Lost Orphans International

Kenya - Naomi’s Village July 2010

What can I say, but wow! It is really hard to put into words all that we saw and experienced this week. Our team stayed in Kijabe near the top of the bluff/edge overlooking the Rift Valley. Our lodge the Cure ENT House, faced the edge and we could sit out on the porch and watch the sun set over Mt. Logonot on the other side of the valley. We could also see Naomi’s Village and the IDP camp from our perch. It was very surreal. The trip down to the valley every day and back up was this long, crazy, rutted, dirt, rubble road. It was extremely steep and rocky, with only about 500 feet of it being paved (though that was probably the steepest part). It was an adventure every time we went down or up. Best part is that one of the vehicles we drove was a 1986 green Toyota corolla wagon (AKA The Green Hornet). It is a 5 speed four cylinder 2 wheel drive that climbed like a mtn goat. It was ludicrous to drive this as the other vehicles we used were Land Rovers and Land Cruisers, these massive 4 wheel drives and the “Green Hornet” hung with them.

The other option was to hike approx 2.5 miles down the mtn with a vertical descent of approx 1200 feet. It was a beautiful hike, but even more fun was the hike back up. Several of us “low landers” from Texas and Alabama, hiked back up on Thursday. It was a pretty tough climb as we were climbing over 7000 FT above sea level.

Getting back to why we were there, we worked side by side with the Kenyan’s Monday-Thursday, painting windows, setting stone with the masons, hanging doors, cleaning up debris, hauling rock for the road, etc. It was great seeing the team working with the NV team and the Kenyans. Kevin spent most of the week with the stone masons and got to know him pretty well, they traded hats and learned quite a bit from each other. In addition on Tuesday night we had a goat roast at the site, where David a local who supplies the site with daily water with his donkey cart, roasted several goats over an open flame with potatoes. Many of the workers stayed and we ate and fellow shipped. It was pretty cool as we ended our day kicking the soccer ball around with them.

But by far for me at least the best day was Friday. we got up and headed to Crescent island for a walking safari, where we saw wilder-beast, impalas, dik-dik, giraffes, water buks, a hippo, and some cool birds. After a short rest that afternoon, we went down to the valley to the IDP camp and went to one of the camp leaders tent. Doreen was a gracious host and served approx 35 of us a meal of traditional Kenyan beans, chipoti (Kenyan flat bread or tortilla) and black tea. It was incredible the food was great and the environment was awesome but humbling. Here is a family who lost everything 3 years ago, was forced to flee for their lives, now lives in a “tent” that has a dirt floor, no running water or electricity. Yet she hosted a large group of white Americans for dinner and tea and poured out hospitality and love. Joseph then shared there story of survival and then spoke of God’s redemption through it all and how the group (approx 235 families) have rediscovered their faith and community, in spite of the tragedy. After this we went out into the field and set up a portable movie set up to watch the Lion King. So imagine being out in the middle of a corn field in Kenya, surrounded by 150 Kenyan children and several adults, watching the Lion King! It was one of those moments all of us will cherish the rest of our lives, as we laughed and played and celebrated life together.

We are now in the midst of our journey home and Iam trying to wrap my head around this experience, what it means to me and my family, to the team , to Lost Orphans int, and to all of us as Christ followers.

I hope you will join us in seeking “true religion” as James 1:27 says and trying to perfect “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the team has arrived in Kijabe.  At this time they do not have access to wifi but hope to in the next couple of days.  Keep checking in for updates and continue to pray for the team.

Well we made it here to Nairobi, its after midnight and we are all completely exhausted. But excited to see what day break brings as we head to Kijabe to meet the Mendonsas and Ernie. Great news is that we walked right by customs with 15 people approx 30 bags and 6 large crates. They did not even look our way. Thank you for your prayers, we covet them while we are here all week. Here is how you can pray for us and fight spiritually for the team this week.

Day 3
Pray for the team as we all meet up in London and travel to Nairobi. Pray for endurance as we have a long day ahead of us. ** pray for us at customs as we have tools and supplies that need to get through without issue.
Day 4
Pray as we travel to Kijabe and meet the Mendonsas and travel to the construction site. Pray for strength and recovery from the flights
Day 5
Pray for the team as we begin our work to try and get as much of the construction finish and landscaping done. Pray for strength and health. Pray that we work as un to Him and in unity
Day 6
Pray that He is made famous by our work and pray for health
Day 7
Pray for the Henry’s as we travel to visit Elizabeth the little girl we have sponsered for 3 years with Compassion International. This will be a day or joy and heart break as we see the slums outside Nairobi.
Day 8
pray for the children in the IDP camp as they need hope and help. Pray we can minister to them this week and pray for favor with the government as Naomi’s Village seeks to house some of these children and minister to the families in the camp
Day 9
Pray as continue to work and serve the least and lost in Christ’s name. James 1:27 this will be our last day in Kijabe pray that He was bless our efforts
Day 10
Pray for recovery, rest, and reflection as we spend the day in Nairobi and prepare to fly home
Day 11
Pray as we complete the last 8 hours of flight and return home. Pray that He has worked and changed us. Pray that the work that was done and will continue would be blessed as we seek to bring hope in Jesus’s name

What a great day! We started early and distributed food and Bibles to over 100 families. They are always so grateful and amazed anyone would think of them.
After distributing the food we headed to the beach with about 20 of our kids. Nothing like playing with a ton of beautiful orphans in the South China Sea. We ate seafood that was being caught and steamed in front of us.
All the kids were fast asleep when we headed home. Our job was done for the day.
This evening the kids need to rest…so we are having a team dinner and hitting the night market.
Tomorrow we say good-bye to the kids and head back to Saigon. Our flight is at 12 midnight Friday morning VN time.
Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for the team and for His name to be made famous. The people are so hungry for Truth!

Bringing Hope

tim

Things got very busy over the last two days. One thing about our trips to Vietnam is that there is never the complaint of not having anything to do. Our days begin by meeting in the lobby around 6am to leave for the day and they end around 8pm. Sleep is treasured and ambian (sleeping medicine) is everyone’s friend.
Monday started at 5:45am. We went to the local hospital and served in a soup kitchen. LOI sponsors over 100 meals 6 days a week in this local soup kitchen. The hospital does not serve meals.
After the hospital we made our way to the local Christian cemetery where the orphanage staff has buried over 9,000 unborn babies in this past 4 years. Some estimate that the abortion rate is as high as 40% of all pregnancies in Vietnam. The main reason for these abortions being the government financially supporting them in the name of population control. LOI is fighting and praying hard to change the heart of these mom’s. To date, LOI has rescued 104 babies, some birth mom’s keeping their newborn and some giving us their newborn. the number of kids in our orphanage ranges from month to month. Today we have 56 kids in our care that have been rescued and is being given immediate and eternal hope in Jesus.
After a quick lunch, we prepared all the foods and Bibles for the food distributions. We invited many disabled and elderly to the orphanage and handed out food and money that will sustain them for some time. Due to the heavy rains, only about half the invitees made it. The orphanage staff will be distributing the rest to those who could not make it.
We ended the evening with some serious hangout time with the kids and a good meal.

On Tuesday morning we went out to a small farming community and handed out food to over 100 families. Each family receives a 30 pound bag of rice, a box of crackers, a case of noodles, a bag of sugar, some fish sauce and soy sauce. They also receive a new testament if they request. It is illegal to hand a Bible out without them requesting it. Funny thing…every Bible is gone and we have people asking for more.
We ended the day making a late night ice cream run with all the kids 3 years of age and above. It was really fun.
Thank you for your continued prayers. Salvation is a must or all we bring is immediate hope. Please pray for God to bring eternal hope! We have no Hope unless He IS it.

Bringing Hope,

tim

Sunday, June 20 - Today was the day of the drive from Saigon to the orphanage.
A 4 hour drive to go about 100-120 miles. Pretty amazing…oxen pulling carts passed us at one point.
Anyway, we are here! My favorite part of the trip is when we first pull up to the orphanage (named the community of love). The kids have been anticipating our arrival and always put on a presentation filled with dancing and singing. It is pretty fun. I enjoy watching our team members who have been praying for a certain kid and/or sponsoring a child and they get to see them face to face. Pretty amazing.
We played for about three hours with the kids and then enjoyed dinner at the orphanage.
The team is pretty wiped tonight and we have an early morning, so everyone is done for the evening.
Tomorrow we visit the local hospital and love on the patients and their families.
Thanks for your continued prayers.

Bringing Hope

tim

After 28 hours of travel, the team was ready for a down day. So today was filled with a lot of shopping, resting, eating, and adjusting to a 12 hour time difference. I must say that the Vietnamese economy did well thanks to our team.
I must also let you know that I have become a pretty good bargainer at the local market. I was told twice today that I was “no good” and I made the salespeople “sad”. I was informed that this actually meant I was a great bargainer!
With lunch today came a first for me and a few others on the team. SNAIL! Yes…you just dig them out of the shell with a toothpick (they just keep coming out) and let them slide right down. Think my first was my last.
For dinner we enjoyed some great Vietnamese cuisine…pizza!
Today we met several members of our team who live and/or work here in Vietnam. Two Vietnamese doctors, two Vietnamese dentists (one who actually lives and practices in Abilene, TX), and one girl who lives in Canada (we met via facebook - pretty cool, eh).
The team was pretty exhausted by the end of the day and everyone has crashed out for the night.
Tomorrow we head to the orphanage and get to see our kids. We are all pretty ready to get there.
Please pray for our team as you think of it. We will be administering medical check ups, dental check ups, food distribution, a soup kitchen at the local hospital, and playing a ton with our kids. It will be a great week!

Bringing Hope

tim

LOI is taking a team of 8 people from the US and meeting up with 10 people from Vietnam and Canada in Ho Chi Minh City. This team of 18 will be rescuing the abandoned child by continuing LOI’s ongoing work. We will be participating in medical examines, dental work, community feedings and food distribution, visiting and feeding the sick in the hospital, praying at the cemetery where LOI has helped give proper burial to over 6,000 unborn babies in just 3 years, playing with the 60 plus orphans in our orphanage, and bringing hope, in the name of Jesus, our only true hope, to a people who so desperatley need hope. Join us in the journey through your prayers and your encouraging words to the team via this blog.
I will keep you updated as I am able. Pictures will come if connection is good enough to download.

Running to Win,
Tim Cypert

I want to take this week to update you on the places Lost Orphans International (LOI) will be in 2010. Why don’t you come and join us on a trip. We have been taking teams with LOI for three years now and I have yet to hear anyone say that the trip, and the week of total sacrifice, did not change their life. We always travel around the globe to impact the life of an abandoned child or an impoverished community and yet we always come home being impacted the most.
Here are the trips and dates (remember that all dates are subject to change due to flight schedules)
March 12-20 - Maai Maahui, Kenya - Construction work on Naomi’s Village
May 21-30 - Maai Maahui, Kenya - Construction work on Naomi’s Village
June 18-27 - Lagi, Vietnam - Caring for the orphans and the impoverished
July 16-25 - Maai Maahui, Kenya - Construction work on Naomi’s Village
November 19-28 - Lagi, Kenya - Caring for the orphans and the impoverished
Our partnership with Naomi’s Village in Kenya has been a great experience. LOI has a builder, from Melissa, TX, who is overseeing the entire project. This children’s home will house over 100 kids and bring hope to an entire community where hope is very hard to come by. You can find out a ton more about Naomi’s Village at www.mendonsamissions.com. Bob and Julie Mendonsa are the founders and overseers of Naomi’s Village.
The entire project comes with a price tag of $300,000. Not bad for a 10,000 sf facility with clean water and crops and other needed amenities.
To date we have raised about $120,000 for the project. We still need to raise the remaining $170,000. If you have the ability to financially donate to the construction project, please let me know. Every dollar is greatly appreciated and every dollar counts!
If you are in the DFW area, there are two really cool fundraisers for Naomi’s Village that I want to invite you to be a part of. Consider this your invitation.
The first one is a Trunk Show put on by the fashion design organization Veritas. It will be in Flower Mound at the home of Bob and Julie Mendonsa. Veritas is one of the coolest clothing lines around today. Check out their stuff at www.liveveritas.com. The Trunk Show is Saturday, March 27. Contact me for more info or check out the Veritas fb page for more info.
The second event is a Sporting Clay Tournament (Skeet shooting for all you Texas folks). This is going to be one of the funnest fundraisers you will ever be a part of! LOI is partnering with KHYI (the Range - 95.3) to make this happen. It is Friday, May 7. For more info contact me or check out the Lost Orphans Sporting Clays fb page.
Our work in Vietnam continues to expand. We are now taking doctors, nurses, and dentists on our trips to do continued care with our kids. We are also discussing the possibility of beginning English classes and technology classes for our kids. A private school has even been in the conversations.
Our most popular work is the child sponsorship program LOI has set up for Vietnam. We have seen quite a few people really enjoy printing off the profile of a child and sticking to the refrigerator for the whole family to pray for and “adopt”.
If you have not done this I would encourage you to set back $33/month and make a lifetime difference in the life of an abandoned child. For more info go to www.lostorphans.org. Click on the rescue a child tab.
Needless to say, LOI is all about rescuing the abandoned children and bringing them both immediate and eternal hope. Come join us!!!
Bringing Hope,

Tim Cypert

Last week I posted a blog where I soap-boxed about the tragedy of selfishness and materialism. I basically said that when selfishness and materialism are front and center the result is implosion and deep regret (i.e. every person who has lived a life of selfishness and materialism…take your pick).
This week I would like to begin to figure out how you and I can really make a difference in this world and bring hope to the hopeless multitudes crying out for our help.
The first thing I would like to suggest and explore is living below your means. Jesus said “Love your neighbor as yourself”. If we are really going to be able to live this teaching of Jesus out to the fullest extent, it means that we will have to have some resources, time, energy, etc. left at the end of the month to love our neighbor as ourselves. Some have gone so far as to say this is a 50/50 clause. Take care of your neighbor like you take care of yourself. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you have $100 to spend on a pair of shoes. You could spend $100 on your shoes and have nothing for your neighbor. You could spend $50 on your shoes and buy your neighbor a pair of $50 shoes because you are loving them AS you love yourself. Obviously there is a lot of room in between these two scenarios and loving your neighbor means more than just money or resources, but often that is what is needed most. The goal of Jesus’ teaching is not to come up with a percentage but develop a mindset and heartbeat to live below your means so you can help others in their time of need. It may mean that sometimes you spend $20 or less on your shoes and the rest on your neighbor.
So, let’s do this little exercise together this week - whenever you have the opportunity to spend a dollar, try spending less, or even half, and then look for opportunities to give the other away. That may mean a smaller coffee, a cheaper restaurant, a few less clothes, or eventually a smaller house in a different neighborhood. I bet the temporary feeling of loss will not compare to the feeling of fulfillment when Jesus’ teaching is followed.