, Job 7:6) and in death there is no hope (Isaiah 38:18, Job 17:15).

The righteous who trust or put their hope in God will be helped (Psalm 28:7), and they will not be confounded, put to shame, or disappointed (Isaiah 49:23).

The righteous who have this trustful hope in God have a general confidence in God’s protection and help (Jeremiah 29:11) and are free from fear and anxiety (Psalm 46:2-3).

This Thanksgiving season, one of the things I am most thankful for is that God has called on the Jubilee Village Project to be a messenger of hope to the people and families of Kager village.  May God continue to bless the good works of JVP and may He bind us together in sharing the faith, hope and love that comes through the blood and love of Jesus Christ.

Ned