Hudson to Kenya: lending a helping hand
On July 6, a team of four Hudsonites departed to Nairobi, Kenya, as part of Africa Leadership and Care Ministries (ALCM), a ministry of Uwezo International based in Hudson.
- Hudson team distributes mosquito nets
- Jode Formiller with children at Tumaini Junior Academy
- From left, Zac Scott, Jacob Oreso, Iryna Bila and Jode Formiller
On July 6, a team of four Hudsonites departed to Nairobi, Kenya, as part of Africa Leadership and Care Ministries (ALCM), a ministry of Uwezo International based in Hudson.
Uwezo is an aftercare and recovery ministry that helps individuals facing various addictions and offers support to their families.
Jacob Oreso, a native of Kenya, led the delegation that included Zac Scott, Iryan Bila and Jode Formiller. It would be the first time since 2007 that Oreso would see his family including his twin brother Esau. The team was hosted by a local family.
While in Kenya, the team worked with Tumaini ministries in the slums of Nairobi with preschool children, a health clinic and on income generating projects.
The team also journeyed to the malaria-ridden rural areas of Kendu-Bay and Homa-Bay, both along the shores of Lake Victoria. There 300 mosquito nets were distributed, the purchase of which was made possible by donations of people in Hudson.
A particularly special contribution came from David Sullivan, a fifth-grade student at Hudson Prairie Elementary, who raised money by selling glass beads to his classmates. Support was also received from the First Baptist Church in Hudson and from a donor who provided screen clothes to further help prevent malaria.
Said Oreso, “...my heart is filled with joy to know that a family in Kenya will have a good night’s sleep absent from the specter of stinging, biting and buzzing mosquitoes. Disease and death have been pushed at bay, all because of a gesture of love from the people of the St. Croix Valley.”
In another connection between Hudson and Kenya, Trinity Academy students have began a partnership with Tumaini Junior Academy in the slums of Nairobi. Students from both schools have been exchanging letters. The Hudson team visited the school and put up some playground equipment for the 150 children enrolled there.
They also brought clothing for the children made by the Trinity Lutheran Quilters in Hudson and by members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Lakeland.
Oreso said that despite the drought and famine that has devastated many families in Kenya, they met many hard-working individuals who demonstrated hope, discipline and determination in the face of incredible hardship. The team led a one-day leadership seminar to some 84 Christian leaders that was sponsored by Oreso’s study group at Faith Community Church in Hudson.
Along with the mission, the team also had the opportunity to experience what Oreso called “the African adventure,” including a safari at the Nairobi National Park and an Africa dinner at the popular Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi, also known as the “meat lovers’ paradise.” The team was treated to an all-you-can eat dinner including game meat such as crocodile and camel.
Said Oreso of the trip, “My deepest hope is that whenever those rare opportunities to impact distant territories come, you’ll respond and make this world a much better place by using and spreading your God-given wings higher and further, from the St. Croix Valley and beyond. This is because together, we can make a difference.”
To learn more about what Uwezo International does locally and future mission trips to Kenya, call (715) 760-1882 or e-mail uwezo413@hotmail.com or check out Facebook.
Tags: church news, lifestyle, travel, health
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