Kenya

Go into all the world and preach to all creation

What are you doing in Kenya?

God called me to Kenya in June of 2006. I saw a boy coming out of a gutter that ran underneath the sidewalk and it broke my heart. I said, “God, I’ve got to do something about this!” I’m going back to start a leadership training institute for leaders of the kids on the streets who want to leave their

addictions, follow Jesus, and help get the younger ones off the streets. We also hope to plant a Vineyard church that will serve as a shelter to give

the kids a safe place to sleep. As God moves them to want to leave the streets, we hope to get a farm outside the city that will serve as a transition center where we can disciple them and prepare them to live in permanent homes. After completing the discipleship program they’ll be move back with a relative, a church family, or orphanage, in that order. 

If someone is interested in missions, what would you tell them about Kenya?

If you have a heart for children who are living on the street because their parents have died of AIDS, they were discarded by a step-father, or were

abused and ran away, you might enjoy visiting Kenya. You’d have a chance to interact and pray for some of the children and see how God might stir your heart to see how you could be part of the solution, either from where you currently live, or perhaps coming over to help!

Dave Osborn    (daveosborn50@hotmail.com)

Missionary to Kenya

http://www.familyofhope.org/

Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to:

Lighthouse Ministries, P.O. Box 445, Buena Vista, CO, 81211.

Just write ‘Kenya,’ in the memo section or attach a note what it’s for.

Thank you!

Dear Friends,November 20, 2011

    I was going over some questions and Bible verses I had given to one of our boys named Evans after he had stolen something small. One of the questions I had asked, was “who has stolen from you?” We talked about different items that had been stolen from him, and then I asked about his mother.

    He didn’t think that his mother, who used to sell the illegal alcohol and died of AIDS, had stolen anything from him. One day she didn’t return for lunch so Evans stole some food for lunch. She punished him by burning his hands by pouring boiling hot water or oil on them, telling him that she wanted him to “remember.”

    I suggested that it was like she had stolen his ability to trust and his respect. Big tears flowed down his cheeks. I then asked if he would be willing to forgive her. He said he couldn’t, because every time he looks at his hands, he thinks about what she did and what she said to him.

    I asked if he’d be willing to ask God to give him the willingness to forgive, and explained about how it’s kind of like we’re the ones in prison when we don’t forgive. He said he’d think about it.

    I was thankful a few days later when he told me that during worship one night he decided to forgive her! I’ve asked Jesus to give him some new words to “remember.” Please join me in that request!

    We finally had the guy from the health department come for his inspection on Thursday. He liked the place, so hopefully on Monday I’ll be able to get a copy of the letter he’s sending to Children’s Services. At that point, we’ll be able to turn in our application to them for registration.

    Joseph ran away about 10 months ago and was recently at the gate asking if he could return. I told him I couldn’t take any more boys until we get the registration.

    Yesterday, Isaiah and I were down at the bus stage. Ravine, who also has been with us a few times, was asking if he could come back. I explained the situation to him, telling him after we got the registration we’d like him to come back. When we asked if we could pray for him, he declined, saying that we refused to let him come back. Perhaps it was the glue he was sniffing, or internal voices that totally confused the issue in his mind. Sure would appreciate your prayers that we can get the registration!

    Daniel, (attached photo was taken about 5 yrs

ago) who some of you know as “Sammy,” is one

of the young men we’ve continued to meet down

at the bus stage. He said sometimes he wakes up

and just wants to throw his glue bottle away, but

he keeps holding on to it. Please pray that God

will set him free!

    I was playing basketball with the guys today.

It’s quite a wild game with them. During the game

there were a couple of fouls --- yes, about every

two or three seconds!

    As Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I’m so very thankful for every one of you who prays for us and gives of your resources to help! May God bless you above and beyond how you’ve blessed us!

    I decorated my house early for Christmas this year. I put both things in the kitchen. My size three stocking, I hung with care from one of the cabinets. My metal, eleven inch Christmas tree, is up on top of the fridge. It has a candle behind it, so if you’re out for a drive one night looking at Christmas lights, be sure and stop in and see mine!

In Christ,

Dave

Dear Friends,

December 19, 2011

    Yusuf (attached photo) showed up at our gate

looking cleaner than this previous photo, and

produced a piece of paper from immigration

telling him he had just two days to exit the

country. He said he had just spent a month in

prison and since he doesn’t have an I.D., uses a

fake name (which he gave to the police) which

isn’t Kenyan, and spoke English to the police

instead of Kiswahili or Luo, they decided he wasn’t Kenyan and gave him the eviction notice.

    So, he shows up and says he would like to come back into our program. He explains if the police pick him up he’ll have to go back to prison. He sure got himself into a big mess, but I told him he couldn’t return here with his current eviction notice. I suggested he go talk with the director of the orphanage he used to live in for his recommendation. He returned a few days later saying he had gone to talk with that director, but got tired of waiting for him and left.

    Yusuf has some bitterness towards his father, and may have a part of himself that is split off that he presents with this other name. He was the first guy we ever had, and has been using his make believe name ever since I’ve known him. He sure needs lots of prayer!

    Joseph is a boy I wrote about a little while ago who was with us and then went to live with his aunt. He had shown up at our gate asking me to take him to his grandmother’s. Well, I went to visit him and he was number 5 out of 47 in his class at school! He says he wants to go for number 1. Please pray that Joseph will seek to do well, but always keep Jesus as number 1 in his life.

    On my last trip to Nairobi to put in the application to register as a Society, the shuttle van I was in got tied up in heavy traffic. I looked over and there’s Elvis, a guy who was with us a couple of times. He came over to the van and I just got to talk real briefly and found out he’d been over there around 8 months.

    Then about a week ago, he shows up here with a new prosthetic arm he’d been given by a sponsor. He’s the guy who was knocked into a vat of something that was boiling hot that caused him to lose his arm. He asked to have a copy of the Twelve-Step material we use so he could use it with a group at his church! Please pray that Elvis will continue to follow Jesus. As all us continue to pray, even for the guys who have left, God can still continue work in their lives!

    I finally got together with my Muslim missionary friend who had gotten so angry with me. I think we’ve made amends, and I hope to meet with him again tomorrow. Zafar is his name.

    My Sikh friend is in India and I haven’t been able to get with him in quite a while. I sure want to find out what his priest is thinking as he’s reading the New Testament in Punjabi!

    Our application with Children’s Services has been turned in and given an informal “okay.” Now the committee needs to come out and visit our place before sending their recommendation to Nairobi. I had hoped we might get that by Christmas, but was just told today that they won’t be coming until after the first of the year.

    We’ve got a goat in the back yard who hasn’t got a clue that he’s going to be part of our Christmas dinner. He certainly isn’t going to willingly choose to lay down his life. What a contrast with Jesus, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” Phillipians 2:6-8

    My own self-centeredness seems to stare me in the face it seems like every time I turn around. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you who have taken time to pray for myself and the guys this past year. I’m so thankful for all of you who have given of your own resources to bless and encourage us. God has been good. He has been faithful. He will continue to be so! May we all grow in deeper and deeper intimacy with the one who created us, and sacrificed Himself to bring us into His everlasting love! Merry Christmas!

In Christ,

Dave

Dear Friends,

January 16, 2012

  Dear Friends,

    What a great way to begin the new year! The first attached photo shows the response of the guys when a new friend named Kunle, along with his friends, Ewonwa and Derrick, showed up with several soccer balls. The second photo shows the uniforms for each of the guys they brought! Our new friends from Canada were on a safari, and wanted to stop by and bless us. Boy, did they ever!

   

That was a great morning! That afternoon however found me firing a staff member who has been stealing from us, and lied to me severely. It’s sad because the man is a pastor of a church in one of the slums. It seems that somehow he has convinced himself that it’s O.K. to steal something small, because he’s had this problem in the past as well. Just recently some of the boys saw him taking charcoal. He claims he took it to the gate but then got convicted and put it back, but the guard who opened the gate, said he left with it. One of the boys was almost in tears as he reported it to another staff member. Betrayal by those in authority is such a painful experience. I wish none of us had to go through that one.

    When I released the man, he asked if he could meet with me or Isaiah in order to stop this kind of behavior. I said I’d be open to that but I’d want to meet with him and his wife, as well as with the leadership of the church he pastors. Would you please pray with me for him that God would help him deal with these things. Please pray also for a replacement that lives in integrity.

    The Children’s Services Committee is supposed to come and inspect our place tomorrow. I’d appreciate your prayers that God will give us favor with them. I promised the guys I’d take them to a swimming pool once we got the license to celebrate. That promise was made around nine months ago. I’d like to fulfill it soon!

    My Bahai friend and I finished going through the gospel of John. Now we’ve begun going through one of the Bahai books. Please pray for Donald that God will reveal Jesus to him!

    I was supposed to have lunch with my Sikh friend on Friday but he cancelled at the last minute. I had taken the “Jesus film for Children” out to his grandchildren and the “Magdalena,” film for his wife and daughter in law the day before Christmas, but he had not returned yet from a trip he’d taken to India for some prayers. Please continue to pray for Sathe, his family, and his priest.

    Oh, the Canadian team brought a bottle of pure Canadian maple syrup just for me. Wow, was that a delicious treat! And to think they had no idea that on the weekends I have a tradition of making myself some whole grain pancakes!

    I still haven’t taken down my Christmas decorations. I don’t know how I’ll ever find time to do that.

    This year will no doubt be another full of blessings and challenges. Let’s press in to Jesus through it all!

In Christ,

Dave

April 1, 2012

Dear Friends,

    My nephew David, left last Monday. Our boys quickly grew to love him, as he spent time with them. It was a blessing to have him! My mother and brother have been here now for two weeks. When they arrived in Nairobi, one of the places we visited was the Giraffe center where you can actually feed the giraffe. You can see how fun it was for my mom in the first photo. In the next photo, my brother shows the way to feed them that is the most fun!

   

Both Mom and Steve have also been a blessing to

our guys. Mom brought a lot of fun things from the

dollar store that have been big hits with the guys.

Coloring books were even popular with the staff!

My brother Steve, organized a                                                                                                   “Smors” evening. I think our guys                                                                                                            could eat those all day! They loved                                                                                                          them!

  

One day we went down to the bus stage to visit and pray for some of the boys and young men who hang out there. We met Daniel, who some of you know as “Sammy.” Whenever we see him, he usually tells us he’s going to come by the next morning, but never does. Well the next day, there’s a knock at the gate and it was Daniel! (photo is my Mom, Daniel, and my brother Steve)

It moved me deeply that he came, but then

he didn’t want to stay. He claimed he is now

married! I think I’d like to meet the lady and

hear the same from her before I believe that

one.

    Our youngest little boy got in a fight last

Sunday with one of the other boys. His

solution to the problem was to grab a kitchen

knife and a rock to fight with. Thankfully he

was stopped before using them!

    About three weeks ago, Charles, got married. We had counseled him to wait, but he was insistent on going ahead. I’m sure he would appreciate prayer for he and his new bride.

    Thank you for your prayers for the boy I mentioned in my last update who was asking for the willingness to forgive the man who had violated him. Just this week, the boy told me he has forgiven him!

    We’ve continued to have attempted robberies, and have put up some tin roof sheets where they’ve been cutting the fence, so please pray for those that are involved in that.

    Mom has a throat infection and I know she’d appreciate your prayers for her. She’s a real trooper to risk getting malaria and who knows what at the age of 82! I’ve enjoyed great health for over a year, but right now I’m trying to fight off something that I don’t know what it is, and would sure appreciate pray as well.

    Jackline is our cook and the lady who used to sell glue to the boys. She had us over for lunch one day and my brother shared with her how his family knows her, that they have followed her story, and have prayed for her. I was struck again with gratitude for all the prayers offered for us. I don’t know if you will ever know how much your prayers influenced me, or those we minister to, but I thank you again and appreciate it so very much. Last Saturday was the 5th year anniversary for Family of Hope. Thank you for your part in what God is doing here in Kenya!

In Christ,

Dave