Lahash Music Playlist for 2008

Are you interested in listening to some of the tunes that have been playing in our speakers this year? I've set up a list of 17 songs that are from the continent of Africa or pertain to our work there. Click on over to iTunes to see the iMix. These songs inspire me, challenge me, and many times make me cry.

Merry Christmas from the kids in Dodoma!

From Dodoma in 2008

Esther Muhagachi in Dodoma, Tanzania sent these photos of the kids in our sponsorship program wishing the sponsors and friends a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
She and the team report that the kids are doing fine, and have been hard at work in their choir. Christmas day was a wonderful celebration, but it was pouring rain. 

From Dodoma in 2008

A relational gift this Christmas

Here in Portland we are snowed in for yet another day, leaving many people unable to shop for the final gifts for their loved ones. May I suggest giving a relational gift that you can print right from your home computer?

Please check out the Lahash Christmas Giving Guide for many ideas in varying price ranges that will affect the lives of people in East Africa.

Since I am the Sponsorship Director, I want to make a special plug for sponsorships. Currently there are six amazing kids in our Sudanese program needing sponsors at $30 per month. Additionally there are 20 kids in our Tanzanian program who need sponsorship at $12 per month.

As a testimony of how personal this gift can be, here is part of an email from India Main, whose family sponsors Sebur Emmanuel at Amazing Grace Orphanage. Having just returned from Uganda, I had a bunch of photos of Sebur that I emailed to the Mains...

"The children will be SO glad to receive this. Our oldest son John Z. is especially concerned about Sebur and prays for him daily. Tonight he was telling his visiting Aunt all about Sebur...just because it was on his heart. He will be SO excited about receiving these photos."

Please consider if the children (or adults) in your life would be excited to learn about our global family through sponsorship. If you're interested, please email me at ladams@lahash.net to let me know which program you would like to sponsor through. I will email you the child's profile before Christmas so that you have something for the stocking!

Merry Christmas, friends!

Berean Trip Photo Gallery

Kenya marks nearly one year since post-election violence

It has nearly been a year now since the post-election violence in Kenya. Internally displaced people are yet to benefit to the peace and stability that is now seen in the country at the moment. Dozens and dozens of the I.D.Ps (internal refugees) are yet to relocate or for that matter return to their previous places they once called home.

Those that escaped the infamous Eldoret church burning are still counting their luck after escaping the outrage of the locals. It has been one year after the incident that left dozens of their colleagues burned alive in the church. 

Over 3,000 persons are still in the Eldoret Camp and uncountable ones are all over the country. Their scars tell of the trauma which they went through. The violence last year left over a thousand people dead and more than three hundred thousand people displaced. 

At the moment we still have a good number of people who are still displaced. Sometimes they go hungry without food for several days. Nairobi wasn’t untouched either, the effect of the violence left many people homeless. 

Some of the children are admitted in Tenderfeet education center and are being assisted in many ways. They are being counseled to curb the trauma they experienced and are being given basic necessities: education and food. At the moment they are on holidays until January. We have been distributing food stuffs and paying rent for the people who were affected by the violence and some who are living with HIV and AIDS that are in our program.

The post-election violence was so intense in Nairobi and especially in the Kibera slums that sparkled the violence. Jobless youth up-rooted the railway line that passes through the slum area and they also indulged in looting, burning and also attacking out some of the other tribes in Kibera.

The proposed piece of land to be purchased by Tenderfeet in Kibera was later differed to Riruta satellite about 10 kilometers from Nairobi town due to the experience of the post-election violence in the area. The proposed land will be purchased in Riruta and Tenderfeet will soon be using the land for the school. Our Tenderfeet advocate Dax Mitchell will be visiting Kenya in January. He is been a great help to Tenderfeet for envisioning a way forward.

Lahash Christmas Giving Options 2008 video

Head on over to the Christmas 08 page to check out where we still need gifts for this next year!

Pictures of Jose Nunez event in Portland

We had the privilege of hosting Jose Nunez in town this past week. Jose spent a year in Sudan serving with Mama Susan and the crew at IWASSRU. 

From USA Lahash Network

We invited friends and family from the Portland are to join us for a conversation with Jose to learn about God's Sudanese family.

From USA Lahash Network

Leisha and I (Dan) joined Jose for a panel discussion. Leisha just returned from her trip to Uganda and Sudan.

Thanks to all of you who came for the evening - and for the great crew that helped put it on!

Jose Nunez speaking in Portland, Oregon

Jose Nunez will be speaking tomorrow in Portland, Oregon. Everyone is invited for an evening of conversation about God's Sudanese family. Jose's been modifying a new video of his time in Sudan, and we'll serve fresh chai and cookies. 

Where: Evangel Baptist Church
2830 NE Flanders St • Portland, OR 97232
When: December 12 - 7 to 9 PM

Here are some beautiful photos that our friend Susanna Kohly took when she visited him in Southern Sudan in October. Also check out her website for her project "100 Cameras". 

The Warner Team Leaves.

We have been in Kampala-Uganda for five days and spent memorable moment with the children and the staff of Kampala house. The city of Kampala has been busy, everybody doing shopping for the upcoming Christmas. We did some few shoppings as well buying some gifts for our folks back home.
Lexie, Jeremy and Leisha have just left for the Entebbe airport and will be flying back home at 10pm East African time. It was great having the team in Africa and we thank God so much they are going back home safe.Christine and I will be leaving for Kenya tomorrow evening.Thank so much all for your prayers and great support.

In Kampala One Last Time

Just wanted to drop a quick note that we had a great, uneventful return to Kampala. (Not entirely uneventful for Jeremy who sat next to a man who was transferring from one hospital to another, IV still in his arm, spasming from pain every few minutes.)

After three weeks of bathing from basins of chilly borehole water, no electricity most of the time, and no running water or toilets, we shocked ourselves at how posh it seems here in Kampala! One of our team members (who shall remain nameless) had to stare at the toilet for a minute before remembering how to use it! We got to watch a movie last night on my laptop, and slept the whole night without the hum of hordes of mosquitoes hovering around the edges of our nets. What luxury!

Just like in the States, it is cold and flu season here in East Africa, and Lexie and I both have the bug. Right now we both sound like career smokers going through puberty, so the ladies here boiled us some hot water for bathing last night. I had to stop and count...my last hot shower was on October 13th, and I'd forgotten how amazing it feels. As Edwin mentioned, we celebrated Thanksgiving last week, and it was good practice for how grateful I feel today.

After the "American" Thanksgiving celebration, we put together a Thanksgiving party for the kids on Saturday. They had just finished their final exams for school the day before, so it was great timing to talk about being thankful for God's blessings. The cooks put together a great feast, roughly based on traditional Thanksgiving foods. We had chicken and beef, mashed irish potatoes and fried sweet potatoes, home-made bread, greens, tomato salad, and sodas. Our friend Jaclyn took a photo of the boys afterward, all standing in profile with their stomachs sticking out from so much food. It looked fake, like they were just sticking out their bellies, but I promise you they weren't! Each of them looked like they had a beach ball stuck under their shirt. Then they worked off all the food with singing and dancing, then a game of football. It was such an amazing Thanksgiving celebration, and I felt so privileged to share it with them.

Please be praying for a few things for us:
* We're leaving for the States on Sunday evening, and have some few final things to do before we go, not to mention a lot of goodbyes.
* Lexie and I are sick. It hasn't been affecting our ability to get around, but we're trying not to get anyone else sick either. Please pray for healing for us.
* It's the Christmas holidays now, and IWASSRU is hosting a Child Evangelism Training at St. Bartholomew's this coming weekend in conjunction with Christian Horizons, a sponsorship organization in Canada. Pray that this will be an impacting time for the kids.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

December 1 is World AIDS day

Today Lyla and Shirley and I joined a band of other groups here in Portland raising voices and awareness about AIDS. The Portland Area AIDS coalition puts on several events each year - this is the second time our team has joined them in the call.

33 Million people infected with HIV. 24 million in Sub-saharan Africa. Millions are still living without Anti-Retro-Viral medicines. It's time to give these millions our love, prayers, and support.