Habari #18

Dear friends!
Four years ago we moved to Kenya. We are so grateful for the path we are on here. Your support, encouragement, and encouragement have always been with us! Thank you so much!

Gardening

The past month has been by far one of the most encouraging in Kenya over the last three years. Our last letter was titled "That's a God thing" when I (Lisa) described the preparations for the pastoral care training with Karin Ebert... and it was worth it!

Preparations are in full swing. Each participant was allowed to create their own personal garden of the heart.

Almost all 40 participants nailed letters of guilt to a cross as the first step in their own forgiveness process. We heard countless moving stories from women and men.

Inner healing doesn't happen instantly, but is a process of "re-dressing"...taking off old patterns, unhealthy ways of thinking or behaving, and putting on "beautiful, true, and good"—in other words, "tending and caring for the garden of the heart.".

The rooms were packed for both the lay pastoral care training (in Kijabe) and the healing retreat (in Nairobi). Both workshops began with considerable spiritual resistance. One team member described it as a wall as thick as a bank vault—almost as if some force were trying to keep the people of Kenya down. Gradually, however, the atmosphere changed, and the participants became engaged not only intellectually but also emotionally. Some reported unprecedented insights, saying they only truly understood forgiveness during the seminar.

Some concepts are better explained through role-playing. Lisa here plays the role of a debtor before the king.

It was very encouraging that a large number of participants returned for a follow-up meeting and brought someone along (a friend, sister, etc.). This is a sign of spiritual hunger! So many people otherwise lack a platform, no trusted individuals with whom they can share even the difficult parts of their story. Now there are two small groups that meet regularly to support each other in this spiritual gardening.

A day spent in silence, talking with God… for some, a new experience!

We are so convinced of this work and encouraged by the feedback that we are already planning the next retreat in February 2024!

Banda Health

We (David) are continuing to build diverse collaborations. One of these is a partnership with the organization Akili Group and the Community Health Arm of AIC Kijabe Mission Hospital. The goal is to offer cervical cancer screenings to women in the villages around Mount Kenya with the help of CO2 loans.

Another project is currently being developed in cooperation with government ministers and a Youth Development Movement The initiative was launched in the Kenyan parliament to improve care for victims of vehicle accidents. We have high hopes for these ideas; let's see which ones can be implemented.

Hygiene outreach in Naikara

However, an older partnership can celebrate considerable successes. Two years ago, we began offering hospital management courses in cooperation with the clinician training platform of AMH to offer. Since then, approximately 6000 Clinical Officers in Kenya have completed more than 7900 of our courses.
HERE You can learn more stories from the Banda Health team (or you can sign up for the Banda Health newsletter). HERE).

Banda Health strengthens

Whether you're a nurse, software developer, or numbers enthusiast, we need you! While I highly recommend a visit to Kenya, there are also tasks that can be done from your home office in Europe with limited time.
Interested? Click HERE For more information.

THANKFUL:

For rain! (but we need much more)
That both a new team and the finances for the pastoral care seminars in May came together
Layla had a good school year, and socially she's doing really well at the moment.
David's brother Mix and his family are expected to arrive in Kenya in October to work at the Rift Valley Academy!

HOPEFUL:

That the two Soul Care groups are indeed a helpful platform for people who want to work on their inner healing.
Noemi is finishing junior high school and already has to decide on her high school courses. We need wisdom to put together a suitable academic plan for her that will prepare her well for possible later admission to a university in Germany or Austria.

What else is going on…

We had a long-awaited visit from dear friends and family over the past few months! Lisa successfully completed her first mountain bike race. The girls visited an animal welfare program on the coast and were absolutely thrilled!