The Hole in our Gospel

Required Reading...
A Must...

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not pass "Go", do not wait to get your $200 - read this book!, March 12, 2009

By	Sylvia Lange "Sylvia Lange" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a person who sponsors several childrenin the 3rd World and who has a tremendous interest in the world's poor, I expected to read the usual stuff. How bad the problem is... what we need to do about it... and then feel good that my husband and I are doing "so much" to help. But what I didn't expect was to be turned on my ear about how little I'm doing in proportion to the problem AND in proportion to my ability to do SO much more.

Rich Stearns does an excellent job of "getting in our face" about the enormity of the world's poor's brutal plight and what we have to do about it without putting us on a guilt trip. Yet we all need to take a new journey, down the road of really and truly doing something to make a difference. This book lets us know that the
contribution of EACH of us is tantamount to truly making a dent in the ravages of poverty and the illnesses that go along with it. And we must.

This is a credible piece, endorsed by some amazing people... not just "known" Christians, but by people who also care about the world's poor, like U2's Bono. No matter what your religion or creed, we should all read this.

Bravo, Mr. Stearns and World Vision. And the glory go to God.

March Meeting

So much to cove and so much to do...
Thank you all for being on time!!

Here is what we covered in this meeting:

• AIDS There is only 4 ways to get AIDS: Mothers milk. Blood. Needles. Sexual fluids. We will be around many children that are HIV positive. We can love them the same as any other child. We are not to touch a open/bleeding cute on a child. Let those who work for CMIA do that. They are trained on how to handle it.
  
• We found out more about the people of Kenya.
  
• We have our flights to Kenya reserved. God was so good in this. We have room for 15 people. So if you know anyone else who wants to join us have them contact me.
  
• Start getting your shots. Make sure you have your passports.
  
• We have a theme for our trip: Men/Women after God's own heart!! We will base what we do with the kids on this. Showing them what this means through words, crafts and our own actions.
• You all got your prayer partners. Keep in touch with them!!
• Things to start to gather to bring with us: bars of soap, new underwear of all sizes, twin sheets, towels, medications for kids, and school supplies.
  
• Ki Shwahili words we learned: Asante-Thank you, Jambo-How are you, Mazuri-Welcome and Sana-Very as in Asante sana-Thank you very much... Mazuri sana-you are very welcome.

Our next meeting is
March 21st 2:30 to 4:30

Can you hear them....

Can you hear the prayer of the children on bended knee,

in the shadow of an unknown room?

Empty eyes with no more tears to cry,

turning heavenward toward the light.

Cryin' Jesus help me to see the mornin' light of one more day,

but if I should die before I wake,

I pray my soul to take.

Can you feel the hearts of the childrenaching for home,

for something of their very own?

Reaching hands with nothing to hold on to,

but hope for a better day.

Cryin' Jesus help me to feel the love again in my own land,

but if unknown roads lead away from home,

give me loving arms, away from harm.

Can you hear the voice of the children

softly pleading for silence in their shattered world?

Angry guns preach a gospel full of hate,

blood of the innocent on their hands.

Cryin' Jesus help me to feel the sun again upon my face.

For when darkness clears,

I know you're near,bringing peace again.

Can you hear the prayer of the children?

Fun Photos

About Kenya

I have begun to dream of Kenya.
All the feelings of Joy I have there are coming back so real

it is as if I am already there.
I can see each child's face and imagine what they look like now.
I have a list going to remember all I need to bring
and all I want to bring for the children.
The flag of Kenya was officially adopted on December 12, 1963.

The Kenyan flag is based on that of Kenya African National Union.

The colours symbolize black majority,

red for the blood shed during the struggle for freedom,

and green for natural wealth;

the white was added later and symbolizes peace.

The black, red, and white traditional Maasai shield and two spears symbolize the defense of all the things mentioned above.

The Kenyan flag is based on the black over red over green flag of Kenya African National Union

the political party that led the fight for freedom and independence of Kenya.

Upon independence, the white fimbriation, symbolizing peace and unity,

and the shield were added.

As civilization developed and evolved during the New Stone Age, Kenya became a major migratory route for groups in search of fertile land for food production and grazing. As far back as 2000 BC, evidence indicates that early tribal groups began experimenting with agriculture and the tending of cattle. The highlands and Rift Valley regions of southern Kenya are especially rich in this early history of human evolution.
The first migrants to arrive were pastoral nomads from Ethiopia who moved south to Kenya in search of fertile land to graze their flocks. These Cushites were eventually forced south into central Tanzania as the Kenyan climate changed over the centuries and water became scarce.
The Yaaku, or Eastern Cushites, followed a thousand years later and settled in the central region of Kenya. This second wave of nomads marked the beginning of an ongoing influx of different tribal groups drawn to the region's fertile land. In fact, by 100 AD there may have been 1,400 pastoral communities living in the Rift Valley region. Even into the early part of this century, there was much movement within Kenya as competition over land rights dominated the largely agrarian society.
As tribes migrated throughout the valley during this period, they exchanged and developed cultures that are still identifiable in modern tribes today. When trade routes were established in the seventeenth century, European explorers discovered four basic population groups that continue to exist today: the Hamitic, Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Bantu. Many of these tribal groups continue to maintain their distinct social structures and traditions despite pressure in modern society to "westernize."
Near the end of the fifteenth century the first Europeans arrived on the Kenyan coast. In 1498, a Portuguese explorer named Vasco de Gama stumbled upon the East African coast in search of China. De Gama was initially rejected by the sultan at Mombasa although his bitter rival, the sultan of Malindi welcomed the explorers. The new immigrants did not settle in quietly, however, and within a few years the Portuguese had looted and ransacked several Swahili cities.
The Portuguese remained on the East African coast for 200 years with well established trading posts. These newest immigrants spent their time trading gold from the interior and exporting slaves to work on the plantations in North America and East Indies. Portuguese rule was harsh, unpopular, and economically debilitating for the local people.
Throughout the 17th century, the Arabs attempted to reestablish links with their East African outposts. This led to an ongoing series of confrontations with the Portuguese to establish dominance. The Omani ships prevailed and by the early 1700s, the Portuguese had been routed completely. By 1720, the last remaining Portuguese left for good leaving the East African coast again under Arab control. Other than a cross overlooking the sea near Mombasa, virtually no other trace of the hated Portuguese rule remains today.
The 18th century brought an emphasis on rebuilding the cities and reestablishing the once thriving trade routes. Under the leadership of the Sultan of Oman, Seyyid Said, the Arabs worked to regain economic and political supremacy over the region. The island of Zanzibar quickly became the center of a very lucrative trade in slaves and ivory from the interior and spices from the island itself.
During this time, Arab slavers moved into the interior of Kenya with the primary goal of exploiting rivalries between local tribes. The Arabs encouraged the powerful groups to conquer their weaker neighbors and sell them into slavery. The slaves were then forced to the coast and on to Zanzibar to be traded. Both ivory and slaves were hugely profitable and Zanzibar grew rich on the trade. This pattern continued despite the public outrage in Europe demanding an end to all slave trade. Eventually, the British brought their forceful anti-slavery message directly to the Sultan as they established a consulate at his court. After years of pressure, the Sultan finally relented and agreed to ban slavery in 1847.
By the mid-19th century, European interest in Kenya focused primarily on abolishing the slave trade and discovering the source of the Nile River. This period of exploration was characterized by Europeans as the Golden Age of Exploration. Between 1840 and 1880, famous names such as Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, and Speke mapped and recorded the interior of Africa. For the first time Europeans witnessed first-hand the unique beauty of Kenya and recorded it for history. The European governments, however, displayed no serious interest in the reports as the land appeared hostile and unproductive. At this stage, there was no incentive to occupy the newly discovered lands.
The end of the 19th century brought a change in this attitude. Bismark, the leader of Germany, expressed a desire to join his other European neighbors in securing a portion of the new land. During this period of international rivalry, often dubbed the "Scramble for Africa," the European powers all laid claim to African territories. The various claims of the nations were settled at the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885. At this time, most of the continent of Africa was divided into colonies: France claimed the majority of West Africa; Germany received much of the eastern territory that is now Tanzania; Belgium got the Congo region; Portugal retained control of Mozambique and Angola; and Britain received the remainder of the continent. Africans were not invited to attend the conference and therefore received not even an acre of their own land.
To western eyes, the region of East Africa appeared ripe with potential and there for the taking. The topic stirred an unusual amount of passion, conscience, and debate among the British political parties and the ruling classes. In the end, an overpowering sense of Victorian pride and scientific inquiry led the British to take a lead role in the exploration of the "Dark Continent." Written accounts from explorers and missionaries already established in the Kenyan upcountry further stoked Britain's imperial instincts.
In 1887 the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEA) was founded with its headquarters in Mombasa. Officers from the IBEA immediately began to establish outposts throughout the Kenyan interior. They carried with them a flag bearing the motto "Light and Liberty," signifying the anti-slavery sentiments of the day. Between 1888 and 1890 a contingent of British officials and soldiers cut a 500-kilometre-long dirt road to a swampy, flat area called Nyrobi by the Maasai, meaning "place of the cold waters." Fort Smith was built nearby as a British fortress and upcountry outpost.
IBEA also played a critical role in the eventual development of a railway from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. Each outpost required over 2,000 manloads of supplies each year. From a logistical point of view, a railway was the only viable means of supporting Britain's growing endeavors in the interior. Sir Gerald Portal, Britain's Acting Consul in Zanzibar, reinforced this recommendation in his plea to the Foreign Office: "To effect any real improvement in property or commerece, efficiently to reap the benefits of material progress that may be made, there is but one course open… The only means of effectively doing this is by a railway." Thus began the development of an unprecedented railway system linking the Kenyan coast to Lake Victoria. The "Lunatic Express" permanently established a British presence in East Africa.

HIV and AIDS has effected one out of every five people in Kenya. We will go over AIDS in our July meeting but I wanted to get you thinking about it.

Here is a quiz on AIDS. See if you can find the right answers. We will go over it in July, but do some research now....

1. Which of the following catastrophes has claimed more lives?

a. Vietnam war

b. Earthquakes of the past 100 years

c. AIDS pandemic

Every week, AIDS claims as many lives as American Fatalities in the Vietnam War. Since it was discovered, AIDS has killed nearly 30 million people - equal to the combined population of Texas and Arizona, and nearly 10 times the number of earthquake fatalities in the last century.

2. What makes AIDS so different from killer epidemics of the past?

a. AIDS kills the productive members of society, not predominantly the young and elderly

b. Men are particularly vulnerable to infection

c. Infections is totally avoidable based on personal choices

Unlike the Black Plaque of flu epidemics that largely spared the healthy, working-age population, AIDS is decimating the ranks of teachers, parents, doctors, and farmers - the very people a society relies upon to provide for basic needs. As a result, children and the elderly are left to fend for themselves.

3. Who said, "AIDS is the greatest weapon of mass destruction on earth"?

a. Bono

b. Colin Powell

C. Oprah

AIDS is devastating communities like no other weapon could, according to Colin Powell. Every minute, 10 more people are infected with HIV.

4. Why are women in developing countries contracting HIV at alarming rates?

a. They can't afford condoms

b. IV drug use is up among women

c. Women have few rights and choices in many cultures

In many developing countries, women have few rights and choices in life - including choices that protect them from HIV/AIDS. Women often do not have the power to decide whether or with whom they have sex; to negotiate condom use; to avoid sexual violence; or to feed their children without entering the sex trade.

5. How is AIDS affecting the food supplies in African countries?

a. There's more food because there are fewer people

b. Food is scarcer because so many farmers are sick or dying

c. AIDS is having no effect on Africa's food supplies

Food shortages are a big problem. By 2020 AIDS will have claimed the lives of at least one-fifth of southern Africa's agricultural workers. Food production is just one area in which AIDS threatens to reverse decades of development work in poor countries.

6. Why has Africa suffered the greatest number of AIDS deaths to date?

a. Africa has the greatest number of HIV-Infected people

b. Americans and Europeans can afford to be vaccinated against HIV

c. Stigma has prevented Africans from getting vaccinated

Sub-Sahara Africa has 64 percent of the worlds HIV cases - more then any other area of the world. But skyrocketing infections rates in Russia, China and India threaten similar or wars epidemics in these regions in the near future. Education and awareness could still change this. THERE IS NO VACCINE TO PROTECT AGAINST HIV/AIDS.

7. How many children are orphaned each day because of AIDS according to the United Nations?

a. 200

b. 1500

c. 6000

6,000 children are orphaned by AIDS every day. If all the children orphaned by AIDS held hands, they would stretch five and half times across the USA. By 2011, this virtual chain will reach around the world.

8. Imagine your parents have just died as a result of AIDS. As an orphan in Africa, what can you expect?

a. Neighbors will take care of you

b. You'll have to drop out of school

c. You will successfully farm your families land

You will likely have to drop out of school to care for younger siblings or because you can't afford the fees. Even if you had land, farming will be very difficult given your lack of experience. Neighbors might be willing to take you in, despite the stigma associated with AIDS - but resources may be so meager that you still can't get enough to eat.

9. Which of the followings is commonly accepted AIDS myth in developing countries?

a. Sex with a virgin cures AIDS

b. If you feel healthy, you can't be HIV-Positive

c. AIDS is caused by evil spirits

d. All of the above

All of these myths are popular in developing countries. Limited formal education, lake of access to reliable information, and inadequate health care all promote harmful myths about AIDS. World Vision is one organization helping to prevent the spread of HIV with proven education based on biblical principles.

10. Which country has the fastest growing HIV infection rate in the world?

a. Russia

b. South Africa

c. United States

African countries have suffered the most AIDS death to date. The virus that causes AIDS is currently spreading fastest in Russia - where the infection rate grew 257 percent in three years.

11. In which country has the HIV prevalence rate dropped in recent years?

a. Uganda

b. Botswana

c. Swaziland

Uganda offers the world hope that we can turn the tide on this pandemic. Thanks to aggressive awareness and prevention campaigns, the HIV prevalence rate in Uganda has dropped from 21 percent in 1991 to 7 percent in 2004. Botswana and Swaziland, on the other hand, both suffer from prevalence rates of nearly 40 percent, the highest in the world.

Quiz was created in 2004.

The Least of These...

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

A few Saturdays ago, I woke up early and found myself flipping through channels on the TV. I came to a half hour plea for help from Feed the Children. Where were they pleading for help? Kenya, Africa. I saw hundreds of children in need of food. Children with out parents due to AIDS, desperate just to be loved and told it is going to be OK. Children way to young to be on their own yet they lived on the streets begging for food. According to the head of Feed the Children there are hundreds of thousand children in need of food in Kenya alone. In the years that I have been traveling to Kenya I have seen this up close. I began to cry. There are so many!! It was then that God reminded me that for the kids of CMIA there is hope EVERY DAY!! That hope comes from what God is doing through David and Jennifer Hatley. Through the many people who daily feed and love on these kids. And from those who take their vacation time to go and be with them... In a sea of hunger and pain, CMIA provides an island of hope. You too will be a part of bringing that hope and love to the kids of CMIA.