Kelly (in orange) and the Discovery Crew

Article by Kelly Little of Discover Church in Broomfield CO
At Discovery Church we value the reciprocal relationship we have with Fred and Alice Afwai and the work they do in the Kayole neighborhood with Hands with Hope Safe House and also Candlelight school.  We do not see Candlelight School as a charity that we donate to, rather our brothers, sisters and children that we care deeply about and will do everything within our abilities to advocate for them. Through this relationship our church is given the opportunity to cultivate compassion and generosity to benefit our friends.

When we went to Nairobi last fall to visit our friends in person we went with a purpose; to learn more about the life they live, the people they work with, and to have a conversation about how we can serve their vision.  Every day we worked hard and every evening we talked, laughed and cried as we did life together and shared struggles.  One evening Alice called me into her room and showed me piles upon piles of beautiful Kenyan goods that mothers had given to Alice in the hope that their child would be able to go to school.   Alice, having a heart to see every child be able to go to school – regardless of income – graciously accepted these items, even though the items alone would not pay for teacher salaries, supplies or food for the school children.

As we sat on her bed and looked at these piles and piles of scarves, jewelry, handmade bags and aprons, she asked me in a quiet but confident voice, “do you think you could bring some of these items home with you to sell?”

Cooperative Computer Learning

After spending the time to get to know the men, women and children of Kayole there was no way we were going to say no.  We had no idea how much we would be able to sell, but we packed our suitcases full to the brim and trusted that the Lord would provide a way for us to sell these items back home and send all of the money back to Fred and Alice to be used to improve the care and education of children in the Kayole.

Over Christmas and Easter we were able to sell the items to our friends, family and congregation and we raised $3200, with every cent going back to Kenya.

Through the sale of these goods, our church members are able to contribute to the well being of our friends and directly to the Kenya economy at the same time.  When our members are given the opportunity to directly impact real people, the generosity overflows.  We strongly encourage other churches to get to know any of the amazing partners who work with The 1010 Project, have a conversation, and see what you can do to help.