Message from Tom

DEAR FRIENDS, BY THE TIME YOU RECEIVE THIS IT WILL BE ABOUT 2 WEEKS AFTER IT WAS WRITTEN, BUT IT IS STILL VERY PERTINENT.  PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH
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Dear Friends

            Right now I am sitting on the veranda of our guest home in Open Arms Village, overlooking the river rapids below, gazing at the beautiful hill country, smelling the fresh air, and feeling the cool breeze produced by the early morning showers in these Kenyan Highlands.  Its sweatshirt weather and I love it.  I've just sent seven Texans off on animal safari for a couple of days while three of us remain behind in the village.  We've been here for a week now, and none of us will ever be the same because of the past week.  We've seen it - we've smelled it - and if you've been here, you know what I mean.

            We've seen, touched, and kissed the smiling faces of some of the world's happiest and healthiest children.  We listened to them share the Bible verses that have touched their lives and we have heard them sing songs of praise to Jesus.  We have witnessed their prayers, testimonies, and devotions. We have rejoiced watching them serve one another - the older ones feeding the younger, carrying them, and cleaning their dirty noses.  We've been amazed at the orderliness of a home with 16 children as each happily performs their respective chores with joy.  They are proud of their new homes. But the question haunts us, Where did these formerly abused and/or orphaned street children acquire such obvious joy, security, and happiness?

            We have also seen some of the poorest and most desperate faces in the world.  We entered in shifts because all ten of us could not even stand up comfortably in the house at the same time - I'm talking about the homes we visited in the slum where four days a week Open Arms runs a feeding program for 120 children.  How can a family of seven or eight sleep in such small confines?  Perhaps they rotate their sleeping schedules on the dirt floor of their mud walled home.  The mothers in these homes welcome Open Arms.  They are not only grateful for the food we give their children daily, they are also grateful for the microfinance loans and guidance we give them to start small business and begin breaking the vicious cycle of poverty.  They are grateful for the training and help we provide in basic life skills.  But most of all, they are grateful that along with our food and other gifts, we have brought to them the love of Jesus.

            We saw even more hopeless faces when we visited the juvenile detention center.  Some of these young people have been here for years for crimes as menial as sleeping on the street.  In this center our team members shared food for the body and food for the soul.  We shared the gospel, our personal stories, and messages of hope for their futures.  We were encouraged to see the responsiveness of these imprisoned youth as many came for prayer and several committed their lives to Jesus. 

            But the most ravaged faces we saw belonged to the many children who live on the streets or in the dump-ground.  We were saddened because we had so little to offer and could see so little hope ourselves.  Many of these children were born in the dump and are addicted to cheap, hallucinatory glue.  They have no place to turn, no safe place to sleep, and are often beaten in their sleep by vile corrupt policemen. 

            Hope returned to us when we returned to view the joyous faces of children in Open Arms Village.  We spent the evening in devotions, dinner, and fellowship with beautiful Christian children, many of whom had been rescued from the very same dump, jail, or slum where we had served earlier in the day. What a contrast!!  One team member asked one of our young teens what his future plans were.  The teen was able to clearly articulate his desire to teach science and math, his detailed plan to gain admission to the number one math and science high school in Kenya, and the necessary steps to gain admission to the university he has elected to attend.  You should have seen his face light up.  The child on the street or in the slum hopes only to survive this present day and night.

            We were all very pleased to see the construction of family home #5 nearing completion and the foundation being laid for family home #6.  These two new homes combined will house 32 new faces who tonight will sleep on the streets, in the dump, or in other unsafe environments.  For the sake of the children, we anxiously await the opening of these two new homes.

            On Monday, I, and most of the team, will be returning home with very mixed emotions.  I will be leaving my dear wife, Laura, here in Kenya for the next three months because our founders, David and Rachel, will soon be returning to the U.S. to take care of some business. Others will be returning home processing the many faces of Kenya.  We all covet your prayers.

            During our stay in Kenya, our team has been traveling in a rented bus.  One of the most glaring needs in Open Arms Village is for transportation.  By the time you read this there will likely be 54 children living in Open Arms Village.  The village is about 15 miles from hospitals, doctors, groceries, hardware, and the many other businesses that need to be visited regularly to run an operation like this.  All the village owns is a bus (currently broken down) and a small pick up truck.  The little truck is being used in the feeding program four days a week and thus is not available for common daily errands.  David and Rachel have asked us to try to secure funds to buy a reliable 2005 or 2006 seven passenger SUV, which unbelievably will cost over $30,000 in Kenya.  When the truck is gone, they are stuck.  This situation is not acceptable.  Realizing this, one generous couple from Oklahoma has offered to match dollar for dollar every donation to the vehicle fund during the month of March.  So your gift to the vehicle fund during this final week of March will be doubled.  Whether you are in the position to give $40 or $4000, your gift will double in value towards the purchase of this vehicle.  David and Rachel, and the children of Open Arms Village, really need your help this week.  You can make your donation online at http://www.openarmsinternational.com/ or by calling (503) 296-9989.  You can also mail your gift in this week to Open Arms, PO Box 343, Portland, OR 97207.  Your support is always greatly appreciated, but this week – it is doubly appreciated.  Your generosity is helping Open Arms Village transform the faces of Africa, One Life at a Time.  Thank you so much for your consideration.