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Please feel free to contact us with any questions, suggestions or donations you may have for Peacemakers, it’s always good to hear from you! Your help can make a lot of difference to many people, so feel free to volunteer or make a donation of goods or money. Thank you

e-link bulletin No.11 Jan 2017

Peacemakers e-link Bulletin 11   Jan 2017

We have had some exciting news leading up to Christmas.  From all the letters we sent to companies and embassies requesting financial support for the future of Peacemakers, The Irish Embassy responded, visited our Resource Centre, and was so encouraged with what they saw, they pledged to sponsor us for around £5000.00 to purchase a greenhouse, a piggery etc. I also had news from Christine that our sow had given birth to six piglets, so the timing was perfect, a new family sty for them.  It just didn’t end there, somebody had anonymously nominated us for The Good Samaritan award, which is a prize that is awarded every year in Nairobi.  Peacemakers’ won it this year for the work we have done with the vulnerable over the year. Christine and three other Peacemakers’ were invited to dinner to the Kenya International Conference Centre and presented with the prize of around £1000.00.  Such a blessing and a BIG thank you for all our friends who have sponsored so regularly for these vulnerable children’s education.

This brought us into 2017 with great gusto to organise the ‘Walk’ that Isaac Gacugo has volunteered to do.  He did suggest walking from Mombasa to Nairobi, but it was felt that this route was too dangerous so another route has been planned to start on 23rd January and our Chief for the Embu District will start him off from Embu Town.  The walk will be across country for safety reasons around the foot hills of Mt Kenya and will take approximately 12 days staying overnight in arranged accommodation.   Others will be walking with Isaac and giving out invitations to come to the opening of the Restaurant on 25th March 2017 and bring their sponsored money with them, while newcomers will join the walk at Karurumo to finish at our Resource Centre on 4th February.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE OF THE RESOURCE CENTRE GRAND OPENING HAS BEEN MOVED BACK TO 25th MARCH 2017

I’m sorry, but the change of date for the ‘Opening’ was unavoidable because there is so much to arrange and we were just running out of time.  The last day of the walk on 4th February, will be re-walked again on 25th March to co-inside with the ‘Opening’.

Joan Rushton is visiting Kenya again in early February and will be one of those people who will be joining the walk on the last day and has a few friends who are sponsoring her.  Well done Joan.

Helen and Molly are also visiting in February, Molly for the first time, but Helen has been several times before and works very hard in raising money for Peacemakers within her church members, groups and friends.  Thank you Helen.

Hundreds of letters have been distributed and I’ve been told that Ben Muriria who works for the President of Kenya will personally take a letter to the First Lady for us, so wouldn’t it be wonderful if she came along to the opening.  Fanta from  Kigumo will help with media coverage.  Peter Wag will lend his bike (I don’t know who is riding this) and Christine will be driving ahead.

Grace Kaurma, who is the Secretary and Trustee of Peacemakers in Kenya, is visiting her family who live in the UK and I’m taking the opportunity of spending some time with her.  Grace has been the principal of a private girl’s school and is retired now.  She has been involved with Peacemakers for 30 years + and maybe this is the time that Grace could be more involved in taking some responsibility in the Micro Enterprise projects.

Grace is spending a week with me and I’m having a ‘At Home with Grace’ Wednesday afternoon 18th January.  I know its short notice but it’s an informal time to meet Grace and have Tea and Cake with her.  I know it’s a work day but do come if you can.

Please keep us in your prayers
Every Blessing
Brenda

Christmas Card 2016

What a remarkable year this has been. The 90th birthday of her majesty Queen Elizabeth. Was it God’s mercy on our nation with the Brexit vote? A new Prime minister and her government. Donald Trump President elect of USA; the political world is changing fast! The ongoing heart-breaking situation in Syria & Iraq and its consequences, not to mention the plight of so many suffering people in the world and in our own nation.

Unfortunately, the root of all this is not born out of God’s love, although his name is often used! We can however make a difference, by our carrying an ‘Olive Branch’ to our friends and neighbours and to love our enemies as God has taught us to do.

I’ve been amazed in the past, that nations who have been fighting and killing each other can have a ceasefire agreement over the Christmas period when we are celebrating the birth of Jesus “who is love” and then return to fighting again!


Perhaps this year we can pray for a breakthrough, for peace to remain with God’s unconditional love.

Wishing you Joy & Peace this Christmas

With love

Brenda & the Peacemakers team

e-link bulletin No.10 Sept 2016

We are moving towards the Grand Opening of the Resource Centre and have settled on a date of 25th February 2017, which is usually a dry season!  At present I'm unable to travel to Kenya because I have a couple of leaky heart valves and so cannot cope with the high altitude, remember Nairobi is 6000ft above sea level and the Peacemakers site is on the edge of the lowlands of Mt. Kenya. Consequently, I'm trying to find a person(s) of some standing in the communities to ‘cut the ribbon’.  I’m in touch with my MP Sir Oliver Heald, to help us in establishing a working relationship with the MP responsible for Kenya. It was Nick Hurd MP but since “Brexit” there’s been a reshuffle and it's now James Wharton MP, so I will extend an invitation to him.

So far, we’ve had a few responses from the 34 companies we wrote to in Kenya for future sponsorships. They've sent forms for us to fill-in, which we will return a.s.a.p. We have also recently written to the British Embassy in Nairobi and other Christian organisations.

craft-fundraiser-7

 

craft-fundraiser-9

We recently had a couple of fund raising events in August.  Saturday 6th was on our Resource Centre in Kathageri, Kenya, and raised an incredible 142,000 Ksh (£1,150). This shows the support there is with the locals who are benefitting enormously from all the projects initiated through Peacemakers.  Then on the Monday the 8th we held a Craft and Tea Event at Clare and Phil Stokes’ house and raised a further £500.00

 

 

Thank you to all for attending – you now know

what that money is going towards.

Jackie in Kenya, read on below!

You saw in our last Bulletin No..9 that Jackie North, the mother of Sophie was visiting Kenya for the second time.  She was not disappointed and has come back inspired and wants to help with some of the organising leading up to the ‘Opening’.  The main part of her involvement is to keep people in the UK informed of the ‘Walk’ from Mombasa to the Resource Centre arriving 25th February.  An elderly Kenyan, Isaac Gacugo, has volunteered to walk 570 km for Peacemakers, to make it known to all the districts he’ll be walking through, just what Peacemakers have done and brought to his people for free. it will take him 3 weeks; He cannot thank God enough.  So that’s Isaac’s part, Jackie will send out a special bulletin shortly to explain her ideas of how we can all be involved.

The 2 young students, Alice and Hannah have now returned from their visit to Kenya and were involved in the Fund Raiser Day.  They couriered lots of items for us to have a stall on the day, and have returned excited and wanting to help further with the very needy in the area.  More news later.

Update on the progress of the Resource Centre:  We have moved on with the kitchen and restaurant (see pictures below) and now doing grills for security, but we need funds.  The plan is to get to Hygiene level, register for tax and business, train for certificate and inspection, all by October!

It’s now getting very exciting and may I extend an early invitation to you to join all the other Peacemakers to the ‘Opening’ Celebration!

Access to the restaurant!

 

 

 

Above are a couple of pictures showing a new addition to the resource centre! A young heifer, donated by Sammy to supply milk for use at the centre. She's been named 'Mpwenda' in Swahili and when she's old enough she'll be sired, the resultant calves will be placed with schools or groups in the area to supply milk for the needy. She was lonely and pining when she arrived on site, so the handler brought his own calf along to keep her company, ahh! It's also great to see the "Pickup", paid for by a generous friend of Peacemakers, still working hard after all these years!

An update-bulletin will follow shortly.
Every blessing for now,
Brenda.