springs of hope

Last week Springs of Hope Kenya was presented with its largest challenge to date, a min-istry opportunity of such magnitude that it will truly require God’s provision and grace. The ini-tial plan was simply to pick up four street boys and return them to their families at Nawamu IDP camp. (For those not familiar with the term IDP, it stands for “internally displaced persons,” the sanitized euphemism for refugees. Many of you are aware of the post election violence that took place in the nation of Kenya in Dec 27th 2007 through March 2008, taking an estimated 1,600 innocent lives. At the height of the clashes an estimated 650,000 Kenyans were displaced. The government compensation for each family is the equivalent of 140 USD for the loss of their fam-ily members and property. Kenya is once again a stable democracy but there are still tens of thousands of IDP.)

When we arrived at the camp, people began to come out of their tents and greet us. We met with the chairman of the camp and gave him the food we had brought, and reunited the boys with their families. The chairman told us there were 50 tents, 205 families, and 1175 people living at this camp. Each tent was partitioned in half. The dimensions of each were approximately 8’ x 10’, and on average contained 11 people or 2 families. This community is residing on ap-proximately 2 acres out the 16 acres loaned to them.

The chairman introduced us to the people who graciously and warmly welcomed us. The chairman walked us through the camp and explained the plights of individual families. One boy whom we sponsor in school, Simon, witnessed his four siblings and father being murdered right in front of his eyes and now he lives at the IDP camp with his mother. Another child, Florence, has cerebral palsy and drags herself through dirt in the camp, which is located on a rocky hill-side. We are hoping to get her some crutches or a way for her to have greater mobility. We also met Patrick who is visually and hearing impaired. The topography makes it next to impossible for him to get around.

It goes without saying that the people of this camp have been adversely affected by the clashes, having lost their property and homes, and many have also lost family members who were brutally murdered. The day-to-day challenges and struggles are numerous and include the following:

• Acute food shortages, a catalyst for many of the boys running to the streets of the closest urban center.
• Chronic shortages of potable water, which is carried from 2 ½ miles away by women and children. (The average American uses 150-250 gallons per day, but in this community there are two 793-gallon water tanks, or approximately 1600 gal-lons for 1200 people… and that is if the tanks are even full.)
• Inadequate sanitation.
• Lack of mattresses and blankets forcing people to literally sleep on the ground.
• Many medical problems.
• They are trying to raise the 11,000 USD for the 16 acres of land.

Despite the magnitude of the suffering, we were humbled by a true sense of community and the refugees’ commitment to one another. They truly represented the body of Christ.

Notwithstanding the enormous challenges, our team of six (Joseph Molly & Elijah Bail, Victot Ombati, Daniel Kirru, and Catherine Kim) knows that we serve a God who still performs miracles. He is faithful and trustworthy. We have started to address some of the issues facing the community with the dehydrated food we received from SERV Ministries International. The community requires 267 USD as a down payment for a land survey so it can be subdivided into individual plots. For many, permanent structures would be the beginnings of their lives being restored to some semblance of normalcy. Before departing we met with the elders of the com-munity and inquired as to the most urgent needs in the community. We took this information but made no promises. We let them know that we would see what God would do.

One of our team members, Catherine Kim, is going to start a support group for those with HIV/AIDS. There are 43 community members who have identified themselves as HIV/AIDS positive and this does not include children. In a culture where shame and stigma are still associ-ated with this disease it takes tremendous courage to share one’s status.

For Springs of Hope Kenya we are looking at this as a time of action and opportunity! Being complacent is no longer acceptable. It is not only an indictment of the Christian commu-nity, but also the whole of humanity, a “humanity” that allows people in this day and age to suf-fer in such ways while turning its head in ignorance. For those of us who call or identify our-selves as Christians this should come as no surprise or epiphany. It is a mandate of our faith. We are instructed to look after the widows and the orphans and the poor (James 1:27).

So with that being said…we will tell you about Part II soon…

If you are interested in helping please let us know at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or go to http://www.SpringsofHopeKenya.org

See pics at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031590&id=1352196615&l=fef8b87684

I will be leaving Tuesday to head back to Kenya. I am thankful for this and know that I have purpose there. I am very happy to get started working and serving again. I know now we have more children/orphans sponsored for school. We are close to the opening of the orphanage. Please pray for the electricity situation
we are dealing with. Needing patients dealing with all the last minute preparation. Please know that building in Kenya and the place we are building (very nice) is not not like building here in the USA. ~molly

This week we put another one of the “Street Boys” in school!
I am so happy to say that now Bernard is no longer a “Street Boy”
but he is a young man in school with a future. He has lived on the street of Nakuru for the last 3 years. He is 16. So pray for his Success.

He is doing well so far!

Today was a really encouraging. We went to the land to check on the progress of the construction.
It is coming along so well and we are very happy with the landscaper we have hired because he is making the most of the land that we have and it is going to be awesome. We can envision where the children will be able to have a playground one day soon and where we can teams come an meet and work with the children.

We also met with the local woman who as a former member of parliament. She and her husband stopped by and the were so encouraging to us. They are very excited about the project and what has brought to the community. We are happy to have them as our neighbors.

We then went to the school that Ann( she is the burn victim) attends and spoke with the the two teachers there who have been champions for Ann trying to help her get her surgery. They were so excited that she will be able to get the surgeries that she needs. But, to listen to Miriam,and Florence talk about the children and all the needs in this one school is so overwhelming. This seems to be a word we use quite often these days. They are true women of God as they have a heart for all of these children. They deal with children that are physically abused and try to do what they can to rectify these situations. They also try to help children that may have physical or mental handicaps in whatever way they can and try to put myths and fallacy to rest with parents who can often think they are cursed or bewitched if they have a child with a handicap. These shining stars in a sometimes very dark place deserve to be applauded. They are the future of Kenya and their one dream is to have a building built at there school for children with special needs. The classes now have 70 to 80 children to a very small room. So any child with a special need or a learning disability do not have a chance. So I think this a knowable a doable dream and we will pray with them.

We are back in Kenya now after a visit home to raise additional funds for the beautiful orphanage we are building here in Kenya plus we had the added blessing of being able to be with our friends and family for the holidays. This trip was truly a blessing to our project and us. I can say we have an awesome home church, and the most wonderful friends and supporters that God could ever bless us with.

From the wonderful services that Cypress Meadows had in honor of raising funds for Springs of Hope Kenya, to a family that had a party for their children and instead of asking for gifts they had the children and their families make donations to the orphans of Kenya so that they can have a home.

It humbles us to think that in spite of the recession we hear about 24/7 it did not affect people’s hearts for children and people who have nothing. Before we left I was truly wondering how we would be able to raise funds in this economy. But, Joseph assured me that God did not bring us this far to stop us now and he was right. “All things are possible through God who gives us strength” He has blessed Springs of Hope Kenya through all of you and your generosity. Because of YOU and God working through you we are back on track and construction continues. So Thank You So MUCH!

I have to say we have been very busy since our return and want to properly thank everyone. But, as soon as we hit the ground we have been busy making sure all of the children that are sponsored are back in school and fees paid, and uniforms bought. We now have one more boy in school due to the kindness of some very special people. This young man was in an abusive situation and is now attending school and he is safe and thriving. We are looking to put one more street boy in school and are in the evaluation stage. So please pray for him. His name is Bernard.

We have been getting our Mama’s businesses in order. Making sure that they are succeeding and setting up a few more so that these widows and women affected by HIV can be successful and take care of themselves and their children. This is a very important part of what we do and it takes so little funding to change a life.

Also in our travels we came across Ann. Some of you may already know whom I am writing about. Ann is 7 years old she was burned in a house fire when she was five months old and never received any proper medical treatment. She attends a very poor local school and two of the teachers there have struggled to raise funds for Ann so that she could have her first skin graft to close the persistent wound on the top of her head and to unfuse her arms where the skin grew together after the burns. She also needs reconstructive surgey to repair damage to her face and ears. We learned that for Ann to have the reconstructive surgeries sothat she could live a normal life it would cost KSH 250,000 which sounds like so much…..it is only $3300 USD. I am thrilled to say the funds are raised! THANK YOU!

We are also happy to report that through a wonderful ministry called SERV international. Springs of Hope Kenya has been the recipient of enough dehydrated food to feed over 60,000 people here in Kenya. We are so grateful for this and this is an answer to prayer.

We could go on and on because this is only a small portion of what has happened since we’ve been back. As we have said the needs are HUGE! Our main focus is the Orphanage. But we cannot let all the other programs we have started suffer because of this commit ment. I recently had someone write me and say “You should be grateful with what you have raised to build the orphanage. You can not take on every misfortune and tragedy in Kenya, there will be one every day.” I agree with this except we wish there were only one misfortune everyday. Here misfortunes are multiplied many, many times. So we look at this is a race with many hurdles. We do not know when the race will be finished or how many hurdles there will be but we find strength through faith and that we are here for a God given purpose so I will end with this. “I have fought I good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.” 2Tim4: 7

We sincerely thank you for all your love, and your faith in what we are trying to accomplish here in Kenya!

Love to you all! Molly & Joseph Bail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you would like to support what we are doing in Kenya you can:

Pay through Pay Pal on our website- WWW.Springsofhopekenya.org

Give through- Cypress Meadows Community Church

2180 N. Mcmullen Booth Rd.

Clearwater Fl. 33759

Or

Springs of Hope Kenya

2504 Southpointe Dr.

Dunedin, Fl. 34698

You can make checks payable to Springs of Hope Kenya If going through Cypress you can make Checks to CMCC for Kenya

visit http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1608656569&suggestfriends=#/group.php?gid=43442770349

We are here in NY waiting to catch our next plane to Paris and then to Kenya. We have been in the USA since Thanksgiving and we are ready to return to Kenya.
I must say that we had a Huge task in front of us and when we were about two weeks into our trip I began to panic a bit about what we had to accomplish in such a short time. Joseph assured me that he knew God would be faithful and I was the doubting Thomas I guess you could say. I must say God is so faithful as we were able to raise the funds we needed and then some for our orphanage! So we want to thank everyone that helped not only by donating but by praying for what we are accomplishing in Kenya and the children we are serving!

Yeah God…Thank you!

It is surrreal that my friend and Pastor Douglas Poole and our friend and Art Director Chris Cox were just here. We were able to share with them some of what we deal with here in Kenya. This happened all quite suddenly so to think that they have come and gone so fast is Bitter sweet….so glad they were here..so sad they are gone already. We were able to do alot but not all that we had wanted to fit in. It was not enough time for sure. Another awesome thing that happen was to see have Douglas and chris met our dear friends here in Kenya and see how they all became so close so fast. It was so good.
They are all now so close and we all have this deep connection. This was a great experience for all involved. It was a once in a lifetime thing.

AFRICA
Where to start? There is so much to say, yet I am not sure words or pictures can give a true vision of
Kenya. All at the same time, it is by far, the most breathtaking and devastating place I have ever
experienced. I went to visit one of my oldest friends, Molly. She, her husband, Joe and 14 year old son,
Elijah have sold everything they own to build an orphanage…for facts and figures, please visit:
www.springsofhopekenya.org…At the moment, the building should be completed by the end of this year.
Work is all done by hand and very slow, but they are getting there…
Each day I spent in Nakuru was different. Molly and Jo do many outreaches to the local “mamas,” street
kids, and hospitals. Besides feeding and clothing these people, they are working to build the community
by getting the kids off the streets and into school as well as supporting the growth of small businesses.
Most of these people are surviving with barest of necessities, if any at all. Although the need seems
endless, I realized during my trip that it does not take much to make a large difference….one human being
at a time. Simon, for instance. A very special 14 year old boy that touched my heart among many. Given
up by a family that did not want him anymore, he has lived on the streets of Nakuru for over a year. Many
street boys (about 90%) succumb to sniffing glue to ease hunger and stay warm…Simon has not-he
admits trying it but did not see it as an answer…He wanted to go to school, become a minister, and help
fellow street kids. We had many lunches throughout the course of my stay and he is an incredibly gentle,
smart, well mannered boy. Even after living a very hard life, there is still a softness and strength to him.
During one of our lunches, he saved half his meal so that he could give it to another homeless child.
Pretty amazing from someone starving themselves. This is only one of many examples and I found him
very inspirational. What broke my heart, was seeing this boy lose the light and hope in his eyes. I learned
a lot from Simon and it was shockingly easy to help him….A meeting with the headmaster of Davis
Academy and basically a check…$850.00 paid for his tuition, clothing, supplies, room and board for the
entire year. Watching this special little person (again, one of many) come off the streets and go to school
was one of the best days of my life. The smile and rekindled sparkle in those eyes was worth every penny
and more. He did much more for me than I did for him and it will be my honor to keep his tuition paid
each year until he graduates.
I don’t feel I can write an ending about this trip because I think it only the beginning….What I can say is
that can you imagine being a child and living on the streets? Can you imagine your parents dying or not
being able to take care of you? Being sick and not knowing if you were going to be able to eat today,
tomorrow, or the next day? No family, no school, no clothes, no bathroom or shower? Can you imagine?
Seeing it was hard to believe and an easy choice to write a check.
To be continued…

Elijah came home yesterday for the weekend.
He loves the school and has already made many new friends.
This is an answered prayer thank you Jesus.
All he talks about is school we couldn’t be happier.
I am just getting over Malaria once again I take precautions but still get sick but at least I know the symptoms.
So can have it verified
We have had an interesting week Wednesday we were to attend the funeral for Robert.
The young man that recently died the family is still trying to raise the funds to retrieve his body from the morgue.
This poor family who have nothing must come up with this enormous amount of money (for Them)before they will release the body.
Corruption here is everywhere it makes me sick.
Today we sent the final amount to the elders brother so prayerfully this matter is over.
Anyways the funeral did not happen but something amazing did a women we meet decided to give her life to Christ.
Right in the middle of a dirt road but it went a simple prayer of salvation to a deliverance.
Six of us were praying over her it was a powerful moment.
The name above all names Jesus liberated this women freed her from bondage
It was a first for me and Molly I knew at that moment why we where here.
Please pray for a very close friend of ours her name is Monica Kerubo she is 42 with AIDS.
If I had more time I would go into her life story it is tragic she is in the local hospital in the AIDS ward.
Ward 12 its called the condition of the facility is gross falling apart and these are the most vulnerable to diseases.
And the way they treat them is sub-standard just pray for her she is a beautiful woman that has a very hard life.
Kenya is never boring life and death decision are made every day But Gods grace is sufficient.

I would have to say it is hard for me to blog because what can happen in one day here is quite hard to put in to words.
I guess each day is like a new and unbelievable…I dont know saga or soap opera. Life for most is very complicated and difficult. We thought we came here to deal with orphans and there is so much more. I have now two more children who need to go to school, and another who is waiting to talk to us next Sunday. So many children here are abandoned. So we deal with children who have parents but they do not want them, Which is the case with alot of the street boys. I have had woman today tell me today she wants to give us her unborn baby. She is having twins and cannot support them both. That is just one of many things that happen when we go to church. Sometimes you have to just think “OH MY GOD” literally. Because he is the only one that can see us through this