Last Saturday marked the 8th Birthday of LIA as a registered organization in the states.

And how did we celebrate this birthday?

We chose to represent LIA at the 6th annual Gilbert Global Village Festival in Gilbert, AZ.

The day focused on bringing the Gilbert community together to expose the diversity and rich culture that is present in this small city.  The day included events such as  a parade of children dressed up in the attire of their native countries, a bazaar of exotic goods, specialty international foods, as well as a stage in which people performed various dances inspired from cultures around the world.

Located in the “Explore-a-Nation” tent, LIA was represented, specifically highlighting Ethiopia.  The children that stopped by were able to color a map of Ethiopia. They were also able to make bracelets using the colors from the Ethiopian flag, to serve as a reminder to share their new Ethiopian knowledge with others.

Kids that stopped by the booth were informed with basic facts about Ethiopia such as, there are 85 million people that live in this vast country, in which occupies an area about the size of California and Texas combined.  They were also exposed to the harsh reality of children that end up living on the streets in communities like Merkato, Ethiopia.  Some of the circumstances leading to this reality are poverty, poor employment opportunities, and the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

The response from this event was inspirational. Seeing both children and adults seeking out information and ways to get involved with the work of LIA was more than we could have hoped for on this day of celebration.

If you are interested in learning more about the street children in Ethiopia check out our movie trailer for “This Is My Home”, our first documentary that highlights the needs in the Merkato community, but also sheds light into the transformation made possible by the work of LIA in partnership with the local churches of this area.

On March 6th we hosted our first ever fund raising dinner in Nairobi, Kenya.  A unique message was prepared and presented by LIA President Dr. Florence Muindi and our documentary film ‘This is my Home’ was shown giving a glimpse into the reality of our ministry.

The keynote speaker for the evening was none other than His Excellency Daniel Arap Moi, 2^nd President of Kenya.  We are thankful for his encouraging words, time and thoughtful endorsement of our mission!

The President drew much media activity and we are excited to share a clip from Kenya Television Network covering the evening. The translations for the clip can be found below.

Thank you to the guests of this transformational evening, for your partnership and support of LIA.  We also want to thank former President Daniel Arap Moi for his presence and message shared at our event.

_____________________________

Translation:

LIFE IN ABUNDANCE INTERNATIONAL GATHERING DINNER-NAIROBI

“MOI ON TOGETHERNESS”: MARCH 08, 2010

Reporter: Retired President Daniel Arap Moi talking at a fund raising gathering dinner insisted to the Kenyans and Africa in general not to look unto people who do not deeply recognize their problems to seek solutions. He said to do that, is same as African continent being unable to cater for its responsibilities.

Moi: Most often Africans behave as if they expect sympathy from someone somewhere. We have a lesson today that an African scholar (Dr. Florence Muindi - LIA President) can abandon a promising career and rise to her feet.

Reporter:  He said the steps to help those less fortunate in life and the sick is important. He praised the efforts of that organization (LIA) to help in areas of health, noting that the fight against HIV and Aids and food hunger is important though young people loose direction in today’s life.

Moi: I can not say there is a shortage of good people in this world. But I can say, there is a shortage of people who are willing to inspire and encourage others.

Reporter: Ret. President Moi asked the main donors of that organization (LIA) to reflect on putting their headquarters in the country (Kenya).

Moi: Because this is an African driven initiative. It is only fair that Nairobi becomes the headquarters.

Reporter: The celebration took place in one of the hotels here in Nairobi.

On 20 February, LIA and a legion of dedicated volunteers from Kansas hosted a tremendous dinner to benefit the work of LIA (check out our Facebook page to see an album dedicated to pictures from the dinner).

The purpose of our benefit dinners is quite simple: these events provide everyone an opportunity to simply stop, learn, and see what ministry half-way around the world looks life. We do these events because we want our partners to engage with this ministry in a meaningful, thoughtful and prayerful way, though geographically we are very far removed.

We are pleased to announce that with approximately 200 people in attendance this particular event raised nearly $40,000 for LIA.

It is through the empowered local churches (in Africa) and those who believe in these churches (here) that, community by community, people suffering under endemic poverty throughout the Horn of Africa will experience life in abundance. The success of this benefit dinner is just one example of how a community can join together to serve the world around them. We would love to connect you with our documentary, “This Is My Home” such that you too can share with your local community the work of LIA.

A big ‘thank you’ goes out to our fantastic and dedicated partners in Kansas!

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.

Nairobi, Kenya - For the last seven days, the LIA senior management team, later joined by our country directors, planned and prepared for 2010.

When you are with the same people for such an extended period of time, even in the best circumstances, confrontation seems to be inevitable. Yet, this week we didn’t have a single moment of increased tension, let alone confrontation.

After some time of reflection (conveniently provided by the ‘inoperable airport’ in Nairobi), I’m convinced that we got along so well as a group because we understood that our individual stories weren’t as important as our collective story.

Our story is better.

Before we began planning, strategizing, budgeting and all of the dirty work that comes with preparing for a new year, we took half a day to share our stories with one another. On the surface it might sound cliché, but in reality it was tremendously eye-opening and humbling, especially from my perspective.

Take John (not his real name – in order to protect his identity). John is an LIA country director that we don’t publicly talk about. I hadn’t met John before our meetings, but when I heard his story for the first time I was literally taken back. John lives in what is referred to as a closed country. In his country, it is illegal to be a practicing Christian in public. He operates ‘underground’, hosting church services in his home. He organizes and implements a community service that meets the needs of the local refugee community as a way to bring the Kingdom to earth, right where he lives. Most of his friends are in jail because they converted from Islam.

Then there is Elijah. Elijah is from South Sudan and has two scars on his body from being wounded while fighting as a soldier in the civil war years earlier. He has seven children and a wife, they all live in Kenya while he serves as the Director of LIA South Sudan.

I can’t forget Tim (not his real name). Tim also works in a closed country and has to be very sensitive about the emails he sends because they are all monitored by the local government. Tensions in his community are high. While we were meeting a riot broke out in the city where he and his family live. A call home to his wife ensured that they were safe, for now.

Then there is me and my story of fighting in a civil war, or protecting my identity to avoid imprisonment or having to be sure that my service to the community is not too ‘christian’ as to not raise too much attention…

Wait, that isn’t my story. I grew up in Gilbert, Arizona and attended Islands Elementary school, just as peaceful and uneventful as it sounds. I played golf in college and have a wife and two children, none of which are in imminent danger from riots in the streets, other than when our neighbor gets mad at me for leaving the recycling bin out a day longer than allowed by our HOA. The only oppression I face comes from the heat when I can’t find a pool to relax in during the summer.

Even so, when we all came together and shared our stories and our dreams for what will happen in the communities we serve throughout Africa, it became obvious that OUR story is better than any one of the individual stories.

Our story is moving ahead to restore the dignity of the poor, marginalized, and oppressed.

Our story pushes against political oppression by training, equipping and empowering local churches to be the transformative change their communities are so desperately in need of.

Our story takes place in the secret places where refugees have no rights to basic human services, or among street children who aren’t offered an identity by their very own government. We rely on God to be the author of our story because we quickly realize that the stories guided by His spirit are made perfect.

Separately, we are Kenyan, Sudanese, Ethiopian, French, and American. Professionally, we are doctors, social workers, business people, public health professionals, and pastors. Yet, when our stories intersect, we realize that our story is better than anything that we could have come up with on our own.

On the December 1st over 2,000 women came together at Southeast Christian Church to kick off their winter Bible study series.  On this night the crowd was challenged to think about the magnitude of what God can do through ordinary people, and focused on the theme of making your life worthwhile and glorifying.  The guests were also challenged to think about creative ways to give this holiday season. 

Before and after the event, women gathered to hear stories about LIA’s work in Africa, were given the opportunity to purchase African crafts and also we able to donate to empower our community in focus this holiday season Makueni, Kenya.

LIA’s holiday initiative is to empower the Makueni community by highlighting the current projects and needs in this area and asking donors to respond.  Makueni, Kenya is considered one of the hardest hit areas by drought leading to food shortages, inadequate water supply, prevalence of disease and infection, and inability to create a sustainable livelihood or business.  LIA has a three-year partnership plan with local churches in this area to help empower the churches to respond to the overwhelming need.

Donations given through LIA can help these churches support their neighbors with food, water, and micro business training.

Over $8,000 was raised for Makueni at the Christmas Joy event as women responded to the challenge.

We pray that everyone who learns of this initiative will do something for Makueni this holiday season.

Check out our donate page as we have revamped it to support Makueni, Kenya this Christmas.

Are you a friend of LIA on Facebook? Join the “LIA’s Christmas Challenge: Empower The Makueni Community! “ and partner with LIA and the Makueni, community to provide 6 months of clean water!

Spread the word about the Makueni community and invite friends, family and small groups to join you this Christmas as we remember that this holiday was about – giving.

To see more photos from the Christmas Joy event check out Jules Wiegand Photopgraphy.

Several missionaries, mission organizations, medical students, and people of all ages gathered November 12th -14th at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY for one of the largest medical missions conferences in the world.

LIA’s Founder and President Dr. Florence Muindi and Kenya Country Director Dr. Emily Obwaka attended and spoke at this year’s conference.

Florence spoke first at the Friday plenary session with the message of “Empowering the Least.”

She encouraged those listening to acknowledge and empower the least among us, describing that this is truly the strategy that Jesus used in His model of ministry.  Florence also did a workshop describing the role of the Church in cross-cultural medical missions.  She explained the logic of using the local church as the primary partner, showing that it is through this approach that a sustainable transformation can occur within communities.

Dr. Emily presented a workshop called “More than Empowerment: A Christian Mandate.” In a time of sharing, she looked at transitional empowerment versus transformational empowerment  and charged those in attendance to work for the latter.

The whole conference was eye-opening.  Hundreds of ministries were displayed and many students were challenged to continue to become kingdom builders and to commit to that call as they seek to work as medical missionaries.

The shared worship times were powerful with the closing session seeing hundreds coming forward to commit their lives to full-time service in kingdom work.

The Global Missions Health Conference was something to see, feel and be part of.  God indeed is calling a generation to respond to His voice and we are excited that LIA could be part of this memorable and powerful conference - connecting with such passionate and dedicated followers of Christ.

Our recent benefit dinners this fall served as the perfect opportunity to premiere our first ever documentary, “This is My Home”.  Taking our guests on a journey through the streets of Merkato, Ethiopia this film has been more than we could have ever imagined.  Highlighting the harsh reality of the children that live on the streets in Merkato, this film also offers a glimpse into the work of LIA in partnership with the local churches and their impact within this community.

We are excited to announce that  this Friday, November 20th our documentary will be featured once again this time in Geneva, IL at First Baptist Church of Geneva.  The event will begin at 7 pm and will serve as a great time not only to watch the film, but also reflect on the situation of those that live in the Merkato District suffering from extreme poverty.  Attending the event will be some of the crew that put together this impactful film, available to answer any questions and offer further insight into their time in the community and work on the film.

If you are in the Geneva area we would love for you to attend the event! More information can be found here!

For those of you unable to make it keep your eyes out for we will be starting our pre-sale for the DVD “This Is My Home” later this week,  allowing you to host your very own documentary screening!

LIA’s founder and President, Florence Muindi and LIA Kenya Country Director, Dr. Emily Obwaka will be speaking in Louisville, KY this week at one of the largest medical mission conferences in the world.

The Global Missions Health Conference will take place at Southeast Christian Church Thursday through Saturday, November 12th-14th.  The church and community is excited to host missionaries and medical professionals from around the world.  Since the beginning of the conference in 1995, it has become an annual gathering of nearly 3,000 people meeting together to encourage, network, and learn advanced medical practices and innovations.  Speakers in 65 workshops and main sessions will tell stories about how God is changing lives through medical missions.  More than 800 students attend the conference from universities and medical schools around the country to learn about global mission opportunities.  The conference is designed for anyone interested in mission outreach regardless of age or profession.

Dr. Florence will be speaking Friday and Saturday morning and Dr. Emily will present a workshop on Dependency vs. Empowerment on both Friday morning and Saturday afternoon.
We will be hosting an information booth at the conference and would love to share more about the work of LIA with you - stop by and say hi to me!  The Mi2 interns will also be there representing the Mi2 Internship program.  Stay tuned for updates from my experience at the GMHC this coming week.

To read more about the conference check it out here.

(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.