From the Field

See what's happening on the ground in Eldoret, Kenya, and with our outreach teams in India.


Soul Safari Team Updates

March 26

Tara, our Soul Safari team leader in Kenya, just sent an email about the team's last day in Kenya at the Open Arms Village, which was March 15. Even though that was last week, we still want to share their special moments at the Village:

"Our last day with the Open Arms team was spent at the OAI Village located about 25 minutes from downtown Eldoret and five minutes from their international airport. Note: Driving distance is measured in time NOT length in Africa. It can take two hours to travel twenty miles, depending on the road conditions.

Many of the area village elders joined us for the day. Our worship was filled with wonderful music - The OAI children’s choir sang, Metrine (OAI Kenya Feeding Program Coordinator) lead us in singing worship/praise songs in English and Swahili, and Levi (OAI Kenya Operations Coordinator) sang two songs. Two of our team members (US & Kenyan) shared their testimonies of God healing them from physical conditions. I told stories of God’s healing power at the medical clinics in Kambi Teso. Pastor Peter Kimeli (OAI house parent) gave a powerful sermon about the harvest being ripe and laborers few. He challenged Kenyans to take the gospel to other countries and those of us from the US & UK to continue to bring the good news of HOPE to Kenya.

A traditional goat roast meal was served after the service. Then the children experienced “Christmas in March,” when they received boxes of gifts prepared by Living Waters Fellowship church in Texas. You can imagine the excitement of our OAI children when they opened their precious gift boxes.

It was a wonderful way to end our Soul Safari outreach time in Kenya!"




March 24

Our team's favorite moments in Israel:

Linda:
“Megiddo (Armageddon) was breathtaking. The view; the valley; I’ve never seen anything so lush and green. To think of the previous battles that have taken place there is amazing because it is so serene. Capernaum is a place that I’ve wanted to see for over 20 years. It was more than I could ever imagine. Israel is a ‘must-come’ place to visit.”

Tim:
“When I knelt on the floor of the great synagogue in Capernaum, and put my face on the stones where Jesus walked, I had a private worship time and just felt His presence come near. It was a deep blessing for me.”

Phil:
“A highlight for me was the 5 pm devotional time the team shared together at the great synagogue in Capernaum on Sunday, March 22. The Sea of Galilee was in the distance, the home of Peter was nearby and we all knew without question that Jesus had stood there. Tim and David shared passages from Matthew and Luke regarding that location and we closed the time with song. For me, a special moment."

Suzie:
“Saturday morning when we went out on the Sea of Galilee, we sang the Star Spangled Banner as we raised the American flag alongside the Israeli flag. It was meaningful because of the special connection between the US and Israel. The most touching moment has been our time in Capernaum. We know that Jesus was actually there and it meant a lot to me that I was in the same place where Jesus had been. It meant a lot to me as the group sang ‘Spirit of the Living God’ together in the synagogue in Capernaum. It was special as Gila, our Jewish guide, sang and worshipped along with us.”

Terrilynn:
“I was baptized in the Jordan River by David Gallagher, and it was very special. To be an adult and to be asked very specific questions about my faith in Him and what I believed about God and Jesus just before being immersed was really important to me. The two most overwhelming moments were being in the synagogue in Capernaum knowing that I was where Jesus spoke, and also being on top of the fortress in Masada.  At Masada, knowing that 1,000 people who were supposed to be on fire for God (the Jewish Zealots), committed suicide because they didn’t trust God enough to deliver them from the hands of the Romans is something I’ll never forget.”

Heidi:
“Touring the land of Israel has helped me tie the many stories and word pictures of the Bible together into one cohesive story.  I now have a visual for the bowls of Bashan (Ps. 22), broken cisterns (Jer. 2), the town of Capernaum and much more.”

Daphany:
“What I’m learning from the trip is a better understanding of what happened in the Bible, why the things happened that did, and how I can apply them to my life.  I am still listening and learning and seeing the things I have already learned and making it real and factual. I’m still ‘in the moment’ and my hope is that it would be life-changing; I think what it will do is help me to grow spiritually and have a better understanding.”

David:
The most special part of this trip is realizing that each of us on our team – although from very different backgrounds and experiences – are simply pilgrims in search of our Savior’s touch on our lives. Being in the Holy Land brings fresh and exciting new perspective on the age-old biblical stories that continue to speak into our lives. There is nothing like taking some time out to focus exclusively on our Lord and on His Word – in the very places where He lived and did His work -  to bring refreshing and renewal to our relationship with Him. This trip does live up to its name – it truly is a safari for the soul!


March 19

The team is in Israel now until March 28. We won't be receiving any email updates from them while they are touring Israel, but you can follow along their journey by looking at their itinerary:

• March 19 - Arrive in Tel Aviv in the afternoon, rest
• March 20 - Tour along the Mediterranean to see Caesarea, Megiddo, Sepphoris, and Nazareth
• March 21 - Dan, Caesarea Philippi, The Golan Heights, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Korazim
• Mach 22 - Travel the length of the lower Jordan River and ride in the Jesus Boat and see Ein Gev, Beit Shean, and Arbel
• March 23 - The Jordan River, Ein Gedi, The Dead Sea, Masada, Qumran, Jericho Road, and catch the first glimpse of Jerusalem
• March 24 - Free day
  
• March 25 - In Jerusalem, explore the Mount of Olives, Kidron Valley, Mount Zion, and the Israel Museum
• March 26 - Continuing in Jerusalem, see the Garden Tomb, the Dung Gate, Robinson Museum and the Southern Wall, the Temple Mount, the Holy Sepulcre, and Via Dolorosa
• March 27 - Final day in Jerusalem: Jaffa Gate, Citadel Museum, Herodian Mansion, Temple Treasures, Western Wall, and Rabinnic Tunnels
• March 28 - Fly home
  

March 18

If you like chaos, the medical tent pharmacy is the place for you! That is the last stop for patients who come to receive medical care from Open Arms International. The pharmacy is a tiny space at the end of the medical tent crammed with medications, vitamins, and volunteer pharmacists, who bump into each other on a regular basis (what I call working "cheek to cheek").

The amazing thing is that IT WORKS! Our team members became experts at deciphering prescriptions, locating specific medications on the tables or in containers, counting and labeling bags properly, etc. Ruth Major, Kenya staff volunteer, was brilliant overseeing the pharmacy. She had the space well organized and posted signs on the walls to help decode prescription shorthand.

The OAI medical director, Rachel Gallagher, and I were available to check prescriptions for accuracy. I only had to work with interpreters the first day giving instructions to the patients when they received their medications. Our interpreters knew how to do it themselves on the second day!

P.S. The temperature in the pharmacy area was hot enough to melt the soft gel vitamins!

P.P.S. The team ended their time in Kenya today. Those on the Israel portion of this outreach will be headed out tonight to Israel (overnight travels!). Please pray for the impact of their time in Kenya as it settles into their hearts and minds. Also pray over their flights, connections, safety, luggage, and energy as they land in Israel for a full schedule.

Tara Lepp
Soul Safari Team Leader

March 17

During the ministry time here in Eldoret, the team was truly blessed and were a great blessing to the residents of Kambi Teso during the three-day Medical Clinic and to the residents of the Women's Prison on March 13. At the Medical Clinic, we were joined by seven Kenyan doctors/medical students and three clinicians who assisted us. Together we were able to serve and treat 542 residents, providing them with medicines and advice for their ailments. Each of the patients was also prayed for by one or more of our team members. During the pre-clinic services, we saw more than 150 people come forward for prayer for salvation, healing, and deliverance. There were 97 salvations noted by team members who prayed individually with people either at the altar calls or in the prayer tent during the three days. There were also many reported healings, which we will write to you about shortly.

At the Women's Prison, there was a wonderful anointing on the team, and more than 100 of the women responded for first-time salvations and renewal of their commitment to Christ. Team members Terrilynn and Daphany shared their testimonies, which deeply touched the hearts of women who have experienced similar hardships. Their message of forgiveness and restoration truly impacted the lives of these women who live day to day with very little hope. The women of Eldoret Prison were also extremely blessed to receive OAI's donation of needed personal supplies - soaps, sanitary napkins, petroleum jelly, and UHT Milk. We were also able to supply much needed clothing for the children who live there with their mothers - there were 26 children from age 0 to 4 living inside the prison walls. We learned that at the age of 4, the children must leave the prison. In most cases, they are accepted by other family members, but in some cases, they are rejected as outcasts and are sent to the Children's Rescue Center and often end up on the streets if they are not taken in by an Children's Center. This made us all the more anxious to see the completion of the children's homes at Open Arms Village so we can see these precious children rescued from a life on the streets.

On the last day in Eldoret, we spent time with the families at Open Arms Village and enjoyed a traditional goat roast together. Many of the area Village Elders also joined us for the Sunday service and feast. The children sang, our team members shared testimonies, and Pastor Peter Kimeli (one of our house parents) share a powerful and anointed message about the harvest that is ripe, and the calling of laborers to see the harvest brought in. Following the service and meal, the team enjoyed a time of giving gifts to the children, who experienced a "Christmas in March" as they received wonderful boxes of gifts from team member Al's home church. What a blessing! The kids were overwhelmed with thanks and excitement to receive these individualized packages!

Now the team is enjoying the safari, and Rachel reports that they have already seen many animals in the wild including a pride of lions, a leopard, giraffes, zebra, wart hogs and many more! They are having a fantastic time!

Renee
Kenya office team organizer

March 10

The team arrived in Kenya on time with all of their luggage Sunday evening - praise the Lord that their travels went so smoothly! After spending the night in Nairobi, they flew to Eldoret on Monday. Levi, our bus driver, took the team straight to the Open Arms Village, where they got to meet the children and house parents and then tour the property. The children serenaded the team with a few songs, including When the Saints Go Marching In, and they all ate dinner together at the Village. After this wonderful welcome to Eldoret, Levi took the jet-lagged team to their hotel, where they all went to bed early.

Today, the team went to the Kambi Teso slum in Eldoret, where OAI runs its feeding program. They set up a medical clinic for the community that will run March 10 - 12. The team jumped right in and on their first day saw 155 people! One of the team members shared her testimony with those waiting to get medical attention, and 40 people accepted Jesus! We are also excited because AMPATH is now partnering with OAI to do HIV/AIDS testing and counseling at our medical clinics. This is a huge blessing because many people living in Kambi Teso are HIV positive, and we thank God for AMPATH and their partnership.

As you pray for the Soul Safari team, pray for strength and energy for the team members because they are very jet lagged. Pray that God will move in and through the team and give them opportunities to share Jesus with the people they serve.

March 9

Team leader Tara Lepp arrived in Kenya before the Soul Safari team. Eagerly anticipating their arrival, she writes this update:

"We have been very busy preparing for the Open Arms International (OAI) outreach that starts today. The team from the US & UK will arrive in Eldoret early tonight. Our Kenya staff will be setting up the tents and registering the patients for the medical clinics at the Kambi Teso slum on the outskirts of Eldoret before picking up the team at the airport. We will take the team to the Open Arms Village for dinner with the house parents, their assistants, and 26 children who are living there.A

It will be a very busy week with medical clinics, children's ministry (similar to VBS), feeding program, women's prison ministry, sharing the good news of the gospel, and lots of prayer. I love OAI outreaches! I've done seven of them since 2005. It is always amazing to witness the many miracles that God does for the patients and team members.

Please pray for the people of Kenya and our mission team during this really important week of ministry. It can be the most important week of their lives!

Tara"

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India Team Updates

January 29

Greetings from India!

It's hard to believe that our last day has come. The past two weeks have flown by.

The Women's Conference was a big success! We had about 150 women attend and they were all very eager to be together to relax and enjoy a time away from work and family. Many of the women also attended the Health Advocate Conference so it was a blessing to see them come back for more teaching.

Several women from our team chose a woman from the Bible and shared her life and how her story can inspire us today. We learned about Hannah, Mary (the mother of Jesus), Esther, Jael, Leah & Rachel and Eve. The response to the teachings was overwhelming. We gave time for testimonies on Wednesday and Thursday so we could hear how their lives were being impacted by the conference. They are leaving empowered and encouraged to do the work that God has called them to do. Many of them work as pastors and evangelists and our team was able to help build their confidence and support them in prayer.

Saturday night we allowed the Holy Spirit to come and minister to us. We had a powerful time of prayer! Over the past few days we have seen God do mighty miracles for these women! Two women were blind in one eye and received their sight back. One woman had been blind in both eyes for the past 5 years. After we prayed she opened her eyes and a huge grin spread across her face and pointed at my sari and said "blue"! Then she said "I see a white face!" She then turned to Jane and told her what color her punjabi was. She said her vision was still blurry but she believed that God would restore her sight back completely. What an awesome God we serve!

We also spent a lot of time singing and dancing which most every woman who gave a testimony said that it was a blessing to be able to sing and praise God through dance.

The Women's Conference also included a teaching on women's health issues. We kicked all of the men out of the room and Dr. Grace Rufus took over. We had frank teaching on HIV/AIDS, pregnancy and other issues directly related to women. The nurses on our team also assisted and the teaching was very much appreciated!

The team split into two groups today. One stayed back to finish the conference and the rest went out to the medical camp. The med team has just come home and reports they saw over 250 people. Yesterday 357 were treated. They are seeing a wide variety of ailments including AIDS patients. Jane and Fran spent time with the kids painting nails, blowing bubbles and praying with people.

The whole team is feeling tired and ready to come home. I thought we could get through this trip without illness but unfortunately Joy and Tim both came down with 'Dehli Belly' yesterday. But they are both feeling much better today.

We'll be leaving at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. We'll spend the morning packing and having an extended time of devotions so we can reflect on all that God has done. It's been a fantastic trip!! We have all seen God to mighty things and no one is coming home the same!

Thanks for your prayers - we have felt them!

See you all real soon!

Kaytie & Team

PS - Sherri says "Howdy y'all, peace out!" And Sue says "Great trip! Lots of awesome things happened and I can't wait to tell you about it!" (She did not let us down, she cried the whole trip and we loved it!)

January 26

The team is doing fantastically well. We have such unity and everyone has found their special niche. At the medical camps Midge has been our line monitor at registration, Fran is busy at her nail salon painting hundreds of little hands, our 4 nurses are learning so much each day and are doing great. I (Kaytie) end up being the camp monitor running between doctors, patients, playing with kids and answering questions and of course praying for people.

Our camps on Friday and Monday had over 400 patients! We saw some severe TB cases, infected wounds, breast cancer, and lots of respiratory problems. The people are so patient to wait in the hot sun to be seen. We've worked with some favorite Indian doctors who donate their time and have even donated their own money to help and extremely ill woman get to the hospital.

Today a leper woman came to our medical camp - which is a miracle. They are not allowed around 'healthy' people. We were able to help her understand that leprosy is curable and there is free medicine available at the local government hospital. By God's grace the doctor in charge of the district we were in came to inspect the camp and he has extremely impressed. He was able to meet the woman and encourage her to come to the government hospital for treatment and bring other lepers from the area.

At the health advocate conference last week we had several sessions on leprosy where we learned that it is a bacterial infection that only 5% of the entire population is susceptible to. You can touch a leper and the chances of you contracting it are next to nothing. They must cough and sneeze on your repeatedly over a long period of time. What a shock to the health advocates - many of them thought you could contract it through mosquitoes or it is hereditary.

The health advocates we trained last week have been showing up at the camps and have been a big help! We are making an impact and helping to create healthier villages. We expected between 60-70 at the conference and had 120 - wow!

Big hugs from all of us to you...

Kaytie

January 23

After recuperating from the travel here we went right into the Health Advocates Conference. We were hoping for 70 attendees and had almost 120! Our nursing team taught them basic health care to take back to their villages. They are so hungry for basic information. We had taken some notes on flip charts and during one of the first breaks we returned to the room to find them all quietly furiously taking the notes down in their books. Rufus said this is very uncommon, that they would generally take their break and wander around coming back late. We had 2.5 days of training for them and then a great graduation ceremony with certificates

Today we went to another village for medical camp. This was another great day and the Lord thought we were ready to be busy so we saw 442 people today! There were 5 Health Advocates in this town so when we arrived the camp was decorated with flowers and streamers. This was the first village Open Arms did a medical camp in, so they have seen us before and were quite excited for us.

We had several TB patients and one man with something similar to elephantitis with many infections on his foot. Sherry spent quite a bit of time with him, cleaning his wounds and wrapping him up. She even put it all in a plastic bag so it wouldn't get dirty. The most wonderful blessing was their openness to prayer, we had a line of people waiting to be prayed for. Which was much different than Thursday, where they were not very open to prayer at all. KT and the team were busy laying hands of people all day. How great is our GOD!

Namaste!

Midge

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Christmas at the Open Arms Village

The children at the Open Arms Village celebrated their first Christmas together as a family.

This was the first time most of our children had ever gotten a Christmas gift. The children received traditional Kenyan outfits made especially for them. Renee, a volunteer from Canada working long-term in the Kenya office (who had the honor of eating goat intestines for the very first time -- yum!), made "stockings" for each of the children. Since she couldn't find stockings in Eldoret, Renee decorated paper bags and filled them with little gifts, such as an orange, candy, and a book.

The children were thrilled with their gifts and enjoyed the festive celebration with family and friends. Thank you for making their first Christmas in a safe and loving environment possible!

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First Annual Jigger Digger in Eldoret

After weeks of preparation, negotiating with fumigators, organizing our medical supplies, purchasing new mattresses, and buying socks and shoes for 96 children, Jigger Digger finally arrived November 10 - 12.

On Monday, November 10, we worked with the fumigation service to spray 24 homes for jiggers, fumigating a total of 38 rooms in the Kambi Teso slum. These houses belong to the families of the 96 children who are fed four times per week through our feeding program.

The next day, our Jigger Digger team of staff, volunteers, and team members arrived at Kambi Teso to set up the medical tent and began cleaning tiny feet and digging out the jiggers that had infested them.

Some of you are probably wondering, “Just what are jiggers anyway?” Jiggers are tiny fleas that imbed themselves usually in the feet (although we did pull some out of fingers) and produce a sack of eggs that eventually release hundreds of fleas under the skin. They are terribly itchy, cause painful open sores, and, if left unattended, can eventually cause nerve damage.

One small boy, John Benga, age 6, was so infested that two team members worked on his feet for nearly four hours and removed more than 40 jiggers. After four hours, we could not remove all of the jiggers and egg sacs because we felt Johnny had taken enough trauma for the day. We medicated and bandaged his feet and will follow up with him in a few days to see how he is progressing and to make certain the remaining jiggers died while being soaked in disinfectant.

Then, we called the mothers from the children’s homes that had been fumigated and handed out 24 brand new, clean mattresses for the children to sleep on in their homes. These families are so blessed by your gifts to them and wish to send their thanks and love to you all for thinking of them and their children! Many of those treated and cared for went to the Village Elder to express their gratitude to Open Arms International. The Village Elder formally extends his thanks to OAI and its partners on behalf of Kambi Teso for our medical services and for taking care of the children through the feeding program.

Thank you to all of our partners who generously gave to this important Jigger Digger event. You are making such a great and significant difference in these precious lives!