There is great reward when we embrace others in need and equip them with skills (not handouts) so that dignity and sustainability can be passed on to others!
"There’s reunion in the family, reconciliation, peace, and togetherness. Families are able to spend time together. Kids are able to go to schools, and they can now eat three meals a day.” - Chief Thomas
Testimonies of transformation are the new normal in Cherangan'y, Kenya. This is only possible because of Hillside Community Church! Thousands of people in the village are encountering the living Gospel lived out in the daily lives of men, women, and children who have been empowered through Hillside and ELI.
More than 250 Women of Change have left the business of moonshine and have led their families and others to Christ. Many of their husbands along with other men from the village have launched a village-based alcoholism recovery program. There are weekly trainings and empowerment programs that cover topics like business, agriculture, godly parenting, Bible studies, addiction recovery, life skills like baking and soap-making, and much more!
Every year since 2017 Hillside has sent a summer team to fellowship with the community of Cherangan'y and these dynamic emerging leaders. The teams have walked through the village, climbed a small mountain to meet the Women of Change, eaten meals and drunk tea with many of the families, participated in VBS programs, joined Sunday church services, and even celebrated the 4th of July (fireworks and all) with people who now call Hillside Community Church their dear friend. In 2019 Pastor Aaron even visited the chief and the Women of Change leaders to bless and encourage them.
More than 250 Women of Change have left the business of moonshine and have led their families and others to Christ. Many of their husbands along with other men from the village have launched a village-based alcoholism recovery program. There are weekly trainings and empowerment programs that cover topics like business, agriculture, godly parenting, Bible studies, addiction recovery, life skills like baking and soap-making, and much more!
Every year since 2017 Hillside has sent a summer team to fellowship with the community of Cherangan'y and these dynamic emerging leaders. The teams have walked through the village, climbed a small mountain to meet the Women of Change, eaten meals and drunk tea with many of the families, participated in VBS programs, joined Sunday church services, and even celebrated the 4th of July (fireworks and all) with people who now call Hillside Community Church their dear friend. In 2019 Pastor Aaron even visited the chief and the Women of Change leaders to bless and encourage them.
Relationship Building & Practical Knowledge
Role models like the Women of Change, their husbands, and the leaders like Chief Thomas and Pastor Kemboi have sparked change in the village, and multitudes are taking notice. Families are experiencing healing and unity as parents participate in reconciliation and godly parenting workshops. Children are experiencing joy and laughter through VBS programs and weekend activities known as "Give a Child a Chance."
Dignified small businesses are flourishing as women leave brewing, men strategically work their farms, and market linkages are being formed to larger communities with greater demand. Alcoholics are engaging sobriety through locally commissioned AA programs connected with the local churches. Pastors are collaborating across multiple denominations, and the chief, together with the local government, is paving the way for restoration and development.
Equipping People to Lead & Multiply
Coaching and mentoring established and emerging leaders within Cherangan'y is critical. The men and women who are really implementing ELI life-skills trainings, growing spiritually with Jesus (through disciplines like Mizizi), and becoming stronger communicators are the World Changers who will transform their village alongside Hillside and ELI.
The Women of Change like Alice, the recovered alcoholics like Sylvester, the 24 pastors from 9 denominations, the elders and chiefs like Thomas, and the many farmers blessed through your support of the Seeds of Hope program are inspiring their people. ELI staff like Nickson and Dennis are engaging one on one with these special leaders and are doing conference calls with each group (pastors, Women of Change, etc). This helps each like-minded and shared-experience group continue to build a stronger sense of “us” and refine their unique opportunity to apply their testimonies and to witness to the community at large.
From there, cohorts will be formed at the churches of the pastors and Women of Change who have been mentored. One of the recovered alcoholics is now attending the church also along with one of the elders living in the area. This special task force can then collaboratively and collectively look at their part of Cherangan'y with unique eyes and see where the Spirit of God is at work. These diverse teams of World Changers spread throughout the village will catalyze their families, friends, and congregations to build a Kingdom community where the presence of God is manifest through their love in action.
The Women of Change like Alice, the recovered alcoholics like Sylvester, the 24 pastors from 9 denominations, the elders and chiefs like Thomas, and the many farmers blessed through your support of the Seeds of Hope program are inspiring their people. ELI staff like Nickson and Dennis are engaging one on one with these special leaders and are doing conference calls with each group (pastors, Women of Change, etc). This helps each like-minded and shared-experience group continue to build a stronger sense of “us” and refine their unique opportunity to apply their testimonies and to witness to the community at large.
From there, cohorts will be formed at the churches of the pastors and Women of Change who have been mentored. One of the recovered alcoholics is now attending the church also along with one of the elders living in the area. This special task force can then collaboratively and collectively look at their part of Cherangan'y with unique eyes and see where the Spirit of God is at work. These diverse teams of World Changers spread throughout the village will catalyze their families, friends, and congregations to build a Kingdom community where the presence of God is manifest through their love in action.
Sylvester Kipchumba was a government official by day and an alcoholic by night. Because he had a wife and 15 children, he spent years trying to stop drinking, but he could not break free from the bondage of alcohol addiction. Sylvester’s journey started when he was a young boy at a circumcision initiation ceremony. During the ceremony the boys were given a shot of a local brew called busaa. Sadly, this small quantity was all it took to ignite his taste for alcohol. Soon Sylvester had begun to steal alcohol from his father and drink alone. His drinking accelerated in college where drinking made him feel like he fit in with his friends. After his schooling, Sylvester landed a good job with the government, and he was finally able to stop drinking; his sobriety lasted five years.
Sylvester’s life was heading in the right direction until one fateful decision changed everything. He began to join his friends after work at the drinking den where they liked to hang out. He told himself he was just there to socialize, but one day he tried a swig of a new local brew called changaa, which means “kill me quick” because it is very toxic and dangerous. This one little taste was enough to pull him back into the darkness of uncontrolled drinking, and this time his addiction was much worse.His weekend drinking became everyday drinking, and soon it consumed his life. He lost his great government job and found himself with 15 children that were in need of school fees that he could no longer afford. Because he had 18 acres of land, he decided to sell some so that his kids could return to school. Unfortunately, his addiction was so powerful that he spent most of the proceeds on alcohol instead.
The Context
Cherangan'y is a very special place that 12,000 people call home. For generations they lived in the forest and relied on hunting and gathering wild fruits and honey. Over the last 50 years the desire to generate income has increased, and clear-cutting sections of the forest was the primary revenue source for the community. Due to rampant deforestation, the government enacted strict regulations on logging and charcoal. Families were left with few sources of income, so they resorted to a quick-income project: brewing changaa, which translates to “kill me quick.” A prevalence of moonshine, little hope for change, and dysfunctional families meant that kids dropped out of school, early pregnancies were commonplace, and idleness was rampant. This further fueled demand for alcohol, thus perpetuating the cycle of generational poverty.
For over 20 years Chief Thomas cried out to God for his people. He was desperate for an example of hope and progress within the community. In 2016 he heard about how ELI was training brewers to start healthy, dignified businesses. He heard testimony after testimony of change through local radio and television broadcasts. He relentlessly pursued ELI's national leadership, and within a few months 214 women were trained. Three months later their 500 combined children were enrolled between three local primary schools. 80% of the women gave their lives to Christ and are now active members of their churches. They and their families are now the living role models that Chief Thomas prayed for over the course of two decades.
“The involvement of Hillside has really taught me to be humble: the way they come and serve and even climb the hill to visit the Women of Change." - Pastor Kemboi
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