Greetings from chuck & Liz!

Monday was spent with Steve from Spokane who co-founded Uzima with Fred.  Fred is a wonderful young Kenyan man who was in a very successful secular job selling educational material.  God placed it in his heart to start a private Christian School in this slum area, preschool through Grade 8.  He later met Steve and they saw a huge need to reach out to those addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and in prostitution.  Thus, Uzima was born about a year ago.  Uzima means "Life" in Swahili, and indeed they did begin to bring new life to those who came to the Lord. 

As Steve and Fred worked with these addicts and prostitutes they discovered that so many of them had children with no place to go.  Fred decided to allow them to attend the school he founded for free (and as Uzima funds become available, it will help).  Indeed, they would pay nothing for this education but now there was a need for a children's center where they could live.

We were privileged to tour the school and greet each classroom.  They had so little in the small, warm, dark, crowded dirt floor room yet their faces were shining.  The principal led us around and as he entered each room the children stood up quickly and greeted him with "Good morning, Sir.  How are you?"  He would respond that he was fine and then tell them they could sit down.  Each of us introduced ourselves and then they often sang a song to us.  It was so special!  How full of joy they were!

Just a street over from the school, Steve and Fred were able to find a center for the children to live.  This is a very humble (by our standards it would be torn down and burned) center.  13 girls sleep in a very small area (maybe 10'x 13') and even more boys in a similar space.  Volunteers handwash the clothes in small tubs of water and a volunteer spends the night with each group.  They have a need for a different place as the merchants in the area say there are too many of them--the children are a "bother"..

We then drove  a long ways to get to the rehabilitation center.  Steve and Fred wanted it to be a long ways away from the slum area so the people wouldn't be tempted to return to their old way of life.  The center will be dedicated this coming Saturday.  The men and women there have earned the right to be there, are serious about following the Lord and are striving for a better life.  They are given counseling and Bible classes.  We sang and shared a meal with these folks and just had a glorious time.  Praise God for their changed lives.