Full Days

Our days have been full - ministry with the children from Joyland and Covenant Home, hosting missionary friends from Mbita for a few days, teaching Bible studies, meeting with pastors, finishing up the first training with the widowed moms, our kids running track at Moi Stadium, an afternoon swimming at Kiboko Bay on Lake Victoria. So many stories to share… hmmm… where to start?

We’ve settled in at a Kenyan church in Mambo Leo where we worship in a tin-sided building with about 40 believers who know how to rock that place! Last Sunday we met with the leaders to discuss organizing outreach by building bio-sand water filters in villages where widowed moms and orphaned children live in desperate situations. With this evangelism plan, both clean water and the Living Water – Jesus, are offered to those who thirst. Mark will train a team to construct water filters and develop teachings starting the last Sunday of October. He’s also been teaching a bible study following afternoon prayers at Covenant of Peace Church where we had the discipleship empowerment training for the widowed moms.

Will you pray for Mark as he moves into this new area of ministry?

Speaking of the training, we enjoyed lots of laughter during our object lessons! Imagine never having made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, putting directions to make one in order, and then explain the directions to another person who has to make the PBJ when she’s never made a PBJ either! Now, imagine it’s a competition, which, by the way, Kenyans love. The lessons learned dealt with communication, prioritizing, approaching new ideas with confidence, giving and following specific directions. After that we examined scripture’s on vision, planning, finances and wise counsel. The moms worked hard creating their goals, objectives and details concerning ideas for the future.

After 3 weeks (27 hours) of intense training we had the honor of presenting certificates of completion. Prayer, where Holy Spirit gave words of knowledge, culminated the ceremony. We celebrated by enjoying ripe mango, biscuits, juice and sweet fellowship. It’s so comforting to know these widowed moms are moving in a direction that will help them raise their children and not have to place them in orphanages because of poverty.

Can you pray for Anne, Mildred, Benta,
Beatrice and Lillian as they begin their new lives as employed moms
who will share their testimonies through their businesses?

Saturday is Family Day when we usually catch up on chores neglected during the week, but this past Saturday found us enjoying the pool at Kiboko Bay on Lake Victoria. For a few dollars we played in the water all afternoon, ate tilapia stuffed with mint and coriander, drank cold soda and relaxed under a beautiful sunset sky. Praise God for His creation and the opportunity to appreciate it!

Tavin and Taleah regularly run in track meets (since track and swimming are BIG sports here). Both placed in a meet at Moi Stadium. They have been invited to compete in a meet in Nairobi at the end of October. Their school absorbs the cost of travel and they stay in dorms at an international academy. So, with much prayer and reminders to be polite, pack toothbrushes, wash hands, this mama is sending her kids to the big city 10 hours from home.

With this last week being mid-term break, we had the pleasure of hosting our missionary friends from Mbita! We met them in 2006 and they visited us in Pagosa in 2007. CARE actually helped them with the adoption of their daughter. Refreshing conversation, pillow fights and warm chapatis highlighted the visit. Next time, we’re heading to see them in their rural home on a peninsula in Lake Victoria. Maybe we’ll plan a baptism for the kids!

Now, for the orphaned children… It’s difficult to write; probably hard to read, but I know that God does not want us to forget them. Most people do you know - forget about these kids because it’s hurts too much remembering. I can’t forget their fragile smiles and eyes that hold a world of sorrow. I must do something because faith without works is dead. I’ve embraced abandoned children in my own arms and now, I am responsible. I see their pain and it moves me, their courage to wait and watch for someone to notice them, to look at them and truly see…

What must it be like…
to be three years old and not eat for two days…
to drink dirty water… to scramble for whatever is offered –
a balloon, a cookie from a white lady…
a song sung about Jesus… a story from the bible…
a prayer for tomorrow… please God - let a new tomorrow come…

The orphan crisis is so complex. I want to take all those little ones, like a hen gathers her chicks, but that’s not to happen now; so we carry them to Jesus in prayer. Below are some photos of children who must be remembered. We can’t legally share their names or their stories, but you can see their faces.

Would you help us carry them to Jesus in prayer?


Thanks for your encouragement and support.
hugs from the haugers oooo

Women's Work

Sounds like derogatory words, huh? That’s only because you don’t know what we’ve been up to in Kenya! Our definition of "Women’s Work" brings hope to women who live as victims of poverty, abuse and neglect. We’ve been working with women by helping widowed moms lay a biblical foundation that blends income-generating, raising healthy children and sharing the gospel in meaningful ways. We’ve started training at Covenant of Peace Church with 5 beautiful widowed mommas, the pastors, and our multi-talented trainee, Carolyne. These few participants lend toward better interaction, easier facilitator training, and more depth of understanding. None of these women can fade into the background, something they do so easily.

We open the class with sweet acapella praise to God and prayers for each other. Then we move into an object lesson, like balancing an egg on its tip. They each have one minute to try.

“What?” the Pastor (of a faith church) shakes his head.
“It can’t be done.”

The women giggle in anticipation. Mark hands him the egg. He fumbles with it on the small table. It wobbles a few times and then, stands. His quizzical face breaks into laughter. The women also balance the egg. Smiling at the success of a seemingly impossible task, they are ready to learn.

Mark made the chalkboard that diagrams the lesson – Who Is Christ In You? The women pair off and examine scriptures that tell them that Jesus is their

SAVIOR, DELIVERER, HEALER, FRIEND, SUSTAINER,
PROVIDER, FATHER, COUNSELOR …

We discuss the difference between “knowing about God” vs “knowing God.”

They share stories about how God has carried each of them in times of hardship. Stoically they expose their woundedness, and I want to weep. How hard it is for a young widowed mom in Kenya who has nothing and needs to feed her children. We move into a time of forgiveness. The women confess their offenses on paper, and we burn them in a hole Mark dug around the back of the church. The pastor takes the shovel and buries the ashes. He shows them he’s there to support their freedom.

Back to the chalkboard and more diagrams of the next lesson – Who are You In Christ? Again the women look up scriptures and read aloud that they are

More than conquerors, Servants, Ambassadors,
Adopted Children, Christ’s bride, Dearly loved,
Citizens of God’s Kingdom, Fruit-bearers,
New Creations, Joint Heirs in Jesus...

We distribute small balls of clay and talk about modeling a Godly life by staying soft and pliable in the Master’s hands. They are thinking, squeezing the clay into bowls and flowers. Next we hand out fruit and discuss what could prevent them from producing fruit of the Spirit. We share about service to God from the heart; that being a servant is who they are, not just what they do. We encourage them to beware of the enemy’s schemes, how he whispers lies that they are not appreciated or have nothing to offer. They are rulers in the Kingdom, practicing self-discipline and overcoming evil with good.

We end out time together with role-playing. The women act out real life situations that will try their faith, that will test their fruit. They practice responding in the spirit, instead of reacting in the flesh. The egg comes back out and we remind each other that when things look impossible – God will do a miracle.

The spiritual base for practical training is being set. We rejoice at the women’s progress, their questions and comments, their willingness to move on regardless of tremendous obstacles. Women’s work. It’s part of what carries the next generation. It’s valuable in God’s kingdom.



Mark making chalk boards.

Carolyne, learning to be a facilitator.

Sharing with the women.

The women symbolically bury their offenses.

Balancing an egg - it's possible!

Please pray as this training expands outward to other widowed moms. We have many more small group trainings scheduled in various churches that will be facilitated by Kenyans. This coming week we visit Joyland ( a school for physically challanged children) and back to Covenant Home to play and pray with orphans. God's heart is for the fatherless and our desire is for Him.

hugs from the haugers oooo

These Women: Our Friends


The women we've met in Kenya are strong. Even the pastors and church leaders say if you give a good Kenyan woman a seed, she will grow a tree that produces shade for her family, fruit for food and seeds to sell. We've seen these same good women have a keen sense of finding fragile threads of opportunity, and from them, weave hope.

Our desire is to help them bring their hopes into reality. We work with them to identify their dreams, articulate their stories, and receive training. Then, we give them a seed.

By providing a basic foundation that reveals who Jesus Christ is to them, who they are in Christ, how to share their giftings and principles of good management, we've experienced the joy of watching these women move from victims to contributing members of their communities, happily raising their children instead of having to leave them in orphanages. They're not shy about giving God all the glory for the great things He has done!

We are blessed to call these women our friends.
We had our first training with Carolyne, who had no resources to raise her son and orphaned nephew. Now she runs a successful grocery kiosk and is director of Love in Action, a ministry that serves widowed moms.


Our second training was held in a small room set up near Carolyne's shop.
Communion with the widowed moms.


 Lois and her small son, TAVIN (yes, she named him after our boy).



Lois sews and embroiders to provide for her children.


 
She also  shares the blessings God's given her with other widowed moms.
Florence sells vegetables to earn a living so she can care for her two boys.
Florance's boys, who now do not have to live in an orphanage.


 Florance shares her faith and training with other widowed moms.

Please pray for these women and the others who will participate in the training. May the Lord continue to pour out his favor on these forgotten ones who have so much to give.

Check back for more to read about other moms'
testimonies of redemption. We're currently designing a blog for them to share their stories. We'll let you know when it's up and running.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.

hugs from the haugers

Shula = School



Tavin and Taleah started classes Tuesday. They attend a small international school on a hill, nestled among mango trees, overlooking the shores of Lake Victoria. There's about 75 students ranging from primary to secondary levels; they come from many different countries – India, Germany, Australia, Uganda, England and of course, Kenya. Only 7 students are from the USA, two of them are ours.

When time allows, Mark and Lisa join the kids for lunch. Small tables line the playground wall and when the bell rings (literally, a studentstands at the top of the administration building steps and rings a hand bell) chattering children emerge from the low, windowless, wood-framed classrooms. Dressed in a white shirt and kaki capris, Taleah skips over to us, her braids bouncing. She's smiling. Tavin wanders over with a shy grin. Other kids join us - Shamel, a young Indian boy and Brian, who has newly arrived from Virginia. Both are in Tavin's grade.



Out over the playground field, hanging in a tree, is a monkey. He keenly watches the food dropping on the ground, waiting for an opportunity to scavenge the remains of chapatis and bananas. We visit with other parents and find there is a community of Christians who meet in homes for bible study on Thursday mornings and family worship on Friday evenings. The bell rings again and the kids hurry off to their classes. We linger for a few more moments, listening to the weaver birds and enjoying the gentle breeze off the hazy lake.

After one full month here with minimal complications, we seem to be settling-in and finding the place God prepared for us. We're encouraged by the children's easy transition and the warm welcome we've received. We're happy. Oh, And what happen with the monkey? Well, he looked pretty happy too, munching on his leftovers!

Click on Tavin's page to see some pics and his news. Click Taleah's page to see her first school assignment she wanted to share (especially for Aunt Kiki and Uncle Bob!).

We appreciate your prayers, support and encouragement.
Hugs from the Haugers

Lovely Sunday


Such a lovely Sunday, worshiping with our Kenyan brothers and sisters. Thankful for Christ's precious family worldwide.

This afternoon we met with church leaders and submitted the proposal and curriculum for discipleship and income-generating training with widowed moms for review. Carolyne and Lisa have been diligently working on fine-tuning the training so it can accommodate Kenyan facilitators. We were welcomed to share the vision the Lord laid on our hearts. So very blessed, yes, blessed is what we felt when we heard Carolyne, once a victimized, widowed mother, speak passionately about her desire to help others find their place of influence in God's kingdom.

One of the leader's who met with us actually works for a very BIG development agency. He expressed great pleasure to see a development curriculum that was not only biblically-based, but focused on helping the women create their ministries to the poor. We agreed to meet again for a “formal acceptance” (whatever that means...). Anyway, next Monday, these spiritual leaders of the community will be gracing our humble home. Yikes! We'd better get busy cleaning and cooking!

This coming week brings some firsts for us! Tavin and Taleah start school on Tuesday. It's an international school so we expect they'll have some interesting experiences! Thanks to some thoughtful friends (you know who you are) we've gathered enough funds to buy food for the orphaned kids at Covenant House (the kids who spend Friday's praying to eat...) so we get to bring the first bags of rice and beans. Taleah had a great dream that her and Tavin we're praying with the kids at Covenant house and then the kids started to pray for each other. So, guess what we're doing next time were there?





We appreciate your prayers and support. Your comments and e-mails warm our hearts and make us smile. It's good to be a part of the family of God.
Even in the midst of a storm, God's light shines through, encouraging us to keep our eyes on Him.

Are You Hungry?

The orphaned kids at Covenant House don't eat everyday. Watching them play and sing, seeing their shy smiles and curious gazes, it's hard to believe they are much different than your children or mine. Can you imagine not feeding your family everyday? Do you wonder what it must be like to tuck a hungry little one into bed?




One afternoon at we had a popcorn party there. As we visited with the older kids we asked, "What would make this place better?" They hesitated... We thought they might be thinking of playground equipment, or musical instruments. Maybe they wanted bikes, or games, or books... We waited and asked again, "Really, if you could have anything to improve where you live, what would it be?"

"Food."

Yes. Hard to believe, huh?

Food.

They want to eat everyday.

The facts are:
  • Every Friday the kids of Covenant House pray for food.
  • $55.00 would provide 25 kilograms of rice for 175 children for two days.
  • $100.00 would provide 90 kilograms of beans for 175 children for one month.
  • They need help.
Covenant House is filled with children whose needs go beyond food. They are orphans - kids with no families. The buildings on the 1.5 acre compound could easily be set up as homes, each with 12 children and trained house parents to care for them, as we work at an indigenous adoption program. Please ask God to show us how to be what He wants us to be for orphans. We're so hungry to help.

hugs from the haugers

The Tenants Who Wouldn't Move Out!

Becky had a room mate...
So when we moved in to our home here in Kenya, these little guys were already living there! We politely tried to "evict them," but they refused to move!

These little guys don't clean up after themselves, and they leave their body parts laying around! How rude!
They are lazy, loafing all day!
Becky finally had enough and decided she would physically eject them!
The next day, we saw the "grand daddy" of lizards! Thank God he was already "gone..."
Check back again for more excitement as we journey the Kenyan life!

Times of Grace


Of course everything moves slower here. Plenty to do without the choices that lend towards effective time management. Eight people with one driver. A household to create from one store (think Alco only). Food to prepare (for 8 people) on a table top burner. Water to boil, always boiling the water. We bouncing along in traffic among the peci-pecis, matutus, buses, cows, chickens and people ambling along the roadside. We wait. We wait in jams, for meetings to start, vendors to barter, decisions to be made... This is life for the last 14 days, and it probably won't change any time soon. As we live, we find ourselves moving on the rhythms of God's grace.

Just yesterday we went to a shop to find fabric for Becky and Addie to make curtains. Waiting outside, at a busy intersection of town, we saw a young boy fall to ground and start seizing. He convulsed while cars whizzed by without concern. We prayed. Mark ran to buy a water and walked over to the boy after he came back around. We find out that his name is Eric and he sniffs glue. His life is harder than the dangers of sniffing glue. Mark prays with Eric and we watch him wander away. We have to believe God follows after him. It's a time of grace.

Becky and Addie's room is on the upper level of our home. It has a veranda that overlooks our broken-bottle encrusted, cement security wall and into the neighborhood.. That evening Becky tells us about the girl she sees from her veranda who lives in a corrugated metal shack next to the wall. She has a baby. The baby cries a lot. The baby is hungry. The next day, as Becky washes her clothes, she finds the baby's new cleaned diaper cloths draped across the security wall, drying in the warm African sun. Becky has to do something that will help. We talk. We pray and the following morning, while the diapers are out drying, Becky pins a thousand note shilling on to one of them. She prays again believing God will make the difference from this simple act of kindness. Another moment in grace.

His name is Timothy, and he wanders up to me at the Nakumatt market. His stares at his feet and whispers, “Will you please take me?” He glances up at me, tears brimming in his chocolate eyes. His story is not uncommon here. Neglected. Alone. What can we do? How does God want to make a difference in the lives of the “Timothys” that overwhelm this land? I pray with him, telling him it's dangerous to ask people to take him home. Does he want a ride? A meal? Where is his home? I give him some change and he wanders away. That night my prayers surround Timothy, and I have to believe God is with him, surrounding him with what I could not yet offer.We realize these grace moments fill our live not because of who we are or what we have to give. It's not about our efficiency or effectiveness. It's always about God and what He is doing. Yes, we'll work hard on projects that help the poor, participate in prayer and fasting, share the gospel. We'll cultivate good friendships and be thankful for our blessings. We'll acclimate to the differences we encounter daily but in the end, it's the moments of grace that show us were all in the same place; needing our Father's tenderness to heal our broken places.

Making a Home

So here we are. In Kisumu. Carefully plodding through the sticky African mud,. We're ordering a bed-frame from the furniture-making stalls in the misty rain on a Thursday afternoon. The marketplace is a kaleidoscope of damp color. Children wander past. Men push heavy carts loaded with burdens – toiling labors of another day. I watch women exchange greetings and transact business as young ones hug their backs. I wonder what it will be like to live among them and share their stories.

Becky trudges over; her Keens are a sloppy mess. She smiles as she shares the details of the purchase: a handmade bed-frame, carved by roughed hands and a warm heart. A place to lay my head. In my home. In Kenya.

Our Journey Begins

Weaving in and out of traffic along the rim of the Great Rift Valley, we begin our great adventure in Kenya. In reality, this journey started long ago and many prayers away.
In 2001 Africa was planted in our hearts. God watered it with tears for the poor. He fed it with intercession for orphaned children. As bible school graduates with mission majors, the idea of living in a foreign country had always been on our radar; but, it took our 4 year old son to fertilize the ground of the field the Lord was calling us to harvest. His nightly prayers, asking God to help orphans in Africa led us ask how we as a family could share our lives with a hurting world.
The vision to “go” sprouted into our first trip. In 2006 we travel to Kenya. It was not what we would call a good experience. Surrounded by adversity that threatened our commitment, we returned to the states feeling lost, but with hope that God could restore the dream. After two more trips that produced amazingly sweet fruit, we endured the tests of time by waiting for God to push open the doors for long term ministry. Now, we are here.
I watch the road unfold before us, dotted with colorfully-clad bodies, small markets, zebras and baboons. Little ones play with sticks and old bike tires. We moved on through small villages and sprawling towns, carried down this artery of African life, carried to a destiny.
As we continue on this journey, we pray that God would keep revealing His heart for the fatherless and enabling us to work the ground He's given. We're believing Him for miracles of grace.

the title

why "tilting balance?" 
Our intention is to engage conversation.

what do we balance in life?  
busy schedules... 
perceptions...
opinions... 
norms of social acceptance...  


We rarely challenge things that that might disturb our comfort zones. 


We decided to do just that - shake the balance of maintaining and release ourselves into God's heart for the orphaned child.  


BUT...  
it doesn't make sense for a mechanic to leave his job during a recession and travel with his family to another continent to help the hopeless. Can his wife, a physically handicapped mom (who doctors claim should not even be alive) make a home among the poor in Kenya and enjoy rich friendships? Will his children, who've been adopted from difficult places, process this new life with healthy perspectives? 


And what about the generations of victimized, young, widowed moms and orphaned children whom this family is going to serve? Can they truly experience redemptive destinies? Can they be empowered to find their rightful places in families, in communities, in the body of Christ? 


Is all this just too hard to do?  Does it tilt the balance of expectations?  Can we tilt into discomfort to bring comfort to those who have been forgotten?

Our vision is to cause a rumble under the well-manicured, but wobbly pedestals we've built our lives upon. We want to tilt the balance of preserving what has no eternal value to caring for those whom the world views as worthless. We want to tilt the balance of favor only for the wealthy and bring justice to those who have none.  We want to see mercy tilt the balance of condemnation and control towards those who are lost. 


We want to receive the invitation to embrace God's differences by falling from our balancing act and landing completely in His Grace.

packing up a life

Today my sister came over and we packed up the hutch, the place to display all the things with sentimental value. We wrapped Mark's grandma's china in newspaper and reminisced about other pieces from our beloved Nana. i gathered together souvenirs from other mission trips. After packing 4 boxes to pass to another generation, and more boxes loaded for the pending yard sale, my sister headed home and i wandered outside to welcome the evening air.

While watching the sunset reflect off the mountains, i tried to relate my past to the future. i realized how little i knew about my ancestors. i thought about how little my children know about their birth families. i connected all this to the calling. We're going to live among children who are truly abandoned at birth. Attachments severed before they even had opportunity to emerge.

i'm wondering what we have to offer them?

i'm praying we help nurture them to know their heavenly Father who will never leave or forsake them.

i'm believing they will be given families who will embrace their futures and provide for them a sense of belonging.

i'm packing up a life here to unpack destinies in Kenya.



Taleah surrounded by our suitcases in our small room during our first month long visit to Kenya.

how then do we serve?

In 51 days we leave our sweet home nestled in a small mountain town for the unfamiliar poverty of friends who live in Kisumu, Kenya. These friends expect better times to come and serve each other with whatever blessing God placed in their hands. i like to think we could do the same.

i'm going to live in Kenya, East Africa as a disabled wife, mom, woman. Do i believe for healing? Of course. i look to Him everyday to restore my body; but, should i wait for that before i go to be among those who are disenfranchised, fatherless and without resources in a country overwrought with corruption and disease? After getting the doctor's okay and counsel from the wise, i don't think He's telling me to wait. If fact, i see how much i can offer, inspite of what i can't do. A successful financial advisor recently encouraged me with these words, "God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called."

And so, without the ability to dress myself, provide for my personal care, to stand by myself or lift my arms away from my body, i'm preparing to go. With the help of those who believe God works through weakness and are not ashamed of my lack, i'm moving to a place far beyond my own significant inconveniences. i'm anticipating how God will remove the insulating comforts of this everyday life and immerse us into a culture where "being different" is our commonality.

Yet, isn't that what God calls us to? Are we not enlisted as servants of the Most High, regardless of our circumstances? Should i stay secure in the boundaries of my control and predictions? Or, should i journey into the great unknown, being certain that in losing my life, i'm destine to find the one God has ordained?

For me, it's a humbling privilege to be called to serve. Regardless of past experiences or current situations that could easily culminate into valid excuses, God wants me. i'll not serve on condition of receiving a promise. by His grace, i'll serve according to His Word, according to His call.


"Lord, let my life move in the rhythms of relationships inspired by grace, created for Your glory. 
Bring the light of Your Love into dark, overwhelming places. Show us how to serve You the way You must be served. Help us serve others in purity and truth."

 

Among The Least is a is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered and has office in the State of Colorado.