Nov '22 Missions Trip #1

Our team is excited to serve with our Love for Kenya ministries and leaders who are serving the widows, orphans, and poorest members of their society. Helping to create hope for the day and dreams for the future. It has been multiple years since we have been able to lead a team to Kenya so our friends eagerly await our arrival!

Top 3 Focus Areas:

1. Ministry to the Widows

2. Ministry in the Community

3. Ministry to the Orphans & Staff

5 Main Objectives:

1. Listening Prayer

2. Share our faith

3. Build meaningful relationships

4. Meet felt needs

5. Debrief and respond

Join us on our journey as we share with you the amazing things God is doing on and through this trip.  Thank you for your prayers and support for the transformation experience in Kenya, Africa. 

Day #1

After our adventuresome travel, we visited Pastor Timothy, a Love For Kenya partner, in the Kibera Slum, which is the world’s largest and densest slum (1 million people in 1 square mile). We celebrated the kindergartener’s graduation to 1st grade at Calvary School. It was amazing to see them all and be a part of this special time.

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Mission Trip #9

It was a bitter sweet last day at Shangilia Children’s Home. There was a wonderful surprise birthday party for Randy Stensgard from all the kids and staff. After saying our good byes, we flew to Nairobi and tomorrow 5 of us will do the 1 day Safari and the other 10 will do the 3 day Massai Mara Safari. God showed up in so many amazing ways this trip. Please make sure you ask people on our team how God showed up and read our newsletter next month.

Special Note from Randy:

This will be the last post till we get home. Thank you for praying for our team and trip! If anyone is interested in sponsoring a child at Shangilia Children’s Home with Love For Kenya, please contact Randy at Randy@plymouthcovenant.org. We have 12 children that are in need of monthly sponsorship.

Mission Trip #8

Today was the day of unleashing hope to 115 widows! They all received food, a blanket, and a mattress. The widows are so poor that they are just trying to survive day to day and are considered the outcasts in the culture. They were so filled with joy and hope from these gifts! As the widows were going to their homes and walking through the community with the mattresses, the people in the village were saying, “Thank you for helping the poorest of the poor, God is really shining through you! Thank you for helping our community (rough translation).” If you can imagine many of these widows are caring for little children, they and the child might be sleeping in the dirt floor in a mud house or if they have a bed, the mattress is shredded or falling apart as they are all made of foam. It was truly an amazing experience for all of us!

Mission Trip #7

Where do we even begin? It has been such a great week of ministry and relationship building! This morning a truck showed up with 115 mattresses and 115 blankets in preparation to give to the widows tomorrow at their weekly meeting at Shangilia. After unloading everything we ventured out to numerous existing projects including:

• We went back to spend time with 8 year old Sandra and her family bringing food.

• We went back to 80 year old Sophina’s, finished her outhouse and bath house. She is blind, so we were able to show her how to navigate everything. She was so filled with joy that she teared up!

• We finished up 2 more outhouses for the widows, Gladys and Nifrida.

• We started building a new home for the widow, Rhoda. We hired locals to do the bulk of the labor as a way to give back to the community, but we (tried) helping by mudding the walls!

• We also began construction on a 4th outhouse project for the widow, Catherine.

MISSION TRIP #6

The outhouses are almost finished for the widows. We hire the locals to do the work, as they know how to build Kenyan style and there is an 80% unemployment rate in the community. Additionally you can see that we started to build a new home for the widow, Catherine.

We have been unleashing hope on little Sandra who is 8 years old and has been in bed sick for 5 years. She cannot move, walk, or talk. Last year during our listening prayer, God spoke to us about stopping by her house as we had never met this family before. When we arrived, the mother said God spoke to her a month before we arrived and said God was sending us to see her and her sick daughter. We were able to care for little Sandra. This year, God spoke to the team to go back and visit little Sandra. We are seeing God unleash hope in her as we provide bedding, medical care, etc. and pray that God would bring healing to her.

Mission Trip #5

What a full day of awesome ministry! We got to send 4 of our graduates back off to college. Additionally, we began the first of four outhouse projects, the first being for Sophina who was overjoyed and felt so blessed. In the afternoon, we headed to the local Ideleri school to play games, share about the love of Jesus through Vacation Bible School, and visit the children from Shangilia in their school environment.

Mission Trip #4

The team had a wonderful day spent at Shangilia Children’s Home playing with the children and attending the local church. Pictured below are their Kenyan huts that are powered by solar energy and setup with bunk beds.

Mission Trip 2020: #3

The team had a wonderful day of rest and fellowship with the children and staff of Shangilia Children’s Home. They played games, sang songs, told stories, and had so much fun together!

Mission Trip 2020: #2

The team had a wonderful time in Kibera Slums connecting with Pastor Timothy and the children at the local school. You can see them laughing, dancing, and serving food in one of the poorest places in Africa.

The team went from Kibera to Shangilia children’s Home and got to meet the widows of the community! This vibrant group of woman are part of our SEDA ministry and get together to encourage each other each week. Look at the joy and fun that everyone is having in these pictures!

One of the projects that the team will work on this week is to build an outhouse for 80 year old widow Sophina. She is blind and is in desperate need of a new outhouse as you can see how dangerous her current setup is with numerous sharp edges and disrepair. The team took piki pikis to go check out the site and had quite the adventure bumping along their journey!

Mission Trip 2020 #1

LOVE FOR KENYA Mission Trip 2020… Our team is excited to serve with our Love for Kenya ministries and leaders who are serving the widows, orphans, and poorest members of their society. Helping to create hope for the day and dreams for the future.

Imagine traveling to Kenya, Africa to make a difference in the lives of children, widows, and the poorest of the poor. Our team will have that opportunity to make a huge impact by loving on small children at an orphanage, caring for the outcast in society, the widows, coming along side a teacher in a local public school, encouraging staff at the orphanage, and showing love to the incredible people in the local village. Imagine our team bringing hope to the hopeless and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Here are the…

TOP 3 FOCUS AREA’S FOR THIS TRIP:

1. Ministry to the Widows

2. Ministry in the Community

3. Ministry to the Orphans & Staff

5 Main Objectives in Kenya, Africa:

1. Listening Prayer

2. Share our faith

3. Build meaningful relationships

4. Meet felt needs

5. Debrief and respond

OUR TEAM:

1. Randy Stensgard

2. Reid Johnson

3. Alex Macalena Jr

4. Roger Ruhr

5. Tiffany Felty

6. Randy Pate

7. Mary Pate

8. Isabella Peterson

9. Dave Gust

10. Scott Johnson

11. Beth Waters

12. Samuel Gust

13. Isabelle Vorderbruggen

14. Anna Long

15. Jace Long

Join us on our journey as we share with you the amazing things God is doing on and through this trip.  Thank you for your prayers and support for the transformation experience in Kenya, Africa. 

BLOG DATES: January 17-25, 2020 (Dates we will have new content and updates)

SCHEDULE

Thursday, Jan. 16 –  Kibira Slum ministry with Pastor Timothy & Arrive at Love For Kenya – Shangilia Orphanage

Friday, January 17 - Shangilia Orphanage 

• Widow’s Ministry from 10:00am - Noon 

• FOOD FOR THE WIDOWS – Give to the widows with Randy’s Team

• Orientation & Settling into our new home for the week (after the widows ministry)

Saturday, January 18 – Ministry with Love for Kenya - Shangilia Orphanage staff and children 

Sunday, Jan. 19 – CHURCH service & Ministry Day at Shangilia Orphanage 

• Church at Oasis of Joy Church

•  Afternoon with the children of Shangilia Orphanage

Monday, Jan. 20 –  Ministry Day at Shangilia Orphanage and the community 

MORNING MINISTRY

• 7:00 – Wake up

• 7:30 - Devotions

• 8:00am – Breakfast

• 8:45 – Debrief from the previous day

• 9:30 - Visit ministry sites of the widows – Where we will do outhouses and new homes

• 9:30am – Noon - Main Ministry options: Listening Prayer, prayer walks, meeting felt needs, Sharing your faith, building meaningful relationships

AFTERNOON MINISTRY: 2:00 – 5:00pm 

• Ministry in the community/widows, public school, Staff at Shangilia or where the Lord directs

EVENING MINISTRY:

• 5:00 – 6:00pm - Ministry to the children at Shangilia Orphanage

• 6:00 – 7:00pm - Dinner

• 7:00pm - Worship and devotions with the children

• 8:00 – 10:00 – Free time

Tuesday, Jan. 21 –  Ministry Day at Shangilia Orphanage and the community 

MORNING MINISTRY

• 7:00 – Wake up

• 7:30 - Devotions

• 8:00am – Breakfast

• 8:45 – Debrief from the previous day

• 9:30am – Noon - Main Ministry options: Listening Prayer, prayer walks, meeting felt needs, Sharing your faith, building meaningful relationships

AFTERNOON MINISTRY: 2:00 – 5:00pm 

• Ministry in the community/widows, public school, Staff at Shangilia or where the Lord directs

EVENING MINISTRY:

• 5:00 – 6:00pm - Ministry to the children at Shangilia Orphanage

• 6:00 – 7:00pm - Dinner

• 7:00pm - Worship and devotions with the children

• 8:00 – 10:00 – Free time

 Wednesday, Jan. 22 – Ministry Day at Shangilia Orphanage and the community 

MORNING MINISTRY

• 7:00 – Wake up

• 7:30 - Devotions

• 8:00am – Breakfast

• 8:45 – Debrief from the previous day

• 9:30am – Help build new house for one of the widows

AFTERNOON MINISTRY: 2:00 – 5:00pm 

• Ministry in the community/widows, public school, Staff at Shangilia or where the Lord directs

EVENING MINISTRY:

• 5:00 – 6:00pm - Ministry to the children at Shangilia Orphanage

• 6:00 – 7:00pm - Dinner

• 7:00pm - Worship and devotions with the children

• 8:00 – 10:00 – Free time

Thursday, Jan. 23 –  Ministry Day at Shangilia Orphanage and the community 

MORNING MINISTRY

• 7:00 – Wake up

• 7:30 - Devotions

• 8:00am – Breakfast

• 8:45 – Debrief from the previous day

• 9:00am – Noon – WIDOW’S MINISTRY – Food, Mattresses & Blankets

• USA Team, help widows with thir mattresses to their homes

• LUNCH 1:30 – 2:30pm

• Afternoon ministry

EVENING MINISTRY:

• 5:00 – 6:00pm - Ministry to the children at Shangilia Orphanage

• 6:00 – 7:00pm - Dinner

• 7:00pm - Evening Talent Show at orphanage – Say our good byes

Friday, Jan. 24 –  Ministry Day at Shangilia Orphanage and the community 

• Randy’s Birthday 

• Final afternoon at Shangilia Orphanage – Packing up and saying goodbye

• Arrive in Nairobi

Saturday, Jan. 25 – Safari Day

• Nairobi National Park

• Massai Mara National Park

Sunday, Jan. 26 – Part of the Team arrives in USA – Home

Tuesday, Jan. 28 – Part of the team arrives in USA – Home (Massai Mara Safari team)

January Missions Trip Post #10

The team headed back to Nairobi and visited our ministry partner, Pastor Timothy in Kibera Slums. It was an eye opening experience and caused an overflow of love for the people that live in much different conditions than we do in America. They got to serve food, tour the area, and worship at Calvary Church. 17 people gave their lives at the church service - praise God!

January Missions Trip Post #9

A new ministry has started, AWANA International Ministry, and the children love it! Look at the awesome pictures as they get to play fun games and learn more about Jesus. As the trip winds down the team is taking the opportunity to think about all the things they have learned and all the things God has done!

January Missions Trip Post #8

It has been a fantastic last couple of days! The goal was to provide for the community’s basic needs through the widows ministry. The team was able to provide a few days worth of food, blankets, and mosquito nets for 111 widows. The widows were so appreciative and filled with joy! They were singing and dancing all morning with thankful hearts and spirits. The team also helped provide 5 outhouses for 5 different widows in addition to one new home that took 4 days to build! The widows were in awe of God’s provision!

January Missions Trip Post #7

The team has had a fantastic time spending time in the community! They have helped build new outhouses for the widows in the community, which has a huge impact for a practical daily need. Thank you to our generous donors for helping to fund these projects! Additionally, they got to spend time at the local school playing fun games and conducting VBS (Vacation Bible School) lessons. Take a look at the ridiculous pics below and thanks for reading!

January Missions Trip Post #6

The team has really enjoyed spending time at Shangilia Children’s Home with all the children and staff. There was so much laughter and fun as they spent the day together! Everybody enjoyed encouraging each other and getting to know one another better. A group also went on an adventure by heading to the local village on the back of motorcycles - look below for the great pics!

January Missions Trip Post #5

The team had a work project blessing a local widow with a brand new home. They had fun toiling in the mud and bringing the gift of new walls and a new roof to this mama in need. Scroll through the pictures to see your loved ones getting dirty and working hard!

January Missions Trip Post #4

The internet at Shangilia Children’s Home has been extremely slow, so apologies for only a few photos today! Ministry is going really well and the team is loving getting to serve together! Stay tuned :)

January Missions Trip Post #3

A picture says a thousand words…

January Missions Trip Post #2

The team has officially arrived in Kenya! They are starting off quite sleepy, but everyone is excited for what God has for them on this adventure. The team is from all over the country and it is amazing how God has uniquely constructed this team for his purposes. On Saturday they will fly from Nairobi to Kisumu then bus to Shangilia Children’s Home and will be ministering to over 100 widows at their weekly meeting. The incredible team:

Randy Stensgard - Minnesota

Carson Green - Minnesota

Jonathan Weikel - Minnesota

Molly Moore - Minnesota

Brook Stensgard - Minnesota

Dick Pritchard - Minnesota

Deb Pritchard – Minnesota

Charles Daws – Minnesota

Cheri Daws – Minnesota

Lily Daws - Minnesota

Megan Lafferty – New York

Jennifer Maggi - California

Casey Franklin – Colorado

Krista Hines – Colorado

Thomas Anderson – Colorado

Kaitlyn Parks – Colorado

Craig Mieske – Colorado

Jeannie Ensmenger – Colorado

Susan Faust – Iowa

Nancy Cummins – Indiana