Godly Decisions

Trying to make decisions that are right for your organization when you're still getting used to the whole nonprofit lifestyle is difficult.

We have some major decisions coming up that will determine everything from day to day operations to big financial decisions, to trip places and dates. 

Honestly, right now we are overwhelmed.  We want to make the right decision for 29:11, us & the dream. 

Please  be praying for wisdom. Ask that our hearts be guided and that our judgment wouldn't be clouded by feelings. 

Thanks so much!  As always - 29:11 Inc. wouldn't be what it is without your love and support. 

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Oscars & updates

Didn't catch the Oscars but we are definitely hearing the buzz about Lupita Nyonog'o's inspiring speech. 

"No matter where you're from, your dreams are valid" 

❤️Love. Love. Love. ❤️

It is the same message we are currently sharing with children living on the streets of Kenya. 

Our goal is sustainability. We don't want to be the people who come, help and then leave. We are working in Kenya to change the culture/mindset of the local people. Instead of overlooking children starving & dying on the streets we want community members to see a need and meet it. 

This is Bradley. He is 12 & lives in a children's home. He is technically an orphan. The tiny boy in the front isn't so lucky. He lives on the streets of Kakamega, Kenya trying to find food and stay safe each day.

Bradley is one of the people making a difference. A 12 year old boy who is looking out for, playing with, & encouraging other children when they come to our program to eat. 

Bradley is just one of a group of people making a difference in the lives of others. He doesn't have money. He can't drive to pick up children. He isn't even allowed to cook but he is serving and encouraging his peers who aren't as lucky as him. He is using his own time to make a difference in the lives of others. 

What are you doing to make a difference? 

Tell us on our Facebook page 

www.facebook.com/2911inc 

Make a difference by donating 

www.hopeof2911.org 

Kenya Experiences ~ Jennifer

There is just something about finally giving in to the will of the Lord and seeing him make big things happen. That moment when you finally surrender and put your hope in him and things start falling into place.  I think hope is a universal language. We have been putting our hope in the Lord for years. Hope for the kids we've come to love. Hope for the kids we hadn't even met yet, only seeing them on the streets as we passed by. Hope that this dream we have would make a difference in the lives of kids around the world. 

   I saw hope on the faces of the kids we met at the first meal hosted by 29:11, Inc. and the kids of Victorious Children's Home and Mission to the Fatherless. I saw it when they played with a brand new soccer ball, and brand new Frisbees they had to be taught to throw. I saw it on faces of kids who, even though they've grown up in an orphanage, were proud to be able to serve others that day. 

  I saw hope on the faces of my friends, both American and Kenyan, when on that hot, sunny, Kenyan afternoon we cooked, played, danced, sang, and spoke with the kids we had wanted to reach out to for years.
 HOPE. Sometimes it comes in the form of a dream coming true. Other times its just a smile, a hot meal, a kind word, feeling like you matter, or a bar of soap. 

     

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Kenya Experiences ~ Kara

It's amazing what God can do and WILL do when you are willing to move in obedience . Let's get real for a moment; the trip to Kenya is not cheap. Playing musical children and arranging for care for three kids at home is not easy. Taking time off work and preparing my household to be gone for that extended period of time doesn't come without trials... But it comes with blessings! God has blessed me over and over for doing what He has called me to do . Stepping out in faith towards the bigger picture of what God has in store for His children is big....very big...like B.I.G big. God has a plan for these sweet children. He has already proclaimed it, a hope and a future. He needs me to carry out His plan. Me. A measly West Virginia girl with a lot of faith and a heart for His work. He needs all of us. I know in my heart that God is not calling every one of us to get on a plane and fly to Kenya ( or any of the other countries we hope to journey to). He is though calling each of us to do our part. Spend some time with him, in prayer, and let Him tell you where He wants you. We are all a piece of the puzzle. Spending time with those precious children, with my Kenyan friends and alongside my 29:11 Inc sisters has shown me that we each have a piece of the puzzle and each piece is needed to complete Gods greater picture.  This isn't just about a feeding program in Kakamega Kenya... It's about actually listening to what God wants us to do. We need to open our hearts to hear what He is telling us our role is... Because He will tell us and when He tells us He will expect us to act on it. The action is the hard part...but it's our piece of His puzzle.

Kara

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Kenya Experiences ~ Rhia

                           

   My main goal on this trip was to NOT get sick.  The past 2 trips to Kenya just about landed me in the hospital both times.  The first was food poison. I honestly don't remember the trip back home, which is probably a blessing.  The second was last year when I boarded the plane to Kenya with an ear infection which turned into a huge fiasco when the infection entered my bloodstream. Needless to say, everyone was wary of me taking this trip.
    I should have known better than to think that my God couldn't handle this.  He had big plans for us on this trip and that included me not getting sick! :) There were so many things we wanted to accomplish on this trip and I believe we we were very successful.
    The best part for me hands down was being with all those street children that joined us for a wonderful meal. Seeing all those babies with plates overflowing with food was the greatest feeling. Our first trip as 29:11, Inc. was a success. It was better than we could have imagined. But of course with all the wonderful, there is also a bit of heartache, growing pains you could say.  But again, our God is big enough to take care of all that, too!

Rhia

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More pics and stories

December 2013

As you know we are currently feeding orphaned and homeless children in the streets of Kakamega, Kenya. 

Here, the kids receive a large meal (some of them carry it around for hours before finishing), encouragement & love in the form of conversations, hugs, games, music and the word of God, free time to play and be kids and a shower. 

Here are some pics from our final meeting in 2013. 

While 29:11 Inc offers financial support, members of the community give what they have - time, shillings, a bag of sugar...) to help support the homeless in their community. This is not a cultural norm and we are praying that in 2014 more Kenyan people will leave their comfort zones to help support the orphaned and homeless children in their community. 

How can you help? 

Stay updated by liking us on Facebook www.facebook.com/2911inc 

Following us on twitter 

www.twtter.com/2911

Become a monthly partner by making a recurring donation through our website 

www.hopeof2911.org 

Kenya 2013 ~experiences

So recently we traveled to Kenya to start a program benefitting children living on the streets of Kakamega. 

We have been to kenya multiple times, but this trip was the first for 29:11 Inc as an organization. 

Over the next 4 weeks, each member who made this trip will be blogging about their experiences.  Get ready to hear from Jennifer, Rhia, Kara & Whitney about the importance of their trip, how they were impacted & what this means for 29:11 Inc moving forward. 

Kakamega Kenya - providing for street children

Our vision is to come alongside local communities to encourage & equip them to meet the needs of the orphaned and homeless children in their communities. We are looking for your help to continue doing this in Kakamega Kenya. 

Kakamega is a about an 8 hour drive from the capital city of Nairobi. Aspects of it are what you would expect to see in an African country while others might not be. Here are some pictures we have taken:

The culture in Africa is very different from U.S. culture. It shocks and outrages us that hungry and dying children on the street are passed by as if they do not exist. For a moment, we were able to change that. 

On Wednesday, November 20, 2013 we partnered with Vicotorious Children's Home, Mission to the Fatherless and local community members to provide a shower, food, comfort and some time for homeless and orphaned children to just be kids. It was amazing. 

This boy has no family and survives on the streets of Kakamega. At first, he didn't want to play, relax or even speak but after he realized he was safe with us, his entire demeanor changed. 😀

We cut tomatoes, potatoes & peppers for about 200 children. 

Local community members offered their time, money and compassion and will continue to do so even after we are gone. 

Juice for 200+ children must be made on buckets. Ha ha

This little guy didn't start smiling until after he had eaten. We were so glad we got to see that handsome face!!  

Time to play and forget about surviving for even a short bit of time. 

Soap - kids are kids - most of the children didn't want to shower until we said we would eat AFTER they bathed lol. They RAN to the facilities. 

There was also a time of singing and prayer where we told the children how much we love them and how God wants them to have hope and a future. 

Now for your part. 

What we did was great and we have several people partnering with us and supporting us locally in Kakamega but they CANT DO IT ALONE. 

We are in need of 20 people to commit to becoming monthly partners at $20/month. 

Without recurring support we will not be able to continue to impact the lives of these beautiful children. 

If this is a decision you have made, would like to make or if you have any questions, please let us know via Facebook, twitter, email or comment here. 

We have so many amazing pictures and experiences but you'll have to keep checking back with us to see them all. 

If you would like to be updated frequently, like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/2911inc 

 

Wordless Wednesday - 12/4/13

T & T ~ Bleach your pumpkins

It's October! Time for pumpkins, pumpkins & more pumpkin!  My kids love all things pumpkin. 

They want the little ones, the big ones, to carve them, to play with them, to show them to all their neighborhood friends...it's chaos and somewhere between the beginning of fall and Halloween, those bad boys begin to rot! 

                           Ugh!!

So I tried something new. This year we bleached our pumpkins - so far, so good. 

If you're not going to carve them, just wash your pumpkins (and let them soak for about 10 minutes) in a solution of 1 Tbsp bleach & 1 gallon of water. 

If you are carving, do all of that first then let your pumpkin soak in the same 1T/1G solution. 

What do you do to keep your pumpkins lasting all season? 

Tell us on Facebook www.facebook.com/2911inc 

T&T ~ Relax!! ~ Whitney

Okay so this morning I completely flaked on Tips & Tricks Tuesday. Ugh!!

So with that mishap and with all the running/chaos of my long weekend (that's right I even had a 3 day weekend!) I've decided that the perfect tip I can give you this week is to take time and RELAX. 

Seriously. This is me: 

95% of the time I am the girl on the left - trying to do everything and making a mess of most of it. I always forget to take time for myself just to relax and unwind. 

So whatever it is you do to relax... 

Reading 

Running

Napping

Or even just taking a few to enjoy a good ol' cup of Joe

Take some time each day to relax, unwind and refocus.

Comment or like us on Facebook & tell us what you do to unwind!

Love peace & prayers! 

T&T ~ Homemade Eye Cream ~ Whitney

Okay so if you're like me you may have some *laugh~happies (aka wrinkles) around your eyes.  You may also be like me if you absolutely HATE that word, hence the term "laugh~happies"  It helps me remember that I have those little lines because I laugh, a lot which means I have amazing people in my life (and that I'm so gosh darn funny!!)

With that being said, I also hate chemicals, meaning store bought eye serums & creams are out of the question.  My solution to this dilemma...homemade eye cream.  It is super easy, organic & completely chemical free! How can you not love it already?!

You only need 3 ingredients & 1 container!

The only items you need are organic coconut oil, vitamin E capsules, lavender oil and a container to keep it in.  You can use a baby food jar or a small jelly jar to keep at home.  I like using a contact lens case because it is small & easy to use/carry with you.

1. Scoop out a spoonful of coconut oil

2. Use a safety pin to poke a hold in 2 vitamin E capsules & squeeze contents into mixing bowl

 

3. Add one drop of lavender oil

4. Mix together thoroughly







5. Empty contents into your container
















Afterwards, I put mine in the refrigerator so it can set.  Once it has set up, it does not need to be kept in the fridge unless you use a lower temp coconut oil.  The one I use is medium/high heat so it doesn't liquefy at room temperature.

What eye creams do you use?  Let us know on our Facebook Page

T & T ~ Apple Custard Pie ~ Kara

 Apple Custard Pie

(adapted from this terrific recipe found at http://www.eatboutique.com/2013/02/04/rustic-apple-custard-pies/#.UhLD4z-M7pz )

 So my oldest needed to make an apple dessert for our county fair and his 4H clubs bake auction entry. Each club member was to make an apple dessert to be combined together in a cute little apple crate and auctioned off to raise money for their club

(I know cute, right ?!?).

 I decided we would do some type of mini pie in a mason jar so it would stay intact for the process. I found the above recipe that the author had already adapted herself. My family isn't really a fan of walnuts like the original called for... plus so many allergies and such recently so I just decided to nix the walnut crust. Whats the next best thing? Good, old, faithful graham cracker crust of course :) So I threw together a quick recipe for graham cracker crust simply using a manual food processor to grind up one package of graham crackers, almost an entire stick of butter melted (roughly 6-7 Tablespoons... just enough to moisten), a few shakes of cinnamon and about 1/3c of sugar. Mix it all together until its all moistened but not pic of crust in the bowl). 
                                                                      

                   

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:                                                           Custard:

one package graham crackers run                                           2 cups sugar

through a food processor until smooth                                   1/4 c all-purpose flour

6-7 Tablespoons melted butter                                               6 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar                                                                          1 cup heavy cream

few shakes of cinnamon                                          4 cups diced apples

Then spoon a few spoonfuls into the bottom of 9-10 pint mason jars that should be placed without lids on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Then my son and I realized we needed a way to press the mix into the bottom of the jar tightly.... hmmmm.... I found an old souvenir shot glass so we used that to press all the crust down into the bottoms of the jars. 

    

Take those beautiful baking apples and core, slice, peal and dice them until you have 4 cups 

Next mix the egg yolks, sugar, flour and heavy cream until smooth.. .only a min or so... then add the diced apples and stir to moisten. Spoon mix into the prepared jars until half full. Place the cookie sheet carefully into a 450 oven and bake for 12 min. After 12 min lower the oven temp to 350 and bake another 20 minutes. The custard will be golden brown on its edges when you remove it. Let the entire cookie sheet with jars cool until completely cool before you put the lids on. Honestly I'm not sure how it would turn out if you went ahead and added the lids and let that heat "set" your jar lids.. .maybe you would be able to keep them for longer? .... maybe on my next blog post :) 

Send us your fundraising recipes!

T & T ~ Packing ~ Jennifer

God-willing, this year I will complete my fourth trip to Kakamega, Kenya and back again. There are lots and lots of packing tips and tricks out there, but I thought I’d share some of my favorites that I’ve learned over the years, especially for long international travel.

First, the clothes. I had read this tip myself online and just never believed it could be true until the time I had to pack my husband for a three week trip to India in one suitcase including nice business clothes and sightseeing clothes and all the shoes that go with them. Roll your clothes. You will not be sorry. They really do stay much neater this way. The only time this has not worked out as well was when I had a nearly empty suitcase. For best results, iron everything first. Take each outfit and fold the pants in half and place the shirt on top and fold to match the sizing. You can also keep them full length and lay the shirt face down and fold back the sleeves. Place undergarments and socks under the shirt and roll from the bottom. That’s it. When you get there your whole outfit is all together and pretty tidy too. Pack shoes in what would be the bottom of your suitcase when it’s standing so that your shoes are not on top of your clothes. Some people place shoes in shower caps and things like that to keep them off their clothes but that’s never been necessary for me.

iron & neatly arrange outfits

rolled outfit

This brings me to my next tip and one of my ultimate must haves for travel…..

Downy wrinkle spray. I absolutely love this stuff. You take out an outfit the night before you’re going to wear it (or you can do this to all outfits upfront if you’re that type of person and have room to hang a lot) spray it down and hang. Next morning, it looks fresh again and smells fresh too. It’s great for places that don’t have irons, or reliable electricity.  

Another product not many people seem to know about is spray for the toilet. I have used it by the name Poof and Poo-pourri. This stuff is great when you have to room with someone, no matter how close you are.

This product is great for when you have to go but don't want to leave offensive odors!

Also, when packing clothes, if you’re traveling with a friend it’s never a bad idea to swap a couple of outfits into each other’s suitcases so that if one gets lost you still have something to wear until your luggage can be found.  

And of course, it never hurts to be creative when choosing outfits. Picking a couple solid colored bottoms that can go with multiple tops will save you loads of room.

Know your airline’s baggage policy well. 

We had an issue last year when flying an airline we had never flown before. Each year we have been able to bring a carry-on sized bag as well as a personal item, which has always been a backpack. This has always helped us fit as much as possible into our checked bags where we often carry ministry supplies. This particular airline (I’ll be nice and not dish names as much as I want to) decided that our personal items were indeed not considered personal items, and those of us who did not make it on board before an ornery gate attendant stopped us, were charged $200 to check bags. It was an expensive mistake.

That incident caused a lot of unnecessary stress!

I’ll finish up with tips for the plane ride. If you have a long flight ahead of you, unless you have to be dressed up, wear something comfortable that stretches and has layers too. A light jacket and socks have been lifesavers more than once.

Stay hydrated, especially on long flights, and do those silly seat exercises too. Both can help you feel refreshed and help with leg swelling. Also, do your best to get on the same sleep schedule as your destination. You can use melatonin or another sleep aid to help you get there. Sometimes we’ve left at 5pm local time and had to try to sleep within a couple of hours. A good neck pillow, pair of headphones, and comfortable clothes are priceless.  

Of course good traveling companions are too.

My most important tip of all, always expect and do your best to prepare for, the unexpected. Happy are the adaptable.

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