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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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

Kenya 2013

No joke we are in Kenya!

Praise The Lord! 

Loving on babies like these. 

We were able to feed 200 children a lot of food. There were lots of full bellies and smiling faces. 

The kids also got to play and take a shower. 

Thanks so much for all of your support. 

We have a plan and some short term goals that we will be sharing with you after tomorrow's meeting. 

We want to feed children like this monthly  and will be letting you know what a commitment like that looks like for our supporters. 

 Please prayerfully consider how God would have you help. 

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/2911 

A Letter From Vicki ~ 11/11/13

 

It up lifts our hearts to hear from Vicki & to know that she and her family are doing well. 

Vicki has been sharing her story in the United States for several months now and we are glad to report she is safely home with her family. 

Here is the message we got this morning:  

    Dear friends and family in Christ,

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for having me in your homes,churches and utmost in your hearts.

I will forever be grateful for your unfailing love for me and for the kids at the Victorious home.Thanks alot for your tireless generosity and steadfast prayers.

I had a very great time and feel very much rested and refreshed to continue working in our Master's Kingdom.

I just wanted you to know that i made it safely home and the kids sent their kind regards to all of you. They  will al l  be home for school break from the end of this week and will go back to school in January.

Kindly keep our eighth grade candidates in your prayers,today they had rehearsal for their National exams that will will last three days commencing tomorrow tuesday and ending Thursday the 14th.thanks in advance for your fervent prayers.

                 In HIS Grace,

                        Vicki

Did you catch that..the kids will be home when we get there. We know our mission isn't necessarily to spend time with the children we ❤️ but it's also hard for us to plan a trip 1/2 way around the world not knowing if we will get to see them. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. 

We take off in 5 days! 

For trip updates and general information check out www.hopeof2911.org or www.facebook.com/2911inc 

9 Days

We almost can't believe it...

God's Timing...

This was a struggle for us this year. Several of us have traveled to Kenya 4 times and always at the end of summer. That's just how it works - August rolls around and we are flying to Kenya. 

This year that was not an option. 

We questioned if we could do this. 

We questioned what we had been hearing from God. 

We were saddened at the thought that we had somehow we had misinterpreted something somewhere along the way. 

Have you ever felt that way? 

All I can say is - 

9 days until we take off for Kakamega Kenya. 

9 days until we get to see our African family again. 

9 days until the first official international trip for 29:11 Inc. 

Visas - whoop whoop!!

So we just want to let everyone know that these bad boys were delivered today!! 

For those of you who don't know, there was an issue a few years ago where people had to drive to Washington DC to pick up passports RIGHT before our trip. 

We had our meeting 9 days ago and sent them the following day - praise God they were approved and returned so quickly! 

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us and our upcoming work trip! 

Like us on Facebook to keep up with all our trip details! 

www.facebook.com/2911inc 

10/21/13 ~ Meeting

Here we are - together again meetif at our favorite place - Panera! 

Before we get into the important information, we want you to know that yes, there were cookies & yes we are them. 

First, we read and reviewed out minutes from our last meeting (yay us we are so official) 

Here is some of the info we discussed: 

Booster fundraiser - we made over $400 thanks to you guys and your support! Thank you so very much! Please keep sending us your 29:11 Inc t-shirt pics! 

We also discussed possible sponsorship/holiday giving opportunities for you guys 

Another meeting highlight concerns our 501(c)3 progress. We are almost there. A few financial items need to be worded just right and we need a 3 year budget then we will officially be a 501(c)3 nonprofit!! 

Our Kenya trip is quickly approaching and the vision of a day center is falling into place. We got talk about flight details, take some AMAZING visa photos and share info regarding another potential location for the day center. 

God is good. 

Please be praying for this trip as security is always a top priority for the family members we leave behind. 

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook and share your t-shirt pics! 

Love love love! 

A Letter from Vicki ~ 10/16/13

Pure religion and undefiled before GOD and the Father is this;To visit the fatherless and the widowsin their affliction,and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. Kjv

 

 

Dear friends and family in Christ,

         Receive calvary greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by whose grace we are saved and sustained in this noble calling.

Its my prayer that this finds you cradled in the loving arms of our heavenly Father.Its well with everyone at Victorious children's home.

        Johannes Gaertner said, "To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant,to enact gratitude is generous and noble,but to live gratitude is to touch heaven." I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your abounding love that always holds us strong,your steadfast prayers that give us strength for each day and courage for every battle and for your generous and tireless financial donations that keep the VCH ball rolling.

 This year will go down in history as one of great challenge for Victorious children's home,we have walked  through a rough road and sometimes it has not been easy, but HIS presence has shone in every valley of darkness and we have seen the salvation of the LORD.We have been hit by disease and infirmity in the last few months that saw one of our teenage boy go home to be with the Lord,torental rains that destroyed the corn and beans,financial struggles and spiritual warfares. We lost two of our milk cows and two calves and were very discouraged, but as i said GOD has been faithful in our time of hardships and we have seen hope shine brighter in trenches of adversity.

Thank you so much for praying for our country on the fateful day of gloom when Al Shabaab terror group attacked and bombed the westgate mall and sprayed bullets on people as if they were flies.Your prayers were highly appreciated and the situation has been contained and its more calm now.

I was very terrified because all our kids now go to the universities around Nairobi and in the town center.

         In the midst of a desert there ia an oasis of water because HE is a GOD of impossibility.This month at VCH its all smiles as Christine our oldest child will be graduating on 26th as a registered nurse.As a mother i can't ask for more,to me this is a huge achievement that we can look at the results of our combined efforts,its a miracle because were it not for VCH i don't know where Christine would be right now.

At Vch we  nurture them Spiritually,physically and emotionally and equip them with relevant skills that will enable them to fit in the competitive world. we embrace education and hold  holistic principles very highly because we know that education without CHRIST is vanity.

We have two seniors that will be taking their national exams from 21st Octoberand six eighth graders that will be taking theirs early Novmber,kindly be in prayer for these eight candidates and also pray for one of our boys Gody who will be facing the kenya army recruitment between 22nd and 23 October.

        We are trusting GOD for our daily needs including food,medication,tuition and other school needs,also our mattresses are in a very bad shape so the kids need new beddings.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 states;Although the fig tree shall not blossom,neither shall fruit be in the vines;the labour of the olive shall fail,and the fields shall yield no meat;the flock shall be cut off from the fold,and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet i will rejoice in the LORD,i will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD GOD is my strength,and He will make my feet like hinds feet,and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.

       I think this is a very neat poem by Blanche Ferrell:

Lord, i can't be strong like Samson,

Or patient like your servant ,Job;

And i have never heard your audible voice,

Like Paul did on Damascus road.

 

And i don't have the courage of David,

Who slew the giant so valiantly....

Nor do i have strong faith like Peter,

When he walked upon the sea.

 

And Lord, i know that am not worthy,

 Of your love so pure and true;

But i really want to please you

In every little thing i do.

 

For i am just a simple person,

In nothing great to excel;

But i can proudly say for certain...

That in my heart, I Know You Dwell.

 

Beloved ones be sure to hold fast unto His word in Psalms 46:10;

Be still,and know that I AM GOD:I will be exalted among the heaven,I will be exalted in the earth.

Just walk with the LORD, Don't go ahead of HIm for  he may not follow,Don't stay behind HIM for He may not lead; Just walk beside HIM.

Many blessings and share this with others that you know. I love you all,

Vicki

29:11 Inc has SWAG!

Just wanted to share a few pics of supporters wearing our awesome new shirts! 

We want to thank all who participated in our t-shirt fundraiser! Please send us your pics of 29:11 Inc shirts! 

Thanks & ❤️

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