Influence

Kwambekenya Updates

Kwambekenya is a rural farming community in Kenya, Africa that Prairie Lakes Church has partnered with for the last five year through the organization the 410 Bridge. Every year we are able to support and empower the community as they take steps in bringing health and sustainability in these five areas: •Water •Education •Health Care •Micro-Enterprise •Spiritual Development

God has been doing mighty things in and through these people and He has let us rally around this community as we send people, funds, and prayer to help them be the people God's called them to be. Take a look at the progress in the following projects.

The Medical Clinic

The community medical clinic has amazing news! The electricity has finally been connected and turned on! This will allow the clinic to have full power to run lights, machines and more! The clinic can now stay open in the evening to treat patience after school and work hours who would otherwise not be able to use the clinic. A computer, microscope and medicine freezer can now be used to offer advanced care.

In addition to electricity the clinic gate has successfully been completed! This increases the safety of the clinic and community garden project and keeps the roaming sheep and cows out!

This gate now provides safety and as the locals say "the sheep are no longer welcome in!"


Kiambariki Primary School

The primary school construction of a new classroom block is scheduled to begin in January of 2012! Until then all 22 teachers in the school have received a comfortable plastic char to replace their hard wooden ones. This allows them to prepare and grade their students work in comfort! Kiambariki will now be able to write a better story in the lives of their children!

Teachers at the primary school try out their new chairs.

Micro-Enterprise with the United Women's Group

A project that was developed to help empower it's members economically by distributing a dairy cow to help nourish families and bring in funds is moving along well! The women in the group continue to meet to care for the cows and share life experiences and talk about how God is working in their lives. This project has helped restore families around the community.

Jecinta and her dairy calf. This calf will provide milk for the family to sell at market.

Kenya Stories - Teske Family

Our trip to Kenya as a family was amazing.

We were able to help in the preschool classroom. The teacher was teaching the students the parts of the body- head, eyes, ears, nose and mouth. She had each child come to the board and point to each body part, say the name, and then the whole class repeated the named part. Then each one of our kids Jaidyn, Jacob and Abby also got to go up to the board and the class shouted out the body parts as they pointed. They loved being included in the lesson. What was really neat was after each child had his turn at the board, the whole class cheered for them saying,”Keep it up, Keep it up, up, up, up,, a very good job.” Our kids often sing that song at home to cheer each other on and to remember Kenya.

We also got to teach a lesson that “God made you very special” and we taught them how to put their thumb on the ink pad and press their fingerprint onto the paper learning that each of them has their very own fingerprint and that they were made by God to be unique and very special.

Jaidyn, our 7 year old, got to read the class a book about Jesus and we gave the classroom board books about bible stories which they loved.

One of our favorite things on the trip was watching our children love-on and become friends with the children in Kenya. God brought their lives together so they could learn from each other and become united as friends. The Kenyans weren’t used to meeting little white kids and it was so special to see their smiles and eyes light up when they met and played with our kids.

When our kids are asked about their trip to Kenya, one thing that they always say is that they made lots of new friends. We are excited to continue the friendships that were started when we were in Kenya and plan to write, send pictures and pray for them often. We have formed relationships that will last forever into eternity.

It was so special to be able to serve the Lord together as a family. As parents we had some concerns about taking a 4, 6, and 7 year old to Kenya and a lot of what if’s but during prayer time God reassured us that He has called us to this and He calmed our fears. We made a list of concerns and requests and prayed them often before the trip. He gave us this verse: Psalm 125: Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mt. Zion, they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds and protects his people both now and forever.

He taught us to trust in Him and that his promises are true. He has answered our prayers, not always as we expected but His ways are better than ours. He was faithful!  Our kids did great even better than we expected and He is still mightily at work in our lives through this trip. Kenya is now and always will be a part of our lives, our prayers, and our heart! We would all love to go back.

Going on this trip, we got to see God work through and in each family member in a different way.

We saw God grow every family member closer to Him and grow their hearts for those who are in need.

Most importantly, going on this trip together gives us the chance to talk and pray about our experience together as a family. Often each person in our family will pick one or two people that we met in Kenya and we pray specifically for them at the dinner table. As a whole family we can encourage and empower each other to share our experience with others. We will be showing our pictures and talking about our trip and how we saw God work at several churches, the kid’s schools, small groups, and nursing homes as a family.

God used a BAG to impact a LIFE

This Thanksgiving Prairie Lakes Church was able to partner with the Northeast Iowa Food Bank and the Osage Food Pantry to help provide food for over 450 families this Thanksgiving.

No matter what role you played in the process your step helped to remind a family in the Cedar Valley they are loved and cared for! You were a part of providing thousands of people the chance to come together as a family and share a meal!

Great work!

Let’s keep taking steps to build relationships as we put ourselves in positions for God to use us in the life of others!

Take a look at this thank you letter from a 14 year old boy:

Let’s keeping taking steps at influencing our community!

Kenya Stories - Sara Fitzgerald

Sara Fitzgerald, the creative arts director for Prairie Lakes Church, has been to Kenya three times on missions trips. So she didn't hesitate to sign up when Diana Mescher, PLC Influence Coordinator and College Coordinator, planned another trip.

On her first trip, she and other PLC volunteers built an addition to the the Kwambekenya school; the second trip, they laid the foundation of the medical clinic and on the third trip, they built a rock bridge on the outskirts of town.

“For the fourth time I stepped on the ground of Kwambekenya. It was everything I remembered; from the smell of the green onions and farms to the familiar faces that came running up to me, shouting, 'mzungu!' (which means 'white face.') To see those amazing faces that I missed so much made the journey worth it,” she said.

For this trip, the mission's focus was helping at the medical clinic. Although she had no medical background, Sara knew she had to take a step of faith.

“I’m a graphic designer with no medical background. But God placed me in a position that was true to my personality, I was the 'runner.' My job for two days was to escort the patients from registration to triage, from the nurse to the doctor. This allowed me to use my people skills rather than having to know anything medical,” Sara said.

Besides interacting with patients and the village children, Sara also experienced a “God” moment that has left a lasting impression. During her last day in Kwambekenya, she spoke with Mary, one of community's women leaders.

“We were on our way back to Lake Naivasha and Mary ran down the road, waving her hands. Mary had been gone all week to tend to other duties but had potatoes to give to our bus driver, Lawrence. We picked her up and pulled into her farm where men brought out a huge bag of potatoes. She has several kids but no husband but is one of the strongest women I know. She farms and raises these kids to know the love of the Lord,” Sara explained.

“I ask her for prayer requests and she just said, 'strength.' We talked about how hard it is to raise kids alone and make ends meet. She smiled and said, 'The Lord gave me these kids to raise. If I’m not going to do it ... who is?' I think about people God has put in my life to mentor, shepherd and lead. I think about my job as a graphic designer, attempting to communicate to our own community the heart and soul of Prairie Lakes Church. I often think about those words Mary spoke, “If I’m not going to do it ... who is?” God will provide the strength. We just need to keep shining and glorifying Him with the task He has chosen us to do.”