Crestwood Baptist Church in Louisville, KY is set to send a medical team into Ethiopia on April 2nd.

During their 10-day trip, this team of will be hosting a free medical clinic in five different LIA partner communities within Addis Ababa.  The team, along with LIA staff and local churches, will also provide micro-business training and ministries for men, women and children.

This team is extremely grateful for the support and generosity of their church community. They have donated over 1000 pounds of medicine, clothes, and teaching materials. Sunday school classes from Crestwood Baptist have also donated hundreds of dollars for prescription medicines.  These supplies, carried by the team on their journey, will be disseminated through the existing local church/LIA partnerships into the communities of Ethiopia where LIA serves.

The team, excited and thankful for the strong support of their church and commitment to the trip, has made plans to Skype call from Addis Ababa to Crestwood Baptist during their Easter Sunday Service.

We are looking forward to seeing what God will do through this team in partnership with our churches in Ethiopia and how this Louisville church will continue to be involved in empowering communities in Africa.

For information on how your church can get involved in empowering communities in Africa please send and email to info@liaint.org.

Also, we encourage you to please pray for other LIA teams also launching in April:

-Medical /Construction team to Rumbek, Sudan (April 9-21)
-Documentary Team to Kibera, Kenya (April 25-May 5)

The mission of LIA is to empower churches to serve the poor using a wholistic approach for community development.

A significant focus for our organization in 2010 is communicating to you from the communities where we serve, in order for the global community to be connected, sharing the burden of poverty (both spiritual and physical) and therefore undertaking the process of mutual transformation.

Last weekend, the beginning of this community sharing and serving was seen in Louisville, Kentucky.

A team of young leaders from Southeast Christian Church is preparing to partner with the Thika community in Kenya this February. We had a retreat where the team grew in their understanding of the culture, dynamics and context of Kenya at large, and Thika specifically.

After leading a few sessions on poverty, the mission/vision of LIA, and how communities can serve one another - you could feel the excitement and expectation of true community partnership happening.

At the same time, another important community connection happened the same weekend when LIA staff and local supporters met together with the local Sudanese community in Louisville.  A rich bond with these dear brothers and sisters was quickly formed.  We are really excited about the future of partnership between the Sudanese communities living in Louisville with our community development work in the community of Rumbek, South Sudan.

May 2010 be the year that we seek to mutually learn and be transformed by serving to empower Africa’s poorest communities.

If you are interested in learning more about our community work in Rumbek, Sudan we would love for you to check out our Annual Report (pg. 11), sharing “Stories of Transformation” and offering a glimpse into the work you helped empower through your partnership with us!

2010 is upon us and LIA is ready for the upcoming year! The growth experienced in 2009 was humbling and we want to thank all of our faithful and dedicated supporters and partners for playing a huge role.

Be on the lookout for upcoming events, LIA promotional opportunities, and new ways to further engage in the work of LIA.

Check it out:

Documentary Advertisement: We are promoting our documentary in an e-magazine called “Greater Than”. This progressive magazine shares with its readers a scope of articles pertaining to music, art, and God. Can you find us?

Hear about Sudan - Sunday, January 10th: One of our staff members from South Sudan will be in Louisville, KY speaking at Cloverleaf Baptist Church (main sanctuary at 1 pm). This is a great opportunity to hear from Elijah about the work being done and transformation taking place within the communities he serves in Sudan. If you are around the Louisville area you don’t want to miss it! Place: Cloverleaf Baptist Church Main Sanctuary 4401 Manslick Road Louisville, KY

Benefit Dinner - Saturday, February 20th: LIA will be visiting Kansas City by hosting another benefit dinner.  We would love to see you there!

The evening will consist of President and Founder Florence Muindi sharing her vision and hope for Africa, as well as a screening of our documentary, “This Is My Home”.

More details and how to register for this special evening can be found here.

Help Needed - Are you looking to support the benefit dinner in a greater way? Make a comment to inquire about being a table host or sponsor for the event!

We are so excited for what God has in store for LIA this year and want to thank you for being apart of this journey.

Here’s to serving to empower Africa’s poorest and most beautiful people and communities, together.

Our staff live and work in some of the world’s most challenging places. Persistent poverty, hopelessness, and tragedy are the norm. We could fill this space with volumes of first-hand stories from the communities where we serve that would simply tear you up inside. It is in this context we choose to serve, but it is also this very context where the enormity of the task at hand can quickly become overwhelming.

At church last weekend, I was reminded of the power of remembrance.  If we look back at the nation of Israel, we see that God regularly calls them to remember all that was done in the past as an indicator for his faithfulness for that which has not yet been realized. I’m just speculating, but I assume that there are many reasons God regularly told Israel to remember:

Read the rest of this entry »

O’Neil Printing is one of our ardent supporters of our organization. We are forever indebted to them for the countless time, energy and resources that they donate to tell our story (and that of those we serve in Africa) in a beautiful and dignifying way. Thankfully, a local news channel (Fox 10) also recognized their contribution to the community at large and featured O’Neil multiple times on their morning show. Watch the video and see if you find our Urban and Rural Hope Book!

Looking for that perfect gift for your friends, family, co-workers, or loved ones this holiday season? Why not make it a gift that serves as a means to empower another!

LIA is excited to offer a multitude of gifts in our online store that will serve to empower our partner churches and communities throughout northeast Africa. These gifts also serve as a perfect tool, allowing you to share your passion to serve and care for those living in the midst of great poverty. All proceeds raised benefit the cause of LIA.

Check out some great gift ideas below!

Thank you for your dedicated support!

Wishing you Happy Holidays from your LIA Family.

By definition the word community means a unified body of individuals.  One of the main focuses for LIA in 2010 will be strategically linking passionate and committed localized communities, in the form of small groups, businesses, schools, churches, etc., with our community initiative throughout Africa.  Our goal is long-term partnerships that share prayer and resources while focusing on building each other up in unity as the body of Christ.  We believe that each community will be empowered by this collective unity.

Two communities began a pilot project of this initiative just a couple months ago.  In October of 2009, Cedar Ridge Christian Church in Olathe, Kansas began a partnership with the Merkato community in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  A team from the church traveled to Merkato to learn about the community and met the street kids and families that comprise a targeted kebele (small area) of Merkato.  Over the course of time spent there, a deep bond was formed between the Cedar Ridge community and the church workers, children, and street boys in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  True community developed through this time as lives were shared and needs from both communities were recognized.

One of the team members, Allyson Cheney (check out her blog), captured some of the moments of this unified time together, and compiled a 25-minute video together.
Check it out!

(October 18) Louisville, KY was the last stop for the fall benefit dinner series this year. This much anticipated event lived up to the expectations!

Coming into the night, we had already seen a positive response from our previous two dinners in Geneva, IL and Phoenix, AZ.  The goal for the fall benefit dinners was to raise $100,000 in total, which would allow for LIA to be able to support the Merkato community by meeting a funding gap that remained in the street children program already underway.

With generous hearts and prayerful consideration, donations were made that has allowed us to surpass the initial goal; raising over $130,000 from the three dinners combined.  These donations indicate the sincere belief that transformation can and will take place through the LIA programs at work in Africa.

To all those that attended, volunteered, and supported through finances, time and prayer…we would like to sincerely thank you! 

We truly feel blessed and encouraged by your generous support and passion to serve our brothers and sisters in Africa. We are so excited to have added new members to the LIA family through these dinners and cannot wait to share the great progress and success taking place in the Merkato community, as well as the many other communities LIA is serving to empower.

Fall is finally here and for LIA it is kicking off full force!

This summer has been a great time of preparation and planning for these next few weeks.  October is a month that is filled with some very exciting events!

Our Fall Benefit Dinners are making their first stop in Geneva, Illinois on Sunday.  Much anticipation has been building in regards to the series of three dinners that will take place in the weeks ahead.

We expect these dinners to be a great way to highlight some of LIA’s work in Africa, raise support for the partnered communities, and premiere our first ever documentary!

Offering a glimpse into the lives of the street children in Merkato, Ethiopia, this film will be a great way to share both the needs within this community, and also the transformation that is taking place through the care and programs put in place.

Keep checking back as we travel to Phoenix, Arizona and then ultimately end up in Louisville, Kentucky.

We are very excited for the chance to share our vision and hope for Africa, while also gaining support in this creative manner to further empower communities in Africa aiding in the means of wholistic community development.

Thank you for your support!

During the first week of August a team of 23 from Southeast Christian Church arrived in Makueni, Kenya to host a free medical clinic for the people within this community. Upon arrival, one could not help but realize the extensive dryness; it was so barren. We were informed that it had been years since a hard rainfall had hit this area. With help from the LIA staff and volunteers, as well as our 5 Mi2 summer interns, we began to set up camp… turning a huge abandoned building into a hospital.

Over 2000 patients were cared for during the week as needs were met and aliments were treated. I saw the team love and care for the elderly and provide glasses to those who couldn’t see.  Dentists and hygienists pulled teeth and taught about dental care, doctors and nurses gave out medicine and offered prayer, and kids were entertained with coloring books, games, songs and kazoos as they waited for their family members.

The medical clinic was not the only great aspect of this trip, there was so much more that was experienced and witnessed throughout our time there. Through many home visits, our team was able to learn more about the people of this community.  Words of encouragement and inspiration were exchanged. We were touched by their stories and amazed at their wisdom, steadfastness, and devout trust in the Lord.

One unique event we got to experience was the wedding of Gus and Rose; two LIA Kenya staff members. It was a privilege to share in this special day with two very hardworking and faithful members of LIA.

Our team left Makueni in awe that so much was done in so little time. There were so many stories of transformation to be shared with our friends and family back home. We were encouraged by the community workers and local churches that had vowed to continue to do the hard work of meeting the needs of the people. It was both powerful and humbling to see that with little resources so much was still able to be given back to the community.

To hear more about how medical missions works in the LIA strategy of empowerment, we encourage you to check out the Medical Missions Conference in Louisville, KY on November 12-14.

The community transformation taking place in Africa is amazing.  God is truly moving through these impoverished areas and working in the lives of the community members, LIA staff, volunteers, and teams.  Sustainable and positive change is happening through God’s power!