A Little Girl Named Irene

Irene has lived her entire 12 years in a small village in northern Tanzania. Her community is rurally poor, however her family provides a loving and happy environment for young Irene.  When her health began to rapidly decline in June, the tranquility of Irene's family shattered. Her mother took her to a local clinic, but their lack of expertise and her family's financial situation prevented her from receiving the required treatment. As Irene's strength continued to fade, her mother became increasingly desperate, fearing for her little girl's life.  She made the decision to try a clinic 2.5 hours away in Arusha where, according to the talk, the facilities and staff were excellent and where you could be treated even if your financial resources were meager. Irene and her mom took the arduous bus journey, made even more difficult by her severely weakened condition. They arrived at New Hope Initiative’s Clinic in the Olorien neighborhood of Arusha, where she saw Dr. Byemba and his staff immediately. Following in-house blood work, she was diagnosed with malaria, a urinary tract infection, an amoeba, and an umbilical hernia. The staff gave her mother all the necessary medications and, for the first time in weeks, Irene’s mom was finally confident that her daughter would recover.

Little Irene’s dramatic story was 1 of 134 similar stories that day, of hopeless people receiving a healing touch from the amazing staff of New Hope Initiative’s Medical Clinic. Thank you, ministry partners, for saving little Irene and for making the ending of this difficult story a happy one.

By Sandy Baird - Director of New Hope Initiative

Sierra Leone Update

I-pods, computers, video games, and cell phones; many children in the U.S. are continually looking for the next great gadget to bring them happiness. How about the children in the Karen Baird’s Children Home in Sierra Leone? What brings them overwhelming joy? Bibles. That’s right, God’s Word. The children have been longing for their very own Bibles since I first met them four years ago. These children have seen their world and lives transformed because of the love of God. They have seen and interacted with multiple missionary groups that have come in the name of Christ to help them develop both physically and spiritually. As my pastor says, “The Bible is not for information only, but for transformation through application.” The children have had their lives transformed, but I pray that with their own Bibles they will learn more, apply it to their lives, and grow spiritually. Pastor Rogers and his staff are determined to see these children become the Christian leaders that their country needs in order to spread the Gospel. They know that God can accomplish all things and He has a plan for them. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). I would like to thank Grace Community Church in Texas for raising the funding required to provide the children with Bibles.

The rainy season has descended upon Sierra Leone. With an average of 19 feet of rain a year; the rains are both a blessing and a hindrance. The rains are welcomed for the farming projects Pastor Rogers has implemented. With four more acres cleared and planted, the rains will ensure that the crops take root. We’ve planted a second crop of cassava and potatoes, as well as ground nuts (similar to peanuts) and leaf vegetables. The first harvest of cassava has begun and the processing of the root. All the children assist with clearing, planting, and weeding.

The rains have halted the progress of the Pig Project. We began production of mud blocks for the structure, but the rains prevented the blocks from drying properly, and in some cases washed them away completely. While initially disappointing, the delay will allow an architect in Massachusetts to finish researching, designing, and shipping the plans of a proper structure to Pastor Rogers. He and his staff are also able to learn more about raising pigs from other local farmers and from books that were sent over in March. Despite unexpected challenges, God continues to keep His hand on all the projects at the Home.

The rains also increase the mosquito population. We can expect many of the children to contract malaria. The only protection they have is from bed nets that stifle any breeze that may give them relief from the heat. God willing, the clinic will have the proper medication and an adequate supply.

Please continue to pray for the following: the children and staff of the orphanage, an increase in the monthly support raised for the Home (a minimum of an additional $500 a month is needed to cover the costs of schooling), completion of Pastor Rogers’ house, and success of all the farming projects. Thank you to all who participate in the project and support it financially. God is blessing this project! Hope is realized by the hopeless and the Gospel of Christ is being spread. Check out New Hope Initiative on YouTube to see the work being accomplished.

By Phil d’Entremont - Project Director: Sierra Leone

Meet Samson

From trouble with algebra and the typical pressures of high school, to financial and family issues, there aren’t many struggles that face the students of the Kibera Penda Project that Samson Mugendi, the 28-year-old Director of the Penda Project, can’t relate to. The oldest of five children, Samson, was born, raised, educated and still lives in Kibera so he knows all too well what challenges these students face on a day-to-day basis. I recently had a chance to sit down with Samson in Kibera and talk more about his life and his role with the Penda Project. TJ: What is your role as the Penda Project Director?

Samson: One of my main roles is to check on the 77 students that are currently sponsored. What I mean by that is I make sure they attend all of their classes and beyond always attending I make sure they are doing well within those classes both academically and in terms of discipline. Secondly, when they are done with exams at the end of each term, I collect all of their grades and send updates back to Kyle & Kelsey Baird and the sponsors in the United States. My other main job is to serve as the Student Pastor and teach them the word of God.This mainly takes place on Sundays when they attend the youth service at Kibera Bible Baptist Church.

TJ: One of the core aspects to the Penda Project is accountability, how do you try to provide this for the students?

Samson: As I said before this is one of the main responsibilities I have and the students need someone to consistently check on them. This is one of the reasons I am employed full time so that I can be there at any point the students may need me. In addition to attending class, all Penda students must attend study hall after school and this one of the times that I can check in and make sure all is going well with them.

TJ: What are some of the biggest challenges the Penda students are facing?

Samson: One of the biggest challenges is the environment they come from and are currently still living in. In Kibera, a lot of students drop out because they can’t pay school fees after primary school or they don’t qualify to attend. The Penda students are blessed to have their school fees covered but not all of them have qualified to attend boarding school which means they travel to and from Kibera each day to attend classes. When they go home, many people their age have already dropped out and the opportunity to get involved in bad activities like drugs are prevalent. Our boarding students are away for most of the year but still come home between breaks in terms and face these same situations. Also pregnancy is another huge challenge they face - especially the girls who are in day school and in some cases the pregnancy is against their will.

But no matter what challenges they have we always tell them that we want to have students who are committed to working hard and overcoming any hardships.

TJ: What has being the Penda Project Director meant to you?

Samson: It has changed my life. I never imagined I would be where I am now and I believe that God is using me to do great things in Kibera. The Samson I used to know four years ago is so different now because God is working in my life. My prayer is that God will continue to use me to reach many people in Kibera — from the Penda students to my neighbors and my fellow youths.

TJ: What are your goals for the future?

Samson: Right now I am working on my theological degree at Tena Bible Baptist School. I have finished my first year and I have two years left. Once I am finished I want to continue to serve the Lord in Kibera working with New Hope Initiative and using all that God has given me through my time as the Penda Project Director to continue to serve the youth of Kibera. I want to do all I can to make sure they achieve something with their education and most importantly serve God in whatever job they have.

By T.J. Walter - New Hope Initiative Board Member

How Did He Inspire You?

For my wife and I the adventure began nearly 18 months ago. Leading a missions trip was something we prayed about and was high on our list of dream to-do’s but like many people, jobs & scheduling remained a constant hurdle. It wasn’t until a radical shift in my career and the encouragement from close friends that we applied and were offered the opportunity to lead a team from McLean Bible Church with New Hope Initiative to Tanzania & Kenya.

As both of us have been part of short term mission teams in the past we spent much of our preparation time with the team focusing on how this two-week experience could usher in lasting change within their lives instead of just a flash-in-the-pan spiritual moment. This was reinforced once we arrived in country and Sandy Baird, the director of New Hope Initiative, spoke to the same ideal and challenged each team member to dig deep and see where God was inspiring them through this trip. Little did we know that the preparations and those conversations with Sandy would end up challenging us in ways that we are still unraveling and seeing where God is leading us.

For many of you reading this you have been on a trip with NHI or you know someone that has. So I have a challenge for you - when you come back or when you have the opportunity to sit down with someone that went take the time to dig a little deeper – beyond the safari tour, the souvenirs, the foods consumed and the always prerequisite bathroom question – ask them How did He inspire you? There is a chance that you or the friend you are asking may not know at that exact moment but maybe there is a glimpse of an idea or their heart has clearly been burdened to make a change. In any of these cases, accountability is a strong tool and I encourage you to take the time to follow up and pray with them or find someone that can become a partner in prayer and a sounding board for ideas.

While some ideas may involve NHI - and we truly hope that many of you will sponsor a student through Penda, share the mission of Project Biashara, or help serve in some capacity within an active project - but in addition, hopefully the inspiration will also hit close to home as you are likely going to spend 50 weeks over the next year there as opposed to Arusha or Kibera. For some it may become evident that the mission field God has placed in your path at this moment may not be as far as Africa, India or South America but maybe the next cubicle, the next door neighbor or the orphan in the city that needs a shoulder to lean on.

So how did He inspire us? We feel blessed and incredibly challenged to say that God inspired a lot in us through our time in East Africa – many ideas we are still processing through and others that we are currently in the midst of. For starters, it wasn’t less than a week after we returned from our first trip that we knew we wanted to go back. It was clear to us that God was not finished working on our hearts to serve the ‘least of these’ and as of this writing we have just wrapped up leading our second trip back to Kenya & Tanzania within a year.  As anyone that has lead a mission’s team knows, sometimes the greatest moments can come when seeing a change in others and we have had the amazing opportunity to watch six young adults from our first team embrace the ideas that God inspired in them - some within NHI and in other local ministries. But we are also filled with even more excitement as we have the chance to ask five other young adults that we just returned with the same thing we want you to ask yourselves and those returning from trips this summer – How did He inspire you?

By TJ Walter - New Hope Initiative Board Member

Forging A Path Out Of Poverty

Poverty is a villain who terrorizes, oppresses and represses.  It takes the path of unworthiness, defeat and sorrow.  I feel this sorrow as I consider poverty and a deeper sorrow as some of its victims have now entered my life and become my closest friends. As a result, my path in life is to fight against poverty, to challenge its violent and relentless pursuit to take its subjects.  It is an evil regime that has preceded and will continue to proceed the majority world.

Along my path I have found many organizations accomplishing credible feats in this battle and I heartedly commend and thank them.  But there is an organization I can personally and intimately endorse in its efforts and that is New Hope Initiative, where we are initiating change by carrying the Good News of God's love thru nutrition, education, micro-loans for small businesses and providing medical care for those who are as poor as you can imagine.  Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 400 million of them.  Their simple dwellings have no electricity, no running water or sewage system, women cook with charcoal, they wash their clothes in a tub, they get up early in the morning to walk to market and sell their produce or wares.  They return home at night to prepare meager dinner for their families or no dinner at all.  As men lose their self worth women and children bear the brunt of their trauma.

Yet I have found some things along this path.  I have witnessed to what extremes a mother will go for her child.  I have found that amidst the strife and hopelessness God is right in the middle of it.  He knows it all, He sees it all, and He has great compassion for us all.  Also I have found that even the most difficult life is still a treasure.  As far as poverty seems from the throne of heaven, I can still hear His voice.  I see light in the darkness and hope burning bright for the future.

Join us in forging this path out of poverty...

By Karen Baird - Director of New Hope Initiative