Trading For Africa
CFRN is a for profit company. Straight Forward Christian Ministries is a Private Foundation whose primary mission is to support New Hope Orphanage and School in Kampala Uganda East Africa. My wife and I began the project in 2000/2001. Any services or products purchased from CFRN are not tax deductible as a charitable donation. Again, CFRN is a "for profit" company. If you are a professional trader, or trading represents a certain % of your annual income, our products and services may be tax deductible as a business expense. We are not accountants and as such we are unable to provide tax advice. Check with your own CPA as they are licensed to give you proper advice as it applies to your unique and individual financial situation and taxes.
With that said, my wife and I (17 years later), along with our business partner Michael, continue to support New Hope Orphanage and School through our Private Foundation - Straight Forward Christian Ministries. Anyone who wishes to make a tax deductible donation to New Hope Orphanage can do so via SFCM. If you would like to make a donation directly to New Hope and are not concerned with the charitable tax deduction, you can do so by contacting Pastor Christopher Lubega or his wife Agnes Lubega. You are also invited to take a missions trip and visit the Orphanage in person. For contact information visit UgandaLove.org . This website has pictures of the most recent development in the New Hope story - Aggie's Baby Home, which was covered in one of the most recent editions of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Many CFRN Partners have chosen to come along side myself, Michael and the company CFRN, in providing financial support for New Hope. Below is a random sampling of events that have transpired over the years. I hope to find time in 2017 to bring this page up to date and provide a more comprehensive view of all that New Hope is and represents. You can always email us - support@cfrn.net with any questions you have and also we can put you directly in touch with Chris or Agnes. They are both African Pastors who grew up under the reign of Idi Amin. Needless to say, they have an interesting story to tell about where they came from and the journey that brought them to where they are now.
Bits and Pieces
A trader is a new kind of missionary – not defined by geography – but marked by willingness to apply the parable of the Good Samaritan and “go and do likewise.” Being a trader means being intentional with your time, your money and your passions. Christianity should be a verb, not a noun. It’s a movement that requires us to live out our faith … not just talk about it.
What began as a small home with 11 orphans and no running water or electricity, is today a 25 acre campus that over 900 children call home. With very little money and no formal training, God commisioned my wife and I to "go and do likewise". We were just naive enough to believe that we really could "do all things through Christ", and we did.
Do you have a passion for the mission field? Has God called you to minister to widows and orphans? The harvest is great but the workers are few. We invite you to take a closer look. We need men and women who are successful traders to train and mentor our kids as they graduate high school and prepare for university. There are few jobs in Africa. Even though our school maintains the highest academic standards, our kids have little opportunity for meaningful employment. With your skills and the power of the internet, we can begin to reshape the Dark Continent one life at a time.
Whether you choose to travel to Uganda, mentor from home, or a combination of both, you will not only touch the life of a young man or woman, you will create a legacy that endures for generations to come. To learn more about this opportunity or to plan your own trip to New Hope, email mentors@cfrn.net
Upcoming Mission Trips
If you would like to travel with one of our mission teams, we have a group of Doctors traveling from Houston in June and we have a team departing from Phoenix in August. missiontrip@cfrn.net
This was our trip last summer -
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
Kenya / The Next Frontier
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We made it guys! Project funded and pipe being laid. Thank you Margaret for getting the word out and to everyone who also pitched in to make it happen. Apparently we really can do all things through Christ! Amen? Thank You Jesus!
Kenya Projects: Bringing water to Kipsina
Hi Everyone!!
We have several new projects underway with our missionary in Kenya that I wanted to tell you about! The first one we will talk about is bringing clean water to the village of Kipsina, which is located up the hills from the farm. They have no source of running water or even clean water for that matter. The closest source for them is a small river nearly a mile away.
The town elder was talking to our Missionary over there and explaining the hardships that it creates for the village. Because it is the only source of water that means that everyone, including the animals, have to use this water. So when they take the animals to river to drink they often end up defecating in the water and polluting it for all who use this water source. In addition the long walk only enables them to bring the cows to water every other day which results in low milk production which means less nutrition for the family and in turn the village.
It is the children's responsibility to fetch the water everyday. Because it's so far and water is heavy, they only bring small amounts that they can carry which they use daily to drink, bathe and cook with. The elder of the village said, "the children have to go and get the water, so they're late for school or they just don't go!". Do you know that one 5 gallon jug of water weighs about 41.72 lbs!! As a fully grown woman, I don't think that I would be able to do that without returning home absolutely exhausted, it no wonder that they don't go to school after that!!
Just think about walking to your tap and turning on the water, then add 1/2 to 1 mile walk with a 5 gallon can! How often do you take for granted the ability to walk up to your faucet and wash your hands, bathe your children or make dinner and have peace of mind that your family will not get sick or even die?
Our Goal is to create a well that springs from a clean water source in the village. We will pipe it up into a reservoir tank with a spigot at the bottom. The people will have to pump the water everyday to keep the reservoir full but it will be a community water source that will eliminate the chances of disease, the strenuous walk for animals and people, and give the children the opportunity to go to school every day and get the education that is deserved by all.
Below is a breakdown of what it is going to cost to create the water system for the Village. If you feel lead to donate anything to our cause please feel free to visit our webpage at http://www.missionsfororphans.org/. Please remember that all donations go directly to our causes, there or no administrative fees or hidden costs. And it's always a tax write off at the end of the year ; )
Clean water for the village of Kipsina
Total Cost: $2,226.00
Break down:
Water stand....................$530.00
Water tank..................... $411.00
Pipes & fittings ................$955.00
Labor..............................$330.00
And as a little side note, this is going to be an awesome opportunity for the villagers as well. Our Missionary is going to train them and pay them for the labor to help put this reservoir in. It will give them the skills to possibly find work elsewhere and help better other communities and their families!!
But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. ~ John 14:4
Lani's Blog
Thursday, September 13
September 13, 2012We drove to a different village today, armed with enough ringworm ointment to be able to hand some out for the really bad cases, and de-worming pills that required only a single dose.
Coney and Sammy were at a conference in Busia, so we were on our own. Bobba John, Ben, one of the MFO workers who drove, two others who sprayed houses, Tom and Silas, and two of the boys from the home, Peter and Alex picked me up and we drove out there. The two boys were charged with washing the feet of everyone. I didn't see any bad cases of jiggers, so this was a preventative measure. There were also 215 homes that were sprayed.
I have learned to be careful with the babies and toddlers that come, since most have never seen a muzungu, and their first reaction is terror. Here's this white person coming towards them with gloves on and a tube of something in their hand, wanting to touch their heads. Each time the babies screamed, everyone laughed. I'm glad I have no problem with rejection. Well, maybe just a small one.
John explained that these people were of the Pokot tribe. He described them as hostile. Apparently they are known for cattle rustling, especially with another often-warring tribe, the Turkana. I do know that along with the Masaai, the Turkana also dress in their tribal clothing whereas those tribes from the south do not.
But these people are farmers. Maize fields were everywhere. Unfortunately, maize provides flour for them, but it doesn't provide enough. One of the ladies introduced herself to me, thanking us for coming, and then told me how hungry they were. This seems to be a common response to us now. We are hoping to eventually take food each time we go into these villages. And soap.
We arrived at the home of one of the members of the community, who had a big yard, with enough room to accomodate a large crowd. It started out very slow, which was quite different from our other visits, and people drifted in for about 2 hours. John wanted to start keeping track of those to whom we administered pills and ointment, but by the time he started writing names down, we had lost the early crowd. Still, by the end, we had 196 people on the books.
Sadly, because most of the village people have cattle (either theirs or their Turkana neighbors), and allow them to graze on their property, cow paddies are everywhere, and many were fresh and full of flies. No one seems to worry about stepping in them. So I am standing by the car, administering ringworm ointment, watching everyone step out of the jigger medicine, and walk right through the manure. I asked John to explain to everyone that it was a health hazard to step in it, and although everyone said "sowa" which is "okay", it was ignored. There's obviously just not a connection or a concern.
Yet, all in all, it was again a very good day. I absolutely love going to these villages. The people are so thankful and so appreciative. And the children, such little dolls. While we are back home, I will definitely miss doing these missions. But I think it might be a never-ending ministry, with always another village that needs some help.
Kwaheri in Kitale,
Lani
Monday, September 10
September 11, 2012Over the weekend, we again visited the boy’s home, and contributed to more tooth decay for the village children. It has become so hectic now, giving out the lollipops at one of the stops, that I have to get out of the car, and line the children up so I can make sure they only get one lollipop. They cry out the names of their mama, brothers, sisters, and second cousins, in the hopes of getting a second one. One little boy, managed to get 3 from me before I realized he was moving around t...
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Thursday, September 6
September 7, 2012 Today we visited a third village on our quest to aid "jigger" victims. I looked up chigger v. jigger on the internet, because I had assumed it was just a difference in pronunciation. But it wasn't, and "jiggers" are far worse than chiggers. They live mostly in tropical areas, and the damage they do is incredibly destructive. They are actually a flea. And a very naughty one.But today, our victims were mostly children with ringworm. Horrible cases where the entire head was one big scab. O...
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Friday, August 31
August 31, 2012 We returned to the village today, the first one that we visited last Saturday. We brought sprayers, chigger poison, ringworm salve, and basins for washing again.We were mainly there to spray the floor of the houses, but also to look at the spring where they get their water. Last week they had asked for help in making it safe for everyone. How is works now is that the water comes out the side of hill, next to the streambed, and it mixes with the dirt. People using containers, fill them wit...
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Saturday, August 25
August 26, 2012 And I thought Thursday and Friday were great. Well, today beat them to pieces.We took ringworm salve, de-worming pills and chigger killer/repellent to 2 villages. I had no idea how many people were going to show up since it was sort of a word-of-mouth invitation. But over 300 showed up at the first village, and probably around 150 showed up at the second.
Everyone gloved up and the first man to have his feet washed in the chigger solution had an incredible amount of damage to his feet. A...
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Friday, August 24
August 24, 2012 Today was even better than yesterday!First of all, Bobba John went on and on about his boys being so happy yesterday with all the clothing, the food, the volleyball games, and all the attention they got. So when we arrived today, they all had their new clothes on. They looked absolutely smashing. And they were so proud. It just made your heart puff out like a balloon, they were so appreciative and thankful.
Then, we started cooking all the food. It was the Muzungu's turn. We cleaned t...
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Thursday, August 23rd
August 23, 2012 We just got home from the best day we have experienced since arriving in Kitale. We threw a party at the boy's home, ate African food, danced and sang, and played a wicked volleyball game, even beating one team, and making a good showing with the other. Lori May whacked me in the nose with the volleyball, but it was worth it. What's a black eye or two in the name of fun.We were over an hour and a half late, and when we arrived, the boys were all sitting in a circle, outside, and waiting f...
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Sunday, August 19
August 22, 2012The missionary team from our church arrived in Nairobi on Saturday night, Kenya time. Right before they arrived, the Kenya rugby team landed, and members of the Masaai tribe (who had members on the team) were there to sing and dance to welcome them. Drums, dancing, tribal clothing. I pictured them trying to get into Sky Harbor Airport to do that. And Homeland Security dragging them away, confiscating their instruments and tribal accessories.
After they finished, and boy, were they good, I...
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Sunday, August 12
August 13, 2012Every morning I wake up exactly at the same time because the birds outside my window have started chirping. Talk about being timely. It never varies; it’s always the exact moment it started the day before. And it sounds beautiful.
I bought a bird book, just to know which are which, but there are so many varieties, that I am lost. I have seen ibis, what looks like a blue cardinal, baby blue finch, and parrot like birds that are brown and red. When I ask the natives here what they are, t...
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Saturday, August 11
August 13, 2012Saturday, August 11
We have been in Bondo, Kenya for 2 days now. The Foundation Stone Children’s Center, an orphanage started by our friends, Tim and Kathy Maclean, had a grand opening gala for the people in the area.
The Macleans, now of Jacksonville, FL brought a team of 17, mostly kids from a high school focusing on theater arts. They had been performing for a while in their city, trying to raise money for the trip, which was the vision of one of the students. It was called Theater...
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