Mission in Kenya
Church member David McNee spent part of his summer break serving in Kenya, East Africa, with Christian Charity ACTS. During his time there he worked with various different ACTS projects as well as projects run by ACTS’ partner organisations. This is his report on the contribution he was able to make to these projects.
Care of Creation
Care of Creation Kenya (CCK) is one of ACTS’ partners in Kenya. Their aim is to awaken the church to its responsibility in environmental stewardship. During my time with CCK, we visited many local farmers and landowners seeking to aid them in their businesses. Farming in Kenya has suffered from a history of taking from the land without putting anything back into it, thus the productivity of farmland has greatly decreased. Our main responsibility was to educate farmers in ways to increase the nutrient content of the soil, thus improving potential crop yield. In future, they will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to farm the land in a sustainable manner.
In addition to this, I travelled with one member of the CCK staff to a pastor training college to be part of 2 days of lectures and seminars on the relationship between Christ and creation, the state of the global climate, and the significance of this to the people of Kenya. It was a fantastic opportunity to educate future Church leaders in the significance of responsible stewardship of the environment, particulalrly in Kenya where so many people are dependent on the land for their livelhood.
Care for Aids
Care for AIDS is a project run by several local churches in and around where we were staying in the town of Limuru. The purpose of the programme is to minister to the physical, social and spiritual needs of peple suffering from HIV and AIDS. It was a truely humbling experience to be with people who have suffered greatly with AIDS and HIV and to read the bible and pray together, and it was astonishing to have the God-given opportunity of sharing words of encouragment with them and to see how much they appreciated our presence there.
IDP Resettlement Camp – Jackazi
Along with several other ACTS staff and volunteers, and several staff and volunteers from another of ACTS partner organisations, Global Connections, I travelled to an IDP resettlement camp named Jackazi. The purpose of our visit was to provied building materials and to help to build 52 new houses for the residents so they could move out of the tents that they currently live in. The time we spent their was awe-inspiring; it was amazing to work alongside a community that have so little material wealth but such a vast wealth of community spirit and such a unity around the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as they share their lives in such difficult circumstances. My construction skills may have left a little to be desired but it was a honour to stand alongside these people and to have the opportunity to work on a project that will make a real difference to them.
These are just some of the things that I had the good fortune to be able to be part of in Kenya. My time there was a wonder-filled experience, where the words of former BMS World Mission co-ordinator, Alan Pain’s words rang as true as ever, “We go out to change the world, and in the process find God changes us.”
I went to Kenya with the support of many different people and organisations. I would like to thank them one and all, but I particularly like to highlight the SEND initiative, an iniciative of Southampton University Chirstian Union which sent 50 students into the overseas mission field this summer. To find out more about SEND and Southampton Uni CU please visit http://www.sucu.org.uk
For more details please visit:
ACTS Africa: http://www.actsoverland.com
Care of Creation Kenya: http://kenya.careofcreation.net
Global Connections: http://globalconnectionsonline.org