Other Donations Needed for TEAM KENYA 2009

In September, TEAM KENYA 2009 will travel to Kenya with a team of 15-20 volunteers to renovate a children’s center in Kibera/Muthare, the world’s second largest slum area. This will include cleaning, painting, and some much-needed remodeling. The children who attend the center/school are orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic and are living on the streets of the slum; some have been fortunate enough to have been taken in by families living in the slums. In a 2.2 square mile area, there are over 100,000 orphans; 80% are orphaned due to AIDS; and half of the 80% are HIV-positive (40,000 children). I know we cannot minister to all of them, but it is our team’s hope that we will also be able to take much-needed school supplies and some basic clothing items for the children at the center. Many of these children are running barefoot through the streets, putting themselves at great health risk for infections from parasites or simple cuts. Most go for days without food, and have never known the taste of clean water.

In addition, part of the team will build a multipurpose building to serve as church/school in Namanga that members of the Maasai tribe desperately need, with two rooms to provide a home to the pastor who currently walks 7 miles daily to get to the church area. Maasai elders have given ten acres of land to build the church on, and the entire Maasai tribe will help with the building project. The children are presently meeting outside under the trees for school and are in danger from lion attacks.

Would you please consider giving supplies to this worthwhile cause and/or posting this at your church or place of work. We are accepting donations of toothpaste, toothbrushes, new children’s underwear, new or gently used children’s shoes (crocs and slip-on sneakers), #2 pencils, cap erasers, pens, 24-pack crayons, plastic pencil sharpeners, packs of notebook paper, 70-page spiral bound notebooks, children’s vitamins; powdered infant formula, and over-the-counter medications (generic pain relievers for both adults and children, antibiotic cream or ointments, first aid supplies, Monistat or its generic equivalent, miconazole), dark purple 50/50 t-shirts in children and youth sizes for the school uniform shirts, dark navy shorts in boy’s sizes and dark navy jumpers or skirts in cotton for girls, dark navy or dark purple knee socks, or white knee socks for girls.

In addition, Lydia Ministries International is prepared to host several showings of the Jesus video and the Magdalena video while in Kenya, during our events there. We need a digital video projector to be able to do this.

You can mail your donations to: Lydia Ministries International, 290 Half-Timber Drive, Marion NC 28752 USA

While we will accept material donations up to September 5th, we prefer to have them by June 6th for our training day meeting. At this time, each team member will help pack suitcases with the donations.

If you live in the Western N.C. area, in the Charlotte, N.C. area, or in the Harrisburg, PA area we may be able to have someone pick up the donations or arrange a drop site.

If you would like to join team Kenya 2009, or know of someone who might, early registration deadline is June 15th. The cost of this trip is about half of what most mission trips of this duration and quality cost. We have done this to make the trip available to more people and get the job done. The total costs: round-trip airfare from Asheville NC, room and two meals daily, ground transportation in Kenya, training, training manual, one day safari, day at the Giraffe Reserves, Celebration at the infamous Carnivores Restaurant in Nairobi-- and a tee shirt --$2,950.00 The early bird discount ends June 15th, unless other arrangements have been made. After June 15th the cost is $3,450.00 Thank you so much in advance for anything you might be willing to donate!

Financial donations to help build the church/school and renovate the children’s center are greatly appreciated . If you would like to make a financial donation, you may send a check or money order to: Lydia Ministries International, 290 Half Timber Drive, Marion NC 28752 or you may visit our website at www.lydiaministry.com/teamkenya2009.html and there is a donation button where you can give securely through Paypal or Google checkout.

Lydia Ministries International is a 501 (3)(c) non-profit organization/ministry. Your donations is tax deductible. You will receive a receipt for your donation. 100% of your gift goes to the ministry of LMI. We do not take a salary from the ministry.