Three Weeks and Counting...!!

From July 28^th (Thursday) through August 6^th (Saturday), 16 people from newhope church in Durham, NC, will, through Hope Missions/International (HMI) and The 410 Bridge, be visiting Kiria, Kenya, a rural mountainous village, located in the central highlands area of Kenya.  This will be our second trip to Kiria.

While there are many ways to engage in mission, it is our intention at newhope church to pursue international missions activity by partnering with very discrete and specific communities as they seek to follow Christ and to do for themselves that which they feel must be done to create flourishing communities devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The provision of disaster recovery (the rehabilitation that occurs after 'the bleeding has stopped') or development resources that are not community based (basically, initiated, driven, AND managed by the community) will fail—PERIOD.  History teaches that this is the case.  Once 'the bleeding has stopped,' the community directly affected must be intimately involved in and with their own rehabilitation and development.  As servants of the King, we must do all that is in our power to come alongside those who are hurting and who are trying to recover and develop themselves, but just as a physical therapist cannot make someone do his or her shoulder exercises, we cannot (nor should we EVER) do for others what they can (and must) do for themselves.  To try to do otherwise is disrespectful, creates dependency, leads to 'unhealthy giving,' and, quite literally, hurts everyone involved.

To be good stewards of that which God has given us—time, talents, gifts, financial resources, etc.—it appears to be most God-honoring when what we have to give is given in the context of a committed relationship, where we come alongside our brothers and our sisters in a specific place as they work together, under community leadership, to follow Christ and to develop communally from within.

It is with all this in mind, that we will be heading to Kiria in just three short weeks.

The team from newhope is comprised of the following individuals:

Jordan Albertson
Liz Albertson
Dave Brown (Team Father)
Molly Buckley
Delice Coffey
Fran Helpingstine
Amy Lineberry
Roz Lloyd
Sarah Owen
Kathy Pittman
Katy Rogers
Lisa Shear
Brit Smith
James Smith
Diana Tursi
Wes Vanesek
 
We as a team (and as individuals) are in great need of your prayers prior to, during, and after this trip.  Please take us before the Father as you talk with Him today and throughout the next few weeks.  Thank you!

Dave