December 2015

K U L E T A

T U M A I N I

Bringing Hope

~ Looking back on July 2015 ~ To say that this trip was “life-changing” really only touches the surface of how I have felt since we got back. While I expected it to be the adventure of a lifetime I never thought that I would end up with so many close friends in Kenya with whom we correspond almost daily through social media and the like. To be so deep “in the bush” with the Maasai people almost made me feel like I was actually one of them with the way they welcomed us and made us appreciate their way of life, their villages, etc. Global Village Ministries is an amazing ministry, and with the excellent organization and vision I can’t imagine being on a trip like this with any other group. The work we did was so incredibly rewarding that I remember saying that I would probably never again have a normal “vacation”! I am almost counting down the days until we can return to see our close friends and provide the much-needed humanitarian aid to such wonderful people. ~ Mike Ross

2016 Mission Trip Schedule

March 9 - 24, 2016 Medical/Dental – *Taita /Coastal/Narok South

July 8 - 21, 2016 Medical/Dental –

*Narok South/Olorte Division

Oct. - Nov , 2016Medical/Dental – *Kajiado District/Narok North & South

March/July trips have optional safaris, plus the

option to climb Mt Kenya (16,400ft). The Oct/Nov optional trip takes you to the coast.

*The optional trips are not tax-deductible Go to the “Trip” page on our website for

information and applications

www.globalvillageministries.org

What’s Your Passion? ~Stephanie DeWitt

I spent six of some of my most important years, growing up in a foreign country. I can assure you that at age nine, moving to Africa, was not very appealing. Little did I know, I would spend my teenage and young adult years, crying myself to sleep at night out of love for this country, and from the strong longing I had been given inside of me to go back. As I think back to the years I lived in Kenya. I remember Saturday afternoons after church...visiting orphanages, playing with the kids, holding the babies. We took the school bus out to the middle of a town and handed out clothes to anybody that came. We even would go and stand in the streets of the nearby town and just start singing – in minutes, 100 people would be standing around us, huge smiles on their faces. Ten years later, I still remember the faces of the children at orphanages, the Masai children that stood along the road yelling “sweets” as my brother, sister, and I threw candy out the window to them yelling “Jambo” and waving. Ten years later, I am so glad to have been given the opportunity to join Global Village Ministries. Many people ask me how I got involved, or what my passion is. Many times I have not known what to say. How do you explain to somebody that never got the opportunity I did, what it is that drives me to love the people, the animals, and the culture of Kenya so much. I have been able to see hundreds of people in the middle of absolutely nowhere, line up in the sun for hours, just to be able to get free dental or medical care from our mission groups. I have seen the pure joy the Masai people have gotten just from seeing foreigners, set up in their little cement school house to provide them with free care. The giggles from the kids hovering in the window, the smiles of the Masai ladies as the women in our group crowd around them to see their adorable newborn babies, or the video’s I see posted of the girls at the Olmalaika Home singing/giggling. They are my passion; they are the reason that I am who I am today. I hope that each of you will take a moment out of your time to get involved with a project such as this, whether it be going on a trip, sponsoring a kid, or donating used clothes. It will change your life in ways none of you could ever imagine.

“Home is the place you miss the most when you aren’t there.”

– Maggie Jones

From the office of the Headmaster of the Sekenani Primary School ~Jonathan Ketuyio The Olmalaika Home is a model of what an ideal family setting should be - molding the girls spiritually, morally and academically. The efforts are witnessed academically, character-wise and in health. The home is based on the grounds of the Sekenani Primary School just some metres from the famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve. It was established in 2013 to secure the Maasai girls from mutilation as well as to bring up the less fortunate girls in the society. To date there are 31 girls in Sekenani Primary School, 4 girls in Secondary Schools near Narok, 3 girls have just concluded their high school studies and one at Thogoto Teachers Training College in Kikuyu, Kiambu County. We've enjoyed working with the Olmalaika Home as a school. The girls have good and admirable discipline standards which we have really appreciate. During our end of the year awards Faith Natumoi (Class 7) was named the most disciplined child in the school. Their moral upbringing is splendid and everyone admires it. They are the cleanest girls in the school and their uniforms are always complete. You will not fail to recognize a girl from the Olmalaika Home as she stands out from the rest of the children. Two years now in a row Jane Nekoka (Class 5) has been the best overall pupil in the school. As a result she was rewarded with a trip to Mombasa and Kisumu respectively. APPRECIATION. During Kim and Kamunge’s last visit I organized a Thanksgiving Ceremony to thank them for the good things that Global Village Ministries has been doing for the community, i.e sponsorship of girls through their education, repairing of the broken borehole and more to the protection of innocent girls from mutilation. The school chairman Nick Kupai was quoted saying "thanks Kim for protection of our girls. The blankets, liquor and cows for dowry have been changed to pen and books you are now providing." The whole congregation were taken by his words.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR 2016

DECEMBER 2015 – 31 DAY FUNDRAISER

Here’s an opportunity for your office, church, school, club or family to change lives. Help us meet our 2016 goal

for THE OLMALAIKA HOME in just 31 days. www.theolmalaikahome.org

ITEM AMT NEEDED FOR 2016 COST AMT DONATED Rice 2,100 kilos / 4,630lbs $4,700

Green Grams/Mung Beans 720 kilos / 1,590lbs $1,650 Beans 1,440 kilos / 3,175lbs $1,620 Maize 3,000 kilos / 6,615lbs $1,400

Charcoal 108 bags $1,200 Bread 432 loaves $880

Cooking Oil 420 litres /110 gallons $700 Milk 72 cases $700

Bananas 3840 bananas $600 Cabbage 480 heads $510

Sugar 420 kilos / 925lbs $500 Chapati Flour 384 kilos / 846lbs $350

Eggs 72 flats (30 eggs per flat) $350 Oranges 1920 oranges $320

Uji – porridge 960 bags $310 Sukuma (Greens) comes in bunches $230

Goat 3 for special occasions $230 Tomatoes 2020 tomatoes $180

Onions 575 onions $170 Potatoes 96 bags $150

Salt 144 kilos / 317lbs $90 ITEM AMT NEEDED FOR 2016 COST AMT DONATED

Laundry Soap Bars 480 bars $830 Bath Soap 480 bars $500

Lotion / Vaseline 480 jars $420 Toothpaste 480 tubes $540 Toilet Paper 960 rolls $400

Sanitary Pads 432 bags $740 Shoe Polish 480 tins $490 Floor Wax 20 tins $450

General Needs $1000

*THE OLMALAIKA HOME is for young Maasai girls in Kenya ages 5-12 that are at high risk of genital mutilation (FGM) and childhood marriage. It is owned/operated by Global Village Ministries (501c3) based in

Michigan. Donations from within the US are tax deductible. Write checks to Global Village Ministries (www.globalvillageministries.org) *We have planted our own garden – but much depends on the rains.

*We have planted a small orchard with the following fruit trees: Mango, Orange, Banana and Papaya

NOTE: Global Village Ministries is a registered non profit 501(c)(301). All donations received throughout the year will be recorded and contribution statements will be mailed by Jan. 31, 2016. Global Village Ministries 37223 Highlite Drive Sterling Heights, MI 48310 USA Phone ~ 586.838.4998 / 989.413.3364 Email ~ letmeshine4him@yahoo.com Blog ~ www.globalvillageministries.blogspot.com

From Kim’s heart…..

This year has gone by so fast. It honestly just seems like we were just bidding 2014 farewell. It has been a year filled with blessings….no, not everything has been perfect, but even the hard times, disappointments and challenges can be changed into blessings. Just a couple of weeks ago we hugged our three Form 4 graduates goodbye as they headed back home to begin a new chapter of their life’s – this time outside of the safety of our home. We now have 35 girls at the home and the holiday from school has begun! With the holiday comes the time of year when most circumcisions take place (FGM). My heart longs for the day when ALL girls will be free to not have their bodies mutilated and will be able to attend school free from childhood marriage. With this holiday also comes a time of giving. As you select gifts for loved ones and friends, consider giving a gift that will change a life, one that will make a difference throughout eternity. Happy Holidays to each of you, Kim xoxo

To Live To Learn To Love

www.THEOLMALAIKAHOME.org

Holiday Season Crafts – Purchase a gift that will change a life….. *The crafts are made by Maasai ladies who are struggling in life to make ends meet for their families. 100% of what you gives goes back to ladies and to THE OLMALAIKA HOME. Angels are $8.00 Stars are $7.00 (does not include mailing costs)