Ada Bible Church

MCF – May 2013 Trip Summary

lbandy — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:36:37 +0000

I am happy and very thankful to report that our Africa team made it home safely–arriving in G.R. on Sunday, May 19!!

We are very thankful for our friends and family who were praying for us the entire time we were gone. We felt your prayers!

It was amazing that all of our bags of medical supplies arrived in Kenya and got through customs without a single problem and we were able to use those supplies to treat over 1,600 (yes–1,600!!) patients while our team was at MCF. Incredibly, our entire team made it through the week without any major sicknesses or problems and we thank God for the amazing strength and endurance that He provided for us to get through the long days at the medical clinic. . Wow— we are thankful for so many things, it is difficult to list them all.

Charles Mulli and his MCF family/staff treated us very well and we are thankful for everything they provided for us while we were there. We had great conversations with them all, wonderful tours, we had the privilege of meeting some outstanding MCF kids, we had great accomodations (sleeping in Mosquito nets was kind of fun), we ate excellent food (lots of beans, rice and potatoes that were very yummy) and we drank a lot of Chai Tea.

Thanks again to everyone who was praying for us while we were gone. And thanks to God for a fabulous trip and all that we were able to accomplish last week in Ndalani!

Cheryl Jenkins

The post MCF – May 2013 Trip Summary appeared first on Ada Bible Church.

MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 4

lbandy — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:26:41 +0000

Today was our final day of medical clinic. We were able to see over 1000 patients total in the three days we where here! It was such a joy to see people leave with smiles on their face saying “Asante Sana,” or “thank you.” Though we were running out of supplies God provided enough for all who came. We were surprised at how resourceful and creative we could be when the time came. For example, pharmacy was sending pills out in folded paper and pouring liquid medicines into plastic bags. The electricity went out for an hour while the dental team was in the middle of a procedure and they went out and played with the children until the power came back on. Our PA gave a numbing shot in a patient’s leg with the dentist’s tools because she didn’t have the right sized needle. The list goes on and on and the provision was there each time we needed it! Thank you for your prayers and support as we did our work.

It has been such a blessing to see how God has used us to show Jesus’ love through the provision of medical, dental and optical care. Seeing the respect the community has for MCF first hand has been both a pleasure and a testimony. Dr. Charles Mulli and his staff takes their call to “serve the poor, widowed and fatherless” very seriously as they continually put Jesus first, then others and finally themselves. Please keep praying for us in our last few days here and continue to pray for the staff and children at Mully’s as they continue to do the work that God has called them to do.

The post MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 4 appeared first on Ada Bible Church.

MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 3

lbandy — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:24:45 +0000

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

It’s the end of the day on Tuesday, May 14th–the first day of the free dental, optical and medical clinic at MCF. We were all amazed at the huge crowd of people waiting at the clinic when we arrived this morning. According to Jayne (Charles and Esther Mulli’s daughter), people started arriving at 6:00 am and literally walk for hours to get here. They continued coming throughout the day and didn’t seem to let up until it was almost dark. After just over 12 hours (less about 40 minutes for lunch), we finished up our last dental patient and headed back for another delicious meal that had been prepared for us. Jayne informed us that 650 people came to the clinic to be treated today! Unfortunately we weren’t able to see all of them today. But the ones we couldn’t see will be the first we treat tomorrow. Between the medical, optical and dental teams, we saw 480 patients on our very first day! Thankfully God gave us the strength to make it through the day and we pray that those we have come to help will be blessed and know that God is good and loves them.

It is so very evident that Daddy Charles and Momma Esther and their entire family have so much love for God and others. Tom taught us something I had never heard before–what JOY stands for. “J” is for Jesus; and He should always come first. Next is “O” for Others. After Jesus, we need to put others. Lastly is “Y” for Yourself. So we have true JOY in our lives when we keep our priorities in the order God intends–Jesus, Others, Yourself.

I’ve learned so many facts about Mully Children’s Family that I figured I’d share just a portion of it.

- Of the 42 tribes in the country of Kenya, 36 of them are represented at Mully’s. That’s not as surprising once you find out that right now between the different locations in Kenya, the Mulli family has 2,247 children (about 700 live here in Ndanali where we’re staying). And in the 24 years since Charles and Esther started adopting these children and quite literally saving their lives, over 8,000 have gone through MCF. They currently have 84 children that are currently attending college.

-There are 3 categories of children that they rescue–1) Street children who are total orphans; 2) young, single parent mothers, (72 babies are at the Yatta location); and 3) children that would otherwise have been sent to prison.

-MCF gives away treated water and food to community people (with free medical too of course).

-MCF typically employs over 1,100 community members, which in turn helps the economy. Unfortunately after the torrential rains they have had, they had to temporarily lay off over 300. They will call them back to work as soon as possible. Please continue to pray for the rebuilding of the dams and the rest of the rebuilding after the devastating rains took out so much of their crops.

-MCF is currently about 45% self-sustainable but is continually working at being more self- sufficient. One way they accomplish this is through their agriculture. Two hundred tons of French beans are exported a year to Europe. They also harvest 90 tons of tomatoes.

I could go on and on, but I just want to say that this is the first time I’ve been out of the U.S. and I’m so thankful I’ve been able to get to know and love the Mulli family and experience the love they have for God and others firsthand. I only hope and pray that I was a small part of spreading that love this week in Kenya. We greatly appreciate your continued prayers for the team and those we came to serve.

Lots of love from Kenya,

Sandy Kerrigan and the Ada Bible Church Team

The post MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 3 appeared first on Ada Bible Church.

MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 2

lbandy — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:12:21 +0000

Greetings from Ndalani! We are wrapping up our first full day in Kenya, and we are all doing great! All of our luggage arrived with no damage, and no difficulty at customs. It was an adventure trying to load everything in the vehicles that transported us from the airport, though. We stayed in Nairobi last night and then made the long drive to Mully children’s Family Ndalani campus where we will be staying the rest of the week. Everyone here is so hospitable to us, and the children greeted our bus at the gate with a welcome song and bouquets of flowers to bring us to our “home” for the week. We have had two delicious meals here so far and had a chance to unload some of our equipment to start organizing the clinic we will be working in. There is still a lot of work to be done before we are ready for patient care. The people here are taking plenty of time to orient us to this organization and their mission, explaining MCF history and let me tell you, it’s an amazing testament to the work God does for the good of those who love Him. Charles Mulli has been sharing his wisdom with us and his love for Jesus is the first thing you get to know about him. There is so much joy here, and gratitude, for all that they have. Tomorrow we will get a tour of all that they do here in Ndalani and at their Yatta campus so that we will be better prepared step in and help support the ministry of MCF.

We have heard it said a few times here already, and I’m sure the theme will continue throughout the week, that all the glory and praise for the success of this ministry is to God and God alone. Not to MCF, but to God. And not to our team from Ada Bible either, but to God for what he will accomplish here through us this week.
The weather was beautiful today. We haven’t seen much damage from the flooding yet, but I’m sure that will be more evident after our tour tomorrow. Charles has shared with us that the damage has set them back a few years in terms of their sustainability projects, and has asked us to continue to pray for them as it will take a long time to rebuild what was lost. Yet in it all, their joy shines, and Jesus’s name is honored. And it is contagious!

Thank you to all of you following us from home. We feel your prayers around us and appreciate them, greatly! Just a warning, the Internet has been spotty here the last week, so we may not be able to post everyday. But we will certainly try.
Oh, and Happy Mothers Day! Goodnight from Kenya!

Alicia Meschke

The post MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 2 appeared first on Ada Bible Church.

MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 1

lbandy — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:10:54 +0000

We spent most of the day today visiting both the Ndalani and the Yatta MCF campuses. We saw their vast agriculture fields, greenhouses, water treatment facilities, children’s bunk rooms, school rooms, church rooms, nursery, etc. And we had many opportunities to visit with the children, introduce ourselves, get to know some of them and tell them about the medical clinic that officially opens up tomorrow!

We have been told to expect between 300 and 400 patients tomorrow. We were also told that some of those people will walk 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers and even up to 30 kilometers (18 miles!) to come and get treated by us tomorrow.

We are finalizing our clinic set-up tonight.

When touring Ndalani and Yatta facilities, what stood out to ME was the great amount of love and care that these children receive from MCF. I saw and felt God’s love shown everywhere! :).

Please continue to pray for us as we get the opportunity to treat, minister to and show God’s love to the patients that we will see tomorrow!! Thanks so much.

Cheryl Jenkins

The post MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Day 1 appeared first on Ada Bible Church.

MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Arrival

lbandy — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:19:55 +0000

Alicia Meschke and I huddle in the one spot on a landing at the guesthouse to get in touch with the Western world. WiFi signal is intermittent, but we have it for the moment! (We will do our best to keep you updated. If you don’t hear anything, it is probably because a mosquito cloud flew by at just the right angle to interrupt a sketchy connection. Plenty of skeeters but we are safe and sound sleeping under our nets!) It has been an interesting, busy day as we settle in to this joyful community and begin to prepare for the clinic. “Furaha kwa wamama”- Happy mother’s day to you in Swahili! We were greeted by a beautiful group of children who sang a song ,”Jambo” (meaning “welcome”) and presented multiple bouquets of wildflowers that they had arranged for all of us. They truly are a happy bunch and we feel greatly loved and welcomed here. I will leave the rest to Alicia to fill you in….

God’s blessings to you all,

Heather Medema

The post MCF Medical Team May 2013 – Arrival appeared first on Ada Bible Church.