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!
FEBRUARY UPDATE
“You are welcome to work with my people and community.”
That’s always encouraging to hear from a village chief. But the bigger question is what compelled him to say this?
When some of the ELI staff recently visited Chief Malalo and his community leaders in Butula, Kenya, Chief Malalo had something he wanted to share:
ELI has been mentoring Benedict (and his wife, Josephine) for over 6 years now. As a pastor, he has the vision of empowering his congregation and community through self-sustainability and agribusiness so that they can be a beacon to other communities who do not follow Jesus. Their dream is to use agriculture and business as a form of evangelism so people can physically witness the changes that are possible when operating within a Kingdom culture and mindset.
This husband and wife are so potent in their training and dedicated to their people that they have raised up co-laborers to reach as many families and households in Butula as possible. One of those “workers” is Florence and she made it part of her mission to personally impact the chief.
And, as they say, the rest is history.
Because of YOU, another chapter is being written in Butula’s history as ELI begins to journey deeper with Chief Malalo, Florence, Benedict, and the many others who are ready to join forces to see that no family is left hopeless and resigned to poverty!
Hope is on the rise, my friends!
Five Women of Change carefully made their way down the rough dirt road. They were on the way to Chepketeret, Kenya, to meet with 16 brewers who had heard there is a way out of brewing because of last month’s Hope Rising event. These five special women took time to listen to the hearts, minds, and souls of these ladies.
One of the sixteen named Gladys shared about how she was lured into brewing by the “lie” of its quick and easy money. While the money flowed in as the moonshine flowed out, she slowly found herself trapped.
In early December she was reflecting on how her family’s life descended into chaos, pain, and fear. She wanted a way out. She wanted to leave the life—and lie—of brewing moonshine. She told herself it was time to take baby steps toward change.
That’s when she heard the words "HOPE Rising" on the radio and learned about the hike that had taken place just a few days earlier.
Believing this was a gift from God, she contacted ELI and learned more about how thousands of families have been able to leave brewing and alcoholism. She then found 15 other ladies in her village who were interested to learn about a new lifestyle free of fear, abuse, neglect, and shame.
And that’s how, and why, five Women of Change made the trek to meet Gladys and her friends. After the day of learning about how change is really possible, the 16 women signed up to be trained February 7-11th!
In this new year, YOU are making NEW LIFE possible for so many families hungry for change! Your prayers and investments open the doors for so many lives to be impacted. This New Year, let’s celebrate together the many new lives that will be sparked toward positive change in the coming days, weeks, and months!
December Update
THE HOPE RISING HIKE
Saturday December 4th elevated the hearts and worship of around two hundred people who gathered in a MOST SURPRISING PLACE in Africa! Many had JUST finished hiking a steep trail from the below in the Kerio Valley to the top of the escarpment along a former delivery route for illegal alcohol. The hikers who finished the climb were exhausted but filled with an overwhelming joy because this was so much MORE THAN A HIKE! It was a three-hour climb and declaration that darkness will NO LONGER HAVE DOMINANCE in that area of Kenya nor in their lives.
Addictions to alcohol are being broken and families that were once torn apart at the seams are being restored in miraculous ways. Even the television media came to see and broadcast the testimonies nationwide! We’ll post those here soon!
This climb yelled “HOPE IS RISING!” It signified that your prayers and support have helped each of these families reach new heights and a new mission: to embrace Christ, crush poverty, and share their transformation with others!
The county governor told ELI staff, “There is no better place for me to be today than to be walking this path with people who have discovered this hope and change. ELI has brought immeasurable impact to families and communities, and I am so glad to join this challenging climb to show my commitment to join them and to encourage even more to change.”
The prayer and support of friends like you fuel a movement that reverses the works of darkness. Ruth, a former illegal brewer of changa’a (which means “kill me quick”), said, “I used to walk this same route every day carrying gallons of illegal brew to sell. But today I have the light of Jesus, and it is His power that has brought us together to do this climb. The Spirit of God has given us real hope, and His power will lead us forward so that more lives are set free to shine Jesus’ love.”
As an ELI family, we are so grateful for your support and pray that “…your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope!”
September 2021 Update
Chief of Empowerment
On a dark and stormy night, Chief Thomas gathered four policemen in preparation for a raid. Knowing alcohol would be brewed rain or shine, they felt sure they would be able to capture several illegal brewers. The sound of the rain hitting the corrugated iron roofs would drown out their swift approach into the homes after midnight. It was never something he enjoyed; putting an already impoverished mother into prison created a conflict in his own heart knowing that her children would suffer even more. But the government had mandated the closing of all illegal alcohol brewing dens.
So when Chief Thomas heard the testimony of an illegal brewer who had completely transformed, he was captivated. Over the radio a woman named Ruth shared about the radical change her life had undergone. The sincerity of her testimony compelled him to find out how she had changed. (Read her story here.) Maybe the women in his own community could follow the same path, and he would be freed from being required to arrest them.
It's been 5 years since Chief Thomas heard that radio program and subsequently brought 193 willing illegal brewers to the ELI training center to learn alternative skills and about the transforming love of God. After an additional 25 came the following year, Chief Thomas said he'd seen more transformation in that 10 months than in the previous 10 years! The government has since seen the results of his efforts. He has been promoted to the highest level of chief in his county and for 2 years in a row received a presidential award for evident change and development in his area. "My promotion and even these awards are because of Empowering Lives," he cheerfully says. He doesn't hide the challenges he faced for 20 years . . . or the life skills and message of God that have fueled his community's dramatic turnaround.
Chief Thomas enjoys carrying his Bible now when he visits people's homes. Idle youth, domestic violence, arrests, and many other social ills have decreased. And within 2 months of those original trainings, the enrollment in schools increased by over 500 children!
Your partnership and prayers help empower chiefs and community leaders throughout East Africa to accomplish their hopes of bringing lasting change and development to the thousands of people in their communities. Thank you for being a part of empowering lives!
August 2021 Update
Celestine’s life took a miserable turn down a deadly path after she got married. Her husband’s meager income was not meeting the family’s needs, and though Celestine’s children begged her not to, she began brewing and selling illegal alcohol. She would tell them—and herself: “God will bless us one day and then I will quit.”
The police planned a night ambush and finally caught Celestine red-handed. As the police car drove off, she could hear the screaming cries of her children pleading for the police not to take their mommy away. Celestine realized at that moment that she needed to seek real change in her life. She heard about Julia, a former brewer from her same town of Ngorngoroi, and decided along with several other women to follow Julia’s example and attend a 5-day training with Empowering Lives International.
During the training Celestine learned of God’s love for her, as well as so many new ways to provide for her family: baking, dairy farming, kitchen gardening, and more! Upon returning home, the implementation of these skills was difficult, but Celestine persevered with the help from other friends like Julia who were making new lives for themselves too. They checked in on one another and encouraged one another, knowing that returning to brewing would be devastating for their families and their community. Together they even invested in a few bigger businesses like selling tree seedlings and starting a rental company, where they collectively invested in and then rented out plastic chairs, plates, and cups for ceremonies.
Because she has taken the skills she learned at the training and built on them, Celestine is now able to help her eldest daughter attend college while her younger children continue in elementary and high school. Celestine shares her testimony as often as possible:
Your investment has made Celestine’s story and so many others a reality! World Changers are being ignited every day in East Africa . . . and as they pass their transformation on to others, more World Changers are set ablaze! Thank you for fueling the fire of change that is now burning brightly in East Africa. God’s Spirit is at work, and we are grateful to be on this journey with you!
July 2021 Update
This month, the cohort from the village of Kocholwo came to ELI for the second level of Family HOPE training. Comprise
During their 3-day training at the ELI Training Center, this group of emerging World Changers gained more agricultural and business skills to earn God-honoring incomes. Topics included:
- how to grow the greatest number of vegetables in the smallest space
- what a vertical garden is and how to build one
- the importance of a kitchen garden
- the different planting cycles of vegetables
- how to prepare a portable garden
- business skills, including record keeping and marketing
- many more ideas that this group completely embraced
Each person couldn't wait to return and apply whatever possible to their own homes and then share these ideas with others. By the end of the first day, they decided instead of being called a cohort they wanted to be known as the “Team of Change.” 
The chief said the #1 problem he has faced in his community is the challenge of illegal alcohol brewing and drunkenness. He is now hopeful that through this training the Team of Change will take the information they learned, share it with their friends and neighbors, and help bring transformation to the entire village!.jpeg)
We are humbled by the village chief’s eagerness to partner with ELI and embrace all of the training that took place, including the challenge to grow deeper in relationship with Jesus.
It’s incredible how the right knowledge in the minds, hands, and hearts of empowered people can bring transformation to a whole community! We are so excited to see the change in this community over the next few months. Thank you for making trainings like this one possible. You are bringing positive change to communities all over Kenya through your prayers and support!
June 2021 Update
The other women brewers were shocked, and the village administration was overjoyed. Ruth had been a notorious illegal brewer and seller of changa'a ("kill me quick") alcohol for years. But, upon returning from an ELI training, she smashed her brewing pots and declared that she would live a new life—one that would honor God and be a blessing to her children and community.
The news spread far and wide. Dozens of illegal brewers from Kocholwo Village felt a tug of hope rising: "If notorious Ruth has changed, then is it possible for us to change as well?"
They dreamed of a life without police arrests and jail terms. They dreamed of a job that didn't force their children to drop out of school to become "cheap labor." They dreamed of their homes being filled with food, joy, and laughter instead of alcoholics, conflicts, and crumbling marriages.
The change in Ruth's life inspired forty brewers to attend a week of ELI training, where they discovered new skills for business and the love of God. Fast forward, and a group of these ladies now call themselves "Fruits of Change!" Through their implementation of ELI-trained skills to earn a God-honoring income, they now run small businesses growing coffee, bananas, potatoes, and vegetables. They have even started their own micro-lending program to increase their harvests!
Friends like you made it possible to partner with them in their "dream project" of planting trees. Dozens of families are now piloting coffee and citrus tree plantations. When successful, every family in the village will follow their lead so the village will be known regionally for its steady supply of valuable fruits in several years.
Felistus, the Chairwoman of the "Fruits of Change" group, has this to say:
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