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Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary: Faith, Hope, and Love Part V

The story of Buckner Kenya started in the heart of Dr. Ken Hall, CEO of Buckner International. In 1994 Dr. Hall led Buckner to begin international work in order to positively impact the lives of 143 million orphans around the world. The Spirit was also leading people like John and Susan Baker, Pastor David Keatu, Pastors of the Kenyan Baptist Convention, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Canadian Baptists, Buckner donors and Dickson Masindano culminating of the transfer of this work to Buckner in 2002.

I had only previously visited the BCC in Nairobi and work at the Korogocho School and had not been to see our work in Kitale, Bungoma, and Busia. I was impressed by the consistent quality of the work, the leadership and management of Dickson Masindano, and the healthy relationships he maintains with Kenyan Baptists. I was overwhelmed by the spiritual vitality of our staff and children in Kenya.

The whole week was a shot in the arm for me spiritually; a preview of what Phillip Jenkins (The Next Christendom) calls “the global South;” and a glimpse of what collaboration can look like. Buckner Kenya stands as a flagship for Buckner and a testimony of what can happen when pastors, churches, individuals, donors, volunteers, staff, and leaders agree to pray and work for the Lord’s Kingdom to come and his will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. While Buckner does not care who gets the credit, we were all careful to recognize those that have been influential in getting the work started but it was exceedingly evident to me that the most important issue of the day was the well being of vulnerable children, orphans, and families. I am most certain that I have not named everyone that has had an instrumental part of making the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Buckner Kenya. So, I apologize in advance.

Scott Collins, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing was on the trip to record the celebration through photos, video, and note-taking (Honestly, I am not sure it is possible to capture all that God did on this trip but you can expect a future of Buckner Today to recount the story); Brynn Anderson, Missions Coordinator for Buckner Children and Family Services Inc., led this trip flawlessly while keeping track of all the logistics including travel via van, bus, and air; lodging, meals, our itinerary, and keeping track of everyone on the trip. Donors and friends like the Andersons (both families); the Matthews, the McDougals, the Bridges, the Allmons, the Collins and the Reyes family enriched the experience deeply and were exemplary trip participants with impressive flexibility.

We went to celebrate and came away blessed; we went to serve and came away enriched; and we went to support and came away filled with blessings beyond our imagination. While I have written lots of words to try to describe this trip, honestly, words fail me. Several trip participants said they did not have the words to describe what we saw and experienced. The Lord himself met us at every turn. You really must go and see for yourself. You will be blessed. Maybe the Lord of Redemption would put it on your heart to give and go; to give a cup of water in Jesus name; to visit the future of Christianity in the Global South. I can’t guarantee you will have the same kind of experience, but I can pretty much guarantee you will never be the same. Join us for another 10 years of Faith, Hope, and Love through Buckner Kenya.

Click here to view more photos from our Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary Trip

Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary: Faith, Hope, and Love Part IV

The work of Buckner Kenya has flourished under the leadership of Dickson Masindano over the past 10 years. Dickson is a graduate of Hardin Simmons University (a University in Abilene, Texas affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas) and was recognized as Outstanding Alumnus of the year in 2010 by HSU. Hardin Simmons, in cooperation with Buckner, has produced an outstanding leader for our work in Kenya.

Dickson shared his story of how he came to Buckner 10 years ago. He had just graduated from HSU with a Masters Degree in Social Work. He was ready to get back to Kenya to be reunited with his family when one of his professors in Kenya, also an HSU/Logsdon Theological Seminary alumnus, suggested he look into Buckner as a place of potential employment. His HSU roommate introduced him to Mike Douris, VP for International Operations, who had been planning and praying about starting work in Buckner under Dr. Ken Hall’s leadership. Buckner leaders quickly met with Dickson and interviewed him, offered him a position with Buckner, and asked him to stay for 2 weeks of orientation before he returned to Kenya.
The rest of the story has become what we are celebrating after 10 years of outstanding work.

In 2010, Buckner Kenya provided Residential Care Services, Foster/Kinship Care, Vocational training, Formal school programs, and Community Services in four Kenyan cities. Residential Care serves 99 orphans for a cost of $2,373 for each child annually($6.50 per orphan per day); Foster and Kinship Care serves 176 vulnerable children and orphans at an annual cost of $1,144 for each child ($3.13 per child per day); Vocational training is provided to 30 individuals at an annual cost of $580 per student per year ($1.59 per student per day); Educational Services are offered to 879 school-aged children at an annual cost of $106 per student per year ($.29 cents per student per day); and Community Services such as medical care, health clinics, water, and humanitarian aid is provided to 3,276 individuals at an annual cost of $20 per person per year. The total cost of all these programs in Kenya for 2011 is $612,000 in order to impact 440,000 lives through these programs ($140 per person per year). Since we do not have an endowment for international work that produces needed resources for ministry in Kenya, we depend 100% on the generosity of friends, donors, and churches that provide time, talent, and treasure to serve the least of these in that country.

We believe that good stewardship provides accountability to our donors and excellence in the delivery of services. Communicating our work in terms of impacting over 440,000 lives annually is a hallmark of the Buckner way. Pray that we continue to seek the Lord’s vision for the work there and the faithful stewards will be moved to provide the provision needed to continue this work.

Click here to view more photos from our Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary Trip

Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary: Hope, Faith, and Love Part III

Dickson Masindano orchestrated a magnificent 10 year anniversary for Buckner Kenya at the BCC in Nairobi. He planned for a Master of Ceremonies, lots of music in African style, full of praise and worship.

Dickson took care to introduce the special guests. Let me share with you some of the comments of the guest speakers that stood out to me. (Keep in mind that there were about 300 children and another 200 adults in attendance. The children sat still, quietly, and attentively during the presentations of about ten different speeches. It was a blessing to witness this kind of discipline and respect from children as young as 3 and as old as 18). Dickson set the stage of the celebration with a heart full of love and thanks for all that God has done under his leadership.

Her Excellency, Madam Pauline Kalonzo, 2nd Lady of Kenya (Wife of the Vice President) was on hand to share in the celebration and share some comments. She commended the work of Buckner in Kenya, the Buckner Kenya Staff, and for the Kenya Baptist Convention for their excellent work, perseverance, and vision. She called for spreading Buckner work across other cities in Kenya and challenged the crowd to replicate the work of Buckner so that other children and families would be blessed by this work. At the end of the speech she quoted Mahatma Ghandi, but clarified by saying: “I am a follower of Jesus and a Baptist,” as a point of reference for her comments. We were amazed that she was so willing to be so transparent with her faith.

Pastor David Keatu, member of the BCC Board of Directors told the story of how the BCC work got started. I was particularly impressed by his comments. He told how the pastors and officers of the Kenya Baptist Convention (in the late 1990s) representing about 3,000 Kenyan Baptist churches, decided to secure and convey 13.5 acres of land for use to serve vulnerable children and orphans as a Kingdom ministry. After much deliberation, the officers of the Kenyan Baptist Convention (KBC) agreed to this action. Pastor David Keatu was among the leaders during this time of decision. The land was given to the KBC by the Kenyan Government as long as it would be used to serve under-served children and orphans. This is a fascinating story of the pastors, churches, and the convention of churches deciding to put the needs of the least of these before their interests. Ten years later, we see the wisdom of this decision with over 440,000 children, orphans, and families being served.

What fascinated me the most of this story was the fact that Pastor Keatu already had the site plan of the 13.5 acres with details of where buildings would be constructed and services that would be offered before the land was secured. Now, that is faith!

The Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board operated the BCC from 1994 until 2002 when Buckner assumed responsibility for the operations under the leadership of Dr. Ken Hall, CEO of Buckner. Later, Canadian Baptists, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as well as countless Texas Baptist Churches and other like-minded churches and volunteers came together to add to the story. The story of the BCC is a story of pastors, individuals, volunteers, churches, and denominational groups working together in an unselfish way to do Kingdom work. It is a legacy of faith that God continues to bless.

Click here to view more photos from our Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary Trip

Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary: Hope, Faith, and Love Part II

The 10th Anniversary Celebration of Buckner Kenya lasted about 3 hours, but could have gone on another three since the power of the Spirit of God was so evident. The music and celebration was awesome. We had seen some of the same kinds of presentations throughout the week at Kitale, Bungoma, Busia, and Nairobi, but when they were all presented at one time, our hearts could not contain the joy and celebration evident in the hearts of the children who sang.

The children recited poetry, presented songs and dance, and bore testimony of the difference Buckner has made in their lives. The dress was festive and the songs were as powerfully personal and full of hope.

At one point in the celebration, the staff also presented a song and dance. It was so moving and powerful that Dickson Masindano, Director of Buckner Kenya, rose to his feet to join his staff in song and dance. It was a sight I will keep in my heart for a long time. The joy, the exuberance, the sense of celebration for 10 years of faithful work was hard to miss in the smiles, the sounds, and the dance of our Buckner Kenya Staff. I was tempted to join in the celebration too.

If there is one thing that moved me or surprised me during this trip, it was the sense of spiritual vitality and exuberance of the Buckner Staff. It was as if they were on a whole different plane spiritually. Their praise and worship in song and dance seemed uncommonly free, open, and genuine. I was taken aback by this sense of worship and praise. And, as one of our team members put it, most of their prayers were made up of praise and adoration with a noticeable absence of supplication.

The celebration started off with a bang! It was full of Hope for the future and evidence of Faith in the past, present, and future. After the opening notes of song and praise, we knew we were in for a treat that would overwhelm our spirits. There was no doubt in our minds that Dickson had led his staff to plan for a huge celebration. Every Buckner donor, volunteer, and friend of vulnerable children, orphans, and families would have been proud of those moments of giving thanks to God for the great things He has done.

Click here to view more photos from our Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary Trip

Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary Celebration: Faith, Hope, and Love

On Thursday, July 14, 2011, the staff of Buckner Kenya hosted the 10th Anniversary Celebration. The Visiting Team from Dallas included donors, staff, and volunteers who had finished a tour of Buckner work in Nairobi, Kitale, Bungoma, and Busia. We headed back to Nairobi and arrived at the Baptist Children’s Center (BCC) for the celebration.

We could not believe the transformation of the BCC campus from just a few days before. The grounds were immaculate, tents were set up on the soccer field, and all the rocks had been painted white. On hand to experience the celebration were the 2nd Lady of Kenya, Her Excellency Madam Pauline Kalonzo; Pastors of the Kenyan Baptist Convention; Community Leaders; BCC Board members; the Minister of Children’s Affairs; and original founders John and Susan Baker.

I also met several teens that were among the first children to come to the BCC in 2002 including David, Matthew, Dominic, Charles, and Seth who said were it not for the BCC they would probably not be alive today.

Children from the BCC, the Seed of Hope, Busia, the Jehovah Jire School, Staff, and Mbuvi (a popular Kenyan musician) also helped in the celebration. We ended the celebration with a Kenyan meal served by the staff. The celebration was beyond anything I could have imagined. In the blogs that follow I will record my observations. You won’t want to miss this.

Click here to view photos from our Buckner Kenya 10th Anniversary Trip

Busia, Kenya: Hope for Children

Our final stop in the tour of our work in Kenya we arrived in Busia. This location features an ECD, Early Childhood Development Center designed after the model of the Reynolds Center in Kitale. As usual, we were met with singing and dancing on the part of the crowd waiting for us. This site also features foster care and kinship care. The ECD serves 45 children and the Foster/Kinship Care program features 52 children. We have several staff including teachers, a nurse, a lab technician, and other support staff.

The Center has been in operation for 7 years and features a solar-powered water well using reverse osmosis that serves 400 families, a clinic, and a church. We spent a good amount of time hearing presentations from children, poems, and testimonies of the work that has been done. We also had time to play with the children and offer them candy.

We met with pastors and communities leaders to celebrate all the good things the Lord has done. We also heard some concerns that needed addressing, a common occurrence when working with collaborative partners that seek to advance Kingdom work.

We left Busia knowing that children are being served through education, care, health care, and water. Buckner is making a real difference in their lives and bring the Kingdom very near. We left Busia for Kisumu to fly back to Nairobi for the 10^th Anniversary Celebration next.

Bugoma, Kenya: To Educate is to Redeem

On our third day here in Kenya, we travelled from Kitale to Bungoma, another site of Buckner work in this country. The countryside is full of green vegetation, the soil is red like Colorado soil, and it rains everyday for about two hours from 2-4 pm. Since we are at an elevation of 7,000 feet, it is a bit cooler here in Bungoma and Kitale in July than it is in Dallas. We have highs in the 70s and lows in the low 50s.

Buckner is building a school in Bungoma to serve the children of this community. The school construction is underway and will be open in January to serve about 360 children. Many of the children served will be orphans and the rest will represent the most needy children in the community of about 10,000. Bethel’s Family Church in Houston installed a water well that serves 3,000 people in the surrounding community. The children walk long distances to fetch water rather than go to school since the nearest schools are miles away and they have no transportation.

Pastor Robert Walukhu serves this area and works with Dickson Masindano to coordinate the construction of the school and ministry site. He calls the area Galatia. The ministry site at Bungoma also features a social worker, care givers, and mentors. Pastor Robert’s enthusiasm was contagious and impressive. He has started 36 congregations in the area and has appointed and equipped pastors that serve with him as he serves two churches. Pastor Robert told the children gathered there that he does not want them to carry water anymore but he wants to see them carry books to and from school.

In our visit today, we were welcomed in familiar Kenyan style with singing, dancing, and celebration from the people in the community. We also met the contractor for the project, the engineer, the board of trustees for the construction project, and the local Political leader called the Counselor. His name is Anthony. Counselor Anthony wanted us to be sure we knew that this project was making an economic impact in the community since the laborers of the project are from the community and employed to build the school.

In my speech today I shared the motto from Andrews University School of Education: “Educar es Redimir” which means: “To Educate is to Redeem.” I shared with the children that the school that is being built is intended to redeem all that God has planned for their lives regardless of their situation. I told them we were there to offer the gift of our time, our presence, and the gift of an education. And I shared that every good and perfect gift is from above, from the Father of lights in whom there is no wavering or shifting of shadows.” Buckner is a conduit for the gifts we offer to this community and is a sign of the fingerprints, the footprints, and the fragrance of Jesus.

Kitale, Kenya: A Place of Hope

This is my third entry from the 10th anniversary trip to Kenya celebrating Buckner work in this country. On our second day we visited Kitale, Kenya where Buckner operates two ministries: Seed of Hope (A Children’s Orphanage) and The Herbert H. Reynolds Education Center.

One of the joys of the trip is that my two sons, David and Thomas, are with me on this trip. They are seeing Africa, and in particular, Kenya for the first time in their lives. We arrived at the Reynolds Center in Kitale as our first stop and were overwhelmed by the reception and celebration that began as soon as we stepped off the vans. We have a group of 17 made up of Buckner staff, volunteers, and donors from Dallas, Midland, Lubbock, and Carthage, Texas.

The reception started with singing and dancing on the part of the adults, mostly mothers. Then the children started singing and dancing. They greeted us as though we were long lost relatives. After a quick tour we were seated and then the children presented several songs and dances including this poem they wrote and memorized for this occasion:

Long live Buckner
Buckner you are our provider
You are like a bird flying miles and miles
With a prey on its beak
To feed young ones
Long live Buckner.

You provide us with clothing
To prevent us from cold weather
Like a mother protecting her young ones
From harsh weather conditions
Long live Buckner.

Whenever we become sick
You provide us with free medication
Like God healing a poor man
Through his grace
Long live Buckner.

You provide us with Education
This is the most basic need
Which is the key to life
Long live Buckner.

You are the protector
You have enlightened our foster parents
Through foster training
You have provided us with Godly love
Long live Buckner, Long live Buckner.

The Reynolds Centre provides a School serving 300 children (Beginning in January), a clinic, a waterwell, foster and kinship care through 40 trained foster parents and 58 children; and a Child Development Center serving another 70 children.

Our next stop was Seed of Hope (SOH) founded by Carsten Werner of Germany. Carsten turned over the ministry to Buckner about 3 years ago. SOH serves as home to 70 orphans; a clinic for the community, a library, and community services to children and families in the area. They grow tomatoes, corn, and have cattle as well. The vegetables grown are more than enough for SOH and much of the harvest is sold to market in order to provide economic sustainability. The Lord is truly at work in the lives of these remarkable children. The boys and girls we met seemed to be happy and hopeful of their future. The joy and presence of the Lord was obvious. The staff is outstanding. I am so proud of the Kingdom work Buckner is doing in this place.

I am once again moved by the compassion, gratitude, and joy I see in the faces of children, orphans, moms, dads, staff, and community leaders.

Nairobi: Place of Cool Waters

This is the meaning of Nairobi in Swahili. Nairobi is the most populous city in Eastern Africa with about 3 million inhabitants. The city is in the heart of the African Rift. Before the British began construction of a railroad system through Nairobi, connecting Uganda and other East African cities, Nairobi was a swampland not inhabited by many.

The Masaii Community remains strong in this area and is famous for their skills in hunting and survival. Nairobi is also known as “Safari Capitol of the world.” Some of our group will be staying over a few days for a Safari at the end of the 10th anniversary trip.

On Sunday I preached at the worship service held at the Baptist Children’s Center in Nairobi. The sermon was translated into Swahili as I preached. I have had my message translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic but this was the first time it was translated into Swahili.

I was amazed and refreshed by the praise and worship time with songs in Swahili and English, African style. I met a young boy by the name of Martin after the service. He said he came to church with his sister and mother. I asked him where he lived and he pointed off into one direction. I asked him how he got to church and he said he walked with his sister and mother. I asked him how long it took him to get to church and he said it took about an hour. I was shocked.

I was impressed by Martin’s willingness to put some extra effort to come to church to worship. It makes me wonder how desperate we are for worship and Bible study back home. I wonder if meeting God for worship might be like the place of cool waters.

 

Kingdom Coming Near in Nairobi

I am on a 10^th Anniversary trip with a group of 17 Buckner Staff and Supporters celebrating our work in Kenya this week. We visited the Baptist Children’s Center today and were amazed to see how the work has improved since we became responsible for the BCC in 2002.

We serve about 30 children on the campus and many more through community outreach. The BCC produces milk, eggs, chickens, and beef for consumption and for sale to the community. It also features a school,vocational training, a health clinic, and clean water for the community. We are
impacting many lives through this ministry and changing lives forever.

On Monday we will fly to Kitale to visit Seed of Hope, a ministry now supervised by Buckner and the Herbert Reynolds Center. We will meet staff and local officials to celebrate the good work that we are
supporting here.

Nothing happens of excellence apart from capable leadership. Dickson Masindano, named outstanding alumnus from Hardin Simmons University, serves as the Director of Buckner Kenya. He has assembled a capable team of leaders to carry out the vast work of Buckner in Kenya.

The Lord continues to bring the Kingdom of God very near through Buckner in Kenya. Lives are being changed, vulnerable children and orphans are being served through BCC programs, and foster/kinship families are making room for children that need a family. The Lord is good and his Kingdom is alive and well here in Kenya.