21 days plus about 28 hours of travel until we
are blessed to see this once again...
Words cannot describe the joy and thanksgiving
in my heart that we have the opportunity to return to Kenya this August. After
a rollercoaster couple of months, filled with much joy and sadness in our
family, this trip means more to me than I can express.
For those of you not on our mailing list
(meaning I don't have your current mailing address), I wanted to post here the
letter that Shaun and I sent out detailing our trip to Kenya last year (with
pictures mixed in). If you are reading this wondering "what is she
talking about", here's the short version: Last August my dear
husband and I travelled with about 10 teammates to a very rural part of
southern Kenya called Imbirikani - a trip organized by our church Highland Park
Presbyterian. Specifically, we stayed at the Imbirikani Girls School,
which is a boarding high school for young girls in the area, founded by two members
of our church and supported by both HPPC and Sky Ranch. This trip changed
our lives in ways we could never have imagined, and now I cannot believe I
lived 28 years without these wonderful people in my life. This year,
Shaun and I will be joined by my sister and my father, as well as 9 other
teammates. We are so excited!
From our recent letter:
"During our ten days in Imbirikani, we accomplished
what seems impossible looking back now. The amount of energy we had was clearly straight from
the Lord – if it were up to us alone we never would have made it. We were able to install new irrigation in one
quadrant of the shamba, or vegetable garden, in order for the school to become
more self-sufficient in producing food for the students and staff. Another part of our team, including Allison,
painted five classrooms from top to bottom, and repaired and refinished over
300 desks and chairs.
In addition to the
maintenance at the school, we were blessed to see children come to know the
Lord, or grow in their love of Him, through several days of Vacation Bible
School. By the last day, the number of children in attendance had more
than doubled! Almost two hundred children from neighboring villages came
to the school for music, bible lessons, crafts and play. Finally, we
witnessed a truly amazing event. The Christian Growth Conference was a
huge success. Over three hundred church pastors and leaders from all over
the region came to the school for a conference teaching them to become
effective disciples of Christ, and to work cohesively with one another, despite
significant cultural difference.
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When
we returned home, we both knew that our work in Kenya was not finished. Although we accomplished so much, there is still
work to be done. Our hearts and minds are
committed to this mission for as long as the Lord calls us. Specifically, Shaun has been working with two of
our leaders on the overall vision for the shamba. They have designed a long-term plan for
completing irrigation on the 3.5 acre land, and are hoping to execute that plan
over the next several years. Allison
will be leading the maintenance team this year, with a goal of repainting all
of the dormitories. While our vision is grand, we
know it is the Lord’s calling!
We are
humbly asking for your support in continuing this incredible mission. We
must raise at least $7,000 by the end of June to be able to take part in this
trip. We are hoping to raise even more this year to help fund the many
supplies necessary to achieve the Lord’s vision for this school. The
mission needs $30,000 to cover costs for this year’s conference, VBS and work
projects! We prayerfully request that you consider supporting our efforts
to continue this significant mission work by contributing whatever you
can."
Friends and Readers: We still have a long
way to go in raising the support needed for this year's trip. Each team
member must raise approximately $3,000 for travel expenses. Our other
expenses break down roughly as follows:
-$5,000 for the VBS - books, craft supplies,
t-shirts, soccer balls, food and snacks for the kids, etc.
-$12,500 for the irrigation project - pipes,
valves, sprinkler heads, labor, etc.
$12,500 for the 3 day Conference - food and
water for 300+ people, A/V equipment, travel, workbooks and supplies, etc.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Anything you can
contribute will help!
You can contribute in two ways:
1) Mail a check payable to Highland Park
Presbyterian Church (memo: Murphy Kenya 2012) to Allison & Shaun Murphy,
8610 Southwestern Blvd. #614, Dallas, Texas 75206
2) Donate through Paypal - click the link below
or located in the sidebar.
For more information go to www.imbirikani.org or
www.hppc.org/missiontrips.
Prayerfully and Gratefully,
Allison & Shaun
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