e-bulletin no.16 December 2018

⭐️ Christian Greetings to ALL PEACEMAKERS⭐️

⭐️Be encouraged to walk out of the shadows and darkness of this world to follow the STAR of LIGHT and PEACE as the shepherds did long ago and who DID find what they were searching for: unconditional LOVE and a sense of belonging. ⭐️

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Peacemakers -e-bulletin no.16 December 2018

Like any changes you have to make in life, it’s difficult to accept and adjust to a new way. Peacemakers are not exempt from this experience either. It has been a difficult transition period for us but with God’s help we are moving in the right direction. ⭐️

We are now closing down the old way of management and starting up a new more homely environment with a commercial edge at our Resource Centre in Kenya. ⭐️ It has always been the intention to advertise the venue and facilities for hire in order to fund and maintain the Centre and provide support to our activities and the surrounding communities. The aim being, to make the project self -sufficient.

We plan to provide, what we are calling the Peacemakers Homestead, which will be accommodation with food, for visitors to enjoy within the grounds of the Resource Centre and for them to see first- hand how Kenyans live. ⭐️This beautiful venue will also be available to hire for weddings, conferences and training courses, plus for a short holiday ‘stay’ on the way to safari.

⭐️ Cameron Millikan, a dear Australian friend who had been working in London, volunteered to help us and visited the project for two weeks on his way home to Australia. He was able to create a new web-site in Kenya and has helped promote our name and purposes on the internet including plans and advertising for the new ‘Homestead’ project. ⭐️I can now tell you that the new email address is peacemakers.homestead.kenya@gmail.com and to view the website, click here: https://peacemakers-homestead-kenya.business.site/

Peacemakers will still be very active within the original vision at home and abroad, consolidating relationships with local ministers and stakeholders. We will now have to proceed to register and licence this new business venture with the Kenyan Government. ⭐️ We will remain a non-profit making organisation with our income used to fund the Resource Centre, provide wages for the new staff and to continue our on-going support to the vulnerable in the community.

⭐️ Meanwhile I would like to thank you for your continued prayerful and financial support and would ask if you could help in a small way to contribute towards the costs of the furnishings for our accommodation units and the licences we need to get us started on this new road. ⭐️

It is a very troubled world we live in but I and the Peacemakers Team would like to extend the Peace and Love that Jesus brings when we seek Him.⭐️

May you and your families have a Joyful Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 🎄❄️

With love from

Brenda

Peacemakers: e-link Bulletin No.15 May 2018

by Rob

the library stocked with a fantastic selection of books and resources, and the ever expanding “farm”, with livestock, an incubator for chicken production and the wonderful greenhouse producing yet more plants for selling on.

It was especially exciting to see how successful the impressive café is proving. Now up and running and supporting the community with superb hospitality and such impressive food that even the guests who had rented it for the day asked to take any spare food home with them !

This time my visit was predominantly to support the local schools with “Purposeful Play”, inspired by Brenda`s daughter, Kim. I was lucky enough to visit three local settings where I was able to demonstrate the importance of play to support physical development, particularly with the youngest children in Nursery and Reception classes. Not only did the children have great fun but the adults definitely did as well ! These play resources can now be borrowed from the Peacemakers` Resource Centre whenever desired, and enjoyed for many years to come.

It is with huge thanks to friends and family who supported my fundraising that not only was I able to take out a fantastic range of resources but I was also able to give money to fund the construction of a more stable and secure driveway down onto the site. This means that they have now accessibility for all. This is especially important to the visitors who arriving by wheelchair, found the route down to the worship hall, resource area and café impossible. How amazing was it that within hours of handing over the money, lovely Zongo and team were preparing the driveway and within days it had been completed !!

New Year eBulletin 2018

by Brenda Marshall

"When my first visit to Kathagari came to an end in 2010, I was adamant that I'd return soon. At the time, I did not imagine that this return would come a full 7 years later, but it was well worth the wait!.

The work that Chrissie has done with the local community and the progress made on the site is incredible - the plot was unrecognisable. Where I remembered building works, now stands a number of very impressive buildings - some in full use (such as the IT training centre) and some ready to be a roaring success (such as the Cafe).

It was great to see many recognisable and friendly faces (not least because I'd spent the previous few weeks alone on the back of a motorbike), but the real pleasure came from being able to contribute in a tangible way. With help from Brenda and Chrissie (and the generosity of my late Grandad), we were able to provide water filters to selected local families,

...school packs to the graduating class at Kivuria Primary School (Peacemakers' neighbour) and a new printer for the IT training room.

It meant a great deal to contribute to a place where I have such fond memories and to finally fulfil my promise to return. Visiting Kathagari and witnessing the positive work that Peacemakers continue to do...

...working with the local community rather than for it, is always a rewarding and enlightening experience - as such, I have already promised to revisit and really hope it's not another 7 years before I do!"

Fundraiser For Peacemakers Kenya, hosted by Liz Darlington.

New Year drinks evening at Seer Green Friday 19th January 7.30 - 10.30 pm

£5 to include a glass of mulled wine and nibbles.

RSVP. Liz Darlington

In 2015 I was lucky enough to visit this amazing organization. This year I am looking to return with the intention of supporting families and young children in a pre-school setting. Any funds raised during this evening will go directly towards resources out in Kenya.

Please bring along any unwanted Christmas presents and get a free go at the raffle. If you cannot attend and would like to buy raffle tickets, I am happy to sell them separately!

Thank you so much for your support with this and I look forward to seeing you there!

What a wonderful story, thank you Tom! And Liz's fundraiser and trip to Kenya are eagerly anticipated! Peacemakers would like to encourage anyone who has a heart to help those in need, to spend a week or two volunteering with us in Kenya. These opportunities truly can be a life changing experience, as so many have found out! Helping the Kenyans work their way out of poverty and with Peacemakers great facilities for their health and education, let’s thank God for his blessings and allowing us to continue being part of the answer to people’s needs.

A Happy and prosperous new year to you all,

From Brenda & the team.

Peacemakers Kenya Management Plan

by Brenda Marshall

The following statement is being distributed in and around Peacemakers Kenya, to give everyone an understanding of how we intended to run and maintain the facilities there long term. A PDF version of the document can be read, downloaded or printed using this link.

Brenda Marshall, Director of Peacemakers International, would like to inform you of the changes that are being made for the future and maintenance of Peacemakers Christian Community Resource Centre at Kivuria, near Kathageri. The centre has to generate money to become self-supporting from the hiring of functioning buildings, equipment, micro-enterprises, training courses and many other projects that the whole community benefit from. We hope local businesses will see the potential in sponsoring some of the events and benefiting also themselves by having conferences using and enjoying the wonderful facilities available for all.

We have recently had the Annual General Meeting, at which new members were elected from community nominations. First though, I would like to thank those people who have been serving Peacemakers since the death of my husband Dennis Marshall, the founder of Peacemakers Kenya in 1992.
There are many people I want to thank for giving their time, love, care and skills in nurturing the development of this huge project, for which Pastor Dennis from the UK, laid the Spiritual foundation:

Pastor Sammy Gitungu whom Dennis first met in Norway and who invited us to come to Kenya to share the “Good News”. I want to thank him for his steadfastness and faithfulness through all the difficulties that have occurred in our journey together. He has also served as Chairman for many years, even after he retired as an EAPC overseer and now continues to serve as our Honorary Member of Peacemakers and Pastor of God’s Vision.

Grace Kauma was one of the first people that we met when arriving in Embu and Dennis said that she was a person that would be involved in God’s work in the future, and so she has. She has always been so very wise and supportive in all the events that we have organised, especially playing a great role in training courses. She is a great one in gathering people together, a great public speaker and is able to convey the mission of Peacemakers to all. I would like to thank her for her good work as Secretary and her acceptance of becoming the new Chairperson.

Lucy Ndwiga. When we met Lucy Ndwiga, she was already interested and involved in Drugs’ Awareness. She readily became one of those involved in our Campaign against Drug Abuse (CADA group) with her busy life; she still managed to serve as our Treasurer up until recently. My gratitude to you, Lucy, for your time, love and dedication to serving Peacemakers as an official and for continuing to be one of our main supporters.

These, and many others (Emily Nyaga (Pendo), the late Kavungura, Jacinta Kinyua, James Riua, Phoebe Ndwiga) have been the backbone and developers of the mission of Peacemakers and the growth of the Resource Centre. I want to acknowledge the importance of their input to us over the years. A special thankyou goes to Peter Githaka Njagi, who has served as a loyal Chairman with a true servant heart; now to become the Treasurer. My congratulations and thanks go to him, alongside some other long serving dedicated trustees who remain on the new Board of Trustees. They are:

Chairperson: – Madam Grace Kauma
Secretary: – Patrick Kabuthi
Treasurer: – Peter Wagakindi
Elizabeth Wangui
Pastor Nephat Nyaga
Gitonga Njagi
Phides Rwamba
Joan Murugi
Revd Sammy Gitungu, Honorary Member of Peacemakers
Christine Gibbard is a volunteer, working alongside the trustees as the UK representative and Project Director

Peacemakers UK are the owners of the Resource centre but it “belongs” to the community in Kenya as they enjoy its amenities with Christine Gibbard being their representative on site and project Director. All the trustees will oversee the new Management Team, who are involved in:-

The spiritual mission of bringing church leaders together; being PEACEMAKERS
Community service to vulnerable people,
Projects that will raise funds, (poultry rearing, greenhouse produce, Pamoja Café etc.)
Hosting further education and life skills training.
We want Jesus Christ to be at the Head of everything we are trying to achieve, living by His principles; loving and caring for each other and making room for the Holy Spirit to bind us together in Love. God bless you.

Signed
Brenda Marshall
Director of Peacemakers UK.

Welcome to the Peacemakers New Year eBulletin 2018. With so much bad news in the world, we hope we can lift your spirits with a short, encouraging story of a then student, Tom Beak, returning to Peacemakers Kenya after 7 years!