News From Nairobi

2011-09-16T07:29:00.001+03:00

Dear Friends and Family,

This has been a major week of blessing for KKV as we have been given some great stuff to help educate our kids. First of all, one of our dear friends at NLC used her influence at work to acquire six brand new Dell laptop computers for our computer lab. We have been using some old desk top computers that Tray has been faithfully repairing over the last two years. Now we are set to teach our kids some serious computer skills.

Secondly, we were blessed this week with our first ever professional office copy machine. We do hundreds of copies of tests and scores from our curriculum monthly and this machine will cut our costs into one quarter of what we have been paying per copy outsourcing.

Thirdly, we have been blessed this week with more books for our library. It has been quite a week.

This is a new day for KKV.

We are continuing to believe for the remaining $15,000.00 we owe our contractor for the completion of our Education Resource Center and the remainder of the furnishings for the complex. We still need at least two more desks and two more filing cabinets for our office suite.

We will tell you as the Lord continues to provide.

Awed by God's faithful provision...

Jon and Molly Stern

Maji Mazuri

2011-06-18T21:26:00.000+03:00

Dear friends,

I had a delightful day today having the privilege of accompanying my daughter, Christen and her cell group from church as they went to visit an orphanage for the physically and mentally challenged here in Nairobi. Being one who is an integral part of an orphanage in Nairobi for those who are orphaned, but not so challenged in so many other ways, I was touched and moved by the way these kids are cared for in not so comfortable, yet loving manor.

It was a delightful experience from the first moment we stepped into the home till we said tearful good-bye's three hours later. It is amazing how much a little needy kid can wrap you around their little finger within minutes. One of my more memorable moments was accompanying a volunteer who was helping Mwangi make his way around the balcony of the second story for a bit of exercise. To Mwangi is was more than a little exercise. He can barely walk even when held up and balanced with two hands. It was hilarious to watch his little face light up with glee and to hear him screech with pleasure as I cheered him on for the second lap. How many things we take for granted in life.

The greatest time was spent singing and praying with the kids. Music faithfully served as the universal language for all cultures and worlds, even those of the mentally challenged. Little ones who had been lying in lethargic positions for hours were moving with the music as we sang well known Kiswahili choruses. You could tell they had heard the songs of heaven many times and were well acquainted with the spiritual world.

Probably the icing on the cake for me was when one of the young local young men who was volunteering, while conversing with me made the statement, "One comes to make a difference, but this has changed me." He got it right. When we reach out and touch "the least" in the Kingdom of Heaven, our lives take on a new level of significance. Wow!

Jon

Lamu - Tropical Paridise - War Zone

2011-06-11T07:40:00.005+03:00

I have not had the time until now to write about my trip last week to Lamu to pick up and escort our daughter, Christen, back to Nairobi after serving with the Thuku family in that tropical island of Lamu. Today, my heart is full of thoughts that take me deeper into thought and introspection than the trip itself.

I have come to love that place since traveling with she and Tray last September to drop her off and scope out the island for what the Lord may have in mind for the future... It is an island with beauty and tragedy. Such a simple, rich and Epicurean culture greets the visitor to Lamu as many amenities of modern society are left behind at the jetty. There are a total of two vehicles on the island. All other transportation is by foot or donkey. It is easy to see why many Europeans and Americans come to Lamu to "Get away from it all".

Yet, in the midst of all that beauty lies a culture mostly bereft of spiritual wholeness. Islam tries its best to tame the beast within its followers, but the mark of the fall written about in Genesis 3 is all too evident in the residents of Lamu. Vises that one would think would never plague such a simple culture are rampant and difficult to hide even from the visitor to the island.

On the surface, things seem ok and even care-free. Under the surface, there is a war going on for the soul of Lamu. We are part of that war. Christen has carried the message of the gospel to that island and has stood (as we do) with our missionaries for the salvation of the many people groups who grope in darkness, hungry for answers to life's largest questions, but are trapped by a cultural religion that absolutely forbids the thought of other answers...

Christen has been changed forever. All of us are changed and have a burden for the island as long as Christ gives us breath. Lamu will have a witness.

Jon

Daddy's Little Girl

2011-05-31T07:19:00.004+03:00

This week buttons are popping off my shirts like a body builder, not because I have shaved another two lbs. off of my bloated codfish torso (it would normally be the other way around), but because my daughter, Christen, preached the house down in Mombasa this past Sunday. We have a small, but growing, group of believers at Mombasa Lighthouse Church, presently under the supervision of Steve and Jennifer Thuku, the missionaries who Christen is serving with in Lamu.

While Christen has been serving in Lamu (150 Miles up the coast from Mombasa), she has also become close to the church in Mombasa. This Sunday was the farewell service for another missionary from the US who has been attending the church, so all of them came down from Lamu for the weekend and they asked Christen to preach. From the reports I have heard, her message was from the heart and impacted the people.

It was about giving God your first and best portions of life and service. She shared that, while trying to come to grips with the purpose of sending her to Lamu for a short time (6 months). That was just long enough for her to wish she was staying for a life-time of service. She has really grown to love the kids at the feeding program. So, she was asking the Lord, what was it all about? His answer was that this time was like a first fruits of her life.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-3 (Message) 3-5 "Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, Before your vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire. In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen. The shades are pulled down on the world. You can't come and go at will. Things grind to a halt. The hum of the household fades away. You are wakened now by bird-song. Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down the road has its terrors. Your hair turns apple-blossom white, Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body. Yes, you're well on your way to eternal rest, While your friends make plans for your funeral."

Yes, it is better to serve God in your youth... while you have some youth to give Him... Awesome... GO CHRISTEN!!!

Thoughts on Fatherhood

2011-05-24T21:47:00.002+03:00

Dear Friends,

I saw a quote that just about sums up what I think about when people call me a good father...

"One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is. Later that night, the Father prayed, Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be."
~ Author Unknown

The very thought of the responsibility that fatherhood thrusts on a person is humbling. The very thought that God would entrust me with that is mind blowing... It seems like such a daunting task to be and yet, when you think you will never make it, God intervenes and before you know it, your kids are leaving the nest and making you pop buttons for the accolades they are receiving.

Then I realize the God has answered my prayer and made me a man my kids can be proud of... Not a perfect man by any means, but one that is growing in grace and knows one thing for sure... Kids are the greatest gift a person can have... that is.. besides a great father... and... a wonderful wife...

I am grateful. I love my dad with all my heart. Glad he is still around at almost 85 years young...

A grand dad, dad and son... Jon

Join the Cause - Build the School

2011-05-12T14:49:00.000+03:00

I discovered the Cause environment of Facebook from another angle yesterday. I found out that it is more than just a fancy way to get people to give to what is important to me. I found out that it is a lot more creative in giving options of how to spread the word out there. I have long held the conviction that if we can get a lot of people to give just a little of their resources (ie. money and/or time) we can accomplish much more than a few people giving a big chunk of their resources.

So, I challenge you to take a moment click on the title above and do one or more of the three things Causes invites you to do 1. Take a moment, 2 Give money, or 3. Tell friends... and thanks for taking the moment to consider our causes at Encouragers Unlimited...

Jon

Still here now and then.

2011-05-10T16:47:00.004+03:00

I have been blogging mostly on our website, www.kingskidsvillage.org since it was re-launched in early 2010. But now and again it is good to get back to my old blogspot and have a look around. I love the way I can change the layout and all... I also just started a weight loss, fitness program and I can give updates on this blog with my html side bar app.

So, maybe I will use this blog to speak about the more personal side of this mission life in Africa.

Stick around and lets see where this takes us.

Jon in Nairobi

2010-06-29T08:05:00.001+03:00

Between my daughter Anna and me, we pledged $3,750 for the building fund to be given by this Sunday. $1,000 has already come in...

2010-06-28T17:39:00.001+03:00

What a weekend. Five Hour service yesterday at NLC. Looking forward to an extra-ordinary week. Ni Yetu!

Group Home families and Adoption

2010-03-08T08:50:00.004+03:00

Dear Friends of KKV,

This has been a defining week at Kings Kids Village for us. We have been up and running as a home for going on six years in June. We have been so busy building our group homes, making sure that all of our kids feel begotten, not forgotten, that in the process we let the whole concept of adopting kids out of our orphanage go to the side... not because we don't believe that adoption can be the best answer to the plight of abandoned babies and such orphans who have totally lost touch with their extended families. Our focus has been on making sure that these kids know they belong and in doing so have pretty much lost them their shot at adoption.
We discovered this over the past month, since it had come to our attention that someone was very interested in adopting from our orphanage. In the process of having representatives from the adoption agency visit our home, we discovered that we may have done a little too good a job at providing a home atmosphere for the kids... In fact, we discovered that we have actually provided them with much more than a house, but a real home... We found this out when we talked with our house parents about the idea of adoption. They were all fine, except, "Not my kids"! We discovered that the bond between them is pretty much inseparable.

More than that, we realized that when each kids came to Kings Kids Village, we told them that they had arrived home and that the house parent was in fact their parent... The miracle is that they have believed us. The challenge is that it makes adoption pretty much out of the question for them...

What we realized that we must do to resolve this issue is not to adopt from these kids, but upon expansion, we will seek to create an environment among our new group home(s) an expectation for adoption. Which again, creates new challenges, especially for the abandoned kids who may not get adopted... It would be like a double abandonment...

In conclusion: We are committed to providing an environment where kids feel like they belong to a family. We also want to have an environment where kids can be adopted as the right people and scenario exist. It may be that God is calling us to more than expansion, but to diversity in ministry. We may well end up registering our own adoption agency and also start an outreach ministry to help kids before they become abandoned or orphaned... Pray for us as we contemplate, plan and prepare for more ministry...

Check out my new Sudan Blog

2010-02-11T12:32:00.004+03:00

Check out my new blog that will blog my experiences during my trip to Sudan early Feb. 2010.

A Heart For New Sudan

Enjoy!!!

Back home in Kenya

2010-02-10T15:30:00.002+03:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing this post back in the comforts and safety of Nairobi, Kenya, where Molly and me run a home for AIDS related orphans... For those who have been following my blog, you saw my last post from the village of Suibet. I was able to post from there because of the wonderful facility we had the privilege of staying at that was built by a German medical relief organization called Diakonie. They are set up not only with satellite Internet, but with satellite TV. But you cannot possibly be impressed by this unless you see the environment in which all this was set up. All electricity of Southern Sudan runs off of generators. They, too have a generator that runs in the evening. But they also have electricity inverted from the power of 24 truck batteries which are re-charged by solar panels. This powers both computers, the Internet sattellite dish, the TV, one lighting point for each of the guest houses and two refrigerators in the dining room..

I have decided that I need to write a separate blog about Sudan, so I can keep updating all interested readers and also, so I will not forget the details of the incredible experiences of Southern Sudan. My hope is that my attempts at writing that blog will give others a window into the new world I had heard about for many years, but have now discovered.

I will post the link as soon as I get the new blog started... Jon Stern

Touring Soibet, Sudan

2010-02-05T09:24:00.001+03:00

Dear Friends and KKV Family,

It has been my sticky privilege to be in Southern Sudan for the last four days. I cannot begin to tell you all the first impressions I have gotten of this place. It is unique in many ways. One way it the heat... but weather wise and just in the amount of AK 47's one sees in a day. I am told that number has greatly decreased in the last year...

I have come with three missions. One was to connect with our House mom from Apartment C (Janet) and to discover why her two week trip last October turned into a 3.5 month sojourn... Two to see land that has been promised us for building an ACE school. Three to spy out a medical clinic and guesthouse that is about to need a medical staff toward the end of this year...

I will write more later, because i have to go right now and see the properties... More later as I get the chance...

Jon

Sudan - Opportunities for 2010

2010-01-28T18:09:00.007+03:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been a whirlwind beginning to this year as Jon has been the USA with our Stateside kids and family, including KKV founders, Paul and Eleanor Stern. (Jon visited daughter, Lydia) We have been challenged to think out of the box as we move forward in this year. One of those challenges is Sudan.

The call and cry of that nation, not yet born, is strong, especially in the area of education and particularly literacy. Saying that Sudan has not been born really highlights the plight of G.O.S.S. or the Government of Southern Sudan. Early next year (2012) they will decide by referendum whether or not they will become their own sovereign nation. All indicators are that they will overwhelmingly decide to become the 196th nation in the world.Their overwhelming need is education even though it is among many other needs that could mean the difference between survival and destruction. I was told by a leader in the GOSS that almost all leaders in government are ex refugees, because until recently almost all schools are only found in refugee camps. Large numbers of civil servants are also illiterate, including military and prison officials.

Jon (pictured here recently with his wife, Molly) is traveling to the Rumbek (Check it out on Google Earth) area of South Sudan this coming week to lay the groundwork for a literacy program by which we hope to teach up to 200 people to read and write before the end of 2010. Pictured below is our Sudanese group from church along with our missionary to Sudan, Silas, standing to the left.

Please pray for Jon as he travels in a country marked by ethnic and clan violence. Pray for safety and for contacts which will facilitate the program. Also pray for our mom in Apartment C (Janet) who has been up there since October 2009 teaching literacy to prison wardens and military officers. Jon is traveling with her son in law, John Njeru, looking for opportunities to be a blessing to Southern Sudan...

Jon and Molly

New KKV Website launch moved to January 2010

2009-12-19T08:06:00.002+03:00

Due to the lack of discussion on the timing of the launch of our new and improved website and technical delays, we will forward our official launch to sometime in January. Let me know if you have any ideas about when and how to launch it...

In the mean time, we continue to polish it in preparation... One of the new features we are working on is an environment for sponsors and sponsored to interact in three ways... Access detailed information about the sponsored, Share a poster wall to share comments and pictures and chat...

We also are developing an area for Friends of KKV Club, where you can sign up to support the home on a monthly basis and keep a record of your donations...

More on the site as we approach launch time. Jon and Molly

2nd Annual Fun Day a Success

2009-11-24T08:43:00.005+03:00

Dear Friends,

The second annual KKV Fun Day is history. The much planning and hard work paid off once again on several fronts. The most obvious benefit is an increase in community awareness of the Home. We met quite a few neighbors who had not previously been to the Home nor had many of them known it was an orphanage. Many thought it was a school.Our estimated net income this year was about double that of last year’s Fun Day. We had snacks, lunch and drinks, games, a jumping castle, face painting, music, craft sales. We also had an awesome raffle in which we gave away three vacation getaways to exotic Kenyan locations, Dinners at exclusive local restaurants and other fun prizes.All prizes were given compliments of local hotel and safari companies. We also had our own Kings Kids entertainment program, complete with Bible memory presentations, singing and dances. We will never forget the kind words of affirmation shown to the kids and to the Home in general.
All proceeds from the day go to the school building! God is good!

Nairobi Marathon - Quite an Event

2009-10-27T09:29:00.004+03:00

Dear Friends of KKV,

Sunday, October 25 was a great day for the KKV running team. What a difference from last year, when I ran alone in support of Kings Kids Village. This year was great fun and fellowship from beginning to end. It also helped that I was not running the grueling 21 k, but instead ran the 10 k. The guys and gals in the team were so excited to be running with a purpose beyond themselves. Our youngest runner was Miles Mutegi, the son of our chair person of Friends of KKV Club. He and his mom ran/walked the 3k family fun run. What a great day it was to enjoy some good exercise and fellowship.

I will be able to give a better picture of how much we were able to raise when we meet again on the 7th for our Annual KKV Fun Day, where we will honor our running team and take some more pitures of our runners.

As for all the rest of you who are reading this, it is still not too late to contribute to our runners as they raise money towards the building of our new KKV Learning Center and Office Complex.

Also, if you have not done so yet, you can also join our new Facebook group called "The Friends of KKV Club"

Hope to see you on the 7th of November

Jon

BIG EVENT COMING UP

2009-10-07T16:18:00.002+03:00

Dear Friends and Family of KKV,

We are really getting excited and trying to say the same about getting into shape ahead of the up and coming Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon coming on October 25th, 2009. Last year I completed the 1/2 Marathon in my best ever time.. Of course it was my worst ever time as well. My very first time. This year, I have not beaten the trail as much as last year and am striving to get ready for the 10K run.

This year is also exciting, because we have put together a team of participants who will join me in running and also raising support for KKV's building project.

There has been confusion about the fund raising side of things, so what we are doing is raising money for every Kilometer we run, not necessarily at the Marathon, but within the next month...

Also, we will be having one of the members of a missions team from the US join us that day. We are excited if not still too out of shape for this thing...

If you are a praying person, do so for us..

Jon, on behalf of the KKV Running Team

Friends of KKV is on Facebook

2009-09-10T14:54:00.003+03:00

Dear Friends,

We are excited about our new friends who are joining everyday and learning more about us and how to connect with what we are doing here in Nairobi... If you have not joined the "Friends of KKV" Facebook group yet, do so today.

Freinds of KKV is an existing "Club", a grass-roots movment that started locally in Niarobi with the expressed purpose of making KKV 80% locally funded by the year 2018. By puting ownership of the group on Facebook, we are extending the invitation to people accoss the globe to give a little each month to see these orphans raised up to succeed in life. The idea of many people giving as little as one US Dollar a month is entirely possible when you use a social networking environment like Facebook.

Facebooking is really in here in Nairobi these days. It's a generational thing... Pictured is our Chrissy, multi-tasking as she Facebooks...

So, lets make this thing happen. If you would like to give a

few Dollars a month, let us know and we'll give you options accoring to what part of the world you live in.

Thanks in advance for standing with us and the orphans under our care.

Jon and Molly Stern

Kings Kids Village

On Air over Adoption

2009-07-07T12:16:00.006+03:00

This past week has afforded Molly and I the privilege of being hosted on a Christian radio talk show here in Nairobi to explore the subject of having a passion for adoption.Adoption is something we obviously feel very strongly about, having done it ourselves. I know we are known to many people as being passionate about orphans and orphanages. That is true... but this week for us has brought into renewed focus the very reason we got into orphanage ministry in the first place.

It all started for us when we were sent to a borderline slum area in Nairobi to plant a church in January, 2000. The HIV/AIDS endemic hit us in the face as it were and we were forced by that to seriously pray and think about what we could do to join the army of people who are working to relieve the suffering of a sub continent... It didn't take us long to be overwhelmed by the immensity of the pandemic. So we booked an appointment with a senior official in the Department of Children's Services of the Kenya Government to ask her from her perspective how we could best help address this need and suffering. Her answer was immediate and challenging. She said that if we really wanted to help the situation in the long run the best option is to adopt a child. Her reasoning was this: Since there were at that time 1.3 Million orphans in Kenya and the total number of orphans being cared for in orphanages was only approximately 25,000, the only conceivable way to stem the tide was to change the culture of Kenya to be one of accepting and embracing adoption on a massive scale. Our influence by adopting would perhaps serve as a catalyst for cultural change one day... So we adopted twins in 2002... And that is why we were also excited to be on air talking about adoption to a Kenyan, mainly Christian audience.
If you have any questions about adopting a child either as a Kenyan or as a foreigner, please refer to the information we have posted on the right hand side of the blog. There is enough information for you to get started in the pursuit that may one day revolutionize the nation. May if be so, in Jesus' Name.

Also, many thanks to Anne Mbotela, the presenter who hosted us... You're the best!

Jon and Molly

Waiting and Working

2009-07-01T08:38:00.004+03:00

Dear Friends of KKV,

It has been a while since I updated our blog. We have been wanting to get a new website up and running and that has taken longer than expected. So we have been silent, but busy...

I have been busy working in the community along side the Department of Children's Services. I have been invited to be a part of a committee called the Locational Area Advisory Council. As a council we are empowered to represent the government to our neighborhood and to help awareness and the enactment of children's rights in our area. In short we are enabled to be our brother's keeper in regards to the safety and well being of our children.

One of the most rewarding things about serving in this council is the ability to get to know the other Charitable Children's Institutions (CCI)s in our neighborhood. What a joy it is to see others who are much less funded than KKV doing a great job out of a passion to help kids in crisis. In getting to know, we also get the opportunity to come along side and help where we can in little ways and in big ways as the Lord provides.

One of the little ways we have helped a nearby baby home is to make a sign board for the home. The sign is not only one of the requirements for registering the home, but also aids in creating awareness in the community about the home.

We hope this little gesture will go a long way in creating neighborhood support for the brave and caring Mom (Jane) a teacher who opened the home two years ago because she got a reputation for not being able to turn away children abandoned at the school where she teaches.

This coming Sunday is the official launching of the home and we hope to surprise her with this sign for her front gate... Shhhh! Don't let the secret out!!!

Jon and Molly

It is time to update

2009-03-24T07:58:00.003+03:00

Dear Family and Friends of KKV,

I am excitedly awaiting the launch of our new and exciting interactive website for KKV. This is hopefully going to open the way for more interaction between sponsors and sponcees. If you absolutely cannot wait to see the new look,... well, you'll just have to get some patience by waiting just like I am...

This seems to be a season of waiting... We are also waiting for the ground to break as we start the construction of our Mary C. Hensold Educational Complex. We hope to break ground before mid April.

One thing that is not waiting is the continuation of our "Friends of KKV Club". We had our first ever tea on Sunday the 21st of March. The turn out was great and we accomplished our objectives for the meeting which included voting in a committee to carry the vision of the club. The members are passionate about seeing KKV support base substantially more localized in the future. To that end, we are reaching out both at the corporate and grass roots level. More about that later.

Thanks to all of you for checking us out and for doing what you do.

Jon and Molly Stern

Friends of KKV Newsletter

2009-03-03T12:31:00.005+03:00

Enjoy!
Jon and Molly Stern
Kings Kids Village
kingskids.village@gmail.com
P.O. Box 16657 - 00620
Nairobi, Kenya
www.kingskidsvillage.net
Office tel: 020-3002123
M-Pesa: +254-714-222997

Our 2009 KKV Marathon Team

2009-03-03T11:51:00.003+03:00

Dear Friends of KKV,

We are pleased to announce the formation of our 2009 KKV Marathon team. We are beginning our training to prepare for the October 25th running of the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. At present we already have 10 guys who are interested in running and raising sponsorship for the Village.

Our target is to raise over 350,000 Kenya Shillings ($5,000.00) this year. If you are interested in joining the team, from near or far you are most welcome. We even have one guy from our home church in Illinois who is interested in coming to run with us. If you can't make it from your neck of the woods, consider sponsoring one of our runners. I can always use more sponsors as I plan to run the half marathon again...

Write me and tell me how you are going to get involved this year...

Jon for the KKV Family

Twenty Five Years in Kenya

2009-02-19T08:15:00.004+03:00

This week on the 15th, we celebrated twenty five years in Kenya. I still remember the day we arrived... We were supposed to land in Nairobi at 7 AM, but due to technical failure of one of the 4 engines on the 747 out of Amsterdam, we ended up landing at 12:30 just past noon.

Two things still stick out so plainly as I recall that day. First, I was struck by how dry it was. Kenya suffered a similar drought to this year in 1984. The news had just reported that a lion had actually appeared at the gate of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport seeking water. The other thing that stuck out so much in contrast was how orderly and peaceful the Kenyans were. I say, in contrast, because that was the first time I had stepped foot in Africa since June of 1970, when I left Nigeria as a 13 year old boy. Nigeria was then reeling in the wake of the Biafran civil way and the National government was run by the military. Kenya was so different with civilian immigration and customs officials. There were no big lines of people puching their way to the front and no neavy handedness on their part. I could feel no open animosity toward me as a white man. Surley, Kenya is a different place.

Kenya has changed in many ways since then, but not in those two areas. Kenya is still dealing with drought and is still peaceful. Not that we have not had our moments of violence, but the Kenyan people are resilliant and generally peace loving... I am optomistic about her future.

Celebrate with us. God has been good to us...

Happy Birthday Molly

2009-02-13T09:27:00.003+03:00

What a looker!!! She is truly much older than she looks... That is what love and grace do to a person... My question is "why doesn't tht work like that on me??? Actually, I have nothing to complain about... This has been a good year for me as well. God has us where we belong and we are enjoying life serving Him and the children that God has given into our care.

Molly actually spoke at our chapel this week as we celebrated her birth and reminded us that our time on earth is very short even when we live a full life... There is a place in the Bible that says, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day in God's eyes. That means that a 70 year old person has only lived about 57 minutes in God's timing...

The question begs to be asked.. What are you doing with your 57 - or + minutes on earth? That aught to give us all something to think on today.

God bless and have a great few minutes...

Jon

NLC is occupying our own facilities.

2009-02-09T14:50:00.003+03:00

Yesterday marked the fulfillment of a 22 year old dream. Nairobi Lighthouse Church met for the very first time in its own facility... Actually, the facilities do not belong to us yet, but we are leasing to buy within 16 months. Well, enjoy the pictures, because they are historic... It was also encouraging to see both services of 1100 seats filled almost to capacity (totally full in the first service). In the culture of Kenya, owning land is paramount to belonging. Word is getting out fast that we are joining the fraternity of churches in Nairobi that own their own property. God has seen this as the opportune time for us to have land. More later, Jon and Molly

February News Letter is out

2009-02-06T21:43:00.003+03:00

Check this out... We have been doing newsletters for the entire time we have stayed in Africa. Hurrah for technology, this is the first time we have been successful in sending the newsletter via email attachment to our home church who then publishes it and sends in out snail mail. If you would like to receive it, either send me (stern.jon.fam@gmail.com) your email address and we'll send it to your email or your snail mail address and you will be on our snailmail list.

Happy reading, Jon and Molly

Holy Spirit Poured out at KKV

2009-01-30T10:35:00.007+03:00

January 2009 will be remembered for many things.. It was the time when many changes happened in the political world. For me it was a time to get our oldest daughter, Lydia, settled into college in our home town in the USA. At Kings Kids Village it will be remembered as the time when our kings kids had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. We have been praying for a new level of hunger for the Lord and Dad and Mom Stern sensed it immediately when they arrived. So, for the three weeks of January since we opened the new year of school, they have been teaching our kids about the Holy Spirit and then paying hands on them to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The response has been outstanding especially among our older kids. To God be the glory for His ever present gifts.

This has happened during our annual time of prayer and fasting at NLC. One of the weekly events we have had each friday during this season of fasting is a 2 hour time of worship. We have taken our older KKV kids to these meetings each of the three weeks. It has been a great join in seeing out kids entering in... What a beautiful testemony of God's wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. Last night, (Friday Jan. 30th), one of our younger KKV kids kept on beggin Molly to let her join the older kids. Molly finally gave in and then during the time, glanced over at her only to see her with her hands straight up in the air, lost in God's presence... It made Molly cry. What an incredible blessing.

Lydia and Jon Travel to USA

2008-12-28T06:54:00.001+03:00

Well, the time has come for Lydia to fly… She is now heading for Danville, IL USA to begin her studies. Jon is accompanying her Stateside during the Christmas holidays where she will settle in for a season with her Grandpa Hensold (pictured), who, by the way, is visiting us in Kenya for the holidays with Jon’s folks.

Her transition into adulthood leaves a big gap in the nest… We will miss her very much. She has grown up to be a real jewel… has a great capacity to love and to help, which has grown a lot in her last two years of service here at Kings Kids Village. She has helped out in many aspects of the home… helped parents in the home with various duties, helped drive and has even served in worship leading and sound… She wants to channel all that energy into a career in a medical profession of some kind. She is starting by taking some courses at the Danville Area Community College… From there, the possibilities are almost endless. Lydia, we love you and believe you have an incredible life of service ahead of you… Go for it, girl!!!

Our Next KKV Project

2008-12-28T06:29:00.003+03:00

Plans will be underway in the new year to begin construction on an educational facility at Kings Kids Village.

It will be called the Mary Hensold Educational Resource Center in honor of Molly’s mom who gave so much of her life for Kings Kids Village and to us for the last 25 years here in Kenya…

She went home to be with the Lord in May of 2008. Upon her death a memorial fund was started to help finance the building of the complex and so far we have gathered about $35,000. We are really excited about this project as it will be the first building constructed since Faith House in 2003—2004. It will meet the growing demand for class-room space here at Kings Kids Village School. It will also pave the way for us to expand our vision of Christian education for the surrounding community. It is hard to say just when construction will begin……. that depends on building permits and how soon we can acquire more cash for the project. We would like to have at least $50,000 to start with. It could take off as early as March, 2009. THANKS for all of you who have already given so generously—what a joy it is build in honor of our MOM!!

Christmas at KKV

2008-12-28T06:17:00.003+03:00

What a season of celebration we have had!!! Having the Grandparents around has been the icing on our cake!! It all began with School Closing Ceremony on Dec 3. The children were awarded for their hard work and also performed some beautiful pieces of poetry, songs, plays and Scripture memory.

We are so proud of how they had excelled in school! The next event was the Open Fun Day to honor Mom and Dad Stern and to launch the KKV Friend’s Club.

Once again, the kids impressed everyone with their charm and excellent performances.

Above, you can see they even did some traditional dancing!! We also sold some of the kids crafts—it was our first trial at selling and we actually made some money!! The kids were so excited to be a part of helping KKV financially. They stood tall and strong. One exciting thing that happened on that day was the miraculous provision. We had so many people donating goods that we could not contain it!! We had been given about 300 loaves of bread! We could not use it all before it would expire and didn’t have enough freezer space, so we were able to bless 3 other orphanages that night with fresh bread!! That was really fun. Last, but not least, was our own Christmas Day. We had a wonderful “family” dinner together at our Pavilion. It was complete with roast goat, goat stew, rice pilau, cabbage salad, kachumbari (a tomato salad to be eaten with rice), chapattis, and mokemo (a kikuyu dish with several mashed veggies together). We topped that off with cake, watermelon and sodas. We all waddled around for a while after that. Mom Stern got on the keyboard and we sang Christmas songs and we also taught the kids a couple of Mom’s choruses that she had written…...they loved that! Of course, we had TWO Santa’s, Grandpa’s Hensold and Stern!! They passed out all the kids presents from the back of their sleigh (the van!) Every child got clothes, shoes, and some toys!! We are so THANKFUL to “The Cause” from Bend, Oregon, Leigh Ross, from Arkansas, Albrecht’s from Bethesda Christian Church in Detroit, Michigan, and the Rantoul, Illinois church folks who gave toward the gifts!! Christmas was great!

Hurray! I finished!

2008-10-27T16:12:00.008+03:00

Dear Friends of KKV,

I am pleased to announce that the Half Marathon went well, other than a few hitches, and I am recovering fine... I had two goals in Sunday's race... 1. To finish... 2. To be alive and well at the finish line... Both were accomplished including getting that invaluable experience that the first one affords. I found out some very interesting things the day of the race.. First of all, I found out that I did not receive everything I was supposed to receive in my sign up packet... The two things missing were my race number bib and my race calculation chip... Both were essential for being officially given a time of completion and thence given a medal of completion... I got neither... But I have photo-chemical evidence that I actually finished the race... You can see me crossing the finish line... I looked pretty good... I looked a lot better than I felt... My (un-official) time was about 2 hours and 40 minutes... Not a bad start, but I will try to run next time instead of walk.... (Ha!)...

The best report of the day is that we were able to raise over $450 inf a matter of four days with pledges worth about $200 more that have yet to be collected... All that money is going straight into our KKV Educational Building Fund... (our next building project).The cool thing is that we have just tested the waters of this project of sports sponsorship for the home... Next year, we have great ideas to do some Stateside fund-raising as well and to get a KKV team to run the marathon and to raise local sponsorship... That reminds me... If any of you out there would like to come to Kenya to participate in next year's marathon team, that would make a great idea for a missions trip...

Wow... I am really excited with the possibilities here....

Jon for the gang

Christmas is Coming

2008-10-22T11:58:00.006+03:00

Dear Friends,

Christmas is just around the corner and we are in the planning stages of our first ever Kings Kids Village Christmas Party scheduled for the 6th of December right here on the campus of KKV. It is going to be an open house with lots of fun for the whole family... Our day will include exciting events like the Krazy Olympics for the kids, a sale and auction of crafts made by our kings kids, a special time to honor our founding directors, Paul and Eleanor Stern, who are coming in from the USA, as well as lots of snacks and soft drinks for all to enjoy.One of the most exciting things to me that will happen on that day is the official launch of our new club, called "Friends of KKV Club". We will explain more about that later.
Meanwhile, the moments are ticking in preparation for Jon to run the Nairobi half-marathon this coming Sunday, October 26. We are asking friends to sponsor Jon as he runs to raise money for our new Eductional complex. If you would like to give something towards that, contact us at our Encouragers Unlimited office. or hit out paypal link and thanks for your support.

We'll send you more after the event...

Jon and Molly at Kings Kids Village

October Events at KKV

2008-10-05T21:48:00.005+03:00

Dear Friends,

It has been a while since we updated the blog... The main reason for that is that there has not been a lot of news to report on until now. Paul and Amy, our second born son and his wife have been visiting us for their first anniversary. It is great to have some quality time with them and catch up on where they are in life. Amy is also getting an introduction to the places where Paul grew up and the very different world over here. She loves it so far and everyone here loves her...

Other than that, we are looking forward to a special event later this month as I (Jon) prepare to run a half - marathon at the annual Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. In doing so, I am raising awareness and sponsorship for Kings Kids Village. A local business has offered to make a number of T Shirts with the Kings Kids Village logo on them to sell as well. It is quite an event in my life and I have been training vigorously for it.

In light of the world wide financial crisis, we continue to trust the Lord for every Dollar to keep this place up and running and to raise our thirty six Kings Kids toward a bright future. Thanks for every donation and prayer on our behalf.

Jon and Molly

Check this out...

2008-08-19T08:27:00.005+03:00

We are just getting to broadband here in Kenya and it is opening a new world of bringing KKV video to you... Enjoy
This is another better version of the 2008 promo we showed at our dinner on Aug 8th.

This is a short commercial we showed at the dinner highlighting
the raffle we did late in the evening.

Enjoy!

KKV Promo Dinner a Success

2008-08-12T12:23:00.015+03:00

Dear Friends, Friday, 8th August will go down in KKV history as a new beginning for the home. It was the evening of our much worked for and anticipated promotional dinner at Nairobi's exclusive Grand Regency Hotel ballroom. From what we have heard by all who were there, the evening was a great event. From the time the first guests entered to the last one of us to leave. we had a sense of destiny there as we presented the unique concepts in orphan ministry that we have undertaken at Kings Kids Village.

The evening began with soft drinks being served in the ballroom lobby.
After that, as our guests were served their soup,
Molly and I shared with them the history of Kings Kids and then showed a video.

After that, the main course was served buffet style as we were entertained, first by Rebeka Matheny on the Keyboard and then by our Kings Kids as they recited poetry and Scripture. Next, our volunteer publicist, Rita Mutegi, presented with power point our present needs and future plans as a home.

Our friends and NLC colleagues Sam and Emma Mwale were instrumental in inviting our Guest of Honor. Sam is presently serving as the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President of Kenya and is well placed to help us with protocol. He is also a part of my cell group in the church.Then our Guest of Honor, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Professor Ludeki Chweya, gave the keynote speech on behalf of Kenya's Vice President, who had been called last minute to head the Kenyan delegation of athletes to the Beijing Olympics. In his speech, he appealed to Kenyan corporations to step in and help all such homes so as to tackle the problem of Aids related orphans and children in crisis.

There was a very upbeat atmosphere and a sense that the home is becoming a model for other orphanages in the nation. Also, we are getting more and donations by those who were not able to get to the dinner itself. Thanks for all who have worked so hard to make the evening a success. Thanks to Rita for her tireless efforts on our behalf. Thanks to the Kenya Government for working with us and gracing us with their top leaders to make us better known to the corporate world in Kenya.

Thanks to Nairobi Lighthouse Church and to our pastors for being our greatest local supporter to date. About one third of all the people present were church members and almost all of our volunteer team for the Dinner were NLC members... and boy, they worked hard. Our audio visual was provided for and run by an NLC sound crew and that ensured the best sound in the city. Frankly, without our NLC body, I don't see how we could have pulled it off.

Thanks, most of all, to God in heaven, who's heart for the orphan is the whole foundation of what we are supposed to be as Christians. His heart is for the orphan... How can we not have a heart for them. Our motto at KKV, "Out of the forgotten will come the begotten" is right out of the Bible. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes on His name should have eternal life. God wants us to love these orphans like He loves Jesus and like Jesus loves humanity. That is the greatest gift we could ever get or offer.
Jon and Molly

KKV Dinner at the Grand Regency, Nairobi

2008-08-06T11:47:00.005+03:00

As a step to invite the Kenyan public to join hands with us in this great venture, we are holding a Dinner function at The Grand Regency on the 8th of August 2008, occasion will start at 6.30pm (local Time), and we humbly request you to confirm your availability to grace us with your presence and support. The event will be officiated by H.E. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, Vice President. Ministry Of Home Affairs. Dinner Tickets are on sale at Kshs 3000/- per head, and a corporate table will cost you Kshs 25,000/- for ten persons. For further clarifications please do not hesitate to reach Rita on 020-2112994 or 0722-503377.

Thanking you in advance

KKV Gets Exposure in the Kenyan Press

2008-07-17T14:34:00.006+03:00

This is a new day at Kings Kids Village. We are in the middle of a campaign to secure local corporate sponsorship for KKV. For those of you who know us well, you know Molly and I are not professional marketers or exceptionally gifted at public relations... So the question begs to be asked how this all came about. Well, I'm glad you asked... God sent us an angel. Simple as that... in the form of Rita Mutegi, an experienced publicist who just happens to be between jobs and thought she would give her time and talents to the Lord on behalf of an orphanage, Kings Kids Village. Since she showed up to volunteer in June of 2008, we have been seeing some pretty amazing stuff. We have been featured in one of Kenya's national papers and on Kenya's premier Network news show. Not only that, Rita is in the midst of planning a corporate sponsorship banquet at one of Nairobi's top hotels on August 8th. We are really excited at the interest that has already been expressed by corporates and also all we have talked to since the press coverage...

Please pray with us as the date of the banquet approaches. Many details have to be worked out. Many thanks to Rita for her great contribution to the home... We will write more about the banquet soon.

Jon and Molly in Nairobi

April 2008 Last Sunday at City Stadium

2008-05-15T14:58:00.005+03:00

Nairobi Lighthouse Church, the church we are linked to here in Nairobi, worshipped every Sunday for 13 years in a soccer stadium. That era has come to an end as the stadium was closed for renovation in preparation for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It will be used as a practice field for World Cup Teams on their way down south. Enjoy these images that will remain forever etched in our memories..
It was a great day of worship and afterward a picnic on the field. What fun we had as we remembered the goodness of the Lord to all of us...

Following the picnic we had some fun games, including Tug of War...
Of course, we couldn't celebrate our last time at the stadium without having a Jericho jog around the running track.
Our Dance worship team, led by our pastor's daughter, dances with all their soul and might every day... There, they did it in the dust and mud, many times hitting the dirty track when the coriography called for it... They are awesome...
That Sunday, the Lord favored us with thirteen new converts at the end of the service... One for every year spent at the stadium... How cool is that???
Jon during pre-service prayer with the rest of the worship team. This last Sunday was casual dress. What fun!
As always, our KKV kids were there enjoying the festivities along with the rest of us... That was our day...

No Greater Love

2008-05-13T22:33:00.001+03:00

We are having some great times at KKV reminiscing about Grandma Hensold and her legacy. Every evening so far, we have followed the Kenyan tradition of Matanga, sort of like a Wake in the Midwest of the US. Last evening while praying together I was reminded of a verse of scripture which says, *"No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." *(John 15:13 MKJV).

Mom (and Dad) have literally laid down their lives for a continent and a country by releasing and
supporting Molly and me as missionaries to Kenya since 1984. I tend to think of that verse in the light of someone dying for someone else, like Jesus did for us. Yet, in a very real sense, Mom died to her desires of having Molly and our family close by rather than living almost half way around the world. Not only did they let us go, they did it with great enthusiasm and interest in the work and people the Lord called us to in Kenya. Mom and Dad have loved Africa through us as well as in their own right. They have sown into the lives of all but one of our house parents at Kings Kids Village. Mom is greatly missed by those here who knew her even here in Kenya, because she gave into their lives, their education, children and ministries. She gave into our ministry and helped with our children's education. Her investment into a far away place is complete... She gave it all and to the end of her days on earth... Surely she has an incredible reward awaiting her in heaven. Help yourself to your just reward, Mom! And wait a bit and we'll be along to enjoy it with you... Jon

Milestones and Opportunities

2008-05-12T14:41:00.004+03:00

Dear Friends,

It has been since January since we updated the blog. So many things have happened that have kept us off-line for so long. Our Internet has been shaky at best until recently, we got a reliable and affordable service (for here anyway).

This has been a week of milestones at Stern household. Lydia turned 19 years old. She is a young lady now and is seeking the Lord about which way to go with her education. She is bright and wants to study medicine. Also, today, Peter turns 24 years old and is well on his way in life. He is presently studying communications for his masters degree at Regent University in Virginia. These two birthdays tell us a couple things about time. For one, it does not stop. Two, it goes faster as the kids get older...

Yesterday we learned of the heavenly promotion of Molly's mom, Mary Hensold. She is a saint and a super-mom to us for many years. What a great heritage we have to draw from. I say she is, because our living hope is that Christ takes us to heaven when we have accepted His free gift of salvation. Mom did that in the early 1970's and has never looked back. Sadly it was the long term effects of a pre-salvation smoking habit that caused her such suffering in her later years. She is now breathing well and free. I will write more this week about her legacy and character as we remember her earthy life. At least one of us will go to represent us at her memorial later this week.

Kings Kids Village now has thirty four children in four fully operational apartments. Our Newest one came to us during the unrest at the beginning of the year. Our needs grow almost monthly with the demand to keep up with their educational needs. Our next project will have to be or at least include the building of a new, more permanent and larger educational building. I will write more on that during the course of this week.

Glad to be back on-line, Jon

Kenya - This is the year of opportunity

2008-01-18T08:30:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends and family,

I am sure that nobody who knows about us is ignorant about what is happening in Kenya since Dec. 27th elections 2007. As I write, the governing party and the opposition are at an impasse in even desiring a solution to the matter. Things don't look bright on that front. We need everyone who is a praying person to pray for the nation. Our purpose as Kings Kids Village is to shine the Light of Christ into the darkness of of the world around us.

Why, then, do we call 2008 a year of opportunity? Because light shines best in darkness. If light is indeed more powerful than darkness; than we should shine farther and brighter than ever and make more of a difference than ever...

The other thing that our faith tells us is that God is in control. I don't mean that God is a dictator and takes matters into His own hands. In this age of grace, He is directs the affairs of the nations by speaking His truth to the nation through His body, the church. He could step in and solve problems with His power. He has the moral right to rule by impunity, but, for the most part, He chooses not to. He retains the right of judgment over the nations. He does not give the Church that right, except when it speaks on His behalf. He says that vengeance belongs to Him, and that He will repay all injustice. He chooses when and who...

The atmosphere in politically charged and we find ourselves as foreigners having to walk on egg shells as we talk with our friends and staff. We are seeing it as an opportunity to pour in comfort and God's Word regarding unity within the church. Please pray for our staff that they will be a good example to all who they come into contact with of a Christ-like attitude... That would be a great opportunity to model His grace to the nation of Kenya.

Thanks for your continued prayer...

Pray for Kenya

2008-01-02T00:35:00.000+03:00

Our beloved family and friends,

Well, this is Tuesday night in Nairobi and we haven't written an update in awhile - we had to go looking for phone credit as we had run out and couldn't use the email. It is very crazy around here and I wish I could be optimistic......OF COURSE< we have FAITH, but it is in things NOT SEEN. Pray for Kenya!!! is all we can plea. Thursday there will be another big meeting that will determine much. Raila Odinga has called his followers - at least a million - to march to Nairobi center to see him inagurated as "the People's President" He's stated, plublicly on TV, that he will set up a "parallel government". The country is truly divided. The violence is terrible and most of it is tribal (as Raila is Luo and Kibaki, Kikuyu) I know you've been following the news on the election - there definitely was some cheating going on in the tallying, but it wasn't ONE sided.......both sides did not do things properly.......and neither side is handling things well.......Kibaki was sworn in quickly, as if that would make all things all right and "over".....but it only made the violence worse.......and to make matters worse, he put a ban on all live media - so everyone is in the dark about what is really going on - it makes us all feel like we've gone back 10 years when the government controlled the media!!! ugh! Raila's call to "re-count" or "re-vote" would have been fine if he had handled it maturely and calmly and legally, but no, he has caused such civil disobedience and unrest that it will be a miracle to ever see true "unity" again........it's like a huge crack has gone right down the middle of the country - we are all praying that GOD in His mercy will heal it miraculously. It is the saddest thing I have experienced/witnessed since we've been here. The atmosphere is ripe for civil war and we are literally crying out to God for divine intervention. Our folks in Huruma are "house bound" (by curfew and fear) and there is little food in that area.......what they can find the prices are hiked) People are hoarding, transport is shut down - most of the buses and matatus are owned by Kikuyus, so when they go out on the road, they are stoned or burned. Petrol is beginning to be scarce because there isn't business moving up Mombasa Road......even Uganda is effected because much of it's goods and all of the fuel comes via Kenya...... we are hoping that the banks will be opened tomorrow and that there won't be a "run" on the banks like there has been hoarding in the stores!!! but it seems that is what will happen......we also hope to get some money tomorrow - everyone is fearing what will happen on Thursday and thereafter and want to be prepared. The worst of what is happening, of course, is the terrible loss of life. Today, a church (an AG church) in Eldoret was burned down, killing 200 people, mostly women and children who were taking refuge there from the violence. The violence is random also......hard to figure where to be.......if you are a Luo in the wrong place, then you are a target.......or if you are a Kikuyu in the wrong place, then you are a target - or if you have a mate of one of those tribes then you are a target......it's really crazy. We were on the phone quite a bit today with several from the Eldoret area - one of our Mom's (Janet) sisters lives there and she is feverish trying to figure out how to get out, as one of her neighbors was killed the day before yesterday. Someone else called and asked if we knew anyone who could help their friends get out of there - a German guy who is married to a Kikuyu lady, they are being harrassed and want to get out. .....but not sure how....and on it goes. All that to say - we need your prayers. It is only God who can help us. Our family is at peace, just a bit stir crazy - we have NOT personally seen any violence and for that we are thankful, especially for our children. We are so thankful for the compound here at KKV - it is such a refuge of peace it is amazing. BUT we do hurt for our many friends and employees who are quite personally effected. AND we are concerned for the future safety for the nation as a whole - this must stop, we pray. But we realize, also, that this thing has been boiling underneath the surface of our dear Kenya for many many years...we have said for many years that the only thing that has kept Kenya from civil war is that Kenyan's are a praying people..........it will not be easy to heal, but WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!! WE BELIEVE!!! Prayers for us personally are also coveted..........some are asking us if we will flee the country if civil war breaks out......we must pray and seek God's face and know His will.......both for our family and for KKV. I know it sounds crazy, but we have so much peace. But we do want to do the right thing where all is concerned......we so appreciate your love and concern......and remember, your Wednesday night is our Thursday morning - so if you are in services Wed night, that is a perfect time to pray!!
Much love,
The Jon Stern fam

Thanksgiving, Stretching and Challenge

2007-11-23T07:11:00.001+03:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Nairobi on the day after Thanksgiving... We are just about to sit down to a thanksgiving dinner a day late. Here, we have to set our own American holidays... We are thinking of all our blessings as we look forward to another year of challenge and building at Kings Kids Village. God has blessed us with a large personal family of nine kids and growing.. Peter and Paul each married adding two beautiful (and I mean beauuuuutiful) daughters to our fold. We also end the year with 33 kids at the Village and 20 staff who work together to care for our Kings Kids. All of the credit goes to God, who is the author and maker of all things and beings, who authored the very idea of Kings Kids Village in the heart of my parents 58 years ago. He is truly worthy of all praise and credit for the miracles that are Kings Kids Village. He helped us pay off and demolish over $22,000 in hospital debt for Bancy (one of our aunties in the Village). He also has provided for a replacement van for our old faithful van after over 200,000 rough Kenyan road miles on it... He also provided for all the hospital bills incurred for our kids, largest being that of Hellen, who had sugery on her leg in September... He is faithful and will ever be so...

It is also to Him that we look as we move forward to look after these dear children at Kings Kids Village. We are looking at the purchase of yet another van or bus early next year to provide transportation for all of our kings kids to get to church on sundays and outings during the week. Also, next year we are looking to begin construction on a Second apartment complex to double our capacity. Also, we are believing for more property to build a proper school for our kids... Each one of these projects will take a large amount of finance and (more importantly) favor from the Lord and with people in government and land owners in the area...

He is God of the impossible... Luk 1:36-37 MSG "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months' pregnant! (37) Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." If God could open the womb of an elderly lady who had been preveiously barren anyway, could cause Mary to concieve without having had relations with a man, then what is a van, a bus, a piece of property, and the monthly income to provide for all our kids??? It is right in keeping with His speciality... miracles...

God bless you during this miraculous season... Jon and Molly Stern

Christian Life Team 2007

2007-10-30T14:06:00.000+03:00

Dear friends and family,It has been non-stop action since we touched down in Nairobi at 10:25 pm, Tuesday, 16th October. Not only had we left two of our family in the US (Molly and Christen), our team from Rantoul, Illinois arrived an hour before we did... The team of ten from Christian Life Church, as a church, sponsors a whole apartment within Kings Kids Village. What a blessing to us and to the kids they are... We not only had some very special times with the kids, we also had a chance to share from our hearts as the team heard and observed with their eyes, the miracle that is Kings Kids Village.We also got to go on Safari together and show them a part of our beloved host country. Our safari included Amboselli National Reserve at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tsavo West National Part, with its beautiful vistas and animals and finally, Mombasa, where we served for three years when we first came to Kenya in 1984. The Lord even threw in an added benefit of passing through our beloved town of Machakos, where we served for five years.You see, this team is special to us. They represented to us a church that has faithfully supported us for the whole time we have been in Kenya. Not only that... They have taken on the task of raising their support for the Village as they look for more sponsors for each of their children.

Thanks to God for His faithful servants and people... We love you, Christian Life Church and Pastor John and Barb Bonacorsi...

Jon and Molly in Nairobi

Heading back to Kenya - Well sort-a

2007-10-15T05:18:00.000+03:00

Dear all, Most of the Stern family are heading back to Kenya on the 15th and 16th to be there for a team we are hosting from Rantoul, IL. Our good friends, John and Barb Bonacorsi, who as a church have supported us since we first went to Kenya in 1984, and who support a large portion of the orphanage, are finally coming to see with their own eyes the Kings Kids Village project. They are bringing a team of ten in all and we are so excited about what God will do as a result of this trip. I say most of our family is returning, because Molly and our daughter, Christen are hanging back in the US for one more week so Molly can recuperate from a surprise surgery she had one week ago here in Danville... All is fine and this trip has shown us again how precisely the Lord is leading us and caring for us... Please pray for our travel back to Kenya and for the team...

Jon

God is so faithful as we will explain in a later post...

Paul and Amy Wed

2007-10-11T03:29:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Words cannot express the joy we feel in our hearts over the joyful wedding of our second born son, Paul, to Amy Johnson. Paul and Amy are happy and falling all over themselves in love... What an awesome blessing we are experiencing in seeing our children make Godly choices in the most important areas of life.. We have also fallen in love with our new family... Amy's parents are like family in feeling as well as fact. We are excited also to have them planning a trip to come and see us in Kenya next year. The most important thing to all of us was the presence and glory of Jesus at the wedding. I believe that Jesus was lifted up and honored in that occasion and by the choices that Paul and Amy have made in this time of life. We are standing with them as they continue to live for Him and seek His direction and presence in their new home... How unsearchable are the riches of Christ and His lordship in life..

Jon and Molly

Update on Zedi and Hellen Hospital Bills

2007-09-27T16:57:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends,

I wanted to share with you the update on the hospital bills. The total amount we put on our credit cards for them is about $4900. So far we have received $1611. We are still believing for the amount of $3289 to be supplied in full. If you would like to help out with any amount toward that, you can email Encouragers@neb.rr.com or call Encouragers Unlimited at (402) 261-3592 or donate online with your credit card or PayPal account at kingskidsvillage.net . Thanks for your help in that...

The picture is us on our 25th wedding anniversary (this past Tuesday, Sept 25th) as we renewed our vows before a pastor friend (John Bonacorsi) and the team he is leading a mission trip to KKV next month...

Also, we have made a new brochure as well as a KKV update video that we have brought back to the US. If you would like a copy of both or either, please contact us at the above mentioned contacts and we will get you a copy. You will love the happy, settled and peaceful kids you see... Our plans are to be in St. Louis from Friday the 28th till Sunday the 7th. We then take off for Kenya to arrive October 10th. We'll try to update you once more before we fly or as we have news for you...

Jon and Molly

Back in the USA

2007-09-20T06:55:00.000+03:00

Well, our trip went well and we are enjoying precious moments with the family in our home town (or as they say in Kenya, our shags). The weather is hot and humid compared to Nairobi, so we realize how spoiled we are when it comes to weather...

This has been a challenging season for us at Kings Kids Village, with Zedekiah being sick and in hospital with high blood sugar and high blood pressure. He is out, but is challenged to keep up the payments of his new medicine.

Also, one of our kids, Helen, spent over a week in hospital with a broken leg. Her bill was right at $4,000. It has been challenging for us in that we had to put those two hospital stays on our personal credit card due to some financial challenges we have been having at Kings Kids Village lately...

God is and will provide all these needs we have. Last year proved God's faithfulness to us in a new measure of faith building miracles of finance. We know He has not forgotten us as we do His work to take the forgotten children He has led to us and see them flourish in His care.

Thanks for praying for us and as the Lord leads you, a contribution to the cause...

We will keep you posted. Jon and Molly in USA

2007-09-04T08:26:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends,

Kings Kids Village is fulfilling its purpose. Out of the forgotten, children are coming to find help, but much more than help in a physical sense. They are coming to belong; to find meaning; to find purpose; to find the purpose for which they were created. With the addition of our two newest Kings Kids, we now have 31 children who are being propelled into a meaningful life in Christ to face the challenges of the new millennium which their generation will shape and influence. A few years ago, I came to the realization that it is not a matter of if we will influence our generation, it is a matter of how we will influence it. As Molly and I grow closer to grand-parenthood, we realize that our greatest work is to influence toward godliness the young minds and hearts that God brings to us. These children are our greatest opportunity to influence a generation that may never know us personally. If we can connect with these kids and develop in them some godly character, that will propel them to influence their generation on to that of their children's children, long after we have rested in the Lord. Ask yourself, how are you influencing your children's generations?

Jon at KKV

Busy Month: Picking up and Getting Organized

2007-08-24T08:13:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends, I am a bit shocked to see I have not posted since July 21st. This Has been a month filled with focusing our attention to the running of the home, re-furbishing the guest-house and at the same time organizing ourselves for the up and coming trip the the US for our second born son's wedding.

One of the things we have been trying to take control of is our internet service provider bills. It has been a rough three months since they increased our monthly unlimited service by 65%. We have since been trying out various options to paying the $145 monthly flat rate... Two months ago, we switched to a partial timed service and ended up spending close to $200. Last month with the same package, we ended up spending over $300. So we have now switched to a pre-paid system where we by credit and use it until it runs out and the re-load the account... This has put us back into the driver's seat again... It looks like our monthly internet bill will total about $45. Hurray... But also it means that we will not be spending much time on the internet. We are now using an email program which we will use to download and upload email twice a day... We will be posting as much as we can, but we'll see how it goes...

Another thing we have been working hard at is bringing down our monthly costs as an orphanage. Our monthly expenses have outgrown our income and we are trying to reverse it. The problem is three fold...
1. We have sponsors for only about half of our kids. We did quite well while in the US last time in getting sponsors for each of our kids at that time. We had hoped our website would yield more fruit in getting sponsors, but so far we have had no success in signing up people online through paypal. We are gearing up to do more of those while in the US in Sept/Oct.
2. The $50 per month per child does not cover the costs we are spending on our kids. The real cost per month is more like $200 per child. The cost of electricity, cooking gas, education and medical services is just too expensive. Some of our kids are hiv positive and although Anti-retro-viral drugs are now free, the testing and increased doctor visits they still require are not free. These add up:
3. Also, the expenses of of paying the twenty full-time staff people who not only minister to the kids, but maintain and protect the five acre campus of Kings Kids Village are not covered in the sponsorships...
As a result, we rely on the other donations we receive from various well-wishers to make up the difference. If you wish to help up financially through child sponsorships or with a general, monthly, or periodic donation, there are several ways to do so. You can contact our US 501C3 Encourager's Unlimited through the information provided on our website and blog or click on the Paypal Icon that best fits your donation.

God bless you as you partner with us in helping these kids to give them the brightest future we can offer them.

Jon and Molly

Bancy's Bills are Cleared

2007-07-21T21:50:00.001+03:00

We are flying high as we think on the goodness of the Lord concerning Bancy. We had really continued to feel the financial pressure associated with the whole thing. We also have to thank the six doctors who agreed to waive the greater share of their charges to Bancy. Many thanks to Dr. Wangai, our family doctor for spearheading the project from beginning to end. He is a hero in my books. After paying off the hospital portion of the bill, we were still feeling the burden of the individual doctors bills which amounted to over $8,000. Well, through a couple contributions together with the personal help of Doctor Wangai, we were able to secure the waivers of the remaining five physicians by Friday 20th July, 2007. Thank God for His care and provision in all of this. Also thanks to all of you who stood with us prayerfully and financially. Jon and Molly feeling light as feathers...

The Guesthouse Fire

2007-07-08T20:57:00.001+03:00

Today was a trial day for us at Kings Kids Village. First at midnight, our daughter, Anna, got very sick and up-chucked all over her and Christen's bedroom!!! Molly and Christen were up for about an hour or more washing the room down while Anna went to sleep on the couch with a bucket in hand! We got up sleepily in the morning to get ready for church, and since Anna felt much better, we decided we'd all go. It was about that time that we got word that Elizabeth, one of our workers at KKV, lost her baby ( she was just a couple of weeks away from due date). Soberly and prayerfully, we went on to church. We had an awesome "missions" Sunday and afterward we split up in two different directions - Jon taking all the KKV kids home and Molly going on to School of Leaders Class with a car load. Just as Molly was pulling up to class, Jon called her with the shocking news that when he came home, he found that the Guesthouse (which we still affectionately call "Grandma's house") had been burned!!!! The Fire Department's investigations showed that the fire had been started by a faulty electric wire in or to the refrigerator. The crazy thing is, the frig was acting up the day before, so we turned it off, thinking that we would get it fixed on Monday!! So we are asking ourselves, how could the frig start the fire if the electricity to it was shut off??? All these questions will hopefully be answered after more investigation.........more on that later. In the mean time, there is a tremendous amount of cleaning work and repairs to be done. It appeared to be a very hot fire, for all the appliances were melted down! We're still not sure about some of the stuff in the house - tomorrow we'll get in there and make more thorough assessments as we begin to haul things out to get it all cleaned up........stay tuned. BIG PRAISE REPORTS on this is that, 1) we have a guest with us right now and her things were not burned!! We are so thankful that the fire did not come in the night when she was sleeping!! God is good!! 2) The Firemen said they could not figure out how the fire stopped by itself!! They said it was a miracle as it was a very hot fire to the extent of melting appliances and yet it did not burn the ceiling boards and thus getting to the rafters and bringing the roof down! We KNOW the AUTHOR of SUCH miracles and we ARE THANKFUL!!

New kids and new staff

2007-06-15T06:50:00.001+03:00

it has been a while since I updated the blog. These pics were taken on May 17th, the day we brought home our newest Kings Kids... Four sisters in age range from 13 to 9 years.
What a delight they are to the home already. They have more than filled our apartment C to the brim bringing their number to 10 kids. Mama Janet is more than ready to take on the task with vim and vigor.
And of course it didn't take long for the other kids to welcome them to the fold.
I love this picture of them walking up the sidewalk for the very first time. The symbolism chokes me up when I think of the situation God rescued them out of and where He will take them after growing with us.

More to come shortly. I promise I will not wait as long as last time.

Jon for the Village

Water tower, Tanks and other projects

2007-05-07T10:06:00.000+03:00

These are some of the projects we have been doing here at KKV. The Water tower and tanks are almost complete and already in use. We are enjoying great water supply and lower power bills to get the water to where it needs to go.
We have been having problems with snakes and one of the areas most affected was the grassy area where our staff hang clothes to dry in back of Faith House. Well, we decided to cement in the two clothes line areas and be lower our maintenance burden while providing a safe place to step at night.
Our school is starting up a new semester with more kids and need for more desks and chairs. These are being made by our Director of Maintenance, Zablon who is a certified carpenter.
The tower is now the highest structure on our campus and adds to the sights.

Kings Kids Health Challenges

2007-05-07T08:26:00.000+03:00

These are trying times for some of our Kings Kids. We have three kids right now with skin problems and one who was in hospital recently. Wally is one of our original Kings Kids. This time of year is notorious for pneumonia in Kenya because of the rains. Kenyans really struggle with drafty weather. Their resistance tends to be low to respiratory diseases. One of our staff also came down with pneumonia at the same time. Here seen in the hospital with Martha Osamba, our medical coordinator, where he spent two nights on IV and for observation. Martha stuck it out with him the whole time. God has given us an incredible staff who go beyond the call of duty.

We really ask for you, who are praying people to really hold these kids health before the Lord. Thanks and God bless you.

Trouble with the local wildlife

2007-04-29T07:24:00.000+03:00

The rains have brought out some unwanted guests. This happened about 10 days ago...

This thing looks quite harmess... Don't be decieved... This thing is so bad that it is biting itself in death.

It is a black mamba... small one, ,but deadly non-the-less. They say, there is no anti-venim for these critters. They bite you... bye bye...

Molly killed the thing with a three wood. Don't mess with Molly! Actually she had some help. The thing had just swollowed a rat and was quite sluggish... Still... Don't mess with Molly!!! :)

Water Tanks go up

2007-04-23T12:16:00.000+03:00

The Water tanks are up... They arrived on Friday April 20th
It was quite an ordeal getting them up... Parts for part of the platform were used to hoist them up.
The hight the tanks will sit at are about 32 ft.
Some of our Kings Kids had a blast watching from their bedroom window.
Job well done... Next job. Get the platform finished and the water lines in...

Kings Kids Village Ltd. Hurray!!!

2007-04-23T06:07:00.000+03:00

We have been waiting the registration of our company for over a year and a half and it is finally registered. Actually we have been waiting to be registered since November 2002. We were trying to register KKV as a trust, but ended up waiting till July 2005 in vain and then were advised to pursue registering KKV as a company with limited guarentee. That means that we can operate as a 502C3 Non-Profit Organization here in Kenya... This will allow us to solicit funds locally and begin money making projects for the home. It also allows us to place the property in the ownership of the orphanage. We were forced to put the home into our personal name because of this. Also, we can apply for local tax exemption as a charitable organization. We thank God for this vital step being taken care of. God is so good.

Water tower is almost done

2007-04-09T08:30:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends,

It's hard to believe that it has been a month since my last post to our blog. It really betrays our busyness in the last month... We have going full bore on the water tower and have all but completed that project. We should have it up and operational by the end of next week...

The top photo shows the water tower around April 1. The strong room (shown in photo 2) has the dual purpose of stregthening the tower and providing some space saving secure space for our use. We intend to either use it for a spot for our clothes washers or for our maintainance department.This strong room will also be able to hold two more water storage tanks which could provide water for our lawns and gardens.

Photo 3 shows the tower almost complete with the steel platform half done. The second half will be welded on after the tanks are hoisted up...

Of course, Easter weekend has brought all things to a stand still, except the daily management of the kids and staff of the home... We look forward to getting on with life at KKV tomorrow (Tuesday). In this month of silence on the blog, I have been able to update the website a bit... I have made a decision that we will use the blog to be our news page instead of trying to update the one on the blog all the time. So you will see some changes there as well... I am also being coached and trained in web design and management by a person on a volunteer basis... Hopefully our website will soon have a new face... I say "hopefully" because the last time I tried to update the website, I succeeded in deleting it.... Oh the joys of the world wide web... God bless each and every one of you and thanks for standing with and or taking an interest in our endeavor.

Our son, Paul is engaged to be married!!!

2007-03-10T20:59:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends and Family, Love is once again in the air over the Stern Family household... It is our pleasure to announce the engagement of Amy Johnson to our son, Paul. The engagement has been official for about two weeks now and everyone here in Kenya is begging to have a picture of the happy couple. An early October wedding is in the plans... We will let you know soon more news as we receive it and make plans for a fall trip back to the US for the big day... God is so faithful in giving us the best in girls for our two boys. We ask for your prayer and support as we plan and prepare... Jon and Molly

Bore Hole Paid for and Bancy's Bill is coming down

2007-03-07T07:59:00.000+03:00

Greetings from rural Kenya. God is providing for Kings Kids Village. So much has happened in the last week, our heads are spinning... First, God has provided enough money to pay for the Bore Hole project. In fact, we have enough to complete the project by building the water storage facility. Thank all of you who contributed. Our sights are now set for the next project in our development... Our Educational complex is next in our sights... More about that in our next post.

We were out in the Mount Kenya region on Sunday for a very important function. We went to Bancy's home village to attend a thanksgiving service at her home church, honoring God for saving her life last June. After the service, we also had a fund raiser to offset her pending hospital bill. We were able to raise over $2,300. Praise God. That will bring the balance we owe the hospital down to about $2,500 (1/4 of the $10,000 owed by July, 2007) At the end of the day, all were invited to Bancy's house for a full meal of the fresh food that is so abundant there. The church has also offered to help Kings Kids Village on a regular basis by gathering offerings of fresh fruit and vegetables from their congregation enough to fill our van.

Another blessing is that a local grocery store has just doubled its monthly contribution to Kings Kids Village as of this week. It works out to $125 in groceries a month... That is a real blessing to our moms who have to buy Pampers from time to time...

You can still donate to the Bancy hsopital bill project, or designate funds for our bore hole project since some of the money we are using to pay for the project are undesgnated funds... See our Paypal facility or contact Sue at encouragers@neb.rr.com.

God bless and thanks again for your interest in Kings Kids Village... Jon and Molly

2007-02-21T21:24:00.000+03:00

Well, it has been a weekand a half now since we started seeing water out of the new bore hole and we are enjoying its benefits daily... It took a few days to get used to the new system and re-arrange the supplies to our various parts of the Village, but now we are operating smoothly for the most part. This week also gave us another opportunity to help out not only our own kids, but those of a neighboring home for street kids. They and been without water for five days now and asked us for help... Actually, we had offered them help in the process of applying for the bore hole permit and are more than happy to help... The water level in the well is more than we can use and we are finding out how much water we use for 24 kids and staff... Some days we use as much as 3000 gallons of water... Lots of diapers and lots of training of our staff needed...

Once again, we need to pay this thing off and appreciate every effort great and small to this end. When I last checked with Susan in our US office, we had recieved $600 more Dollars since we began the project three weeks ago. That means we still need $11,900 to pay off the project. We also have an additional project to complete the water system at KKV. A water tower tank that will make our water system efficient. Right now we have to pump the water into our storage tanks and then push it one more time into the storage tanks in the ceiling of Faith House. With the water tower we will only have to pump water once and then everything will be done by gravity feed. We'll mention more about that later. First lets get this first part paid for and then onward.

More pictures to follow soon.

Bore Hole brings water - New KKV Kids

2007-02-13T19:17:00.000+03:00

Today saw the pump being lowered to 72 meters and by evening, we had water being pumped out of the well. Tomorrow should see the system supplying water to our reserve tanks as they put on the final touches of connecting the pump into the system....
We are getting together an update on how much we still have to come up with to pay for this well. We'll get that to you asap. After we pay for the well, we are already planning to put in a water tower that will feed all our reserve tanks and houses without having to pump water except to the water tower.Also,we got our newest Kings Kids today... Check out the pics...

The piture above is of the three kids and their sick father. Their mother passed away recently. Below, they are pitured with their future Mom here at Kings Kids Village. Christabel and her husband Joshua will do their best to bring these kids and minister to them in their distress...
More later,

Jon and Molly Stern

The well is drilled

2007-02-11T07:25:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was a great day. We celebrated Molly's birthday (Bet you can't guess how old). Her biggest birthday present was the drilling of our bore hole. They actually started at 5pm Friday and worked straight through until midnight Saturday night. Quite a hard working crew of guys. Then it was birthday cake and presents... This is hot season, a perfect time for a sun hat...

The estimates are that we have a water flow capacity in this well of 10,000 gallons of water per day. We'll let you know when we start pumping the water... Should be mid next week...

More later...

Jon and Molly

Bore Hole Update

2007-02-08T21:07:00.000+03:00

Something's happinin every day. Today the rig came. They say the drilling starts tomorrow. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!!!

More tomorrow...

Jon and Molly

Bore Hole Being Drilled Tomorrow

2007-02-07T07:12:00.000+03:00

This project is moving so fast it has been work to keep up with the details. It all started last Friday, Feb 2, when we got a visit from one of the three companies we had purposed to consult regarding a bore hole. Because of our mutual relationships and trust, we moved ahead quickly and made a contract to drill the bore hole. It was estimated it would take a maximum of three weeks to acquire the permits for drilling from the Nairobi City Council. Well, that process only took two days. Today (Feb 7th) equipment will arrive. Tomorrow we drill.

We'll get some pictures of the rig when it comes. Our real need is money to pay this guy for the work he is doing. His estimate for the project including a three phase immersible pump and all the wiring and pipe to run the water to our water storage facility. Against what we have raised already, we still need $12,500.00 to meet our estimated costs. Please see our PayPal link (above) or contact my sister, Susan (encouragers@neb.rr.com) for details on how to give. Thanks for your quick response. Jon and Molly Stern

Two new Kings Kids and some new parents

2007-02-02T16:59:00.000+03:00

Dear friends,

Kings Kids Village is growing again. Ever since we have been back, we have been swamped by requests to take kids. We have started by taking in two boys from a baby home across the city where they had outgrown their home...Today was also a great time of welcoming Joshua and Christabel as our newest set of parents at Kings Kids Village. What a favor from the Lord having them on board with us. These are quality people on the same par with Zedi and Mary, our other parents. In fact they are close friends of their's and ours since the 1980's when we lived and worked in Machakos, Kenya (1987-1992). Having them with us enables us now to open up our fourth apartment in Faith House and reach our arms out to eight more children who desperately need help, love, care and a home. Already
tonight, we poured over the list of six such children, discussed the possibilities and prayed about what God's will would be. Thanks for praying with us - pray for Janet and Cristabel as they settle in and get their own children settled into life without them AND pray for those new kids that will come into Faith House to be their "new" children. You've got to admit - these couples that have come to us, "leaving" their own children and grandchildren are TRULY heroes!! Don't you agree?!!
More later from Jon and Molly

2007-01-25T06:54:00.000+03:00

It was a six days ago today that we started back to Kenya. Check out our pics of the trip. This adventure has become almost routine to us to the point we didn't even weigh our 14 pieces before packing the van, driving to Chicago, checking them in in assembly line form, watching all the other passengers watch us, celebrating the last supper with family and friend.

Trip Back to Kenya

We hit a tail wind of about 100 mph over the ocean and got to Amsterdam an hour early. Then we ended up waiting 45 minutes after boarding our Nairobi flight because of delays though out Europe due to the 100 mph gale force winds battering the continent...

We finally arrived home at 12 midnight after standing for 45 minutes in line at the airport for visas and then standing in another one for an hour to report a lost bag. Having been up over 30 hours, we all collapsed into our beds and slept like babies (small babies who wake up at all hours of the night and cannot sleep until the wee hours of the morning). And so went our trip. I slept till 4am this morning, but this will pass, too and we will be fully integrated back into the schedules and rhythms of life at Kings Kids Village.

We wish to convey our appreciation for all who have labored and sacrificed in many ways so that we could be home for our son, Peter's, wedding to Katie. Through you, the Lord supplied all the finances and more to handle our airline tickets, buying, travel within the US and a grand Christmas at home in Illinois.

We also must mention our dear friends, Kingsley and Mumbi, who not only held down the fort here at Kings Kids Village, but did so with all of their hearts, and with very capable minds. Among many other gifts, they are blessed with administrative and organizational skills finely crafted through experience in writing business plans (as a business) for the last 10 years. Being here on a daily basis has given them the insight to give us some wise counsel that will ease some of the growing pains we have suffered in the last six months. Thanks and may God bless you Kingsley and Mumbi mpaka mshangao (beyond belief)!

We'll try to keep you informed about our deep well project and others as we march on into 2007. Keep us in your prayers and also check out our new facility to donate online through paypal. Please bear with us as we fine tune it for your convenience.

More later...

2007-01-19T01:07:00.000+03:00

Dear One and All,

We are about to take off to Kenya. Just wanted to share some photos we took over the weekend in Virginia. Be blessed. Jon

Peter's Wedding

2007-01-16T04:09:00.000+03:00

Well, It is official... Peter and Katie are married. We had the time of our lives in Hampton, VA for the last ten days and are tired, but happy. The wedding was great... The Lord was greatly honored and we were blessed to witness the joining of two great Christian families. Peter and Katie have an awesome heritage of marriage in relatives who attended the wedding. Between the Johanssons and their side of the family and the Sterns, there were over three hundred years of faithful Christian marriage represented at the ceremony. What an encouragement for them to succeed in the great institution and in life. The days at Hampton were busy and full and we came away happy and grateful for the grace of God in our lives and in those of our offspring.

Now we set our sights on Nairobi. We leave for Kenya on Friday and will update you as soon as we arrive. Thanks for all of you who prayed for us and for those who gave financially to the cause. We are blessed of God and rich.

Jon and Molly Stern

2007-01-04T07:06:00.000+03:00

We are back in Danville, Illinois now for a few days and are enjoying participating in a new years time of fasting and prayer with our home church. We are preparing to fly to Virginia on Friday of this week (5th) and be there for ten days. The wedding (Our oldest son, Peter, and his bride to be, Katie) is on 13th January. We are so excited...

Our time in Nebraska was precious and we left with mixed feelings of joy and longing to be there longer especially with my parents, Paul and Eleanor. All of our kids really felt like they were home.. What a blessing it is to be so close in relationship with your grand parents as an MK. I never had much of an opportunity to know my grand parents well like my kids do.

The weather in Illinois is very much warmer than normal and now that we have seen our snow, we are happy about that. We hear the forecast for Virginia during the time of the wedding is 70s and 80s... That is about 25 to 30 centigrade. So it doesn't look like much of an adjustment back to Nairobi weather...

We are counting the days precious as we pass the half way mark of our trip... It is going by too fast, but we will treasure their memory for a long time...

More when we get to Virginia. Jon for the "Tribe"

2006-12-31T16:18:00.000+03:00

It has been quite a week for us since Christmas as we have travelled through St. Louis visiting my brother, Phil and his family and then on to Lincoln, Nebraska where my parents live. One of the prayers we had when we came to the US this time was a bit natural, but one of those things one wishes for his kids who have grown up in the tropics... that we would experience some snow... Well, the Lord has heard our prayer and snow is falling outside this Sunday morning. Our last day of 2006 is going to be an exciting one... Of course we are also praying that it will be metled by the time we travel back to Illinois on Tuesday... Here are the pics we promised you on Sunday... Happy New Year!!! Excited in Nebraska... Jon for the "Tribe"

2006-12-23T20:51:00.000+03:00

Hello from Illinois. We have been Stateside for about 10 days and are together for the first time as a whole family again for the first time since October 2005... This was a complete surprise to us as we had given up the thought of having Peter with us for Christmas since he is living on the East Coast of the US and has been feverishly preparing the apartment for his soon to be bride, Katie... Or so went the ruse... Yesterday, while we were visiting with my brother, phil, here in St. Louis, in walked Peter... Talk about shocked... We were stunned, then tearful and then grateful as we hugged... Today we are all together at the home of Paul's friend, Amy, getting to know her incredible family who live just across the border into Illinois from St. Louis... Tomorrow, we head back to Danville as a complete family to celebrate Christmas together at the Hensold Farm... We will long remember this Christmas... Now we pray for snow... This is our first Chrstmas back in the States since 1992... Three of our kids have never seen the stuff except on the TV... More after Christmas. Jon

PS: Here is the family photo I promised you... Sweet!!

2006-11-27T08:03:00.000+03:00

THE BANCY STORY

Those of you who have been following our blog updates are more familiar with this story. For those of you who don’t know it, let us give you a brief over view and the current updates. Bancy is one of our “house aunties”, who came with the 5 beautiful new kids that we especially highlighted in the last newsletter. She was working at another small baby home near us, when they had a terribly violent robbery. She was the victim of so many violent acts and was literally left for dead. Jon was called and became part of the “rescue operation” - he took her to the hospital, which happened to be the closest and also one of the best in town. Of course, that meant that he had to pay the down payment in order to insure treatment. The Director of that orphanage, who had been away during this episode, came back and tried to get things in order. Bancy had been in the hospital for 2-3 weeks and had several surgeries and treatments, including being on life support systems. The total bill was about $23,000. The Director of that home became sick, had to leave, and could not pay the bills. So when we took in the kids along with Bancy, the responsibility fell to our shoulders. This has not been a heavy burden, as some might feel, since we have the joy of seeing Bancy alive and well and restored to a new purpose for her life in God. After many deliberations with the hospital finance committee, they have reduced the bill and extended payment until June 2007. Bancy’s family are also getting heavily involved in the fund raising process, but we still have about $10,000 to go! If you would like to contribute to the cause of paying off the Bancy Bills, please contact my sister, Susan David, at encouragers@neb.rr.com and earmark your gift to Bancy Bills. Thanks... Jon for the "Tribe"

2006-11-20T07:40:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, Sunday Nov. 19 was a wonderful day in our history. We dedicated our six children from our newest apartment to the Lord at our church (Nairobi Lighthouse Church). It was great to be among nearly fifty others in the congregation who were dedicating their own children to the Lord as well. Standing there among them brought home again the knowledge that Out of the Forgotten will come the Begotten... It is actually coming to pass as we take on the parental role as a team here at Kings Kids Village for these children, all made in the image of God and all born for a special purpose... That purpose is being redeemed as we care for and raise these kids to love God and obey His commands. This is more than a rescue, it is the gospel in action...

Besides that, there is not alot of News from KKV this last week. We have been very busy with our daily lives here at Kings Kids Village. The organization is in a growth stage as we are too big to be informal in our working relationships. We now have weekly meetings with various teams on our staff organizing and praying together as we serve these kids. Last week we had a joint meeting with the house parents team and the teaching team, defining more clearly the protocol in areas of discipline regarding home life and school life... Since the school is on campus, those lines of demarcation were getting fuzzy. This is just one example of the growing pains we are facing as we come to terms with the 19 children and the 17 staff members now employed at Kings Kids Village.

The number of employees can appear (even to us) to be a bit high for the number of kids we have, but when I consider that we are educating these children in-house (3 teachers), have security (4 fulltime and 1 part time), maintainance team (2 fulltime and one part time) and a house-keeping staff for Faith House (4 fulltime), it adds up very quickly to 17 when our parenting team is included... We also employ a part time book keeper- office assistant who is pioneering one of our Swahili church plants in Kibera...

We will be adding another set of parents to our team in January and will be adding a fulltime office manager sometime next year... Please keep us in prayer as we grow this baby and see to the wellfare of these precious little ones...

On other fronts, we are preparing ourselves to come stateside for the holidays as we prepare to see our oldest son, Peter, married on Jan. 13 in Hampton, VA. More on that next time... Until then, thanks for reading and caring... Jon for the "Tribe"

2006-11-14T06:32:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends, It has been ten days since we last blogged. We have gotten good reports from various people who have recieved our snail mail News From Nairobi newsletter. It is nice to know that we are getting news out... Since our last post on the 4th, we have recieved two sets of visitors to Kings Kids Village. They have kept us busy and have also been a great blessing to us. The race is now on the complete a mirade of tasks here in preparation for our trip to the US for Christmas and to attend our son, Peter's, wedding in January. As we pray and work toward this, two things stand out to me... 1. Pray for sponsors for all of our Kings Kids... 2. Pray for financial breakthrough in several areas...a. The Bancy Debt project (see our new page at Kingskidsvillage.net) b. Supply for our $11,000 plane tickets for the Christmas and wedding trip... c. An increase in over-all Kings Kids budget. d. Kings Kids Village development projects; The deep water well being the next one... We are confident that God is our source in all these things and that His will and plan will come into being... Check out our website for updated news and pictures... In Africa for the King, Jon for the "Tribe"

2006-10-25T07:52:00.000+03:00

This week is turning out to be one of great challenge for our family and ministry. Three weeks ago this coming friday, Christen fell and put her hand through a glass door. The cut just below the elbo on the inside of the arm was almost to the bone. Thank God the cut missed all major blood vessels and nerves. We rushed her to a nearby children's hospital and after about thirty stitches we thought she was on her way to recovery... Long story short, some goofs were made somewhere along the way that eventually caused us to refer her to our private family doctor, who immediately admitted her to Aga Khan Hospital, put her on anitbiotics by IV to clear the infection. Last night she went into surgery. It was 100% successful according to Dr. Wangai and she should be out by tomorrow. The challenge is a financial one... We have $1,000 deductable on our policy... No sweat... But it is like te last straw in a series of financial challenges that are stretching our faith to snapping point... We are presently carrying the burden of paying the hospital bill for our employee, Bansy, whose life the Lord allowed us to save in May... about $22,000.00. That should have been paid by the people at that orphanage, but because I signed the admission form and the director of the other home has defaulted on paying the bill, Aga Khan sees us as responsible to pay that in full by December 15th... If we don't, they could send re-posessors to Kings Kids Village and carry possessions off. But, we are believing God for Aga Khan to get a change of heart or for God to supply the money. Also, we are planning a trip home in December to see our son wed in January... Those tickets will cost us about $11,000.00. Then this month our personal monthly giving dipped to just over $1,000.00. Our monthly bare bones budget is about $2,500.00. So we are believing for about $35,000.00 to be supplied by early December. Is this too hard for God? No!!!

2006-10-23T09:24:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends, We are just recovering from a very tiring, but gratifying week of conference in Kampala, Uganda with Watoto Children's Ministries under the leadership of Kampala Pentecostal Church and its senior pastors, Gary and Marlyn Skinner. We have been challenged, to say the least, as we have observed and interacted with a world class ministry that is presently caring for 998 children in 127 group homes and has a vision to raise that level to 10, 000 children in the next ten years. The purpose of the conference was to 1. share with ministries of similar vision and burden (like us) what the Lord has been doing and the details of the way they are set up; and to begin the process of networking 10,000 African churches with 10, 000 churches in the West for the purpose of addressing the aids/hiv pandemic across Africa. Molly and I have come back with fresh zeal and many ideas for the present and future of Kings Kids Village. As we process this information and chisel out the details we will be sharing with you the many things we have learned from Watoto Children's Ministries... What we can share with you immediately is that we know more than ever that the aids/hiv pandemic is the church's greatest opportunity to spread the gospel and mentor a generation of Africans who will bring the glory of God to their continent and beyond... What the devil means for the purpose of ravaging the continent, the Lord is using to position His church to bring out of the devastation the greatest revival Africa has ever known and through that, a continent that will mentor the rest of the world in the ways of Christ. That is in keeping with the character of Christ. His purposes are always redemptive in His dealings in and through the church. It is we (The Church) who often fail to see His heart and to follow His heart in service to our communities. May we continue to change until the world around us will see His glory fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

2006-10-11T13:07:00.000+03:00

As children are added to Kings Kids Village, so our staff is growing to meet the need as does the need for serving the staff in better, more organized ways. Pictured are our parental staff members. Our newest staff parent is Janet (right) who came to us all the way From Lusaka, Zambia... Although she is Kenyan, she had spent the last few years down there. Her daughters (members of Nairobi Lighthouse Church) found out that we needed parents almost a year ago, and so began the process of getting mom home... She came at just the right time and we are blessed to have her with us on the team.

Of course each of our parents are assisted by staff Aunties who are there to serve along side of them. All in all, we have increased to 17 staff members at Kings Kids Village... This has elevated our monthly budget for the orphanage to roughly $5,500.00 So if you are praying about coming on board with us financially, now is the time.

The other news is that Molly and I are priviledged to have our ways paid to attend a conference in Kampala, Uganda next week centered on ministry to children in crisis on the African continent. We'll give an update on that after we come back. Until then, check out our website at www.kingskidsvillage.net . Check on the news page for updates... You can also email us at stern.jon.fam@gmail.com. God bless and meet you at the blog.

2006-10-04T06:44:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was a very educational day forus at Kings Kids Village. I got an hour of instruction on how to update our website www.kingskidsvillage.net by myself... So, I have begun to update the news section and other text that has been out of date. I have yet to figure out how to resize the pictures to post onto the website, so that will come later. In the mean time, enjoy reading the updted text and let us know what you think.

Questions? Email us at stern.jon.fam@gmail.com

We are very excited to be able to keep you better informed than ever about what God is doing at Kings Kids Village. Speaking of information, we are in the process of publishing our latest News From Nairobi Newsletter by snail mail. If you would like to be added to that mailing list, please email us and give us your details (including email if you have one) and we will add you to our list... We will also be publishing the text and some photos from each newsletter to this blog... So keep us posted and read on.

Jon and Molly

2006-10-01T06:29:00.000+03:00

Hello from Nairobi, We are happy to be able to blog form our site here in Nairobi. Kings Kids Village is located on five acers of prime highland property on the northern edge of the city. We have plenty of room for our kings kids to run, ride bikes and play. One of the most lovely aspects of our property are the trees that cover much of our land. They, combined with the idyllic climate of Nairobi, make it the ideal playground for any kid. When not in school or in any other organized activity, our kids can be seen running, playing, riding bikes and just enjoying their child-hood years. What a blessing for the Lord to enable us to provide such an ideal environment for our kids. Of course, a side benefit of this smog free environment is increasingly healthy bodies. We have seen improvement in this area even in our hiv kids. What an incredible gift to share with our kids... God is so good.

Jon and Molly Stern

2006-09-29T05:30:00.000+03:00

Hello again from Nairobi. It has already been a week since I got on the last time... The pace of life in Nairobi is speeding up and here at Kings Kids Village it is break-neck right now...

News on the website. Although we have our website up, we still have not learned to update it ourselves.. I have an appointment this coming Tuesday to learn how to do that... So, hopefully, very soon we will be posting to our kingskidsvillage.net news page and updating the entire site.

Until then, we continue on this blog to keep you posted on developments at Kings Kids... One of our dear ones added recently to our "Village" is Evans. He is one of those kids who is in great need to have his cup filled with affection all the time... Each time he sees me even from a distance there is an immediate request to be picked up, put on my shoulders or to walk him over to see the dogs in our part of the compound... He came to us with his "sister", Faith. They are a delight to us and we are seeing the hand of the Lord on their lives already... He is posing with our Anna.

As our Faith House fills up, we are already beginning to set our sights to the coming development that will enable us to double our present capacity of 32 children. We mentioned with Molly the need to begin construction as early as next spring on our next apartment complex. Of course, we have a couple smaller projects to do before we start with that one... There is our water Bore Hole project, our education building, administration, stores and medical unit and driveway-entrance and front fence projects...

A lot of work ahead of us... In addition to that, our budget is increasing by the month, employing 17 staff right now - up from 13 in August.. We estimate our staff to about 20 or 22 by the time we run at our capacity of 32 Kings Kids in Faith House.. We are working at creating an updated prospectus for all who would be interested in participating with us in raising these kids up.

We will be back in a few days to update you... If you like, you are welcome to comment or write your questions on our comments page.

In Christ serving Kenya,

Jon and Molly

2006-09-21T21:37:00.000+03:00

Dear friends,

Here we are a month later and I have finally been shown how tocreate another post to this blog. News since then...

1. Our website is finally up and running... www.kingskidsvillage.net is our new domain name. I am still making plans to update that site, because it has literally been over a year since we were able to get to it...

2. We have increased our kids from 10 to 19 in the last month. All heaven has broken loose and we are busy and happy to be busy. (The photo is of our newest Kings Kid. Her name is Wangechi).

3. With other kids has come an increase in staff in the care and teaching of the kids... We have added 5 staff. Two mamas, two aunties, one house helper and a special ed teacher...

4. With the staff and another apartment being occupied in Faith House, our monthly financial needs have risen from about $4,000 to about $5,500. In addition to that almost $1,000 in social worker fees and expenses and the same for HIV medical testing... So, we are stretched right now to say the least...

5. Our older vehicles are in crisis right now... Our 19 seater bus has been in and out of the shop so much in the last six months that we are considering selling it to try to cover the costs of upkeep. OUr older 10 seater van engine gave up the ghost after 275,000 kms (170,000 miles). We are investing about $3,200 in a replacement diesel engine... So we are hobbling along with our new van and a 1988 station wagon that we purchased recently... We are believing soon for another new van ($16,000) and eventually a new 25 seater Toyota Bus ($30,000).

6. We are pleased to announce the engagement of our Son, Peter to Katie Johansson, Daughter of Mark and Mary Johansson of Hampton, VA. A January 2007 wedding is in the planning. We are planning a trip back to the States for the holidays as well... We will post an email address for them soon.

That's all for now... More to come soon..

Jon and Molly in Nairobi

2006-08-17T22:47:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Nairobi. We have been having a lot of trouble with a domain name we set up for our regular Kings Kids Village website, so we decided to create a temporary blog to keep you informed about Kings Kids Village and what God is doing over here through this orphanage. So here goes...

Today is the first annual Awards day for our Kings Kids Village School. We are excited about the quick development of our kids in just a short time. We currently have seven of our Kings Kids in our school. We will have twelve when we start up again in September. Our oldest Kings Kid is at a nearby day school.

KKV is growing right now. At the end of July we had a total of 10 children in our orphanage... By the end of the month we will have added 8 to that number, making our population almost double in one month. We have had facilities to handle these additions, but we are entering a time of stretched finance and staffing...

We have almost doubled in our expenses. Recently, we produced a video where we said our monthly needs were around $2,500 a month. It had been a few months since we had looked at our books. Our running budget is heading toward $5,000 a month to keep the place operational and maintained.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we enter into these new waters. We will keep you updated better now than ever...

From Nairobi, Jon and Molly Stern