Welcome Our Interns to Kenya!

Ken-Ya Believe It!  The time has arrived for us to host three Interns in Kenya this summer....and we are sooooo excited about their arrival.  Two of the Interns will arrive on Friday, June 14th and the other on Sunday, June 16th.  Yep!  ...this coming weekend.  (www.kenyabelieveit.org)

MEET OUR INTERNS.....

Nakisha DeShields, Charlotte, NC.  Nakisha has served on three previous Kenya Mission Teams.  Her love and passion for Christ shines through in everything she does.  However, youth hold a special place in her heart.  Below, Nakisha gently washes the head of an infant, as she prepares to see the medical doctor.  This photo was taken during the medical camp in the Loruko Village, Isiolo, Kenya.

Onnica Gildersleeve, Charlotte, NC.  Onnica has served, previously, on one Kenya Mission Team.  She too has a passion and heart for Christ that is exemplified in the way she ministers to young people.  Below, Onnica is loving on an infant at ABC (The Abandoned Baby Center) at Feed The Children in Nairobi, Kenya.  (onnicaonamission.blogspot.com)

Omega Tennant, Nashville, TN.  Omega is an Anthropology Major at Vanderbilt University.  Her love for Christ is demonstrated by a genuine heart to love God's people.  She has served as a Cross - Cultural Worker in several countries.  She will join us in Kenya after having served eighteen weeks in China.  We met Omega during The Mission Society's (our mission agency) training in Huancayo, Peru.  This photo was taken as we visited some of the ancient ruins in Peru.

These three beautiful young women will serve alongside us with several ministry partners; including local churches, youth ministries, church planting ministries, orphanages and more, in Nairobi and Isiolo.  Ministry opportunities will include teaching, leading Bible Studies, assisting youth pastors, sport and film evangelism for children and young adults.  They will also facilitate Kamp Kenya.  Kamp Kenya is an international mission opportunity for youth, from the United States, between the ages of 13 and 18.  Eight youth and two chaperones from our sending church, The Park Church, under the leadership of Bishop Claude R. Alexander, Jr., Charlotte, NC, will join us in Kenya for two weeks.  Nakisha and Onnica are both active members of The Park Church.

Nakisha, Onnica and Omega attended Exploring Mission Training, at The Mission Society, Norcross, GA.  The training is "an introduction to discipleship and cross-cultural ministry".  It is under the leadership of Darrell Whiteman, whom we affectionately call "Uncle Darrell".

Please join us in welcoming Nakisha, Onnica and Omega to Kenya!

Stay tuned for updates on these wonderful women of God!  God seeks to use them, individually and collectively, in unique and powerful ways in Kenya, this summer.

Blessings,

Rev. Sonia and Rev. Sonji

Safe Arrival to Kenya!

Greetings,

GRATEFUL!   We are grateful to God for safe travel and arrival in Kenya!  

THANK YOU!  Thank you for your prayers and support as we traveled.  Thanks to each individual who called, emailed, face booked, texted or sent hilarious messages by others.  We appreciate your prayers and concerns!  Special thanks to everyone who assisted with preparation, including supplies, packing, organizing and transportation.  A very special thank you to all who met us at the airport, whether it was to assist with luggage; or to provide hugs, kisses, laughter and photography, etc.  We sincerely love and appreciate each one of you for making our transition smoother.  On behalf of our parents and families - THANK YOU!!!!!!!

THE JOURNEY!  We arrived at Charlotte - Douglas International Airport at 12pm.  Items in the luggage was rearranged and checked - in in 45 minutes!  No lines on Memorial Weekend?  Wow! We appreciated the help and commentary coming from our "friends" during that process.  Ha.......  LOL!  We prayed as a group; gave and received hugs and kisses, and a portion of the group left the airport.   We sat down to chat a few minutes with a couple of friends when several more came in and joined the fellowship.  Thank you!  We laughed a lot, shared mission stories, took a few photos and headed to the gate.  Our flight left Charlotte at 3:10pm, headed for our Newark, New Jersey connection.

We arrived in Newark with only 15 minutes until boarding of our next flight, headed to Zurich, Switzerland.  We were out of breath but able to smile for this VERY close photo, once we were seated on the aircraft.
Whew!  When we sent a text asking others to pray that we would not miss our connection, the response was "run"!   ....too funny but that's EXACTLY what we did.

Here are a few photos Zurich and the Swiss Alps.  Absolutely breathtaking!  How great, how great is OUR God!

From Zurich, we took a flight into Nairobi.  Since 2004, we have always arrived in Nairobi at night so we were very excited to arrive in daylight.  It was like arriving in Kenya for the first time.  

Here are a few photos of our arrival.

Who do you see in this photo?

Again, we sincerely thank you for your contributions to our smooth transition back to Kenya.

Here are our most pressing prayer requests:

• That we are able to adjust to the time change quickly.
• That all plans and preparation are in order, according to God's standards and expectations, as we receive our first team of 2013 on Wed., May 29th.  Pray for safe travel and arrival from Florida.  Pray for their physical, spiritual and emotional well-being during travel and for their time in Kenya.
• That all plans and preparation are in order, according to God's standards and expectations, to receive our Interns in June.  Please pray for the final stages of their People Raising.  Pray for safe travel and arrival, as two Interns hail from the US; and the other from China.  Pray also for their physical, spiritual and emotional well-being during travel and for their time in Kenya.
• Pray for the youth and chaperones who are planning to participate in Kamp Kenya.  Pray for fruitful and effective training; supernatural favor in People Raising; a speedy Visa process/return of passport and bonding among the team.

Thank you again for your ongoing prayers and support.  May God richly bless you for your service in His Kingdom!

Until we blog again.....

Serving Christ in Kenya: CarGo 14/1

We praise and thank God for ALL of our donors!  We praise God and thank you for your ongoing prayer support and words of encouragement!  The Lord has done great things for us whereof we are glad.

God is faithful and we are trusting Him for EVERY provision to do His work!

We still need your prayers!  We still need financial support!  AND we need an all - terrain vehicle!

We are in need of a CAR so we can GO.....and serve the people of Isiolo, in "the bush".  We need 14 donors to give $1,000 each to meet our goal.  Our budgeted amount is $20,000 minus the $6,000 in current donations, leaving a balance of $14,000.

We depart from the US bound for Kenya on Thurs., May 23rd and we need $14,000 in order to purchase our vehicle.  It is our prayer to raise this amount no later than Mon., May 20th.  We need YOUR help to make it happen.  Please DONATE TODAY!  All donations are tax - deductible.  Details are below.

Click on the photo above and DONATE ONLINE NOW.

Mail Tax - Deductible Donations to:
The Mission Society
Attn: Crawley/Pass - VEHICLE
6234 Crooked Creek Road
Norcross, GA 30092
*On the memo line please write:  Crawley/Pass Vehicle.

Below are several photos of "some" of the terrain in Isiolo.

Email us at kenyabelieveit2011@gmail.com with questions.

Blessings!

Rev. Sonia and Rev. Sonji

How Far Would YOU Walk for Water?

We have TWO exciting events planned for this weekend.  Please join us!

1.  KAFE KENYA:  Share a cup of coffee and tea with us as we share what God is doing in Isiolo.  Do you have questions about the ministry in Kenya?  Do you have questions about the people of Isiolo?  Would you like to know how YOU can get involved?  Or get MORE involved?  Bring your mug and your questions and meet us at Kafe Kenya!

 

2.  WALK FOR WATER:  Share in an assimilation of what many of our babis in Isiolo experience, daily.  They walk many miles to "fetch" water for their families.  Most of our babies don't have 1 pint of water to drink on any given day, compared to 80 - 100 gallons wasted in the US, per person per day!!!!!  Email us at kenyabelieveit2011@gmail.com for a registration form or register upon arrival on Saturday.  We desire your presence but our babies NEED your   p-a-r-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n!!!!!  All registration fees will go towards the support of a children's village for our babies.   If you are unable to attend donations are welcomed. Click here DONATE NOW for online donations.  Help us raise money for the FIRST SOS Children's Village to serve the Turkana and Samburu people.

Mail Donations to:
The Mission Society
P. O. Box 922637
Norcross, GA 30010-2637
On memo line write: "CRAWLEY/PASS - 3020SUP"


SAVE THE DATE!  On Friday, May 10th, we will host Music4Life, a benefit concert to continue to raise funds for the SOS Children's Village in Isiolo.  Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

Blessings,

Rev. Sonia and Rev. Sonji

"Indestructible" Ball Update

So far, of the 30 balls requested 14 have been donated!  Praises God!  Last week, we received our first 10 balls in the mail.  One World  Futbol (OWF) ships the balls to us in increments of 10; therefore, we need 6 more balls before the next box can be shipped.  Another special thank you to all of our donors!

We need YOUR support!  If you are reading this blog and you have not donated an "indestructible" ball(s) please do so TODAY!  Our 30/30 Initiative is scheduled to end on Saturday, April 6th, which is just around the corner.  But we are pushing full speed ahead to meet and exceed our goal.  We can meet our goal with your support.  Click on this link to place your order.  ONE WORLD FUTBOL.  Enter our Promo Code:  KENYABELIEVEIT to receive $1.00 OFF.  Please enter our email address, kenyabelieveit2011@gmail.com, address in the "This is a gift" section and OWF will notify us of your generous donation. 

The "Indestructible" Futbol!

Here's a photo of an "indestructible" ball.  It's very sturdy yet light weight.  When you have the real thing in your hands it's easy to see why it's indestructible...and we WILL test the product.  We plan to drive over this ball with a vehicle, as demonstrated in the video below.  Don't worry, we will share the results with you.  Stay tuned for our version of "One World Futbol vs A Truck (or Car)".  Coming soon to KenYaBelieveItNews on YouTube.

Blessings,

Rev. Sonia and Rev. Sonji

30 "Indestructible" Balls in 30 Days

2007 soccer ball donation

Ken-Ya Believe It? We found an "indestructible" ball, which is EXACTLY what we need for our Sports Ministry in Kenya! One World Futbol has created the perfect tool for "the bush".

On Wed., March 6th, we kicked off our 30/30 Initiative: 30 Balls in 30 Days...and we need YOU in order to make our goal! Our Promo Code is KENYABELIEVEIT. When you enter our Promo Code you will receive $1.00 OFF your total order.  Enter our email address, KENYABELIEVEIT2011@GMAIL.COM, One World Futbol will send an email notifying us of your order.

2010 soccer ball donation

Since 2007, we have donated more than 15 balls to different villages and communities in Kenya; however, the balls were all destroyed in just a few days, due to the rough terrain and harsh conditions. There's a bush in Isiolo called "wait a minute". When you get too close to the bush you literally yell "wait a minute", as you attempt to free your hair and/or clothing from the long spikes. Whew! It's a sight for sore eyes and quite funny once you confirm that everyone is ok. The spikes have been known to puncture the thickest soles on team member's shoes, so imagine what they do to a soccer/futbol or someone's foot.

With these details in mind it's easy to imagine why "indestructible" balls are necessary for our Sports Ministry.  This is where YOU can help!  Click on this link "ONE WORLD FUTBOL" and place your order TODAY!  Remember to enter our Promo Code: KENYABELIEVEIT, to receive $1.00 OFF and to ensure we receive proper credit for your order.  Please enter our email address KENYABELIEVEIT2011@GMAIL.COM in the "This is a gift" section and One World Futbol will notify us of your generous donation.

In addition to your personal donation, we ask you to do the following:

1. Share our 30/30 Initiative with others, by forwarding this blog and by sharing our Facebook Page, Ken-Ya Believe It. 
2. Make our 30/30 Initiative a group project for your sports team, class, choir, school, etc. There's power in numbers! To date, nine (9) balls have been donated! Praise God! Will YOU be the next to donate a ball or several balls? We sure hope so....place your order NOW while it's fresh in your mind. 

JOIN OUR 30/30 INITIATIVE NOW AND CHANGE A CHILD'S LIFE!

Thank you in advance for your donation.

Blessings,

Rev. Sonia and Rev. Sonji

30/30 Initiative: 30 Futbols in 30 Days

The Park Ministries-Kenya is partnering with One World Futbol. One World Futbol has designed an "indestructible" futbol (football) which is exactly what we need for our ministry, in Isiolo "the bush". Ken-Ya Believe It's 30/30 Initiative has a goal of 30 balls in 30 days, March 6 - April 6, 2013....and we need YOU to make this vision a reality. We use sports ministry to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since 2007, we have given 15 or more soccer/futbols. However, the balls are destroyed in a few short days because of the rough terrain and dry conditions. Click on "ONE WORLD FUTBOL", on our blog, to make your purchase and read stories of how One World Futbol is changing lives around the world. Enter our PROMO CODE: KENYABELIEVEIT and One World will send the ball to us. It's just that simple! Make the 30/30 Initiative a group project with your soccer, basketball, football, baseball, volleyball team, etc. We will send pictures and updates on the donated futbols. Currently, one (1) ball has a been donated! Will YOU be the next to donate a ball or several balls? We hope so....Place your order TODAY, by clicking n the link to the right or visit www.oneworldfutbol.com. Be sure and enter our Promo Code, KENYABELIEVEIT. JOIN OUR 30/30 INITIATIVE "TODAY" AND CHANGE A CHILD'S LIFE! Thank you in advance. Rev. Sonia and Rev. Sonji