S.O.S.?

Welcome to Kenya (part 24)

Well here I am again, It's already Friday morning the 27th of April here in Nakuru. While the western world sleeps it is time to start our day. I am thankful that it is Friday, the ministry we provide actually slows down a bit. For the first time in thirty plus years of "ministry" Sunday has actually become a day of rest. It is not that we don't have "church" but it is in a format that most of the Christian faith have not yet embraced. It maybe that Sunday should be the day we rest from the DAILY ministry we are supposed to be providing. Whether that "ministry" or "service" is provided in the workplace or in the highways and byways there must be rest for the body and the soul (mind)

I am pleased to announce that "Christopher's House" is now thoroughly modern it has in complete operation electricity, running water, western style (sit on em') toilets, the beds are in place, the kitchen has been completely redone. and. final touches of interior paint and landscaping is being completed right now.. A precious family from the Chicago, IL. area has mailed the bedding for all six beds plus extra. Part of my family is providing throws for each of the beds. The first two boys have been selected and the boys new dad and mom (and Babu) are ready to get under way. It is an exciting time here at the old home place in Nakuru, well actually in Kiondo which is on the eastern side of Nakuru.

Ben is getting some rest and trying to eat better although he is still throwing (puking), as they say here. Ben's wife Pauline is due the first of May but I'm praying the baby comes early so I can bring fresh pictures back to Kentucky with me of the latest addition to the community at Milimani. We have also been notified of a new little Brooks in the basket. Those strange cravings Kate has been experiencing has apparently started the process of eating for three. Not that we think there are twins this early on but Emma is still Nyon Nyoing (nursing). When Johnny and Kate decide to build a community they are more than willing to do their part. Personally I'm praying for a little brother for Andrew. He's in the house with fourteen females...help him Jesus.

On Monday we will be starting the process and some of the construction for our school now that "Christopher's House" is complete. We have been so blessed to have land made available to us for our building projects. Our plans are to reach those children who cannot afford to attend school with not only a firm foundation in academics and good nutrition but give them an opportunity to come and see a risen, living God in the form of man once again. If we lift HIM up HE will draw. i hope some of you will be an active part of our projects here in Kenya with your prayers and donations. Leave a comment to inquire how you can help sponsor a child in school or one of the orphan boys in "Christopher's House".

It's now Sunday evening before I've been able to finish and post this bit of information. Pole. (sorry)

Babu Lonnie

Welcome to Kenya (part 23)

On a personal note first. It is now the morning of Thursday March 26th, 2009. I left the U.S. two months ago today. I will be here another month before returning to my wife, children, grand children and family and my other friend. You know who you are friend. but today is a special day in our family. I am blessed with two of the greatest daughter in laws one could ever hope for. If I could have chosen wives for my sons I couldn't have made better choices. today is my youngest son, Joshua's wife's birthday. She has given Patti and I two of the most wonderful and nearly perfect grand children in the world and two foster grand children. Christ has been a part of our family for more years than I can remember.Today is her___birthday. And I wanted to wish her a happy birthday and tell her I love her an appreciate all she does. good choice Josh, Christi you've made a great contribution to our family. I wish she and Josh and Zeke and Eli was here with me. We'd have a birthday party like you have never seen. While I'm on the subject of daughter in laws I missed Angela's birthday on the 21st of Feb. come to think of it I also missed my oldest son Jeremy's birthday on Feb. 9th as well as Patti and my thirty fourth wedding anniversary on Feb. 14th. What a loving understanding family God has blessed me with!!! I love you and am looking forward to seeing you all. Except maybe...just joking.

Now down to business. Our friend Ben has been diagnosed with bleeding ulcers and has been put on medication and a strict diet. He was also told to rest, I'd rather try and corral a two year old! He did stay in the house for one whole day and said he could not do it any longer because there were some "seriously sick" people he needed to visit. johnny and I made a deal with him. We said he could go but under the condition that I drive him instead of him walking several miles for his visits. He agreed and yesterday I spent a good part of the day visit "seriously sick" people and driving Ben into places that no one I know would ever want to live. This morning I came out of my room a little before 6:00am and guess what...Bens gone, he went to a remote village to secure the paper work for an orphan boy who will be living at "Christopher's House". You have to meet with village elders or the tribal chief to receive permission to take the boy even though he is not being cared for. This boys name is Geoffrey and is the brother to our youngest orphan girl, Edith.

Yesterday we visited three of our ladies LIVING, not dying, with aids. We couldn't find one of them and was told she has been taken to the hospital due to complications with the virus. Her name is Nora and she has at least a young son that I know of that lives with her. Please pray for Nora. We also visited again the seventeen year old boy named Gilbert Ochien I post about earlier on the blog that said "In the shadow of the steeple". He is some better physically and appears to be a bit more responsive, it is amazing what food, water and some multi vitamins will do.

We also visited in Mary's home, who we picked up from the hospital. Mary is losing her vision little by little but the doctor said it can be corrected with glasses. The problem is Mary doesn't have the nearly impossible sum of about fourth dollars for the exam and glasses. I can hear some minds ticking, thinking, Babu why don't you or Johnny just give Mary and Gilbert the money they need to survive. That sounds easy but there are literally thousands of case like these or worse. The only way these needs can be met is when we unite and share the burden of those who are much less fortunate then us. I hope you will consider helping. Your gift will lift Jesus up and He said He would draw all men to Himself...let's do our part and I have proof positive He will do His part. If you are willing and able to help with donations of any size. They are very much appreciated and needed. 100 per cent of your gift goes directly to the needs. You can help by sending your donations to:
The Kenya Fund
713 West First Street
Beaver Dam, KY. 42320
Or use PayPal back2kenya@yahoo.com
All gifts are tax deductible should you desire a donation receipt at the end of the year.

Requesting the ASSEMBLING (the various parts coming together) of the Body of Christ,

Babu Lonnie
PS: Thanks Prince & Princess for the encouragement.

Welcome to Kenya (part 22)

I don't feel much like blogging today but I have time and the connection for the Internet is about as good as it gets. So I really have no excuses.

I am very sad and elated today. for two reasons I can tell you about. First a young lady I met only about a month ago passed away during the night due to complications with HIV/AIDS. I want thank those of you who helped her live her last few days with dignity and kept her from dying alone. She was a lovely 26 year old mother, a daughter and a grand daughter. A real person, a creation of God that by whatever means contracted a virus that took her life. Our purpose is not to condemn and abandon, our purpose as followers of The Lord Jesus Christ is to let those who are not well see the great physician in us and through us. Knight was able, in the last month of her life to see the risen Savior, the body of Christ on earth today in action. She had heard it said that this Jesus was loving but no one came to love, she heard He was compassionate but no one came showing her compassion, she had even heard that He healed, yet no one came to relieve any pressure or bring her the comfort of The Healers hand. Then one day He did show up and stretched out his hand and lifted her up from the dirt floor of her mud house to a handmade bed. Then He returned with medicines and supplements to make her even stronger. He opened her ears that she would hear His voice, He opened her eyes that she might see Him lifted up. And as scripture proclaims she was drawn to Him and invited Him in every time he knocked at the door, she even called on Him several times...just to say thank you. Some of you may be thinking things like well did she pray the prayer? What prayer? Find that in scripture for me. She was drawn and followed, called on Him and invited Him in. Did she ever attend a church meeting? Yes on several occasions but not the one most are thinking of. Scripture says where two or more are gathered in my Name (the word means character) he is there. Was she ever baptized? Yes, baptized by the Spirit into His Body. You see for the last month or so of her life hear on this earth she was given the opportunity to see the real Jesus at work. I'm sad because Knight is gone, I'll miss her smile but I'll never forget it. I'm elated because there is no more pain of the virus, no more worry about her next meal, no more hurt by society...He followed her home on Friday and she followed Him home on Monday morning. Here is the last picture taken of her on Friday.

The other reason I am sad this morning is this. The hand that you see in this picture extended to help feed Knight is that of my dear friend and fellow follower of Jesus, Ben. Ben is one of the most powerful examples of the living body of Christ I have ever seen. I have witnessed him being the feet of Jesus, I was with him when this picture was taken and he was the hand of God extended. I could tell you story after story of Ben. Ben has a saying that we joke with him about. He will come in and say he has met someone today who is SERIOUSLY SICK. When Ben says that it is not just a cold or the sniffles. This morning Ben became, in his own words, seriously sick. We have rushed him to the hospital and waiting news. Johnny and I think he has a very bad bleeding ulcer or possibly a ruptured gall bladder. But we are not doctors. We do know that he is vomiting blood and has unbearable pain in his upper abdomen. Even as I write this he has just sent me a text message that he is now going into the building to get x-rays. Only God knows how long that will take.

Before leaving the house to take him to the hospital Ben told us of Knights passing. Ben, as usual wanted to go help Knight's grand mother by removing the body from her house to the mortuary. Johnny and I insisted that we take care of him first and then we would look after the other details. As you may have noticed things are a bit different here in Kenya. You don't just call an ambulance of a funeral home. The body is transported from the home to the mortuary by any means possible. And most likely we will be the means. What an opportunity to display Him and His Kingdom!!!

Thankful that Knight got to see Jesus lifted up, she was drawn and followed!

Babu Lonnie

Correction to the Correction

I almost forgot, actually I was reminded I have 4 more mzungu (white) grand children here. I have come to love them very much. Since my mind has been jolted and kicked into gear there are two other grand children I have not mentioned. They are Ali and Virginia's two children that will also be living and helping at "Christopher's House", our newly built home for orphan boys. I apologize to the six of them for Babu (grand father) not giving them their proper place in the family. Here is a recent picture of those I didn't recognize in my last post.

They are from the closest to the furthers or front to back if you prefer: Emma, Makena, Butterfly and last but not least the eldest of the Brooks clan Andrew. They were chillin on the back porch.

I hope I spelled all the names right. Spelling is not one of my strong points and spell check don't do names very well either.

Now for the other two, their names are Joyce and Gregory and I am relatively sure you'll be able to tell who is who. Well I apologize I can't find a picture of Joyce but I did find on of Gregory. I will post her picture on another post, but I won't have a correction of the correction of the correction...I promise. 

Babu Lonnie

CORRECTION TO MY LAST POST

I said I was putting a picture of Irene. I got busy doing the rest of the post and just plain forgot. If you live long enough you'll get old too!! Remember it's not nice to make fun of old people. You can find out more about Irene at our orphans web site called "A Future and A Hope". Now I can't find a picture of just Irene so here are all the girls. The girls are front row left to right: Beatrice, Edith, Mercy Kidogo, Sarah M., Back row left to right: Mercy Mcubwa, Millie, Sarah A., Grace and finally almost in the dark Irene.

Sorry about the bad picture but out of the several hundred I've taken it was the first one I found.

Babu Lonnie has some great looking grand daughters. I also have two in the U.S. that I don't have a picture of on this computer. Paw Paw loves Millie Rose and Mya too.

I also have three handsome grand sons in the U.S. Zeke, Eli and Rudy. I now have one more grand son here named George and soon to have five more.

Babu aka Paw Paw Lonnie

Welcome to Kenya (part 21)

Well I just loaded this page to begin my latest post and the electricity has gone off again. This is a common occurrence here in Kenya. I don't know if it is a problem or an outage to conserve energy. The energy conservation outages are usually put in the Daily Nation newspaper but sometimes they forget or something this one was not in the paper today. Oh well thank God for laptops. But my battery is not fully charged so I'm gonna take a break and post when the electricity comes back on, hopefully by tonight. I'm back and so is the electricity. I'm fully charged, and so is my battery so here we go.

I haven't posted in the last few days because, well I just didn't. But the emails have been pouring in asking about the blog. It is most likely easier to post the blog than answer all the emails. I am hoping those who read this blog is also keeping up with Pure Christianity blog they are much more faithful to post than I am. We work together everyday and sometimes I feel like we are almost posting the same stuff since we doing everything as a team. It is the most awesome thing when brethren can really dwell (live) together in unity.

I just returned from dinner an Kate informed me she had to take Irene to the hospital because she was running a 103* temperature. Please remember her when you pray. In case you haven't visited "A Future and a Hope". site here is a picture so you know which of the girls you are praying for. 

We had the official dedication for "Christopher's House" on his birth date which was March 18th. We gathered in the sitting room and gave the whole project to God for His use in a very informal ceremony. Present for the dedication Kate Brooks, Ali Abdi Ali, Johnny Brooks, Ben Odour, his wife Pauline (with child due soon) and Ali's wife Virginia and the Brooks children. We literally took a meal together. I will say no more but the pictures will speak for themselves. The picture is the meal. It consisted of Ugali, the white bread looking stuff, Kachumbari, Kenyan version of salsa and last but not least Choma Buzi which is roasted goat. It was a meal fit for a king. We washed it down with various sodas and water.  And finally one of the moment I will be proud of the rest of my life. To stand for my brother, Chris, my sister Donna, my brothers Glenn and Roger, our dad Harold and Jo Chris's mom and our step mother Kathryn. Thank you for allowing me to represent our family to provide not only a home for six orphan boys but also A Future And A Hope. Also Thanks to Johnny and Kate, Ali and Virginia and Ben and Pauline for being the vessels God worked through to make this possible.

   Naku Pende Wewe Chris, see ya soon!!!

  Your Family and New Brothers                                                                                             

Welcome to Kenya (part 20)

I won't say any more but UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE STEEPLE!!!

17 year old boy in the white shirt........

Babu Lonnie

Welcome to Kenya (part 19)

It is about 8:00am here in Kenya on Thursday and I have just returned from my adventure of driving the girls to school. If you have never been here you can't even imagine. There are no rules of the road. Plus they drive on the left and of course I'm used to driving on the right. The driving on the opposite side isn't the difficult part to deal with. It is the passing on either side and there are no corners in town to simply make a left or right turn, they have what is called a round about. The rule of the round about seems to be the first one there wins, of course unless the slower vehicle is  a lorrey (big truck) or a bus and, that's right, they win. Yes there are winners and losers in the round about race, in the U.S. we call them wrecks. Maybe it's the Kenyan tea or coffee I drink before I leave that makes me feel like everybody is out to run over the mzungu (white guy). It is truly an exciting experience driving in Kenya. I am actually liking it. Now that sort of scares me.

On the subject of driving there are also lots of motorcycles here. They are called piki pikis and most of them are 125 cc. The only "big" piki pikis are ridden by the police. On a personal note to my friend Jeff,,,they are Yamaha's. The problem is they are like a 650 cc or something. I've never seen anything like them in the U.S. They look like a small BMW, for those of you who know anything about motorcycles. Another problem, I didn't have enough money with me to ride one of the police bikes,,,if you get my drift!!! I miss my family, friends and my motorcycle most when I am here. In that order. I have been hoping to be pulled over by one of the motorcycle policemen. I told Johnny my plan, you distract him and I'll just go for a short ride. But so far I'm just dreaming or it may turn into a nightmare, I've seen their jails!!! Oh yeah and sometimes when you call the police you have to buy them petrol or go get them. So I'd probably have to ride it far enough to find a place to put some petrol in the bike.

Another interesting thing to me about Kenya is their health care. Like jail, if someone doesn't bring you a little food you will get really hungry. One of the major hospital in a town of nearly three quarters of a million people has some wards that have two and three people in each bed. That's right two or three in one bed. Those who are seriously sick, especially those with HIV/AIDS are placed on what they called a mattress on the floor to wait for their trip to the cold room (morgue).

A major reason we are trying to provide love, medicine, nutritious food and beds for those with the virus is to keep them out of the hospital. Unfortunately, like the orphans in Kenya, there are so many it seems we are fighting a losing battle. But the help you supply through your prayers and donations, some at least will have the opportunity to see God's hand extended. It is hard to see the devastation the kingdoms of this world has brought to mankind. And then to realize that there is another kingdom that is waiting on someone to step up and step out to display it. That kingdom is not found in structure built by man, ritual, religion but must be displayed by men and women who are the very temple of a living God. My friend Frank signed a note to me recently "His Kingdom Come". It made me think, it is at hand. It is within our grasp but only when we let go of EVERYTHING else.

I want to thank all of you who have been the fuel for "His Body" doing His work and bidding here in Kenya through your support. The Kingdom Will Come in it's fullness someday. Let's keep building His Kingdom till He appears to each of us with the proclaims for the final time "well done thou good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord". I have heard this portion of the proclamation in this life and am held captive with the power of His joy when doing good and being His faithful servant. Naku pende wewe (I Love You)

Serving faithfully with good people who are displaying His kingdom,

Babu Lonnie    

Welcome to Kenya (part 18)

First of all I'd like to wish a happy birthday to my mother who is 78 years old. I hope someone who reads this blog will tell that I didn't forget that March 10th is her birthday. I am in a position not to deliver the message myself. Mama has suffered a major stroke and has been in a rehabilitation center in Kentucky U.S.A, for several years. Due to years of diabetes she has also had her right leg amputated above the knee. So travel for her has become difficult to say the least. Mama I love you and wish you a happy birthday. From Nakuru Kenya with love. I know that today is the 11th but I ran out of credits on my Internet. I'll explain that in another post.

Today they are doing the final touch up paint on "Christopher's House" and it looking, as they say here in Kenya, very smart. The house will be completed by March 18th for the official dedication ceremony. Then it will be ready for occupancy. A big thank you Ali and Virginia for sacrificing themselves and their property to make this vision come into reality. What a privilege to serve with them and see the lives of the boys who come to "Christopher's House" changed.

I am here and safe from the wrath of my dear wife Patti so I will confess I have had my hair done like I like it. But I will have it back the way she likes it by the time I get home. I spent several hours on a hard tiny wooden stool that seemed about four inches off the floor to get my doo done. I confessed that to tell you I got to spend several hours with one of the sweetest, kindest most grateful people I've ever met in all my trips to Kenya. She is the lady who did my hair and the same lady who does all the girls hair here at a "A Future and a Hope". 

Let me tell you a about Beatrice. She is the oldest of five children and the only girl. She is a twenty four year old single mother that has a little girl named Patsy who will be two on June seventh. She is what I would call a hair specialist. Works in a local hair salon seven days a week (after attending an early service on Sunday) and makes around seven dollars for that weeks work. Her rent and utilities cost her about fourteen dollars a month. So if you do the math, she makes about twenty eight dollars a month. Fourteen dollars goes for here one room mud apartment. That leaves her with a wind fall of fourteen dollars a month for all the other necessities of life. She keeps a clean house, is an excellent cook and seems to be a good mother and a faithful family person. But she is a PLWA...one of the People Living With Aids.

She has not just sat down and waited to die. She has decided to live. And she now lives her life by serving other who have the virus. Beatrice is one of the people instrumental in helping those who have contracted the virus when they can no longer help themselves. She takes her medicine daily, works daily, and eats as healthy as she possibly can. she bragged to me today that she was feeling good and up to a staggering 42kg. That's about 92lbs. This her and Patsy.

Beatrice has not only seen and followed Jesus she is a reflection of the love, mercy and grace of God. She has a grateful heart and a strong desire to do what's right. There are literally hundreds of people we know who are infected with the virus. But some of them are dying of Aids but Beatrice is one of those PLWA people.

I ask you to see yourself in her position...choose you this day life or death. As for Beatrice and Patsy they have chosen to live in spite of society, in spite of religion, in spite of her friends and neighbors, she is in fact one of "those" people...People Living With Aids.

Pray for Beatrice and Patsy and the hundreds like them. Also pray that God will begin to impress on hearts to help with the things that are needed to see that they live and not die till they see the very presence of the Lord in flesh walking among men. I am honored to be chosen to work and walk with men and women who want to be that flesh that is sacrificed to see people change from those dying with Aids to People Living With Aids.

Making homes for orphans and healing the sick, (Do a word study on heal, healed, healing in the New Testament)

Babu Lonnie

Welcome to Kenya (part 17)

A week or so ago I shared with you the story of the twenty six year old mother with a three month old child who is HIV positive. If you recall or have been keeping up with our team leader's blog which is called "Pure Christianity" you will know more about her story.

What I want to tell you about is an aspect of the work here that is not often publicized. Homes for orphans is a major focus but there are other areas of need we confront on a daily basis as well. I feel relatively sure most people in the developed nations of the world have heard of HIV/AIDS. But it is surprising to discover how few people know anything about the virus and the people who contract it accept it is at this point a death warrant. Here's the good news, God has given us the chance to deliver some stays of execution. Personally I am very familiar with stays of death warrants since I served as death row Chaplain at the Kentucky State Penitentiary for over two years. I knew the last two men who were executed and one of them became a friend. I had no control over when he died. But now through the ministry I am a part of here in Kenya with Johnny and Kate Brooks I have been offered an opportunity to issue some stays on sentences handed out by the kingdom of this world. 

The pardons are completely up to God. But with your help our team can hand deliver what's needed to prolong life and give those imprisoned by this vicious virus the hope to at least have an opportunity to see the body of Christ in action. Many of them have heard about this Jesus but few have had the experience of seeing Him with hands extended to them. There are many preachers in Nakuru and they are constantly recruiting preachers from around the world to come and do crusades and conferences. But few if any offer stays for the death warrants that have been issued by nothing more than bad decisions, ignorance and poverty. They talk about an eternal pardon but fail to deal with the life that is before them.

What we offer is the same thing Jesus did. When He was asked where He stayed, He simply said "Come and See". Today He has taken up residence in a new body and we are giving an invitation to come and see. And we are convinced when they see they will follow. When we lift Him up they will be drawn to Him. In my opinion Christianity as we know it has done a miserable job of leading people to Him. We try and lead and He wants to draw. They will be drawn to Him only when they SEE Him through His body on earth today. The Holy Spirit is not out fluttering around like some lost or wounded dove. We take Him wherever He goes. I am tired of people trying to dispatch Him to the scene of all these crisis and needs. I say get off our donkey or high horse and go meet the crisis and need . This is not about what Jesus would do, it's about what are we going to do. That flesh, the man named Jesus is dead but the God that lived in Him is the same God that lives in this new body, THE CHURCH.

I said all that to say this. We are beginning a project called "Operation Lift Me Up". It is a God given idea that does two things, first it offers us the privilege of lifting up Jesus so He can draw and secondly it gives the body of Christ the chance to actually, physically lift up those who are sick and dying. A vast majority of those who have contracted the HIV/AIDS virus are left to sleep and die on a cold concrete or dirt floor. Lifting them up off the floor offers a stay for many of them. Sleeping on the floor greatly enhances the chance of pneumonia and other infections, So beds are one of the tools God has shown us as a way of delivering a stay from their impending death warrant.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Let me show you the first lady we have been able to deliver a stay to. One photo is of her former sleeping arrangements. In that picture she was so sick we weren't sure she would live and we purchased needed medicines and within a couple of days she was sitting up. We have now delivered another stay through this the other picture. 

This is where those of you who can help come in. The stay on the right is a hand made bed. We were told it is the nicest in all of the estate where this lady lives. Probably true since so many don't have a bed at all, especially those with the virus. What you see needs only two things, a mattress cover and you. I believe Ben, our eyes, ears and feet in these slums, told us he has found at least thirty cases like the one pictured on the left in this one community. These tools for a stay cost us about $65.00 U.S. dollars each. That's the bed, mattress and a mattress cover which is not shown for only $65.00 U.S. dollars. What an opportunity to lift Him and them up!!!

Now the big question is how many of these do you want to purchase. You be the hands that reach for your checkbook and we'll be the feet that delivers.

"Operation Lift Me Up" delivery boy,

Babu Lonnie