Category: ELI Alumni
April 30, 2012 by Katie
It is a well-known fact that ELI could not operate as effectively or as vibrantly without the help, care and love of our amazing volunteers! Over the years we have had the most incredible people step in at crucial times and fill a special place at ELI. From mailing letters, to cutting sponsorship packets, to data entry, to video making, our volunteers have blessed us immensely.
This Sunday we held a special lunch to celebrate our volunteers. (more…)
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February 2, 2012 by dianahom
We love it when people catch God’s heart for caring for orphans and vulnerable children. It’s even more exciting when they incorporate that love in something as sacred as a wedding. In October 2011, Steve and Jenni were married and instead of purchasing wedding favors for each guest, they donated the money they would have spent to ELI’s Kipkaren Children’s Home. They incorporated some of the children in our home into the labeling of their table seating. It was such a creative idea and a huge gift to the orphans in our Home!
Ronny's profile is displayed on the table
(more…)
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September 28, 2011 by Katie
We are currently seeking highly-organized, relational, and self-motivated candidates to fill the position of Short-Term Ministry Coordinator to help coordinate and develop our Alumni program, internships, and short-term missions teams. You will have the opportunity to help carry the word of what ELI is doing in Africa to communities throughout California and beyond. The position is a part time job at 24 hours a week.
Job Application deadline: Monday October 24th
CLICK HERE to learn more and tell your friends!
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September 27, 2011 by Katie
This past summer I was blessed with the opportunity to spend two months in the village of Kipkaren, Kenya serving with ELI. One of the things that I was most challenged by during my time in Kipkaren was the difference of how food is viewed. I observed the Kenyans laboring over their crops, observing the weather to ensure their harvest would be full, and caring for their animals with intentionality. One night as we were saying grace for our dinner, I remember thinking how that simple prayer of thanking God for our food had transformed for me during my time in Kenya. Rather than flippantly hurrying through a prayer of thanksgiving, I had come to a place of truly thanking God for His provision, as I had seen the work and effort that went into placing the meal on my plate. As Americans, it is not often that we connect with our food in that way. In general, we go to the grocery store, choose what we need, pay, and leave, without ever thinking about where the food came from or what it took to get there.
As the weeks passed, and I enjoyed my twentieth plate of ugali and kale, I was further challenged by the variety and caliber of food that I eat so often. (more…)
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September 13, 2011 by Katie
This week marks the official end of summer, and what an amazing summer we’ve had here at ELI. From June to August, our training centers in Kenya hosted eight teams, eight interns, and a dozen visitors. Teams built housing for medical staff, trained teachers, planned and participated in VBS, ran mobile health clinics, and put on a huge camp for 500 youth in the community. Despite all the amazing work that was accomplished, central and most importantly, beautiful relationships blossomed this summer. We’d love to give you a brief glimpse into some of the specific relationships that formed, and hope that someday we can hear your story as well!
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by Katie
This past summer I was blessed to spend two months serving in Kipkaren, Kenya alongside the staff of Empowering Lives International. During my time there, I was attached to the Moiben family at the Children’s Home. It is with this family that I shared my meals, spent my evenings, and connected through fellowship and deep conversations. From the first day I arrived in Kipkaren, there was one girl from the family that I seemed to connect with almost immediately. She was the first to introduce herself when I visited the compound, the first to ask me a myriad of questions about my life in America, and the first to call me her sister. From that time on, Esther and I were inseparable. (more…)
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by Katie
During our team’s preparations for our first visit to Kenya, Amy Rogers and I corresponded a bit over email. She was very helpful with answering our questions and giving us ideas. I had never met her or talked with her before and I really didn’t know what to expect as the wife of the founder of ELI. (more…)
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by Katie
During my month in Ilula, I grew very close to three particular boys. My little “crew” as I called them, included Emmanuel, Apollo, and Edison. These three children all had different personalities. Emmanuel is smart and is a hard worker. He loved to show me the corn he is responsible for in the shamba (garden). I thought it was sweet how he wants to be a missionary someday. Next we have Apollo. (more…)
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July 7, 2011 by Katie
A Feast to Remember
My 3 month internship with ELI was coming to a close, and I had been trying for a couple weeks to come up with a way to celebrate with and bless the Kipkaren Children’s Home before I left. It came to me one night as the kids excitedly talked about getting to taste American hamburgers a few years ago. Many of them listed hamburgers as their favorite food.
“I’ve gotta do something about that,” I thought to myself. There is more to life than hamburgers. “That’s it! I’ll make them a meal.” As I talked and planned with the Matekwas, some of the house parents, we decided that it would be fun for the kids to sample Mexican food, since I had talked a lot about my family and cultural heritage during my time with the Children’s Home. In my family and in the village community, food brings people together; what better way to conclude my time in Kenya, breaking bread (or tortillas!) as brothers and sisters in Christ.
And so, my last night in the village, we celebrated with a feast- burrito night! In the Old Testament, the Lord actually instructs the Israelities to feast multiple times a year, to remember what He has done. So we followed suit, and had a blast! (more…)
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by Katie
In January of 1995 after much discussion and prayer, my husband and I agreed that I was being called to a short-term mission’s trip to Africa with ELI. I wasn’t sure why God was calling me at that time in my life. I had two very young children that would need round the clock care and my husband was finishing two master’s degrees in Southern California. We also knew that as soon as I returned from the mission’s trip, our family would be relocating to Washington State to begin a church revitalization project. Many things were up in the air, but I knew in my heart that it was God’s plan for me, and I did not want to miss the opportunity.
The pending trip to Africa along with a new assignment to Washington State, were major changes in my life. Although I knew God was leading me to Africa for the summer, it was a challenging time. Not only would I have to give up my new home in California but I would also have to move into an outdated parsonage in Washington, which I was not thrilled about. I surrendered my concerns to the Lord and tried to maintain a positive attitude, but I must admit, I was not acting very grateful, faithful, or joyous. But God was getting ready to do a wonderful work in my heart that would forever change my perspective toward ministry and life. I was going to Africa to “serve others” with my nursing skills and strengths, but what I didn’t know was that God would use my team, and the community in Africa, to do an incredible work in my life. I was preparing to bless others, but God was preparing them to bless me. I did not know that this trip was going to become the greatest attitude adjustment of my life. (more…)
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