Clean Water for Kathyaka, Kenya

by Sebastian, YWAM Madison staff and outreach co-leader

Kenya Area Map - YWAM Madison Kenya Outreach

This map shows where some of these photos were taken. Photos by Holly.

Last week we traveled to a remote place in southeast Kenya called Kibwezi (the actual village we stayed in is called Kathyaka). This is a place without electricity or running water, but all of us just loved it. We were welcomed very warmly by the hosting church there.
We were struck by the extreme poverty we experienced there. Life was very simple. But still the people there have genuine joy. We built good relationships and made new friends.

We distributed water filters in Kathyaka and the surrounding villages. The people accepted them with gratitude. We also visited a primary and a secondary school and performed skits, puppet shows, and songs. Some of us shared our testimonies about what God has done in our lives.We also visited the homes of people who lived outside the village and prayed for them. Many of the people were sick and we witnessed the most severe poverty we had seen.

The water situation in Kathyaka has become very severe right now. There has not been much rain since Holly and I were there in January and February 2010. The pond where the village gets its water from dried out. People have to go 15 km (9 miles) in order to buy some water. Please pray for this region (as well as for the north, where the famine is). The next rain is expected in October.

We have also had time to enjoy ourselves and experience life in Kenya. All of us especially liked a ride on the back of a pick-up truck on the dusty roads around the village. We helped slaughter a chicken and a goat for one of our meals. And of course we love just playing with the children in the village.

Thanks for your prayer for our team. We do not have electricity where we are staying right now, so I am only able to write when we are in the city of Nairobi. Pray for us as we travel home this week. Our connecting flight is in London, so please pray that our travels will not be disrupted by the situation there.