2012 Trip Dates

Kenya Introduction & History

Servant Life partners with Mattaw Children’s Village to send American teams on short term missions experiences to Kenya. Directed by Bud and Kimberly Huffman, the Mattaw Children’s Village is a home to orphaned children in Kenya. Mattaw is located in a small village just outside of Kitale, Kenya. There are currently 1.9 million orphans in the country of Kenya, and Bud and Kimberly desire to one day have many more Mattaw Villages throughout the country to care for these children.

After working in orphanages in Kenya alongside Katalyst ministries, the Mattaw dream was birthed in the hearts of Bud and Kimberly. In April of 2007, with the help of several churches and families, seven acres of the most beautiful land just outside of Kitale, Kenya were purchased and construction began. The name “Mattaw” was chosen, as it is the English spelling of the Hebrew word found in Isaiah 61:3 for a “planting” or “garden.” You can discover very quickly the entire vision of Mattaw by simply reading this incredible piece of God’s Word.

The Mattaw Children’s Village opened its doors to 12 orphaned children in 2008 in the village’s first house, Penda, which means “love”. The second house, Raha (meaning “joy”) has now been finished and filled with children as well. When complete, the village will house a total of 72 children in six home units. Each home unit houses 12 children and two house parents. Each of the family units in the village carries a Swahili name that represents a fruit of the Spirit. A garden is only as good as the fruit it produces and our prayer is that Mattaw Children’s Villages are gardens that produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.

Servant Life is starting a new partnership with Mattaw Children’s Village to send teams on short term missions experiences to share the love of Christ by hosting day camps for the children at Mattaw and the surrounding community. Join us as we help the people of Kenya know Christ through His Word!

Learn more about the ministry of Mattaw Children’s Village at www.mattawchildren.com.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” James 1:27