Merry Christmas from Serbia

A week ago we left Herrnhut with 2 vans, 26 people, very little money but full of faith and expectation. We felt lead to go to Nuremburg but no contacts were panning out and we had no accommodation in a city famed for its Christmas markets a week before the big day. We felt to leave Herrnhut anyway and found ourselves stepping out in total and complete dependence to God. It was Saturday night and the students spread throughout the Hbf praying for people, helping a man with Alzheimer's to find his way home and getting a heart for the city. I went with the other leader, Chad to the nearest YMCA and we were welcomed with open arms by the people there and the whole group slept on the floor of their sanctuary for the week. During the week we worked with the Salvation army, spent time praying for Afghans and Iraqis in a high security asylum-seekers home, helping a victim of human trafficking go home and did ministry on the street and in the red-light district. It was an intense and wonderful week but we had to go by Friday. We left at 1am and drove for 20 hours through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and into Serbia. We still had no idea at this stage as to where we were heading, but God was faithful to lead and we ended up in Novi Sad very late at night. None of us had been to the city, we had no contacts and no idea what to do and it was really really cold and 2 days before Christmas. After much prayer and leading we went into a bar, the waitress spoke English and it just so happened that a hostel owner was sitting at one of the tables. We were able to get a large discount and the 26 of us made ourselves home. We have been doing non-stop ministry, continuing until 3am last night. People have been responding in a huge way to our Christmas carols and it has been a beautiful way to celebrate this Christmas season. Pray for us as we take the next step...namely because we don't know where it will be . The team is amazing...motivated and spirit lead. We are a long way away from home and everyone is missing family but we see that this has purpose and we have hope for the countries.

I hope your Christmas is joy-filled and full of love and blessing.

Love always,

Heres a little glimpse of the team newsletter.

Liz and the Lions...behind the scenes music video.

Liz and the Lions - Behind the scenes from Marriage Of The Arts YWAM on Vimeo.


Liz and the Lions have just recorded their first album and it is... amazing. Seriously.The U.S.A release tour is in June next year and I have been asked to come along and be the speaker for- talking about Pick a Pocket, poverty and justice issues.  Please pray that this band makes it big! All of the money from sales goes back into Pick a Pocket projects and to lifting people out from poverty.

MOTA Music

We had an open mic night here a little while ago to give some of the artists in the community a chance to let others hear their work. I love love love the awesome original work these students are presenting. So worth a listen! Media Fire Open Mic Night

Our project in Ethiopia just had its 2 year anniversary.

One of the girls who was rescued a year ago just had her birthday. It was celebrated with a big party and she told the story of how a year earlier on her birthday she had been sorting through garbage when a truck unloaded on her and she had to fight for her life to escape from under the huge mound of stinking filth. What a difference a year makes... thank you to all of you that support me and enable me to be a part of this project.


2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY from the Koshe Project YAY!!! from Pick a Pocket on Vimeo.

YWAM Herrnhut is a hive of activity!

MOTA Cafe Herrnhut from Marriage Of The Arts YWAM on Vimeo.

There really is a whole heap of us!

Thailand report!

Friends!

Well this has been waaay too long in coming. It was provided miraculously for me and the others to go to Thailand. It definitely grew my faith is a big way to see how he provided for the 3 of us to go there and serve Not For Sale and YWAM.

At a week, it was a short trip to be able to help out, and further our connection with Not for Sale Campaign and YWAM Mercy Ministries as a whole. I really liked Chiang Mai a lot and of course the Thai people were unfailingly friendly. The conference went over 3 days, all day and it was so busy. It was amazing to be able to do media work there and to have total access to all of the speakers and people (in all representing 180 NGOs and ministeries in the region). I worked mostly with a videographer to do on camera interviews which was really fun and not something I had ever done before. I interviewed a lot of heads of major organizations, people from the Australian Federal Police human trafficking unit, authors and journalists...all sorts of people. Remember Anna Coren from Today Tonight? She now she works for CNN and I interviewed her which was very funny. 

After the conference we went with a delegation of filmakers, benefactors and others up to Chiang Rai, near the border of Burma, to the children's home and drug rehab center that is run by Not For Sale. We were so blessed to be invited on this trip with people, most of whom are without active faith, who were so open to hearing about the life that God has called us to. It was very interesting experience to share about hearing God's voice to them. The home houses and cares for about 140 kids that have been rescued from the most horrific circumstances. Most of them are children born into the tribes that live in the mountainous region between Burma and Thailand. Because of this, they are not recognized as being either Burmese or Thai and they are really looked down upon and aren't granted any nationality. It's about as bad a situation as you can get. But! the kids were amazing! Seriously...they hardly get any visitors and so got super mega attached to us in a matter of hours and cried and cried when we left which was devastating. I would definitely love to go back. 

A couple of us have already been asked to go to the A/P Forum on Human Trafficking in Manilla next year which would be great and a group of us here will head up the European forum in October next year which will be an epic undertaking but an amazing way to connect people. 

Thanks so much for all your support in getting there and back!

Asia/Pacific Human Trafficking Forum

Hey friends, 

Hope this reaches you well! I just wanted to let you know that I have an awesome opportunity to be a part of, and serve, a conference in Thailand next week. Steve Goode, head of YWAM Mercy Ministries, in partnership with David Batstone from Not For Sale Campaign, has asked me to come and write for the upcoming Asia/Pacific Forum on Human Trafficking in Chiang Mai next week. As I am moving further into ministry with a heart to see an end to the injustice of human trafficking and modern day slavery, this would be invaluable for information, inspiration and connections. I have a heart for reaching the lost and the unloved with the love of God and helping them to see revelation and purpose through Jesus in their lives. To be able to serve this conference and the organizations involved with my skills would be such a blessing. 

If you have any questions, I am only too happy to answer them. I really need people to partner with me in prayer for this upcoming week. Please pray for the country of Thailand as it is experiencing devastating floods. Please also consider if you can support me with finances (I need 400 euro to be able to get to and stay in Chiang Mai).

Thank you all so much.

Marriage of the Arts DTS-It's just the beginning...

Hey its been a while since I wrote here, but for good reason! Its only been 2 weeks since MOTA started but already it is reshaping what a DTS should look like. From the opening night we put the students into a ramshackle refugee camp scenario. This involved them sleeping outside, being confined to a small area and only using a small bit of plastic to build their tents. The heart behind this excercise was to encourage the students to drop their pretenses, learn to be flexible and adaptable, and to get back to basics. Through the days they were in the camp we also educated them on the realities of life for the 43 million people in the world that are classified as refugees or internally displaced people. This experience was eye opening to so many of the students as they sought God's heart for people and got to know one another very quickly.

The first week of teaching was by Mike Oman who is amazing! The staff had the honor of having him train us for a week beforehand and so we knew a little bit of what the students were getting themselves into. He spoke on 'The Father Heart of God" and his authenticity and compassion affected many students deeply. It was an emotional roller coaster of a first week.

Week 2 was an anomally for YWAM Herrnhut as both DTS's currently running were unable to find suitable speakers. The leaders decided to have a 'faith week' which for the first 2 days involved the students listening to some of the amazing stories people at the base had to share. On Wednesday we threw the classroom format out the window and decided that if students were to learn about faith then they should do so with the one they believe in. We divided them into groups of 4 or 5 and challenged them to a 3 day faith walk with only a euro each.

Predictably this concept was overwhelming to many of them but they all rose to the challenge with 120 students and 20 staff leaving Herrnhut via any means necessary. The purpose of this challenge was to go out into the world, to bless others however we could and to use art and to glorify God in everything. What happened was an incredible outpouring of God's love and provision as he provided above and beyond for his children. Many of us had to sleep in parks,  many more still were blessed with beds and hot food but most importantly all of us had the tremendous opportunity to talk to, pray for and bless people right across the region. It was amazing to come back on Saturday and to see beaming faces and to hear the stories of God's faithfulness in all areas. In the coming days I will post more of their stories and photos.

Along with the regular work of staffing a DTS a group of us are heading up a magazine as a follow up to the ATOM magazine from earlier this year. Please pray as it gets underway that we would be able to use this medium as an effective way to get the stories of God's goodness out to those that need to hear it.

Hello

We just had what was probably the only day of summer we are going to get this year in Herrnhut. Autumn is creeping slowly around the corner...

This week I start staff training with the Marriage of the Arts  team, we are a staff team of 12, for 120 students, and because it is an arts DTS we do a lot of teaching in various art tracks. We have a group of people from another base in Germany joining us for the week to learn how staff are trained here, which should be interesting.

I am still heavily involved in the Justice DTS and spoke Wednesday night on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation. It was a hard topic to speak about but the night was really powerful as students really got a heart for fighting this injustice and lifting people out of this horror and into a life of dignity and hope. I am still doing a lot of work with Pick a Pocket as the group prepares to send a team to Hamburg to serve long-term. At the moment a 'first-wave' of 7 or so people, is planning to leave in October. There they will invest into the community and develop a venue, of which I will have more details soon.

Personally, I am struggling as things continue to flex and shift again. I found it hard to say good-bye to some close friends over the last month as they move back home and out onto the field. It's also been a rough time of missing family and just wanting some time off and away from here. I need some supernatural energy at the moment.

Hope this finds you well. Lots of love,

Amy

Feed Somalia.

Art by Elizabeth Mannchen

Liz is a Pick a Pocket leader, and a talented and driven artist who, like many of us, is searching for ways to help alleviate the suffering of people affected by the drought across the Horn of Africa. We hear of children dying, and it can be difficult to know what to do. The only option is to do something-give what you have, do what you can.

Liz writes:

Somalia tugs at my heart as I watch from afar; people are starving and crying out for help.  When I first heard about this drought, and subsequent famine; I thought, as I am sure many others have, ‘Oh just another famine in Africa’. As I continued to watch the news, hear the stories and see the pictures, I was drawn in to the reality of the unfolding disaster.

One night I came across a picture of a starving Somali woman trying to breastfeed her baby. I realized, that even if she were to find food, she would not be nourished fast enough to be able to give life-saving milk to her malnourished child. I was deeply moved and I found myself wanting to go there, and help, in whatever way I could. But I couldn't. I felt hopeless and unusable. I am an artist, and I decided that if I could not physically get there to help, I would do what I could. I would use my art to be a voice for these women, children and men. 

Our world is overflowing with resources; there is enough for everyone. We have to make a choice- empathy or apathy, helplessness or action? Lets do something people!

http://ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-Acts-in-Somalia-Food-Crisis

New Supporters!

I am so blessed to have a major answer to prayer- 2 new supporters! Thanks guys, it is great to have people partnering with what God is doing through me.

Newsletter!

And yes I am totally aware of the existence of typos in this copy, they are being fixed :)

Newsletter!

I have a new newsletter just waiting to find its way into your inbox! It's definitely more of a general newsletter- explaining who I am, what I am doing... If you would like a pretty and printable pdf then please send me your email address to amylaurenfraser@gmail.com. Or, you know, just say hi.

Thanks!

Pick a Pocket Retreat Finances

Hey friends,

Pick a Pocket is preparing to go on our yearly retreat. As a missions group, predictably, we are very rarely in one place. It is such a crazy blessing to be able to come together, welcome new staff members and gather strength and excitement for what God has for us. We are staying at a staff members parent's property to the south. We are camping to keep costs to an absolute minimum and the entire 4 day retreat including transport will be approximately 36 euros.

However, and this is the tricky part, we have just been told that, in keeping with YWAM Herrnhut base policy, that we should not go on retreat with outstanding base debt. As a group of 30 of us we have approximately 3000 euros outstanding. This has accumulated because of monthly staff fees (25 euro), compulsory health insurance (40 euro) and various other transportation/housing/medical expenses. So this is me saying help!

Pick a Pocket is such an awesome group of people who live out generosity in every part of their lives. We live simply and faithfully in community and want to give our all to seeing this world reached with the love of God.

Please prayerfully consider if you can stand with us in this time and get behind us with financial support. Please pray for breakthrough in this area for us too! We are working to fight extreme poverty, to help people live lives of hope and dignity with purpose and so often we find ourselves consumed by the same needs we are trying to help others overcome.

Lots of love.

UPDATE:

We've had somewhat of a breakthrough regarding finances in the team. Many people have had their debt paid off. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Now and the Future.

Gutentag! 

I got back from the Liz and the Lions tour a week ago now. It was so great and really opened up my eyes (yet again) to how art can impact people. The band played 8 shows in a week, sold 50 cd's and raised well over a thousand euros for the projects in Ethiopia. On top of that we were able to get a couple of the girls sponsored individually at 70 euro a month. This money pays for their basic needs. It also allows the girls to support their families. The 13 girls are growing in faith and confidence as they experience the stability of dedicated people investing into their lives. The translator for the program, a totally delightful Ethiopian who grew up in a YWAM orphanage, is currently attending the Justice DTS. She is so excited to be out of Ethiopia for the first time!

Pick a Pocket is going through a period of change as new people come on board and we start going into a slightly different direction which I will tell you about soon. We have 8 guys joining, all talented artists with a passion for people and Jesus. Next week 30 of us are going on a retreat in the south of Germany which should be fun. Hopefully it will allow us to come together, build unity and dream of what God has for us as a ministry.

I have been asked to co-organize a conference similar to the one I helped out with last year. It's an extremely intimidating idea.... organizing a multi-day conference for at least 1000 people in a country I don't speak the language but I feel like the one last year was so inspiring and informative that I really want to see one happen this year too! Last year the conference focused on equipping people with  practical ways to stop human trafficking and fight modern day slavery. It was a fantastic platform for churches and  community groups to network and support one another. Will keep you updated on this....

I'm still excited about leading an art-track for the upcoming MOTA. We have already accepted 100 students which is amazing!

Personally I am really challenged at the moment. I feel intimidated by some of the things I am involved in coming up. Would really appreciate your prayers! 

Thanks so much.

New Pick a Pocket flyer!

First glimpse of out newest flyer! I wrote the text and the photos and graphics are a collaborative effort from talented Pick a Pocket staff.

Justice DTS

Along with my regular role in Pick a Pocket, I am helping out with the justice portion of the pioneering Justice Discipleship Training School. Last night we had our first of many Justice Nights and I spoke on corruption/integrity. It was a huge stretch, because I'm terrified of speaking in front of large groups of people, but I felt really strongly to talk about this subject. I am so excited to be a small part of this school and to be able to disciple, encourage and challenge people.

We showed the video below last night and I love it. Every time I watch it something different jumps out at me.

Liz and the Lions Tour Update.

I have the huge privilege of touring with the Pick a Pocket band, Liz and the Lions, around the Frankfurt area for a week. They are an awesomely talented group who play unique songs around a social justice theme. It has been amazing to me how effective art can be at opening doors. I have had a chance to meet some awesome people and have told them about the projects that we run in Ethiopia. It has been such an encouragement to see how excited people are about what we do and it has been a blessing to the projects that there are more people willing to support them financially. We have a few more shows this week, but have a look at the first one they did at an Irish Pub in Mainz.



We also have some merchandise and art set up in a cafe in downtown Mainz this week and we made it into the newspaper!

Hello friends!

Ryan and Sean are back from Tunisia and I sat down with them and asked them a few questions about the outreach. The details of the interview are on the Pick a Pocket website Tunisia-an Interview with Ryan and Sean I also write occasionally for the YWAM Herrnhut blog YWAM Herrnhut blog  We have a fairly active community on Facebook through the Pick a Pocket group. Become a member and be challenged and inspired by information and initiatives from around the world.

This summer is shaping up to be a busy one. Herrnhut has a Justice focused DTS starting in a month that I hope to be playing a supporting role in. It excites me to motivate people to get active in their world and to be able to educate them about projects and organizations worldwide. I am currently working on the syllabus for the upcoming September Marriage of the Arts (MOTA)  DTS. MOTA DTS website This promises to be a huge school; 120+ have already applied, we are expecting around 200 students. I will be leading one of 9 art tracks, Journalism/Photojournalism. This is going to be a time of huge stretching as I merge discipling young people, equipping them for missions and teaching the basics of Journalism.

In the next few weeks I am going on tour with the Pick a Pocket band, Liz and the Lions. We have a number of opportunities to take the show on the road around Germany and I would love to see a bit more of this country I call home (for now) and to interact with a cross section of people.

Thank you all for your interest and support. Blessings and love- Amy

Friends In Tunisia.

As of right now we have 4 people from our base serving the people of Libya in Tunisia. Sean and Ryan have been in country for just over a week and are working in one of the refugee camps on the border. It is very dangerous and they are regularly searched by police who are suspicious of their motives there. Please pray for protection for them personally but also for all of their expensive photographic equipment. This Sunday we have a team of 6 heading to the Italian island of Lampedusa to help out with Libyan refugees there. For more information Boat crammed with refugees from Libya reaches tiny Italian island.


Blessings and love!

Tunisia/ Libya update...

Just a quick update on the Tunisia/ Libya situation. We have quite a number of people leaving from the base in Herrnhut to help out there, which is awesome! I love willing, available people. My friends Ryan and Sean booked flights on Saturday afternoon and left Monday morning and they could really use your prayers! They have a bag full of film and empty memory sticks and a willingness to help in anyway possible. Please pray that doors will be open to them and that they would be a real blessing to the people of Libya in this difficult time. Thanks!

Here is a video of a project that Pick a Pocket initiated a few years ago...

Tunisia/Libya

I am a total news addict and feel it’s so important to know what is happening in the world; good and bad. I believe in the power of intercession and feel it is so important for Christians to pray for nations and people who sometime seem another world away. At the moment Libya has been on my heart and I am considering going with a small team who are leaving asap to work with refugees in Tunisia. I would really appreciate prayer about whether I should be a part of this.

Pick a Pocket is in the UK.

We missed stops, buses and trains but eventually made it to London and back. It was a hectic but good time and I feel like it created a solid base on which to plan other trips to London. We spent time at the University of Essex, speaking at the events planned, selling merchandise to support projects in Ethiopia and talking with students. I was able to spend time with my sister too, which was awesome! After a couple of days we went to London and attended Hillsong at the Dominion. We were invited to lunch and had the opportunity to spend a few hours ministering to a young homeless man who has a passion for evangelism. I was so blessed to be able to reconnect with friends and to share with them more about Pick a Pocket and what I am doing. Thank you so much Shelley, Kim and Klara! It was a successful and fun few days, and I can’t wait to take Pick a Pocket to London again.

The Turkana and Fine-Art Photography.

Ebakatu and baby Asunyen

Nayokono Ekukoi

For more photos and stories of our trip please have a look at http://mrseanrogers.blogspot.com/

The first couple of months...

I sit on the top of the cattle truck and hold on with both hands to the hot metal bars. I have blisters on the palms of my hands but that’s the least of my worries. The truck lurches terrifyingly over a huge sharp rock as smaller ones scatter into the valley below. In the belly of the truck, where cattle is normally carried, are piles of feed sacks, replacement tyres and people. A woman in traditional Samburu tribal dress, beaded necklaces piled high on her regal neck, sits on bags; her little grandson slouched in her lap.  I was amazed that he had not complained so far on this 18 hr trip. Next to her is a schoolteacher. Over the roar of the engine we talk about Kenya, education and Jesus. I’m on my way to Lake Turkana, in the far north of Kenya on the border of Ethiopia. I’m travelling with two others, only have about 100 dollars and am not sure how long this trip will take. We know the Turkana tribe are one of the least reached people groups in the world and we want to find out how we can interact with them, photograph them and serve them.

A free ride on the back of a police ute, going further north.

I’ve always known God wanted me on the edge, in the dessert of Northern Kenya, the streets of Kabul or in the red-light districts of Eastern Europe. To go where few want to go, to go where there are no roads, go where there is no water and take the love of Jesus. I am a part of a collective of artists who burn in a crazy way for people to know our amazing Creator. We feel the burden of responsibility that knowledge brings. As a group we support and motivate each other, live in a simple way and keep Jesus at the center of our lives. Together, as friends and part of a larger movement, we want to see lives redeemed by newfound understandings of generosity and initiative.

I spent the first couple of months this year in Kenya. I was able to return to an orphanage that I was involved with a few years ago. It was amazing to see how much Watoto wa Baraka has developed since my last visit. I adore each of the 33 precious kids and I love to see that they are being taken care of, are happy and are succeeding in school. During my time there, I served in a variety of practical ways. In a rural orphanage environment there is always plenty to do, so I spent my days feeding the animals, cleaning and helping to cook over a wood fire.  At nighttime we would tutor the children and put them to bed.  Mostly though these kids just need someone to care about how their day was, put a band-aid on a hurt knee and give them a million hugs. After a couple of weeks another member of Pick a Pocket joined me and we were able to shoot a short film about the orphanage. A Kenyan orphan, who was sponsored as a child, started the orphanage; I love that the story of Watoto wa Baraka is one of hope.

Sean, my fellow Pick a Pocketer, and I felt led to go and explore the north of Kenya, specifically visiting Samburu and Turkana tribal villages, in the hope that Pick a Pocket would be able to start something long-term in a place that desperately needs it. We were told that this no-mans land was dangerous and unpredictable. During our couple of weeks in the north of Kenya we sought for God’s guidance and saw his hand in everything. We hiked out to a remote Samburu village and shared in their way of life. We were able to network with existing organisations and assist them in their projects including delivering solar Bibles to the Turkana people. As we got further north we were overwhelmed by the needs of the people living in this harsh landscape. It was during a fine-art photo shoot with some Turkana refugees that we got a bigger glimpse of their struggle to survive. We heard stories of violent tribal warfare, of people being driven off their land by the government and forced to live on the outskirts of a town. The Turkana are pastoralists who survive mainly on a diet of milk and blood provided by their precious horned cows. Without the grazing land, without the cows, families were struggling to survive. As we talked with, and photographed, these amazing women, we found out that many had not eaten for days. Their babies were lethargic and covered in flies and the women were grateful of the food we gave them on the spot. We were able to give them money for them to buy enough basic groceries to last their families for a few weeks. At the moment we are working with another woman, Robin, to develop a long-term solution. Unfortunately desperation led some of the woman, together with their teenage daughters, to start making and selling home brew. The police recently discovered the operation. They took their meagre profits, and sentenced the young girls to a year in prison. Robin is currently working with the authorities to get the girls out of jail; she could use your prayers.

On returning from Kenya to my home base in Germany, I was able to slot into place in an editorial role on the Marriage of the Arts (MOTA) DTS magazine. It is predominantly a student magazine but there is some of my writing in it as well. Please check out the online copy http://issuu.com/movemeant/docs/atom for amazing stories of God’s work in and through people eager to discover more.  

Currently I am working at organising a mini- Pick a Pocket tour to the UK at the beginning of May. It has been on my heart for sometime to take a small group of people to speak at universities, events and churches about how art can be used to fight injustice and spread the gospel. At the moment we have an opportunity to give a photography workshop at a university specialising in human rights and give a presentation during an awards ceremony run by Amnesty International. Please pray that people are inspired to explore art with purpose and are moved to help fight injustice.

From the bottom of my heart, it means so much to me to know that there are people scattered all over the world praying for me. It is such a joy to be able to be used by God at the front line of missions and I want to live in a way that honours the support of the people that partner with me.

First up I know there is a chasm of time between blog posts here. I didn’t think anyone was reading them so I was un-motivated to write. It’s been a crazy busy couple of months and I’ve barely been able to catch my breath. Here is a little re-cap…

Week 2 and 3: Missed matatus and Mithini

About a week ago, four of us volunteers decided to go and spend the night at the other WWB orphanage in Mithini. Loaded with supplies, we caught a matatu (a public transport minivan), for the 20 km trip. The roads were dirt and heavily eroded in the mountainous area and after a bone-jarring hour and a half we finally made it to the orphanage. The 8 kids that call this place home were delightful and we spent time helping them haul containers of water from the stagnant water source at the bottom of the hill. A well is under construction but for now the only water that is readily available for cooking and washing is the tiny catchment that most of their neighbours also use.  It was great to be able to spend some time loving and encouraging the kids and staff.

On Friday we came home from the nearby town to find 3 new faces at the orphanage. The kids had been dropped off with very little explanation except that their mother had died a few years ago and they had since been living with their great-grandparents. The great-grandparents were now very sick and so had given the children over to the orphanage for care. The oldest, George, is 10 but has never been to school. Dorcas is a sweet 7 year old who very lovingly looks after her 3 year old brother Issa. The first night was rough on all three kids. Issa wandered around the compound with big scared eyes and when we scrambled for blankets so they could go to sleep he just lay frozen in his new bed, silent tears snaking down his little cheeks. On Saturday we took them for their first medical check-up.  I hope you will join us in praying that the 3 of them are HIV-.

Sean, also Pick a Pocket staff, joined me here a week ago. Together with another volunteer, Robin, we have been planning a trip to the north of Kenya. We are all interested in experiencing a little bit more of Kenyan tribal culture and getting off the beaten track-  reaching the unreached- and doing what we are called to do.

Prayer requests-

Robin is not a Christian, but she is very open to hearing about our beliefs. I imagine that it will be an intense time for her- travelling to the north with 2 missionaries. Please pray for sensitivity and understanding for all of us.

Pray that the 3 new children all receive a clean bill of health and they are able to stay together in the orphanage.

Prayer for health and safety for the 3 of us heading north would be very much appreciated.

Last but not least- finances. Right at the beginning of this year I had a dream that I felt told me that God would provide as I went along the journey. I took a massive step of faith in coming to Kenya with less than half of what I need for the whole time here. I really do trust that God will provide, but as a human I still have sleepless nights worrying about how I'm going to get through the rest of this time. Please pray for an increase in my faith and ability to trust that God will provide.

Thanks so much! When I feel so far away from everything it really does make a difference to know that there are people out there in the world who are praying for and caring about me.


Please check out Sean's blog http://mrseanrogers.blogspot.com/ for a write-up on one of the kids here at the orphanage and some of his awesome photos.

:)

Week 1: Red dirt, piglets and 32 crazy kids.

Well I've been back in Kenya for a week now. The orphanage is still its usual chaos of animals and children. It's been great to see how much the children have changed and grown. The 2 oldest girls are heading off to secondary school in Nairobi this week and there has been a number of little kids start school for the first time this year. I had forgotten how great it is to be woken at dawn by the chatter and laughter of dozens of kids eating breakfast and getting into clean scrubbed uniforms.

The youngest at the orphanage is a little guy who is 3 and a half. Last night he was so tired after a long day of running around that he fell asleep mid-meal and I had to spoon feed him the remainder of his ugali while he dozed off in my lap.  The orphanage itself has changed a lot since the last time I was here. There are 4 new buldings, running water from one tap and electricity! New pathways between the buildings are a huge imrovement too. Nearby trees are laden with green mangos and huge avocados and the red soil is perfet for growing bananas. Last Thursday I spent the morning shovelling manure around all the banana trees on the property. By the time we were finished the sun was high in the sky and I had manure baked onto my skin. I think you could smell me from space.

There are a number of other volunteers currently at the orphanage. I got to share my testimony with one of them the other day which was amazing. Please pray that she continues to ask questions and to be open. And I would really appreciate your prayer for finances as well.

Thanks so much for your support!

Watoto wa Baraka- Children of Blessing

In 2008, I had the tremendous privilege of volunteering at an orphanage in the mountains of Kenya for a few months. The children were truly remarkable; joyful, smart and full of dreams. I lived in a mud house lit only by candle light. The days were spent lugging water from the well, laying the foundation of a new building and loving and caring for the kids. I loved it. 

When I left I felt like my heart was torn out; I knew I would be back at some point. It's been a long-time in coming but I'm going back tomorrow. I'm so excited to see all the kids and to see how things have changed and stayed the same. This time I'm taking my sister, Joanna, along for 2 weeks. Later in the month I will be joined by a number of friends from YWAM Herrnhut for the remaining 4 weeks or so. I'm so looking forward to spending time with God under the African sky and I hope He uses me to be a blessing to the incredible people of Pundamilia. 

I would really appreciate your prayers for finances and health. I've only just recovered from salmonella poisoning and am heading into weeks of drinking well-water. I only have enough money to last me a couple of weeks in Kenya. I'm pretty nervous about this and it's caused me to have many sleepless nights praying about whether I should be going at all, but I feel strongly that this is the right time. So it's a giant leap of faith... It really does make all the difference knowing that there are people praying for me and caring about what I'm up to, so I thank you in advance!

Hope your new year got off to an amazing start!

Love and blessings,

Amy

P.S This is the website Watoto wa Baraka 

Website!

So Pick a Pocket has not had a proper website for ages, and we all know if its not online it doesn't exist... or something like that. Anyway PaP member Stephanie, who is awesome, has organized a little bit of internet presence for us... check it out.

Pick a Pocket


And add Pick a Pocket as a group on facebook. It's an interactive group and we love to hear from people who care about the same things we do...