Kathy Tierney returns home...last post

Dear Friends, Our missionary nurse Kathy Tierney has returned home and sent us this last post as a summary of her work in West Pokot. Please pray with us that she will be led to return and help with this much needed work.

from Kathy...
James tells us that visiting widows and orphans in their distress is pure and undefiled religion. My heart hears that without the abiding love of our heavenly Father in our lives, we are all orphans, so making this verse alive in my life is just acting on the obedience and going where I am called. This time it was to West Pokot, Kenya to do medical work meeting the physical needs of the people. I did so, realizing that the physical needs are not separate from their spiritual needs, that there is a sickness of soul that leads to a more certain and everlasting death and this I shared with everyone the Lord brought to me. My spirit is alive in Christ Jesus and I am compelled to share this with everyone in need. What a blessing to be able to see this light shine in the eyes and soul of the Pokot people. What a joy to give much needed medicine and care while sharing about our Great Lord who heals not only the body, but brings everlasting life. There is so much I could say, but know that here we deal with diseases and problems we rarely see in our nation; malaria, every kind of parasite and worms, typhoid, tetanus, lockjaw, whooping cough, pneumonia and the list goes on and on. What I could not do the Lord did! So many miracles of love, healing and hope. The peoples with grateful hearts and smiling faces greeted me everywhere. I shared with all that it was their loving Heavenly Father who was proving the care and love and the way for us to be in their lives. The praise and thanksgiving of these people warmed my heart and gave me renewed hope and faith. Despite the difficult circumstances these people shine where they are and in their lives for the Lord. There is much we can learn from them. No matter the dire circumstances they continue to live for the Lord and sing praises. They are my betters and I have been privileged to know them.

The last day I was there we drove about an hour from Kamaketto to Kasaka. The road is difficult and treacherous. Once we arrived we realized we needed a couple of days there as there were several hundred people who needed care. We still grieve we left many unattended. My prayer is that the Lord will help me to return. Please pray for Jim and I that the Lord will continue to lead us, and make a way for us to devote more time to these precious people. I send my blessings and love to you all. Thank you for caring and giving so that others can live and know Him. Love in our Lord. Kathy.

Kathy Tierney - Nurse

Dear Friends, So much has been happening and we are so blessed for the help and love so many of you have given the ministry to the people of West POKOT. We have been so happy to have Kathy Tierney serving the people as a nurse. Recently she was able to help a women who walked 70 miles from Uganda after having her face slashed to the bone in a raid to her village with a machete. Kathy has treated hundreds of people; HIV, Malaria, infections, parasites, and diseases of every kind. To the many of you who have sent funds for the medicine, food, and support we cannot thank you enough. We pray that God's richest blessings will guide you and your families and that you will know His divine intervention in your lives. Pray for Kathy and her ministry. There are few places to get medical help in the Bush, and the people see the love of Christ and His salvation through her ministry and her sacrifice. M.H.

Leroy and Mary coming home

Hello to everybody.
We want to thank everyone again for your prayers and the donations to our ministry. I know it is a bit early for the newsletter, but Mary and I will be leaving Kenya Sept. 23rd (next week) for Alaska. We will try to visit as many as possible while we are home. We have been able to send another truck load of maize into the Kasei area to ease the famine a bit. It is preventing as much starvation as we can. The problem with famine is still very real. We will continue to fight starvation! Many of the children are eating dirt to fill their bellies. This opens a brand new avenue for disease and infections. Simple things we take for granted like vegetablesthat they need for protein just aren’t there. One bright spot though is that Kathy Tierney, a Nurse, has arrived to take our place while we are in the States. She has opened a Clinic on the veranda of the Mission House at Kamketo. She has a friend named Jennifer McClain who is a emergency room Nurse who will spendthe month of October assisting Kathy with the clinic. Two men who are also Christians from the church that Kathy attends in Redmond Oregon are coming to help in late October. Redmond Christian Church is helping to sponsor all of them for this project. May God Bless in every thing they do. Mary and I will be staying at the home of Anita Cork in Wasilla Alaska. Anita is going to do some traveling while we are there to watch the house. Our phone number will be 907-376-7875 if you need to contact us. Our email address will be the same. Our P.O. Box 873825,Wasilla, Alaska, 99687, would love to hear from you. We do want to visit with friends and relatives in the lower 48. Don’tknow how or when we will be able to do this, but I am sure the Lord will work it out. I think we have some air miles saved up, don’t know how far it will take us, so if you have any frequent flyer miles you are not using we could sure use the help. Most of Mary’s family live in Alaska, but she, like me, has relatives all over the U.S.A. We have Churches that have helped support us that we need to report first hand what we have done the last year. Mary and Kathy will pick out some photos to send. We ask you to share them with folks who don’t have a computer. We want all of you to know it is a real blessing for Mary and I to get to serve the Lord in this way. Your help to us is the extended hand of GOD. We praise you for that too. LOVE YOU ALL, HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON, Leroy, Mary and Kathy

Kathy Tierney - Missionary

Dear supporters. I received this letter this morning from Kathy in West Pokot , Kenya. She has sacrificed her time , money, heart and effort to come to the people there and minister healing and love from the big heart the Lord has blessed her with. Please pray for Kathy and Jim. We need more servants like these two wonderful saints to give themselves to the people God has entrusted to our care. Leroy and Mary are coming home in a few weeks to Alaska for a sabbatical. Pray for their safe journey and the open doors God will provide to share their work and need for the people of West Pokot.

Hi there dear friends of the Pokot. This morning in church service I shared with the people that I left my heart here years ago when I lived here...I came back to get it, it was still here, with them. I see many cases of malaria, lots of worms, TB, babies with dehydration, skin diseases such as scabies and ring worm are common...I am seeing some malnutrition as well...there is always something that needs to be done. The Hawns are always busy getting those things done. The people here love these folks - Leroy and Mary - and so do I. I am not certain where the Lord will lead my husband and I...we have always wanted to come back to live and work...the Lord would need to prepare and coordinate many things for that to happen but His great wisdom has done that many times in our lives. We are blessed to be close to retirement and the freedom to be used full time is something we pray about in earnest. It would be a blessing to have trained Pokot here to take care of the medical needs of their people as well as take care of the other needs. I believe that being a missionary is the only job we try to work ourselves out of...to establish strong hearts for Jesus and faith in Him and then to have the folks here take over is what we missionaries try to do. There are many things being done to that end but will be some time in the future before that is accomplished. Please pray with my husband Jim and i about this opportunity to come and serve full time. He will be 61 soon and could retire at 62. Until then I am open to coming for this two months at a time and he is ready to take his vacation time each year to come and build relationships again...continue to pray that these folks hear and receive the hope of our Lord and King Jesus! Blessings in His name..Kathy Tierney

Kathy Tierney, Nursing for the people

Kathy Tierney dresses the wound on a young Pokot Boy's foot, and provides care for a mother and her child. We thank the Lord for Kathy's dedication and love for the Pokot people and her willingness to sacrifice and come to help us. In the new mission house at Kamaketo, hundreds of people came - many from remote villages when the word went out that a Christian American nurse had arrived to minister to the people and work to allieviate their suffering. We take for granted that our chiuldren can have wounds cleaned and tended, that our children can live without parasites and worms eating up their little insides, and that our children will live to grow and someday have families of their own. In this remote area of West Pokot, Kenya, parents do not know these things. Every day is a struggle for survival, and health is often difficult to sustain.

If you can - write to Kathy and tell her how much you appreciate her work and sacrifice, and if God has blessed you and your family, please give what you can so we can supply medication, bandages and life giving care to the people of West Pokot.

Food for the Starving

Dear Friends,
We are back in Kitale for a short time and then it will be back to the Bush. We have worked very hard to bring much needed food to those hardest hit by the famine that is rocking Kenya at this time. Though we provided seed for planting in season, the ensuing drought wiped out much of it and we find ourselves again asking for help so that the people we are serving in the West Pokot area do not starve to death. Already we've lost several people and it breaks my heart to see the families that worship in our 18 HIM churches with hungry children. The pleading eyes of the parents say it all....and we cannot turn them away. Praise God we've been able with your support to provide one hundred, 90 kilo bags of maize (corn) to the people this week ! A 90 kilo bag is about 200 lbs, and costs us $42 to purchase. Then we have to spend the money to transport it to the people - about $500. So far we've been able to make a real difference and see lives saved with your generosity. The Kenya government is also trying to help -as well as many other world health organizations. They just don't get much up to the people of Pokot. The pastors are distributing the maize 5 kilos per family (about 11 lbs of corn). It is amazing that for a gift of only $42 you can feed 18 families, maybe saving them from starvation.

Kathy Tierney, the nurse who worked with us many years ago and is joining the casue here again, has arrived and is already making a wonderful impact in the lives of the Pokot people. Sunday and Mondy she set up a medical clinic at the Mission house in Kamaketo and the people lined up in droves. We did not keep count but certainly over 400 people were seen; malaria, worms, pneumonia, burns, Burselosis (from drinking bad milk), scabies, ring worm and TB were some of the many problems she saw. What a blessing Kathy is to the people as she shows the love of Christ in action though her healing hands. Kathy shows her faith in action!

Love, blessings, and peace from West Pokot. Leroy, Mary and (thank the Lord!) Kathy

Newsletter update for July

Dear Friends of HIM,

Well, its newsletter time again, and so much has happened it is difficult to know just what to say. We are so thankful our Land Cruiser is now fixed. The shocks, suspension, tires and transmission have just taken a beating this last year. The land we have to travel to access the ministry in West Pokot is challenging (to say the least); rocks, washouts, potholes, and steep mountain trails. Hard on the body of the truck -and our bodies as well :)

The famine is really severe here now. Two great churches in Alaska - Crossroads Church and Church on the Rock donated money to buy seed so the farmers had a chance at a crop this year. The crops looked real good when they first came up, but is some areas the lack of rain withered them. In some of the mountain regions they again have no food. we are planning to haul food to the bush as we did last year. A bag of maize is 90 kilos - nearly 200 lbs. If you would like to be a blessing to the starving people of West Pokot you can buy a bag of maise for $47 US.

We will deliver the maize to the pastors, who will then distribute it throughout the Churches. The pastors know the families and who really need the help. If you can be their blessing, even with a few dollars, please send it to

Hawn International Missions

c/o Mike Hervey

PO Box 872889

Wasilla, Alaska 99687-2889

Mark on the check "for food" and we will make certain your donation goes directly to feed starving people.

Mary and I are so very thankful for all of you who are connected so closely with us in this ministry. As Jesus said " if you so much as give one of these little ones a cup of water in my name, you have given it to Me". As we minister to these precious people, we do it knowing that our hand is your hand extended. Lives are being changed, souls are added to the kingdom, and the children of West Pokot have food to eat in a large part directly because you have joined with us with funds and prayer. May He richly bless you.

Leroy and Mary Hawn - Kitale, Kenya 26 July, 2009

Crowds gather to hear the Word

We are making progress in evangelizing the Pokot people. In every village many are coming to know the Lord. Leroy prays and shares his testimony as well as the Word with Pastor Benjamin translating.

Praying for the People

Praying for the people to be healed, to be saved, to dedicate their lives to the Lord. These are the goal's of Hawn International Missions. In the process of building churches the people are reaching out for the Lord. In this photo, Leroy prays for a woman in Chedowa.

In every village the pastors are sharing the good news with those who are searching for the same answers to their lives that all of us look for; why am I here? Does God really care about me? And if he does, how can I know Him? Your involvement and support of HIM has helped us to bring these answers to the people of West Pokot.

The People of CHEDAWA

This is our final Post for the new church at Chedawa. After Mary rode the motorcycle, and we saw the great job the villagers did on the building, we got to meet the people. After all, the real church is the people. The building is only a structure. The people were so welcoming, especially the 80 or so children who came for hugs from the white visitors. Later they told us we were the first white people (Masungo's) to ever visit their village - many have never seen an automobile. They loved Mary's white hair (and my lack of it!).

I (Leroy) preached during the service using 1st Corinthians Ch 13 as a text. Seven people came forward and accepted the Lord! I also was able to pray for several folks who needed healing. One elderly women got so blessed she jumped up and down like a youngster. We felt so privileged to worship with these wonderful people. We thank the Lord he made a way for us to be there. Keep praising the Lord, and pray for us and Pokot people of Kenya. Leroy and Mary

The Church building at CHEDAWA

We receieved a tremendous welcome at the church. The people did not wait for someone else to build a church for them, they just rolled up their sleeves and began building in faith. They lack six corregated metal sheets for the roof, so we gave them one we had left over from building our storage sheds and promised the church we would bring them the rest they need. Such determiniation and faith from extremely poor people should be rewarded!

June News - Mary Rides a Motorbike

Hello again everybody. We are so happy to report that our Sunday Service this week was one to remember. For quite some time we've been invited to attend church at the site of one of the Nursery Schools we started and support. It is in a village called Chedawa. When invited, I always asked "can we drive there" and the answer always came back "no", so we had not attempted it. Mary and I are strong, but in our seventies are not confident about hiking any real distance through the bush country of Africa. Finally last week we were told the villagers had made a good road to Chedawa, and had actually built a little church. So finally, even though we were skeptical, on June 28th, we agreed to go.
So off we went in the trusty Land Cruiser. The road the built was pretty good and passable until just about a half a kilometer from the village. It was obvious I could go no further without risking severe damage to the Cruiser so we got out and began walking. We only went a short way and it became obvious that Mary would need to rest. She has breathing problems somtimes and this exertion in the heat and dust of the 'bush' was getting to her. One of the pastors had a motorbike so he agreed to give Mary a ride the rest of the way if she would just hop on the back. So..... here is a picture of my darling wife, a 74 year old grandmother riding through he African bush on the back of a motorbike- you just don't see that everyday!The name of the village, CHEDAWA, has interesting origins. "Che" is Pokot for a tree whose bark is harvested for medicine. "Dawa" is Swahili for medicine. At one time, this village was known for making whisky and beer, but once the villagers found the found the Lord the whisky makers had to leave. Now, several years later a Lutheran church and our little church are there.

Kamaketto MISSION HOUSE PRAYER

Father, we thank you for all you have done and all you will do though the ministries of HIM to the POKOT people and the pastors and missionaries who are associated with us and all who will be associated with us. Thank you for the completion of the MISSION HOUSE. This is your work, not ours. We put our hands to the plow, but we know it is you who gives us the strength , endurance and support to accomplish anything at all. We dedicate this house to your work, Father. May all who stay here feel the presence and power of God Almighty. Let your work through our hands bear fruit and multiply souls to the Kingdom of God. In Jesus name, Amen.

Many come to Celebrate

A crowd of local people came to the dedication. Some walked for many miles to be there. It is a testimony to the Lord to have the Mission House completed

Mission House in KAMAKETTO

The Mission House at Kamaketto was dedicated this last Sunday. What a glorious day it was with over 250 people showing up to sing and praise the Lord for the work He has done through the ministry of HIM. Thank you all who believed in this project and donated funds to complete it. With this house we will be able to sleep in a building away from the bugs and animals that have such easy access in a tent. Working witness teams will also have a room to sleep in when in the "Bush". Here you can see Leory and Mary with some of the Pastors of HIM praying and praising God at the celebration.

Dear Friends, Here is our new LOGO!

The symbol represents

• A ministry for PEOPLE


• we reach up to PRAISE and SEEK the Lord


• we worship God in three persons the FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT


• Jesus wears the CROWN as He is and always will be The LORD OF LORDS and KING of KINGS

We are working of getting our web site constructed and I am so excited to see it completed! The web site will allow friends to see much more basic information about the ministry; the history of HIM, who we are, our goals and projects, pictures of the ministry, our beliefs, and so on. It will also allow people to donate with credit cards as well as Pay Pal. All of this and much more will be available on the web site. Simultaneously we are editing the videos that were taken on the last trip to West Pokot to create tools to use in keeping our supporters informed about the progress made with the POKOT people. All of this should be done in the next few months. I expect the web site to be completed and on line in 4 weeks or so. When it is done, you will see the address posted here. It may also be that the BLOG will be moved to the web site. we will let you all know. May God richly bless you

Pokot Hut

I wanted to post this photo to show how the people we are minister to live. This is a primitive area, and the people here live a modest existence. H.I.M. provides spiritual guidance, church building, evangelism, seed in times of drought, food for the hungry, education for the children, and the Love of Christ in their lives.

Pictures of the Mission House

Dear Friends, I know some of our supporters might wonder why it is so important for us to build a Mission House in Kamaketto. I thought it would be helpful to explain , even as we post pictures of the almost complete house. When Ruthann & I were first in the area, Leroy and Mary loaded us up in the Land Cruiser and took us to the "bush"; the area of the villages in West Pokot . It took us 4 hours of travel, over roads that are mainly up and down mountains, through river beds, and over rocks and deterioration that would challenge the most rugged of Alaskans. It is in this area that the ministry takes place, and the ministry is effective. Now 18 churches, 4 pre schools, transportation for the sick, seed for the farmers and food for the starving is provided. Plans are underway to support the many pastors and Evangelists in this region with ongoing training and teaching in the Bible and doctrine. All this means we must spend time in the "bush". In this region the people live in mud huts that are often no bigger than 10' X 12' - and their entire family lives in there. We have nowhere to sleep without the Mission House.

Even with the Mission House , living there is rustic. No running water, no electricity and no heat or air conditioning. We cook on a propane cook stove, and drinking water is gathered from a rain barrel, from runoff on the roof. In this region it can get over 100f in the day and cold at night in the winter months. We also pray that working witness teams will be led to come form the Churches who support this work. When they come - we need a place for them to sleep off the ground and away from the snakes and insects. We praise the Lord that the Mission House is almost done! Mike.

May Newsletter part 2

The village sits very high on Mt. Kaptoloma. The recent rains have made the roads almost impassable. Some of the vehicles we saw on the way down had to give up and turn around. But our old trusty Land Cruiser took us up there and back. But I worry what its doing to our vehicle. it’s the only way we have to get around. If we tear it up we could never walk that far to minister to them. Please pray that the Lord will provide in case it does break down. The recent rains are doing a great job on the maize fields, at this point in time it looks like there will be an abundant harvest on the mountains. Rain has come in the lower regions now and some have been able to replant their crops that had dried up earlier. When we did get home Sunday afternoon we had people waiting on us.Some just wanted to talk but some were needing medication for sore eyes and one lady was very ill so we brought her to the doctor in Makatano today. Understand, we are not complaining. We just praise God for using us to serve his people. I know his rewards to us when we do get to that home in the sky will make it all worth while. We love all of you, Leroy and Mary

May - Letter from Leory part 1

Hello Everyone,

Well, another month has almost rolled by. We just returned from Pokot bush country. Didn’t intend to come back today but a lady from Mt. Koroko got very ill. So we brought her to a Doctor at Makatono. That’s about forty miles from Kitale. Have no idea what was wrong with her, but she sure didn’t navigate very well. Think she rode most of the way with her head on Mary’s shoulder. We pray to God that what she has is not catching. A week ago Saturday we helped the pastors build a shelter at Kaseito to hold services with some protection from the weather. They seemed very pleased with the efforts that went into building it. We are just about done with the Mission House at Kamaketto. We are building a storage unit there now. It will house our tools and be a place for our guard to stay when it rains. The fonda’s (carpenters) are also finishing the painting on the house. We would like to have a dedication service to give it to the Lord, don’t know when that will be. I still need to set the water tanks to catch water off the roof. We have a water purification system that Crossroads Church brought us. I want to get it set up and to working off a solar system that Crossroads also furnished us with. The well at Kamaketto is working good but the water looks dirty to me. We will test it next week and see if it is good to use. We don’t use it for anything but to wash with, but I am afraid it might make someone sick. We plan to start moving into our headquarters house next week. We have already taken the shower house over there. I don’t want to be in the fonda’s way so I just haul water and sand, then bring the building material down from the Kitale area. We attended church Sunday at Mkongor, it’s a new church we started under the trees. The people built a shelter (like a brush arbor), it just protects them from the sun, so we took a big tarp the Hervey’s had bought for them to put over it for rain protection. We have some heavy plastic to make a windbreak until the Good Lord provides funds to build them a church building. The people were very happy to get the tarp, they testified for a long while about the goodness of the Lord. Kisamoi gave his testimony and led them in a praise song in the Pokot language. We couldn't understand the words but I am sure God enjoyed it. After the service we went to a pastors hut for lunch. Just a mud hut with a thatch grass roof, we had ten people in there while the Mama’served us chicken and rice and beans. Then we had chi to drink and that’s African style too. Its tea with lots of hot milk and enough sugar to almost call it syrup. It was a good day in the Lord.

Kamaketto Mission House

The Mission house at Kamaketto is almost done. The building is all block, three rooms with a porch. The roof is made of corrugated metal. You see the workers pictured here on the front porch; temporarily, the congregation of Kamaketto will be using the poach to have church. Eventually we believe the funds to build a church on the grounds will be provided. This house will provide two bedrooms, a kitchen, an outhouse, and a bathhouse with sun heated water for a shower. In faith, we are preparing for working witness teams, pastors, and other mission groups who will be staying in the mission house while working to spread the Gospel in West Pokot. When Leory and Mary are in the "bush" (which is most of the time) they will stay here. Is is so much safer and better than staying in a tent.

The church and community provided the sand, hauled the rocks for the foundation, and helped as they could with the construction. The Kamaketto cheif and the people of the community have given H.I.M. 15 acres of land to use as a mission headquarters in West Pokot. Here, along with the Mission House, we are asking the Lord to provide funds for the church, a storage building, the outhouse, a shower house, and a screen porch to keep out of the weather (and mosquitoes) and meet with elders and community folks.

We need your help! While buildings are very basic with no indoor plumbing, heat or air conditions (no electricity!) -the block, corrugated metal, windows, doors, cement and labor to build them costs money. If the Lord moves on you to provide funds, you can be certain that we are able to stretch every dollar as far as possible. We believe the church can be built for around $15,000 in US dollars. Please pray and give as you can. Mike and Ruthann are also available to speak to your church or to individuals about the ministry and how you can help. call Mike at 907-841-8224.

BUV - Utility Vehicle

David has been crippled all of his life. He works in a clinic in Kamilla, one of the most remote villages H.I.M. works with. He also works to Pastor the church there. For more than 20 years, David has moved around with the aid of a modified bicycle which uses his hands and arms, rather than his feet and legs, to move the chain around and turn the wheels. There are times, however, that he needs to go from one village to another and move medical supplies around. Now he can do it in a motorized vehicle supplied through the ministry.

We delivered the BUV to Kamilla yesterday some photos of HAPPY DAVID! BUV was donated by Ward Brehm in Minnesota. Thank you Ward for your generosity in the Lord.

Seeds for Planting, crops coming up!

Dear Friends,

Leroy just sent me this photo and I had to get it up on the BLOG right away. Two great churches; Church on the Rock in Wasilla, Alaska, and Crossroads Community Church in Palmer, Alaska donated almost $3,000 for seed. Due to years of drought, the farmers in the remote villages of West Pokot did not even have seed to plant, and no money to buy any. We are praying that the rain will be sufficient to mature these crops. You will never know the hundreds and hundreds of families, men women and little children that are thanking God and praying for their Christian brothers and sisters in America. You are a blessing!

Help for Misson House

We want to extend personal thanks to all of those who have supported our ministry here in West Pokot, Kenya. Who would have ever believed that God would allow us the great privilege of serving the wonderful Pokot people again. We are so grateful to our many friends and the Churches who have come along side and shared the vision with us. Please know that you are all in our prayers. Things are not always easy here...in fact it is frequently difficult and frustrating, but through it all, our Lord has shown us many miracles -both small and large, and His hand is evident in all of our steps.

But, we need your help. The Elders and community of Kamaketto have given the ministry 15 acres of ground on the edge of the village. On this land we are building a mission house for us - and others working with the ministry - to stay in when we are in the 'bush', an outhouse, a church, and eventually a school. Praise God!

All of these are simple block buildings with corrugated metal roofs. There is no need for heat :) and since there is no electricity out here, no air conditioning, and no running water, we just need a door and a few windows. The floors are concrete, and the furniture is rough cut, and rugged like the land. We collect rainwater into a cistern off the roof, and strain then boil it for drinking water. This life is not for those looking for comfort, but we love it and God gives us grace.

But as simple as these buildings are, the materials and labor still costs money. We desperately need $4,000 to finish the mission house, and purchase the cistern for our water. Mary would like to have a gravity water shower (well... I would too!), and we need to put in an outhouse. If you can help, please send a love offering to

Hawn International Missions
c/o Mike Hervey
PO Box 872889
Wasilla, AK 99687

We'll post photos when God Bless you ALL!

Lacy's Camera

Lacy Steel made many friends with her camera, as well as her open smile and obvious love for the people, especially the children. Whenever she could, she showed the photos , and for many, it was the first time they had ever seen a picture of themselves - or even a camera for that matter.

Once they saw a picture, they would clamor for more - often making funny faces, and jumping up and down to be the one in the next picture. She was tireless in her efforts to get the right shots and help Nathan with the video footage. In tents and huts, fed rice and goat meat, with almost 100 degree heat (but it's a dry heat ! ) - Lacy was a trooper. We felt so privileged to have her and her husband Nathan with us on this latest trip and value her help and input on the mission videos as well as all our information and promotion material. We will continue to keep everyone posted on the progress.

THE MISSION HOUSE

The Mission house at Kamaketto is going up, the walls are almost finished and Leroy informs me that as long as we can continue to supply materials and pay some of the helpers, we can have it done ion 3 weeks. Please pray and help if you can. We need some of you to contribute to the materials for this building. The Mission house will house Leroy and Mary when they are out in the 'bush', as well as working witness teams and other ministry visitors to the area. It will keep them dry, and secure the kitchen and sleeping rooms with all the gear. Eventually we plan to have an outhouse, and a shower room where we can get clean with collected rain water, heated by the sun.

By American standards the Mission House will be little more than a block building with a tin roof, but it will be a permanent structure in Kamaketto, and a symbol of the work Leroy and Mary are accomplishing in West Pokot. A Church and school are also planned for the 15 acres we have been given by the community and elders there.

I will post more pictures soon. Mike.

Nathan and Lacy Steel - SCION productions

It was hard to find any photos where Nathan and Lacy Steel did not have the cameras blocking their faces. Now that we are back, the real work begins. Nathan and Lacy have begun the process of cataloging all the video and photos we took when in Africa. From this , they will work with Ruthann & I to create videos we can use in the ministry. I am so excited ...but don't want to rush them either! This is a very tedious process and we want to get it right. Our intention is to have several short videos and one much longer so that no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we have multi-media products to assist us in explaining the ministry. Please pray with us that Nathan and Lacy are given wisdom in this process. They are very gifted and God has so blessed us to unite their hearts with ours in this work.

The Story of Kisamoi

Leroy has been telling the story of Kisamoi (kee-sa-mo-a) for many years. I first heard it when he recounted the stories and testimonies of his first missionary journey to Kenya, some 25 years ago. Kisamoi was a young boy then from one of the most distant villages Leroy visited. He took a particular liking to the big White man and tried to follow him around. This was difficult, because Kisamoi had contracted Polio and his little legs were bound up under his body so that all he could do was drag himself across the floor. Whenever he would find Leroy, he would wrap his arms around his ankles and hold on for dear life.
Eventually Leroy took Kisamoi home with him and tried to clean him up. It took four tubs full before the water wasn’t brown with dirt. Kisamoi had never had a bath, and loved the water in Leroy’s big tub. In the African bush, it is difficult for any child, but a child who cannot walk, a child who will have to be taken care of by begging and relying on the care of others was a particular burden to a village. Kisamoi’s life looked bleak indeed. And it touched Leroy to the core.
Leroy asked Kisamoi’s family if he could take the boy to Nairobi with him and see if there were any doctors who would help the boy. Though they felt it was a lost cause, they eventually agreed and off they went on the long trip to Nairobi. Along with another missionary named Cash, Leroy sought out a doctor who was said to be the only one in the hospital who had the skills as an orthopedic surgeon to help this boy. But, day after day they were told this doctor was not available and there was no room in the hospital for a poor Pokot child with no family, and no money to help him. After several days, Cash told Leroy they would have to go home to West Pokot, the money was almost gone and Nairobi was expensive. Leroy looked at little Kisamoi, with his crippled legs and trusting smile, and asked Cash if they could pray and just give it one more try. So they bowed their heads and asked God to help them. Please Lord, help us find help for this crippled boy, Leroy prayed. They then went back to Kenyatta Hospital one last time.
As They entered the lobby, a doctor walked around the corner and as he approached them, Leroy could see from his name tag it was the very doctor they had been looking for – the Orthopedic surgeon! Excitedly they explained the problems of Kisamoi. Touched, the surgeon grabbed the entry nurse and said - get this boy a bed . - But doctor, she said, - I’ve already told them there are no beds, none at all in this hospital for this boy.
You don’t understand me nurse, he said firmly, I don’t care if you have to go buy a bed, I want this child in this hospital! And so Leroy left Kisamoi in the Nairobi hospital with the best orthopedic surgeon in Kenya.
Because little Kisamoi was covered in scabies that had to be cured, and the surgery left risk for infection, the surgeon told Leroy is would be several months before he could come back to get the boy, but they would call him when Kisamoi was ready to come home.
Several months later, Leroy got the call – Kisamoi was ready to come home and when he finally found himself waiting in the lobby at Kenyatta Hospital, Kisamoi came down the hallway towards him walking with his crutches. It was a miracle indeed!
Later, Kisamoi’s father , who was a warrior, ran down Leroy’s truck in the bush to thank Leroy for what he had done for Kisamoi saying – My son used to crawl on the ground like a dog…but now he walks upright like a man..
I have never heard Leroy recount this story without seeing tears in the big mans eyes. It is not me…. It is God who has looked out for Kisamoi, Leroy will say. He heals in many different ways.
The story of Kisamoi is one of desperation, hope, salvation, intervention, persistence, healing and ultimately one of God’s love for each one of us, no matter what it takes - or who we are. It is the story of one little crippled boy in the forsaken bush country of Africa, but also one of us all, in whatever condition we find ourselves. It is the story of redemption.
We went to find Kisamoi when Ruthann & I were there. We traveled rock and dirt roads, over the mountians to the farthest village away and eventually found Kisamoi along side the road. When he saw Leroy he almost knocked him over and there were hugs and tears for some time at this amazing reunion.
Life has still not been easy for Kisamoi. Both of his parents have since died, leaving him alone. His legs are still crippled and because he walks on crutches, and cannot really work in this agrarian culture, he cannot marry. He is having increasing difficulty getting around and needs a bicycle with hand controls, and a wheel chair for times when his arms are so tired he cannot carry his weight. But….. he is still alive, still has a smile on his face and still remembers the big white man who cared enough to take a crippled Pokot boy who walked on his hands and drug his body all the way to Nairobi to find the one doctor who could help him.
Leroy with God's hlep, is again helping Kisamoi. He has brought him to the Bush house where he and Mary stay in Kamaketto. Kisamoi has a job! – he is the assistant to the old man who watches Leroy’s mud hut when Leroy and Mary are gone to town. He has respect again, and he has his big missionary daddy back.

“..For you see your calling breathren, that not many of the wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God had chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty; and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, God has chosen, and the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.” 1 Cor 1:26-29

Dry River Beds in Northern Kenya

Ruthann and I walked many dry river beds. Rivers that, by their width and deep banks, were once vibrant, roaring bodies of water.

It has been many years since these rivers flowed with life. Now, children and women dig in the bed and try to find dirty water to filter through their shirts till enough grit is removed they can drink it.


This river looks like a road, but it is not. All the rivers in this region look like this. Please pray with us that the drought will not continue this year. The Pokot people are desperate for clean water.

ORU Students do their presentation!

Becky , Lindsey, Ruthann, Mike, Tripp, Daniel, Grant

The Oral Roberts team of senior students made their presentation for us yesterday. This team of dedicated students showed their skill and hard work with an outstanding multi media presentation defining the need in West Pokot for repair and restoration of water wells. In this drought ridden area many are suffering major health crisis and even death without clean water. I wish we could post the entire presentation here, but we will make parts of it available as soon as we can get it formatted properly.

Water is so vital to our survival: clean, disease free, and sufficient for our needs - we take it so much for granted in our culture. I will post more photos of the water problems in Northwest Kenya.

Seeds for Planting

Crossroads Church along with a generous offering by The Church on the Rock provided seeds for planting by the people of West Pokot, Kenya. After several years of drought, many of the farmers found themselves without seeds for this season. Famine in this land is always just around the corner, and the specter of starvation is real and immediate. Leroy, Mary, Mike and Ruth want to thank the members of these two great churches who provided $3,ooo together in seed for the farmers. In the last few weeks the farmers have been preparing their land, digging, making rows, and getting ready in faith that God, through the H.I.M. organization, would provide the seed for their fields. Praise the Lord, the seed was provided! Mike & Ruth Hervey were able to bring the money with them just in time for the planting season. When the crops come up we will post more photos, but for now all of you who donated and support these great churches, just know that your obedience to the Lord, has been the answer to the prayers of a people far into the bush country of Africa. The elders, widows, Moms and Dads and children of West Pokot, will have a crop because of your generosity and willingness to extend the Love of God around the world. God bless you all.

Crossroads Church Kenya Trip

I wanted to share this letter from Claudia Hopper, a member of the "Go Team" from Crossroads Church in Wasilla, Alaska. I will add some photos soon.........

Our time with Leroy, Mary and the Pokot people was absolutely life changing for our team! Phil & Sondra Markwardt, Pat & Claudia Hopper, Tracy and Josiah Moffitt spent 10 days in Kesai and Kitali. I am amazed at the sacrifices the Hawn’s are enduring to minister to these people. Pastor Phil and Sondra spoke numerous times at the Pastors conference in Kitali. Many men walked for hours to attend this 3-day event in a humble church with tree trunks for pews on a dirt floor. We were able to prophecy and speak words of life over each one. It was phenomenal to see the joy radiate from their once downtrodden faces.

We held a Baptismal service after church on Sunday. I think the count was 98 in all! Men, women, children gathered together, all in brightly colored clothing and hungry hearts to witness this event.

The Pokot people were so warm and welcoming to us in every way. We were invited into a Pastor’s home for a meal of goat and rice. It was so humbling as they served us their best, topped off with a warm coke!

Playing with the children was one of my personal highlights. I took bags of balloons and they didn’t know how to blow them up! It was great fun watching the amazement on their faces as some of the balloons floated off and popped on the sticker bushes. To see them value ownership of a small hot wheels car or a pack of gum was amazing.

There is such a great need in this area of food, medical needs and education. Leroy and Mary are working hard to supplement what they can but there is SO MUCH NEED! If anyone is interested in seeing our pictures or hearing more, please contact Pat or Claudia Hopper at 907-376-7896.

Claudia Hopper

Nathan and Lacy Steel - SCION productions

Everywhere we went there were children, laughing, playing, and ohhh.. so excited to see us! They crowded in and often were so curious they would almost overwhelm us. Lacy was so good about letting the children see the pictures she took, and this removed much of the fear they had of the camera.

I just had to add this photo of Nathan and Lacy. This is how we saw them most of the time with the cameras lifted and operating. They worked so hard and were real troopers. We asked so much of them and they never complained and were gracious in every situation. When we would come back at night from our day, we would talk over our experiences. Whether we were in the slums, the garbage dumps, or the market places they showed the Love of the Lord in all their interactions with the people. We cannot thank them enough for their fellowship and labor. Please pray with us as they work, that the videos will inspire others to join with us in the support and blessing to these precious children.

Back from Kenya

Dear friends, Ruthann and I, are just back from our trip to the work in Kenya. Nathan and Lacy Steel from Church on the Rock in Wasilla, Alaska went with us and took miles of film and pictures. We were so blessed to spend time with them and just know they will be a friends of this ministry for many years to come. We first went to Nairobi and visited victory Times Ministry, the work of Bishop Philip Karanja in Kamarock. We filmed the children in the feeding program as well as many in the garbage dumps and slums of Nairobi. The House of Hannah Children's home is primed to open as soon as we are able to obtain sponsors for the first 20 children. Please be in prayer for these kids. For only $40 a month an orphand child can be housed, fed, clothed and provided an education. As Lacy and Nathan work to produce a video explaining this ministry, Ruthann and I will be seeking these sponsors. Contact us if you can help.

After Nairobi we went up country to Kitale and West Pokot where the ministry headquartered of H.I.M. is being maned by Leroy and Mary Hawn. What a blessed time we had vi sting and sharing the Love of God with them as well as spending time in the "bush" country of West Pokot. We will be posting many photos and stories of our travels there as we have time. Expect almost daily updates for the next week...we have so much to share! The work there is greatly blessed of the Lord and as lives are charged, souls led to the lord and churches built, we give the Lord all the praise and Glory for the work. It is truly a work of grace and evangelism that is taking place there and we pray daily for the work. A mission house is in construction at Kamagetto, and churches are growing.

Leroy and Mary UPDATE

Hello Mike and Ruthie,
Well we are back in Kitale again. The visitors from Alaska left on the seventh. We enjoyed them very much. I think they enjoyed the Pokot people very much also.
We had a baptism service at Kasaka on Saturday the 31st. According to my count we baptized ninety eight. The record book for baptisms will show the exact number. It was held in a small river that the Pokot dammed up for a deeper water hole. It was a long and hot service but wonderful.
Sunday we traveled back to Kasaka after spending the night in Kasei, for a great Sunday service and a meal at Benjamin's house.
The Leadership seminar went well too. We also held a ladies seminar at Kamaketto on Wed. the 4th. The ladies seemed to enjoy it a lot;.even had some men meeting with the ladies under the trees.
I received a letter from ACCK that they have changed their mind about letting us live in their house at KaseiI, So we have found another house at Kamaketto. Will start Monday to fixing it up for a place to live while we are there working on the new church building for Kamaketto.
We have two things we need help with. One, is the famine in the area has many people without food. So we need some financial help to keep them from starvation. Two, we need to build a church at Kamakatto.
The elders have given us some land for it. The members have cleared the land and are gathering stones for the concrete. I think the church building will cost about twenty thousand dollars. The famine food costs are about one hundred thousand Kshl if it doesn't get worse. I don't see much way for it to get better without rain and seeds to plant. But prayer can change that.
We still have several students who don't have sponsors for secondary school. If interested I can give names and standings in school for people who want to help.
Love you. Leroy and Mary

Crossroads Church "GO" Group

Crossroads church sent a team to Kenya for several projects and we were blessed they chose to spend some time with Leroy and Mary and the POKOT people. The wonderful congregation of Crossroads have been a major sponsor for the work there, and continue to give monthly to the support of Leroy and Mary as missionaries in Kenya. I will write much more about their trip when Claudia Hopper gets her newsletter done! Can't wait to hear all the news. In the meantime, I wanted to post this picture taken while the team was there of some POKOT children. Pray we get rain this season and the famine is not too severe. More soon...Mike.

Video Help

God is so good to us, so gracious to provide just what we need, when we need it! Ruthann & I have been concerned about how we can really explain the heart of the POKOT people and the hunger they have for the Gospel. While Leroy and Mary have been so faithful and intent on the work in Kenya, the Lord has connected us with some amazing people here in Alaska. Nathan and Lacy Steel of Scion Studios here in Wasilla Alaska. Not only do they have a heart for Jesus and the work of the Gospel world wide, they are willing to put their labor and talents to work for the ministry. They are going with us to Kenya on 27 March and will help us create a video record of the work there to be used on his BLOG, a website and in helping to raise support. We love these two soldiers for Christ. Please pray with us for a safe journey and guidance as they work to create these much needed tools for the precious souls of Africa. Visit their website at http://www.scionstudiosinc.com/

Oral Robers University Students Help

I am so excited to announce that a team of senior ORU students are going to be helping us package a presentation for H.I.M. I will be sharing much more about this later, but for now, please pray we can find the right non-profit to partner with us to dig and repair wells for the POKOT people of Northern Kenya. Here is the letter the team sent to me this week:

Hello, Michael. I have attached the team picture for you. From left to right, we have Grant Eisiminger, Becky Kwanga, Tripp Hipple (me), Lindsay Thomas, and Daniel Murphree.

Grant: As I mentioned before, each of us are seniors.

The only person that will not graduate this May is Grant. He is double majoring in both mass media productions and theatre. He is the creative on the team. What I mean by that is he thinks outside the box and brings a fresh perspective of life to the table.

Becky: Becky is one-of-a-kind. She grew up in Nairobi, then moved to Oxford, England when she was in middle school. What makes her so special is her joyful personality. I do not think I have ever seen her downtrodden. As I mentioned over the phone, she is awaiting to here from her mother if she needs to return to Kenya in the next couple of days. I pray she gets to stay around. She is a very valuable asset to our team. Her major is public relations and advertising.

Me (Tripp) : I am a mountain man. I grew up in Denver, Colorado and miss the snow when I am in Tulsa. It would be a dream to travel to Valdez and heli-board on some of the world's best peaks. I will be graduating a semester early from ORU and am looking to pursue a career in broadcast news. My major is in broadcast journalism.

Lindsay: Lindsay is also very valuable to our team. She is a brain when it comes to the logistics. Without her, it would almost impossible for us to get everything done. She is also a broadcast journalism major.

Daniel: Daniel is quiet, but powerful. He will be designing your new website and shooting footage for the short impact films. His keen sense of capturing footage and editing will be very helpful to us this semester. He is majoring in mass media productions.

I hope you can know get a grasp of who we are. We are all looking forward to helping you and the Hawns through the use of our talents. We said today how thankful we are to be working under you. Please let me know if you need any other information. Talk to you soon, Michael.
Sincerely,
Tripp Hipple

In my last newsletter, I let you know that we have five pastors here in the Kasei region that work very hard delivering the gospel but receives only God's blessing for it. If I had five volunteers that could pay $ 100 a month for their salary. that would give them a bout ksh 6000 that would help them feed their families. some of them have eight or nine children.

Church has been wonderful. We have seen many come to know the Lord. These young pastors are working so hard and are hungry to learn more. They come over to visit and pray with us almost every day and we are making lifelong friends.

The churches are crowded when we go, often with people hanging out of the doors and windows. When they have a building at all, it is usually a mud walled hut. Some of the churches have frames and have attached corrugated metal to them to keep out the rain. We are kept at church for many hours shaking hands and praying for people.

The children especially flock to us and seem to want to keep us involved with them. We love to see the little ones in church and coming to know the Lord right along with their parents. The food we were able to provide has made a difference , as the people see we are there to bless them and are not ignoring their most
Pressing needs. You all are a part of this, we could not be bringing the Love of God to these people without your help.

We have rented a little house in Kitale. It has a nice screened in back porch which has become the local meeting place for the pastors. They come and have tea with us and tell stories of their churches and people and discuss ways to be more effective as teachers and pastors. The children also come and sing songs and want Leroy to entertain hem. It is sometimes difficult to ask them to leave so we can get some sleep!

Now that we have the vehicle, a 2002 Toyota Land Cruiser, and a place to live and work from as our headquarters in Kitalie we are ready to move forward with the Ministry of water wells, and church building. Please pray with us for the following

We need to find well pulling equipment that can either be mounted on the bed of the Pick-up or can be towed behind on a trailer. In this way we can begin the process of pulling the wells all throughout this region that are damaged and not operating. We can restore these wells – over 300 of them – to working order one at a time.
The costs to buy casing, parts, gas and supplies will be ongoing. Pray with us that God will raise up warriors with us who will commit to helping us financially with the material needs we have for this great work

We feel a strong burden to support 5 of the most needy pastors here with a salary so they can devote themselves to the word and training to pastor their churches without worrying their families will starve. For $100/ month you could support the ministry of an entire church and feed a Pastors family. Please let us know if God is moving you in this way.

If you wish to be on the email list for newsletters , send a note to Mike Hervey at
HawnIM@gmail.com

Subscribe to this blog! Let us know you are a supporter. God Bless you all, keep praying there is much to do.
Leroy and Mary

Newsletter 3 Oct 08

Newsletter Oct 2008

UPDATE
We arrived at Kasei Saturday evening stopped at Kamgetto on the way. sort of got flagged down by a welcome committee. The welcome was wonderful. singing and dancing. They gave Mary a hand made bracelets and necklace plus a a Pokot woman belt with some pretty shells on it. i got a hand made one piece stool that was well made about the size of a small milking stool with pretty handle on it.

Had another warm greeting at Kasei. They met us at our house on top of big hill with mountains all around us. We had a nice meal of Ugali and goat meat. with pan full of goat liver which I thought was delicious. Mary ate one piece. I believe but she did eat the goat meat. wouldn't try the Ugali. to drink we had tea Kenya style 1/2 tea 1/2 milk with lots of sugar.Sunday morning service started at about 10 am. Building was metal roof with mud sides and open doorway. pews was a small log laid over a tree limb set in the floor at each end. Log fitting into a fork in the tree limb. Mary and I and John and Ruth had a bench with a bout 12 inch seat, that got awfully hard.Singing started a bout 10:30 am and the crowd slowly got bigger ad bigger till there was standing room only and some people listening form the doors and windows. All elders that are still alive came to greet us. I was embarrassed to find out I had forgotten a lot of their names. hope they will forgive me. because they all remembered me and some of the good times we had when I lived here. A real blessing to say the least.Lunch was served after church. beans and maize cooked together with gali on the side was a real good meal ready.People came till pretty late. John And Ruth went home to Kiwawa earlier in the after noon. Monday was spent visiting with old friends welcoming us home. I forgot to add John and I both spoke during the service and Ruth brought the message in the Pokot language. she did a great Job but John interpreted for us as she preached.Now its Tuesday and Mary and i are by our selves here at kasei. The goats staring onto the porch at us and flys trying to find a place to land. We do have some serious problems here. The famine is very bad but it has rained every night since we have been here. the natives keep thanking us for God blessing them with rain, we just have to tell them we had nothing to do with it. All the praise should go to God. But its to late to do the crops any good.I priced maize in Kapenguria its Ksh 3000 per ninety kilo bag. The delivery to here from Kapenguria would make a truck load about $ 4000 But at Kasie we can buy maize 25 ksh per killo a pick up load about 25 bags would be less than $1000 so that cuts the cost down considerably.I think I will try to buy some maize and appoint some of the pastors to give it to more needy families. That may stop some starvation. Not all the families need help. Up on top of the mountain they have good crops. so they there is no shortage there to my surprise they have build a road to the top. If I don't load too heavy, I can load some in the land cruiser.

One other thing i need help with. We have five pastors here in the Kasei region that work very hard delivering the gospel but receives only God's blessing for it. If I had five volunteers that could pay $ 100 a month for their salary. that would give them a bout ksh 6000 that would help them feed their families. some of them have eight or nine children.

If you wish to be on the email list for newsletters , send a note to Mike Hervey at
HawnIM@gmail.com and he will put you on the update list. We can also mail newsletter to you if you send us your address.

God Bless you all, keep praying there is much to do.
Leroy and Mary

Newsletter 1 SEP 08

Hawn International Missions, Inc. Issue 1
UPDATE

Well, it has been way too long since we’ve been able to make real contact with
everyone, but we hope to have that problem remedied now. So much has happened since we left for Kenya on July 6th, 2008. We are so thankful for the prayers and financial help at Crossroads for our success, and all the friends who have helped us fulfill this calling. The Lord is on our side and we have been richly blessed in our work here. We know it has only been through the prayers and intervention of those back home. The send off we got from Sunny Knik Chapel was amazing, and all the folks at Wasilla Christian stood in the gap for us they have every time the Lord has called on them to help. You have all been fantastic. Please do not stop praying for us. We have purchased a truck, a 2002 Toyota, diesel.

It is a Landcruiser Pick up , a very well built rig with heavy duty springs under it. Heavy front bumper and grill guard. the bumper has a place to mount a winch. It was used to transport tours around and has six seats behind for seven Americans to sit in comfortably, (probably 20 Africans when over crowded).

It has a canvas covered over rack. That is well built above the bed. Than can be unbolted and removed. to install a pump hoist. or we could pull a trailer with a pump hoist mounted on it. Seats up on the ground in good shape. I think it would be rated a one 1 tone by American standard. It has a diesel engine.

This truck will be our foundation equipment in the work and has already been instrumental in getting food to famine torn areas of Kenya, as well as taken sick children to the hospital, and taking ministers to church. We have much to tell you all, and will be sending much more information in the coming days. Just know for know we are well, we have found a house to rent, and are busy in the Lords work. Many souls are being added to the Kingdom every meeting. New churches will soon be built. Here is our contact information

LMhawn@gmail.com Send us an emial, we would love to hear from you

If you wish to be on the email list for newsletters , send a note to Mike Hervey at
HawnIM@gmail.com and he will put you on the update list. We can also mail newsletter to you if you send us your address.

Send Donatins to

Michaek Hervey, H.I.M.

PO Box 872889, Wasilla, Alaska 99687-2889

God Bless you all, keep praying there is much to do.
Leroy and Mary

Well, first posts are always hard

Well.....here goes. I'm a 57 y.o., technically challenged baby boomer who gas started a blog! What's next... reservations for the next space shuttle? Hair implants, twitter? But hey. It is 2009, and if we are to keep up, keep going, keep forward momentum, we need to use the technology available. So......

African Missions, Hawn International Missions now has a blog. In it I will share what is happening; the dreams, goals, hopes, success and frustrations of this work. We try and do good, we seek the call of God, His leading and direction. We are led, we believe to do this work, and yet we are imperfect beings, just people like everyone else, weak, sinful, flawed, scared, proud, joyful, tired, energized, striving, dreamers.... just like you. I will share the foundations of this work, what we are doing, why we are doing it. You who follow this Blog will discover the foundations of the ministy, the NEWSLETTERS will be posted, pictures as I can - as the Blog site will allow. All of that. But I do not only intend on putting the happy face here. You will also share the disappointments, the difficulties, the doubts. I think maybe this is not done, maybe people who help , those who have interest want only the best light, the happiest face, the most faith. Maybe. But somehow I feel that the 'news' done this way no longer has life, no longer applies to real life. In real life things don't always go right, don't always work out. Real life has speed bumps, flat tires, upset stomachs. So, with God's help, and some trepidation, I hesitate forward. I will share this blog with all the supporters of Hawn International Missions (HIM) and anyone else who wants to visit. All are welcome. More soon.