John Stanko

I am wrapping up my visit to Kenya, staying over a few days after my team left to wrap things up. All in all, it was a super trip!  We touched so many people and delivered blessings that you helped us bring through your generous contributions of money and resources. I hope you have read my travel blog from our visits. I will be updating it soon, since some of the days we had no Internet connection through which to post our entries.  Please go there to get a better understanding of the scope of what we are trying to do here.

I have many thank you notes from the people here, but let me share the one from Alice at Each One Touch One Orphanage after our visit on the first day we were here, along with the picture that Alice sent with it:

Dear Dr. John and the entire ACA-CUBM Team Feb 2013,

February 02, 2013 was no ordinary day in the lives of the team that is EOTOO.  Come eleven thirty a.m. and there you were; all these familiar faces beaming with happiness, smiles written allover them and arms folding around the EOTOO children and members alike to spread the love that God has put into your Team.  Indeed we felt very loved, a lot of warmth filled us and together as one team we experienced the LOVE of GOD.

We are still humming tunes of happiness and singing songs of JOY.  For that is what you brought into our lives on that day!  Like the children would say later, "We can never ever find the words to thank you enough".  God will reward all of you on our behalf.  We keep praying to God for blessings to your team for all  that you brought to EOTOO on Saturday and for all those that did not make it but did send their love and gifts to us.  Our special thanks to Kathy and Karen.  Do pass our love to them and say that our wish is for God to bless them a thousand times.

The song we danced to on receiving the computer is called "Omwana wa Mbeli".  It is a song in praise of the first born in the Luhya community which is my ethnic background.  Indeed you are the first in the lives of the EOTOO team.  When we were hungry, you were the first to feed us.  When the vocabulary of "toy" did not exist in the language of the EOTOO children, you were the first to make them master it practically.  And now, you have provided the first electronic office asset to be owned by EOTOO!  Its a DELL, Model No. PP29L for our records.

When you lift us, your arms grow stronger.
When you give to us, your hands empties to receive.
When you walk with us through dark valleys, our feet learn the way to Truth.
When you weep with us, our eyes wash clear to see compassion's holy bond.
WHEN YOU LIFT US, YOU ARE LIFTED.

Adopted from Susan Lenzke's writings.

God bless all of you.   

Alice for the EOTOO Team 

At our team debrief before eveyone else left, one team member commented how we must step up and do more, because every time we come we see more needs.  In addition to money, we need laptop computers that we can place in our library projects. If you have a used laptop in reasonably good condition or would like to buy a new one for Kenya, please let me know.  And of course, we need money to continue meeting the feeding and educational needs of the children and widows.  You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you for helping to make this trip so special. I can assure you that we represented your gifts and the spirit in which they were given well.