Steeves' Summary #30: Feed My Lambs Project         April 2006


In our last newsletter, I mentioned meeting up with Thenya, a local businesswoman, about distributing blankets. A few weeks ago I joined Thenya and some of her church leaders for some outreach work in the local community. They had carefully planned who to visit . We traveled to each home to share words of encouragement , scripture, and gave them blankets.  It was incredible to find so many homes without blankets.  Some of the houses had large holes in their outer walls. It was cold! I couldn't imagine how cold it would be there at night, especially during rainy season.

A gentlemen who stands out on our travels was a widower with two sons, all of them HIV positive. He looked so thin and feeble as he walked up the steep path from his shamba (garden). It didn't take long to realize he was a man of great strength due to his faith. Another person who impressed me with her spiritual strength was a grandmother who was taking care of her eight grandchildren.  Two of her children had died of AIDS.  She welcomed us wholeheartedly and without a complaint told us what the Lord was doing for them. We visited a young mother and her week old baby. She had her baby delivered at home due to lack of money for the hospital. Thankfully the mother and baby did well with the delivery. Thenya states that many deliveries at home do not end on such a positive note.

Since our first round of visits,  the “Feed My Lambs” project has materialized. Our newly formed group has decided to deliver food parcels as well as blankets. At the beginning of April, willing members of the group went on a second day of visitation into the needy community. They encountered many challenges as they walked a fair distance between homes in the rain. As they visited the sixteen homes, they realized some were more needy than expected. They discovered one of the homes had 11 orphans. They also revisited the widower with HIV and discovered he had no food that day to feed his children. What a day for the group to show up with a bag of rice, maize, and tea to give to him and his family! It was noticed that some homes were in need of Bibles. We will be ordering some Kikuyu and English Bibles in the near future.

While we agree that visiting in the community is an integral part of the “Feed My Lambs” project, our group would like to start a special Sunday service once a month serving food.  A simple lunch would bring additional people to church, some of whom wouldn't have a meal otherwise.

Mike and I have been impressed with the devotion of the members of this church as they reach out to the community. They have helped us to find the real needs. At the same time, this project would not be possible without the resources that have been given to us. Thanks again to those who made all the homemade blankets as well as those who have given to enable us to help with this project. Please pray that this project will continue to make an impact on the community, especially those in great need and that many will get to know Him.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”Again Jesus said,”Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “ Take care of my sheep.” John 21:15-17

Bernadine, Michael, Julianne and Evan

You can see our previous newsletters on our website at www.kijabe.org/mission2005
Michael and Bernadine Steeves
P.O. Box 80
Kijabe, Kenya 00220
phone: 011-254-20-3246-101
cell phone: 011-254-735-317094
steeves@kijabe.org 
www.kijabe.org
Africa Inland Mission
1641 Victoria Park Ave.
Scarborough, ON
M1R 1P8
(877) 407-6077 (Toll Free)
www.aimcanada.org