MITS HONORS ITS OWNIt really pays to invest in people. Land and buildings and cash and clothes and furniture are all very nice, but people pay off in the long run. In our short careers (have I mentioned that I am on social security now?), Darlene and I have always worked with young people, whether campus ministry in university, teenagers or nursery school kids. We directed youth and children's camps for 20 years. Our objective was to "grow our own," using high school youth who had been in our children's camps as counselors in children's camps when they were 15 and older. And we used our college students as counselors in youth camps.
The first picture is a group of street kids taken early (1996) in the Made in the Streets ministry. Laurent Mogambi is the one in the front with the baseball cap turned sideways. At the time he did not know his real name, but he called himself "John Mwangi Isaac," with the Isaac emphasized because his little brother, Isaac, had been picked up by the police and Laurent thought Isaac was dead. He wanted to honor his memory.
The next picture shows Laurent at 15 years old just before he entered the initial live-in program at the Eastleigh Center in 1999. He was a good student -- we were teaching Bible, English and Math. Darlene's Mom came to Kenya 6 months each year (she was 72 the first year she came) and taught reading to evangelists and street kids. She taught Laurent to read, giving him lots of encouragement and guidance. He absorbed everything and wanted more. When our team enrolled him in middle
school (he was accepted into the 7th grade even though he had never been to school because he learned English and Bible and math at Made in the Streets), they also found out his name and other info a
bout him.
The next picture shows Laurent at his final meal preparation at the cooking school the Team
enrolled him in, which he cooked for Darlene and me. By God's grace he got an internship at the University of Nairobi cafeteria, and he has cooked there for five years. He has cooked at meals attended by the President of Kenya, and this year he helped cook a meal for the contenders for President (Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga) held during the negotiations for the new coalition government. All along Made in the Streets has stayed in touch with Laurent, and his wedding to Eliza (another of our former students) was held at the Kamulu Center in December.
Now our investment in people really starts to pay off. Laurent becomes the fourth of our former students to begin working on the MITS Team.
Last week Francis and Mauryn Mbuvi moved into their new house, moving out of the house at the girls' center. The next day Laurent and Eliza moved into the house vacated by the Mbuvi's. Laurent will begin part-time teaching at the new cooking skills area in the Connor Brown Memorial Skills Training Center. As soon as he finished his responsibilities to the University, he will be full-time with MITS. He will train students to cook, and he will direct their work in operating the small cafe we have on the highway at our Shops Center. Eliza both sews and has good ability as a hairdresser, so she will likely work in some capacity in relationship to MITS. There is nothing like "raising your own" when it comes to good management of resources and investment in the future. The church can always do this by giving young people lots of responsibility and opportunity to stretch their abilities and faith.
Have a good time in your investments in 2009
