There are 12 orphans living in a family-style orphan care home on the Fountain of Life property in Juja, plus an additional 3 teenage orphans who are currently in a boarding-school style of high school. The doors of the kids’ home are thrown open all day long (when they aren’t in school) and kids stream in and out all day long, singing, dancing and playing soccer. It was so cool that it took us until mid-trip to finally figure out who was an orphan, who was a biological child of Pastor James and his wife Teresa, and who was a neighborhood kid — they are looked the same, were treated the same and were equally loved! We were blown away by the love, the pure joy and faith in God that we witnessed.

In Juja, we assisted Pastor James in a variety of outreach events. We held a free 2-day medical clinic and cared for almost 600 patients. Our amazing student leaders led a sports outreach for 150+ kids. We visited women and kids in the community as part of Pastor James’ vulnerable children ministry. These are kids at risk for orphaning as they live with one remaining parent who is HIV positive. Pastor James helps them out with food, school fees, and basic necessities as a way to keep the family together for as long as possible, while building a relationship with the Moms so that they have some peace knowing that there is a safe, loving place for their children to go once they pass.

So much to say! Pastor Buck (from Northpoint) had some great vision casting sessions with Pastor James and the other leaders of Fountain of Life church. We will be processing through that over the coming weeks and making decisions on our next steps. Pastor James has BIG visions for reaching his community, Kenya and east Africa. Over the next 10 years, he hopes to plant 3 additional churches, each with an orphan care home on its property. We discussed some possible micro-finance projects that would allow his church to grow its orphan care ministry without relying on Western financial aid, and he has ideas for expanding the free medical clinics.

More to come soon. For now, check out some pics from the trip here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/projectjuja

Calling all golfers, organizations interested in exposure at a great media/advertising event, and volunteers!

12:00 PM Registration & Driving Range
1:00 PM Tournament Instructions
1:30 PM Tee Off
6:00 PM Prizes, Auction & Dinner

EXECUTIVE SPONSOR: $1,000
One golf team, your company/organization’s name in the tournament’s title, recognition in all event media releases, the largest signage at event, formal recognition at the tournament, and dinner for four after the event.

CORPORATE SPONSOR: $750
One golf team, recognition in some event media releases, large signage at event, formal recognition at the tournament, and dinner for four after the event.

FOURSOME: $400 
EARLY BIRD PRICE JUST $360 FOR REGISTRATIONS PRIOR TO JUNE 12!
One golf team, dinner for four after the event.

Call or email to learn about other opportunities to help, such as silent auction items, hole sponsorship, or box lunch sponsorship!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

For questions, call Jeff at (512) 658-3855
or Reggie at (512) 483-1593.
Interested in volunteering? Email us at Mosaic@ExperienceNorthpoint.com.

Good news from Pastor James in Kenya! He has been holding some evangelical events and, as a result, is seeing more new faces each Sunday in church. His work with the orphans is beginning to have an impact in his community. The youth of Juja have begun volunteering at the church’s orphan care home on weekends, helping out around the place and playing with the children. Adults in the community are bringing fruits, vegetables, milk and clothing for the children. Some are even bringing the children to their homes for meals. One couple donated a goat so that the children would have meat. A teacher is volunteering her services to lead educational activities in the evenings for the children.

So, some crazy good things happening as the congregation of the Fountain of Life church (in Juja) and the community of Juja itself are coming alongside Pastor James and hearing his vision that the people of Juja are being called to save the orphan — as a primary mission. And they are living it day in and day out. It’s so cool and humbling that we at Northpoint – half a world away – get to play a role in that mission.

In the coming months and years, Northpoint will continue to support Pastor James — financially, through prayer, emotional support and pastor-to-pastor communication. A big goal of this church partnership is that Northpoint helps the Fountain of Life grow. The bigger and stronger Fountain of Life is, the more orphans who can be rescued. Along those lines, the primary goal of this summer’s mission trip to Kenya is to assist Pastor James in community outreach events, to help increase visibility for the Fountain of Life and their mission.

Check out the video to meet some of the kids that live in the family-style orphan care home on the Fountain of Life’s church property. Come with us this summer (July 25- August 3) and love on them! Email us at mosaic@experiencenorthpoint.com for more info!

Project Juja/Summer 2010 Mission Trip to Kenya Meetings:
   Saturday, March 27, 9:30 – 11:00 AM or
   Wednesday, March 31, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

At Northpoint church office; 1101 Arrow Point Dr, Ste 313, Cedar Park
To RSVP and/or for more info, email us!

Travel applications will be due by late April, so if you want to go but can’t attend one of these two meetings, contact us and we’ll arrange a time to meet with you!

The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, March 25, 2010 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM (CST).

Space is limited- register now at this link!

Meet Ann Njeri Wanja

Ann Njeri Wanja was born into a family of 5 children in Juja, Kenya. Ann’s mother died when she was 8 years old. She and her siblings were left in the care of a relative who did not have a stable job and was, therefore, unable to provide for them.

The children were homeless and at risk for dropping out of school. Ann now lives in a group home with 2 of her sisters, and all three are in school.

Her vision is to study very hard to pass all of her exams and to become a teacher.

With your support of Northpoint’s MOSAIC ministry, you can play a vital role in Ann’s education and her future. Pastor James, at Fountain of Life church in Juja, Kenya is passionate about orphan rescue and long term care. He currently cares for 12 orphans in a small group home on his church’s property and also helps with the daily needs – including educational costs- of other orphans. Ann is one of those children. PROJECT JUJA, an outreach misson of MOSAIC, supports Pastor James in his selfless mission to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and to care for “the least of these”.

Want to meet Pastor James and Ann in person? Join PROJECT JUJA as we make the first of our annual mission trips to Africa this year! Email us for more info.

Lydia Muthoni

Lydia is one of the victims of the 2007 presidential election clashes in Kenya, Africa.  Her mother was killed in the clash and Lydia was left in the care of her grandmother who lives in a tent provided by the Red Cross.  She is 7 years old and has never been to school.  Lydia seems to have suffered a great deal in her few years.  She is reported to have a lot of fear of people.

Her grandmother brought her to Juja to stay with a relative, but the relative does not have a job and is unable to reliably pay rent.  The area chief wrote to the Fountain of Life, requesting a place for Lydia.  She is the younger of two, but the Fountain of Life church was only able to take one child.  She has been admitted to nursery school.

This is the first in a series of introductions to the children that Pastor James at Fountain of Life Church in Juja, Kenya cares for in a small group home on the church property.  Northpoint Church in Austin, Texas is coming alongside Pastor James in his daily ministry to rescue and love these most vulnerable of children. If you’d like to hear more about Project Juja or learn how you can help, email us!

But just because his group home is maxed out, doesn’t mean Pastor James’ heart is. There are additional children that he watches over. I received a special request today through World Orphans, the organization that acts as a liaison between Northpoint and Fountain of Life. There are 3 girls outside of the group home who are due to begin high school but do not have the funds. Can I tell you a little bit about them?

Ann Songoyon Kermui
Ann is a Maasai girl born in 1993. Her mother died in 2003, when Ann was 10. Her father died in 2006. She lives in a group home. She passed her final primary exam last year and scored well. She was due to begin high school on Feb 4th. If she did not have the funds to pay for school on the first day, she would be unable to attend at all this year. Pastor James shifted some of the food and clothing budget from the younger children to meet the urgent deadline, but of course, that now leaves him short on money for the basic necessities of the younger children in the home. Ann’s dream is to become a journalist.

Grace Nasieku Kermui
Grace is a Maasai girl born in 1989. The family moved several times to try to find employment. Her mother died in 2003. Her father died in 2006, when Grace was 15 years old and had just completed the “Std 8″ year in school and was waiting for her test results in order to join secondary school. She performs very well in school. She is at risk if she is not in school. On school holidays, she lives in a group home. Her vision is to become a lawyer and help children in desperate situations.

Naomi Wambui
Naomi was born in 1993. Her father, grief stricken over being unable to provide financially for the family, committed suicide in 2001 by hanging himself in his house with a rope. She is a partial orphan; her mother is still living but unable to provide the basic necessities. Naomi came to live with Pastor James and his wife as their child until she completed primary school. Naomi passed her “class 8″ exams in 2007. She was admitted to a good secondary school of her choosing. However, Pastor James was caring for her siblings and other orphans and did not have the funds to pay for that school after the first year. She was transferred to a day school in Juja. Her prayer is to become a teacher.

So, what’s an education worth?
In the United States, we pretty much take it for granted that we will be employed, have a roof over our head and food in our stomach, even if we don’t complete school. A higher education just means we get to experience more than the basic necessities - to get the non-essentials and the luxuries in life. (Even if you think you live frugally and barely make it paycheck to paycheck, you are rich beyond belief in comparison to world standards.)
But in Africa, an education is the only chance at survival. Without school, orphans are on the street – and face a life of abuse, prostitution, disease, hunger.

The current need?
$1,500 to send these 3 girls to secondary school and provide for them for an entire year. We already raised $750- half our goal- today – so, we just need an additional $750. Can you help? Whatever you can give is helpful. If 15 families would give $50 instead of a dinner out this week, we’d reach our goal! Think about it — dinner out just leaves you with weight gain and indigestion – but 50 bucks could buy a life – a future – saved… and add a new female journalist, a lawyer, and a teacher in Kenya.

To make a donation specifically to the educational fund for these 3 girls, you need to use the code KEN-541-Education. Donations can be accepted in 3 ways:

1. online at www.worldorphans.org (they accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express). Click “give” on the main toolbar. Select “Miscellaneous Giving”. Enter the code above into the Memo field.
2. send in a check made out to World Orphans with the code on the memo line
3. call (1.888.ORPHANS) with a credit card donation

Bless you for helping our brother, Pastor James, in Africa!