RUMC's July mission team accomplished a lot of work for Divine Providence Training Center in Kenya while enjoying fellowship with the students at DPTC. One of the team members, Dr. Paul Beecham, taught in the school, they all worked on the land and they conducted quite a bit of business research. The team was able to tie up a lot of loose ends relating to the impending construction of the school/conference and retreat center.
The students joined the team one day to work on the land together. Clearing the land with machetes and actually making bricks from the soil on the land was a unique challenge for the USA team. Needless to say, the Kenyans were quite amused with their machete and brick-making skills and offered much needed instruction. At the end of the work day a ground-breaking ceremony was held with prayers, praise, worship and much singing. There was much thanksgiving given to the Lord for the amazing things He is doing for Divine Providence.
Several of the team members spent time visiting local conference/retreat centers to study the "competition" and garner tips for our future center. They also had a productive fact-finding trip to a noted college for hospitality services in Nairobi. Other trips were made to search for appropriate construction and building design materials and resources. Our American architect was able to meet with his Kenyan counterpart and the builder. All in all, the team was quite busy.
One night the students hosted a celebration to welcome home their friends (and ours) Silas and Rahab and their son Solomon who had just relocated to Kenya after a few years in the USA completing Silas' PhD. The students also expressed their gratitude for RUMC's support with a drama highlighting the difference their training at DPTC has made in their personal lives and in the lives of their churches. They also treated the team to different songs and dances from the various tribes they represent. The Masaai pastors even coaxed two of our men to join them in their tribal dance.... providing a lot of laughs for all.
Pictures above from top to bottom: Dr. Paul Beecham teaching; student clearing the land; student stacking freshly made hydraform blocks; students praise and worship on the land; ground-breaking; RUMC team planting a tree on the land
