CMF Intl – Aug 21 2015 – holistic development report

Interns at Work!

Many of our Reach interns were involved in holistic development projects this summer as they served with CMF missionaries around the world.

Matthew Sayne, right, and Drew Swearingen, center, worked with a Kenyan crew in the Turkana bush, digging lifegiving clean water wells with a hand-powered drill.

Whitney Moussan and Sierra Faigin spent part of their Thailand internship living with a hill tribe family that has rescued six children from dangerous family situations. The interns served by teaching English to the kids.

Sydney Reed, Sarah Walsh and Taylor Jarvill worked with new Kenyan friends in the pharmacy and clinic at Missions of Hope in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Brianna Langley, left, and Jordan Alberico worked with school children with Missions of Hope in Nairobi, Kenya.

Skills training paves the way for escaping poverty

How do you make money to feed your children when you have no skills?

That’s the roadblock many women in the slums face as they try to provide for their families. Missions of Hope, CMF’s partner in holistic ministry in Nairobi, Kenya, meets the problem head-on with Community Health Evangelism trainers who mobilize women into small groups to learn marketable skills and provide loans to start small businesses.

One very successful group is called “Bright Mothers,” and has been meeting at the Kiamaiko center in Nairobi since 2013. Their CHE trainer, Stellamaries Kyuvi, has equipped the women with a variety of skills, including making candles and yogurt, baking bread, and bead work. 

“Our group members have benefitted greatly from the training, and especially from the candlemaking project,” said Stellamaries. 

“The women saved their own money, about 50 cents a week, to purchase a candlemaking machine and supplies, and were trained in the process in a single day,” said Alison Emery, a CMF missionary in Nairobi who has seen the Bright Mothers’ candle operation in action. 

“They produce about 80 taper candles each week and sell them in the Kiamaiko community, making a shared profit of about $22,” said Alison. “Each woman in the group is assigned a separate duty in the candle-making process so they are working together to create the final product.”

Starting new businesses

With the success of the candle project, some members have borrowed money from the group and started their own businesses.

“One of our members, Esther, borrowed the money to buy her own candlemaking machine,” said Stellamaries. “She moved to another town and is now fully self-employed in making and selling candles.”

The group’s success also encouraged Christine to open a green-grocers shop and Elizabeth to revive a shop that she had been forced to close.

“Christine is now able to pay school fees for her daughter, and Elizabeth’s business is thriving,” said Stellamaries. “Both are so grateful for the training and loans they received.”

Another member of Bright Mothers, Amina, was unemployed and her husband was a watchman.

“She borrowed money from the group to prepare and sell samosas,” said Stellamaries. “Then she and her husband borrowed money for him to open a butchery. Now they both can support their family.”

“By being empowered to succeed, the women in Bright Mothers are free to share their gifts with the community as God continues to transform them spiritually,” said Alison Emery. “The hope that they share with others holistically transforms not only their individual families but also their entire community.”

Agri-Stewards train farmers in Burkina Faso

An early June trip led by Brian Smith of Agri-Stewards, Lebanon, IN, offered new challenges, but also new opportunities to share the principles of “Farming God’s Way” in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

Brian led a two-week trip for a team of six to work with CMF missionaries Tom and Suja Brane. The new challenge that the team encountered was that two-thirds of the Farming God’s Way class were Muslim and only one-third were Christians.

“Many prayers were lifted, not only from supporters in the U.S., but also by my Kenyan brothers and sisters, that our message would be well-received,” said Brian. “The prayers were felt, and God came through in a big way. Our message appeared to be well-received, and I look forward to follow-up reports from Tom.”

Student stories

One big highlight of the trip was getting acquainted with some of the class members, said Tom.

“Delphine, for example, had personally invited about half of the other participants,” said Brian. “She is Suja Brane’s language partner and is very outgoing, energetic and well-respected. In fact, we were a little nervous because Delphine said if the people didn’t learn anything new on the first day, none would return on the second! Praise God, everyone came back on the next day.

“Mr. Nalcuma – another class member – is a Muslim, but two of his sons have become Christians recently, and one had been asked to leave the home,” said Brian. “But both sons were at the class, with their dad, and he offered each of the boys some of his land for this upcoming growing season. Tom (Brane) will visit him soon to see how the training impacted Mr. Nalcuma’s life.”

Brian and his team were greatly impressed by another class member, Seydou, who was put in charge of the care of a second demonstration garden planted next to his house.

“We stressed how carefully people would be examining the garden to see if the new methods work, and how important good watering and weeding are,” said Brian.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t water when we planted because it had been turned off in that part of town. We learned the next day that when the water came back on at midnight, Seydou stood in line for 4 hours to fill his container and get the garden watered by 6:30 a.m.!”

The team also spent time touring the natural beauty of Burkina Faso, including a visit to a lovely waterfall.

“It was at this spot that reality hit me, though,” said Brian. “We saw feathers and blood on the rocks where animists had presented sacrifices to the spirit world. How sad to think that they could stand in front of the beauty of God and not see Him. Please pray for the lost in Burkina Faso, that their eyes may be opened to see the Creator and worship Him!”